Learners Live

Did you Know?
Menu

Space-Based Solar Power Promises Constant Energy Delivery

William Attardi on February 12, 2026

Space-based solar power is transitioning from concept to reality, with recent advancements demonstrating the feasibility of transmitting solar energy from orbit to Earth. This technology, which could provide continuous, reliable electricity that isn’t interrupted by weather or geography, is being developed through initiatives such as Japan’s OHISAMA project and Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project. However, the implementation of space-based solar power will require international coordination on orbits, frequencies and safety protocols. The Washington Post

US to Own Nuclear Reactors Stemming from Japan’s $550 Billion Pledge

William Attardi on November 21, 2025

The US plans to purchase and own up to 10 nuclear reactors using Japan’s $550 billion funding commitment, part of a $332 billion investment in US energy projects. The initiative, driven by rising electricity demand for AI and manufacturing, is part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development of energy infrastructure. US to Own Nuclear Reactors Stemming From Japan’s $550 Billion Pledge – Bloomberg

ams OSRAM Sells Its Entertainment and Industry Lamps Business

William Attardi on July 29, 2025

ams OSRAM has signed an agreement with Ushio Inc. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, for the sale of its Entertainment and Industry Lamps (ENI) business. The transaction is expected to close by the end of March 2026. The purchase price of EUR 114 million is on a cash-and-debt-free basis. ENI’s product portfolio ranges from specialty lamps for infrastructure and cinema applications to extremely sophisticated light sources for semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment (WFE). The profitable ENI business delivered revenues of approximately EUR 170 million in 2024. Ushio Inc. has approx. 6,000 employees and provides light units, equipment, systems, and services through developing new light sources and developing and applying proprietary optical technology, serving a multitude of industrial segments. ams OSRAM Sells Its Entertainment and Industry Lamps Business – tEDmag

Trump Announces ‘Massive’ Trade Deal with Japan with 15% Tariffs by Lim Hui Jie

William Attardi on July 23, 2025

President Donald Trump on Tuesday stateside announced that he had made the “largest Deal ever” with Japan, that involves “reciprocal” tariffs of 15% on the country’s exports to the U.S.

  • Trump said that Japan will invest $550 billion into the United States, adding that the U.S. will “receive 90% of the Profits.”
  • He also said Japan will “open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things.”
  • The U.S. president added that the deal would also create “Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs.”  Trump announces ‘massive’ trade deal with Japan with 15% tariffs

MLB Starts in Japan Tomorrow

William Attardi on March 17, 2025

Yes, do you believe it, the Dodgers and Cubs are kicking off the MLB regular season with a two-game series in Japan, starting Tuesday, March 18.  Of course, the remaining 28 MLB teams will not be participating. A week after the games in Japan, MLB Opening Day is slated for Thursday, March 27, 2025.  Here is something you may not know.  The American League is ahead 64-48 in the World Series that began in 1903. The American League has won the Fall Classic 16 more times than the National League, thanks to a team in the AL who has won the most titles.  They won 27 times.  The New York Yankees.  Whooooooooah!

It’s Back to School – How Some of Our Most Acknowledged Universities Got Their Name – Who were the true visionaries who would donate half of their estate to sculpting the minds of the future. These stories are monuments to history and culture. Let’s take a stroll through academia’s memory lane and uncover the origins of these storied university names!

  1. Ah, Harvard! The Ivy League giant was once a small college in the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlement called New Towne. But where did “Harvard” come from? Enter John Harvard, a clergyman who, in 1638, decided to bequeath half his estate and his library (a whopping 400 books!) to the fledgling college. Grateful for this generous gift, they promptly named the institution after him.
  2. A gem of New Haven, Connecticut, Yale is another Ivy League powerhouse known for its prestigious law and drama schools. It owes its name to Elihu Yale, a wealthy merchant who, in 1718, donated a modest shipment of goods (including portraits, books, and textiles) to a struggling collegiate school. Those goods were auctioned off, raising a much-needed £562 –a small fortune at the time.
  3. Dartmouth is renowned for its beautiful rural setting, nestled in the picturesque town of Hanover, New Hampshire. It was named after the Earl of Dartmouth, William Legge, a British nobleman who supported the college’s founding –despite never actually setting foot in America!
  4. Brown, this Rhode Island Ivy University, known for its open curriculum and emphasis on student choice, was founded with a mouthful of a name – the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed in 1704 for Nicholas Brown, Jr., a prominent merchant whose family donated generously to the school.
  5. Perched atop a hill overlooking Ithaca, New York, Cornell is celebrated for its diverse academic programs and its stunning natural surroundings. Founded by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, this university was unique for its commitment to practical education, allowing students the freedom to choose their own course of study. It was a revolutionary notion at the time, which would guide a curricular reform across the country.
  6. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and its close ties to the tech industry. But this California powerhouse has a touching origin story. Leland Stanford, Jr., the founder’s son, tragically died young from typhoid fever. His father Leland Sr., railroad magnate and former state governor, and his mother Jane, founded the university in his memory, ensuring his legacy lived on through the pursuit of knowledge.
  7. This North Carolina research giant, known for its strong medical and law schools, underwent a bit of a name change in its history. Originally called Trinity College, it was renamed Duke University in 1924 after James Buchanan Duke, a tobacco and electric power industrialist who founded the American Tobacco Company. He established The Duke Endowment, to which he donated throughout his life and left half his estate after his death.
  8. Nestled in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt is a renowned research university with a vibrant campus life. It owes its name to “The Commodore,” Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate, who provided the initial gift to establish the university.
  9. Texas businessman William Marsh Rice provided the initial funding for this Houston university, but did not live to see its opening. He was murdered by his valet as he slept, in a plot to forge the man’s will. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Rice University flourished through the years, becoming an institution known for its strong engineering and science programs.
  10. Who was Harvard named after? Origin of university names