smogr

make it in america., originally uploaded by d’emploi

I still kick myself for not seeing him at Radio City last year - this will be the next, best thing.

Subway Platform, originally uploaded by drc151

Here are some quick, half-formed thoughts about iPad which go with my last entry, iPad: Star Trek-level Shit Going On. Further posts will actually be more coherent, as I’m trying to rapidly prototype my thinking about iPad.

1. Two disturbingly negative examples of legacy organizations struggling with how to deal with channel distribution in the iPad world:

   Turf War at the New York Times: Who Will Control the iPad?:

   On one side, a Times source explains, you have print circulation, which thinks it should control the iPad since it’s just another way to distribute the paper. They’d like to charge $20 to $30 per month for the Times’ forthcoming iPad app, basically the product already demonstrated on stage with Steve Jobs, the source said. Why so much? Because they’re said to be afraid people will cancel the print paper if they can get the same thing on their iPad. Nevermind that iPad distribution comes with none of the paper or delivery costs associated with print, or that there’s already a free electronic edition available to subscribers who cancel.

   Will You Pay for Hulu on the iPad? It May Be Your Only Choice.

   And if Hulu decides to define the iPad as a mobile device, it would also need its content owners to grant it mobile rights, which it doesn’t actually have. Again, doable. But the broadcasters are already making money from other mobile services, like Verizon’s V Cast. So they have to tread carefully.

   What is most frustrating is that I would pay for both Hulu and The New York Times on iPad, but I fear that price expectations from legacy organizations will limit the total uptake (especially since magazines are double-downing on print). iPad versions of the NYTimes should be less than home delivery due to lower overhead (no delivery or printing cost) and Hulu should look to Netflix for their pricing model, $10 a month feels right for content I can get over-the-air for free but with the added convenience of time-shifting; additional advertising should be limited, or eliminated, for any paid subscription fee and bonuses such as full program catalogs would go a long way.

   The problem is that those in charge of both newspapers and television fundamentally don’t understand that iPad, while acting as another channel, will increase their market size and consumption habits through the form factor and ease-of-use. In the case of Hulu, the idiocy of parsing mobile versus laptop screen versus boxee-augmented television screen is breathtaking. These three object are merely different sized screens for viewing content - content that we would gladly pay through subscriptions or advertisements.



2. Books in the Age of the iPad:

   I want to look at where printed books stand in respect to digital publishing, why we historically haven’t read long-form text on screens and how the iPad is wedging itself in the middle of everything. In doing so I think we can find the line in the sand to define when content should be printed or digitized.

   Most interesting part: content as Formless Content or Definite Content.
   



3. Initial thoughts on how to design applications: Matt Gemmell on iPad Application Design. Very interesting thought on user interface changes and tactics for the iPad world.


4. A Flickr set with all of the iPad UI Conventions shown in public advertisements and demonstrations. Zapruder-like beauty of collection.

I still believe that iPad will be a revolutionary device, especially concerning how we interact with data and place.

First watch this short video of the making of With Or Without You, take careful note of the outro solo and Edge’s comments regarding it:

Now, watch this duet between Edge and Wyclef:

If this doesn’t make your Monday go fast, maybe Merlin’s accompanying dance will make your day:

Dallas City Hall, originally uploaded by mapper-montag

CBS’ 60 MInutes special about the Bloom Box has thrown the internets into a tizzy. It appears that the Bloom Box is merely a higher-efficient fuel cell - electricity is generated through a reaction, triggered in the presence of an electrolyte, between fuel (natural gas) and an oxidant (in this case oxygen). What they shouldn’t have done was conflate zero-emissions power solutions with what this is: a better fuel cell.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Furthermore, replacing centralized power plants and distribution grid is all fine and dandy, but just doing that doesn’t make it green. At best you replace one large centralized emission source (which can arguably be more efficient through economies of scale) with thousands of smaller point sources of equal emission rate. The Bloom Box still runs on fossil fuels which we continue to rapidly deplete. Waste heat still is released, not to mention the caustic chemicals during manufacture.

Here’s an interesting comment from a skeptic:

CBS’s coverage was horrible. One, fuel cells aren’t emission free. They never mentioned emissions, but in the intro they talked about people working on emission free power, which strongly suggests that a fuel cell is emission free. A PEM type hydrogen fuel cell produces water vapor, and a CH4, or other carbon based fuel, SOFC, which is what the Bloom Box is, produces CO2 and water vapor. Methane powered SOFCs have been around for decades, and are more reliable and cheaper than PEM fuel cells, but still not strong at either low cost or reliability. Bloom claims to have solved those problems. Also, about the “sand”… that’s not sintered silicon dioxide as someone earlier in the comments suggested. That wouldn’t work for a SOFC. The reference to “beach sand” is clearly a reference to mozanite sand, a weathered pegmatite that’s rich in cerium and lanthanides and is found as a beach sand in a number of spots in the world. However, what Sridhar showed in the dish was not raw mozanite sand, it looked more like cerium oxide to me. So, we can conclude that he’s solved the grain boundary flow resistance problem that has plagued earlier attempts to use sintered cerium oxide as the solid electrolyte. This will allow it to run cooler and help with some of the reliability issues. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than yttria stabilized zirconia, which has been the main solid electrolyte ceramic used in SOFCs over the years. The “ink” is really more of a ceramic glaze, and the green one is probably a slurry of copper and cerium oxides and the black one is probably some sort of doped lanthanum manganite. SOFCs can run as high as 50% efficient, compared to maybe 35% for a really good gas fired turbine of the sort used for peaking plants. So, it’s not really “twice as efficient”, but it’s better than a turbine. Also, like I said, SOFCs don’t use platinum and never had. The STL oxygen generator that Sridhar worked on did use platinum, and the technology is similar to a fuel cell in reverse, taking electrical power and heat to make oxygen out carbon dioxide, but SOFCs don’t use platinum.

Sridhar’s reference to it being able to use solar is probably a reference to solar thermal catalyzed carbon neutral hydrocarbons. Straight hydrogen from something like biphotonic hydrolysis wouldn’t work in a fuel cell of this type.

So, if he can get is cost down to ~$1000/kW capacity, and his reliability can exceed the current record of 7K hours for an SOFC, he may be on to something. But, ultimately this is a small scale, high efficiency gas power plant, not a new source of energy. It’s like the Prius of power plants: more efficient, but it still needs chemical fuel. And, unless you live on top of a capped landfill and can extract methane from it, as eBay is doing, that fuel is probably coming in the form of natural gas. At a low enough cost per kW of capacity, this could be widely distributed and provide the same power at a somewhat lower carbon emission level than current natural gas power plants, and certainly lower than coal or oil power plants, but that’s all it is: a more efficient chemically fueled power plant.

Hats off to Sridhar who has apparently increased efficiency, minimized the use of platinum, and modularized fuel cells; but at best this is a bridge source of energy until we move fully off the carbon economy.

Hatch Show Print, originally uploaded by plemeljr

Check out this video from the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print. I was lucky enough to be in Nashville many times a few years ago working on a project two doors down from Hatch Show Print, a 125-year old fully-functioning print show. Check out my Hatch Show Print photos and other photos from Nashville, and listen to my interview with street musician Klayton Emmelli.

Blue FCR Screen, originally uploaded by plemeljr

If you watch NASA TV the producers often put up a map (example above) showing the location and orbits of Station and Shuttle, with all sorts of additional lines overlaid on the map. Here’s an abridged list of what they are and mean:

• Yellow & Green Lines This represents the TDRS (pronounces Tee-dris) which is a series of nine geosynchronous satellites which handle space-to-ground communication. If Station or Shuttle is inside either the circle, they have to switch over from one system to the other (LOS or AOS). If Station and Shuttle are in the overlapped area (as is shown) then they temporarily lose strong communication to the ground
• White brackets at orbit line This represents the sunrise/sunset time and location for Station or Shuttle.
• Blue circles with acronyms This represents comms unavailability for various backup communication systems, mostly military.
• White polygon in South America with the acroynym SAA This stands for the South Atlantic Anomaly. This refers to the area where the Earth’s inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to the Earth’s surface leading to an increased flux of energetic particles in this region, exposing orbiting satellites to higher than usual levels of radiation. This location has to do with the off-axis rotation of Earth and the translation of the radiation belt. Station and Shuttle periodically go through this ever-changing anomaly during orbit, affecting communication, but also placing astronauts at higher risk of radiation requiring additional precautions.

  A diagram of the SAA is below:
  

This article continues my reporting of my junket NASAtweetup at the Johnson Space Center on 17 FEB 2010. For all articles, check out the NASA tweetup page and photos.

NBL Overview, originally uploaded by plemeljr

In order for astronauts to simulate and acclimate zero gravity, NASA uses the massive Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), which is in effect a very long, deep, and largest swimming pool in the world. The NBL is not on the Johnson Space Center (JSC) main campus, but is a 10 minute drive, being housed in a converted warehouse. Here, full-sized high-fidelity Station mockups sit in 40 feet of water in order for astronauts and support staff to train for upcoming missions. Generally, two astronauts are on EVA at any one time (the buddy system), and each work together to perform a series of tasks according to the upcoming mission goals. For every astronaut who enters the water there are four additional NBL divers to assist the astronaut: one diver controls a video camera which records the training runs for both mission planners and the astronaut subjects, one tools diver who assists the astronaut, and finally two safety divers. The amount of equipment and weight of the suits make it all but impossible for the astronaut subjects to enter or exit the water without a great deal of assistance.

This training not only develops muscle memory and familiarity with Station, but also allows astronauts and support staff to develop and perfect orders of operations. Our dive escort noted that generally an overall outline and EVA mission goals have been agreed to prior to training at the NBL, but depending on the mission type and complexity, methods and procedures are worked out inside the NBL. Astronauts shoot for seven hours of training at the NBL for every one hour in EVA, though generally this fluctuates between five to eight. Generally they enter the water at 9 am and exit around 3 pm - a full day of work.

