more drive-home revelations.

[aeshnor]

i was thinking today about EMP and realized that if we keep heading simultaneously towards green tech (mostly solar) and towards non-silicon (likely optical) computing, we may well cease to have to even consider its possibilities. pondering how to make the power generation systems EMP proof led to the idea of powering communications via DIRECT

Comments

[tinuvielchild]

have you read the heinlein story "let there be light"?

also, solar powered satellites are something that i've been hearing about off and on in the news of the last few years. here's to hoping!

[tinuvielchild]

er. not solar powerED satellites. solar power satellites. clearly my brain is not awake yet.

[aeshnor]

the power transfer to the ground worries me, and cant help but be inefficient, honestly. its a good idea, but i think needlessly expensive compared to just, well, building solar panels on the ground.

Slow light

[zigamorph]

You are confusing group velocity and phase velocity: when talking about "slowing light" it is group velocity and not phase velocity that is at issue.

Re: Slow light

[aeshnor]

you're correct insofar as im no longer clear on the difference (it has been a while since i thought deeply about those principles)
however, it doesnt seem to be germain to this application.
the experiment was simple enough: light goes into the block on one side.
it comes out again on the other, much later, and basically unchanged (I believe a very small percentage of the energy is lost, like any other capacitance device). as far as i can tell, that makes this material appropriate for this purpose.

[wiccapriestess9]