Insurance and housing collapse

 A Housing Market “Black Swan” Event In The Making?

“Warning The Insurance Collapse Could Trigger a Housing Market Meltdown”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bcvWs7LOalw&pp=ygUrd2FybmluZyB0aGUgaW5zdXJhbmNlIGNvbGxhcHMgY291bGQgdHJpZ2dlcg%3D%3D

DOE, NNSA targeted by Musk

No comment. 

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/goodbye-to-several-federal-jobs-these-are-the-jobs-elon-musk-has-said-will-be-cut/ar-AA1uTKPX

Fusion update

 Could scientists have solved the fusion problems?

This article is too technical for most of us but I am hoping someone can make sense out of it. Thank you!

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-upgrade-scientists-may-have-just-solved-fusions-biggest-problem/

"DOGE" impact

 How will the DOGE impact current federal dollars that support the CA “Bullet Train” and BART, both of which are in a deluxe financial mess, and likely deemed by the DOGE to be grossly inefficiently managed?

Project 2025 could mean the end of science at LANL and LLNL

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/what-might-project-2025-mean-for-n-m-non-nuclear-cuts-at-national-labs/article_956aa830-8506-11ef-b30c-6bbad5000761.html

But tucked in the 922 pages of its report, “Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise,” is one recommendation that centers squarely on New Mexico.

The document, penned by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, contemplates pulling funding from any work unrelated to nuclear weapons at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and sister facility Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Basically all non-nuclear science is to be cut. Mello is kind of cynical about the whole thing.

Limitless energy

 A New Zealand-based company just took one step closer to creating a working nuclear fusion reactor.

Is New Zealand more advanced than the US?

This should get the Labs' attention.

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/openstar-technologies-nuclear-fusion-reactor/

The truth about fusion

 This article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist on Fusion and NIF is an interesting read and may interest your readers. - https://thebulletin.org/premium/2024-11/ferreting-out-the-truth-about-fusion-interview-with-bob-rosner/

Schopenhauer: Why Society Hates Intelligence

This is a very good video -- it goes into detail about intelligence, mediocrity, and stupidity, summarizing some of the writings of a certain 19th century philosopher:

https://youtu.be/Ci7VK75sMsY?si=oF-WIHO8cs6Lb9LJ

LLNS “Empire Building”

 LLNS “Empire Building” began in 2007

You have “empire building” on steroids at LLNL, and lots of waste through misdirected resources to maintain the empires as a result.

It started with the “gray march” mass lay off in 2008, and has only gotten worse. And now the NNSA is planning to reward LLNS with a 5 year contract extension?

Looks like a race condition with the new DOGE.

The end of LANL and LLNL?

 The end of LANL and LLNL?

"After host Maria Bartiromo questioned whether the two plan to “close down entire agencies,” Ramaswamy said “mass reductions” will be made.
“We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright,” he said. “We expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated. We expect massive cuts among federal contractors and others who are overbilling the federal government.” Ramaswamy added, “I think people will be surprised by how quickly we’re able to move with some of those changes, given the legal backdrop the Supreme Court has given us.” The founder of Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical company, who ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, told Bartiromo that he and Musk will assess the roles of America’s 4 million civil servants, claiming “there’s just too many of them.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vivek-ramaswamy-elon-musk-delete-government-agencies_n_673a5d9de4b0ebe12e367050

Maybe not the end, but big cuts....big really big cuts could be coming. We have 4 million civil servants and maybe 8-10 million contractors? I am not for this drastic cut but anyone who is honest will tell you LLNL and LANL have way too many people for job. I am not a Greg Mello fan at all but he claims some ex LANL Directors told him that LANL has twice the number of people it needs, and behind closed doors everyone acknowledges this. I would guess the NNSA labs are probably some of the more effective labs in the DOE complex so maybe there is some low hanging fruit elsewhere.

Well do not worry my friends, if Trump gets rid of 10 million migrants tthere should be plenty of jobs opening up for the millions of people let go from the government agency who will need jobs. So maybe there is a grand plan after all and the economy will not collapse.

Could be some fun times.

Oil boss to be DOE boss

 https://nypost.com/2024/11/16/us-news/trump-taps-oil-boss-chris-wright-as-secretary-of-energy/

“As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new ‘Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace,'” Trump said in a statement.

LLNL contract extension

 11-14-24 ExchangeMonitor

“NNSA 'working on' LLNL contract extension;SRS final RFP out January, administrator says

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jill Hruby, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, told the Exchange Monitor it 'feels like we're close' to finalizing an extension for a management and operations...”

Note: Nothing beyond this is available to read for non-subscribers

https://www.exchangemonitor.com/nnsa-working-on-llnl-contract-extensionsrs-final-rfp-out-january-administrator-says/

Department of Government Efficiency

 A new Manhattan project.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14075357/donald-trump-elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-government-efficiency.html

Trump put out a press release Tuesday night saying that Musk will co-lead the 'Manhattan Project of our time' with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

'This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!' Musk said in a statement.

Have you heard of PACIFIC FUSION?

 Pacific Fusion. Latest hyped-up fusion company with LLNL roots:

https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-pacific-fusion-eric-lander/

Based on the Z machine MAGLIF. Curious how Eric Schmidt is involved as he’s mainly been concerned with DoD projects.

The most expensive substance in the world

 Here's some videos on a novel clock of another type:

https://youtu.be/n_8MmQShWnU?si=KGL2uEScYHkGBwet

https://youtu.be/1-_NHKCzbEA?si=6IY1PVUg5LUd5KTz

11/11/2024 7:03 PM

Reply

Funding of fission power plants

 Should we increase funding of fission power plants with newer safer designs to serve as bridge technologies, while fusion research continues?

As amazing as the “How NIF Works” video is, it does not begin to detail the tens of thousands of optical, electrical, and mechanical components requiring constant maintenance and replacement, just to keep NIF firing ~1 shot every 24 hours, which is a far cry from the fusion power plant 10 shots per second needed with actual wall plug gain.

While we wait (and wait) for a viable 10Hz fusion power plant, will “safer” sodium cooled, molten salt cooled, fission power plants in the USA, China’s “meltdown proof” type fission power plants, or other designs, serve as acceptable bridge technologies for the next 30-100 years?

How would a NIF to LIFE fusion power plant reliability “stress test”, expect to compare to that of these newer safer fission plant technologies?

US firm sets record with plasma fusion

1) I am impressed when I see this type of breakthrough but have no idea how its applies to real life.

2) Did any of the National Labs contribute?

 https://interestingengineering.com/energy/plasma-fusion-record-by-quantum-kinetics

Your input us appreciated.

Company unveils revolutionary reactor design for nuclear fusion power plant

Cintexr:

Company unveils revolutionary reactor design for nuclear fusion power plant. Zap Energy is the name. The product: Century.

Has LLNL or LANL collaborated with them?

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/company-unveils-revolutionary-reactor-design-101543535.html

Security clearances

 Do you remember how hard it was to get a Q clearance? You needed a good reputation, good credit and you couldn't lie about anything.

Well, the next president,  with his 34 felonies, lies, hatred and racism, will have access to anything he wants and (he said it) help his sycophants get one.

This should scare and outrage anyone having or needing a clearance. 

Your thoughts and reactions?

NNSA under trump

 So what do the NNSA labs do under the the 2nd Trump administration ?

What are the odds we will have a test?

Is this the real average?

 $35 per hour seems too low.

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Lawrence-Livermore-National-Laboratory-Llnl-Salary#:~:text=As%20of%20Oct%2025%2C%202024,States%20is%20%2435.15%20an%20hour.