Sony and ZMP to sell Drone Services - Why Aerosense makes sense if Sony Smartphone are Drone Processor Boards

The Drone Industry is shaping up to be an exciting one in the US of A, even as the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) rules are still very restrictive as noted in my blog article entitled “FAA's Regulations for Drones - How UAS Benefit American Economy despite Restrictive FAA Regulations by 2016”.

So it's not surprising to discover that Sony, a company with no background in aviation, has decided to toss their hat into the ring as reported in the article “Sony Is Launching A Drone Business To Provide Data Services To Enterprises”, published July 22^nd 2015, by Jon Russell, Techcrunch. 

They've partnered with Japanese robotics and automation company, ZMP, to form a separate company called Aerosense that plans to official start business in August 2015.

Sony and ZMP from Aerosense – Reselling Drone Services as Drones are everywhere

Strangely enough, they don't plan to sell Drones as noted in the article “Sony to Swoop Into Drone Market  for Business Customers”, published  July 22, 2015 By TAKASHI MOCHIZUKI, The Wall Street Journal but rather to offer Drone related services:

1.      Aerial Surveillance

2.      Cadastral Mapping Services

3.      Plant Inspection services

They'll be able to provide these services by leveraging the power of their Cloud Servers and expertise in designing Camera electronics to provide these cutting edge services. Thus they’d be doing all the heavy lifting and taking the upfront cost of Drone ownership from the potential client. 

This suggests that their potential clients may be Corporate and Enterprise Customers; a few examples readily come to mind:

1.      Agriculture

2.      Construction

3.      Mining

4.      Oil Exploration

5.      Telecoms 

6.      Town Planning

So is this a good business model? Initially yes.

But as Drone prices fall and Drone ownership in terms of maintenance becomes easier among Enterprise and Corporate clients, they might be willing to purchase Drones as well.

Sony and ZMP to sell Drone Services - Aerosense makes sense if Sony Smartphone are Drone Processor Boards

I suspect that providing a service was their original plan for the Aerosense partnership. They might expand into the business of making Drones as well.

Google and Amazon are already making inroads into developing autonomous Drones for package delivery as explained in my blog article entitled “Amazon’s Prime Air Patent – How Swarm Intelligence pilots @Amazon Autonomous Drones via White Spaces Network with Call Center Agent Personal Touch”.

If they do, So would achieve greater marketshare by forming a partnership with members of the Aerospace Industry as suggested in the article “Sony takes flight with Drone joint venture”, published July 22, 2015, by Don Reisinger, CNET News.

This means partnership with such companies as such as Boeing, McDonald-Douglas, Airbus and even NASA who have a Prandtl-m Drone in mind for a Mars survey mission in 2020 as explained in my blog article entitled “@NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Prandtl-m Drone – Surveying the Red Planet for Human Colony as the More the Merrier with Two Drones”.

Google has already partnered with NASA along with Amazon to develop a Low-altitude Traffic control system for Drones as reported in the article “Google joins NASA and others to work on Drone Traffic Control System”, published July 25, 2015 By Trevor Mogg, Digitaltrends and “Google Wants a Piece of Air-Traffic Control for Drones”, published July 24, 2015 by Alan Levin, Bloomberg.

For regular folks selling Drone modules based on their smartphones that can then be programmed and be built into Camera Drones would be more profitable as opined in “Sony’s next big thing is camera drones”, published Thursday 23 July 2015 by Samuel Gibbs, The UK Guardian.

This as there is more money to be made from selling Smartphone as the processing board in a Drone as well as the replacement components than the one-off sales of pre-built Drones.

Hoping to see Drones being designed by Aerosense in August 2015 along with their Service-based model!

Tullow Oil's Walton and Morant Basins Bathymetric Survey – Why @TullowOilplc still interested in Jamaican Oil Exploration

There is Oil in Jamaica and the search for the precious hydrocarbon has not ceased since November 2014 as noted in my blog article entitled “@TullowOilplc gets License for Offshore Oil Exploration - 3 Billion Barrels of Oil for Jamaica to re-discover as Price set to Boom by 2017”.

