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Random Bits Blog Jan-Jun2011

Page history last edited by Rog Rydberg 12 years, 8 months ago

 

 

June 26, 2011

The Next Convergence: The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World

http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/resources/video/data/000397

 

Michael Spence: Future of Economic Growth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqswX_zK_8s

 

Michael Spence: Dynamics of Economic Growth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kWDGhhY9gg&feature=player_embedded

 

June 25, 2011

Nobel Conference 47 - The Brain and Being, Oct 4 & 5, 2011 (Brian T) https://gustavus.edu/events/nobelconference/2011/ 

 

"Holy Enrollers: Why Boomers Are Going to Divinity School" article in Time magazine by Melba Newsome for 06Feb 11 (Dick S)

 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2043476,00.html 

 

Airbus sees record new orders ($72 bil) from Paris airshow (Dick S) http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-with-new-order-record-at-paris-air-show-2011/ and Boeing suffers setbacks http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/24/2283460/boeing-suffered-setbacks-at-paris.html

 

Last Shuttle Flight Cargo delivered to launch pad http://www.space.com/11997-space-shuttle-final-mission-payload-delivery.html 

 

Icy Saturn Moon May be Covering a Salty Sea - Enceladus observations from Cassini satellite with video link (David K) http://www.space.com/12043-saturn-moon-enceladus-salty-sea-underground.html

 

June 11, 2011

Anithydrogen created and held for 15+ minutes at CERN - (Ron M) Science Friday interview http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/06/08/137028191/binding-the-universe-s-other-half-anti-matter-trapped-for-15-minutes and http://m.npr.org/news/Technology/137107084

 

New satellite launched for detailed study of ocean salinity - (Dick S) articles from Aviation Week & Space Technology - unable to find online, but check http://www.santamariatimes.com/news/local/military/vandenberg/article_bd282a42-93ec-11e0-9f30-001cc4c03286.html

 

"2 degrees of separation" article by Gregory Mone in June 2011, Discover Magazine pp 46-51 - (Roger R) - unable to find online 

Global temperatures may be approaching a tipping point.

 

Two new elements, 114 and 116, as yet unnamed, added to periodic table, first detected in 2004, 2006 but not confirmed until now. (H Tom T)

http://losangeles.ibtimes.com/articles/161142/20110611/scientists-two-new-elements-being-added-to-periodic-table.htm

 

"Difference Engine - Nicolas Tesla's Revenge" article in Economist (Bob F) http://www.economist.com/node/18750574?story_id=18750574&fsrc=rss (concerns about shortages of rare earth metals for permanent magnets for electric vehicle systems, tip interest toward induction alternative working in Tesla motors (Hank test drove and confirmed its very quick and quiet)

 

The Future of Energy - a series of 6 articles in Popular Science magazine July 2011, pp 45-76 plus, (Bob F) including

The Last Drops, How Power Happens, Next-Gen Nukes, Fusion Energy, Space-based Solar Power, The Low-Hanging Fruit - unable to locate online but available for fee from http://www.popsci.com

 

Saudi's set to increase oil production - (Bob F) by 13% to 10 billion barrel per day http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Saudis-Set-to-Boost-Oil-Production-123683489.html

 

Very cool concept video for Direct Digital Manufacturing - 4 minute video (David K) good story telling http://vimeo.com/12768578 

 

May 26, 2011

Inside Job - Full Movie(Rog R)

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28189.htm

 

May 24, 2011

Cray Announces 50-Petaflop Hybrid Supercomputer

First order placed by Swiss computer center.  (Dick S) 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2015134689_cray_launches_xk6_hybrid_super.htmlhttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2015134689_cray_launches_xk6_hybrid_super.html

 

May 23, 2011

 Free Excel Spreadsheets (ROG R)

http://www.exinfm.com/free_spreadsheets.html

 

May 21, 2011

Monica (Rog R)

  Enjoy the demo >> Hi, I’m Monica. I'm changing the world of communication, using natural human interaction, by being your own assistant anytime, for all of your needs, from anywhere; with boundless capabilities

http://www.mymonica.com/

 

"Ok, Einstein, You were right again" 05May11 appeared in Pioneer Press (Ron M) 701 words available for purchase - instead check out "einstein Theories Confirmed by NASA Gravity Probe" article by Ker Than, in National Geographic News http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/05/110505-einstein-theories-confirmed-gravity-probe-nasa-space-science/

 

US Patent Reform - latest news, (D Cam S) editorial in a medical device magazine, http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_18074651?nclick_check=1 - also see http://boston.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?articletitle=Patent%20reform%20bill%20might%20hurt%20small%20companies%E2%80%94the%20unknowns%20make%20it%20hard%20to%20tell&newsid=234758&type_news=latest&s=sbcn, and http://www.businessinsider.com/is-congress-trying-to-kill-american-innovation-through-patent-reform-2011-5 

 

HP Memristor Breakthrough (Dick S) http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Data-Storage/HP-Records-New-Breakthrough-in-Memristor-Development-280629/ They have figured out the chemistry of the memristor works, leading to increasing development of this "fourth basic circuit design element".

