Jan 262010
Jan 262010
A few days back.
Comments, please. Specifically something along the lines of “why, yes, I would pay to have something like this hanging on my wall,” or perhaps “that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”
Jan 262010
I’ve seen this painting reproduced commonly enough, but usually the quality is at best “regrettable.” This depicts one version of the proposed Horten Ho-18 (or Ho-XVIII), a late WWII idea for a trans-Atlantic bomber capable of hitting New York from European bases. While the concept is confirmed as being a “real design,” in recent years it has kinda grown in the retelling, and is now often described as being intentionally radar-stealthy and being a dedicated platform for carrying a Nazi Nuke (even though the Nazis were so far from even the most basic understanding of the processes required for an atom bomb that they could have had not the slightest clue how to actually design one, how big it would be or how much it would weigh).
Note that most reconstructions of this design tend to get the cockpit pretty badly wrong, a result of the only available copies of this painting being poorly reproduced (and no three-views of any note being available). And even this copy, found in the Jay Miller collection, is obviously some distance from the original. Hopefully someday it’ll be brought to life in full Technicolor.
Jan 242010
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0a7B2Y71ji7IX?q=obama+Graham+falls+church
FALLS CHURCH, VA – JANUARY 19: U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the ‘Race To The Top’ program at the Graham Road Elementary School January 19, 2010 in Falls Church, Virginia. The President is announcing his request for an additional $1.35 billion in 2011 for the program that was created as part of the economic stimulus bill signed into law last year. He is joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Yeesh.
You know, you’d think that after this many “teleprompter jokes,” 0bama would take the damned hint and try to get rid of the things… especially when speaking to a bunch of children. Instead… there they are, big as life and twice as ridiculous. But why are they there? Is it dogged determination? Or is he truly dependant upon them to give even the simplest message?
Me, I’d be a stumble-mouthed fool if I tried to give a speech from memory before a large enough crowd. But then I’m not a politician. Politicians are *supposed* to be smooth, well-practiced at lying directly to our faces. But Obama, despite his campaign gloss, seems to be incompetant even at that. Perhaps 0bama, or at least his handlers, realize that it’s better to use the teleprompters and be thought a fool, than to not use them and remove all doubt.
Jan 242010
Let me think…
One quarter of US grain crops fed to cars – not people, new figures show
One-quarter of all the maize and other grain crops grown in the US now ends up as biofuel in cars rather than being used to feed people, according to new analysis which suggests that the biofuel revolution launched by former President George Bush in 2007 is impacting on world food supplies.
The 2009 figures from the US Department of Agriculture shows ethanol production rising to record levels driven by farm subsidies and laws which require vehicles to use increasing amounts of biofuels.
“The grain grown to produce fuel in the US [in 2009] was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels,” said Lester Brown, the director of the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington thinktank ithat conducted the analysis.
Awesome. Convert food into crappy, low energy density fuel, and mandate that people use it. What could possibly go wrong?
Jan 242010
Found in the Jay Miller collection was a glossy of a display model of the Bell “SEAKAT,” a proposed derivative of the X-14 VTOL research testbed. While there were numerous proposed derivatives of the X-14, this was probably the design furthest from the X-14… even the VTOL propulsion system was entirely different. The SEAKAT was a 1971 concept for a short range anti-sub aircraft, operable from small vessels that normally would be equipped with only a helicopter.
Read more about the SEAKAT in issue V1N3 of Aerospace Projects Review, where I somehow managed to get the name wrong as “SkyKat.” Shrug. This image was discovered after the article was published; but the article does have other artwork and layout drawings of the craft, along with several other X-14 derivatives (such as the X-14C and X-14D).
Jan 242010
An Air Material Command (Wright Field, Ohio) translation of a German document, Air Doc 17 is Translation Report No. F-TS-448-RE, “ME 163 B Airplane Manual Part 6 – Power Plant.” This 21 page photo/diagram-illustrated report describes the HWK 109-509, it’s installation, operation and maintenance.
Air Document 17 can be purchased for $4.50.
Jan 232010
While the sky certainly has not yet become crystal clear, it has cleared up enough to at least be interesting. Here are some shots from this AM using the three available lenses.
Looking south over “Little Mountain,” with the clouds lit up by the lights of Ogden/SLC (new 55mm lens)
Looking south over “Little Mountain,” with the clouds lit up by the lights of Ogden/SLC (old 18-55mm lens)
Looking towards Little Mountain with the zoom lens
Looking towards the Wasatch Mountains, with a neighbors house. Everything lit by the clouds reflecting city lights. 30 second exposure. (zoom lens)
Orion with the new lens. Note the persistance of clouds, in this case lit up by the lights of ATK. Hopefully they’ll soon go out of business, and then the night skies can be darker.
Orion Nebula with the zoom lens.
Jan 222010
Here is the Heinkel P1079, a twin-jet night fighter designed at the end of the Second World War, equipped with sweptback wings and a butterfly tail… a design both advanced and realistic. Included are five grayscale drawings taken from a postwar US Army Technical intelligence report, itself a translation of German papers. Included:
Drawing 1079-01: “Night Fighter with 2 x HeS 11” a general arrangement drawing (4371 X 2321 pixels)
Drawing 1079-02: “Side View” inboard profile (9000X3222 pixels)
Drawing 1079-03: “Plan View” inboard view from above (7465X3174 pixels)
Drawing 1079-04: “Contours” showing 22 fuselage contour lines (4321X2581 pixels)
Drawing 1079-05: “Size Variations” showing four different variations on the theme (6084X2756 pixels)
Air Drawing set 44 can be purchased for $4.50.
Jan 222010
I looked up the statistics for views for the Unwanted Blog. Stretching back to the beginning, the number of views per month looks like this:
A few things:
1) Apart from one outlier, the growth curve looks surprisingly linear and consistent.
2) That outlier a year ago? It was because someone posted a link to a blog posting on Fark.com.
3) January 2010 ain’t done yet of course, but it looks to be on track, perhaps slightly ahead of the curve.
4) Is this a lot? I dunno. Anyone know? I know that compared to many other blogs out there, I got diddly-squat in terms of comments, so I assume that either 28,000 or so views a month aren’t that many, or once I say something, that’s all that needs to be said on that topic.