As part of our Mechanics theme this month, we’re giving away three signed copies of Dustyn Roberts’ awesome Making Things Move. This book is the perfect introduction to understanding basic machines and mechanisms and how to more intelligently incorporate them into your projects. We’ve been having such a great response to using these giveaways as […]
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]
Join Brookelynn Morris at the San Francisco flower market for a luscious tour of flowers to brighten up your home. … Pick up some tips on choosing flowers for your special bouquets good for dinner parties or other special occasions at home.
Thingiverse user BenJackson designed a bracket and two gears that allow you to add numeric ontrol capability to your Etch-A-Sketch. What can I say? I’ve never been able to draw anything with an Etch-a-Sketch. I won this one in a Christmas gift exchange some years ago and hung onto it with the idea that someday […]
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 […]
It took this crew the short span of two weeks to “fly the house” in this National Geographic project to create a real life version of the house in Pixar’s Up— lifted into the sky by balloons. “The real Up! Scientists recreate floating house from Pixar movie… and prove it really CAN fly” at dailymail: […]
Fabric Bunting Mini-Pennants This charming mini-pennant strand by merriweathercouncil on Etsy is a mix of vintage and new patterned fabrics strung on handmade bias tape – lovely! Each pennant triangle is backed with another fabric, so both sides are unique. This set is 63 inches long and one of a kind, but she offers other […]
