Boeing is starting a program next month to encourage exercise - you sign up, get a free pedometer, set yourself a goal, and enter your steps taken into a tracking database. If you meet your goal, you get a t-shirt and are entered into a prize drawing. Not bad for six weeks self-tracking.
Well, I got my pedometer last night. I really had no idea how many steps I take in a day, but it is looking like the system-generated goal of 5,000 steps per day will be very easy - I'm already at 2,837, and based on my walk into work my walk out will add anther 1,900 or so.
So should I up the target? The next level is 10,000 steps per day.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tesla: The Prototype Mad Genius Scientist
A contemporary, sometime employee, and frequent competitor with Edison, Tesla gets very little time in the history books today.
Considering his wide-ranging inventions (and, equally importantly, large-scale development) in induction motors, power transformation and trasmission, flourescent bulbs, and his numerous theories and attempts in the field of electricity, this is somewhat surprising to me.
Modern society runs on Tesla's inventions far more than Edison's. Flourescent lighting has largely replaced incandescent bulbs in industrial use, and is rapidly taking over the residential market. AC power transmission is the world-wide standard. Induction motors are all but universal. We're even beginning to re-examine some of Tesla's theoretical studies and claimed inventions and find that he was ahead of his time.
Perhaps most importantly to me, Tesla wasn't content to invent things and patent them, he spent a lot of effort nursing them to maturity. Many of his ideas never made it that far, and some sound freakish enough that they may never, but isn't that the mark of genius? To push the limits, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing?
That he was somewhat less than fully sane seems also well documented; certainly he had more quirks than most people do. His sanity seems to have been generally functional however, and one can only wonder how much more he might have accomplished had he not been limited by it.
A few weeks ago I ran across a steampunk-esque sci-fi/fantasy book that's coming out soon that is set in Tesla's era, and where some of his more controversial inventions are mature technology. Last night I saw a program on the History Channel about him.
Perhaps the father of the modern electrical world is finally coming out of the shadows - and who knows where that will lead?
Considering his wide-ranging inventions (and, equally importantly, large-scale development) in induction motors, power transformation and trasmission, flourescent bulbs, and his numerous theories and attempts in the field of electricity, this is somewhat surprising to me.
Modern society runs on Tesla's inventions far more than Edison's. Flourescent lighting has largely replaced incandescent bulbs in industrial use, and is rapidly taking over the residential market. AC power transmission is the world-wide standard. Induction motors are all but universal. We're even beginning to re-examine some of Tesla's theoretical studies and claimed inventions and find that he was ahead of his time.
Perhaps most importantly to me, Tesla wasn't content to invent things and patent them, he spent a lot of effort nursing them to maturity. Many of his ideas never made it that far, and some sound freakish enough that they may never, but isn't that the mark of genius? To push the limits, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing?
That he was somewhat less than fully sane seems also well documented; certainly he had more quirks than most people do. His sanity seems to have been generally functional however, and one can only wonder how much more he might have accomplished had he not been limited by it.
A few weeks ago I ran across a steampunk-esque sci-fi/fantasy book that's coming out soon that is set in Tesla's era, and where some of his more controversial inventions are mature technology. Last night I saw a program on the History Channel about him.
Perhaps the father of the modern electrical world is finally coming out of the shadows - and who knows where that will lead?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Robin Hood: Men Not In Tights
Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!
Saturday I want to see the 2010 version of Robin Hood (Russell Crowe, etc.). This is the fifth version of the Robin Hood legend I've seen as a movie. In order, my favorites (and who played Robin Hood in each) are:
#1 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Errol Flynn)
#2 Robin Hood (2010) (Russell Crowe)
#3 Robin Hood (1973) (Brian Bedford - Voice; Disney Animated)
#4 Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) (Cary Elwes)
#5 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) (Kevin Costner)
While the new movie gets 2nd overall, I think Russell Crowe is a dead heat with Errol Flynn for best Robin (Hood/Locksely/Longstride...). They play somewhat different takes on the role, naturally.
Russell Crowe isn't your typical Robin Hood. The movie has chosen to blend portions of the original legend, the "standard" legend as seen in several of the above movies, historical events, and their own brainstorms to create a new story. The result is a satisfying and worthwhile movie which is clearly positioning itself for a sequel.
Robin Longstride (Crowe) is an archer in Richard Lionheart's army, fighting its way home from the crusades. When Richard is killed in a siege, Robin and three of his fellows (including Little John and Will Scarlet) decide there's no point hanging around and split off to make their own way home. Along the way accident causes them in come upon a group of Frenchmen who have ambushed a party led by Sir Robert Loxley, who was bringing Richard's crown back to England. Robin sees an opportunity: take the dead men's equipment and use the crown as their passport back to England. Robin pretends to be Sir Robert, but clearly has no interest in the crown or his assumed title beyond its ability to get him a ship home.
