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Why Did We Wait so Long for Wind Power? Part I
 This is perhaps somewhat surprising in retrospect - unlike, say, nuclear energy or solar photovoltaics, the basic technology for wind-generated electricity (a windmill and an electric generator) has been in place since the 1800s. So why did it take over 100 years to start deploying it on a large-scale? Let’s take a look.
The first mention of using wind to generate electricity is credited to William Thomson (better known as Lord Kelvin). In an 1881 address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Thomson noted that a windmill connected to a dynamo and a battery could be used to provide electric power, and speculated that, while wind had largely been superseded by steam generated by burning coal, “When the coal is all burned…it is most probable that windmills or wind-motors in some form will again be in the ascendant”.
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Editor's Note: Prior to 1980 there was close to zero electricity generated from wind worldwide. This is perhaps somewhat surprising in retrospect - unlike, say, nuclear energy or solar photovoltaics, the basic technology for wind-generated electricity (a windmill and an electric generator) has been in place since the 1800s. So why did it take over 100 years to start deploying it on a large-scale? Let's take a look.
WorkWorkMinimizing the carbon footprint of bridges and other structures Awed as a young child by the majesty of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, civil engineer and MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) Fellow Zane Schemmer has retained his fascination with bridges: what they look like, why they work, and how they're designed and built.
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WorkExploring Practical LLM Research In Class At MIT To many who are looking closely at where technology is going, it's a bewildering landscape - there's a lot of complexity, and quite a lot of uncertainty, as we move forward. One thing that many people can agree on, though, is that academia should have a seat at the table. Work
WorkWorkThe Consensus On Havana Syndrome Is Cracking After long denying the possibility, some intelligence agencies are no longer willing to rule out a mystery weapon. Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration. Listen to more stories on the Noa app.
WorkThe strange paradox of modern science denialism "It's hilarious what these astrophysicists have to say about the Universe." That was a sentence (not verbatim) that popped up in the comments below a video of my recent 3.5-hour interview with Lex Fridman. Work
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WorkA Blueprint for Better Bike Lanes In 2019, Ryan Russo began working on a bike plan for Oakland, California. As the head of the city's department of transportation, Russo was adamant that the plan serve every neighborhood, including areas that traditionally lacked both bike infrastructure and a vocal bike advocacy community. Work Work10 Things You Didn't Know ChatGPT Could Do Most people stick to the basics with ChatGPT. They use it for social posts and email drafts. They ask simple questions and get simple answers. They give up after a few prompts. But the potential for productivity is huge, and with a few clever insights you can do so much more. WorkWorkCommon misconceptions about the complexity in robotics vs AI So now that the International Conference on Robotics and Automation(ICRA) 2024 is over, maybe it's finally time to finish up my thoughts around the difference of the problems we are faced with in robotics vs AI research and to shed light to that difference and some misconceptions. WorkWorkWorkOh my god, its still standing: A tale of fire and fortune - WSJ (No paywall) With a neighbor also in tow, they passed by police checkpoints and turned off the Pacific Coast Highway into a scene of utter devastation in the affluent coastal enclave. The nearly 20,000-acre blaze has left row after row of residences burned to their foundations, businesses in ruins and hillsides covered in ash in all directions. At one intersection, charred shells of cars that evacuees abandoned to flee on foot lined both sides of a deserted road. WorkWorkWorkThe adverse, long-term health effects of wildfires - STAT (No paywall) My colleague Brittany Trang and I duked it out for the Friday edition of Morning Rounds, and after twelve rounds in the ring, I won! (This is a lie, Brittanys doing something much cooler now subscribe to her AI newsletter coming in February!) Youre stuck with me on Fridays for 2025, fearless readers. WorkDonald the Deporter - The Economist (No paywall) NOTHING SCRAMBLES the mind like a Trump press conference. On January 7th, at his winter palace in Florida, the president-elect mused on annexing Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canalas well as tilting at offshore windmills for supposedly killing whales. It was a mix of free association, gleeful provocation and serious, world-changing intent. WorkDonald Trump Bemoans the Injustice of Facing No Consequences - The New Yorker (No paywall) This morning, I headed to chilly lower Manhattan to witness the criminal sentencing of Donald Trump. As I walked alone in the post-dawn quiet through Foley Square, where the boroughs courthouses are clustered, I read the inscription above the entrance to the New York State Supreme Court building: The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government. Its a line lifted from one of George Washingtons letters. Just up the block, in a courtroom on the fifteenth floor of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, this sentiment was about to be put through an extreme, absurd, test. WorkWorkWorkWorkA Norovirus Vaccine Is in the Works Norovirus is surging across the U.S., with case numbers higher now than they've been at the same time in more than a decade, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). WorkAs a Felon, Trump Upends How Americans View the Presidency And so the nation will soon witness the paradox of a newly elected president putting his hand on a Bible to swear an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” the supreme law of the land, barely a week after being sentenced for violating the law. WorkTrump and Republicans Cannot Stop Electric Vehicles, Experts Say Technology is improving rapidly. Batteries are becoming lighter and smaller while allowing faster charging and longer travel distances. And more than 12,000 high-voltage public chargers were added in the United States in 2024, a 33 percent increase from the year prior, according to Rho Motion, a research firm. WorkWorkNew OpenAI job listings reveal its robotics plans OpenAI disbanded its robotics department. Then, it brought it back. Now, through a social media post from its hardware director and newly published job descriptions, OpenAI is revealing more about its plans for the revived team. WorkWorkWork7 Ways to Improve Your Heart Health If you're among the millions of Americans who made a New Year's resolution to lose weight, exercise or eat better, here's one more reason to stick with it: Doing so can protect your heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. WorkAmerican Psychological Association sounds alarm over certain AI chatbots The suit helped form the basis of an urgent written appeal from the American Psychological Association to the Federal Trade Commission, pressing the federal agency to investigate deceptive practices used by any chatbot platform. The APA sent the letter, which Mashable reviewed, in December. WorkWorkWorkBiden Calls Meta's Ending of Fact-Checking Program 'Shameful' The president insisted that he could have beaten President-elect Donald J. Trump if he had continued to run for re-election, but added that he had stepped aside from the race in the belief that it was “important to unify the party.” Mr. Biden also defended sanctions imposed on Russia on Friday that he said would hurt President Vladimir V. Putin’s ability to conduct the war in Ukraine and have a “profound effect” on the nation’s economy. WorkNewsom Wants to Know Why Fire Hydrants Went Dry Water for Pacific Palisades is fed by a pipeline that flows by gravity from the larger Stone Canyon Reservoir, said Marty Adams, a former general manager and chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. That water line also fills the Santa Ynez Reservoir. WorkWorkWorkFires Prompt Water Advisories for Some in the L.A. Area San Fernando Valley: Residents returning home after evacuation orders were lifted for the Hurst fire should not drink tap water until the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says it is safe, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Thursday afternoon. WorkWorkMore people in late 20s still living with parents "However, others are likely to be living at a parental home due to a bad shock of some kind – such as the end of a relationship or a redundancy – or simply because they cannot afford to live independently." WorkAs Delta Reports Profits, Airlines Are Optimistic About 2025 Delta’s upbeat report offers a preview of what are expected to be similarly rosy updates from other carriers that will report earnings in the next few weeks. That should come as welcome news to an industry that has been stifled by various challenges even as demand for travel has rocketed back after the pandemic. TradeBriefs Publications are read by over 100,000 Industry Executives About Us | Advertise | Privacy PolicyUnsubscribe (one-click) You are receiving this mail because of your subscription with TradeBriefs.
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