Oct 31, 2009 - Large Defense contractors repositioning to compete in Smart Grid infrastrucuture programs - Boeing, Lockheed, BAE, Raytheon  - see link

   http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/boeing-pushes-into-smart-grid-as-defense-biz-gets-tight/  (Dick S)

   President announces $3.4 B in stimulus funds for Smart Grid Oct2709

   http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/president-announces-34b-in-smart-grid-grants/1916/

   Boeing wants in (and list of other competitors) http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/19054

 

Oct 31, 2009 - Pres. Obama is a big fan of Google - Cover Story Fortune Magazine 22Oct09 -

    http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/21/technology/obama_google.fortune/ (Roger R)

 

Oct 31, 2009 - Mining in Northern Minnesota new items

     Polymet - Hoyt Lakes news item  "Iron Range copper mine project inches ahead" 29Oct Star Tribune - Environmental Impact Statement published.  Plans for       $600 million investment, in operations in Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes, 400 jobs for 20 years to mine nickel, cobalt, platinum.  Concerns that minerals are located in      sulfide containing ore that converts to sulfuric acid with exposure to air and water, as seen in current mining operations in WI and SD.

     http://www.startribune.com/science/67063812.html (Duane C)

 

     Duluth Metals Limited - 30Oct09 press release confirms 12 million indicated oz and 6 mil inferred oz containing palladium, platinum and gold within the      Nokomis property in northeastern MN - company based in Canada, ore is also suflide containing - links to follow:

     http://www.duluthmetals.com/s/Home.asp  follow the link to News Release for details and maps (Dick S)

 

Oct 24, 2009 - Check Nov/Dec issue of MIT Technololgy Review for article "Natural Gas Changes the Energy Map" by David Rotman  www.technologyreview.com/energy/23694/ (added by Dave K)

 

Oct 24, 2009 - Check 19Oct09 issue of WSJ pps R1, R4 "5 Technologies That Could Change Everything"  - very brief synopsis of Space based solar energy, advanced auto battery, carbon capture and storage, renewable energy storage, an next gen biofuels http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703746604574461342682276898.html (Dick S, Dave K)

 

Oct 24, 2009 - News item about AGA Medical Holdings of Plymouth, MN sold 13.75 million shares in new IPO at $14.50-$14.60/share. Seen in WSJ Oct 22, 2009 print edition (Dick S.)  http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091021-715716.html

 

Oct 24, 2009 - sidebar link related to todays talk on water - Check out Engineers Without Borders - www.ewb-usa-org and check out a Univ. of Minnesota example water project in Ghana at www.ewb-usa.org/project_search.php?op=phase&ID=316 (Ron M/Dave K)

 

Oct. 24, 2009 Today is "International Day for Climate Change," with more than 1,000 events being held focus world attention on a goal to carbon dioxide pollution to 350 parts per million (ppm) from the present 385 ppm in order slow global climate change. (DS)  www.350.org also covered in todays StarTrib pg A6 "Global protests today set high goal for less carbon"

 

Oct 17, 2009 Items for the technology discussion:

New solar gadgets from November 2009 Fast Company magazine.

 

DOE tests robotic arm to remove radioactive waste (DS) www.thenewstribune.com/news/

 

Oct 10, 2009 Items for the technology discussion:

Banks - Australian banks experimenting with expanding by offering to backup / store customer data - Rog R.

Viral electronic noise can assault us even faster now.  Lifestreaming See the diagram. - Dale S.

Cut and paste has evolved. Google cloudboard Dale S.

 

Oct 3, 2009 Several items from the meeting: 

“The Minds of Boys - Saving Our Sons from Falling behind in School and Life”  by Michael Gurian & Kathy Stevens 1996

http://www.michaelgurian.com/the_minds_of_boys.html - long term intelligence is largely set by age 18, babies learn by listening – auditory nerve activity builds lots of neurons – so parents should speak in full sentences rather than baby talk Bill P.

 

CBS news item – Assassination attempt on Saudi prince by attacker with rectally carried explosive to be triggered by remote signal/cell phone  - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125144774691366169.html and http://cryptogon.com/?p=10685   Bob F.

 

“Nukes 101” – article in Popular Science, Oct 2009, pp 46-47 – most recent reactors are light water that do not product uranium 239, which can be enriched to plutonium for nuclear bombs.  It is easy to observe the capability of centrifuge operations to determine is a plant has nuclear weapons ambitions – Roger R. http://www.ccemagz.com/2009-09-8831-Popular_Science_October_2009.html

 

Cosmic rays strongly influence the intensity of cloud cover  - cosmic rays strongly influenced by magnetic storms from the sun – http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11651-climate-myths-its-all-down-to-cosmic-rays.html May 2007 also

http://www.solarstorms.org/CloudCover.html paper 2000 also

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v460/n7253/full/460332a.html July 2009 also

http://climateresearchnews.com/2009/01/new-paper-supports-a-cosmic-rays-clouds-climate-link/ Jan 2009 -  Jack G.

