Blog #12 "All-Carbon Solar Cells Will Mean Cheap and Flexible Solar Panels"

This article talks about the new potential technology that can make solar panels cheaper and more affordable for people to have access to cheaper energy. The researchers at Stanford University built the first all-carbon solar cells, everyone is familiar with what a rooftop solar panel looks like. It's a big, rigid square panel. But now scientists have developed a thin film prototype made entirely of carbon that can be coated from liquid. "Every component in our solar cell, from top to bottom, is made of carbon materials," said Stanford graduate student Michael Vosgueritchian, who was on the research team. "Other groups have reported making all-carbon solar cells, but they were referring to just the active layer in the middle, not the electrodes."These carbon solar cells are meant to be tougher than the current ones which will be inexpensive to make, print, and also flexible enough to withstand extreme weather conditions. Since carbon is abundant, the material is cheap and because the process involves coating, the manufacturing is inexpensive. Right now, the scientists are working on making the solar cells more efficient, but in the future cheap, flexible solar cells made from carbon could be coated on everything from buildings to cars to generate power.

This is good news and a new development as we are living in a world where the majority of the people of countries are dependent on fuel and natural gas. Even though this will not replace the solar panels used today but will make this new development an addition to an affordable and easier way for a better world. Even though this will be only available to those who have the money but it will give future generations to learn this new technique and implement it in their countries. As a result this will lessen the burden of our dependence on oil and natural gas. Since humans have used this energy generated from the sun, only the later centuries have we been able to utilize the power of the sun.

 http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506901/all-carbon-solar-cells-will-mean-cheap-and-flexible-solar-panels/

Blog #11 "Organ-on-a-Chip Mimics Deadly Lung Condition"

A new research is being conducted at Harvard University which shows that a micro device can one day replace the procedures used by scientist and researchers to experiment on animal testing with a new “lung-on-a-chip” technology can mimic a life-threatening lung condition. They also report that scientists can uncover new aspects of the disease using the lung chip that would not be found with animal experiments. The new micro chip which is being developed could be made to look like the organs of human beings like the a gut, heart, and kidney that will be used to model a disease and at the same time test drugs. The lung on the chip is made to have "human lung cells human lung cells; a nutrient-rich liquid that acts as a blood substitute flows through the other, which is lined with blood-vessel cells. A vacuum applied to chip moves the channels to re-create the way human lung tissues physically expand and contract when breathing." (Susan Young). The study which is being led by Wyss Institute which is used to focus on pulmonary edema, a condition in which fluid and blood clots fill the lungs. This condition is said that it can be caused by heart failure as well as the side effects of a common cancer drug.

I don't know if this new technology will work as there are skeptics out there that this new procedure will lack the effect on human organs, such as the various hormones and other molecular cues that are constantly being circulated throughout the body of an organism. This new way of using drugs to test on animals has not fully worked completely and using micro chips to replace the animals would also be a risk to take in trying to figure if a drug could be used on humans.  There have to be more test and research to be done in order to use this process and can help humans cure the disease that relevant today. I personally don't agree with this new technology because there is no way a mimicking chip could be used in order to find the side effects of humans who have certain diseases. There is also a video that shows how the process of this new technology and the research being conduct by the scientists. 


http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506896/organ-on-a-chip-mimics-deadly-lung-condition/ 

 http://www.technologyreview.com/demo/427992/building-an-organ-on-a-chip/

Blog #10 "Ge-oengineering Could Be Essential to Reducing the Risk of Climate Change"

