As I was browsing the web for some cool new technologies I came across this remarkable invention: a plastic that is capable of withstanding extreme heat — heats up to the melting point of diamonds… threefold. A hairdresser named Maurice Ward of Yorkshire, UK, invented it after experimenting with possible flame-retardant material.
Here are some videos demonstrating it’s uses:
This material seems astonishing but it is not something that was newly discovered. The product, called Starlite, was invented in 1970s and 1980s. It was invented more than 20 years ago.
Then why have most of us not heard of it before?
Ward refused to give out his formula. Unfortunately, he died in 2011 and supposedly, no one but his immediate family knows the formula to recreate this miraculous material. Then how do we even know that this material can back up Ward’s claims? The two videos above are supposedly reason enough to believe that Starlite is the real deal, but there are a lot of skeptics that say Starlite is a hoax and that it isn’t as good as it sounds.
Regardless of if Starlite is what Ward claims it is, a material that is flexible and capable of withstanding and seemingly diffuse extreme heat would be extremely beneficial for mankind.
The number of possible applications of Starlite is unimaginable, but here are some to get an idea of what such a material is capable of.
Fireproofing houses
If we applied a layer of Starlite on our houses and our belongings, we would be able to prevent many accidental house fires and possibly even crimes like arson. When an unattended stove ignites the food on it, the surrounding items would not catch on fire and allow the food to burn out.
Spacecraft exteriors
Space shuttles would not need to spend a lot of money on their heat-resistant tiles and would simply be able to coat their aircraft with a thin layer of cheaply-made Starlite.
Insulation
Starlite is able to shield things from intense heat which means it is a good insulator of heat. We would be able to coat the inside of buildings, reducing the cost of heaters.
Military uses
Starlite could be used with many military applications. With the verge of laser warfare, we would be able to make our aircraft immune to such weapons. Also, infrared homing (heat seeking) missiles would be less effective because the material would render the target invisible to the tracking system.
References:
Starlite, the nuclear blast-defying plastic that could change the world
10 mindblowing uses for the world-changing substance that never was
After learning about super high speeds with the hypersonic aircraft from my previous post, I decided to look up some other forms of fast transportation. I came across this article about traveling at unimaginable speeds… using a tube. ET3 is the company that is backing up this idea and shared its methods.Sounds like science fiction if you ask me, but it sure sounds possible.
How does it work?This tube is a very long hollow tube that is evacuated of air, meaning there is no air inside the tubes. This means that there is no air resistance so objects inside may travel at much high speeds than they normally would normally. The passengers would be put in a capsule about the size of a car and would be shot through these tubes. Unfortunately, these tubes are required to maintain this “airless” space so they would need to be constructed anywhere we want to travel.
The plan is to automate the service to prevent congestion and backups and to allow many concurrent capsules to travel through the tubes at the same time. Because the system is automated, they plan to see far less accidents and improved efficiency.
How fast will it go?
Since I wrote this with regards to my previous post, it’s imperative that I answer this question. Without air resistance the capsule will be able to reach speeds of 4000 mph! This means it could travel from New York to Los Angeles in 45 minutes!
How will it be powered?
A project of this size will definitely require a lot of power in order to operate around the clock. ET3 plans on constructing renewable energy power plants along the length of the tubes to power the system.
When will we get it?
With a project this large, it will take a long time to finish even if it were to start right now. I do not think this kind of system will even be available in our lifetimes. I am really excited for it but the sheer size, the amount of power usage, and the need for advanced technology, this project is practical right now.
Hopefully my great grandchildren will be able to enjoy this service. What are your thoughts on such a system?
References:
Futuristic High-Speed Tube Travel Could Take You From New York to Los Angeles in 45 Minutes
Google is back with another huge project — the Global Impact Challenge. Google supports non-profit organizations using technology to improve the world. There were many entries to show how these organizations would use technology to face some of the largest problems in the world from helping young people get jobs, protecting wildlife, or real-time alerts for human rights activists that are endangered.
I think that this is a wonderful thing for Google to be doing as it shows they are not just a company that cares about profits, but that they are a company that cares about changing the world and making it a better, safer place. There are currently 10 finalists and the viewers are able to vote for their favorite entries. The video with the most votes will receive a £500,000 donation from Google to bring their ideas to life.
My personal favorite video is using technology to teach kids how to develop their own apps. App development ventures into the realm of computer science where computing is used to solve many complex problems. By teaching kids how to develop their own apps, they are also learning problem-solving skills and introducing them into the technologically advanced world. Computing is applicable in almost everything and by learning it, these kids will be able to almost anything they want.
