Issue 568 Hybrid boats and Planes April 13, 2015

Just like a hybrid car, we can have a hybrid boat or a plane.  Here is how it works.

Hybrid Boat:  A hybrid boat is already in operation on the West coast of the United States.  It is a tug boat that uses the electricity stored in its battery to move around the port area.  It then only kicks in the engine when it needs to generate more electricity and that extra power to perform its tasks.  Likewise, all boats have the capacity to be hybrid electric.  The reason being is that the main engine only need to produce electricity.  It has zero need to be hooked up to the actual propellers that propel the boat forward (though it still can be for extra power).  The electrical motors can (with reduced size and weight) turn the screws to make the craft go.  However, the craft will still need batteries if it is to be a true hybrid so that the engine can be turned off.  As such, the concept is simple and electricity can be augmented via solar panels or even wave power electrical systems on board.  The batteries can even be charged in port by plugging them into the cities/towns power grid.  This is already being done with large cargo ships so as to reduce pollution in the port area itself which also protects workers health.

Hybrid Planes:  Planes too can be hybrids (that even includes helicopters).  The easiest hybrid is the propeller type aircraft.  The electricity turns the props to generate the thrust to propel the aircraft forward thus generating lift via the wings.  Solar panels on the wings themselves and the main body can be used to augment battery power in flight and there is currently a solar powered propeller driven aircraft being used to circumnavigate the world.  In addition, small wind turbines can be added to the aircraft to generate electrical energy as well in midflight as the forward thrust of the plane will cause them to spin.   This technology is great for smaller aircraft that make short hops or don't need the speed of a jet aircraft.  But jets can take on this technology too.  Even though jets will need jet fuel to produce thrust, it does not mean that the solar panels and batteries cannot be equipped to power all the other systems on the plane which thus makes it so that the engines can be used solely for propulsion instead of all the aircrafts electrical needs.

Conclusion:  Planes, Boats and houses (as talked about last week) can all be hybrids like cars.  The goal is to reduce fuel consumption while taking advantage of electrical energies efficiency and of course power.  The only issue is still the batteries themselves as they still weigh a lot.  But time is going to fix that issue.  I look forward to seeing what improvements they make and how this may all develop into all electric vehicles.

Issue 567 Hybrid Homes April 10, 2015

With Hybrid technology growing, the concept is being explored to make a hybrid home.  Essentially, you charge your battery in your basement and then use it to power all your electrical needs throughout the day.  Here is how this interesting concept works.

How it works:  Basically, a large battery is stored in your basement.  It however charges itself at night when prices for electricity are at their lowest.  Then in the morning, the house consumes power from the battery rather than the electrical grid throughout the day.  The idea is in part to save money for consumers of electricity, but at the same time store up enough electrical energy that there is less need for the home to consume any amount of electrical energy from the grid at all.  This lessens the stress on the electrical grid, and thus makes it less likely for a black out to occur.  It also has the potential to reduce the need for the electrical grid to produce power at facilities that burn fossil fuels which in turn puts less greenhouse gases and more importantly less toxins into the air.  Thus, the consumer not only saves money, but the environment gets cleaner too.  The battery can be augmented with solar panels and small wind turbines which again reduce the need to rely on the electrical grid, which thus saves even more money for the consumers and protects the environment further.  Overall something to look forward to as we can have the battery power our electric water heaters, and heating systems as well.

Conclusion:  The only issue is the battery itself.  They are expensive to make and thus expensive to buy and that is not including the issues with electrical storage capacity and space in the home for such big equipment.  In addition, they are made using toxins as well that also pollute our environment.  However this is all being worked on for the obvious goal of making it all consumer friendly.  It is my guess that the goal of this technology is to make it so that power generation plants can be reduced, or shut down for extended periods throughout the day while establishing a foundation for homes to produce all their own electrical needs on their own without the need for a power plant in the first place. Very cool indeed.

Issue 566 Mesh Networks April 9, 2015

There is another form of network that uses the internet that can actually send information free across the globe.  This is called a mesh network.  And here is how it works.

