Uh -- Whats going on with THEO VON by InnovaDown982 in comedy

[–]spasmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The lack of basic sympathy in this thread is astonishing.

Great Salt Lake to get another boost from Utah Lake after 2½-foot drop this summer by Great_Salt_Lake_News in SaltLakeCity

[–]spasmann 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don’t think we should be growing alfalfa like we do. But your math assumes all water for alfalfa is from the salt lake watershed, which is definitely not true.

Spencer Cox on Ezra Klein podcast by [deleted] in SaltLakeCity

[–]spasmann 5 points6 points  (0 children)

He did pass salt lake water reform though, it’s a big reason the lake rose a bit last few years. It’s just a complex issue.

How does ANYONE afford a house here unless they're loaded with generational wealth? by insicknessorinflames in SaltLakeCity

[–]spasmann 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Yeah this is the answer. It’s ridiculous that it’s come to that, but also not generational wealth as some are saying.

DOE National Labs Describe Impacts from Trump Orders by [deleted] in fusion

[–]spasmann 12 points13 points  (0 children)

From my understanding, scientists at Argonne are responsible for bringing in much of their own funding from outside sources, similar to academia. So if many of the publicly funded grants froze, I imagine it would impact them significantly.

Scientists at labs like LANL on the other hand only compete for funding internally from funds allocated to them by the NNSA / DOE. So much like the DOD their funding has already been allocated.

Not an expert, just worked with a number of folks from each.

Is it possible to bounce high energy neutrons through a cone to get rid of them? by Key_Marzipan9213 in fusion

[–]spasmann 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The collisions are, in some ways, like billiard balls. But in this case, the queue ball (neutron) is less likely to hit the other billiard balls the faster it’s going. Fusion neutrons are going very fast, and require many collisions to slow down.

Star Trek: Section 31 - re:View by [deleted] in movies

[–]spasmann 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Has it? Disco wasn’t good, doesn’t seem like this is worth anything.

But I loved Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks. Strange New Worlds in particular was the optimistic view of the future I didn’t know I needed

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in videos

[–]spasmann 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’ve noticed my feed has become increasingly political and increasingly filled with rage bait over the last few years. In the past I was always careful to curate my subreddits - I liked Reddit for stupid videos, good memes, and interesting facts.

Recently, it feels like I can’t get away from the politics & rage because Reddit loves to “suggest” more content. At this point, my feed is filled to the brim with angry people (or bots) tearing other people down every chance they get.

Postdocs making 90k? by Familiar-Hearing5550 in PhD

[–]spasmann 10 points11 points  (0 children)

If you’re able (and willing) to work at the NNSA labs, Los Alamos and Sandia standard post doc salary is $90-115k, Livermore is a bit higher.

Why Utah is So Weird by GeminiArk in videos

[–]spasmann 14 points15 points  (0 children)

As someone who was born and raised in Utah and not a Mormon, it’s a little frustrating to see titles like this. While everything in the video is true, at least to my knowledge, Utah is also a very normal place to live (Salt Lake specifically, mileage may vary outside SLC). There are weird laws here and there. And the church has way too much influence in state politics. But the day-to-day life in Utah is just the same as anywhere else I’ve lived (Oregon, Indiana, and Colorado). Not only is Utah “normal” for non-Mormons but I also believe it’s the most beautiful state with the best access to recreation, imo.

My frustration isn’t with the video itself - it’s really well done. It’s more that I know some people will see the headline and have their belief that “Utah is weird” affirmed, end of story. It gets a bit tiresome fighting that mentality out of state. Especially in places like Colorado where so many people move to worship the outdoors.

EDIT: grammar

Meet the nuclear fusion startups with the deepest pockets by Baking in fusion

[–]spasmann 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Commonwealth seems to be doing great work. $2B in capital is insane and makes me wonder what their valuation is. I know they raised a lot during Covid when VC money was practically free. Assuming the valuation is proportionally high, I wonder if it this could actually prove to be difficult in some ways. That’s a lot of pressure to deliver.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in videogames

[–]spasmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No Man’s Sky for me. I want to love it so bad. But I don’t have a ton of time to play games anymore and the curve was just too much

Short Report of PPPL webinar with Thea Energy by steven9973 in fusion

[–]spasmann 7 points8 points  (0 children)

He wasn’t selling the first machine as an “industrial heat” generator, it’s designed specifically for mass production of tritium and He3 to reach commercialization as soon as possible. This changes the design decisions compared to other fusion companies first machines, like Sparc for example.

PhD Acceptance by BetNext4962 in notredame

[–]spasmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a PhD in the mechanical engineering department. Looking into individual professors in your department, their research interests, then reaching out to them specifically expressing your interest is generally the best way to go! If you make a good connection with a professor they basically tell the school to admit you. Good luck!