Take a look at the videos and vote from the top 10 finalists
I love hearing about the things that Google does to improve the world such as Google Fiber, the driverless Google car, and investing in green energy. I hope that Google continues to host these sorts of projects to motivate people to come up with technologies that can change the world for the better.
What are your thoughts on what Google is doing as a company, and what do you think about this project of supporting organizations that use technology to benefit the world?
Source: Science Illustrated (http://goo.gl/qPEba)
Slideshow: Does technology make us dumb?
This week I’m going to talk about the effect of technology on society. Technology has been advancing so quickly that demand for jobs in technological fields is growing faster than the supply of workers! These technologies aid us in our daily lives and overall increase our quality of life. But does technology do too much for us?
In my Technical Communications class, we discussed some of the stereotypes of our generation and there were several stereotypes that were based on technology. Ungratefulness and laziness were mentioned as being a byproduct of technology but it was argued that technology simply makes us seem ungrateful and lazy. Constructive criticism can be mistaken as ungratefulness and efficiency can be mistake for laziness.There are some cases where these poor qualities exist but is it really because of technology?
GPS
The slideshow lists devices “make us dumb” and starting it off is GPS. The claim is that we hinder the growth of our hippocampus, the part of our brain that “deals with memory and spatial orientation,” by turning to GPS instead of finding our own direction.
I think the main use of GPS is to navigate areas that aren’t familiar. We naturally begin to memorize routes that are often taken and we become aware of places that we travel by frequently. Even if we do use GPS, we usually rely on our own memory once we become familiar with the area. GPS is simply a temporary navigational aid.
Calculator
Second on the list is the calculator. The calculator is an obvious candidate for technology that “makes us dumb” because many people rely on them to do calculations. The idea is that using a calculator obfuscates our understanding of math.
I think that if someone knows enough to use a calculator, they know enough about math to be able to solve their problem without a calculator if they needed to. A calculator is simply a tool to quickly and accurately solve math problems. Those that use calculators are able to do the calculations by hand but are would be very time consuming and likely to result in errors. Calculators are preferred due to efficiency and accuracy.
The Internet
The internet is the largest source of easily accessible information but it can have a lot of side-effects. Because there is so much information available, we are rarely able to soak in that information and only retain it only in our short-term memory. There are too many distractions on the internet so we lose focus and are unable to crystallize knowledge in our long-term memory.
Regardless of the distractions, the internet is still a vast well of knowledge that can be accessed by anyone, any time, and practically anywhere. We are able to find answers to questions faster than ever before and that is enough to prove its usefulness.
Smartphones
My dad would enjoy seeing that smartphones are on this list. He just thinks they are unnecessary. The slideshow says that smartphones are equipped with the internet and include various other distractions such as games and text messaging that do everything for us. We reliance on smartphones is at an all-time high and we will use our brains lesser every day.
However, like calculators, I believe smartphones are mainly used for efficiency, convenience and accuracy.Being able to contact anyone you know from anywhere is a powerful ability. It saves a lot of travel time that would be needed if we didn’t have smartphones. Having the internet at our fingertips is very useful for when we need to find information about something. Notifications, alarms, and calenders help with keeping track of what needs to be done. It is very easy to forget to do something but smartphones are able to keep track of all our events and tasks and even remind us when they are coming up. This allows our minds to focus on other things besides remembering to do something.
Even though it may not be necessarily true that technology is making us dumb, I can see why some people might see technology as a harmful thing but there is no absolute answer. Do you think technology is harmful or beneficial?
Sources:
Techs That Make Us Stupid
Source: gizmag (http://goo.gl/V2zLj)
Everyday we get closer to finding the answer to our questions for renewable energy sources and today we just may have found something that could provide that answer. Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered a way to use the electrons created in photosynthesis and to provide power to some devices.
Almost all of you have taken a biology class before and know what photosynthesis is and that it converts light energy into energy that the plant can use. During the process, electrons are created to aid in this conversion of light energy to carbohydrates that the plant can use. Instead of letting the plant use the electrons to create energy for itself the technology used by the researchers is capable of redirecting the electrons through a wire to a destination.
But one might ask “Don’t we already have solar cells?” and the answer is “yes.” However, plants have evolved over millions of years to be extremely (relatively) efficient in using light energy to create sugars that it may consume for energy. If we can find a way to harness this energy, it just may be viable to rely on plants for a large amount of our energy supply. The current produced by this method was found to be twice as much as a traditional solar cell of the same size. Given how far technology has come in other fields such as computers, engines, and vehicle designs, who knows when we just may be able to “plug into” a nearby tree to charge our laptops?
