Saturday, March 18
Hydrogen Powered Vehicles
There are only about 15,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles on U.S. roads right now, and all of them are in California. Meanwhile, EVs are out there in the millions.
While electric cars are getting attention, with major manufacturers focusing on making them dominant by 2030, hydrogen vehicles are staying in the background for now.
Here's what you need to know about what hydrogen cars are, how they work, and how likely it will be that you'll ever drive one.
You've likely heard a lot about electric vehicles lately, as well as news about legislation to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles. But there's another kind of zero-emission vehicle, one that emits only water vapor as it carries you down the road. That's the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, related to an EV but with specific differences that make hydrogen cars different and much rarer.
To date, about 2.5 million EVs have been sold in the U.S. By contrast, as of mid-2022, 15,000 or fewer hydrogen-powered vehicles can be found on U.S. roads. All of them will be in California, the sole state with a network of retail hydrogen fueling stations to make the cars usable.
You've likely heard a lot about electric vehicles lately, as well as news about legislation to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles. But there's another kind of zero-emission vehicle, one that emits only water vapor as it carries you down the road. That's the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, related to an EV but with specific differences that make hydrogen cars different and much rarer.
To date, about 2.5 million EVs have been sold in the U.S. By contrast, as of mid-2022, 15,000 or fewer hydrogen-powered vehicles can be found on U.S. roads. All of them will be in California, the sole state with a network of retail hydrogen fueling stations to make the cars usable.
Hydrogen Cars Currently Available
Since 2015, three hydrogen -powered cars have been offered for sale from three different car companies: the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the Hyundai Nexo SUV, and the Toyota Mirai. But Honda has now ended production of all models of the Clarity, and Hyundai has sold fewer than 1500 Nexo SUVs thus far.
Toyota, the company most devoted to hydrogen power as an alternative to battery-electric vehicles, has sold roughly 10,700 Mirai sedans across two generations in the U.S.—though in some periods it resorted to substantial discounting to move them. (Honda does not break out sales of its Clarity Fuel Cell model from the plug-in-hybrid and battery-electric Clarity versions.) READ MORE...
Since 2015, three hydrogen -powered cars have been offered for sale from three different car companies: the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the Hyundai Nexo SUV, and the Toyota Mirai. But Honda has now ended production of all models of the Clarity, and Hyundai has sold fewer than 1500 Nexo SUVs thus far.
Toyota, the company most devoted to hydrogen power as an alternative to battery-electric vehicles, has sold roughly 10,700 Mirai sedans across two generations in the U.S.—though in some periods it resorted to substantial discounting to move them. (Honda does not break out sales of its Clarity Fuel Cell model from the plug-in-hybrid and battery-electric Clarity versions.) READ MORE...
Friday, March 17
New Technology
My phone company sent me an email saying I could get an $850 Samsung S23 phone for $150 (providing I turned in my LG) and since that was a good deal and my LG was about 5 years old, I decided to take the deal.
My Samsung S23 arrived today and I felt dumber than homemade shit trying to get it setup without having to call my phone for support... as those young kids that answer always made you feel rather old and stupid (which I am) when it comes to a simple process of ugrading a phone.
Well, the instructions seem simple enough, providing you understand them and when you don't really understand what they are asking you to do, you feel like preparing for a colonoscopy would be easier.
After 90 minutes, I finall got on the right page so to speak and my phone starting perking along just like a Bunn coffee pot, transferring the data from my old phone to my new phone via some sort of switch app. It must have worked fine because, all my apps are there including my phone contacts and photos. The only item that did not transfer were my quick memos, which I sent to my gmail acct as a pdf attachment. I can download that later.
One would think that an android phone is an android phone... but, that is not the case as my Samsung operates differently than my LG. It will take me a couple of days to get comfortable with this new phone and then I will feel stupid because I had earlier let myself feel stupid.
The life of a tech newbie...
China Wants the Upper Hand In Space
The race to the moon between the United States and China is getting tighter and the next two years could determine who gains the upper hand.
So says NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who warns that Beijing could establish a foothold and try to dominate the most resource-rich locations on the lunar surface — or even keep the U.S. out.
“It is a fact: we’re in a space race,” the former Florida senator and astronaut said in an interview. “And it is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory.’”
He cited an Earthly example in the South China Sea, where the Chinese military has established bases on contested islands. “If you doubt that, look at what they did with the Spratly Islands.”
Nelson’s hawkish comments follow NASA’s 26-day Artemis I mission, in which an uncrewed Orion space capsule flew around the moon. That mission, widely regarded as a success, was the first big step toward NASA’s plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface to begin building a more permanent human presence — which could come as early as 2025.
It also comes on the heels of Congress’ passage of a full-year budget for NASA. The agency did not get all the funding it requested, but Nelson insisted that the “have to haves” were not shortchanged. That includes the key components for the next two moon missions, Artemis II and Artemis III.
