Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Questions preparing a SWOT analysis of Ni-H energy sources

I wonder why we are worried for a strong opposition to Ni-H LENR
as a form of cold fusion...not the scientists will decide, but the energy market.

The initial problem of cold fusion is one well known to the players
of 'contract bridge' game- bidding too high, promise of cheap, inexhaustible
rich source of energy. But even after 20 years Pd-D LENR/CF is science,
very interesting science with many areas and ramifications and open ways
of research but definitely nothing good for Technology (yet), A bad question
is -will it ever be?

The Battle is now about the acceptance and implementation of the Rossi E-cat
on the energy market, especially the US market.
Can we consider the disastruous PR of Cold Fusion so strong that the E cat will
be  a collateral victim?
Let's look to the elementary conditions for an energy source, old or new to stay
on the market:

It must be sufficiently INTENSE to be useful

It must be sufficiently REPRODUCIBLE and CONTROLLABLE to be reliable,

It must be sufficiently CONTINUOUS (i.e. long lasting) to be 
practical

It must be sufficiently SAFE and CLEAN to be harmless

It must be sufficiently easily UPSCALABLE to be extended and diversified,

It must be sufficiently CHEAP to be competitive

It must be sufficiently VALUABLE to be. or to be easily convertible in, electrical energy
It is usual to speak about "high  currency" and "low currency" energy.

These are ideal conditions and all the energy sources that had been, are, or will be used
fulfill these requirements- more or less.

Let's analyse thoroughly the Rossi generator, does it possess an irresistible combinations
of the above characteristics- so it could conquer the markets? Which are its weak points, 
can they be they cured or eliminated by development? Is it necessary or possible to 
elaborate an even better variant of Ni-H LENR? PIantelli is doing this, why other skilled people 
do not try? Or...?
Can somebody of you, friends, ask smarter questions? The secret of a good SWOT analysis
is to know to ask well. at the target.

Peter

Sunday, April 24, 2011

INFORMAVORE's SUNDAY No. 452

Many news - the world is still functional! Issue 451 of this newsletter was relatively
successful 3 times more than usual, I hope this will continue. The world needs
serious and useful information, about the true interstingness of  existence.
In the present issue- some good papers about religion. I have a new e-friend, John Neeve
a Joshua Bell of Twitter.
New Energy continues to develop!


SEARCH

INTERNET

Internet penetration and freedom:

5 myths about the Information Age:

The Internet is killing the Planet (infographic):

SEARCH & FIND: What, where, how.  

Five visionaries sum up the future of  search Part II:


Wendy Boswell ten Google alternatives:

Gerry Mc. Govern: Web navigation must face forwards not backwards:

The search engine that can predict what you want:


Why New Link Shortener Rdd.me Stands Out:

                                 
BLOGS and SOCIAL SITES

Your attention please, dear Readers!

I have discovered that Twitter is like an musical instrument,
you can obtain wonderful effects with it. But you need a good
skilled and generous teacher- a maestro of Twitter. I have discovered one, a real Joshua Bell of Twitter- he is John Neeve from UK.
His Tweeter Marketing Crash Course :
is only the start of a careful guidance process. I advise you to subscribe. Twitter is not made for amateurs.


Is social media an empty tech revolution?:


Research Paper: “Who Says What to Whom on Twitter”: http://infodocket.com/2011/04/18/research-paper-who-says-what-to-whom-on-twitter-2/


GOOGLE

Innovation is Google’s key to maintaining search leadership:

What’s it like to be  a Google search engineer?:

Google's Education Evangelist Preaches the Gospel of Creativity:

http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1996


WORDS, BOOKS, LIBRARIES

 

Evolution of Language Takes Unexpected Turn:


Use foul language to relieve stress and pain:

 

e-Book usage in China is booming: http://infodocket.com/2011/04/22/report-ebook-usage-in-china-is-booming/Use Foul Language to Relieve Stress and Pain

Use Foul Language to Relieve Stress and Pain

Use Foul Language to Relieve Stress and Pain

Use Foul Language to Relieve Stress and Pain



What is a book? The definition continues to blur:


SCIENCE

 

Navigating a New Age of Discovery for the Human Brain:

http://bigthink.com/ideas/37901


Brains that switch between active areas more often learn faster:

 

Evolution of Human 'Super-Brain' Tied to Development of Bipedalism, Tool-Making: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420125510.htm

 

Meditation May Help the Brain 'Turn Down the Volume' on Distractions: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110421122337.htm

 

What Neuroscience Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves:

 

Genetic Study Offers Insight Into the Social Lives of Bees: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411152529.htm


