An Engine That Burns WATER

AVL RACETECH, the motorsport division of AVL, unveiled in 2022 a groundbreaking prototype of a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine. This 2-liter turbocharged engine is fueled by hydrogen and incorporates advanced water injection technology, pushing the boundaries of performance to new heights. 

The release of the engine marked the first time AVL RACETECH designed and constructed a racing engine entirely in-house, showcasing their commitment to innovation in motorsport technology.

Changing the way hydrogen engines operate

AVL RACETECH’s hydrogen internal combustion engine release three years ago was designed to outperform other hydrogen engines, which typically operate with lean-burn, resulting in lower performance. 

Unlike those traditional hydrogen engines, this engine uses only a slight lean-burn, achieving an impressive 150 kW per liter of output. This level of performance puts the 2-liter turbocharged hydrogen engine on par with today’s high-performance racing engines that are close to production models.     READ MORE...

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - If You Want To Get To Heaven - Lyrics in des...

TRUMP IS A SENTENCED FELON

 

POTUS elect Donald Trump was sentenced today by Judge Merchan to a penalty free unconditional discharge as a convicted felon.

Consequently, Trump cannot:

• vote in an election
• own a firearm or even a bullet
• cannot get a loan without stating that he is a felon

I am sure that there are other things that he cannot do...

HOWEVER, Trump is:

• POTUS
• controls the nuclear launch codes
• control the most powerful country in the world
• controls the most powerful military in the world
• can institute tariffs on countries
• write executive orders

In the 2024 November election, Trump won all 7 swing states, giving him the popular vote along with 312 electoral votes when he only needed 270.

The American people did not believe the felony charges or conviction in NYC for a variety of reasons.  One of which was that misdemeanor charges that has passed the statute of limitations were used to claim that Trump tried to change the results of the 2020 election.

No other DA in NYC would touch this case but Bragg did because he ran on a platform of:  

I WILL GET DONALD TRUMP.  This politicized the office of the DA from the getgo. 

Of course, these charges will be appealed and there are at least 12 areas where the JUDGE and DA acted unconstitutionally during the trial.

But, it is a sad day for the USA because one of our political parties tried to weaponize our judicial system to get Trump from winning the election.

This is what history will remember, not the conviction...

Door Locks

 

Peace

 

Changes...

US Voting Map

 

Woods

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Olivia Rodrigo, Luke Combs, and Tyler, the Creator among headliners tapped for 2025 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee (June 12-15); see full lineup (More)

> NHL postpones Los Angeles Kings' game due to wildfires; NFL officials monitoring fire ahead of Monday's NFC wild-card matchup (More)

> "Wicked" and "Shogun" lead 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations with five apiece (More) | Critics Choice Awards rescheduled for Jan. 26 due to Los Angeles wildfires (More) | Mark Hamill, Eugene Levy, and James Woods among Hollywood stars whose homes were impacted by fires (More)


Science & Technology
> Researchers discover two exceptionally well-preserved, 430-million-year-old mollusk fossils with intricate spike structures; scientists name species "punk" and "emo" (More)

> AI-powered analysis determines the best time to begin hormonal injections into eggs during the in-vitro fertilization process, leading to increased yield of mature eggs (More) | The technique that may one day replace IVF (More, w/video)

> First large-scale assessment of its type finds roughly 25% of the world's freshwater animals are vulnerable to or at risk of extinction; such ecosystems make up 1% of the Earth's surface but support 10% of its animal populations (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq -0.1%) after Federal Reserve's meeting minutes from December show officials support gradual pace of interest rate cuts (More)

> EBay shares close up nearly 10% to highest level since November 2021 after Meta says it will allow some eBay listings to appear on Facebook Marketplace (More) | Quantum computing stocks, including Rigetti (-45%) and IonQ (-30%), plunge as Nvidia CEO says useful applications of the tech is 15-30 years away (More)

> OpenAI's Sam Altman denies sexual abuse accusations from his sister, Ann, who filed a lawsuit this week alleging he abused her regularly from 1997 to 2006 (More) | OpenAI's rise to power (More, w/video)


Politics & World Affairs
> Justice Department to release report related to President-elect Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case, will withhold information on classified documents case (More) | CIA releases documents from 1968 to 1983 showing past surveillance of Latino civil rights groups (More)

> Southern US braces for first major snow storm in years, beginning today through the weekend; weather warnings and advisories stretch across 10 states from Texas to Tennessee (More) | The polar vortex, explained (More, w/visual)

> Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral to be held today in Washington, DC, concluding three days of services; Carter died last week at age 100 (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Who Are We?

 

Some of us might consider, WHO WE ARE? to be an absurd question because we seldom think about who we are? or for that matter, why are we here? that always leads to what is our purpose?

