A Stimulus Story

A Stimulus Story


It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea. It is raining, and the little town look totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter,and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The Butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave her"services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the room and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism..

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government and the State of California are doing business today.

Switch to Hydrogen

Bob Lazar has moved his lab and business to Michigan and continues to work on a hydrogen fuel conversion kit for cars and trucks. I've been keeping tabs on this for about four years. There have been several starts and stops. Maybe he is close to rolling this out into the market place.

The question is how practical and affordable this option will be for the average car owner. The conversion will require the vehicle to have a stainless steel header (corrosion issues). He has been doing this development with his own money.

Mazda Delivers a Hydrogen Hybrid

The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is an important step for Mazda in Japan. This car has a rotary engine, a lithium-ion battery-electric hybrid system AND the ability to run on either hydrogen or gasoline.

The big problem to solve is how to economically produce a hydrogen fuel production and distribution network, plus a safe efficient hydrogen fuel container. Hydrogen is a notorious leaker due to its small atomic size.

The Future of the Automobile

Stephen Green over at Pajamas Media has an opinion piece about what he sees for the future of the automobile. I assume that great numbers of car buffs will not care much for what he sees.

Some have the opinion that we in this country are addicted to oil. IMHO, we are addicted to freedom; the freedom to have mobility to earn a living, to shop at businesses across town, see the beauty of this continent, and the freedom of choice to do this at a price that is affordable.

If we are totally depended on petroleum to exercise this freedom, we will become evermore frustrated with diminishing options and higher costs. Something has to give.

As much as we love the internal combustion engine, it is inevitable that we must migrate to some alternate means of energy production to move around this planet. We will never totally stop using petroleum, but it will become more and more impractical to use this as an energy source for transportation. It is hard to say how long this transition will last, but it looks to be starting now.

Our economy and standard of living are dependent upon clean, safe, and affordable transportation. Not just the USA but the the whole world in general.

Some creativity and ingenuity are needed. There are solutions. It would be great to see some sensible and effective leadership on this issue.

Dan Ariely asks, Are we in control of our own decisions

Feds Propose White Roofs - Really!

The Obama administration's Chief Energy guru Steven Chu has proposed that we convert to white roofs everywhere to combat global warming. Well isn't that special?

Ok, how much will this cost? How do you implement such a program? Who pays for it? What are the proposed incentives for home owners and business owners? Why wasn't this suggested decades ago?

I would guess that asphalt and concrete are a larger heat-sink that dark rooftops.

Why not replace roof shingles with solar-volatic cells instead, if you are going to all the trouble to modify the roof tops?

ToneMatrix

One of my 'way back bud' Neal sent me this link tonight. I am mesmerized. Try this with your sound up. Click here for ToneMatrix and create something unique.

Be sure to explore some of the other projects in the laboratory by clicking the back arrow at the site.

Food Web, Meet Interweb: The Networked Future of Farms

A Bay area company has developed a mobile apps technology for use in restaurants and on farms that will create an online food marketplace that would directly connect farms with restaurants.

I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. This could be a big help for local produce growers and may even cut down on food costs for the restaurants. It will definitely mean fresher foods.

ISS Kitchen Upgraded - Astronauts Make A Toast With Their Own Urine

The ultimate in waste recycling. I wonder if they were able to get some lemon with that drink?

New Wolfram|Alpha Search Engine

Stephen Wolfram has been developing a new internet search engine called Wolfram|Alpha. This new engine looks at things a little differently. This is a search engine that is computational. Instead of spewing out hundreds or thousands of places to go looking for things like data, this engine lays an interference layer ahead of the search so you get answers.

For instance, enter any two stocks, such as IBM and Apple.

Wolfram|Alpha is still in development so I would expect some improvements in the human interface part. I think this will really help all the data junkies out there. I'll keep an eye on this over the coming months.

Solar Power: The Devil Is In The Details

The Generation Partners program has left many participants confused and a bit miffed. Seems that they had some problems explaining exactly how things work for their customers on alternative power generation that gets put back into the grid. I say this is shameful. A fix is in the works they say.

Nuclear Waste Processing In France: Can The U.S. Learn Somthing Here?

The French nuclear power industry has been dealing with spent nuclear fuel for decades. It may be about time that we did a bit of emulation now that the Yucca Mountain Depository is a dead duck.

Allergies to Electromagnetic Fields

Is it possible that some people could be 'allergic' to cell phones, TVs, computers, and other electronic devices? All of these devices produce radiation from electromagnetic fields (EMF) and this radiation may affect the human body.

An investigation conducted in Sweden since the 1980s has convinced Olle Johansson that there is a danger for some people in being exposed to the EMF radiation from our electronic gadgets.

Other than natural radiation from terrestrial materials and the sun/space, the human immune system has evolved to deal with known enemies. The EMF radiation has only been around for about 100 years. Our immune systems may not designed to work under these new conditions.

These studies show that electrohypersensitivity (EHS) affects an estimated 3% to 10% of the population.

Virus Linked to Hypertension

A new study conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center indicates a common virus might be a major cause of high blood pressure.

The cytomegalovirus may be infecting 60 to 99 percent of adults world wide. I would assume that this inflammation is still a factor that needs to be managed.

Synthesized RNA Building Blocks

Research at Manchester University in the UK has demonstrated that two of the four building blocks of RNA can by synthesized in the laboratory. RNA is a self-replicating molecule which is an intermediary molecule and makes protein from DNA. DNA, of course, encodes the genetic blueprint for life.

One of the big questions is, which came first, DNA or RNA? This is a significant scientific step but there is a long long way to go in unlocking the mystery of the origin of life.

For further reading for all you chemistry and biology geeks, click here.

Pixel Qi Display Technology

Pixel Qi electronic displays may be about to give the Kindle 2 some competition, but we will not see them until January 2010, if all goes well.

Better Place Unveiled Its Battery Swap System Today

Looks like Shai Agassi has rolled out his electric car battery swapping system in Yokohama. A lot of integration remains to be done. I hope it works out.

It's 'Make or Break Time' for NASA

The USA's space program is rapidly coming to a cross roads. It might be a good time to write a letter to our representatives in Congress and let them know our thoughts. A lot of money is about to be spent, but will it result in something sensible?

Cars vs Cows Debate

Things are looking gloomy for the biofuels industry. The problem seems to be, according to Gregor McDonald, is that unlike oil, ethanol doesn't provide a great return on energy invested.

Plug-In Hybrids: More Hype Than Hope?

The city of Seattle's plug-in hybrids are showing a disappointing 51 avg. mpg. The conversion cost is $10,000 extra above the regular hybrid. There must be a lot of room for improvement or this could be a problem unless oil goes back to +$100 per barrel. Even then, it bites.

Maybe a automobile that is designed as a plug-in hybrid from the ground up will give a better performance.

Sugar Stacks

Here is a link to a site that takes a variety of foods and gives a photo with the amount of sugar contained in a serving represented by sugar cubes.

Be patient, the site claims that the server is a bit slow.

Atomic America

I'm currently reading Todd Tucker's book, "Atomic America" which hit the book stores just a few weeks ago. This is well written and facinating. Much of it covers the SL-1 reactor accident that killed three workers in Idaho back in early 1961. It also ties this in to the development of the Nuclear Navy lead by Ad. Hyman G. Rickover. I am facinated by this man and his drive. He was like the J. Edgar Hoover of the Navy except he didn't have the shady background.

For all you techie readers, I give this one a big thumbs-up.

The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

Check here for the list. Personally, I would have expected at least two more albums by Pat Metheny. Where is Wes Montgomery?

Your Body's Need for Antioxidants

As many as 10,000 DNA lesions occur in every cell in our body each day. The major cause are the free radical chain reactions which antioxidants are meant to stop. This figure accounts for the normal daily activity which our body are used to. Deviations from these 'normal' activities such as heavy physical exertion, long exposure to sunlight, etc. can produce more oxidative hits to our DNA.

Free radicals are by products of our own cell's process for converting food into energy. Our cell's energy manufacturing plant, the mitochondria, processes food by a series of electron exchange with oxygen as the final electron acceptor. Along the way, atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons (free radicals) escape the process. These free radicals will try to stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule which is the onset of the free radical chain reaction. DNA which are inside the cell are exposed to these free radical chain reaction.

Natural antioxidant defenses

Our cells are equipped with antioxidants to stop these free radical chain reactions. Glutathione, SOD (Super Oxide Dismutase) and Catalase are our natural antioxidants. They stop the free radical chain reaction before they can cause oxidative damage to the molecules inside the cells especially the DNA. It's not perfect however, there may be times that the free radicals produced exceed the amount of antioxidants present leading to oxidative damage done to DNA before they are quenched by antioxidants.

DNA Repair

Damaged molecules or lesions in the DNA are removed by repair enzymes through excision and is excreted through the urine before possible mutation can occur. Not all damage can be repaired however, some are not detected and accumulates with age.

Damage to DNA can lead to mutations and can eventually lead to cancer

Antioxidants from other sources

Sometimes our endogenous antioxidants may be inadequate to handle the possible oxidative damage that could harm our cells. Potent antioxidants like vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Selenium can be ingested from fruits and vegetables to further protect our cells from oxidation. The Cancer Institute recommends at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for efficient protection. It is estimated however that in America, only 9% of the population eat the required no. of servings.

Our lifestyle or our busy schedule may prevent us from eating the minimum required servings of fruits and vegetables to gain optimum health from antioxidants. In this case supplements can come in very handy.

How much daily antioxidants do we need?

Our bodies are exposed to constant possible oxidative damage and our metabolism processes is a big factor. Our own antioxidant defenses may not be adequate for these exposures. The recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables may be a good guideline to follow. Different fruits and vegetables have different antioxidant potencies aside from its nutrients to fuel our body for optimum health. The so called superfruits like mangosteen, acai berry, goji berry, pomegranate, and dark cocoa beans have higher antioxidant potencies than other fruits so it would be wise to consider them.

The challenge is to find the most convenient superfoods with the highest concentrations of antioxidants.

It is helpful to use the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value to compare the antioxidant content of different foods. Click here for the link to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's report on ORAC data for 277 food items.

Opium Economics

The national discussion on opium and heroin don't seem to be getting much play lately. Here is a video that puts this issue into perspective without any political spin. Too bad the demand for the product is growing.