From the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 to Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind,” the space race between the world’s superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, captivated many including my generation.  This space race motivated me to launch my first career as a rocket engineer.

Fresh out of college, I landed an engineering position with General Dynamics where I cut my teeth designing, building, and testing missiles with the defense industry.  For a couple of years (prior to joining Deloitte, a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm, as a management consultant), I worked hard at launching and guiding missiles to their target and innovated ways for the space business to apply the new and emerging computer technology.

After landing on the moon and a few more lunar missions, the United States efforts in space shifted to the Space Shuttle Transport system and ultimately the International Space Station.  For over twenty years, shuttle launches were a national event, carried by major networks and watched by millions of people.

However as space travel became more routine the public’s interest in space waned.  It wasn’t until the new millennium that support for a modern moon mission began to earn vocal support.

Recent federal budget proposals have cut out the new lunar program and shifted the space transportation business to commercial companies.  The space program’s budget is set to have a new emphasis on science.  This would be a dramatic shift for the space program which has long relied on its NASA operations.

The potential demise of the new lunar program might seem by many to be the nail in the coffin of a space program that has been plagued by miscalculations, tragedies and budget woes.  However there are others who see the glass as half full and will view the changing space program as the perfect opportunity to profit from a profitable, growing, and well-managed private sector in the aerospace and defense industry (where I began my career as mentioned previously).

It would be impossible to enjoy many of our modern communication and entertainment amenities without the benefit of space travel.

Technology for space travel, specifically satellites, has greatly improved technology ranging from defense to predicting weather.  Our forays into the final frontier have furthered other important advancements such as super-strong and heat-resistant metals.  In fact, the space program has helped pave the way for a number of profitable companies in the aerospace and defense industry, especially those in satellites.

In a recent World Market Survey of satellite construction and launch trends, there is the prediction of a busy decade with over 1,185 spacecraft expected to be launched.  This will be a 47% increase of the previous decade.  On the commercial side, low-orbiting satellites for the mobile voice and data industry sector will need to be upgraded.  Emerging economies such as India and China will also help fuel the growth as their respective governments become more heavily involved in the new space age.

I trust this post has provide some background and evidence that powerful efforts are underway to commercialize satellite production, launches and other space technology.  Business opportunities are emerging with companies that will prepare and send satellites and cargo into space for its government and commercial clients that will span needs of the Defense Department, those studying the solar atmosphere and the influence of the sun on the Earth, as well as transport of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station and safely back to earth.  These innovative business ventures and commercialization of space activities are generating alternative wealth creating opportunities that could make you a Space Age Millionaire.

In closing, I favor a quote from Steve Forbes.  Forbes says that pursuing additional financial education and the resulting increase in our financial literacy (including the investment potential of breakthrough technology) will open our eyes to alternative wealth creating strategies and this will be the key to resolving our global financial crisis.

To gain the necessary financial education, it is best to obtain association with, access to, and membership in a wealth creation community.  As a result, you will learn and have the knowledge to use alternative wealth creating strategies such as Bank on Yourself, debt reduction, and asset protection.  You will be exposed to wealth acceleration investments in areas (discussed in previous blog posts) such as commercial space ventures, Carrier Ethernet technologies, nanotech lithography, robotics, nano-based next-generation battery technology, precious metals, water rights, oil, natural gas, potash mines, food commodities, and gold mines.  You will have the knowledge to consider investments in energy assets that are inherently useful like oil rigs, hydropower, or methanol plants; things that are hard to build, difficult to replace, and costly to substitute; definitely not financial stocks, definitely not retail stocks, definitely not commercial property.

It is wise to monitor breakthrough technology as there are truly exciting developments afoot in the field of commercial space activities and businesses.  I will continue to monitor developments and provide updates in future articles and at my blog over the next few weeks.

Finally, I want to thank Greg Guenthner and Jim Nelson of Agora Financial as they were the source of some of the materials about the technology advancements mentioned in this post.

