Water, Water Nowhere

As you've likely seen/heard, there's a monster Atmospheric River (of water) coming to the West Coast. Some even think it's enough to put a noticeable dent in the drought. May be not. While this is from a bit ago (although well after the last one was built), snowpack accounts for a huge chunk of the year-long water supply for California.

In California, the spring snowpack on average stores about 70% as much as the water stored in the State's reservoirs.

So, one supposes, that should global warming continue and that snow falls as rain, is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Likely, not so good.

That's a bunch of reservoirs (there are 1,300 or so). But, and there is always a but, how much of this River will just pass through to the Pacific in undammed rivers, spillways, and bare ground? Enquiring minds need to know. Well, now you do.

Climatologist Bill Patzert estimates that more than 80% of the region's rainfall ends up diverted from urban areas in Southern California into the Pacific. "All those trillions of gallons of rain, which sound so sweet, really end up in the ocean," he said.

If snow fell as rain, it would take about 910 more reservoirs (assuming there's a 'standard size', of course) to capture it all. Assuming that adequate geology even makes that feasible. Arizona could use it to run fabs. Truck it in; put all those whining semi-drivers to work.

Thought For The Day - 30 December 2022

So, if you thought the previous economic troubles due to supply chain disruption in China were a pain in the ass, get ready for the guillotine. As you should know by now, Chinese immunity isn't much better today than it was globally in January, 2020. Or, to put it bluntly, 'they ain't no there, there!' Welcome to the Second Covid Recession.

And, have a Happy New Year.

To Live and Die in LV

Here's a bit from the NYT write up of new moments in 2023 sports:

Simulations predict that drivers will reach speeds exceeding 210 miles per hour and experience G forces twice that of an astronaut launching into space.
-- Brandon Sneed

And, here's the Las Vegas circuit. As you see from the wiki page, the end of the Strip straight (drivers think they'll top out above 230 with DRS) runs straight into buildings. There's little runoff in street circuits, and Las Vegas is no different. Except by putting a 90 degree lefty at the end of 230.

Somebody's gonna die.

By The Numbers - part the twenty fifth

So, as I type Musk's 'informal poll' has 57.5% voting to get rid of the grifter, 42.5% voting to keep him. In political politics, that's a landslide. But, as the Real Pundits have noted: Musk still controls the company's stock and can, if he so chooses, install anyone as CEO. Another informal poll, conducted by one of the assumed heirs apparent (which listed said heirs to be voted on), had "Other" as the leader by a wide margin. Da ground get spongier.

Musk insists that Twitter's financial situation is dire, thus his firing of most (all?) of the guard-rail staff and myriad others. Don't need such when your goal is a mega-propaganda machine for the alt-right. Once an Afrikaner, always an Afrikaner.

What Musk never says... almost all of the debt burden was created by his 'takeover', with Other People's Money.

Debt before the takeover: $600,000,000 net. here.

With the acquisition... $13,000,000,000 in new debt. Annual service (as much as) ~$1,500,000,000, I guess nobody really knows fur shur. Dat's a lotta moolah just to be the Uber Goebbels. May be he could buy up a truckload of Batshit J. Moron's NFT Uberman cards? Might be worth a few billion bucks in a year or two?

Fusion Cuisine

By now you've heard/read about the net-positive fusion experiment at LL? Here's one take on the significance of this.

I tend toward a more diabolical view. There's only so much lithium available at reasonable effort, thus only so many battery powered automobiles. It's the energy density, portability, and rapid 'recharging' of petrol that undergirds its dominance in transport. Fusion generated electricity isn't going to change that no matter how abundant and cheap it turns out to be. The problem with electric transport is what most other places on the planet have chosen to adapt to: it requires a 'socialist' infrastructure of wires and vehicles that get their electrons from such. IOW, public trains, trams, and buses; which Freedom Loving Americans will never accept.

