Tagged With "science fiction"
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
A great piece! Amazing to me how some of the best products of their day were not built commercially . Even when they were, sometimes they were not successful. Cars like the GE-100 are great examples of that. A true find and thanks for teaching us more!
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
Love it! Exactly the type of finding that makes a trip memorable. Something proponents of electric cars seem to forget or choose to ignore -- where does the electricity come from? Currently mostly from coal and oil fired plants, so the practical side of having them for most doesn't currently make that much sense (might as well burn the oil product in the car engine, right). But I am hopeful that was energy technology improves, as it surely will, we'll develop better ways of charging these...
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
The argument, and I'm not informed enough to judge it, is that the amount of fossil fuel needed to generate electricity for a plug-in is far less than that required to run a gasoline engine. The same sort of argument that points out that a gallon of fuel moves far more freight on a diesel train than a diesel truck. On the other hand, that's about plug-in cars. For hybrids, it's a different story because the batteries charge while the car is running on gas. So less gas is used than using gas...
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
As I understand it, with hybrids the batteries charge when the car brakes are applied (transferring the energy of moving to the battery), so they're especially well adapted to city driving in places with lots of stop signs and traffic lights. Less useful for driving on open road because you don't brake often. So living in Brooklyn, I think the hybrid would be a reasonable choice for you. I don't think battery technology is anywhere near "ripe" yet, but as with the Mercury and Gemini...
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
Much further to go, of course, but even in a highway driving situation (and a city/highway mix), hybrids are generally cheaper to run than their gas-only counterparts. That's Camry vs Camry hybrid, for example, not Corolla vs Prius.
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
A little further research confirms what I thought: at least in the Toyota and Ford hybrids, the gasoline engine powers a generator/charger while in use. That's in addition to the power captured from braking.
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Re: Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
I have some friends with a Prius, and their greatest fuel efficiency comes when driving in the city, not on the highway. Paradoxical, but it shows how good the braking is at building up a charge. Good to know there is a backup generator. While the hybrids save on fuel, they also cost thousands of dollars more than their non hybrid counterparts. For an average consumer, it takes many years to recapture that extra cost for the hybrid on fuel savings, if they ever will. And there's the issue of...
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1b). Visiting Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Dr. F - A wonderful tribute to a man, a place, and a friendship. The sense of fun and of respect clearly rings from your writing. Thank you for sharing this.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1b). Visiting Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Thanks, TravelandNature! Arthur was a wonderfully kind and sweet man. He was probably the most intelligent person I've ever interacted with one-on-one, but always made me feel very welcome and comfortable with him. We had a nice chemistry between us that I believe we both enjoyed. He was the one who nicknamed me, "DrFumblefinger" and encouraged me to write about my adventures. So here I am now --DrFumblefinger writing about my passion for travel!
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? (11/20/13)
A summary of Amazon from on the new Martin Cruz Smith Novel, TATIANA (see latest clues(. " Arkady Renko, one of the iconic investigators of contemporary fiction, has survived the cultural journey from the Soviet Union to the New Russia..... The trail leads to Kaliningrad , a Cold War “secret city”......" TravelandNature, I believe we may have an answer!
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1b). Visiting Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Hi Dr. Fumblefinter, I was wondering if you knew the location of Arthur Clarke's former residence, or perhaps his grave? I'll be visiting Colombo for work next month and I'd like to make a visit, even if just outside of the walls of the house.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1b). Visiting Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Hi Nevin, Nice to hear from you and thanks for your interest in Sir Arthur. Arthur's home is at 25 Barnes Place in Colombo, which is near the popular shopping store Odels. A taxi or even tuk-tuk should be able to get you there. His former business partner and best friend, a SriLankan, still lives at this home. You won't see too much from the outside as it is a walled compound. If you contact the home and come during business hours, it is likely that someone will take you to see Arthur's...
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ET, Call Home: A visit to the Arecibo Observatory
On our recent visit to Puerto Rico, we took an unplanned side trip to what might be called ET’s phone booth—a vast radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory that “listens” to space both for astronomical information and any...
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Travel to Where "Your Shadow Always Has Company"
Well, you can't actually visit the planet Kepler 16b; it's not even in our solar system. But graphic artists at the National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA) have made up dream travel posters for several "exoplanets" (planets that orbit other...
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Holy Space Rays, Batman! Boeing patents "force field"
Boeing has taken a leaf from science fiction and turned it into a patent for a force field that could protect airplanes (and other objects) from damaging explosions. The title of the patent is "method and system for shockwave attenuation via...
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The Colby Trophy Room, Museum of Science, Boston (Where Gumbo was #116)
Gumbo was visiting the interesting Museum of Science in Boston. It's especially a great museum to explore with children, but fun for everyone! There are many fascinating exhibits and demonstrations that take a full day to...
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Exploring New Roads
Travel leads us in new directions. In this instance, the art he's looked at in his travels has led Jonathan L to new directions in writing.
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Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh (Where Gumbo was #209)
Gumbo was visiting George G's home city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specifically the Carnegie Science Center.
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Flushing Meadows Park and the Museums of Queens
Join Jonathan L on a visit to a great park and two interesting museums in one of New York City's 'outer boroughs'
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March 11, 2020: Photographing the Photographer
Samantha shares her visit to the Denver Botanical Garden. She was with her inephew Jesse, who is an inspiring photographer. After a while she had fun taking pictures of him, taking pictures, lol
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The Space Race from the Soviet Side Displayed at London's Science Museum
There's an exhibition at the London Science museum called Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age." It has technology that put the first dog, man and woman into orbit on display and most of it has never seen outside of Russia, There...
