Thursday, February 9
America is Unreccogizable
Is America dying before our eyes?
All societies eventually collapse – from the classical civilizations of Ancient Rome and Greece to the ever-alarming decline of modern America, could the past be hinting at what's in store?
With skyrocketing inflation, political division, social unrest and a relentless effort to wipe away the fundamental principles of the nation, historians and scholars in Fox Nation's "American Requiem" series offer an elegy for what the country used to be and warn of what it has become.
"The America of the 1980s has pretty much vanished," Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo said. "We're now entering a new period of unprecedented economic, social and cultural change."
"We're in a very bizarre and unprecedented situation in our civilization today, which is – we are turning on our own legacy and declaring it evil, oppressive, without any redeeming characteristics…" Manhattan Institute senior fellow Heather MacDonald said in the special.
"There's [sic] some days I wake up and read the news and look around me and say, ‘I don’t recognize this country anymore.'" Steven Hayward, a resident scholar at the University of California, Berkley added.
The three-part series dissects America's cultural fabric and the tears that it has suffered, picking out the pivotal changes that signal the nation's exponential decline in the last 30 years that created the country we see today. READ MORE...
Wednesday, February 8
Nanotechnology
Physicist Richard Feynman, the father of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers.
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.
How It Started
The ideas and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology started with a talk entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society meeting at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) on December 29, 1959, long before the term nanotechnology was used. In his talk, Feynman described a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules. Over a decade later, in his explorations of ultraprecision machining, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology. It wasn't until 1981, with the development of the scanning tunneling microscope that could "see" individual atoms, that modern nanotechnology began.
Fundamental Concepts in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
It’s hard to imagine just how small nanotechnology is. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 10-9 of a meter. Here are a few illustrative examples:There are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch
A sheet of newspaper is about 100,000 nanometers thick
On a comparative scale, if a marble were a nanometer, then one meter would be the size of the Earth
Nanoscience and nanotechnology involve the ability to see and to control individual atoms and molecules. Everything on Earth is made up of atoms—the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the buildings and houses we live in, and our own bodies.
But something as small as an atom is impossible to see with the naked eye. In fact, it’s impossible to see with the microscopes typically used in a high school science classes. The microscopes needed to see things at the nanoscale were invented in the early 1980s. READ MORE...
In Terms of a Quantum
A quantum (plural: quanta) is the smallest discrete unit of a phenomenon. For example, a quantum of light is a photon, and a quantum of electricity is an electron. Quantum comes from Latin, meaning "an amount" or "how much?" If something is quantifiable, then it can be measured.
So, we use qubits instead of binary bits when we talk about computers and if we link these qubits together our processing speed is increased. Right now, there is no end in sight as to how fast computers might eventually become... and/or what that eventual speed might lead us to next.
When we look at quantum from a physics point of view, we see subatomic particles that are further broken down into smaller components called strings or fibrating filaments of pure energy. Like qubits, strings are the foundation of all matter.
As mentioned earlier, the movement of strings is what many physicists believe cause our various dimensions to exist, although none of the theory has actually been proven.
BUT, from a computer's point of view, nothing has to be explained as it is just there and functions based upon the programs that have been loaded.
Quantum computers are faster than classical computers because classical computers computer every single option, one at a time whereas, quantum computers simply calculate the answer with the highest probability.
Additionally, as each highest probability is calculated, it is stored and remembered, which then becomes the foundation for the concept of machine learning.
The drawback with quantum computers is that they cannot control any realtime deviices because they do not have an operating system.
On Racism
A thought-provoking passage written by an Englishman about the current situation in HIS homeland - this is thought provoking and is equally relevant in any other (once) white country.
I have been wondering about why whites are racists, and no other race is? There are British Africans, British Chinese, British Asian, British Turks, etc, etc, etc. And then there are just British. You know what I mean, plain ole English people that were born here. You can include the Welsh, the Scottish and the people who live off our shores of Great Britain.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you. So why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live? You have the Muslim Council of Great Britain. You have Black History Month. You have swimming pools for Asian women. You have Islamic banks for Muslims only. You have year of the dragon day for Chinese people. If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists. If we had White History Month, we'd be racists. If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives, we'd be racists.
