The Science Of Super Thin, Ultra Warm

The Science Of Super Thin, Ultra Warm
That down vests you use in mountaineering has been superseded by aerogels.

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Transistor created using only 7 atoms

Transistor created using only 7 atoms
A barrier facing chip manufacturing in the near future is one of size. Using existing chip manufacturing technology and techniques we can only go so small before the components being used become too unreliable to form a usable processor. But researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia may have pushed back that [...]

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After Energy Independence, Then What?

Glenn Beck recently did a fascinating interview with Ray Kurzweil, the remarkable inventor/futurist. Among other things, Kurzweil, a member of the prestigious National Inventors Hall of Fame, developed the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind.

Right on Beck’s show, he demonstrated how it works. It was amazing.

While listening to Kurzweil talk, the thought crossed my mind how geniuses like him appear to be able to transcend the junk that you and I allow to flood our brains day in and day out . Dumbed-down infomercials. Round-the-clock sports on TV. Nonstop pain-at-the-pump and global-warming tales. The latest shenanigans of cartoon characters like Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The childish ramblings of our own presidential candidates. Even the scary news flashes about Hollywood celebs who are threatening to emigrate if their candidate doesn’t win the upcoming election.

Listening to Kurzweil reminded me that most of the things people think about, fret about, and argue about don’t really matter much in the long run. Over the past century, we’ve survived a rash of bad presidents and shameless politicians, unthinkable natural disasters, the Great Depression, and “world” wars (along with a few little skirmishes like Vietnam). And humankind stubbornly keeps pushing forward.

I believe one of the biggest reasons for this success is that the people on the leading edge of civilization seem to be unfazed by all the nonsensical stuff.

Now when I say we’ve survived, I admit I’m talking on a macro basis. Between the advances, there is almost always a great deal of pain and suffering for the many people who happen to be living in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Soviet Union is the best recent example of this. It was only a matter of time until the lie of communism collapsed under its own weight. But for 70 years, hundreds of millions of people suffered and tens of million died. The same was true of Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, Saddam’s Iraq, and Mao’s China. But what’s interesting is how, notwithstanding government’s best efforts to slow human progress, the best and the brightest keep moving mankind forward.

As a result of the exponential progression of information technology, Kurzweil says that the rate of progress itself is now doubling every decade. In fact, he believes we will experience 32 times as much technical progress in the next 50 years as we’ve seen in the last century! It’s hard for a guy like me, whose neurons shut down at the thought of learning how to load my iPod, to comprehend such things.

Kurzweil says that when he first came to MIT, the school had only one computer. It took up an entire floor and cost more than $10 million. Now, the computer in a $50 cellphone is thousands of times more powerful than that MIT dinosaur. Which is why he believes we will see a billionfold improvement in information technology over the next 25 years. And then, in the years that follow, we’ll see it again, and again, and again.

I could go on and on about Ray Kurzweil’s amazing inventions, knowledge, and insights into the future. But the biggest of all his predictions is that due to advances in nanotechnology, we will soon be able to produce highly efficient, lightweight, inexpensive solar panels. As a result, he is all but certain that solar power will provide 100 percent of the world’s energy needs within 20 years – easily and inexpensively. He points out that the sun provides us with 10,000 times more sunlight than we need to accomplish this.

If Kurzweil is right, it not only will put a damper on draconian save-the-planet ideologies aimed at increasing control over people’s lives, it will change the balance of political power worldwide. It would also mean that millions of hours have been (and will be) wasted over debating whether or not to drill through the hides of caribou or dig up our trillions of tons of coal and convert it to oil.

All this reminds me of something that another great futurist,  Alvin Toffler, said in his landmark book Future Shock. Toffler believed that at any given time in history, about 90 percent of the population thinks in terms of the past, 7-8 percent have their heads in the present, and 2-3 percent are focused on the future.

When you look back on just the past 10,000 years, the evidence is clear: Human progress accelerates, notwithstanding little inconveniences such as famines, disease, volcanic eruptions, and asteroids paying their respects from time to time.

Don’t get me wrong. In the coming decades, I believe the U.S. is likely to be a totally different place than it is today. We may even have to go through a dictator or two. Perhaps even a couple of revolutions. But the scientific brains and futuristic thinkers don’t seem to pay much attention to politics and social upheaval. They just keep marching forward as though nothing were going on around them.

