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Entry tags:

alien romance

Alien Romance, the daily comic strip

Ella passes on the responsibility of educating Cathy in getting her drivers license

Jon is sitting on the couch, watching TV. I should've drawn his crutches in there. I keep intending to go back into panels and draw either his crutches or wheelchair, whichever is appropriate, while he's sitting on the couch. Ella comes to bother him.

"So, Jon," she says. "Know how you're considering applying for a Master's of Education?"

Jon sighs. "That's just a pipe dream, Ella."

"But what if it isn't?" insists Ella. "What if you got a little teaching practice in?"

Now Jon is standing on the sidewalk beside Ella's VW Rabbit. Cathy is awkwardly holding the keys. "You're only the second person Ella has allowed to drive her car," Jon observes. "Okay, hmm. Let's give 'er a spin and see what words you need to learn."

***

Jon's friendship with Cathy is a whole story arc unto itself. He's a very verbal communication oriented person, although he's not particularly talkative himself. He just insists on things being stated clearly, and resents confusion. Cathy, meanwhile, is a whirlwind of chaos. Sort of. She's only as chaotic as I am - internally consistent, but not up to the clarity standards of the people around her. So how do these two connect?

It might be that Jon perceives Cathy as a challenge, and one he takes very seriously. Can he find common ground with his good friend's new wife, even if they can't properly converse?

Also, talking to her is like talking to a dog; she's warmly attentive but can't understand very much of what he says. The perfect confidant! Maybe?

And what does Cathy see in Jon? Maybe she sees nonthreatening masculinity. In the book, Cathy has run-ins a couple of times with men that end up going badly for her, to the point where she actually tells Maurice that she's afraid to try again. (In French, and it goes right over his head.)

Ranked: Battery Manufacturing Investment by Country

Posted by Dorothy Neufeld

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/battery-manufacturing-investment-by-country/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=191786

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app.

Use This Visualization

Ranked: Battery Manufacturing Investment by Country

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

China is projected to drive 71% of global battery manufacturing investment between 2025 and 2026, more than sevenfold that of America.
Europe is forecast to account for 11% of the total investment, although domestic battery-makers face stiff competition from lower-cost products in China.

Battery manufacturing investment is surging as EVs expand to a fifth of car sales worldwide.

Additionally, energy storage for grids plays another key role in battery demand. Here, large grid batteries store excess energy and release it when the energy supply is low.

This graphic shows the global leaders in battery manufacturing investment, based on data from the Climate Policy Initiative and BNEF.

China’s Massive Battery Production Investment

Below, we show investment projections in the 2025/26 period with a comparison to the 2023/24 period, highlighting China’s dominance in the battery industry:

Country/ Region	Investment 2025-2026P ($USD)	Share 2025-2026P	Investment 2023-2024 ($USD)	Share 2023-2024
China	$130.6B	71.0%	$92.4B	84.0%
Europe	$20.2B	11.0%	$9.4B	8.5%
U.S.	$18.4B	10.0%	$5.5B	5.0%
Rest of World	$11.0B	6.0%	$2.2B	2.0%
Southeast Asia	$1.8B	1.0%	$0.4B	0.4%
India	$1.7B	0.9%	$0.1B	0.1%
Global Total	$184.0B	100.0%	$110.0B	100.0%

With 71% of the global share, China is forecast to pour nearly $131 billion into battery manufacturing in 2025 and 2026.

CATL, the world’s largest battery-maker, commands a significant share of the industry. Not only does it provide 30% of the batteries used in EVs globally, about a third of global grid energy-storage systems use CATL batteries.

Meanwhile, BYD also produces a notable share of batteries as part of the EV maker’s vertical integration strategy.

Europe ranks in second, supported by ambitious government policies. However, production costs are roughly 50% higher compared to China, making it challenging to compete. Moreover, the region’s largest domestic battery-maker, Northvolt, declared bankruptcy in March after missing production targets and losing key customers.

In the U.S., manufacturing investment was projected to reach over $18 billion, however these figures were prior to Trump’s subsidy cuts. So far in 2025, at least $700 million in battery manufacturing grants have been canceled, ultimately slowing national production.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the top countries for lithium-ion battery production by 2030.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/battery-manufacturing-investment-by-country/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=191786

Entry tags:

bundle of holding

Bundle of Holding: DIE the RPG

The DIE roleplaying game designed by the Image comic's creators, Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, plus three volumes of adventures for an unbeatable bargain price!

Bundle of Holding: DIE the RPG

Entry tags:

what I've been up to this past weekend

1. Removing my data from various Meta sites-- most of them were there for business purposes, but I want to put my business energies elsewhere AND I don't want Meta to have my stuff floating around to use in their horrible AI nonsense. I'm downloading copies of my data and then deleting the posts (which they make you do one by one). I plan to put up a "where to find me" post for people who may come looking, and I'll keep the usernames for business purposes, but I'm going to focus on my (business) blog (and later newsletter/shop) and that's it.

