Raedthinn can not only flatten out, he can roll up. Depends on his mood, I imagine.
Jan 082009
Jan 062009
The common wisdom is that solid rcket motors cannot be throttled, cannot be stopped. This is in fact wrong… with effort, the level of thrust can be altered at will, and the combustion even stopped. The best way to do this is to change the port area. A common approach to doing that has been to put a plug in the throat; by moving the plug fore or aft, the effective throat area can be increased or decreased. To shut the motor down, the plug needs to be moved very quickly, rapidly increasing throat area. A dP/dT (change in pressure over time) of around 100,000 psi per second is generally required to extinguish a solid rocket.
Several American solid rocket companies – Aerojet, Thiokol, Hercules, United Tech – built demo versions in the 1960’s. The goal was to build an upper stage for the Minuteman ICBM… the restartable motor would be able to make the trajectory of the warhead almost completely unpredictable, and thus extremely difficult to intercept.
I’ve made copies of several articles on these motors over the years… articles I keep misplacing. So when I stumbled across this one, I scanned it in. Enjoy.
Jan 062009
Raedthinn is a *big* cat. Not a bloated tub of lard (thought there is some of that), he’s just a big cat. Still, he’s as flexible as a wet rag when it comes time to get comfortable.
Jan 052009
A 40-foot long unmanned aircraft meant to test and demontrate the TBCC (Turbine-Based Combined Cycle) engine concept. Two existing J85 turbojet engines would be integrated with a ramjet to provide power for the 10,000-lb gross weight vehicle. The turbojets would power the vehicle to Mach 3, where the ramjet would take over. Top speed is not given in the avialable documentation. The TBCC engine was hoped to power the GTX SSTO concept.
Dates from 2000-2001.
The configuration is very similar to NASP-derived operational vehicles designed at General Dynamics-Fort Worth, so that would be my guess as to where this concept originated.
Jan 052009
A builder scared off a potential robber by running at him dressed as the Norse god Thor.
The terrified intruder leapt from a first floor window to escape Torvald Alexander, who was dressed as the Norse god of thunder in a red cape and silver helmet and breastplate.
Mr Alexander had just returned from a New Year’s Eve fancy dress party when he discovered the man in his home in Inverleith, Edinburgh.
Of course, this being Britain, it will soon be illegal to dress up as Thor. However, Bruthe, the Northe God of Fabulouthness, is probably a safe choice…
Jan 052009
Here’s something you don’t see every day… a documentary about television in Nazi Germany.
Now we know what the aliens are watching.
Jan 042009
One of Mommacats most recent litter. Of the four, this is the only one I’ve seen for a week… since the big snowfall. Obvious conclusions can be drawn from that. This kitten is very skittish, not at all human-friendly.
And here’s Mommacat her own self, trying to force her way into the house…
Jan 042009
If you’re gonna dream, dream wacky. The Lockheed CL-500 featured vertical takeoff and landing with no wings… and no windows. And if some of the engines crap out, no way of landing. There’d be no gliding it in, or landing conventionally on a runway…. this thing would have the glideslope of a old shoe filled with lead shot and wet cement.
Other variants of this idea were supposed to aim for Mach 7.
Jan 042009
Now this is just friggen’ sad. And expensive.
The long beam of the law
THE NSW Police Force will spend about $2 million on a virtual reality shooting range as senior officers blame a lack of training for recruits being frightened of firearms.
…
Senior police say the lack of access to shooting ranges has resulted in some younger officers receiving so little practice that they are scared of using their guns.
Officers also claim their annual day-long firearms requalification training is inadequate, leaving them unprepared to use their weapons in dangerous situations.
Here’s my little suggestion to help the world: unless you show up for police training with basic familiarity with firearms and firearm safety… you don’t get the training. The result might well be a dearth of new cops. Well, there are two responses to that:
1) If your country has done such a good job of eliminating firearms that *cops* are afraid of ’em… then, gosh, your country must be pretty close to crime free (guns being, of course, the Source Of All Crime In The World), and thus you don’t need more cops. Well done. Go grab a low-calorie beer at the nearest smoke-free drinking establishment.
2) Your country has turned into a pussy-whipped, Brady Bunch version of itself, run by a bunch of robed sissies. Man up and re-introduce a proper firearms culture into your county. People *like* loud noises, things exploding and excitement. If you don’t give them a proper outlet – such as family trips to the gun range or hunting – they’ll come up with an improper outlet, such as robbery, murder or socialism (but I repeat myself).
Jan 032009
Here’s a shocker. It turns out that houses built by smug celebrities (including History’s Greatest Monster, Jimmy Carter) might not be built quite as well as those built by people who actually build houses for a living.
RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart.
Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.
Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.
A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.
I’m shocked, SHOCKED to find that people who are not known for either brains or work ethic build crappy structures.
If you want cheap housing for the masses, use what’s already available. Like shipping containers.