Innovative Community Solutions That Fight Hunger

The old weather is creeping into most of the states of the United States of America. It is a long standing tradition that around mid January the seed and nursery catalogs arrive. People start dreaming of spring and the fun of planting a garden. Summer comes and excessive quantities of garden go to waste because of over planting, vacation, and many more excuses. 

The food pantries of communities are in extreme need because of high demand caused by the unemployment and economic conditions stressing many families.

Gary Oppenheimer organized a website that encourages pantries to sign on to help gardeners find the pantries that have organized plans to help gardeners donate and provide nourishment for people with hunger concerns in our own country. This group he organized deserves recognition for providing this very necessary tool to help communities turn often unused wasted resources into a valuable nutritious meals to needy families.

We need you to help them get the pantries on board near you. If you are a gardener, use this site to help you get your extra produce to people in need. And spread the word to your neighbors. You can make a tremendous difference in many lives. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Please become involved at www.AmpleHarvest.org   

There Is Another Place..... 600 Light Years Away!

Kepler 22 b is a planet that has been identified as a planet we could live on with a temperature of 72 degrees very near our living environment. Kepler-22b is 600 light years away. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km). How do we get there? Space experts have long thought that the embryo of person could be preserved for many years on board a space craft propelling towards the planet like the Kepler 22b. As it came with in 20 some years a machine would activate the  process of human development and the human would be born and raised in the space craft so it was ready to start life once it landed. Do we fire off the space ship now? Are we ready to do such a bold move?

"Win the Future"

Win the future video -The Advanced Research Projects Agency Innovations  

ARPA-E is funding some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in science and technology, they're encouraging the development of the most advanced clean tech innovations out there today. Check out the whole story at: Energy.gov / Science-innovation The idea is to grow the economy by investing in energy innovations.

You Have To See This Footage Of Racing Electric Cars!

I haven't had this much fun watching a You Tube video since the Chinese high speed rail video (posted earlier) or the laughing baby! This Toyota electric race car shows you where motor racing is going in the future. Gas is so old school and slow! This shows that electric racers have beat gas in still another venue. This deserves to go with the Oregon back yard electric dragster racer that was featured in a earlier post. Take time to see the future today!  Toyota electric racer sets another record.

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric car!

     The Ford motor Company is introducing there 2012 Ford Focus Electric car for $40,000. After subtracting the $7000 USA deduction (while it lasts before the near sighted Republicans try to remove it from the budget), it would be a $33,000 up front cost. Add on local taxes it may be about $35,000. The next step would be to figure out the fuel savings in one year which would be 18000 / 20 = 900 X $3.50 a gallon which equals $3150 fuel savings each year. The car would be free in a little over eleven years (3150 X 11 = $34650) . That's not an option with it's gas guzzling counter parts. Comparisons with different situations against cars with higher than 20mpg or lower fuel prices will change the math.Also it would make a different if you had to borrow or pay cash. Some of that would apply if you were buying a gas guzzler as well.

     For some this is an option, but the high price up front can remain a huge hurdle (mountain) to get over.

The Future of Gasoline

Fact I - "U.S. refineries produce about 19 gallons of motor gasoline from one barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil. The remainder of the barrel yields distillate and residual fuel oils, jet fuel, and many other products. Refinery yields of individual products vary from month to month as refiners focus operations to meet demand for different products and maximize profits". U.S. Energy Information administration

Fact II - The average car holds from 11 to 20 gallons of fuel. Can you just imagine the amount of liquid fuel is just traveling down the busy highways?

Fact III - Americans travel 12k - 18K miles a year. Burning fuel at a rate 12 to 30 miles per gallon.

Fact IV - Semi Trucks carry 100 to 200 gallons of diesel fuel on board a single unit. Burning fuel at the rate of 7 to 15 miles per gallon.

Fact V - From the view of the fuel industry this means banner profits and job security.