2. Settling into using Obsidian for my personal data stuff. I think I've got a system set up that I like, and now I just need to add in things. For instance, I'm adding my books read for 2025 into the system and I've set up fun views like this:
A collection of book covers organized in rows

A collection of book covers organized in rows

Which is built from a Base which is a table built from metadata in individual entries. So I'm adding books one by one, making sure the imported data is actually correct, and then copying over my notes/reviews. It's a little slow-going but it's fun to see everything in one place. And I've decided I don't care about counting how many pages I read in a year or even how many books I read in a month, just a general yearly total of books read is fine, so that'll make things easier going forward.

3. Listening to music from DEMO FEST 2025! Some recommendations: Error 804's ANGUISH, Morora's Kosovo, The Carringtons' Wild.

4. Downloading interesting pattern images from the Smithsonian digital collections to use for icons and (if I can figure out how) website backgrounds.

Entry tags:

September, October, November 2025 Books Post

This is for September, October, and November because I suck at updating. HUGE post ahead.

Previous books posts:
Books 1-9 (January)
Books 10-15 (February)
Books 16-24 (March)
Books 25-33 (April)
Books 34-41 (May)
Books 42-49 (June)
Books 50-58 (July)
Books 59-67 (August)

( 68. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - 2.5 stars )

( 69. The Genius Plague by David Walton - 3 stars )

( 70. The Lifted Veil by George Eliot - 3 stars )

( 71. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton - 3.5 stars )

( 72. The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon - DNF )

( 73. Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Petersen - 3 stars )

( 74. Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen - 2 stars )

( 75. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett - DNF )

( 76. Mickey7 by Edward Ashton - 3.5 stars )

( 77. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell - 4 stars )

( 78. The Green Mile by Stephen King - 4.5 stars )

( 79. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - 2.5 stars )

( 80. The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler - 5 stars )

( 81. Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara - 3 stars )

( 82. Smothermoss by Alisa Alering - 3.5 stars )

( 83. The Doloriad by Missouri Williams - DNF )

( 84. The Girl from Rawblood by Catriona Ward - 3 stars )

( 85. The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman - 4 stars )

( 86. The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay - 2 stars )

( 87. Sundial by Catriona Ward - 4.5 stars )

( 88. Wizard and Glass by Stephen King - 5 stars )

( 89. The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake - DNF )

Mapped: Every Country by Total Fertility Rate

Posted by Jeff Desjardins

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-countries-by-fertility-rate/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?post_type=cp&p=192372

Mapped: Countries by Total Fertility Rate

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Fertility rates are falling almost universally; however, there are a handful of outliers that have seen rates increase slightly in the last five years.
As a general rule: Africa has the highest fertility, and parts of East Asia see some of the lowest birth rates.
Developed countries are almost all below replacement level (2.1 births per woman), with one notable exception: Israel.

Fertility rates are dropping across the world.

Between 2019 and 2024, there were only 12 countries that saw fertility rates grow—meanwhile rates declined or stayed the same in 185 countries.

This map visualization by Idwardi Ishak uses data from the United Nations to show the total fertility rate for countries and other notable jurisdictions globally.

Total fertility rate is defined as the average number of children that would be born alive to a woman during her lifetime if she were to pass through her childbearing years conforming to the age-specific fertility rates of a given year.

Total Fertility Rate Data by Country

The below table shows the total fertility rate for each jurisdiction using data from 2019 and 2024, while also highlighting the five-year change between the years.

