PROGRESS - WHAT DO WE KNOW?

GUEST POST BY GIAN PAUL (IN BRAZIL):

Is a 'Porsche Spyder Hybrid 918' selling for $918'000 any progress? Even if only manufactured in a limited edition of 918 units? The progress may be there, limited production! And also, it's being sold "exclusively" in America, the land of abundance.

To respond to this, in my view most silly Porsche of all times (commercially it's probably even a success...), I would say that a hybrid car these days at best is a fashion, a gag. In a crammed Porsche some of those extra electric devices can only be a hindrance to comfort. Never liked Porsches, two of my former bosses were driving such a thing. One of them, when going on vacation, had his driver following him and his wife with a Mercedes, carrying the luggage. Wasting energy with two cars!

I had to think of that "Porsche story" when I red Twilight's post of walking a dog in the park and showing a locomotive (steam variety) with the caption by H.H. Ellis: "What we call progress is the exchange of one nuisance for another!"

But more seriously: Energy, what should humanity do about it, besides driving a hybrid Porsche sports-car? It's becoming a real problem, if one considers that soon there will be an unsustainable quantity of water (and of the drinkable variety) wasted for each mile per gallon driven. This because of "shale oil production", "horizontal drilling" and "fractioning", using enormous amounts of good water, often also contaminating, as a side effect, other good water in the surrounding grounds.

As for nuclear: the latest preoccupation these days, since the earthquake in Japan has brought fears of similar tragedies elsewhere.

The way out, progress never ending, is to move away from uranium/plutonium to a new technique, with apparently even some merit. The main merit being that instead of producing plutonium (the stuff used in nuclear bombs), this technique burns it off!

The champions in this field are, you possibly guessed it, the Chinese. (Another Sputnik moment for Obama, if he already has heard of it...).

The miracle-to-come is THORIUM. The Chinese are not the only ones experimenting with it. So are the Norwegians, fearing to run out of oil one day, and the French - never short of experimenting new things when it comes to nuclear. The thorium nuclear story has indeed some convincing arguments going for it:

(Right: Thorium proton accelerator).
1) Thorium can be found in many granite rock deposits all over the world.
2) In case of a melt-down of a nuclear reactor the process would stop by itself as to burn thorium one has to bombard it with plutonium originated particles. This process, by definition, would cease to operate when things start to "melt-down". Everything stops, so we are told.
3) As already mentioned, instead of producing plutonium, it would help to dispose of this dreadly stuff, although in very small amounts, compared to all the plutonium already "laying around" in provisorical or improvised deposits as now visible in that Japanese nuclear plant.

But who knows, there is maybe no need to worry about our "energy-future". Something positive might happen and these hybrid cars (Porsche-Spyders and other, more normal ones) possibly are already on the "right track". It's either gasoline (and a lots of precious drinking water wasted to get there) or plenty of electricity from Thorium. Up to the driver "to switch the button", as simple as that.

I like, besides astrology, Greek mythology. It always struck me that the ancient Greeks had the right idea when imagining that various "Gods" were having a ball experimenting with the creation and periodical extinction of various species (mammoths and others). Thinking of it, modern scientists are quite boring in comparison, starting with Darwin.

(Left: THOR by Johannes Gehrts.) What we do not know, is why are humans on this earth allowed to experiment the way they do. It may be more than just accident. Possibly those "Greek or other Gods" are even keeping a closer eye on earthly affairs than we dare to think. I personally, admitting to being a romantic, at least hope that such is the case.


Under an astrological angle, as seen from today, with all those significant planets in Cardinal Signs (Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus - and soon also Mars - in Aries; Saturn in Libra; Pluto in Capricorn, one may wonder if there is any connection with what possibly, in a few years, will already be called
the "Era of God-blessed-Thorium" - Thor, being a Nordic deity, by the way.

Viva VIVACE !

A system, conceived by scientists at the University of Michigan, called VIVACE, or "vortex-induced vibrations for aquatic clean energy", could possibly be the answer, or part of it, scientists are looking for to solve the world's future energy problems. A revolutionary (Uranus) device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents (Neptune) could provide enough power for the entire world, we are told.

This is classic Neptune in Aquarius, Uranus in Pisces, known to astrologers as "mutual reception". Neptune connects to water and the sea, Uranus to invention, technology. These two outer planets are currently travelling in the zodiac sign of each other's rulership, Aquarius and Pisces, their "energies" are blended. Look what happens!

In an article in the UK's Telegraph by Jasper Copping he describes VIVACE:

The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot - about one mile an hour - meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe.

Existing technologies which use water power, relying on the action of waves, tides or faster currents created by dams, are far more limited in where they can be used, and also cause greater obstructions when they are built in rivers or the sea. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth's currents are slower than three knots.

The new device, which has been inspired by the way fish swim, consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs.
As water flows past, the cylinder creates vortices, which push and pull the cylinder up and down. The mechanical energy in the vibrations is then converted into electricity.......

"This is a totally new method of extracting energy from water flow," said Mr Bernitsas. "Fish curve their bodies to glide between the vortices shed by the bodies of the fish in front of them. Their muscle power alone could not propel them through the water at the speed they go, so they ride in each other's wake."

Such vibrations, which were first observed 500 years ago by Leonardo DaVinci in the form of "Aeolian Tones", can cause damage to structures built in water, like docks and oil rigs. But Mr Bernitsas added: "We enhance the vibrations and harness this powerful and destructive force in nature."

It's a piece of hopeful news, surfacing as our Sun lies in Sagittarius, sign of optimism. I feel certain that Mother Nature has a solution for us, it's just a question of finding it in time. She is, like any mother, tolerant of her children's misdeeds - and we've chalked up lots of those!

UPDATE
AND STILL MORE GOOD NEWS!
Hillary Clinton nominated as Secretary of State! YAY!!!!! Thanks P/E Obama.