Tom MacDonald
@tscmacdonald.bsky.social
Energy & decarbonisation by way of physical chemistry and spin stuff. Sometimes folk music and dance.
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Pointed out by my friend @carloshasanax.bsky.social . There's something weird and unsettling about a fairly homogeneous culture spread out across Europe that then collapses into an orgy of genocide.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Headless bodies hint at why Europe’s first farmers vanished
Wave of mass brutality accompanied the collapse of the first pan-European culture
www.science.org
November 27, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Pointed out by my friend @carloshasanax.bsky.social . There's something weird and unsettling about a fairly homogeneous culture spread out across Europe that then collapses into an orgy of genocide.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Spiked by Albo again!
Can't feel great for those in the ALP putting in hard work to build big things, knowing full well the PM will kill any effort the moment it risks looking left-of-centre. Wonder what we'll lose next?
Spiked by Albo again!
Can't feel great for those in the ALP putting in hard work to build big things, knowing full well the PM will kill any effort the moment it risks looking left-of-centre. Wonder what we'll lose next?
Albanese has cut Australia’s COP bid off at the knees; has anyone told Bowen?
Mixed messages from Australia are not making Bowen’s job any easier. But walking away from this fight will weaken the government and harm our links with the Pacific.
www.smh.com.au
November 19, 2025 at 9:54 PM
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Spiked by Albo again!
Can't feel great for those in the ALP putting in hard work to build big things, knowing full well the PM will kill any effort the moment it risks looking left-of-centre. Wonder what we'll lose next?
Spiked by Albo again!
Can't feel great for those in the ALP putting in hard work to build big things, knowing full well the PM will kill any effort the moment it risks looking left-of-centre. Wonder what we'll lose next?
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Some explicitly say the AI recommended they contact us. That makes sense, the models scrape our work and cite us as a reputable source, so the AI has inadvertently become part of the referral pathway for people spiralling down a rabbit hole.
November 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Some explicitly say the AI recommended they contact us. That makes sense, the models scrape our work and cite us as a reputable source, so the AI has inadvertently become part of the referral pathway for people spiralling down a rabbit hole.
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Something highly unusual about the Redbridge/Accent poll is that the ON vote is so enormous that Labor would get just under half of 2PP preferences. L-NP and ON would win seats from behind on preferences, and perhaps win more such seats combined than ALP.
November 17, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Something highly unusual about the Redbridge/Accent poll is that the ON vote is so enormous that Labor would get just under half of 2PP preferences. L-NP and ON would win seats from behind on preferences, and perhaps win more such seats combined than ALP.
Ministerial discretion to cancel long-term visas and deport residents for bad (but not illegal?) politics seems a pretty bad road to go down!
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
'Time to go home': South African man who attended Neo-Nazi rally has visa cancelled
The federal government has revoked the visa of a man who attended the far-right National Socialist Network protest at NSW's parliament house.
www.abc.net.au
November 17, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Ministerial discretion to cancel long-term visas and deport residents for bad (but not illegal?) politics seems a pretty bad road to go down!
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
www.afr.com//politics/fe...
Australia spent ~$14b building a massive piece of shared public infrastructure in Snowy 2.0. Now the nation's largest aluminium smelter is demanding to be given Snowy's output to stay in business. Government as a cash machine for failing industrials.
Australia spent ~$14b building a massive piece of shared public infrastructure in Snowy 2.0. Now the nation's largest aluminium smelter is demanding to be given Snowy's output to stay in business. Government as a cash machine for failing industrials.
Snowy Hydro deal being mulled to save Tomago Aluminium
Rio and the Albanese government are locked in a stalemate over Tomago’s future after the mining giant rejected a reported $1 billion federal-NSW bailout offer.
www.afr.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:24 PM
www.afr.com//politics/fe...
Australia spent ~$14b building a massive piece of shared public infrastructure in Snowy 2.0. Now the nation's largest aluminium smelter is demanding to be given Snowy's output to stay in business. Government as a cash machine for failing industrials.
Australia spent ~$14b building a massive piece of shared public infrastructure in Snowy 2.0. Now the nation's largest aluminium smelter is demanding to be given Snowy's output to stay in business. Government as a cash machine for failing industrials.
www.afr.com//companies/e...
Looks like the very large 850MW Waratah Super BESS has popped one of three 350 MVA transformers just short of completing its already long delayed commissioning process 😬
Seems they're still partially operational, but that's a *big* delay and expense to deal with
Looks like the very large 850MW Waratah Super BESS has popped one of three 350 MVA transformers just short of completing its already long delayed commissioning process 😬
Seems they're still partially operational, but that's a *big* delay and expense to deal with
‘Catastrophic’ failure delays massive $1b Waratah super battery
The BlackRock-owned development is the largest storage project in the world and a key part of the transition away from coal power.
www.afr.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:51 PM
www.afr.com//companies/e...
