If we had to build the Verrazano bridge again Which is better? A Suspension Bridge or a Cable Stayed Bridge. A writer looks at the Golden Gate.

From article, (Due to huge upkeep costs, some people have suggested reconstructing the Golden Gate Bridge in a way that would limit ongoing maintenance and operation bills. Setting aside the political feasibility, how would engineers design the bridge if they were going to build it from scratch today?

Over time, researchers have developed lighter materials. Using Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) rather than steel or concrete is a way to reduce the weight of a structure of this magnitude. This self-weight is typically responsible for using up 70 to 80 percent of its resistence – that's the maximum load it can bear before it fails. By reducing it, the bridge's structure would need less strength, allowing for cheaper and easier options.

For example, designers have started using Fiber Reinforced Composite (FRP) materials in bridges such as the Market Street Bridge in West Virginia. FRP uses a plastic resin to bind together glass or carbon fibers, which give strength to the material. Being four times lighter than concrete, the FRPs are five to six times stronger.

Probably a designer's first target for change in a substitute Golden Gate Bridge would be the composition of the cables. The steel currently in use is corrosive, heavier by four times than newer materials and can fail in harsh moisture and temperature environments – just like those it encounters in this location. Carbon cables are more inert and already in use around the world.

These lighter-than-steel materials could also be utilized in other elements of the bridge, such as the traffic roadway. Using plastic composite decking could bring the Golden Gate Bridge's deck self-weight down by a factor of five. That would enable engineers to design and construct a cable-stayed bridge rather than a suspension bridge. The advantage there would be the ability to do away with the suspenders; in a cable-stayed bridge forces are transmitted directly from the deck to the towers by the cables. The first highway cable-stayed bridge with CFRP cables is Switzerland's Stork Bridge, opened in 1996.

A cable-stayed bridge can have a longer span than a suspension bridge, so its structure between the supports and the shore could be simpler. Also building the towers nearer to the shore, where the waterbed is more shallow, would help alleviate one of the main problems when the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed the first time around: It's very difficult and expensive to work on the tower foundations in deep water with strong currents.

The damping system could also be addressed with a new design. The lead core-based dampers that were used in the construction of the Golden Gate could be replaced by newer technologies that are better able to resist wind, traffic and seismic forces. This improvement would ensure that a failure such as the one on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge – when wind blew the bridge sideways, it twisted and collapsed – would be prevented.

With all that said, the Golden Gate Bridge is still doing fine.)

Me, "People question the idea of which kind of bridge is better? A Suspension Bridge or a Cable Stayed Bridge. A lot of this has to do with the culture that engineers are brought up in. At the time of construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, in the 1930's, and even as late as the Verrazano bridge, in the 1960's, there were a lot of engineers favoring Suspension bridges as the preferred method of spanning huge distances. But the present day culture is in favor of Cable Stayed Bridges that can span longer distances, so they are the preferred cheaper option. One just needs to look at the three bridges being built around NYC: the Goethals Bridge, Kosciuszko Bridge, and the New Tappan Zee Bridge. All are cable stayed bridges. So the engineers must have picked them for some reason."

How Would Engineers Build the Golden Gate Bridge Today?

If the many E-bikers in China (a very populated country) can coexist with Cars, Trucks and Buses there, so can NYC, here.

From article, (As it stands, e-bikes occupy a murky legal space in the state. In New York City, for instance, “throttle e-bikes” that can accelerate and maintain speed based solely on an electric battery with no human pedal input, have been outlawed. They are, however, legal in the rest of the state provided they’re not operated on public roads. The confusion lies in where these e-bikes can be legally operated, and the coalition is focused on expanding those operating restrictions.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles allows for mopeds (which sometimes have pedals) to be registered and operated on public highways, roads and streets -- or anywhere a standard vehicle is allowed to operate, such as in a parking lot. Pedal-assist or throttle e-bikes are currently unable to be registered and operated in such spaces, and riders that do so are subject to arrest, according to DMV rules.

Most models of e-bikes will run $2,500 to $5,000, but those who want bikes with more features or durability should expect to spend in the $10,000 range. 

Regardless of what the law currently says or will say in the future, there’s no denying that sales of e-bikes have increased in the region.

