Ready to fly away from your cubicle yet? Ron Darner, a longtime CR4er who serves as the newsletter editor for Chapter 320 (Watertown, Wisconsin) of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), has offered to take us on another virtual aerospace tour. So fasten your seatbelts, folks.
10 Great Racetracks as Seen From Space
From Wired Top Stories:
Racetracks pretty much look the same from the grandstands or on television — a vast expanse of asphalt on which drivers do battle. Seen from space, though, you can appreciate their form and the skill it requires to drive them at the limit. Here are
Choice Magazine Reviews The Tangled Bank: “Highly Recommended” | The Loom
I’m thrilled that the evolutionary biologist Brian K. Hall has such great things to say about The Tangled Bank in a review for Choice, the leading review journal for academic librarians (subscriber link):
Those familiar with the books, newspaper and journal columns, and commentaries by Zimmer (e.g., Microcosm, CH, Sep’08, 46-0275; Soul Made Flesh, CH, Dec’04, 42-2220) will be delighted that he has turned his considerable writing skills to creating an accessible and superbly illustrated introduction to biological evolution. The best books on evolution are those that synthesize the processes of evolution (natural selection, mutation, the origin of variation, the role of development) with the patterns of evolution (the fossil record, phylogenetic trees, changes within and between species) and introduce readers to the major players and how they study evolution. Zimmer describes all these processes and patterns of evolution admirably, using his flair with language and substantial knowledge of biology–the latter aided by four scientific advisers, who have advised him well. Zimmer has a gift for finding just the right example to fascinate the reader, encouraging him or her to want to read on and learn more. The book is astoundingly well illustrated; it could serve as a coffee-table book as well as an up-to-date introduction to the changing ways in which evolution has been and is being studied. The inclusion of selected readings allows entry into the primary literature. A book to both browse and read in depth. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. — B. K. Hall, emeritus, Dalhousie University
Jupiter in 3D | Bad Astronomy
I love anaglyphs (3D pictures) and I love astronomy animations and I love Jupiter, so how much do you think I love this anaglyph animation of Jupiter?
[Note: the embedded version here shows it as two separate animations. Go to the YouTube page and you'll see a 3D label at the bottom of the player. Click that, and you can set the animation to be red/green or lots of other options. Currently, I can't seem to embed the video that way, so again I urge you to go to the YouTube page.]
This is from Chris Owen, an amateur astronomer equipped with a 25 cm (10″) Newtonian ’scope (the same kind I had for about 20 years!). The animation shows Jupiter over the course of about 2.5 hours, with one exposure taken every five minutes. You can also watch Europa and Io, two of Jupiter’s big moons, orbiting the planet as well. He created the animation straight, then converted it to 3D. You can see the original on his DeviantArt page — that’s a 3 Mb image, which is why I didn’t embed it, but click it to see because it’s cool.
I like the 3D version; you really get a sense that Jupiter is a ball, and it’s nifty to be able to see the two moons as being farther away than the planet itself, proven positively by seeing Europa physically go behind Jupiter as it orbits. Note too that these observations were made last year, before the Southern Equatorial Belt disappeared.
While these animations are a bit of fun, I suspect they will actually give people more of a sense that these objects aren’t just points of light in the sky, but worlds. I’m a fan of things that give people a deeper connection to the Universe, so I really like these anaglyphs!
Driver Education UK Style
This is just a way of picking your brains, I am about to venture into Driver Education,(again)
Have you any novel ideas
Please tell me what you found useful or not
1 To train/guide people in the learning process
2 Enable them to pick up spatial awareness skills.
Electrical Engineering Student Project Ideas
I need some ideas to do a mini-project
The Achilles' Heel of Your Computer
From Technology Review RSS Feeds:
Computers often need to be connected to printers, cameras, and USB flash drives and other hardware, but the small pieces of software that enable communications with these peripherals, known as "device drivers," have a bad reputation. Experts believ
Slow Start
What the term slow start in electrical studies? Anybody have an idea?
Two Big endorsements from the Republican Liberty Caucus – Nevada and Oklahoma
From Eric Dondero:
The Republican Liberty Caucus met in conference call Monday night and resolved to officially endorse two high profile Republican candidates: Sharron Angle for US Senate in Nevada and Randy Brogdon for Oklahoma Governor.
Interestingly, the RLC had backed Angle in 2008 in a failed primary run for Congress against now-Congressman Dean Heller. (She lost by a very slim margin.)
RLC National Committeeman Aaron Bitterman comments:
Voters interested in supporting a candidate who will work to reduce the size of government should enthusiastically support Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate in Nevada.
The bonus is that electing Angle will rid our country of Majority Leader Harry Reid.
On Brogdon, Bitterman had this to say:
Brogdon is in a tough election with Congresswoman Mary Fallin, the establishment favorite, to win the Republican primary taking place July 27.
