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Ole reads

Wednesday,  12/10/08  10:12 PM

Hi y'all; wanted to share some reading from the Economist with you...  the latest issue contains their Technology Quarterly, and has lots of good stuff.  Recommended:

  • There's a nice article on wind power: Wind of Change.  I still don't think this makes much sense, you just can't generate much power this way compared to say nuclear plants.  They are uneconomical without government subsidy.  And although it doesn't pollute in the sense of generating waste, you can't say all those windmills are attractive.
  • An article about stove technology: Fresher Cookers.
  • A protein extracted from cows blood that heals wounds: A stitch whose time has come.
  • New laser technology for movie projectors could make digital projection a reality: Moving images into the Future.
  • A quantum-mechanical effect used in hard disks may hold the key to the development of a hand-held biology laboratory: Spinning a Good Tale.  This seems particularly promising for in vivo research on candidate drugs, potentially shortening the development cycle.
  • Satellites that beam solar power to earth: Let the Sun Shine In.  This seems like it will never work, but who knows?
  • And finally an article about Sergey Brin: Enlightenment Man.

That would be enough, but there's more in this issue, too:

  • Will France continue to lead the global revival of nuclear power?  Power Struggle.  One of the many things to admire about modern France is their leadership in this area.  Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Areva (the French government's power company), is my hero.
  • He conducts just one symphony, Mahler’s second.  But Gilbert Kaplan has radically changed the way Mahler is perceived, both by audiences and other musicians: Desperately Seeking Mahler.  Really fascinating, I wouldn't know Mahler from Adam, but the complication of bringing a symphony to life is amazing.
  • And...  the Obama-Clinton soap opera is set to run for another few years: Head of State.

You're welcome!