Important Innovations

Three New Versions of Fire Tablet Source:  Amazon Fire Tablet Designed for the Whole Family & Their Budget Here's interesting new technology that Amazon just rolled out. Today, Amazon launched three new and upgraded versions of its Fire Tablet.  The new Fire has longer battery life, more storage and faster performance.  The pricing is set at a very competitive level starting at $89.99  The tablet is designed for the whole family with a special version for kids.  It is budget friendly and likely will trigger a new tablet war among tech giants. Available Online The new lineup includes the "all new" Fire HD 8 with 32 GB of internal storage, the Fire HD 8 Plus with wireless charging embedded and the Fire HD 8 Kids.  The new tablets will be available online for pre-order and will start shipping on June 3. Amazon and Apple   The Fire line of tablets were launched as Kindle Fire in 2011. They were viewed as a contender against Apple and its d

BP Pilot Project in Australia Source:  stock image of hydrogen Producing Hydrogen From Wind and Solar Power British Petroleum has won approval from the government of Australia to produce hydrogen energy from wind and solar power.  The renewable energy sources of wind and solar power will be used to split water and convert it into hydrogen and ammonia.  Australia is contributing more than $1 million to the $4.4 million BP feasibility study. Australia:  Global Hydrogen Capital Australia has ambitions to be a major producer of hydrogen by 2030.  If the feasibility study yields promising results, BP will build a pilot plant in western Australia to produce 20,000 tons of hydrogen.  Later, it will build a commercial scale facility capable of producting 1 million tons for both domestic and international markets. Renewable Energy's Holy Grail The production of green, renewable hydrogen using wind and solar power drastically cuts carbon emissions.  Energy e

Britain and France Getting on Board Source:  Google Biking to Work, Avoiding Pubic Transit There is a significant trend from the global pandemic: individual personal mobility is far preferable to public transportation. As a result, bikes are getting a big boost in Europe as governments search for means to get people safely to work without crowded buses, trains and subways.  As the lock-downs ease and people start returning to their places of work, many will be doing a cycling commute. Britain and France Britain has just rolled out a $308 million emergency active travel fund to get commuters to cycle to work.  France is investing $22 million to develop and subsidize cycle commuting.  Both countries are also installing temporary bike lanes to facilitate the cyclists. Amsterdam Many cities in northern Europe, like Amsterdam, have a long history of travel by bikes and they have the infrastructure in place to support it.  In the Netherlands, 27% of commuting is done by bike. 

NASA Tech: Ground and Space Observations Source:  NASA - 6 cyclones on Jupiter Place in the Universe Where the Weather is Never Pleasant The image is one of the highest resolution, infrared views of the Planet Jupiter ever taken.  And, the view is simply  amazing.  Jupiter is lite up in huge thunder storms. This image is the result of the most highly advanced  space technology and the scientists behind it teaming up.  NASA's  Hubble Space Telescope, the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Juno spacecraft came together to explore the fiercest storms in the solar system.  The location of some of the Universe's worst  weather is Jupiter, more than 500 million miles from Earth. It appears weather is never pleasant there. Stormy Weather A team of researchers led by U-CAL Berkeley's Michael Wong are using the images coming in to learn how Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere and weather work.  Storms are constant on Jupiter and much more powerful than on Earth. The

Invention Created by Self-Taught Engineer Source:  Zhao Deli flying motorcycle Flying Above Traffic 30 Feet in the Air The China Xinhua News Agency reports that a self-taught  "genius" Chinese engineer has created a flying motorcycle.  And he has demonstrated its capabilities and effectiveness. The motorcycle is capable of flying 30 feet in the air to get above and over traffic jams. Flying Above it All The inventor is engineer Zhao Deli from China's Hunan  province.  He has worked for many years to create his own flying scooter to simply fly above it all, particularly on traffic congested streets. The latest prototype is a white drone-like vehicle with fast moving propellers on the four corners of the motorbike.  Deli hopes to eventually sell these personal  mobility vehicles to the public.  A prototype he created in 2018 reached speeds of 44 mph and had a battery life of 30 minutes. The latest version looks much sleeker and faster.  The inventor wor

Air Force Kick Starts Flying Car Industry Source:  Sabrewing Rhaegal  Launches Agility Prime Open Competition The US Air Force is kick starting the flying car industry.  It wants thirty flying car vehicle models by 2030.  To achieve its goals, the Air Force is launching an open challenge to the flying car industry, called Agility Prime.  USAF Assistant Director Dr. Will Roper says there are multiple companies in a position to win the competition and deliver.  Specifically, the Air Force wants EVTOLs or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles. Virtual Kickoff The Air Force launched the program with a virtual news conference announcement.  They want to innovate flying car vehicles for both the military and the driving/flying public.  Their approach is through collaboration with investors, the industry and "interagency" partners. Multiple Types and Designs Dr. Roper wants multiple designs such as large flying vehicles for cargo and sma

ASU's Thunderbird School of Global Management 2020 Grads Source:  Arizona State University - Dean Khagram Virtual Graduation Ceremony with Robots At Arizona State University, there will be a graduation ceremony for the Thunderbird School of Global Management Class of 2020 graduates. But it will be technologically awesome, memorable  and very different.  In the middle of the pandemic and lock-down in Arizona, telepresence robots, known as avatar robots,  have come to the rescue and saved the day.  It's graduation by telepresence and it's a virtual graduation ceremony.  May 11, 2020 is graduation day. Technology to the Rescue The telepresense robots will give students a chance to "walk in" the ceremony.  The robots will stand in place and be awarded each students' degree in a virtual ceremony. Live audio and video on each robot will allow the students to experience the ceremony in real-time. Much Prep To