Justin
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Commented on The prospects of the Space and Freedom Party reconsidered in light of the crisis of 21st century capitalism
I think it's important to mention focus fusion. This method of fusion has gotten some money from NASA to study it's viability as both a power plant and propulsion source in space. This type of fusion requires no steam apparatus...
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StephenDayleCarr commented on
The prospects of the Space and Freedom Party reconsidered in light of the crisis of 21st century capitalism
What I haven't heard near enough objection to is the idea that if we tax the uber-wealthy at a high rate, they lose their incentive to... what? If they're already spectacularly well-to-do, why would we want to motivate them to get even richer? That's utterly fatuous. We want major incentives at the bottom and middle, with viable paths for advancement. If you're already richer than God, take a fucking load off: you've had yours. You already control a much larger chunk of the economy than any sensible society would permit. It's not your turn anymore. You're welcome... Tax the dog-shit...
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Nojay commented on
The prospects of the Space and Freedom Party reconsidered in light of the crisis of 21st century capitalism
No, the LK-60s may be the last big icebreakers they build but they still have river ice to deal with to maintain navigation and keep the northern coastal ports open. Fresh water freezes a lot easier than open seawater with its salt content. The LK-60s are meant for riverine duty as well as open-ocean work with shallower draughts than classic seagoing icebreakers but up till now the riverine breakers have been mostly conventionally powered since they could always refuel and resupply locally. There's also the tourist business... It costs about $12,000 to sail to the North Pole on board the...
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Jay commented on
The prospects of the Space and Freedom Party reconsidered in light of the crisis of 21st century capitalism
So they argue that even if you get rid of one master, the next master might likely be worse so why bother. It has happened that way often enough in human history. After a few decades of Stalin's rule, the Tsars didn't seem so bad. Now, a few decades into the post-Soviet era, a majority of Russians claim they like the old system better. Personally, I think the Iron Law of Oligarchy is probably right. Either there are a few people in charge, or there's nobody in charge, and the second case is even worse than the first....
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Bellinghman commented on
The prospects of the Space and Freedom Party reconsidered in light of the crisis of 21st century capitalism
It is indeed important to mention such, as examples of probable woo. Fusion research (and energy research in general) is plagued by both wishful thinking and outright fraud, so I wouldn't be too hopeful when someone comes along who denies the accepted models of the Universe and profers an apparent miracle machine....
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axel.fosse commented on
The prospects of the Space and Freedom Party reconsidered in light of the crisis of 21st century capitalism
True. There's a private venture effort by something called Tri-Alpha Inc. to create an aneutronic fusion reactor, that looks somewhat credible. They atleast have published some papers for their process in physics letters B and stuff, and have seemingly capable people on board. Here's the notes for a talk by Henry Weller (Duke): http://www.int.washington.edu/talks/WorkShops/int_12_3/People/Weller_H/Weller.pdf...
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