This article discusses that the only way we can deal with the current climate change is using technology that will cool the planet and deal with the greenhouse gases that is circulating in the atmosphere. The argument was made a scientist named David Keith and a professor at Harvard University. Geo-engineering refers to "the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system, in order to moderate global warming." The discipline divides broadly into two categories, as described by the Royal "Carbon dioxide removal techniques, which address the root cause of climate change by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Solar radiation management techniques which attempt to offset effects of increased greenhouse gas concentrations by causing the Earth to absorb less solar radiation.  Geoengineering has been proposed as a potential third option for tackling global warming, alongside mitigation and adaptation. Scientists do not typically suggest Geo-engineering as an alternative to emissions control, but rather an accompanying strategy. The scientists also makes a point that geoengineering is an effective and cheap method that any country could implement this strategy and help reduce the greenhouses effecting our planet. the scientist says the preferred method of geoengineering is to shade the earth by injecting sulfate particles into the upper atmosphere, imitating a similar process that happens with large volcanic eruptions, which are known to temporarily cool the planet. The technique could be effective even if far less sulfate were injected than is currently emitted by fossil-fuel power plants. A million tons per year injected into the stratosphere would be enough—whereas 50 million tons are injected into the lower part of the atmosphere by coal plants, he says. (In the lower atmosphere, the sulfates are less effective at cooling because they stay airborne for shorter periods.

However, there are the skeptics out there are risks that can make this potential project a failure and endanger the planet more than it already is. some of the risk include solar radiation triggering more widespread ozone depletion and UV exposure "Scientists are developing geoengineering technologies. But whether these methods eventually succeed in countering climate change, and whether they will be embraced by the wider population, concerns more than scientists alone. These are only observation and experiments made by scientist and engineers, there could be a benefit for society and also the risks that come with the experiment need to be looked at.


http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506256/geoengineering-could-be-essential-to-reducing-the-risk-of-climate-change/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoengineering

Blog #9 "A Solar-powered grid could help bring power to millions of the world poorest countries"

This articles illustrates that a billion and half of people worldwide who don't have electricity and most of these areas are rural area where they rely on the the sun and some diesel generators. Some engineers suggest that macro grids are practical and useful way of providing and is inexpensive which could supply power to those around the world in need of electricity. The type of power supply which the international energy agency says will reach more cities and rural areas is the hybrid micro grid.  some engineers say this type of power supply will be inexpensive compared to the traditional conventional power grid with centralized plants that take more time to build. The engineers says "hybrid micro-grids can provide dependable electricity by intelligently combining power from multiple local sources, and building them is far cheaper and faster than extending the grid to the areas where most of the people without electricity live. However, there is still speculation that this technology is far more complicated that done and it will still take along time to provide power to millions of the world's population. If this new technology can be able to be implemented and provide stable energy for the majority of the people around the world, then the economic and  social development of the world will improve and help people earn a living and tap into the world's resources. As people make money from such ventures, they can afford more electricity that makes more ambitious projects possible, setting up a cycle of increasing wealth; it's a pattern that economists have documented in country after country.

The possibility of millions of the world's population having adequate electricity will make the world a better place and provide those countries with the ability to develop a more robust economy and improve its living conditions. The challenges that lay ahead are much but I believe that there will be a way this can be done to help at least half of the world and try to focus on the parts where it can be implemented. As the world moves to find alternate energy to combat the looming prices of natural gas, this new technology can help the majority of the world and even the developed worlds that are finding ways to make a better world for energy power.

 http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/429529/a-billion-people-in-the-dark/

Blog #8 "This Robot Could Transform Manufacturing"

This article talks about the new manufacturing tool to help companies have a competitive edge with their production. Couple months ago there was a robot created in Connecticut, that was once known for its U.S. manufacturing factories but saw a decline in the manufacturing industry. The new invention called Baxter Robot which can do most tasks human beings can do. The inventors say that the machine is the new way of bringing smarter more sophisticated robots that will adapt to the industrial world than previously build robots. The machine is made to look like a human form with two pair of eyes that signal the process at hand the robot is doing while at the same time lets employees know when the robot has made a mistake or provides clues to what task it is doing. The article states that while "conventional robots are too expensive to program incapable of handling even small deviations in their environment, and so dangerous that they have to be physically separated from human workers by cages." As we see even in industries like the automotive and pharmaceutical industry use robots as their main functions in certain areas. While some industries like the manufacturing industries have not practically been accustomed to the robots that are put in place. However, this new invention of the new robot give the manufacturing industries a way to use robots more safely in the future and reduce the risk of human errors and help humans adapt to the new robot called Baxter. The researchers say that this new robot could "bring the benefits of robotics and automation to areas of work where it never made any real progress."