In closing, be sure to read more of my posts at aspenIbiz my Internet Marketing blog, learn some tips about being No 1 on Google at apenIbiz my Go-To-Market Partners, my affiliate website, and learn how to be savvy with your money like the insiders at aspenIbiz my Conspiracy For Your Money blog.

During my career with Deloitte in the San Francisco Bay Area, I consulted with companies that were building and using the Internet; these included network equipment manufactures, developers of application software for networks, and bandwidth and service providers.  We developed web-mail, VOIP, and web-based video conferencing products.  At that time, we thought of the Internet as an infinite resource; an endless collection of content and information.  Now, a little over a decade later, this could not be further from the truth.

Yes the Internet is a vast resource.  But as with oil, the fuel that powers the Internet is finite.   And if we fail to act soon, the way in which we access and use the Internet could change forever.

Where can we find scarcity on the web?  Look no further than bandwidth.

Bandwidth is the capacity to move information.  When you pay your Internet bill, you are paying for bandwidth; this is why higher bandwidth options like cable or DSL cost more than older, lower-bandwidth dial-up.  Your phone bill is made up of bandwidth too; all those texts you receive, the e-mails you get, and the calls you make, are really just bandwidth.  Even your cable TV bill is for bandwidth.

But if your bandwidth is just a pipeline to information, why are we spending so much on it?  Information is supposed to be free, right?  Well, the main factors that make up bandwidth costs are network maintenance and upgrades, as well as scarcity (more on scarcity in just a moment).

When a mobile carrier builds a new cell tower or a cable TV provider installs new cables, that’s an upgrade cost.  It costs the company money to build that infrastructure and the costs are passed down to the consumers who use it.  No problem.

But where things get interesting is scarcity.  The Internet is not quite as infinite as we would like to think and that shortage of available bandwidth commands a hefty premium.  Just look at text messaging. 

A recent tech blog post asked, “Do Text Messages Cost Too Much?”  Of course they do; they are a complete rip-off.  All you have to do is look at the little amount of bandwidth they require.

As a reference point, 600 text messages hold less data and use less bandwidth than a minute long phone call.  To get an idea how popular texting has become, the average number of text messages per month has risen to 75 billion messages, which is over 10 times the average number of text messages per month of three years ago.

A government investigative committee recently asked the largest carriers why text messages costs have doubled since 2005.  Surprisingly, each of the companies increased the price of text messaging at nearly the same time with identical price increases.  These factors are hardly consistent with vigorous price competition that would occur in a competitive marketplace.

This scenario and growth rate highlights the power these protected utilities have over the marketplace.  It also shows how misguided our legislators are when it comes to dealing with real technological problems.

Recent studies show that Americans spend as much on bandwidth as they do on energy.  A family of four likely spends several hundred dollars a month on cell phones, cable television and Internet connections; this amount is about what we spend on gas and heating oil.

Internet companies, cable companies, wireless cell providers, and phone companies have a vested interest in keeping the supply of bandwidth low just as OPEC does with the production of oil.  Scarce bandwidth means higher phone, TV, and Internet bills and ultimately more profits for the companies involved.

The federal government licenses, to communication companies, access to the airwaves.  Many of the licensees of the radio frequency spectrum in the airwaves are not doing a very good job of using this resource efficiently.  Over 90% of the airwaves are empty at any time.

Relying on monopolistic telecom providers for transmission of information is a dangerous path on which to continue.  The best solution is to increase competition and open up nationwide the unused airwaves, or white space between channels, to provide additional high-speed Internet capacity all across the country.  If telcos get the reigns to the white space, we can kiss goodbye the chance of seeing any improvement in bandwidth costs.

With continued government inaction, with continued restriction of the airways, and with the number of connected people in the world expected to double from 2.5 billion to 5 billion by 2015, there will be significant bandwidth scarcity.

Just think about the situation with oil.  If someone needs to lower the amount spent on gas for commuting to work, they can’t change the gas prices or the length of the commute time, but they can change one thing, their car.  If they trade in their SUV for a hybrid, they can become more efficienct and they can decrease their commuting costs substantially.

As with lowering the commuting cost, the key to solving high bandwidth costs and scarcity is with efficiency.

