Month: March 2011

Dragon Birthday Cake

My son’s second birthday is coming up, so I have birthday cake on the brain. I’m totally inspired by this great children’s cake roundup by Lyndsay of Coco Cakes. The dragon cake in particular knocks my socks off. If you haven’t seen her work before, you should check out her Very Hungry Caterpillar cupcake train, […]

Fascinating 1953 Navy Film Series on Mechanical Computers

Fascinating 1953 Navy Film Series on Mechanical Computers

Before there were electronic computers, there were mechanical computers, and one of the most important uses of these was in directing gunfire on surface warships. Mechanical fire control computers took inputs from manned instruments that visually tracked enemy ships, and also considered variables such as wind speed and direction, the firing ship’s heading and velocity, etc. That information—completely in the form of physical displacements of mechanical movements—was cranked through a complex train of shafts, gears, cams, and differentials that computed the optimal firing solution, and automatically aimed the guns accordingly. This film series, produced by the US Navy in black-and-white sprocket-clatter 1950s glory, explains the general principles of mechanical computation, as applied to fire control systems, in clear and engaging language with nice animated diagrams. It’s been ported to YouTube in seven parts by user navyreviewer. Totally engrossing. [via Boing Boing]

Faux Meatball Cupcakes

My pal Melanie, a London food blogger originally from the Mitten, tipped me off to this post from the U.K. Groupon blog – a recipe for fake meatball cupcakes. I wasn’t sure at first, but once I saw truffles were involved, I was sold. Thanks, Mel – I think I’ll have to make these for […]