Author Archives: flybrand1976

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About flybrand1976

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Peak X: Applying Hubbert’s Peak Theory Beyond Natural Resources

Posted on June 17, 2013 by flybrand1976

Shell Oil Geologist Dr. M. King Hubbert (1903 – 1989) coined the phrase ‘Peak Oil’ based on his observations about petroleum production rates for a given geographic area.  Hubbert’s “Peak Theory” would be broadly stated as, “for a given geographic … Continue reading →

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Filtration Challenges: Too Many Circles in my Venn Diagram

Posted on April 12, 2013 by flybrand1976

When we are working with a customer to design a new porous material, the first two criteria we often look at are (1) the efficiency (how much of the particulate are we going to capture, usually expressed as a % … Continue reading →

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3D Printing: Not Past the Hype Until 2025

Posted on January 3, 2013 by flybrand1976

Tech News Today host Tom Merritt brought up the outlook for 3D printing in their year end Forecast Show – the technology continued go get a lot of press in 2012 and Mr. Merritt’s outlook for 2013 was optimistic but … Continue reading →

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New and Improved is Coming to Advertising

Posted on June 24, 2012 by flybrand1976

The Anderson Tapes, a 1971 crime thriller, foresaw the impact of a surveillance society, and in the introduction to our protagonist thief Duke Anderson, he exclaims, “What is advertising but a legalized con game?” With the myriad of tools now … Continue reading →

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Nonwovens and Battery Anodes: Applying the Materials Science Framework

Posted on May 12, 2012 by flybrand1976

Dr. Yi Cui of Stanford and founder of battery company Amprius, recently published a paper outlining a new structure for battery anodes.  Graphite is the most commonly used anode material, durability constraints have prohibited adoption of silicon, despite the fact … Continue reading →

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Quick Statistics on NC Amendment 1 Voting by County

Posted on May 9, 2012 by flybrand1976

Here are some quick graphs from the voting on NC Amendment 1.  The Amendment declares marriage to be between, “A man and a woman,” thereby making matrimony and civil union the exclusive domain of heterosexual couples. Red denotes the eight … Continue reading →

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Corona and the U-2; The Components of Strategic Reconnaissance

Posted on May 9, 2012 by flybrand1976

President Eisenhower had granted the U-2 team at the CIA significant leeway in making their first flights in 1956; after over-flying Moscow and St. Petersburg in their first sorties on July 4 following Kruschev’s visit to the American Embassy the … Continue reading →

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The Textile Supply Chain

Posted on May 6, 2012 by flybrand1976

Like most mature industries, the textile supply chain is large and complex. Materials which the lay person might view as substitutes can have dramatically different end applications. The savvy industry participant can sell the same good to different end users … Continue reading →

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Disruption Promoters vs Actual Disruptors

Posted on May 4, 2012 by flybrand1976

A disruption promoter is a facet of an activity that is believed to be disruptive; but that is viewed ex ante.  Since the event is ex ante, it is unknowable whether or not it will actually be disruptive. A disruptor … Continue reading →

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U-2 Spy Plane and a Component Theory of Innovation

Posted on May 3, 2012 by flybrand1976

Following World War II, during the presidency of former Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower, the US faced a defense and security issue previously unknown to mankind.  The combined invention of the atomic bomb and long-range bombers, and the accelerating pace … Continue reading →

Posted in Disruption, Innovation, Invention | 1 Comment