Infinia on the national stage

CNN has a nice article about our local solar generating company. Infinia's first major client was the army since their generator was easy to move around and didn't give off detectable heat unlike a diesel generator. Now they have plans to mass-produce these little babies and sell them at $10K a pop. They hope to have 100,000 on the grid by 2010. To do this they need some big time suppliers. There just happens to be a few auto-industry suppliers out there looking for new work. It may be a marriage made in recession.

The Winnable Afghan War

David Brooks thinks we can actually win in Afghanistan. I hope he is right. Not only for our sakes but for the people of Afghanistan.

The Demise of God's Time

In the shadow of the recent time shifts we should note that it was the railroads that killed "God's time". Until people could move fast enough across the country that the difference between local noon and noon on a portable timepiece was noticeable only mariners appreciated how the zenith varied with longitude. It was tho railroads that established formal time zones so that clocks were uniform across a range of longitudes. In doing so genuine local time disappeared.

Cold Fusion?

Some new credible evidence of the existence of cold fusion has come around. This is verrry interesting.

Fallible Pope

The Pope has proven to be fallible and tragically so. He is wrong about condoms and HIV. Dead wrong.

The Last Will Be First

Edison lost out to Westinghouse in the AC/DC wars. Now it looks like DC may be coming back. HVDC is more efficient over long distances. In Edison's time there weren't transformer that could bring the high DC voltages down to what would be acceptable for home use. But HVDC is a perfect way to spread power over long distances. Just what you need for a constant supply of solar or wind-generated power.

Interesting New Capacitor

An advanced semiconductor construction technique opens the door to better capacitors. Good enough to serve as quick charging batteries.

Nuclear Obsolesence?

If Traveling-Wave Reactors can really be built before the Gen 3 reactors just going into construction, they could be the last light water reactors ever built. There are thorium designs similar to this that could be built as the depleted uranium stockpile are consumed. Who knows, maybe electricity will become to cheap to meter after all.

AREVA Blog

AREVA enters the blogosphere.

Evolution of the Wing

Another ID argument bites the dust. What could be the use of half a wing? It turns out early birds used their primitive wings to help them run up inclines and vertical surfaces by creating more traction. They used them as spoilers to produce downward force for their feet. If they were at speed the force of the air across their wings would enable them to run up vertical surfaces where their predators could not follow.

Cantwell in Richland

Reflecting another of her new responsibilities, congressional oversight of the nation's nuclear sites, Cantwell will stop in Richland on Thursday to discuss accelerated cleanup efforts at the Hanford nuclear site. The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill, contains about $2 billion to speed the cleanup of the contaminated site and is expected to save or create 3,000 jobs.

The Fiscal Stimulus Will Pay For Itself

In a troubled economy tax cuts don't get spent. They get saved. Direct governmental spending increases incomes thereby increasing tax revenues. More people working increases demand and gets the economy growing again. More workers also reduces government expenditure on unemployment and food stamps.

Rural Stimulus

Here is what in the stimulus plan for rural areas (pdf). Let's hope it helps.

Pakistan Gives Up Territory to Taliban

Pakistan recognizes the de facto control of the Swat Valley by the Taliban by making it official. Islamic law and the Taliban now are the official governing force there.

Swat was such a beautiful place when I visited back in 1984. It's sad to see it come to this.

Out of His Own Mouth

Doc Hastings spews crap again:

“The pain of the recession is being felt by families, small businesses and communities across our nation. With our state facing an unemployment rate of over 7 percent, our top priority must be stimulating the economy and creating jobs now. Unfortunately this bill is not about jobs – it’s about bigger government and more spending.

This bill will saddle our children and grandchildren with massive debt, while failing to provide the type of fast relief needed to help job-creating small businesses and struggling families.

Like many Americans, I don’t believe extra money for the National Endowment for the Arts, computer systems for federal agencies, the 2010 census or NASA climate change research has any place in a bill designed solely to create jobs and stimulate our economy.

We can do better. Providing tax relief to all Americans, holding the line on deficit spending and using taxpayer dollars efficiently is necessary if we want to get our economy back on track now.”

So let's get this straight. He voted against stimulus because the problem with the economy is that taxes are too high, the government is spending too much and tax dollars are not being spent efficiently.

Where was he as billions of dollars went down the rat-hole to contractors in Irag? Oh, that's right. He was cheering from the bleachers.

Puh...lease!!! Will no one rid us of this troublesome lapdog?

Undercover at Wal-Mart

Charles Platt goes undercover at Wal-Mart to find the real scoop on this retail behemoth. What he finds should serve as a model for real economic recovery in America.

Greenpeace takes on Areva

In its attempt to mobilize opposition to the new EPR reactor to be build in France, Greenpeace grossly misuses radiation data, again. They have such passion that it drives out all reason. By doing so they squander their credibility. Whatever good they intend to do goes right down the toilet.

Taliban grip expands in Pakistan

The Taliban may have in rough in Afghanistan but it looks like they may be on the way to becoming a major power in Pakistan proper. If they do, the war in Afghanistan could only be a prelude.

Obama Spirit

One of the things that marks history-making leaders is how their leadership transcends the person themselves. In the history of war it comes to people like Cyrus, Alexander, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon. There seems to be something more present than just a supremely capable commander. The people who follow place a faith in that commander that gives a spirit to the troops beyond what is possible by a mere man. In war this spirit can make the numbers of the opposition meaningless.

The recent event of the absolutely peaceful gathering of 1.2 million people on the Washington Mall makes evident to me that a similar has happened to the person of Barack Obama. He has come to embody the power beyond his frame to contain the hope and faith of both folks who have struggled for generations and a new generation for whom the struggles are yet to come.

It is my prayer and hope that Barack and the people with whom he surrounds himself are sufficiently competent for this enormous load. And it is also my prayer and hope that we, the people, can recognize the limits of what one man can do. We need to individually respond to that Obama Spirit in ways that indeed make the incredible obstacles before us surmountable in the end.

Remember, Barack will be nothing but a footnote in history without the support of our own personal, individual energy and resources.

Fragile Food Supplies

Industrialization Of China Increases Fragility Of Global Food Supply:

"Experts predict that if China's recent urbanisation trends continue, and the country imports just 5% more of its grain, the entire world's grain export would be swallowed whole.

The knock-on effect on the food supply - and on prices - to developing nations could be huge."