The Off Topic Topic

[CountDeMoney]

Ha, it's been burning you up for 2 days, hasn't it.

Latest Modern War issue. The Cuban Invasion solo game.
https://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MW28M

[Ed Anger]

Ha, it's been burning you up for 2 days, hasn't it.

Latest Modern War issue. The Cuban Invasion solo game.
https://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MW28M

Yes it has. 

Too bad about the game. Nice subject but the rulebook will be a mess. I just know it.

[CountDeMoney]

They always are.

I have all the issues of Modern War, though, ever since it started.  If I stopped now, it would make me feel all weird and shit.

[Ed Anger]

Current car lust: alfa romeo giulia quadrifoglio.

Drool.

[CountDeMoney]

lulz  can't fit a chair lift.

[Ed Anger]

 

[CountDeMoney]

Could probably use it as a chair lift, though.  Drive out of the wet bay of a minivan like a Navy LSD.

[Josquius]

Dogger Island rises!

Wind turbines are a great way to go green. Too bad people feel that they're so gosh darn loud. So, if nobody wants turbines in their backyards, what can densely populated countries do to produce cleaner energy? Why not just build a massive artificial island surrounded by wind turbines out in the sea?

On March 23, Denmark's Energinet and the German and Dutch arm of TenneT will sign an agreement to explore ways to build a giant artificial island in the middle of the North Sea. The aim of the state-run energy companies is to create a new renewable European electricity system that could provide 70,000-100,000 MW to the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, UK, Norway and Belgium.

"This event was off the charts"
Gary Vaynerchuk was so impressed with TNW Conference 2016 he paused mid-talk to applaud us.
FIND OUT WHY
In an interview with Jydske Vestkysten, the CTO of Energinet, Torben Glar Nielsen, said that when looking at the big picture, it is obvious that Europe needs to find new methods to increase its renewable energy output, and that the new artificial island might just be the answer:

We haven't gotten carried away by our imagination, although it may sound crazy and science fiction-like.

The island will be able to service up to 7,000 wind turbines that will be built around it, providing green energy for 80 million Europeans. The island will therefore act as a power link between the six countries, not only transmitting the energy made from the North Sea turbines, but creating a connection that will enable the countries to trade electricity.


Credit: Energinet
The island will be quite impressive once built. It will cover six square kilometers and will be outfitted with its own landing strip and harbor. Usually offshore windfarms are difficult to maintain but the island will make it considerably easier.

Staff, components and assembly workshops can be stored on the island, which will make it more economical to harness the favorable wind conditions at Dogger Bank, a large sandbank midway between Denmark and the UK.

Although the energy providers' calculations indicate that building the wind turbines on Dogger Bank in the North Sea will be cheaper, better and easier than building on land, it will still take staggering amounts of money to make it happen.



The undertaking will be massive and building the foundations of the artificial island will cost around 1.35 billion euros (1.45 billion dollars), according to first estimates. However, that is only for the first phase and does not include the cost of building the turbines, harbor, landing strip, grid connections to European countries and the island's entire infrastructure.

The new island will be an important part of the EU's plan to fulfill the 2050 goals of the Paris agreement. It will probably make the Earth more habitable for future generations, but more importantly, we'll get an awesome science fiction-like energy island in Europe!

https://thenextweb.com/eu/2017/03/13/check-out-europes-crazy-clean-energy-plan/#.tnw_G5WZSVmQ#.tnw_favZYQLd

[Zanza]

As part of GM selling their European operations to PSA, I read this: "In the five years from 2012 to 2016, GM spent $16.8 billion on stock buybacks.  Just to give you some perspective, that cash represents 30 percent of the value of the company, assuming GM's current market cap of $56 billion." And that they want spend the money they get from selling Opel on further stock buybacks. This comes at a time when the entire automotive industry is looking for money to finance the transistion from combustion engines to electric, to progress on autonomous cars and on connectivity and new disruptive business models like Uber. I guess it may somehow help their shareholder value a bit, but if there is ever a market situation again where those big trucks on the US market don't sell well anymore (higher fuel prices or stricter emission guidelines or a new recession), GM will be fucked.