Looks like the very large 850MW Waratah Super BESS has popped one of three 350 MVA transformers just short of completing its already long delayed commissioning process 😬
Seems they're still partially operational, but that's a *big* delay and expense to deal with
Looks like the very large 850MW Waratah Super BESS has popped one of three 350 MVA transformers just short of completing its already long delayed commissioning process 😬
Seems they're still partially operational, but that's a *big* delay and expense to deal with
Excellent essay here on the slow strangling of mass literary culture in the West - most clearly in the US, but it's obviously happening here too
November 9, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Excellent essay here on the slow strangling of mass literary culture in the West - most clearly in the US, but it's obviously happening here too
Important news, but I'm surprised at how favourably this report sees the economics of gas reciprocating engines - I've heard complaints about the cost and complexity of maintenance + disappointing reliability. Would love to hear if any others are seeing recips as a serious economic challenger to GTs
Cost estimates for new gas power plants just keep rising! www.utilitydive.com/news/gas-pow... 🔌💡
November 5, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Important news, but I'm surprised at how favourably this report sees the economics of gas reciprocating engines - I've heard complaints about the cost and complexity of maintenance + disappointing reliability. Would love to hear if any others are seeing recips as a serious economic challenger to GTs
Cool idea in its simplicity, but geez there could be a lot of regulatory and economic difficulties in the way of actually making this happen:
reneweconomy.com.au/solar-sharer...
reneweconomy.com.au/solar-sharer...
reneweconomy.com.au
November 3, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Cool idea in its simplicity, but geez there could be a lot of regulatory and economic difficulties in the way of actually making this happen:
reneweconomy.com.au/solar-sharer...
reneweconomy.com.au/solar-sharer...
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
European negotiators were personally targeted by their American counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules, European Commission officials told POLITICO.
This highly unusual gambit left diplomats shaken after the meeting.
This highly unusual gambit left diplomats shaken after the meeting.
US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping rules
Negotiators at shipping talks in London were told both they and their countries could be punished unless they voted with the U.S.
www.politico.eu
November 3, 2025 at 8:11 AM
European negotiators were personally targeted by their American counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules, European Commission officials told POLITICO.
This highly unusual gambit left diplomats shaken after the meeting.
This highly unusual gambit left diplomats shaken after the meeting.
Important piece on Hydro Tasmania's growing debt and falling revenue: reneweconomy.com.au/hydro-tasman...
To my knowledge, none of the system planning in Australia thinks particularly hard about what happens to hydro inflows as the climate changes - possibly because the answers are too unpleasant.
To my knowledge, none of the system planning in Australia thinks particularly hard about what happens to hydro inflows as the climate changes - possibly because the answers are too unpleasant.
reneweconomy.com.au
November 3, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Important piece on Hydro Tasmania's growing debt and falling revenue: reneweconomy.com.au/hydro-tasman...
To my knowledge, none of the system planning in Australia thinks particularly hard about what happens to hydro inflows as the climate changes - possibly because the answers are too unpleasant.
To my knowledge, none of the system planning in Australia thinks particularly hard about what happens to hydro inflows as the climate changes - possibly because the answers are too unpleasant.
Can't really see how we avoid going back to scholarly work via small, exclusive webs of trust. The openness of the early 2000s was great - I benefited from it a lot - but with persistent AI exploiting and degrading open social systems wherever they're found, those systems won't stay open for long.
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Can't really see how we avoid going back to scholarly work via small, exclusive webs of trust. The openness of the early 2000s was great - I benefited from it a lot - but with persistent AI exploiting and degrading open social systems wherever they're found, those systems won't stay open for long.
Tomago smelter maybe closing in 2028: www.smh.com.au/business/the...
Tomago faces a doubling of supply costs when their power contract expires in 2028 and want a ten-figure handout to cover the difference. They may get it - but is this really the best 21st century use of our limited generation?
Tomago faces a doubling of supply costs when their power contract expires in 2028 and want a ten-figure handout to cover the difference. They may get it - but is this really the best 21st century use of our limited generation?
Aluminium smelter closure tests Labor’s clean energy goals
Federal Industry Minister Tim Ayres says every option will be exhausted by the government to prevent the closure of Australia’s largest aluminium smelter.
www.smh.com.au
October 28, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Tomago smelter maybe closing in 2028: www.smh.com.au/business/the...
Tomago faces a doubling of supply costs when their power contract expires in 2028 and want a ten-figure handout to cover the difference. They may get it - but is this really the best 21st century use of our limited generation?
Tomago faces a doubling of supply costs when their power contract expires in 2028 and want a ten-figure handout to cover the difference. They may get it - but is this really the best 21st century use of our limited generation?
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Time for 2025 updates to my annual “opinions about solar” thread. If you like these, you might like the second edition of my book, Solar Power Finance Without The Jargon. A 30% discount code WSQ0437 is valid on publisher website until end of November 2025.