The vision the I was hope to create was the enormously huge environmental problem we have created. We are presently seeing automotive companies starting to make the change to electric and hybrid vehicles to address this situation, but the price of the electric vehicles are deterring rapid change. The innovations of the future will have to find a way to bring these costs down to compete with the almost antique method of carbon burning for supporting our transportation needs.

Recently International Energy Agency (IEA) has released some information and analysis that I found interesting. Read more about this report: World Energy Outlook.

This blog is designed to encourage and help us come up with ideas to change the world for the better. Here is a place to make huge impacts on our future by inventions, business models, creative marketing and developing competitive strong methods and plans to overcome the antiquated, well established oil corporate giants. We're recruiting today's Davids to take on Goliath again!

Northeast Wisconsin's Online Business Helps Local Businesses

In a move to help the bricks and mortar stores pick up sales in this dismal economy, an online company has combined networking, marketing, and sales to make a difference. Growing fast in Wisconsin this company is moving into the Chicago area and beyond. Investors like the idea of using online to help local business find customers. The way it works is that anyone can sign up for free, businesses for $97. If you find a business on the list a customer and they purchase a product, you get a commission for finding them a customer. Check it out at: Passinggreen.com

New Super Sonic Jet Is Green?

     Since the days of Ronald Reagan's presidency the talk has been that of passenger jetliners that break the gravity of earth to jump from New York to Los Angeles in an hour. How about from New York to London in an hour? NASA has teamed up with Lockheed Martin to do just that. The "Green Machine"pictured at the left has a specially designed tail to counter the sound of the sonic boom. The streamlined body will pierce the atmosphere to lower the gravity fuel guzzling constraints, increase speed with special engines, and significantly cutting down on flight times and fuel consumption as a result. With the announcements that China high speed rails could reach speeds of a thousand miles an hour soon, commercial planes as we know them will advance or go extinct.

New LED Lighting Helps Photosynthesis Of Plants At Lower Costs!

     The company, Illumitex, has developed a new LED light that improves the plant's photo-morphogenesis response at a lower cost to green houses and businesses that grow plants indoors. This LED lighting distributes a more uniform spectrum of  necessary dynamic wavelengths for plant growth. Utilizing these lights will enable indoor plant businesses to increase the plant density under the lights to increase production while not sacrificing quality.
     A person has to wonder, if we will ever have the ability to replace the sun for plant growth? Could we better utilize the sun's contribution for plant and animal growth?  Could we understand the needs of the plants, then grow bigger, better plants, faster and contribute to the better health and life of herbivores? Could we speed up plant maturity if we could extend the amount and intensity of the light spectrum necessary for the plant growth? Is this part of the answer to providing the food for upcoming expanding populations of humans?
     Read more about the lights at: Better lights for indoor plants.

Tough Times for The Millions Of Uninsured Americans

Millions of Americans don't have healthcare coverage. There are many of reasons why this dilemma exists. America lags behind it's North American free trade partners in this area and expects its employers to compete globally with this handicap. It's trading partners, Canada and Mexico both have national healthcare, that allow the government to negotiate lower healthcare cost solutions. With the large pool of its recipients the government can negotiate lower prescription costs. It regulates procedure costs. It can legislate healthy solutions to affect the healthcare costs because of political leverage. The end result is the government of the people work together to lower costs. It can take the high cost of healthcare monkey off the backs of the few remaining companies trying to provide for the healthcare of its employees. America's healthcare system has been a hodge-podge of fly by seat of your pants solutions set up to allow insurance companies to legally steal financial nest eggs from hard working Americans. Now powerful Insurance lobbyists have partnered with the Republican party, to  implement a full assault on the Obama Care bill before it can fully address the economy crushing problem. Please support efforts to stop this foolishness. The down turn in this economy has brought down several companies with great innovation ideas. In the mean time Americans struggle to find answers. Here is a government site to help you find answers: Help with healthcare!

Financial Crisis, What Innovative Ideas Can We Do?

