Inside the world's biggest cave

Credit: John Spies/Barcroft Media/The Telegraph

So big, it has its own river, jungle & climate – ceilings 200 metres (656 feet) above, walls 150 metres (492 feet) apart – 5km (3 miles) long – that’s the Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam. John Spies spent a week inside, & the images above & below are part of the result.


Credit: John Spies/Barcroft Media/The Telegraph

Did you notice the person in the image above? Most of the images have them.

See more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/earth/10914205/In-pictures-Inside-Hang-Son-Doong-the-worlds-largest-caves-in-Vietnam.html / limestone caves 200m high 150m wide 5km long Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam so big has its own river jungle climate Australian photographer John Spies 59 spent week photographing natural wonder cave system ceilings towering over 200 metres high cave humbling experience Cave Lodge guesthouse entrance quite small mist cave caused cooler air inside meeting hot air outside rises into surrounding forest visitors must descend 80m down steep wall harnesses ropes huge temperature difference creates moving clouds mist two karst windows cave magically surreal atmosphere inside cave daylight illuminate cave formations dimensions cave incredible camp five nights biggest cave in the world /

Once-in-50-year storm blacks out South Australia – naysayers rush to attack renewables

More than 20 electricity transmission towers destroyed by SA storm
Credit: Debbie Prosser/The Advertiser

On the afternoon of Wednesday 28 September, a once-in-50-year storm, with winds up to 130kph¹ & more than 80,000 lightning strikes,² occurred in South Australia. Direct damage included more than 20 electricity transmission towers². In total, 3 items of critical distribution infrastructure were destroyed. Other items of infrastructure responded to protect themselves, as planned, by shutting down.³

Result for the residents, was a state-wide failure of electricity supply.

Coincidentally, at over 40%, SA is leading the nation in adoption of renewable energy.⁴

Just to be clear – the loss of power in SA was totally unrelated to the source or capacity of generation. Failure occurred because of the loss of critical distribution infrastructure.^5,6,7

Unfortunately, some, mainly on the conservative side of Australian politics, have seen this as an opportunity to attack renewable energy.⁸

The lights go out in SA & Turnbull flicks the switch to peak stupid
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/01/the-lights-go-out-in-sa-and-turnbull-flicks-the-switch-to-peak-stupid

Coalition launches fierce attack against wind & solar after blackout
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/coalition-launches-fierce-attack-against-wind-and-solar-after-blackout-93841
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¹ ABC: “SA weather as it happened: Wild winds, flooding continue; thousands without power for second night”, “Intense low pressure system crossed South Australia on Thursday with winds gusting to 130kph”, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-29/south-australia-recovers-from-power-outage-live-blog/7887000

² The Weekend Australian: “SA power outage: Josh Frydenberg answers your questions”, Josh Frydenberg, MP, Minister for the Environment & Energy, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/south-australia-power-outage-why-we-need-energy-security/news-story/68020ed34622d5f7e0254d890b9c53ae

³ ABC: “SA power outage: How did it happen?”, “SA Premier Jay Weatherill confirmed two tornadoes destroyed three elements of critical infrastructure, which led to the power system protecting itself with a shutdown”, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-28/sa-power-outage-explainer/7886090

⁴ Renew Economy: “South Australia wind energy jumps to 43% in July”, http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/south-australia-wind-energy-jumps-to-43-in-july-88992

⁵ The Sydney Morning Herald: “Why South Australia's power blackout could happen here”, “SA’s power outage was not the result of too many solar panels or wind turbines, as suggested by our Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, but rather severe winds & lightning. In particular, several of the major transmission line towers that form the backbone of SA’s power supply were bent over like matchsticks by the extreme winds.”, http://www.smh.com.au/comment/why-south-australias-power-blackout-could-happen-here-20160929-grr7rm.html

⁶ Crikey: “South Australia's blackout explained”, https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/09/29/south-australias-blackout-explained/

‘According to [Electranet Network Services executive manager Simon] Emms, South Australia’s energy generation mix was irrelevant. “The cause of it is unrelated to the type of generation we lost & we do have,” he told ABC 891 this morning.’

‘Clean Energy Council policy manager Tom Butler told InDaily there was no evidence that South Australia’s reliance on renewable electricity was a factor in the blackout. He said that all power generation types — even if coal-fired electricity were still being produced in South Australia — would have shut down automatically during a weather event such the one experienced last night.’

‘Australian Conservation Council campaigns director Paul Sinclair concurred. “If South Australia was powered entirely by coal, rather than by 40% clean renewable energy, as it is, this blackout would still have happened,” he said. “In fact, at the time of the outage, wind power was pumping out 1000 megaWatts — it was working.”’

