To the Stars with Data: June 6 2021
Augmented reality in cars, < 1 hour world-wide commuting, lunar colonies, and more...
Hey everyone!
As I finished reading High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard this week, it’s been on my mind. In the book, the author provides an actionable framework for pushing your work/life to the next level to achieve high performance. The framework is based on actual psychological studies and the author’s years of experience.
Like all self-help books, this book is not a silver bullet. But it does provides a lot of actionable steps you can take to measurably improve your life by focusing on what matters most to you. As someone who has studied psychology, I’m very excited to implement some of its habits in my own life.
If you end up reading it, let me know your thoughts!
-Joe
Thought-Provoking Data Viz
Did you know that Russian astronauts have spent 30% more time in space than American astronauts but that the US has had more than 3 times more space flights than Russia? Nor did I, until I found this great visualization.
The height of the bars correspond to the number of days in space while the color corresponds to the originating nation. There’s so much to learn!
Earth News
👓 Augmented reality in vehicle dashboards (possible paywall)
Quick Hits. Some car companies (Kia, Hyundai, Cadillac, and Audi) plan on implementing augmented reality dashboards in their upcoming models to increase driver safety. They hope to show critical information like directions, lane information, pedestrian/bike/vehicle warnings, and more. Panasonic showcased what this could look like.
My Thoughts. According to the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3,000 people die each year due to distracted driving (taking your eyes off the road is part of their definition of distracted driving). By keeping drivers’ eyes on the road, technology like this will likely save lives. (Also, I recently test drove a vehicle with a heads up display that only showed my speed and it was life changing. 10/10 recommend trying it out.)
🔎 Google AI researchers are outlining the search engine of the future
Quick Hits. Do you know how you have to read multiple articles when using a search engine to find an answer to a complex question? (i.e. “What are the health benefits of red wine?”) Google wants to remove that burden. They envision a search engine providing you with a nuanced response from multiple reputable sources in a clear, conversational tone. Unfortunately, this technology is years away.
My Thoughts. At the moment, the way search engines operate is fairly crude. When you search for something, they pull the most relevant sources based on the content of the page. (There’s bit more computer magic in the backend, but that’s the essence.) Imagine a world where your AI assistant (Alexa, Siri, etc.) can actually provide you detailed responses instead of referring you to an article that may or may not answer your question!
Space News
🚀 SpaceX is building spaceports on repurposed oil rigs
Quick Hits. SpaceX (Elon Musk’s space company) is building off-shore spaceports from repurposed oil rigs (they literally have a Wikipedia page). SpaceX plans to have two of these ready within the coming year or two. They named the spaceports Deimos and Phobos, after the names of the moons of Mars.
My Thoughts. I have to hand it to Elon Musk; I’m a fan of this idea. It repurposes inactive oil rigs (although many are actually converted to artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico), and the practice could provide spaceports fairly close to some large metropolitan areas. This would allow for space access without heavily impacting human communities.
🗾 Japan sets sights on intercontinental passenger spaceships by the early 2040s
Quick Hits. Seeing a potential commercial opportunity, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to transport humans around the globe in less than an hour by ferrying passengers in spaceships. The technology is decades away, so they’re setting their sights on the 2040s.
My Thoughts. As flying in Earth’s atmosphere entails lots of wind resistance, spaceflight is an enticing challenge that could unlock much faster global transportation. Because of this, Japan isn’t alone in this endeavor. Other companies in the space include Venus Aerospace, SpaceX, and more. Regardless, there are a lot of hurdles to overcome until the technology is ready, so don’t expect this to be available anytime soon.
Things that make you think
🌑 What would a lunar colony look like?
Quick Hits. Experts from the ESA (European Space Agency) and an architectural firm (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) partnered to produce a concept (and video) of what a lunar colony might look like. Notably, it features 4-story-tall inflatable structures that can sustain a 4-person crew for 300 days.
My Thoughts. Assuming current plans and trends continue (a big assumption), a human presence on the moon may be closer than you think. NASA’s Artemis program will take the first woman and person of color to the moon and establish a space station orbiting the moon in 2024. With that infrastructure in place (and other infrastructure I discussed in previous issues), a human presence on the moon is much more possible and likely.
Future-Thinking Companies
👖 Gelatix - Produces fabrics and other materials from upcycled animal gelatin (which would normally be discarded)
🍼 Biomilq - Produces lab-grown breast milk from human mammary cells