If you choose to be a condescending pedant, you might wish to do some research first: https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.merriam-webster.co....

The second definition from that link reads: "power of choosing : OPTION : you have no choice". So a choice is also an "option", and the word "choice" was used correctly by GP.

Yes, I'm aware that the usage in question raises the awkward prospect of "choosing a choice". That's English for you - awkward mutations 'r' us. It invites pedantry even as it lays traps for pedants. (Please excuse my anthropomorphism).

That's demonstrably true. Ironically, even the senile and doddering orange stain who is the face of the movement probably doesn't realize that. But guys like Musk, Thiel, Andreesen, and Yarvin certainly have that as an explicit goal. BTW, if you're not familiar with Technocrats and their chilling idea of an American Technate, you might want to look it up. Or not - it's pretty dismal and creepy stuff.

Thanks - I hadn't thought of that, but you're absolutely right. It really is a "might makes right" or "divine right of oligarchs" delusion.

It just occurred to me that a large part of what the Trump administration is engaged in is vandalism. These are mean, small-minded, small-hearted, short-sighted criminals who would be petty if they hadn't succeeded in winning the highest offices in the land.

The country that used to be considered the leader of the world is now run by small-minded, cunning habitual liars whose contempt for the truth is jaw-dropping. I'm not sure that the US can ever recover from the damage currently being done.

We're building more server farms, thereby adding fuel to the bonfire that's burning our world down, so people can make dinner reservations more conveniently. Outstanding!

Spending too much time on Slashdot?

Seems to me that you might do that more simply and cheaply via transmission lines from the bright side of Earth to the dark side. Make'em bi-directional, of course.

Even with the obvious difficulties in that scenario, it seems a lot saner, and a lot more likely to actually happen, than beaming energy down from space.

Yeah, it seems that convenience beats freedom every time. Some of that's just human nature, but a disturbing amount of it is the result of effective propaganda going back at least a century. Or should that be "at least a millennium"...

Although the Trump administration ain't bright enough to provide power via solar panels, they spew enough hot air to keep a few square miles' worth of wind turbines running full-tilt 24-7. Not to mention producing enough bullshit to supplant a significant amount of GG-producing fertilizer manufacturing...

Glyptal - that's another ancient memory. Fresh out of school I worked for a division of GE which had repair contracts with Canada's DND. I repaired radar and nav equipment, a LOT of which was still vacuum-tube based and had wire and cable bundles bound with lacing cord. Along with locking nuts and bolts in place, I recall Glyptal being applied to the loose ends of the lacing cord. IIRC, I just used a soldering iron to melt them instead.

Good times, except when I forgot to turn off the 400 VDC B+ supply on a transmitter preamp. Put my left hand on that nice solid aluminum chassis, then reached in with my right hand and firmly grabbed the (plate-connected) aluminum fins of that lighthouse tube I wanted to remove...

Put my head down on the bench and had a bit of a rest after that!

Increasingly, corporations and broligarchs are intent on seeing, recording, stealing, meddling in, fucking with, monetizing and rent-seeking on EVERYTHING we do, whether it's preparing a document or walking down the fucking street. Goddammit, I'm getting mightily sick of this utter shit. Where are the torches and pitchforks?

But if the ultimate CO2 release is identical - as it must be - wouldn't it be better to just burn the stuff and recover the energy locked into it? Assuming, of course, that there's a safe way to deal with the toxic products of combustion.

It's edible for some values of the word "edible". It has no crunch so it just turns into a sticky mass. But you CAN use saliva - or just water if you want to be boring - to glue them to each other in long snake-like chains. Not that I've ever done that... ;~}

Ah, memories. I love the smell of Q-Dope in the morning...

BTW, are you still using Q-Dope for any modern manufacturing or other projects? The last time I even saw a bottle would be more than forty years ago. Colectro or GC Electronics brand, IIRC.