Category Archives: Technology

International, Technology, U.S.

Iran loves classic U.S. made cars, who doesn’t?

Iran will be hosting its second classic car show.  The show will open April 28, in Tehran.

It’s not that big, only about 80 classic cars, but for the second effort by Iranian car collectors, it’s good enough.  “Most of the cars are being displayed for the first time. Some have never even been used before.”-Fariborz Ensafi, Touring and Automobile Club

Private collectors will show off German, French and, of course, American automobiles.  Motorcycles and bicycles will also be on display.  The show will run until May 2.

International, Technology

Iran hit with another cyber attack

“However, certain characteristics about the Stars worm have been identified, including that it is compatible with the (targeted) system and that the damage is very slight in the initial stage, and it is likely to be mistaken for executable files of the government.”-Gholam-Reza Jalali, Iran’s Passive Defense Organization

No other details were given.  Iran’s nuclear plant was hit with a computer worm last year.  Iranian officials are blaming the United States and Israel, along with Siemens, for that cyber attack.  Siemens made the computer software for Iran’s nuclear plant, and Iranian officials say the cyber attack would have required knowledge of the computer software.

Technology

Your next hamburger may come from a petri dish

In small labs in South Carolina, and North Dakota, biologists are trying to grow meat in petri dishes.

Researchers working in South Carolina, had been working on a NASA grant, because of the potential for use in long space voyages.  Remember the Star Trek food synthesizers?  They’ve just gotten a new grant from PETA (yes, no more harming animals in the name of our survival).

So far they can take embryonic muscle cells called myoblasts, which turn into muscle, from turkey, bath them in a bovine serum and then grow animal muscle tissue.

In North Dakota a researcher has grown myoblast cells from chicken, turkey, lamb, pig and cow.

The race to grow meat in laboratories is a world wide effort.  U.S. researchers are now competing against Europeans for more funding, which has become harder to find.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

BP blames rig owner for Gulf of Mexico oil disaster

British Petroleum is suing Transocean for at least $40 billion in damages.  BP claims the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history was caused by the failure of every safety system on the Deepwater Horizon rig.

BP is also suing Cameron International, claiming they provided a faulty blowout preventer.

Transocean, and Cameron International are suing BP, saying British Petroleum caused the problems, by making decisions based on cost savings, not safety.

Transocean is also suing Cameron International, and Halliburton, as well.

Idaho, Technology

New tactic to save Idaho Lucky Friday Miner

Officials have decided it’s too dangerous to dig through the caved in roof of the Lucky Friday mine, near Mullan, Idaho.

They will now try digging two new shafts to get to Larry Marek.  He and his brother were working in the mine on Friday, when the roof caved in.

Digging the new shafts could take seven days.  Temperatures inside the mine, at the depth Marek was working, can hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius).

 

Idaho, Technology, U.S.

Still no Luck at the Lucky Friday Mine in Idaho

Rescuers are bringing in more equipment to dig out Larry Marek.  A section of roof caved in on him and his brother last Friday, his brother got out.

The latest info is that a large diamond drill will be used to drill a hole through the debris, to try and determine if Marek is alive.  It could take two days to drill through the 185 feet (56.3 meters) of dirt.

Rescue efforts are slow because the size of the collapse was underestimated.  Rescuers are also waiting for parts, so they can use a bigger drone digger.

The company that owns the Lucky Friday mine, Hecla, has a good safety record going back to 2000.  But there have been accidents at other Idaho mines.  Last June a miner was killed when a slab of rock fell on him, while he was working at the Galena Mine.

 

 

Fukushima, Technology

Black Week in Ukraine, Chernobyl anniversary, still seeking funds with ongoing clean up efforts

25 years after the deadly nuclear accident at the Chernobyl plant, the Ukraine is still struggling to deal with the disaster.

This week is Black Week, the official anniversary of the nuclear accident, which happened on 26 April 1986.  31 people were killed, as a direct result of the disaster, and many more have suffered cancers, and children being born with defects.

The amazing thing is that clean up efforts continue, and the Ukraine is struggling to pay for it.   Officials are trying to raise U.S.$ 1 billion for future clean up projects.

International, Technology

Iran launches first domestically produced Anti-Aircraft missile

The missile system is actually based on the old U.S. designed Hawk missile system.  The Iranians call their updated version ‘Shahin’ (not to be confused with ‘Shaheen’ which is a different missile system).

Most of the upgrades are related to search and track capabilities.  They say it’s a mid-altitude missile, one source saying its range is 15 miles (maybe they meant 15 kilometers?).  I can’t be sure of the performance claims, simply because the Iranian media gives wildly different data.  One source said the missile could reach 150 kilometers (93 miles), that’s the Thermosphere, man!