Author Archives: jlredford

Is SF Bloating As It Leaves the Main Sequence?

Posted on December 3, 2009 by jlredford

So I was perusing a typically wry and colorful Jack Vance novel from the 60s, when I noticed that the whole book was only 170 pages.  A lot of them were in those days.  It was only half the thickness … Continue reading →

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The Inevitability of Zeppelins

Posted on November 22, 2009 by jlredford

The consistently interesting magazine “American Scientist” has a good article this month on energy issues and transportation, “The Other Climate Threat” by Andreas Schäfer, Henry D. Jacoby, John B. Heywood, and Ian A. Waitz. It’s behind a pay wall, unfortunately, … Continue reading →

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Power in your hands

Posted on November 18, 2009 by jlredford

So I was standing in the gas station, hose in hand, idly counting the seconds to fill my tank.   About 80 for 12 gallons, or 9 gallons/min.  I see that gas pumps are limited to 10 gallons/min, so that’s about … Continue reading →

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Promoting a Local Industry – Nobel Generation

Posted on November 16, 2009 by jlredford

So I saw a nice sign in the Raleigh Durham airport a while ago: “Congratulations to Prof Oliver Smithies of UNC Chapel Hill for the 2007 Nobel Prize in Medicine”.  There’s something for an area to be proud of!  Chapel … Continue reading →

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Noble Effort to Save Planet, or Death Ray?

Posted on November 12, 2009 by jlredford

So I’m reading about the Sierra solar power tower installation in Lancaster CA. That’s in the south central part of the state, about 40 miles north of LA.  The system produces 5 MW peak from two 50m towers and 24,000 … Continue reading →

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