Many emergency shelters have not had their building safety confirmed so parking lots are opened to allow people to sleep in their cars, as they are warned to avoid "economy-class syndrome" from sleeping in a tight space. https://news.web.nhk/newsweb/na/na-k10015189161000
7.1 Earthquake in Japan
171–180 of 253 posts
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#172thoughts and prayers
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#173Why does this earthquake, of similar magnitude, get so much more attention compared to the recent Venezuelan earthquake last month that was 100x more devastating? There was no commentary on HN about it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Venezuela_earthquakes
The speed of videos coming out was a little slower so it lost the HN attention span - but it was definitely a hot topic in many other news places - Reddit, X, etc...
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
All the big Japanese makes have them. They basically look like a water tank with the outside portion of a mini split air conditioner hooked up next to them. With my power company in Japan, by going "all-electric" (having an eco-cute and induction stove), I qualify for a rate plan where I can trade off solar power peak hours (half price) for the duck curve hours (double price), so I have my water heating only running…
The bath intercom always cracks me up. I’m sure it makes sense in bigger, maybe multi-level houses; but I can’t imagine myself ever using it in my 2LDK.
I thought so to until I repurposed some old Cisco phones - the difference between talking and yelling is huge.
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
I see some places in the Japanese countryside where homeowners get propane tanks delivered to them for cooking? I believe in an earthquake prone country, this is safer than having natural gas piped to their homes? The problem I think is that Japanese culture values hot baths daily. Heating water for the bath using electricity is still too costly.
Where I live in the US (near Seattle), there's no piped natural gas, most detatched houses have a 250-500 gallon propane tank. Seattle has piped gas, but my county never had the density to justify the expense to install distribution piping and now its disfavored. My house has a second tank for a backup generator. We use the main tank for our stove/range, water heater, clothes dryer, and a decorative fireplace that's…
It's interesting all the permutations there are out there. We have gas from PG&E. Our house has an electric clothes dryer, gas stove with dual-fuel oven, gas furnace, and gas water heater. No air-conditioning other than a portable unit for "emergency" heatwave and AQI events. Our furnace is ancient, and the winter gas bill is the painful part.
I have a long term interest in full electrification, but find the process daunting due to the interlocking set upgrades. Between insulation envelope upgrades and electrical system upgrades, there is a lot of potentially disruptive work needed to even allow permits to be issued for heat-pump HVAC and water heater or fully electric kitchen.
If the internal wiring also needs much work, it threatens to be almost as invasive as a gut renovation. Then, I ponder what other work we'd want to piggyback on it. But then it all sounds too much for life and budgets, so we procrastinate...
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah it's crazy to me, especially in earthquake-prone places like Japan or California. I bought a house here in Japan last year and replaced the gas with all-electric due to concerns of not only leaks and disasters but also just in day-to-day use gas isn't good for indoor air quality.
The one place gas makes sense is heating in cold climates because furnaces are externally vented.
Modern ones are well done, but old chimney based ones are a notorious problem.
Cooking is really the only thing where gas has real (e.g., not cost) advantages. Nobody says “this hot water just doesn’t feel right, I like it boiled by dragon’s breath”.
But a steak burned with gas is different than one burned with hot electric.
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
Replicating the power density of a gas pipe requires far more than 110v ac. The future might wonder why we accepted the danger of 5,000v power lines running through food courts just to avoid using gas burners.
haha who is cooking on 5kv?
Anyone who crosses the streams while doing high voltage line line work.
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
Possibly, and then rebuilt. They rebuild houses every 20, 30 odd years anyway (according to https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusabl... ), and temples too https://longnow.org/ideas/long-term-building-in-japan/ .
Meanwhile here an 80 year old, completely unremarkable house is likely to get declared "historic" and you as the owner can't even change the windows without permission. Tearing it down would be virtually impossible.
If only a 7.1 earthquake came along to cull the herd every now and then?
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is… literally the only surface that stoves in this form factor have?
This form factor is installed by literally cutting a whole into a flat surface, nothing limits you to only one hole.
I don't think anybody wants to cut a separate hole in their countertop for controls when everyone already has one big rectangular hole where a cooktop goes.
Re: 7.1 Earthquake in Japan
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The mall had a (most likely gas) explosion If the internet searches are to be believed, that is indeed sadly likely to be the cause. The internet suggests the explosion happened on the second floor of the mall where a large food court is located.
A hundred years from now people are going to be absolutely flabbergasted how we just piped gas everywhere all the time. Electricity allows for so many more automatic safeguards.
It’s just the price of living on the Pacific ring of fire. What are you going do give up modern living in a modern country and live in tents, it is the price to pay living on or near tectonic plates, as a resident who has lived several 6.0-7.0 magnitude quakes (California) they are much easier to live through than living in hurricane or tornado alley or living in places where there is a deep freeze every other year, although in Japan, you can get the trifecta, a earthquake, Cyclone (in the south) and a deep freeze in the north Hokkaido.
Japan is a beautiful modern country and they have gotten through worse and they will get through this too.
I will admit in recent times the area between the Philippines north to the Kamchatka Peninsula is one most active areas on the planet at some point a 9.0 earthquake will happen in a major populated area on land but something that large usually happens once every 15 to 326 years.
The largest earthquake in California was 7.9, second largest 7.8 in San Francisco, the largest earthquake on west coast of North America 9.0 was Vancouver island in 1700.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/official17...
Coincidentally the Japanese recorded a mild tsunami at the time on their side of the Pacific.
Hurricanes and tornadoes are more immediate threats along with a heat wave or a cold snap.