The official film of Channel Islands National Park: Treasure in the Sea

 

If you enjoyed watching Jacques Cousteau ocean specials, you'll probably enjoy this 24 min. film, narrated by Kevin Costner. 

Beautiful cinematography. 

The official park film of Channel Islands National Park: Treasure in the Sea

 ("Close to the California Mainland...Yet Worlds Apart") 

https://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Islands_(California) 

Scientists Just Set a New World Record in Solar Cell Efficiency

 Some interesting news in the realm of solar panel efficiency:

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-beat-another-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record

• "Perovskite is the up and coming new challenger, which scientists think could eventually eclipse silicon in terms of usefulness."

 

Monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with >29% efficiency by enhanced hole extraction

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6522/1300

• "Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells must stabilize a perovskite material with a wide bandgap and also maintain efficient charge carrier transport. Al-Ashouri et al. stabilized a perovskite with a 1.68–electron volt bandgap with a self-assembled monolayer that acted as an efficient hole-selective contact that minimizes nonradiative carrier recombination. In air without encapsulation, a tandem silicon cell retained 95% of its initial power conversion efficiency of 29% after 300 hours of operation." 
• "Tandem solar cells that pair silicon with a metal halide perovskite are a promising option for surpassing the single-cell efficiency limit. We report a monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem with a certified power conversion efficiency of 29.15%. The perovskite absorber, with a bandgap of 1.68 electron volts, remained phase-stable under illumination through a combination of fast hole extraction and minimized nonradiative recombination at the hole-selective interface. These features were made possible by a self-assembled, methyl-substituted carbazole monolayer as the hole-selective layer in the perovskite cell. The accelerated hole extraction was linked to a low ideality factor of 1.26 and single-junction fill factors of up to 84%, while enabling a tandem open-circuit voltage of as high as 1.92 volts. In air, without encapsulation, a tandem retained 95% of its initial efficiency after 300 hours of operation."
• Science  11 Dec 2020: Vol. 370, Issue 6522, pp. 1300-1309, DOI: 10.1126/science.abd4016 
  

Sven Yrvind - Inspiring

 

Reading a comment by Sven Yrvind, about boat design today - led me on an eclectic thread of reading adventures...

 

To mathematics...

 Algebra > permutations  > combinations > partial permutations

Galois theory, Function composition

 

To lives of famous mathematicians...

Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (717-786) > Fabian Stedman (1640-1713) > Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813) > Évariste Galois (1811-1832)

 

To the culture of of the Bedouin...and the emergence of the formal grammar of the Arabic language...

 

To the concept of Tafsir...the exegesis of the Quran.

 

 Some interesting YouTube videos by Sven:

Movie: Following Seas

 I watched this movie tonight, on Amazon Prime - and it was stimulating, informative, uplifting, and somber - there was laughter, and tears - achievements that inspire - and tragedy to break the heart. 

Lives lived to the fullest. 

Independence, self-determination, self-reliance, thrift, industry, grit, steadfastness, and a demonstration of the true power of what can be wrought by an iron-like Force of Will - and a testament that contrasts against much that is missing in society today.

 

RIP Francisco Ramos - Mazatlan, Mexico

Francisco Ramos and his wife,Vicky López

I am so sorry to read today of the loss of my old friend, Francisco Ramos.

He was my friend - and although we had not seen each other in a long time - we often responded to each other's postings on Facebook. I had planned on returning to Mazatlan this year for Carnival - and had looked forward to seeing him - but the COVID-19 interrupted my travel plans.

I first met him in 2004, when I arrived in Marina Mazatlan, on my sailboat.

Over the years, as I often returned to Marina Mazatlan - I would often seek him out on the Isla.

He was a fine man. A gentleman. A man of great character, integrity, and he was incredibly kind and gracious.

I will never forget the gift of his friendship.