Technology, Science and the Environment.

[blabyboy]

13 hours ago, String fellow said:

This article about Nasa's Sun probe mission is interesting. The probe is 96% of the way to the Sun, having taken 6 years to get there and is travelling at close to half a million miles per hour. Apparently the Sun's surface is very much less hot than the surrounding corona and Nasa wants to know why that is, since it appears to defy the normal rules of temperature gradients with respect to distance from the heat source.

One of the best episodes of Thunderbirds in the 1960s was called 'Sun Probe', although that was a 'manned' mission, which nearly ended in disaster.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9q7lnyw25wo 

We'll be looking out for the green heart on the 28th.

[Izzy]

On 24/12/2024 at 10:47, String fellow said:

This article about Nasa's Sun probe mission is interesting. The probe is 96% of the way to the Sun, having taken 6 years to get there and is travelling at close to half a million miles per hour. Apparently the Sun's surface is very much less hot than the surrounding corona and Nasa wants to know why that is, since it appears to defy the normal rules of temperature gradients with respect to distance from the heat source.

One of the best episodes of Thunderbirds in the 1960s was called 'Sun Probe', although that was a 'manned' mission, which nearly ended in disaster.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9q7lnyw25wo 

In fact, it moved faster than any human-made object, hurtling at 430,000mph - the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.

 

That blows my fvcking mind

 

 

 

[String fellow]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

In fact, it moved faster than any human-made object, hurtling at 430,000mph - the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.

 

That blows my fvcking mind

 

 

 

Yes true, but that comparison would only make sense if the transatlantic flight didn't involve either taking off or landing. If they were included, the inertial forces acting on the plane and the pilot during take-off alone would be catastrophically high, due to the enormous acceleration that would be required.

[leicsmac]

Another fantastic piece of work from NASA. Hopefully we'll get a much better idea of how the interior of Sol works which will in turn lead us to better understanding of how it affects us here on Earth.

[The Bear]

2 hours ago, Izzy said:

In fact, it moved faster than any human-made object, hurtling at 430,000mph - the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.

 

That blows my fvcking mind

 

 

 

Public transporter pads can't come quick enough IMO. When we have that sort of energy and data analysis available to make them work that is. Certainly not for a couple of hundred years at least. Would be awesome though, if you ignore the moral and ethical implications of such technology that is. 

[Parafox]

My brother was a big part of the team that developed the first VR headsets.

 

It's come a lot further in terms of the tech and quality but, he was there at the start.

[Free Falling Foxes]

Built in obsolescence and a right to repair.

 

Legislation both here and Europe is attempting to reduce the millions of tons of 'E waste' that goes to land fill each year - allegedly.

 

We've a long way to go as I've found out again today.

 

The bearings have gone in our washing machine. Replacing them isn't for the faint hearted I admit, but it is DIYable and with a wealth of 'how tos' available on YouTube, worth a go. However.......

 

An increasing amount of manufacturers, including makers of higher end machines, make repairing them very difficult and, increasingly, not economically viable. This washing machine for example, needs a £20 part to restore/repair it but they make removing the old bearing extremely problematic by having so called 'sealed drums'. The two halves are now plastic welded together whereas they used to be screwed together with a seal seated between them. Accessing the bearing is therefore rendered all but impossible.

A replacement drum is available but would cost many times more.

There is also increasing evidence that modern barings are smaller, flimsy and fail for more quickly than before

 

Manufacturers are being naughty here. Yes, they would argue it is repairable but it is both at a far greater cost and frequency.

[davieG]

9 hours ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Built in obsolescence and a right to repair.

 

Legislation both here and Europe is attempting to reduce the millions of tons of 'E waste' that goes to land fill each year - allegedly.

 

We've a long way to go as I've found out again today.

 

The bearings have gone in our washing machine. Replacing them isn't for the faint hearted I admit, but it is DIYable and with a wealth of 'how tos' available on YouTube, worth a go. However.......

 

An increasing amount of manufacturers, including makers of higher end machines, make repairing them very difficult and, increasingly, not economically viable. This washing machine for example, needs a £20 part to restore/repair it but they make removing the old bearing extremely problematic by having so called 'sealed drums'. The two halves are now plastic welded together whereas they used to be screwed together with a seal seated between them. Accessing the bearing is therefore rendered all but impossible.

A replacement drum is available but would cost many times more.

There is also increasing evidence that modern barings are smaller, flimsy and fail for more quickly than before

 

Manufacturers are being naughty here. Yes, they would argue it is repairable but it is both at a far greater cost and frequency.

I recently had to buy a new printer as the part to repair my old one cost more than the new printer. I've had cars where the bulb went in the headlight and I had to replace the whole assembly, likewise with the mirror in the wing mirrors.

 

It's part of product development, I know I've been there to reduce the number of parts in any assembly. Most plastic parts are designed to snap together and to stay together. The alternative is more parts more cost, more labour more cost. We made our choice for ever cheaper products and this is the price we pay.

[davieG]

Facts That will Blow Your Mind  · 

Follow

 

South Korea has introduced innovative plastic rolling barriers on certain roads, which significantly improve road safety. Unlike traditional steel barriers, these are specifically designed to absorb the energy of an impact and distribute it evenly. This not only reduces the force of the collision, but also minimizes the risk of serious injury.