 

Cold fusion in garage picture from 2006 – Tom M – see “the Fusor” http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/11/teen_goes_nuclear_creates.html and for more recent articles follow http://www.fusor.net/

 

Enteromedics, developing treatments for obesity, recent decline in share price from $3.79 to $0.79– Mark Knudson CEO

Serial entrepreneur – news item just raised $4.9 million through sale of shares at $0.80/share – proceeds to be used to fund clinical trials – http://ir.enteromedics.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=413427 – see company website  http://www.enteromedics.com/ Duane C.

 

“Can Countries Cut Carbon Emissions without Hurting Economic Growth – 21 Sep 09, pp R1, R3  Robert Stavins says yes while Steven Hayward says no.  Great chart  “By the Numbers”

Expect most growth in CO2 emissions from countries outside the OECD from 2006 through 2030  - full article at

 

Samples from Charts “By the Numbers” from print edition – not found online

                     

CO2 Emissions 2006

            Million metric tons CO2       Tons/Capita

1.  China           6,018                              4.6

2.  USA             5,903                            19.8

3.  Russia         1,704                            12.0

4.  India             1,293                              1.2

5.  Japan           1,246                              9.8

 

                     CO2 and GDP

US economy has grown faster the its energy consumption

            Quad BTU                     GDP                 Metric Tons CO2

          Consumer energy     millions yr 2000 $      per mil yr 2000 $

1980     78.1                              $  5.162                        917

1990     84.7                              $  7.113                        706

2000     99.0                              $  9.817                        596

2006     99.9                              $11.295             523

 

http://theenergycollective.com/TheEnergyCollective/48508 and link to WSJ online at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574406681308037234.html

 

New Apple Tablet

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/apple-tablet-everything/

 

Palmisano Voted 'Top Recession Buster'

IBM Chief Executive Officer Sam Palmisano dominated the voting in a recent The Street.com poll with more than 2,100 votes from some 4,000 investors/readers.

However, The Street did acknowledge that Palmisano is not loved by everyone within Big Blue’s ranks or among opponents to off-shoring and outsourcing of U.S. jobs.

“Despite his popularity with the investment community, Palmisano has proved a controversial figure during the recession and has come under fire in the media for his cost-cutting efforts, which have involved layoffs and shifting jobs to lower-cost parts of the world such as India,” James Rogers of The Street wrote. “The 26-year IBM veteran has nonetheless continued the company's shift from hardware into higher-margin businesses such as services and software.”

The Street credited Palmisano for putting in place and executing a strategy that is “pushing margins up despite falling revenue.”

Taking second  was Steve Jobs of Apple, followed by Joe Tucci of ECM, Mark Hurd of HP and Michael Dell of Dell.

 

Sept. 26, 2009  - collected from Futurists meeting

"What Would Google Do" - book by Jeff Jarvis - suggested ready by today's speaker Bill Peter http://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Google-Jeff-Jarvis/dp/0061709719

and a video 79 minutes on http://fora.tv/2009/02/18/Jeff_Jarvis_What_Would_Google_Do

 

Fisker - Luxury Hybrid Electric Car start-up backa by Al Gore gets $528 million loan - Financial Post Sept 25, 2009 http://www.financialpost.com/news-/energy/green-energy/story.html?id=2032377 observed by Bill P. and their website http://karma.fiskerautomotive.com/

 

Google Fast Flip - a project from Google Labs - a collection of links to latest articles from major news papers and magazines - David K.

http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/

 

Device Worn on Tongue Allows the Blind to See - and many similar articles 

Scientific American magazine Oct 09 issue pg 22 - John D.

found on line at http://www.instructables.com/community/Device-Worn-on-Tongue-Allows-the-Blind-to-See/

and a video at http://www.c00lstuff.com/308/The_blind_can_now_see_with_tongue_vision/

 

Gigagalaxy Zoom: Milky Way - from Astronomy Picture of the Day for 26 Sept 2009 - zoomable 800 million pixel mosaic of the night sky - H Tom T.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

 

Czech & Slovak Network - wide array of links to news, business and organizations in Czeck and Slovak Republics - Jerry M.

http://www.czech.com/

 

Stainless Steel Velcro - Developed by German engineers, this new version of Velcro is dubbed Metaklett, and it can support 35 tons at temperatures up to 1472 degrees. David G. http://www.geekologie.com/2009/09/steel_velcro_because_plastic_i.php

 