Tullow Oil, a Dublin, Ireland based company with offices in the UK, has completed a underwater survey of 32,000 square kilometer of the Walton and Morant basins in July 2015 as reported in the article “Tullow Oil Commences Drop Core Survey Off Coast Of Jamaica”, published Sunday July 5, 2015 by Camilo Thame, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Tullow Oil, currently has a twenty five (25) year Oil Exploration license in partnership with the GOJ (Government of Jamaica). They’re also currently in Suriname doing offshore exploration for Oil while being a great corporate citizen as show in the video below.

The underwater survey or bathymetry, which was conducted with a submersible vehicle aka mini-submarine, was done in order to determine points on the seabed where the seabed was not too thick. This so that they could drill core samples to do chemical assays to determine the hydrocarbon content lying beneath the ocean floor.

Tullow Oil and Walton and Morant basins – Only the beginning of Exploration

The 32,000 square kilometer of the Walton and Morant basins is a very interesting part of Jamaica for Oil Exploration!

This area is part of the ten (10) of the thirty one (31) blocks which have been marked for Oil and Gas Exploration by the PCJ (Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica).

Specifically, Tullow Oil is allowed to explore blocks 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 25, 26, 27 and a portion of Block 1.

The deal struck between the PCJ and Tullow Oil, which they refer to as a PSA (Production Sharing Agreement), calls for Tullow Oil to invest some US$60 million in the exploration phase as reported in the article “Tullow Jamaica To Sink US$60m Into Oil Exploration”, published Wednesday November 12, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

If they find Oil, Jamaica will get 48% of any production over 50,000 barrels of Oil per day, plus royalties. Not a bad deal, as more Oil means more Production Profits plus royalties, a far better deal than we had with Bauxite mining companies.

So does this mean they'll start drilling for Oil? Not so fast, as they've only just restarted.

Minister Paulwell visit Tullow Oil - Jamaica worried that Low Oil prices made Oil Exploration pointless

Oil Exploration takes quite awhile folks.

Oftentimes, many forget how long it takes to find Oil and the amount of survey data that Oil exploration companies has to wade through before you can even start drilling test wells! Take a look at watch the video “Finding The Prize: A story of Oil exploration and discovery” on Tullow Oil PLC’s YouTube Page!

 

During the period Monday May 18^th 2015 to Friday May 22^nd 2015, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell made a visit to Tullow Oil at their London and Dublin Offices as reported in the article “Its on — Tullow Oil reaffirms Oil exploration in Jamaica”, published Friday, May 29, 2015, The Jamaica Observer.

Minister Pauwell was accompanied by a delegation that included Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica’s (PCJ) Chairman, Christopher Cargill and Group General Manager, Winston Watson as reported in the article “Tullow Oil reaffirms commitment to Oil & gas exploration in Jamaica”, published 2015­05­28 by Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, Go-Jamaica.

Minister Paulwell sought to determine if Tullow Oil was still committed to Oil and Gas Exploration in Jamaica as per the PSA signed in November 2014 as noted in the article  “Government Issues Oil and Gas Exploration Licence to British Firm”, published November 12, 2014 By Douglas McIntosh, The Jamaica Information Service.

After all, the price of Oil had dropped, making it pointless to explore new Oil Well, as the price on the Mercantile Exchange could not sustain the cost of mining as argued in my blog article entitled “Lower Oil Prices Good for Jamaica - How All-Electric Vehicles Sales benefit as Electricity Prices trend lower”.

So had Tullow Oil decided to call it quits on Jamaica?

Tullow Oil still examining bathymetric survey - 25 Years to locate Oil in Jamaica

Tullow Oil, however, reassured Minister Paulwell and their delegation that they were just as surprised to see them turn up on such short notice, to quote Tullow’s VP New Ventures Business, Ian Cloke: “It was a pleasure to meet The Honourable Minister and the PCJ delegation in our London Office and we look forward to working closely with The Ministry and the PCJ to complete our agreed work programme”.

Perhaps they should have watch the video “Finding The Prize: A story of Oil exploration and discovery” on Tullow Oil PLC’s YouTube Page before they made the trek all the way to their offices in the UK and in Dublin!

The Tullow Oil Executives and Geologists then proceeded to explain to them over the next four (4) days what they’d learned from the bathymetric survey, which was not much. After all, 32,000 square miles is a lot of data to process, along with other data collected during this exploratory phase to determine if Oil deposits below the seabed are worth exploring:

1.      Geological and geophysical studies

2.      Environmental assessments and the

3.      Acquisition of seismic data

If the analysis of this data bears fruit, then they can decided were to drill to take core samples for a chemical assay. If the assay shows that there is potentially a lot of Oil at the locating where the core sample was taken, then they will make the decision to drill exploratory wells.