Freeman’s Bridge Sports owner Richard Himmelwright previously told the newspaper that his store sold four e-bikes in all of 2016. By late-April of this year he had already sold 12, and was in the process of ordering more to meet anticipated demand.)

Me, "This is silly. China has many more bikes on its roads of all types: Pedal, Pedal Assist, and throttle. How can we be afraid of accidents in a city of 8 million (with dedicated bike lanes) compared to a country of a billion (with none?). If even a fraction of a billion bike riders in China can get along with people and cars in that country, I don't see why our state and city can't. As long as they follow the rules of the road, for regular bike riding, there should not be any problems."

Coalition pushing for e-bikes in Albany

Bringing back a Beach Culture.

From article, (BY RACHEL SHAPIRO 

Rshapiro@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While the proposed East Shore seawall that will run from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach includes a promenade component, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced his plans to include a full-fledged promenade along the length of the seawall that he expects will be a tourist destination.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, heading up the project for the buried seawall, which includes building a levee and floodwall in Oakwood Beach, recently entered the design phase which is expected to take one year.

The current design calls for a 38-foot-wide boardwalk on top of the buried seawall from Fort Wadsworth to Midland Beach. It would replace the existing FDR Boardwalk and be several feet higher, as well as longer, extending from the current end at Seaview Avenue to Miller Field.

The extension would replace a paved promenade that's about 10 feet high.

From Miller Field through Oakwood Beach, a 17-foot-wide promenade would be on top of the seawall.

When the Advance asked Cuomo, who gave few details in his presentation at The Vanderbilt,  how his proposal would differ from what the plan already includes, he said, "We don't think it's enough, I think it's too narrow. We're talking about a 30 or 40 foot promenade, we're talking about amenities along the promenade. A promenade is a tourism destination, it has amenities, there are food kiosks, there are benches, there are lookouts. There's all sorts of ideas that you can do."

He added, "It could be a tour of all the different cuisine that New York has to offer, it could be a tour of all the craft beers that New York has to offer. It could be a walking museum. It could be a lot of things. We don't want just a walkway for 7 miles, that frankly, is going to be a wasted opportunity."

A spokeswoman later told the Advance the multi-use promenade could "can support a range of recreational activities, including outdoor concerts, beer and food tastings, cultural festivals, nature walks, seaside carnivals, bike races, marathons and other running competitions, environmental education, and other events and community gatherings."

The cost of the project, expected to be completed in late 2022 -- originally 2021 -- has steadily increased from an estimated $579 million to the most recent $615 million estimate, making the federal government's share about $400 million; the state's share about $154 million; and the city's share about $62 million.)

Me, "It's all about building back what was once there. Robert Mosses destroyed a thriving beach community, that was as entertaining as Coney Island is, to Staten Island, and the CIty. With this Seawall, a lot of what was taken down can be brought back. You're talking about a once in a lifetime opportunity, to bring back something, or at least make something new that will be a part of the culture and life of Staten Island. Don't go overboard where the project gets to costly and is canceled but at the same time try and do something creative. The possibilities for this area, because of the protective seawall, and boardwalk, which will remake the area, are made even more impressive by Gov. Cuomo's plan to add a tourism destination aspect to it." 

Cuomo sees East Shore seawall promenade as tourist destination

OLEDs to the rescue for advertising and electronic displays.

From 2011...

From article, (We've long heard how OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) are poised to change the home electronics market thanks to their energy efficiency, but what about large-scale applications like lighting up urban buildings and façades?

UrbanTiles, created by Israeli designer Meidad Marzan, offers a glimpse into how OLEDs could potentially light up our cityscapes, in the form of two-sided, reversible tiles that have photovoltaics on one side which collect sun energy during the day, and on the flip side, OLEDs which shine using that power at night. Assembled on a surface, this checkerboard of light-collecting and light-emitting tiles could change how our cities are lit at night.

Though the flexibility, brightness, thinness and low energy consumption of OLEDs make them a prime candidate for replacing other technologies, the only current obstacle is their high price. But green designers are envisioning them everywhere -- from cellphones, monitors, laptops, games, to even clothing and wallpaper. And earlier this summer, Mitsubishi created a visually-impressive 20-foot OLED globe at a Tokyo museum using 10,362 panels -- so it may be a matter of time before you may see it on a building near you.)