⁷ The Huffington Post Australia: “No, Renewable Energy Didn't Cause South Australia's Blackout”, http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/09/28/no-renewable-energy-didnt-cause-south-australias-blackout/

⁸ HitchHiker's Guide 2 Tech: “The bullshit asymmetry”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-bullshit-asymmetry.html

/ wind solar wind turbine solar panel hydro hydoelectricity hydo-electricity hydo electricity storage battery sustainable renewable energy sustainable energy sustainability lights go out SA Prime Minister Turnbull peak stupid PM ridiculed state renewable targets South Australian blackout targets meet his own emissions targets emissions promises Turnbull convince climate deniers climate sceptics political party impact on power prices electricity prices renewables keep the lights on big storm global warming climate energy debate peak stupid Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull campaign use South Australian blackout black out blackout black-out shift to clean energy state renewable energy targets extremely unrealistic all the evidence says state targets exactly what Australia needs meet promises prime minister made Paris last reducing greenhouse gases consistent national policy reach those goals former Prime Minister Tony Abbott abolition of the carbon price winding back federal renewable energy target lengthy debate abolished altogether dried up investment renewable energy consistent credible national policy officials admitted Senate inquiry undertaken no modelling how meet target Turnbull pledged Paris reducing Australia’s emissions 2030 target ratify target Australia’s legal obligation modelling analysis all conclude Liberal Party National Party Coalition current policies introduce significant new policies shift electricity generation away from coal towards renewables more quickly conclude state targets Victoria’s 40% renewables 2025 South Australia 50% by 2025 Queensland 50% by 2030 what he is going to have to try to achieve Climate Change Authority report concluded electricity generation produce zero emissions well before 2050 goal Climate Institute modelling phase out high-carbon generation next 15 to 20 years energy crunch after 2030 cause severe economic disruption Reputex report Coalition current policies reach its own targets state-based renewable energy schemes desperately needs credible consistent national policy reduce emissions power generation government shift generation fossil fuels renewables keep the lights on minimise increase power costs switch intensity-based emissions trading scheme electricity sector Labor party policy win bipartisan support policy Turnbull proposed opposition leader energy market regulator Australian Energy Market Commission operate without significant effect absolute price levels consumers government Direct Action business community current watered-down federal renewable energy target Turnbull energy minister Josh Frydenberg electricity grid better able to cope increasingly frequent bouts of extreme weather convincing climate sceptics impact on power prices renewable energy keep the lights Malcolm Roberts One Nation senator climate denier climate sceptic Galileo movement prime minister promises made Paris shift electricity generation to renewables state targets conservative wing renewable energy left wing plot economic shock ideology government putting ideology before sensible policy planning irresponsible policy vacuum /

The bullshit asymmetry

The bullshit asimmetry: the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

— Alberto Brandolini (@ziobrando) January 11, 2013

The unbearable asymmetry of bullshit – Brian D. Earp 2016
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294584001_The_unbearable_asymmetry_of_bullshit

iPhone has fire too :(

Credit: iPhoneAddict

Reported on Reddit – iPhone 7 Plus delivered as shown above. Nowhere near as spectacular as some of the Samsung Note 7 fires, but not what a customer expects. Everyone who has come into contact with this phone has probably had a near miss.

More photographs:
http://imgur.com/a/LrhYz

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/54te00/running_a_little_hot/

This type of failure is fundamental to the battery chemistry used in phones & laptops, & there are easy solutions:

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/09/samsung-galaxy-note-7-fires-cause-what.html

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/09/samsung-galaxy-note-7-fires-continue.html / iPhone fire Apple iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7+ exploding battery retailers Apple smartphones replacement device exploding batteries problem Apple AT&T replacement device high-end gadget launched just weeks ago battery fault phone explode catch fire smartphone return phone product smartphone leader's market share strong sales momentum Apple Inc latest iPhone exploding LiIon lithium ion battery cell lithium ion phosphate battery chemistry removeable battery /

Warning – you may be in a feudal relationship with your printer!

Credit: Ars Technica

If you have a Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro, or Office Jet Pro X printer, chances are, third-party ink cartridges no longer work.

Reason? HP would prefer that you buy their cartridges, rather than reasonably priced third-party alternatives.

“When you buy a device that’s designed to update itself automatically & the company reserves to itself in law the right to take away something [that device] had when you bought it, you’re really buying a device whose long-term feature set is unknowable,” says Corey Doctorow, special advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

“The people who make your microwave don’t get to tell you what kinds of frozen dinners to use,” says Doctorow. “That’s not a property relationship. That’s a feudal relationship, in which you are a tenant of these things that you’ve nominally purchased.” Credit: Wired

What can you do?