SCIENCE FRICTION Searching for truth in published research: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/04/04/f-vp-strauss-truth-published-research.html

 

Visions of the future spaceflight:

Honesty- Ultimately, ethics in scientific publishing, as in life, comes down to one word: http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/2011/2/honesty

 

Different Views of God May Influence Academic Cheating:


Antarctic Lake Hides Bizarre Ecosystem: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/antarctica-lake-untersee/


Largest spider fossil found in China:

A more human virtual crowd:

What causes deadly crows quakes?:

TECHNOLOGY

 

Biofuels need enforceable ethical standards. Europe's renewable energy targets have 'backfired': http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110412/full/news.2011.230.html

Google plants $100 million in giant wind farm:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20054985-54.html#ixzz1JwnYoCvI

 

Mega Wind Turbines of 20 MW:

 

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP AFFORDABLE SOLAR PANELS THAT WORK IN THE DARK:          http://www.greenwala.com/channels/green-technology/blog/13103-Scientists-Develop-Affordable-Solar-Panels-That-Work-In-The-Dark

 

Novel Ionic Liquid Batteries: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110415113958.htm

 

Collecting the Sun's Energy: Novel Electrode for Flexible Thin-Film Solar Cells: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419082659.htm


10 Emerging Technologies:

Limit to nanotechnology mass-production?: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/iop-ltn041811.php

 

Researchers Now One Step Closer to Controlled Engineering of Nanocatalysts:


Graphene paper thin as paper and ten times stronger than steel: 
Lasers could replace spark plugs for cleaner and more efficient engines 

Ageing populations will drive domestic robots innovation:

 

Physical storage vs. digital storage:

http://mozy.com/blog/misc/physical-storage-vs-digital-storage/

 

Another Dimension to Touch Screens:


Researchers overcome size hurdle in quest for invisibility cloak: http://www.gizmag.com/invisibility-cloak-metamaterials-size/18454/


Plastic, heal thyself:

Bob Rankin- backup strategies : which files should I back up?:

EDUCATION, CULTURE, ART

 

High Wellbeing Eludes the Masses in Most Countries Worldwide

Majorities in 19 out of 124 countries "thriving," mostly in Europe and the Americas:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/147167/High-Wellbeing-Eludes-Masses-Countries-Worldwide.aspx


The good god guide  Tentatively, scientists are asking: exactly what is religion, and what is it for?: http://www.economist.com/node/18584074?story_id=18584074&fsrc=nlw|hig|04-21-2011|editors_highlights


Childhood Music Lessons May Provide Lifelong Boost in Brain Functioning: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420112058.htm


The Periodic Table of Story Telling:

 

Godless in Tumourville: Christopher Hitchens interview: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8388695/Godless-in-Tumourville-Christopher-Hitchens-interview.html


Deaf-world: The rise of a new American culture: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/04/10/deaf_world/?page=full


Scientists Make Bamboo Tools to Test Theory Explaining East Asia's Stone Age Tool Scarcity:




BUSINESS

21st Century workplaces= democracies or autocracies?:


The keys to authentic and effective leadership:



What are you not good at:

 

The One Interview Question You Need to Weed Out Rotten Apples:                                                  http://www.bnet.com/blog/build-business/the-one-interview-question-you-need-to-weed-out-rotten-apples/436


If money does not make you happy, consider time: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/research/aaker_happiness_2011.html

Make the weekend last all week:

HEALTH & MEDICINE

 

Vegetarians May Be at Lower Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes and Stroke: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110413133026.htm


 

Opening Up the Brain with Ultrasound

A startup is developing a simple ultrasound method to get cancer drugs into the brain: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/37451/?nlid=4386&a=f

Developing cancer drugs based on genomics: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/37422/?nlid=4366&a=f

 

Nanomedicine One Step Closer to Reality:: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420143656.htm

 

Nanoparticles With Honeycomb Cavities Containing Drugs Blast Cancer Cells: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110418114208.htm


High speed development aids drug development:

New Test Spots Infections in Hours, Rather than Days

A startup has developed a device that uses magnetic particles to identify pathogens rapidly:

How Peppermint Helps to Relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

 

Gut Bacteria Divide People Into 3 Types, Scientists Say:

 

Learning to Tolerate Our Microbial Self: Bacteria Co-Opt Human Immune Cells for Mutual Benefit: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110421141632.htm



FOOD & COOKING

Nutrition and healthy eating:


Infographic- how to solve the water crisis:

Critical thought about sustainable agriculture and food systems: http://civileats.com/

Traditional Easter recipes- 10 top Easter recipes:

Two recipes for Easter ham:

MISCELLANEA

A short video about symmetry: http://vimeo.com/22564317

Strange but useful human tricks:


SELECTED NEWS

SPAM & SPYWARE   


VIRUSES & e-CROOKS

How do I report Internet scams/fraud?:


How prevalent is malware, 1% or 50%?:

 

CAPTCHAs With Chaos: Strong Protection for Weak Passwords:


WiFi

So what if Iphones spy user locstions?:

20 Most-Anticipated Features Of iPhone 5:




Friday, April 22, 2011

Easter Time

Easter is coming – this year at the same time for all Christians. I received already a lot of nice thoughts and warm wishes from friends and colleagues, as every year around this special moment. People are spreading around messages of peace and spiritual enlightening. And then go around killing lambs for the traditional religious feast.

