Vaclav Smil - The Man Bill Gates Thinks You Should Be Reading

It's not that I hang on everything Bill Gates is promoting, but Vaclav Smil is someone I'll be reading more of over the next few months.  Here is a good introduction to his ideas that recently was published in Wired Magazine.

From his website:

Vaclav Smil does interdisciplinary research in the fields of energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy.

He has published more than 30 books and some 400 papers on these topics. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Science Academy), the first non-American to receive the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology, and in 2010 he was listed by Foreign Policy among the top 100 global thinkers.

He has worked as a consultant for many US, EU and international institutions, has been an invited speaker in more than 300 conferences and workshops in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa, and has lectured at many universities in North America, Europe and East Asia. His wife Eva is a physician and his son David is an organic synthetic chemist.

The Truth About Health Insurance - David Belk, MD

Every cognizant citizen in this country needs to take the first steps in getting educated about our health care system.  This is an awesome first step.  This video needs to go viral.  Pass it on.

Six Myths About Renewable Energy

Here is an interesting and eye-opening article about jobs and assumptions involving the current state of affairs in the renewable energy sector.  Progress is being made and expectations are becoming more realistic. Click here for the article.

How a Tesla Model S is Made

Interdisciplinary Story of the Electric Universe - Wallace Thornhill

Operating Room of the Future - InSightec

Global Road Kill Map

While I'm on the subject of maps, here is one that show statistics of deaths on the highways of the world.  The numbers appear to be increasing in many countries.  Fasten your seat belt.

Show My Street

Here is a nifty application that allows you to see your street or any address you type in.  Similar to Google Maps at the street level, but better.  The site is showmystreet.com.http://showmystreet.com/

40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World

If you are a visual type of person, click here to see the world in an entirely new light. 

Exposing the Myths of Settled Science

Exposing the Myths of "Settled Science" from The Thunderbolts Project on Vimeo.

Chip Yates: Electric Motorcycle and Electric Plane

Remembering 44 Years Ago

Today if the first anniversary of the first moon landing without Neil Armstrong.  The space program in the 60's was an exciting time in US history.  The golden age of  exploration.  Below is what's down the road.



Admiral Eugene P. Wilkinson, First Nautilus Commender, R.I.P

Another nuclear pioneer passed away recently.  Admiral Wilkinson was picked by Admiral Rickover to be the first commander of the U.S.S Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine.  Wilkinson was trained in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and ran the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in Atlanta in the early 1980s.

Goddard Space Flight Center Visit

Today I visited the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor's Center.  They have a unique theater with a globe for a screen plus a few interactive exhibits.  I sat through several of the features in the theater, which ran for a total of 3 hours.  Many of these were about climate and energy and the relationship between the two.

 

Much about alternative energy as presented and also the demand for energy in our modern world and the consequences of using carbon based fuels. They kept presenting energy alternatives that ONLY involved solar, wind, switch grass, and smart meters technology.

 

I was dumbfounded that not even a hint was given about the existence, much less the future use of nuclear power.  How can you even begin to have a full and open discussion about energy and climate without even mentioning the 20% contribution of nuclear?  No discussion of how new and innovative nuclear power options could be found with research of new fuels and reactor designs.  In my opinion, the federal government made a big mistake 40 years ago in opting for focusing on reactors that make plutonium for weapons and killing projects with made nuclear power with less implications for proliferation of weapons and reactors with less risk for accidents.

 

The general public was not served well in what I consider to be this 'propaganda of omission'.  As a tax payer and a nuclear dweeb, I was (am) disturbed and voiced my concerns (politely) with a couple of staff members.  As a republic, we will soon, if not already, be a nation that lacks the information to make rational decisions on how we will be good stewards of the planet and to further improve and sustain a high the quality of life and health for all citizens.  With an abundance of affordable and abundant energy, almost anything is possible within the laws of physics.  Some straight talk, understanding, and credible leadership is much needed. NASA is not doing a very good job informing the public.

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

How Many Years Do You Have Left?

Click here to answer 13 questions in the expectancy calculator to see how many years you are likely to have left.  This was developed by Northwestern Mutual Life.

UK Perspective on the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor

Stuart Nathan of the UK's The Engineer gives his perspective on the viability of Kirk Sorensen's idea of developing a thorium breeder reactor based on the molten salt design pioneered by Alvin Weinberg at Oak Ridge back in the 1960s.

Solar Outbursts Could Wreck Civilization

Here is something to worry about for which we can do absolutely nothing to prevent.

Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective Panels

With the collapse of soil panel prices, some solar voltaic companies began to cut corners to save money leading to a significant increase in defective solar panels.  The longevity of solar panels is something I've always considered to be a key factor in long-term viability of affordable power from solar energy.  I guess its time for an organization like Consumer's Report to jump in and start testing panels and identify the junk.

New Energy Era Forum 2012 - Farewell Petroleum, Hail Carboleum

New Energy Era Forum 2012 - Prof... by LocalCampus
Interesting talk given by Prof. Austin Darragh of Ireland with an emphasis on biological systems and energy.

New Energy Era Forum 2012 - Chris Sanders

New Energy Era Forum 2012 - Chris Sanders... by LocalCampus

Explaining Big Data

America No Longer Leads in Nuclear Technology

Here is a good piece by William Tucker on the state of nuclear technology in the United States, how it got to this state, and how this country will be eating the proverbial dust of the world wide nuclear industry pretty soon is some changes aren't made soon.

The Modern Motocycle Diaries

Internet Archive

LENR Research Continues in 2013

Will 2013 be a breakthrough year for validation of the low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) theory? There are some rumblings that some results are soon to be announced.

Monstrous F-1 "Moon Rocket" Engine Back to Life

The combination of 5 F-1 rocket engines on NASA's Saturn 5 first stage booster had a power output of 60 gigawatts.  That is enough power to lift a good sized battleship off the ground.  And this was 1960s technology.  Engineers at Huntsville's Marshall Spaceflight Center have been dissecting a surviving F-1 to learn how to build a new version.  Luckily, a flight ready version was found in storage, which was icing on the proverbial space cake.  This is really worth a read.

Attacking Cancer With Neutrons

The University of Missouri is one of few remaining academic institutions fortunate to have an operating research nuclear reactor.  A recent breakthrough in cancer treatment has been announced.  Boron is  taken up in cancer cells followed by exposure of the cancerous tissues to neutrons.  The boron has a high affinity for absorbing neutrons and the resulting nuclear reaction destroys the cancer cell, without most of the harmful effects of routine radiation treatment of tumors.  As soon as funding is available, trial studies will begin on human patients.

Battery State-of-the-Art

Batteries have some signficant limitations when used as a storage medium for alternative electrical energy generation.  Our best option for now is still nuclear power.

The Story of Numbers (0 and 1) Indian Numerals or Arabic?

Terry Jones ("Monte Python's Flying Circus") tells the story of of numbers.  The story of numbers is the story of civilization.

Interesting facts:

• Baudhayana gave the 'Pythagoras theorem' centuries before the Greeks in 800 BC.
• Pingala (400 BC) invented the binary number system which is the basic of computer operations.
• Indian astronomer, Aryabhatta was the first to have propounded the theory that the earth was a sphere in the 5th century.
• Indian astronomer, Brahmagupta, estimated in the 7th century that the circumference of the earth was 5,000 yojanas.  A yojana is around 4.47 miles.  Calculating on this basis we see that the estimate of 22,369 miles as the earths circumference comes quite close to the actual circumference known today (24,901 miles).

Wool

If you are in to science fiction, you may want to check out a hot selling e-book on Amazon.com titled "Wool."  The novelist made more than $1 million before his book hit the stores.  Click here to read how all this came about.

Austria's Healing Caves Offer Radioative Miracle Cure

The Healing Caves of Gastein in Austria is the largest pain management center in the world.  The prescribed therapy uses radioactive radon gas.  Maybe there is something else going on here. Years ago I read about a similar facility in Colorado, but it may no longer exist.

WhatsApp

Apparently, WhatsApp is the largest social network you've never heard of.  Using this app, you can send free messages (text, images, audio, and video) to anyone with WhatsApp on their smartphone.  Texts messages on my iPhone in my phone plan cost me 25 cents a pop, therefore, I'm not much of a texter.  WhatsApp may change all of this.  Read more here at MHP Communications and check it out.

Safer Nuclear Power, At Half The Price

An MIT spin-off company called Transatomic has designed a molten salt nuclear power reactor that can essentially be fabricated in a factory and brought to the power plant site with construction cost about half of a conventional power reactor.  The downside is that it will necessitate new NRC regulations.  China appears to be ahead of the game with this technology.

Awesome Is Totally Appropriate

A Scientific Accident That May Change The World

NASA's View on LENR

NASA appears to be working on the development of low-energy nuclear raction (LENR) technology and following other research organizations in the field.  This work needs to be a very high priority for this nation.

Big Shock to Big Bang

Are we in the beginnings of a cosmological revolution?  Could be.

Christine Peterson - Nanotechnology

Four Things to Know About E15

Here is a Popular Mechanics article on what we need to know about the recently certified E15 fuel that is just now hitting the gas stations across the country.

Gene Therapy Breakthrough

Popular Science recently ran an article about how researchers at Barcelona's Universitat Autonoma develped a shot develped from gene therapy that cures diabetic dogs with one injection.  After the single treatment, beagles were sympton-free up to four years later.  Let's hope this will translate to humans sooner as opposed to later.

Our Universe - It's Electric

Here is a talk given my physicist Michael Clarage at the Electric Universe 2013 Conference.

Wind Beats Out Natural Gas To Becme The Top Source Of New Electricity Capacity For 2012

This is a surprise.  If this trend continues, then the push to upgrade our electrical power distribution system becomes much more urgent.

It's Not the DOE That Drives Energy Policy

Think that the focus of the Department of Energy (DOE) is how our nation produces, consumes, and manages energy?  Think again and read this summary. 

Fear of Radiation - It's All in the Noise

An interesting perspective on the Linear No Threshold (LNT) theory from Forbes contributor James Conca.

Ryno Motors Full Story

This may become much more successful than the Segway.  How far can you go with a full charge?  I need to look into this.

March of the Machines

I think that the use of robotics is a natural evolutionary process that can be of great benefit to humans, but I think the real success depends upon what humans do with shifted burden of effort, time, and energy.  We are probably ok until a machine develops self awareness, then things may get very interesting.