So, what will the future really (in my humble opinion) look like with fusion power plants replacing fossil and fission plants? Not much. Well, unless some neo-Einstein does invent Mr. Fusion. Doesn't seem likely.

On the other hand, Socialist Europe, with its existing (and expanding) electric transport infrastructure will stride boldly into the future. China too, by the way. Xi has fucked up Covid to a faretheewell, but basic civil engineering is simple by comparison.

There is a way to leverage fusion electricity, but still requires a radical change of view, especially from the MAGAmorons. You may have heard of electric induction? It's the basic physics that's implemented in stove tops which don't heat up. Well, at least not your body parts, but you have to dump your anodized aluminum pots and pans for ferric ones. Induction charging is how you can charge your smartphone without a wire, btw.

There are some small projects to use maglev to move trains. Even, it turns out, the USofA. And, it can be very efficient.

The real transformation could/would/will happen when someone gets the bright idea to embed induction cable in streets and highways; thus freeing the Freedom Loving American to drive where and when s/he wants without having to use up lithium and try to find a common recharging station in the middle of nowhere. Of course, those choosing to live in the middle of nowhere will be SOL. My heart bleeds for them.

So, what is the physics of this Nirvana? Well, it's been done for sixth graders! And, guess what? Those damned Socialists in Italy have already tested the idea!

The issue, as I see it at least, is whether to use this (nearly) limitless fusion electricity to directly power vehicles or to simply provide on-the-go charging. I'm willing to guess that the pavement wiring will support both vectors.

Dee Feat is in Dee Flation - part the forty sixth

As follow up to the last installment, more reporting on that hoard of moolah still hanging around in consumer's hands:

[M]any households are still in solid financial shape. They amassed $2.3 trillion in extra savings during the pandemic thanks to months stuck at home and government stimulus, and still had about $1.7 trillion of that by mid-2022, based on Fed research.

Going to take some more time to burn off those Bongo Bucks. The basic issue is: The Fed (pretty much irregardless which party runs the Administration) is always on the side of Big Bidnezz, which is to say The Fed will always attack the Demand side of the economy, never get tough with Big Bidnezz. So, Powell, just like Volcker lo those many decades ago, will crash the economy in order to placate Big Bidnezz and Big Wealth. Not that either is the main victim of Dee Feat.

The 34 Percent Solution

Well, I suppose we all knew something was coming, the only detail was what? Krazy Kyrsten stamps her little foot and says, "Me, me, me!!!"

If it acts like a terrorist, talks like a terrorist, and walks like a terrorist... well, you know.

Being some 2,000 miles from Arizona, we don't get a lot of daily news from thereabouts, although mention is made that she isn't well regarded overall. A Nader Nutball in a previous life. She's learned from him, that's for sure.

So, what's the deal? Extortion, pure and simple. She's 26% approval among Dems (I saw 19% on some news show on the teeVee, but don't find a cite; neither number is good?), so she needs Inds to overcome any MAGAmoron in '24. So, what's the gag?

Since Arizona, as almost every other state, elects based on plurality, Krazy Kyrsten is more than willing to hand the seat to a MAGAmoron if she doesn't have a chance to win. There has been reporting that Dems are more than willing to toss her out through primary. So, by jumping ship, she can run as an Ind and split the non-MAGAmoron vote. Nice girl.

[update]
The title is, naturally, fanciful. Just almost. Turns out Utah Democrat Frank Moss in 1958 (38.7 percent) got close to the ignoble number.

Thought For The Day - 9 December 2022

Just for shits and grins, consider this. Neither the Constitution nor statute mandates that the Speaker of the House of Representatives be a sitting member of said House. I haven't looked to confirm, but I'd wager that every last one, so far, has been. That is, so far, true. And the Boyle bill requiring the Speaker be a member hasn't gone anywhere.

So, and while this missive isn't the first time the notion has regurgitated from the bowels of the body politic, I say exPresident Mumford should run. He'd likely get elected. Actually win something.