 

Siri - new iPhone app, virtual personal admin assistant - (Roger R) http://siri.com/ 

 

"Global Energy:The Latest Infatuations" article in Amer. Sci. by Vaclav Smil, talks about how fossil fuel use precludes "new energy" (H. Tom T) http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2011/3/global-energy-the-latest-infatuations

 

"Goodyear and Zeppelin: Together Again after 70 Years" article in Airships.net, (Bob F) http://www.airships.net/blog/goodyear-zeppelin-70-years next gen. Goodyear will be faster, from German ZLT Zeppelin - Blimps have no frame, Zeppelins have frames inside. 

 

Pepsico exploring 15 micron salt (Bob F) https://media.scoopreprintsource.com/CondeNast/5720CN_PepsiCo_051713.pdf New Yorker article 

http://gizmodo.com/5800268/the-future-of-salt-and-sugar-is-being-engineered-in-a-pepsico-lab - right sized salt gives optimal taste with less salt - today most salt is untasted, but affect the consumer - also working on sugar

 

Bitcoin - new effort at a virtual currency (George P) http://bitcoin.org 

 

Disney copyrights "Seal Team 6" (Hank L) http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20062914-10391698.html

 

May 16, 2011

Weaving a New Web (Rog R) http://discovermagazine.com/2011/mar/17-weaving-a-new-web/article_print

 

May 14, 2011

Check out these excellent interactive gigapixel pictures of night sky -(H. Tom T) http://skysurvey.org/

 

"Tips for putting down your smartphone" article by Michelle Basch http://www.wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=2381361 (Lorna S) Discussion of the book "The Digital Diet: A Four-Step Plan to Break Your Tech Addiction and Regain Balance In Your Life." by Daniel Sieberg

 

New Robot Designs Are For The Birds, article by Bill Wong, appeared in Electronic Design magazine 5/5/11 edition pg 14, (D Cam S) http://www.allitwares.com/featured-articles-body-New-Robot-Designs-Are-For-The-Birds-644-1.html

 

Flocks of parakeets on the rise in the UK, 30% per year, "Wild parrots settle in suburbs", (Bob F) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3869815.stm 

 

Cleaning fingernails found to dramatically reduce infections in hospitals - (Lorna S) - (unable to find specific news item, but here is one http://infectioncontrol.ucsfmedicalcenter.org/html/FAQs.html and http://www.thedailytimes.com/Blount_Life/story/Global_campaign_emphasizes_proper_hand_hygiene_id_010838 ))  

Landmark Study Reveals That CEOs Are Remarkably Similar to Babies (David K) - humor - http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/09/3613044/landmark-study-reveals-that-ceos.html#ixzz1LxyOEBDC

 

"In 13 months, tablet computer has upended PC world", article by David Sarno, LA Times, appeared on front page of business section of Star Tribune 14May11, (Roger R) http://www.startribune.com/business/121816104.html 

 

"Nanotech respiratory risk: Do tiny particles mean big danger?" article by Maureen Paranventi, Asst Editor, Industrial Hygiene magazine, pp 48-49, (Dick S)  http://www.ishn.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000001042317 (David K comment: keep in mind that Ind Hyg. advertisers sell equip for worker safety)

 

May 7, 2011

Chinas energy numbers and changing targets (David G)

http://www.thechinabusinessnetwork.com/Channel-Index/Green-Development/General/General-2011/Number-1-in-Thermal,-Solar,-Nuclear,-Wind-and-Hydr.aspx

 

May 5, 2011 The Future (Rog R)

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/05/01/what_will_happen_to_us/?page=full

 

April 28, 2011 Several New Ideas (Rog R)

The Newest Big Idea

http://mnfuturist2011.pbworks.com/w/page/39610135/The-Real-Social-Network

 

The New Awakening of Democracy?

http://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/craig-newmark-media-is-the-immune-system-of-democracy/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=gigaom

