At the most basic level, a computer image is a grid of dots of different colors. A computer screen is feed the grid, dot by dot, starting at the upper left corner. It displays a row of dots, then moves down a bit, and displays the next row of dots. When it gets to the […]
Category: Engineering
There’s a pretty cool story about the Korean tidal energy project at Sihwa Lake. Here’s the net: Success! The International Hydropower Association has an interesting overview of the project: The 552.7 GWh of [annual] electricity generated from Sihwa tidal power plant is equivalent to 862,000 barrels of oil, or 315,000 tons of CO2 – the […]
Yesterday morning, I was checking out the Texas electrical grid (ERCOT), to see if the previous night’s snowfall was going to cause problems. Sally T. Intern braves the 1/4″ of snow this morning to get to her paying job. Her hard-currency income is essential for the day-to-day operational expenses of WLBOTT. The grid looks like […]
The Lunar Oxygen Viability Experiment NASA didn’t just let WLBOTT walk in the front door! We went thru a rigorous vetting process (similar to GQP cabinet position appointments). The goal is to create an oxygen-rich atmosphere with an air pressure similar to that at the top of Mt. Everest. How Much Oxygen is Required? As Elder G cheerfully suggests: […]
LOX of L.O.V.E. The Lunar Oxygen Viability Experiment Today WLBOTT embarks on a bold new initiative: LOX of L.O.V.E. In partnership with NASA, we commit to generating an oxygen-rich atmosphere on the moon. Although there are enormous technical challenges, the concept is deceptively simple. The moon’s “soil,” or lunar regolith, is rich in oxygen-bearing minerals. […]
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two pioneers of artificial intelligence — John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton — won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for helping create the building blocks of machine learning that is revolutionizing the way we work and live but also creates new threats for humanity. Hinton, who is known as the godfather of […]
On his birthday, UC#3 shared with us his admiration for monolithic concrete structures. We had brunch at Rudder Tower. They had some dining room set up at the top floor – was a fave for parental units when they visited. I will note Rudder Tower at A&M and the Stalin Seven Sister Towers are widely […]
UC#1-SU / MacGyver UC#1-SU / Details Wait…. someone’s actually reading my emails? Semi-Sequitur: Did We Get it Wrong? What if it really was Lady MacGyver, not Lady Godiva? SU#3 When I was around 14 years old, I was summoned on weekend morning at our house on [undisclosed location] by UC#4. A friend of his had […]
Dear Gentlepeople, It is with great pride, satisfaction, and dare I say, a sense of manliness, that I replaced the light bulb above the stove yesterday. Do to the exhausting nature of the task, I may have to take the rest of the weekend off. But I understand that not all our BLOTTers may be […]
Categories
The Railroad Handcar
Yesterday we talked about my childhood desire to own a railroad handcar. Let us grant this wish (in fantasy, of course). Handcars Among the Fine Arts Blazing Saddles 1908 Mexican Tin Ex Voto – Men on Railroad Handcar– Lot 225, Auction 3/8/2022 Latin America, Mexico, ca. 1908. Hand painted on heavy gauge tin, a Mexican […]