     In 2008, following 8 years of Republican polices, the United States experienced it's second worst market crash and financial disaster since the Great Depression in the 1930's. Similarities existed between the two crashes in that the financial polices favoring the wealthy classes.  Policies were implemented in the Republican George W. Bush of the 2000 - 2008 presidency very similar to that of the Herbert Hoover just before the Great Depression. It is hard to state  the case by over simplifying, but the evidence is over whelming that in a capitalistic society, prosperity only happens if equal opportunity to financial abilities are to all classes. Both presidencies favored the wealthy, shifting wealth from the lower classes to the affluent. It's known by the sound byte as, "trickle down."
     Former President J. F. Kennedy stated that a rising tide floats all ships, which simply means if people on the bottom have wealth to spend then everyone gets richer. The Fed has been taking hits because it is trying some desperate attempts, by changing fiscal policy, to make the redistribution of wealth happen. If you are a Republican this seems horrible to change government policy to help the lower class. Republican means less government, even though the devastating financial crisis, was directly caused by their changes in fiscal and government policies.
    2008, ushered in President Obama who's mantra was "change,"however everyone involved in innovation, knows it's one thing to come up with ideas, it's another to get the buy in. The Republicans were able to divert the targeted concern of middle class devastation to that of United States debt concern. The public seemed to become easily diverted, and gave the Republicans the control back in 2010. The Republicans immediately tried to push back on economic stimulus and concentrated on cutting any government spending. Their cuts threw more government employees into the already large unemployment lines. So any chance of forward action to fix the financial crisis was stopped. The Republicans are trying to blame President Obama for the economy now.
     How could this happen? America was originally the front runner in the world economy, however other countries in the world are gaining prestige. The world is redesigning itself economically because of America's inability to fix itself. I have to address this in this matter because Republicans like Reid Ribble have chose to advertise on my blog. His agenda against change is wrong. It is the Republican Congressman like him that are preventing the innovation that could fix the economic mess we are seeing in America today. Innovation does not come by doing nothing and fighting change. Innovation is giving change a chance. It is the very key element that continues to move the human condition forward, from the horse carriage to the high speed rail and beyond.

Innovative Cancer Dectives With Long Tails!

     Cancer research and insurance companies are looking for less invasive but equally accurate testing methods to determine if a patient has cancer or not. They have discovered that the body has other indicators other than just visual  radioactive scan photos of cancer invasion.
     One company has discovered that women with breast cancers, have changes that take place in their hair. Soon they will be able to test a persons hair to determine the case for breast cancer. To read more check out Green Tech Cancer Innovations.
     Recently they have found that a person gives off different smells with different cancers. They have found that dogs can detect these different smells to a degree of accuracy. The excitement is not only is it possible for the dogs to help us out, but very effective electronic sniffers will (in the future), detect your cancer status as you walk into the dental or insurance offices. Read more about the dog cancer detection checkout Global Health News.

New Style Football Helmets Make It A Safer Sport

The new smart helmets used in collegiate and professional football games are adding safety to the game. The new multi-cushion design was tested in military helmets to enable military personnel to survive extreme impact. The many air channels provide extra cooling. The face guards are mounted with the idea to give the wearer a wider view. The communication system mounted in the helmet is also equipped with a temperature sensor. The sidelines monitor the players temperature to prevent heat stroke. The communication system enables the players to hear the coach which has access to the skybox , other coaches, offense and defense players. With the increase of head injuries in this very physically abusive sport, a smart move was made for smart helmets. The $300 price without the communication system makes them out of reach for the High School and local recreational players.

From Snow Boards to Snow Bikes, Verging Motorcycles and Snowmobiles

The Snow Hawk (pictured above) is catching on in Canada as a new challenge for the snow covered slopes. It comes with a front wheel to replace the front ski so the bike can be used year around. Even though this bike boasts of better fuel mileage than the average snowmobile, other manufacturers are taking it electric.

The Quantya electric snow bike prototype (pictured on the left), is based on a Quantya MX bike but features the snowmobile-like track and a front ski so that it would turn into a fairly easy and fun bike to ride on the show. The challenge is that the batteries tend to run out too fast because of the cold, so different battery and motor power combinations are being considered and tested at the Quantya headquarters in Switzerland. Once they figure this last detail out, it will be a real kick butt "green" bike.

