NFT Plan Dropped

From the BBC, indicator of a bubble? 

NFT: Plans for Royal Mint produced token dropped

Plans for the NFT for Britain were launched when Rishi Sunak was chancellor

By Helen Catt & Sam Francis

Plans for a government backed non-fungible token (NFT) produced by the Royal Mint have been dropped, the Treasury has announced.

Rishi Sunak ordered the creation of a "NFT for Britain" that could be traded online, while chancellor in April 2022.

NFTs are assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold, but which have no physical form of their own.

The Royal Mint announced it was "not proceeding with the launch" following a consultation with the Treasury.

Economic Secretary Andrew Griffiths said the department would keep the proposal "under review".

NFTs have been touted as the digital answer to collectables, but some sceptics fear they could be a bubble waiting to burst. They have been used as speculative assets and some have sold for millions of dollars.

Responding to the announcement, Harriet Baldwin, chair of the Treasury Select Committee, said: "We have not yet seen a lot of evidence that our constituents should be putting their money in these speculative tokens unless they are prepared to lose all their money.

"So perhaps that is why the Royal Mint has made this decision in conjunction with the Treasury."  ... ' 

GE Invents 'Immortal Battery'

Quite the claim ...  Something we can use!

GE Research Developing the IMMORTAL Battery and Self-Healing Metals to Expand Operational Lifetime of Critical Military Systems   From Ge.com

Materials

Awarded two projects totaling $11 million through the Defense Advanced Research Agency’s (DARPA) Morphogenic Interfaces (MINT) program

First project involves designing a material for lithium- ion batteries that allows it to last virtually indefinitely

Second project involves the creation of new barriers to enable robust corrosion protection of aluminum metals

GE Research uniquely bringing together deep expertise in metals, biology, chemistry, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and mathematics to make certain metals virtually impenetrable to corrosion and degradation.

Could lead to unprecedented advancements in extending the lifetime and durability of cars, planes, buildings, and other critical infrastructure

NISKAYUNA, NY – January 11, 2023 -  Can certain types of metals self-heal like the human body does from a cut or broken bone?  Could they be engineered to withstand corrosion and never degrade? GE Research has been awarded two projects through DARPA’s visionary MINT program aiming to develop batteries and certain metal materials that may last virtually forever. These efforts are all part of meeting the Agency’s goal of extending the operational life of critical systems and infrastructure.

Introduced last year, DARPA’s MINT program is funding new material innovations that are patterned after how human cells and tissue form in a process known as morphogenesis. It is believed that new materials can be engineered to mimic key characteristics of human tissue such as self-healing to improve their longevity and durability.  GE Research has put together two strong multidisciplinary technical teams that will bridge the worlds of biology and materials science in the effort to create materials that mimic human nature.

The first project, entitled the InterMetallic MORphogen Tailored Activity Lithium (IMMORTAL) Battery, is a $6 million effort to develop a new intermetallic solid/solid charge transfer interface material to improve the performance of lithium- ion batteries and enable them to last virtually forever.  GE Research and its partners, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Michigan, University of California Santa Barbara, and Storagenergy, a leader in advanced lithium battery technologies, will employ AI and machine learning models, mathematics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and deep experience in battery technology to develop and demonstrate an IMMORTAL Battery prototype.  ... '