A new documentary about the oil industry, “Greedy Lying Bastards,” is scheduled to be released in 2012. It may represent the soul of the OWS movement. Here is a partial view of the trailer and a little introduction.
Science fiction has suggested artificial limbs stronger than biological counterparts. We are beginning to see this reality in present day research. Carbon-nanotube muscles can be 100 times stronger than the biological variety. Now they have been shown to twist 1000 times more than other materials and suggest a potential as strong as a commercial electric motor.
Nissan has announced its support for National Plug in Day to take place on October 16th and the theatrical release of Chris Paine’s new film Revenge of the Electric Car to be shown in NYC and LA on October 21. Other showings will follow.
In the same year as Tennessee Williams play was first produced Streetcars were disappearing from the American scene. New investment funds are bringing about a renaissance in streetcar technology. We are cautioned to use the funds wisely.
There is a growing interest in Electric Vehicles with many vehicles being offered and planned for future release. The uninspired and those who may be in the employ of the Koch Machine will long and loudly rail against the EV for its status as a ZEV. But at ground level, especially in difficult economic times it is the vehicle’s cost that will motivate mass adoption of electric cars.
Arun Majumdar, Director of ARPA-e announced last Thursday 60 new research projects and now the recipients and projects have been identified. More than 50% of the awards and grants will go to Universities in over 25 states for breakthrough technology.
Meta-materials are a new class of materials that have been engineered to have properties not found in nature. It is a multidisciplinary science made possible by the tools of nanotechnology. The name refers to “materials beyond the imagination.”
Deep in a cave you turn off your light and it is blacker than any night. You turn on your flashlight and the environment seems to suck the light out of it. That is kind of black that scientists have recently created. We sometimes need a surface that doesn’t reflect light and other magical materials.
Solar thermal panels save more and save more where it counts. The sun’s energy is diffuse. It is always first collected and then concentrated. Solar thermal panel systems concentrate the energy in thermal storage systems. PV panel systems do this electricaly but not always with storage.
Japan is rated as the third most geologically active country in the world. This threatens nuclear power with earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, but is ideal for Geothermal Energy Development. Japan Geothermal Developer’s Council has announced that six Tohoku prefectures could develop a generating capacity of 170 MW and a total of 740 MW in those prefectures
