The new 1984!

British police arrest people ‘just for the DNA’
More than three-quarters of young black men are on system, watchdog says

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34123395/ns/world_news-europe/

Amtrak get with it!

Amtrak is still in the 20th Century.  I was looking into a cross country train trip.  However, Amtrak does NOT support Wi-Fi.  Laptops would be off the net.  They need to deal with this.

Cool Panel at LOSCON

I’m looking forward to moderating the panel on the Solar Updraft Tower at LOSCON on the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I have 2 PhDs & a novelist on the panel.  No fuel [well, there is the sun]/no waste, just energy.  Sounds good to me.

Looking for seed money for a 15 billion dollar long term project. 

We got Artist & Writer!

YEA!!

Ron Miller has accepted our invitation to be the Artist GOH at Albacon 2010.

He joins Allen Steele, who is ALBACON’s Writer GoH!

We got hotel!

ALBACON, www.albacon.org , has its hotel for 2010: Best Western Sovereign Hotel – Albany, 1228 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12203; +1-518-489-2981; http://www.sovereignhotels.com/ .

We hope to have on-line registration up and running real soon now.  Y’all come.  We give good con!  Allen Steele is our Literary Guest of Honor.

ASTRONOMICON

I had a very good weekend.  It started off with a huge turkey lunch en route to Rochester at my favorite turkey restaurant.  The con went well.  Met old friends and made new ones.  Did a couple panels, judged the masquerade, chatted with folk about my no fuel/no waste power source, got too little sleep, etc.  –  If you are anywhere near Rochester next NOV, you might think about the con.  –  Hey, it is almost as good as ALBACON.

What is the economic impact?

Illegality drives up the cost of the illegal substance.  –  What would the actual cost, with a 6% markup to provide a  suitableprofit, of the more common “illegal” substance such as MJ, cocaine, & heroine?  — Please note, I’m NOT saying they should be legal, just what would the comparative prices be?

Now how would this effect the crime lords?  If an addict, one would have to register, of course, could buy his or her drug of choice from a legal source at realistic prices, what would happen to the economies of drug producing countries.  [Of course, California would now run a surplus as the value of MJ grown in the state is in the billions of dollars.

It would be interesting to see an economic evaluation of this.  maybe money is being allocated in the wrong areas.

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

G’day, if you like the concept suggested here, please feel free to pass it on to friends and any and all politicians.  We all need energy regardless of political persuasion.

——————————-

Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:                                       3 September 2009

California needs more energy as well as a need for more jobs.  Combining these areas with an alternate, renewable energy producer may be of interest

To improve California’s energy position, and provide jobs in the “green” sector, I would like to bring to your attention and that of the California Energy Commission the concept of the Solar Updraft Tower, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_updraft_tower .

“In 1903, Isidoro Cabanyes first proposed the concept of a solar chimney in the magazine “Electrical Energy.”

In 1982 an experimental tower was built in Manzanares, Spain, about 150 km/95 miles south of Madrid.  While intended to only operate for approximately 3 years, it did in fact produce up to 50kW until 1989. http://www.except.nl/consult/SolarUpdraftTower/solar_updraft_research.html

This paper suggests some quite interesting variations on how to develop and use the concept.

Unlike a lot of experimental technology, this one has produced power.  The research data is available for study and advancement.

My suggestion to you is that California make use of this technology to produce power for the state’s energy users.  I’m not unaware that the initial tower[s] will be part experimental, part power producer and part of the energy grid for California.

The capital costs for such projects will most likely be high, though the upkeep and maintenance of the Solar Updraft Towers will be quite low.  My concept for a tax break, and to increase the incentive to build such a project, would be to allow a company to write off the capital expenses in, say 5 years, using accelerated depreciation.  This assumes the Solar Updraft Tower would be built to last & produce power for 40 years.

Where to put the towers?  I would suggest the desert portions of San Bernardino county for a start or jointly with neighboring states.  The project, as I envision it, would consist of a series of towers each larger than the previous: 10 MW, 100 MW, 500 MW, 1 GW & 10 GW.  Each succeeding tower would initiate construction about 3 years after ground is broken for the previous tower.  These new towers would build on and incorporate new technologies and materials as well as adapting to any challenges appearing during construction and operation of the previous towers.

In 25 years since the previous tower was built and operated not only have wind turbines improved, but so have the materials needed to build a Solar Updraft Tower.  They will continue to improve over the coming years.

Thank you for hearing me out.

Yours sincerely,

I’m siding with the dolphins!

Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc., and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons. -Douglas Adams, writer, dramatist, and musician (1952-2001)

Now if only some pols would listenn

No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992)