Raiméis

I’m fascinated by the “space elevator” idea. It still really sounds like science fiction but apparently the technology needed to complete such a project already exists. Keithcu explains some of the technology involved and argues why NASA should be focussing on this rather than putting people back on the moon. I’m curious why Bush/NASA are planning to spend $100 billion and the next 12 years to put humans back on the moon by 2018 when we already completed that milestone back in 1969 … or did we? *suspicious*
Anyway i’m inclined to agree with Keith. If we have the technology and know-how then why not put efforts into such a project which should save a lot of money in the long term?
From The Liftport Group:

The space elevator would allow for the lifting of large fragile structures, such as solar energy satellites which would provide clean renewable energy to Earth, inflated stations for manned activities, factories for pharmaceuticals, and payloads for exploration of space. Lifters can be tested easily — to insure reliability and brought back if there is a problem. The reliability and safety of the space elevator is calculated to be much better than any rocket-based launch system. A second generation, larger space elevator (100,000 kg capacity) would allow for extensive human activities in space including a large geosynchronous station (hundreds of permanent residents) and settlements on Mars within the first few years of operation.

Very interesting stuff. Some related reading;
The Space Elevator Comes Closer to Reality, Wikipedia: Space Elevator, The Space Elevator Reference.

While much attention is given to the aftermath of Katrina and the Rita build up has anyone noticed the storms in South Asia? Hundreds killed/missing, a hundred thousand left homeless. These people suffer quite badly from storms & flooding, they don’t get enough news coverage.

I’m off out forrin on a business trip for a couple of days, should be back online Wednesday or Thursday … just in case you notice the lack of posting in the coming days. Till then, g’luck.

I can’t believe they have the cheek, the Orange Order is planning to apply to the Parades Commission to re-run last weekends parade. Last Saturday’s parade was banned from the nationalist Springfield Road and led to three nights of loyalist riots! Do they want to do it all over again? Are they right in the head?

Interesting to read that Ireland’s population hit 4.13million [registration cheat] last April, the highest it has been since 1861!! Natural population increase as well as an influx of immigrants (70,000 in the year to April 2005) combined to stretch our population by 2.2% which is way ahead of the rest of Europe.
Not only have the figures for immigration hit their highest point since records began in 1987, but emigration has hit it’s lowest point since then. The way it’s going it won’t take us that long to hit the 5 million mark.

I saw the most amazing migration of birds the other evening. Ok, birds tend to migrate whenever i’m in the pub, usually to the opposite corners, but i’m referring to our feathered friends here.
We were just going shopping and as we parked our car we saw hundreds of cranes flying overhead [where else can they fly? - Ed]. I’d never seen anything like this before, there were 5 or 6 flocks ranging from around 50 birds up to 200 or more, each flock in the acute V formation, it was an amazing sight. The only migrations i’ve ever seen in Ireland were the odd wee flock of swallows or kiwi. It’s such a pity I didn’t have a decent camera with me. I only had my phone and the camera on that is a piece of shite. Anyway these are the best two photos I managed to get of one of the flocks: flock 1, flock 2 [use your imagination, you may need to squint your eyes a bit].
They’ve good timing these birds. The weather has gotten noticeably colder in the past couple of days. Winter is coming. I hate winter.
wee update: it’s actually been in the papers that this was the biggest fly-over of cranes in the region for about 20yrs. Approx 2000 cranes flew over the city and about 7000 over the region (päijät-häme).

Via Slashdot, Google Blog Search beta has been released. Nothing special so far. I searched for my own site and found a pile of, what I can only call, “spam blogs”. It’s still in beta I suppose.

The Pentagon (US DoD HQ) has drafted a revised doctrine governing the use of nuclear weapons which envisions the use of nuclear weapons in pre-emptive strikes against nations or terrorists with WMD’s. The draft document also includes the options of using nuclear weapons to strike at an enemy’s stockpile of NBC weapons. This move follows the Bush administration’s pre-emptive strategy announced in 2002.
Hopefully it won’t come into effect during Bush’s reign as that’s one man I just do not trust with nuclear weapons. And god only knows if the next president will be any better!

[came across this photo album via Twentys homeless posting]

Via Slashdot; apparently there’s a wee device (listed on Gozmondo) which allows you to use your own existing mobile phone to make VoIP calls. You just plug the “imFONE” (produced by Korean company Enustech) into the USB port on your computer, pair it via Bluetooth to your phone and that’s it.
Unfortunately it only works with Samsung E3700, V6900, and LG KF 1000 Bluetooth devices but no doubt that list will expand in future. The price in Korea is about €52 (66,000 krw). There’s no details given on whether or not it is available in Europe, but we’ll have to keep an eye out for this one.