3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics

Nicely done! These teens came up with a tamarind based product that can added to water; a little agitation and the powder combines with microplastics and clumps. This clump can be removed with a magnet. 

That’s crazy. But is another example of how we can do better! 

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/3-teens-win-global-earth-prize-for-inventing-tamarind-powder-that-easily-removes-microplastics/

Watch "INSIDE Disney’s Groundbreaking Robotic Marble Sculpting | Grumpy's Gauntlet" on YouTube

This is an unexpected innovation that Disney has created. They have developed a robot that can take a 3D image and sculpt it from a stone block. 

What once came from a chisel and perseverance from a sculptor, can now be accomplished fairly easily by nearly anyone with an artistic eye. 

https://youtu.be/khNXWahOa1Y?si=om7lQYyrm1nOKdj1

While the world fights over oil, China just flew a 7.5-ton unmanned cargo plane powered by a megawatt-class hydrogen turboprop, climbing to 984 feet, covering 22.4 miles at 137 mph, and landing 16 minutes later with the engine running smoothly the whole way

Hydrogen powered, very large, unmanned …. Wow, that’s a lot to take in.  But it shows that there are opportunities to move away from our oil dependence. 

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/while-the-world-fights-over-oil-china-just-flew-a-7-5-ton-unmanned-cargo-plane-powered-by-a-megawatt-class-hydrogen-turboprop-climbing-to-984-feet-covering-22-4-miles-at-137-mph-and-landing-16-min/32807/

The downside of "reducing taxes"

Most states that lean conservative, have these weird plans to cut taxes!  Florida is no exception, with lots of moves designed to "help the average individual" - though we all know that these types of things disproportionately  benefit the wealthy among us.  And I just read about yet another push to eliminate property taxes in my fair state.  Because #FreeDumb

The obvious problem is that counties and cities have less in the way of capital that they can spend on infrastructure, services (including emergency type things), and even schools.

To combat that loss of revenue, there are many communities around Florida that are finding new ways to take in money from residents.  Among them are automated cameras around school busses, in school zones, and now in construction sites.  They use radar detection to measure speed, and read the tag on the car.  They then issue a citation to the owner of that car for an amount.  Its not a ticket, per se, and it comes off as a kind of a tax.

There are so many issues with this setup, but the biggest concern is about enforcement.  Take school zones, for example.  The system operates on school days for a period of time (I think its around 30 minutes) *before* the stated school zone time, and around 30 minutes *after* the stated school zone time, it will generate these citations if a driver is 10 miles an hour over the 15 MPH school zone.  And during the rest of the time, it will generate a citation if you are 10 miles an hour over the regular pasted speed limit for non-school times.  

School zones here all have a flashing warning light to let you know that you're in a school zone, but they go on during the hours posted - not in the 30 mins before and after.  So they are utterly meaningless.

Oh, and don't miss the fact that some communities don't follow this rule, and simply issue citations if you're going over 25MPH during the school day.  Full stop. Even though the signage indicates otherwise.

Its a mess, but has generated millions for these communities!  

So thanks Florida legislature for trying to make the tax less of a burden, while allowing for these silly loopholes that allow communities to make up their own rules for "taxation" - without the need to have anyone present (don't we have a constitutional right to know our accusers?!) and a complete inability to fight against this.

Scientists develop 'smart paint' that reflects 97% of sunlight and could reduce AC use during heatwaves | - The Times of India

A high tech or “smart” paint is a nice leap. They have nano particles embedded into the paint that help reflect the radiation away from the building.  

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/scientists-develop-smart-paint-that-reflects-97-of-sunlight-and-could-reduce-ac-use-during-heatwaves/articleshow/131398476.cms

The Voyager Golden Record carries a small sample of uranium on its cover, placed there so that whoever finds it can measure the decay and work out how long it has been drifting — a built-in clock for a message engineered to last around a billion years.

I love the ingenuity shown here. Scientists came up with a means to let any life form to have a simple means to understand intelligent life sent this craft, and included a means to understand how long it had been sent. 

https://spacedaily.com/t-the-voyager-golden-record-carries-a-small-sample-of-uranium-on-its-cover-placed-there-so-that-whoever-finds-it-can-measure-the-decay-and-work-out-how-long-it-has-been-drifting-a-built-in-cl/

In April 1970, the crew of Apollo 13 navigated home by holding the spacecraft against the terminator of the Earth, the line where day met night on the planet they were trying to reach, timing a fourteen-second engine burn with a wristwatch because their guidance computer had been shut down to save battery power for reentry

I have to admit that I continue to remain a little surprised that the Apollo 13 astronauts made it home it all. 

But then that’s the human spirit in a nutshell. They used their intuition, communication with the ground, and fought hard to keep “luck” on their side. 

 

https://spacedaily.com/sd-in-april-1970-the-crew-of-apollo-13-navigated-home-by-holding-the-spacecraft-against-the-terminator-of-the-earth-the-line-where-day-met-night-on-the-planet-they-were-trying-to-reach-timing-a-fou/