The Magic Materializer

Engineers and designers have been using three dimensional (3D) printers for more close to two decades, mostly to make prototypes quickly and cheaply before they embark on the expensive business of tooling up a factory to produce the real thing.

As 3D printers have become more capable and able to work with a broader range of materials, including production-grade plastics and metals, the machines are increasingly being used to make final products too.

As Arthur C. Clarke has stated, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

This week, a look at 3D printers.

TTFN, Fred. 

Quote of the week: "There must be more to life than having everything." - Maurice Sendak (American illustrator and writer of children's books, 1928 - 2012)

   The Magic Materializer by fredwine on Scribd

Microwave Ovens

I remember the day our first microwave oven came into my parent's household. It was big (by today's standards) with a faux wood exterior, dials (no digital displays) and a bell that went "ding" when the cycle was completed. We read the instructions and cookbook that came with it and the first thing we made was scrambled eggs. It was like magic.

Hard to imagine a kitchen without the power contained in a microwave oven. In 1971, about 1% of all households in the US had one; by 1997, that number was 90%.

This week, a look at microwave ovens.

TTFN, Fred. 

Quote of the week: "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." - F. Scott Fitzgerald (US novelist, 1896 - 1940)

   Zap It! by fredwine on Scribd

Pure Pasteur

We've talked about pasteurization before, and before that, and even before that. But did you know that old Louis Pasteur himself saved the French wine industry in the 1860's?

Gotta love science. And wine, of course.

This week, another look at pasteurization.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind." - Louis Pasteur (French biologist amd bacteriologist, 1822 - 1895)

   Pure Pasteur by fredwine on Scribd

Hitting the Mark

The origins of rifling are difficult to trace, but some of the earliest practical experiments seem to have occurred in Europe during the 15th century. Archers had long realized that a twist added to the tail feathers of their arrows gave them greater accuracy. 

Rifles were created as an improvement in the accuracy of smooth bore muskets. In the early 18th century, Benjamin Robins, an English mathematician, realized that an elongated bullet would retain the momentum and kinetic energy of a musket ball, but would slice through the air with greater ease. Science!

This week, a look at rifles.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." - Og Mandino (American author, 1923 - 1996)

   Hitting the Mark by fredwine on Scribd

An Overreaction to Food Allergies

The cause of food allergies is unknown. Symptoms of a reaction can include digestive problems, hives, or swollen airways. Severe reactions can be life-threatening.

But what if you're diagnosed incorrectly and you don't have food allergies? How can that happen, you say? Read on, faithful reader, read on.

This week, a look at an overreaction to food allergies.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "When in doubt, tell the truth." - Mark Twain (American humorist, novelist, short story author and wit, 1835 - 1910)

   An Overreaction to Food Allergies by fredwine on Scribd

Fun Food Firsts

Remember the first time you ever had a donut? Or a popsicle? Or cotton candy? Now stop to think how life would be without them. And now imagine you are the first person in the world to taste them. Everything has a first time.

This week, a look at fun food firsts.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." - Galileo Galilei (Italian astronomer and physicist, 1564 - 1642)

   Fun Food Firsts by fredwine on Scribd

Elevators

An elevator (US and Canada) or lift (UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa) is a type of vertical transportation that moves people or goods between floors (levels, decks) of a building, vessel, or other structure. Elevators are generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables or counterweight systems like a hoist, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack.

Elisha Otis, thank you for making The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror possible.

This week, a look elevators.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." - Robert Frost (American poet, 1874 - 1963)

   Getting the Shaft by fredwine on Scribd