A laser fusion power plant proposed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems would generate 1000 MWh or more of electricity. The plant would compress fusion fuel by using an indirect drive, the same approach used at the National Ignition Facility, which in December announced that it had produced ignition and gain, the first time that fusion researchersContinue reading “Fusion Shot in the Arm…”
Category Archives: Futurism
Caveat Colonizing…
Topics: Astronautics, Climate Change, Environment, Futurism, Global Warming, Mars, Spaceflight When Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, he envisioned a greenhouse on Mars, not unlike the one later depicted in the 2015 blockbuster The Martian. Soon, his fantasy grew from a small-scale botanical experiment into a vision for a self-sustaining Martian city. In a speech at theContinue reading “Caveat Colonizing…”
Big Bet on Small…
Topics: Futurism, Materials Science, Nanotechnology The National Nanotechnology Initiative promised a lot. It has delivered more. We’re now more than two decades out from the initial announcement of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), a federal program from President Bill Clinton founded in 2000 to support nanotechnology research and development in universities, government agencies, and industryContinue reading “Big Bet on Small…”
Virgin Hyperloop…
Topics: Economics, Futurism, Magnetism, Transportation In the desert just north of Las Vegas, a long white metal tube sits at the base of the mountains, promising to one day revolutionize travel. That is where Virgin Hyperloop, whose partners include Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, is developing the technology for passenger pods that will hurtle at speedsContinue reading “Virgin Hyperloop…”
Tang Jet…
Topics: Aerodynamics, Futurism, Plasma, Propulsion, Spaceflight Personal note: I’ve been offline prepping for my preliminary exam presentation, and grieving the loss of a friend I had known for 40 years since our freshman year at NC A&T. I was his best man. He did not die of COVID, but a heart attack. As such, myContinue reading “Tang Jet…”
City-Sized, Secure Quantum Network…
Topics: Cryptography, Futurism, Internet of Things, Modern Physics, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics Quantum cryptography promises a future in which computers communicate with one another over ultrasecure links using the razzle-dazzle of quantum physics. But scaling up the breakthroughs in research labs to networks with a large number of nodes has proved difficult. Now an international teamContinue reading “City-Sized, Secure Quantum Network…”
Color Coding…
Topics: African Americans, African Studies, Futurism, Sociology Technology is not unbiased, according to a scholar investigating the phenomenon of technological racism. As people recognize the embedded biases within technology, the growing and multifaceted tech justice movement is working to counter these biases, added the scholar. Ruha Benjamin, a sociologist and professor of African American studiesContinue reading “Color Coding…”
Physics and Nano 