This new technology could bring potential benefits to a lot of industries around the world, but at the same it will also bring disadvantages to an already reduce the economy around the world where humans have less jobs as these machines have already replaced human beings with less skilled work. But the creators of the new robot suggest that the new invention could help the U.S. economy compete in the global manufacturing market against countries that have low skilled people and offer lower wage labor to its employees. The U.S. has been the major country around the world that has been hurt on the manufacturing market, while most jobs have shifted to countries like china where they offer low wages to its people and perform simple and unskilled jobs for less than. But robots like Baxter could wipe out that advantage by taking over such tasks, making it once again possible for many industries to competitively manufacture their products in the United States and other developed countries. I am optimistic about this new idea but I hope it brings more manufacturing jobs back to developed countries like the U.S. once again so people can get back to work and learn to deal with the robots as they have been before and work counter with each other.



http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429248/this-robot-could-transform-manufacturing/

Blog #7 "How Cell-Phone Data Could Slow the Spread of Malaria"

This article is about the epidemic disease called Malaria that has impacted millions of people around the Eastern African countries. The article points out that there is new data that can help find out get to the disease by getting to its original source and how it travels among individuals traveling in the country. The new high techs phones out there can track the problem by tracking information and figuring out where the real problem comes from. The study done in Nairobi suggests that were data collect by anonymous travels around the country to track the problem and where is the Malaria epidemic is originating from. The disease has taken so many lives of people around the world who travel around the world. The research is focused to track the effect of the disease and help control it by building maps of parasite movements between sources of infections and areas where people get the disease and spread it amongst other people by traveling. The researchers say the data could provide a new way to use smart phones to improve public awareness and public health around the areas heavily affected by the disease. As well as using the data to decide where to focus malaria control programs, the research could result in programs to send warnings via text message to people traveling to high-risk areas.

I found this article to be informational based on the data found and how the study could help people find the process of reducing the Malaria epidemic. The new cell phone technology now have the potential to power people with the information that can help them improve human lives and those around them.  The Science study done by the research is  the largest ever attempted technology to use cell phones as a way to find more tools. The research could help people around the world who live in poor areas to use this tool which could empower them by making their lives better.


 http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429569/how-cell-phone-data-could-slow-the-spread-of/

Blog #6 "Carmakers Find Ways to Make Cheaper Hybrids"

This article focuses on the future of hybrid cars in the world and its effect as more automakers try to find other ways to make these hybrid cars affordable. An automaker like Toyota has planned to increase its hybrid vehicles more than what it makes now by the year 2015. The majority of these automakers are trying to gain attention and allow consumers to afford them. As a result, most of the automakers are trying to find alternatives to make these hybrid cars more cheaper and compete with the conventional cars that are on the road that use gasoline fuels. As much as these car makers are trying to make the cars of the future there is a gap between the hybrid vehicles compared to the regular conventional cars that are on the road today. The only way the majority of consumers will be able to buy these vehicles is only if they are on a similar price range compared to the much conventional vehicles on the road.

The approach most of the automakers are taking is a decision that will either benefit these automakers as they try to make the components of the hybrid cars with less expensive parts and use lithium batteries or use cheaper power transistors in the electronics that control the hybrid system. Automaker like Toyota has decided to The Nickel-Metal Hydride battery which is a rechargeable power source that is increasingly used in portable computers and other devices and was used with the Toyota hybrid vehicles. another problem most of the automakers face with making these vehicles is the rare capability of finding rare earth metals that are used in making the electric vehicles in "conjunction with its fuel efficient gasoline engines." only time will tell as how these decision will impact the majority of the big car-makers like Toyota, GM, and Ford. As the statistics show the combined sales of all electric-drive vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-only autos, expanded 135 percent to 42,314 last month, based on data compiled by Bloomberg. Deliveries for the segment were 371,896 through September, up 96 percent from a year ago.


 http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429266/carmakers-find-ways-to-make-cheaper-hybrids/

 http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-02/gm-volt-toyota-plug-in-prius-buoy-u-dot-s-dot-rechargeable-car-sales

Blog #5 "Will Fast Charging Make Electric Vehicles Practical?