Rank	Country	Total Fertility Rate (2024)	TFR (2019)	5-Yr Change
1	Chad	6.03	6.41	-0.38
2	Somalia	6.01	6.56	-0.55
3	DR Congo	5.98	6.25	-0.27
4	Central African Republic	5.95	6.09	-0.14
5	Niger	5.94	6.54	-0.60
6	Mali	5.51	5.89	-0.38
7	Angola	5.05	5.44	-0.40
8	Burundi	4.79	5.27	-0.48
9	Afghanistan	4.76	5.24	-0.48
10	Mozambique	4.69	5.02	-0.33
11	Mauritania	4.63	4.98	-0.36
12	Mayotte	4.56	4.58	-0.02
13	Tanzania	4.54	4.87	-0.33
14	Yemen	4.50	4.60	-0.10
15	Benin	4.48	4.90	-0.42
16	Nigeria	4.38	4.86	-0.48
17	Sudan	4.26	4.62	-0.35
18	Cameroon	4.26	4.65	-0.39
19	Côte d’Ivoire	4.23	4.52	-0.29
20	Uganda	4.17	4.74	-0.58
21	Guinea	4.13	4.58	-0.45
22	Togo	4.12	4.45	-0.33
23	Equatorial Guinea	4.12	4.43	-0.31
24	Burkina Faso	4.11	4.68	-0.57
25	Republic of the Congo	4.11	4.38	-0.27
26	Zambia	4.04	4.42	-0.38
27	Madagascar	3.91	4.22	-0.31
28	Ethiopia	3.91	4.35	-0.44
29	Gambia	3.91	4.33	-0.42
30	Liberia	3.86	4.26	-0.39
31	Comoros	3.82	4.14	-0.32
32	Samoa	3.80	4.06	-0.26
33	South Sudan	3.79	4.26	-0.48
34	Senegal	3.77	4.10	-0.34
35	Guinea-Bissau	3.76	4.15	-0.40
36	Sierra Leone	3.70	4.19	-0.49
37	Eritrea	3.68	4.00	-0.32
38	Zimbabwe	3.67	3.75	-0.07
39	Rwanda	3.65	3.99	-0.34
40	São Tomé & Príncipe	3.60	3.90	-0.30
41	Gabon	3.59	3.88	-0.29
42	Malawi	3.59	3.95	-0.36
43	Vanuatu	3.57	3.79	-0.22
44	Pakistan	3.55	3.81	-0.26
45	Solomon Islands	3.51	3.80	-0.29
46	Uzbekistan	3.49	2.87	0.62
47	Ghana	3.34	3.59	-0.25
48	French Guiana	3.34	3.73	-0.39
49	Nauru	3.29	3.53	-0.24
50	Palestine	3.25	3.59	-0.34
51	Iraq	3.22	3.48	-0.26
52	Namibia	3.21	3.40	-0.19
53	Tuvalu	3.17	3.33	-0.16
54	Kenya	3.17	3.43	-0.27
55	Kiribati	3.12	3.29	-0.17
56	Tonga	3.10	3.27	-0.17
57	Papua New Guinea	3.07	3.32	-0.25
58	Tajikistan	3.04	3.28	-0.25
59	Kazakhstan	2.98	2.89	0.09
60	Marshall Islands	2.86	3.01	-0.15
61	Micronesia	2.83	2.98	-0.15
62	Israel	2.79	3.03	-0.25
63	Kyrgyzstan	2.78	3.33	-0.55
64	Guam	2.75	2.94	-0.19
65	Egypt	2.74	2.87	-0.14
66	Algeria	2.72	3.00	-0.28
67	Eswatini	2.72	2.93	-0.21
68	Botswana	2.70	2.91	-0.20
69	Syria	2.70	2.88	-0.18
70	Lesotho	2.66	2.92	-0.26
71	Turkmenistan	2.66	2.83	-0.17
72	Mongolia	2.63	3.01	-0.38
73	Timor-Leste	2.63	3.12	-0.49
74	Haiti	2.63	2.86	-0.24
75	Djibouti	2.62	2.80	-0.18
76	Jordan	2.60	2.86	-0.25
77	Cambodia	2.55	2.73	-0.18
78	Bolivia	2.52	2.69	-0.17
79	Oman	2.51	2.70	-0.19
80	Honduras	2.48	2.61	-0.14
81	Paraguay	2.42	2.53	-0.11
82	Laos	2.40	2.59	-0.19
83	Guyana	2.40	2.52	-0.13
84	Saudi Arabia	2.31	2.49	-0.18
85	Libya	2.30	2.54	-0.24
86	Guatemala	2.29	2.59	-0.31
87	Fiji	2.27	2.39	-0.12
88	American Samoa	2.27	2.40	-0.14
89	Suriname	2.23	2.35	-0.12
90	Lebanon	2.23	2.33	-0.10
91	Faroe Islands	2.22	2.40	-0.18
92	Dominican Republic	2.22	2.37	-0.14
93	Morocco	2.21	2.34	-0.13
94	Nicaragua	2.21	2.32	-0.12
95	South Africa	2.21	2.26	-0.06
96	Western Sahara	2.18	2.28	-0.10
97	Réunion	2.15	2.13	0.02
98	Bangladesh	2.14	2.18	-0.04
99	Indonesia	2.12	2.21	-0.09
100	Seychelles	2.11	2.26	-0.15
101	Panama	2.11	2.29	-0.18
102	Monaco	2.10	2.40	-0.30
103	Myanmar	2.10	2.21	-0.11
104	U.S. Virgin Islands	2.08	2.16	-0.08
105	Venezuela	2.08	2.13	-0.05
106	Belize	2.02	2.14	-0.12
107	Peru	1.97	2.09	-0.12
108	India	1.96	2.12	-0.16
109	Nepal	1.96	2.08	-0.12
110	Sri Lanka	1.95	2.02	-0.07
111	Greenland	1.93	2.01	-0.08
112	Vietnam	1.90	1.94	-0.05
113	Philippines	1.89	2.22	-0.32
114	Mexico	1.89	2.02	-0.13
115	Palau	1.88	1.98	-0.10
116	Tunisia	1.82	2.10	-0.28
117	Ecuador	1.81	2.04	-0.23
118	Bahrain	1.81	1.84	-0.04
119	Georgia	1.80	2.02	-0.22
120	Montenegro	1.80	1.81	-0.02
121	North Korea	1.78	1.83	-0.04
122	El Salvador	1.77	1.84	-0.07
123	Bulgaria	1.75	1.58	0.17
124	Brunei	1.73	1.82	-0.09
125	Moldova	1.73	1.78	-0.05
126	Qatar	1.72	1.73	-0.01
127	Armenia	1.72	1.60	0.12
128	Romania	1.71	1.71	0.00
129	Barbados	1.71	1.72	-0.01
130	Iran	1.68	1.77	-0.08
131	New Zealand	1.66	1.72	-0.06
132	Australia	1.64	1.67	-0.03
133	France	1.64	1.83	-0.19
134	Colombia	1.63	1.71	-0.08
135	United States	1.62	1.68	-0.06
136	Turkey	1.62	1.89	-0.27
137	Brazil	1.61	1.71	-0.09
138	Ireland	1.60	1.72	-0.12
139	Slovenia	1.58	1.61	-0.04
140	Slovakia	1.56	1.57	-0.00
141	Maldives	1.56	1.64	-0.08
142	United Kingdom	1.55	1.63	-0.08
143	Malaysia	1.54	1.78	-0.23
144	Liechtenstein	1.54	1.48	0.05
145	Trinidad & Tobago	1.54	1.58	-0.04
146	Denmark	1.52	1.70	-0.18
147	Kuwait	1.52	2.09	-0.57
148	Portugal	1.51	1.42	0.09
149	Argentina	1.50	1.88	-0.38
150	Serbia	1.50	1.51	-0.01
151	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.49	1.51	-0.02
152	Hungary	1.49	1.53	-0.04
153	Croatia	1.47	1.47	0.00
154	North Macedonia	1.47	1.65	-0.18
155	Russia	1.46	1.50	-0.05
156	Czechia	1.46	1.75	-0.30
157	Bhutan	1.45	1.45	0.00
158	Germany	1.45	1.54	-0.09
159	Cuba	1.45	1.54	-0.10
160	Switzerland	1.44	1.48	-0.04
161	Netherlands	1.43	1.57	-0.14
162	Sweden	1.43	1.71	-0.28
163	Norway	1.41	1.53	-0.12
164	Luxembourg	1.40	1.34	0.06
165	Uruguay	1.40	1.57	-0.17
166	Belgium	1.38	1.61	-0.23
167	Cyprus	1.38	1.33	0.05
168	Estonia	1.36	1.66	-0.30
169	Jamaica	1.35	1.39	-0.04
170	Canada	1.34	1.48	-0.13
171	Latvia	1.34	1.61	-0.27
172	Albania	1.34	1.40	-0.06
173	Greece	1.34	1.34	-0.00
174	Austria	1.32	1.46	-0.14
175	Costa Rica	1.32	1.60	-0.28
176	Poland	1.30	1.44	-0.13
177	Finland	1.29	1.35	-0.06
178	Mauritius	1.23	1.35	-0.13
179	Spain	1.22	1.23	-0.01
180	Belarus	1.22	1.39	-0.17
181	Japan	1.22	1.32	-0.11
182	United Arab Emirates	1.21	1.25	-0.03
183	Lithuania	1.21	1.61	-0.40
184	Italy	1.21	1.26	-0.05
185	Thailand	1.20	1.29	-0.08
186	San Marino	1.16	1.10	0.06
187	Chile	1.14	1.43	-0.29
188	Malta	1.11	1.15	-0.04
189	Andorra	1.09	1.05	0.04
190	China	1.01	1.50	-0.48
191	Ukraine	0.99	1.22	-0.23
192	Singapore	0.95	0.94	0.01
193	Puerto Rico	0.94	0.98	-0.04
194	Taiwan	0.86	1.05	-0.18
195	South Korea	0.73	0.88	-0.15
196	Hong Kong (SAR)	0.73	1.06	-0.33
197	Macau (SAR)	0.68	0.94	-0.26
--	Global Average	2.25	2.40	-0.15

