1. Is the econoboost engine going to be as efficient as the European one?

2. SpaceX has to prove their Dragon capsule is vastly safer than any current design in use. That is despite how woefully dangerous the Space Shuttle program was.

3. Nuclear power plants have been built since the 70s and 80s... Just not in America.

To give you an understanding of the difference between frequencies. The smallest size sign wave in Shortwave radio is 10m or little more than 30 feet. A 5GHz wave in a modern Wi-Fi router is about 2 1/2" high. That shorter wavelength means that the energy is lightly to pass through you rather than over you as a longer wave such as Shortwave would. Longer wavelengths are better than shorter wave lengths.

The comparison made in the article is a complete joke.

"There has been no new ground-breaking on nuclear plants in the United States since 1974, though a number of reactor units started before 1974 have been completed since then, and recently (2011 and 2012) construction has begun on new units at existing plants."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_the_United_States

They started adding on to existing plants though recently.

The 1.3L engine is the same engine.  So....yes.

2.  http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112531295/spacex-crew-accommodations-system-receives-nasa-approval/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45120136/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/spacexs-dragon-escape-system-approved-nasa/

3.  I wasn't referring to anywhere outside the US. 

Let's give you a history lesson, because obviously one is needed.  After Three Mile Island, and a few other incidences at other nuclear power plants, neither the government approved nor did electric companies seek approval for nuclear power plants.  As well, because of this, nuclear power plant technology halted in the US, especially after the US struggled to figure out what to do with its nuclear waste. 

If you're not building nuclear power plants because public outcry at the very mention of them (very large protests) than you're not going to have any new plants with any technology (old or new) being built.  

Starting in 2015 the first new Nuclear Power plant will be put into operation, followed by 29 more.  A few of them will be based-on older designs, but a significant number will be Gen III+ and Gen III++ plants.  There are no Gen IV plants anywhere in the world.

So, they're on their way, they just take time.  However, the US has committed $8b to its nuclear infrastructure.  Not to mention, the US obtains more energy from nuclear right now than any other nation on Earth. 

Carbon fire is stronger than steel in tensile strength but steel has stronger compressible strength.

As for carbon fibre being used in "unsinkable ships" and "unbreakable" body armour (in a military sense) is rather wishful. The same technology that creates these materials will also create technologies to counter them.

Also the fatigue (life of carbon materials) is totally ignored when it comes to carbon ships. The cost of such a ship would be "bigger than the US economy" for the grade of composite required.

What's needed, largely, is a system to make the regulatory bodies more objective and more independent, as what you get currently are regulatory bodies dominated by the interests they are supposed to regulate. The FDA is dominated by big drug interests, so it would make sense that they would freak right the hell out when anyone tries to rock the boat.

The FAA ones seem the most sensible. They don't let people put stuff really high up in the air without a permit because there is a lot of air-traffic, and if that guy who had gone up 15,000 feet had (for whatever reason) gotten hit by a plane, or somehow caused a plane to crash, there would be a huge public outcry about stopping people from messing with the flights. Especially because if you can put a 6-pack of beer up to 30,000 feet, why not C4 or a grenade?

I agree that lighter regulation needs to be made on Coca-based products, with only the production of street-grade cocaine being ultimately illegal (that being another one of those drugs that's just going to mess you up, moreso than weed).

I would argue that all drugs should be made legal.  Heroin, PCP, LSD, cocaine, crack, meth, 2ci, 2ce, AMT, DMT, mushrooms, etc...  Sure they are hard drugs and they ruin lives.  However, you know what is worse?  Having mother fucking Mexican drug cartels making huge profits off people (and killing people) that demand these drugs.  There is a better way than going after users, dealers, and putting them in jail.  It is called legalize and regulate.  Give that heroin addict their hit of heroin that will be regulated enough to know it won't kill them from an overdose.  Give them treatment if they desire.  The entire prison population is inflated by users (and some dealers).  You know what would put dealers out of business?  Making it legal.  More tax revenue instead of the money going to Pookie for new rims.  Sure hard drugs ruin lives but I see keeping it illegal ruining more lives than having it legal.  You support the black market if you support certain drugs being illegal.  Your thinking is the cause of the problem and not the solution.  Go fight your pointless war on drugs because you will never win (aka Reagan was an idiot).  How did alcohol prohibition work out in the 20s/30s?  Not too good.  How did the war on drugs work on during the 80s/90s/00s/10s?  Not too good.  Waste of money and waste of lives.  Jail sentence will never end drug addiction.  People think they have the high moral ground making certain drugs illegal.  You know what?  I believe I have the highest ground and I will squash anyone that has an outdated bullshit mindset on drugs.

(rant)

Great article.

just looking at some European car companies like Renault and Peugeot, their lowest MPG car is at 32 MPG and there highest is around 80MPG everything kind of averages at 50MPG... Fuck you America your holding the world back, greedy bastards.

"Europe has vehicles that get >70MPG, but are banned in the US for not meeting environmental standards. Lots of other things out there, too."

Why would you want your car to go that fast? You have a death wish or something? I think its good that America cares about its environment.