After delivering the crown and seeing Prince John crowned as the new king, Robin, somewhat on a whim, decides to head in the direction of Sherwood, where Sir Robert came from. As he travels he eventually decides to return Sir Robert's sword to his father (the knight's dying wish), and his companions decide this suits them as well as anything else might.
And now The Plot intervenes. The Loxley's (including Sir Robert's wife... err, widow Marion) will loose their lands if Sir Robert's father Sir Walter dies without an heir. Sir Walter thus asks Robin (whose history is known to him) to play the part of Sir Robert for a time.
What is Robin's history? His father wrote what looks suspiciously like an early draft of the Magna Carta. No, I'm not kidding. He got executed for that and related actions (no real shock there). Sir Walter appears to have been one of his followers/comrades.
Marion is at first rather understandably upset, but slowly comes around as Robin takes some actions on behalf of the local peasants (including stealing some grain from the church with the assistance of Friar Tuck).
Meanwhile, King Phillip of France has suborned one of King John's trusted knights, Sir Godfrey. Godfrey persuades John to let him raise money from the barons by force, and then commits atrocities to turn the barons against John, thus weakening England in advance of a french invasion. Naturally they wind up raiding Nottingham and get clobbered in the process by Robin's forces. King John, aided by Sir William Marshal, persuade the barons to support him against the invaders by agreeing to sign a Magna Carta-esque document once the crisis is over. All the English come together (yes, including Marion - it is Hollywood, after all) and fight off Phillip's invasion in a climactic battle.
If they'd been trying for a stand-alone movie they'd probably have ended it there. But one more twist: John, upset by the potential loss of his royal power, goes back on his promise and warns the barons they are lucky to keep their lives. Robin Longstride is declared an outlaw and sentenced to death. Robin, however, has already slipped off to Sherwood Forest with Marion and his friends.
What makes this movie stand out is the complexity. John isn't a black-and-white character, nor is Robin. No one in the entire movie can match the virtue of Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. The various story arcs mesh nicely together with the character development to turn in a movie which is about much more than fancy archery and banditry in the woods (though both are present).
I look forward to the next installment in this new franchise.
Saturday I want to see the 2010 version of Robin Hood (Russell Crowe, etc.). This is the fifth version of the Robin Hood legend I've seen as a movie. In order, my favorites (and who played Robin Hood in each) are:
#1 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Errol Flynn)
#2 Robin Hood (2010) (Russell Crowe)
#3 Robin Hood (1973) (Brian Bedford - Voice; Disney Animated)
#4 Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) (Cary Elwes)
#5 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) (Kevin Costner)
While the new movie gets 2nd overall, I think Russell Crowe is a dead heat with Errol Flynn for best Robin (Hood/Locksely/Longstride...). They play somewhat different takes on the role, naturally.
Russell Crowe isn't your typical Robin Hood. The movie has chosen to blend portions of the original legend, the "standard" legend as seen in several of the above movies, historical events, and their own brainstorms to create a new story. The result is a satisfying and worthwhile movie which is clearly positioning itself for a sequel.
Robin Longstride (Crowe) is an archer in Richard Lionheart's army, fighting its way home from the crusades. When Richard is killed in a siege, Robin and three of his fellows (including Little John and Will Scarlet) decide there's no point hanging around and split off to make their own way home. Along the way accident causes them in come upon a group of Frenchmen who have ambushed a party led by Sir Robert Loxley, who was bringing Richard's crown back to England. Robin sees an opportunity: take the dead men's equipment and use the crown as their passport back to England. Robin pretends to be Sir Robert, but clearly has no interest in the crown or his assumed title beyond its ability to get him a ship home.
After delivering the crown and seeing Prince John crowned as the new king, Robin, somewhat on a whim, decides to head in the direction of Sherwood, where Sir Robert came from. As he travels he eventually decides to return Sir Robert's sword to his father (the knight's dying wish), and his companions decide this suits them as well as anything else might.
And now The Plot intervenes. The Loxley's (including Sir Robert's wife... err, widow Marion) will loose their lands if Sir Robert's father Sir Walter dies without an heir. Sir Walter thus asks Robin (whose history is known to him) to play the part of Sir Robert for a time.
What is Robin's history? His father wrote what looks suspiciously like an early draft of the Magna Carta. No, I'm not kidding. He got executed for that and related actions (no real shock there). Sir Walter appears to have been one of his followers/comrades.
Marion is at first rather understandably upset, but slowly comes around as Robin takes some actions on behalf of the local peasants (including stealing some grain from the church with the assistance of Friar Tuck).