But looming ever-larger is China’s aggressive space program, including its recent opening of a new space station. Beijing has announced a goal of landing taikonauts on the moon by the end of this decade. In December, China’s government laid out its vision for more ambitious endeavors such as building infrastructure in space and creating a space governance system. READ MORE...
My Life So Far...
I gew up in Alexandria, Virginia, was a member of the NRA, BSA, the DeMolay, and the Mt. Vernon Guard. I was very athletic. I went to high school in Cairo, Egypt and traveled throughout Europe in the summer months. I am a veteran of the Vietnam War, and a college graduate that includes grad school with an MBA. Either I personally paid tuition or my tuition was paid for by the GI Bill. My 45 year career revolved around middle to upper management in the field of education. I have experienced more negative relationships with my supervisors than positive and was glad to be able to finally retire at age 67.
For the first 5 years of our retirement, my wife and I went somewhere for a week, every other month. These trips included: US contiguous States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe which also included 10 cruises.
My health was in perfect condition until age 60 when I suffered a heart attack and was told I had Lymphoma. Five years later, I was diagnosed with Melanoma. Last year, I had L2-L3-L4-L5-S1 disks fused together and while I am walking fine now, I cannot walk fast, nor can I put on my underwear and pants when sitting in a chair. I have not notice other limitations yet. I walk a mile each day and ride a stationary bike 3 miles each day.
I don't smoke, drink, use drugs, and eat a fairly healthy diet that consists of fish, chicken, turkey, beans, vegetables, and fruit. I make a conscious effort to eat between 1,000-1,800 calories per day.
If I am fortunate, I will live another 15-20 years. My father lived to 89 and my mother 95, so the odds are in my favor.
My lifestyle is very simple. My wife and I have been debt free for over 15 years and have no intentions of changing that status. We spend most of our time at home, vacationing at Myrtle Beach, SC twice each year. We eat dinner out once or twice a week. Most of my time is spent publishing daily posts on my two blogs and writing novels.
My novels are typically 100,000 words in length and are about a variety of fictional topics. One day I will look into publishing them on Amazon KDP but for the moment, I just enjoy writing them. I have written 8, working on number 9, and have prepared a chapter outline for number 10.
Outside of my father accepting a position with the US State Department that was associated with the US Embassy, I have not lived a life a white privilege. I would have to say that my entire life has been lived in the category of LOWER MIDDLE CLASS, never earning a salary over $50,000 which is right at the national average.
My wife and I have never wanted for anything, always having more than we needed or exactly what we needed. Part of this need is based upon where we live in East TN which is 15-21% cheaper on average than any other location in the USA. We would not have been able to live like this in Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh, or Washington, DC. I moved to TN in 1990 from Burlington, NC and if I had remained in NC, I WOULD NOT have been able to live as well as I did in TN... so, location for me was very important and worked to my advantage.
My Life So Far... has been satisfactory, acceptable, and I would not have traded it for another life. I cook my own meals, mow my own grass, and perform all outside lawn maintenance rather than hiring someone. I am glad that I do this because it gives me exercise and keeps me busy.
We don't have a land line - only cell phones. We don't have cable but we do have a fiber optic WIFI connection and pay for HULU, Netflix, and Prime via a ROKU device. Our vehicles were purchased USED in 2015 and when we go to Myrtle Beach we are there from Sunday through Saturday when the rates are their lowest, usually in June and late September. I have not purchased any new clothes since 2010, except for baseball caps during our 2015-2020 travels... lol
I don't live like:
- a millionaire
- a billionaire
- a Hollywood celebrity
- a rock musician
- a professional athlete
- in a gated community
- in the slums
BUT... I do think I live pretty damn good...
Google Starlink Partnership
Rumors that Elon Musk has bought Google persist, and are no more true now than they were a month ago, but it is certainly worth keeping up to date with SpaceX and Starlink’s partnership with the company’s cloud computing services.
In 2015, Google and Fidelity together invested $1 billion in SpaceX, meaning the partnership Elon Musk enjoys with the search engine and cloud computing giant has history.
The investment meant the Google and Fidelity together owned just under 10% of SpaceX.
“It’s no surprise that Alphabet is interested in space,” The Motley Fool wrote shortly afterwards. But what is at the root of Google’s partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink companies, and what could it mean for the future of the Internet?
WHAT DOES THE PARTNERSHIP LINKING ELON MUSK, SPACEX, STARLINK AND GOOGLE ACTUALLY MEAN?
In a nutshell, one of the key ideas behind the partnership is to affordably bring a fast and secure Internet connection to that part of the world’s population that can’t currently get online. That’s roughly 2.9 billion. When running, data will travel from Google cloud services to Starlink satellites and then to end users, bypassing the need for expensive cell towers and dramatically increasing coverage.