However, given the size of the Walton and Morant basins off the south coast of Jamaica, we might be look at a few years of exploration before the find an Oil Well.

Under the Petroleum Act, Tullow Oil has twenty five (25) years to look for Oil. if they exceed that timeframe, they have to request a renewal to continue exploration. PCJ breaks down this timeframe into an exploration and Production phases as follows:

1.      5.5 and 7.5 years for exploration phase

2.      17.5 and 19.5 years production phase

Minister Paulwell was thus reassured that the project was going forward, especially as the timeframe to expect positive results could be as much as 8 years, quote:  “I am satisfied that the project is still on course and I look forward to the full determination of Jamaica’s Oil and gas prospectivity”. 

So Tullow Oil is committed for the long Haul as the completion of the Survey indicates. The price of Oil may change during that time or the Oil Well may be so massive and easily accessible, making it worth extracting.

In these early days of exploration, anything is possible!

Jamaica needs to find Oil in Jamaica, even if it takes another twenty five (25) years, as our future would be forever changed by such a momentous discovery!!

Here’s the link:

Tullow Oil PLC Website

Tullow Oil PLC YouTube Page

Tullow Oil PLC Facebook

Tullow Oil PLC Twitter

@TullowOilplc

Email: info@tullowoil.com

250,000 merchants in Britain accept Apple Pay - Why Bitcoin is more secure as Eight banks except HSBC and Lloyds on the Bandwagon

“Apple Pay's launch is certainly good news for the UK. What has always been a struggle is for Apple Pay and the competitors to build a large enough ecosystem of merchants and Bank partners in order to enable immediate adoption”

Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at Warwick Business School, Pinar Ozcan, commenting on Apple Pay in Britain  

British Fans of Apple, your wish has been granted.

Launched in September 2014, the Apple iPhone 6 has been a bestseller in the first Quarter of 2015 according to stats from analyst Kantar Worldpanel ComTech as reported in my blog article entitled “Apple iPhone 6 ahead in Q1 of 2015 based on @K_Worldpanel Stats - Phablets are hot as Apple Watch Summer Storm coming”.

Apple Pay has been rolled out in the UK (United Kingdom) since Tuesday July 14th 2015 and is now the accepted payment method at 250,000 locations as reported in the article “Apple Pay Goes Live In The UK, available at 250,000 locations”, published July 14, 2015 By Trevor Mogg, Digitaltrends.

So who are the Banks supporting Apple Pay? The names will surprise you!

Apple Pay in the UK – Eight Banks except HSBC and Lloyds on the Bandwagon

The plan was to have eight (8) of Britain's leading Banks support the Apple Pay rollout in Britain as noted in the article “Apple Pay lands in the UK, some major Banks missing”, published July 14, 2015 by Shara Tibken and Rich Trenholm, CNET News. However, only six (6) Banks to date have stepped up to support Apple Pay:

1.      MBNA

2.      Nationwide

3.      NatWest

4.      Royal Bank of Scotland

5.      Santander

6.      Ulster Bank

The missing two (2) Banks are HSBC and Lloyds. HSBC and their online Mobile platform FirstDirect plans to join the bandwagon later in July 2015 with Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland bringing in the rear by September 2015. 

Nobody is sure why HSBC and Lloyds are so reluctant to join in the big eight (8) Banks.

However, they delay is to their peril, as they would have lost out on seizing the opportunity to ride the Apple iPhone 6 bandwagon as pointed out by Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at Warwick Business School, Pinar Ozcan, quote: “While it is not clear why HSBC has decided not to support Apple Pay's UK launch. It rings alarm bells as consumers often have a 'now or never' approach to new technologies, easily deciding not to adopt for a long time if it is cumbersome to do so at the beginning”.

Apple Pay safer on Apple iPhone 6 – Apple Watch unsafe but Bitcoins are safer

Apple iPhone 6 and Apple Watch users can use Apple Pay, which originally rolled out on the Apple iPhone 6 as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Apple iPhone 6 and Plus with 128GB Storage and Apple Pay is Biggest iPhone Launch”.