Airline Fees add $3.8B to revenue - notes baggage fees collected by Northwest $67.2 million Q2 2009 vs $15.7 million Q2 2009 - and Delta $118.4 million Q2 09

vs $42.9 million Q2 08 - Dick S. USA Today print edition - cover story, section B

 

Energy jobs touch off bidding wars - States competing for energy company jobs - Growth of Clean Tech Jobs from 1998-2007 - Minnesota 11.9% vs North Dakota 30.9%,  South Dakota 93.4%, Iowa 26.1%  - Dick S. USA Today print edition - cover story, section B continued of page 2

 

IPOs make a comback - mixed reactions - A123 Systems - batteries for hybrid electric cars saw share price jump 50%.  Two real estate an mortage companies saw price fall from initial offer. USA Today print edition - section B pg 3

Dick S. USA Today print edition - cover story, section B

 

Sept. 24, 2009

NWA Leads Airline Industry Job Cuts in Last 12 Months

Jobs at  U.S. passenger airlines have fallen for the 13th consecutive month. Airlines employed 5.9% fewer workers in July than at the same time last year, according to USDOT.

 

The agency reports 386,900 full-time airline workers in July, down 25,800 from July 2008 and the lowest total for any month since 1993.

 

Among the network airlines, Northwest Airlines took the biggest hit, with its employment dropping 12.5 % from a year ago, followed by United Airlines (down 11 %) and American Airlines (down 6.9 %). US Airways saw a 4.4 % decline.

 

Among regional carriers Go Jet Airlines’ employment fell 39.8 %, followed by Compass Airlines an NWA subsidiary (down 31.8 %) and Shuttle America (down 25.2 %). 

Source: Charlotte NC Business Journal, Sept. 23, 2009

Editor's Note: This jobless trend is expected to continue well into 2010 as world airlines wrestle with a projected $9-billion loss in 2009. At MSP, the trend may jeopardize NWA's Jan. 2009 commitment to the MN legislature to keep a minimum of 10,000 jobs in MN. (DS) 

http://diamondpilots.blogspot.com/2009/09/airlines-employ-59-fewer-workers-in.html

 

Sept. 23, 2009

IBM Rochester gets national technology medal for Blue Gene Computers

 

Sept. 19, 2009

In honor of the 222nd anniversary of U. S. Constitution Day (1787), the Hennepin County Library Business Section is displaying some 35 titles about American constitutional government -- its strengths and weaknesses. The display may end Sept. 24, but the books are available for checkout anytime thereafter by inquiring at the information desk. (DS)

 

Sept. 1 marked the 70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II, with Germany's and the Soviet Union's attacks on Poland. A new crisis of confidence appears to have arisen as a result of the U. S. Administration's decision to substitute a destroyer-based system for the proposed land-based Central European Missile Defense Shield. (See today's Wiki New Page posting.) (DS)

 

Sept 11, 2009

Check out the images from the new cameras in the Hubble Space Telescope; various sizes, video, and zoomable images available here. (Hmm, the zoomables have moved here.) (htom)

 

Sept. 5, 2009

Check out LibraryThing - a site that allows you to upload a list of books and then match and connect with others who have similarities on their collections.  And then see new entries in similar catalogs.  Consider exploring as an anonymous user to become familiar with the capabilities.  www.librarything.com  (Dale S.)

 

Health Care Reform - Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) likes Rep. Anthony Weiner proposed amendment to H.R. 3200.  www.pnhp.org/news/2009/august/house_vote_on_single.php (Roger R.) 06 Aug 09

 

Plasmbot - Researchers in UK's Univ. of the West working to design a biological robot using mold. The plasmbot will sense objects, span them in the shortest and best way and transport objects along pre-preogrammed routes. 

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827073256.htm  (David K.) 27 Aug 09

 

Augmented Reality via Wireless Contact Lens - See concepts and prototype eletronics integrated onto contact lens for applications ranging from aids to sensory impaired individuals to video games toward augmented reality.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/bionics/augmented-reality-in-a-contact-lens/0  (David K.) 03 Sep 09

also http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/bionics/augmented-reality-in-a-contact-lens/0/eyesb1

 

Morph - Nokia offers a fascinating concept review for a nanophone. www.nokia.com/about-nokia/research/demos/the-morph-concept/video (David K.)  

 

News of proposals for manned missions to Mars.  Lawrence M. Krauss, author of "The Physics of Star Trek".

