There’s so much junk in space that potential collisions have become a real nuisance. In fact, hazard analysis conducted for planned shuttle missions conclude that the shuttles’ greatest risk are from space debris, with a 1-in-185 to a 1-in-300 risk of catastrophic impact depending on the mission’s targeted altitude.
And worse, much of that debris eventually falls back down to earth, posing a risk for humans.
Last year, Americans had to destroy a toxic satellite which they feared may hit land. But fear not, despite a near collision with a Lan Airline Airbus A320 in 2007, we are told chances are that the large objects that don’t burn up during re-entry into our atmosphere will probably fall into our oceans. In regards to those Ammonia tanks mentioned above, Bob Dempsey, NASA's lead flight director for Expedition 15, had this to say, "We don't know where [the debris] is going to land yet. It will likely be over the ocean and shouldn't damage satellites or other spacecraft in orbit.”
So now we’re polluting our oceans from space…

It’s great that efforts are finally being made to attack this growing concern; however it’s disappointing to see that we’ve waited until this has become a major hazard to finally address it.
Further, there are no talks about cleaning up this junk, only to limit further increases.

What’s even more disappointing is learning the real reason why attention is now being given to this subject; that article I refer to in the beginning of this post focuses on economic aspects as reasons why this is an important issue; environmental issues are not mentioned, period. In fact, the author, Max Harrold, introduces the problem with, “There certainly is cause for concern. In February, an inactive Russian satellite collided with a communications satellite, knocking out cellphone service for some.”
And according to Gerard Brachet, a French space policy consultant who attended the conference, every time more debris is created it raises the safety and liability risks of satellites. “There is now a much higher likelihood that satellites will get hit. Insurance companies don’t like this.”

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PDL

© 2009, Pascal-Denis Lussier
Image source: NASA

I know, this commercial is old stuff, but they recently brought it back out so...

Granted, freecreditreport.com ads may be catchy, but they're also downright stupid, albeit good indicators of the 'empty' values being promoted in the name of consumerism. Checking out your credit report is not a bad thing (although our obsession with it is...), but the reasons being promoted as to why we should use their services certainly are.

Is having a house and a yard really more important than living the rest of your life with your dream girl??? Isn't she worth a few years of sacrifice? Can't he use this same service to help her rebuild her credit instead? Where's the love? Had he known she had bad credit he'd be a happy bachelor??? Has marriage really become some sort of business partnership?

All their commercials clearly promote the idea that owning cool things is a must in life; if not, you’re a loser. Or rather, should I say that they are merely exposing our behaviour… This other commercial blatantly addresses the reality we seem to have allowed corporations to create for us; modern society is built on credit and we need good credit to be ‘good’ and accepted… You’d have to live in medieval times to think otherwise.

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PDL

© 2009, Pascal-Denis Lussier
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What do chocolate, carrots, potatoes, and cashew-nut shells have in common? Formula 3 racing, of course! WorldFirst project, a competitive racing car made using environmentally sustainable components and optimised to run on bio-diesel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil—with zero tailpipe emissions—is definitely gravy for environmentalists.

This project was conceived by James Meredith, Dr Steve Maggs, and Dr Kerry Kirwan, three researchers working at Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (WIMRC) based at the university Warwick, England.

This competitive racing car, which offers a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h) and awe-inspiring acceleration, proves that green autos don’t have to imply a compromise in terms of performance.
Even pundits are calling this an “unmatched feat of green technology;” every component of the vehicle features a ‘green and sustainable’ element thus demonstrating that going ‘green' can apply to the entire vehicle and not just its propulsion system.

Here are some of the featured components:
Steering wheel: derived from carrots and other root vegetables
Seat: Flax fiber shell, soy bean oil foam and recycled polyester fabric
Wing mirrors and Front Wing End Plate: Flax fiber shell over a potato starch core
Engine cover and Damper hatch: Recycled carbon fiber
Lubricants: Made with a plant oil base
Radiators: Coated with a catalyst that converts ozone to oxygen
Brakes: non-carbon discs; the team is working on developing pads made from cashew nut shell

The car will undergo its first track test on May 5th on an undisclosed race track in the UK.
This is great news since new developments in motorsport vehicles usually entail applied technology in the general automotive and passenger transport industry down the line.

My only question is: who is going to kill the chocolate & veggie car?

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PDL

© 2009, Pascal-Denis Lussier
Photo: WIMRC
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