The eight highest ranking countries in terms of fertility are all found in Africa, with the top three being Chad (6.03), Somalia (6.01), and the DRC (5.98). Even so, these countries have seen meaningful five-year drops in their rates, averaging around a 0.4 decrease in births per woman.

At the bottom of the rankings, we have four Asian jurisdictions: Taiwan (0.86), South Korea (0.73), Hong Kong (0.73), and Macau (0.68).

Where Fertility is Falling the Fastest

Fertility is falling fastest in a mix of very different regions, highlighting how universal the shift has become.

Some of the sharpest declines since 2019 are in Africa, including Niger and Uganda, where fertility remains high but is dropping rapidly as urbanization and education expand.

East Asia continues to see steep declines from already low levels, with China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau pushing deeper into ultra-low fertility. Meanwhile, parts of the Middle East (such as Kuwait) and Eastern Europe (including Lithuania) have also seen rapid drops, driven by economic pressure, delayed family formation, and migration.

The Developed World: One Big Outlier

In the developed countries, almost all places are now well below the replacement rate threshold.

That said, Israel remains as the one big outlier. In 2024, the country had a fertility rate of 2.79 children per woman.

This is largely because having children is strongly supported both culturally and institutionally in Israel, across income and education levels. Further, high fertility is reinforced by generous family policies, widespread childcare support, and strong social norms, including large families among religious communities.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

What is the population growth forecast for the United States going forward? Find out in this visualization that shows both birth rates and net immigration.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-countries-by-fertility-rate/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?post_type=cp&p=192372

Entry tags:

just one thing

Just one thing: 22 December 2025

It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!

Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

Current Music: The Mountain Goats, "Rocks in My Pockets"

Probably not going to leave the slightest trace in the wake when it's my turn

Since the light is officially supposed to have returned in my hemisphere, it is pleasing that my morning has been filled with the quartz-flood of winter sun. I could not get any kind of identifying look at the weird ducks clustered on their mirror-blue thread of the Mystic as I drove past, but I saw black, blue, buff, white, russet, green, and one upturned tail with traffic-cone feet.

On the front of ghost stories for winter, Afterlives: The Year's Best Death Fiction 2024, edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, is now digitally available from Psychopomp. Nephthys of the kite-winged darkness presides over its contents, which include my queer maritime ice-dream "Twice Every Day Returning." It's free to subscribers of The Deadlands and worth a coin or two on the eyes of the rest.

For the solstice itself, I finally managed to write about a short and even seasonal film-object and made latkes with my parents.

spatch and I lit the last night's candle for the future. All these last months have been a very rough turn toward winter. I have to believe that I will be able to believe in one.

Charted: Global Energy Demand by Fuel Type (2024-2050P)

Posted by Dorothy Neufeld

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-energy-demand-by-fuel-type-2024-2050p/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=185123

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app.

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<p class='syndicationauthor'>Posted by Dorothy Neufeld</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-energy-demand-by-fuel-type-2024-2050p/">https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-energy-demand-by-fuel-type-2024-2050p/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=185123">https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=185123</a></p><div class="rss-image"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.voronoiapp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" style="vertical-align: middle;" src="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/voronoi-icon-transparent.png" width="40px" / fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high"></a> See more visualizations like this on the <a href="https://www.voronoiapp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voronoi</a> app.</p> </div> <p><a href="https://www.voronoiapp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Future_Global_Energy_Demand_SITE.webp" alt="Line chart showing global energy demand projections by fuel type. / fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high"></a></p> <p><a class="licensing-button" href="https://licensing.visualcapitalist.com/product/global-energy-demand-by-fuel-type-2024-2050p/" target="_blank">Use This Visualization</a></p> </div><h2>Chart: Global Energy Demand by Fuel Type (2024-2050P)</h2> <p><em>See visuals like this from many other data creators on our <a href="https://www.voronoiapp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voronoi app</a>. Download it for free on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/voronoi-app/id6447905904" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iOS</a> or <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voronoi.organization.app&pli=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Android</a> and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.</em></p> <div class="key-takeaways"> <h3>Key Takeaways</h3> <ul> <li>Oil, coal, and natural gas were the leading sources of global energy demand in 2024.</li> <li>While coal demand is set to drop the most by 2050, solar and wind demand is forecast to surge.</li> </ul> </div> <p>Fossil fuels powered 80% of global energy demand in 2024, with this share forecast to shrink to 67% by 2050.</p> <p>While traditional energy sources will continue to underlie the majority of the world’s energy mix, renewables are rapidly gaining ground. Solar and wind made up just 3.5% of global energy demand last year, but this share is set to expand to 13.5% by mid-century.</p> <p>This graphic shows the shifting global energy mix, based on forecasts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (<a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/woo-2025.pdf" target="_blank">OPEC</a>). </p> <h2>What Will Fuel Energy Demand by 2050?</h2> <p>Below, we show the changing composition of fuel types in the global energy system: <table id="tablepress-6642" class="tablepress tablepress-id-6642"> <thead> <tr class="row-1"> <th class="column-1">Fuel</th><th class="column-2">Global Share 2024</th><th class="column-3">Global Share 2050P</th><th class="column-4">Percentage Point Change (p.p.)</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody class="row-striping row-hover"> <tr class="row-2"> <td class="column-1">Oil</td><td class="column-2">30.6%</td><td class="column-3">29.8%</td><td class="column-4">-0.8</td> </tr> <tr class="row-3"> <td class="column-1">Coal</td><td class="column-2">26.5%</td><td class="column-3">13.6%</td><td class="column-4">-12.9</td> </tr> <tr class="row-4"> <td class="column-1">Gas</td><td class="column-2">22.7%</td><td class="column-3">23.7%</td><td class="column-4">+1.0</td> </tr> <tr class="row-5"> <td class="column-1">Nuclear</td><td class="column-2">4.8%</td><td class="column-3">6.6%</td><td class="column-4">+1.8</td> </tr> <tr class="row-6"> <td class="column-1">Biomass</td><td class="column-2">9.4%</td><td class="column-3">9.7%</td><td class="column-4">+0.3</td> </tr> <tr class="row-7"> <td class="column-1">Hydro</td><td class="column-2">2.5%</td><td class="column-3">3.1%</td><td class="column-4">+0.6</td> </tr> <tr class="row-8"> <td class="column-1">Solar & Wind</td><td class="column-2">3.5%</td><td class="column-3">13.5%</td><td class="column-4">+10.0</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </p> <p>Oil made up 30.6% of global energy demand in 2024, and although its share is expected to edge down to 29.8% by 2050, it will remain the world’s <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-crude-oil-trade-flows-2024/" target="_blank">dominant fuel</a>.</p> <p>Coal—the second-largest energy source today—faces a far steeper decline. Its share is projected to fall by 12.9 percentage points over the period, dropping to 13.6% of global demand as climate policies continue to accelerate the shift away from carbon-intensive fuels. </p> <p>As we can see, renewables tell the opposite story. Overall, their combined share is set to climb from 15.4% in 2024 to 26.3% in 2050, with solar and wind seeing the fastest expansion of any fuel type, rising by 10 percentage points over the outlook period.</p> <p>Meanwhile, biomass already accounts for a meaningful slice of today’s energy mix at 9.4%, surpassing nuclear. However, its growth is expected to be more modest, constrained in part by slower adoption of biofuels in road and aviation transport.</p> <h2>Learn More on the Voronoi App <img decoding="async" style="vertical-align: middle;" src="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/voronoi-icon-transparent.png" width="40px" /></h2> <p>To learn more about this topic, check out this <a href="https://www.voronoiapp.com/energy/92-of-New-US-Electricity-is-From-Renewables--5862" target="_blank">graphic</a> on the energy sources powering U.S. electricity additions.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-energy-demand-by-fuel-type-2024-2050p/">https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-energy-demand-by-fuel-type-2024-2050p/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=185123">https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=185123</a></p>

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Location: Bamberg

Entry tags:

greek mythology

Homer adaptations. Strike 2

Aaaaand the first teaser for Nolan's Odyssey is out. In some ways, my "will be the opposite type of adapatation of The Return " expectation came true - i.e. firm emphasis on the adventure on sea part of the story - in some it didn't, because Nolan seems to go for a traumatized war veteran aura around Odysseus (and his men) as well. Also - is that Tom "Spider-Man" Holland as Telemachus? This conjures up a few weird images. Oh, and, to give credit where credit is due: the aesthetics are gorgeous.

Watch on YouTube

Speaking of Greek myths adaptations, I never read a single one of the books, but I am following the tv series adaption of Percy Jackson on Disney + and am charmed. Definitely much closer to the myths than either Disney's past endeavours (*cough* Hercules *cough* or Marvel's relationship to Norse mythology), though am confused to why the second season apparantly (we haven't seen him yet, he just keeps getting mentioned in dialogue) has decided to include Polyphemus as a villain and yet no one has mentioned ( a major mythological spoiler. )

There are still free spots on the January meme list. Greek (and Roman) myths opinions totally count as a topic. Ditto if you want me to speculate how the Odyssey would have been adapted by: a) Orson Welles, b) JMS (given the Tennyson of it all on B5), c) Ronald D. Moore. Bonus: Charlie Chaplin.

Flying the Hungry Skies

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/flying-the-hungry-skies-2025

"Excuse me, Ma'am, is this your cake?"

"Um...yes?"

"Well, I'm going to have to confiscate it."

"What? Why?"

"This so-called 'frosting' is clearly a 'gel' and therefore threatens national security. Move along.

"But, but..."

"NEXT.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah. Sir, I'm going to have to take that delicious-looking...er...I mean, that dangerous looking Santa cake.

"It looks suspicious."

"But food is allowed through security!"

"Yes, but this obviously isn't 'food.' It's some kind of weapon. And I'm hungry.

"Oh, did I say that last bit out loud? Haha, silly me. NEXT.

[munching] "So, what have we here?"

"Just a little gift for the family back home."

"I'm sorry, but there's no way for me to know that's really a cake and not some kind of zombie snowman capable of terrorizing your fellow passengers. I'll have to take it off your hands."

"No, look! I can take a bite! See? Yummy cake!"

"Nice try, terrorist. Now we'll have to extract that. Sergeant? Take him away. (But leave the cake.) NEXT.

"No, no, I'm sorry, animals aren't allowed."

"It's a reindeer CAKE."

"We can't be too careful.

"Hold up there, Miss. Do you have a permit R2D2C3PO for that item?"

"There's no such thing!"

"Of course there is, Miss, and I'm the official gingerbread cake confiscator." [flashing badge]

"Did you...did you just flash a Subway rewards card at me?"

"No."

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't. Gimmie the cake."

"So I guess you'll be taking my cake, too, then?"

"Nope, that one looks perfectly harmless. Have a nice flight!"

Thanks to Mark & CJ, Naureen, Kelly D., Brooke F., Kittie L., Sandy K., and the TSA, who really have started confiscating cupcakes because the frosting is a "gel." Enjoy those flights, everyone.

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/flying-the-hungry-skies-2025

Entry tags:

admin,
awards

Be a Goldfish 2026: Awards

With just a week and change left until start, we wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that participants are eligible for some awards!

For anyone that shares fanworks, banners boasting a numerical summary of your contributions are available. Currently, we can host up to nine unique types of fanwork per banner. If you manage to create more than that, let us know and we will work with you to create a banner you're satisfied with.

For those who try something new with their fannish expression, you can request as many first medium tokens as desired. They will include your name of choice and whatever first [medium] you request (provided it's under ten characters long), be it fic, gifs, vids, meta, fanfoods, crafts, or anything else!

Finally, for anyone who completes a punch card, you may request a "punch out" sticker token that you can paste onto your banner, other tokens, icons, or wherever else you desire. Reminder that both commenters and creators are both eligible for punch card awards.

All awards can be requested upon event conclusion by filling out the Summary Form. They will be delivered as swiftly as possible and in order of request. Questions, comments, concerns? Comment on this post or send us an email at bagfishbang@gmail.com.

Feel free to join our community and/or follow us on tumblr

bag-bang. We hope you join us for this round of Be a Goldfish!

( See example rewards )

Current Mood: annoyed

Entry tags:

Ask a Manager, Update: "is this guy harassing me or just annoying?

( Read more... )

Entry tags:

biggles,
commentfic

the inevitable commentfic

Sholio wrote a wonderful variation on the evergreen 'presumed dead' trope and invited continuations, and since there are certain kinds of temptation I don't even bother trying to resist, I wrote some more for it.

Sholio's fic (second one down)

( 1400 words of waking up after being presumed dead (Biggles gen) )

Mapped: The 50 Countries with the Biggest Economies by GDP

Posted by Dorothy Neufeld

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/top-50-economies-by-gdp-in-2025/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=192272

Click to view this graphic in a higher-resolution.

Use This Visualization

Mapped: The Top 50 Economies in the World by GDP

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

America’s economic output stands at $30.6 trillion in 2025, while China’s totaled $19.4 trillion.
Europe is home to five of the world’s top 10 economies by GDP, while Asia houses three.

As power politics moves away from a unipolar world to a multipolar one, the U.S. and China hold distinct spheres of influence.

Since the turn of the century, China’s economy has grown 586%, comfortably sitting as the world’s largest trading partner. Meanwhile, America’s protectionist trade policies are reshaping long-standing alliances.

This graphic shows the top 50 economies in the world, based on data from the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook.

Ranked: The Top 50 Economies in the World

Below, we show the biggest economies worldwide:

Rank	Country	GDP 2025 (B)	2025 Annual Real GDP Growth
1	United States	$30,616	2.0%
2	China	$19,399	4.8%
3	Germany	$5,014	0.2%
4	Japan	$4,280	1.1%
5	India	$4,125	6.6%
6	United Kingdom	$3,959	1.3%
7	France	$3,362	0.7%
8	Italy	$2,544	0.5%
9	Russia	$2,541	0.6%
10	Canada	$2,284	1.2%
11	Brazil	$2,257	2.4%
12	Spain	$1,891	2.9%
13	Mexico	$1,863	1.0%
14	South Korea	$1,859	0.9%
15	Australia	$1,830	1.8%
16	Türkiye	$1,565	3.5%
17	Indonesia	$1,443	4.9%
18	Netherlands	$1,321	1.4%
19	Saudi Arabia	$1,269	4.0%
20	Poland	$1,040	3.2%
21	Switzerland	$1,003	0.9%
22	Taiwan	$884	3.7%
23	Belgium	$717	1.1%
24	Ireland	$709	9.1%
25	Argentina	$683	4.5%
26	Sweden	$662	0.7%
27	Israel	$611	2.5%
28	Singapore	$574	2.2%
29	UAE	$569	4.8%
30	Austria	$566	0.3%
31	Thailand	$559	2.0%
32	Norway	$517	1.2%
33	Philippines	$494	5.4%
34	Vietnam	$485	6.5%
35	Bangladesh	$475	3.8%
36	Malaysia	$471	4.5%
37	Denmark	$460	1.8%
38	Colombia	$438	2.5%
39	Hong Kong SAR	$428	2.4%
40	South Africa	$426	1.1%
41	Romania	$423	1.0%
42	Pakistan	$410	2.7%
43	Czech Republic	$383	2.3%
44	Iran	$357	0.6%
45	Egypt	$349	4.3%
46	Chile	$347	2.5%
47	Portugal	$338	1.9%
48	Peru	$318	2.9%
49	Finland	$315	0.5%
50	Kazakhstan	$300	5.9%

In 2025, U.S. real GDP is projected to rise 2%, falling just under its 25-year average.

Recent trade policy changes under the Trump administration have not yet had a significant measurable impact on overall economic performance. However, some effects, such as higher business costs or shifts in investment, may become more evident in 2026. Consumer spending and investment related to artificial intelligence remain notable contributors to economic activity.

China is forecast to grow by 4.8% in 2025, reaching an estimated GDP of $19.4 trillion. Despite higher U.S. tariffs, China continues to play a central role in global supply chains, particularly in the production and refining of critical mineral.

While Germany stands as the largest economy in Europe, and the third-largest globally, its economy has lagged for years. Weaker exports and low GDP growth paint a dismal picture for the country, even with over $500 billion in infrastructure spending.