Still, I’d hold off on using Apple Pay on the Apple Watch until Watch OS 2.0 roll out in September 2015 as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Apple WWDC 2015 debuts OS X 10.11, Watch OS 2.0 and Apple Music”.

The Apple Watch lacks the security of Touch ID and can be easily reset once stolen as explained in the article “Thieves can easily reset a stolen Apple Watch”, published May 14, 2015 By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet, making it a magnet for thieves.

For me, I'm just waiting on Apple Pay to accept and use Bitcoins for transactions as Microsoft and a host of other tech companies have since January 2015 as noted in my blog article entitled “Microsoft accepts Bitcoins for Purchases - Napster of Cryptocurrency set to explode in Jamaica in 2015 Year of the Sheep”, as they're far more secure than stored Credit or Prepaid Debit Cards.

Jamaica passes Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act - Why ICENS Slowpoke is being upgraded and How Nuclear Power may mean Cheaper 4G LTE

“It's the first step. We now have a regulation, so if we wish to go to nuclear power we would have to take the other prerequisite steps, but we would have to increase the number of persons that are involved in this industry and increase the regulatory body. The body that we have now is not sufficient to take on nuclear power”

Director General of ICENS (Inter-national Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences), Charles Grant commenting on the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act

Jamaica, welcome to the Nuclear Age!! You’re welcome and you can play the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons!

The Senate (Upper House) on Friday July 17 2015 passed a Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act to regulate Nuclear fuel in Jamaica as reported in the article “Senate approves Bill to regulate nuclear technology”, published Tuesday, July 21, 2015, The Jamaica Observer.

The Bill seeks to regulate the activities, practices, apparatuses and facilities involving ionizing radiation and nuclear technology as stated by the Horses' Mouth , the Jamaica Information “Service in the article Senate Approves Bill to Regulate Nuclear Technology”, published July 21, 2015 By Chris Patterson, The Jamaica Information Service.

In order to achieve this, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton has stipulated in the Bill the need to set up a regulatory body called the Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority. That body will establish operational standards and regulate the use of Nuclear material and Nuclear Energy in Jamaica.

Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act – Protecting Jamaicans from Nuclear Radiation

The Bill will create a Board of Directors to run the Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority. As a regulator, they've got their work cut out for them:

1.      Prevent radioactive sources from harming the people and the environment

2.      Teach Jamaican about Nuclear Power, Nuclear Material and how to safely handle Radioactive Material

3.      Determine compensation to Jamaican in case of damage caused by ionizing radiation from Radioactive Material

4.      To regulate the use of Nuclear Material i.e. Medical, Mining, Telecoms and Alternative Energy

5.      To comply with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Convention on Nuclear Safety

They must have been under a huge amount of pressure, it had only previously been debated a week prior on Thursday July 9th 2015 in the House of Representatives passed the Nuclear as reported in the article “Nuclear Energy Bill Passed”, published Thursday July 9, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner  and “House Passes Bill to Regulate Nuclear Technology”, published July 9, 2015 By Latonya Linton, The Jamaica Information Service.

So why the haste to pass a Nuclear Bill with so little time to debate it, as pointed out by Opposition Senators Robert Montague and Christopher Tufton as noted in the article “Opposition Relents As Senate Passes Nuclear Bill”, published Saturday July 18, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner?

Possibly because Jamaica might be looking into building a Nuclear Reactor

Jamaica passes Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act - Slowpoke at ICENS can finally get upgraded

According to Opposition Senator Kavan Gayle on Friday July 17th 2015, they needed time to debate the implications to the Jamaican people and workers quote: “The Bill is of a critical nature and it is important to allow us more time to review it as it could be complemented by legislation such as the Occupational, Health and Safety Regulation. To be effective, this legislation will be in need of support, and that can't go unnoticed”.

But Leader of Government Business A.J. Nicholson countered by point out that we basically sitting in the US of A frying pan, quote: :This is the kind of legislation which ... we would wish for more time, but there is a real urgency in getting the Bill passed”.

Indeed, it seems that the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act also prohibit the building, importing, exporting, and operating of a research reactor and the acquisition or development of nuclear explosives. 

