šŸ”— Infinite Mac: Home

Infinite Mac is a collection of classic Macintosh system releases and software, all easily accessible from the comfort of a (modern) web browser.

Pick any version of System Software/Mac OS from the 1980s or 1990s and run it (and major software of that era) within a virtual machine. You can also run a custom version with your choice of machine and virtual disks. Files can be imported and exported using drag and drop, and System 7 and onward have more advanced integrations as well ā€” refer to the welcome screen in each machine for more details.

šŸŽžļø This evening we went to Hayao Miyazakiā€™s latest film, The Boy and the Heron [IMDb]. I quite enjoyed it and could definitely watch it again!

šŸ“° CNN: Live updates: Colorado Supreme Court rules on Trump 14th Amendment case

www.cnn.com/politics/…

In a stunning decision, theĀ Colorado Supreme CourtĀ removed former President Donald Trump from the stateā€™s 2024 ballot, ruling that he isnā€™t an eligible presidential candidate because of the 14th Amendmentā€™s ā€œinsurrectionist ban.ā€

The ruling was 4-3 and will be placed on hold pending appeal until January 4, pending a certain appeal to the US Supreme Court, which could settle the matter for the nation.

In November, a Colorado judge issued a ruling that concluded that Trump ā€œengaged in an insurrectionā€ on that day ā€” but the decision fell just short of removing Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot based on the 14th Amendment’s insurrectionist ban.

Many ex-Ottawans will be sad to hear that longtime CFRA morning host Ken ā€œThe Generalā€ Grant has died. His was the first voice I heard every weekday for years.

šŸ“° The Independent: Elon Musk vowed to never allow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on X again. Here’s why he let him return

Elon Musk reneged on his pledge to never allow Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones back onto his social media platform X over his harassment of families of Sandy Hook school shooting victims.

Musk posted a poll on Saturday asking if Jones should be reinstated, with the results showing 70% of those responding in favor. Early Sunday, Musk tweeted, “The people have spoken and so it shall be.”

Walking home by the airport early this evening. Snowy, but also windy & relatively warm but you canā€™t tell that from the picture. As W.O. Mitchell said, ā€œWho has seen the wind?ā€

Snow in the airport flood lights at night.

Two Interesting Battery & Inventions Videos šŸ”—āš”ļøšŸ”‹

I watched a couple of interesting videos this evening. They are both about near term and present day helpful technologies.

The first is from Matt Ferrell at Undecided, a good source of videos on current and emerging renewable energy technologies.

Undecided with Matt Ferrell (YouTube): Why This Ultra Dense Battery Breakthrough Matters

It might surprise you to learn that the basic chemistry of the lithium ion battery at the heart of a brand new Tesla or iPhone hasnā€™t changed all that much in the last 30 years. So, when several of you left comments pointing me in the direction of a new company thatā€™s replacing a key part of the battery with silicon and some nanowires, my curiosity was piqued. To add to that, one of my science advisory team members brought them up, too, which only added fuel to the curiosity fire. Now, weā€™ve covered a lot of batteries on this channel, so what makes the company Amprius, and other similar companies going after silicon, stand out for the future of battery tech?

Faster charging and higher energy storage density from replacing the lithium & carbon anode with silicon whiskers. Quite possibly approaching commercial production within the next year.

The second is from a channel Iā€™m unfamiliar with, FD Engineering (by Quintus Media GmbH). There are a number of short documentary pieces on recent inventions. I watched the first couple of segments (about 8 minutes and 7 minutes in length) and they’re good enough for me to plan on watching the rest tomorrow.

FD Engineering (YouTube): Genius Inventions: Technical Marvels That Will Shape Tomorrow

Step into a world of innovation and brilliance with Genius Inventions. Showcasing the most brilliant inventions from around the world, this series takes viewers on an inspiring journey through a variety of groundbreaking creations, ranging from revolutionary technological gadgets to eco-friendly solutions. Prepare to be awestruck as we delve into the heart of human ingenuity and witness the future, one groundbreaking idea at a time.

00:00:00 Turbines and fans inspired by whales; Showers that help saving water; Rotor blades for onshore and offshore energy production

The leading edge of the pectoral fins of humpback whales have bumps on them, and they can make surfaces with lower drag, and more lift!

Two Interesting Energy & Climate Videos

I watched a couple of interesting videos this evening. Lots of relevant information and calm measured tones, so a bit of a relief from some of the other things I’ve seen lately.