This article is about the electric cars that are charged with power generators to make electric cars get charged faster and last longer. Rather than the regular chargers that take hours and days to get a full charge. Some car makers are using a gas powererd generators that will charge the vehicles faster and be able to last longer. The cars would be able to recharge upto 80% of the battery capacity in just an half hour. But these capability will be available for only a few cars that have the added gas powered generator and most of these vehicle are made by GM Motors. Even if these cars had the ability the cost of the high charge battery is high for the cars to get the miles needed.

The  new invention will not generate more capability for vehicles to last longer but will only make the price of these high cost stations higher around the world. There are already many vehicles out there in world or most developed countries with the capability of this charging equipment. The cost of the technology could also be a major problem. The equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and installation costs can be triple the equipment costs, bringing in some cases more money to supply charging stations. Some cars already come with on-board chargers that convert AC power from ordinary wall outlets to the DC power needed by the battery. But charging from a conventional 120-volt outlet is slow. The arrival of electric vehicles into the everyday life of users should not change their habits, nor should it expose them to new situations that might be potentially hazardous when they charge their vehicles. There is also the challenge that the way these charging stations will make people around the globe to pay a hefty price for the electric charges. This is because of the demand of high load of charging grids for all areas around the world. Even though many people will benefit from this but it will not make the world less dependent of gas powered cars and most people will not use these charging stations regularly.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429283/will-fast-charging-make-electric-vehicles/

Blog #4 "Energy Innovation Under Romney and Obama"

     This article talks about the political challenges of both Obama and Romney who are running for president. The candidates both emphasize that they would do more to create more opportunities for more renewable energy. The articles also includes that both of the candidates have different platforms as how to create more of this energy and at what cost they will go about it. Their approaches are that they will  include domestic energy sources such as fossil fuels and renewable energy. Both support funding energy research and development through organizations such as the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy.

      There has been great progress in efficiency and the use of renewable is growing very rapidly all political issues from a very tiny proportional base. Continued economic growth in the most advanced economies as well as those in the developing world (where it has taken billions out of poverty and which imperative cannot be denied to those still in poverty) will continue to fuel the growth in energy consumption in the coming decades. Some estimates state that more than half of the energy used in the world since the start of the industrial revolution has occurred in only the past two decades. By 2020 global energy demand is expected to double or even triple. Both of these candidates have to look at the future of the renewable energy or creating more independence for the their specific country but as the world needs to be evaluated on and the effect it will have. The future of energy is the future of human civilization. And, the future of energy is ours to determine... with personal and political decisions based on the facts as we know and gather them. Can we face the facts or  Can we act in time? The stakes could not possibly be higher for both of the candidates.

 

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429096/energy-innovation-under-romney-and-obama/

Blog #3 "Researchers Use Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Restore Hearing"

This article is about a research that was done to help patients who are deaf using human embryonic stem cell. The article states that for the first time these cells can replace missing or damaged  neurons in the hearing pathway. The researchers say this approach would one day aid more people who are deaf and will currently benefit from it than the technique of replacing a limb or body part by an artificial limb or part that is electronically or mechanically powered. The article also states that there is a cochlear implant that is a surgical treatment for hearing loss that works like an artificial human cochlea in the inner ear, helping to send sound from the ear to the brain. It is different from a hearing aid, which simply amplifies sound. This process helps with patients who have lost or damaged hair cells in the first sensory cells in the hearing pathway. But the procedure will not work for people who have lost the neurons that transmit the auditory information to the brain. Doctors can one day also use this new approach to use cochlear implants those people around the world who have lost both their hair cells and the signal-transmitting neurons.


 http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429167/researchers-use-human-embryonic-stem-cells-to/

Blog #2 "Using Ozone to Clean Up Fracking"

There is a company know as Ecosphere Technologies, Inc. that is an engineering technology and environmentalist organization that designs, develops and manufactures waste waste water treatment solutions for industrial markets around the world. The company plans to develop a process that will help producers recycle water and eliminate the use of chemicals involved in treating water for fracking. This article is about the oil and natural gas that most people around the world are trying to generate and at what price they will go to try to make more energy independent to last for years. There is also the consequences that come with these new ways of technology that will bring environment disaster like water pollution which will make it more dangerous for humans to drink the water and also for other creatures on our planet. There is also the possibility of contamination with drilling for natural oil with water and this has impacted the major oceans, water wells around the world as more drilling is being done to find more oil. There is also the damage that will impact our drinking water with toxic chemicals and heavy metals in our water and might also impact plants needed for our necessities and for animals.


http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428591/using-ozone-to-clean-up-fracking/?mod=related

Blog # 5 After the Coal Plants Close, Where Will the U.S. Get Cheap Electricity?