A breakthrough technology that is revolutionary and providing efficiency for the internet service provider networks is called a control plane system that bridges the gap between hardware and software.  This provides the capability to dynamically allocate data packets and bandwidth to users on the network of carriers with high-bandwidth networks.  It is a way for individuals, businesses, government agencies, and academic institutions to lower their bandwidth costs and increase the performance of their networks.

This is a very important objective in today’s budget-conscious economy; just like a commuter lowering their commuting costs.

I trust this post is providing some background and evidence that powerful breakthroughs in Carrier Ethernet, used in high-bandwidth networks, are underway.  Transformative technology is driving solutions to bandwidth scarcity that could make you an Information Revolution Millionaire.

I favor a quote from Steve Forbes.  Forbes says that pursuing additional financial education and the resulting increase in our financial literacy (including the investment potential of breakthrough technology) will open our eyes to alternative wealth creating strategies and this will be the key to resolving our financial crisis.

To gain the necessary financial education, it is best to obtain association with, access to, and membership in a wealth creation community.  As a result, you will learn and have the knowledge to use alternative wealth creating strategies such as Bank on Yourself, debt reduction, and asset protection.  You will be exposed to wealth acceleration investments in areas (discussed in previous blog posts) such as Carrier Ethernet technologies, nanotech lithography, robotics, nano-based next-generation battery technology, precious metals, water rights, oil, natural gas, potash mines, food commodities, and gold mines.  You will have the knowledge to consider investments in energy assets that are inherently useful like oil rigs, hydropower, or methanol plants; things that are hard to build, difficult to replace, and costly to substitute; definitely not financial stocks, definitely not retail stocks, definitely not commercial property.

It is wise to monitor breakthrough technology as there are truly exciting developments afoot in the field of Carrier Ethernet technologies.  I will continue to monitor developments and provide updates in future articles and at my blog over the next few weeks.

Finally, I want to thank Greg Guenthner and Jim Nelson of Agora Financial as they were the source of some of the materials about the technology advancements mentioned in this post.

In closing, be sure to read more of my posts at aspenIbiz blospot, my Internet Marketing site, learn some tips about being No 1 on Google at apenIbiz My Go-To-Market Partners, my affiliate website, and learn how to be savvy with your money like the insiders at aspenIbiz The Conspiracy For Your Money blog. 

New nanotech based materials technology and manufacturing processes in the semiconductor industry are going to drive a revolution in how we make electronic devices, power our homes, and collect and analyze information.  Right now, the vast majority of people have no idea how profound these changes are going to be.

Solar power definitely has a place in the energy mix but it is not the magic technology that many green advocates think it is.

However, in solar cell manufacturing, we are seeing advances in cutting-edge components and nanotech fabrication devices used in generating solar power.

In order to understand these advances, it is best to have a little background on the printable electronics technology.

In the early 1400s, German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented the moveable-type printing press.  This invention did far more than facilitate book production and increase the availability of knowledge.  It started an IT (information technology) revolution that continues to accelerate even today.

In Gutenberg’s era, his advances in lithography not only increased access to the world’s greatest thinkers but it put practical business and technical knowledge in the hands of commoners.  This seemingly insignificant invention smashed monopolies of thought and political power.  The result was exponential growth in science, technology, and democratic ideals.  The Renaissance and the Enlightenment followed and continues up to our present era.

We have already seen a series of printed circuit lithography technologies revolutionize the electronics industry.  Every electronic device you own, from your television to your mobile phone, contains lithographically printed circuit board of one form or another.  Like many of the transformational technologies of the last century, it was invented during the Great Depression.

Historically, downturns have been enormously creative times for technology advances.  Our current economic mess will be no exception.  Economic pressures are forcing reassessments and hard, creative choices.  The result will be an explosion of breakthrough technologies. Some just published findings, from a Nobel laureate economist who has been studying previous business cycles, predicts that the recovery from our current mess will be unparalleled and spectacular.

However, inventing transformational manufacturing technologies is probably the hardest part of bringing new and more powerful products to market.

