Sasha
@Sasha@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Yes, that Sasha
- Comment on Travelling through space using the Sun as a Fuel 4 days ago:
As an alternative, there’s also the idea of collecting a huge amount of solar power to make a tiny black hole using some very very hard to make lasers. A 5×10^9kg black hole is ideal.
Isaac Asimov talks about it a bit in Imperial Earth and from what I remember he uses accretion of matter as a source of fusion energy. Back in my early uni days I did a small research project on this idea, and you can actually get a ton more efficiency by turning the whole thing into a fusion version of a NERVA thermal nuclear rocket engine. If you include Hawking radiation in the calculations and are particularly clever with the design, the whole thing becomes suprisingly controllable over a range of thrust, but you also get a constant 1g acceleration which resolves a bunch of biological issues around weightlessness.
It does require a little magic. You have to tether the black hole to the ship, and you need to use some pretty intense magnetic fields to contain the exhaust that’s being ejected at about 87% the speed of light (this also turns it into a fantastic way to destroy a planet by pointing it at the surface), but the fuel pumps used on the first stage Saturn V F1 engines are enough to feed it. The main issue imo is the absurd amount of radiation that’ll sterilise all life on the ship, but you can reach Proxima Centauri in about 4 years and the black hole should last for about 1000 before it’s spent (which interestingly is more about it becoming more massive, not less).
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 6 days ago:
Sorry for the anger, I’m just very upset about this because I’m constantly watching people’s lives be ruined by a government that’s at best ignoring their needs, and at worst literally sending violent thugs to assault them at home. I apologise for directing it at you, but Albo isn’t someone you should support.
The Australia institute has some problems but they’re pretty much on point with this one; they’re generally accurate on facts, it’s just that sometimes have weird takes on how to handle issues.
I can’t agree he’s doing the best he can, unless you mean he’s doing well at ruining democracy and siding with corporate interests. He’s not making the changes that are needed here and now, he’s still part of a corrupt neoliberal system and hasn’t made any moves to meaningfully move beyond it. He could help people immediately: he could stop deporting marginalised communities, he could stop the states from criminalising protest, he could stop the AFB from assaulting immigrants or VicPol from putting trans journalists in the hospital and killing Aboriginal people in custody. He could do something about climate change instead of worsening it. He could end a number of human rights violations like offshore detention and the handling of youth in the criminal justice system. He could stop doing openly corrupt things like increasing surveillance of people while hiding behind “it’s to protect children” etc.
In the end, he’s just another shitty politician with good rhetoric.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
I see. You aren’t interested in engaging with reality.
Labor has no good reason to open fossil fuel extraction projects years after we’re meant to be beyond that. The fact that you’re just deciding the story is fake is incredibly telling…
The salmon farming thing was indeed an election promise. It was also pure fucking evil, that’s my entire point. Albo sentenced an entire species to extinction for politics. How do you not see the problem here?
America does own us! Because of spineless politicians who keep bending to their will. We don’t have to be where we are now, we don’t have to keep propping up a self justifying system of death. We should never act like any of this is even slightly okay. I don’t understand how you aren’t outraged at the fact that this is all happening for nothing more than greed.
The systems you’re using to justify this aren’t actually justifications, they’re mechanisms fullfilling their intended purpose.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
Yes, my entire point is obviously that we should just bend over and accept evil because someone else might be a bit worse. /s
You can’t go around giving people a free pass for being spineless and corrupt just because someone else is worse. That’s literally the reason the system slides further and further right. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.
Would I rather have Albo? Sure. Doesn’t mean he isn’t a turd who’s actively making it worse under the guise of electoral reform and it sure doesn’t mean we should accept it. Do you want a two party system? Because this is how we get one.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
Why do people think criticising Labor for entirely valid reasons is a both sides are the same argument? It isn’t, it’s valid and necessary. Both sides do sometimes agree on things, but it isn’t me saying they’re the same… I never said they are the same, I never even mentioned the LNP.
Unwavering support for corrupt politicians needs to die because it actually does legitimise harm and makes corruption and incompetence seem less bad. You’re literally trying to justify corruption because they’re not the LNP.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
For a start:
…com.au/billions-in-israel-defence-contracts-put-…
…com.au/more-gas-labor-amps-it-up-past-twenty-fos…
He doesn’t have morals. He’s another corporate boot licker with a vague excuse.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
If you really don’t think Also is directly responsible for people dying, there’s nothing I can say that will convince you. The shitty neoliberal system isn’t a justification for inaction, it’s a disgusting tumour that he’s actively strengthening. You’re assuming that he has to play the game, he doesn’t, it’s a choice.
I’ll add this one specific thing though. Albo is actively making climate change worse and ensuring that the country continues to be reliant on fossil fuels.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
Putting an election before lives is pathetic.
- Comment on Albanese's politics of patience: Democracy needs mature leadership 1 week ago:
He can hid behind a veil of caution all he wants, it doesn’t change the fact he’s getting people killed and ruining lives for a lot of people. He isn’t being patient anyway, he’s actively making a lot of stuff significantly worse and betrayed even the most hardcore Labor supports I know.
