Carnival of Space week 72 is up at twisted physics (Discovery Magazine blog.) This site contributed an update on the solar electric sail project. Colony worlds talks about creating instant roads on the moon and Mars Potentia Tenebras talks about setting bases on near earth asteroids. Check out the Carnival of Space for a lot …
From a new Management Information Service analysis of US energy funding of all kinds from 1950-2006 Click on the images for a larger view. Tax PolicyTax policy includes special exemptions, allowances, deductions, credits, etc., related to the federal tax code. RegulationTwo types of federal expenditures associated with regulation were identified:1) gains realized by energy businesses …
Wired reports that China will build the Controversial Emdrive. UPDATE: The cost and details of superconducting radiofrequency cavities is examined and the potential if the emdrive worksEND UPDATE This site has covered the Emdrive several times before, including the controversy, and the upside. A successful superconducting system would be most efficient at nulling out gravity …
Aquaculture is a major part of the worlds current and future food supply. It currently is the fastest growing food producing sector in the world. Genetically modified (GMO) fish are likely to dominate future fish farming by growing over two times faster than regular fish and being up to 30% more efficient with feed than …
A simplified picture of the electric sail. An actual system would have 50 to 100 or more 20 kilometer wires. 100 kg spaceships could be accelerated to final speeds of 40-100 km/second. [Further refinement can enable a 800km/s top speed – the top solar wind speed] This site has identified the solar electric sail as …
SiCortex, maker of energy-efficient high-productivity computing (HPC) platforms, today announced that it has doubled the price/performance metric of its entire product line. This breakthrough is the result of increased processor speed, advancements to system software and leading-edge compilers. SiCortex computers scale from 72 to 5,832 processors running Linux and other open-source codes, in packages ranging …
Graphics and information from the Sept 2008 Petrobank investors presentation (48 pages) If the Capri/Thai processes are successful then Canada’s oilsands, other oilsands and heavy oil deposits around the world will have higher recovery rates using a more economic process and the oil will be upgrading in the ground to a higher and more valuable …
Above is a chart of the debt ratios in 1996 and 2006 for OECD countries. Some people are overly focused on the deficit in the United States and believe that the US dollar would collapse and be replaced by the Euro or the Yen. As can be seen in the chart the European countries are …
Light Crude has fallen below $92. It was at $91.90 at 11:36 a.m. Singapore time on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The plunge in oil, cotton and copper led to the Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of 19 commodities erasing its gains for the year. The CRB index fell 3.3 percent to 348.26 yesterday, down 2.9 percent …
The Speculist has a clear article and graph that explains how curing all diseases (other than aging) compares to curing aging in terms of life expectancy. This is simplified. If we cure all diseases (all diseases, that is, except aging itself) 20% will make it to 95. So if you’re part of that lucky 1 …
Light crude oil prices have fallen below $100 amid signs that refineries along the Gulf of Mexico coast will soon resume operations after shutting for Hurricane Ike and escaping major damage. “It looks like we’ve dodged another bullet,” said Peter Beutel, president of energy consultant Cameron Hanover Inc. in New Canaan, Connecticut. “The refineries in …