Is the time of cheap energy coming to an end,  according to Mark J. Morabito of the Cross hair Energy Corporation he seems to thinks so.  According to his article there is the beginning of a trend in abandoning energy project in the united states.  The article states that BP one of the nations Big contributes of energy will be shutting down 68 out of  600 of its coal facility s, due to negative Economic Effects.  And along with this BP will be pulling out of its 40 year venture of solar energy as well.  The reason why is that due to the economic perspectives and out comes of the future, have caused investors to pull the plug on funding for these such items.  And what this means four our future, is we will have to start, finding alternative sources of fuels Faster than we currently are, or will end up paying more for our energy that is imported from different parts of the world.
I my self am very concerned wit this, because at the moment we are the verge of not even being able to pay for this so called ''Cheap Energy''.  And what this is going to do to the other part of the world, the article stated that Natural gas will take on the load for a while but at the moment, we export a good number of Natural gas to other nations, and what do you think might happen if we were to slow or stop or even raise the exportation of this natural gas to other nation?  The closing of coal plants and solar facility's is a big, big problem for the US, The solution shouldn't be pulling the plugs it should be Plugging More in to it.  So only time will tell whether or the US will have to pay to play.


 http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=2508

Blog # 4 Americans Gaining Energy Independence With U.S. as Top Producer

This article states that with in the past 20 years the US is finally closing in on being the largest exporter of energy in the world.  And although The US might not be exporting as much crude oil as it would like, it makes up for the amount of Natural Gas that it has.  Being the top exporter of energy is a goal that the US has been trying to obtain for more than 40 years ever since the 1970's when an Arab oil embargo triggered a recession and which then led to lines at gasoline stations. But one might not have seen this or ever know until now due to lack of publicity and lack of an energy crisis.   The US is exporting 22.4 trillion cubic feet of natural Gas, compared to Oil that exports 5.7 million barrels a day.  The US Department of energy, is also at this moment in the process of moving facility's to take advantage the natural gas, and moving facility in to new areas such as Louisiana, and North Dakota.  Later on in the article it talks about how the Arab Oil embargo in the 1970's, affected this nation and how we are now still reliant upon them for oil, and that they are or will be reliant upon us for natural gas.  And with this new uprising of the US as a head energy exporter will bring over 1.6 million new jobs to areas like Mississippi, North Dakota.  For the most part I am glad to see that the US is doing something in the world, other than being a massive consumer.  Which means that we still have some kick left in this old horse.  The article brings new ideas and hope to a nation that really needs it at this point and time, but i just hope that something is actually done and can be seen by the American people.  If not it might be a scary thing to say we are the best and we are doing this, and that, but with out evidence?  The down side to this article would have to be the lack of information about what this new export giant is doing to help Americans at the pump.  It talks about how he Arab Oil embargoes in the 1970's hurt Americans at the pump and are still hurting them to this day,  but the article lack information about new technology and such that would help us benefit form this commodity.  Its one thing to have all of this gas but its another to have it all and know how to use it. 


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-07/americans-gaining-energy-independence-with-u-s-as-top-producer.html

Blog # 3 NASA Study Says Global Energy Is Out Of Balance 02/03/11

In this article, NASA goes on to state how the imbalance of solar radiation in, and radiation out has been, and is being affected by global warming.  Which in NASA's word is more evidence that Greenhouse gasses are the driving force for global warming.  NASA held a study that looked at the differences in amounts of radiation coming from the sun and the amount that's reflected back into space.  And according to NASA officials the imbalance is positive, which means the radiation from the earth isn't going back into space but in turn getting reflected back on to the earth, by the mean of Greenhouse gasses.  The data was gathered by using a network of over 3,000 floating monitoring devices which NASA has named Argo and along with ground data and satellite data to help make up this conclusion.
      I believe that what NASA is doing is good,  the public needs to here about these things,  and hopefully that there is more information like this to come.  The world needs to wake up and under stand that every time you use your car, turn on a light, or any of the such, your are influencing the environment, and now we have the proof.  It good to see that NASA is doing something at this point an time.  This article stated the proof of the problem bu then lacks the information about what is actually being done about it.

