Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I haven't been adding much to this blog, and haven't really put any effort in to clipping and whatever. Let me know if anyone actually reads this and I'll try to update it more.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
through the looking glass
Saturday, December 6, 2008
How technology will transform us
At around 15 minutes in, there's a really cool part showing little machines interacting in our blood stream, releasing oxygen.
"You could run an Olympic sprint without taking a breath. You could sit at the bottom of a pool for fifteen minutes."
Very cool, check it out.
For the majority of the video he shows many different areas that are experiencing exponential growth.
It's really quite mind-boggling to think what could happen in the next ten years.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Future Planes
When the next-generation aircraft rises over the horizon, one group of people will be able to say they saw it first. That's the U.S. Defense Advance Research Projects Group, or DARPA. A month after the launch of Sputnik, Congress created the Advanced Research Projects Agency to make sure that the United States would never again be surprised by an adversary's technology -- and to prepare surprises of its own for use by the American military.
Today, DARPA has projects going in space science, biomedicine, microelectronics, nanotechnology and just about any other field you can name, including aviation.
Some of the agency's previous successful aviation partnerships include the Saturn rocket that carried men to the moon, the Lockheed F117 "stealth" fighter, and the Northrop Grumman B-2 bomber and the UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle. None of these pivotal technologies might exist if not for DARPA. As I originally wrote for the May 2008 issue of Professional Pilot magazine, the agency has a number of new aircraft in the works.
The Oblique Flying Wing aircraft, for instance, is an odd-looking number. One wing is swept forward, the other back, and the sweep angle changes with speed to optimize aerodynamic performance. In terms of civilian use, an OFW business jet would have a high purchase price but might offer enough operating efficiency to justify the initial cost.
The Vulture, an autonomous aircraft capable of staying in the air for up to five years at a time, could work cheaper than certain satellites while performing the same function. Innovated for civilian use, the craft could be used as a sort of flying hotel.
But it's the agency's nano air vehicle program that really pushes the limits. The program aims to produce an aircraft less than 3 inches long and weighing about one-third of an ounce. That's under 10 grams. The vehicle wouldn't have room for passengers, of course, but it's still an aircraft and will require fundamental breakthroughs in aerodynamic design, propulsion and power systems, avionics and manufacturing techniques to get off the ground.
Even these technologies will one day be obsolete, and DARPA is planning for the next technological wave thereafter. Early in 2008, the agency issued a request for proposals on experiments related to quantum entanglement. This may be the most ambitious research effort DARPA has ever taken on. The project, called quantum entanglement science and technology (QuEST), could produce such marvels as the Star Trek's transporter. In the meantime, a seat in first class will be good enough for me.
Today, DARPA has projects going in space science, biomedicine, microelectronics, nanotechnology and just about any other field you can name, including aviation.
Some of the agency's previous successful aviation partnerships include the Saturn rocket that carried men to the moon, the Lockheed F117 "stealth" fighter, and the Northrop Grumman B-2 bomber and the UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle. None of these pivotal technologies might exist if not for DARPA. As I originally wrote for the May 2008 issue of Professional Pilot magazine, the agency has a number of new aircraft in the works.
The Oblique Flying Wing aircraft, for instance, is an odd-looking number. One wing is swept forward, the other back, and the sweep angle changes with speed to optimize aerodynamic performance. In terms of civilian use, an OFW business jet would have a high purchase price but might offer enough operating efficiency to justify the initial cost.
The Vulture, an autonomous aircraft capable of staying in the air for up to five years at a time, could work cheaper than certain satellites while performing the same function. Innovated for civilian use, the craft could be used as a sort of flying hotel.
But it's the agency's nano air vehicle program that really pushes the limits. The program aims to produce an aircraft less than 3 inches long and weighing about one-third of an ounce. That's under 10 grams. The vehicle wouldn't have room for passengers, of course, but it's still an aircraft and will require fundamental breakthroughs in aerodynamic design, propulsion and power systems, avionics and manufacturing techniques to get off the ground.
Even these technologies will one day be obsolete, and DARPA is planning for the next technological wave thereafter. Early in 2008, the agency issued a request for proposals on experiments related to quantum entanglement. This may be the most ambitious research effort DARPA has ever taken on. The project, called quantum entanglement science and technology (QuEST), could produce such marvels as the Star Trek's transporter. In the meantime, a seat in first class will be good enough for me.
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