We Didn't Start the Fire

 

Swifty's World

How Igloos Stay Warm

 

Bosch & the Hydrogen Engine in 2024

The German automaker Bosch announced its plan to launch its first hydrogen engine for trucks and construction equipment in 2024, which will be part of its existing fuel cell and battery-electric offerings.

Despite the gains made by EVs over the past decade, hydrogen is still a hot topic, with a handful of automakers that have developed and even fielded production hydrogen fuel-cell models. You can probably guess right away just which automakers we’re talking about: Toyota, BMW, and Honda.

Despite the huge success of electric vehicles (EVs) over the past decade, automakers such as BMW, Toyota, and Honda still see hydrogen as a potential business in the future. As hydrogen engine technology’s popularity increases, these manufacturers have responded with innovations in the production of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

Besides heavily investing in EVs, they have also been preparing for a time when all sizes of hydrogen fuel-cell cars would coexist with electric vehicles and be a significant part of the zero-emission vehicle landscape.

However, in that bright future, hydrogen models could come in more forms than just fuel-cell cars. Recently, Bosch provided more details about their ideas for a hydrogen engine, an alternative method of using hydrogen as a fuel for automobiles.   READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

The World at WAR

There is a war in Ukraine started by the Russians...

There is a was in Israel (Gaza) started by Hamas...

There is a global war of sorts between pro-Palestinians and pro-Israel the likes of which has not been seen since the German Nazis in WWII...

There is a war in the Gulf of Aden started by the Houthis in Yemen...

There are wars in Africa between the African tribes to gain land and power...

There are wars in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq between Muslims trying to gain power and control over the other Muslim factions...

Iran is fighting a war with the Americans through their proxies in the middle east...

There are Drug Cartel wars in Mexico as the various cartels fight for control over the illegal drugs...

There is a war between China and the USA that is being waged in the global marketplace from an economic standpoint with the understanding that whoever wins the war will be able to influence the rest of the world...

There is an economic war between BRICS nations and the USA over using the US dollar for international trade, in the hopes of devaluing the US dollar....

There is a political war going on in the USA over illegal immigration between the Republican Governors and the federal government...

There is another political war taking place in the USA as the Democrats try to keep Donald Trump from winning the presidential election in 2024...

It is very doubtful that the war in the USA will evolve into another CIVIL WAR but there is a good likelihood that the war in the Middle East will evolve into WWIII as global countries take sides...

Which side are you on?

 

Kitten

AI Model launch Nukes

The U.S. military is considering the use of AI during warfare but researchers warn this may not be a good idea given AI’s predilection for nuclear war. In a series of international conflict simulations run by American researchers, AIs tended to escalate at random, leading to the deployment of nukes in multiple cases, according to Vice.


The study was a collaborative effort between four research institutions, among them Stanford University and the Hoover Wargaming and Crisis Initiative. The researchers staged a few different sequences for the AIs and found these large language models favor sudden escalation over de-escalation, even when such force as nuclear strikes was unnecessary within a given scenario. Per Vice:     READ MORE...

Looking Out My Backdoor

 

In The NEWS

Bookkeeping

> Australian biologist catches 32-inch goldfish, believed to be world's longest.

> Americans expected to spend record $14B on their partners for Valentine's Day.

> Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" up 38,000% in sales after Grammys performance.



Browse

> America's best hotels in 2024.

> Rare speckled dolphin spotted off Australian coast.

> Graffiti artists tag 27 floors of abandoned Los Angeles skyscraper.

> Study claims children of attractive parents earn more.

> US Senator meets his doppelgänger: Germany's chancellor (w/photos).



Listen

> Into the Huluverse: The evolution of the streaming service's sonic branding.



Watch

> The best Super Bowl LVIII commercials (so far).

> ... and why artists don't get paid for the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

> What happens if we kill every mosquito on Earth?



Long Read

> The story of the modern NFL's first Black quarterback: Willie Thrower.

> What your brain is doing when you are not doing anything.

> An audio-visual dive into how reggaeton became the sound of global pop.



Best of the Week: What in tarnation is "tarnation?"



Historybook: French and Indian War ends (1763); “Roots” author Alex Haley dies (1992); American playwright Arthur Miller dies (2005); Hollywood legend and diplomat Shirley Temple dies (2014).

SOURCE:  1440 News

EVs and the War on Fossil Fuels

BUC-EE'S is a convenience store that started in Texas and is now opening stores all over the USA.  We have two here in Tennessee.  The first one is located halfway between Knoxville and Nashville and the second one just opened just off I40 at the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg exit.  This second is the largest Buc-ee's ever built.

The Buc-ee's at the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg exit has 120 gasoline pumps and gasoline sells for 10-15 cents less per gallon than it is selling at other local gas stations and convenience stores.

WHAT DOES THIS TELL ME?

If Buc-ee's is building these stores with 120 gasoline pumps, then they do not expect that EVs are ready to replace gasoline engines and that the war on fossil fuels is simply a pipedream.

Another factor in my gasoline beliefs is the fact that almost every day, I read articles that indicate car dealerships are not selling the EVs...

WHY DO I THINK THIS IS?

One - the damn EV is too expensive for the average American

Two - battery replacement costs $6-10,000

Third - there are not enough charging stations

Four - the resale value of EVs is low

Five - the cold negatively impacts batteries

The Democrats did not do their HOMEWORK...