Noah's Ark 2011

2011 has seen a world of natural disasters. Families in coastal regions are confronted with the thought of how do we survive in the case of a emergency. A company in Japan (Cosmo Power Co.) is making these little, Noah's Arks. The basic model holds up to 4 people, it floats and according to articles I have read has survived many crush tests. I can see if you are equipped with a self supplied, updated GPS locating device, you could be found after the event. You would have to have figure out a food and waste system on your own as well. The Noah pod, will get you through the event, but from that point on you need to hold on for rescue. If you are swept out to sea it could be awhile. This is a great idea though, and addresses an important issue that seems to be more common place as the we see the effects of global climate change. You can read more at:  Giantrobot.com

China Launches Their Space Station, Sept. 29th

Chinese Space agency launched their first space station without any problems. Even though it is not as elaborate as the International space station, it shows the Chinese space agency means business. Read more about the space station: Chinese space station.
Watch the launch: BBC follows launch.

Government Innovation in Petitioning

 Throw out the quill and fire up the electronic touch boards and get involved with your government. The Obama administration has increased the ability of an average citizen to impact their country through the influence of the internet and electronic social media.
Ever think, why doesn't the government do this? By doing a little research with the governments new platform, you can start your own petition and promote it. If enough people think what your trying to do is important enough, the government assigns it personnel to get action within the government. Get involved today with the new innovation and make a difference in your America. Check this out at: We the People!

Futuristic Designs Ask The Question, Why Not?

Since the creation of the automobile the design has always resembled their four wheel horse carriage ancestors. New designs are starting to appear on the net using Segway technology two wheel designs, that explore the newly created man made materials to break the mold of how cars should look in the future. This car was designed by Christopher Latta and can be viewed and read about at: Zero Impact . Move aside carbon based fuel burning planet busters, the future is coming. This uses a hydrogen power pack.

TMS procedure cures depression and controls pain in most patients.

Scientists have found by applying a magnetic field to different areas of the brain, they can cause it to react in different manners. They found by changing the magnetic field's intensity they can increase the responses. They know that pain sensations that the brain sense occur in a rear lobe of the brain but they also know that a front lobe controls that pain feeling. Scientists think they will be able to control a patients pain after surgery or in other times pain relief is needed. That same front lobe handles the depression sensation we feel. If we apply a magnetic field (TMS) to that area on a regular basis, over 1/3 of the patients were cured of depression. Another 1/3 it helped some, and 1/3 of the patients received no change from the TMS procedures. In a day when contractual agreements are signed between doctors and insurance providers, you may have to ask the doctor to try this procedure. Even though the doctors may know of this procedure; it is something rarely covered by the insurance companies and so most likely discouraged by some doctors. For patients with medication problems this could be the answer. Read more at: About-TMS-Therapy
Watch Nova : NOVA's Magnetic Mind
Still More: Cool pictures to understand.

European River Cruise Ships use Hybrid Engines and Solar

In years gone by the steam ships cruised up and down the Mississippi River in the United States, carrying vacationers to see the sights up and down the river. In 2012, Europe river cruises offer vacations on these very long cruise ships. Powered by hybrid engines and solar power they offer luxury with a lower carbon footprint. Checkout more at: See eco-friendly cruise ships.

Oil Company Backed Republicans Carve Out Funding To Study Climate Change.