A white woman could not be in the Miss Black Britain or Miss Asia, but any colour can be in the Miss UK. If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships, you know we'd be racists. There are over 200 openly proclaimed Muslim only schools in England. Yet if there were 'White schools only', that would be racist! In the Bradford riots and Toxteth riots, you believed that you were standing-up for your race and rights. If we stood-up for our race and rights, you would call us racists. You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.
We fly our flag, we are racists. If we celebrate St George's day we are racists You can fly your flag and it’s called diversity. You celebrate your cultures and it’s called multiculturalism. You rob us, carjack us, and rape our daughters. But, when a white police officer arrests a black gang member or beats up an
I sadly don't think many will. That's why we have LOST most of OUR RIGHTS in this country. We won't stand up for ourselves!
BEING PROUD TO BE WHITE! It's not a crime, YET.. but its getting very close!
I have been wondering about why whites are racists, and no other race is? There are British Africans, British Chinese, British Asian, British Turks, etc, etc, etc. And then there are just British. You know what I mean, plain ole English people that were born here. You can include the Welsh, the Scottish and the people who live off our shores of Great Britain.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you. So why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live? You have the Muslim Council of Great Britain. You have Black History Month. You have swimming pools for Asian women. You have Islamic banks for Muslims only. You have year of the dragon day for Chinese people. If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists. If we had White History Month, we'd be racists. If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives, we'd be racists.
A white woman could not be in the Miss Black Britain or Miss Asia, but any colour can be in the Miss UK. If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships, you know we'd be racists. There are over 200 openly proclaimed Muslim only schools in England. Yet if there were 'White schools only', that would be racist! In the Bradford riots and Toxteth riots, you believed that you were standing-up for your race and rights. If we stood-up for our race and rights, you would call us racists. You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.
We fly our flag, we are racists. If we celebrate St George's day we are racists You can fly your flag and it’s called diversity. You celebrate your cultures and it’s called multiculturalism. You rob us, carjack us, and rape our daughters. But, when a white police officer arrests a black gang member or beats up an
Asian drug dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist. I am proud... but you call me a racist. Why is it that only whites can be racists?? There is nothing improper about this e-mail. Let's see which of you are proud enough to send it on.
BEING PROUD TO BE WHITE! It's not a crime, YET.. but its getting very close!
A Dose of Reality
The cart before the horse! And many years ago GM built about 100 electric cars and was paid to destroy them.Toyota isn't saying none of this can be done. They are saying that conversations are not anywhere near serious and will not produce meaningful results.
Japan's Toyota -- is currently the world's largest automaker. Toyota and Volkswagen vie for that title each year -- each taking the crown from the other -- as the market moves.GM -- America's largest automaker -- is about half Toyota's size --thanks to its 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring.
Actually -- Toyota is a major car manufacturer in the U.S. In 2016 about 81% of the cars it sold in the U.S. came off American assembly lines.
Toyota was among the first to introduce gas/electric hybrid cars with the Prius twenty years ago. The company hasn't been afraid to change the car game.
All of this is to point out that Toyota understands both the car market and the infrastructure that supports the car market.Probably understands better than any other manufacturer on the planet.
Toyota hasn't grown through acquisitions as Volkswagen has, and it hasn't undergone bankruptcy and bailout as GM has. Toyota has grown by building reliable cars and trucks for decades.
When Toyota offers an opinion on the car market it's probably worth listening to.
This week Toyota reiterated -- The world is not yet ready to support a fully electric auto fleet.
Toyota's Robert Wimmer (head of energy & environmental research) said this week in testimony before the U.S. Senate, "If we are to make dramatic progress in electrification it will require overcoming tremendous challenges - challenges including : refuelling infrastructure/battery availability /consumer acceptance / and affordability.
Wimmer’s remarks come on the heels of GM's announcement that it will phase out all gas internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035.
Tellingly, both Toyota and Honda have so far declined to make any such promises. Honda is the world's largest engine manufacturer (when you include : boats / motorcycles / lawnmowers / etc) Honda competes with Briggs & Stratton in those markets amid increased electrification of [traditionally gas powered] lawnmowers / weed trimmers /etc.
