Lurker > brestugo

What exactly is bitcoin mining doing to the electric grid? In the last few years, the US has seen a boom in cryptocurrency mining, and the government is now trying to track exactly what that means for the consumption of electricity.

While its analysis is preliminary, the Energy Information Agency (EIA) estimates that large-scale cryptocurrency operations are now consuming over 2 percent of the US's electricity. That's roughly the equivalent of having added an additional state to the grid over just the last three years.

While there is some small-scale mining that goes on with personal computers and small rigs, most cryptocurrency mining has moved to large collections of specialized hardware. While this hardware can be pricy compared to personal computers, the main cost for these operations is electricity use, so the miners will tend to move to places with low electricity rates.

The EIA report notes that, in the wake of a crackdown on cryptocurrency in China, a lot of that movement has involved relocation to the US, where keeping electricity prices low has generally been a policy priority.

One independent estimate made by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance had the US as the home of just over 3 percent of the global bitcoin mining at the start of 2020. By the start of 2022, that figure was nearly 38 percent.

The Cambridge Center also estimates the global electricity use of all bitcoin mining, so it's possible to multiply that by the US's percentage and come up with an estimate for the amount of electricity that boom has consumed.

Because of the uncertainties in these estimates, the number could be anywhere from 25 to 91 Terawatt-hours. Even the low end of that range would mean bitcoin mining is now using the equivalent of Utah's electricity consumption (the high end is roughly Washington's), which has significant implications for the electric grid as a whole.

So, the EIA decided it needed a better grip on what was going on. To get that, it went through trade publications, financial reports, news articles, and congressional investigation reports to identify as many bitcoin mining operations as it could. With 137 facilities identified, it then inquired about the power supply needed to operate them at full capacity, receiving answers for 101 of those facilities.

If running all-out, those 101 facilities would consume 2.3 percent of the US's average power demand. That places them on the high side of the Cambridge Center estimates.

The mining operations fall in two major clusters: one in Texas, and one extending from western New York down the Appalachians to southern Georgia. While there are additional ones scattered throughout the US, these are the major sites.

The EIA has also found some instances where the operations moved in near underutilized power plants and sent generation soaring again. Tracking the history of five of these plants showed that generation had fallen steadily from 2015 to 2020, reaching a low where they collectively produced just half a Terawatt-hour. Miners moving in nearby tripled production in just a year and has seen it rise to over 2 Terawatt-hours in 2022.

These are almost certainly fossil fuel plants that might be reasonable candidates for retirement if it weren't for their use to supply bitcoin miners. So, these miners are contributing to all of the health and climate problems associated with the continued use of fossil fuels.

The EIA also found a number of strategies that miners used to keep their power costs low. In one case, they moved into a former aluminum smelting facility in Texas to take advantage of its capacious connections to the grid. In another, they put a facility next to a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and set up a direct connection to the plant. The EIA also found cases where miners moved near natural gas fields that produced waste methane that would otherwise have been burned off.

Since bitcoin mining is the antithesis of an essential activity, several mining operations have signed up for demand-response programs, where they agree to take their operations offline if electricity demand is likely to exceed generating capacity in return for compensation by the grid operator. It has been widely reported that one facility in Texasthe one at the former aluminum smelter siteearned over $30 million by shutting down during a heat wave in 2023.

To better understand the implications of this major new drain on the US electric grid, the EIA will be performing monthly analyses of bitcoin operations during the first half of 2024. But based on these initial numbers, it's clear that the relocation of so many mining operations to the US will significantly hinder efforts to bring the US's electric grid to carbon neutrality.

What age of kids are we talking about here?

The school in question is a kindergarten to grade 12 christian private school.

Fair next

I'm more surprised and disturbed by the method.

No it isn't. The guy once had a segment where he made superstars (William Regal and Trish Stratus) among others kiss his literal @#% in the middle of the ring. This was during the "Attitude Era".

I'm honestly not surprised anymore about what I hear about Mr. McMahon.

Yes, I need to replace mine soon though, it's getting worn out. Thinking of getting one of those ones with a transparent front so I can watch my stuff toast.

