Wednesday, June 25, 2014
New Release
I've just released a new single. It's a "summer friendly/" mid tempo R&B/Pop/Funk groove that's available on iTunes, Google Play, Rhapsody, and my others. Click the Tunecore widget to the right for a full stream preview. A video clip from the song is also available at YouTube, or click the video player below. Thank you for listening.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tesla Patents Free For Fair Use
In a bid to accelerate the adoption of the all electric car, on June 12th 2014, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced that all Tesla patents would be shared with other automakers. Musk made the move because he believes that the major car manufacturers are lacking in their electric car programs.
Musk feels that holding on to his patents will only mean growing competition from companies that make combustion engine vehicles. He is opting for a "fair us," approach that he hopes will encourage other car makers to not only make more electric cars, but perhaps in return, share their ideas with Tesla.
Noting that the current rate of electric car production is only 1% of current overall vehicle production, Musk said that it would take about 20 years to replace all of the fossil fuel cars on the road today, with electric cars. He sees the rate of Co2 emissions as a "carbon crisis," and thinks that an accelerated rate of electric car production could only be carried through if the other car manufacturers were to step up their programs.
As for share holders worries that Tesla is "giving away the store," so to speak, Musk believes that by creating an open source platform, Tesla will also "attract and motivate the world's most talented engineers to become involved." Problems with the development of more improved lithium-ion batteries or increasing the range of electric cars, could be solved with greater speed and efficiency, with more minds committed to the task.
Sales of all electric cars were up 288.88% in 2013. The transition has begun. Will this move by Tesla Motors be the spark that ignites real growth in electric car production? We will see.
Musk feels that holding on to his patents will only mean growing competition from companies that make combustion engine vehicles. He is opting for a "fair us," approach that he hopes will encourage other car makers to not only make more electric cars, but perhaps in return, share their ideas with Tesla.
Noting that the current rate of electric car production is only 1% of current overall vehicle production, Musk said that it would take about 20 years to replace all of the fossil fuel cars on the road today, with electric cars. He sees the rate of Co2 emissions as a "carbon crisis," and thinks that an accelerated rate of electric car production could only be carried through if the other car manufacturers were to step up their programs.
As for share holders worries that Tesla is "giving away the store," so to speak, Musk believes that by creating an open source platform, Tesla will also "attract and motivate the world's most talented engineers to become involved." Problems with the development of more improved lithium-ion batteries or increasing the range of electric cars, could be solved with greater speed and efficiency, with more minds committed to the task.
Sales of all electric cars were up 288.88% in 2013. The transition has begun. Will this move by Tesla Motors be the spark that ignites real growth in electric car production? We will see.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Quantum Teleportation Breakthrough
On May 29th 2014, physicists at Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, which is part of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, announced that they had sent quantum information concerning the spin state of an electron to another electron that was about 10 feet away. Quantum teleportation has been reported before. In fact I posted a blog on results of experiments done by physicists in Australia in September 2013.
In this particular experiment, the results of the study have a replication rate of 100% at the above distance. This was made possible by means of what is known as entanglement. This is a quantum state in which two or more particles can simultaneously communicate their attributes to each other, even when they are separated by vast distances.
The information or data that was teleported in this experiment was not that of a classical sense, such as ones and zeros. The physicists at Delft University had to use quantum bits, or what's known as qubits, which can simultaneously describe a number of values.
In their experiment, the physicists trapped electrons in diamonds at very low temperatures, separated at about 10 feet apart. When the spin of an electron was taken in one location, the physicists observed that the same was true of the corresponding electron that was 10 feet away.
While this is not what one would expect wen you hear the word teleportation, such as being beamed up to the Enterprise as they do on Star Trek, is a very important step in the development of high speed communications. There are five or six groups that are in a race to catch that elusive "big one," and perhaps win a Nobel prize as well.
