Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Velkess: New Residential Scale Flywheel Design
December 21st, 2013Via: Scientific American: Renewables could be the world’s primary source of energy if only someone could solve the storage problem—how to store lots of electricity cheaply on a wide scale? Batteries are too expensive and don’t last long enough. Pumped hydro is cheap but not feasible for most locations. Thermal storage is promising but still […]
A Solar Boom So Successful, It’s Been Halted
December 21st, 2013Greed and incompetence at power companies are running up against the unstoppable force of distributed power generation. Not long to go now. Germans laugh at this, by the way. Flashback 2011: Residential Energy Storage with Underground Flywheels — Update 2013: Velkess: New Residential Scale Flywheel Design Via: Scientific American: William Walker and his wife, Mi […]
Algae to Crude Oil: Million-Year Natural Process Takes Minutes in the Lab
December 19th, 2013Via: U.S. Department of Energy / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Engineers have created a continuous chemical process that produces useful crude oil minutes after they pour in harvested algae — a verdant green paste with the consistency of pea soup. The research by engineers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was reported […]
Obamacare: Think Carefully About Traveling
December 19th, 2013Via: IBD: A prominent New York insurance broker pointed out that most of the policies offered on the ObamaCare exchanges are not national networks, so “if you need routine medical services, they will not be covered when you leave your local area,” as they were before. Travel health insurance, unfortunately, only covers emergencies. So, the […]
Saab Wins Brazil Jet Deal After NSA Spying Sours Boeing Bid
December 18th, 2013Via: Reuters: Brazil awarded a $4.5 billion contract to Saab AB on Wednesday to replace its aging fleet of fighter jets, a surprise coup for the Swedish company after news of U.S. spying on Brazilians helped derail Boeing’s chances for the deal. The contract, negotiated over the course of three presidencies, will supply Brazil’s air […]
Woman Who Lives “Off the Grid” Threatened With Eviction – From Her Paid-For Home
December 18th, 2013Via: Daily Sheeple: Robin Speronis, a Florida woman who lives off the grid, is being threatened with losing her home due to her “alternative lifestyle”. Last month, Robin’s story was featured on Fox 4 news in Florida. She does not have a refrigerator, oven, running water, or electricity.
Middlebrow Megachurch Infotainment: “We Need to Talk About TED”
December 18th, 2013Via: Benjamin Bratton: In our culture, talking about the future is sometimes a polite way of saying things about the present that would otherwise be rude or risky. But have you ever wondered why so little of the future promised in TED talks actually happens? So much potential and enthusiasm, and so little actual change. […]
GMO Consumption and Gluten Sensitivity?
December 16th, 2013Via: Institute for Responsible Technology: Gluten-related disorders are commonly accompanied by and possibly triggered by intestinal permeability, which is commonly referred to as “leaky gut.” Leaky gut occurs when gaps form between intestinal cells and large particles from the digestive tract enter the bloodstream, potentially triggering immune or allergic reactions. The Bt-toxin produced by genetically […]
The Story of Your Enslavement
December 16th, 2013It’s really The Story of Humanity’s Enslavement. The piece ends with the following message: “Wake up. To see the farm is to leave it.” Many of you might think something like, “That’s a bit of a parsimonious way to conclude. Now what? I get it, but I still have to show up to work tomorrow […]
Former Governor of the Bank of Israel to Become Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve
December 16th, 2013Via: Bloomberg: Former Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer is President Barack Obama’s leading candidate to become vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, people familiar with the selection process said. Fischer, 70, would replace Janet Yellen as the Fed’s No. 2 official, according to the people, who asked for anonymity because the decision isn’t final. […]
