A Career In Engineering

People (students) have asked me if going into engineering is a good idea in the great scheme of things. I always answer in the affirmative. It's a great place to exercise your creativity, and generally make the world a better place. At Listverse, I found a set of explanations of the origins of words, and relating to engineering is the story of Thomas Derrick:

A Derrick is a lifting device designed for moving large objects. They are used widely in engineering, and are also used to drill for oil and gas reserves. Thomas Derrick was a hangman in Elizabethan England. Derrick was a convicted rapist who was facing the death penalty. In an event that could be straight out of a spy film, Derrick was offered a pardon by the Earl of Essex, if he worked for the state as an executioner. During his time as a hangman, he designed a new system with a topping lift and pulley, as opposed to the rope over a beam method. Derrick executed over 3,000 people. One of whom, rather ironically, was The Earl of Essex, the man who pardoned him.

Some days at work are arguably better than others. I've had bosses who made me consider spending some time developing a death ray.

Click the link, and check out the other 9.

Gun Stuff

Did you know that your average EBR will fit into a 3/4 sized electric guitar gig bag with room to spare? The gig bag comes with backpack straps for hands-free carrying, and the accessories pouch will hold enough ammo to deal with the zombie apocalypse. Typical price is $14-$25.

One caution, the tactical accessories on your EBR should be limited to a small to medium sized scope and maybe a flashlight, although the flashlight can also live in the pouch. If your rifle is fitted with headlights, tail lights, turn signals, and a winged lady hood ornament, all bets are off.

Update: Starting the new year off with an Uncalanche! Thanks Unk, and it can only get better from here on out.

Humor

Of a sort. It is to laugh when you hear someone from the "diversity at any cost" coterie suddenly begin bleating for " intellectual purity" in our institutions of higher (?) learning.

Time To Write

The new congress convenes in about 3 weeks, and it's important they hit the ground running. Already there's talk of the senior Republicans going all squishy and reaching across the aisle. It's time to remind them why, exactly, they got tossed out in the 08 elections, and why they're miraculously back in, at least partially, now. Stretching out the time frame for reforming a regulatory agency is a way of doing nothing and claiming to be doing something. The e-mail below is an example, and could be used to ask for large budget reductions for any runaway regulatory agency such as the EPA, DOEd, Interior, FCC, etc.

As always, don't forget to add the line requesting the BATFE be abolished.

Dear Rep. XXX:

I have been reading that legislation to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is to be considered in the upcoming session. I also hear that the Republican party may be getting soft on the notion of reigning in a regulatory agency that serves primarily as a cash cow for committee members.

Now is the time to take a firm stand on this and other budgetary issues, and de-fund and phase out F&F in as short a period as can be arranged, preferably not more than 2 years.

Runaway regulatory agencies are a burgeoning problem, and F&F is only one of several. As a cost-saving measure, please also support or sponsor legislation abolishing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives as they serve no useful purpose, and have become the embodiment of the jack-booted thug.

The Republican party has about 6 months in which to show they are serious about budget and economic issues or go the way of the Whigs.

Yours Truly
Billll

Technology

It looks like we're going to get our first snowfall of any consequence tonight, and I spent yesterday cleverly prepping the ol' snow blower. Of course I now that the snow is falling, I find I need one more part.

You know you're in trouble when you type the name of your tool into Bing, and get a whole page of references to antique farm and garden equipment shows and collectors.

I did, however, discover that by cutting a small hole in one of the guards, I can reach a critical bolt with a socket wrench on an electric drill, and voila! electric starting. I think all gasoline-powered lawn equipment should have a receptacle for a rubber ball or something on a shaft to be used to start recalcitrant equipment after months in storage.

Frontiers In Science - The Brassiere

Some time back, shape memory foams were developed by NASA to make helmet and seat liners that better fit the user. Later these materials found their way into commercial mattersses that molded themselves into whatever shape you put onto them.

They have the property of expanding and becoming relatively more rigid when heated, keeping in mind that we're talking about foam rubber here, which is none too hard to begin with.

An Australian has hit on the idea of incorporating this stuff into bras, which will custom mold to whatever shape is put into them, and by expanding with temperature rise, becomes a push-up with excitement or sport bra with exercise.

