Sunday, January 12
Dark Energy Does Not Exist NOW
One of the biggest mysteries in science—dark energy—doesn't actually exist, according to researchers looking to solve the riddle of how the universe is expanding.
Their analysis has been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.
For the past 100 years, physicists have generally assumed that the cosmos is growing equally in all directions. They employed the concept of dark energy as a placeholder to explain unknown physics they couldn't understand, but the contentious theory has always had its problems.
Now a team of physicists and astronomers at the university of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand are challenging the status quo, using improved analysis of supernovae light curves to show that the universe is expanding in a more varied, "lumpier" way. READ MORE...
Saturday, January 11
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Notre Dame tops Penn State 27-24 to advance to college football national championship; Texas takes on Ohio State tonight (7:30 pm ET, ESPN) in the other semifinal matchup (More) | NFL postseason kicks off tomorrow with the Wild Card round (More)
> "Wicked" hauls in $70M in its first week of video-on-demand sales, a record for a Universal release (More) | WWE's "Monday Night Raw" brings in 2.6 million US viewers in its Netflix debut, more than double their 2024 average (More)
> NBA postpones Los Angeles Lakers-Charlotte Hornets game last night due to wildfires; Lakers head coach JJ Redick loses home in fire (More) | Actress Jamie Lee Curtis donates $1M to fire relief efforts (More)
Science & Technology
> Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin delays first launch of its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket from early this morning to Sunday; see updates here (More)
> New study suggests the outer ear structure of mammals evolved from the gills of ancient fishes and marine invertebrates (More)
> Researchers engineer two new CRISPR enzymes that operate without triggering an immune system response; results may lead to safer, more efficient gene editing technologies (More) | How CRISPR splices and dices our genes (More)
Business & Markets
> December US jobs report to be released today; economists expect a gain of 155,000 jobs, down from 227,000 jobs in November, with the unemployment rate forecast to hold steady at 4.2% (More)
> Kroger to pay $110M to settle Kentucky lawsuit accusing the supermarket chain's pharmacies of helping to fuel the opioid epidemic between 2006 and 2019 (More) | Dive deeper into opioids, including how the drug works (More)
> JCPenny merges with Sparc Group, owner of brands including Aéropostale and Brooks Brothers, to form new joint venture called Catalyst Brands (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President-elect Donald Trump faces sentencing in New York today in criminal hush money case; he was found guilty in May for falsifying business records to cover up payments made to Stormy Daniels in run-up to the 2016 election (More)
> Accused mastermind of 9/11 attacks scheduled to plead guilty today in war court on Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba; details of plea deal haven't been publicly released but include avoiding the death penalty (More)
> Lebanon's army chief, Joseph Aoun, elected as country's president after 12 failed attempts to fill the role since October 2022, when the former president's term ended (More) | Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrested following antigovernment protests on eve of President Nicolás Maduro's inauguration (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Fascism in America
What is FASCISM?
Fascism is a far-right form of government in which most of the country's power is held by one ruler or a small group, under a single party. Fascist governments are usually totalitarian and authoritarian one-party states.
Let's break this down...
- Far right thinking
- Dictator
- Single party
- Nationalism
- Militarism
- No Individual interest
What this tells me is that there is:
- No Congress
- No Constitution
- No State Governors/legislators
- No Supreme Court/Judges
- Govt owns all business
- Complete military control
- Individuals own nothing
Of course, this is my opinion and interpretation of the above definitions, so I might be off a little bit, but most of what I think is probably accurate.
Therefore, I would conclude that FASCISM CANNOT EXIST IN AMERICA...
Yes, it is true that our current govt on Jan 20, 2025, leans to the far right and is somewhat influenced by wealth but wealth has influenced politics for decades. Wealth has never been POTUS so that is new.
NON-LIBERAL VIEWS are always seen as being on the far right of politics, but we are not financially prepared to become a totally liberal focused nation.
Our liberal views and social programs are financed by Capitalism... and yes, it is true that Capitalism creates multimillionaires and billionaires, but it is Capitalism that is totally responsible for our quality of life.
Billionaires are allowed by Congress to shelter their money away from taxes because they created Capitalism and their taxes could finance additional social programs but so far Congress has said no to that.
Still, there is little indication that there is little to no FASCISM in America.
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...
Friday, January 10
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...
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?
.jpg)
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?
- American
- From a State
- Male/Female
- White/Black
- Tall/Short
- Religious/Not religious
- College educated
- Veteran
- Athlete
- Musician
- Creative
- Married/Single
- Parent/Grandparent
- Brother/Sister
- Handsome/Ugly
- Smart/Dumb
- Friendly/Not friendly
- Honest/Liar
- Homeowner
- 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.
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...
Thursday, January 9
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 |
> 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
.jpg)
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.
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..
Wednesday, January 8
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)