I have always perceived Christmas as a time for joy and hope. Easter on the other hand I see as a time for introspection and self-evaluation, understanding our limits and accepting our limitations, making decisions about self-improvement. The week before Easter is especially important for Christians, being the commemoration of the terrible ordeal that Jesus went through in the last days before His death. The Resurrection, actually the very basis of a new religion, comes only after torture and pain. These days, TV channels all over the world are broadcasting a lot of movies and series inspired by biblical tales (Old and New Testament), which I feel is blending quite strange messages. On the one hand, they are spreading religious teaching like love, forgiveness, tolerance, kindness, but on the other hand they are brutally loaded with senseless blood-shedding, incestuous relations, power-driven killings, treacherous intrigues, sickness and poverty.

And then I start wondering where the legend ends and history begins. Legends are those exaggerated tales about heroes and their extraordinary accomplishments, with some seeds of original truth. The fact that they are transmitted verbally from generation to generation makes them more colorful and more distant from the actual facts with every century that passes by. But then… history is also just an interpreted version of the past. We call history that story which actually got “approved” in a very complex process of data collection (I wonder how many “eye witnesses” were involved in this in the good old times), negotiation with involved parties before writing and publishing (or do you really believe that anybody could write about a king as he / she pleased before the end of the XXth century?...), then re-writing and eventually re-interpreting facts from time to time, as appropriate for the generations that followed.

I remind you of this process, as we are used now to learning information from many different sources. One of the basic rules of professional journalism is to corroborate any information from more than one source, before going to print with it. But in the old ages there was often only one source available, and that source usually had some interest in the story. The new era of objective information and fast communication is just in diapers, while we still need to learn a lot more about the impact that it may have on our future. For the time being, we are just enjoying the thrill of knowing everything (or maybe the illusion of it?...) and want to get more every day. Few of us are actually wondering if this is good for our present or (even more important!) for our future.

We speak of business or economies overheating (growing faster than reasonably self-sustainable), but we do not stop and wonder: what about our brains, our bodies and our souls? Is it possible that we experience the same, related to the quantity of information that we get? How do we filter, how do we distinguish between truth and lie (even manipulation), how do we choose what to remember and what to forget, how do we rate what should influence our decisions and what should be ignored? In humans I believe this phenomenon is called ‘burn-out’, but it is more or less the same kind of growth beyond control. We absorb more and more information, we make more and more demands on our processing abilities, we feel like the time is compressing around us while we push our own capacities to the limits (and sometimes beyond that!). And then we feel disappointed and betrayed if we fail us.

Sometimes I feel like if somebody unleashed a big ugly monster, and then discovered it cannot be controlled. It reminds me of yet another history lesson - the one that teaches us that big civilizations have progressed until self-destruction. Unfortunately, the triggers of their demise are not clear. And even if they were, I believe every self-destruction was unique, just the “growth and destruction” pattern seems to be repetitive.

Anyway, I have divagated too much from the topic today. I will get back to the Easter season. I wonder who did this important choice for all mankind - to take out only the good lessons from such a complex chain of events as His death and the Resurrection. To tell this story in such a great way, that it got carried forward over centuries and millennia. I would dare to say that we could consider the road-trip of the Apostles as the most successful PR & Communication campaign ever.

There is a saying about unhappy ending of love-stories. It goes like this: there are at least three versions – his, hers and the truth. I would like to extend this to any perception of reality: there are at least three truths in any two-party situation – his, hers and the facts (of course there is no need to be a “he” and a “she” – just two persons). It is deeply engraved in the Christian teachings that the third version, that is not visible for the ones involved, is always visible to Him. He will confront each of us with this on the Judgment Day. Until then we are trapped in our own perception of good and wrong-doing, including our capacity to forgive and forget. Having said that, I really believe I would be in deep trouble if He is indeed a “he”, as it has become very clear to me that men and women have developed their perception function quite differently.