Nevertheless, the big question that remains is the same one that’s been implied throughout human history: What good does human progress do in such fields as technology, medicine, and energy if there continues to be no human progress in the area of goodwill?

So, what can you and I do about this? Plenty. The thought of ever-greater technology joining forces with ever-greater malice should incentivize each of us to demonstrate – through our actions -a spirit of goodwill.

You and I can’t force anyone else to change to our liking, but we totally control who and what we, as individuals, can become. Rather than joining crusades to save the world, we can accomplish much more by focusing on making ourselves the best human beings we can possibly be.

[Ed. Note: Improving yourself takes work - but with a few easy-to-follow guidelines, you can accomplish any kind of personal change you want. Learn how to get expert guidance and dozens of goal-setting tools right here.

Becoming a better person can garner admiration and respect from colleagues and potential partners alike. Follow Robert Ringer’s suggestions today, and you could increase your income many times over. For a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques, check out Robert’s best-selling dealmaking audio series. And sign up for Robert’s Voice of Sanity e-letter here.

Atom-Sized Electronic Switch Unveiled

Atom-Sized Electronic Switch Unveiled
On Monday, Australian scientists unveiled the world’s smallest electronic switch measuring just a few atoms, which will shrink microchips and revolutionize computing speeds.

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Discover an Effective Moisturizer for Increasing Collagen

Did you know that increasing collagen fiber production can be accomplished with a topical cream, as long as it contains the right ingredients? But, aging collagen is not the only problem. If you want to delay and counter the affects of age, you need to look for creams that address several different issues. Preventing free radical damage is “top” among them. Let’s get down to the facts.

Research has shown that increasing collagen content is pointless, if free radicals are not controlled. Dermatologists have noted that radicals damage collagens, as well as the cellular membrane and DNA strands. They say that aging collagen fibers contain more free radicals, than younger ones do. They have also seen that the presence of naturally occurring antioxidants within the cells is diminished. Normally, antioxidants would prevent free radicals from doing damage.

The idea of antioxidant supplementation is not a new one. We take our vitamins every day, but processing antioxidant molecules, to a size that can be used by the skin’s cells, has been difficult to accomplish. The miracle news is by using nanotechnology, one company was finally able to do it. The ingredient to look for is called NANOLIPOBELLE HEQ10. 10% of formulation is vitamin E. 5% is coenzyme Q10. COQ10 levels are quickly depleted when the skin is exposed to UV rays from the sun.

Along with the problems of aging collagen, there are lower levels of hyaluronic acid is older skin. Levels are also depleted by exposure to UV rays from the sun and during sunburn.

Hyaluronic acid is an amino acid, glucose complex that contributes to skin-cell production, as well as firmness. It is normally degraded and replaced several times throughout the day. It is produced by the cells of the human body and degraded by enzymes known as hyaluronidases. Extracts from a type of kelp, known as wakame, have been shown to inhibit the activity of those enzymes, allowing levels of hyaluronic acid to rise again and improving firmness, as well as contributing to skin cell production, which is necessary for increasing collagen fibers, because the cells secrete one of the components necessary to form the fibers.

So, we need a cream that contains wakame kelp extracts, HEQ10 and another important ingredient. An anti aging collagen supporting cream should contain Functional Keratin. It’s a protein complex extracted from sheep’s wool and hydrolyzed using patented processes that allow the amino acids within the protein to remain active and readily available for use by the skin’s cells.

For night time use, I would also recommend creams that contain avocado oil. In one study, the oil was shown to be effective for increasing collagen content in the skin’s cells. In addition, avocado is a nourishing moisturizer. It’s just a little too heavy for daytime use.

Do yourself a favor. To support aging collagen, you need to use an effective quality moisturizer every day. You also need to avoid at all costs, ingredients that strip the skin of its natural oils. Those ingredients include petroleum-based alcohols and oils, as well as paraben preservatives. Those are the keys to increasing collagen fiber production with a topical cream. You might want to learn more about it.

Discover more examples of powerful extracts and botanicals for your skin and what I personally use at my website today.

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