New York to London in just over 3 hours!

Sir Richard Branson, one of the most famous entrepreneurs to come out of the United Kingdom to date, is the founder of the Virgin Group which controls more than 400 companies. However, if and when his latest revelation comes to fruition, then this could well be the thing that he’s remembered for in years to come.

Virgin Galactic and Boom (a start-up company creating supersonic transport), have unveiled a prototype of what they are expecting to be the first post-Concorde airline to be used for supersonic commercial travel. The jet is designed to be 10% faster than the Concorde, which offered supersonic commercial service until it was retired in 2003. A crash in 2000 killed 113 people. “Concorde’s designers didn’t have the technology for affordable supersonic travel, but now we do,” said Blake Scholl, Boom’s founder and chief executive officer.

The new aircraft has a cruising speed of Mach 2.2 or 1,451mph, which is 10 per cent faster than Concorde’s speed of Mach 2 (the speed of sound is measured as Mach 1) and 2.6 times faster than other airliners. The new planes are set to carry 40 passengers at a time. The airline is expected to come into operation in 2023 and will cost passengers £2’500, currently the jet will only be able to seat around 40 passengers. Its name is officially going to be XB-1, but it has already established the popular nickname of ‘baby boom’.

You will be able to travel between New York and London quicker than it takes you to drive from London to Manchester.

 

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Hyperloop One to debut in UAE

Hyperloop One, the firm who have carried and developed the brain-child of tech-innovator Elon Musk, has signed a deal with the Dubai’s head of transport. On the 8th November, the company announced that it’s highly likely the very first version of the futuristic transport system will connect Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In a promotional video, the company claimed that the journey between the two cities which traditionally takes about 1 and a half hours, will take just 12 minutes inside the Hyperloop. The high-speed transportation system would use electric propulsion to accelerate a passenger or cargo pod through a low-pressure tube at speeds of up to 700mph. The vehicle would levitate above the track, which is likely to be built on stilts above the ground.
Hyperloop One, which hosted its Dubai announcement at the top of the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa – has signed a feasibility deal with the emirate’s roads and transportation agency. The firm has said they will explore the feasibility of testing the technology at Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, where they hope a successful testing period will lead to further confidence from the city and countries officials.

It is important to note that due to the extreme innovation behind the Hyperloop, it’s still very much in the preliminary stages and therefore, the details revealed were very limited and it’s likely to be a considerable amount of time till we see this system get anywhere near public use.

Ta prochaine maison pourrait être un conteneur d’expédition

Les boîtes en acier sont en train de devenir les nouveaux blocs de construction urbaine avec une particulière attention à stimuler l’achat des maisons à bon marché.

Un connu architect american qui s’appelle Price et son éponyme entreprise de design ont utilisé des conteneurs d’expédition longs 12 mètres, comme des géants blocs de Lego, pour construire trois complexes d’appartements à Washington D.C., qui est une ville où habituellement le prix moyen pou un studio est de 2,250 $, selon apartmentlist.com, et dans le classement Washington se trouve seulement après Boston, San Francisco et New York.

Les conteneurs d’expédition ont 2 mètres de largeur et 12 mètres de longueur, et donc chacun peut former un espace habitable de 28 mètre carré. Ils sont liés ensemble et peuvent former un notable espace habitable horizontal ou vertical.

Price est fermement convaincu que c’est un’idée géniale parce qu’il s’agit des nouveaux blocs de construction du 21ème siècle.

Toutefois comme il s’agit d’une nouveauté, elles ont un inconvénient,c’est- à-dire qu’elles sont vu comme des maisons mobiles et donc on se pose la question s’il vaut la peine de financer cet projet. En effet les maisons mobiles ou bien les maisons préfabriquées, à cause de son nom, beaucoup de banques ne vont pas prêter une hypothèque pour la construction d’une maison mobile, à moins que les roues sont éliminées, la maison se situe sur un fondement et les installations et la plomberie sont liées. L’architect Day a dit: “S’on se attache pas à une fondation permanente, il est difficile d’obtenir une hypothèque”.

En outre, les maisons-conteneurs peuvent avoir un problème de financement, parce que comme Day a dit, ils avaient presenté leur projet en disant qu’on pouvait aussi le déconstruire après pour construire quelque chose plus grande. Mais comme il était facile de le démonter, le développeur ne l’a pas acheté.

Toutefois, même si le design a rapporté beaucoup des reconnaissances, les frais pour utiliser métallurgistes et soudeurs pour joindre les conteneurs et fabriquer portes et fenêtres et aussi la méconnaissance du design comparé aux coûts de charpenterie traditionnelle (115$ pour mètre carré), rendent une vente difficile au développeur.

