Engineering a Leprechaun Trap

Digital Clock

Global Warming Strikes Again !!

Damn that global warming... Another 18" of snow today at our house. And that was only at noon. It's supposed to snow for the next 3 days.

As you can see from the picture, it sure is nice to have a neighbor that works in outdoor plumbing!!


My ancient 15 year old snow blower looked down the driveway and said "Just turn me off now, there is no way I'm doing that".

Anyway, if you are enjoying weather above -2 degrees today, give thanks.

Rocketry Fun

Model Rocketry has always been a kind-of tinkering think for me. I enjoy taking the boys out and launching some rockets and watching them return and parachute.

Occasionally you come across something on the vast inner space of the web that kinda awes you. And this one did. You absolutely, positively have to check out the rocket that these guys built.

Check the original out here.

Then, have some fun and see "What REALLY happened to the X-Wing fighter."

Ah, creativity... I just cannot get enough of it. Classic.

Scappacci Moon Shot - Video & Photographic Strategy

Scarpacci video and still photo strategy hinges on development of one of the lightweight and versatile colonoscopy cameras being publicized by a well known Bio lab. This line of cameras has been chosen because it is believed certain models can withstand the rigors of the Moon atmosphere. The lab is developing a set of legs that could be incorporated into the camera package. Moon mission pilots would carry the camera for deployment on the Lunar surface. It is hoped that the camera could be brought back to Terra Firma and cleaned up so it could be returned and get our money back.

In its current role, the capsule camera snaps thousands of pictures and a video stream as it makes its way slowly through the narrow tract, carried by the wave-like peristaltic motion that moves all contents through the intestines.

In the Moon mission scheme, the capsule could deploy three legs, creating a tripod that could stop the capsule's movement along its travels, giving observers a chance to take a closer look at something.

Polymer pads on the leg tips, mimicking the adhesive foot pads of the cockroach, would stick to the Moon rocks and the unit could scurry like a real roach when necessary. The adhesive foot pads require very little pressure, yet enable the beetle-like device to withstand forces of more than 200 times its body weight.

Scarpacci Team Moon Shot - Com Package

Communications from the command vehicle back to Earth will be via the Scarpacci Altoid box DC40 transceiver. This lightweight marvel of electronics has proven itself on the Ham Radio 40 meter band using CW (morse code) transmission. Higher frequency communications using a 5.8 gigahertz portable phone may be tried in an experiment while in Moon orbit. It is believed that cell phone reception could work, but the FAA prohibits use of cell phones while in the air. Pilots in the command vehicle probably won't be able to converse normally due to the thin air, so they are taking classes in sign language prior to launch.

Scarpacci Team Moon Shot Strategy

Scapacci Team's launch vehicle will be built around a 1967 Beechcraft bonanza. After achieving 16,000 feet altitude using the Continental six cylinder opposed air-cooled engine for the tropospheric climb, Jato rockets will propel the Bonanza 240,000 miles to a comfortable orbit altitude around the lunar sphere. At the anticipated velocity of 168 miles per hour, the mission up and back is scheduled to take at least four months. If, when achieving the quarter of a million miles altitude, the moon has orbited around to the other side of the Earth, the Scarpacci Bonanza will fly in a holding pattern until the moon comes back around. Pilots will probably play Euchre and drink coffee until the moon reappears. This time conundrum may require the pilots to take extra time off work, or cook up some excuse to give their wives. Gas is not expected to be a problem since it's now under $2.70 per gallon.

Scarpacci Team Plans Moon Shot

Well, there are a couple of ways the Moon can be conquered. Yes, NASA did it, but the bill was sky high. Google founders are trying to coax private individuals to come out of the dusty computer shadows and go for a launch.

Google to Finance Moon Challenge Contest

LOS ANGELES - Google Inc. is bankrolling a $30 million contest that could significantly boost the commercial space industry and spur the first non-governmental flight to the moon. Call it Moon 2.0. The bulk of the prize will go to the first private company that can land a robotic rover on the moon and beam back a gigabyte of images and video to Earth.

The Google Lunar X Prize joins another prize already dangling in front of potential competitors: $50 million that hotel magnate Robert Bigelow is offering the first private American team to rocket a manned craft into orbit by 2010. The race to the moon won't be easy or cheap. But whoever fills the requirements in the Google contest by the end of 2012 gets $20 million. The winning spacecraft must be tough enough to survive a landing and be equipped with high-definition video and still cameras. And it must be smart enough to trek at least 1,312 feet on the moon and send self-portraits, panoramic views and near-real-time videos back to Earth that will be streamed on Google's Web site.

Global Warming

After my co-host has stepped up the thinking on global warming, I happened to do a bit of reading on the subject and found that what the public reads about global warming is very different that what is submitted for review.

Read this whole article before responding.

Headline: Rewriting The ScienceNASA's top scientist studying climate change says the Bush administration is restricting what he can say about global warming. Scott Pelley reports.

Interesting Stuff. More interesting video.

Scientific (well ordered) Solutions for Poverty

If an effective solution to each known problem were detailed, documented, lined up, catalogued, cross-referenced, and database searchable, then some new problems could be solved by using "known solutions". If metrics and variables were directly assignable, solutions to well-defined problems would be easy.

But, the anatomy of most social problems (including poverty) defies scientific reproducibility. There's no "if A then B" chart. Why does every poverty case seem to demand a uniquely tailored solution? It's because no one in America has the leadership moxy to get the job done. Remember, leadership is a three-legged stool. One missing leg, and the best balancing act falls flat when the acrobat gets tired. Effective leadership demands courage, vision, and a foot on the accelerator. Unfortunately, in a democracy, no one person can reach the pedal alone. Lack of cooperation between Legislature and Executive is a deal breaker. Fortunately, there is an answer. Watch for upcoming messages.

Video Conferencing

Gosh, what a concept.

Engineering starts young.

I found this methodology that someone developed as a child and has used it throughout his career to be quite interesting. I thought it was worth posting.

His methodology was developed for building Lego ships. (His favorite models to build.) He used it throughout his career and eventually sold his product to Macromedia later to become their flagship "Flash" product that is used by millions of computers around the world today.

1. Choose a problem: Build a LEGO ship.
2. Develop a vision: What sort of ship will it be? How big will it be? What will it carry?
3. Build: Build the framework of the ship.
4. Fill in the details: Design and build the details of the ship, ramps, doors, etc.
5. Test: Drive the cars around the ship and sail the ship while exploring the house.
6. Refine: Take parts of the ship apart and make them better.
   
7. Learn: Take what you learned from building this ship and use it to build a better one next time.

You can read the article (and who developed this method) here. It's a great story.

New Column - Why didn't I think of that.

This guy has a web page with 1,000,000 available pixels on it. (Basically just balnk space)

He sold the space for $1 per pixel to advertise in your little pixel space. and the results are:

1. A mix between Andy Warhol, somebody throwing up, and a monet water color.
2. Useless for advertising, but that wasn't the point.
3. $1,000,000 for the guy who started it.

Priceless. Click here to visit the million dollar home page.

Things to watch for

Happy Monday to everyone.

 

I enjoy attempting to predict what kinds of new technology will evolve into something big.  I predicted Linux would cut a small chunk out of Microsoft, and it did a little, but not as much as I thought.  So that one will go down as a wash.

 

My next “thing to watch” is the minix3 operating system.  Read about it here.