Who Controls The Digital Highways?

http://www.cloudtweaks.com/2011/04/amazon-web-services-deployment-the-right-way/

Maybe AT&T Needs to Think Bigger

http://www.glgroup.com/News/ATT--The-Gang-That-Cant-Shoot-Straight-53721.htm

 

April 27, 2011

Interesting for the future of nuclear power (specifically Thorium.  David G.) :

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/china-academy-of-science-annual-budget.html

 

April 23, 2011

Robot News

Lego sorter robot (drk) video http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-04/video-industrial-robot-made-entirely-legos-sorts-48-items-minute

 

Robot hair replacement cleared by FDA (drk) http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/21/hair-transplant-robot-gets-fda-approval-men-with-straight-brown/

 

Phillie Bot - throws first pitch (drk) http://www.azorobotics.com/Details.asp?newsID=1400

 

Dancing robot (drk) http://dvice.com/archives/2011/04/this-robots-dan.php

 

Wet, humid robot (drk) http://robotics.tmcnet.com//topics/robotics/articles/166461-st%C3%A4ubli-robotics-introduces-new-he-robot-humid-wet.htm

 

Recon Scout – wavelength interference ruling (drk) local company news http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-scores-partial-victory-in-reconrobotics-proceeding

 

Fukushima UAV - video from flying robot (drk) http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/21/t-hawk-uav-enters-fukushima-danger-zone-returns-with-video/

 

Survivor Buddy (drk) interesting robot with interface for rescue missions http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/robot-video-roundup

 

Other News  

Rail gun - projectile travels 4 mi after steel plate (drk) http://dvice.com/archives/2011/04/video-railgun-r.php

 

Cloud collapse (drk) it happened, lessons learned http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/04/22/amazon.cloud.mashable/

 

Nissan resumes production of the Leaf EV (drk)

 

Protean Electric - In-wheel motors for F-150 truck, each 68 lb motor gives 110 HP per wheel, up to 100 mph, 100 mi range (drk)

 

Universe Expansion - dark matter out, anti gravity in, new theory (drk)

 

AT&T a victim of success, in papers related to acquisition of T-Mobile, they state they handled 8,000 times for data in 2010 compared to 2007 (> 10 Peta Bypes/year) and project that they will handle that much in first 5-7 weeks of 2015.  Argue that T-Mobile acq. will provide capacity to meet the demand. (drk)

 

April 21, 2011

Is the World Too Big to Fail? The Contours of Global Order (Rog R)

 

April 5, 2011

Why The Chinese are ahead (Rog R) http://spynet.ru/blog/video/27571.html

 

Next Big Ideas - 60 second Web Page Development (Rog R) http://www.zapd.com/  http://pkq.zapd.co/

 

April 2, 2011

Patent Reform - excellent synopsis of pending legislation - (D Cam S)

 

Six foot hole opens on Southwest 737 - (Bob F) http://www.nwcn.com/news/Southwest-flight-to-Phoenix-diverted-to-Yuma-119100294.html

 

Wyoming Returns to Uranium Mining - article in Nukewatch Spring 2011 will be posted http://www.nukewatchinfo.org (Dick S) 10 uranium mines restarted in WY, by companies including Uranium One, Cameco, Titan Uranium USA.  Production may return to 6,000 tons/yr, a level not seen since 1979 when the Three Mile Island accident occured.

 

"Hydrogenics (HYGS) Awarded Contract to Deliver Hydrogen Fuel Cell Modules for Hybrid Ferry" (Roger) http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Hydrogenics-Awarded-Contract-pz-2922528253.html?x=0&.v=1  Fuel cells for tourist ferries between New York City and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - Boats are quieter, and cleaner, but have both solar and diesel engines as well.

 

Watt Station - GE Electric Vehicle Charger - http://www.geindustrial.com/products/static/ecomagination-electric-vehicles/ge-wattstation.html (John D) - available locally from Viking Electric

 

Mazda 2 - planned for 2011 or 2012, 70 mpg - not a hybrid (although next generation will be hybrid) - uses direct injection engine with very high fuel compression, and no knock  (Brian T) 

 

 

 

March 26, 2011

"Microchips in the eye" article in Medical Device & Diagnostics Industry magazine, Mar 2011, pp 36-52 by the Pres. CEO of Retinal Implant, AG (who?) http://www.mddionline.com/article/microchips-eye and video http://www.mddionline.com/video-vault-retina-implant-ag-electronic-microchip

 

