President Donald Trump's allies have questioned the integrity of the Brazilian election. But if Trump were to intervene, it would threaten a fragile trade detente between the two countries.
It says it's building a 1GW virtual power plant, but it's really just paying people to turn off their appliances so others can use that electricity instead. read more
Oil companies will "be held accountable" if they import any barrels of Russian diesel fuel under the deal that President Donald Trump struck with the Kremlin, House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin said in a letter to industry heads Monday.
The news from Unitree this week (via the South China Morning Post) is that it's developing an AI system that will enable its humanoid robots to effectively improve on their own ... read more
Ask LLMs for their most controversial take on humanity, and it turns out they have little nice to say about us, as one AI experiment found read more
@#10 ... LAMP lighter yeah whatever ...
Likely apropos here ...
The Browns -- The Old Lamplighter
www.youtube.com
So, what else yer current trolling alias got?
:)
@#2 ... Couch ------ Vance named one of his spawn Vivek. ...
Vivek
en.wikipedia.org
... Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience". ...
@#1 ... Notably, this past weekend France hosted its first NFL game in Paris ...
Paris welcomes first NFL game with party a day after protests
www.france24.com
... The Stade de France near Paris made history Sunday when it hosted the first regular-season NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints in a festive atmosphere a day after police clashed with demonstrators across France. While security issues dominated the headlines in the leadup to the game, the mood at the stadium was joyous with half-time shows including a rap performance. ...
Yazoo / Yaz - Good Times (1983)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
Sometimes I feel,
I'll never belong
I want to get there so bad
But it's taking so long
Sometimes I feel
Like letting go
But when it comes right down to it, baby
Who wants to know? (no-one)
...
One thing to note regarding data centers is the difference between sound pressure level and sound power level.
Unfortunately, it may not be an easy thing to understand.
To that end ...
Sound Pressure and Sound Power - what's the difference?
www.parkerjonesacoustics.com
... The difference between sound pressure and sound power can be tricky to get your head around. For predicting noise levels from noise polluting sources like plant, it is very important.
As a consultant, I'm often verbally quoted noise levels by clients, i.e. this unit has a level of 60 dB'. Unfortunately, based on that alone, I can't do a great deal, without making a lot of assumptions. If you tell me it's 140 dB I know it's going to be very loud and problematic! But at 60 dB, depending on the situation, it's difficult to assess the risk.
What is a sound pressure level (SPL)?
A sound pressure is the pressure deviation from atmospheric pressure caused by a sound wave, in pascals. The sound pressure level (SPL) is a logarithmic measure of the ratio of a sound pressure over a reference sound pressure (corresponding to the hearing threshold of a young, healthy ear), quoted as a dB. If these two pressures are the same, we have an SPL of 0 dB.
A sound pressure level is what we can physically measure using a sound level meter. Most noise level parameters in a report are based upon an SPL, albeit they are mostly adjusted in some way, i.e. weighted to a single number (dB(A)), or a level difference such as a Dw.
A sound power level (SWL) is theoretical. A sound power is in Watts (W), a sound power level like above, is in dB, a logarithmic ratio of the sound power over a reference sound power. W for Watts, hence SWL (as SPL is already taken!) I'll explain more shortly.
Why do we need sound power levels (SWL)?
The sound pressure level (SPL) depends on distance, the position of the source and the environment, i.e. reflections from the ground, or if inside the surfaces of the room and therefore the reverberation time and volume of the room. So if we measure the SPL of a fan unit inside a plant room, and move this fan outside, the SPL is unlikely to be the same because of more sound energy escaping into the atmosphere. Similarly, if the unit is in the corner of a room, condensing sound radiation by the surfaces close around it, and then move this unit into the centre of the room on the floor, where it radiates more hemi spherically, the SPL will be different. Simply moving further away from a sound source, will reduce the SPL, particularly noticeable when outside.
If we take a large plant enclosure, with many different machines from different manufacturers, who all give us noise data as a sound pressure level, but all measured at varying distances, some in a lab, some outside, some in an anechoic chamber (or very often not referencing how it was measured at all which is effectively useless data as it could be measured at 1m or 10m!), we'll have a hard time predicting the sum of noise levels from our plant enclosure.
The sound power level (SWL) helps us around this. It is not dependent on distance, position or environment. This is the crucial difference. It is a theoretical value; it is not directly measurable. A noise source will have the same sound power irrespective of where it is placed. It gives us a level playing field to directly compare two sound sources. Predicting the noise levels from our plant enclosure is now much simpler, we can apply the same calculation to all of our equipment. ...
How Loud Is a Data Center? How Far Does the Noise Travel?
www.lsars.com
... Continuous noise from cooling fans and transformers reaches 60 to 80 dB at the property line. Generator load tests can be heard up to a mile away. The defining problem is the 24/7 nature of the noise, not the peak loudness. ...
@#6 ... China has left America in the dust when it comes to energy production. ...
Possibly because it has a leader who is more focusedh on long term energy goals, and not trying to elicit donations from Big Oil?
Renewable energy in China
en.wikipedia.org
... China is the world's top electricity producer from renewable energy sources. China's renewable energy capacity is growing faster than its fossil fuels and nuclear power capacity.[1] China installed over 430 GW of renewables in 2025, reaching a total installed renewable capacity of over 2.34 TW by the end of the year.[2] The country aims to achieve peak emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060;[3] emissions may have already peaked in 2024, six years ahead of the 2030 goal.[4]
Although China currently has the world's largest installed capacity of hydro, solar and wind power, its energy needs are so large that fossil fuels still provide the majority of power.[5] In 2020, as a part of the Central Committee's fourteenth five-year plan, a target of 20% total energy production from non-fossil fuel sources by 2025 was set.[6][7] As of February 2026, China's clean electricity capacity reached 52%, exceeding its fossil fuel-based electricity generation for the first time.[8] Electricity generation from renewable energy was about 35% of total electricity, while the renewable share in total energy consumption was much lower.[9] ...
OpEd: I saw Trump's tax returns. You should, too (2016)
www.chron.com
... In January, Donald Trump had this to say when he was asked about whether he would release his tax returns: "I have very big returns, as you know, and I have everything all approved and very beautiful and we'll be working that over in the next period of time."
Yet he held off on releasing his returns. And on Tuesday night, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee seemed to close the door for good on the matter. He told the Associated Press that he wouldn't release his returns prior to the November elections unless what he described as Internal Revenue Service audit of his finances was complete.
"There's nothing to learn from them," Trump said of his tax returns. ...
Oh no.
Not again!
An apparent admission that his prior visit may not have provided the needed results?
So, now, how might this new visit change things?
fwiw, a working link ...
President Trump expected to campaign again in Kansas
www.kake.com
... The Republican National Committee's push to get Republicans re-elected continues with a second visit from the president.
President Donald Trump is expected to campaign in Salina on Halloween. An RNC website with event details has doors set to open at 8:30 a.m., with the program starting at 10:30 a.m. and the president to begin speaking at noon.
A location has not yet been announced.
The announcement comes as Vice President J.D. Vance spoke in Topeka on Monday.
The president's new visit comes a week after he rallied for republicans in Park City. ...
Tickets seem to be available at the link.
@#15 ... I don't blame the comedians for tweaking Trump's ire. ...
I do not disagree with that comment. Perhaps Mr Colbert may have a different view, though.
OK, that aspect aside, and getting back to the gist of your comment ...
I have no issues with comedians ~tweaking~ Pres Trump for any rhyme or reason.
But Mr Maher (and also Mr Caville) seem to be using such tweaking more for monetary bases, e.g., face time on TV, than comedic purposes.
That is where my concern arises.