For me, it is an important question to become self-aware.

Self-awareness is the ability to understand your own thoughts, feelings, and actions, and how they influence your behavior. It also involves being able to recognize how others see you...

• Thoughts
• Feelings
• Actions
• Influencing behavior
• How others see you

All these points are important but seldom addressed except for how others see us and that seems to be our primary concerns.  Many of us base our self-esteem on how others see us.  It influences what we say, our behavior, and how we dress.

Many of us, especially males, don't really care about what we think or how we feel... we just think and feel like we always did and that is it...   

That changes somewhat once we are married and again when we have children but not that much because by that time we are set in our ways.

So who are we?

1. American
2. From a State
3. Male/Female
4. White/Black
5. Tall/Short
6. Religious/Not religious
7. College educated
8. Veteran
9. Athlete
10. Musician
11. Creative
12. Married/Single
13. Parent/Grandparent
14. Brother/Sister
15. Handsome/Ugly
16. Smart/Dumb
17. Friendly/Not friendly
18. Honest/Liar
19. Homeowner
20. Debt free

The list is endless when you think about it because there are hundreds of ways that we can be identified.  And we have not even touched on self-awareness.

Somewhat Political

 

Goodbye Hydrogen Cars

Toyota has been on the frontline in developing motor vehicles with advanced technologies in sustainability. While most carmakers today target purely electric vehicles, Toyota has been building hydrogen technology for years. Now, the latest symbol of Toyota’s commitment to the cause of tackling climate change is their 22nd-century hydrogen prototype – although if you really want picky, it might be classified more as an electric vehicle with a twist.

This is how Toyota transformed hydrogen technology in 1992

Toyota embarked on a hydrogen journey in 1992, and they have remained consistent to date. To this end, by 2014, they launched the fuel cell in the Toyota Mirai which is now one of the key aspects of Green initiatives in the company. Unlike battery-powered vehicles, hydrogen technology offers a unique advantage: no emission with the potential to travel long distances and be refueled quickly.     READ MORE...

Arlo Guthrie - "St.James Infirmary"

LIFE

 

Politics

 

WAPO

 

Tyson

 

Border Czar

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Peter Yarrow of iconic folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, dies of cancer at age 86 (More) | Richard Cohen, Emmy-winning journalist and husband to Meredith Vieira, dies at age 76 (More)

> North Dakota State tops Montana State 35-32 to win a record 10th FCS football national championship (More) | Las Vegas Raiders fire head coach Antonio Pierce after 4-13 season (More)

> Former MoviePass CEO Ted Farnsworth pleads guilty to defrauding investors over the company's revenue sources and sustainability (More)


Science & Technology
> Nvidia unveils $3K AI-powered desktop for researchers and students; system allows users to run many AI models locally instead of relying on cloud computing (More) | Google to build AI model capable of simulating real-world environments (More)

> Spider study solves longstanding mystery of how the arachnids smell; researchers find olfactory hairs along male spiders' legs act as a nose to detect pheromones from females (More)

> Arizona receives approval to build 600-megawatt utility-scale solar power plant; one of the biggest solar projects in the US, the facility will power an estimated 180,000 homes (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets fall (S&P 500 -1.1%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -1.9%), driven by declines in tech stocks, including Nvidia (-6.2%), and better-than-expected economic data raising concerns over interest rate cuts (More)

> Getty Images to acquire rival Shutterstock in deal valuing combined enterprise at $3.7B, likely to face regulatory scrutiny; following the news, Getty shares closed up 24% and Shutterstock shares closed up nearly 15% (More)

> Anthropic in talks to raise as much as $2B in funding round, valuing the AI startup at $60B (More) | President-elect Donald Trump announces $20B investment from Dubai billionaire Hussain Sajwani to build new data centers in the US (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Judge temporarily blocks release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Donald Trump's classified documents case while an appellate court reviews the issue (More) | Trump declines to rule out military force in potential US expansion into Greenland, Panama Canal (More)

> Two fast-moving brush fires erupt in Los Angeles, including a fire in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood that has grown to nearly 3,000 acres as of this writing, prompting thousands of people to evacuate (More)

> US House passes border measure requiring Homeland Security to take into custody undocumented immigrants who have been charged with theft and other crimes; Senate expected to take up the bill this Friday (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Writing Novels

 

Since retiring in 2015, I have written thirteen novels, with three additional novels that were started and stopped because I had lost interest.

Each of my novels is 100,000 words or more with only one being more than 150,000 words.

They vary from science fiction to spies, law enforcement, human interest, and technology.