This implies that not only are they complying to the IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety, but it might also be setting the stage for Nuclear Reactor to be built in Jamaica as suggested by Director General of ICENS (Inter-national Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences), Charles Grant in the article “Great Potential Benefits From Nuclear Bill – Scientist”, published Wednesday July 22, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.


To quote Dr. Charles Grant, this is the first step towards a Nuclear Power Plant: “I would certainly like to see a small nuclear power plant here because I believe it's a very efficient way to produce energy and is quite cost effective. One nuclear plant is more than Jamaica needs; that would power us completely”.

Right now, however, the Director General of ICENS is just springing for an upgrade for Slowpoke, the Research Reactor at ICENS from a HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) to a LEU (Low Enriched Uranium) as reported back in April 2015 in the article “Jamaica set to convert research reactor to LEU”, published 08 April 2015, World Nuclear  News.

To quote the Director General of ICENS, they are keen on this upgrade, as it'll reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation while extending Slowpoke lifespan and function, quote: “We will be able to extend the life of the reactor, acquire new equipment and other upgrades, and make changes to the building that will improve our efficiency; so the amount of research that we will be able to do will increase for sure”.

Jamaica going for a Nuclear Power Plant - How a Telecom Provider can use Nuclear Power to provide Cheaper 4G LTE

This idea of a Nuclear Reactor was originally floated by Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell for Jamaica to look into the construction of Nuclear Reactors back in March 2011 as reported in my blog article entitled “Phillip Pauwell's Nuclear Power in a Bathtub - SilkWood meets the China Syndrome”.

In fact Nuclear Power Plants are so efficient that once installed, it'll be another fifty (50) years before it needs refuelling.

Unfortunately, Jamaican at the time were not receptive to what was a fairly sound idea, as Nuclear Energy is actually a form of Alternative Energy as noted in my blog article entitled  “Nuclear Power and Net Metering - Paulwell's Energy Sector Liberalization Chess Game”.

Coincidentally in the same month, a massive Earthquake and resulting tsunami struck Japan on Friday March 11 2011, crippling the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Japan Nuclear Reactor Meltdown is the Asian Tiger Chernobyl”. 

Thus the ugly side of Nuclear Energy was on display, instantly turning every Jamaicans mind against Nuclear Energy.  Especially as Japan continued to suffer the results of dealing with the Nuclear fallout from the ruptured Fukushima No. 2 Reactor as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Japan Nuclear Disaster – Implications for Jamaica and the Consumer Electronics World”. 

So will we soon have a RFP (Request for Proposal) for Nuclear Reactor? Or will this result in people being able to import Thermopiles under license to power Cell sites, a pet theory of mine based on some good intelligence from friends in a private Facebook Group.

After all, Jamaica would only need just one Nuclear Reactor to power the entire island for the Next fifty (50) years. Telecom Provides could set up a Nuclear Power Plant to power their facilities, including cell sites via a Net Metering facility and allow them to offer Broadband at drastically lower prices.

More on that theory in another article as Jamaica steps into the Nuclear Age

Here's the link:

Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act

IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety

ICENS (Inter-national Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences) SlowPoke

Verizon's Free Streaming Video Platform - Herald for 5G Video Calling and Streaming Mainstream without Buckets

Verizon is sitting on the cusp of Greatness as they’ve decided to turn it up a Notch, Dragon Ball Z Style!!!! Folks, play the Lady Gaga song Applause real loud, as Verizon deserves a round of Applause!

Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo has announced that the company Plans to launch a Mobile and online Video service in the Summer of 2015 as reported in the article “Verizon mulls mobile video that doesn't eat into your data cap”, published July 21, 2015 by Roger Cheng, CNET News. 

Their Plan involves a Separate Video Streaming Service that doesn’t dip into your Data Plan, but is instead subsidized by advertising.

Many were expecting that after Verizon had purchased AOL (America Online) for US$4.4 billion dollars as reported in the article “Verizon completes its $4.4 billion purchase of AOL”, published June 23, 2015 by Ben Fox Rubin, CNET News and “Verizon buys AOL for $4.4 billion”, published 12 May 2015 By Ben Rooney, CNN Money.

It would also help them stave off competition from T-Mobile and Sprint as well as re-invigorate the growth of their Verizon FIOS business. Verizon is doing this by creating a Streaming Platform that doesn’t require you to pay or even have a Cable TV subscription.