      Since the initial effort of Rockefeller to monopolize the oil industry, the efforts to keep the money flowing from our pockets to the oil companies still exists. For years fuel saving devices created by inventors get gobbled up, hidden or delayed. The eyeopening, climate change movies of recent time, have woke up the public to the plight of the world if we stay on our present course. The cigarette companies for years skillfully deceived the public making them believe nothing was happening to their bodies if they sucked smoke into their lungs. Smoke pours out of our tail pipes of the gas guzzlers, we suck that down our lungs, but also puke it into the environment, and oil companies do not want us to do anything about it. It means less money goes into their pockets if we change. In the recent budget battles, Republicans in Congress, cut NASA funding for the very satellites used to track hurricanes and study weather. These satellites are also suppose to track climate changes. The money gets cut from NASA. This was not the first time it was blocked. The Bush Cheney stopped a satellite from launching in 2001. The effort to stop the truth about climate change.  We are already hearing Republican candidates for president proclaim climate change as an unproven fact. If they have their way they will block any efforts to help scientists track the evidence of how bad it is!
      Innovation is not always easy, but it becomes a much harder struggle when change of innovation, means less money to those who already have it. However it is a battle that must be waged and won. The longevity of life as we enjoy it on this planet depends on this victory. So much can be gained for the majority of the planets inhabitants if we push for the new innovations that can make the difference. Green technologies can be the next internet that can drive Wall street to higher levels to help push our economy in the right direction.

1936 A Year of American Inovation, Can We Do It Again?

In 1936 the depression lingered on with unemployment continuing to fall to 16.9%. Hitler's Germany continued to show the world it was not scared of anyone. The 1936 Olympics caused Hitler humiliation when his Aryan Supermen were dominated by the great Jesse Owens. Germany's Hitler, Italy's Mussolini and Japan formed an alliance which would show it's real reason for creation in World War II. Many of America's unemployed traveled to California hoping to get work but the the local police chief posted guards at main entrance points blocking the " undesirables" which was proved illegal and later stopped. The Boulder dam was completed later renamed the Hoover Dam. 

President Franklin Roosevelt continued to encourage Americans to move ahead. The race was against the horrible depression and the push of Germany. Germany created the Helicopter this year and was working on the atom bomb. This caused America to do the same. I don't know if there is any relationship but it was the year they created sunscreen as well! In New Jersey the first Drive in movie was opened. The high cost of drive in, in comparison to indoor movie caused the early closure of this new innovation.

 Cars were created by machines and men. This video is worth the time to watch. A MUST WATCH - Fascinating1936 footage of car assembly line video.

Our fore fathers have left us examples of: "When the going gets tough the tough get going!" 

How Big Is Your Carbon Footprint?

If you ever needed motivation to change the way you are living, take the time to use this handy tool. Here is the link: EPA Climate Tool

There is another tool that Yahoo has, it is:  Yahoo Carbon Footprint Calculator

The EPA calculator is very interesting how it can be used to determine what you can do to change the huge impact you are contributing to the global climate change. It can be used to determine if a car purchase is needed, or just driving less. It can show you the impact of a light bulb to solar panels. I was shocked at the size of my carbon footprints! Time to get motivated!

Car Racing Is More Than A Sport, It's High Speed Innovation.

Many things are not always what they seem. Imagine forming a high intensified, high speed, high competition, high speed lab where people risk their lives to prove their right? There has to be some innovations formed when the stakes are high and the element of achievement is so high. I can only think NASA has as high an innovation element. A few years ago I read an article where the airplane industry was actually studying the high tech energy dispersed car cages found in the NASCAR vehicles. With verging that technology, combined with proper engine placement, they claimed there should never be an small plane crash accident with a fatality. Every year there are many cool innovations documented. Read about 10 such innovations at: Nascar Innovations

Just When You Think You've Figured It Out, Bang!

China has been investing into the high speed rail to race everyone to the fastest trains in the world. Being first is a two edged sword as China has found out. Reports have said that a bolt of lighting caused a signal problem and a high speed train plowed into a sitting train, killing 39. No matter how many times you have made checks and sure you are right, it seems there is always something that may fail. Europe, Japan and the U.S. will be watching closely to find out the details and repairs of this accident. This may do for high speed rail, what Dale Earnhardt's accidents did for NASCAR. From information from Dale's accidents that lead to his death,  NASCAR changed race safety procedures and equipment. This saved lives and has helped drivers walk away from horrific accidents. High speed rail is not dead, it will become safer for the rest of us. Read more at: High Speed Crash

Solar Calculators

Cut out the guess work when you are trying to figure out your future solar panels for your home. These tools for innovation not only figure what you are going to need for where you live, but what the estimated cost will be and the payback.The calculator is free and fun to use.
Check out this calculator: Enjoy the savings

If you have an I phone, I pod or I pad a student has made an APP that you can take with you. The mobile APP can be found at: Solar Apple

Stink Machines Make Money For Supermarkets.

