Recent comments in /f/singularity

phriot t1_j50ho15 wrote

In some ways you're probably right. The ability to be in constant contact with anyone else on the planet has some downsides; it's tough to really ever be out of touch, now. Even if you turn your phone off, there's an expectation that people can get a hold of you. Having a bunch of smarthome devices with cameras and microphones sounds like 1984.

Other areas of life are more of a wash. We traded the existential risk of nuclear war mostly for the existential risk of climate change. Although, we've done a lot to clean up other kinds of pollution since the 1970s. Healthcare is much better today, provided you have access to it.

With regards to your short vision, I'd hate living in a pod. I don't like to gamify my self-improvement. I've tried, and it doesn't do anything for me. I'd prefer to have at least the semblance of choice in my daily life, even if an AI is optimizing the set of choices.

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PoliteThaiBeep t1_j5030gs wrote

Uh, solar farms are already below 2 cents/kWh for 20 year contracts in some places like Chile, wind is below 4 cents/kWh right here in the US, I think it was an Arizona contract.

And they were over 15 cents/kWh just in 2014. To point out to rapid economy of scale happening.

For comparison brand new coal and gas plants are relatively flat and stay at around 6 cents/kWh for modern high tech plant.

But just maintaining already existing coal/gas plants is still making a little bit of sense, but the thing is we're very close to when it doesn't make sense. Building a brand new solar and wind farms will be cheaper than maintaining already working coal/gas plant.

That's where we are. It'll almost completely bottom out in about a decade.

And solar requires zero maintenance, wind does require it, but it's price highlights how little it costs.

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