A good example of this is NBC Streaming services launched in conjunction with Cable Provider Comcast in December 2014 as reported “NBC Universal NBC Live Streaming Service - How TV Everywhere is American Streaming TV's Future as Comcast steps into 21st Century”.

Verizon to launch Free Streaming Video Platform - How Ad-subsidized Video Streaming avoids your Data Plan Buckets

Nothing new here as Online Video service subsidized by advertising already exist, such as CBSN that was launched by CBS in November 2014 as explained in my blog article entitled “CBSN Streaming News Portal Internationals - First Digital Streaming News Channel sponsored by Advertisers on your Browser”.

But they would be the first Telecom Provider to offer a Video Streaming Service, which he refers to as OTT (Over-The-Top) that would not subtract from your Data Plan allotments or buckets as they are called, to quote Verizon CFO Fran Shammo: “There is no one else out there who will deliver an OTT solution like the one we will launch”.

They also have Plans for a traditional online TV Streaming service that would use up your Data Plans as well as a premium pay service, again mimicking the US$5.99 CNBS All Access service launched October 2014 as reported in my blog article entitled “US$5.99 CBS All Access Live in US of A - How HBO Streaming by 2015 will beat Netflix as Jamaican Local TV and Radio Stations unprepared for Digicel and LIME TV”.

That's really for those streamers who don't like Advertising. Still, the advertising subsidized streaming of Video content is a huge deal, as this could potentially shake up the Cable TV World in a very big way!

Verizon turns it up a Notch - Why 5G will make Video Calling and Streaming Mainstream

The real innovation here is the fact that you'll be able to stream Video for Free and not dip into your Data Plan allotments aka Buckets come August 2015. The Cable TV World should fear this.

They should have expected that with the coming of 4G LTE and faster Wireless Broadband, somebody would have cooked up this crazy idea!!

With a potential worldwide audience, advertisers would be quick to jump onto this service to advertise, as such a potentially massive streaming audience mean more potential customers.

Customer will be able to stream Sports and a few shows from select Content Providers including their AOL acquisition. Verizon stand to make billion from advertising alone, both ads within the videos stream as well as on the website that hosts the Videos.

Whether they’ll have live programming such as News or it'll be just YouTube videos or videos host on Servers that they own is not totally clear. Neither is it known if Verizon harbours any Plans of getting into the eyewitness video News Business.

Especially as YouTube now has a YouTube Newswire to vet such content as explained in my Geezam blog article entitled “YouTube launches YouTube Newswire to verify Eyewitness Videos”.

Still, it sets the stage for Video Calling and Streaming to go mainstream by 2020, when Telecom Providers are expected to launch 5G Wireless Broadband.  It may also mark the final death of Television, in much the same way Streaming is slowly killing downloading as per my blog article entitled “@RIAA says Streaming beating CD Sales - Why HD Audio Physical Digital Music comeback progresses as Piracy is the Problem”.

So says the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) 5G Mission Plan for IMT-2020 for the next five (5) years as reported in my blog article entitled “ITU publishes 5G IMT-2020 Roadmap - Why US Telecom Providers, @Digicel_Jamaica and @LIMEJamaica like to travel off the beaten Path”. 

The fate of the Huffington Post and blogs such as TechCrunch and Engadget still hanging the balance! But this new free advertising subsidized streaming service that doesn’t subtract for your Data Plan will turn Verizon’s 5G Game up several Notches.

 Here’s the link:

Verizon Twitter Feed: @VerizonWireless

Verizon Facebook page

Verizon Website

@oregonstateuniv discovers Dulce Seaweed Algae can solve @UNFAO's 2015 Meat Crisis

People of the World, I think I've solved the impending Meat Crisis that the UNFAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) had predicted would occur in 2023 as reported in my blog article entitled “United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says Insects is the Meat for the next 20 years - Soylent Green may be avoided via Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.

We don't have to eat insects as the UNFAO has pointed out!

Rather, all we need to do is switch to an algae that grows like a seaweed called Dulse as reported in the article “Bacon-flavored seaweed is a thing Now”, published  July 16, 2015 by Danny Gallagher, CNET News.  Developed by the Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, it allegedly tastes like bacon!

