Most Commented Technology Blogs (217)

Harley-Davidson is launching a new electric bicycle brand known as Serial 1 Cycle Company.

Coming soon...

The energy revolution is one of the biggest opportunities of our time. If I had to start all over again, I think that’s where I’d put much of my time and resources.
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VIRGIN -- Watching the DS Virgin Racing team really brings home how far we have come and how the energy revolution is really underway. Formula E is a great example of how competition is driving forward huge innovations.

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I’m often asked how the energy revolution affects Virgin’s strategic thinking and how we do business on a daily basis. As an investor and entrepreneur, I’ve never seen a more compelling business case than the one presented by the development of more energy-efficient systems. The falling costs of renewables and batteries make cost-effective, clean electricity unstoppable and essential to the transition to a low carbon, energy-abundant world.



I think it’s important for all businesses to treat climate action as a long-term investment rather than a short-term expenditure. Taking action now, from investing in renewables to more energy-efficient production, will not only make your business more resilient, it will also make you more competitive. A dollar spent now on clean energy, is a thousand dollars saved in the future.



In the Caribbean, where I live, building decentralised grids powered by solar and wind will help slash generation costs and make island communities far more resilient to natural disasters, like Hurricanes Irma and Maria last year. It’s a positive shift. It gives people more choice and control, and makes the local environment cleaner, along with the planet as a whole.



One of the most exciting developments I’ve noticed is consumers are becoming increasingly aware of energy issues, and demanding answers and positive action from businesses. What sources of energy do you use? What is your energy footprint? What are you doing to be more sustainable?



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Virgin is doing some really exciting things in this space. As a Group, our activity covers a lot of sectors, including some where we are still big carbon emitters today: aviation, space travel and more recently, cruises. But we’ve set some pretty ambitious goals, and the most important one is to reach net zero emissions by 2050, ideally a lot earlier. We want to push our companies to become leading examples of business action on climate – even our top emitters.




Take aviation. I think this is one of the sectors with the greatest potential for innovation. Virgin Atlantic, for instance have made great progress in reducing the carbon footprint of every flight. Last year, Virgin Atlantic announced a 22 per cent reduction in aircraft carbon emissions over the last nine years. The majority of these emissions reductions have come thanks to our multi-billion fleet investment in more efficient aircraft (Boeing 787, A 350), as well as from operational improvements including optimized aircraft maintenance, cleaning and new flying techniques. VAA are also on the cutting edge of renewable fuel development, thanks to their brilliant partnership with LanzaTech, who turn industrial waste gases into commercial jet fuel. The project is now incredibly close to becoming a reality – with the potential to deliver big carbon savings.



We’ve also incubated a number of projects with Virgin Unite, our entrepreneurial foundation. We set up the Carbon War Room in 2009 to work with the most polluting industries to reduce their carbon footprint. They merged with Amory Lovins’ Rocky Mountain Institute in 2014. Today, ‘Global Energy Transitions’ is one of RMI’s core focuses. Their ‘Islands Energy Program’ is accelerating the transition of 13 Caribbean island economies to local, renewable energy and creates a blueprint for other

yes ! this chat is between me and my heart.
he says there is no love in this world.
but i said that you are also in this world ! ! !
and it means you also have no love inside you.
So he gone some upset with me.
What to do now ?

Donald Trump: We Will Not Tolerate Censorship, Blacklisting, Rigged Search from Big Tech

President Donald Trump vowed to stand for free speech on Thursday, warning Big Tech against censoring conservative voices.

“I’ve made it clear that we as a country cannot tolerate political censorship, blacklisting, and rigged search results,” Trump said, calling out social media companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

The president commented on the issue at his campaign rally in Indiana on Thursday night, ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Trump said his administration would always stand up for free speech for “all Americans,” warning the left that their own voices could someday be censored.

“We will not let large corporations silence conservative voices,” he said.

Trump suggested that such activities were un-American, reiterating the principle of free speech.

“We’re not going to let them control what we can and cannot see, read, and learn from, we can’t do that,” Trump said. “America is a free country and we’re going to stay always a free country.”

I used to work for a company who manufactured upholstered furniture. They processed raw lumber to make the sofa and chair frames. Deliveries came by flatbed trailers and stored outside under the cover of an aluminum roof. 20-30 boards were brought into the wood shop as needed and cut to size to fit the specifications required to make each order.

My boss found that a new delivery had insects living in the wood and sent a letter to the supplier to pick up the material and deliver a fresh load that didn't have 'wood borers' nesting in the lumber.

That was the first time I had heard the term wood borers and as a resident of South Florida being a hot and humid climate, termites were the main insects found eating wood. There are also some variety of beetles that manifest themselves in lumber and appear years later... sometimes after the wood has been made into furniture.

A client of mine found a beautiful grand piano in a warehouse and had it delivered to her home and set up. Not long after, she noticed mounds of fine dust-like particles appearing on the carpet... that was the work of termites. The piano had to be removed and taken to an exterminator with a fumigation chamber designed for furniture and large items.

