#energy services

[zman1175]

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4695976-weatherford-international-poised-for-growth-in-the-energy-services-bull-market

[southernassessors24]

Unlock valuable resources from Southern Assessors: expert air testing services. Enhance energy efficiency in Hertfordshire, Midlands & London.

[lil-lemon-snails]

Their cable management leaves something to be desired...

Transcript: Sun: "Gentle... Gentle Little Star. GENTLE." y/n: "Relax Sunny. You're like a mechanical junk drawer in here." Sun: "That's not our fault!!" y/n, muttering: "Then stop eating glitter glue."

No text under cut! :3

[sciderman]

well - webtoons is over, gang

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Amazon's bestselling "bitter lemon" energy drink was bottled delivery driver piss

Today (Oct 20), I'm in Charleston, WV at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

For a brief time this year, the bestselling "bitter lemon drink" on Amazon was "Release Energy," which consisted of the harvested urine of Amazon delivery drivers, rebottled for sale by Catfish UK prankster Oobah Butler in a stunt for a new Channel 4 doc, "The Great Amazon Heist":

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-amazon-heist

Collecting driver piss is surprisingly easy. Amazon, you see, puts its drivers on a quota that makes it impossible for them to drive safely, park conscientiously, or, indeed, fulfill their basic human biological needs. Amazon has long waged war on its employees' kidneys, marking down warehouse workers for "time off task" when they visit the toilets.

As tales of drivers pissing – and shitting! – in their vans multiplied, Amazon took decisive action. The company enacted a strict zero tolerance policy for drivers returning to the depot with bottles of piss in their vans.

That's where Butler comes in: the roads leading to Amazon delivery depots are lined with bottles of piss thrown out of delivery vans by drivers who don't want to lose their jobs, which made harvesting the raw material for "Release Energy" a straightforward matter.

Butler was worried that he wouldn't be able to list his product on Amazon because he didn't have the requisite "food and drinks licensing" certificates, so he listed his drink in Amazon's refillable pump dispenser category. But Amazon's systems detected the mismatch and automatically shifted the product into the drinks section.

Butler enlisted some confederates to place orders for his drink, and it quickly rocketed to the top of Amazon's listings for the category, which led to Amazon's recommendation engine pushing the item on people who weren't in on the gag. When these orders came in, Butler pulled the plug, but not before an Amazon rep telephoned him to pitch him turning packaging, shipping and fulfillment over to Amazon:

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-let-its-drivers-urine-be-sold-as-an-energy-drink/

The Release Energy prank was just one stunt Butler pulled for his doc; he also went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, during a period when Amazon hired an extra 1,000 workers for its warehouses in Coventry, UK, in a successful bid to dilute pro-union sentiment in his workforce in advance of a key union vote:

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/the-great-amazon-heist-oobah-butler-review

Butler's stint as an Amazon warehouse worker only lasted a couple of days, ending when Amazon recognized him and fired him.

The contrast between Amazon's ability to detect an undercover reporter and its inability to spot bottles of piss being marketed as bitter lemon energy drink says it all, really. Corporations like Amazon hire vast armies of "threat intelligence" creeps who LARP at being CIA superspies, subjecting employees and activists to intense and often illegal surveillance.

But while Amazon's defensive might is laser-focused on the threat of labor organizers and documentarians, the company can't figure out that one of its bestselling products is bottles of its tormented drivers' own urine.

In the USA, the FTC is suing Amazon for its monopolistic tactics, arguing that the company has found ways to raise prices and reduce quality by trapping manufacturers and sellers with its logistics operation, taking $0.45-$0.51 out of every dollar they earn and forcing them to raise prices at all retailers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The Release Energy stunt shows where Amazon's priorities are. Not only did Release Energy get listed on Amazon without any quality checks, the company actually nudged it into a category where it was more likely to be consumed by a person. The only notice the company took of Release Energy was in its logistics and manufacturing department – the part of the business that extracts the monopoly rents at issue in the FTC case – which tracked Butler down in order to sell him these services.