Unlike the previous generation of printed circuit boards, new developments in electronics manufacturing are using far more common materials.  Unlike the printed circuit boards of the past, in which only the electrically conductive pathways were printed on a board, printable electronics will also produce components such as capacitors and transistors.

Researchers have already invented ways to print out capacitors using a CNT (carbon nanotube) ink.  These printed capacitors will be used to power mobile devices.  Once the technology becomes sufficiently inexpensive and advanced, you will be able to download the schematic for an electronic device and print it out yourself.  These next-generation printable electronics will be far more powerful than current forms and will incorporate the latest revolutionary advances in the semiconductor field such as memristors and memcapacitors.

Xerox has developed a silver-based conductive ink that can be printed on everything from plastics to textiles.  Instead of expensive fabrication facilities, specialized ink jet printers will be able to print circuits that could be used as part of flexible signage, radio frequency identifier tags, and even novelty clothing.

Beyond logic circuits, energy storage devices will be printable as well.  Recent developments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York will enable paper and CNT based batteries.  Researchers from Stanford have been able to take a paper substrate and coat it with an ink made of silver and carbon nanotubes to create working “paper batteries.”

Paper-based batteries charge and discharge quickly, making them suitable for a wide variety of technologies.  Together, these breakthroughs herald an era of ultra-cheap, easily manufactured energy storage.

Another breakthrough in the printable electronics revolution is a silicon ink that can be used to print solar cells on a flexible substrate at higher rates of production than most current solar cell manufacturing technologies.  The conversion rate which measures the efficiency of converting sunlight to electricity for these printed solar cells is about equal to current technologies.  This enormously creative technology, where silicon-based photovoltaic cells are printed, has nowhere to go but up.  It will be an increasingly attractive technology to supplement, in a low cost way, mainstream electricity generation.

I trust this post is providing some background and evidence that powerful breakthroughs in nanotech lithography are underway and that transformative technology could hand you transformational wealth for decades to come.

In closing, I favor a quote from Steve Forbes.  Forbes says that pursuing additional financial education and the resulting increase in our financial literacy (including the investment potential of breakthrough technology) will open our eyes to alternative wealth creating strategies and this will be the key to resolving our financial crisis.

To gain the necessary financial education, it is best to obtain association with, access to, and membership in a wealth creation community.  As a result, you will learn and have the knowledge to use alternative wealth creating strategies such as Bank on Yourself, debt reduction, and asset protection.  You will be exposed to wealth acceleration investments with items such as nanotech lithography, robotics, nano-based next-generation battery technology, precious metals, water rights, oil, natural gas, potash mines, food commodities, and gold mines.  You will have the knowledge to consider investments in energy assets that are inherently useful like oil rigs, hydropower, or methanol plants; things that are hard to build, difficult to replace, and costly to substitute; definitely not financial stocks, definitely not retail stocks, definitely not commercial property.

It is wise to monitor breakthrough technology as there are truly exciting developments afoot in the field of nanotech lithography.  I will continue to monitor developments and provide updates in future articles and at my blog over the next few weeks.

In closing, I want to thank Patrick Cox of Breakthrough Technology Alerts as he was the source of some of the materials about the technology advancements mentioned in this post.

As we begin a new decade, many people are overly focused on short-term conditions.  This is a recipe for financial mediocrity or perhaps even financial failure.  We need to keep the big picture in mind if we intend to reap the big returns.

Despite the current pain, the last decade was historic in terms of international economic development.  Growth in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries alone has raised the standards of living and purchasing power for over 40% of the world’s people.  Africa has seen a rate of progress that is producing a doubling in standards of living every 14 years or so.

As a result, hundreds of millions of people have switched from being net drains on the world economy to net producers.  These changes will generate enormous positive benefits for markets and investors.  The trick is to think long term and act on the big trends that are powering future technological transformation.

One area with disruptive technology, breakthrough developments, and transformational wealth creation is in the field of robotics.  Exciting developments are underway and applications for robot technology are gaining steam.