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon
www.worldscientific.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Time for 2025 updates to my annual “opinions about solar” thread. If you like these, you might like the second edition of my book, Solar Power Finance Without The Jargon. A 30% discount code WSQ0437 is valid on publisher website until end of November 2025.
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
Weird scheme here - tempting to view this as money shoveled into the fire, but since the hydrogen support will be as production tax credits there's a decent chance the money is simply never spent (as the H2 won't be produced). Overall, hard to say if the scheme is naive or cynical
ARENA is launching the second $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart round with a focus on hard-to-abate sectors and cost.
reneweconomy.com.au
October 14, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Weird scheme here - tempting to view this as money shoveled into the fire, but since the hydrogen support will be as production tax credits there's a decent chance the money is simply never spent (as the H2 won't be produced). Overall, hard to say if the scheme is naive or cynical
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
people become terrorists when they get engineering degrees, offering us a simple solution.
It's taken for granted that when people are in bad enough circumstances, they become terrorists because they have nothing else to live for, but actually that doesn't seem to be the pattern at all.
October 13, 2025 at 2:04 AM
people become terrorists when they get engineering degrees, offering us a simple solution.
New round of CIS winners announced today, showing a continuing shift away from wind and toward solar+BESS hybrid generation: reneweconomy.com.au/solar-batter...
This really isn't the energy transition we expected a few years back but it seems to be the one we're getting. Onwards!
This really isn't the energy transition we expected a few years back but it seems to be the one we're getting. Onwards!
reneweconomy.com.au
October 8, 2025 at 10:07 PM
New round of CIS winners announced today, showing a continuing shift away from wind and toward solar+BESS hybrid generation: reneweconomy.com.au/solar-batter...
This really isn't the energy transition we expected a few years back but it seems to be the one we're getting. Onwards!
This really isn't the energy transition we expected a few years back but it seems to be the one we're getting. Onwards!
Coordination polymers! Congrats to the team, and great to see Robson recognised - I'm sure the Australian inorganic community will be enjoying a few beers this week
BREAKING: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal-organic frameworks”
Stay tuned for more.
#NobelPrize
Stay tuned for more.
#NobelPrize
October 8, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Coordination polymers! Congrats to the team, and great to see Robson recognised - I'm sure the Australian inorganic community will be enjoying a few beers this week
not quite there personally but I'm really starting to feel this one looming
Milestone on the path to middle age: I have decided to get into the Napoleonic Wars
October 6, 2025 at 2:07 AM
not quite there personally but I'm really starting to feel this one looming
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
I realized I’ve been sort of mourning the internet lately. It’s odd. This ‘place’ that used to contain a wealth of actually valuable information, and introduced me to many people I now call friends, and which paved the way for my career, has almost completely rotted away. It’s not coming back.
Do you ever think about the fact that Wikipedia is the last good major website on the internet? You aren't bombarded with ads. It doesn't try to push video on you, and it doesn't redirect you to a scam site.
October 2, 2025 at 5:48 AM
I realized I’ve been sort of mourning the internet lately. It’s odd. This ‘place’ that used to contain a wealth of actually valuable information, and introduced me to many people I now call friends, and which paved the way for my career, has almost completely rotted away. It’s not coming back.
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Every few months now I re-read this "Who Goes Nazi?" piece from 1941 and am blown away by how it captures the people we are dealing with 80 years later.
harpers.org/archive/1941...
harpers.org/archive/1941...
Who Goes Nazi?, by Dorothy Thompson
harpers.org
October 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Every few months now I re-read this "Who Goes Nazi?" piece from 1941 and am blown away by how it captures the people we are dealing with 80 years later.
harpers.org/archive/1941...
harpers.org/archive/1941...
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
The basic dilemma for China's leaders is: you have to cut either the clean energy industry or the coal industry down to size; both can't continue to grow like they have. These targets just show they still haven't made up their minds, balking at the economic fallout from either.
Xi Jinping announced China's new climate targets personally, a positive gesture, but the targets brought little clarity on China’s future emission pathway. Targeting a 7-10% emission reduction by 2035 from an undefined "peak level" undersells China's current clean energy boom.
September 24, 2025 at 9:31 PM
The basic dilemma for China's leaders is: you have to cut either the clean energy industry or the coal industry down to size; both can't continue to grow like they have. These targets just show they still haven't made up their minds, balking at the economic fallout from either.
Reposted by Tom MacDonald
Now that China's new climate targets are out, here's a comparison to IPCC scenarios. The 2030 and 2035 targets are weak even compared to the median of 3-degree scenarios, which would entail devastating climate impacts, but the long-term 2060 target is in line with 2 degrees.
September 29, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Now that China's new climate targets are out, here's a comparison to IPCC scenarios. The 2030 and 2035 targets are weak even compared to the median of 3-degree scenarios, which would entail devastating climate impacts, but the long-term 2060 target is in line with 2 degrees.