The drivers whose piss Butler collected don't work directly for Amazon, they work for a Delivery Service Partner. These DSPs are victims of a pyramid scheme that Amazon set up. DSP operators lease vans and pay to have them skinned in Amazon livery and studded with Amazon sensors. They take out long-term leases on depots, and hire drivers who dress in Amazon uniforms. Their drivers are minutely monitored by Amazon, down to the movements of their eyeballs.

But none of this is "Amazon" – it's all run by an "entrepreneur," whom Amazon can cut loose without notice, leaving them with unfairly terminated employees, outstanding workers' comp claims, a fleet of Amazon-skinned vehicles and unbreakable facilities leases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

Speaking to Wired, Amazon denied that it forces its drivers to piss in bottles, but Butler clearly catches a DSP dispatcher telling drivers "If you pee in a bottle and leave it [in the vehicle], you will get a point for that" – that is, the part you get punished for isn't the peeing, it's the leaving.

Amazon's defense against the FTC is that it spares no effort to keep its marketplace safe. As Amazon spokesperson James Drummond says, they use "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed." But the only industry-leading tools in evidence are tools to bust unions and screw suppliers.

In her landmark Yale Law Review paper, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," FTC Chair Lina Khan makes a brilliant argument that Amazon's alleged benefits to "consumers" are temporary at best, illusory at worst:

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox

In Butler's documentary, Khan's hypothesis is thoroughly validated: here's a company extracting hundreds of billions from merchants who raise prices to compensate, and those monopoly rents are "invested" in union-busting and countermeasures against investigative journalists, while the tools to keep you from accidentally getting a bottle of piss in the mail are laughably primitive.

Truly, Amazon is the apex predator of the platform era:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/20/release-energy/#the-bitterest-lemon

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[energyaudit]

Why Checking the Energy Consumption of Plants Is Important?

Energy meters aren't only for utilities to follow your facility's energy consumption; they also help monitor the energy use accurately. Energy meters give a more definite examination of a structure's energy consumption and can assist supervisors with acquiring significant knowledge to develop further building execution and lessen energy consumption. Steam flow metering from O’Brien helps businesses in this case.

With a "real-time" view, gain operational insight : Important information includes discovering that your rooftop cooling unit is cycling when it should be idle, consuming more electricity than necessary, and that your power system is not shutting off when it should. This can assist you in deciding if those pieces of equipment are working properly as they should, or whether they need to be repaired or replaced. Thus, you can check the energy consumption and lessen the risks.

The progression of data gives a total portfolio viewpoint : Metering equipment should be able to pull a lot of information and break it down to give you a reasonable, point-by-point view. Analyzing data on energy use from various equipment, including boilers. Having access to data from multiple facilities gives you valuable insight necessary for making well-informed decisions about managing your buildings' equipment.

Predictive maintenance can be identified with alerts from energy meters : Fixing your essential equipment is expensive and risky until it breaks down. Scheduled maintenance, however, can be wasteful even when nothing is wrong. If you don't have to, why throw out perfectly good parts? The data from your energy meter will let you know if there is a decline in performance, which will let you know if specific maintenance needs to be done. 

Meters can assist you in reducing your plant’s energy consumption : Your service bill can tell you how much energy you consumed at different energy rate levels, but it can't instruct you about it. Additionally, steam flow metering can provide useful information regarding "time-of-use" utility rate tariffs, enabling you to learn the proper equipment usage.