- Comment on Transgender, nonbinary and disabled people more likely to view AI negatively, study shows 3 weeks ago:
Trans nonby software dev who dated a furry artist, my disdain for AI knows no limits.
I use Nobara, btw. (Is Arch good I’ve never looked into it)
- Comment on Wood heater pollution is a silent killer. Here's where the smoke is worst 4 weeks ago:
I remember in one of his books, Dr Karl recalls knowing when winter started because the ER suddenly fills up with kids fighting for their lives.
- Comment on Catalyst for change or community menace? What’s next for Australia’s e-bike revolution 1 month ago:
Rode one recently and the actual insane restrictions on where you can ride these things left me stranded over a freeway and took longer than walking home because I had to turn around and push the stupid thing across a bridge. They charged me to not ride the bike…
- Comment on [deleted] 2 months ago:
I’m sure I’ve seen these before, but so far as I can tell they have been taken over by an educational company, as you said. Shame.
I’m saving this post though, if I spot any of these I’ll shoot you a message, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
- Comment on xkcd #3085: About 20 Pounds 3 months ago:
Looking at it from a quantum field perspective, pretty much. If the only interactions are through gravity then the underlying field’s evolution can’t be influenced by anything else, I have no real idea what the implications of that would be because we don’t have a QFT for gravity.
- Comment on Climate activists to plead not guilty en masse under NSW’s controversial anti-protest laws 5 months ago:
Our representation has been incredible, there is the option to appeal but we haven’t discussed that yet. We had one successful appeal for a slightly different charge yesterday, so I suspect we’ll give it a go.
In my case the charges were entirely reasonable, my statement about them being inconsistent and political applies to those who are facing S214A which carries a maximum penalty of $22,000 and 2 years prison.
- Comment on Climate activists to plead not guilty en masse under NSW’s controversial anti-protest laws 5 months ago:
I had my court case today, and due to very different circumstances compared to these brave climate warriors, I plead guilty. The only tidbit I can really give is that they’re really leaning into the anti-protestor stuff and most likely want to make an example out of as many of them as possible (we were basically told this to our faces today). It’s unfair, the charges have been inconsistent, randomly changed and clearly politically motivated. I’d be watching this one closely, and if you can chip in to support them please do.
It’s not good news for protestors in general that we’re actively watching a crackdown unfold all over the nation, but at least in the case of rising tide, it likely means they’re using an effective strategy.
- Comment on How close are we to "manually tuning" LLMs? 6 months ago:
It would be easier and faster to just train it on the stuff you want it to output. There are hundreds of billions of weights in models like gpt, and no one really knows what any individual one does.
- Comment on We need faster speed limits in Australia - and I'm not saying that because I'm a hoon | Opinion - Car News 7 months ago:
I absolutely agree, getting your Ls should involve a short course and test like it does for motorbikes. Just scanning the road and looking out for danger properly is a whole skill that people need to be taught.
I’d say the biggest thing we can really do for road safety is to just reduce car numbers, so of course more trains and a bunch of HSR between the cities. Going 130 can reduce your travel time by a tiny amount, but going 250-300 on one of the safest modes of travel is something else entirely.
- Comment on Dr. Stone is a refreshingly, persistently upbeat series 7 months ago:
Dr. Stone is amazing and really scratched a nerdy itch for me, haven’t watched all of the anime but from what I have seen it’s a solid adaptation of the manga
- Comment on Do you want the murderer of the UnitHealthcare CEO prosecuted? 8 months ago:
Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely an idealist and I acknowledge that.
Let me be clear, I specifically think we shouldn’t immediately jump to killing as the first choice. If killing an evil person is going to lead to actual good outcomes, and is seemingly the best/most viable option, I’m not necessarily against it even if I don’t care for it. Violence is a tool we can use, but I prefer to limit it where possible.
Reform would be great if possible, it likely may not be. I think taking away the ability to do harm is probably the best place to start, imprisonment is certainly an option there but it’s not the only one (and doesn’t need to look like the current prison systems we have). If killing leads to a good outcome, and it’s not possible to do anything less (for example we don’t have the power to just round up all the billionaires and corrupt politicians to do these things), then it’s justifiable.
Once approaching justice after the harm has been stopped, one also needs to consider how victims feel and what they’re going to need to try and reduce the impact of the harm they’ve suffered. I’m no expert on any of this and I don’t pretend to be, but I know there are better ways than the current judicial systems. In all honesty I think it’s a case by case kind of thing.
My main concern with this whole affair, is that it hasn’t changed any power structures, people will still be exploited. I want to see structural change, not just blind revenge.
- Comment on Do you want the murderer of the UnitHealthcare CEO prosecuted? 8 months ago:
I am vegan, and that’s exactly the reason why.
I think it’s quite simply the case that we should make the choice to try and make life as uncruel as possible. That’s what I believe and I understand that many people won’t agree with me.
