Aerodynamics of a Flying Disk or Flying Sphere
May 31, 2007
Aerodynamics of a flying sphere. It has been said that in the future we maybe flying around anti-gravity type spheres, but this does not mean it will not have to deal with relative wind in our own atmosphere. So what are the aerodynamics associated with sphere? Well believe it or not we can borrow much information from sports. Think of a baseball flying out of the field and into the stands signifying a Home Run or even a Grand Slam.
Can a flying sphere turn, like a curve ball in baseball? You bet it can with or without the anti-gravity control mechanism. Spin will determine much of this. Like a helicopter lateral control and anti-spinning devise to prevent the vehicle turning due to relative wind and uneven weight distribution, The sphere must have a proper center of gravity which makes things such as fuel difficult. The fuel used must be in the center of the sphere and it must be in a container, which shrinks as the fuel is used in exact proportion of the volume expended. Otherwise you will get the curve ball effect.
http://wings.avkids.com/Book/Sports/advanced/curveball-01.html
Aerospace Design Thoughts, The Bionic Man, and The Future of Design
May 30, 2007
Not all aircraft have wings, for instance NASA’s Steve Austin Bionic Man series style lifting bodies. Introduction to this thought process can be provided by a quick view of this site;
http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/History/Publications/LiftingBodies/source.html
On a planet such as Mars where the winds are extremely high such as 200 knots but the atmosphere is not very dense you would not need wings. This web site is interesting and worth reading;
http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/History/Publications/LiftingBodies/contents.html
Once you reach a certain speed are you really flying in air or did the shock wave move all the air away and you are now riding the wave itself?
http://aerodyn.org/Wings/waverider.html
Energy Aware and Waste Wise
May 30, 2007
Constantly bombarded with negative information about the environment, finances and natural resources? Feeling overwhelmed? Each and every one of us can do something to help our world - starting right where we are, right now. Though not everyone can afford to donate cash or time to a cause, there are endless tactics that will decrease an individual’s contribution to the landfill and their resource consumption.
Mirrors, placed strategically in a room can be used to make use of natural lighting more efficiently, and reduce energy use as well. When placed near indoor plants, mirrors act like a second window creating better growing conditions while giving the illusion of increased space and greenery to the ambiance of a room.
When loading the clothes dryer, fluff the wet and tangled laundry before tossing into the machine. This allows for immediate and more efficient use of dryer energy. Very hot settings (which can actually shrink clothing) can thus be avoided.
Troubleshooting Pump Problems the Easy Way
May 29, 2007
In any problem analysis, we have to specify the problem, check whether there is any deviation from the normal condition, identify the possible causes, evaluate the possible causes and then confirm the true cause.
Pumps or other machinery will give tell tale signs when they are not working properly. An observant pump user will be able to avoid major breakdowns or damage if the problem is corrected early.
In order to solve any pump problem, we need to notice the symptoms carefully so as to determine the most likely causes. Instruments like pressure gauges are very helpful and should be installed in the pumping system.
Very often we do have to rely on our 5 senses to pinpoint the exact symptom. Normally, pump problems can be classified into Suction Related, System Related, or Mechanical Related. It can also be a combination of these.
Most of the system related problems occur because of design flaw. For example, the designer may have chosen the wrong pump whose characteristic does not match the system requirement. Suction related problems are usually caused by air lock that are due to a variety of reasons…
Electrical Industrys Protection - Destruction for Good
May 28, 2007
Destruction! Blow Up! Eliminate! These are not pleasant words!
Unfortunately, when it comes to safety we have no other choices. In the electrical industry, fuses are destroyed in order to protect lives or property.
Whenever there is a big fault in the power lines, possibly caused by short-circuiting, fuses are very helpful to stop the flow of current.
Unlike circuit breakers, fuses have no mechanical moving parts that can fail to operate. A fuse is just an electrical link in the circuit that can melt very quickly whenever a certain temperature is reached.
Fuses have 4 things to do in a circuit:
1. They must sense faults
2. They must open quickly when a short-circuit occurs
3. They must also sense the normal overloaded conditions, but must open if the overload becomes excessive or prolonged.
4. They must not change or alter the characteristic of the current during normal operation.
Early types of fuses use lead wires, selected based on their diameters, connected to terminals. These types have some disadvantages. Whenever a fuse blows, the molten metal spatters over the equipment and could cause injury to people or cause fires, especially when the arc was not confined.
What is Dowsing?
May 27, 2007
Dowsing is definitely an intuitive art and one of the oldest forms of divination in the world. Perhaps the oldest and most familiar image we have a dowser is what is called a field or map dowser. This person walks over a landscape using a Y shaped or forked stick (sometimes called a doodlebug) to locate subterranean sources of water, oil or even precious minerals. The stick vibrates, crosses or shakes when the substance is found. Some dowsers will use two sticks held in one hand, and when the sticks cross, it signifies that a subtle astral or geopathic force has located the natural resource. This kind of dowsing is also used to locate things such as buried treasure, lost persons, missing jewelry and stray golf balls!