This special week before the Resurrection Day has brought along strange situations for me, that challenged quite strongly my capacity for forgiveness. That is why I found myself wanting to write something about forgiveness, in a rather unusual manner. I have to admit I have also a selfish target, which is to put some order into my thoughts and hopefully make a good decision. As I have written too much already here, I will talk about forgiveness separately, on my Romanian blog.

Here I will wrap up now some kind of message for this year’s Easter season. I usually give my readers positive messages and constructive advice, about how to become a better self and treat others kindly. This week I understood once again how big is this world and how many people are unhappily living in it. I also realized once again another thing: trying to make them all happy makes one lose precious time, especially if they enjoy very much their unhappiness. That same time you can allocate better - care for the loved ones, build things and create a better future for those people who can really appreciate it. The platinum rule teaches us not to force our perception of good on others, as they may not see it as good. We can hurt both them and ourself in this process. It is better to give up some fights, let go of some people, not fight longer than reasonably necessary against the flow. Sometimes we can get far away just by letting ourselves float along the stream and enjoy the ride.

I was planning to write about forgiveness in the context of the modern world. To ask you to make sure that your generosity is not interpreted as weakness or stupidity and therefore wrongly abused. If you are a gardener and forgive a rotten apple for spoiling three other healthy ones but do nothing about it, the (now) four rotten apples will sooner or later spoil the whole lot. If you however throw away the four rotten apples you may save the remaining healthy bunch. There is always a difficult choice to make between forgiveness and retaliation. It is the conflict between Christian teaching of forgiveness and Darwin’s theory of evolution, survival of the fittest. It is also a little blurry even in the Bible – when do you go for “an eye for an eye” or for “turn the other cheek”? I would say – depends on the context, target and strategy. At the end of the day, our decision lies also in our perception – of life and death, of right and wrong, of good and evil, of security and threat. For me is not so hard to turn the other cheek if I am the only one involved, as I always remember my mother saying – ‘the wise one gives in the first’. But then I tend to turn into a lioness when somebody hurts my loved ones or attacks “my pack”.

Therefore, I will conclude today’s thoughts by sharing with you three quotes in a certain order, which reminds me of most of the French dramas. They use to say ‘Fin’ (i.e. ‘The End’) while you still expect answers and watch the screen filled with anticipation for the next scene. It was quite frustrating when I was younger, but I started to appreciate it while getting older. It gives me the power to decide what happens next - search for possible endings, choose the one I like best. It brings the story closer to life’s untied ends.

Therefore, I hope you will enjoy these words, which were spoken by different people, all of them talking about forgiveness. Or not?...

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend / William Blake, Jerusalem

It's far easier to forgive an enemy after you've got even with him / Olin Miller

Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge / Isaac Friedmann


May you enjoy healthy bodies, peaceful souls and joyful spirits – at Easter Time and always!

Georgina Popescu

Sunday, April 17, 2011

offer two services

WEB SEARCH and
PROBLEM SOLVING

In order to make use of my database of selected, useful information
(437 newsletters "The Essentials of Search in the Internet" plus 14 issues
of the Informavore's Sunday) and for the  success and development of my
problem solving rules, I am offering, free and with pleasure the two services
for everybody who needs them and knows that she/he needs them.

Please use COMMENTS (for IS 451) or my address "peter.gluck@gmail.com"
for questions and discussions. Thank you! Till I  am around, I want to be useful.
Peter

INFORMAVORE's SUNDAY No 451

SEARCH

INTERNET

SEARCH & FIND: What, where, how.  

How useful is personalized search:   
http://www.technologyreview.com/web/37323/?nlid=4333&a=f                                     

Top 10 best semantic search engines to get more accurate results:

Wendy Boswell teaches us:

The Top Twenty Strange Websites on the Web:

Top Twenty Web Celebs (you know what I think about celebs!):

Bigfoot, Chupacabras, and vampire dogs - what's going on? http://websearch.about.com/b/2008/08/14/bigfoot-chupacabras-and-vampire-dogs-whats-going-on.htm?nl=1

The Top 20 Web Memes:




Can an Algorithm Spot the Next Google?

