What’s Jaouen Jonesing For?

Many times, a good rant is more fun for the writer than for the reader. Understanding this, I have written a rant to get some frustration off my chest. I have opted not to put the rant on the front page of this site. If you are interested in reading my lengthy diatribe about my experiences over the last week, click here. Otherwise, you can always check out this link for a funny video.

It isn’t often that I see something that truly impresses me and opens my eyes to entirely new possibilities. A group of researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have created a new method of capturing energy that has done just that. This new method of capturing energy uses arrays of billions of nano-scale antennas to create electricity. It’s called a resonant (LC) circuit. The circuit captures the energy of the waves moving through it. Since infrared radiation operates in the 30 Terahertz (30 trillion waves per second) range, it’s possible to capture the energy of the waves by using very small antennas. The antennas are arranged into flexible sheets of material that are 80% efficient at capturing infrared energy. If you don’t know, infrared energy is heat. The implications of such a power source are staggering. So much energy in the world is lost to heat. Friction, electrical resistance, atomic reactions, and many chemical reactions create heat. Typically heat is lost to the environment or pumped away from its source. With this material, energy could be gained from excess heat. The best part of this material is the cost; a dollar per square foot. Imagine the possibilities. Clothes could be made that harness the heat of the body to power an iPod. These clothes could literally soak extra heat away from your body, keeping you at a comfortable temperature of your choosing. It should be noted that exceptionally cool people will not produce as much energy as “not so cool” people like Mutari. Excess engine heat could be used to add energy to a hybrid car’s power cells. Blankets could be tuned to absorb body heat at a rate that would maintain a comfortable sleeping environment all night. Depending on how hot your girlfriend is, you may be able to power several city blocks. Plus, these sheets open up some pickup line possibilities, ”Hey Baby, I have nano-sheets, want to come back to my place and help me knock a couple bucks off my Excel Bill?”  Even better, “Hey Baby, want to come back to my place and do something green?” and, “Hey Baby, my bed is carbon neutral!”(As a side note, anytime you start a pickup line with, “Hey Baby”, it’s a sure thing.  Works for me everytime.”) Several obstacles remain before the technology is viable and widely available. The main issue is that the energy is entering the system at 30 trillion Hz and needs to be slowed to 60 Hz. Super efficient rectifiers will be needed to make this possible. Even if the rectifiers are only 50% efficient though, the sheets of nano-antennas will still be more efficient that traditional PV. A few years from now, the energy crisis may be a thing of the past. Cheap infrared energy may be the wave of the future.

With the Beijing Olympics at a close, we look back on the moments that made them special. The US beach volleyball teams, both men and women, had great showings and exciting matches. The swimmers, not just Phelps, were fantastic. The basketball team got the gold, showing the world that we, Americans, are the most, “Like Mike.” One area that was a disappointment though was gymnastics. I’m not talking about the US’s lackluster performance either. I’m talking about the cheating Chinese! In what I can only imagine is a monumental undertaking, the Chinese government has made it a point that the Chinese will be an athletic powerhouse. With a population of over a billion people, it doesn’t seem like this should be a problem at all. With so many people, in a country with so much freedom and opportunity, world caliber athletes should be popping up all over the place. Apparently this isn’t so though, so the Chinese government has taken an extremely active role in grooming athletes from birth. Who would have thought that the Chinese government would get involved in every facet of their culture? The result of the Chinese government’s efforts was apparent when the Chinese won 51 gold medals and 100 medals overall, second only to the United States in medals. But how many of these Chinese medals were legitimate? Specifically, how many gymnastics medals were legitimate? It seems that the dates of birth of the Chinese Olympic gymnastics team members are not static, as dates of birth are for everyone else in the world. No, the Chinese have apparently found a means to change the ages of their athletes. Some believe that the Chinese have found the key to time travel; others simply believe the Chinese are fucking cheaters. Today they are 14 years old, tomorrow 16, the next day who knows. This troubles me deeply because of how blatantly obvious the Chinese are cheating. They are openly cheating, but nobody on the Olympic committee has the balls to call them out on it. The Olympics are not a necessity. There are large competitions attracting the same caliber of athletes for every sport represented at the Olympics. The Olympics have to represent something more if they want to stay relevant. The must represent the fair competition of members of every nation on earth. They must be a shining beacon of integrity and sportsmanship. Allowing the Chinese to cheat, and then allowing them to save face by not calling them out on it, is contrary to the spirit that makes the Olympics special. I am deeply disappointed in the Olympic committee, more so than I am disappointed in China. Nobody would put cheating past China, their government is a bunch of scumbags. The IOC however, has an obligation to run fair games! For shame IOC, for shame!

Oh to be a child again, to look up in wonder at a lonely kite sailing on a late summer breeze. During my childhood there were several kites. Every one of them came to a similar ill fate. Some broke away from their strings, never to be seen again. Some plowed into power lines and would stay there for weeks, mocking me every time I looked up. Even worse, some would slam into the ground in the middle of the street, only to be smashed to kindling by passing cars. None of my kites ever survived for long. As a result, I quickly lost interest in kiting; frustration and anger overwhelming my curiosity for their amazing ability to soar through the sky. It seems that not everyone has had the same disappointing experience that I felt. Several grad students at Delft University of Technology had actually found a practical use for kites. Using what they have dubbed a laddermill, a series of interconnected kites, they have found a way to harness the tremendous stores of energy contained in the winds of our atmosphere. The theoretical kite arrays would stretch 30 thousand feet into the sky and harness enough energy to power 10 thousand homes. Although it seems like a flight of fancy, the concept was proven recently in a small scale test. 10 kilowatts of energy were produced by the test; enough energy to power 10 homes. This is a prime example of innovation solving old problems with wild new solutions, and that’s why I’m jonesin’ for it.

It’s no secret that I love gadgets. Some gadgets are cool in principle, by have names that don’t do them justice. This is not the case with the VASIMR, or Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket. Are you kidding me, these guys worked the word Magnetoplasma into the name of their rocket! Even Microsoft word is telling me it’s not a word in the English language. Best of all, the VASIMR is just as sick as it sounds. It’s a new engine being developed by Ad Astra Rocket Company for NASA and is in the prototype stage of development. Most people don’t realize, but the maximum speed that an object can travel is the speed which its engine can “blow”. Conventional rockets used to get objects into space are able to exert a tremendous amount of force, but are incapable of getting them to the astounding speeds needed for quick travel through the solar system. Essentially, they are pump out tons of energy but not at a very high speed. The VASIMR is different though. It is like a whisper compared to a rocket engine’s yell. But this whisper is traveling at 300 kilometers per second, or 0.1% the speed of light. This incredible velocity is attained by ionizing propellant (hydrogen) with radio waves to create plasma, then accelerating and shaping it with magnetic fields. Current methods for traveling to Mars take about 6 months to cover the distance. The VASIMR could cut travel time down to 2 months. I wonder if it uses a Retroencabulator?

After a month long hiatus, Jaouen is Jonesin’ for some new content! I have been on the road for work since I last posted, and it has been hectic. I was in San Francisco for two weeks, then Columbus for two weeks. I’ve been in Indianapolis and Chicago, and I’ve been to Lake McConaughy in Nebraska. I’ve had a home in Boulder, and a home in Denver, and I was homeless for a time. I’ve eaten at five star restaurants, Taco Bells, and crappy hotel lounges. I’ll be back to the quiet life in Colorado within a week, and I will be Jonesing for new and awesome stuff!

Stay tuned….