George Carlin on The Environment
Why Hacker News recommends it
Commenters cite it as shorthand for the view that the Earth will outlast us, usually as a quip rather than a recommendation.
What it is
An 8-minute clip of George Carlin's 1992 stand-up bit on the environment, arguing the planet will be fine and it is people who are in trouble. It leans on the contrast between Earth's 4.5 billion years and humanity's 200,000.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2018 to 2019.
What Hacker News said
Cites dark_ph0enix · 2019-05 · on “Mariana Trench: Deepest-ever sub dive finds plastic bag”
George Carlin had some great quotes indeed (this specific one comes from his take on the environment [1]). [1] [this video]
Cites darksaints · 2019-07 · on “Giant batteries and cheap solar power are shoving fossil fuels off the grid”
I know someone who has gone fully off the grid via sailboat and is currently on his way around the world. He converted his sailboat to a hybrid setup (electric engines powered by the same batteries that power his stovetop, refrigerator, etc.). His power sources keeping those batteries charged are solar (1200W) and sail regeneration [0]. He has an 18kw diesel generator as a safety measure. His story is particularly interesting to me because he doesn't give a shit about climate change. His views are best described by George Carlin [1]. And yet, he has the lowest carbon lifestyle of anybody I know. In the 15,000 nautical miles he's sailed, he has burned a grand total of 5 gallons of diesel. And