We are running out of trees
Source: Google, Time (http://goo.gl/ew09r)
Speaking of trees, we are slowly running out and if we are not careful about what we cut down, we may just find ourselves in a doomed world. On the right is a time lapse of the Amazon rainforest, one of the most deforested places on the planet (click on it to see the timelapse). I found the time lapse from Google and Times’ new project, TimeLapse which is a website where people may look up satellite images of anywhere in the world and see how it has changed over the years. This website is a good way to get an idea of how certain places have changed or developed over the years and helps us to become aware of what is happening and not being the “toad-in-boiling-water.” Heavy deforestation may not seem like a large problem because we have so many trees but nothing in the world is infinite (except for maybe imagination) and we still need to be careful about what we do, and figure out the long-term effects of our actions.
Sources:
Plug into a plant: A new approach to clean energy harvesting
Houseplants: The solar cells of tomorrow
Google & Time Inc. Launch Timelapse: See How Any Part Of The World Has Changed Over Time
The US Air Force recently had success with their test flight of Boeing’s X-51A WaveRider, reaching speeds of up to Mach 5.1 (3,900 mph). That is faster than a bullet shot out of most guns.To show how fast this is compared to other things considered fast, below is a bar graph comparing speeds.
Source: Author
The short term goal of these experimental test flights is to develop a faster, more effective cruise missile capable of striking any target on earth in a matter of minutes. If we were attacked we would be able to launch a counterattack in a moments notice and still be able to catch the target by surprise no matter how fat away they were. There have been 3 previous test flights that have all failed with this prototype aircraft. Research and development for this X-51A has been going for 10 years and has finally come to fruition. Despite the prototype flier being a test for weapon development, it introduces the possibility of being able to apply this hypersonic technology to use in commercial planes. Below is a video showing what Boeing plans with this new technology.
Source: YouTube, Boeing
We have come a long way in technology. About 150 years ago it would take people 5 months in horse-drawn wagons to travel the Oregon Trail, a 2,000 mile trip. About 50 years later, the first affordable automobile was invented and it could top out at about 30-40 mph. In 1903, the Wright brothers had their first flight in an airplane and only 11 years later, the first commercial airline service started. Most cars now are capable of sustaining 80+ mph and commercial jets can cruise at 550 mph. Imagine in about 20-30 years, we just might be able to increase that cruise speed 2-3 times. If we can somehow match the speed of the X-51A, we would be able to make a trip to from Los Angeles to New York, a 5.5 hour trip, in less than an hour!
Who knows what will invented next? Maybe one day we’ll just invent portals.
Sources:
US Air Force one step closer to global strike capability as experimental aircraft exceeds Mach 5
As a gamer and regular internet surfer, I know that speed is important when it comes to consuming information. One might think that any internet service provider would suffice but I am sure many of us know about the frustration that comes from constant buffering videos and random internet failures. My English professor recently was unable to send out an e-mail to her students due to a drop in internet service. On top of what is usually considered crummy service, cable companies make a 97% profit margin!
To (presumably) help clients and spark competition in the cable industry, Google introduced Google Fiber in July of last year. Fiber is a cable and internet service provider that offers high-quality, cheap, lightning-fast services. Fiber boasts a 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) internet and cable package.
How much is a gigabit?
To give you an idea of how fast 1 gigabit is, the average American has a cable speed of about 5 megabits per second (Mbps). 1 gigabit is about 1000 times more than a megabit so Google’s service easily provides well over 100 times the speed that a normal cable company at a price much cheaper on a per megabit basis.
What does this mean to the other cable companies?
If other companies don’t improve their services, they’ll slowly get driven out of the industry. Fortunately for them, Fiber is only available in Kansas City, Kansas, Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah at the moment, but plans to expand in the future. Not surprisingly, the cable companies in Kansas have responded to Fiber by improving their services. Akamai’s David Belson commented “It could be the case that the other incumbent providers were going, ‘Oh, crap, we stand to potentially lose subscribers to this deal with Google if we don’t provide competitive service.” Akamai observed an 86 percent increase in average speeds in Kansas since 2011.
In Vermont, a company called Vermont Telephone Co. has just begun to offer gigabit internet speeds for only $35, half the price of Google Fiber’s internet service. The company’s Chief Executive Michel Guite stated “Google has really given us more encouragement” and he was only able to successfully obtain his upgrades after Google announced their plans to start Fiber.
I’m excited to see Google doing something like this. Hopefully we will see other companies improving their services in the future to raise competition. We are in the age of information and we should not be limited by how fast we can retrieve that information. What else will Google have in store for us?
