Thursday, December 16, 2010

Berman Post

Berman Post

'Physical Internet' Contemplated Able Ferry Freight Through a Series of Tubes

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 08:51 PM PST


I think this is one of those ideas that sound interesting, but are ultimately impractical. The volume of goods that would be needed to make it viable based on the costs is not demanded; especially in rural areas. It may have some potential between suppliers and distribution points, or if the costs could be brought down significantly.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-12/underground-physical-internet-could-ferry-food-and-freight-through-series-tubes

"Hungry? Better turn on your linear induction motor and send a metal capsule through an underground polyethylene tube to retrieve some groceries.

That's the vision of Foodtubes, a UK program that seeks to reduce carbon emissions by building a pipeline-capsule system to deliver food and freight. A series of tubes could ferry 6-foot-long metal bins among neighborhoods, entire cities or even to different countries, moving goods at 60 mph using linear induction motors and intelligent routing software. Foodtubes says it's "really fast food," brought to you by the Internet of Things.

"In the long term, we could see an ostrich slaughtered in Cape Town, and delivered to Edinburgh," said Noel Hodson, Foodtubes' CEO, in an interview in EWeek Europe.
...
It sounds crazy, but Foodtubes points out that other commodities — oil, water, gas and even sewage — have dedicated pipeline networks, and new 3-foot-diameter tubes are installed all the time. Dedicated Foodtube pipelines would require little maintenance and could earn $125 million a year, Hodson said.

Apparently the group initially considered vacuum tubes, like the kind you use at a drive-through bank teller, but realized it would be impractical on a massive scale. Instead, capsules would be accelerated with linear induction motors, which would be controlled by computers."

AP Runs Intentionally Misleading Caption to Disparage Palin

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 08:30 PM PST


The caption; 'Palin has her hair done during a visit to a cholera treatment'. What it fails to mention is the person fixing Palin's hair is her daughter.

Picture embedded below.



"The Associated Press transmitted a photo from Haiti of Palin captioned, "Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, center, has her hair done during a visit to a cholera treatment center set up by the NGO Samaritan's Purse in Cabaret, Haiti, Saturday Dec. 11, 2010. Palin arrived Saturday in Haiti as part of a brief humanitarian mission. Dieu Nalio Chery / AP"

That photo and caption set off rabid attacks on Palin from the Huffington Post, the U.K.'s Daily Mail and, of course, Palingates.

The photo does indeed show Sarah Palin standing with her husband Todd as a woman whose face is obscured uses two hands to fix the hair on the right side of Palin's head.

However, one can observe that the woman is white, with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a white shirt with a bulky scarf and dark pants.

In other photos from Saturday, Todd and Sarah Palin's white, brunette, eldest daughter Bristol, who accompanied her parents on the trip to Haiti, is wearing the exact same clothing and ponytail as the "hair stylist" in the AP photo.

That's right, what the Palin-hating AP and others fail to report is that the "hair stylist" is Bristol Palin."

2-Year-Old Survives 'Internal Decapitation'

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 08:21 PM PST

High School Basketball Player Throws Ref to The Ground Upset With a Call

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 08:19 PM PST


This is some seriously unsportsmanlike conduct.

Video embedded below.



From the Youtube clip discretion:

"The game ended in forfeit after the player from Desoto High School in Arcadia, FL attacked the referee after being issued a technical foul and was ejected from the game. The player has been banned from all extracurricular school activites according to the coach, suspended till January 10th as of now, and a police report has been filed. However, the official involved chose not to press charges at this time."

Nanosatellite Launch From a Microsatellite a Failure?

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 08:02 PM PST


This seemed so promising. Now it may be a second NASA triumph turned failure in a week.

http://www.universetoday.com/81625/nanosail-d-update-things-look-grim

"the most recent release from NASA states that things might have turned out otherwise. Not only has the sail potentially failed to deploy, it's currently unclear if the nanosatellite was even ejected.


In NASA's own words on the mission site:


At this time, it is not clear that NanoSail-D ejected from the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) as originally stated on Monday, Dec. 6. At the time of ejection, spacecraft telemetry data showed a positive ejection as reflected by confirmation of several of the planned on orbit ejection sequence events. The FASTSAT spacecraft ejection system data was also indicative of an ejection event. NanoSail-D was scheduled to unfurl on Dec. 9 at 12:30 a.m., and deployment hasn't been confirmed. The FASTSAT team is continuing to trouble shoot the inability to make contact with NanoSail-D. The FASTSAT microsatellite and all remaining five onboard experiments continue to operate as planned.



What a bummer."

11 Million Dollar Christmas Tree Erected in The United Arab Emirates

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 07:54 PM PST


This is billed as the most expensive Christmas Tree ever. The tree itself is now where the value comes from, but the 'jewelry ornaments'.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.937a29e74a6fa43f33a85ed42e22fb84.11

"Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a glitzy hotel unveiled a bejewelled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars on Wednesday.

It is the "most expensive Christmas tree ever," with a "value of over 11 million dollars," said Hans Olbertz, general manager of Emirates Palace hotel, at its inauguration.

The 13-metre (40-foot) faux evergreen, located in the gold leaf-bedecked rotunda of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights.

But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery draped around the tree's branches are what give it a record value.

It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones, said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery.

"The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars -- I think 11.4, 11.5.""

Stuxnet Virus Set Iran’s Nuclear Program Back by Two Years?

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 07:31 PM PST


Lets hope it is longer then that.

http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=199475

"The Stuxnet virus, which has attacked Iran's nuclear facilities and which Israel is suspected of creating, has set back the Islamic Republic's nuclear program by two years, a top German computer consultant who was one of the first experts to analyze the program's code told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

"It will take two years for Iran to get back on track," Langer said in a telephone interview from his office in Hamburg, Germany. "This was nearly as effective as a military strike, but even better since there are no fatalities and no full-blown war. From a military perspective, this was a huge success.""

Gallup - Congress' Job Approval Rating at All Time Low (13% Approval, 83% Disapproval)

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 07:24 PM PST


When Congress flagrantly disregards the will of the American people, what else is to be expected...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/145238/Congress-Job-Approval-Rating-Worst-Gallup-History.aspx

"Americans' assessment of Congress has hit a new low, with 13% saying they approve of the way Congress is handling its job. The 83% disapproval rating is also the worst Gallup has measured in more than 30 years of tracking congressional job performance.
...
Frustration with the tax deal among Democrats in the general population could be a major reason for Americans' historically low approval rating of Congress. That frustration could be opposition to the bill's particulars or frustration with the Democrats in Congress opposing the president's deal. Democrats' approval of Congress is down significantly, to 16% now, from 29% in November. The November poll was conducted after Republicans won control of the House of Representatives for 2011-2012 in the midterm elections, so the drop in this month's numbers is not a reaction to the Democrats' midterm losses."

TSA Supervisor Says Advanced Pat Down Selection Based on Having Breasts (Picking Females)

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 07:20 PM PST


If it was a joke, it was a pretty stupid one. This is especially true given the concern that attractive people are being intentionally selected for the 'benefit' of the screeners.

Video embedded below.
at

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