The Researchers at the Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, led by Professor of Fisheries Dr. Chris Langdon, had apparently been growing the naturally occurring translucent Red Seaweed which normally grows in the wild along the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines seaweed to feed abalone sea snails as part of an ongoing experiment.

Because he needed a lot of the Dulce Seaweed, he began using a water recirculation system that created the ideal conditions for the Dulce Seaweed to flourish.

The result is that the Dulce Algae grows much faster in the lab than in the wild as reported in the article “Researchers from Oregon State University have created a new strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon”, published July 16, 2015 By Rick Stella, Digitaltrends. 

The researchers at the Hatfield Marine Science Center were able to harvest some 20 to 30 lb per week. So how did Dulce go from being food for abalone sea snails to being food for people?

Oregon State University Dulce Algae taste like Bacon - Research students probably knew

What happened next isn't scientifically clear, but it appears they may have grown way too much Dulce Seaweed to feed the sea snails alone.

So Dr. Chris Langdon, on the advice of OSU College of Business faculty member named Chuck Toombs (MBA), had some of the Dulce Seaweed taken to the Oregon State’s Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon, where the chefs created rice crackers and salad dressing using the Seaweed.

After all, if it grew that fast in captivity, it could be grown commercially and farmed, quote: “Theoretically you could create an industry in eastern Oregon almost as easily as you could along the coast with a bit of supplementation. You just need a modest amount of seawater and some sunshine.”

Turns out when fried, it tasted like bacon as reported in the article “Stop Everything: There’s a New Seaweed That Tastes Like Bacon and Is Better for You Than Kale”, published July 16,  2015 by Helen Regan, Time. 

Say what?

All of this has me surprised, as I thought they'd have known that from Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center own labs.  After all if they had an excess, wouldn’t some of the lab assistants had taken some home under the quiet and already have been using it as food?

It's known to be edible by humans and being starving Research students, its unlike they could have resisted the temptation to eat some!

Discovery of Dulce Seaweed Human Food Potential - Dulce Seaweed taste like Bacon

Dr. Chris Langdon was quick to point out that it's normally only harvested, dried and sold as a cooking ingredient or nutritional supplement, to quote Dr. Chris Langdon: “There hasn’t been a lot of interest in using it in a fresh form. But this stuff is pretty amazing. When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed. And it’s a pretty strong bacon flavor”.

Most Americans have NEVER thought to use it in its raw form and probably wouldn’t, being as they mostly eat processed food anyways. Dulce was just another supplement they took or food they enjoyed when they ate out at fancy restaurants!

They may have already discovered that it was edible by frying or even boiling it, as bacon, boiled or fried, cooks ok and taste great because of the combinations of sugars, proteins and salt that give regular bacon that characteristic taste and smell as explained in the article “Mmmm...The science of craving bacon”, published June 26, 2015 by Bonnie Burton, CNET News.  

Well, that alone has chef's excited.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture eventually gave a grant to the OSU’s Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon to discover other ways to use Dulce Seaweed as a main ingredient in cooking along with other product as noted in the article “Researchers from Oregon State University have created a new strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon”, published July 16, 2015 By Rick Stella, Digitaltrends. 

So aside from Bacon, what other uses does this human-compatible superfood have?

Oregon Department of Agriculture Research Grant - Making everything from Bacon to Beer

OSU's Food Innovation Center then contracted the services of research chef Jason Ball, who had previously worked with University of Copenhagen’s Nordic Food Lab to find better uses for local ingredients in Denmark. Working with Dulce Seaweed is extremely rare and research chef Jason Ball didn’t hesitate to become a part of their research.

Dr. Chris Langdon and Chef Jason Ball has already created some fourteen (14) Dulce Seaweed infused foods with others in the pipeline. However, the main ones created thus far are:

1.      Dulse Salad dressing

2.      Dulse Sesame seed chips

3.      Dulse Peanut brittle

4.      Dulse veggie burgers

5.      Dulse trail mix

6.      Dulse Beer

I'm, already impressed by the Bacon, as it would be attractive to non-meat eaters (read vegetarians) with a craving for meat.

On a more serious note, this might be a solution to the impending Meat Crisis that the UNFAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) had predicted would occur in 2023 as reported in my blog article entitled “United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says Insects is the Meat for the next 20 years - Soylent Green may be avoided via Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.

The oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface. Farms out in the sea as well as Aquaculture farms on land could grow the Dulce Algae Seaweed on a scale large enough to be economical.

These Dulce Algae Seaweed Farms could become the next Wheat Crop, feeding whole nations and could potentially be the solution to supplying protein for the Earth’s population, expected to hit 9 billion by 2025.

Expansion into Europe seems likely, as OSU College of Business faculty member Chuck Toombs has already begun plotting to take over the EU, as the interest from Oregon chef indicate that this might be an epicurean delight, not necessarily for its bacon-y goodness!

But Beer? Will follow this up...when they use the Dulce Seaweed to make beer!

University of Sao Paulo Astronomers find HIP 11915 with Jupiter-like exoplanet – Earth 2.0 beckons in the Jovian Moons

“After two decades of hunting for exoplanets, we are finally beginning to see long­period gas giant planets similar to those in our own Solar System thanks to the long­term stability of planet hunting instruments like HARPS. This discovery is, in every respect, an exciting sign that other solar systems may be out there waiting to be discovered”

University of Chicago Astronomer Dr. Megan Bedell, Lead Author of the paper relating their discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting the star HIP 11915

Jupiter, it seems, has a twin.

Brazilian astronomers from the University of Sao Paulo using the ESO 3.6­metre telescope have found a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a star, dubbed HIP 11915, that's a lot like our Sun as reported in the article “Jupiter twin discovered around solar twin”, published July 15, 2015, Physorg.

Their research was published in the Journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Specifically, they used HARPS (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher) as explained in the article “Astronomers find another 'Jupiter' orbiting a Sun just like ours”, published July 15, 2015 by Michael Franco, CNET News.

The HARPS is an uber-precise precise planet­hunting instrument, mounted on the ESO (European Southern Observatory) 3.6­metre Telescope at the La Silla, Chile to spot this star and its planet. 

This has astronomers excited as the Jovian twin and its companion star HIP 11915, located some 200 Light years away in the Constellation Cetus as explained in the article “Newly discovered Jupiter twin hints at new solar system similar to Earth's”, published July 16, 2015 By Ben Brumfield, CNN have the same masses and mean distance from each other like our own Jupiter and Sun.

Brazilian Astronomers find HIP 11915 with Jupiter-like exoplanet – Earth 2.0 beckons

Clearly this discovery is of great significance to quote Astronomer Dr. Jorge Melendez, of the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, co­author and team lead: “The quest for an Earth 2.0, and for a complete Solar System 2.0, is one of the most exciting endeavors in astronomy. We are thrilled to be part of this cutting­edge research, made possible by the observational facilities provided by ESO”.

Jupiter played a pivotal role in life forming on Earth.

Not only did it shield Earth from direct bombardment from asteroids by deflecting them with its massive gravity as noted in “Newly discovered Jupiter twin hints at new solar system similar to Earth's”, published July 16, 2015 By Ben Brumfield, CNN, but in the earlier years of the Solar System, when the Sun was much hotter, Jupiter’s Moons could have harboured life.

This was the theory that Astrophysicists Rene Heller and Ralph Pudritz from the McMaster's Origins Institute had put forward as explained in my blog article entitled “McMaster's Origins Institute Rene Heller and Ralph Pudritz on Gas Giant Exomoons with life – Bigger Telescopes and UV and IR Spectra Algorithms needed”.

Jupiter's Moons could have harboured life when the Solar System was young, as million of years ago, before the time of the Dinosaurs, the Sun would be as big to Jupiter as it was to the early proto-Earth. This Jupiter-like exoplanet around a similar Sun could have undergone that same process on its exomoons, with life springing up and possibly moving on as the Sun got smaller.

So a possible Gas Giant like Jupiter with exomoons that harbour life?

All we need is to developed bigger ground and space based telescopes as described in my blog article entitled “ATLAST, James Webb Telescope and E-ELT - Bigger Space and Ground-based Telescopes for the Planet Hunters” to take a closer look. 

This includes telescopes such as ATLAST (Advanced Technologies Large Aperture Space Telescope), the James Webb Space Telescope and the E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) to be located in the Cerro Armazones in Chile’s Atacama Desert followed up by an interstellar mission to visit such planets to see if they have life.

Here’s the link:

Journal Astronomy and Astrophysics