I have my house tented for termites every 6 to 8 years as that is recommended because whatever brought hungry termites into the house is still there. The wall construction, roof trusses and planking is raw wood. It's on my 'do list' of things for this year.

Every time it's fumigation where they cover the house in heavy tarp and fill the space with gas that displaces the oxygen killing the bugs... all the bugs.
Soon after fumigation, carpenter ants come to eat the dead termites. According to the exterminator, they don't eat wood. Their only interest is the termite dinner.

I found another company who does a different type of extermination where they spray the wood with a chemical coating to create a barrier. If the termites eat that, they die. The process requires them to drill holes in obscure places to spread the chemical, but they guarantee 100% kill.

The negative part of tent fumigation is termites can return within days as there is no poison to stop them and the chemical process stops their return and is cheaper.

After all these years of conventional termite treatment, I'm inclined to try the new technology method.

So much for a boring blog!

Thanks for reading...

Seriously, I get it. You manufacture products that are sold in pilfer-proof packages. Unfortunately, the consumer needs special tools to get the package open without destroying it's contents.
Computer memory sticks, for example. Small devices that are probably easy to steal, so they come with a plastic cover that requires scissors to open the package.

Probably the worst I've found are the products that are 'encased' in a 2 part thick plastic case that has a hard curled heat formed edge that is sealed all the way around. I have to use metal cutting shears to get those things open at a risk of sharp edges to 'get you' as you remove the product from the case.

Stores in the Unites States have very liberal return policies and usually ask no questions when returning goods... broken or not.



Thanks for reading my blog!

You've probably heard of 3D printing where a filament of heated plastic is extruded to build up layers creating dimensional objects. Yes? They are used to create toys, mechanical gears, tools and medical supplies such as prosthetic body parts.

Ink printers is where it all started and they have been around more than 2 generations. Paper is only 2 dimension, X and Y axis. Later came laser or router in place of an ink print head and allowed companies to do engraving with the same 2D technology.

More sophisticated technology can be found in the woodworking industry were different router heads are used on a 3 axis machine using X, Y and Z for length, width and height. I've seen lots of videos of guitar making where a single computerized router can switch tools to cut the shape a guitar, curve the edges, drill for pickups, switches and hardware all without having the remove the block of wood from the bed it's clamped to.
This is Computer Numeric Control technology, CNC for short.
That technology only cut away existing material. There weren't any devices to build something from literally nothing.

On a large scale, they are making houses with a related technology using quick setting concrete from a nozzle to build walls.

Tonight, I hit a video of a 3D pen. Hand operated, it's a simple device similar to the way a hot-melt glue gun works and uses thin filaments that you can actually draw in 2D or build more complex shapes in layers in 3D. Prices range anywhere from $30 to $150 and filaments are available in 1.75mm to 3mm thickness. Some more expensive models have different nozzles so you can change the thickness from the same tool.

Here is a demo video explaining many facets on the 3D pen...

Still many broadcasting to many (developing) parts of the world. In dozens of languages. The cutbacks, with the internet, seem greatest in Europe and North Merka. But the (FINALLY) rising sun spot cycle index, making for improvements in reception and transmission, is improving things everywhere.
This morning, after a few chats on the ham frequencies, I switched from SSB to AM, and cruised on up to 49 meters. Radio Marti, Havana, Beijing, others, and the usual God squaders, were coming in strong. On a lark, I sauntered up to the higher reaches of the band, usually not very active. Only to find radio Japan, NHK, booming in with news, etc, in Portuguese! Sure, it had a bit of the Brazilian dialect, after all, it was there that the antenna engineers focused their signals. But what a treat for a Gnome struggling with this tongue, so close to Spanish, yet sometimes, so far away.
As I've blogged, listening to these programs can often be just listening to propaganda, on many sides. Yet often, from what's said, it is possible to ferret out a good deal that;s not only likely valid, but inportant, for effective world citizenship.
Used to be that it was necessary to spend large on radio receivers to add this to our knowledge base But those thousands who read my rants, know, what a cheap bastard I am. Just ordered a great AM, FM, SW receiver---with an MPV card reading decent music and voice recorder, for USD 17, delivered, direct from the one party stat of the PRC. Reviews say its terrific, but I'll blog if it's the usual Chinese cheap consumer trash. Pressing my thumbs.
Keep it valid, folks, and if critical, and even a tad bit acerbic, try to do so only as to obvious signs of lower class.

Earlier this week, I read a story about looters in California who broke into a car dealership and stole luxury and sports cars worth millions of dollars. Tonight, it appears it's happening again. Storefront windows are smashed, locked key boxes are broken into and they match a key to a car and drive away!
I'm curious if these high-end vehicles have Lo-Jack and if so, it's only a matter of a few hours before the cars can be tracked.