Nano Tech ..... Few limits Really

Not sure what to make of this new product.  First impression is just WOW!  Now the questions.  They of course have it available on the web site.  Just thought I'd pass it along here.




Can be ordered here

Luck, Divine Intervention, or Past Experience

A friend asked the following question about the accident I captured via a “dash cam”: “Was it luck, Divine intervention, or your past experience that allowed you to stop so quickly? One more second and you would be headed to a different doctor. My guess it was a combination of the three”

(The video in question is below)

I was already slowing down and I left foot brake (old habit from racing days) so it was just a matter or mashing the pedal a little harder when I sensed him coming over. I have good peripheral vision (Earnhardt use to say "I can see my ears" LOL) and raced back in the day before spotters.  A driver had to clear himself when passing so with a slight turn of the head you can "see" your relationship to the other car on either side.  I really wanted to get two lanes over to the right when we came up on the traffic stopping as that was the best "way out' but the truck was not slowing, I was and I could not have made it over without him hitting me.  Only option was to slow enough to NOT get hit in the rear from my lane and leave enough room between me and the stopped truck to provide a buffer or escape area should the pile up begin behind me. 

It seemed as though everybody was slowing EXCEPT the big truck.  What surprised me was him locking down the brakes.  When he did I could hear it and that's when I got aggressive on the brake and moved left to give him room. If he had gotten OFF the brake and let to truck roll a bit he could have very easily moved into my lane ahead of me and missed the white pickup in front of him and stopped prior to hitting the signal/sign DOT truck.  But, he turned while the brakes were locked down and that jackknifed him.  At that point he's just along for the ride. 

I've seem far worse crashes than this up close on the race track.  Been part of some, but that's with guys in cars with good roll cages, 5 point harness, wrap around seats and helmets. Even then it's pretty violent but the gear protects you.  I don't regard this as a particularly violent crash but without protective gear the damage can be 10 fold to a person.  When I pulled over and got to the big truck the driver was semiconscious.  He looked dazed and did not respond to anyone, just stared at us.  I didn't go to the little pickup that hit the trailer and suspect he got the worst end of the deal just because it looked like the frame rail of the trailer went into the drivers area at the windshield post.  There were several people already out and around so I just told the Highway patrol dispatcher via the phone the location and that there were several injured.   There was no danger of fire (no fuel leaking) plenty of help on the scene so I left at that point to make my doctor appointment. 

Luck, ... without question.  Divine intervention ... I'd like to think I'm a favored son.  Past experience. .... no doubt about it.  As a police officer I took defensive driving courses several times.  Driving race cars didn't hurt.  The biggest factor IMO is that with life experiences as a cop, pilot and part time racer maintaining situation awareness at all times trumps luck and can make Divine Intervention unnecessary. I know that this particular stretch of I-15 produces accidents just like this 15 times every 24 hours.  Hard to believe but those are the statistics.  87% of those occur in the northbound lane.  This happened at about 2 PM and around 6 AM the same morning there was a fatality a couple of exits up the road.  I can not remember driving this route without seeing some kind of traffic accident. Last week returning home from the same appointment at the VA I went through almost the exact same thing but that time it was a previous wreck and the Highway patrol partially blocking the left lane southbound.  I always prefer the far left lane because there's usually another entire lane to the left that's not used.  It's there so emergency vehicles can move during gridlock.  This way if it looks like I'm about to get hit from the rear I can jump into this lane and perhaps escape the wreck.  Well, this time that lane was occupied by the Police car, a truck pulling a trailer and a car that were involved in a prior accident.  I saw this from a half mile away and began to slow tapping the brake to alert the guy behind me.  He slowed and my lane was under control and alert.  The lane to my right (just like this accident) kept moving as though nothing was wrong.  In about 3-4 seconds I could see all 5 lanes slowing ahead and like the train effect it got more severe the closer we got to the scene.  About this time 4 cars in the lane to my right came by bumper to bumper with the noses almost dragging the ground due to heavy braking.  All 4 were locked up and squalling.  The first slid into the pack and the other three plowed into the whole mess.  It wasn't bad because they had all managed to slow quite a bit and their speed was relative to one another. However, I could see some parts flying and hear the collision.  All of them crunched the front and rear as I passed by.  None of them came out of their respective lane, just another fender bender, so another bullet dodged. 

Over the years I have witnessed plenty of accidents and near accidents as a result of a prior accident being “worked” by the Highway patrol on I-15 and other freeways around the city.  I have often thought about this phenomena and what might be possible solutions to no avail.  



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Delta Flight 15

Ample proof that most people are inherently good is in this story of how people respond in need.  Left to their own devices and without government mandate the people in the Gander area responded to the need of fellow humans during the time just after the 9-11 events.  This is a story about people helping people and being what they were intended to be.