The consumer robotics market is projected to reach $24B in 2010 and expand to $66B by 2025.  By comparison, the digital music market is in projected to be $15B in 2010.

Bill Gates is predicting that in 10 years, personal robots will be as common as computers are today.  Many think that investing in robotics now will be like buying Intel, AMD, Apple, and Microsoft in the 1980s.

The Great Recession has caused some temporary blows.

For example, a mainstay of the robotics industry has been assembly line machines for the automobile manufactures.  This sector has been significantly down-sized and is essentially on idle (compared to what it had been a few short years ago).

However, during these down-turns, innovation occurs.  During the Great Depression, the automotive industry made improvements in areas of automotive technology like fully automatic transmissions and hydraulic brakes.  When the Great Depression ended, motoring was revolutionized; sales went up, profit margins were larger, and share prices increased. 

In addition, the robotics industry has been diversifying.

Robots are being used for dangerous jobs that humans would rather not perform.  A recent example is from the US Commerce Dept that has developed robots to repair aging water transmission pipelines, from the inside.

Another example is the development of small and inexpensive robots that can enter collapsed buildings to find survivors after earthquakes.  On the domestic front, more than 5 million robotic vacuums have been sold.

The economics of robotics is based on one simple fact.  This fact is that computer costs are a fraction, for the performance received, of two decades ago, yet the technician who repairs the computer has probably received a raise.

Food prices have fallen steeply due to improved automation technologies for the agricultural industry.  Due to improvements in automated agricultural equipment, the cost of our daily bread has been reduced and we have only scratched the surface of the benefits robots will bring in this area.

With the leading edge of the boomer generation entering retirement, the financial incentives for improved robots is enormous.  Health care services have not declined partly because of labor costs however with improved robotic automation, simple housekeeping and personal services for our older family members will come from improved robotics.

The Japanese know this well as more than 1/5 of their population is over 65 years old.  With a dwindling work force and an increasing demand for basic care in our homes and health care facilities, the solution is very likely to resemble a humanoid robot.

The biggest robotics problems are not hardware related but involve software or artificial intelligence (AI).  If a robot is to be capable of operating in a wide variety of commercial and industrial environments, it must have multiple sensor feeds.  This capability is necessary if a viable, multi-purpose, self-directed robot is to succeed.

Also, human / robot interactions must respond to voice requests, create voice reminders, and engage in word games. 

A flagship robot will have both advanced and modular AI with a sensor system that allow robots to move about the typical home landscape.  They will run on common PC hardware and use operating systems like Windows XP and Linux to keep the costs down. Due to the high cost of assisted care, a humanoid robot will pay for itself in a matter of months.

In a related area on the health care front, there are advanced robotics making large strides and being used in surgical procedures.  One development is a unique and remotely controlled catheter that can be used during an operation and cause minimal trauma to the patient.  One advantage of surgical robots is the degree of precision they are capable of achieving, much more than even the steadiest of surgeon’s hands.

I trust this post is providing some background and evidence that a robotics revolution is underway and that transformative technology could hand you transformational wealth for decades to come.

In closing, I favor a quote from Steve Forbes.  Forbes says that pursuing additional financial education and the resulting increase in our financial literacy (including the investment potential of breakthrough technology) will open our eyes to alternative wealth creating strategies and this will be they key to resolving our financial crisis.

To gain the necessary financial education, it is best to obtain association with, access to, and membership in a wealth creation community.  As a result, you will obtain examples of alternative wealth creating strategies such as debt reduction, asset protection, and wealth acceleration with investments in items such as robotics, nano-based next-generation battery technology, precious metals, water rights, oil, natural gas, potash mines, food commodities, or gold mines … perhaps investments in energy assets that are inherently useful like oil rigs, hydropower, or methanol plants … things hard to build, difficult to replace, and costly to substitute … definitely not financial stocks, definitely not retail stocks, definitely not commercial property.

It is wise to monitor breakthrough technology as there are truly exciting developments afoot in the field of robotics.  I will continue to monitor developments and provide updates in future articles and at my blog over the next few weeks.