As a State Senator, Randy Brogdon proposed or passed …
• The Healthcare Freedom of Choice Act
• The Real ID Opt-out Bill
• The Freedom Firearm Act
• The Tenth Amendment ResolutionBrogdon was also the lead sponsor of the Stop OverSpending Initiative (TABOR) and was instrumental in supporting an initiative to protect private property rights in response to Kelo v. New London.
It should also be noted that Brogdon has had a longstanding friendship with the Republican Liberty Caucus. He's affiliated with Howie Rich's Americans for Limited Government. He's also been a guest speaker and attendee on a number of occasions at Oklahoma Libertarian Party meetings.
IMPORTANT!
From the Editor: We will have a very special announcement regarding Sharron Angle on Thursday morning. You will not want to miss this.
Battery Rating
What does a 180 amp-hour battery means does it supply 180 amp continuously for an hour? If yes what happens if more load is connected?
FAA Floats a Break to Flying Car
From CNET News.com:
This 4th of July weekend, you might, either at its beginning or its end, find yourself wishing your car could fly. Thanks to a new FAA decision, this wish might seem slightly less Peter Pan and slightly more Peter Perfect. It seems that the soaring minds
Another stupid Muslim Terrorist Story
Unfortunately with Deadly Consequences
From Cliff Thies:
The headline of the London Daily Mail reads "Innocent couple died 'after wrong house was fire-bombed in bungled honour killing'."
An innocent couple died in a house fire at the hands of assailants who got the wrong address in a botched honour killing, a court heard today.
Abdullah Mohammed, 41, and his wife, Aysha Mohammed, 39, were overcome by smoke and fumes after an accelerant was poured through their letterbox and set alight.
Their killers were ordered by another man to avenge his family's honour but instead of firebombing 135 London Road in Blackburn, Lancashire, they started the blaze at 175 London Road, the court heard.
Opening the case at Preston Crown Court, Brian Cummings QC said: 'The prosecution allege that Sadik Miah, Mohammed Miah (no relation) and Habib Iqbal were directly responsible for starting the fire that night
'The prosecution say, on behalf of his family, Hisamuddin Ibrahim wanted to kill a man by the name of Mo Ibrahim (no relation) to punish him for damaging the family's honour for having an affair with his married sister, Hafija Gordi.'
Just another stupid Muslim terrorist story? No! More like another story of creeping Sharia Law.
Abdullah Mohammed, 41, and his wife, Aysha Mohammed, 39, who were murdered in a botched 'honour killing,' were indeed an 'innocent couple,' as the headline puts it. Ditto their minor children who, thankfully, survived. But so were the persons the murderers intended to kill. In Great Britain, as in our country, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Even then, the punishment is to fit the crime. Guilt is not to be determined by any Sadik, Mohammed, Habib or Hisamuddin, with punishment determined by primitive tribal standards masquerading as a religion, and executed by hired assassins. It's bad enough that immigrants don't respect the rule of law. But, for the editors of a great newspapers to accept that the intended victims might not be innocent is much worse.
Photo of London row houses not actual site of fire.
In Defense of Virtual Satellites
DARPA plans to harness clusters of less expensive, smaller modules that are wirelessly connected in space, without sacrificing military effectiveness. The agency seeks a third party partner to develop a payload spacecraft module to test the F6 concept on-orbit. Just how feasible is this project?
Th
Check Your Sustainability Score
A recent ASME survey revealed a sharp divide in how engineers view "sustainable manufacturing." Some see sustainability as a buzzword rather than a valid business mindset. Others see great value in changing practices to use fewer non-renewable resources and changing their company attitude toward con
Sexy Russian Spy busted!
From Cliff Thies:
With all the bad news in the world, the wars, the depression, the oil spill, finally, some good news: hot Russian spy babes are back! The headline read "sexy Russian spy busted!" And is she ever! And those eyes. If the North Vietnamese could break John McCain, could anybody blame me if she forced me, with those eyes, to tell her everything???
More photos at the NY Post
Photo hat tip Humble Libertarian
Earthing Without Salt, Cu, Coal
Can any scholar tell me how could someone earth without copper, coal, salt its a question asked by my friend.
What, If Anything, Is Big Bird? | The Loom
Zoologist Mike Dickison throws his hat into the dinosaur comedy ring (yes, dinosaur):
[Hat tip to the brother in Jersey]
AC With 125kva DG
How many 2 ton AC does a 125kva gen. Set can power?
VFD and Motor Power Calculation
We have an Induction motor (7 KW, 400 V, 50 Hz, Delta, 15.5 A, P.F 0.75, 1465 RPM ) driving a conveyor belt. Motor is connected to the VFD ( ACS-800-01-0016-3, 8.1 KW, 3 X 400 VAC, 12 A, 50 Hz). Some values taken from the LCD of VFD at different times at different load
Power (in Percentage) Cu
Nukes to Stop Oil Leak?
I made a post earlier regarding melting the leak closed. Apparently it's being seriously considered, using, what I'm assuming is a controlled nuclear reaction, as opposed to a bomb. I heard on the radio yesterday that this idea came from the Russians, who supposedly used this technique successfully