New Car Engine Sends Shock Waves Through Auto Industry

Researchers at Michigan St. Univ. have designed a new type of gasoline engine that appears to be a game changer. They want to be testing prototype automobiles with this engine in the next two years. Emissions are about 90% lower and 60% of the fuel goes into propulsion of the car as opposed to 15% for current cars.

Breakthroughs seem to be popping out all over in the energy sciences. The world needs these technologies to enter the market place fast.

3-D Pong

Click here for a on-line version of 3-D pong.

Cell Phone Radiation: Harmless or Health Risk?

Here is the first installment of a three part story on cell phone radiation.

Here is the second installment.

The third part comes out next week. Check back after Monday.

Why Technology Doesn't Destroy Jobs

Some economic insight from Russell Robers at the WSJ.

"The story goes that Milton Friedman was once taken to see a massive government project somewhere in Asia. Thousands of workers using shovels were building a canal. Friedman was puzzled. Why weren't there any excavators or any mechanized earth-moving equipment? A government official explained that using shovels created more jobs. Friedman's response: "Then why not use spoons instead of shovels?"

17 Million to 1

Two golfers in Kansas hit back-to-back holes-in-one last Thursday. The odds were estimated to be 17 million to 1 to two people making holes-in-one back to back on the same hole. Neither had ever made a hole-in-one before this day. Amazing!

Golf is a fine religion and it teaches us humility, hope, and statistics. - George Ure

Ten Brands That Will (May) Disappear in 2012

Click here to read about the list that 24/7 Wall St. put together of brands that will disappear next year. It's a jungle out there in the market place. Only the fittest survive.

TVA's Basis For Building Bellefonte

The New York Times recently published an article that was somewhat critical of TVA's effort to revamp and finish a nuclear power plant that it almost completed back in the mid-1980s. TVA's CEO Bill McCollum responded and set things straight.

If it weren't for the NY Times, how would we know what to think?

Energy Catalyzer Update

Things seem to be progressing on getting Andrea Rossi's Energy Catalyzer in production. Let's hope this is the real deal. There have been several independent verifications of this device. If it is real and practical, it's a real game changer that will have a major impact on energy production.

Why Don't We Ditch Nukes and Coal?

I'm a subscriber of TheStraightDope.com and here is a great analysis of why we are about to have an energy crisis that will be the mother of all energy crises.

The challenge will be to provide a decent standard of living for future generations while efficiently using energy AND developing new sources of energy to meet the demand of another 2 billion people by 2050.

What Your College Education is Worth

Georgetown University had done a study to determine the links between your college major and lifetime earnings. A graphic is shown that tells a lot of the story.

5 Reasons Why E-Books Aren't There Yet

Although I've been downloading books at Audible for about 3 years now, I've not taken the e-book plunge, yet. The next generation of the Kindle may be a powerful enticement, but the jury is still out for me on this subject.

Over at Wired, John Abell has some thoughts on some advantages that hard copy books still have over e-books.

Fukushima Nuclear Blast?

The first visible fire in Unit 3 is seen at about the place in the building where the spent fuel pool is located. I've also seen a report that states a piece of spent fuel rod was found about 1 mile away form the Unit 3 building after the blast.

This news is not good and may be indicative that the Japanese authorities are not being very forthcoming with news and analysis of this disaster.

If mistakes are to be learned from, they need to be part of the international nuclear industry's dialog as soon as possible.