[alphst]

UGI Corporation (UGI) Earnings: 2Q23 Key Numbers

UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) reported total revenues of $3.1 billion for the second quarter of 2023 compared to $3.5 billion in the same period a year ago. Net income attributable to UGI Corporation was $110 million, or $0.51 per share, compared to $933 million, or $4.32 per share, last year. Adjusted EPS was $1.68. For FY2023, adjusted EPS is expected to be $2.75-2.90 per share. Prior…

[bunabi]

Imma be real: I was hoping folks' takeaway from the DAV art book would be reassurance that people cared a lot about making DA4 a faithful follow-up and not 'they hate us look at all the content they cut' 🫠

There is no cut content. Brother if there was a single-player build ready to roll I don't think they would have chosen to work off the live service build. Someone saw all of these cool ideas and the team that won Game of the Year at the 2014 VGAs and said "fuck no" at the pre-production phase. That's the tragedy. And we've known about this since 2019:

"Perhaps the saddest thing about Dragon Age 4’s cancellation in 2017 for members of the Dragon Age team was that this time, they thought they were getting it right." (...) “We were working towards something very cool, a hugely reactive game, smaller in scope than Dragon Age: Inquisition but much larger in player choice, followers, reactivity, and depth,” one source told Schreier. “I’m sad that game will never get made.” [x]

Please for the love of god make an effort to appreciate DAV for what it is. Its a fun game. But if even the people involved wish things panned out differently fans are absolutely allowed to mourn too. And if you fight them ☝🏿 you will be fighting me.

[magnecalliope]

I was talking with @clownscasino today about how service oriented Clown is as a person. At first glance it can seem like he's just arrogant and self-absorbed because he leans on his reputation so much, but consider: every time anyone praises him for his role in a team project, he gets flustered and tries to pass credit onto someone else. He did it during the funhouse arc of Lifesteal with Branzy. Every time Branzy would downplay his own contributions to the funhouse Clown would turn it back around on him ("you only built the whole thing"). Or more recently during the faction event on The Realm, when Sneeg credited him with getting all the gunpowder, Clown immediately corrected him and said it was a team effort. Like, insistently. For a guy obsessed with his reputation, he really does not like being complimented. 

His best alliances and friendships have always been with people who are undeniably weaker than him. People he can protect. From chasing Leo down and killing him for hurting Branzy to logging back onto The Realm when Bad and Pili were threatening Ros, when he has someone to protect he will do so with an almost singleminded focus. Fighting is something he's good at, and protection is a service he can provide to the people he loves. This is also why on The Realm he keeps handing out high level armor and equipment like candy. He's trying to buy his teammates' love by showing them how useful he is. He needs to be useful. His reputation is everything to him because his reputation is the service he is providing. If he doesn't have his reputation, he doesn't have a use. There is no point to a ClownPierce who doesn't have that reputation.

And that's also the reason those alliances with weaker individuals work better. People who are a near equal to him inevitably turn on him. They want to be the one to take him down. They don't need anything else from him. They don't need his protection. They just need his title. It's the only thing he has to give anyone, strong or weak, but at least the weak players don't want to steal the only thing he has when they're done with him.

Incidentally, this is why I think Clown and Ros work so well together as a pair, because Ros is service oriented too. When Clown offers her his protection, she reciprocates. She finds diamonds and other materials Clown wants and she collects them for him. She builds him a room in the castle. When Molluskus shows up, she tries to protect him the way he protects her. He shares his plan to usurp the King with her. She shares her plan to build a second castle with him. They both have something to offer the other. Her acts of service function to show him that they're equals in their partnership.

[nenelonomh]

school, extracurriculars and balance

balancing extracurriculars and school activities can be challenging, but with some effective strategies, you can manage both successfully. here are some tips:

☆ create a schedule: use a planner or digital calendar to map out your school assignments, extracurricular activities, and free time. this helps you visualize your commitments and manage your time better.

☆ prioritize tasks: identify which tasks are most important and time-sensitive. focus on completing those first. this can help you stay on top of deadlines and reduce last-minute stress.

☆ set realistic goals: break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable goals. this makes them less overwhelming and easier to tackle.

☆ stay organized: keep your study materials and extracurricular gear organized. knowing where everything is can save you time and reduce stress.

☆ communicate with teachers and coaches: if you’re feeling overwhelmed, talk to your teachers and coaches. they might offer extensions or adjustments to help you manage your workload.

