Good Tech News i.e. the Non-Silcon Valley Newsletter

Bit busy with life and work today, but I thought I would take a moment to point out that not everything in technology is full of bullshit. I thought a brief discussion of some of them might remind us that technology still has value.

First, the Biden administration and twenty-one states have agreed on a plan and funding to upgrade the power grid. This will reduce power outages and increase transmission capacity, making the transition to renewables much easier an cost-effective.

This is important because one of the major impediments to the use of renewable is transmission capability. There is more solar energy waiting to get on the grid, at times, than the entire amount of energy on the grid. This announcement will go a long way to solving that problem.

Another impediment to the use of renewables in storage. It is not sunny at night, as the cliche goes. There have been major improvements in that realm as well, such as a new thermal battery that can hold heat, and thus energy, for days.

And if anyone doubts the value of renewables, a recent study has shown that increased use of renewables has increased air quality in the US, leading to billions of dollars of benefits.

I know I mostly write about the bullshit in tech. Because dear lord is there a lot of bullshit in tech. But I switched my degree to engineering and got two degrees in tech related fields because I honestly believe that technology, properly directed and applied, can help the average person. The problem with technology in America is that it is directed mostly by people who are interested in the next buck, not by people who are interested in building the next cool thing. When we let those people, the builders, the tinkerers, loose on problems, we all benefit.

We need, in other words, more Infrastructure Bills and fewer Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists. Maybe then we would have less fancy Clippy plagiarism machines and more renewable energy machines.