This is a nice incremental breakthrough from a “save the planet” standpoint, but they miss out on another benefit, I think:
In laboratory tests, these new boric acid suspensions have reduced by as much as two-thirds the energy lost through friction as heat. This could result in a four or five percent reduction in fuel consumption, according to Ali Erdemir, senior scientist in Argonne
The Star Wars land speeder is scheduled to head into commercial production in 2008 or 2009. It looks more like a flying saucer than a roadster. It uses ground effect. Safer and simpler than a helicopter? Stay tuned.
Here’s a brochure, a spec sheet, and a FAQ.
I asked Bruce Calkins, press contact at Moller about it.
Transterrestrial Musings: Is it street legal?
Bruce Caulkins, Moller International: It falls into a new category. While no one has claimed it, it remains to be seen who will want to regulate its use.
I don’t text much, but it sounds like a handy skill to have in an emergency:
The three company representatives were unanimous in their No. 1 piece of advice for cell-phone users:
“The biggest tip is to understand the importance of text messaging,” Smith said. “Text messaging uses far fewer of our network resources.”
…against spam. It’s an interesting history, but a little depressing.
[Via Geek Press]
Looks like it’s finally coming. I’m not sure that this is the ultimate technical solution, though. 1.5 Mbs won’t go very far with a plane full of browsing passengers, and it won’t work for international flights over the oceans. Ultimately, they’ll have to find a satellite solution, with more bandwidth.
Tesla Motors, the electric high-end sports car maker brought to you by SpaceX rocket man, Elon Musk, is sold out for one year. They are calling their August 2008 deliveries still the 2008 model year Roadster, but they have customers who have put $30,000 down instead of the usual $50,000 for the $100,000 car for deliveries through 4Q08. That’s somewhere between 25% and 50% of their academic year 08-09 production.
I wanted to buy one except for
1) “No, we don’t take trade-ins at this time”
2) No financing on the down payment until delivery (although it is refundable until about 3 months before delivery)
3) The Lotus Elise frame won’t really accommodate someone who’s 6’1″ without taking off the roof to get through the door. Maybe if I lose a second 20 pounds, I’ll try again.
I look forward to their next offering and I hope it has a slightly bigger cockpit. Other than to support Elon Musk, I want one because they are novel. That I’ll be burning cheap coal as opposed to expensive oil is a nice way to subsidize my taste for novelty.
Ron Bailey has a dispatch from last week’s transhumanist think-in in Chicago.
Kind of like jumbo shrimp. An odorless durian? It seems to me that it sort of defeats the purpose. You can’t really separate odor from taste, because odor is a vital part of taste (people who can’t smell have taste suppression as well). It might be some interesting new fruit with an interesting taste, but it wouldn’t be durian.
A long but interesting article on the history, and current state of the art:
Cog was designed to learn like a child, and that
From a statement from members of the Personal Spaceflight Federation:
We will persevere