Les maisons-conteneurs assourent une vie accessible, et ils sont construits assez rapidement. Un projet de maisons-conteneurs a été fait à Washington, dans le quartier d’Edgewood, et il a fallu seulement sept mois pour l’élaborer et pour le construire.

Main on a été soulevé quelques préoccupations sur la sécurité des maisons-conteneurs, parce que étant donné que les casiers maritimes ont des sols en bois qui sont souvent traités avec des pesticides pour prévenir l’infestation ainsi que des substances chimiques qui préviennent la corrosion de l’air salé.

L’architect Day a dit que pour cette raison le recyclage de conteneurs d’expédition doit être fait trè minutieusement.

Le ralentissement économique globale peut aussi aider à rendre plus disponibles les containeurs d’expédition. Price a noté que chaque année il y a environ 2 millions de conteneurs laissés ”au repos” dans les ports.

Enfin, les maisons-conteneurs ne sont pas toujours économiques. Tandis que un conteneur peut être acheté avec 3,000$, une maison entièrement équipée, de luxe peut coûter 75,000$ ou bien 100,000$, dépendant de ferrures, matériaux isolants, revêtements et équipements du paroi et du sol. La seule chose qu’on économise c’est du temps. En effet la structure d’un appartement à plusieurs étages peut être assemblé en quelques heures et construit seulement en quelques jours plutôt qu’en quelques mois.

L’architect Day c’est très optimiste à propos de ce projet, il affirme: “Il y a beaucoup de personnes qui sont interessées sur ce projet. Le public c’est très excité et je pense que la nouvelle génération a envie d’un projet comme ça”.

Man regains ‘sense of touch’ courtesy of robotic arm

Nathan Copeland, a 28-year-old man from Pennsylvania, has managed to regain his sense of touch after being left paralyzed in 2004 from the chest down.  Ten years later, Nathan was asked to participate in a trial for the brain-computer interface (BCI) – a device consisting of electrodes connected to a robotic arm that stimulate nerve cells, or neurons, to enable the sensation of touch.
In the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers reveal how the technology successfully restored sensation to Nathan’s fingers, allowing him to “feel” for the first time in 10 years. This test is not the first in history to record a success of mind-controlled robotic limbs, however, it is believed to be the first in history to allow a ‘natural sense of touch’, with a brain implant and prosthetic limb. The authors of the journal express the importance of ‘touch’ saying it is often overlooked, we use our sense of touch to distinguish between objects and gauge how to move them or pick them up.

These electrodes are connected to a robotic arm, and with the help of electrical stimulation, the user is able to control the arm with their mind. In Nathan’s case, the device enabled him to feel pressure and warmth on four fingers of the robotic arm, and he described 93 percent of the stimuli as feeling “possibly natural.” Additionally, when blindfolded, Nathan was able to correctly identify which finger was being touched with 84 percent accuracy, and all sensations persisted over the 6-month study period.

These tests have proved to be a great success and will no doubt provide unrivaled assistance in future research into the use of prosthetic limbs, however, the authors of the journal state that this is just the beginning and an abundance of research is still needed.
Source: MedicalNewsToday

THERMAL COOKING INNOVATION, YOUR PICNIC SOLUTION!

Do you like picnic? Enjoy outdoor activities with family while eating your warm home-cooked? Thermal cooking innovation is the solution!

Thermal cooking or heat retention innovation came from the idea of “cooking without fire”. It arose from Haybox concept, which utilizes the heat of the food being cooked to complete the cooking process. Food items to be cooked are heated to boiling point, and then insulated. Over a period of time, the food items cook by the heat captures in the insulated container.

thermal cooker and pot

The first thermal cooker was found by The Monmouth Archaeological Society’s and the innovative thermal cooker was developed in Asia in the mid 1990s. This Asian thermal cooker innovation was made by stainless steel with two pots, inner and outer pots. The inner pot was used to bring the food to boil, while the outer was used as the container to keep the cooking process continuing.

wonderbag and haybox

Wonderbag and Haybox are the other variants of thermal cooking or heat retention innovation. Wonderbag is an insulated bag to put around pots you already own and Haybox, which is the main concept of thermal cooking uses hay or sawdust to provide the insulation around the pot.

Cook without fire! Isn’t it brilliant idea?

thermal cook

If you are a picnic’s fan but you are getting bored with common picnic menus like sandwich or salad, you can try your best home-cooked food recipe and bring it with thermal pot to keep your food warm, or even you can cook it with the thermal cooker! You can enjoy the freshly cooked meal!