[Syt]

[Grey Fox]

As part of GM selling their European operations to PSA, I read this: "In the five years from 2012 to 2016, GM spent $16.8 billion on stock buybacks.  Just to give you some perspective, that cash represents 30 percent of the value of the company, assuming GM's current market cap of $56 billion." And that they want spend the money they get from selling Opel on further stock buybacks. This comes at a time when the entire automotive industry is looking for money to finance the transistion from combustion engines to electric, to progress on autonomous cars and on connectivity and new disruptive business models like Uber. I guess it may somehow help their shareholder value a bit, but if there is ever a market situation again where those big trucks on the US market don't sell well anymore (higher fuel prices or stricter emission guidelines or a new recession), GM will be fucked.

GM doesn't innovate, it will just replicate the offering from the other manufacturer & buy Tesla when their product is ready.

[Barrister]

As part of GM selling their European operations to PSA, I read this: "In the five years from 2012 to 2016, GM spent $16.8 billion on stock buybacks.  Just to give you some perspective, that cash represents 30 percent of the value of the company, assuming GM's current market cap of $56 billion." And that they want spend the money they get from selling Opel on further stock buybacks. This comes at a time when the entire automotive industry is looking for money to finance the transistion from combustion engines to electric, to progress on autonomous cars and on connectivity and new disruptive business models like Uber. I guess it may somehow help their shareholder value a bit, but if there is ever a market situation again where those big trucks on the US market don't sell well anymore (higher fuel prices or stricter emission guidelines or a new recession), GM will be fucked.

Selling Vauxhall / opel sounded insane when I first heard it.  When you put it that way, it sounds even worse.

[Barrister]

GM doesn't innovate, it will just replicate the offering from the other manufacturer & buy Tesla when their product is ready.

http://www.chevrolet.com/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle.html

[jimmy olsen]

Dogger Island rises!

Wind turbines are a great way to go green. Too bad people feel that they're so gosh darn loud. So, if nobody wants turbines in their backyards, what can densely populated countries do to produce cleaner energy? Why not just build a massive artificial island surrounded by wind turbines out in the sea?

On March 23, Denmark's Energinet and the German and Dutch arm of TenneT will sign an agreement to explore ways to build a giant artificial island in the middle of the North Sea. The aim of the state-run energy companies is to create a new renewable European electricity system that could provide 70,000-100,000 MW to the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, UK, Norway and Belgium.

"This event was off the charts"
Gary Vaynerchuk was so impressed with TNW Conference 2016 he paused mid-talk to applaud us.
FIND OUT WHY
In an interview with Jydske Vestkysten, the CTO of Energinet, Torben Glar Nielsen, said that when looking at the big picture, it is obvious that Europe needs to find new methods to increase its renewable energy output, and that the new artificial island might just be the answer:

We haven't gotten carried away by our imagination, although it may sound crazy and science fiction-like.

The island will be able to service up to 7,000 wind turbines that will be built around it, providing green energy for 80 million Europeans. The island will therefore act as a power link between the six countries, not only transmitting the energy made from the North Sea turbines, but creating a connection that will enable the countries to trade electricity.


Credit: Energinet
The island will be quite impressive once built. It will cover six square kilometers and will be outfitted with its own landing strip and harbor. Usually offshore windfarms are difficult to maintain but the island will make it considerably easier.

Staff, components and assembly workshops can be stored on the island, which will make it more economical to harness the favorable wind conditions at Dogger Bank, a large sandbank midway between Denmark and the UK.

Although the energy providers' calculations indicate that building the wind turbines on Dogger Bank in the North Sea will be cheaper, better and easier than building on land, it will still take staggering amounts of money to make it happen.



The undertaking will be massive and building the foundations of the artificial island will cost around 1.35 billion euros (1.45 billion dollars), according to first estimates. However, that is only for the first phase and does not include the cost of building the turbines, harbor, landing strip, grid connections to European countries and the island's entire infrastructure.

The new island will be an important part of the EU's plan to fulfill the 2050 goals of the Paris agreement. It will probably make the Earth more habitable for future generations, but more importantly, we'll get an awesome science fiction-like energy island in Europe!

https://thenextweb.com/eu/2017/03/13/check-out-europes-crazy-clean-energy-plan/#.tnw_G5WZSVmQ#.tnw_favZYQLd

For 70-100GW that's not that expensive.  And why wasn't this posted in the Green Energy thread?

[jimmy olsen]

There has never been an American named Frodo. I'm surprised.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/03/14/the_hidden_connection_between_popular_books_and_baby_names.html