To the Stars with Data: May 23 2021
Electric F-150, moon GPS, tech company disruption, and more...
Hey everyone!
Over the past week, I've been thinking A LOT about the potential of web3 and blockchain (you know, that thing that supports Bitcoin). I experienced one of those moments when you think "why didn't I look into this before?!".
I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll stop there. Check out the “Things that make you think” section below for more information on the article that sparked my interest. I guarantee you won’t regret it.
-Joe
Thought-Provoking Data Viz
Here's an interactive tool to explore the satellites orbiting Earth.
It's difficult to ascertain how many satellites are in space because the definition of a satellite can change based on who is asking.
Does the satellite need to still be operating?
What about a satellite that crashes with another satellite and breaks into thousands of smaller pieces?
Does Elon Musk's car count as a satellite? (Never mind that it orbits the sun)
Even if you define satellites as currently-operating, human-made objects that were placed there intentionally, the answer is still in the thousands. Enjoy exploring!
Earth News
⚡ Ford's Electric F-150 Is a Huge Deal
Quick Hits. Ford released their F-150 Lightning earlier this week for preorder. Notably, it performs on par with a non-electric F-150. This will open up the market for electric vehicles (EVs) to a large segment of the US population that would normally be reluctant or not even consider purchasing an EV. Here's the official Ford F-150 Lightning website.
My Thoughts. From a recent Consumer Reports survey, 29% of drivers said they’d never consider an electric vehicle while an additional 40% are tepid, saying they’d consider one in the future but not immediately. That’s over two-thirds of the US driving population. If the US wants to meet its climate goals (-52% emissions by 2030), its drivers need to transition from gas-guzzlers to electric vehicles. Providing hesitant drivers with a vehicle that is on par with their current vehicle will make that much more likely to happen.
🔦 3D Printing with Light... basically
Quick Hits. Scientists created light displays in midair, but they’re better than holograms because you can see them from all angles. To accomplish this, the scientists controlled a particle to move very quickly in specific patterns to form the outline of the image, then directed lasers at the particle to reflect the lasers’ light, thereby producing a floating image. Video here.
My Thoughts. Do you remember seeing the hologram-based communication devices in Star Wars and thinking “psshh, that will never happen.” Well, it’s happened.
Space News
🧭 GPS On the Moon
Quick Hits. The European Space Agency wants to build the infrastructure for a GPS network on the moon. The project could begin as early as 2023.
My Thoughts. If we want to get to a truly autonomous state of machines on the moon, they’ll need to be equipped to navigate. Naturally, this is easy on Earth because of our robust GPS systems. Without GPS on the moon, the task becomes much more difficult.
🔧 NASA AI could diagnose satellite issues more quickly
Quick Hits. Have you ever had an issue with your car and needed a mechanic to look at it? If your car were in space, that would be a lot more challenging. Essentially, NASA researchers want the AI to be able to better detect and diagnose issues, hopefully prolonging the life of their satellites.
My Thoughts. Right now, space around Earth is becoming increasingly clogged with satellites…and it’s getting worse. Considering that satellites are moving fast—2,000 to 22,000 miles per hour, depending on the distance from Earth—impacts with even small space junk can cause massive problems. In fact, NASA even tests for this! Part of solving this problem is making satellites last longer so there’s less stuff clogging up space.
Things that make you think
🤔 Who Disrupts the Disrupters?
Quick Hits. The largest tech companies, who many consider to be disrupters of companies before them, are thriving on Web 2.0. But new technologies are allowing Web3 to come into the scene, and the model for disruption will likely change due to a completely new web infrastructure. Enter: the new disrupters.
So how do you low-end disrupt a high-quality, ultra-low-margin or even free product? How do you get a price lower than the $0 they’re paying today? You go negative; you actually pay people to use the product, in a currency that gets more valuable as more people join.
My Thoughts. As a consumer, seeing this technology on the horizon is such a relief. A little bit of me dies every time I sell my soul by signing a required data privacy agreement to use a service. Imagine a world where the power of our data is in our hands and we get paid for allowing others to use it. But here’s the thing: it’s already here and gaining popularity. For instance, check out Audius as a replacement for Spotify.
Let me know what you think. Can large tech companies (i.e. Google and Facebook) be disrupted?
Future-Thinking Companies
♻ Pretred - They recycle waste tires and plastics into traffic barriers, reducing CO2 emissions by 98% compared to concrete barriers.
🚀 Starfish Space - They produce satellites that service other satellites in space. How cool is that?