Beside you can enjoy your freshly cooked meal, cooking with thermal cooker is environmental friendly? Why? It minimizes energy uses, saves water, and also saves food because no burning! The thermal cooking food also taste better because it keeps the flavor and you can get more tender meat.

thermal cooking step by step

Step by step cooking with thermal cooker (Dreampot):

  1. Put the ingredients into the inner pot of thermal cooker. Place saucepan on any heat source to start the cooking process. Heat for a short time with lid on, stir.
  2. Over a period of time, transfer the inner pot into the thermal cooker and close the lid.
  3. After the minimum required cooking, open the lid, and it’s done! Easy, right?thermal cooking recipe

There are a lot of different types of food you can make with thermal cooker. Soups, curries, rice, pasta, even bread, cakes, and desserts you can make it with thermal cooker! How could we make bread and cake without oven? Isn’t it incredible? Check http://www.thethermalcook.com/ to get the incredible recipes of thermal cook food!

Thermal cooking is one of the innovative inventions. The thermal cooker and thermal pot made by stainless steel. Shanghai Metal Corporation as one of the representatives of the metal industry can provide you the best quality of stainless steel!

As a representative of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metal products in the global field. We can produce aluminum, stainless steel, copper, shipping containers and other metal products and service. We prioritize the efficient of manufacturing and environmental sustainability.

Want to know more about our company? Please visit our website and you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Feel free to download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

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Source : Wikipedia, Dreampot, Saratogajacks, Thethermalcook

Ardelia Sassie/SMC Editor

“GUNS, GERMS AND STEEL”: A PERSPECTIVE OF PROGRESS BY JARED DIAMOND

Guns, Germs and Steel is a famous Pulitzer Prize-winning book written by Jared Diamond, an American scientist and author of other well-known science books like The Third Chimpanzee (1991) or Collapse (2005).

Guns, Germs and Steel serves to answer to why some civilizations, like the Europeans, have survived and conquered others.  Jared Diamond explains that this hegemony is primarily based on their technological and intellectual superiority. To sum up everything, the success of a civilization is essentially a question of environmental luck.

The title of this book sums up the general theory of Diamond’s ideas: farm-based societies conquered and spread influences on other populations of other areas and maintained their dominance. By using weapons and technology (guns), these elements serve immediately as a form of military superiority. Diseases (germs) – can be seen indirectly as a form of biological weapon- weakened and reduced local populations, therefore making it easier to maintain superiority over them. The last “ingredient” of power concerns steel which means the development of basic infrastructures and transport and therefore enabled imperialism.

Hence according to Jared Diamond, the success or the fall of human societies are determined by geographical luck and it’s technological means. The ideas written in this book essentially describes different factors that could contribute to a better development of any civilization. Although this book provides a different perspective of development, it is also subject of various critics.

As an international corporation, we too share the same idea that steel is an amazing material that contributes to the development of every progressing society. It is both economic and sustainable. Steel for a very long time, is a material that represents progress and innovation. Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures and distributes a large range of Steel products of high quality all over the world. For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

Let us know your opinion about this famous book by Jared Diamond.

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Maria // SMC Editor

Iron-air batteries: a cheap and eco-friendly solution for energy storage

After more than 40 after preparing the first prototype of a cheap , rechargeable, high energy density iron-air battery, researchers at the University of Southern California are now finishing the job of the patent-pending design of the battery.

The technical characteristics of the batteries look particularly well-suited to the kind of large-scale energy storage that could accelerate the adoption of renewable energy sources.

lithium-air-battery

Back in the 70’s, researchers were already working on environmentally friendly rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and only recent advances in materials technology have made this technology into one of the most common, high-performing solutions for today’s portable electronics.

Iron compared to other materials has a few advantages: it’s durable, it has a great capacity to pack energy (per unit of mass), it’s recyclable but most importantly it’s cheap with costs around US$1/kg (2.2 lb).

Iron-air batteries were first expected to be used for electric vehicles and military applications after the 1973 oil crisis. However, research stopped abruptly only years later, when scientists realized that iron-air batteries presented a serious  limitation: whenever the battery was being charged, a wasteful process of hydrolysis drained away about half of the battery’s energy.

iron_air_battery

With today’s technology and advanced research, University of Southern California found a solution to this  problem. They learned that adding a small amount of bismuth sulfide into the battery shut down the harmful reaction and reduced the waste of energy more than tenfold, from 50 down to just 4% .

The other good characteristic cost-effective design of its iron electrode. The researchers combined iron powder with a polyethylene binder, heating the mix to obtain a “pressed-plate” electrode that is simple to make and has high specific energy.

The iron-air battery is exhibiting very promising durability, with a target life of 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. Even more importantly, the batteries seem to retain good performance when they are being drained quickly: at a two-hour rate of discharge, the batteries are showing a twenty-fold increase in capacity compared to commercially available electrodes.