http://goodcleantech.pcmag.com/pollution/293570-nasa-study-says-global-energy-is-out-of-balance

Blog # 2 Energy Gauntlet, Energy and Technology, Kevin Cothren, 1/27/2012

Obama tosses energy gauntlet

                This article in The Advertiser was about Obama proposing the plan of off-shore drilling off the gulf coast of new Mexico, and the search for alternative fuels such as natural gas,  all in order to help aid in his energy agenda.  Obama quotes "We need an all-out, all-in, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every source of American energy — a strategy that's cleaner and cheaper and full of new jobs".  He also announced new plans to bring the nation, in to a cleaner and greener future, with the aids of natural gas power cars and the lease of oil rich parcels that were once owned and put forth by the President Bush administration for off shore drilling.  The reason why the drilling plans have not come sooner, is because of the multiple environmental disasters that have occurred in the area, for example Hurricane Katrina and The BP oil spill.  Which has caused much debate over restarting the the project of drilling in the gulf coast.  Whats to come of this issue is unseen at the moment,  but according to the article it seems that it could be just what President Obama needs to win his reelection.   As my self i am glad that we are starting to open up old/new oil fields.  But i believe that new safety measures need to be taken in to affect, because if we have another oil spill it wont just be our problem it will be the cost of Mexico's problem along with any other Caribbean/Gulf island.  But really, im getting kinda tired of paying 3.50+ for a single gallon of gas, and hopefully this will help lower that cost.  Obama also stated that it would bring a whole new slue of jobs to the area, which is a very good thing in this current economy.  And with his plans of new domesticated energy sources such as natural gas,  hopefully we can strafe away from the need of foreign oil.  But unfortunately the rest of the article pertains information on the political debate of who will run for president this year.  All i know is if Obama can get this plan off the ground and get more money in to my pocket at the pump he'll git my vote this year.

 Kevin Cothren

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20120127/NEWS01/201270309/Obama-tosses-energy-gauntlet

Blog #1: Energy Efficiency, Technology and Energy, Kevin Andrew Cothren

 The search for a greener future,  this article is the example of global change to the future in it they talk about how on separate occasions many different areas have done there part to reduce the amount of energy they use to heat there homes and businesses.  In one occasion, the case of  Libby, Mont. a small town on the verge of being whipped of the map due to poverty and lack of jobs,  make an astounding comeback due to the creation of ductless heat pumps, is now striving.  Along with, the USA and other nations are in the Kilowatt Crack-down, to help same energy, time and money.  I think that this is a good thing, because sooner later we are all gonna have to stop relying on Oil to fuel our world.  When when run out which we will and soon, we will need to have a back up in place or else we will be in deep trouble.  a few things that i thought the article could have talked more about is how this will help us out in the future. and i would have liked to have herd more about the global search for the kilowatt crack-down.  But this article leans more to the economic side of things and how it influences the people. In the end i am glad that the world knows that were are in trouble, and something needs to be done. 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/energy-efficiency-bolsters-regions-economies-170000174.html

