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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 17th, 2023

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  • I’d rather read twenty minutes than watch a 5 minute YouTube video.

    I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a video, YouTube or otherwise, that conveys information faster than an article. It’s usually 10 minutes of video to convey what would take 3 minutes to read while providing greater detail.


  • Inverters and solar battery storage generally have some combination of wired and wireless communication. You need to communicate with the grid for real-time pricing and forecasts so the system knows when to charge and discharge. Also you want the system status of all the panels and batteries. If somebody slices through the wrong fiber line near your site, it’s important to still be able to get that information.

    If you get a home PV system, they’ll often have the option of a cellular modem. The controller on my home system has Wi-Fi and Ethernet with the option of a cellular modem. It wouldn’t surprise me if the board comes populated with some of the components necessary for cellular functionality even if you don’t opt for it.

    I’m just saying they need to divulge more details before one can conclude this is nefarious.


  • Over the past nine months, undocumented communication devices, including cellular radios, have also been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers, one of them said.

    The two people declined to name the Chinese manufacturers of the inverters and batteries with extra communication devices, nor say how many they had found in total.

    They’re very light on details. Sometimes it’s cheaper to make one PCB in huge numbers and only enable the cellular modem on the higher priced models or when a subscription fee is paid. Their mere existence without any additional information shouldn’t be particularly alarming.






  • There was a poll showing that Trump won voters who don’t follow politics at all by 14 points. There seems to be a substantial proportion of the population who just picks who they vote for based on how well things have been going for them for the last 4 or 8 years.

    With inflation, the pendulum swung towards Trump. After 4 years of tariffs, declining dollar value and Trump being unable to run again, I think that pendulum will swing fairly hard to the left. So conventional wisdom on not picking a candidate who will scare off centrists could be out the window. In which case, you might as well nominate AOC or someone similar.

    Of course, president AOC won’t be able to accomplish all the things she wants to without a supportive congress and getting that to happen is a much bigger challenge than winning the presidency.