Now We're Cooking With.......Batteries

Here is an overview on our use of batteries in our hand-held gadgets and electric cars. Batteries have become a weak link in the high-tech world we have constructed. We had better be doing some big time research on this issue and fast.

I see this technical area as fertile ground for big breakthroughs by today's and tomorrow's chemists. Maybe nanotechnology will be a key avenue.

Nikola Tesla and the Electric Universe

The folks at Thurderbolts.info are shaking things up in the world of physics/astrophyics with an alternate look at our understanding of electricity an it's scale of influence in the Universe.

Check out this video from their site:

Top 5 Green Myths

Are hybrid vehicles better choices than standard cars? Get the scoop on this question and four others here.

The Dumbing Down of the American Voter

Here is today's opinion piece by Kathleen Parker on the significance of a recent report by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute on America's civic literacy. It it not good news. Unfortunately, it is not surprising.

Small Arkansas Earthquakes Could Be A Warning

Central Arkansas does not have any seismic history, until recently. This does not bode well for the north American continent. This also seems to back up some of the predictions at UrbanSurvival.com.

Maybe not a good time to be living in Hot Springs.

How To Purchase A Digital SLR Camera

Ok, here is some good technical information for those who plan to upgrade from the pocket digital camera and go for the SLR (single lens reflex) camera.

The Music Genome Project

Here something I discovered last evening from a bright UT psychology/philosophy major. It is a website called PANDORA. This came about from something called the Music Genome Project.

It is amazing! If you love music, you must check this out. It is like having a custom radio station that you can access anywhere you have an internet connection.

If you like it, pass it on.

The "Biggest Piece" of the Puzzle

Here is a recent article by Walter Burien on the so-called banking bailout. Walter has been a meticulous researcher for over 10 years in the study of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). As far as I know he is has no political party affiliation. This pretty much tells it like it is and explains how it got this way.

Heavy Water and Health

Ok, here is something that caught my interest. An article on the health benefits of heavy water or also known as deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen consisting of one proton and one neutron).

The first link I saw was pointing to an article in today's Telegraph in the UK, but that article was no longer available. I wonder why? Was it a hoax? Were there some security issues?

You see, heavy water is the material you can use to slow down neutrons to thermal energies that can be used to split U-235 (nuclear fission). Canada's nuclear power program uses heavy water as a moderator with natural uranium.

If you don't use heavy water, you must enrich the U-235 which is expensive and has nuclear proliferation issues connected. The Nazis tried to use heavy water (made in Norway) in their effort to develop the atomic bomb.

The linked article above is one of the semi-recent articles I found on the subject. Interesting that there is an Iranian connection.

The International Space Station Turns 10

Click here to see some awesome photos of the International Space Station. Ok, so we didn't eventually build the Space Wheel from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, but hey, it is till pretty cool.

America's Forgotten Freedoms

Here is an article in Russia Today about a survey done by the First Amendment Center on just how dumbed-down the average American citizen has become on our system of government.

I guess it is 'use it or lose it.'

Presentation Zen

Gar Reynolds' book, Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery is something that all of us can use. Gar has in interesting blog on Amazon also. Take your PowerPoint show to a new level.

Growing Our Way Out of the Economic Crisis

Here is an excerpt from an article written at the Pajamas Media site about why propping up failing businesses won't help restore the economy:

"despite our current economic troubles — and the even darker clouds on the horizon — waiting just beyond is likely to be the greatest economic opportunity, and boom, that any of us has ever known.

Why? Because of a unique intersection of forces: two billion new consumers (the biggest single jump in market size in human history), global broadband interconnection that will reach every corner of the planet, and the continuing impact of Moore’s Law — the idea that tech power will double every couple of years — which will put supercomputer power into our hands."

Coconut Oil Supplement Shows Promise for Alzheimers Patients

Thanks to Kelleigh for sending me this link on how a medical doctor found that a coconut oil supplement helped "lift the fog" for her husband in his fight with Alzheimer's disease.

Apparently, a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease loses the ability of their brain to metabolize glucose, which is the brain's major source of energy. Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which can be converted into an alternative energy for the brain.

This is big news and needs to be considered in the treatment of Alzheimer's patients.

Depression 2009: What would it look like?

Not trying to be a pessimist here, but it might be useful to take a look at what a depression might look like it it hits in 2009. It would be different from the one in the 1930s.

If it happens, how will the experience shape the next generation?

The DIY X-Ray Craze of the 19th Century

There is a new exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It is called Brought to Light Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900. One part is on X-rays.

Within 3 months of the discovery of X-rays, there were DIY (do it yourself) X-ray kits on the market for the curious nerds of the day.

Will Obama Implement the T. Boone Pickens Plan?

The Pickens Plan stresses efficiency and centrality. Can this work (i.e., is it economically feasible)? Given the dropping prices of oil, is there sufficient leadership in industry and government to sell this plan to the public?

Paul Krugman says that Obama needs to swiftly implement 'New Deal-like' policies for energy production/distribution to move into the new millennium. Pickens cannot do it alone.

Netgear Powerline Adapters

Netgear has a product that allows you to piggyback your internet connection on your home or business electrical wiring. The plus is that it is more secure than a wireless router and it is cheaper than running new cables.

$9.5 Million UT Piracy Measure

Looks like the Univ. of Tennessee has a significant fear of music/entertainment lawyers with a first of a kind legislative bill to fund the monitoring of on-line file sharing. This kind of money could have gone a long way in hiring needed teachers.

'Outliers' Puts Self-Made Success To The Test

Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking) has a new book: Outliers: The Story Of Success. This new book is featured in an article today on NPR.

Gladwell is a very good writer and has the ability to look at things from unique perspectives.

A 25,000 Mile Battery????

AFS Trinity is claiming that the Chevy Volt's lithium ion battery will last only 25,000 miles as compared to their battery which they claim will last 150,000 miles. The technical key is the use of ultracapacitors which act as energy buffers.

More definitive information is needed on this issue.

USB 3.0 to Deliver a Tenfold Speed Increase

In the first update to the USB specification in eight years, we will see a significant increase in data transfer speed that blows USB 2.0 out of the water. The also could be the death of the FireWire standard.

To take full advantage, you will need to purchase USB 3.0 devices AND have a 3.0 capable PC.

Are You An Idiot To Keep Paying Your Mortgage?

According to Katherine Pender of the San Francisco Gate, no, not if you have significant equity in your home. But, for those with little equity, it seems to be getting harder to answer this question.

Could Steve Jobs Save GM?

Here is a column by John Dvorak on whether someone like Steve Jobs could save Detroit's GM company. He doesn't think so, but IMHO you could sure do worse.

The automobile manufacturing business is a whole different animal from the high-tech computer business.

Is the federal government pushing the US car makers off a cliff?

Aliens Cause Global Warming - Michael Crichton

Thanks to Kelleigh for passing this on to me. This is not a puff piece loaded with humor about little green men. Michael Crichton wrote this back in 2003. I'm sorry it took me so long to find out about it. Crichton recently passed away. We lost a great man with some powerful insight.

I think this article contains some very important commentary on critical thinking in general and specifically in science. It is a bit long but I encourage everyone to read the whole article.

An Atomic Solution To The Energy Crisis

As a followup to my last posting, here is some additional information about the prospects for nuclear power. This topic is becoming more frequent in the blogosphere and in the main stream press. There is still lots of work and financing to be done. It may be a bumpy road.

Mini Nuclear Power Plants

Here comes some competition for the electrical utilities. How about a mini nuclear power plant smaller than a garden shed that can supply electricity to approximately 10,000 homes at a cost of about $250 per household?

An article in today's Gardian gives the low down. The company is Hyperion and they are based in New Mexico. They have 100 reactors in the pipeline and expect to put the first one on-line in 2013. They have yet to get NRC approval.

Toshiba has also been working on designing micro-reactors, but I don't know how far along they are on this concept. Time will tell.

Hydrogen Produced From Solar Energy?

Scientists are revisiting an 1833 hydrogen production experiment by Italian physicist G.D. Botto in Italy that demonstrates a unique way for generating hydrogen.

This have some interesting possibilities for making fuel for transportation and many other uses. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Plug In Your Prius

Here is an article on how to convert your Toyota Prius to a plug-in hybrid.

Today's Quote

One of the best ways to ensure that bad laws are changed is to enforce them vigorously against the powerful. -- Glenn Reynolds

Which Economy Gets Saved?

Here is a snipit of George Ure's thoughts posted today over at urbansurvival.com:

Since the 1950's, it seems to me that we have seen the emergence of three different economies within the US.  The original was the bricks and mortar/industrial economy - the one that made cars, airplanes, televisions, and so on.  Then we saw the evolution of the financial services industry - a mother giant of late with more notional value than the entire world's gross product.  And not to be overlooked - because it serves both, is the services economy.

 

It's a kind of three-legged milk stool.  Supposedly.

 

Unfortunately, now that tables have turned on  the financial services leg, it will 'take down' a big chunk of the services sector as well.  And, since we have irresponsibly allowed American corporations to outsource most of our former industrial economy to China and India, the industrial leg of that milk stool has also been hacked.

 

What stands as a challenge for the Obamanation is how to repair the foreshortened milk stool.  I think you know the answer...it's obvious to me:  Rebuild infrastructure and on-shore industry. 

 

Imposing tariffs, as was done in the last depression under the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act will likely not be played this time around, although I'd argue that bad Fed policy in the last depression had more negative influence than did Smoot-Hawley, but the capitalists have managed to effectively rewrite history and give a thorough black-eye to tariffs.  Big money to be made playing them wage-rate differentials when sales flatten out.

 

The reality the fat-cats won't cop to is that making goods overseas - and I don't care whether it's the apple from another continent, or a refrigerator in an Asian country - happened because the wage-rate differential between a higher standard of living economy and a lesser one fell to the bottom lines - and that's bonus time.  Not to say that's bad - hell, it's the same strategic decision I'd make, too, if my bread were buttered only on the one side.. 

 

The problem at a national policy level is whether the export of jobs has gone so far as to now be unrecoverable with something simple - like tariffs or a stimulus - or whether the rest of the world will just start backing away from US dollars.  I guess we'll find that out over the coming few weeks with the G-20 meetings next weekend.

---

My friend The Bond Dude made a very interesting observation to the effect that he thinks China will keep playing the dollar game only so long as it helps China build a strong middle class.  The way he's got it penciled, once the Chinese have a strong enough middle class (e.g. enough consumers - perhaps 300-million or so...) then the Chinese can let their currency appreciate extensively relative to ours and assume Masters of the Universe global power.

 

They could then phase their industrial output into domestic consumption - and paradoxically, the recent earthquake in China has set off a massive rebuilding effort - and that does what?  Increases the growth rate for China's middle class.

 

You have noticed, I hope, that China's premier Wen Jiabao says "Industrialized nations should ditch unsustainable lifestyles"?  Wonder if he's been lurking around here...a rational person looking at global numbers of humans and how much resource is left would likely come to no other conclusion. 

---

Some indications are that the Obamanation may be a lot more 'talk' than 'action' when it comes down to tangible change.   Headlines like "Obama's change leaves by the back door" are cropping up in reaction to the disappointing appointments of old-guard paradigm defenders and ex-Clintonistas in the early days of the next administration.  Have we been snookered by the PTB?  I wouldn't bet against that...

 

Ultimately, I expect the reason the market climbed last week was that the Obamanation showed its true stripes:  It's going to be a refried Clinton era with, oh sure,  a few new faces who will likely talk more about change that get down to the business of infrastructure rebuilding, going green, and articulating a believable, achievable new kind of American Dream.

 

If the Obamanation doesn't identify and strong act on the fundamental causes of disappearing jobs, salutatory initial moves like extending unemployment benefits are going to turn out 'nice but no cigar.'

 

Till these guys articulate a plan to rebuild the milk stool, onshore jobs, and reel in the banksters, it's the same train wreck all over again - just with a different engineer.

The Law Teacher & The Law Student

From my friend John H.

Few centuries ago, a Law teacher came across a student
who was willing to learn but was unable to pay the fee.
The student struck a deal saying 'I will pay your fee
the day I win my first case in the court.'

Teacher agreed and proceeded with the law course. When
the course was finished and teacher started pestering
the student to pay up the fee, student reminded the
deal and pushed days.

Fed up with this, the teacher decided to sue the student
in the court of law and both of them decided to argue
for them- selves.

The teacher put forward his argument saying: "If I win
this case, as per the court of law, student has to pay
me. And if I lose the case, student will still pay me
because he would have won his first case. So either way
I will have to get the money."

Equally brilliant student argued back saying: "If I win
the case, as per the court of law, I don't have to pay
anything to the teacher. And if I lose the case, I don't
have to pay him because I haven't won my first case yet.
So either way, I am not going to pay the teacher anything!"

This is one of law's greatest paradox.

The Most Polluted Spot In History

It all started in the mid-1940's in the USSR. A sprawling plutonium production complex was built in the southern Ural mountains. In the zeal of the Cold War, things got out of hand. In another 250 years or so, things will be better.

If the per capita number of trial lawyers was as high in the USSR/Russia as it is in the USA, the government wouldn't have much money left after all the litigation was settled with the thousands of victims.

Elect The Coach-In-Chief?

Here is a column by Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch with a humorous look at how a government for the people, by the people might look if those people were fans appointing college football coaches to political positions.

Funny stuff.

Mars Mission Breakthrough - Radiation Shielding

Some nuclear fusion technology spin-off may provide a fix for the protection of astronauts from the dangerous radiation environment that would exist on a manned mission to Mars.

This is big. Without this type of technology, a manned mission to Mars is not feasible, IMHO.

Nanosolar Makes Time Magazine List

Nanosolar has made the list for Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2008. This is encouraging for the alternative energy sector of our economy. As good as it is to see falling gasoline prices, the alternative energy sector has taken a financial hit due to the tipping of the economic incentive scales.

Regardless of energy costs, our economy needs to implement affordable and renewable alternative energy alternatives/distribution systems ASAP. You can pay now or you can pay later, if you can get it.

Until electric powered transportation is widespread and affordable, we need, as consumers, to demand flex fuel vehicles from the auto industry. More flex fuel gives us many more energy options and helps create jobs.

Quote Of The Day

"Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do." -- Will Rogers

Some Dark Humor

Check out "You're Fired."