Blog #13 Growing Global Threat From Chinese Cyber Hackers

Again there is a rise in the threat from cyber attacks, mostly found coming from China. Their main targets are the information that has been stored in the Pentagon, but they have also targeted French, German, and British governments. They have counted the amount of attacks from Chinese hackers they an estimate of 1.6 billion attack happen each month. Even with a large amount of people trying to hack the Pentagon only a few have been successful in doing so. "Even the strongest security systems have holes," one 21-year-old self-trained hacker said. The Chinese government has been arresting many people for this illegal hacking and has even shut down a online hacking school that had over 180000 members. In 2009 they tracked a network of hackers called Ghostnet, which was the largest network of cyber attacks all of which were traced back to China. Many of the hackers now are targeting many oil and gas companies along with Morgan Stanley bank. These hacker are not just a threat to government, they are a threat to us as well. Your identity and bank accounts can easily be hacked into with today’s technology. The hackers today are finding ways to get around certain types of security making most security software today useless and they just walk in. This can be a huge problem to many people as if ones info is stolen then the hacker can easily get most of the things you own. I believe we should have a way to tack the hacker to the source and not just an area as China is a really big place to look for one hacker.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/18/growing-global-threat-chinese-cyber-hackers/#ixzz1JvPPnKwu

Obama Administration Unveils Internet ID Plan

The Commerce department on Friday came up with a plan to create a national cyber- identity that would give people the ability to make secure transactions on the internet without worry of cyber theft. With this you get a single password and identity to use, this is a voluntary system only made to protect your identity and your online transactions, “which hit 8.1 million people last year, at a total cost of $27 billion. The problem: The current system of half-remembered passwords jotted down on post-it notes and based on pets and maiden names simply aren’t good enough.” People need to think of more complexes passwords to use when using secure things such as online transactions. This new source will have a onetime digital password for which users will use each time the need to use the software. This new service is great for many people who use the internet for certain transactions and have information they want to keep safe. "This ecosystem will provide citizens with a variety of choices for authenticating their identity online while helping to protect their security and privacy," said Scott Charney, corporate vice president of Microsoft. This will help many around the world, people in China or Egypt can keep their info safe using a program like this instead of insecure websites. Protecting the information of people and help creating a secure network will greatly reduce cyber theft all around the world saving people thousands and help reduce theft.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/15/obama-administration-unveils-internet-id-plan/#ixzz1Jp8ZC9Ay

Blog #11 Geothermal Energy Use on the Rise in U.S.

In the US people in the west are using geothermal energy as an alternative energy source. "Very basically, it's heat from the Earth that's caused by radioactive decay, volcanism, all that hot source from the center of the Earth," says John Lund, Principal Engineer of the Geothermal Program for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This new renewable energy source is so powerful we could use it to power over two million homes which will help many people who can’t afford gas to heat up there homes. The GEA wrote, "In 2011, the geothermal industry is producing clean power in nine states and developing projects across 15 states... with the total number of geothermal projects... increasing 12%." If we can get other states and other countries to use this energy source we have had for a very long time as an alternative then we could help millions save money on normal energy sources. The best part about this energy is that it is right under your home and you can easily harness its power. "Frankly I think most people think the ground is cold where the center of the Earth is extremely hot, and it in fact is an energy resource that we can tap almost anywhere in the United States and around the world" This would be a great thing for every one as it would help developing countries during cold seasons and could help power things like hospitals and help keep people alive then relying on other sources of energy that are more expensive to use.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/09/geothermal-energy-use-rise/

Blog 11: Japanese city Mayor Pleads For Help Via Youtube

On May 24th Katsunobu Sakurai, the mayor of a city in Japan called Minamisoma, recorded an eleven minute youtube video pleading for help from other parts of Japan. He said there was a feeling of abandonment from the rest of Japan. being a city located very close to the nuclear plant, the amount of damage and tragedy is very vast, Sakurai assumed that the mass media would come to them, but they had disappeared from all news broadcasts because all of the reporters stationed in City Hall had run away. The Youtube video was their last desperate attempt to get some attention and help, but Sakurai was skeptical. At first it was just in attempt to get some volunteers and supplies from the rest of Japan, but soon after it was posted a local man added English subtitles and it has since received over 200,000 views, and the city has gotten an incredible response. The remaining citizens were on the path towards starvation and they are now receiving phone calls, food, and supplies from all over the world.
This is yet another example of how quickly and significant the internet has proven to be in the midst of disaster. The speed at which information can reach the whole world, information not limited to what is broadcasted in news reports is amazing, and significant. The people themselves can stand in front of the world and ask for help and get a response immediately. If it weren't for that youtube video who knows how long it would have taken the world to pay attention to Minamisoma, how many people could have starved in their homes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/world/asia/07plea.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=technology