Hyperloop: Elon Musk’s Wild Idea Set To Become Reality In 2016

May 23rd, 2015 | by Vandita

TECHNOLOGY

When Elon Musk , the Tesla CEO, first proposed his idea of Hyperloop —a long system of pressurized tubes that would allow for super-high-speed of 800 mph travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles— in 2013, the concept was thought of a geek fantasy.

But now Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has closed a deal with developers of Quay Valley in central California to begin construction of world’s first supersonic overland transport system along a stretch of road right near the Interstate 5 freeway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Construction of the first 5-mile Hyperloop stretch will start in 2016, get completed by 2019 and will cost about $100 million. Almost 200 engineers from NASA, Yahoo!, and Airbus are involved in the project realization. There is also a group of 25 students from University of California working on different issues including cost estimation, route planning, and capsule design. The estimated cost of the full Hyperloop, which would run 400 miles in length between the two cities, is $8 billion.

“This five-mile stretch will allow us to completely test the technology, from the boarding process to the safety procedures – really everything except top speed,” said Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT). “We will move people and cargo at speeds never thought possible. We will make the world smaller, cleaner and more efficient,” states HTT on their official website.

The Hyperloop is the idea of Tesla Motors and Space Exploration Technologies founder Musk, who outlined a vision for transporting people at high speeds in capsules that will be pushed through a series of tubes stretching over thousands of miles. After announcing his idea, Musk said he would not fund or actively work on any projects to build the Hyperloop. Musk has since announced plans to build a Hyperloop test track in Texas.

The Hyperloop, which Musk dubs “the fifth mode”, would be as fast as a plane, cheaper than a train, weather-proof, and will emit no carbon from the tailpipe. If people could get from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in 20 minutes, or New York to Philly in 10, cities become metro stops and borders evaporate, along with housing price imbalances and overcrowding.

http://anonhq.com/hyperloop-elon-musks-wild-idea-set-to-become-reality-in-2016/

Top Tips for Authors to Boost Productivity

Top Tips for Authors to Boost Productivity

 

Are You Being Fast AND Productive or Just Fast?

When someone asks if you’re being as productive as you can as an Expert Author, you may be quick to answer, “of course!” However, if you really analyze your situation and think about your daily routine, it’s likely you’ll find areas that can be tweaked to increase your productivity level.

Many times we don’t realize how much time we waste because of distractions, disorganization, or lack of direction. Though we may feel as if we’re working at a fast pace, it’s possible we’re holding ourselves back by losing our focus along the way.

In order to ensure you’re making the most of your time, we challenge you to re-visit the areas that may hinder your level of production.

Have a look at our tips below on how authors can boost productivity to keep up with those who make it look easy.

1. Set Clear Goals & Stick to Them.
Our number one tip to boost productivity should come as no surprise. Diving right into a project without proper planning and clear objectives will end in mediocre results. First, you need to set goals that are achievable; you need to envision your final product right away, not when it’s near completion. The tips in this blog will help you stay productive and stick to your goals.

2. Delegate Unnecessary Chores.
Most parents give daily chores and responsibilities to their children. In the same light, many authors take advantage of outsourcing tasks in their business. Think about your work; are you doing everything on your own? Similar to setting goals, try writing down all of the daily or weekly tasks involved in your business. Organize them by importance, and when you’re done, you should see a nice list of tasks you can either do away with or delegate to others.

3. Stop Multitasking All Day.
There are days when we feel like we can do everything at once without consequences. Even if you manage to accomplish your goals for the day, if you’re constantly going back and forth between tasks, you’re losing time in the transition. You can also lose ideas in the process! The more focused you are on a single task, the less time it will take to finish.

4. Save it for Later.
You finally have time to work on an urgent project, but come across an interesting article or social media thread that grabs your attention. Instead of saving it for later, you read or investigate it immediately. This is wrong! In order to stay focused, you need to save these distractions for later. They will only lead to more reading, commenting, sharing and lost productivity. There are many great tools to save content to read at a later time. For example, you can use the bookmark tool in your Internet browser; or if you’re on Facebook, there’s an option to save posts for later by clicking the down arrow to the right side of the post.

5. Improve Your Environment.
When you’re working on an important writing piece, you need to prioritize comfort and make the best use of your surroundings. A clean workspace and proper lighting is key! Keep windows to your back to avoid outside distraction. Take a moment to read Creating a Healthy Article Writing Environment for more information to improve your workspace.