In the event of an accident, the rotating elements of the barrier help guide the vehicle along the road instead of stopping it abruptly. This reduces the risk of vehicles tipping over or getting into the oncoming lane. This advanced technology shows how modern engineering can save lives and sustainably increase safety on the roads. Another example of how South Korea is a pioneer in the field of road safety with innovations.

[Daggers]

28 minutes ago, davieG said:

Facts That will Blow Your Mind  · 

Follow

 

South Korea has introduced innovative plastic rolling barriers on certain roads, which significantly improve road safety. Unlike traditional steel barriers, these are specifically designed to absorb the energy of an impact and distribute it evenly. This not only reduces the force of the collision, but also minimizes the risk of serious injury.

In the event of an accident, the rotating elements of the barrier help guide the vehicle along the road instead of stopping it abruptly. This reduces the risk of vehicles tipping over or getting into the oncoming lane. This advanced technology shows how modern engineering can save lives and sustainably increase safety on the roads. Another example of how South Korea is a pioneer in the field of road safety with innovations.

Great for car drivers. 
 

Fvck your luck is you’re riding a bike as that upper and lower steel strip won’t be absorbing much energy as your body slams into it. 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Great for car drivers. 
 

Fvck your luck is you’re riding a bike as that upper and lower steel strip won’t be absorbing much energy as your body slams into it. 

Don't worry, in SK the motorbike drivers tend to use the pavement much more than the road anyway.

[jgtuk]

43 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Great for car drivers. 
 

Fvck your luck is you’re riding a bike as that upper and lower steel strip won’t be absorbing much energy as your body slams into it. 

No different to the Armco (?) currently used for decapitating bikers limbs then. 

[blabyboy]

https://gizmodo.com/leaked-documents-show-openai-has-a-very-clear-definition-of-agi-2000543339

 

So there you have it ladies and gents..AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is simply defined as earning 100 billions USD  in profit, no real ground breaking, paradigm changing inventions, just a monetary value. Who knew?!

 

[leicsmac]

 

Have a dose of terrestrial perspective.

[jgtuk]

Not sure this link will work, it was sent to me and I’m a dunce with social media. 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB8tGycRgy3/?igsh=ajUzYmpucXNlaTUx

Edited 5 January by jgtuk

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg52543v6rmo

 

The Nordics leading the way once again.

[davieG]

On 13/01/2025 at 11:16, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg52543v6rmo

 

The Nordics leading the way once again.

They have the money to do it (subsidise it) with all their natural resources

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, davieG said:

They have the money to do it (subsidise it) with all their natural resources

Which makes the decision to do so for them much easier right now, it's true.

 

It doesn't, however, change the fact that every single country either pays now in mitigation, preparation and change, or pays much, much more, in money and lives, later. The decision is bloody hard, but it does have to be made.

[Zear0]

55 minutes ago, davieG said:

They have the money to do it (subsidise it) with all their natural resources

Imagine if we'd used our natural resources for such things instead of hawking it off for a pittence in the spirit of "privatisation". 

Edited 15 January by Zear0

[davieG]

5 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Imagine if we'd used our natural resources for such things instead of hawking it off for a pittence in the spirit of "privatisation". 

I remember when they discovered North Sea oil we were told our domestic energy cost would be nearly zero 😂

[Jon the Hat]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

I remember when they discovered North Sea oil we were told our domestic energy cost would be nearly zero 😂

If you take into account the tax income from North Sea oil and gas, the duty on selling it as fuel, the income tax and NI from all those employed etc, it might well have put so much into the treasury that is effectively did.

[davieG]

Just now, Jon the Hat said:

If you take into account the tax income from North Sea oil and gas, the duty on selling it as fuel, the income tax and NI from all those employed etc, it might well have put so much into the treasury that is effectively did.

I’m sure we, well some people benefited from it but not the way it was sold to the general public 

[Jon the Hat]

On 20/12/2024 at 20:33, blabyboy said:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/goldman-asks-is-curing-patients-a-sustainable-business-model.html

 

These humans eh?....

Fortunately, I think we can rely a few factors to ensure this is not an issue: 

 

1) the short termism very common in large companies (which is not entirely illogical) will result in them taking the short terms revenues over long term ones.

2) The cures will not always be developed or bought by the same companies who have the market share for chronic treatments.  Those cures will in fact be significantly more valuable to competing companies who are therefore much more likely to acquire those who develop them (i.e. if you are the dominant player for chronic treatments, are you even investing in a cure?  Your competitors are though, because for them the whole market is there for the taking.

3) Surely some Scientists still do research for the glory and to make the world a better place!  If my cure was blocked I would leak it for sure.

[leicsmac]

US looking to ban Tiktok for Chinese government association.

 

US Tiktokers migrate en masse to another even more Chinese social media platform, RedNote.

 

Highly amusing cultural exchange worth a thousand diplomats between US and Chinese citizens occurs.

 

"... the world is not wholly divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don’t know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly." - Marjane Satrapi

[Grebfromgrebland]

I'm really loving so many people moving onto rednote