My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 28, 2006

Adem Ruden, from the University of Minnesota, updated a previous post from July in regard to the UMN Solar Vehicle Project competing in Tawain. I’ll post directly from his email. Keep us posted … we’re pulling for the team! (Interesting fact: GeekSquad founder ‘attended’ UMN, but dropped out as a Junior because of cost … he is now worth millions yet is returning to college to finish his degree.)
🙂
Adem Ruden writes:
The car has supposedly arrived safely, sometime last week. Based on talk among teams and reviewing the participants page, the three cars to watch will likely be Ashiya University, Kamm Solar Racing, and us.

Ashiya’s built up an amazing record over the past decade, they’ve positively dominated Suzuka for at least the past 6 years. Mr. Joachim Kamm’s car is designed solely for this type of rally race (unlike many cars, such as ours, that were first and foremost designed for endurance races), and handily won the Rallye Solaire in France that was held in early June. As for our car, we have also built up an impressive record, and it is designed to handle well on curvy tracks. On the other end of the spectrum, there are two teams who are racing for the first time! I wish them well, and hope that they learn a lot.

It’ll be an interesting experience, and no matter what happen, I guarantee that we’re all going to have a lot of fun.

Category: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 27, 2006

As the friends and family gather today in Lexington Kentucky, the media continues to stress that it is too early to speculate on the crash of ComAir Flight 5191. Emotions are running high as family gather and the local community lends every bit of assistance it can. Stories like the local Rite Aid employees buying up all the tissues and delivering them to those gathering to grieve over the lost of their family members begin to make there way to the local blogs. What a terrible tragedy.

Those of us familiar with aviation, spectulate anyway as to what could have gone wrong. I’ve reviewed the available runways at Lexington Bluegrass Airport and in seeing the photos of the wreckage it does seem as if the 2001 Canadair CRJ-100 Bombardier Inc. built jet must have turn onto the wrong runway at 6:19am this morning? (see runway below and note photo of wreckage and building above) The 47 passengers and 3 crew were barely off the runway before the ill-fated take-off when down and fire engulfed the cabin. Only the first officer was pulled alive from the wreckage by 2 police officers.

Comair identified the crew members as Captain Jeffrey Clay, First Officer James Polehinke and flight attendant Kelly Heyer. Clay joined Comair in November 1999, Polehinke in March 2002 and Heyer in July 2004. The company didn’t immediately provide ages.

The regional jet had a “clean maintenance record, it had flown 14,500 hours, typical of an aircraft of that age” according to a Delta spokesperson (Delta is the parent company of ComAir).

The flight was the first of the day for the crew, which had spent the night in Lexington, Comair said. The crew’s rest period before the flight was “well beyond what is required by the FAA and what is standard for our own airline.”

Comair followed Delta in filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year and is working to trim $42 million from annual operating expenses.

Category: Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 27, 2006

Every once in a while I enjoy posting something that tickles my funny bone. The Crab vs. Element clip is definitely a cute 30 second commercial. Honda would be smart to bring the creative Element and Friends TV “Crab” TV commercial to a few select markets … if not nationwide. I think it would be a hit? The California based Crab, call him “Gil,” has his own petition site that has over 12,000 online entries and even his own MySpace page. From what I can tell, there were a few others, but none quite as good as the Crab in my opinion.

Interestingly the 30 second internet posted video has been uploaded multiple times to YouTube as well as other video hosting sites and of course I’m doing my part too. The creative clip is short, cute and currently in sync with the internet oriented flash graphics found on many aspiring animated computer art sites. Even if it doesn’t get a spot on regular TV, its free publicity for the Honda Element on the internet. I believe it will appeal to the Honda Element ‘light’ SUV kind of buyer — especially the fun-loving young twenties crowd? I haven’t shown it to my beach loving surfer son (photo above from our Hawaii trip last week), but expect that at age 17 he’ll probably start looking at the Honda Element as a wish list car? I can hear it now … it would be perfect for college Dad!

Here is the link to the YouTube version of the clip, but you can watch a streaming Quicktime version below or download all of them by a right-click/save-as: Crab, Burro, Opossum, Platypus and Rabbit.

