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The Coming Food Catastrophe

economist.com

591–600 of 634 posts

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#591
post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is! The easiest design is to require existing grid stable power and supplement it. :) Anything else is difficult to do reliably, and would generally require some kind of smart monitoring system, electrically actuated mains rated switch (not easy, cheap or durable it turns out), additional sensors, etc. The design we're talking about just doesn't output power unless there is an existing sine wave to follow. Pretty…

I’m typing this from a computer I’m holding in my hand that’s more powerful than the ones used to put men on the moon. A box with three connections - grid, solar, and house (four if you have a battery) with sensors and disconnects and the smarts to not backfeed and electrocute linemen just doesn’t seem impossibly complex. Especially when we’re talking about home solar installs, which cost several thousand dollars to…

They do exist. Does your handheld box switch up to 48 kw under load?

Because that’s the typical rating for a new residence in most areas in the US (200 amp x 240 volt).

Is your handheld device rated to last 20+ years in an outdoor environment?

Because that’s what you’d need.

But don’t worry, just the switch itself is only about $700-800 without labor, installation, or maintenance - [https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Generac-RXSW200A3/p...]

Add in all the other stuff and an extra couple thousand to the cost of the solar installation is why it isn’t as common. Because most people don’t care enough to pay the extra amount. Some do.

If you wanted it enough to pay the extra, most electricians wouldn’t mind adding it in I’m sure.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#592
post #569

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they don't stand by their word then they can re-impose the sanctions, it's as simple as that. > Why should anyone believe they would clear the blockade if sanctions lift Because at some point the West will have to sit at the negotiating table with Russia.

> Because at some point the West will have to sit at the negotiating table with Russia. We can suffer for longer than they can stay solvent.

I wouldn't bet the US economy on that.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#593
post #590

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> HN's are pretty well documented. Au contraire. The word Karen reaching a tipping point in public awareness associated with the Gamestop incident I already pointed out. Many of us have seen it. We're aware of it, we know about it. And we know it is potent, otherwise it wouldn't be on the chopping block for redefinition. And forever, when I think of the word Karen, I think of that particular incident. The word in tha…

To say 'Au contraire' you have to provide some sort of meaningful counter-argument. You have 'comedy' youtube videos, oddly overwrought bombast ('dictator', 'agenda') and something about a completely different phrase which, unlike 'Karen', is not intended as an insult. Directing tropey slurs at people is mostly not ok on HN and it's been moderated like that for ages. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefi…

> Directing tropey slurs at people is mostly not ok on HN and it's been moderated like that for ages.

I've provided numerous examples of how it isn't restricted to a specific group and is instead aimed at behaviors.

It is quite similar to the word milquetoast. A mild pejorative aimed at a behavior.

Please stop reaching and trying to conflate it with racial or ethnic slurs.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#594
post #526
post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, "passive-aggressive stealth edit"? You got what you wanted. They took out the mean word. Don't get pissy about it and start gaslighting people.

Editing a comment after the fact in a way that deprives a reply of its original context and makes it look stupid is, in most cases, a dick move. I think most users understand that. It doesn't make a difference whether the reply was by a moderator or not.

In most of the spaces I frequent, an edit to change objectionable wording after being called on it is acceptable. Since you've made it plain that that sort of approach doesn't work here, I'll keep that in mind.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#595

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your local zoning board might object. I live in PA, and one of the neighborhood vigilantes immediately ratted me out to the local government when I started growing corn, squash, and beans in my backyard while raising a couple of chickens for eggs.

Growing a garden and raising livestock are pretty different in practice & impact from my experience. Assuming you voluntarily moved into the zoning and "Karen" objected to you violating them, it's all on you.

The zoning change came after I moved in and after I got my chickens. If I had the time, money, and inclination I might have been able to find a lawyer willing to appeal on ex post facto[0] grounds, but it wasn't a battle worth fighting. I had had a year's worth of free eggs by then, and the chickens themselves didn't go to waste.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_post_facto_law

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#596

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some beans can be large sources of anti-nutrients [1] . Because over consumption of anti-nutrient foods can seriously impact your overall health, it is important to think about when getting a balanced diet. Another example is soy, which has been studied some [2] . The problem is with longterm vegans that consume a huge amount of soy over a long term. [1] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/anti-nutrients/ [2…

What's the problem with vegans consuming soy long term? Your second link talks about soy fairly positively and your first link only mentions soy once in the context of a lot of other foods (and really it's rare for a food to be purely good, e.g. lots of plants contain toxins). Based on those links I'd probably conclude soy consumption is very far down my list of foods to be concerned about. There's even this quote: "…

> What's the problem with vegans consuming soy long term?

Vegans I have known said that a heavy soy diet over an extended amount of time does impact the thyroid more. While it was anecdotal hearing this, it was not anti-soy, just, about soy quantities over a long time, and the need for a diverse diet for vegans too.

Some of the anti-nutrients seem positive in one way too, which makes it even more complex.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#597
post #534

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a side note, I find the language you are using strange. I do not know if it's my perspective of the world being different than yours, but I'll try to explain. In my perspective, genocide is a very, very strong word. Hitler killed 6 million Jews, as he literally wanted them exterminated. Now, crime is a crime, none should be defended nor downsized. But the primary goal behind that genocide was extermination. Do you…

Yes, russia is engaged in many actions that make clear that they are perpetrating a genocide, such as: - literally saying Ukraine should not exist - saying Ukrainians aren't a real people, just russians - planning to solve "The Ukraine Question" (yes, phrased by the Kremlin just as another dictator phrased "The Jewish Question") - planning to end Ukraine as a country and split up the land between themselves and other…

I am sure You have your rightful reasons for this anger, I am sure a lot of people do. I mean, even when You write 'Russia', 'Putin', You purposefully write without capital letters.

Maybe time will tell that, despite your anger, You are right. But I sure pray to God that You are not, and that it hasn't/won't come to that.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#598

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Russia have played this very very well as the west followed their own play book to the letter and the russians had counters planned for years, hording gold, setting up non USD financial systems. First round of The Game goes to Russia imo. I find this very hard to believe. Things are much worse in Russia and for Russia than they are in Europe or the United States right now, with the future looking bleak.

While the quoted poster appears to be getting their news straight from Kremlin, there is something to consider: the average russian is VERY experienced in taking abuse. We're talking about a country where around fifth of the population does not have access to indoor plumbing. Only couple of the largest cities there have living standards comparable to what average HN poster would consider livable. This whole thing is…

> Only couple of the largest cities there have living standards comparable to what average HN poster would consider livable.

If you really mean it, then you clearly never been to Russia and don't know what you are talking about.

Re: The Coming Food Catastrophe

#599
post #421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? can you quantify what that means, are they going hungry, short of fuel, is their currency collapsing, do they have rampant inflation? Or is just that people that got us in this mess are telling you that some how russians are suffering so much that they have to give up. Wasn't that suppose to happen immediately upon the weaponisation of the USD? When will it happen, after we all starve, after all infrastructur…

Russia's official forecasts are for inflation north of 20%, GDP down 8% in 2022, and factories are offering free plots of land so people can grow their own potatoes. No shortage of fuel though, since they're having a hard time exporting it now. Although all industry in Russia is heavily dependent on spare parts from the West, meaning things will start breaking down quite soon.

> since they're having a hard time exporting it now.

Recent data suggests that oil export holds fine and even increasing: https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/economics-markets/artic...

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