Smell Machine for computer / video games.

         What started out as a cool machine that adds smells to video games has found a new homes. They are making small devices for automobiles that smell like vanilla. Others are for the cat litter box. Electronic machines that can make smells that can be easily identified found home in super markets. How many times did you drive b y a restaurant and found yourself suddenly yearning for a hamburger? Or someone pop popcorn and suddenly you have to have some? Supermarkets in Russia started to use these smell machines with great success. It was not long until the word spread to the supermarkets in New York. These supermarkets had seen substantial increases in profits directly related to smells. These machines are placed in certain areas in the store. They may have bacon smells in the meat department, or grapefruit smells in the fresh produce. They have even had fresh baked bread or some cooking spices in the same department. Used in combination with free sample tasting the customers cannot resist the natural hunger needs and urge to purchase the foods to supply sustenance to the aching stomach. Read more about the smell machines:  New York Post
Video games that smell for the armed forces: Video game smells (video)
     This is similar technology to the deices that are installed in smoke stacks at smelly factories. Some smoke stacks in Green Bay, WI, used to smell horrible from a packing company, now they smell like  cinnamon bread bakeries. At peak times the 60 ft smoke stack, electronically monitors and disperses chemicals in the stack to change the smoke smell.

Small Scent machines for cars and homes. This one is for a cat litter box.

"Green Baby Green!"

We found out this week, it is imperative that solar, wind, hydro and hydrogen technologies accelerate in popularity in the United States. People still have lingering bad memories of the  BP disaster in the Golf of Mexico and a horrible pipeline leak in the Great Lakes area. This week Americans watched in horror as a oil pipeline burst in the Yellowstone river exposing America's First National Park to the toxic waste of oil goo. This makes the political chants of "Drill Baby Drill," seem like a horrible idea. Innovation is not just a sound byte. Innovation is our best chance to save our planet and even the lives of generations to come. Maybe a party should start chanting "Green Baby Green"!

Can The Solar Panels Stand Up To Mother Natures Sand Storms?

This video shows amazing footage of a sandstorm engulfing Phoenix, Arizona this month. Arizona has been a showcase for solar power. It is the home of Solar One, the nation's largest solar panel manufacturing company.

Experts are saying that the dust from the storms like these are just a temporary incident that is often taken care of by rain storms that generally follow these dust storms. In researching this story, I found it interesting to note that there is a recommended maintenance for solar panels. Another interesting comment was that city water can leave a residue on the panels from the mineral deposits. Read the article I found most informative Huff Post.

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, Google Thinks ItsThe Future

Google is betting that this is the answer for our growing power needs.The Google company has invested $168 million in a Mojave Desert facility that will become the world's largest solar power tower plant. The site for the ISE generating system is located on 3,600 acres in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California.

 

 The solar thermal system uses mirrors to intensify the solar energy to the center tower heating the water to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam is used to power the turbines the power the generators to power 140,000 homes during peak hours. Read more about the Plan to be completed in 2013: Worlds largest solar thermal power plant of its kind. 

       

Introduce Watson from IBM and Honda and WOW!

After watching the video from IBM and rethinking the previous postings of Japan's robots, I thought it is important to revisit this possible verge of two inventions to make a tremendous step for man kind. You put IBM with it's artificial intelligence of "Watson" and Honda together with it's robots, WOW. If you could verge these two the results could be amazing! Watch this video from Honda and see if that is what you think as well!
Honda's video: Power of a dream

IBM Documents Human Evolution Over One Hundred Years Of Business

This blog is an on going effort to help support the push the Presidents initiative to promote innovation. It's sometimes good to examine where we have come from. This enforces our confidence and abilities that we can do it. You may even say at the end of this video, "Yes, we can!" This video is worth the 13 minutes. This is the company that is responsible for, "Watson" the artificial intelligence that beat the champion humans on the TV show Jeopardy!