2.9 billion is a big number and represents a lot of people. The UN’s ICT arm published a report in late 2021 claiming that more than a third of the world’s population have “still never used the Internet.”
In May 2021, Google said it had signed a partnership deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX that would enable it to use the space company’s growing network of satellites, known as Starlink.
The deal will allow Starlink customers to use Google’s cloud computing capabilities while enabling Google to use Starlink’s fast Internet speeds for its cloud customers. READ MORE..
Thursday, March 16
Robots - Jobs and Illegal Immigration
While there are many people smarter than me, I wonder if any of these smart people have performed a correlation analysis on jobs lost due to robots and the percentage of illegal immigrants looking for low wage employment?
According to the Forbes Technology Council: insurance underwriting, warehouse and manufacturing jobs, customer service, research and data entry, long haul trucking and a somewhat disconcertingly broad category titled “Any Tasks That Can Be Learned.”
These are broad categories to say the least and encompass damn near anything... but the point is that the jobs that are being lost due to robots are AMERICAN JOBS NOT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT JOBS...
Where will these American go to find work?
Where will these illegal immigrants go to find work?
The other concern is what will happen to our economy when all these robots replace jobs and consumer spending goes down... I am assuming that robots will not be purchasing goods and services... so, if Americans and Illegal Immigrants are not spending money in the economy, then the result is that consumer spending goes DOWN...
Since the expenditure of robots will be prorated over several years and could also be seen as a sunk cost, as it is a one time only expenditure, then will PRICES GO DOWN? Or, will companies keep prices up to increase revenues?
It is widely believe that robots will create more jobs than they replace, and while the logic in that seems sound, it is faulty because building robots is SKILLED LABOR and the jobs that robots will be taking is UNSKILLED LABOR...
It is my humble opinion that the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT issue is going to cause lots of problems in a couple of years as they consume resources and give back very little. What are the odds that 80% of the Illegal Immigrants will ever learn to speak English?
How will we educate and train these Illegal Immigrants if they cannot speak English. Hire people who speak English but who are not really educators?
Being a teacher is a skilled profession....
Technology is great and I enjoy it more than you can ever imagine, but with our advances in technology will come problems and if we don't anticipate those problems, we will have ourselves ONE PISSED OFF SOCIETY...
Robots Taking Over Jobs by 2025
There are two sides to this coin: Robots and AI will take some jobs away from humans — but they will also create new ones. Since 2000, robots and automation systems have slowly phased out many manufacturing jobs — 1.7 million of them. On the flip side, it’s predicted that AI will create 97 million new jobs by 2025.
WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) REPLACE JOBS?
AI is and will continue to replace some jobs. Workers in industries ranging from healthcare to agriculture and industrial sectors can all expect to see disruptions in hiring due to AI. But demand for workers, especially in robotics and software engineering, are expected to rise thanks to AI.
Some people don’t see it both ways. For example, Sean Chou, former CEO of AI startup Catalytic, thinks robots are stupid —and he’s not alone in his frank assessment.
“All you have to do is type in ‘YouTube robot fail,’” Chou said.
Don’t misunderstand, though; it isn’t that the machines aren’t rising. It’s that they’re rising much more slowly than some of the more breathless media coverage might have you believe — which is great news for most of those who think robots and other AI-powered technology will soon steal their jobs. “Most of” being the operative words.
Types of Jobs AI Will Impact
The consensus among many experts is that a number of professions will be totally automated in the next five to 10 years. A group of senior-level tech executives who comprise the Forbes Technology Council named 15: insurance underwriting, warehouse and manufacturing jobs, customer service, research and data entry, long haul trucking and a somewhat disconcertingly broad category titled “Any Tasks That Can Be Learned.”
HOW MANY JOBS WILL AI REPLACE?
According to the World Economic Forum's "The Future of Jobs Report 2020," AI is expected to replace 85 million jobs worldwide by 2025. Though that sounds scary, the report goes on to say that it will also create 97 million new jobs in that same timeframe.
Kai-Fu Lee, AI expert and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, wrote in a 2018 essay that 50 percent of all jobs will be automated by AI within 15 years.
“Accountants, factory workers, truckers, paralegals, and radiologists — just to name a few — will be confronted by a disruption akin to that faced by farmers during the Industrial Revolution,” Lee wrote.
When considering those developments and predictions, and based on multiple studies — by the McKinsey Global Institute, Oxford University and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, among others — there is massive and unavoidable change afoot. Research suggests that both specially trained workers and blue-collar workers will be impacted by the continued implementation of AI.
Developments in generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard have raised questions about if AI will replace jobs that involve writing. While it’s unlikely that AI will ever match the authentic creativity of humans, it is already being used as a catalyst for writing ideas and assisting with repetitive content creation. READ MORE...
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