Buttons looking all cute-like, watching the world outside the window…
Jun 212014
Jun 212014
A Northrop title block from an inboard profile of the N-144 Long Range interceptor (Air Drawing 31).
Jun 192014
So I wander out into the back yard to look at the stars, and I see this pure-white rabbit sitting there looking lost. Now, I don’t know from rabbits. Ain’t my schtick. But I’ve been in these parts for a decade now, and one thing we don’t have out here is a plethora of rabbits. Certainly not-stand-out-in-a-crowd, hey-mister-falcon-here-I-am white ones. It allowed me to get up to it and pet it before it hopped away. Being a dumbass, I went back in, got the cat carrier, and spent a while chasing this critter down before finally getting a grip on it and stuffing it into the box. So now it’s luxuriating away in my basement, still in the crate (it has water).
So tomorrow I get to contact neighbors and see who’s lost a bunny. I’ve no idea what else to do with it. One-Eye had notions, though… she saw me chasing it around, decided to come see what I was doing, and when she caught sight of the rabbit you could tell that “wow, that’s the biggest mouse I’ve ever seen” was passing through her little mind.
Obviously I got to the rabbit before One-Eye did. She would have had a chore and a half taking this guy down, though. It’s pretty sizable.
Jun 192014
For those of you who may not know, “Nosferatue” was a 1922 silent German movie, the first Dracula flick. Sadly, the makers failed to actually get the legal rights to film the story from Bram Stokers estate, so there were some serious legal troubles. The planned fix was to change the character from “Count Dracula” to “Count Orlok,” a simple enough trick when all they needed to do was change some title cards. But the law came down against the studio and they were ordered to destroy all prints. Fortunately, this effort was unsuccessful.
“Nosferatu” also has the distinction of featuring the creepiest movie vampire, bar none. The actor, Max Schreck, manages to portray a truly vile monster, quite unlike the later “suave” vampires inaugurated by Bela Lugosi.
As a silent film, it has to stand on its visuals. This might make it a tad challenging for Kids These Days with their iPads and YouTubes and Walkmen and such to maintain interest and focus. Fortunately, someone has decided to add foley sound effects to a truncated 4-minute version of the film. I’ll let you judge whether this adds to the drama or not…
[youtube 3iSolYGvLrE]
Jun 192014
Two interesting bits:
1km Tower Set For Construction In China
The “Phoenix Towers” are to begin construction in the city of Wuhan within a year and take 3 years to complete. They look very sci-fi/goofy.
Consider that China’s 1.4 billion people consume an average 2,970 Calories per day; this means that the Chinese population requires a whopping 2 quadrillion Calories each year.
With an average 8 million Calories per year for an average hectare of land (1 hectare = 2.47 acres), this means that China’s population needs over 250 million hectares, or nearly 1 million square miles, to sustain itself.
That’d be equivalent to a square farm 1,000 miles on a side. What do you think the chances are that China is going to go “green” with that… or are they going to burn as much carbon as needed to feed their people? In any event, China is necessarily going to import a whole lot of food. If you’re a farmer or fisher, this is good news. If you are relatively poor and have to buy food, this could be trouble.
Jun 192014
[youtube nHMS71tsJDY]
If for some unspeakable reason you want one of these “Undead Teds,” they’re being sold individually on eBay.
Jun 182014
Get ready for the awesomest, most extravagant hyperbole in the complete history of not only the world, not only the universe, but in the history of every multiverse ever!
‘End of the world’ plague FOUND: Ancient illness returns that could wipe out humans
DISCOVERERS have unearthed an ancient plague that is so deadly it has the potential to end human existence.
Sounds terrifying, yes? Archeologists have uncovered remains of folk wiped out around 250 AD by the Plague of Cyprian (probably smallpox), which caused all kinds of ruckus in the Roman Empire.
But… what did they actually find? The didn’t find the actual plague, but some dry dusty human remains buried in Thebes, Egypt. As the story itself points out…
extracting the DNA from the dead bodies would be impossible.