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:

"On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of

Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."

Herd's and the dangers of Following the Herd

With the volatility increasing in the market I think it approiate to remind everyone what panic and following the herd can lead to.  This picture is worth a thousand words.  Enjoy ..and ..  THINK.  

Mississippi Floods, Economic Damage and Insurance Companies

With all the levees being opened to relieve the swollen Mississippi River Several thoughts occur to me.

First, the obvious concern and sadness for all the folks who may lose everything.  It’s hard to imagine going through such an event. 

Then, one must wonder at the massive economic loss.  Since I am not in the business of gathering such data I will have to wait to get some idea of the exact economic impact to these localities and the nation.  I know it will be huge.  Now comes several legal and moral questions. 

GHOST TOWN - KiddofSpeed - Chernobyl Pictures What Japan may Face in the Future

GHOST TOWN - KiddofSpeed - Chernobyl Pictures 

See comments here

Some years ago I stumbled on a site that I found at the time to be fascinating, educational and generally informative.  The site dealt with the meltdown at Chernobyl or rather the aftermath of that event.  It is the records of a Russian girl named “Elena” who loves to ride motorcycles and loves to make bike trips into the “Dead Zone” in and around Chernobyl. 

This is not just some biker chick the girl has a background in physics and especially nuclear physics.  She understands the dangers and where not to go.  Her father is a nuclear physicist and she has absorbed lots of knowledge on the subject so she seems to know what’s going on. Because of her father’s position as a nuclear physicist she was able to obtain permission to enter the area and has made many trips into the area taking many photos and documenting her trips. 

Global Warming, Climate Change and Financial Bubbles

Someone made the comment on Facebook “It is a global climate change due to a shifting of the earth's crust.” In response to another mention of global warming/climate change.

I don’t believe the earth’s crust is having any significant effect on weather patterns but rather the weather patterns are a direct result of what is called Solar Lunar Action. Peirs Corbyn, an astrophysicist and meteorologist has for years made accurate long range weather forecast based on this science.

It is my opinion that the earth receives all of its energy in varying ways from the sun. The earth is a constant recipient of radiation and magnetic forces via the sun which vary according to solar activity. This energy is further affected by the forces and relationship of the earth to the moon’s gravitational pull. (think how it affects tides etc). These forces are measurable and science has plenty of data.

200 Countries, 200 Years in 4 minutes

Been busy with multiple projects so not much posting here of late.  This does not mean I'm through by any means.  This short video illustrates (at least to me) just how insignificant any life span can really be in the grand scheme of things.  The current crisis we are experiencing can take many directions and last who know how long. It took about 17 years for the great depression to play out and over 20 for Japan's crisis to complete rotation why should this one be any different?  The interesting thing about this data presentation is, I spent most of the last 40 years in and out of Asia.  I actually could see this happening albeit slowly (in my life's time frame) although it seemed that Asia was rising while we in the west declined.  My bad I guess, we did not necessarily decline as they really climbed up.  Do view the video it is a very good presentation.

Obama's new tax on...Rainwater!?

You Can't just make this stuff up Ya Know!

"Would President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency really force Americans to pay a tax on "rainwater runoff" from homes and small businesses?

You bet they would.  In fact, the EPA, under radical environmentalist Lisa Jackson, is proposing regulations to do just that." 

Read more: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/040610-obamas-new-tax-onrainwater#ixzz17shTlYjj

Obama's new tax on...Rainwater!? | Americans for Prosperity

Are we Approaching Singularity?

As a trader I am just looking for the next bubble.  That is the one we enter after we finish with the Bond market and treasuries.  Could the merging of humanity and machine be that bubble as nanotechnology thrust forward ar ever increasing pace.  Ray Kutzweil thinks so, he has even written several best sellers about this very issue.
Some call him the heir to Edison.  Whatever he is, he's convinced we will see artificial intelligence reach the point of human ability by 2045.

This is the first part below, if you would rather view the interview in its entirety just click here.

Could This Happen?

Right now we are in a deflationary period.  what may likely follow, many just don't want to deal with.  The question is What If It came to a neighborhood near you?

There are many just like the person who wrote to a local newspaper.  Now consider that this person likely VOTES and may have already procreated.

Thoughts about Genetically Modified Foods and such

I’m no chemist or scientist but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express. So consider this when reading anything I print.