Shanghai Metal Corporation encourages the development and innovation of new technologies. You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Distribution Poles: From Wood to Hot Dip Galvanized Steel

With the increasing demand of eco-friendly ans sustainable products from both the public and private sector, the main sector to improve is the energy sector itself.
Distribution pole are the main vectors of electricity and have become over the century a common view of our roads and fields. 

images
wood distribution pole

Steel poles are becoming increasingly popular among utility companies for building  distribution lines or for replacing the traditional wood poles. Many reasons push these companies to use steel ans invest in the new distribution poles. In this article we will try to summarize the benefit of hot dip galvanized steel mainly reported from linemen who have worked with both wood and steel

distribution-pole-blue-sky-asset
distribution pole – source: wikipedia.org

Wood pole VS Steel pole

Lighter

For similar strengh, a steel pole is 30 to 60% lighter than a wood pole. This makes them easier to lift, load, install and  handle in general.

Cheaper: Thanks to continuous improvement of quality and manufacturing process of steel poles the cost of steel poles come down to a point where they became competitive with wood. 

Flexible:  

Unlike wood poles which can only have a certain maximum size determined by the size of the tree taken from,  the size of wood poles can be determined freely according to the need. Steel poles can be made to handle virtually any load and in any length and can also be made as single piece poles or in sections if that would help handling them in the field.

More Sustainable

Galvanized steel poles were a response deforestation issues steel is one of the most recyclable materials around so there is never any environmental concern over disposing steel. an old pole will be recycled to make a multitude of other products. Also , the protective system that is required to cover steel poles is made of zinc which is also an environmentally friendly material and virtually 100 percent recyclable. In addition. The coating systems have been improved so much over the years that it has reduced  the maintenance needed and improved their life expectancy of the poles.

Safer:  

The steel structures do not require a full-length copper grounding wire. They are already self conducting for grounding purposes. As a result, no installation of a ground wire is required.

pole 4
lineman on distribution pole source: wikipedia.org

source: steel.org,  smdisteel.org

Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures hot dip galvanized steel products because it believes in its potential and encourages its use for a more sustainable industry and a clean environment.
For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Metal industry driving force behind fast growth in dry bulk shipping demand.

According to MarketReportsOnline.com the demand for steel in 2015 will grow at a tremendously fast pace. This fast paced growth will consequently send the dry bulk shipping sector a boost that will drive up the demand growth for that industry. In the research report of 56 pages published by MarketReportsOnline.com it states that Iron ore and coal will be the driving forces behind the anticipated growing demand for dry bulk shipping.

The dry bulk shipping industry is predicted to have a much better year in 2015. Growth rates for the first quarter of this year are expected to be higher than they were in 2014. The global dry bulk shipping industry holds an essential place in maritime transport, carrying large volumes of unpacked products. These products are carried in 20 feet bulk containers, that can carry up to 192 tons of bulk goods.

The latest innovation on these containers, like the one designed by Shanghai Metal Corporation, offer fast and efficient ways to load the bulk goods via the roof and unload through the latch on the bottom of the front door.
bulk

Contact us for an inquiry on our newest solutions for bulk shipping or for more info go to our website.

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By Youssef el Issaoui//SMC Editor

Credits: SMC website, Google Images

 

A New Design of Apple Macintosh

Steve Jobs demonstrating Mac 128
via history-computer.com

The Macintosh or just Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers, manufactured by Apple Inc. Steve Jobs introduced the first Macintosh on January 28, 1984. It featured two things – the mouse and the graphical user interface. At the beginning Macintosh was targeted for two primary markets : knowledge-workers and students. Steve Jobs hoped that this new computer would become the second desktop appliance.

The evolution of Apple design

Apple II.  1977 with famous rainbow Apple logo

via history-computer.com

Apple III. 1980

via history-computer.com

 

Apple IIe 1983

via history-computer.com

Macintosh 1984

via history-computer.com

 

Macintosh Plus 1986

via history-computer.com

 

 

Macintosh Classic II 1991

via history-computer.com

Modern Macintosh 2015

curvedlabs-apple-mac-lisa-concept-designboom02
via designboom.com

 Modern curved Mac has similar technological components as the current macbook “air” and it also features the same high-quality aluminum casing that is used for macbooks, iPhones and iPads. You can still notice few differences as 11.6 inch touchscreen controlled either by mouse or by keyboard with the illuminated logo on the back. This new model is available in silver, gold and gray variants.

curvedlabs-apple-mac-lisa-concept-designboom03
via designboom

Shanghai Metal Corporation follows modern trends and also manufactures good-quality aluminum products used in various applications. For more information visit our main website or send us inquiry. English speaking staff will guide you further. Don’t forget to follow us in Social Media platforms to learn more about a company.

    

Silvia M.//SMC Editor

Read more articles written by this author here.

Credits : designboom.com, landsnail.com, googleimages