Sources:
The force of Fiber: Google Fiber is pressuring rivals to up their game
Look Out Google Fiber, $35-A-Month Gigabit Internet Comes to Vermont
RIP, CISPA: Senate Committee Expected To Kill Cybersecurity Bill
This a follow-up to my post from last week regarding CISPA, the bill that essentially destroys internet privacy. An aide from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said they won’t consider the bill, rendering it dead. For now. The controversial bill provides a means of increasing cyber security but at the cost of the privacy of many internet users and companies. CISPA faces a lot of opposition because of its privacy concerns and even Obama threatened to veto the bill if it does not provide more privacy protections for citizens.
Even though the current version of the bill will be stopped, the Senate is looking to create separate bills for cyber security. It will likely take the rest of the year and possibly next year to come up with a revised cyber security bill that could protect both infrastructure integrity and privacy.
CISPA, bill that essentially erases internet privacy, is passed in the House
A lot of people heard about the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) that was proposed about a year ago. Fortunately, it was not passed and internet users rejoiced as they were able to enjoy the freedom of the web (For those of you that do not know what SOPA and PIPA are: get a quick rundown). However, a new proposal called “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act” (CISPA) has come to threaten the users of the internet once again and it has already passed the House of Representatives.
Privacy would no longer private
What does CISPA do?
CISPA allows the government and various agencies such as the FBI and NSA to retrieve personal information about ANYONE from any company or database that has information about you. This bill would also allow your browsing history to be accessed for any reason at all. It is different from SOPA and PIPA because instead of censoring media and websites, CISPA lets us do everything that we want but the government would know what we are doing. It can be thought of as a lesser Big Brother from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (since so many of us spend a lot of time online).
What about the privacy policies of websites like Facebook and Twitter?
Under this bill, the government would be able to bypass any other law or policy that would otherwise prevent them from doing so as long as they deem it a security threat. CISPA essentially voids the Fourth Amendment.
If the bill breaches the Fourth Amendment, why was it proposed?
The intent of the bill was to help protect companies from hackers or to intercept possible acts of terrorism or crime such as the recent Boston Marathon bombings so they can act before the crime is done. If there is a cyber-attack on a company, the government is easily able to intervene in to trace the attack and providing a stronger defense against the hackers. The main goal is to make it easier for the government to find criminals, prevent crimes and to heighten cyber-security.
If it offers such protection, why would we not want it?
This is a great idea but it also means that any private information is available to the FBI and NSA and is open to their interpretations. As many convicts are falsely prosecuted, every one of us are vulnerable to false accusations. It could be because of jokes that may sound threatening (think saying “bomb” in an airport) as a Facebook post, or email, or even a private message to a friend. Even though we may not have anything to hide, we start to become paranoid about how our internet actions can be interpreted. If the government deems our actions suspicious, an investigation will start and all of our privacy is gone.
How realistic is the possibility of the bill passing?
The House voted in favor of it by a surprising 288-127. The Obama Administration has said they would veto the bill if it passes the Senate unchanged but we still do not know for certain what will happen. The House vote counts are surprising and the same pattern may repeat in the Senate.
Malicious Sites in Web Searches
Google is the “go to” search engine when most people want to find something on the internet, and for good reason. An 18-month study from a German testing lab has found that Google search returns about only a fifth the amount of malicious websites as Bing (another popular search engine) does! It’s impressive that Google is so much safer than Bing, but wait, I thought searches aren’t supposed to return any malicious websites? As it turns out, both search engines return a relatively low amount of malicious websites from their searches. However, compared to each other Google significantly outperforms Bing.
Number of malicious sites per search engine
Just how many malicious websites are returned by Google and Bing?
In the study, Google and Bing provided about 10 million websites each. Bing turned up 1,285 malicious websites and Google turned up a very low 272.
Does this mean that I’ll get viruses if I use Bing?
Even though a Bing user is five times more likely to encounter a malicious website than a Google user, the chances of finding a malicious website is still a mere 0.01% (0.002% for Google) which is about 1 in 8,500 (1 in 40,000 for Google). And remember that this is only the chance of finding a malicious website. Most malicious websites require the user to download a program, or give permission for something to be installed.
What else can I do to prevent getting a virus?
Keeping web browsers, software, add-ons, and virus protection up to date are key to avoiding malware. In the rare case a piece of malware can get past all these defenses, it still needs to get through you. Always be skeptical of things on the internet and use your judgment. As one student in my technical writing class said “If the website looks sketchy, get out.”
In the end no one is safe from malicious websites when performing web searches but a lot of things can be done to reduce the chances of getting infected on top of using Google over Bing. Installing anti-virus software, constantly updating software, and staying away from “sketchy” websites all aid in reducing infection. However, as it currently stands, it may be wise for Bing users to switch to Google until Bing can reduce the amount of malicious websites found.
The Tech Tree 