In this particular experiment, the results of the study have a replication rate of 100% at the above distance. This was made possible by means of what is known as entanglement. This is a quantum state in which two or more particles can simultaneously communicate their attributes to each other, even when they are separated by vast distances.
The information or data that was teleported in this experiment was not that of a classical sense, such as ones and zeros. The physicists at Delft University had to use quantum bits, or what's known as qubits, which can simultaneously describe a number of values.
In their experiment, the physicists trapped electrons in diamonds at very low temperatures, separated at about 10 feet apart. When the spin of an electron was taken in one location, the physicists observed that the same was true of the corresponding electron that was 10 feet away.
While this is not what one would expect wen you hear the word teleportation, such as being beamed up to the Enterprise as they do on Star Trek, is a very important step in the development of high speed communications. There are five or six groups that are in a race to catch that elusive "big one," and perhaps win a Nobel prize as well.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
SpaceX Presents Its Dragon V2 Reusable Spacecraft
SpaceX, the private space flight company, unveiled its new spacecraft, the Dragon V2 on May 29th, 2014. In a press conference, Elon Musk, the company's founder, announced that the Dragon V2 will be a manned, reusable vehicle, capable of landing anywhere on Earth, after its return from space.
SpaceX made history in 2012 when its Dragon 1 became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and then return safely to Earth. Since then, Dragon has flown many successful unmanned, automated resupply missions. However, the Dragon spacecraft was always intended to be used to carry humans into space.
Enter the Dragon V2. The spacecraft will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It can seat up to a seven member crew. After docking with the International Space Station, the Dragon V2 is capable of making a safe, controlled landing back on earth by means of eight SuperDraco rocket engines. These engines are placed in four pairs mounted around the sides of the spacecraft.
The SuperDraco engines are capable of producing 16,000 pounds of thrust and should enable the Dragon V2 to land via its landing struts, just like a helicopter. There's also a back up parachute in case of engine or other malfunctions. The spacecraft can then be refueled and readied for flight right away. It is capable of being reused up to 10 times before it needs serious servicing.
SpaceX, Boeing Co, and Sierra Crop all have received about $1 billion from NASA to develop a replacement for the retired space shuttle. Currently, NASA pays the Russians $70 million a seat on a Soyuz capsule. SpaceX expects the Dragon V2 to bring that price down to $20 million a seat. Flights could become even cheaper if the rate of flights increases.
On March 17th 2014, NASA announced that the first test flight of its Orion spacecraft will be moved back from a September/October launch to a mid December launch. Orion is NASA's own multipurpose spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Orion is intended for future missions to the Moon, the asteroids, Mars, and beyond.
SpaceX made history in 2012 when its Dragon 1 became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and then return safely to Earth. Since then, Dragon has flown many successful unmanned, automated resupply missions. However, the Dragon spacecraft was always intended to be used to carry humans into space.
Enter the Dragon V2. The spacecraft will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It can seat up to a seven member crew. After docking with the International Space Station, the Dragon V2 is capable of making a safe, controlled landing back on earth by means of eight SuperDraco rocket engines. These engines are placed in four pairs mounted around the sides of the spacecraft.
The SuperDraco engines are capable of producing 16,000 pounds of thrust and should enable the Dragon V2 to land via its landing struts, just like a helicopter. There's also a back up parachute in case of engine or other malfunctions. The spacecraft can then be refueled and readied for flight right away. It is capable of being reused up to 10 times before it needs serious servicing.
SpaceX, Boeing Co, and Sierra Crop all have received about $1 billion from NASA to develop a replacement for the retired space shuttle. Currently, NASA pays the Russians $70 million a seat on a Soyuz capsule. SpaceX expects the Dragon V2 to bring that price down to $20 million a seat. Flights could become even cheaper if the rate of flights increases.
On March 17th 2014, NASA announced that the first test flight of its Orion spacecraft will be moved back from a September/October launch to a mid December launch. Orion is NASA's own multipurpose spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Orion is intended for future missions to the Moon, the asteroids, Mars, and beyond.
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