"China Making Oil Deals" article by Chris V. Nicholson, NY Times, in Star Tribune, 25Mar11, pg D6, (Rog R) http://www.startribune.com/business/118607779.html 

 

"Cirrus Deal Fuels Protests over Jobs and Security"  article by Jim Spencer & Kevin Diaz in Star Tribune, 26Mar11, D1 (Rog R) http://www.startribune.com/business/118690889.html (Duluth start-up company - sale to Chinese Aircraft company being argued)

 

US Patent office changing to harmonize with rest of world (D Cam S) http://nydailyrecord.com/blog/2011/03/09/bill-would-%E2%80%98harmonize%E2%80%99-patent-process-with-world/ Senate Bill S.23 provision to replace "first to invent" with "first to file" system 

 

"GE Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether" by David Kocieniewski, 24Mar11, New York Times, (Roger R) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

 

Perpetual Motion machine driven by Water - YouTube video (Hank) (no link found - please update)

 

March 23, 2011

Grid Storage: ZBB Energy and Axion Power  (Roger R) see Upload

 

March 19, 2011

 

Book Sale at Terrace Horticultural, 503 St. Clair Ave, St. Paul, MN (D Cam S)

 

Fire at Soudan Minehttp://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/194254/group/homepage/ (Dick S)

 

Disease in a Dish - article in Scientific American, Mar 2011(John D) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=diseases-in-a-dish

 

Boeing 747 8I roll out aqt $317.5 million a piece (Bob F) http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/3742590/ 

 

March 18, 2011

Sage Electrochromics Lands $80M Investment

and starts construction of $135M plant in Faribault to make tintable windows (Dick S.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/in_private/2010/11/sage-electrochromics-lands-80m.html

 

18 Feb 2011 

Exxon Mobil on biofuels

 

16 Feb 2011

Thom Hartmann: No such thing as a safe level of radiation

 

12 Feb 2011 

"Silent Warrior" article in Apr 2011 issue of Discover by Adam Piore, pp 48-54, 76 (Roger R) Synthetic telepathy research for war fighters explored. http://discover.coverleaf.com/discovermagazine/201104?pg=3#pg3 - subscription or fee, at this time

 

"Ill Winds Blowing" article in Apr 2011 issue of Discover by David Kirby, pp 56-65 (Roger R) 1,400 tons ov mercury headed our way http://discover.coverleaf.com/discovermagazine/201104?pg=3#pg3 - subscription or fee, at this time

 

"Future Tech" article in Apr 2011 issue of Discover by David Freedman pp 30-31 (Roger R) Robot cars http://discover.coverleaf.com/discovermagazine/201104?pg=3#pg3 - subscription or fee, at this time

 

“LED lighting teardowns: Five lighting designs that illuminate the future of lighting” special article in Electronic Design News by Margery Conner, Technical Editor, 7Oct10 (D Cam S) http://www.edn.com/article/510700-LED_lighting_teardowns_Five_lighting_designs_that_illuminate_the_future_of_lighting.php

 

“LED Lighting Waits In The Wings” article in Electronic Design by Mat Dirjish, 09Sep10 (DCam S) http://electronicdesign.com/article/engineering-feature/led_lighting_waits_in_the_wings.aspx

   

“Operating Conditions Get Tougher On Li-Ion Batteries” article by Robin Tichy, 20Aug10, Electronic Design (DCam S) http://electronicdesign.com/article/power-design/operating_conditions_get_tougher_on_li_ion_batteries.aspx

 

Stuxnet and the Internet of Victims” article by Ron Wilson, 17Feb11, Electronic Design News (DCam S) http://www.edn.com/article/512740-Stuxnet_and_the_Internet_of_Victims.php

 

“FYI: Could Scientists Really Create a Zombie Apocalypse Virus?” article by By Ryan Bradley, 24Feb11, Popular Science (Bob F) http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-02/fyi-could-scientists-really-create-zombie-apocalypse-virus

 

Saudi Arabia's day of little rage” article by Eman Al Nafjan guardian.co.uk, 12 Mar11 (Bob F) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/12/saudi-protests also “Oil Drops Amid Japanese Refinery Shutdown and Muted ‘Day of Rage’ ” article by Agustino Fontevecchia, 11Mar11 in Forbes

http://blogs.forbes.com/afontevecchia/2011/03/11/oil-drops-amidst-japanese-refinery-shut-down-and-muted-day-of-rage/

 

09 March 2011 -Earl-Joseph  

http://minnesotafuturist.pbworks.com/w/page/34161134/Univac-NTDS-Earl-Joseph

 

07 March 2011

What does the research say about improving education in the US (discussion paper by an economist, David G): 

http://ftp.iza.org/dp5495.pdf

see also:     http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/heckman.htm

 

Egypt and the Middle East, before and after the Revolution

7:00 p.m. Thursday March 10

Board Room, Weyerhaeuser Hall

62 Macalester Street, On the Macalester Campus

 

What evidence suggested that Egypt was about to undergo paroxysms of democratic fervor? And now, what do the changes mean for Egypt's future? How might the additional protests in Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain and Iran change the face of he Middle East?