Tsunami warnings by 2006
May 26, 2007
Experts from the United Nations and Indian Ocean countries agreed to set up a tsunami warning system to prevent a repeat of the catastrophe that struck on December 26, Unesco said.
A fully functioning system that detects undersea earthquakes and broadcasts warnings to coastal communities is expected to be in place by the end of 2006, said Patricio Bernal, executive secretary of Unesco’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, on Tuesday.
“The Indian Ocean countries have agreed among themselves to set up an early tsunami warning system for the whole Indian Ocean basin,” Bernal said. The basin extends to the 11 southern Asian coastlines devastated by the December tsunami.
At a five-day meeting at Unesco’s headquarters in Paris, experts also laid out a timetable for the project and interim measures to help protect the region that was battered by the killer Asian tsunami.
Japan and the United States are to begin providing alerts on seismic activity to the region starting on April 1. The two countries have the world’s most advanced tsunami warning systems, and a UN-co-ordinated network based in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, issues alerts for 26 Pacific Ocean nations.
What are GE and GMO Crops?
May 25, 2007
Genetically Engineered Organisms and Genetically Modified Organisms, with Monsanto Corporation in the forefront of development. GE crops, including cotton seeds, have genetically modified properties with built-in resistance to herbicides and insects (Bt cotton), and are also called Frankencotton.
Another mutant called terminator seeds, are sterile and force farmers to buy seed from major suppliers like Monsanto, instead of naturally saving seeds from year to year. Thankfully, terminator seeds are not expected to be marketed in the near future, according to Cornell University.
Cottonseed oil from GE/GMO cotton crops is already in our food supply as a common ingredient in many processed foods, including peanut butter, cooking oils, salad dressings, cookies, snack chips and pastry crusts.
GE and GMO farming is legal in the United States, and currently 73% of cotton grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered. With enormous global profit potential at stake, Monsanto has been viciously aggressive in acquiring global contracts and lobbying reluctant governments. Worse, poor farmers in these regions are routinely exploited with unfair pricing, and farmers in India have been devastated by losses from Monsanto’s GE crop failures.
Treating Chronic Mutational Hepatitis B with Chinese Medicine Vitalliver (Vigconic Suppositories)
May 25, 2007
Research Method:
Quantitative determination by contrasting HBV-DNA of cases before and after the treatment.
Number of cases: 25 (n)
Case Selection: Between the age of 16 and 65, in accordance with the diagnosis standards pf chronic Hepatitis B, with negative e antigen and positive e antibody, HBV-DNA > 1×104 cp/mL.
Detection Method: All the blood samples are detected by Sichuan Clinical Detection Center; PCR-ELISA quantitative determination is used within detection range of 1×104 - 1×107-8, HBV-DNA, unit of measurement is cp/mL.
Direction Plan: one suppository provided by Vigconic (International) Ltd. Bid. The course of treatment is six months, the tracing observation after withdrawal lasts six months.
Observation index:
Criterion of Therapeutic Effect:
HBV-DNA volume 1×104 cp/mL: 2/25 (8%)
Among the results of lasting response, 16 blood serum samples are detected through fluorimetric quantitative determination PCR by the instruments of PE.USD, H-7700 in the second attached hospital of Guangzhou Medical College. The result is in accordance with that in Sichuan Clinical Testing Center. (8 cases among it < 1×102 cp/mL). The testing range of this testing method is 1×102 - 1×107-8 cp/mL.
Eugenics and the Future of the Human Species
May 24, 2007
“It is clear that modern medicine has created a serious dilemma … In the past, there were many children who never survived - they succumbed to various diseases … But in a sense modern medicine has put natural selection out of commission. Something that has helped one individual over a serious illness can in the long run contribute to weakening the resistance of the whole human race to certain diseases. If we pay absolutely no attention to what is called hereditary hygiene, we could find ourselves facing a degeneration of the human race. Mankind’s hereditary potential for resisting serious disease will be weakened.”
Jostein Gaarder in “Sophie’s World”, a bestselling philosophy textbook for adolescents published in Oslo, Norway, in 1991 and, afterwards, throughout the world, having been translated to dozens of languages.
The Nazis regarded the murder of the feeble-minded and the mentally insane - intended to purify the race and maintain hereditary hygiene - as a form of euthanasia. German doctors were enthusiastic proponents of an eugenics movements rooted in 19th century social Darwinism. Luke Gormally writes, in his essay “Walton, Davies, and Boyd” (published in “Euthanasia Examined - Ethical, Clinical, and Legal Perspectives”, ed. John Keown, Cambridge University Press, 1995):
