Archive for August, 2009

Random Internet Wanderings

Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Kite surfers catch the last of the daylight at the end of another beautiful day in the Netherlands.

Kite surfers catch the last of the daylight at the end of another beautiful day in the Netherlands.

I was out strolling through the Internet today and came across a number of sites that I thought were great, but I just didn’t have time to spend more than a few seconds at each stop.  So, I thought I’d add these links and maybe you could enjoy them even more than I did.
  • First stop, Animal House Quotes at imb.  Not for the easily offended.  But a classic nontheless.
  • Then I opened up KCCN FM 100 for good tunes for my web stroll.
  • Next up, a quck review of indifference curves via a Google Search…I drilled down into a few sites, but Wikipedia was the one I relied on for comprehensive information…
  • And from there, I linked to LaTeX (pronunced Lay-Teck) to see how they represent math equations….surprisingly, the Wikipedia description was far more informative than the official web site. 
  • Somehow–I can’t recall how–I ended up at a WordPress themed blog tracking down some informaton on LaTeX.  The blog had some interesting information, but more importantly, it had a great design.  So I had to track down the design called Notepad Chaos created by Evan Eckard for Smashing Magazine. 
  • The comments in that article mentioned how Notepad Chaos looked a lot like Web Design Wall.  So I stopped over there to compare….Once at WDW, I found myself wandering down lots of Internet Rabbit Holes (IRbHs) from the links in various posts and articles. 
  • The first tunnel was over to  Ma.tt where I learned how the WordPress creator spends his day.  I would love to leave my office empty for 6 days a week… 
  • From one of those articles, I learned about Gravatars, images that you can use all over the Internet without having to upload new images to each and every blog, website, forum, etc, that you might visit.
  • Of course, I had to visit the parent site for WordPress, Gravatar and others….and that is Automattic. Great stuff.
  • And I’ll bet you didn’t know that some people intentionally remap their keyboard and type in other than QWERTY keyboards.  There is DVORAK and AZERTY…who knew?!  I had no idea. Not sure if I can switch but I’m intrigued.
  • A link in one of the articles took me over to The Power of Less.  Something I could clearly spend some time reviewing!  Focus is good. I’ve already modified my computer usage to shut down Outlook when I’m trying to focus on other things.  I am going through withdrawal, but a little concentration will get me past this.  I no longer visit my Facebook page either…Less is more. More time for me.
  • And while enjoying the great web designs I found, I decided to go looking for more WordPress Themes and ended up at WordPress Theme Park.  Nice.  I’m thinking of using some of these graphic ideas in a logo I’m designing.
  • And without dragging you through the mud, I’ll just say that I hit about a dozen other sites related to logo design, internet design, and graphic design in general.     
  • Finally, I’ll close this list with the last link I visited before heading outside to enjoy the evening by jogging through Den Haag for a couple of hours– Tim Ferris’ blog–where he talks about his 4-hour week.
  • The timing of visiting that final webpage seemed appropriate as I later stood on the beach in Scheveningen, NL .  There were crowds and crowds of surfers, windsurfers, and kite surfers who had been in the water for most of the day.  Here in the NL, most businesses seem to close promptly at 5 or 6 pm and only stay open late one night a week.  Which got me to rethink the idea of working hard and working late to get more done…all I have to do now is take up kite surfing….

And with that in mind….why am I still sitting here writing this blog?  Time to go work on another project.  Signing off for now.  Peace to you and may you enjoy life.

:>D
ylan

Popularity: 25%

Posted in Art, Books, Computers, Internet, Web Design | No Comments »

Flying Cars

Monday, August 17th, 2009
Avcen Jetpod Sky Taxi

Avcen Jetpod Sky Taxi

Flying cars have captured the imagination of people around the world ever since the idea of flying and driving have entered our consciousness.  In 1903 the Wright Brothers got airborne and ever since there have been predictions of flying cars in no time at all.

As an avid aviation fan, I must admit that having the sky full of average drivers is not the most comforting thought, but perhaps automation can help ease the concerns of mid-air collisions and human disregard for rules of the air.

So as we press forward in our human quest for easy transportation from densely populated urban sprawl, and luxury travel that does not involve stopping at multiple airports for a simple cross-country jaunt, I thought I might summarize some of the offereings from hardy individuals and lone entrepenours looking to enter the mini-aviation market. 

First, there is the NASA challenge for developers to increase utilization rates of small airfields to reduce congestion on the ground and in the air around large airfields.  The Small Aircraft Transportation System envisions 4-10 passenger aircraft that can move people to their final destination without delays associated with transiting a hub.  Door-to-door service via the underutilized smaller airfields.  Unfortunately, I found the NASA website to have fallen out of date and could only locate a factsheet on SATS. Only Embry Riddle Aeronautical University maintains the NASA information on SATS. 

Actual contenders for the SATS program consist of the Aven Jetpod Sky Taxi (pictured above). I place this one first since the force behind this sadly died today in a crash shortly after takeoff.  On Aug 17, 2009, the 53 inventor was taking his prototype out for a spin and died in a fiery crash in Malaysia.  The aircraft was scheduled to begin production in 2010 and looked to be an implementable concept.

terrafugia-transition-planeThe Terrafugia Transition being built by MIT grads who got together and launched this car-like airplane. It has flown in ground effect, but no higher and no farther.

 

 

 

Parajet-SkycarThe Parajet SkyCar is a dune buggy with a glider wing and backup parachute.  Cool for short trips down off the moutain, but not sure I’d feel comfortable landing in a cross wind in a metropolitan sprawl.

 

 

 

Others that I planned to include in this article seemed to be either stuck in design phase without testing, or embroiled in litigation over loss of funding.  I hope that a year from now, the designs will be ready for production so that we can enter the 21st century with a new phase of aviation that makes travel friendlier and closer to home.

D

Popularity: 37%

Posted in Aircraft, Cars, Internet | 4 Comments »