☆ use downtime effectively: make use of short breaks between classes or activities to review notes, read, or complete small tasks. this can help you stay productive without feeling overwhelmed.

☆ practice self-care: ensure you’re getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking time to relax. taking care of your physical and mental health is crucial for maintaining balance.

☆ learn to say no: it’s okay to decline additional responsibilities if you’re already feeling stretched thin. focus on the activities that are most important to you.

☆ seek support: don’t hesitate to ask for help from family, friends, or school counselors. they can provide support and advice on managing your time and stress.

☆ reflect and adjust: regularly review your schedule and commitments. if something isn’t working, be flexible and make adjustments as needed.

balancing school and extracurriculars is all about finding what works best for you and being mindful of your limits. do you have any specific activities you’re trying to balance right now? maybe i can help with some tailored advice,, my ask box and messages are always open!

❤️joanne

[dreamerdrop]

julian and curzon hooked up while julian was at the academy but curzon was really shitfaced so the memories are a little blurred for him and by the time julian realises that jadzia is the same dax he had a spectacular one night stand with a few years back, he decides it’s too awkward to bring up.

curzodo realises it during the zhian'tara. jadzia doesn’t comment on it immediately, but there’s a burning question she really wants to ask about that incident. she gets kinda tipsy during the after shift drinking rounds and just blurts it out in front of miles and kira.

“so… was the thing with the feet your idea or curzons? he can’t remember either, but it seemed like you both enjoyed it?”

[ramsei501st]

when u have to slay yokai at 2 but u have folk rock band practice at 6

another modern college au kubo for the soul, really healed my inner 11 yr old weeb

[flamnhotlemon]

Setting Goals

AdvisorElle, Episode 2

(Find the PDFs for the post HERE and HERE)

Sometimes, goal setting can feel really daunting or even pressuring. "How many goals are right?" "Are these goals SMART?" "How should this goal be implemented?" "Is this even a goal???" These are some questions that have gone through my head when trying to plan out what I want for the year. Luckily, I've been able to work out a system that works for me and through this post, I hope it works for you as well.

Write down, haphazardly if you want to, what you want to see in your life. (No ideas for this? Go on Pinterest, grab a book, take anything that might give you any inspiration.)

While you're on Pinterest, make a vision board. (This helps, especially when you need some extra motivation, or when you feel like you've lost your way while navigating your goals.)

Organize your messily written goals into categories.

Choose 5 to 10 goals that you think you can achieve within this year.

Rewrite the goals in simpler terms, you can even use the SMART method.

Break down the goals into simple steps and decide how to apply the goals on a monthly basis.

Over each month's planning, take a step towards those goals (add it to your list of goals for the month).

Make a to-do list daily or weekly and include a step towards each goal (no matter how small - small progress is still progress!)

Write a letter to your future self, in case of any hiccups in the journey. Encourage yourself, explain why you're doing what you're doing.

Lastly, don't forget to celebrate and track all progress on your goals (this makes the process more enjoyable).

Wishing you the best with your goals! X's and O's, Elle.

[sailormoonsub]

Do you think rei would still feel like she doesn’t need to be romantically involved if she wasn’t a senshi?

Rei's "I don't have time for romance because I am dedicated to my work" strikes me along similar lines as Ami's "I'm not interested in dating because no one can live up to my crush Albert Einstein," i.e., a teenage girl's excuse for not being interested in boys

I think Rei's loyalty to Princess Serenity is very real, but also conveniently allows her to rock that ace lesbian lifestyle with minimal judgment

[rockpaperscissuhs]

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH + BAND OF BROTHERS:

ANTONIO C. "TONY" GARCIA

Born October 15th, 1924, in Inez, Texas

Died August 18th, 2005 (age 80), in Burlingame, California

Tony Garcia was born in Texas but he grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His parents were from Mexico and had immigrated separately into the States. Tony and his siblings grew up speaking English and Spanish. He decided to drop out of high school in order to enlist, and even borrowed a friend's prescription medicine to cover up a heart murmur for his Army physical. He was accepted for training in 1943, and he served a Technician 5th Grade with Easy Company from Holland all the way through the end of the war. After the war, Tony returned to Cheyenne where he finished high school, then he moved to San Francisco, working and attending college. Later, he met his wife, Nancy, and started a family. They were married nearly 60 years, and had four children together. When he wasn’t working at the department store warehouse which he managed for three decades, he enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling, dancing, and reading. He was described as a kind, generous, and gentle man, with a “playful sense of humor that belied his quiet demeanor.” The Band of Brothers series bible describes him as “very gung-ho and game” and a “family man and extremely compassionate.” He kept in touch with several of his friends from Easy, and he participated in many Easy Company reunions and events in the U.S. and in Europe. His family has said that he was very reluctant to talk about his combat experiences, but he did like to talk about the people he met, and the families who helped him. Appears in Episodes 3-5 and 7-10, portrayed by actor Douglas Spain

Sources below

SF Gate Obituary for Antonio Garcia

[morganbritton132]

It be so funny if they took Joan to soccer game and put her either in the team colour or a cheerleading outfit.

Great minds think alike because I was just thinking that we having checked in with Joan in a while so this problem is perfect.

Every Saturday for over a month now, Joan has watched the humans and Ozzy leave the house in the morning and come back hours later loud, smelly, and energized. She does not have a problem with this per se but if she had eyebrows, she’d raise one of them. She would raise the other when they’re all too tired to play with her for too long after they come back.

So, Joan makes a decision.

When the next Saturday rolls around and Steve is digging around in the drier for his jersey, she makes her case known. She whines. She meows. She gets in the way of every step. She commits a drive-by biting. She even gets in the storage closet in the hallway and knocks over the dreaded cat stroller so it falls into the hallway.

She makes it very clear. She wants to go.

Eddie coos at her, “Awe, baby, she feels left out. Let’s take her.”

“Ed, it’s hot outside,” Steve replies, gesturing to Joan. She rubs her head against his leg. “She’s gray.”

“Steve, don’t be racist.”

“I’m not being – how is that –“ Steve sputters and then rambles on about tiny bodies, and fur, and overheating in the sun, but Joan already knows she got her way. Steve can’t say no to Eddie and he can’t say no to her either. Plus, she always gets her way.

Her way is the right way.

Steve sighs and gives in, “But if she gets too hot, you have to take her home.”

As a reward for Steve and Eddie’s good decision-making, Joan helps them get ready to leave. She wiggles her way into the cabinet with the first-aid kit and pulls out bandaids. She leaves them inside Steve’s cleats. He says thank you when he finds them.

Ozzy huffs from where he’s laying in his dog bed.

Joan purrs when Steve pets her head.

Since Eddie disappeared down into his studio the moment Steve agreed to let her come, Joan continues ‘helping Steve.’ Mainly, she cleans up (eats) all the scraps of lunchmeat he drops when making sandwiches for him, Eddie, Robin, and Nancy.

Eddie immerges from the studio ten minutes before they’re supposed to leave with a hastily sewed shirt made for a cat. It’s made out of the soft material of the cheer squad t-shirts he made for the other team members’ partners. He presents it first to Steve and then holds it out to Joan like, “Ta-dah.”

Joan sniffs the fabric – it smells like Eddie – and Steve is just like, “Why did you make that?”

“Because Joan’s got to represent, Stevie. We’re a jock family now and jocks wear their team colors,” Eddie insists, grin getting bigger when Steve rolls his eyes at him. “Everybody else is wearing team colors. Even Ozzy. See.”

He gestures to the pin attached to his yellow service dog vest that says ‘#1 Steve Harrington Defender.’ It’s right next to a patch that says ‘If You Pet Me, You Are A Part Of The Problem’ which is… “That’s new.”

“Yeah, I’m solving all the world’s problems today, baby,” He grins. “Isn’t that right, Joan?”

She hisses at the shirt.