Incompetent Research Skills Curb Users' Problem Solving: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/search-skills.html


BLOGS and SOCIAL SITES

10 ways to find blogs you’ll love:

The truth about Twitter’s troubles:

Twitter more robust than it may seem:

GOOGLE

 

Revenue Rises at Google but Profit Misses Forecasts, and Analysts Point to Spending: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/technology/15google.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2


Google’s social strategy:

 

Introduction to Google PageRank: Myths & Facts: http://searchenginewatch.com/3642190


Hundreds of tweaks show Google is still searching:


WORDS, BOOKS, LIBRARIES

 

Weak Evidence for Word-Order Universals: Language Not as 'Innate' as Thought?:

 

Africa the Birthplace of Human Language, Analysis Suggests::


SCIENCE

 

Toward a Computer Model of the Brain: New Technique Poised to Untangle Brain's Complexity: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110410181302.htm

 

First Comprehensive Gene Map of the Human Brain: More Than 90 Percent Similarity Among Humans: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412121238.htm

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/04/worlds-first-human-brain-map-u.html


Brain stimulation accelerates learning:

Mechanism of Long-Term Memory Identified: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110413121003.htm


The moral formula: How facts inform our ethics:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-moral-formula-how-facts-inform-our-ethics-2265991.html

 

Toads Keep Their Brains Germ-Free:


New Genetic Study Helps Solve Darwin's Mystery About Ancient Evolution of Flowering Plants:

World of discovery

Science’s new age of enlightenment spreads to once-dark nations:

 

Social Wasps Show How Bigger Brains Provide Complex Cognition: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411152518.htm

 

Bacterial Genome May Hold Answers to Mercury  (organic) Mystery: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110408163915.htm

 

Giants Who Scarfed Down Fast-Food Feasts: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/science/12dinosaurs.html?_r=2&ref=science

 

How did the dinosaurs have sex? : http://www.slate.com/id/2291122/?from=rss

 

Physics for the 21st Century: http://www.learner.org/resources/series213.html

 

Earthquakes: Are There Really More Now Than Ever Before, or Are We More Aware of Them?;: http://matadornetwork.com/change/earthquakes-are-there-really-more-now-than-ever-before-or-are-we-more-aware-of-them


TECHNOLOGY


Batteries that recharge in seconds:

 

Spiking biofuel with nanoparticles found to increase performance:

http://www.gizmag.com/nanoparticle-biofuel-performance/18361/

 

Google invests US$ 168 million in world’s largest solar power plant:

http://www.gizmag.com/google-invests-168-million-in-solar-power-tower/18383/picture/132965/

 

Solar Power Without Solar Cells: A Hidden Magnetic Effect of Light Could Make It Possible:

 

The Wind Industry Fights Back Against Claims Of Uselessness: http://www.fastcompany.com/1747387/the-wind-industry-fights-back-against-claims-of-uselessness

 

Green Energy' Advance: Tandem Catalysis in Nanocrystal Interfaces: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411142311.htm


IBM shows smallest, fastest grapheme processor:

America’s tech decline, a reading guide:

Five new technologies that will change the world (and win at Jeopardy!): http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech/2011/0412/Five-new-technologies-that-will-change-the-world-and-win-at-Jeopardy!?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%20Auto%2004122011&cmpid=ema:nws:NTI5OTYyOTAzMwS2


Spider-silk-producing silkworms to be commercially developed:



EDUCATION, CULTURE, ART

 

Psychologists Say Well-Being Is More Than 'Happiness’:


10 tips on how to write less badly

 

Who spends the most years in retirement?: http://flowingdata.com/2011/04/07/who-spends-the-most-years-in-retirement/

 

Psychologists Closing in on Causes of Claustrophobic Fear:

 

National Geographic  blogs: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/

 

Scientists rebel against Carl Linnaeus' system: http://www.swedishwire.com/science/9419-scientists-rebell-against-carl-linnaeus-system-



BUSINESS

Information production explodes, consumption stagnates:

Importance of critical thinking for innovation: 

Enriching a few at the expenses of many:

Pareto, Juran and your vital few:

Wally Bock-  a bunch of Cs for the bosses


Help Employees Listen When They Don't Want to Hear:



The essence of a great presentation:

Nobodies are the new somebodies:

Nuclear realism after Fukushima:

HEALTH & MEDICINE



Frequent Shopping Prolongs Life, Study Suggests:


Do cellphones cause brain tumor?:

 

Possible Cause of Salt-Induced Hypertension Identified:


FOOD & COOKING

The health halo effect- don’t judge a food by its organic level:

Mutation breeding creates the world’s most perfect orange:

 

Why your diet makes you angry:


Healthy spring recipes:


MISCELLANEA

 

Myths about Yuri Gagarin: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1820/1


Possibly controversial: What if Making Babies -- Extending the Species -- Isn't the Real Reason for Having Sex?:


SELECTED NEWS

SPAM & SPYWARE   

 

U.S. shutters botnet, can disable malware remotely:


VIRUSES & e-CROOKS

The Web’s trust issue:

How do I surf the Web anonymously

 

Free PDF Readers: Alternatives to Adobe Reader / Acrobat:


WiFi


The future of cellphones- dialling with your thoughts: