Reverse Geocaching

If you have ever found a geocach, you know how much fun it is to solve the puzzle and find the treasure that someone has left behind. But what if you had the treasure box in your hand, but the box only opens at one location on the planet? Much like geocaching, but this is just the opposite. Hope you enjoy reading about one guy's project to give to a friend.

Dyson Air Multiplier

Dyson has done it again (or at least it seems that way). I have always been impressed with Dyson products, from the vacuum to the airblade and now the air multiplier. Here is Sir James Dyson himself explaining the new fan design.

check out http://www.dyson.com/fans/ and http://www.core77.com/blog/news/no_blades_no_buffeting_reflections_from_dysons_air_multiplier_launch_last_night_14945.asp for more images and info. If only I had $300 to drop on a fan... I would love to have one to play with in and see in person.

Innovation in an airplane

No body likes long flights in an airplane (I guess I should qualify that by saying "nobody in coach" I have never taken a flight flying first class). This is because there never seems to be enough room. Designer Emil Jacobs decided while flying on one of those long cramped flights that it does not need to be that way. He recognized that the entire volume of the airplane cabin was not being used effictivly and area that was being negleted was the vertical space. He created various designs that do not limit the total capacity of the airplane but just make better use of it. Here are some pictures of one of his concepts, and a link to his company web page.

http://jacob-innovations.com/index.html

Can you predict the future?

Here is a video of AT&T commercials from 1993.

I am impressed with how similar a lot of these look to things that are common place for us today, expecially considering that in 1993 the internet was not even mainstream.

5 axis CNC surfboard shaping machine

I could use one of these at my house. Anyone have an extra?

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/no-category/how-it-works-the-shaping-machine_22015

A-Rig-A-Bamboo

Craig Calfee is no stranger to bike design. In 1987, he pioneered the use of carbon fiber for elite bicycle frames. Greg Lemond, the first american to win the Tour de France, was one of his first big customers, ordering 18 frames for Team Z. Now he is at it again. This time with bamboo:

He got the idea when he used a bamboo stick to play with his pit bull/labrador retriever mix. The dog chomped down on the bamboo, but the bamboo didn't break. This inspired the idea that bamboo could be used as bike frame material.

Remembering his trip to Africa, Calfee came up with the idea to train people in Ghana and other third world countries to make these bamboo frames. These frame builders are called "bambooseros" and can be found in Ghana, Zambia, Mexico, and Uganda. The frames are obviously labor intensive to make. Trained "bambooseros" wrap each joint with sisal - a natural fiber used for making cordage and rope.

The bambooseros are paid a premium for the frames which are shipped to facilities in the US or Europe. The frames are inspected, assembled, tested and shipped as a complete bike to the customer. Frames are available for road, mountain, city or cargo bikes. The bike weighs 4-6 lbs., and bamboo has natural vibration damping which some claim is better then carbon fiber. A complete bike will cost you at least $1,000 and comes with a 10 year warranty.

Check out these web sites for more information (or to order your own bamboo bike):

http://www.calfeedesign.com/index.htm

http://bamboobikestudio.com/go/home

This post was inspired by the Tour of Utah, the pro-cycling race that is making it's way through the Wasatch Mountains.

www.tourofutah.com

I haven't seen any of these guys riding a bamboo bike - but maybe in a few years they will be.

Why stay on the ground when you can fly?

In 2004 the FAA created what is called the Sport Pilot Certificate. It requires significantly less training and can be completed in a few weeks time. The main limitations are that you can only have one passenger in addition to yourself, fly during daylight hours, in good weather, and your altitude is limited. Icon Aircraft has created an airplane targeted for those in this license class. It it capable of water or land take offs and landing and when you are done for the day you can fold the wings back, put it on the trailer and drive it home to store it in your garage (although that garage would have to be larger than mine).

Most everyone would love to fly but will never go to the effort to earn and maintain a private pilot license. The combination of the Sport Pilot Certificate and aircraft similar to the Icon A5 moves flying a significant step closer to each of us.

Icon Aircraft even tailored the A5 interior to the pilot with a sport aircraft certificate, simplifying the design to the essentials for flight in good weather during daylight hours. The Icon A5 website has more pictures and videos that are worth checking out (http://www.iconaircraft.com/index.html).