The Flexible Conductors Are Going To Concerts?

On both sides of the stage, these flexible video like screens can be viewed.

     How we progress in the future will depend some on how we handle electrical energy. The human body transfers electrical signals through a cellular goo we call nerves with spectacular efficiencies not yet understood. As the man travels from copper and metallic compounds encapsulated in a insulation of some kind to glass materials that handle light pulses and electronic transfers, we are starting to see even more technologies changing the world around us. As computers and video screens become flexible, the first step is metallic fibers woven into plastic fibers. Concerts are the first to use this technology in their stage configurations. At a recent Kenny Chesney concert in Green Bay, WI. parts of the stage contained flexible video like displays. This allows the stage to be disassembled easier, transported and reassembled at the next location with higher reliability. Big screen TVs are nice, but are fragile with excessive travel. Could you imagine a laptop you roll up!
     Well brace your selves, companies are looking into the next steps of using polymers ( plastics) to transport electricity. They already use much of this in the LED technology. The one company is looking into actually using printing machines, silk screen machines, and even inkjets to adhere polymer conductive materials to surfaces to transfer electricity to components to do our work. Polymers used for conductors will change the way computer circuit boards are made. We are pushing our electronic devices to be more portable, flexible, durable and weather proof. This could usher in a new way of thinking .
Read more at: New tech in plastics.

The New Air Bus Of The Future

 

The Air Bus company released a view of what it will look like in the future to fly commercially. This is the ultimate sun roof. I am one who likes to sit by the window seat, however at certain times it could be a little uncomfortable on the eyes. The early dawn flights when your above the clouds can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe the window material will have LED technology to dim the light if it gets to intense. This technology will be in some high end cars soon. The night flights would be majestic, resembling space travel from Star Trek. As commercial flight reaches new heights the view cloud be even more amazing.

Air bus release: The 2050 view

Other views, read more: More views of the future.

Volkswagen Aqua Concept Car Design, Finally The Future!

Even though it is a concept car, it looks like the cars I grew up believing that the cars of 2000, would look like. It took a Chinese
Xihua University, 21 year old graduate in Industrial Design,
Zhang Yuhan, to design this master piece.

In China there are areas of rough terrain, that requires a different mode of transportation than what we are accustomed to in the U.S.A.. The CDN China Car Awards were sponsored by Volkswagen to challenge young designers to do just that. This did not win, but it was a finalist. I personally think Volkswagen would sell quite a few of these gems.

The power plant is a hydrogen fuel cell, with extra boosters for more power when needed. The hovercraft travels over any terrain, water and snow. In the "Back To The Future" movies, Marty asked, There's not enough road to get up to 88 miles an hour! Doc replied, "Roads? Where we're going we don't need any roads!" 

Watch the You Tube Video at: No roads, Aqua car.
Read more at: Future Volkswagen, maybe not.

LRAD Is Becoming Effect Weapon

In 2005, a cruise ship was armed with LRADs, when attacked by pirates toting machine guns and other heavy hitting artillery. The pirates engaged the LRADs and turned away. The LRADs are  used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with similar results. Homeland security is equipped and police swat teams are using them to control crowds.

LRAD is an acronym for Long Range Acoustic Device. This weapon has been known to bring people to their knees in pain from the sound. Some persons have become very sick from the vocal extreme. There are several videos of SWAT teams using it on our our college students to break up riots. Even though it sounds horrible, it does beat the alternative of gun fire.

  Read more about this weapon at this link:How The LRAD works

8,870 Miles Per Gallon Wins Shell Eco- Marathon

In a recent advertisement in Time, Shell announced this accomplishment. The idea of any vehicle traveling 8,870 miles on one gallon of fuel is hard to imagine. A person may say, "Sure a one person vehicle that is not practical for a family, can be done, but not family cars." Think again, multi- person transporters at last years Houston Shell Eco-Marathon boasted of over a thousand miles per gallon. There is a European, Asian and a Houston U.S.A. Eco-Marathon. What is truly bizarre is  that these events are sponsored by the Shell oil company. Next time you meet a car company engineer or salesman that says the new car your looking at gets 30 miles a gallon, say, "Is that all?"

