 |
Monday, August 9
Water Into Metal
Yes, water found in nature conducts electricity - but that's because of the impurities therein, which dissolve into free ions that allow an electric current to flow.
Pure water only becomes "metallic" - electronically conductive - at extremely high pressures, beyond our current abilities to produce in a lab.
But, as researchers have now demonstrated for the first time, it's not only high pressures that can induce this metallicity in pure water.
By bringing pure water into contact with an electron-sharing alkali metal - in this case an alloy of sodium and potassium - free-moving charged particles can be added, turning water metallic.
The resulting conductivity only lasts a few seconds, but it's a significant step towards being able to understand this phase of water by studying it directly.
"You can see the phase transition to metallic water with the naked eye!" said physicist Robert Seidel of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie in Germany.
But, as researchers have now demonstrated for the first time, it's not only high pressures that can induce this metallicity in pure water.
By bringing pure water into contact with an electron-sharing alkali metal - in this case an alloy of sodium and potassium - free-moving charged particles can be added, turning water metallic.
The resulting conductivity only lasts a few seconds, but it's a significant step towards being able to understand this phase of water by studying it directly.
"You can see the phase transition to metallic water with the naked eye!" said physicist Robert Seidel of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie in Germany.
"The silvery sodium-potassium droplet covers itself with a golden glow, which is very impressive." READ MORE
Electric Aircraft
American Airlines soon followed with a $1 billion preorder with Vertical Aerospace for up to 250 eVTOLs.
Behind these high-profile orders is an industry of startups dedicated to making the dream of true air taxis a reality, even though countless hurdles stand in the way.
Behind these high-profile orders is an industry of startups dedicated to making the dream of true air taxis a reality, even though countless hurdles stand in the way.
Helping them along, however, are aerospace giants like Honeywell Aerospace that are developing the systems to power the aircraft.
The reality of eVTOLs flying paying customers, according to companies like Joby Aviation and Volocopter, will arrive as soon as 2024.
The reality of eVTOLs flying paying customers, according to companies like Joby Aviation and Volocopter, will arrive as soon as 2024.
It's a timeline that Stéphane Fymat, vice president and general manager, urban air mobility and unmanned aerial systems, at Honeywell Aerospace, told Insider is "realistic" and that if not by 2024, at least by the end of the current decade.
But the questions remain, who will fly them and who will fly on them?
But the questions remain, who will fly them and who will fly on them?
The compact flying machines are a brand-new technology that are often smaller than helicopters, powered solely on battery power, and intended to be flown autonomously with no pilot. READ MORE
CHINA Leads the World by 2030
In 2017, the Communist Party of China set 2030 as the deadline for this ambitious AI goal, and, to get there, it laid out a bevy of milestones to reach by 2020. These include making significant contributions to fundamental research, being a favoured destination for the world’s brightest talents and having an AI industry that rivals global leaders in the field.
As this first deadline approaches, researchers note impressive leaps in the quality of China’s AI research. They also predict a shift in the nation’s ability to retain homegrown talent. That is partly because the government has implemented some successful retainment programmes and partly because worsening diplomatic and trade relations mean that the United States — its main rival when it comes to most things, including AI — has become a less-attractive destination.
“If America loses its openness edge, then the country risks pushing AI talents right back into the arms of its competitors, including China,” says AI analyst Joy Dantong Ma at the Paulson Institute, a think tank in Chicago, Illinois, aimed at fostering US–China relations.
But observers warn that there are several factors that could stymie the nation’s plans, including a lack of contribution to the theories used to develop the tools underpinning the field, and a reticence by Chinese companies to invest in the research needed to make fundamental breakthroughs.
The country’s pursuit of AI domination is more than a symbolic race with the United States, say scientists. AI technologies promise advances in health care, transport and communications, and the nations that make fundamental breakthroughs in the field are likely to shape its future directions and reap the most benefits.
Sunday, August 8
Where Do We Go For The Truth???
- Do we need to wear facemasks or not?
- Are we protected from COVID if we are vaccinated?
- Are we really following the science or not?
- Do facemasks really help?
- Do we need another lockdown?
- Do children need to wear facemasks?
- Are teacher's unions just being self-serving?
- Are American companies investing in China?
- Is China growing faster than the US?
- Does China have a bigger military than the US?
- Had US educated become diluted?
- Do Americans know how to retain knowledge?
- Why is our southern border so open to illegal immigration?
- Is there a different set of rules for the wealthy and/or powerful?
- Why do some many Americans use illegal drugs?
- Is the US still a racist country?
- Does the mainstream media censor the NEWS?
- Is our national debt really a problem?
- Does too much government spending cause inflation?
- Can you really trust politicians to tell you the truth?
NOTE: Ever since Donald Trump became President of the USA, we have had problems with the division in this country... and, it appears that this division is GETTING STRONGER instead of weaker putting us in a position of being NOT UNITED at all... If fact, we are moving from what MLK Jr wanted which was judging a person on their character not their color... currently, we want to judge people on their color, not their character. This is resulting from the BLM movement, and CRT race theory that educators are saying is not being taught in our public schools... yet, the students come home and say that it is... We are not being taught that being white is BAD and being black is GOOD... THAT IS COLOR NOT CHARACTER... Einstein...
Relaxing in My Hot Spring
Each day, I always find time, especially at dusk, to get into my hot tub and relax while looking at the hummingbirds feed and once the darkness descends on the land, I look at the stars in the sky... sometimes, a falling star (not Hollywood types) more like a shooting star across the sky.
My Hot Springs Spa is over 12 years old and because I have taken care of it, the damn thing has continued to function. These types of hot tubs like liquids rather than powders in case you have one... as powders seem to clog up and break down the motor and its moveable parts.
After sitting in the warm waters for a few minutes, I turn on the jets that rather forcefully shoots out water that massages my upper and lower back and neck once I slide down and rest my head on the side.
I do not keep the temperature up at the highest setting or 104/105 degrees unless it is the middle of the winter, but instead reduce it down to 95/98 degrees during the warmer months.
As the temps start to decline like from the 90's to the 80's, I turn the temp back up to 100. It is the heat of the water that helps with the massage as well as the relaxing feeling that is easily enjoyed.
It you have not considered a hot tub, you should...
Solar Powered Airplane
The aircraft, evocatively called Skydweller and built by a U.S.-Spanish aerospace firm Skydweller Aero, could help the Navy keep a watchful eye on the surrounding seas while escorting ships months at a time or act as a communications relay platform. The company was awarded a $5 million contract by the U.S. Navy to develop the aircraft.
The solar-powered plane adds new software and upgraded hardware to Solar Impulse 2, a piloted solar aircraft that flew around the world in 2015-16 but had to stop every five days. The company converted the design into the Skydweller by removing the pilot seat, which allows for a longer range and more space for hardware for autonomous abilities.
The Skydweller has a wingspan of 236-foot and is covered in 2,900 square feet (269.4188 meters) of photovoltaic cells that generate up to 2 kilowatts of power. Its makers also plan to fit the aircraft with hydrogen fuel cells as a backup to boost performance or serve as a backup in case of bad weather. READ MORE
Shooting Star
The European Space Agency's Facebook page shows a sped-up timelapse of the module, called Pirs, meeting its fiery demise Monday (July 26) under the watch of Thomas Pesquet.
"Atmospheric reentry without a heat shield results in a nice fireball," Pesquet wrote in the post, which also included a French description. "You clearly see smaller pieces of melting metal floating away and adding to the fireworks." READ MORE
Video: Watch a spacecraft burn up in Earth's atmosphere from space station
Related: Astronaut watches Russian space station module fall from space in fiery demise (photos)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)