Category: Automotive, Video | 2 Comments »
Tags: crab, element, honda, pinch

Posted By RichC on August 26, 2006

I’ve been following the rumor sites in regard to the new Palm Treo … the antenna-less model. Besides the missing ‘stub,’ the new version looks to be a bit more streamlined and places the SD slot on the right side leaving only the ringer/vibrate switch on the top. In the US, it has been commented that Cingular will get the nod. Here are a few of the better photos from a Spanish forum called PDAExpertos put into composite form. As for timing, September 12 will be the introduction fo the 750w in the UK according to Reuters and it will be followed by the 750p release in the US a month later.

The new Treo release should be offered in Europe as well … with Vodaphone. The new model will be thumbboarded similar to the existing Palm Treo 700 currently by Sprint and Verizon in the US, but having that desireable smaller form factor.
It has also been rumored to be giving up a few prized features such as the improve 1.3 meg camera on the 700p for a lesser quality 0.3 megapixel similar to the Palm Treo 650 — although I’ve also read that the Palm OS could get the 1.3 meg chip? Battery size will also be something to check. (Palm has been very quiet on releasing any specifics until the slated official September 12th press event)
A few more specifics were quoted at EverythingTreo:
Treo 750p Specs
* GSM based
* 64mb memory
* 0.3 megapixel camera
* Palm OS Garnet v 5.4.9

For information from the UK and around Europe, Andrew’s comments on the Treonaut blog always comes through with a quick and easy read as well as reviews and recommendations on Treo accessories.

Category: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 25, 2006

Yes … in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Visitor Center Audutorium at NASA’s Glenn Research Center will be open to the public for Sunday’s scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-115). The center will open its doors at 1:00 pm for the 4:30 pm launch of STS-115. Four members of Glenn’s Electric Power System Management Team, Thomas Kerslake, Jeff Hojnicki, Penni Dalton and Gregory Schmitz will be available to answer questions regarding the the solar array segments onboard Atlantis. According to a press release by Katherine Martin, Thomas Kerslake will give a presentation at 3:30 pm on Glenn Research Center’s role in designing, implementing and managing the International Space Station’s electric power system.

The STS-115 astronauts and the station crew members will install the P3/P4 truss, a girder-like structure that includes the arrays. The P3/P4 segment will double the station’s power capability. Atlantis’ mission will also include all the safety features tested on the past two shuttle flights.

This might be a great opportunity to watch the launch and get the inside scoop on some of the components going into the International Space Station … besides its free as long as you have a “government-issued photo id.” Check out this link for additional information about Glenn’s Visitor Center.

Category: Space | No Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 24, 2006

Pluto was stripped of its status as a planet today by scientists from around the world who have redefined it as a “dwarf planet.” (see MSNBC link) This leaves our solar system with just eight classical planets … better rewrite that Trivial Pursuit card.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and has traditionally been considered the ninth planet, and furthest from the sun, in the solar system. Recent debate over its moon has made many question it definition as an actual planet or something other than what we define as a planet. The need to define what it takes to be a planet stems from technological advances that enable astronomers to look further into space and to measure more precisely the size of celestial bodies in our solar system.

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 23, 2006

They did it! Another extreme diesel follows the footsteps this past year of the Dakar VW Touareg TDIs, Audi’s LeManns V-10, the Darpa Diesel VW Touareg named Stanley. This time it was the JCB DieselMAX team from the UK and they came to the Bonneville Salt Flats of America to race their twin engined ‘diesel’ speedster recording a 350.092mph combined run.

After dawn cracked Utah the morning sky, Andy Green recorded a first run of 365.779mph (558.664kph) and a second of 335.695mph (540.248kph) to clock the combine run of 350mph (563.418kph). The crew achieved the goal they set of 350mph and were able to show off just what a diesel powerplant is capable of. An interesting note from Green that most diesel drivers can relate too: “There is so much more to come as the car is pulling like a train and we still haven’t used sixth gear!”

