tl;dr ☝️

But this article seems to imply that it’s either fossil fuels or foot power. We have access to cheap renewables, why can’t we use that?

I didn’t interpret the article as presenting bicycling as the only transportation option.

Although trains and public transport can fill in the gap for longer distances, EVs will be necessary in limited cases. The point is that our dependence on all types of cars and the infrastructure that comes with it is excessive and a massive contributor to the destruction of our climate. They are also literally killing us, hence auto insurance being mandated in most states/provinces.

EVs are better than ICE cars and should be used as one of the replacements - but not nearly enough to solve our climate crisis by buying an electric car. That’s why there is also a push to designing cities for active transportation and public transportation. The emmissions from walking and cycling are incomparable to those of an EV.

If the narrative that electric cars and renewable energy are all that’s needed to solve our climate crisis continues, then our planet will continue to warm.

I have some experience with it but I am by no means a radio expert or ham radio buff.

If anybody is interested in setting up a node, I’d highly recommend the wisblock/rak4630. They’re very low power and easy to power indefinitely with solar. It can seem daunting at first but it’s actually pretty straightforward once you do a little reading online.

You just need the wisblock, an 18650 battery, and a solar panel along with JST 1.5mm and 2.0mm connectors to hook them up and it’ll start working.

Here’s a zine if you wanna diy it. https://github.com/iffybooks/3.3v-solar-power-station

There are also more plug and play options out there too.

Fortunately, meshtastic let’s you set your region on the mobile apps and it sets it to the legal frequency range in your area. It won’t broadcast in the ham spectrum.

You’re comparing the price of a high end cargo ebike which can do large grocery trips with a low end motorcycle that cannot carry remotely as much. I fail to see how even a high end cargo ebike which costs less than most cars is a status symbol or priced for “silicon valley dorks”.

If you want to find an ebike to simply take you from point A to point B, they can easily be found for nearly the price of a regular bicycle.

Why not find the best budget ebike you can and the best budget car you can and compare the sticker prices? Not to mention gas and maintenance.

Having poor infrastructure right now does not mean that they are permanently a “curiosity”.

This is not true for Canada. You can buy an ebike for $2700CAD.

Defeatism and complacency is a guaranteed way to expedite global warming.

This is certainly it.

Another great read from Low Tech Magazine. It’s amazing how easily recyclable steel is and how much less energy it takes than the coal blast furnaces for new steel.

Unfortunately I have seen this from talking to local farmers. The temperature swings decimate crops.

That being said, I’m still doing my best to support them. You can find pdfs online for which fruits and vegetables are in season near you and print/laminate it for a few cents, then stick it on your fridge.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to get discounted or free home energy assessments and/or heat pumps.

The link from Indiana University School of Medicine may be preferable:

https://medicine.iu.edu/blogs/research-updates/artificial-intelligence-and-research-publications

I could see people generating papers to support any quack argument on Facebook being a problem.

Fortunately, we have peer reviews and reputable scientific journals as a filter for this. However, with low scientific literacy, many may not know the difference.

I liked this analogy:

It’s like an ice skater spinning rapidly with her arms tucked in, he said. But when the polar vortex weakens, the arms start flailing out, the skater slips and “all the cold air then gets released away from the center of the polar vortex,” Cohen said.

The current cold outbreak is consistent with Arctic change and the polar vortex, Cohen said. “What we found is when the polar vortex stretches like a rubber band, severe extreme winter weather is much more likely in the United States. That’s where it tends to be focused and in January we have an extreme case of that stretching of the polar vortex.”

This was featured in a podcast episode recently too: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/how-to-make-your-own-encrypted-141367225/

They’re increasing production each year; they are not under threat but are actually one of the most wealthy, powerful, and influential industries with no need for grassroots support. Don’t entertain petroturfing.

Love those project ideas! Birdnet sounds really cool.

Would you recommend WikiJS? I’m looking for a wiki solution to document my homelab setup.