Author Archives: John Lusk

I’m from Appalachia. JD Vance doesn’t represent us – he only represents himself

Hmm, who does this remark really appeal to?

«Vance’s description of a Jackson, Kentucky, where “people are hardworking, except of course for the many food stamp recipients who show little interest in honest work»

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/16/jd-vance-hillbilly-elegy-appalachia#:~:text=Vance%E2%80%99s%20description%20of%20a%20Jackson%2C%20Kentucky%2C%20where%20%E2%80%9Cpeople%20are%20hardworking%2C%20except%20of%20course%20for%20the%20many%20food%20stamp%20recipients%20who%20show%20little%20interest%20in%20honest%20work%E2%80%9D%2C

ProPublica: The Delusion of Advanced Plastic Recycling Using Pyrolysis — ProPublica

https://www.propublica.org/article/delusion-advanced-chemical-plastic-recycling-pyrolysis

«The American Chemistry Council told me it’s impossible to know whether a particular ethylene molecule comes from pyrolysis naphtha or fossil fuel naphtha; the compounds produced are “fungible” and can be used for multiple products, like making rubber, solvents and paints that would reduce the amount of new fossil fuels needed. Its statement called mass balance a “well-known methodology” that’s been used by other industries including fair trade coffee, chocolate and renewable energy.»

Nooooo, not my fair trade coffee! You bastards!

«For all that it talked like an educated and articulate human being, Rupshe was no more than a few hundred million lines of code. Written into that code were steel-hard safeguards against any action that might endanger a human life.»

*snort*

No, seriously. You’re clearly not a software “engineer”. Nor do you know one. At least, not one who got to this point. Or you didn’t listen to him/her/hier.

«A super-saturated solution of sodium thiosulphate in unrefined petroleum turned out to provide the perfect medium.»

Oh, come on. I know you’re a NYT bestselling author, Hugo winner etc. etc., but…. sodium sulfur-sulfur? C’mon, we can do better.

Mercuro-sulfate? Ferrosulfate? Cyanosulfate? Some sort of anhydride? Cuprosulfate? Thiochromate? (That seems catchy. Colorful, even.) Thiobromate?

The Guardian: Russian soldier says army suffering heavy losses in Kharkiv offensive

«Moscow has purged some of the leading nationalist voices who had been allowed to criticise the country’s war efforts. It has jailed Igor Strelkov, a popular nationalist blogger and former FSB officer who had become a vocal critic of how the Kremlin has handled the invasion»

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/16/russian-soldier-says-army-suffering-heavy-losses-in-kharkiv-offensive

Oh, they got Strelkov. Did not know.