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Looking for science fiction books to read? Here are my reviews of some excellent science fiction novels (more to come as well). I encourage you to utilize my reviews to help inform your decisions about your next literary adventure!


PDF version: Science Fiction Book Reviews – Logan Thrasher Collins

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: 98/100. Much of the essence of art is to reflect what makes us human, helping us better explain to ourselves what makes us tick. Station Eleven is a science fiction novel about a deadly flu pandemic which brings about the end of the world. Notably, it was written several years prior to the emergence of COVID-19. Emily St. John Mandel wields the premise masterfully to touch our souls and help us come to terms with human kindness, cruelty, hope, and vulnerability. Through its deep tragedy and heartfelt characters, the book manages to link questions of the individual and the global. We take a hard look at how the meaning of civilization connects to the meaning of life. Emily St. John Mandel’s prose puts billions to death. Those who survive must find purpose against the backdrop of the visceral viciousness of the apocalypse.

The tweet represents the first official mention of a quad-motor Cybertruck. Since the EV was unveiled in the fall of 2019, Musk and Tesla have said the tri-motor variant would be the most powerful variant. Although no horsepower or torque figures have ever been revealed, the automaker has promised its top-tier pickup would be able to zoom from zero to 60 in less than three seconds, tow up to 14,000 pounds and travel 500 miles on a single charge. One can only assume that a Cybertruck with an extra motor would be faster and more powerful, though its range might take a hit.

We know that the four-motor variant will arrive first and sit atop the Cybertruck lineup, but we don’t know if it will replace one of the previously announced models. It’s possible that the newly announced version could take the place of either the single-or tri-motor model.

We do know that having a motor situated on each wheel will give the EV at least two new features. In a follow-up tweet, Musk wrote that the quad-motor pickup will also have front and rear wheel steering, which would likely allow it to perform tank turns. It will also be able to drive diagonally “like a crab,” according to Musk. Notably, the GMC Hummer EV, a direct competitor to the Cybertruck, also has a driving mode called “Crab Walk.”

Through a unique business strategy that shifts from traditional production practices, Arrival has been able to design and implement its own components, software, and assembly processes in unique ways to maximize all aspects of manufacturing.

This includes its Automated Driving System (ADS), as well as its own proprietary battery modules that can be used in all of Arrival’s EV platforms. With its latest announcement, we now know how Arrival plans to supply its US production lines with battery modules.

Arrival announced the news of the battery assembly plant by outlining the anticipated contributions it will bring to the automaker’s US production with its microfactories.

Alinta unveils plans to build 1,000MW offshore wind farm near Portland to help deliver 100 per cent renewable energy supply to local aluminium smelter.


Alinta Energy is proposing a 1,000MW wind farm off the coast of Portland in Victoria that could help power the Portland aluminium smelter with up to 100 per cent renewables, and inject green energy into the country’s main grid.

The $4 billion Spinifex offshore wind project, first flagged by Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery in an interview on RenewEconomy’s weekly Energy Insiders podcast in October, would be sited about 10km off the coast of Portland.

Spinifex would connect to the grid via the smelter’s switchyard – which accounts for more than 10 per cent of the state’s electricity demand – and make the site among Australia’s first smelters to be powered by up to 100 per cent renewables.

What Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Steve Jobs have to say. The first 1,000 people to use my link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: https://skl.sh/newsthink12211 and you can also support the channel. This video is sponsored by Skillshare.

Check out our documentary on Steve Jobs mentioned in the video https://youtu.be/hggN04aCBDQ

Special thanks to the following for permission to use their material:
Elon Musk interview at the SATELLITE Conference & Exhibition https://youtube.com/watch?v=XCjj97LVI5I&feature=share.

Peter Thiel interview with Eric Metaxas for Socrates in the City https://youtube.com/watch?v=XCjj97LVI5I&feature=share.

Get 20% off your first Mack Weldon order and try out the Daily Wear System when you go to http://www.mackweldon.com/joescott and enter promo code “JOESCOTT” at checkout.
From the potential of orbital railguns, to space elevators on the moon and Mars, to the threat of AI taking over your job, to the latest on Neuralink, today’s lightning round video features questions from Patreon supporters. Thanks for the great questions guys!

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Researchers have developed a prototype lithium-ion battery that uses water as an electrolytic solution. The water replaces a flammable organic solvent.

The good news, according to the team of scientists, is that their prototype is durable, can be quickly recharged, and is free from the risk of catching fire. (Just a reminder that gasoline in ICE cars is flammable, folks.)

In the abstract published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the abstract states that the prototype achieves “higher ionic conductivity, environmental benignancy, and high safety.”

This year has witnessed a breakout for India’s startups. Companies going public in 2021 have raised record cash. But they also face unique challenges to grow even bigger.

For exclusive insights from Bloomberg’s technology reporters around the world, sign up for Fully Charged, a daily newsletter from Bloomberg Technology: https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/technology?utm…=quicktake.

#India+ #Tech #BloombergQuicktake.

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While the nature of the object can only be speculated until Yutu-2 gets closer, it is unlikely to be a bunker left behind by an interplanetary species.

It is more likely to be a boulder or a piece of debris, like several others in that region of the moon.

The Yutu-2 rover was launched in 2018 by China as part of the Chang’e-4 lunar lander mission. It entered lunar orbit on December 12, 2019, before scripting history on January 3, 2020, by becoming the first mission to accomplish a soft landing on the lunar surface.