Click on the link to see American Shell Eco-Marathon: Coverage video of 3 day Houston event

Shell company page on American event: Houston Eco-Marathon information

3D From Movies To TV's. How Does It work?

Magicians have often found ways for optical illusions to trick the brain. 3D has always been about tricking the brain by having one eye seeing something different from the other eye. The old movies used different colors on each eye and using images on the screen that used the colors in the images so that each eye saw something different. The brain puts it together causing the brain to see 3D. (Old technology is pictured at the right.) Today they have taken 3D to a different level. Instead of colors to trick the brain they use digital technology, resulting in a clearer and more realistic 3D. TV's use two signals sent to the screen. The special glasses only allow the left eye to see the frames meant for the left eye. the right lens only allows it to see the frames meant for the right eye. The eye wear manufacturers are perfecting the coding process in the lens. Oakley boasts they have the best movie glasses ever made. The more you pay the better the experience. Dreamworks president Jeffrey Katzenberg has said in earlier interviews, that because the technology is getting so good, most new movies will be seen in the 3D format. That is the reason you see TV manufacturers rushing to get the 3D TVs on the store shelves.


Oakley makes the ultimate 3D glasses, clink on this link to read more: Ultimate 3D
Read more, click the link: How does 3D work?

Innovation Tigers are 3 dimensional!

Compressed Air Cars Hit The Euro Market, The Air Pods!

This is one of the most unusual high tech looking vehicles of its kind. To the right you see the cockpit, with no steering wheel. From the videos I've watched it appears to be the challenge to driving this new vehicle. The joy stick looks like a video game control, used in construction equipment. The fact that it uses compressed air gives it a rather unique sound as it travels the streets. This 3 wheel, three seater, is not meant for high way driving. I can see this as a all weather urban vehicle that could compete with the Segway transporters. Check out this link to watch a video from from the inventors: Here come the Air Pods!

Here is a short commercial of the invasion of the Air Pods: Air Pods can manage the weather.
I could not get onto the English version of the MDI website.  Their price tag of $10,000 must be driving the traffic to their website.


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Making Hydrogen From Solar Voltaic, Cheap Fuel.

Future vehicles will use hydrogen for fuel. One challenge is how do we make the hydrogen fuel cheaply. NASA is very interested in hydrogen production because it is used for fueling vehicles for space travel. Make sure you watch this video: Hydrogen, a great way to store energy made from the sun!

Lately a company called Nanoptek has received a grant from NASA to come up  a process and machinery to produce cheap hydrogen fuel.

The company uses the method described in the video previously mentioned in this article, but used the element titania to make the process even more effective. It has been known since the seventies that titania can do this. However in the semiconductor field they have found if they alter an elements atomic structure it changes its electrical properties. They have found this process using titania can make the solar to hydrogen faster and more efficient. Hydrogen cars in the future will have cheaper fuel. Space travel will become more affordable  in the future as well. Hydrogen vehicles just became an affordable and green solution to higher gasoline prices.
Read the full article at this link: Cheap hydrogen fuel.

Humanities' Most Innovative Marvil, The International Space Station

 

Click on the link to:

Take NASA's virtual tour! 

Man has often looked at the Pyramids of Egypt or the great wall of China in wonderment of the achievement of man. Today we look into the heavens to see the next marvels of man. This Space Station may be the first step to saving his entire planet from the destruction of an asteroid. This could be the launching point at inhabiting other planets. It could be our chance to send life to a distant galaxy to keep human life in existence after the impending black hole swallows the milky way.

NASA has continued to push the envelope of technology. Earth on this planet continues to benefit from the ongoing pursuit of travel in space. From LED lights, to lasers, to medicines, to new engines and energy sources NASA continues to amaze. May we always find ways to make this continue for our future.