While manufacturers have announced ambitious goals just 2% of the world's cars are electric at this point.
Buyers continue to choose ICE over electric because of: price /range / infrastructure /affordability / etc. Only a small percentage of people would choose an electric car unless forced to buy.
There are 289.5 million cars just on U.S. roads as of 2021. About 98 percent of them are gas-powered.
Toyota's RAV4 took the top spot for purchases in the 2019 U.S market -- Honda's CR-V is second and GM's top seller (Equinox) comes in at #4 behind the Nissan Rogue. GM only has one entry in the U.S.top 15. Toyota and Honda dominate - each with a handful in the top 15.
Toyota warns: the US electrical grid and infrastructure simply aren't there to support the electrification of the private car fleet.
A 2017 U.S. government study found we would need about 8,500 strategically-placed charging stations to support a fleet of just 7 million electric cars. That's about six times the current number of electric cars.
But no one should be talking about supporting just 7 million cars. We should be talking about powering about 300 million within the next 20 years if all manufacturers follow GM and stop making ICE cars.
We are going to need a bigger energy boat to deal with connecting all those cars to the power grids - a WHOLE LOT bigger boat But instead of building a bigger boat we may be shrinking our boat. Power outages in California and Texas have exposed issues with power supplies even at current usage levels.
Increasing usage of wind and solar, -- both of which prove unreliable -- has driven some coal and natural gas generators offline.
We will need much more generation capacity to power about 300 million cars if we're all going to be forced to drive electric cars, and we will be charging them frequently. Every roadside gas station must be wired to charge electric cars and charging speeds must increase greatly.
Current technology allows charges in "as little as 30 minutes" - but that best-case fast charging cannot be done on home power.Charging at home (on alternating current) takes a few hours to overnight and will increase the home power bill.
That power, like all electricity in the United States, comes from generators using: natural gas /petroleum/coal/nuclear/wind/solar/or hydroelectric sources.
Even half an hour is an unacceptably long time to spend charging. It's about 5 to 10 times longer than a gas pump takes. Imagine big rigs with much larger tanks. Imagine the charging lines that would form every day if charge time isn't reduced by 70 to 80 percent.
We can expect improvements but those won't come without cost. Electrifying the auto fleet requires massive overhaul of the power grid and an enormous increase in power generation.
Toyota has publicly warned about this twice while its smaller rival GM is pushing to go electric. GM may be trying to win favour with those in power in California/ Washington / and in the media.
Toyota's addressing reality, and they know what they are talking about.
Toyota isn't saying none of this can be done. They are saying that conversations are not anywhere near serious and will not produce meaningful results.
Today's Lesson is IRONY
Once in a while, we just have to stand back in awe of our government:
The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is proud to be distributing the greatest number of free meals and food stamps ever - to 46 million people.
Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Dept. of Interior, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed the Animals." Their stated reason for the policy is that "the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves.”
Thus, this ends today's lesson. Thank you.
Quantum Computing Chips
Australian engineers have discovered a new way of precisely controlling single electrons nestled in quantum dots that run logic gates. What’s more, the new mechanism is less bulky and requires fewer parts, which could prove essential to making large-scale silicon quantum computers a reality.
The serendipitous discovery, made by engineers at the quantum computing start-up Diraq and UNSW Sydney, is detailed on January 12 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
“This was a completely new effect we’d never seen before, which we didn’t quite understand at first,” said lead author Dr. Will Gilbert, a quantum processor engineer at Diraq, a UNSW spin-off company based at its Sydney campus. “But it quickly became clear that this was a powerful new way of controlling spins in a quantum dot. And that was super exciting.”
Logic gates are the basic building block of all computation; they allow ‘bits’ – or binary digits (0s and 1s) – to work together to process information. However, a quantum bit (or qubit) exists in both of these states at once, a condition known as a ‘superposition’. This allows a multitude of computation strategies – some exponentially faster, some operating simultaneously – that are beyond classical computers. Qubits themselves are made up of ‘quantum dots’, tiny nanodevices which can trap one or a few electrons. Precise control of the electrons is necessary for computation to occur. READ MORE...
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