I have thought about publishing them but not sure I want to take the time to find a publisher, nor do I want to invest the money in self-publishing.  There is also a good possibility that if I tried to publish and fail, I would stop writing.

Sounds silly and childish because if I really wanted to write, nothing would stand in my way, and while that is true... I do not want to take a chance on being that disappointed and ruin my retirement.

I was writing two novels a year and then I wrote my longest novel and that one burned me out and I took a good 12 months off.  After that, I started to write three and each time, lost interest and stopped.

I started writing again recently, and found this novel that I thought I had lost but found again after I had my OS reloaded on my Dell Laptop.  I am not sure why that made a difference but it did.

It lacks about two chapters of being finished, so I am starting at the beginning, and making changes as I slowly read so that I will be familiar with the entire story to complete the last to chapters.

Today, I was able to read and edit one chapter of about 16 pages.  There are ten chapters that need editing so that should take me about 11 more days, then maybe a week or two to write the last two chapters.

Interesting how this all plays out, isn't it.

Somewhat Political

 

Reactor Uses Same Energy as Sun

Euronews Next went behind the scenes at the world’s largest nuclear fusion device attempting to harness the same reaction that powers the Sun and stars.

In the heart of Provence, some of the brightest scientific minds on the planet are setting the stage for what is being called the world’s largest and most ambitious science experiment.

"We are building arguably the most complex machine ever designed," confided Laban Coblentz.

The task at hand is to demonstrate the feasibility of harnessing nuclear fusion - the same reaction powering our Sun and stars - at an industrial scale.     READ MORE..

Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Live Norway 78)

If It Quacks...

 

Fugitives

 

Remember

 

China

 

p1

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Auburn University student Abbie Stockard crowned Miss America 2025; Miss Texas Annette Addo-Yobo named runner-up (More)

> Actors Zendaya and Tom Holland reportedly engaged (More) | 2025 Golden Globes ceremony brings in 10.1 million viewers, a 7% increase over 2024 (More)

> Tech-infused golf league TGL, founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, launches tonight (9 pm ET, ESPN) (More) | Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson, New England Patriots' Jerod Mayo among NFL head coach firings on NFL's "Black Monday" (More)


Science & Technology
> First fatal case of the H5N1 bird flu in humans recorded in the US; Louisiana patient had underlying medical conditions, officials say transmission between humans is rare, and broader risk remains low (More) | What are zoonotic diseases? (More, w/video)

> Lead pollution from mining and smelting operations likely caused an IQ decline in the population of ancient Rome; may be the first known example of widespread industrial pollution (More) | History, maps, regicide, and more—everything you need to know about ancient Rome (More)

> Researchers discover protein that gives energy-storing white fat cells the calorie-burning ability of brown fat cells when suppressed (More) | The different types of fat cells explained (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +1.2%), with S&P 500 and Nasdaq led by chip stocks; Nvidia closes at record high, peer Micron Technology closes up 10% after electronics manufacturer Foxconn reports record Q4 revenue (More)

> US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel sue Biden administration over decision to block Nippon's nearly $15B proposed acquisition of US Steel; President Joe Biden struck down the deal last week on national security grounds (More)

> Michael Barr, Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision, to resign from role Feb. 28 or sooner if President-elect Donald Trump appoints a successor; Barr to continue to serve on central bank's board of governors until 2032 (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Congress formally certifies President-elect Donald Trump's electoral win in the 2024 presidential election (More) | Rudy Giuliani held in contempt of court in $148M election workers' defamation judgment case (More)

> At least four people dead, including from road accidents, after winter storm brings heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures to US Midwest and East Coast (More) | See photos (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy begins trial over allegedly accepting illegal campaign funds in 2007 from then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Cleaning House

 

Winter in the south lasts about 2-3 months, depending upon how deep you are living in the south.  In East TN, our winter is typically from January until the middle of March.

One good thing about winter is that it keeps you inside most of the time, where you can get projects done that you put off because you were enjoying the outside weather. like organizing the closets and removing items that you have not used in several years.

We moved into our downsized home about two years ago and when we did, we eliminated about 50% of what we had accumulated over the twenty-year period we lived in that house.  What made it worse for us is that we had a basement and much of our stuff was located there.

I had been holding onto about 20 file boxes of training materials that I had collected over my 45-year career.  Not sure why I was saving them especially since most of those materials had been replaced with new approaches.

The other items that we gave to charity, like clothes.  I had numerous suits that I had purchased over the years for work and my consulting business, that I no longer needed being retired.  I kept one suit and a sports jacket just in case, I needed them but after 10 years, I have yet to wear either one.

I still have more clothes than I really need but I suppose I am hanging on to them just in case...  You would be surprised what you can eliminate if you focus on what you really need and not what you want.