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.