How Mesh networks work:  For one, you do not need a signal tower, or cables to send information from one side of the globe to another.  Instead it uses other people’s cell phones and Wi-Fi to send the data.  It basically bounces information to multiple cell phones and computers (and sometimes satellites) using their electronic signals to send and receive signals.  So say I wanted to send a message to a friend in California.  I send out a signal here in New York and the signal data is bounced from my computer to all the computers and cell phones within the signals reach, who then send out their own signal carrying along my message and it does this all the way until it reaches its destination.  This is how it works in a nutshell, as it just sends out and bounces data from one receiver/transmitter to the next to finally reach its destination.

Conclusion:  Just like the Block Chain from yesterday’s issue this is decentralized as it does not rely on a single transmission source which prevents it from being shut down.  It also is completely free and would neutralize the need for a cell phone or internet provider if set up in the right way.  The only problem is that it is inefficient to send data this way and the computers receiving the data must be set up to do so to properly receive and transmit back the data in the first place.  But obviously you see the potential and thus we can say for certain that this technology will be thoroughly explored further by those who want true freedom over the internet.

Issue 565 The Block Chain April 8, 2015

The Block Chain is a form of encryption used by Bitcoin.  It basically acts as a ledger for the electronic currency (five billion dollars or equivalent if hacked).  However, this form of encryption is impossible to shut down as you would have to shut the internet itself down to do it.  And I am going to attempt to explain why and its other potential uses.

My understanding: So this software is shared between all the people who use and operate with bitcoins.  As such, it uses a near endless number of computers to operate the system.  So to actually hack the Block Chain, which is already encrypted in the first place, you would need to hack every computer associated with Bitcoin.  The principle behind it is that this decentralized approach protects the Bitcoin system and thus makes it impossible to hack as you would need an almost equal amount of hackers to hack in.  So all that data is essentially safe.  

Potential uses:  The Block Chain works on the understanding that encryption equals freedom.  And the network of computers that use it can actually send information in an untraceable and untraceable way.  This is because the decentralized network bounces the information and shares it amongst all the users at once.  As such, a person in the most hostile dictatorship with the strictest form of censorship can upload data on to the Block Chain and be safe from reprisals.  All of this is due to its decentralized nature.  So China, North Korea, the United States and others can no longer censor their people and the world can have whistleblowers and activists speak without fear.

Conclusion:  The Block Chains potential is amazing.  It can protect not just Bitcoins financial data, but all data and make it impossible to steal.  So I look forward to what impact this technology will have on the future of the internet.

Issue 564 Real Authenticity 2 April 7, 2015

Now, we have talked about being authentic on the radio, blogs and similar so that your audience grows.  By de facto, money will be your byproduct from the people you are serving.  But some people think it is hard to work in this field.  They think that they cannot get into it due to perceived obstacles in their path.  Well this is wrong and I am going to explain why.

Why you can compete:  As of this moment, I am competing against every person in the world with this blog.  You my readers (even though I appeal to a small audience) are the select few who find my words interesting enough to read.  My problem is that I lack a convenient way of having a dialogue with you and potential new readers (which I am looking into rectifying).  I however, am not the only game in town and some of you may have your own blogs as well.  But for those who want to join in and speak without fear in an honest tone, I say here and now you can.  Online blogging, radio and even television are now one of the easiest modes of entertainment that anyone can do.  In the past, you needed to be licensed just to host your own radio program, or make deals with a television company to have your show broadcast, with some never giving you a shot.  However, we now have the internet with Podcasts, free radio and free television online via YouTube, and more.  You do not have to pay a single person to do anything.  You just need to invest time into having an internet connection and time spent writing or speaking and sometimes researching what your blog or show will be on that particular day.  You can blog about your favorite card game, about myths and legends or come up with any theme in between.  The sky's the limit so long as there is an audience for it.

Conclusion:  We live in a world where the internet can make every form of content free or will soon be so.  And you know what?  You can participate and possibly make money doing so.  So find the things you want to write or talk about, and then get started.

Issue 563 Fear of the watched April 6, 2015

We have discussed Panopticons before, but never the reaction our society may have to it.  So let us discuss this in today's issue.

What is a Panopticon:  Let us redefine what a panopticon is before we look into societies reactions.  It comes from the concept for the perfect prison where a guard can see and hear everything each and every prisoner does, but the prisoners never see that guard.  As such, the inmates never knew who was being watched and when.  Thus they had to behave as if they were being watched at all times. This was designed to negate the need to have a guard interact with any prisoner let alone have to restrain them as the inmate’s fear of being watched made them behave.  However, it was deemed cruel and unusual punishment due to the paranoia it could cause.  And now our society has developed into a pseudo-panopticon.