 

05 March 2011

“What I saw before the revolution: Macalaster in Egypt on the Cusp of Historic Change” panel discussion at 7 pm, in the Board Room in Weyerhauser Hall, 62 Macalaster St, St. Paul, 10 March (Brian T) no charge – more info alumnioffice@macalester.edu

 

“Tiny drones creating buzz” article by Julie Watson,Associated Press,  Feb 28, 2011, appeared in Star Tribune, Hummingbird like surveillance device (Hank L) http://www.startribune.com/nation/117115093.html

 

“Surviving with 7 Billion” cover story National Geographic magazine (Roger) http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/7-billion

 

“IT Is Too Darn Slow” article by Chris Murphy, 26 Feb 11, in Information Week (Roger) http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229218781

 

“Radioactive Smoke: A Dangerous Isotope Lurks in Cigarette” article by Brianna Rego,  Jan 5, 2011 pp78-79 (John D)  Polonium in tobacco – abstract at  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=radioactive-smoke find full article at your Library or through an online subscription of $49 per year

 

“Dramatic drop seen in kids' ear infections; smoking decline may be a reason, researchers say”  article by Mike Stobbe ,Associated Press, 04 Mar 11, appeared in Star Tribune (Bob F) http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/117409978.html

 

“Brain Freeze: How the deluge of information paralyzes our ability to make good decisions” – cover of Newsweek 7 Mar 2011 issue, “ I Can’t Think” article by Sharon Begley, pp 28 – 33, regarding information overload reducing decision speed and effectiveness (Bob F)  - article at http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/i-can-t-think.html, cover image at http://www.coverjunkie.com/new-covers/4690

 

“Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything” book by Joshua Foer on memory and his efforts to develop total recall (Dave K) http://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything/dp/159420229X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299340547&sr=8-1

 

“Introducing the anti-laser, absorbing beams of light” article by Henry Fountain, NY Times – researcher at Yale built device to demonstrate equations for lasers work backwards – the device absorbs laser light and dissipates the coherent beam, resulting in heat. (David K) appeared in St. Paul Pioneer Press 27feb11 pg A3 – direct link at http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/23/physicists-build-worlds-first-anti-laser/

 

Protests planned in Saudi Arabia, organized in Facebook, for 11Mar and 20Mar (Dick S) http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/protests-planned-in-saudi-arabia/activism/

 

Saudi stocks down 13 days in a row, as noted in Bespoke Invest (Dick S)  http://www.bespokeinvest.com/thinkbig/2011/3/2/saudi-stocks-down-13-days-in-a-row.html

Also Saudi shares slump to 22-mth low on protest fears (David K) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/02/saudi-markets-idUSLDE72110320110302

 

“Rare Earths and US Manufacturing” article by Thomas Duesterberg, Pres. of Manufacturers Alliance, in Mar issue of Industry Week. (who?) – China has become dominant (95%) producer of rare earth elements (ores come from many places, but refining and manufacturing of the useful elements is now centered in China)  http://www.industryweek.com/articles/rare_earths_and_u-s-_manufacturing_23863.aspx

 

World Class Innovation Index – take the survey to assess your organization (Dave K)- http://www.worldclassinnovation.com/

 

Feb 27, 2011

Crash Course Short Summary (6 parts, 45 min, David G.) available at:

http://www.chrismartenson.com/page/crash-course-one-year-anniversary

 

Feb 26, 2011

Oil production https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2173rank.html and consumption https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html by country (Bill P)  

Consider what countries might do as gasoline approaches or exceeds $4 per gal.

 

Artificial intelligence discussed in article in newest Atlantic magazine, Mar 2011 - (Bob F) 

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/03/mind-vs-machine/8386/2/ 

While the creator of ELIZA turned away when people suggested it could be used as psychologist for counselling, Bob suggests it might be very useful for training psychologists.  H. Tom worked with ELIZA in the 1960s at Michigan State and observed that it was possibly the first time a person experienced unconditional acceptance.

