Important Innovations Collection

Tesla EV Sales Top Wall Street Estimates                                                                                         Source:  Tesla Roadster Outperforming the Automotive Industry Despite Global Pandemic During the 2020 global pandemic, Tesla continued to accelerate its business and outperform the global automotive industry.  Tesla vehicle sales for the entire year of 2020 were far better than expected and beat Wall Street estimates.  The company delivered 499.550 vehicles, well above the estimated 481, 261 for the year.  This was just 450 vehicles short of CEO Elon Musk's ambitious plan to reach a benchmark of 500,000 vehicles delivered in 2020.  Musk tweeted he is proud of what his team ha...

Switzerland and Sweden Leading the Way                                                                 Source:  Stock Image of Innovation 2020 Global Innovation Index (GII) The 2020 Global Innovation Index ranks Switzerland and Sweden as the #1 and #2 Innovation countries in the world.  For Switzerland, this is the 10th year of ranking number 1.  Europe has clearly become the global epicenter of innovation.  Eight of the top 12 leaders in innovation are European countries:  Switzerland #1, Sweden #2, UK #4, Netherlands #5, Denmark #6, Finland #7, Germany #9, France #12.  The US came in #3 in this year's annual ranking of 131 nations using 80 metrics to evaluate the level of innovation around the world. COVID-19's Impact The GII experts say COVID-19 is "severely pressurin...

NASA's Ingenuity On Duty February 2021 Sourcee:  NASA Ingenuity Paired with Rover Perseverance The world's first Mars helicopter - NASA's Ingenuity - will start operations in Mars' Jezero Crater in February 2021.  It will be ferried there by NASA's Perseverance Rover.  This is the first ever helicopter that will be flying in another world.  It was developed by NASA along with Lockheed Martin and it's small, weighing just 4 pounds. The duo are expected to be launched from Cape Canaveral, FL aboard a rocket to Mars by NASA between July 30 and August 15, 2020.  It's a great new mission of rocket science. Best Sellers in Camera & Photo Delicate Maneuverings Once established on Mars, the Perseverance-Ingenuity travel maneuvers next February will be delicate.  Ingenuity will be attached horizontally under Perseverance for the February 18th landing at Jezero Crater on Mars.  The landing clearance is tight.  For 2 months, they'll sta...

BOOKS BY JOURNALIST EDWARD KANE Non-fiction books on innovations and discoveries across industries in 2020 and 2019 FUTURE TRAVEL VEHICLES Just published today by Amazon and Kindle  amazon.com/author/ekane FUTURE TRAVEL VEHICLES BY EDWARD KANE SPACE "Space 2020's:  What's Up There?" - Kindle & paperback "Bargain Space Trips" - Kindle & paperback "Space Renaissance in the 21st Century" - Kindle & paperback "Search For Life in Space" - Kindle & paperback TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL INNOVATIONS "Future of Transportation:  2020's and Beyond" - Kindle & paperback "Electric Vehicles for All" - Kindle & paperback "Hot Electric Vehicles for the 2020's" - Kindle & paperback "Important Innovations: Transportation" - Kindle, paperback & Audiobook on Audible "How to Travel in the Future" Vol. 1 & 2 - Kindle & paper...

ASU's Thunderbird School of Global Management 2020 Grads Source:  Arizona State University - Dean Khagram Virtual Graduation Ceremony with Robots At Arizona State University, there will be a graduation ceremony for the Thunderbird School of Global Management Class of 2020 graduates. But it will be technologically awesome, memorable  and very different.  In the middle of the pandemic and lock-down in Arizona, telepresence robots, known as avatar robots,  have come to the rescue and saved the day.  It's graduation by telepresence and it's a virtual graduation ceremony.  May 11, 2020 is graduation day. Technology to the Rescue The telepresense robots will give students a chance to "walk in" the ceremony.  The robots will stand in place and be awarded each students' degree in a virtual ceremony. Live audio and video on each robot will allow the students to experience the ceremony in real-time. Much Prep To Make This Virtua...

Fascinating New Book on the Latest Space Discoveries Travel to New Worlds Just Discovered in Space My latest book "Space 2020's: What's Up There?" has just been published on Amazon and Kindle as an e-book ASIN: B087DV4DZ6 and paperback   ASIN: B087FFM5B7 Fascinating Journeys The book is a journey to exciting and mysterious new worlds just discovered by NASA, the European Space Agency and global astronomers with  powerful space. telescopes. Space Vacations The book details exotic planets that rain diamonds, Earth-like planets that may contain extraterrestrial life, baby stars being born, massive exploding supernovas, black holes, black matter and much more.  Reading the book is like a vacation in space.   amazon.com/author/ekane ... ...

