Georgia Tech computer scientists are laying the groundwork for exascale machines that will process more than a million trillion – or 10^18 – calculations per second. Karsten Schwan recently received a 2008 HP Labs Innovation Research Award to work with HP Labs, HP’s central research arm, to help solve some of the key problems in …
How long uranium can supply nuclear power is affected by the kinds of nuclear reactors that are used (Breeder reactors are sixty times more efficient in using nuclear fuel than current reactors) and the sources of uranium that are used and whether thorium can be used to supplement uranium (Thorium can be turned into uranium …
Here is a diagram for a many small mirror modules that held in position for a space telescope using magnetic flux pinning is 200 meters in diameter. The phenomenon of magnetic flux pinning might provide a way to connect the telescope components that overcomes the limitations of formation flight or a mechanical support structure. A …
1. Brazil’s nuclear energy company has submitted a six-reactor plan to government, while ministers talk of building more than one per year until 2050. At present Brazil employs only the two nuclear power units at Angra, giving 1900 MWe, while the completion of the long-stalled Angra 3 would take this to 3120 MWe around 2014. …
Theorists propose that for certain types of superconductors, contact with a metal layer could greatly increase the transition temperatures of these materials—in some cases by as much as an order of magnitude. This relates to recent research which suggests that superconductors do not achieve their best performance because of quantum traffic jams with electrons The …
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 …
1. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved uprates to seven nuclear reactors over the last year, adding a further 249 MWe (2 billion kwh) to overall US nuclear capacity. 2. Researchers have genetically engineered a thermophilic bacterium, meaning it’s able to grow at high temperatures, and this new microorganism makes ethanol as the …
Natural Gas production is going up by a lot in the United States. This was noted at Peak Oil Debunked about a month ago. The peak oil people such as Mike Ruppert and Matt Simmons were saying in 2003 and since then that natural gas production was heading for a sharp decline. Now even some …
Beyond CMOS: Emerging research devices presentation at the summer 2008 ITRS public conference. Emerging Research Device Technology Candidates are to be evaluated. This is the list of devices being considered to go beyond CMOS.– Nano-electro Mechanical Switches– Collective Spin Devices– Spin Torque Transfer Devices– Atomic Switch / Electrochemical Metallization– Carbon-based Nanoelectronics– Single Electron Transistors– CMOL …
North Dakota June 2008 daily production is now over 166,000 barrels of oil per day which is 10,000 barrels per day more than in May 2008 North Dakota is hitting transportation issues getting the oil out of the state. However, oil can still be moved out it just costs more to do it. North Dakota’s …
An excellent idea featured at Melanie Swan’s blog: there are 1,000 trillion bacteria that are part of each human (10x the number of human cells) could be an ideal augmentation substrate. There are at least three ways for achieving human-electronic interfaces; physical implants, wearables and a third as yet unconsidered possibility, exploiting the human bacterial …