Also hey, I’m just having a discussion here we’re all friends. There’s no need to be mean and say I’m talking gibberish.
- Comment on Do you want the murderer of the UnitHealthcare CEO prosecuted? 8 months ago:
It is in some cases justifiable, but I don’t think it’s necessarily the only option in the majority of cases where people might jump to it.
I don’t really agree we’ve been trained to respond that way, when I quite often see the exact opposite. Killing is a fast and easy solution that many people are quick to advocate for. I’m quite steadfast in my belief that being able to look beyond killing is one of the few privileges our intelligence gives us, to be better than the cruelty of nature.
I don’t agree the breaking the social contract means death is appropriate or justifiable, but it does mean we can seek to undo that injustice and reduce the harm by other forceful methods. Acting in vengeance is not justifiable.
- Comment on Do you want the murderer of the UnitHealthcare CEO prosecuted? 8 months ago:
I don’t want him prosecuted, but not because I think killing people is good or forgivable (though it couldn’t really happen to a better person lol) but because the criminal justice system is awful, especially in the US.
If the death penalty is on the table, then I don’t think I need to explain why that’s bad, but I fundamentally disagree with imprisonment. I’m no expert, but there are better ways to handle harm and justice, and I feel the current system is unjustifiably evil in it’s treatment of convicts.
- Comment on An unwritten 'country code' is putting Rob's life at risk on the road, and all he's doing is turning right 8 months ago:
I’ve seen it a lot, mostly by road trains on the Nullarbor, and we would wait for them to stop indicating. It’s just a brief signal, one or two flashes and then you’re safe to check if it’s safe.
- Comment on Dyk, Bobby? 8 months ago:
Oh that’s so cool, thankyou for sharing!
- Comment on your mom falls significantly faster than g 9 months ago:
I’ve only ever done QFT in curved spacetime, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t do EM, it’ll be a vaguely similar process. I never actually dealt with any scenarios where the curvature was that extreme, and QFT in a curved background is kinda bizarre and doesn’t always require one to consider the specific trajectories, though you definitely can especially if you’re doing some quantum teleportation stuff. In my area it’s simpler to ignore QED and to just consider a massless scalar field, this gives you plenty of information about what photons do without worrying about polarisations and electrons.
It’s been a long time since I did any reading on the geometric optics approximation (in the context of GR this is the formal name for light travelling on null geodesics), but for the most part it’s not something you have to consider, even outside of black holes the curvature tends to be pretty tame (that’s why you can comfortably fall into one in sci-fi), so unfortunately I don’t know of any phenomena (in GR) where it’s important. QFT in curved spacetime generally requires you to stay away from large curvatures, otherwise you start entering into the territory of quantum gravity for which there is no accepted theory.
Outside of GR, it breaks down quite regularly, including I believe, for the classic double slit experiment.
- Comment on your mom falls significantly faster than g 9 months ago:
On that first point, calculating spacetime metrics is such a horrible task most of the time that I avoided it at all costs. When I was working with novel spacetimes I was literally just writing down metrics and calculating certain features of the mass distribution from that.
For example I wrote down this way to have a solid disk of rotating spacetime by modifying the Alcubierre warp drive metric, and you can then calculate the mass distribution along the radius. I did that calculation to show that such a spacetime requires negative mass to exist.
- Comment on your mom falls significantly faster than g 9 months ago:
Yeah, once you add in a second mass to a Schwarzschild spacetime you’ll have a new spacetime that can’t be written as a “sum” of two Schwarzschild spacetimes, depending on the specifics there could be ways to simplify it but I doubt by much.
If GR was linear, then yeah the sum of two solutions would be another solution just like it is in electromagnetism.
I’m actually not 100% certain how you’d treat a shell, but I don’t think it’ll necessarily follow the same geodesic as a point like test particle. You’ll have tidal forces to deal with and my intuition tells me that will give a different result, though it could be a negligible difference depending on the scenario.
Most of my work in just GR was looking at null geodesics so I don’t really have the experience to answer that question conclusively. All that said, from what I recall it’s at least a fair approximation when the gravitational field is approximately uniform, like at some large distance from a star. The corrections to the precession of Mercury’s orbit were calculated with Mercury treated as a point like particle iirc.
- Comment on your mom falls significantly faster than g 9 months ago:
Yeah it would fair point, I’ll be honest I haven’t touched Newtonian gravity in a long time now so is forgotten that was a thing.
There’s a similar phenomenon in general relativity, but it doesn’t apply when you’ve got multiple sources because it’s non-linear.
- Comment on your mom falls significantly faster than g 9 months ago:
Possibly?
A bowling ball is more dense than a feather (I assume) and that’s probably going to matter more than just the size. Things get messy when you start considering the actual mass distributions, and honestly the easiest way to do any calculations like that is to just break each object up into tiny point like masses that are all rigidly connected, and then calculate all the forces between all of those points on a computer.
I full expect it just won’t matter as much as the difference in massed.