Month: July 2014

IBM investing $3 billion to create 7 nanometer and beyond technology over the next 5-10 years to Quantum Computing, Neurosynaptic Computing, Silicon Photonics, Graphene and more

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IBM announced it is investing $3 billion over the next 5 years in two broad research and early stage development programs to push the limits of chip technology needed to meet the emerging demands of cloud computing and Big Data systems. These investments will push IBM’s semiconductor innovations from today’s breakthroughs into the advanced technology …

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A roadmap to colonizing Venus – making concrete, plastics, water, fuel and cooking food

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Selenian Boondocks had developed a roadmap for the phases for proving out ISRU Venus Resources. Phase 0–Terrestrial Analog ISRU Prototyping: This is where we’re at now. As far as I know there has been almost no experimental development of the sort that some of our commenter have suggested which would use simulated Venusian atmosphere to …

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Perfecting Venus atmospheric Colonies and using Venus resources to make Cloud Cities

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Selenian Boondocks had an excellent series of articles about colonizing Venus. At about 50 kilometers (30 mies) altitude, the atmospheric density on Venus is close to “sea level” density on Earth, and temperatures are basically Mediterranean, you get plenty of sunlight, and the CO2 atmosphere is sufficiently denser than air on earth that a breathable …

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US daily crude oil production over 8.5 million barrels per day and is within about 5% of the mid-1980s peak

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US daily crude oil production over 8.5 million barrels per day and natural gas liquids nears 3 million barrels per day. US crude oil production is within about 5% of the mid-1980s peak. There was a high crude oil peak in the 1970s. The United States is on track in late 2015 to have crude …

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Military invasion of Taiwan would achieve nothing for China and the most successful approach to gaining control of territory has been the European Union

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The Week noticed one comment during a series of talks about China’s military modernization and aims. At the end of page 3 and beginning of page 4 (of 12 pages of testimony), Lee Fuell, Technical Director for Force Modernization and Employment U.S. Air Force’s National Air and Space Intelligence Center, makes the point that recent …

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Biobots powered by muscle tissue

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Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign demonstrated a class of walking “bio-bots” powered by muscle cells and controlled with electrical pulses, giving researchers unprecedented command over their function. The group published its work in the online early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Graphic by Janet Sinn-Hanlon, Design Group@VetMed Tiny …

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From the Hindu Gods to Doctor Octopus the Vision of Multiple Extra Arms is being made real with Robotic Arms from MIT

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The vision of humans with extra limbs is taking shape at MIT with researchers adding “supernumerary robotic arms” to assist with tasks that ordinary two-armed humans would find difficult. The extra robotic arm concept was demonstrated with installing ceiling panels in an airplane, a task that must be duplicated dozens of times in the construction …

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Carnival of Nuclear Energy 216

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1. Forbes – Are EPA’s Carbon Rules Really About Nuclear? Although it’s been difficult for the President to advocate for nuclear power within his own party, President Obama’s promise of a world with fewer nuclear weapons but more nuclear energy is finally getting a push with EPA’s new carbon rules. 2. NewsOK – There is …

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Lithium-carbon battery could be cost effective, safe and have five to eight times the energy density of lithium ion batteries

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Journal Nature Scientific Reports – Rechargeable Batteries with High Energy Storage Activated by In-situ Induced Fluorination of Carbon Nanotube Cathode The advantages of using carbon are that it is cost-effective and safe to use, and the energy output is five to eight times higher than lithium-ion batteries currently on the market. The new battery technology …

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Gregory Benford and Larry Niven solved the problems with Shkavdov thrusters for a propulsion system for moving stars

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Gregory Benford and Larry Niven have created as a ‘modified’ Shkadov Thruster for a propulsion scheme capable of moving stars. Information from Centauri Dreams Gregory Benford describes his modified Shkadov thruster. Shipstars engines are Smart Objects–statically unstable but dynamically stable, as we are when we walk. We fall forward on one leg, then catch ourselves …

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