Its when a man comes out of a toilet and eats you, theres a whole series about it on youtube

A Louisville religion school teacher is facing federal charges, accused of using student photos to create and distribute child pornography.

The Department of Justice announced Friday there is a warrant out for the arrest of Jordan Fautz, 39.

He's charged with distributing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse and distributing child pornography. See his mugshot below:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4165e588.jpg

They said that the alleged incidents happened between December 2023 and January 2024, while he was employed as a seventh and eighth grade religion teacher at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic School. He also had maintenance duties at the school and had been working there for nine years.
WLKY spoke with a former student, who said she was shocked to find out about the news.

"I drove by, and I saw the police, and I was like, OK, that's a little weird. And then I saw on the Internet, and I was confused," Lillian Doyle said. "I was like, beside myself. I was like, 'This was my teacher.' Just all of the above. Like, it was-- it was crazy."

The DOJ said he was manipulating images, putting non-explicit photos of minors into sexual abuse materials, for example, photoshopping a student's face onto a nude female's body or morphing a face into a sexual video.

"It was like especially [upsetting] when I found out that there was AI involved," she said. "It was crazy to me because he was my religion teacher, out of all things. My religion teacher."

An affidavit says at least two of the photos were taken from yearbooks, and others appeared to be for school publications. In some instances, they observed school logos on clothing and backgrounds.

Fautz is also accused of using people's real names and personal information, essentially doxing them.

The many victims appear to be somewhere between 8-17 years old, the documents say.

Officials said Fautz sent nearly 200 child pornography images and videos to an undercover cop.

The investigator said Fautz also sent folders with 100-plus non-pornographic images of mostly teen girls and 97 videos taken from TikTok and social media.

He's accused of sometimes sending the pornography while at the school.

Doyle said she didn't see any signs that Fautz would do something like this, that he was just "a nerd himself."

"Nothing really ever seemed like weird about him. He loved 'Ghostbusters,'" she said. "He was all about 'Star Wars,' you know. He was that type of person he would always tell us about, like the ghouls he had on his front porch and the 'Ghostbusters' stuff he had in his house and all this stuff."

Father Peter Bucalo posted a statement on the school's website, acknowledging the allegations, saying Fautz won't be returning to the school.
He said there will be a meeting with parents, including the Archdiocese and the FBI, on Saturday.

Doyle said her dad will be attending that meeting to make sure she wasn't one of the victims.

She said she hopes that whoever was victimized by Fautz is able to get justice and find peace for themselves.

"I know like the past few alumni classes, and I know like the classes that are there now," Doyle said. "I guarantee I know who it is, and it just breaks my heart."

As for Fautz, Doyle said she hopes his time in prison serves him well.
"I hope that [Fautz] realizes what he did is so disgusting and that he deserves to rot in prison," Doyle said.

Fautz was arrested and is being held at the Oldham County Detention Center, but the FBI is still seeking to identify other potential victims.

Anyone with information about Fautz is asked to contact the FBI at [email protected].

Fautz will be scheduled to make his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, but it's unclear when.

If convicted, Fautz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and maximum potential penalties of 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system. The FBI is investigating the case.

Got dayum

House Republican Lauren Boebert was mocked on Wednesday by one of her GOP colleagues at the Washington Press Club Foundation's annual congressional dinner.

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1752910037637591412?s=20

At the beginning of her keynote address, Representative Lisa McClain, a Republican from Michigan, said: "Please keep your hands above the table and I know it's date night for some of you but no inappropriate touching. That includes you Lauren Boebert. No vaping either."

According to its official website, the annual congressional dinner is a "long-standing Washington tradition" that "brings Capitol Hill and the media together for a light-hearted evening, a departure from partisan politics and the issues of the day."

It's so they can say "oh you're addicted? Too bad bro we warned you, can't sue us".

Nah, I missed this

He should be saying this publicly or not at all. Leaking it like this is lame

The president has described Trump to longtime friends and close aides as a sick fuck who delights in others misfortunes, according to three people who have heard the president use the profane description. According to one of the people who has spoken with the president, Biden recently said of Trump: What a fucking asshole the guy is.

Every lawyer tells their clients to do that. It has nothing to do with politics.

They always take credit for shit they didnt do they are fucking lying shitbag hypocrites they dont care

Same thing I was thinking when I first saw that clip and she was saying she would have to ask her staff how she voted. Like fucking WHAT? You don't even know the things you are voting on? None of this is making you look good here, lady.... which means she will steamroll her re-election campaign because it's Florida.

According to lawyer dramas, the best defense. Im glad he's grilling her on this stuff, but she seems to be a slippery snake.

A Democrat running for Rep. Maria Elvira Salazars seat slammed the Florida Republican for her voting history in a new video.

Democrat Lucia Bez-Geller goes after Salazar for her record on funding for her district, a topic highlighted in a Sunday interview the Florida congresswoman did with CBS News Miami. It accuses Salazar of lying about securing $24 million when she actually voted against it.

https://twitter.com/justin_chermol/status/1751670329393414229?s=20

Mara Elvira Salazar LIED to us, and abandoned #FL27 to please extremists in Washington, Bez-Geller said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with the video attached. Here are the receipts.

The video says Salazar voted against funding for projects that included $4.4 million for road improvement and $3.75 million for a Miami-Dade Police Department platform upgrade, plus funding for a local childrens hospital.

In the CBS News Miami interview, Salazar side-stepped when confronted about her votes on pieces of legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. She said she didnt remember which way she voted.

The money that you talk about the $40 million that you bring back to the district sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against.

You voted against the CHIPS Act and yet you praise the fact that the South Florida climate resilience tech hub is going to be started in Miami, right?

You voted against the infrastructure bill, and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport, the anchor said.

So, at the same time that youre taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district in Washington, youre voting against these projects on party-line votes, he added.

Listen I, that was, I think, last cycle, I cannot really remember right now, but just look, just look at the Americas Act Salazar said.

You dont want to explain why you voted against [these bills]? the anchor asked.

I mean right now, and Im not trying to be a politician, theres so many bills that Ive introduced and I know that many of them

These are bills that you voted against, the anchor said.

I understand and its OK. Sometimes I vote, and sometimes I dont, but lets look at the positive, she said.

not bad when you want some flavored rice in a pinch.

Yet they still have all these beauty filters up which also has a negative effect on how people view themselves and others. No one can be happy with themselves so they need beauty filters. But some leggings craze is where they draw the line so weird.

a charged "internet pornography personality" was known to online sleuths as #RightWingRedWing because of his Detroit Red Wings gear.

a charged "internet pornography personality" was known to online sleuths as #RightWingRedWing because of his Detroit Red Wings gear.

The FBI this week arrested a New Jersey man who wore a throwback Philadelphia Eagles beanie to the Jan. 6 riot after online "sedition hunters" identified him with the help of facial recognition and Facebook photos from a 2020 family trip to a pumpkin patch.

Lee Giobbie, 40, a financial adviser from Eastampton, was arrested Tuesday and charged with several federal crimes, includingfelony charges of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Giobbie, federal authorities alleged, yelled "move the gates!" over a bullhorn before the barricades on the east side of the Capitol were breached on Jan. 6, 2021.

He was later recorded at the front of the mob yelling "push, push, push, push! as it broke through another police line and then helped breach the Capitol, pushing through the east doors leading into the rotunda, authorities said.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/58886f85.jpg

"We need something to break the door down!" Giobbie said, according to the FBI, which said open-source video also shows Giobbie pushing against a police shield during the chaos.

Giobbie, authorities said, was "one of the first rioters to enter" and "aggressively pushed his way through the Rotunda Door as police were actively trying to defend it." Inside the Capitol, Giobbie was briefly detained by an officer, and he ultimately left the Capitol through a door on the west side of the building, according to the FBI and open-source evidence gathered by online sleuths. Giobbie did not immediately respond to a message left for him at his workplace.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/71846038.jpg

Online sleuths identified Giobbie in 2022 and reported him to the FBI that year, and they reported additional information about him last year. They turned up a 2020 family photo from a trip to a pumpkin patch, posted a few months before Jan. 6, in which Giobbie was wearing the same Philadelphia Eagles beanie the FBI said he wore on Jan. 6.

An FBI affidavit, citing help from confidential human sources, also featured an image that compared a small mole or freckle on Giobbie's right cheek that appeared in both Giobbie's professional work portrait and high-quality images of Giobbie taken on Jan. 6. Small facial markings can help confirm matches produced by facial recognition, a tool that has proven very useful to the online sleuths who have aided the FBI in cases against hundreds of Capitol rioters, who have identified hundreds of additional rioters like Giobbie.

The Eagles used the version of their logo featured on Giobbie's hat from the late 1980s until 1996, when the modern Eagles logo was introduced. The throwback logo, used when the Eagles wore kelly green jerseys rather than their current midnight green color, has proven immensely popular among Eagles fans like Giobbie, who, according to social media posts, also roots for the New Jersey Devils.

The Eagles set off a merchandising bonanza when they reintroduced their old-school logo and kelly green jersey before the 2023 season, which ended with their loss Jan. 15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Eagles players wore the throwback uniforms during their games against the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills this season. Fanatics, the ubiquitous sportswear manufacturer, had trouble stocking the throwback version of legendary Eagles center Jason Kelce's jersey, which have been listed for hundreds of dollars on eBay.

The Eagles certainly were not the only sports team whose gear was spotted on Capitol rioters. A former Boston K-9 officer who has been charged in the attack, for example, wore "a beanie with the logos of several Boston sports teams" to the Capitol on Jan. 6, two charged rioters wore Washington Capitols jerseys, another convicted rioter wore a New York Yankees hat, a charged Georgia man wore a Georgia Bulldogs hat, a Michigan man who pleaded guilty wore a Michigan sweatshirt, and a charged "internet pornography personality" was known to online sleuths as #RightWingRedWing because of his Detroit Red Wings gear.

The FBI has arrested about 1,250 people in connection with the Capitol attack, and about 900 have pleaded guilty. Online "sedition hunters" know the names of hundreds of additional rioters who have not been arrested.

They keep up shit about how to steal cars, but this is where they draw the line? Tik tok is weird

Hip width, it's mostly genetics. But some people with small hip are on extreme diet to reduce the fat on the thigh so artificially made a thigh gap.

"Legging legs" is the latest body-focused term being used on social media and some are calling the trend dangerous and harmful. The phrase, which is blocked from search on TikTok, caught on as a description of the "perfect" or "ideal" size and shape of legs for wearing leggings, promoting what experts say can be an unhealthy body image.

It appears to be a new spin on the internet-fueled "thigh gap" craze from around 2013, in which young women and teens pursued an elusive and possibly dangerous goal of being slender enough for their thighs not to touch when standing with their feet together.

Social media trends that draw attention to body shape and appearance can have both a negative effect on those already impacted by eating disorders and also put others at risk, says Elizabet Altunkara, director of education at the National Eating Disorders Association.

"The new trend 'legging legs' is problematic as it suggests that only certain body types are able to wear a piece of clothing an idea that promotes the appearance ideal we have all been exposed to and whose internalization may put people at risk to develop an eating disorder," Altunkara says.

Dr. Samantha DeCaro, director of clinical outreach and education at The Renfrew Center, a network of eating disorder treatment facilities, calls the trend "yet another inappropriate way to body shame individuals."

"These types of trends are destructive," she says. "Body dissatisfaction is a major risk factor in the development and maintenance of an eating disorder."

While some "legging legs" videos circulating on social media did feature slim legs and thigh gaps, the trend doesn't specify the exact standard for what defines the "legging legs" category seemingly leaving the label up to others' judgment. But it broadly highlights the same view of certain body ideals as the earlier "thigh gap" trend.

TikTok has not responded to CBS News' request for comment, but it appears the company has blocked the term and hashtag from the app. A search of "legging legs" on TikTok doesn't return video results instead, the app provides a link to resources about eating disorders.

"While we applaud TikTok for removing the hashtag and replacing it with links to eating disorder resources, space needs to be given for continued conversations and education on the fact that self-worth is not determined by ones' bodies," DeCaro says.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/50389614.jpg

The bottom line? Regardless of their body shape and size, people should be able to wear what they like without judgment.

"Leggings are for everyone, not solely for a specific body type," Altunkara says.