Meanwhile, King Phillip of France has suborned one of King John's trusted knights, Sir Godfrey. Godfrey persuades John to let him raise money from the barons by force, and then commits atrocities to turn the barons against John, thus weakening England in advance of a french invasion. Naturally they wind up raiding Nottingham and get clobbered in the process by Robin's forces. King John, aided by Sir William Marshal, persuade the barons to support him against the invaders by agreeing to sign a Magna Carta-esque document once the crisis is over. All the English come together (yes, including Marion - it is Hollywood, after all) and fight off Phillip's invasion in a climactic battle.
If they'd been trying for a stand-alone movie they'd probably have ended it there. But one more twist: John, upset by the potential loss of his royal power, goes back on his promise and warns the barons they are lucky to keep their lives. Robin Longstride is declared an outlaw and sentenced to death. Robin, however, has already slipped off to Sherwood Forest with Marion and his friends.
What makes this movie stand out is the complexity. John isn't a black-and-white character, nor is Robin. No one in the entire movie can match the virtue of Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. The various story arcs mesh nicely together with the character development to turn in a movie which is about much more than fancy archery and banditry in the woods (though both are present).
I look forward to the next installment in this new franchise.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Hrm
A study has found a link between difficulty sleeping and evening use of brightly lit devices... such as computers.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/13/sleep.gadgets.ipad/index.html?hpt=Sbin
I often have trouble getting to sleep, and often go straight from using the computer - a last check of email or game playing - to bed.
Coincidence or causation?
Of course, around here "day" varies from roughly eight to sixteen hours of sunlight (from deep winter to full summer), which probably doesn't help either. Sometimes I'm getting home not long before dark and sleeping through the entire period of darkness would be rather impractical. Going without light for the balance of that period would be equally so. In the summer, I'm going to spend at least some time trying to sleep when it is still daylight outside.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/13/sleep.gadgets.ipad/index.html?hpt=Sbin
I often have trouble getting to sleep, and often go straight from using the computer - a last check of email or game playing - to bed.
Coincidence or causation?
Of course, around here "day" varies from roughly eight to sixteen hours of sunlight (from deep winter to full summer), which probably doesn't help either. Sometimes I'm getting home not long before dark and sleeping through the entire period of darkness would be rather impractical. Going without light for the balance of that period would be equally so. In the summer, I'm going to spend at least some time trying to sleep when it is still daylight outside.
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Ultimate Geek Tool
...is getting surprisingly cheap.
I am referring to a 3D Printer; perfect for trying out ideas, making small parts, etc.
A company is now offering a desktop size 3D printer for under $5,000.
http://www.desktopfactory.com/our_product/
In addition one group is working on an open-source project to produce a 3D printer capable of self-replication. Another is working on an open-source project for a syringe based system that would do some of the things a true 3D printer can do. As a bonus, the later is food safe.
The appeal of making things is one of the major reasons I became an engineer. Shaping raw material is something I greatly enjoy, be it with a five-axis CNC milling machine or a hand die. A fine-resolution 3D printer that can print multiple materials into durable parts is more or less the Holy Grail. Such things do exist, but the price tag puts them out of reasonable household use.
But... $5,000 is getting there.
Don't like the poses of the model soldiers available, or perhaps the quantities in a box aren't quite what you need for your army? Make your own reinforcements.
Need your own specialty clip? Draw it up in CAD and print it out.
Arrowheads, ink stamps, drawing templates, gaming miniatures...
I am referring to a 3D Printer; perfect for trying out ideas, making small parts, etc.
A company is now offering a desktop size 3D printer for under $5,000.
http://www.desktopfactory.com/our_product/
In addition one group is working on an open-source project to produce a 3D printer capable of self-replication. Another is working on an open-source project for a syringe based system that would do some of the things a true 3D printer can do. As a bonus, the later is food safe.
The appeal of making things is one of the major reasons I became an engineer. Shaping raw material is something I greatly enjoy, be it with a five-axis CNC milling machine or a hand die. A fine-resolution 3D printer that can print multiple materials into durable parts is more or less the Holy Grail. Such things do exist, but the price tag puts them out of reasonable household use.
But... $5,000 is getting there.
Don't like the poses of the model soldiers available, or perhaps the quantities in a box aren't quite what you need for your army? Make your own reinforcements.
Need your own specialty clip? Draw it up in CAD and print it out.
Arrowheads, ink stamps, drawing templates, gaming miniatures...
From the Frontlines: Boar's Hunt
Saturday was Boar's Hunt. While SCA autocrats have a less than stellar reputation for publishing event information prior to the event, this year's hit a new low. The major attractions (the midieval village and the tavern night) got little or no publicity, and the schedule wasn't put up until the morning of the event, by which time most people were already on site or had decided not to go!
