Random links
- Why wood pulp is world's new wonder material
- "THE hottest new material in town is light, strong and conducts electricity. ... Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), which is produced by processing wood pulp, is being hailed as the latest wonder material. ... why all the fuss? Well, not only is NCC transparent but it is made from a tightly packed array of needle-like crystals which have a strength-to-weight ratio that is eight times better than stainless steel. Even better, it's incredibly cheap. 'It is the natural, renewable version of a carbon nanotube at a fraction of the price,' says Jeff Youngblood of Purdue University's NanoForestry Institute in West Lafayette, Indiana."
- Warp Drive May Be More Feasible Than Thought, Scientists Say
- "A concept for a real-life warp drive was suggested in 1994 by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre, however subsequent calculations found that such a device would require prohibitive amounts of energy. Now physicists say that adjustments can be made to the proposed warp drive that would enable it to run on significantly less energy ... previous studies estimated the warp drive would require a minimum amount of energy about equal to the mass-energy of the planet Jupiter. But recently White calculated what would happen if the shape of the ring encircling the spacecraft was adjusted ... the warp drive could be powered by a mass about the size of a spacecraft like the Voyager 1 probe NASA launched in 1977."
- A Literal Epidemic of Crutch Words
- Certain turns of phrase that might make conversation flow more smoothly if eliminated.
- Can a “Value of Solar Tariff” Replace Net Energy Metering?
- One of the problems of integrating solar energy is that it isn't always available when desired, and that those providing solar power don't have to pay the integration costs to accomodate the energy they produce. Here's an alternative, trying to calculate a value for solar based on the following: "1. Energy value for predictably priced point-of-consumption electricity production; 2. Generation value for the avoided cost of building traditional generation; 3. Environmental value for reduced emissions and pollution; 4. Transmission and distribution system value for reduced burdens on existing wires and infrastructure and the eliminated need for new wires and infrastructure; 5. Disaster recovery value for serving when central stations go offline; 6. Reactive power value for stabilizing voltage drops that cause outages; and 7. Loss savings value for preventing ... losses."