● third-party cartridges with chips designed to circumvent HP’s effort to control their customers’ property, are in the pipe-line

● don't buy HP printers

Wired:
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/hp-printer-drm/?mbid=nl_92316_p3&CNDID=

The Verge:
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/19/12979766/hp-firmware-drm-printers-third-party-ink-cartridges

Ars Technica:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/09/hps-drm-sabotages-off-brand-printer-ink-cartridges-with-self-destruct-date/ / HP Hewlett-Packard DRM Ink cartridges printer and ink business revenue is down obsolescence knock-off cartridges third party third-party cartridges cheap alternative HP solution DRM OfficeJet OfficeJet Pro Office Jet Pro X printer reasonably priced third-party third party ink cartridges no longer work 123inkt Dutch sells HP-compatible cartridges HP protect HP innovations intellectual property WIRED HP customers HP security chip cartridges printers warning HP-approved HP approved last year HP implemented firmware update enterprise printers last week locked out cartridges other cartridges may not function stash third-party cartridges company that sells them tough luck device designed update itself automatically take away something device] had when you bought buying a device Corey Doctorow special advisor Electronic Frontier Foundation consumers other products imposing DRM after the fact you never really own it property relationship feudal relationship tenant nominally purchased HP HP rival Lexmark fought contentious lawsuit Static Control Components microchips circumvent Lexmark’s printer DRM court rejected Lexmark’s claim Digital Millennium Copyright Act protects underlying software security hand-off ACRA v. Lexmark patent law protected consumers sending cartridges third-party companies refill old Lexmark cartridges with cheaper ink HP’s locked-in model Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor blades /

Tesla P90D Vs P100D at the drag strip

No surprises about how this goes, but interesting none-the-less

/ Tesla P90D Vs P100D Ludicrous Insane battery cell cells 85 lithium ion lithium iron phosphate LiIon Supercharger charge recharge range performance car drag strip /

Sea level rise is already driving people from the Marshall Islands

Credit: World Corporate Services Limited

One of the impacts of climate change is rising sea level. Many of the world’s major cities & millions of people are predicted to be impacted in coming years.¹

Most immediately at risk are the Marshall Islands – with highest point just 10 metres above sea level² & an average elevation of 2 metres,³ rising sea level is already impacting day-to-day life. Many have seen the writing on the wall – one third of the population of the Marshall Islands live in the United States.

Wired
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/sea-level-rise-already-driving-people-marshall-islands/

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/world/The-Marshall-Islands-Are-Disappearing.html?_r=0
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¹ Business Insider Australia: “Rising Sea Levels Could Cause Staggering Damage To These Cities”, http://www.businessinsider.com.au/cities-exposed-to-rising-sea-levels-2014-4

² Wikipedia: “Geography of the Marshall Islands”,
“highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 meters / 33 feet above sea level”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Marshall_Islands

³ Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Washington DC: “The mean height of the land is about 7 feet above sea level (2 meters).”, http://www.rmiembassyus.org/index.htm / sea waves low-lying fragments of land Marshall Islands tides support life latest temporary sea wall cleaves her property waves knocked down floods plants face a salty demise Marshall Islands corrugated metal wall Heine president of the Pacific island nation rising seas need a better wall climate change declared a state of emergency drought water rationed nation faces existential threat sea level rise and potential exodus of its population numbers are increasing people leaving people thinking about the sea level rise secure land departing Marshallese USA United States of America 20,000 people located between Hawaii and Australia largest Marshallese community has gathered New York Los Angeles Springdale Arkansas better job prospects college education climate change third Marshall Islands 60,000 strong population now resides in the US archipelago unique culture departure Marshallese government massive out migration population left seas rise compact of free association Marshallese people live and work US without visa extended living in the US Marshall Islands hopeful migrants expiration American deal more people will leave these are our homes Marshall Islands island paradise 29 coral limestone sand atolls five islands 750,000 sq miles of ocean vulnerable ocean advancing melting glaciers thermal expansion islands arranged broken arcs around large lagoons islands coin-flat incredibly narrow just a dozen yards separate one coast from the other water graves sliding into the sea spilling bones what remains of the beach labour of repatching flood defenses gnawed-away coastline five-meter swells inundated Majuro US Geological Survey sobering research mix of sea level rise marauding waves many atoll islands flooded annually salinizing limited freshwater resources forcing inhabitants abandon their islands decades centuries salination escape route option moving USA Marshall Islands under US administration during cold war US conducted nuclear weapons testing islands Bikini atoll 23 bombs Bravo shot vaporized three small islands Bikini evacuated wind blew radioactive detritus inhabited atolls Rongelap Utrik evacuation Rongelap radioactive fallout cancers thyroid radioactivity wounds dispossession run deepest Marshallese Majuro island US military base Kwajalein missiles Marshallese legacy of trauma Bikini atoll global warming climate change nuclear bombs global warming climate change We are going to go under Marshall Islands remote everything needs to be imported unemployment rate is around 36 percent country produces coconuts breadfruit sells fishing licenses international trawlers scour Marshallese waters tuna international aid Marshall Islands population Peace Corps member administer trust fund people’s houses washed away Marshallese /