He said: “In a climate like Egypt, the DNA is completely destroyed.”
So… this is kinda like finding one of Jack the Rippers victims, and headlining it “Jack the Ripper found, and he now has superpowers and could kill us all.”
Jun 182014
A ticket to ride XCOR’s suborbital Lynx spaceplane: $10. The hitch: it’s a lottery.
Ticket to Rise
This seems like a decent enough idea to me. Spaceflight is *waaaay* beyond the means of regular folks, but as the success of lotteries across the country shows, people are more than willing to cough up a handful of bucks for a vanishingly small chance of winning.
This is a way to fund charities as well. You can choose from a list of charities that your money will go to, including dubious but well-known organizations like PETA and a bunch of charities I’ve never heard of, like “Girl Tank” (which turns out to be neither of the two things that immediately sprang to mind), and the somehow awesome-sounding “Chuck Jones Center for Creativity.” Sadly, the list of charities seems kinda newagey (at least one of ’em is all about “transcendental meditation”); I’d be happier if there was an organization organizing a “nuclear reactor for every neighborhood” or “end poverty by assassinating tyrants and theocrats and instilling capitalism” or some such, but hey, cheap space flight!
There are a half dozen or so different donation amounts, from $10 to $1000, with five lotto tickets per dollar donated. Maybe it’s just my browser, but the website seems kinda squirrely to navigate.
Jun 172014
A “behind the scenes” film about the movie “2001,” which was just getting underway. It’s fairly cheesy, but it does have some interesting footage showing the “briefcase computer” being used. Interestingly, one of the conclusions that cane be drawn from it is that, technology aside, it’s rather a dismal failure as a laptop computer; it’s clear that the guy using it would not have been able to see the screen very well at all were he resting the device on his lap.
Also: lots of concept art I hadn’t seen before. Footage of the centrifuge from the *outside,* giving an impression of just what a massive construction job it was.
This featurette is apparently on the “2001” BluRay.
[youtube eeGI1FoySaE]
Jun 162014
At last: Aerospace Projects Review issue V3N4 is available. This issue has 128 pages. The main article focuses on the Boeing Model 844-2050E, the final, almost-built version of the X-20 Dyna Soar spaceplane. Included are not only detailed diagrams showing the design and construction of the spaceplane, but also drawings and information on proposed operational versions, including passenger ferries, satellite inspectors/interceptors, even nuclear bomber versions.
Also included are a large number of all-new diagrams that finally show the Dyna Soar atop the Titan IIIC accurately and in detail, along with proposed variants, variant launch systems and suggested space stations.
An article by Bill Slayton on the Lockheed CL-295 design series. This was a series of tailsitter VTOL fighters including designs derived from the F-104 as well as wholly new designs.
The third article is on the McDonnell F-4(FVS),a mid-1960’s concept to replace the low-mounted fixed wing of the F-4 Phantom II with an all-new variable geometry “swing wing.” The story goes from the F-4(FVS) in its numerous incarnations through the Model 225, McDonnell-Douglas’ entry into the 1968 US Navy VFX contest which resulted in the F-14.
Also, Aerospace History Nuggets on the US Navy SCAT VTOL and the Republic Aircraft RAC-730 SSTO aerospaceplane.
23 megabyte PDF file
Here’s the complete issue V3N4 layout:
It is available in three formats. Firstly, it can be downloaded directly from me for the low, low price of $10.00. Second, it can be purchased as a professionally printed volume through Magcloud; third, it can be procured in both formats. To get the download, simply pay for it here through paypal.
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To get the printed version (or print + PDF version), visit my MagCloud page:
http://scottlowther.magcloud.com/
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Also available: the V3N4 Addendum. This contains 49 pages formatted for 11X17. Includes larger and improved versions of all the CAD diagrams produced for V3N4, as well as larger versions of some of the illustrations from the X-20 and F-4(FVS) articles (as well as a number of illustrations that did not appear in the X-20 article):
The V3N4 Addendum can be downloaded for only $4.00!
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