This article continues my reporting of my junket NASAtweetup at the Johnson Space Center on 17 FEB 2010. For all articles, check out the NASA tweetup page and photos.

Space Shuttle Endeavour’s current mission, STS-130 (wikipedia), delivered and assisted in assembling the final International Space Station module, Tranquility Node 3/Cupola. There are only four additional Space Shuttle flights until the fleet of remaining orbiters - Endeavour, Discovery and Atlantis - will be permanently retired. Thus ending the era of reusable manned space flight.

Station will continue to be serviced from Russia through the use of Soyuz and Progress, and by the Euopean Automated Transfer Vehicle. These are single-use rockets and remote controlled supply platforms, which will ferry both humans and material to Station.

President Obama recently unveiled his FY2011 budget outlining, with little surprise, the reduction of funding for any manned mission to Luna or Mars:

US space agency Nasa has already spent $9bn (£5.6bn) on the programme.

The president said Constellation was draining resources from other US space agency activities. He plans instead to turn to the private sector for launch services.

“While we’re cancelling Constellation, we’re not cancelling our ambitions,” said Jim Kohlenberger, chief of staff at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

“This isn’t a step backwards. I think the step backwards was trying to recreate the Moon landings of 40 years ago using largely yesterday’s technology, instead of game-changing new technology that can take us further, faster and more affordably into space.”

The decision to cancel Constellation was immediately condemned by Congressional figures who represent workforces dependent on the programme.

This is unsurprising, due to the fact that the Bush Administration’s lofty goal of manned missions to Luna and Mars lacked an essential item: any real funding whatsoever. Any future manned flights will come from private or public-private joint ventures.

The era of the Moonshot is over.

While the budget is pragmatic - especially in the current political environment - this is unfortunate. Humans are still stranded on a single blue planet, which we continue to neglect. Global Warming and climate change is real, and the probability of major climate events negatively affecting the population is growing. Colonizing other planets, while wonders of science fiction, increases our survival chances. Until there is a major trigger (Chinese settle Luna?), I don’t see manned space flight being anywhere near a priority of the USA in the near future.

This is also unfortunate since once we disband Project Constellation and Orion platforms, the professionals developing those programs will be scattered to the wind. With funding also goes facilities, such as the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility where NASA continues to develop the Orion module today.

When I was at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, it was mentioned more than once that Constellation and Orion was to defunded during FY2011, but there was never any plea for us to apply pressure to our Congresspeople. Rather it was plain that they were professionals, yet disappointed that these programs could end. One NASA engineer commented that they hope it is decided one way or another to fund or defund so they could plan out the rest of the fiscal year: either to push ahead with continued mockups, testing and design or reach an agreed upon fidelity, then wrap up the program in a way which the learnings and technology could be handed off to a third party.

If you have an opinion, please contact your Member of Congress.

This article continues my reporting of my junket NASAtweetup at the Johnson Space Center on 17 FEB 2010. For all articles, check out the NASA tweetup page and photos.

Space Shuttle main engines, originally uploaded by plemeljr

This article continues my reporting of my junket NASAtweetup at the Johnson Space Center on 17 FEB 2010. For all articles, check out the NASA tweetup page and photos.

NASA loves acronyms. Loves them.

Can’t get enough of them.

Which makes a lot of sense: would you rather say Baseline Accounting and Reporting System or BARS? Johnson Space Center truncates to JSC, Capsule Commander (the earth-based link between astronauts and the rest of NASA) truncates to CAPCOM, and so on.

Wherever possible, these acronyms generally sound catchy. Case in point: the Shuttle’s Orbital Maneuvering System is shortened to OMS, but is pronounced OHMS (like how much resistance you might have in a circuit). Sometimes the acronyms can be said different ways: the Canadian-built Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator is truncated to SPDM but pronounced, much to the chagrin of the Canadians, as Spudim.

But curiously enough, some parts and equipment become proper nouns. This happens most often on human rated equipment, such as the newly installed Cupola on the International Space Station (ISS). Usually NASA professionals refer to it as Cupola, but rarely the cupola. Additionally, the International Space Station is not usually referred to as ISS or the space station, but rather Space Station or Station.

This reminds me of Apple’s instance one making iPhone a proper noun.

I brought this up to a few NASA professionals, and their response was that there is rarely a single word for an object or piece of equipment. Over time the official name is truncated to an informal working name, which is whittled down to be as succinct and clear as possible to facilitate quick understanding and conversation. A must when broadcasting between space and earth. Nobody discusses Harmony: that would be Node 2; no one talks about PMA-2 (that would be Pressurized Mating Adapter): that would be Adapter; no one asks permission to enter Quest Joint Airlock: it is merely Airlock.

This article continues my reporting of my junket NASAtweetup at the Johnson Space Center on 17 FEB 2010. For all articles, check out the NASA tweetup page and photos.