JCB DieselMax was JCB Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford’s baby. He desired to demostrate the performance the company’s JCB444 capabilities. These are the engines which normally power backhoe loaders and Loadall telescopic handlers. (see previous post one and two)

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 22, 2006

While on vacation I did keep my eyes on alternative fuel ‘happenings’ in Hawaii. (to the embarrassment of my family) Not many locals were aware of anything except that gasoline was about a buck more per gallon than on the mainland. The Maui rental fleet of VWs (Bio-Beetle.com) were not spotted, although we were not spending every minute searching either.
🙂

There was an article in the paper that indicated that politicians and the public are aware of the biofuels. They held a ‘summit’ to determine what could be done to accelerate Hawaii’s growth in both use and industrial production. (see Star Bulletin)

Incentives and fast permits urged to foster biofuels
Public and private leaders discuss how to build the local industry — By B.J. Reyes – bjreyes@starbulletin.com

Creating incentives for the production of biofuels in Hawaii and streamlining the permitting process for facilities that would manufacture such fuels were two priorities identified by a conference of top private and government leaders.

Yesterday’s Hawaii Biofuels Summit brought together lawmakers, government officials, landowners, energy companies, utilities, private firms, the visitor industry, academics and others to discuss strategies for securing the island’s energy future.

“You have the key people here who would be involved in the formulation of this industry,” Gov. Linda Lingle said after seeing how participants rated the importance of various issues related to establishing a biofuels industry.

Biofuels are products like ethanol and biodiesel that can be made from agricultural crops such as corn, soy beans, sugar and their byproducts to displace traditional fossil fuels.

About 70 people, mostly high-level executives, attended the summit.

“There is a key piece missing at this point and that’s the consumers — they will come in these next months leading up to the legislative session,” Lingle added. “Today was really about those who would be involved in creating the private capital to actually get these projects going, the people that would purchase the biofuels and the landowners who would have to be devoting large parts of their land for agricultural production in order to have a local biofuels industry.”

A public meeting on the state’s energy strategy is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 29 at the state Capitol.

One recurring point at the summit was the need to keep the momentum going for developing not only biofuels, but other forms of alternative energy in the state.

Hawaii relies on imported fossil fuels for about 90 percent of its energy needs.

“This (summit) is very valuable in that it helps to show where there is convergence and show where there is a very high level of thought on these areas of agreement,” state Sen. J. Kalani English, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, said during a break in the session.

Participants spent about two hours discussing areas of concern before voting on which issues should take priority in decision-making by public policy makers and leaders in the private sector.

Two recurring themes were the need to establish incentives to promote in-state production of biofuels and crops for conversion, as well as the need to streamline the permitting process for building conversion plants.

“It resonates very well, I think, with all of us,” English said. “I know that from a policy level, from the legislative side, those are things we can work on.”

As part of legislation passed this year, counties were asked to come up with guidelines for streamlining the permitting process at the county level.

Priority also was placed on investing in research and development in crop-to-fuel conversion technology, investing in infrastructure to distribute alternative fuels, and creating incentives for investment in agriculture infrastructure.

“You could see there was a lot of similarity in what people felt were the most important steps to take,” Lingle said. “Many of them included speeding up the permitting process and state tax credits of some kind.”

Category: Automotive, Biodiesel | 2 Comments »
Tags: biodiesel, hawaii

Posted By RichC on August 21, 2006

Our final day in Hawaii has been a wonderful one. We enjoyed one last leisurely meal while on vacation at Stinger Ray’s listening to island music. (which is beginning to grow on me) The boarding time for our flight is still an hour away so figured one last photo of the flag over the USS Arizona would be appropriate. Looking forward to a followup with photos from my digital camera.

Category: Personal, Photos, Recreation, Travel | 2 Comments »
Tags: 2006 vacation, cruise, hawaii, ncl

Posted By RichC on August 21, 2006

As we rest in the shade before riding the tender out to the Arizona memorial, we sit somewhat somber as the displays portray the terror unleashed by the Japanese bomber during a sleepy December Sunday 65 years ago. The harbor view is a quiet place this Monday morning … thankfully, but I can help but think of our servicemen and women that even today are dealing with an enemy as ruthless as the surprise attack in 1941.

Category: Personal, Photos, Recreation, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: 2006 vacation, cruise, hawaii, ncl, pearl harbor