Topics: Civilization, International Space Station, Politics, Space Exploration ALMATY, March 30 (Reuters) – A U.S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts safely landed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday after leaving the International Space Station aboard the same capsule despite heightened antagonism between Moscow and Washington over the conflict in Ukraine. The flight — carrying NASA’s Mark VandeContinue reading “The Way It’s Supposed To Be…”
Author Archives: reginaldgoodwin
Thermo Limits…
Topics: Climate Change, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Global Warming, Semiconductor Technology, Thermodynamics In case you had not noticed, computers are hot—literally. A laptop can pump out thigh-baking heat, while data centers consume an estimated 200 terawatt-hours each year—comparable to the energy consumption of some medium-sized countries. The carbon footprint of information and communication technologies asContinue reading “Thermo Limits…”
Getting Back Mojo…
Topics: Applied Physics, Lasers, Magnetism, Materials Science, Phonons When a magnetic material is bombarded with short pulses of laser light, it loses its magnetism within femtoseconds (10–15 seconds). The spin, or angular momentum, of the electrons in the material, thus disappears almost instantly. Yet all that angular momentum cannot simply be lost. It must be conservedContinue reading “Getting Back Mojo…”
Microbots and Chemo…
Topics: Biology, Cancer, Chemotherapy, Robotics Chemotherapy disrupts cancer cells’ ability to reproduce by frustrating cell division and damaging the cells’ DNA. In response to the pharmaceutical onslaught, cancer cells acquire mutations that reduce the therapy’s effectiveness. Compounding the challenge of fighting cancer: Under chemical and other stresses, mutation rates increase. A team led by PrincetonContinue reading “Microbots and Chemo…”
Quantum Charging…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Green Tech, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics Note: I’m in the semifinals of the 3-Minute Thesis competition, so I decided to focus on my presentation. Wish me luck. This does, however, relate to our need as a species to get off fossil fuels as soon as possible, so things like Ukraine, Crimea, andContinue reading “Quantum Charging…”
Helium and Ukraine…
Topics: Chemistry, Instrumentation, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Physics, Research Scientists who need the gas face tough choices in the face of reduced supply and spiking prices. Helium supplies, already dicey, got worse this past week when production shut down in Arzew, Algeria. The curtailment joins ongoing disruptions in supplies from Russia and the US Federal Helium Reserve as wellContinue reading “Helium and Ukraine…”
Breadbaskets and War…
Topics: Biology, Civics, Civil Rights, Climate Change, Democracy, Existentialism, Politics The cornucopia’s history lies in Greek mythology. There are a lot of different stories it might have originated from, but the most common one tells the story of the lightning god, Zeus. As an infant, Zeus was in great danger from his father, Cronus. ZeusContinue reading “Breadbaskets and War…”
M.A.D…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Biofuels, Climate Change, Environment, Politics Want another reason to loathe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Just look at how it may completely doom the Paris climate accords — and our planet. According to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the problem of climate change — which he admitted was “not solved” during the COP26Continue reading “M.A.D…”
Kalashnikovs and Switchblades…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights Note: Coming up for air (briefly). Still writing the dissertation. My plan is to post Tuesday – Friday of next week. Blogging will be my sanity in an insane world. Using pictures out of Ukraine showing a crumpled metallic airframe, open-source analysts of the conflict there say they haveContinue reading “Kalashnikovs and Switchblades…”
The Shattering (re-repost)…
Topics: Civics, Existentialism, History, Politics I’m re-reposting this because it contains a lot of information that, unfortunately, is still applicable in our current crisis. Yes, I’m still typing my dissertation, despite the apocalypse. ***** This was originally posted on March 31, 2017. I’ve updated it with the YouTube video by Channel 4 London on CambridgeContinue reading “The Shattering (re-repost)…”
Physics and Nano 