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Tai Viinikka

@eastpole.bsky.social
607 followers 1.3K following 4.2K posts

Science, technology, energy, and the environment. Writer and broadcaster. Previously known as @viinikka on the bird site! East Pole Productions

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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 22h
I saw that backwards logic. "We know this infection doesn't spread via aerosols because we were able to find some studies where surgical masks reduced transmission." Can they not hear themselves?
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 22h
I'm going to buy local-to-me whenever I can, and elsewhere in Canada when I can't find local. After that, there's nothing wrong with food from Mexico, Central America, South America, and Europe!
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 22h
At the hospital, he's a 20 minute drive from Amoy Gardens. Admittedly it takes longer on the subway. :)
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 22h
It's weird that the sole author of the paper is from and works in Hongkong. I wonder what happened between 2004 and 2015, when the paper you referenced was published?
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 22h
"Previously available reports have not provided a satisfactory explanation of the features of the outbreak in the Amoy Gardens housing complex." It's pretty hard to explain much of SARS if you don't think there is aerosol transmission. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
nejm.org
Evidence of Airborne Transmission of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Virus | NEJM
There is uncertainty about the mode of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus. We analyzed the temporal and spatial distributions of cases in a large community outbreak ...
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 22h
Wow. That is profoundly head-in-sand. I keep coming back to the paper that modeled the spread from a tall apartment building in Hongkong to downwind buildings of similar height.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
They're all in on their detailed plan to end actual democracy, and especially accountable government, in the USA.
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Reposted by Tai Viinikka
Conor Curtis @conorcurtis.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
"19 times Canada’s financing for renewable energy projects, which totalled $975 million per year during the same period. Meanwhile, most G20 countries already use their public banks to finance more renewables than fossil fuels." environmentaldefence.ca/2026/07/09/n...
environmentaldefence.ca
New Report Shows Canada is the Worst Public Financier of Fossil Fuels in the G20.  - Environmental Defence
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, OIL CHANGE INTERNATIONAL New Report Shows Canada is the Worst Public Financier of Fossil Fuels in the G20 Toronto | Treaty Lands
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
You mean the conscripts he is sending to fight? It doesn't make any sense as a number. Rather than referring to uniformed armed combatants (fighting to invade a neighbouring country) as "kids", maybe she is just outright making up lies to justify the US switching sides.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Also, this is why Canada must have jet fighters other than the F-35. At some point we're going to find ourselves on opposite sides of someone's no-fly zone and it sure would be a shame if our mission planning requests got lost at SEATAC somewhere.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
This was always the endgame if Putin couldn't win it with added North Korean manpower and Chinese jet engines.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
It's OK because you're drinking Canadian beer. "Everyone has a hobby. Mine is drowning kittens." --Anonymous
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
You're right because a bunch of federal contractors with guns aren't actually law enforcement. But also, surely we can think of some American citizens, long settled there, who look African?
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Reposted by Tai Viinikka
Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Canadian responds with 2 billion dollars (CAD) compared to Korea's 1.05 trillion (CAD). www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
What we know about Ottawa's $2B rebate plan for heat pumps | CBC News
Canada's federal government has announced a new $2-billion rebate plan aimed at getting more heat pumps installed in homes across the country in the years ahead.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
This *is* good news for people with old oil or propane heat systems though -- I would urge you to take advantage of this. It will be relatively quick and, in money terms, there's no question that it's a big win. Please ask around and find out who can actually install heat pumps where you live!
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Canadian responds with 2 billion dollars (CAD) compared to Korea's 1.05 trillion (CAD). www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
What we know about Ottawa's $2B rebate plan for heat pumps | CBC News
Canada's federal government has announced a new $2-billion rebate plan aimed at getting more heat pumps installed in homes across the country in the years ahead.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Does filming with a phone in a pocket give really good views of the inside of the pocket, and a bunch of exciting friction noises? There might be a difference between pointing a phone lens at someone and standing there looking at them.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
You're exactly right, and also I'd say it's not likely most climate scientists are building scientists, general contractors, or energy-specialized micro-economics people. So the "individual choices" that are open to some of us (well-off people) are as mysterious to them as to the average person.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Although it's almost 3/4 of a trillion dollars, it's going to save Korea money in the medium and long term, and allow the country to distance itself from dictators and kleptocracies around the world.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The flip side to individual consumption changes is something like this: oilprice.com/Latest-Energ...
oilprice.com
South Korea Unveils $747 Billion Plan to Break Its Fossil Fuel Habit | OilPrice.com
South Korea plans to invest $747 billion by 2035 in renewables, EVs and industrial decarbonization to cut its exposure to oil and LNG supply shocks.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I mean, that's the whole problem. This isn't their job. Do they think your military is there to whiten the complexion of cities or righten the cast of ballots? Unamerican, undemocratic, and self-destructive. Good luck!
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
If it is over (first frost warning tonight in Toronto) -- we are soon going to realize we need a new name for the coming season. With the super El Nino, it will be too warm and dry to call it winter. Some will enjoy it and never think about what it means for next summer's wild fires.
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Reposted by Tai Viinikka
Catherine McKenna @cathmckenna.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"What is irrational is continuing down the road of fossil fuels. That's irrational on the costs, the risks, the impacts. It's an old technology." My comments about the opportunity of solar for all, everywhere, by 2030! #SolarForAll. Thanks @billmckibben.bsky.social for leading the way!
dw.com
Can there be solar for all, everywhere by the end of the decade?
Prominent climate leaders have called on governments, businesses, institutions and the public to make a push for solar power before the decade is out, repowering the world with cheap, clean energy. Is...
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Yes, which means it has had time to echo around and be amplified in the BS-sphere. :(((
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Reposted by Tai Viinikka
Patrick Canning 🇨🇦 @patrickcanning.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
2 key legal changes since TMX, re the new pipeline: 1 - ministers can now exempt anyone from any law, other than the criminal code 2 - "national interest" designation comes with automatic approval for all other permits - species at risk act, etc (a long term big oil wishlist item)..
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Again, I'm sorry, I realize it's not a very funny joke. But it makes fun of a president who is not very smart, so I have to bring it up.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands. Finally, the President looks up and asks, "How many is a brazillion?"
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Sorry, it's an old George W. Bush joke. Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing. He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed." "OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Corvids man, if people don't appreciate them I don't want to argue. I feel the same way about crows, ravens, and whiskeyjacks.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Nice!
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Ask a Brazilian. :)
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I think I realize how much money it is -- but I don't think I know where the money came from. Any insight? Want to point the finger at any big pension funds or similar?
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Everyone's or someone's? Who made that call to bet our retirements on a high risk venture? I'm saying we take it out on the decision-makers... if they also happen to be the person hoping to retire, that really is too bad, but I'd still take it over (just an example) a global war.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
imgur.com/nTv06ei
imgur.com
Kids handle plasma ball at the OSC
Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and ...
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Electric heavy trucks... man, Canada was off to such a good start. Then nothing. Soon those guys are the only ones who will be able to deliver anything for a cost people can afford.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I agree with you, it should be a more manageable bubble-pop, from a society-wide perspective. No doubt Armageddon for a few investors. If it's a big deal for everyone, do we know who to blame? I'm looking at pension fund managers right now...
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
That's a good position to be in. Please say it loud, for the next corp over to hear the message too.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Sounds like you picked a good time to switch to an electric car! I have had similar experiences and savings since we bought our Hyundai Kona EV back in 2019. Now ~77,000 km free of combustion. The savings in Ontario are better, because overnight electricity prices are much lower. Time-of-use FTW!
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Contrary to this, I've heard it's great working for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation here in the outer planets!
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
web.archive.org/web/20261002...
web.archive.org
The LNG boom is losing its biggest Asian bet, writes David Fickling
The best argument for LNG in emerging Asia is that it isn’t an energy source at all. Instead, it’s best seen as a raw material for fertilizer & oil refining & a source of heat.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
In a previous decade, you could stretch the truth and say that natural gas was clean, cheap, and secure. Even if you buy it from Canada today, those things just aren't true. bsky.app/profile/elec...
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
If I did break it, I probably did so on purpose, so I could tell you how broken it is and then invite (my friends in) the private sector to replace it with a profitable substitute. Which will be, I'm going to avoid telling you, broken.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Let's also ignore the fact that if it is broken, I or my ideological ancestors probably broke it.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A tar pipeline to the west coast is just an opportunity to strand a bunch of assets and get the taxpayer to pay for it. www.theenergymix.com/breaking-wes...
theenergymix.com
West Coast Pipeline Won’t Recoup Its $43.7B Cost as Global Oil Demand Weakens
There’s no likely need for Alberta’s proposed West Coast Pipeline, as the rise of electric vehicles and a faster global energy transition drive down future oil demand and prices at a faster rate than ...
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is far from the only example of the shift to low-carbon energy across the hemisphere. Except India isn't doing this because it's low-carbon or to make the world better. They're doing it because it's cheaper and faster. We aren't going to sell them something more expensive, slower, and dirtier.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
But it seems as if countries aren't as addicted as they used to be. Maybe the solution for Asia & the Pacific isn't to swap vendors, but to change to a more efficient and more homegrown way of powering industry. www.reuters.com/business/ind...
reuters.com
India approves $19 billion for renewable energy programme
India's cabinet has approved a 1.86 trillion rupees ($19.42 ​billion) renewable energy programme to ‌help improve existing grids and add storage, the country's information minister said on ​Wednesday.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
When you see how strangled both natural gas and oil are, globally, you can see why so many consumers want to stop buying from the middle east and/or Russia. This has Canadian producers pushing forward their export plans and, yes, they've influenced the government to help pay for pipelines and ports.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I hope they were able to get a bit of peace while they were waiting for you, 252 million years+. I mean, for the clade that you are part of to evolve from our common tetrapod ancestor. My patience wouldn't stretch that far, but then I'm a mammal. :)
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
That's great! 17 years later, I'm pretty sure some of us (North Americans) are still on oil heat. That'll probably be pretty expensive this winter.
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Tai Viinikka @eastpole.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Exactly. That's his real job. He can fuck up Trump's stupid ill-defined attack on Iran all day as long as his boys secure the polling stations "correctly."
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