No Netflix for me, and no luck on a quick search of torrents, but I'll keep my eye out for that show/series.

Many metrics to compare. Ecologically, that system sounds great for static locations with enough of an elevation gradient and reservoir areas to make it work. On the other hand it seems like the ecological damage done by constructing batteries, factories, and disposing of them is likely quite small compared to many other alternatives, particularly fossil fuels (which also have long-term scarcity concerns on top of plenty of other issues).

A major advantage of battery tech over hydro storage would be mobility. If the thing consuming energy doesn't sit in one place, hydro storage won't work. Another somewhat less significant advantage is the ability to install anywhere -- a battery farm recharged by mains and/or a solar/wind farm could be installed in places where hydro storage couldn't. And for one more item in favor of batteries, I'd wager that the land area footprint required for batteries is much smaller per kWH stored, although that might be wrong for extremely large reservoirs (ie. a hydroelectric dam, pretty much). But by the time you're getting to that large scale, the location requirements and ecological disruption are also much more extreme.

Anyway, I don't mean to pooh-pooh the idea of hydro storage -- it really does seem like a very good and ingenious idea where it would be applicable. But there's certainly room for improved battery tech, too. I don't think that we're going to get fully or even significantly weaned off of fossil fuels quite as fast as the video would have us hope for, either. Fossil fuels were the primary tool in our toolbox for a LONG time. And as the saying goes, since all we've had is that "hammer", we've started to think of everything as a nail.

Footage from the dam

Your video, Aquadam-Mobile Dam Used To Save Home In Texas, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

These actions seem to be quite typical from ANTIFA. Those NAZI were peaceful until mixed together with ANTIFA and BLM in Charlottsville..

Looks like America traded a white mask for a black bandanna.

These anarchist asshats are liberals . they might the far left but they are liberals.


But who are going to stop ANTIFA?
If TRUMP calls out the national guard then is dammed ...

Liberals and Democrat leaders won't stop this or risk being being called a sell out to the system.

College leaders calling the cops to stop and disband these groups will only cause more burning of buildings.



I did last night see a video TYT of a guy firing into ANTIFA. Not cool.


Now that the guns are out only the true believers will show op to protest.

The crowds should get smaller but the violence should get greater.

This week it has been:

• Wanted Adventure (for example https://youtu.be/wjQgjoZBjhI )
• Blancolirio (the name is spanish for white lily, Juan is a commercial pilot who has been covering the Oroville Dam debacle but it turns out his other videos are also really cool)
• Goodwood Road and Racing (Vroom!)
• Deep Look (and The Nature of Science) for nature videos from scientists.
• Arika Okrent (and also Langfocus) on linguistics
• Luna Lee (for example https://youtu.be/ANmvwQYRglw )

If you want gorgeous unspoilt vistas and astounding natural formations, it's damn hard to beat Iceland.

They skipped a great one (and many others)...In Die Another Day, the car chase on ice is filmed on a lake created for the movie. It's a lagoon that has one outflow channel where sea water enters at high tide. That adds just enough salt to keep it from freezing over...unless you make an ice dam in the channel like they did for the movie. The lagoon froze over enough to film the car scenes in what not only looked like, but was an impossible location. Today you can take boat rides among the icebergs in that lagoon.

Your video, Oroville Spillway Damage, Rebar?, Oroville Dam 2-27-17, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

I have been watching this for the last 2 weeks. Most of CA dams at above normal levels, some at critical levels. A lot of sitting on pins and needles about this and possible Dam failure. Yesterday they shut down the dam so no water is released for inspection and repairs. They have forecast 6 to 8 good days of weather to do dredging and repairs. Hope all goes well.


I have been watching this guy he has been doing a great job.

What I keep reading is the lake is actually a maximum of 900 ft deep, and the lake is currently about 835 ft deep after weeks of high volume draining.

Here's a current view of the spillway damage....
*related=https://videosift.com/video/Oroville-Spillway-Damage-Rebar-Oroville-Dam-2-27-17

Lake Oroville dam spillway damage has been added as a related post - related requested by newtboy on that post.

Oroville Spillway Damage, Rebar?, Oroville Dam 2-27-17 has been added as a related post - related requested by newtboy.

For reference: flows at the their highest out of the spillways were exceeding the flows at Niagra Falls---

And---in 2005, 3 environmental groups tried to get the State to concrete armor the emergency spillway---they protested it would be too expensive and not necessary...And of course, with the main spillway out of action, the emergency spillway has started to erode as well---and 200,000 people have been evacuated. To my understanding---and I'm not a hydraulic engineer---the risk with the emergency spillway is that the water flowing over the concrete "cap" or "curb" has started to...duh...erode the earth below the cap. If it erodes too far, the concrete cap will tumble off, a 30 foot wall of water will cascade over the edge, the the dam will start to erode...

#OrovilleSpillway for current tweets


Orville is under mandatory evacuation as they fear the emergency spillway may fail.
http://www.ktvu.com/weather/weather-news-headlines/235380255-story

Why the spillway may fail from California Dept. of water resources. https://www.periscope.tv/w/1yoKMeddkVeKQ

video
http://www.kcra.com/article/evacuation-orders-issued-for-low-levels-of-oroville/8735215

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/evacuations-underway-as-oroville-dam-prepares-for-failure-875775043662

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One of the more sensible things Trump has talked about doing is to repair and expand infrastructure. The wall could fall under that heading, and potentially even be a semi-positive thing (at least sections of it).

Big public works and infrastructure projects helped bring the US out of the Great Depression. Big public works and infrastructure projects helped prevent an economic crash after WW2 finished and soldiers returned home.

The wall is somewhat racist/bigoted in motivation, but illegal immigration is a real issue with real, tangible, negative effects. Building or attempting to build the wall would/will create jobs. Manning, maintaining, and watching the wall would/will create more jobs. And while the wall couldn't ever prevent all or even most illegal immigration, it could make it harder or less convenient enough to encourage going through the correct channels and procedures to come in legally instead. Which would be a good thing. Overall, I think a project like the wall could have much greater long-term value than something like the TSA, which is a colossal waste of money that produces ZERO real benefits.


However, realistically I doubt that much will actually happen with the wall. Not very much will actually get built, and any that does will probably NOT be maintained by whoever the next president is. So, long-term benefits are likely nil. Obviously, I'd prefer that Trump spend more money on building/repairing infrastructure that actually will have long-term benefits -- the interstate system, dams and flood prevention systems, etc. But there is some potential for construction on the wall to actually be a good thing, even if it is never completed and/or maintained.