The Westinghouse AP300 is a ‘game-changer’ technology

| May 17, 2024

With emissions and climate change being the primary concern for at least half the world, one would think that a carbon-free source of 24/7 energy from small nuclear reactors would be on the forefront of alternatives for our energy needs? Obviously mention “nuclear”an images of disasters rush to the forefront, but safe “small” reactors are […]

An innovative mechanical fly trap. Ingenious!

| April 24, 2023

Saved this video the other day as thought it was a pretty ingenious fly trap. Now does it really work to rid a home of flies … who really knows?

How many different electrical outlets to we need?

| April 19, 2023

On Twitter this past week, Elon Musk retweeted an image of a bunch of different outlets around the world. Wow, do we really need that many different electrical outlets and plugs?

What inspires someone to become an engineer? #video

| March 11, 2023

When I was in high school, I headed off to Ohio Northern University to become an engineer although veered off into industrial technology, facility design and then teaching when offered a Miami University instructor position when in graduate school. Now putting that education redirection aside … and the other career moves that followed … I’m […]

Who doesn’t love an illusion that messes with your mind?

| September 21, 2022

The triangle with the missing block … explained (below the break).

Pyramids: Amazing human-powered ancient engineering

| October 17, 2021

Saw this last week posted on the @ArchaeoHistories Twitter feed. This is how the pyramids looked when they were built four thousand five hundred years ago. Where it was covered with white limestone and its top was made of gold to reflect the sun’s rays.

Experimenting with a Magnetohydrodynamic Drive demo

| April 13, 2021

You can take the boy out of school, but you can’t take school (and learning) out of the boy ( or older man at this point). Over the weekend, I was talking to Brenda about how I’ve been following the NASA feed (tweet below) and waiting for the helicopter to take flight on Mars. The […]

What do you know about the Tennis Racket Theorem?

| February 11, 2021

After reading about the Dzhanibekov Effect and seeing a demonstration, I just had to know more. The tennis racket theorem or intermediate axis theorem is a result in classical mechanics describing the movement of a rigid body with three distinct principal moments of inertia. It is also dubbed the Dzhanibekov effect, after Russian cosmonaut Vladimir […]

Learning about automotive manufacturing and Digital Buck

| October 22, 2019

One thing about waiting for a start-up car company to build a car is that I’m learning a lot more about the automotive manufacturing process. Nowadays, many of the parts are manufactured by suppliers to the automotive industry and then assembled. The same will be true for the unique Elio Motors three wheel tandem seating […]

So you want to be a aerospace engineer? Get inspired.

| August 28, 2019

BMW water injection and how it works to make +50 hp

| January 17, 2019

One of my favorite YouTube channels is Engineering Explained and in this video car guru and mechanical engineer Jason Fenske explains just how BMW used water injection to increase power at full throttle and high manifold pressures. Great stuff. And if this kind of "automotive engineering stuff" interests you and you like aviation like me, […]

Engineering chessboard project idea

| January 29, 2017

Snipping an idea. Perhaps make the board with inset magnets to hold the pieces? Perhaps laminate over a peg board to more easily space Neodymium Magnets that fit in each hole?

Floating cities could be a reality by 2020

| August 18, 2016

Interesting concept — “Each floating city would be made up of 10 to 15 platforms that can house 20 people each, allowing for a total of 200 to 300 people.” Goodbye land, hello sea! Source: Floating cities could be a reality by 2020

How will the Elio achieve 84 mpg?

| June 17, 2016

Another Elio Motors update detailed more on a variety of engineering points (my previous posts) … particularly on how the Elio will achieve the advertised 84 mpg. Powertrain – An Efficient Union of Technology and Efficiency The other system we’re checking out this week is the Elio’s powertrain, which will help the Elio run as […]

Video: 5 bad habits when driving manual gearbox cars

| February 17, 2016

Great video explainer for those driving manual shift cars … dos and don’ts — Engineering Explained

Quantum computer is 100 million times faster than normal PC

| December 28, 2015

Google and NASA engineers announced that tests with the D-WAVE 2X, the quantum computer developed by them, showed that it’s 100 million times faster than an ordinary computer. The impressive record was achieved in a test in which the D-WAVE 2X ran an optimization problem and found a solution much faster than a conventional computer, […]

InterestingEngineering.com is always educational and informative

| September 19, 2015

It’s probably being marveled by all things engineering that has me gravitating daily to the Interesting Engineering website and I probably browse longer than I should through the educational and “interesting” posts. Image Courtesy of Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Architecture, skyscrapers and buildings around the world are a monumental undertakings and amazing […]

This Delta plane gets struck by lightning

| August 26, 2015

A passenger who was waiting for a storm to pass to board his flight caught the exact moment when a lightning bolt struck a Delta airliner. Source: Watch this Delta airliner get struck by a lightning bolt!

Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows?

| June 13, 2015

If you have already traveled by airplane, chances are you’ve noticed a tiny hole on the lower portion of all airplane windows The hole is designed to balance out the pressure between the last two layers of a typical pressurized-cabin window. For more images and a more detailed explaination see the article at Interesting Engineering.

How to: Simple gas struts replaced on a lifting rear door

| June 9, 2015

After my son returned from living in “dusty” Williston, North Dakota for a couple of years, the Chevy Trailblazer he was using came back a bit dusty. We noticed after visiting him last year that one of the big differences from Ohio were the lack of paved roads. Thankfully, we did give some thought to […]

SUV pinned between two trucks but the driver walks away

| May 5, 2015

This is the kind of story that has has one appreciating the the focus on design and safety going into the cars and SUVs being built today. Amazing … the driver, David Grimes, walked away with only a slight burn from the SUV’s air bag. A man’s SUV was pinned between two tractor-trailers, yet he […]

Ten aeronautical advancements thanks to NASA

| May 21, 2014

The Dryden Flight Research Center posted ten technology examples on their site that made a big impact on aviation. Most assume NASA has contributed to our science and engineering advancements, but the debate continues over the the high cost of the taxpayers through government funding the NASA research centers or if the private sector can […]

EAA284 meeting: Brian Cooper talking aerobatic aircraft design

| January 11, 2010

Who doesn’t enjoy a Palm Pre cellphone sunset photo? I’ll start with something simple that sooths my aching head … a beautiful winter sunset in Cincinnati Ohio (photo above) … and conclude with a very short comment regarding our Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter (EAA284) meeting on Sunday – one that had a subject over my […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog