Paul W. Klipsch Items on Display at the 2015 CES

 



At this year's CES, Klipsch Group will be displaying several historical artifacts linked directly to the legendary Paul W. Klipsch.  Click here for a link.

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture on acuoustic theory by Paul Klipsch when I was in college in 1972 at Henderson St. University.  One of my college buddies was arrested for wearing a t-shirt with the Klipsch "B*** S*** moto a few years later in Fayetteville, AR due to an ambitious local prosocuter.  The story made the "Grapevine" alternative newspaper.  The charges were dropped.

I now have two Klipsch Forte spearkers, two Kg4 speakers, and several S4i Headphones for our iPhones.  They all provide amazing audio free of distortion.

My Great-Aunt Discovered Francium and It Killed Her

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times by Veronique Greenwood about her Great-Aunt, Marguerite Perey, and her pioneering work with Marie Curie in the radiochemistry laboratories of the Radium Institute of Paris, France.  This was difficult and dangerous work, but the hazards and risks were not well understood back in the day.

Synthetic Fuel from Seawater: The Science

Dr. Heather Willauer of the NRL describes her team's success at using nuclear heat to
manufacture synthetic jet fuel from seawater.

Why Are We So Fat? The Multi-Million Dollar Scientific Quest To Find Out

So much of what the medical and dietary professions espoused about what we should or should not eat has turned out to be based on flawed science. Gary Taubes and Peter Attia are working to set things straight.  Read more about it here at Wired.

Since March 2014 I have cut out most of the starch and unsprouted wheat out of my diet along with a big cutback on sugar.  The results have be significant.  Lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, a weight decrease of about 15 pounds.  I think Taubes and Attia are on to something.

Why the Security of USB is Fundamentally Broken

Andy Greenberg of Wired has a good article that raises a lot of questions about how we use the USB memory devices and the potential dangers we may face.  The U.S. federal government has banned the use of so called 'memory sticks' in government computers and there may be a very good reason why.

Is Nuclear Power Ever Coming Back?

Here is a thoughtful and realistic article on the question of whether nuclear power can make a comeback in the USA. A solution that uses up all the stored spent power reactor fuel and uses molten salt reactor technology seems to hold the most promise. Our federal govenment bureacracy is one of the main hendrances as things stand today.

Chernobyl 28th Anniversary

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times on the status of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station and how measures are being taken to safeguard the structure and prevent releases of additional radioactivity into the environment.  The political turmoil in the Ukraine is not yet a problem, but it could be only a matter of time before there is an impact on site maintenance and protection.

Find My iPhone

I was having lunch with our project team yesterday in a Beltsville, MD restaurant Saturday and got a phone call on my personal iPhone. After taking the call, we finished lunch and drove back to the project site. I then realized I did not have my iPhone. I began calling my iPhone with my work iPhone to listen for the ringtone. I searched the vehicle I used, looked around the site, and had not luck. I concluded that I must have left the iPhone at the lunch location.

I was fortunate to have my work iPhone with me, so I could use the 'Find My iPhone' app. Sure enough, I located the phone at the restaurant. I drove back, spoke to the manager and went right to the table where I had been sitting. The people at the table were unaware, but my iPhone was laying face down, under the table. It was too loud in the restaurant for anyone to hear the ringtone in that position. I picked it up and showed the folks at the table how the app was used to find the phone. They were amazed. I was happy and relieved out the outcome of this adventure.

Today, I found a story in the New York Times about the potential danger of chasing down a stolen iPhone. This was something that crossed my mind as I drove back to the restaurant. What would I do if I noted that my iPhone was moving away from the restaurant? My first inclination was to follow it. I also thought about calling the police, but was not sure about how much of a priority they would put on it's recovery. How would I confront the thief?  Would I be putting myself in danger?  I'm glad it didn't come to that.  Next time I need to be more mindful of what I do with the iPhone after a call in a public place.

Trinity Test Site Tours Yesterday

The annual tour of the Trinity Test Site near Alamagordo, NM was conducted yesterday. Up until just a few years ago the tour was conducted on the anniversary date of July 16, 1945, but the heat in the desert was at times a bit too much for the particpants, so it was changed to a more comforatable time of the year. The Trinity Test verified that the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb design was usable to attempt to have Japan unconditionally surrender during World War II. Radioisotopes with half-lives in excess of 20 years (i.e., Cesium-137) or so are still detectable in the reminants of glazed sand surrounding the test tower.

The two central figures inspection one of the test tower footings in this photo are Dr. Robert Oppenheimer wearing the Pork Pie hat and dark suit on the left and Gen. Leslie Groves (tallest person) on the right.

Cosmic Radiation and the New Frontier

Aside from propulsion, one of the biggest challenges to the exploration of deeper space by humans is dealing with radiation exposure.  At this point in our technical development, a trip to Mars might cause astronauts to receive substantial doses (far exceeding regulatory limits for nuclear workers in the USA) of radiation by the time they return home to earth.  This article found a The New Papyrus website gives a great primer on what mankind is up against concerning radiation protection in space exploration.

An Animated Look at the Size of the Universe

Total Solar Eclipse in North American August 21, 2017

I just watched a historical documentary last night on the challenges endured by Albert Einstein as he awaited confirmation of his General Relativity Theory by astronomers photographing stars near the sun during a total solar eclipse between 1916 and 1919.  I was struck by the emotional description by an astronomer who recently witnessed a total solar eclipse.  She described the sensation of having her breath taken away.  That made me want to experience this amazing phenomenon more than ever.  I had not though about this in a while so I thought I would look up when the next total solar eclipse would come across North America.  To my absolute amazement, it will happen over my home on August 21, 2017 at 1:34 pm.

Radiation Dose Chart

This chart has been around for a few years, but with the recent news articles about increased background levels on the west coast of the USA, we need to keep things in perspective.

Nuclear Power's Future

Here is an article out of UC Berkeley on an assessment of nuclear power by Per Peterson, the chair of Berkeley's Department of Nuclear Engineering. If the global nuclear industry applies new designs, we can have safe, affordable, and abundant energy.

Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Company In Texas Cashes In

There are not may options for the disposal of radioactive waste withing the United States. One option is west Texas seems to have a prosperous future and it is a site owened by Waste Control Specialists. Read more here.

Happy Birthday Apple Macintosh

The invention and success of the Apple Macintosh personal computer has had a significant influence on smartphone technology and the way we all communicate.

Electric Cars Won't Save the Planet

The conclusionsn of a new research study published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal indicate that significant adoption and use of hybrid and all electric vehicles will not make any measurable difference in revesing the increase of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in earth's atmosphere. The major conributor to atmospheric pollutants comes for fossil fuel consumption in electric power plants. Changing this source is the only action that will made much difference. While it may still be a good idea to transition to all-electric vehicles to move away for the dependence on oil, we need to focus on other energy generation technologies if greenhouse gasses pose the threat some scientists claim.

Gamma Ray Burst Stuns Astronomers

Rawlemon Spherical Solar Energy Generator

A German architect, Andre Broessel, has invented a water and glass device to concentrate solar energy (up to 10,000 times) with a maximum conversion efficiency of 43 percent. It works even in bad weather.