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After 60 years, hotel still waits for opening day
Talk about plans gone wrong! A hotel in Sicily that started construction over 60 years ago and was completed over 30 years ago, has still had no guests except the local pigeons. The story is one of those "truth is stranger than fiction" tales. ...
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Nov. 8, 2017: 8 Free Things to do in St. Louis (pt 1)
Samantha shares half her list and pictures of top free things to do. Don't go yet, though: the rest will come your way soon!
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Jan. 23, 2018: Project Mercury Exhibit, Titusville
DrFumblefinger stumbles upon a nice tribute to the Project Mercury astronauts in the small east Florida town of Titusville.
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Central India, Pt.2: Orchha
Professor Abe visits the town of Orchha in Central India, including its impressive Raja Mahal and Jahangir Mahal palaces.
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Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Where Gumbo was #268)
Gumbo was visiting an excellent museum in Denver, its Nature and Science Museum. The museum has many galleries as part of its permanent exhibits and featured two interesting exhibits when DrFumblefinger visited, one on the Dead Sea Scrolls and one on Nature's Bioluminescence.
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Explore the Intriguing Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago
On a visit to Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry wasn't at the top of Samantha's list...but now it might be. Here's her report!
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Shunpiking through Northern Illinois
Jonathan L continues his westward trip off the highways, and shares his new discoveries and some ideas about random travel.
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Hopper Tales: Fiction inspired by art while traveling
Sometimes, the art Jonathan L encounters in his travels inspires him to create flash fiction. Here are three stories inspired by paintings by Edward Hopper
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In Hemingway’s footsteps: Ketchum and Sun Valley, Idaho
As we drive north from Twin Falls, through black lava fields, farms and sage, I take in the majestic mountains ahead as they emerge from the clouds. It’s easy to see why this area had a special place in ‘Papa’ Hemingway’s...
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On DVD, Friends in Fiction and Real-Life
April 1, 2014 I watch a lot of movies and, while I pay some attention to ratings and reviews, I can like them for any number of reasons, not necessarily related to the usual criteria. There are actors who I’ll happily...
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France's new regions get new names
France recently merged some of its regions, reducing 22 to 13. Some of them are just now getting permanent new names, and not everyone is happy.
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Boom and Virgin team up for supersonic airplane
Boom teams up with Richard Branson to make commercial supersonic jets.
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Schenectady: Two Museum Gems
Two small but fascinating museums in Schenectady, New York offer a day's worth of information and education. One's for science, the other for history.
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Feb. 1, 2016: Academy of Natural Science Philadelphia
Outside the Academy of Natural Science there are some wonderful statues.
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Toronto's science center: Mammoths and Mastodons
Toronto, a great weekend destination from many places, has a new attraction: Mammoths and Mastodons, at the Ontario Science Center.
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Museum find: GE's 'missing' electric car
Long forgotten except in Schenectady's science museum, the little GE electric car that could, long before Prius and Tesla. Here's its story.
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Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum, Milan
Gumbo was visiting this rather large hit-and-miss collection. The hits include a wonderful collection of models based on da Vinci's drawings, and an intriguing train collection.
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Jan. 26, 2019: KiMo Theatre, Albuquerque
A theatre with an unusual blend of Native American and Art Deco survives in Albuquerque, with a fascinating history.
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The Danville Science Center, Virginia
George G visits the interesting Science Center in Danville, Virginia. The Center contains a complex of buildings with a wide variety of science-related exhibits, including a very nice collection of railroad items.
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Bunratty Folk Park: Living History
One good attraction deserves another, and Bunratty Castle has the Folk Park at its feet.
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Re: STORM WATCH: CHECK BEFORE YOU GO
Estimates of the cost of shutting down for a storm come from the same fiction factory as th estimates of how much money a city will make by spending $100 million tax dollars on a new stadium... That said, had the track of the storm been only very slightly east of where it went—and there was no way to know it would shift—we would have had 2-3 feet, and the risk of many people stranded on roads. At times in the past, also, when equipment was not properly positioned off line, it took much too...
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Re: Explore the Intriguing Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago
It was way more than I was expecting. Definitely plan to spend a majority of a day there, especially if you see some of the shows and do the submarine tour. We definitely need to go back some day to do more exploring. Thanks for the comment and I hope you make it one day soon.
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Re: Feb. 1, 2016: Academy of Natural Science Philadelphia
Jonathan, do you know if that shell is an actual fossil, or a sculpture? I presume the later, but would hope for the former.
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Re: Feb. 1, 2016: Academy of Natural Science Philadelphia
The shell is a sculpture/cast, but I think the dinosaurs are real ;-)
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Re: Explore the Intriguing Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago
What a great museum! I've got to make sure I visit this one next time I'm in Chicago.
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Mysteries at the St Louis Science Center, Missouri
Samantha and family had a wonderful visit to the Saint Louis Science Center on her last visit to MO. Read more about this wonderful museum on her post.
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Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge , Florida
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans Tampa bay, connects St. Petersburg to Sarasota. Samantha and her husband enjoyed driving over it while in the area.
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Seattle, Washington — Airplanes, Coffee, Software and a lot of fun!
Seattle is a great city — a world-class travel destination! Situated in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, it has much appeal as a several day (or even week-long) stop especially when part of a circuit through other great sites in...
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National Botanic Garden of Wales
Professor Abe takes us on a tour of the gloriously blooming fields of Wales' relatively new and growing Botanic Garden.