The bra boosts the cleavage when it detects a rise in body temperature, said Nielsen.Such as when a woman gets a little flushed when she gets excited. It can kind of do some of the flirting for you," he said.

Moreover, if a woman is exercising and it detects a rise in body temperature, it can expand to offer more support when needed," he added.

Get the whole story here.

Somehow I have a vision of this thing causing a B-cup girl to seem to grow to a C-cup upon spotting a nice piece of beefcake walking into the room.

Parting Shot

Just when you thought you'd seen the last of the outrages the lame ducks hit us with, or tried to, there's one more thing. As soon as the congress officially left town, the president hits us with a basket full of recess appointments.

You would think that a Democrat president, with 59 loyal boot-licking lackeys in the Senate, and 2 or 3 RINOs who can be bought without too much trouble, could get his appointments through the committee and onto the floor where they'd be whooped through on a party line vote.

You'd be wrong. This pack of bozos are so distasteful that even the 111th congress wouldn't approve them. Dirty details here.

Global Warming

There are a whole groups of folks with logical constructs that runs along the lines of

1. We are not wrong!
2. The sun is rising.
3. The earth is warming.
4. Unless we get massive taxpayer funding, we're all gonna die.

Metaphorically speaking in general. Pointing out that if you wait a few hours, the sun will be setting is futile. See step 1, which is not negotiable. Here's a fellow with an astounding 85% success rate at predicting long term weather patterns:


This sort of reasoning is popular among economists too, but the presence of one on every virtual street corner differing only in the details of step 2 has reduced their value.

What is needed is a derisive and catchy descriptor that can be used at a moments notice like a bucket of cold water on a wicked witch. Chicken Little is good, but a lack of studies in classical literature has reduced its effectiveness. I blame the teachers unions.

The Economy, The Future

As the department of labor announces that "long term" unemployment will have a new definition starting next year, to extend the range covered from two years to five, the Conference Board, apparently a business group, announces that consumer confidence has fallen to yet another record low. "Unexpectedly" too.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I haven't seen any crowing in the news about how Christmas sales have ridden in like the cavalry and saved the economic day.

After a while one begins to wonder if the sun rises unexpectedly in the East every morning for some of these people. Still, their unblemished record of being wrong is not encouraging with regards to prospects in the upcoming year.

Speaking of the upcoming year, it's time for everybody to toss out a piece predicting events in the coming year.

1) The Broncos will not go to the super bowl, never mind winning it.

2) Kim Jong-Il will die and a coalition of generals will make his kid disappear, then begin resolution talks with the South OR Kim Jong-Il will die and the next chapter of the Korean war will break out. Obama will remain scrupulously neutral.

3) At some point, countries in the Euro zone with growing economies and not too badly out of balance budgets will decide that they don't want to support the spendthrifts. To that end, a national version of bankruptcy will be established, with Italy becoming the trustee for Greece with a warning that if anything goes wrong, both countries go to France. Spain will be turned over to Germany and a sternly worded letter will be sent to Portugal warning them to toe the line or join the Spaniards. O.K. this one's a long shot.

4) The drug war in Mexico will spill over into the U.S. with a major battle and high body count. Obama will remain scrupulously neutral.

5) The Supreme court will strike down Obamacare and the FCC's Net Neutrality. Both 5-4.

6) Unemployment at the end of the year will still be above 9%.

7) Despite being one of the biggest black holes for money in the state budget, the Light Rail project will not suffer any significant setback.

What do you think?

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

As a group, they seem to be having a good deal of troubles of their own. But say, if I was an elected politician, and I had a closet full of legal, moral, and ethical shortcomings, I'd be opposed to letting my constituents have guns too.

One of them might decide I needed shooting, and heck if I was the judge, I'd probably agree.

Merry Christmas

This about sums it up doesn't it?
Actually, this model could work out fairly well. Everybody gives everybody else something imaginary, everybody gets a good laugh and a nice meal, then the day after, everybody goes out and gets themselves the one thing they really wanted at a deep post-Christmas discount.

I imagine giving all my readers a coupon good for the motor vehicle of their choice. My readers can imagine giving each other a coupon good for free gas and insurance for 1 year.