The first is from Dave Borlace at Just Have a Think, a source of a variety of presentations on current and emerging technologies.

Just Have a Think: Global Energy Transition. Are we winning?

The Global Energy Transition is the most profound change to human civilisation since the end of the last glacial period about 11,000 years ago. There will be winners and losers, and as a result some are trying to slow or even stop the disruption of their established markets. We all know who they are! So how is it going? Well, the International Energy Agency says it can be done, but ONLY if there is NO NEW COAL, OIL or GAS exploration or exploitation from this point onwards. COP28 has now been completely hijacked by the oil industry…so is the transition a realistic prospect or just a pipe dream?

ā‹®

Carbon Brief: Simon Evans EV Mythbusting: Factcheck: 21 misleading myths about electric vehicles

The second is from The Economist. It has a title that may be a bit misleading (perhaps a bit of clickbait) but worth viewing.

*The Economist *: Now+Next: How green is the energy revolution really?

We hear a lot about the need to get off fossil fuels. How is the energy transition really going and how fast is the world moving towards a green future?

00:51 How did the war in Ukraine impact the green revolution? 05:50 Why is green energy booming in unlikely places? 08:31 Rewiring the world for net zero 11:40 Is nuclear energy making a comeback? 14:20 Texas: the anti-green future of clean energy 18:09 Do environmentalists need to change?

Have a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving to all my American friends and acquaintances! šŸ¦ƒ (šŸ‘ˆšŸ» tofurkey!)

Halloween trick-or-treating may be postponed here as we we have a blizzard forecast to arrive this afternoon.

Glad to see that the perennially pleasant Lunch at Allenā€™s is back on the road this December. (Cindy Church, Ian Thomas, Marc Jordan, & Murray McLaughlin)

šŸ”—šŸ“° Raspberry Pi: Introducing: Raspberry Pi 5!

Today, weā€™re delighted to announce the launch of Raspberry Pi 5, coming at the end of October. Priced at $60 for the 4GB variant, and $80 for its 8GB sibling (plus your local taxes), virtually every aspect of the platform has been upgraded, delivering a no-compromises user experience. Raspberry Pi 5 comes with new features, itā€™s over twice as fast as its predecessor, and itā€™s the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature silicon designed inā€‘house here in Cambridge, UK.

šŸ“°šŸ”— CBC: Alberta to explore leaving CPP as report lays claim to more than half of fund

CBC: Alberta to explore leaving CPP as report lays claim to more than half of fund

The Alberta government released a long-awaited report Thursday on the possibility of establishing an Alberta-only pension plan on Thursday, claiming the province is entitled to a staggering $334-billion asset transfer from the Canada Pension Plan in 2027.

That’s more than half of the fund’s estimated total net assets. The report attributes the figure to Alberta’s high employment rates, young population, and higher pensionable earnings, which it claims has meant the province has sent billions more into the CPP compared to what it has received.

They don’t have a real claim to half the assets, so that’s just political rhetoric and click bait. Their timing couldn’t be worse either. As the demand for oil must necessarily drop, Alberta revenues and employment will also drop.

It’s annoying that the CBC author, knowing that it’s a specious claim, still leads with it and they put it in the headline for their own benefit (getting clicks) rather than doing the right thing.

It’s funny that consumers can accept many varieties of apples, but the banana industry feels that they can’t have more than one variety of banana. (The Cavendish, and it’s not very good compared to the ones from my youth that were largely wiped out by a virus or fungus.)

Bananas on Wikipedia

šŸ“°šŸ”— Home insurers cut natural disasters from policies over climate risk

WashPo: Home insurers cut natural disasters from policies over climate risk

In the aftermath of extreme weather events, major insurers are increasingly no longer offering coverage that homeowners in areas vulnerable to those disasters need most.

At least five large U.S. property insurers ā€” including Allstate, American Family, Nationwide, Erie Insurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway ā€” have told regulators that extreme weather patterns caused by climate change have led them to stop writing coverages in some regions, exclude protections from various weather events and raise monthly premiums and deductibles.

Major insurers say they will cut out damage caused by hurricanes, wind and hail from policies underwriting property along coastlines and in wildfire country, according to a voluntary survey conducted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a group of state officials who regulate rates and policy forms.

People are going to expect the government to be the insurer of last resort, but I can’t see how they can afford that. And of course, some will expect lower taxes too.