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Wet-bulb temperature

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Re: Wet-bulb temperature

#181

If you haven’t read it yet, the first section of Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson describes a wet-bulb event in striking detail. The horror of this climate-change catastrophe is what finally triggers a significant global cultural shift around climate change. The passage was vivid enough for me to suggest preparatory measures to my retired parents. I wholeheartedly recommend the book to anyone intereste…

I hate speaking negatively about Ministry for the Future, because I admire KSR, and we need fiction that confronts the climate crisis and shows people taking positive action to change the world for the better. Still, I sadly cannot recommend this book. To quote from my spoileriffic review, "This does not help us imagine realistic positive outcomes to the climate crisis. Robinson correctly diagnoses the threats we fac…

MftF is best understood as a best case scenario for successfully resolving the climate crisis.

That is, if we're to successfully address this challenge, with minimal global disruption (and where "minimal disruption" means all aircraft falling from the skies), then something like KSR's path is required.

I've seen your criticism voiced elsewhere (a major publication review that I'm lapsing on presently). This particular critique misses the book's point entirely.

Re: Wet-bulb temperature

#182
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Crucially, after it tip goes into the complexity of global diplomacy and consensus building, a special black ops team of super eco-terrorists effect the change that really needs to happen. It’s right at home with right-wing military fantasy, Frederick Forsyth-“to bear the baddies we need to be worse than the worst of em” silliness

Hell if we're calling reactionary politics a reaction to climate change, call me a reactionary.

“All rebels are closet aristocrats. That’s why I can convert them so easily”

Leto II, God Emperor of Dune, Frank Herbert

Re: Wet-bulb temperature

#183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did this exact thing this past winter. I spent about $100 on pipe fittings and purchased an external mixer DIY nozzle set from here: https://www.snowathome.com/our_products/SG3_e-type_nozzle_ki... I made snow in my front yard a few times. I also completely covered my tree and car in a blanket of ice a few times too. It was a fun little project to hack on.

That's pretty cool that they are selling "external mix" plans/kits. Snowmaking (at scale) is incredibly energy intensive and over the last few years many resorts have been moving towards various "low-energy" gun designs, which basically means external mix. They definitely don't make as good snow at marginal temperatures but it's impressive what they can do given a lot use 1/20th of the compressed air compared to a tr…

That was a great summary of the tech. Your height comment helps explain why my external mix setup didn’t produce as much snow as it did frost. I only had it about 8’ off the ground.

This coming winter I may try increasing the height of the mixer and positioning a fan underneath to help push the mix upward to give it more time to bind to the nucleus crystal.

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