Over at http://buy-high-sell-higher.com We just had a subject brought up about Genetically modified foods or GMO. I started to reply and ended up with too much to put on the board off subject so I place it here for all to see. Some may find my thought interesting ….. or not. Besides it’s my blog so you will have to just deal with it or ignore it if you come here.
Monsanto manufacturers a weed killer called Roundup (glyphosate). It’s been around for years and you can pick it up at any Home Depot or any place that sells garden supplies. I have used it myself years ago to kill pesky weeds around the house. It works, just spray it and it kills whatever weed it gets on.

Only as I advanced in years have I ever considered to look at things differently just for the sake of having another view, one not so boring or ho-hum and I guess that may be a product of at some point finding life mundane and uninteresting after years of excitement and discovery. Nonetheless, I try to do something different everyday even if it’s only altering the order in which I put my clothes on and I was just thinking …. Again! The first consideration or obligation any living thing has is towards its survival and then procreation. I think this applies from the lowest amoeba all the way to man. Weeds, virus’, pest are all no different in this respect.

Leave it up to a couple of Farmers to come up with a simple solution

First they (BP or someone) need to stop the damn leak.  But in the meantime how to prevent the oncoming damage is of great concern.  This seems simple and appears to work. But who would bet me that the government in it's wisdom will go for some costly solution rather than a simple low cost method that may actually help farmers.

Add to that something I read the other day.  It is alleged that BP has used a chemical that causes the oil to coagulate and actually sink below the surface.  Someone said in another internet source that there are large wads of oil as much a 1300 meters beneath the surface now.  These plumes of oil might stay at depth for many years, hanging on reefs and such until a storm or something breaks them up and sends them ashore.  Possibly thousands of miles away from the source as they wallow around moving with the ocean currents unless hung up on obstructions.  This is a mess of vast proportions without question.


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International Space Station Still Astounds Me

With nice clear weather last night I watched the International Space Station fly over my house.  It is not the first time I have seen it but each time I am just amazed.  To think there are six people operating a vehicle 215 miles above me traveling at over 17,000 MPH still boggles the mind.  I include a link which you can see the tracking map real time and on the page you can click on sighting opportunities and enter you location and get the exact time (this thing is always on schedule)  you will be able to simply go outside and see the thing with the naked eye.  Some good optical gear makes for a better experience but not necessary as the ISS is very bright in the sky.  Enjoy 


http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html

  

Potentially Deadly Fungus Expected to Spread Across the U.S. | Breaking News WorldNewsVine

Potentially Deadly Fungus Expected to Spread Across the U.S. | Breaking News WorldNewsVine: "Potentially Deadly Fungus Expected to Spread Across the U.S."

Hey Canada ...... I'm downwind ease up will ya!

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

SpaceWeather.com -- : "GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A sharp gust of solar wind hit Earth's magnetosphere today, April 5th, at approximately 0800 UT and sparked the strongest geomagnetic storm of the year (Kindex=7). Although the storm is subsiding now, it is not over. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. [gallery]."

What's that got to do with anything?  Well, if you might be anywhere near curious about things like flux ropes and Birkland currents you could read what George Ure over at Urban Survival has written about them.  Old George does a lot of research on these things.

If you read the blurb I put up on solar storms this at least makes you think.  These flux ropes are sort of like electrical lines connecting Earth and the sun.

Occasionally, one of the rope's ends--which was previously "tied" to the Sun's surface--breaks loose, ejecting electrically charged gas, or plasma, and producing solar flares that can wreak havoc with everything from satellites to electrical power grids. Once only observed remotely, flux ropes are now being created in the laboratory, making it possible to tie experimental data to prior theoretical analyses.

We may just see more earthquakes on terra firma soon.

Solar Superstorm II

So Here are some ramblings about my thoughs on the matter.  Be advised this is so far out there I have bounced all over the place on the issue so it is likely most need not even take the time to read this, but I did it because of an ongoing discussion with a couple other folks.  This is about solar activity but first to qualify a little about how and why I became interested in this subject.

One of the luxuries of being retired is that, I can take the time to look into things that interest me.  For too many years as an Airline pilot, I was gone about half the time and a great portion of my down time was spent in the study of my active profession. (although my wife says that was golf)  Being subjected to semi-annual proficiency test and physicals dictated that I kept abreast with the latest information in many subjects concerning aviation, navigation and physical sciences.    The fact that I spent the bulk of my time traversing the majority of the planet provided me a unique perspective of the natural world in which we live.  Additionally I took great interest in the different cultures to which I was exposed and learned a great deal about life from those navigators who came before me. 


Click to read the rest of article

Solar Superstorm

Solar Superstorm: "Solar Superstorm"  Click link for full story at NASA site.

  This is part of an article on NASAs website and there is a reason I link to it.  Will talk more about this over the next few days.  Thanks for having a look.

Scientists are beginning to understand a historic solar storm in 1859. One day, they say, it could happen again.