Locate related topics
Click INDEX under the banner for links to related posts at Last Tech AgeCategories
-
Follow LastTechAge on Twitter
My Tweets-
Recent Posts
LastTechAge Archives
Author Archives: LastTechAge
ABM: Under The Dome – Today
Today’s ABM strategies are competitive and complicated. Do they work? The latest ABM (anti ballistic missile) interceptor failed another test in June of 2013. This missile has had an erratic record, 8 fails out of 16 tests. Information like this … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged ABM, GBI, Hit to kill, HTK, joules per kilogram, kinetic kill, NCADE, PAC-3, Patriot MIM 104, SM-3, Terminal phase, THAAD, YAL-1
Leave a comment
ABM: Under The Dome – Safeguard
U.S. ABM system still fail tests. No dome of protection from current ABM choices? Another test of our antiballistic missile defense system this last June; it failed again. AviationWeek&SpaceTechnology, began its coverage with “another test failure casts doubt …” … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged ABM, Antiballistic Missile, GBI, GMD, HiBEX, ICBM, missile defense system, Safeguard, Spartan ABM, Sprint ABM
4 Comments
Inequality, Luddites and Paul Krugman
How can we maintain social stability when the highly educated are as likely as the poorly educated to become obsolete by disruptive technology? Paul Krugman published his 2013 Jun 14 OpEd Essay Sympathy For The Luddites in the New York Times. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Economics
Tagged education debt, inequality, Luddites, new york times, Paul Krugman
3 Comments
Water, Groundwater and XL
Water reserves in the Midwest are an endangered resource. XL performance will disrupt both our national food supply and the water for many cities. High Plains Aquifer is dangerously depleted in large regions. This was the message by Michael Wines … Continue reading
Ideologies Can’t Work
To be stable, a process must monitor situations from both upstream and downstream of its activity. Too bad – ideologies are processes that cannot succeed in our real world. I am reading Flashback by Dan Simmons, an interesting science fiction … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged chaos, complexity, Dan Simmons, feedback, fog of war, ideologues, ideology, process control, Simon Hawke, time machines
2 Comments
The MFTF-B story – Fusion or conFusion?
The $1 billion MFTF-B fusion experiment was built, then dismantled before it was turned on — our first sign of the politicization of fusion. Energy independence should be an issue important to everyone. Instead, it has been a p0litical issue … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged fusion budget history, fusion energy research, Fusion Petition, fusion programs, LLNL, MFTF-B, White House Petition
8 Comments
Reject Keystone XL. It is about US ecology, not global climate
The US State Department released its Keystone XL pipeline report. Guess what? It concluded that accepting or rejecting XL would have little affect on world climate. XL – pretty small stuff. The State Department report is right as far as … Continue reading
Posted in Natural Resources
Tagged climate change, James Hansen, Joe Nocera, Keystone upgrade, Keystone XL, Obama, oil sands, pipeline safety, shale oil, tar sands
Leave a comment
Keystone XL is not about climate change, Joe Nocera
The argument against the XL pipeline is based on US interests, should not be about climate change. Joe Nocera published a column in the Feb 19 (2013) print edition of the New York Times. He explains why we must support the XL … Continue reading
Posted in Natural Resources
Tagged Charles Koch, David Koch, dilbit, Enbridge 6B, energy security, James E Hansen, job generation, Joe Nocera, Keystone XL, Obama, pipeline safety
Leave a comment
Greg Mankiw and the real Middle-Class
An article by N. Gregory Mankiw in the New York Times’ Sunday Business section (2012 Dec 30 paper) attempts to compare the current tax paid by the “top” 1% of the workers, that fraction who earn the most income (the … Continue reading
Open Letter to the OFES of the DOE
63 young fusion energy research professionals plead with the D.O.E to not end fusion research in America. The American Physical Society pleads for public support of physics research in general. The fate of American research will be decided in the … Continue reading
Darkside of the Moon – or of American Society?
There is no Darkside for the moon, but maybe there is for American understanding of science. Kenneth Chang, a respected science writer for the New York Times has an article in the 2012 Dec 14 issue called “Two Space Probes … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged Darkside of moon, GRAIL, Kenneth Chang, lunar farside, Michigan legislature, new york times, Park College
1 Comment
Without action we lose our energy future
Want to change the future history of energy? Political pressures are dictating what your grandchildren will study about the decline of American technology. But we can still change the text in their books. Current options for future energy supply … … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged 47%, Energy future, Fusion, fusion budget history, income inequality, Mitt Romney
Leave a comment
Income Inequality and Fusion Energy Research
America’s move to high inequality is correlated to its retreat from technical innovation. Joseph E Stiglitz’ essay in the 2012 Oct 26 CampaignStops blog of the New York Times is quite instructive. We outline his thinking, then move onward … Continue reading
Fusion Energy – Kill the beast
Fusion research will yield nothing if current U.S. “starve research” policy is continued. Fusion development must fail under this self justifying strategy. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory got all its parameters lined up in a … Continue reading
Energy Independence – Can Exploitation Bring Success?
Harold Hamm proclaims energy independence by 2020 – No not unless we stop driving. On 2012 Sep 13, Romney’s Harold Hamm proclaimed to the House Energy & Commerce Committee the the U.S. could have total energy independence by 2020. Mr. Hamm … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged bakken, Bakken Oil, Continental Resources, energy independence, Harold Hamm, Mitt Romney
Leave a comment
Biggest laser fails at fusion
NIF failed in its promise for ignition when driven by fully operational laser. Should this be a surprise? The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory delivered its entire laser beam energy to its target and the fuel … Continue reading
Hands Off The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Report today suggests we may be close to another attack on our Strategic Petroleum Reserve Calls for releasing petroleum from the US reserve are being raised across the globe. US oil not specified of course, but who else will open … Continue reading
Offshoring – We’re All Brain Surgeons Now
Train the Boyz in the ‘hood as Brain Surgeons so they get jobs when all that offshoring is over – sort of per Alan S. Blinder Offshoring has been in the news for over 20 years, now. We just came across … Continue reading
Posted in Economics
Tagged Alan Blinder, Bill Clinton, Diane Rhem, Jeff Faux, Larry Summers, Mitt Romney, Neo Liberal, offshoring, Paul Ryan, The Servant Economy, Tom Friedman
Leave a comment
The Last Tech Age 