Business Week – Libyan production rose to 1.3 million barrels a day last month, up 150,000 barrels from the previous month, according to IEA estimates. The country’s output is about 300,000 barrels less than its average before the uprising against Muammar Qaddafi last year. Saudi will probably produce 9.8 million barrels a day this month, …
Nature – Snails have joined the growing ranks of animals whose own metabolism can be used to generate electricity. Next lobster implants and rats and eventually human bio-blood powered implants. Designing devices that are far more energy efficient or only needs occasional bursts of power will increase the range of applications. This technology clearly has …
DARPA – Today, the lowest echelon members of the U.S. military deployed in remote overseas locations are unable to obtain on-demand satellite imagery in a timely and persistent manner for pre-mission planning. This is due to lack of satellite overflight opportunities, inability to receive direct satellite downlinks at the tactical level and information flow restrictions. …
Yesterday, Nextbigfuture reviewed a couple of the predictions of $5000 gold prices and a prediction that the US financial situation is not sustainable. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) assumes that the yield on the 10-year Treasury will rise from an estimated 2.3% this year to 5% by the end of the decade; and the yield …
The Carnival of Nuclear Energy is up at NEI Nuclear Notes Energy From Thorium – Last year, Kirk Dorius and Kirk Sorensen traveled to London to participate in the kickoff of the Weinberg Foundation, an advocacy group for thorium energy. I am pleased to announce with them the formation of an “All-Party Parliamentary Group” or …
Science Daily – A group of Italian and Swedish researchers appears to have solved the problem of radio congestion by cleverly twisting radio waves into the shape of fusilli pasta, allowing a potentially infinite number of channels to be broadcast and received. To demonstrate this, the researchers transmitted two twisted radio waves, in the 2.4 …
Paul March looked at approaches for developing a Space Launcher Infrastructure that can provide for safe & rapid transport of up to 25 people to LEO AND provide low cost transport of bulk cargo to LEO for less than $100 per pound. (68 pages) NOTE – Selenian Boondocks – Kirk Sorenson has written why he …
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has successfully test fired SuperDraco, a powerful new engine that will play a critical role in the company’s efforts to change the future of human spaceflight. The engine will enable launch escape at any point in the launch. “SuperDraco engines represent the best of cutting edge technology,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX …
By Joseph Friedlander One line summary: Irresponsible governmental behavior has made us most vulnerable at the precise time a major societal crisis—and choice of futures– is due to be faced. 30 Second version: Reckless government manipulations and spending often with a conscious attempt to ‘smooth out’ the short term economic cycles, may have adversely affected …
A new system for delivering a drug to organ transplant patients, which could avoid the risk of harmful side effects, is being developed by scientists at Strathclyde. The drug, cyclosporine (CsA), is widely used in transplant operations and helps prevent the patient’s body rejecting the organ but it can cause adverse drug reactions, of which …
Arxiv – Gaming is a hard job, but someone has to do it! (12 pages) We establish some general schemes relating the computational complexity of a video game to the presence of certain common elements or mechanics, such as destroyable paths, collecting items, doors activated by switches or pressure plates, etc.. Then we apply such …