"A new asteroid-mining company launched Tuesday with the goal of helping humanity expand across the solar system by tapping the vast riches of space rocks.
"The new firm, called Deep Space Industries, Inc., announced today (Jan. 22) that it plans to launch a fleet of prospecting spacecraft in 2015, then begin harvesting metals and water from near-Earth asteroids within a decade or so. Such work could make it possible to build and refuel spacecraft far above our planet’s surface, thus helping our species get a foothold in the final frontier.
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"Planetary Resources could prove to be a tough competitor. It was founded by private-spaceflight pioneers Peter Diamandis and Eric Anderson, and its deep-pocketed investors include Google execs Larry Page and Eric Schmidt.
Another contender, taking us from being limited to a ball of natural resources to pioneering the mining of the solar system.
Another impressive feat of engineering lauched Dec. 4th, 2013, the Prelude FLNG
It’s being compared to the Empire State Building, in that the ship is longer than the building is tall.
Designed to withstand a category 5 storm, it touts an innovative appoach to produce and offload liquid natural gas at reduced costs compared with other methods.
According the Royal Dutch Shell website, it is the largest floating production facility in the world.
“The amusingly-shaped aircraft has been funded by the singer in Iron Maiden”
In part, it appears to have been privately funded. However, also found in the article is:
“Created by Hybrid Air Vehicles and first flown in the U.S, the ultra-green HAV304 project has just received a £2.5 million grant from the UK government.”
A few more highlights:
The HAV304 prototype has a speed of 100 mph and can stay airborne for three weeks.
It is filled with helium but unlike earlier airships, does not need tying down because it is still heavier than air.
Extra lift for take-off is created by its shape and four V8 4 Liter diesel engines.
It does not need a runway and is claimed to be 70% more environmentally friendly than a jet freighter.
Below is the plaque for the US 11 bridge across Lake Pontchartrain from East New Orleans to Slidell in Louisiana. It was completely funded and built by private individuals. It may not be eligible as a “wonder” but it did survive Hurricane Katrina mostly intact, while the I-10 Twin Span was mostly destroyed.
The US 11 bridge was built in the early 1920s by private individuals. The I-10 Twin Span was built in the 1970s and 1980s by Federal and local government. This should answer the question about whether or not a government is needed to provide roads in a truly capitalistic society.
Hitachi has announced that its new high-speed elevator for the Guangzhou CTF Financial Centre will travel at <snip> 1,200 meters per minute (45mph), a speed that will allow it to reach the 95th floor in just 43 seconds.
Guangzhou CTF Financial Centre is being built by Chow Tai Fook. Now whether it is being financed by monies earned from jewelry, or subsidized, is more challenging to discover.
It is Hatachi’s elevator that takes the center stage here.
The company told reporters that the lift will employ the latest technologies to ensure a smooth ride and to prevent vibrations and noise.
The lifts safety was also guaranteed with state-of-the-art brakes fitted that can sustain temperatures of over 300 degrees Celsius and still operate.
Ok, it’s not really a contender for the top seven, but is piggy-backing on the criteria segregating private enterprise for doing what it does best.
In the elevator business, Surpassing the current top speed of 37.7 m.p.h. held by Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems, raising the bar far above the current time saving contraption (ok, now a-days, they are pretty common) from the introductory speed of 40 feet per minute (2.2 m.p.h.) by Otis Elevator back in 1857.
A short tribute to an industry that is also helping to lift the standard of living.
Edit: previous, current.
. . . now I find myself wondering how many human beings are in elevators at any given moment.
One recent cool tech story was a company that produces probiotics. It has a probiotic for dogs and cats that not only has health impacts, but also changes the smell of their poop. From the cat-litter ads, there’s quite a market to deal with the smell of cat-poop, and this approach (change the smell at source) is a creative twist.
Aside: It is fantastic how far human beings have come – from famine of a few centuries ago and from Malthus’s pessimism – that we can spend time making cat’s poop smell like bananas!
