Brandon Jones

Watching the scramble to figure out if LK-99 is an Actual Thing™ is fun, but I'm hearing comments like "If it's real it'll mean high-speed trains everywhere!"

My dude, we could ALREADY have high-speed trains everywhere. The resistance in the wires isn't the thing that's blocking it from happening.

Aug 2, 2023 at 4:02pmWeb
Show threadBrandon JonesAug 2, 2023
Anyway, if you're interested in possibly maybe superconductors this is a decent summary of what's been going on: https://eirifu.wordpress.com/2023/07/30/lk-99-superconductor-summary/
LK-99: The Live Online Race for a Room-Temperature Superconductor (Summary)

Disclaimer: I’m not a materials scientist. I may update this over time as I collate more information. Click here to go down to the update log. Click here for the table. On 22 July 2023, two m…

Eiri Sanada
Show threadPhoto Ewen 📷Aug 2, 2023

@tojiro

Thanks so much for this. My Google News is a hot mess ever since I went looking for updates on this topic, so I no longer knew which way is up.

Maybe that's a property of effective superconductors too?

Show threadEllen Teapot 🇨🇦🏳️‍⚧️Aug 2, 2023
@tojiro @nicklockwood I mean, you’re not wrong, but someplace like Japan with a mature HSR system that’s already starting to build maglevs could pretty seriously accelerate those plans
Show threadEllen Teapot 🇨🇦🏳️‍⚧️Aug 2, 2023

@tojiro @nicklockwood Perhaps even more significantly, long crossings across open water get vastly more energy-efficient.

You could maybe do stuff like actively stabilize a floating immersed tunnel with electricity that would otherwise be wasted to resistance

Show threadJonathan HendryAug 2, 2023

@tojiro

We need superconducting legislators.

Show threadÁngela Stella MatutinaAug 2, 2023

@tojiro

Superconducting energy storage on the other hand could revolutionize other modes of transport and even make renewables viable.

Show threadMallory's Musings & MischiefAug 3, 2023
@tojiro To be fair, superconducting maglev bullet trains everywhere would be hella cool
Show threadBrandon JonesAug 3, 2023
@malcircuit This I cannot deny.
Show threadMichael BuschAug 3, 2023
@tojiro @ZaneSelvans Similarly, it is not a lack of superconductors stopping a more rapid transition to cleaner power.
Show threadBy-and-ByAug 3, 2023
@tojiro https://twitter.com/mechanical_monk/status/1686515433149530112 "the year is 2038. lk-99 has revolutionized computing, energy production, and battery manufacturing. the average website takes 10 seconds to load 500MB of javascript and a typical laptop draws a kilowatt of energy for a battery life of about 6 hours. there is still no new housing"
monk on Twitter

“the year is 2038. lk-99 has revolutionized computing, energy production, and battery manufacturing. the average website takes 10 seconds to load 500MB of javascript and a typical laptop draws a kilowatt of energy for a battery life of about 6 hours. there is still no new housing”

Twitter
Show threadGraham Sutherland / PolynomialAug 3, 2023
@tojiro a high temperature superconductor would certainly make those high speed trains lighter and more efficient (especially on top of SiC/GaN replacing IGBT) but yeah, lots of folks talking about applications where the barriers are far more about civil engineering and politics than "the ohmic losses are too high".
Show threadscottAug 3, 2023

@tojiro yeah I really hate the suggestion that technology is what's preventing us from having convenient transit, or decarbonization, or more housing....

it's politics! politics prevents these things. no awesome new technology is going to make them happen.

Show threadHowToPhil (Phillip R)Aug 3, 2023
@tojiro Hoverboards?
Show threadBrian C. Keegan, Ph.D.Aug 3, 2023
@tojiro No amount of material engineering can overcome the forces of reactionary politics. NIMBYs and car-brains will still be fighting for single-family housing and “just one more lane, bro” long after Boston,Miami, and New Orleans are swallowed by the ocean and Nebraska looks like Arizona.
Show threadMr. RustbotAug 3, 2023
@tojiro The cost of cooling the tracks to negative 450 F / the exotic materials needed aren't big factors in large scale adoption of maglev?
Show threadBrandon JonesAug 3, 2023
@mr_rustbot Maybe for other countries it'll mean the difference between "fast trains" and "faster trains". But in the US we're still wrestling with "why trains when you could cars?"
Show threadHubert FiguièreAug 7, 2023
@tojiro unless "the wires" is the new name for "politicians"....
Show threadKevin DalleyAug 10, 2023
@tojiro
We could already have low-speed trains everywhere