Neither the rapier marshal nor the rapier champion were contacted to set up rapier.
Still, the weather was nice, the village was interesting, the tavern was fun, and the three rapier fighters that showed up and geared up (myself included) had a good time.
Mostly, however, I'm going to talk about making money.
One of the demos at the village was Master Raymond of the Moneyer's Guild. A quick demo became an extended demo as I asked more questions and asked to try my hand at more and more steps, and finally he let me do about a third of the work (by my estimate) of making a little over 100 pewter coins (above) each about the size of a dime, from scratch. He'd already melted the pewter, formed it into sheets, and made the dies, but I helped roll it down, cut out all the blanks, and struck or helped strike (we did two-person striking for most of them) all the coins. In the process I learned a great deal about how period coins were made (not just the methed we used, either), and thus why they look the way they do. Being generous, he awarded me the coins I'd struck. Being dutiful to my sworn fuedal lords, I paid a small tax to the Baron and Baroness. :-)
The most common period coining techniques involved a LOT of handwork, and the process of striking in particular is prone to human error. This is why a lot of period coins have their images off-center, and aren't perfectly round. This is not, as I've often thought, due to their being old and worn or damaged. Many of the coins I struck (especially early on) were only partially struck or had their images off center, just like the coins you'll see in museums. I even produced a double-strike or two. Without perfectly round coins with defined edges the temptation to shave coins for extra money becomes very high, which is why payments were often made by weight (and you don't want to know what they did to people caught shaving).
It was a great deal of fun, and I look forward to doing more moneying in the future past. :-)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
New sidearm
Saturday I bought a slightly used Smith & Wesson Military & Police 40 pistol (full size, 15 round, no external safety). Last night I took it (and various other firearms) to the range to try it out (along with other folks some of whom brought their own ordnance).
I really, really, like the S&W M&P 40. :-)
To start off, I think I got fairly lucky - I found a near-new weapon still with the original box, manual, proof cartridge, extra modular grips, and four magazines for rather less than I'd been prepared to pay for just a used weapon and the standard two magazines.
The S&W M&P 40 has a lot of features I like, which led to my deciding on that particular sidearm. I'm really happy about the reversable magazine catch, which means that I no longer suffer from a penalty for being left handed. The weapon feels good in my hand, and my shot placement, while not as good as the S&W 686, is still much better than I usually do with 9mm, much less large bore cartridges. I also like that field stripping the weapon does NOT require you to pull the trigger, nor does a basic strip require any tools. S&W were quite clever - they managed to include a tool with the weapon. The grips are held on with a rod in the magazine well, which is designed to be removed and used as a tool for field-stripping; nice engineering, which I always appreciate. :-)
I put about 80 rounds through it last night, and it felt quite comfortable throughout. No feed problems (despite new mags, etc.), no failure to fire, no glitches at all. Quite nice, especially since there was at least a minor glitch with every other firearm on the line that night (even, I'm ashamed to admit, my AR-15 - a sticky magazine)!
In related news, I used my new double-barrel shotgun (a replica Colt Model 1878 Coach Gun) to fire two rounds of buckshot simultaneously - that was fun. :-) No one else tried the two-shots-at-once feature, though generally people liked the weapon.
I really, really, like the S&W M&P 40. :-)
To start off, I think I got fairly lucky - I found a near-new weapon still with the original box, manual, proof cartridge, extra modular grips, and four magazines for rather less than I'd been prepared to pay for just a used weapon and the standard two magazines.
The S&W M&P 40 has a lot of features I like, which led to my deciding on that particular sidearm. I'm really happy about the reversable magazine catch, which means that I no longer suffer from a penalty for being left handed. The weapon feels good in my hand, and my shot placement, while not as good as the S&W 686, is still much better than I usually do with 9mm, much less large bore cartridges. I also like that field stripping the weapon does NOT require you to pull the trigger, nor does a basic strip require any tools. S&W were quite clever - they managed to include a tool with the weapon. The grips are held on with a rod in the magazine well, which is designed to be removed and used as a tool for field-stripping; nice engineering, which I always appreciate. :-)
I put about 80 rounds through it last night, and it felt quite comfortable throughout. No feed problems (despite new mags, etc.), no failure to fire, no glitches at all. Quite nice, especially since there was at least a minor glitch with every other firearm on the line that night (even, I'm ashamed to admit, my AR-15 - a sticky magazine)!
In related news, I used my new double-barrel shotgun (a replica Colt Model 1878 Coach Gun) to fire two rounds of buckshot simultaneously - that was fun. :-) No one else tried the two-shots-at-once feature, though generally people liked the weapon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