1.  Send a load of fuel ahead of people, to provide fuel for a return trip.

2.  Send a one-way manned mission, ie. go with a plan to stay.

krauss.faculty.asu.edu (Brian T)

 

Nanobees Target Tumors - CNN 18 Aug 09 www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/18/nanotech.cancer.nano.tumors/index.html (David K.)  Also covered on Science Friday (maybe in Small Things Considered) www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200909046 (Tom T/Hank L)

 

"The Floods That Carved the West" by Michael Parfit, Smithsonian Magazine, April 1995

Great photo and map series about ice dams in the Northwest. (DS)

 

Aug. 29, 2009

Some reading and viewing ideas on Afghan culture and lifestyles mentioned during today's talk:

Books

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" 2007 and "The Kite Runner" 2003 by Khaled Hosseini http://www.khaledhosseini.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Thousand_Splendid_Suns

"Caravans" James Michener 1960's story of young diplomat in Kabul after WW II. http://www0.epinions.com/review/Caravans_by_James_A_Michener/content_211987762820

 

Movie/Video

"Mongol" 2007 epic story of a young Genghis Khan http://www.mongolmovie.com/  and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416044/

 

High-Speed Robot Hand Demonstrates dexterity and skillful manipulation - August 3, 2009  http://www.hizook.com/blog/2009/08/03/high-speed-robot-hand-demonstrates-dexterity-and-skillful-manipulation  Very impressive video from Ishikawa Komuro Lab showing development of nimble high speed robot finger, hand, and arms. Grasping rice with tweezers and cell phone juggling.  From Hizook (robotic news) (David K)

 

Best Science Visualization Videos of 2009 - August 19, 2009 http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/visualizations

Wired Science online reviews amazing visualizations of complex phenomena.  Leading is a view of the impact of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in California. (David K)

 

Awesome DIY water rockets with drop-away boosters - http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/water_rockets_with_drop-away_booste.html 

See the clever design for soda bottle water rockets with boosters.  (David K)

 

Check us out on Facebook - search for Minnesota Futurist  www.facebook.com (David K)

 

Highway 62 Crosstown and I-35W interchange construction - http://www.dot.state.mn.us/projects/crosstown/  Modeling and progress for construction project many members pass through to and from our meetings.  (DicK)

 

Aug. 1,  2009

The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems - by Van Jones, 2008 See review in Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Green-Collar-Economy-Solution-Problems/dp/0061650757 and websites www.vanjones.net and www.greenforall.com (Roger)

 

A mousetrap for bacteria – Economist Tech Quarterly, Mar 5th 2009 http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13174498 (John D)

 

Robot Farmers – Popular Science online, Aug 2009 http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-07/8-farming-solution-help-stop-world-hunger?page=5 In this excerpt, Carnegie Mellon University got a $28 million grant from USDA for … “Autonomous four-wheelers rumble through apple orchards, using sensors to scan for things like fungus and growth rates. Separate sensors in the ground monitor soil moisture, humidity and light levels.”  (Ron M) 

Also

Green-thumbed robots: the future of sustainable precision agriculture? By Anne Hanrahan 19:10 March 26, 2009 PDT http://www.gizmag.com/robotics-sustainable-precision-agriculture/11326/  nice video and photos, from CSAIL (David K)

 

Sanofi Pasteur Receives Order From French Government To Produce Novel Influenza A(H1N1) Vaccine Article Date: 25 Jul 2009 - 1:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158801.php ...order from the French Ministry of Health provides for the initial supply of 28 million doses of the new A(H1N1) influenza virus vaccine, and includes an option for an additional 28 million doses. (Cam S)

 

May 30, 2009

What is happening to the First Amendment? :

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Update-on-Recovery-Act-Lobbying-Rules-New-Limits-on-Special-Interest-Influence/

March 21, 2009

Mission to Mars - a Graphic Novel - MIT Tech Review Nov/Dec 2007 issue Erica Naone - http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/19502/ 

 

A Whole New Mind - a book by Daniel Pink,  'Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future'  http://www.danpink.com/wnm.html - six essential aptitudes on which professional success and personal fulfillment now depend, and includes a series of hands-on exercises

 

Technology's Promise - via www.techcast.org - charts and graphs and data collection, relative of wfs.org

 

Rechargeable Battery announcement - Autoweek 12Mar09 - http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090312/CARNEWS/903129987 MIT patenting use of an improved form of Lithium Phosphate glass to significantly reduce recharge time - original article in Nature magazine http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090311/full/news.2009.156.html

 

Nuclear Power sentiment survey from Accenture - 17Mar09 - WSJ blog http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/03/17/more-nukes-support-for-nuclear-power-growing-accenture-says/

 

Nanomedicine--Revolutionizing the Fight against Cancer - Jan 2009 Scientific American article http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=nanomedicine-targets-cancer 

 

Interview with Nobel laureate Sir Harry Kroto on Science Friday, 20 Mar 09 - http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200903203

 

Kips Bay Medical - www.kipsbaymedical.com/

 

Green Economy - focus of US News & World Report April 2009 issue, vol 146, number 3 - watch http://www.usnews.com 

 

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