Lifeboat Foundation

A step towards limitless energy? reactions at record efficiency…

Researchers from Colorado State University’s (CSU) Advanced Beam Laboratory used a compact but powerful laser they built from scratch to heat tiny, invisible wires, known as nanowires.

These contained a source of deuterium, one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen and a common source of fuel for nuclear fusion reactions.

Continue reading “Scientists zap tiny wires with lasers to create mini-nuclear fusion” »

AI spots nearly 7,000 undiscovered craters on the moon within a matter of hours — and one could some day host a lunar colony…

The finding was made by a team of researchers led by Ari Silburt at Penn State University and Mohamad Ali-Dib at the University of Toronto.

They fed 90,000 images of the moon’s surface into an artificial neural network (ANN).

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In this modern day David and Goliath battle (multiplied by eight), one man is trying to take down a bevy of behemoth industries. CB Insights reports, “Elon Musk thinks and acts on a larger, more cosmic scale than we’re accustomed to… His main projects take on almost every major industry and global problem conceivable, and imagine a disruptive fundamental rewiring of that space or sector.”

*This article comes to us courtesy of EVANNEX (which also makes aftermarket Tesla accessories). Authored by Matt Pressman.

So which sectors are on Musk’s hit list? CB Insights looks at: “8 different industries where Musk and his companies operate to understand how they have begun to change,” transform and mold them into Musk’s futuristic vision. Digital Journal provides a top-line recap highlighting the scope and breadth of what Elon Musk is attempting…

Continue reading “Elon Musk Has Plans To Disrupt At Least Eight Established Industries” »

I don’t have kids. But there are lots of kids in my life. I’ve also worked closely with thousands of entry-level developers over the course of my 20 years in tech. Throughout my career I’ve been approached by parents looking for advice on how to encourage their kids to become software engineers. It is, after all, the #1 profession today, according to US News & World Report. It’s also a really fun job.

There’s a temptation to treat kids like Olympic hopefuls. Get them coding as soon as they can type! Craft an ascetic childhood of programming challenges and summer code camp! Surely, that will ensure their future success. Right?

Well, maybe.

Continue reading “9 Traits of Successful Programmers That Kids Can Develop Now” »

The tallest active geyser in the world may be erupting for the first time since 2014, according to the National Park Service.

Yellowstone National Park employees reported seeing the Steamboat Geyser erupt on Thursday evening, the park service announced Friday. Park geologists then compared the accounts to thermal sensors in the area and determined it “could be a series of minor eruptions.”

Continue reading “World’s tallest active geyser may be erupting deep in Yellowstone National Park” »

Sky map March 2018. Printable star chart to see constellations.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Los Alamos-based startup Ubiquitous Quantum Dots got a $750,000 boost this week to further develop and begin deploying technology that enables windows to generate electricity.

The National Science Foundation awarded a phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant for UbiQD LLC to continue building quantum dot-tinted windows, which can harness sunlight to power everyday consumer products, and eventually entire buildings.

The NSF previously awarded a $225,000 phase I grant in 2016, allowing UbiQD to test and validate its technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado.

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Following a public naming campaign that drew 115,000 participants, NASA’s New Horizons team has selected the name Ultima Thule for the spacecraft’s second target, Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) 2014 MU69, which the probe is scheduled to fly past on New Year’s Day 2019.

Pronounced ultima thoolee, this name was nominated by more than 40 participants in the campaign, which ran from early November through December 6 of last year.

Initially scheduled to end on December 1, the project was extended five days due to high levels of participation.

Continue reading “New Horizons’ next target nicknamed Ultima Thule” »

The future arrived, and it’s a minivan. Waymo’s fleet of totally driverless cars in Phoenix, Arizona, now lets members of the public hail a ride around the suburbs.

The news: Waymo’s CEO, John Krafick, announced at SXSW in Austin, Texas, that the firm is offering trips to so-called “early riders”—the first people to have signed up to use its robotic Chrysler Pacifica taxis. The minivans don’t have a safety driver behind the wheel, but someone can take control remotely if necessary.

Why it matters: The cars have been in testing without a safety driver for a few months. But this long-awaited advance is the first time people have been able to simply hail a totally driver-free ride using an app, as they would an Uber. It’s a big moment for a firm that hopes to turn its autonomy tech into a viable business by offering driverless rides.

Continue reading “Real people are now hailing Waymo’s robotic taxis, without a driver in sight” »