 

Cell phone stimulates brain activity - article by Melissa Healy, originally appeared in LA Times on 23Feb11   (Hank) http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-he-cell-phones-brain-20110223,0,1084207.story

 

Wind Technologies Market Report 2009 (78 pages) - http://www.jkeckert.com/freedownloads/2009wind.pdf

 

Feb 20, 2011

Geoengineering already ? (David G.):

http://english.cas.cn/Ne/CN/201102/t20110218_65216.shtml

 

An interesting article on MN governance (David G):

http://www.minnpost.com/donshelby/2011/02/15/25784/picking_science_that_fits_politics_rep_mike_beard_on_climate_change

and an interesting survey (mentioned in the comments)

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/uoia-ssa011609.php

 

A recent article at a European News Website says that a Harvard Public Health Study finds the hidden costs to society of electricity from coal are

between 1 and 3 times the actual cost of the electricity paid by the users (David G.).

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/usa-coal-study-idUSN1628366220110216

 

Links for Wired articles on Thorium Power (David G):

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_new_nukes/

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/china-thorium-power/

Google (only on web site) “Thorium” at http://nextbigfuture.com/2009/12/liquid-fluoride-thorium-reactor-in.html

For more technical details: http://energyfromthorium.com/essay3rs/

 

Feb 19, 2011

 

Is the Obama Administration getting the message On Thorium?

http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2011/02/is-obama-administration-getting-message.html (Rog R)

 

IBM Watson computer wins on Jeopardy game show this week.  Ken Jennings, a previous long term winner, commented "I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords." (Bob F) http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/science-updates/ibms-watson-computer-wins-on-jeopardy-but-has-future-without-games-shows-video

 

Electric Vehicle Charging Station installed at 3M campus this week.  (David K)  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/10/3m-charging-station/

 

Singularity: Kurzweil on 2045, article in Time magazine "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal" By Lev Grossman Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011, (Tom  R) http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048138,00.html

 

"Print me a Stradivarius" article in Economist magazine, discusses progress in 3D printing technology (Bob F) http://www.economist.com/node/18114327

 

"Breaching the Brain Barrier" an article in Dec 2010 issue of Scientific American - use of microbubbles to help medication reach the brain - subscription required (John D) http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v304/n1/full/scientificamerican0111-20a.html

 

"Volt Fraud at Government Motors" an article in Investors Business Daily 19Oct10 - bashes down hype for Chevy Volt (Tom M) http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/550957/201010191855/Volt-Fraud-At-Government-Motors.aspx 

 

"America's Untapped Oil" an article by Jonathan Fahey, AP, 17Feb11, appeared in Star Tribune (Brian T)  http://www.startribune.com/business/116428319.html

 

"Oil: Can't America Just Get Over It?" Public presentation at University of Minnesota on 16Feb11 by Michael Noble, Fresh Energy (David G) https://events.umn.edu/Oil-Can%E2%80%99t-America-Just-Get-Over-It-[Frontiers-in-the-Environment]-010180.htm

 

Feb 18, 2011

 

CUTE: Citaro bus

What is CHiC? (Roger R)

 

Feb 12, 2011

Kips Bay Medical, Manny Villafana, IPO this week - raised $16.5Mil - Star Tribune article (Dick S)  http://www.startribune.com/business/115955424.html 

 

"Shining a light on the Genome's "Dark Matter' " - article by Elizabeth Pennisi from set "Insights of the Decade" from Science Magazine, Dec 10 - available online with free registration (Eric H) - http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6011/1614.short

 

"A Cell Tower Small Enough To Fit Your Pocket, Courtesy Alcatel-Lucent" article by Gaurav Kheterpal, 9Feb11 on The Telecom Blog, http://www.thetelecomblog.com/2011/02/09/a-cell-tower-small-enough-to-fit-your-pocket-courtesy-alcatel-lucent/ (Brian T) Light Radio Rubik's cube size device handles 2G, 3G and 4G simultaneously

 

"Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking" new 6 volume book set by Nathan Myhrvold, 2,438 pages  (D Cam S) http://modernistcuisine.com/ 

 

"China to develop a greener nuclear reactor", article By Tuan C. Nguyen 4Feb11 from Smart Planet and others http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/china-to-develop-a-greener-nuclear-reactor/6205/ about a  multi-cycle nuclear reactor based on Thorium instead of Uranium (David G)

 

Northern Oil & Gas (NOG on NYSE) http://www.northernoil.com/ has grown from $4/share 2007 to over $28/share in Feb11 - one of the large participants in the Bakken and Three Forks oil & gas fields in North Dakota, Montana (Duane C)

 

"These Plastics Create Electricity" article by Doug Smock in Jan11 Design News, pp 40-44, available online at http://www.designnews.com/article/511956-These_Plastics_Create_Electricity.php (D Cam S) - touches on conductive polymer films and photovoltaics and companies, Solarmer Energy, Konarka gets $20M investment from Konica Minolta, 3M, BASF, DuPont, Bayer, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Plextronics

 

Feb 05, 2011

Wasp micro unmanned aerial  vehicle now in use by Austin, TX, SWAT - about the size of a crow, weighing 40 lb, with capacity to carry 15 lb of additional gear. Unarmed.  Built by Aerovironment. (Hank L, David K) 

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=3174 

 

"The Daily" launched by News Corp., owner of Wall Street Journal. The Daily is an iPad only online daily news feed. Subscription cost is $0.99/week. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/02/what%E2%80%99s-new-about-the-daily/2/ (Bill P) also appeared in WSJ 28Jan11 item by Russell Adams

 

"The alarm bells of Nagasaki" article in The Economist 13Jan11 - Urban decline in Japan - distressing indicators of impact of aging society. (Bob F) http://www.economist.com/node/17909982 

 

"RF Driven Plasma Lighting: The Next Revolution in Light Sources" article from Microwave Journal, Dec 2010 issue pp 68-74 - Rf Plasma lamps are higher efficiency than LEDs.  (DCam S) See the table - full article online at http://www.mwjournal.com/Journal/Print.asp?Id=AR_10020 

 

Jan 26, 2011

20 Forecasts for 2011-2025 (Rog R) http://www.wfs.org/forecasts/index.html

 

Jan 22, 2011

"Tiny Silicon Chip Uses Quantum Physics to Slow Light Down" article by Sandeep Ravindran  14Jan11 in Wired Online (David K) http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/slow-light-chip/ 

 

Good source for bargain books - Edward R Hamilton bookseller - note it is less expensive to get their weekly catalog and order via snail mail, than to order online (D Cam Smith) http://edwardrhamilton.com/inquiry.html to get the catalog

 

Rare Element Resources, Ltd. (RES - Toronto Stock Exchange) http://www.rareelementresources.com/s/Home.asp - experienced dramatic stock price rise ($0.50 to $14 in 4 months) and recently raised $57 million - (Dick S)

 

Connections - video series by James Burke - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_%28TV_series%29 (Roger R)

 

Jan 21, 2011

Future Technology Blog Recent Posts "Jump the curve".  Jan 21, 2011 "If we want to prepare our children for the future, we need to stop preparing them for our past.” This statement by Dan Pink, the author of A Whole New Mind, was made in an address to Achieve Minneapolis this past November. (who?)  http://www.jumpthecurve.net/index.php/recent_posts/future_fridays/

 

Jan 15, 2011

"Towards a Smarter Grid" Massoud Amin on Science Friday 14jan11 (David K) http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201101143 

 

Boeing Dreamliner test flight fire in Nov 2010 update. (John D) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/business/25boeing.html 

 

Toyota to redesign electric vehicle batteries to reduce reliance on neodymium (Nd) - currently about 2.2 lb required for each Prius - due to rising cost and sourcing from China (D Cam S) http://seekingalpha.com/article/246694-toyota-tries-to-lessen-dependence-on-china 

 

News about new electrode material for Chevy Volt - Argonne National Lab licenses material to GM and LG Chemical (John D) http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/01/volt-to-get-lighter-more-powerful-batteries.html 

 

Excellent resource for battery technology - "Secondary Batteries" by George Wood Vinal (originally published 1924) (D Cam S) http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6665816M/Storage_batteries 

 

"Future of Screen Technology" - check out the you tube video link (Roger R) - Click to View

 

"Inception" - check out the visually and mentally stretching film from 2010, starring Leonardo DiCaprio - Interesting idea about dreams (Brian) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/ 

 

Interview with Pat Yarrington, CEO Chevron, article by Geoff Colvin, Fortune Magazine, 06Dec10 issue, pp 92-99 - shares her view that gas and diesel will continue to be main vehicle transportation fuels for at least 20 years, with some increase in natural gas for fleet vehicles (Bob F) [may be available later in Jan via the archive site http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/]

 

Chanos vs. China - article by Bill Powell, Fortune Magazine, 06Dec10 issue, pp 160-166 - suggests shorting China due to a looming problem with real estate investments in China (Bob F) [may be available later in Jan via the archive site http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/]

 

Jan 8, 2011

"Freefall" by Joseph E. Stiglitz gives a fascinating explanation of the present global economic crisis, and an interesting start to the discussion of where we might want to go from here socially and economically.  (David G.)