Now, everybody go out tomorrow and buy that book of the collected works of Geffory Chaucer you've always wanted.

Merry Christmas.

Quote of the Day

It's gotten so cold in Merrie Olde England that one has to travel to central Alabama to find temps so warm here. There is an explanation, though:

The gulf stream is blocked with the oil spill that BP created. This has been confirmed by several scientist here in the US. It will have a devastating effect on the US east coast and parts of Europe, including the UK for years to come.

Found on Jammie Wearing Fool, a comment on a Daily Mail article Here.

Rule By Decree

With the loss of the House, and a significant weakening in the Senate, the president is no longer able to get anything he wants the old-fashioned way, in enacted legislation. Fortunately for him, the legislature has voted itself largely irrelevant anyway.

Unelected bureaucrats in any of the myriad agencies the congress has created are empowered to make "rules" which carry the force of law, sparing the congress the embarrassment of having to argue and vote on them out in public.

The president gets to appoint a majority of the people sitting on these boards, thus we have a 3-2 split in favor of the D's at the FCC which just voted 3-2 to impose net neutrality on the internet. I had thought the net was doing fine with little or no control at all, but what do I know? The U.S. Congress, and at least one federal judge thought so as well, but so what?

The process of pulling a rogue agency back in line is difficult, especially if you don't have a veto-proof majority in both houses. Stroke of the pen, law of the land, at least until the next guy can get in and change it.

Same deal with the EPA which has decided that CO2 is a dangerous pollutant, and is planning to issue "rules" soon which should largely shut down both energy production and oil refining in the U.S. by late next year.

If it weren't for the swell parties and free jet airplanes, there would be no reason for the legislature to actually hang out in Washington at all. The President can simply have his appointee at the Just-us department find a friendly federal judge to order that something he wants be done, then have the 3-2 majority of the directors of the appropriate agency decree that it be done to his satisfaction.

Anybody see anything wrong with this?

Missile Defense

So the Iranians are setting up missile bases in Venezuela and giving Hugo Chavez permission to use them as he sees fit. Meanwhile, back in Washington, the U.S. advantage in missile defense is being traded to the Russians for something, maybe a draft pick to be named later. What's going on here?

Look a bit deeper, and it all becomes clear. The Iranian missiles can reach only the southern parts of the country, and Barry does not see Ahmadamnjihadi as an actual enemy. So as long as the threat is only to the redneck red states, the policy is "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".

Makes perfect sense.

Bottle Rockets

Tis the season to be providing your kids with fun toys, hopefully of the type that foster an interest in science and technology. Also without your having to polish your negotiating skills with the local constabulary. In that spirit, here's the method for turning a 2-liter pop bottle into a fun demonstration of propulsive science.

The easy method is to start with a clean, dry 2-liter bottle, with the cap. Drill a hole in the cap. Diameter is not terribly important, but 1/4 at a minimum, and 3/8" at a maximum seem to work best.

Get the Isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and pour 1/4 to 1/3 of a capful into the bottle. That's capful, not cupful. screw on the cap, and shake the bottle a few times.

Lay the bottle on a smooth surface, pointing in a safe direction. Using a lighter, applied from the side (hot exhaust!) hold the flame to the hole in the cap until the vapors inside the bottle ignite.

With a loud whoosh, the bottle will propel itself up to 30 feet downrange. Squeeze the spent bottle a few times to refresh the air inside, and attempt to re-ignite. Spend the next 15 minutes arguing weather the initial shot was too rich or too lean. Refuel and repeat.

For you wannabe rocket scientists with access to machine tools, enlarge the hole in the cap to .81" and make a real rocket nozzle:
The bottle cap goes on over the right end. Debate endlessly weather this actually makes any difference to the flight characteristics.

Use IPA and air only and you won't damage the bottle beyond some wrinkling caused by the heat. Eventually you'll want to replace the bottle with one that still has a straight center axis. We have tried other flammable liquids but not noted any difference in performance. IPA is easy to come by, and easy to handle.

Builders assume all risks, so if you figure out how to blow this up, don't come crying to me. Remember: IPA and air only.