4:39 PM
NASA is about to finish a study that examines the possibility of using *beamed energy* propulsion for space launches. Instead of the huge orange flames from the rockets as they lift off, laser light or microwaves can propel rockets into space. The reusable single-stage rockets would have 2x to 5x more payload space than conventional rockets, really cutting the price of sending payloads into orbit. They are even looking into using this technology to send spacecraft to other planets:
http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/3747/beaming-rockets-into-space
HUGE 235-foot-tall rocket is going to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base (Southern California, near Santa Barbara), believed to be carrying a top-secret spy satellite. The rocket is so huge and its blastoff so severe, that the Air Force worried that it would shatter windows nearby. They had to let the people living in the area know that the blastoff was occurring so that they would think that an earthquake was happening!
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/20/business/la-fi-vandenberg-rocket-20110120
Aluminum foam is being studied to cut the weight of ships by 30%, saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions:
http://www.youris.com/Latest_News/A_New_Material_To_Cut_Weight_Of_Ships_By_30_Percent_And_Save_On_Fuel_Consumption_And_CO2_Emissions.kl
The South Korean government was criticized when a South Korean-owned oil tanker was hijacked by Somali pirate last year and the ship and crew were freed after 217 days after a ransom payment of $9 million was paid. Critics said that paying the ransom made pirate more aggressively target South Korean vessels. When a South Korean-owned tanker was hijacked by pirates on Saturday, South Korean special forces carried out an operation that recaptures the vessel, rescued the captives, killed 8 pirates and captured 5 others:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/south-korean-navy-recaptures-pirated-tanker
Groupon turned down Google's $6 bil offer a few months ago, so now Google is creating a Groupon competitor called Google Offers. Google Offers will offer the same type of deals as Groupon (50% off at local merchants), but Google will give busineses 80% of the money while Groupon keeps half of the money it collects:
http://mashable.com/2011/01/20/google-offers/
Sprint and AT&T are adjusting their smartphone upgrade programs, probably in response to Verizon ending their new-every-2 program. It looks to me that Sprint is getting more generous to some of their subscribers, while AT&T's change and Verizon's change is less generous than what they have had:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-tinkers-premier-handset-upgrade-program/2011-01-21
Nokia said that 1 out of every 5 cellphones sold in the world are illegal or unlicensed copycats, which hurts Nokia's sales since they are the world's top selling cell phone manufacturer:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70K29020110121
http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/3747/beaming-rockets-into-space
HUGE 235-foot-tall rocket is going to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base (Southern California, near Santa Barbara), believed to be carrying a top-secret spy satellite. The rocket is so huge and its blastoff so severe, that the Air Force worried that it would shatter windows nearby. They had to let the people living in the area know that the blastoff was occurring so that they would think that an earthquake was happening!
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/20/business/la-fi-vandenberg-rocket-20110120
Aluminum foam is being studied to cut the weight of ships by 30%, saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions:
http://www.youris.com/Latest_News/A_New_Material_To_Cut_Weight_Of_Ships_By_30_Percent_And_Save_On_Fuel_Consumption_And_CO2_Emissions.kl
The South Korean government was criticized when a South Korean-owned oil tanker was hijacked by Somali pirate last year and the ship and crew were freed after 217 days after a ransom payment of $9 million was paid. Critics said that paying the ransom made pirate more aggressively target South Korean vessels. When a South Korean-owned tanker was hijacked by pirates on Saturday, South Korean special forces carried out an operation that recaptures the vessel, rescued the captives, killed 8 pirates and captured 5 others:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/south-korean-navy-recaptures-pirated-tanker
Groupon turned down Google's $6 bil offer a few months ago, so now Google is creating a Groupon competitor called Google Offers. Google Offers will offer the same type of deals as Groupon (50% off at local merchants), but Google will give busineses 80% of the money while Groupon keeps half of the money it collects:
http://mashable.com/2011/01/20/google-offers/
Sprint and AT&T are adjusting their smartphone upgrade programs, probably in response to Verizon ending their new-every-2 program. It looks to me that Sprint is getting more generous to some of their subscribers, while AT&T's change and Verizon's change is less generous than what they have had:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-tinkers-premier-handset-upgrade-program/2011-01-21
Nokia said that 1 out of every 5 cellphones sold in the world are illegal or unlicensed copycats, which hurts Nokia's sales since they are the world's top selling cell phone manufacturer:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70K29020110121