Carnival of Nuclear Energy 178

1. At Nuke Power Talk, Gail Marcus adds to the chorus of voices saying that the electricity pricing policies that were put in place to encourage the development of renewable energy sources just don’t make sense. In fact, they are counterproductive, as they are leading to the shutdown of nuclear power plants–and the consequent replacement …

Read more

Details on Quantum Computer speed analysis and a 502 qubit chip is 10,000 times faster than classical quad core workstation

Experimental Evaluation of an Adiabiatic Quantum System for Combinatorial Optimization (10 pages) This paper presents an experimental study of algorithms based on quantum annealing (a type of AQC computation)running on a special-purpose D-Wave Two platform containing 439 quantum bits (qubits). Earlier systems with between 84 and 108 qubits have been used for finding Ramsey numbers, …

Read more

Accelerating Intelligence and technology is powerful but persistent stupidity has proven to last for the ages

Steve Jurvetson (super-venture capitalist) addresses Peter Thiel (billionaire investor) argument that there is no Moore’s Law of exponential technologies. Steve point is that there are exponential technologies and they do generate accelerating benefits and returns but that it is creating winner take all in each of the markets. Legendary CEO of GE Jack Welch indicated …

Read more

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Launched

1. Business week – Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) expects sales of its new Galaxy Note 2 smartphone to get off to a stronger start than its predecessor even after Apple Inc. (AAPL) sold a record number of the latest iPhone in its debut weekend. The model will probably sell three times faster than the previous …

Read more

Path to Affordable uranium from seawater

IEEE Spectrum – Our oceans contain an estimated 4.5 billion metric tons of uranium, diluted down to a minuscule 3.3 parts per billion. The idea of extracting uranium from seawater has been kicking around for decades now, but the materials and processes to do so may finally be economically viable. The best method works like …

Read more

Wall Street Journal Considers Our Superabled Transhumanist Future

WSJ – High-tech implants will soon be commonplace enhancements under our skin and inside our skulls, making us stronger and smarter. Daniel H. Wilson on our ‘superabled’ future. “Amped” author Daniel Wilson discusses the emergence, in the not-so-distant future, of a new class of people whose microchip-enhanced mental abilities may raise questions about what it …

Read more

Sanmen Westinghouse AP1000 reactor connected to offsite power for testing

World Nuclear News – Unit 1 of China’s Sanmen nuclear power plant has been connected to a nearby substation to provide offsite power for testing electrical systems. The reactor is set to begin operating next year. The Westinghouse AP1000 reactor in Sanmen, China is still on schedule. China’s other AP1000 reactors also appear to be …

Read more

Apple close to $500 billion valuation and on the way to a Trillion

Apple ended the last quarter of 2011 with a net income of $13.1 billion. Apple now has a valuation of about $490 billion. The company sold 37 million iPhones in the period ended Dec. 31, with customers snapping up the new 4S model that went on sale in October. Seeking Alpha – analysts expect the …

Read more

NASA has video confirming their belief in LENR and their research and Rossi claims to ahve started producing small Energy Catalyzers at $100-150 per kilowatt

1. NASA has a video from Joseph Zawodney and researchers at Langley which fully endorses Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) and indicates that the processes are real and energy generating. It is entitled “Method for Enhancement of Surface Plasmon Polaritons to Initiate and Sustain LENR. Nyteknik coverage Dr. Joseph Zawodny, Senior Research Scientist at NASA, …

Read more

3D Printing is a billion dollar industry and is almost ready to explode into the mainstream

Technology Review – With 3-D printing, manufacturers can make existing products more efficiently—and create ones that weren’t possible before Technicians at General Electric weld together as many as 20 separate pieces of metal to achieve a shape that efficiently mixes fuel and air in a fuel injector. But for a new engine coming out next …

Read more

NASA is moving towards the Space Launch System

NASA anticipates initiating a full and open competition for the advanced booster system in FY2015 with award anticipated in FY2016 and hardware delivery in the FY2019 timeframe. The 130-metric-ton, evolved SLS is slated for completion following the 2021 test flight. The Space Launch system will end up costing tens to hundreds of billions of dollars …

Read more