Architecture
When you think of architecture you don’t often think of telescopes. But the Thirty Meter Telescope under development at Hawaii’s Mauna Kea facility is something to look at. This telescope will see further than the Hubble Space Telescope. That’s progress! Note how huge the facility is compared to the bus parked in front!
Automotive
It has always been hard to understand how police, driving in Fords, no disrespect intended, could catch up and subdue drug dealers driving Porches or Maseratis! It never seemed very fair or smart. Enter law-enforcing supercars! The Dubai police are leading the way in putting high performance vehicles to use in apprehending criminals. The image below is of a Dubai Lamborghini costing $450,000. Take that!
Aviation
In April NASA reported on its Supersonic Aircraft Model it has been testing in its 8 ft. x 6ft. Supersonic Wind Tunnel at Glenn Research Center. Researchers are evaluating the design, air intake systems and performance. NASA is trying to make it possible for supersonic air flight over land while reducing emissions and noise from sonic booms.
Looks like another Concorde type aircraft is in the works.
Construction
Until recently the Tour de France was mostly a European event. Despite the recent fall of Lance Armstrong, the US has picked up on the European obsession and is starting to build world class indoor tracts for cycling. Facilities like the famed Velodrome may soon be as common as health clubs and perhaps more well attended!
For more on Velodrome racing in the U.S. visit here or here for worldwide velodromes!
Design
April saw lots of stores on the search for planets in “habitable zones” of stars. But that’s not all scientists are looking for. The search for “alien megaprojects” or alien artifacts has also begun. Of particular interest and more likely to be found are alien technology far in advance of our own. Candidates might be huge power stations or “Dyson Spheres” which completely envelope a star and mine it’s energy.
A Dyson Star
Energy
Bluewater, a retail complex in the United Kingdom, has had an annual energy bill of $2.24 million (1.4 million pounds) and was able to cut its energy bill by 50%. A company called Lend Lease that built and manages the retail complex has done everything from sealing windows and changing light bulbs to upgrading building management system.
Look for more and more companies to begin making efforts to cut costs using Bluewater as a model.
Engineering
One could argue the Japanese lead the way in the design of small, compact cars. It seemed that with the historical size differences between Asians and Westerners, now completely erased by the adoption of a more Western diet by Asians, small cars would never be built by Westerners. But all that has changed. Everyone, everywhere is designing and building tiny electric powered vehicles.
With hundreds of millions of vehicles worldwide, soon to be billions, this trend must continue!
Technology
Stem cells are now being considered as potential weapons against the worldwide obesity epidemic. Scientists believe stem cells can be used to regenerate new neurons and neural circuitry in the brain to better regulate hunger and appetite. For those who seem to have a genetic predisposition to overeating and obesity, this development would be a god send.