Our societal Panopticon:  As the number of cameras increase, our privacy decreases.  Also, our internet, TV, radio and other technology aid the cameras in knowing our every move.  And once people begin to realize that there is no privacy, they fear if they are being watched.  They end up with the same fear and anxiety that mad the panopticon prison "cruel and unusual".  In short, people will become more and more paranoid of what, and whom may be watching.  Things like petty theft, various lawsuits, and other crimes go away as people know they can no longer get away with a crime or that they cannot sue on false pretenses.  So the only freedom you will gain is by living with the fear of being watched.  But there may be an escape.   

Internet safety:  Ironically, technology may be the one place you are safe from being watched.  The sole place you can act out and speak freely.  The reason is because the internet allows for encryption of your data.  You can put up a barrier on the internet which prevents people from knowing who and what you are online.  As such, pseudo-names become our official names, and our emails become our official addresses in this society we have developed.  And to pay for the items we want, electronic currency that is also encrypted to such a degree that it becomes untraceable.  So we are safe in the technology that took our personal privacy away in the first place.

Conclusion:  America's and the worlds future children will grow up in a world where all is recorded and can be pieced together to find out anything and everything about us. And I am not talking about governments, but anyone and everyone who simply wants to watch the lives of others.  We will face a level of oppression from each other like we have never experienced, with the sole place we can escape being an encrypted online identity.  Welcome to a dystopian future where we are seen even when we do not want to be.

Issue 562 GMO Types April 3, 2015

Well, there are several types of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and I thought it would be nice if I outlined them for you my readers.  So let's get started.

Artificial Selection:  This is the most commonly used GMO type.  In fact, we have been using this type for thousands of years.  Basically, we choose a plant and grow several looking for a specific trait.  Then we continually grow that plant with the desired trait in order to strengthen it and make it more robust.  For example, the selective breeding of corn is how we got those big yellow corn stalks we eat today as opposed to the original that never grew bigger than the size of baby corn.  Artificial selection is also the end step for the remaining three types of genetic modifications as well.  So artificial selection is very important (note, this processes was not only used in food but in animals like cows, dogs and cats which allowed them to develop into the domestic animals we own today).

Crossbred:  In this case, pollen of different plants with a desired trait such as fungus resistance, or pest resistance is sprinkled onto the flowers of the primary plant you wish to have gain that trait.  For instance, watermelon pollen was sprinkled on tomato plants and artificially selected to get even larger tomatoes (they even had a green hue, and stripes like a watermelon along with a sweeter flavor).  This is more natural to a degree as it is merely putting pollen onto the other plants flowers to see what plants grow out of it.  They even created a tomato tree!  So while it seems odd, there is the possibility that at some point these particular plants may possibly have existed in the future.

DNA genetic modification:  More controversial than the first two, this one literally inserts one set of DNA into another set.  So you may place a gene from a pig into that of a carrots to see the results and possibly get a desired result. Weird, yes, but also interesting.

Mutagenesis:  This final one exposes plant DNA to chemicals or radiation in order to mutate it to get a desired result.  This one is more controversial as it is completely unnatural and the idea of altering DNA via radiation and chemicals makes us think of things like cancers.

Conclusion:  These are the types of genetic modification with the top one being the main one, and the rest being used more in modern day.  It is important to note that while GMO's are not required to be tested, all are tested voluntarily because the FDA can pull them from the market at any time.  Also, if the GMO is considered pest resistant, it is tested like a pesticide and goes through further testing as opposed to the others which are modified for color, size, and other attributes.  Also, it is important to remember that it is the traits of the GMO's that can potentially harm us, not the making of GMO's as we do not want to create super viruses or weeds, or cause cancers.  Overall, I think we may have to distinguish each GMO from each other like we do with fortified and unfortified foods.  This allows the market to decide which ones they feel safer consuming and thus more money will be poured into that variety of GMO rather than us condemning all of them as bad.  So what say you my readers, know that I have armed you with some basic knowledge?  Should we distinguish each type, or should we endeavor to explore further into the mystery of science and life with respect to our food.