David Kirkpatrick

May 14, 2011

Book recommendation — “The Investment Answer”

Filed under: Business — Tags: , , , , , , — David Kirkpatrick @ 2:23 pm

If you are investing (and I hope you are), if you are thinking about investing, or if you just think you might start investing sometime in a foggy future, do yourself a huge favor and pick up a copy of “The Investment Answer""” by Dan Goldie and Gordon Murray.

It is very short and very sweet. And eye opening in a very good way.

I picked it up months ago and finally read it the other night. Great, great stuff. And full of simple, actionable advice.

The Investment Answer

May 6, 2011

Graphene paper

Filed under: Science — Tags: , , , , — David Kirkpatrick @ 9:51 am

Pretty cool.

From the link:

A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of graphene oxide papers and an analytical model showing the layered structures of graphene sheets, the intralayer and interlayer crosslinks, and an atomic representation of the bridging structure (credit: Yilun Liu et al.)

Scientists at Tsinghua University in Beijing have calculated from first principles what a sheet of graphene might be like.

It’s currently only possible to make graphene in tiny scraps. So they suggest ways to stack these sheets and bond them together to make something larger.

Their model predicts the links between graphene layers will increase the distance between them, thereby reducing the density to about half that of graphite. So graphene paper is not only going to be strong but also very light.

May 5, 2011

Fifty years of US manned spaceflight

Filed under: Science — Tags: , , , , — David Kirkpatrick @ 8:45 am

A round of applause to NASA and everyone involved in this ongoing adventure. “To infinity and beyond … ,” or something like that.

Hot from the inbox:

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s Statement About the 50th Anniversary of U.S. Human Spaceflight

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement Thursday, May 5, about the 50th anniversary of United States human spaceflight:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

“50 years ago today, Alan Shepard rocketed into space on America’s first manned space mission. That flight set our nation on a path of exploration and discovery that continues to this day.

“May 5, 1961, was a good day. When Alan Shepard launched toward the stars that day, no American had ever done so, and the world waited on pins and needles praying for a good outcome. The flight was a great success, and on the strength of Shepard’s accomplishment, NASA built the leadership role in human spaceflight that we have held ever since.

“I was a teenager at the time and just sorting out the field of study I wanted to pursue. Though I never dared dream it growing up in segregated South Carolina, I was proud to follow in Alan’s footsteps several years later and become a test pilot myself. The experiences I’ve had would not have been possible without Alan’s pioneering efforts. The inspiration that has created generations of leaders to enlarge our understanding of our universe and to strive toward the highest in human potential was sparked by those early achievements of our space program. They began with Freedom 7 and a daring test pilot who flew the ultimate experimental vehicle that May day 50 years ago.

“Today we celebrate a first — and we celebrate the future. Project Mercury gave our country something new, including an astronaut corps and the space vehicles that began our human exploration efforts.

“I encourage everyone to not only remember that remarkable achievement, but to be reminded that we are still driven to reach for new heights in human exploration.

“At NASA, each first is grown and expanded until we make the next breakthrough. 50 years ago, we sent the first American into space. Today we have a space station flying 250 miles overhead right now on which men and women have lived continuously for more than 10 years.

“With the same spirit of innovation and grit of those early days of space flight, we now move out on an exciting path forward where we will develop the capabilities to take humans to even more destinations in the solar system. With our support and assistance, commercial companies will expand access to that rarefied area Alan Shepard first trod for America, allowing NASA to focus on those bigger, more challenging destinations and to enable our science missions to peer farther and farther beyond our solar system.

“We are just getting started. Our future, as an agency and as a country, holds many more firsts. We know the next 50 years will be just as exciting as the last – filled with discovery, innovation and inspiration.”

SOURCE  NASA

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
NASA

Web Site: http://www.nasa.gov

May 2, 2011

Osama bin Laden — D.O.A.

Filed under: Politics — Tags: , , — David Kirkpatrick @ 12:04 am

Yeah, I know I haven’t posted in a long time, but this news is big.

Congrats to our leadership and armed forces. I hate to celebrate the death of anyone, but this one was long overdue.

(Update 5/5/11: in retrospect a better header would have been “OBL — DOA”)