Archive for the 'Economy' Category
New Lithium Ion Battery Process: “It’s So Far Out Of The Paradigm, You Just Don’t Believe It”
June 22nd, 2015Via: Quartz: Chiang and Wilder are about to embark on a third round of investment, seeking $20 million to $30 million. They would spend the money to scale up to production of a new machine that makes a cell every two to ten seconds. This machine, to be available for sale in two years, would […]
.mil Follies: How to Blow $6 Billion
June 18th, 2015This is chicken feed compared to the F-35 catastrophe. Via: Ars Technica: But the program meant to fix the mess, called the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), instead became a massive 15-year software and hardware development mess of its own, involving five sub-programs and multiple multi-billion dollar contracts. It has been a financial disaster for […]
Homeland Security to Open Silicon Valley Office
June 17th, 2015Via: USA Today: The Department of Homeland Security plans to open a satellite office in Silicon Valley, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson told a crowded hall at RSA, the world’s largest computer security conference, on Tuesday. It’s also pushing back against moves by tech companies to digitally encode computer traffic to protect it […]
Milwaukee County Residents Behind on Taxes and Fines Could Owe an Extra 15% to Pay for Sports Arena
June 17th, 2015Via: Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County residents behind on their property taxes or court fines would be charged an additional 15% under a proposal to use public money to pay for half the cost of a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks. Research Credit: bretwalda
GM, Nissan Will Offer Old Electric Car Battery Packs for Stationary Energy Storage
June 17th, 2015The aftermath of the Tesla Powerwall announcement has been pretty hilarious. Now everyone is coming out with stationary batteries for home and business use. However, nobody besides Tesla is willing to say how much their systems will cost. Via: MIT Technology Review: The Nissan Leaf went on sale in December 2010, which means that the […]
New Zealand: Electricity Cartel Might Double Transmission Costs for Far North, West Coast
June 16th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — “Changes could come in by early 2018.” That’s nice. I wonder if the Tesla Powerwall will be on the second or third version by then. Via: Stuff: The prospect of power bills jumping 10 per cent in Northland and the West Coast and almost 5 […]
As Currency Dies, Zimbabweans Will Get $5 for 175 Quadrillion Zimbucks
June 12th, 2015Via: Reuters: Zimbabweans will start exchanging ‘quadrillions’ of local dollars for a few U.S. dollars next week, as President Robert Mugabe’s government discards its virtually worthless national currency, the central bank said on Thursday. The southern African country started using foreign currencies like the U.S. dollar and South African rand in 2009 after the Zimbabwean […]
Texas Kids Told ‘It’s Illegal’ to Sell Lemonade Without a Permit
June 11th, 2015Kafkaesque adjective Kaf·ka·esque \?käf-k?-?esk, ?kaf-\ Definition of KAFKAESQUE : of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality Via: ABC: Two young sisters with an “entrepreneurial spirit” set up a lemonade stand in Overton, Texas, to raise money for their dad’s Father’s day […]
One Nation, Under Sedation: Medicare Paid for Nearly 40 Million Tranquilizer Prescriptions in 2013
June 11th, 2015Via: Propublica: In 2012, Medicare’s massive prescription drug program didn’t spend a penny on popular tranquilizers such as Valium, Xanax and Ativan. The following year, it doled out more than $377 million for the drugs.
Manufacturing of Asus Graphics Cards Now 100% Automated
June 11th, 2015Via: Geek: According to Asus, every single graphics card in use today has been manufactured with the help of one or more human workers. But that is no longer the case. Asus has figured out how to make graphics cards in a completely automated process, with the first human to interact with a card being […]
