Romanian-Yugoslavian Aviation. Part-One.

Orao/IAR-93.

This was a joint venture between the two named countries above to develop a single seat fighter based around the Roll-Royce Viper turbojet engine. Speed was in excess of Mach1.6, with a cruising height of 16,000 metres and a 1 minute36 seconds to 36,000 feet (11,000 Metres).

This was some aircraft used as a ground-attack fighter and not really reported in the west, at the time of a viable fighter jet. It was armed with two 30mm cannons and had five hard points capable of carrying 3000 Kg of mixed weapons loads? 

Entering service with both the Romanian and Yugoslavian air forces in 1974, a second two-seat trainer and reconnaissance version was proposed as the IAR-93-B

The Electric Bike.

A Chinese Success.

It would only be time when some one would come up with a novel idea such as this new fold-away electric bike? China had already done it with the motorised plough, who did not need a tractor to haul it!

The ability to fold such a machine is to make it theft proof and cut out the need to find a place to park it up. Speed and range are limited, but if it can get the worker from A to B that is perhaps enough?

This bike is putting out the gauntlet to other nations and manufacturers to do better, to make a speedier version one that has perhaps more appeal to the west? It is a good start and shows that when the Chinese their act together they can beat the world at many things?

The decline in the price of Steel. Part-Two.

A point has to Come?

The demand for more metal items is actually on the decline as we said before, since the introduction of new types of combined plastics. Ship building and the need for the construction, road and railway building industry will continue to demand metal.

But the reallity is we will at some point need to start to re-cycle steel or we will face the WALLY situation of a world glut dump of metal and all the rubbish that the human race is accumilating.

The peoples Republic of China has given the world a gift while pricing its own self out? The idea that the steel market in a few years will lift up cannot be sustained by the building debt on some of these plants across the world.

This is serious in the west, when mainy are linked to pension schemes that are becoming chains to profits and something will have to be done by governments who may take advice to convert over that of closing down?

Artificial Intelligence. Part-Two

Knowing.

This is some realy old stuff, but back in the 1970's West-Germany, the police introduced a robotic policeman to guide traffic and for years no one actually ever knew that he was not real.

This robot in a police uniform had authority and respect, he stayed out in all weathers and no one ever thought anything was strange.

Today our train driver or other roles could be in the hands of robots, and we being so busy now with technology, emails and the various sharing sites, would not take notice.