Technology Review: Emerging Technologies and their Impact
The Pentagon is after you! We are all doomed! The Total Information Awareness Project Lives on!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Impact of Emerging Technologies: Clean Diesel from Coal - Technology Review
The Impact of Emerging Technologies: Clean Diesel from Coal - Technology Review
Is this something that will work, or is it just something like the old amazing breakthroughs on the covers of Popular Mechanics and Popular Science from the 1950's and early 1960's that never went anywhere? Hopefully, it will. You may wish to read the March 9, 2006 MIT Technology Review item entitled Cheap Hydrogen Fuel that describes a new GE process that would eventually lead to hydrogen production at $3/kilogram vs. the present cost of $8/kg. This might make the hydrogen economy possible. GE did not improve the efficiency of the process of electrolysis, but attacked the capital costs.
Another recent development in the area is described below in my March 30, 2006 post entitled World's First Biogas Plant to Recover Hydrogen and Methane Quickly from Kitchen Waste.
Is this something that will work, or is it just something like the old amazing breakthroughs on the covers of Popular Mechanics and Popular Science from the 1950's and early 1960's that never went anywhere? Hopefully, it will. You may wish to read the March 9, 2006 MIT Technology Review item entitled Cheap Hydrogen Fuel that describes a new GE process that would eventually lead to hydrogen production at $3/kilogram vs. the present cost of $8/kg. This might make the hydrogen economy possible. GE did not improve the efficiency of the process of electrolysis, but attacked the capital costs.
Another recent development in the area is described below in my March 30, 2006 post entitled World's First Biogas Plant to Recover Hydrogen and Methane Quickly from Kitchen Waste.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
The Impact of Emerging Technologies: Making Quantum Practical - Technology Review
The Impact of Emerging Technologies: Making Quantum Practical - Technology Review
Making the Quantum useful! Mixing quantum signals with classical digital signals over the same fiber optic line. Quantum signaling can expand capacity to BIG! It can also be used in computing and in encryption.
Meow!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Dimming of the Sun!
NOVA | Dimming the Sun | PBS
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
We think we know about global warming and contend that mankind bears a significant responsibility for it. That may be so, but note that the sunlight reaching the earth may be diminishing. Is global warming Gaia's defense mechanism?
In any event, we should conserve and live lightly on the earth for the sake of conserving and living lightly. Use less fossil fuels and live closer to the earth, but we should not think that we know the answers to global warming!
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Home
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Home
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is settling into it's orbit maneuvers and testing its cameras as it goes. Click above or the latest. The picture here is the first color image of Mars from the HiRISE camera (enhanced infrared). The HiRISE camera is described in an earlier developers statement:
" The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) will fly on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission, planned for launch in August of 2005. HiRISE will investigate deposits and landforms resulting from geologic and climatic processes and assist in the evaluation of candidate landing sites.
By combining very high resolution and signal-to-noise ratio with a large swath width, it is possible to image on a variety of scales down to 1 meter, a scale currently afforded only in glimpses by landers. HiRISE will offer such views over any selected region of Mars, providing a bridge between orbital remote sensing and landed missions. Stereo image pairs will be acquired over the highest-priority locations with a vertical precision of better than 25 cm per pixel.
User-friendly web tools will be available to both the science community and the public to view/analyze HiRISE images and to submit observation requests. Processed images will be released soon after acquisition to allow everyone to share in the scientific discovery process."
Monday, April 10, 2006
New Scientist Breaking News - World's first brain prosthesis revealed
New Scientist Breaking News - World's first brain prosthesis revealed
Artificial hippocampus undergoing tests. The future is arriving very fast!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Mind Hacks: Dalai Lama to lecture on neuroscience amidst protests
Mind Hacks: Dalai Lama to lecture on neuroscience amidst protests
Interesting site regarding the Dalai Lama's plans to lecture on meditation and neuroscience at a 2005 scientific conference. You might note elsewhere in this blog my comments on the Dali Lama's interest in neuroscience. See the book Destructive Emotions.
In a previous conference with neuroscientists and psychologists, the point was made that western neurophyschology deals mainly with destructive emotions and almost none with happiness and good emotions. Very interesting. Note that the attached site has a discussion section regarding the propriety of the Dalai Lama's appearing.
Interesting site regarding the Dalai Lama's plans to lecture on meditation and neuroscience at a 2005 scientific conference. You might note elsewhere in this blog my comments on the Dali Lama's interest in neuroscience. See the book Destructive Emotions.
In a previous conference with neuroscientists and psychologists, the point was made that western neurophyschology deals mainly with destructive emotions and almost none with happiness and good emotions. Very interesting. Note that the attached site has a discussion section regarding the propriety of the Dalai Lama's appearing.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
ScienceDaily: Newly Found Species Fills Evolutionary Gap Between Fish And Land Animals
ScienceDaily: Newly Found Species Fills Evolutionary Gap Between Fish And Land Animals
How could you not like a story on the "missing link"! This is about a fish with crocodile head, flattened body, and the beginnings of shoulders and wrists. This should not be mistaken with the famous missing link early in the last century, the infamous "Piltdown Man", a fraud not noted until years after its discovery in England.
How could you not like a story on the "missing link"! This is about a fish with crocodile head, flattened body, and the beginnings of shoulders and wrists. This should not be mistaken with the famous missing link early in the last century, the infamous "Piltdown Man", a fraud not noted until years after its discovery in England.
Special Reports: Data Security and Privacy
Special Reports: Data Security and Privacy
Interesting information from MIT's Technology Review magazine/website. It is a compilation of recent security articles.
Interesting information from MIT's Technology Review magazine/website. It is a compilation of recent security articles.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
ScienceDaily: World's First Dedicated Optical SETI Telescope Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence To Begin
ScienceDaily: World's First Dedicated Optical SETI Telescope Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence To Begin
After years of listening for radio waves, The Planetary Society has dedicated an optical telescope dedicated and designed for searching the skies for light signals from other civilizations. Radio is so old anyway! On another note, you may recall those stories of aliens listening in to I Love Lucy television broadcasts from 40 light years away. Well, if so, they would have to have a huge antenna array the size of Connecticut...or bigger. I actually forgot how bit, but Connecticut sounded good!
After years of listening for radio waves, The Planetary Society has dedicated an optical telescope dedicated and designed for searching the skies for light signals from other civilizations. Radio is so old anyway! On another note, you may recall those stories of aliens listening in to I Love Lucy television broadcasts from 40 light years away. Well, if so, they would have to have a huge antenna array the size of Connecticut...or bigger. I actually forgot how bit, but Connecticut sounded good!
ScienceDaily: Researchers create order by using disorder
ScienceDaily: Researchers create order by using disorder
Obviously, the researchers never saw my desk. The only order to come from that mess is a "ham on rye".
But seriously, folks, does this not violate the second lay of thermodynamics? Well, no, I suppose not as Wikipedia says, in part: "the 'Second Law of Thermodynamics' states that the total entropy of any isolated thermodynamic system tends to increase over time, approaching a maximum value; and so, by implication, the entropy of the universe as a whole (i.e. the system and its surroundings) tends to increase. We will consider the meaning of the 'second law' further in a subsequent section."
This is an often misunderstood principle that I often misunderstand. It applies to heat in a closed system. Therefore, not to this order from disorder situation...or am I too simplistic?
Have a great spring!
Monday, April 03, 2006
The oldest explosion in the universe (March 2006) - News - PhysicsWeb
The oldest explosion in the universe (March 2006) - News - PhysicsWeb
Who says there is no time travel? To to this PhysicsWeb site to read about an explosion detected from a time when the universe was in diapers! It also appeared in my constellation, Pisces!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
NASA - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
March 30, 2006 - the MRO is beginning to shrink its orbit to establish the best orbit for its work. This will take six months. This NASA site gives the latest news, photos, animations and diagrams.
March 30, 2006 - the MRO is beginning to shrink its orbit to establish the best orbit for its work. This will take six months. This NASA site gives the latest news, photos, animations and diagrams.
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