Archive for the ‘MIT’ tag
Apr 2, 2019
Dr. George Church — IdeaXme Show — Ira Pastor
Posted by Ira S. Pastor in categories: aging, alien life, big data, bioengineering, biotech/medical, business, DNA, genetics, health, life extension
Feb 18, 2017
MIT is working on 3 BIG Blockchain Ideas
Posted by Philip Raymond in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, economics, innovation, internet, software
MIT has never stood stand still in the presence of change and opportunity. Their Media Lab Currency Initiative is at the forefront of Blockchain and Bitcoin research. With the fracture of the founding core team, MIT stands to become the universal hub for research and 
development.
The initiative now has a team of 22 people and at least
seven ongoing research projects, and it nurtures three startups that use cryptocurrencies and the underlying technology in a variety of ways. Blockchain research now sits alongside transparent robots that eat real-world fish, solar nebula research, and other imaginative, futuristic projects in progress at the university.
The initiative has already funded the work of bitcoin protocol developers and has supported research, going far beyond bitcoin—even partnering with Ripple Labs and developing enterprise data projects.
Now, the MIT Media Lab Digital Currency Initiative is working on 3 big Blockchain ideas:
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Oct 14, 2012
The Kline Directive: Economic Viability
Posted by Benjamin T. Solomon in categories: business, complex systems, defense, economics, education, engineering, finance, military, nuclear weapons, philosophy, physics, policy, scientific freedom, space, sustainability
To achieve interstellar travel, the Kline Directive instructs us to be bold, to explore what others have not, to seek what others will not, to change what others dare not. To extend the boundaries of our knowledge, to advocate new methods, techniques and research, to sponsor change not status quo, on 5 fronts:
1. Legal Standing. 2. Safety Awareness. 3. Economic Viability. 4. Theoretical-Empirical Relationship. 5. Technological Feasibility.
In this post I will explore Economic Viability. I have proposed the Interstellar Challenge Matrix (ICM) to guide us through the issues so that we can arrive at interstellar travel sooner, rather than later. Let us review the costs estimates of the various star drives just to reach the velocity of 0.1c, as detailed in previous blog posts:
Interstellar Challenge Matrix (Partial Matrix)
| Propulsion Mechanism | Legal? | Costs Estimates |
| Conventional Fuel Rockets: | Yes | Greater than US$1.19E+14 |
| Antimatter Propulsion: | Do Not Know. | Between US$1.25E+20 and US$6.25E+21 |
| Atomic Bomb Pulse Detonation: | Illegal. This technology was illegal as of 1963 per Partial Test Ban Treaty | Between $2.6E12 and $25.6E12 . These are Project Orion original costs converted back to 2012 dollar. Requires anywhere between 300,000 and 30,000,000 bombs!! |
| Time Travel: | Do Not Know. | Requires Exotic Matter, therefore greater than antimatter propulsion costs of US$1.25E+20 |
| Quantum Foam Based Propulsion: | Do Not Know. | Requires Exotic Matter, therefore greater than antimatter propulsion costs of US$1.25E+20 |
| Small Black Hole Propulsion: | Most Probably Illegal in the Future | Using CERN to estimate. At least US$9E+9 per annual budget. CERN was founded 58 years ago in 1954. Therefore a guestimate of the total expenditure required to reach its current technological standing is US$1.4E11. |
Note Atomic Bomb numbers were updated on 10/18/2012 after Robert Steinhaus commented that costs estimates “are excessively high and unrealistic”. I researched the topic and found Project Orion details the costs, of $2.6E12 to $25.6E12, which are worse than my estimates.
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