I was even a bit shocked at his Open Secrets List. The top (yes, the top, as in #1) recipient of donations from: Coal mining, Mining, Natural Gas transmission & distribution, Oil & Gas, Savings & Loans, Tobacco. So the guy is owned by the energy industry. Funny I figured it would be a Republican from, say, Texas. I guess not.
Angry Right Wingers
Saw this in my newsfeed and quickly scrolled past. Do I really need to read another article about angry Right Wingers in The Guardian? A friend emailed me the link and figured I would give it a skim. Actually a good read.
Why are US rightwingers so angry? Because they know social change is coming
Potato Chip Vodka
No, not vodka flavored potato chips. Potato chip flavored vodka. Already sold out.
Grid Stability with Solar
Grid stability has become an issue here in Texas after last Winter’s Big Freeze. It turns out that independent generators of electricity, such as home rooftop solar, can cause problems on the grid. Since they aren’t under direct control of the grid, non-grid power resources can cause unwanted fluctuations in voltage and frequency. A new generation of controllers fixes this, actually providing better grid stability than the existing grid. A bit technical, but a good read, but there is little reason not to embrace small solar and other renewable installations.
Ever heard of synchroinverters? Grid-stabilizing devices connecting renewables to distributed energy resources
It Doesn’t Have to be This Way
About the slow death of the Louisiana oil and gas industry. Texas won’t be far behind.
‘It doesn’t have to be this way’: Lessons from the slow death of Louisiana’s oil industry
New 1000W Inverter
What with everyone in Texas buying generators and stuff for the next big winter blackout, I finally gave in and bought a little 1000W Inverter. We also bought a little 150W inverter that plugs into the Tesla cigarette lighter / auxillary plug that should run a few lights, well, for weeks if necessary. I decided I wanted a bigger battery operated unit that could possibly run our propane heater. All it needs to do it turn the fan and run the electronics. Probably should try it out on the furnace but I’m just going to wait and see if it turns out to be necessary. My real plan is to leave Texas for a more civilized place that can keep the lights on.
The instructions were a bit difficult to decipher. I’m not exactly sure what “DO NOT DICK HOLD OUT OF SHELL!” means. I won’t do anything remotely like that with any electrical device, so I should be safe.
Schmear Campaign
Hackers compromise US cream cheese supply chain.
SCHMEAR CAMPAIGN: A cyberattack laid waste to the U.S. cream cheese economy
Mouse Movers
In the modern tech workplace there are all sorts of employee surveillance systems. One tracks PC usage, watching for idle time. One way to defeat this (as all tech workers surely know) is to just move your mouse occasionally. But suppose you have to step away? Turns out there is a selection of Mouse Movers out there on Amazon. From Tom’s Guide.
Steven A. Guccione 