6. Set Time Limits on Meetings.
Casual group meetings can be a calming change of pace, but they can also dramatically hinder progress. If you’re in charge of the meeting, set a time limit; better yet, show a visible stopwatch for all to see. You need to be ruthless in managing this gut-wrenching productivity drain so it doesn’t get out of hand. Instead of having weekly meetings, have them twice a month and cover more ground at a faster pace. Any content not meant for the entire team should be discussed within each department separately.

7. Embrace New Technology.
If you think about a problem you’re having with any type of your business, there’s probably an app that will help! There are amazing tools that improve daily office operations such as Evernote that can store and organize your thoughts, information and media. New gadgets, apps and software are popping up everywhere to assist authors with their writing and idea generation. Try out something new once a month, you’ll never know what you’re missing if you don’t actively embrace change and let technology in the door!

8. Set Up Email Rules to Stay Sane.
If you’re familiar with the typical office life, then you’re aware of the burden with emails. It doesn’t matter what software you’re using for your email, you need to be an alert master and set up the appropriate rules to automatically filter your emails. Your eyes shouldn’t have to glance over at every piece of junk mail or question addressed to a different department. Again, let technology ease some of your frustration by blocking out irrelevant content that will break your rhythm.

9. Learn How to Say “No.”
Being a team player is a valuable trait in any business. However, saying “yes” to everything to help out a friend or co-worker is not a long-term strategy. Learn to say “no” when the task could put more stress on your own progress. Make the other person(s) aware of your deadlines and they will respect your boundaries and let you continue being productive. Be nice about it! Smile and suggest an alternative route for them to pursue.

10. BONUS Tip! Turn Off the TV and Your Gadgets.
We saved this bonus tip for last because if it were at the beginning, the majority of our audience would be turned off entirely! Television, smartphones, and other distractions sure have us by the ankles, don’t they? They can completely change our mood from productive to unmotivated and neglectful. Believe it or not, TV and other gadgets are truly a productivity killer. Remember this quote from a successful entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, “Successful people have libraries. The rest have big screen TVs” — Jim Rohn

http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2015/02/top-tips-for-authors-to-boost-productivity.html

Motivation Myth "The Sky Has Never Been The Limit" Part 1

Motivation myth- introduction

What exactly are you capable of achieving? What is a realistic expectation for your life and what constitutes sheer madness? Is there a limit to how high you should aim?

The simple answer to these questions is simply that you are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to; if you can think it, then it’s a realistic expectation; and you can aim as high as you want.

Motivation myth- the sky has never been the limit

We have probably all heard the “wise” saying: “the sky is the limit.” This would seem to have a lot of wisdom in it at first glance. However, it implies that man’s potential has a limit when in actual fact, man’s potential is limitless. Let’s examine what exactly your potential as a human being is.

Firstly, let’s define potential. Potential is all that you can be, but have not yet become. It is all you can accomplish, but have not yet accomplished. It is unexposed or dormant ability.

This means that the ability to become and to do is already there. It just hasn’t been brought out and utilized.

Consider a fertilized human egg (zygote). That single cell has the ability to form every part of the human body. Everything from your brain to your toenails can be formed by that single cell. It has unlimited potential.

Motivation myth- your potential is limitless

Similarly, the mind of man has unlimited potential. It has the limitless ability to create. Man has been on earth for thousands of years, yet we are still making new discoveries today and creating new things everyday. We cannot exhaust the creative power of our minds.

The functioning of our minds remains, for the most part, a mystery even to modern day science. But even though we do not understand it’s functioning, we cannot deny its power.

Motivation myth- you have the power within

Your most powerful asset is your mind. The answer to the question ‘what is a realistic goal and what is achievable’ is entirely up to you. If your mind can accept that something is achievable, it will find a way to attain that thing.

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” These are the immortal words of Napoleon Hill, a man who truly understood that “there are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.”

Your possibilities are limited only by your thinking. What may be a limit for one person is a walk in the park for another. It’s all in the mindset.

Your potential as a human being, then, is unlimited. You have within you the ability to become and to achieve anything you want. Now that you understand that your potential is limitless, your next challenge is to answer the question: what do you want out of life?