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• Post #4074919

  I've just made arrangements to get a Cala heat-pump water heater thermal battery installed: https://www.calasystems.com/ We also looked at: https://www.reservoirhome.com/ This looks good too and I would be happy with either. Cala is made in the US and is already supported by Home Assistant Free/Libre/Open-source home automation software: https://www.home-assistant.io/ I refer to these as "thermal batteries" because they allow you to use energy at the time of your choosing, a...

• Post #3191850

  Fediverse, are you ready for intense cuteness? Brace yourself. (1/?) #caturday

• Post #3191849

  We've moved into an apartment with a gas cook top after using induction for several years and, for all those who are hanging on to the notion that gas is the ultimate cooking setup, let me tell you that you're completely missing out, and for a very simple reason. Top-flight gas cook tops give lots of little flames projecting straight up. Turn the gas higher, you get bigger flames, still projecting straight up. Fine and dandy. But normal folks don't get that equipment; w...

• Post #3191848

  I was just about to get up when she twisted her head down in complete relaxation and contentment. Who would have the heart to push her off now! #cats

• Post #3191847

  Once-eradicated flesh-eating parasite discovered in calf in Texas. (Note: unlikely to eat humans, very likely to eat cows.) The parasite has been expanding northwards steadily across Mexico. USDA secretary says, "There is no reason to believe this incursion will result in establishment of the pest in our country." Translation: "We're not gonna do Jack for you losers." Which, if you think about it, is a pretty apt motto for the Trump administratio...

• Post #3191846

  I just drove our 2019 Hyundai Kona electric from Northampton, Massachusetts to Boston and back. It's a 2-hour drive each way. I left Northampton with 90% charge. In the pleasant weather we've been having lately, this was enough charge to go to Boston and halfway back. Then I charged for 30-40 minutes (not sure precisely) and returned to Northampton with 71% charge. This car charges slowly on road trips, by the standards of EV's today. However, it's small and su...

• Post #3191845

  Watching Jon Stewart on The Daily Show show Trump's own words contradicting themselves reminded me how Trump always, always talks like the student who didn't do the assignment and is trying to BS his way through, trying to come up with convincing-sounding words that actually convey a minimum of content. Hmm, where else do we see strings of words trying to sound convincing while conveying a minimum of real content? AI! It is tiring and irritating for the brain to have to continu...

• Post #3191844

  There's a line of argument that energy prices are rising and we need to build more pipelines and fossil fuel plants to make electricity more plentiful and therefore cheaper. And that deploying wind and solar is expensive and is driving up rates. But in Australia, electricity prices have dropped 10% in some places, and it's because battery storage has joined solar. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/may/31/cheaper-energy-bills-battery-revolution-clima...