Record attendance this year at our annual I90 aerospace+ corridor conference. And tons of activity in the Expo with new exhibitors like Cpk Metrology. Everything points to an accelerating growth of aerospace and advanced manufacturing in Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana.
We attended the #I90AerospaceCorridorConference in Coeur d'Alene Idaho and made a lot of great contacts with regional manufacturers.
The Essential Role of #Hemp in Early American Maritime History. Did you know that in the early days of American maritime history, the dependence on #Russia was crucial for supplying essential goods like hemp, linens, and iron? These materials were not glamorous, but they were the backbone of the U.S. sailing fleets, without which they could not have existed. Hemp, in particular, had been a staple for Great Britain since the 16th century, yet they never produced enough for their own needs, relying heavily on their colonies. Despite incentives from both the #British government and #American colonies, local hemp production struggled to meet the demand, leading to substantial imports from Russia. But why the reliance on Russian hemp? It wasn't that American hemp couldn't grow—quite the opposite. The problem was in the processing. While American hemp was typically dew-retted—a method that left the fibers weakened and less durable—Russian hemp underwent a meticulous water-retting process, ensuring stronger, more resilient fibers ideal for naval use. In fact, the Secretary of the American #Navy in 1824 bluntly stated that American hemp was inferior in quality, making it unsuitable for maritime #applications where strength and durability were non-negotiable. The Russian process involved careful drying, steeping in clear water, and treating the stalks with great care, resulting in a product that was brighter, silkier, and far more reliable for the rigors of the sea. #HempHistory #MaritimeHeritage #SustainableIndustries #GlobalTrade #AI #sustainability #ESG
Time for sixth edition of QnA Thursday with Europanels❗️ We continue our series on the the reaction to fire. This week we explore what is an additional classification s❓ 👉The additional s classification concerns the production of smoke, which, along with flames and temperature, constitutes a significant hazard factor and contributes to the largest number of fire casualties. 👉It specifies the amount and rate of smoke produced by the burning product: s1 – little s2 – moderate s3 – a lot.
Palmer Luckey's appearance on the 2022 All-In Summit is a must-listen for anyone interested in national security and technological innovation. Here are some alarming takeaways from the episode: In the 1950s, America built the Pentagon in 16 months, completed the Manhattan Project in 3 years, and put a man on the moon in under a decade. Between 1951 and 1959, we built 5x generations of fighter jets, 3x generations of bombers, 2x classes of carriers, nuclear-powered submarines, and ballistic missiles. Today, we would be lucky to achieve just one of these feats in a decade. In 1947, half of Stanford's engineering budget came from the Department of Defense. Fred Terman, Stanford dean, brought DOD contracts and interest to the West Coast in a way that had fundamentally been limited almost entirely to the East Coast. In the 1990s, many engineers in Silicon Valley shifted focus from the DoD to the internet. Most Silicon Valley engineers haven't experienced a great power conflict and don't see an existential threat to the U.S., aside from prices at the pump and grocery store. How can we attract Silicon Valley's brightest engineers to tackle national security challenges again? He called out two Taiwan scenarios: 1: Blitzkireg PLAN movement to destroy ports, airports and immediately occupy. 2: Long, sustained blockade of the island because Taiwan does not have tools today to deter PRC. They did a decade ago, but not anymore. The only thing holding us back is the uniquely American delusional idea that we can solve any problem at the last possible minute. It’s not good enough to just wait until an invasion, change your profile picture to a Taiwanese flag, and then say “I stand with Taiwan”. The biggest difference between Taiwan and Ukraine is that we still have a chance to make a difference for Taiwan. Let’s not wait until it’s too late. https://lnkd.in/gY55gCEx
The impasse between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) threatens to halt operations at ports from Massachusetts to Texas and cause damage to #supplychains and the economy. 👉 𝐓𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞:https://lnkd.in/ddNwHs8f Lars Jensen | Peter Sand | Christian Roeloffs | Xeneta | Container xChange #USPortStrike #EastCoastPorts #SupplyChainCrisis #PortCongestion #ILAUSMX #MaritimeStrike #LogisticsChallenges #PortOperations #ShippingDelays #SupplyChainImpact
Switzerland is offering 50,000 francs (£45,000) in prize money for the best ideas to get munitions out from the bottom of Swiss lakes. The best three ideas for a safe and environmentally-friendly solution win. The problem is rather tricky and the operation itself is expected to cost billions. The winning idea might well be worth much more than this, and evaluating entries is likely not so straightforward. However, I like the approach of "open-sourcing" ideas in this way. It's a useful experiment - we need more of these types of approaches to thorny problems. https://lnkd.in/eDhZ_iPg
How about an alternative route to market for the hundreds of software, AI, sensor companies looking at solving the challeges of government and defense customers? One where THEY capture the value THEY bring. Here's what you can build on today.
Walking through defense trade shows and engaging in discussions in Washington D.C., I’ve come to realize we're at a pivotal moment. The brilliant minds behind the 20th century's monumental defense & aerospace inventions—the Space Shuttle, the Internet, and the early work in autonomy—are nearing retirement with no clear succession plan. I see this as a prime opportunity to elevate the defense sector, rebuild its industrial base, and address the toxic culture left from the consolidation era of the '90s. To paraphrase Y Combinator’s mantra, our primary responsibility will always be to build capabilities that our defense end users actually want. Yet, to achieve this, there are essential issues we must tackle: 1. Combat the entrenched wastefulness in government programs, driven mainly by the cost-plus contracting; 2. Build an ecosystem of partnerships that is inclusive, moving beyond the exploitation of subcontractors; 3. Bring high-quality talent, especially software engineers, into the same rooms as military members; 4. Reform procedures that prevent the use of modern software engineering in defense platforms. I am excited that we are building that future at Picogrid, together with several other upstarts pulling all-nighters in/around El Segundo (Neros Technologies, Hadrian, Rainmaker Technology Corporation, Rangeview...), and groups of engineers and military members obsessed about keeping a high bar on quality all across the country.
Unexploded ordnance is bound to pose a challenge in the Black Sea in the future. What can we learn from the research that we are conducting in the Baltic Sea? https://lnkd.in/etKFJdma
As promised, here is my presentation from the European Charcot Foundation 2024 meeting in Baveno. You can download using this link => https://buff.ly/4eTc53s
Strategist, Cryptologist, Cyber Warfare Officer, Space Cadre, Intelligence Professional. Personal account. Opinions = my own. Sharing ≠ endorsement.
Along with technical and operational advances, the Fujian represents a response to 19th-century humiliation.