 

Somewhat Political

 

Dirt Powered Fuel Cell

Northwestern University researchers have introduced a soil-microbe-powered fuel cell, significantly outperforming similar technologies and providing a sustainable solution for powering low-energy devices, with full public access to its designs for widespread application. The fuel cell’s 3D-printed cap peeks above the ground. The cap keeps debris out of the device while enabling air flow. Credit: Bill Yen/Northwestern University

A Northwestern University-led team of researchers has developed a new fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in dirt.

About the size of a standard paperback book, the completely soil-powered technology could fuel underground sensors used in precision agriculture and green infrastructure. This potentially could offer a sustainable, renewable alternative to batteries, which hold toxic, flammable chemicals that leach into the ground, are fraught with conflict-filled supply chains, and contribute to the ever-growing problem of electronic waste.     READ MORE...

Denzel Washington

 

The Land of Opportunity

There are roughly 330 million Americans. There are 22 million millionaires in the U.S. That's about 6% of the population. There are 724 billionaires. That's about 0.003% of millionaires who are billionaires.

That means 6.003% of the current US population is considered to be wealthy to extremely wealthy.  And the data varies as to how they acquire their wealth.  Some of it was inherited, some of it was due to their education, some of was due to their athletic and musical skills, and some of it was due to their entrepreneurial insights, stamina, and determination.  

While the data varies, it is still very apparent that if only 6% of the population is super wealthy, then 94% of the people are NOT BORN with what it takes to be super financially successful...  otherwise, we would have more wealthy people than average or poor people.

THEREFORE, wealth is not for everyone, and the USA is not really the land of opportunity because it does not apply to a majority of the population.  We are then left with an unrealistic expectation that we can become wealthy.

However, for the illegal immigrants who are flowing into this country, their aspirations for the US being the land of opportunity is that they are better off here than where they were.  And while that is true, their increasing numbers will only serve to INCREASE THE WEATH GAP, making it more difficult to achieve than easier.

Once they find that out, they are stuck here, remaining on the bottom rung of the financial ladder here just like they were on the bottom in the countries that they left.

Another issue that reinforces this bottom rung status is that those who are illegally immigrating into the United States, ARE NOT THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST OF THE COUNTRIES THEY LEFT BEHIND.

That being said, then illegally enter the USA without skills, without education, without the desire to learn, and without speaking English.

Their status may improve but only slightly and if the numbers prove accurate less than 10% of them will ever be financially successful.

If you were SMART, you would not be entering this country illegally...  the odds are against you in that this will never be the land of opportunity for you.

Somewhat Political

 

America's Divided Crisis

I am a well-educated man, but I am not a smart man in that I am not wealthy or extremely wealthy or in a position of huge power. 

I consider myself to be in the lower middle class here in the USA although some might say I am middle class not higher or lower.  I suppose it depends on one's perception.

With that said, it does not take a BRAIN SURGEON to see that the United States of America is dramatically divided on several issues some of which could be life threatening.  Life threatening in the sense of having a CIVIL WAR or a WWIII.

These issues are:

1. Immigration
2. US National Debt
3. Pro-Palestine/Pro-Israel
4. Conservative/Liberal
5. Nuclear threats - Iran/North Korea
6. Weak/Strong Military
7. Socialism/Capitalism
8. China wanting to be the global leader

The 2024 presidential election is revolving around these issues but more importantly, these issues are causing a divide in this country that may already be past the point of being resolved.

Currently, the Republican Governors of 25 out of 50 states (50%) are supporting Texas in their fight against the Federal government.  The governor of Florida is sending 1,000 national guard to help Texas in their fight against the federal government.

Even if you are a complete IDIOT, you must realize that this is a huge problem and stands in the way of the USA uniting to fight its enemies.

This 2024 presidential election involves two candidates, both of which are too old and too out of touch to hold the highest office in the land.  What you might think of their individual abilities is irrelevant, when considering their age.

WE NEED YOUNG BLOOD TO BE PRESIDENT

But, even if we had young blood, will that young blood be able to unite the country?

2024 is a crucial election.  If we continue with the status quo will we continue to decline or get better?  If we elect to go with someone different, will that person simply makes things better or will they unite the country?

The last time we were divided like this we had a civil war and it is said that our civil based was based upon slavery, but that is true.  We were a young country that was growing and needed money.  Money comes from taxes and if the Southern states left the union (because of slavery) the USA would have lost tax revenues.

K-12 history classes don't tell us the truth...  if they did, perhaps we would have a better appreciation of how devastating being divided can be for a country...  old or new.

Winter

 

An AI Simulated Child

A Chinese scholar has unveiled what he's calling the world's first AI child — and saying the creation could bring the technology into a new age.

As the South China Morning Post reports, visitors at the Frontiers of General Artificial Intelligence Technology Exhibition held in Beijing at the end of January were able to interact with the avatar representing Tong Tong, a virtual toddler whose name translates to "Little Girl" in English.


Created at the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI) — which, yes, are dedicated to building artificial general intelligence, or human-level AI — Tong Tong is the brainchild of Zhu Songchun, the institute's computer scientist founder who specializes in "cognitive artificial intelligence," or AI designed to mimic human cognition.

While AI avatars can have all kinds of simulated appearances and personalities, they say Tong Tong is designed to break new technical ground by not only executing tasks given to her in a virtual environment, but independently giving herself new tasks as well.     READ MORE...

Time Facts