Wasp Rave | Wing Delivery | Hover Boat - The Convo Kit #11

11 is my favorite number. I like to say it’s twice as good as 1 while retaining a bit of humility. Some cool 11s to think about…

• Eleven, Stranger Things

• 11:11, make a wish!

• Apollo 11, carried first humans to the Moon

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Wasp Rave

Paper wasp nests glow vibrant neon colors under UV rays. The glow comes from a silk layer protecting baby wasps during metamorphosis.

• Found in Vietnam, France, & French Guiana

• Glow color varies by region

• ~3x brighter than the closest fluorescent animal, tree frogs

Paper wasps join the short list of land creatures with natural rave features (our early 20s don’t count). Only one way to determine how rare this is. Browse the planet in dark mode with a steady stream of bass and black lights.

More details in a great article by The Atlantic. Pics of glowy hives on ScienceAlert.

Drone Drop-Off

Wing, Alphabet’s drone co., will hit 100,000 completed deliveries this week. Most were dropped to Australian suburbs in 10 minutes or less. In the last year, they have delivered:

• 10,000 cups of coffee

• 1,200 roasted chickens

• 2,700 sushi rolls

Currently limited to a 3 lb. carrying capacity, drones lower and unhook their cargo from 23 feet off the ground. I’m not sure what is more exciting, receiving coffee from a drone or the guerilla marketing potential for Marvel’s new movie.

Pics and gifs of the drone in action at TechCrunch.

Hover Boat

RDC Aqualines' marine craft will hover above the water to deliver passengers quickly and efficiently (joy craft sold separately). The Aqua utilizes ground effect to blur the line between airplane and speedboat.

• Electric / hydrogen powered

• Top Speed: 125 mph

• Fully packed range: 373 miles

This flying boat is slated for sale in 2024. Beyond its potential to be a Bond-villain getaway, Aqua’s use of ground effect provides efficient flight aerodynamics experienced by birds and bats.

Pics and an overly dramatic video over on Interesting Engineering.

Emergency Overwatch

Knighthawk is an urban emergency first response drone. It can launch within seconds of a 911 call and provide a heads up to first responders on the ground.

• 2 cameras: Thermal and 10x zoom

• 55 minute range

• 1,600+ emergency responses since 2018

First responders process a ton of critical information when they arrive on scene. Knighthawk provides some of that information before they get there. Saving time AND lives. Perhaps they can work with Wing to provide supply drops?

Take a look at the Watchtower companion app for first responders.

Big Wind

MingYang's new wind turbine will be the largest in the world. MySE 16.0-242 is 19% larger than the previous model, but produces 45% more electricity.

• Powers 20k homes over 25 years

• 794 feet tall

• Blade diameter: More than 8 football fields

Massive turbines provide necessary efficiency to bring wind energy prices to competitive levels. Solar energy is currently ~75% cheaper than wind. Plus, roof panels offer a passive neighborhood flex that offshore wind can’t provide.

More details and pics over on New Atlas.

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