Me, "While OLEDs are still expensive, in a few more years time, (Maybe, 10-20 years. The timing really depends on how much an owner of a building is willing to spend.) we may actually be looking at skyscrapers with full OLEDs displays. Hell, if the Empire State Building can change the colors at its top and along its sides? There is no reason that one day the whole building, if not most buildings, could not be a computer controlled display."

Reversible OLED Building Tiles Collect & Light Up Cities With Solar Power (Video)

An old Antibiotic finds new life as a Super Bug killer...

From article, (Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels around the world, threatening the ability to treat common infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning and gonorrhea, the World Health Organization warns.
Scientists in the United States have developed a vital tool in the battle against superbugs by re-engineering a decades-old antibiotic.

A modified version of the antibiotic vancomycin is believed to be much more effective at fighting Enterococci bacteria, which is found in hospitals and can cause dangerous wound and blood infections. The drug, which has been used for 60 years, is described as an antibiotic of last resort, used only after treatment with other antibiotics has failed. But some infections have become resistant even to vancomycin in its current form.

The research team, from The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California, described the new drug as "magical" in its strength, the UK Press Association reported..

The study (PDF), published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says the modification gives vancomycin a 1,000-fold increase in activity, so doctors could use less of it to fight infection.

It works on bacteria in three ways to make it harder for them to develop resistance.

"This increases the durability of this antibiotic," said Dale Boger, who led the research and is co-chair of The Scripps Research Institute's chemistry department.

"Organisms just can't simultaneously work to find a way around three independent mechanisms of action," he said. "Even if they found a solution to one of those, the organisms would still be killed by the other two."

It could be years, however, before the completion of clinical trials needed to turn the lab discovery into a mass-produced medicine, Dr. Andrew Edwards, a lecturer in molecular microbiology at Imperial College, London, told CNN)

Me, "What  is now necessary is to see if other standard antibiotics can be modified in the same way Vancomycin was. With super bugs forming resistances to standard antibiotics, researchers need to find new ways of modifying standard antibiotics as well just in case even modified Vancomycin fails."

Powerful new antibiotic could halt superbugs

BMW may offer electric car options in each of its models.

From article, (Now, according to "multiple sources" cited by BMWblog, the i5 program has been canceled altogether.
 If true, that leaves open a question: what is BMW doing in electric cars?
If the BMW i5 has, in fact, been canceled in favor of electrified versions of mainstream BMW models, however, it may indicate that the German maker has decided electric cars are going to become simply another powertrain option.
 Rather than making them visually separate and building them with different technologies than its core lineup, it would adapt electric drivetrains into mainstream models the public already knows and buys.
 Which is, if you think about it, exactly what Toyota did with its Prius: that car's innovative hybrid powertrain has now spread across the Toyota lineup, with a hybrid version now offered in virtually every mainstream model it makes.)

Me, "If true, it means BMW lineup will include an electric car option in each Model class. Very exciting stuff! When a German company, with very well made cars, which caters to the upper middle class and rich it means big news for BEV's (Battery Electric Vehicles.) It means this is a phenomenon that is not going to go away."


If BMW i5 is canceled, what does that mean for its electric cars?

Blue Origin can only Benefit from Bezos' riches.

From article, (With Amazon's stock price brushing $1,000, Jeff Bezos is within striking distance of becoming the world's richest man.
Bezos would be the first man to bump Gates from his perch as the world's richest man since Carlos Slim in 2010. Gates has dominated the list for much of the past quarter century, holding the top spot for 18 of the last 23 years, according to Forbes.
As of Friday's close, Bezos was worth $85.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index. Bill Gates is at $88.8 billion. So assuming that Microsoft's share price remains constant or falls, Bezos needed another $3.8 billion to top Gates.)

Me, "What is good about this is that Bezos has more than enough wealth now, and continued wealth, to plow it into his space venture Blue Origin. When your doing a lot of experimental, to operational, space rockets, its good to have deep financial pockets. Until you start making a profit, and building up on successful rocket launches, a financial commitment is necessary."   Jeff Bezos is getting closer to becoming the richest man