Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 10h

My apartment has a sunken living room, so I’d like to think I’ve already started on this one

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 10h

Feels like jazz/bossa nova and tropical fish tanks are both due for a big comeback. No hard evidence here. Just a feeling I have.

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 14h

10 out of 13 grants awarded for domestic Heat Pump manufacturing (the IRA’s Heat Pump Defense Production Act Program) are also listed. 🔌⚡

Awards for Gradient, Mitsubishi, and York International appear to be safe.

Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 14h

Some additional info on the new list of axed DOE projects circulating.
- All 7 H2 Hubs
- All 13 IRA grants to convert at-risk auto plants to EV mfg
- 11 of 15 grants to speed domestic clean energy mfg in former coal communities
- 10 of 38 grants for battery materials
heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Axe All 7 Hydrogen Hubs, Bucking Bipartisan Law

A new list of Department of Energy grants slated for termination will hit clean energy and oil majors alike, including Exxon and Chevron.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 14h

Some additional info on the new list of axed DOE projects circulating.
- All 7 H2 Hubs
- All 13 IRA grants to convert at-risk auto plants to EV mfg
- 11 of 15 grants to speed domestic clean energy mfg in former coal communities
- 10 of 38 grants for battery materials
heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Axe All 7 Hydrogen Hubs, Bucking Bipartisan Law

A new list of Department of Energy grants slated for termination will hit clean energy and oil majors alike, including Exxon and Chevron.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · 16h

Worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year, and for the first time on record, renewable energies combined generated more power than coal, according to a new analysis.
share.google/FrLUSBkG5xrX... 🔌💡 #Upshift

Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says

A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year.

share.google

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 19h

NEW: Trump is moving to kill all funding for proposed Texas and Louisiana mega-hubs to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere

The bipartisan-backed hubs represented a rare clean tech industry where the US was on the cutting edge

by @emilypont.bsky.social for @heatmap.news

heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Cancel Direct Air Capture Hubs in Texas, Louisiana

A new list of grant cancellations obtained by Heatmap includes Climeworks and Heirloom projects funded by 2021 infrastructure law.

heatmap.news

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 21h

I have spent all of 10 days of my life in Dubai, and even during that time I saw one middle-aged British man telling another middle-aged British man he was moving to Dubai for tax reasons

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Will Lowe @conjugateprior.org · 8d

Just upgraded to the new MacOS and now all my windows are

The four window styles of the new MacOS

(Canonically, Charlie Brown is eight years old so he did used to have Tahoes but doesn't any more.)

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you for saying this aloud, I have been (sincerely) wondering exactly this and endlessly wincing because of it

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

HE WAS SAFE!

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

I don’t know! How is it already the ninth inning!

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

Not Enjoying the Baseball Game

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

The Hearse Whisperer @babadooknukem.bsky.social · Sep 1

Much like "crab", industrial music is constantly re-evolving from first principles basically anywhere where there's a bunch of metal and plastic laying about

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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 1d

California passed a huge climate package last month, w/ a big effort to weave in affordability. It's wonky but important stuff, and I broke it all down for you:
- Cap & invest extension / rebrand
- transmission accelerator
- permission to join a Western RTO!
more here heatmap.news/energy/calif...

California’s Big Climate and Energy Package, Explained

The state quietly refreshed its cap and trade program, revamped how it funds wildfire cleanup, and reorganized its grid governance — plus offered some relief on gas prices.

heatmap.news

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

I was on NPR’s Morning Edition today, chatting with the great @steveinskeep.bsky.social about why electricity prices are rising: www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...

'A cost of climate change': Why the price of electricity is outpacing inflation

NPR's Steve Inskeep asks Robinson Meyer of the climate and energy site Heatmap News why electricity bills are rising faster than inflation.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

advait @advaitarun.bsky.social · 2d

Question for data center ball knowers: if a tenant company in a training/inference data center defaults, can the GPUs be reused as is for different applications and for new tenants, or would you have to reconfigure the entire rack?

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

I didn’t know this, although it feels a bit like asking Mrs. Lincoln about the rest of the play: “Outside of the AI plays, even European stock markets have been outperforming the US this decade, and now that gap is starting to spread.” on.ft.com/3VTVllF

America is now one big bet on AI

It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

on.ft.com

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

“The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40% share of US GDP growth this year. And some analysts believe that estimate doesn’t fully capture the AI spend, so the real share could be even higher.” www.ft.com/content/6cc8...

America is now one big bet on AI

It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

www.ft.com

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 2d

“A server with 16 chips, smaller than a piece of checked baggage, needs the same power as five to 10 households.” www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...

Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI

xAI aims to win the tech arms race with its “Colossus” data centers, thrown up at lightning speed. The city is divided over the massive power and water demands.

www.wsj.com

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 2d

“‘In one year, xAI has become the second largest taxpayer in the city and county after FedEx,’ said Bill Dunavant III, a Memphis businessman who sits on the board of directors of the city’s chamber of commerce.” www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...

Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI

xAI aims to win the tech arms race with its “Colossus” data centers, thrown up at lightning speed. The city is divided over the massive power and water demands.

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 2d

China has exported $120 billion in green technology for the year-to-date. The US, which has positioned itself as a major fossil fuel exporter, has only sold $80 billion in oil and gas abroad.

China Is Beating the US in the Battle for Energy Export Dominance

China’s exports of clean energy technology hit a record in August, with $20 billion shipped globally.

bloom.bg

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

That’s not really what I’m saying, and I don’t necessarily take it as the argument that Murphy is paraphrasing

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

To stake out a very un-Bluesky position: I basically understand the argument that Murphy is paraphrasing, and I think it is defensible for the party to have messengers like Murphy talk about democracy to high-info high-edu audiences while Bernie, AOC, and congressional leadership hammer healthcare.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 5d

I asked Chris Murphy if he privately talks to Dem colleagues about why they don't sound the alarm loudly. His answers were depressing. Dems tell him they don't want to be "alarmist" or that "democracy" didn't work in 2024, so they want to stick to health care. 5/

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

“A list of the 321 canceled grants obtained by Heatmap tells a different story. While much of the funding was awarded to blue state-based companies, the intended projects would have benefitted communities elsewhere, including in Texas, Florida, and Louisiana.”

The Department of Energy’s Latest Cuts Will Hit Red States, Too

A list of terminated grants obtained by Heatmap contains a number of grants that will cost jobs and revenue in Republican-led states.

heatmap.news

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

We covered this on Shift Key Emily

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