 

An interesting article on the development of an electrically operated space propulsion system.  The names of the authors and their affiliations were interesting. (David G.)

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/01/iec-thrusters-for-satellite-maneuvering.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fadvancednano+%28nextbigfuture%29&utm_content=Gmail

 

Jan 7, 2011

Air Force Unveils Fastest Defense Supercomputer, Made of 1,760 PlayStation 3s (Brian T)

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-12/air-forces-new-supercomputer-made-1760-playstation-3s 

 

"US gas demand should fall for good after '06 peak" AP article 20Dec10, estimated to decline by 20% by 2030, with no impact on price (Bob F) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i2YitVQIJRBssIHu2s0xjAcnGKRw?docId=865c96a225634368a4f92eed4bcd0892 

 

Ten Year Anniversary of Wikipedia - Minnesota Celebration next Saturday 15Jan at 1 pm, Brits Pub, Minneapolis (H Tom T) http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis-St._Paul 

 

"Nanogenerator, made more simply, powers LCD" - article Electronic Products Dec 2010, pg 12 - (D Cam) http://www2.electronicproducts.com/Nanogenerator_made_more_simply_powers_LCD-article-olrc01_dec2010-html.aspx 

 

"The Long Road Back" - article by Dee DePass, in Star Tribune, 6Dec10, pp D1, D8 (D Cam) Xcel energy power-line project is a bright spot in MN construction industry www.startribune.com/business/111303604.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU 

 

"Dirty Coal, Clean Future", article by James Fallows, in Dec 2010 issue of The Atlantic Magazine (Bob F) - Blasting coal veins with air, oxygen, water, some additives produces a fuel gas and a useful byproduct (urea) for fertilizer http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/dirty-coal-clean-future/8307/ 

 

Building a Nano-Yarn - from NPR Science Friday 7jan10 (David K) Progress in development from Univ. Texas, Dallas includes photo http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201101071 

 

Home built 3D printer - NPR Science Friday 7jan10 video pick of the week (David K) - features working DIY project built for about $3000.  Note less expensive kits are available. http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201101073 

 

Citizen Science Projects - NPR Science Friday 7Jan10 - explores a variety of current projects with links to projects where you can contribute (David K) http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201101072 

 

 

 

Dec 29, 2010

2011 Outlook: Economy Should Do Better Than Market Expects(Rog R)

2011 Outlook_ Economy Should Do Better Than Market Expects - Seeking Alpha.pdf

 

Why Do We Need Predictions? (Brian T)

http://is.gd/jHL00  

 

 

Dec 25, 2010

For The New Year : Setting Goals Guidelines - THE S.M.A.R.T. system. (Rog R)

http://www.topachievement.com/smart.html

 

Dec 18, 2010

“Forward Osmosis could make water desalination cheaper and more energy efficient” – Startup Oasys featured in MIT Tech Review article – 15 Dec 2010 (David G) http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/forward-osmosis-could-make-water.html

 

“Lego Antikythera Mechanism” 3 minute video on YouTube (Brian T) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPVCJjTNgk

 

“Google Maps The Human Body”  article by Alison Diana in Information Week, 17Dec 2010 – Google Maps for human anatomy (David K) http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/virtualization/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228800812&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

 

“Was It Really So Bad?” By Michael Elliott Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010 Time magazine article reviews global economy (Bob F) http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2032304_2032746_2035981,00.html

 

Forecast for Large Commercial Jet Transport – a market report by Forecast International projects the size of Airbus A320 to be 8,224 and Boeing 737 to by 10, 316 by 2019.  Fleet size greater than 10,000 for a specific model has not been observed since the DC 3.  (Bob F) – unable to locate a web reference

 

US Missile Defense Test Fails Again – (Roger R) www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20101217_4999.php

 

“Facebook's facial recognition knows who your friends are” online article By Helen A.S. Popkin, 16 Dec 2010 talks about “tag suggestions” resulting from facial recognition scans of others photos to recommend photos that are like photos in your catalog (David K) http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/16/5660488-facebooks-facial-recognition-knows-who-your-friends-are-

 

 

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