Correcting the LENR Record (C&E News)

A recent article in Chemical & Engineering News by Stephen K. Ritter covers the current status of low-energy nuclear reactions, which is sometimes called "cold fusion."  An analysis of the article was done by Beven Krivit at New Energy Times is enlightening and appears to set the story straight.

Dumb Ways to Die

Can Reusing Spent Nuclear Fuel Solve Our Energy Problems?

Read about Leslie Dewan's plan for transforming spent power reactor fuel into usable energy.

How I Rewired My Brain to Become Fluent in Math

Here is a great article on the subject of learning.  The author did poorly in math during K-12 but did well in languages.  Becoming fluent in languages apparently triggers something in the brain that opens the door to fluency in mathematics. The human brain is a very interesting phenomena.

Why Trains Suck in America

So here is something completely different.  I've been on the high-speed train in France.  What a shame we don't have a system like this across the USA.  It was quite, smooth, and fast (185 mph).

Fail-Safe Nuclear Power

If man-made global warming is a real threat to this planet, then why have we (the USA) been such slackers in the development of an existing, essentially carbon-free source of energy?  Why are we giving away, for free, the most advanced and safety form of nuclear energy that we developed with our own federal budget dollars?  Our national economic and energy policymakers are either stupid or incompetent, or both.  Here is a good article by Richard Martin in the MIT Technology Review on the status of nuclear energy development in the People's Republic of China.  We had better get a move on or we will be left in the nuclear dust.

Voyagers

Voyagers from Santiago Menghini on Vimeo.

Simon Ramo - A Centennial Achievement

Simon Ramo was a brilliant engineer and co-founder of NAE and TRW.  He passed away last month at the age of 103.  He got a patent at age 100, which is a record.

Introducing FarmBot Genesis

Here is an awesome open-source farming machine design for production of food in your own back yard. Pretty cool.

100 mpg Gasoline Engine Using 200 Year Old Technology

An inventor from San Antonio, Texas is planning on a coast-to-coast driving demonstration across the USA to demonstrate his Sterling engine modification to his hybrid automobile.  He hopes to achieve approximately 100 mpg fuel efficiency in a small SUV.  Read the full story by clicking here.

The Universe in 4 Minutes: On your mark, get set........

Michio Kaku: Is God a Mathematician?

NASA - Thorium Remix 2016

This documentary does a great job in explaining the need for the development of the molten salt thorium breeder reactor for not only deep space probes but for the improvement of the quality of life and protection of the environment on this planet.  We need leadership to get things going in this direction and fast.

The Known Universe

Rather mind-blowing.

Cold War Warriors - Documentary

Just released from the Sandia National Laboratory is Myra Buteau's documentary titled "Cold War Warriors" which provides a history of the nuclear weapons research done at this facility and some of the scientists and engineers who contributed.

WhatsApp Just Switched on Encryption for a Billion People

WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption for text and other forms of communication globally for all subscribers.  What most people don't realize is that WhatsApp is second only to Facebook in the number of subscribers.  They are bigger in Europe than in the USA.  Chick here to read about the founders and the philosophy that WhatsApp has concerning encryption technology.  They are in a very strong position on the subject.

David MacKay - How The Laws of Physics Constrain Our Sustainable Energy Options

Microwave Drillling Technology Spinoff from Fusion

Paul Woskov of MIT has developed a radio-frequency wave generator (used in fusion research) to 'drill' through hard rock.  This may open the door for drilling deeper than the 30,000 ft barrier that limits access to a virtually unlimited supply of geothermal energy and potentially hydrocarbons.  Click here to read the full article in Phys.org.  This could be a game changer for energy production.

Trading Millions by the Minute

And now it is time to post something that is completely different.  It is an interesting video series about financial trading.  Even if you don't directly participate in trading, it might be a good idea to understand what goes on in the trading world.  We all pretty much depend on this at some point in our financial lives.

Where Artificial Intelligence Is Now and What's Just Around the Corner

In recent years, I've seen several articles on the development of artificial intelligence (AI).  It seems to be developing along with the expansion of Moore's Law with more powerful microprocessors chips that are in almost all electronic devices we use on a daily basis.

This article is a real wake-up call on where AI stands today and where we are about to go with this technology.  Many of us have been using Apple's Siri on our iPhones for a few years and this is an interesting and useful tool.  Well, things are about to ratchet up a couple of notches.  We are now on the threshold of having something not too far off from the technology of HAL in Stanley Kubrick's epic "2001: A Space Odyssey."

My question is whether it is possible for AI to have any sense of good or evil.  For AI will this understanding be comprised of only the human sensation of pleasure or pain.  Will advanced AI have compassion for human beings as well as animals?  How about plants and micro organisms?  This could turn into a real can of worms, so to speak.

Maxwell's Demon

Have physicists really found the first photonic implementation of Maxwell's demon?  A recent paper published in Physical Review Letters seem to indicate so.  The extracted work could be used to charge a battery.

Astronaut Grafitti Inside Apollo 11 Command Module

The interior of the Apollo 11 Command Module was inspected and photographed by a team of artists, scientists, and curators at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum this month and now some of the findings are being made public.  This was part of an effort to 3-D scan and digitize over 138 million objects for public consumption online and through Virtual Reality (VR).

Are Electric Cars Really Green?