India ranks fifth globally, at $4.1 trillion. Since 2000, its economy has expanded by more than threefold.

Finally, Africa has two economies in the top 50, South Africa (#40) and Egypt (#45). Both operate as major trade hubs at each end of Africa, thanks to the Suez Canal and South Africa’s deep capital markets and regional supply chains.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on global growth forecasts for 2025.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/top-50-economies-by-gdp-in-2025/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=192272

Entry tags:

short story glory

2025 short stuff rec list

Of course I hope you've enjoyed my short fiction and poetry (and nonfiction!) this year. But other people have been absolutely lighting the place up as well, and here are my recommendations for speculative short fiction and poetry for 2025. Even I can't read everything, so please do not take this as a comprehensive list! I'm sure there's great stuff out there I've missed, and if you want to comment with it, that's great. Spread the joy.

Heritage/Speaker | Hablante/Herencia, Angela Acosta (Samovar)

The Witch and the Wyrm, Elizabeth Bear (Reactor)

Thirteen Swords That Made a Prince: Highlights From the Arms & Armory Collection, Sharang Biswas (Strange Horizons)

Biologists say it will take at least a generation for the river to recover (Klamath River Hymn), Leah Bobet (Reckoning)

Watching Migrations, Keyan Bowes (Strange Horizons)

Bestla, James Joseph Brown (Kaleidotrope)

Mail Order Magic, Stephanie Burgis (Sunday Morning Transport)

With Only a Razor Between, Martin Cahill (Reactor)

As Safe As Fear, Beth Cato (Daikajuzine)

And the Planet Loved Him, L. Chan (Clarkesworld)

“To Reap, to Sow,” Lyndsey Croal (Analog Mar/Apr 25)

Atomic, Jennifer Crow (Kaleidotrope)

Flower and Root, J. R. Dawson (Sunday Morning Transport)

Six People to Revise You, J. R. Dawson (Uncanny)

The Place I Came To, Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko (Lightspeed)

Understudies, Greg Egan (Clarkesworld)

All That Means or Mourns, Ruthanna Emrys (Reactor)

Holly on the Mantel, Blood on the Hearth, Kate Francia (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

The Jacarandas Are Unimpressed By Your Show of Force, Gwynne Garfinkle (Strange Horizons)

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Gorgon, Gwynne Garfinkle (Penumbric)

The Otter Woman’s Daughter, Eleanor Glewwe (Cast of Wonders)

In the Shells of Broken Things, A.T. Greenblatt (Clarkesworld)

In Connorville, Kathleen Jennings (Reactor)

Michelle C. Jin, Imperfect Simulations (Clarkesworld)

What I Saw Before the War, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Reactor)

The Name Ziya, Wen-yi Lee (Reactor)

Barbershops of the Floating City, Angela Liu (Uncanny)

Kaiju Agonistes, Scott Lynch (Uncanny)

The Loaf in the Woods, David Marino (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

One by One, Lindz McLeod (Apex)

10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days, Samantha Mills (Uncanny)

Everyone Keeps Saying Probably, Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp)

Liecraft, Anita Moskát (trans. Austin Wagner) (Apex)

The Orchard Village Catalog, Parker Peevyhouse (Strange Horizons)

Lies From a Roadside Vagabond, Aaron Perry (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

Last Tuesday, for Eternity, Vinny Rose Pinto (Imagine 2200)

The Horrible Conceit of Night and Death, J. A. Prentice (Apex)

The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For, Cameron Reed (Reactor)

Ghost Rock Posers F**k Off, Margaret Ronald (Sunday Morning Transport)

Regarding the Childhood of Morrigan, Who Was Chosen to Open the Way, Benjamin Rosenbaum (Reactor)

No One Dies of Longing, Anjali Sachdeva (Strange Horizons)

Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything, Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots)

Orders, Grace Seybold (Augur)

Unbeaten, Grace Seybold (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

After the Invasion of the Bug-Eyed Aliens, Rachel Swirsky (Reactor)

“Holy Fools,” Adrian Tchaikovsky (Of Shadows, Stars, and Sabers)

A Random Walk Through the Goblin Library, Chris Willrich (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

“An Asexual Succubus,” John Wiswell (Of Shadows, Stars, and Sabers)

Phantom View, John Wiswell (Reactor)

~~Brooklyn~~ Beijing, Hannah Yang (Uncanny)

Unfinished Architectures of the Human-Fae War, Caroline Yoachim (Uncanny)

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Dec 21)

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. Supper was leftover strip roast.

I finished the second Jack Reacher book and watched the Bills game. Another close game, but they pulled off the win! Secrets of the Zoo was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 35.4(F). It went up about a degree, then started going back down. It hovered around the 29 degree mark most of the day. We had a lot of wind (which made it feel more like the temp was in the teens), but not as much snow as they were calling for, thankfully.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded about the same when I called her. ( more back here )

(no subject)

https://www.thefarside.com/2025/12/22/0

(no subject)

https://www.thefarside.com/2025/12/22/1

Hit elephants

https://www.thefarside.com/2025/12/22/1