Redesigning the iPhone Source:  Stock Smartphone image 2020 New Product Launches Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, Apple is moving forward with a number of new products and product modifications. Of most importance, it's redesigning the iPhone this year.  Reports indicate 2, new iPhonePro models with 3 cameras on the back.  And the screens are expected to be slightly larger.  These smart phones will also have new iPodPro's LIDAR,  3-D scanning systems.  There are also reports that the iPhone 11 will be replaced by 2 lower end, 2 camera models. More New Products In the second quarter of 2020, Apple is expected to release a smaller, less expensive HomePod speaker.  There are also expectations of new versions of Apple TV, MacBookPro and a new entry level iPAD. Some exciting new tech to look forward to and check out. Technology Innovations To browse my recent books on big technology and other innovations...

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Update Source:  Tokyo 2020 Olympics Emergency Meeting The International Olympic Committee just announced that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will not be cancelled.  The IOC just concluded an emergency meeting on Sunday.  This as global coronavirus cases have catapulted past 300,000 and the death toll in Italy alone jumped 800 in the past day. While there will be no cancellation, the IOC is stepping up their "scenario planning" for the Games and a postponement is officially on the table. Delaying the Games The Games are set to start July 24, 2020. The IOC will hold detailed discussions to possibly push back the kick-off date. They added cancellation wouldn't help anyone or solve any problems. So cancellation is not on their agenda. Mounting Pressure on the IOC Growing numbers of global athletes, teams and federations are calling for a delay in the Olympics as the pandemic spreads in virtually every corner of the world.  The...

Zero Gravity Flights Coming to a City Near You Source:  Zero-G.  James Cameron and Elon Musk, in Zero-G Experiencing Space Travel at 24,000 Feet The space and travel innovation company is called Zero Gravity Corporation. It has specially modified a Boeing 727 to provide the experience of weightlessness for passengers.  It's just like you're travelling in a spaceship hurtling through the universe past the Moon.  The privately held company is headquartered in Arlington, VA and has been taking guests like Tesla & Space X founder Elon Musk and movie director James Cameron for the zero-gravity flight of their lives.  It is now in the process of greatly expanding its commercial operations. The Zero-G Life Passengers in the US will be able to have the weightless flying experience in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, LA, Washington DC, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Orlando, Seattle, Austin and from a number of cities in New England. Zero Gravity CEO Matt G...

Just Unveiled at CES 2020 Source:  Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold:  New Innovation 4 Years in the Making Lenovo just unveiled at CES 2020 its ThinkPad X1 Fold, a foldable PC that has been developed over the past four years. This is Lenovo's first foldable screen PC.  Lenovo says it's ready to launch and the starting price is $2,499 with its folding OLED display.  It's particularly targeted at businesses to provide employees more mobility options.  Lenovo offered a fascinating example of use:  live videoconferencing on the top of the screen and using a pen to take notes on the bottom of the screen. Launches in 2020 The foldable PC, which weighs just 2.2 pounds & is extraordinarily thin when folded, will be launched in the second half of 2020.  It can be ordered in early summer and will ship in early September.  Among some key points about the new device: Multiple operational modes including going fully flat as a 13.3 inch display, which ...

Best Wishes from Ed Kane for a great new year and 2020 decade! Here's a new image of the New Year arriving in Sydney, Australia

Chinese Mars Lander Passes Important Landing Test Source:  Chinese Mars Lander Test China - Emerging Space Power China just successfully completed a landing test of its Mars lander that will contain a rover to explore Mars.  This puts China squarely on track for its Mission to Mars in the summer of 2020.  This mission involves landing on and exploring the Red Planet.  Mars is cold and barren but it's considered the only planet other than Earth that is habitable.  The Chinese space mission could contribute to the international effort to learn about and start understanding the climate conditions and mineral resources on Mars. Billions of Dollars Invested in Space China is pouring billions of dollars into its military-run space program.  It hopes to have a crewed space station in orbit by 2022.  China's space investment is paying off.  Early in 2019 it landed a rover on the far side of the Moon, which is a first.  Clearly,...

Toyota's Level 2 Self-Driving Lexus for 2020 Source:  Lexus Automated Highway Teammate The roads are about to become more crowded with autonomous cars.  Hyundai is starting autonomous ride sharing in California next month to test market demand.  And Toyota will debut an autonomous Lexus in 2020.  The vehicle will be equipped with what Toyota is calling its Level 2 Automated Highway Teammate - its new autonomous driving technology. Level 2 Lexus is going to start going autonomous at Level 2.  That means no-hands cruise control, under certain conditions, with the driver behind the wheel and their eyes on the road.  The new Teammate system goes beyond standard Level 2 functions like keeping the car within the lane and working the accelerator and breaks while following the leader car.  The Toyota system can handle lane changes and merging.  It can also learn and receive updates to increase its functionality on a continuing basis...