Saturday, May 11, 2013
Bike lanes led to 49% increase in retail sales
Bike lanes led to 49% increase in retail sales, post.
Also 35-58% decrease in injuries, but apparently that was less important. :-)
When I moved from Denmark, where bikes are everywhere, to UK where you may not see one for days, it was a bitch because there are no bike lanes here. You have to fight for space with big metal beasties, and you're seriously out-gunned.
Also 35-58% decrease in injuries, but apparently that was less important. :-)
When I moved from Denmark, where bikes are everywhere, to UK where you may not see one for days, it was a bitch because there are no bike lanes here. You have to fight for space with big metal beasties, and you're seriously out-gunned.
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Print your own gun (updated!)
A 3D printed gun?
Wow, this opens a big can of worms, not to say a hornet's nest! Do you think this will be controversial??!!
Kelly T put in a long and interesting comment, small quote:
At the end of it, the Frenchman said something about how he agreed with Clarkson and how he couldn't understand why we Americans left stuff in the open in the back of our pickups. Then one of the corporate jet drivers said that somebody just walking up to your truck while you were in it and stealing a bunch of crap out of it was something that just wouldn't happen here, unless you were in the bad parts of Detroit, Kansas City, or New Orleans or LA. The French guy gave him a puzzled look and asked 'why not?' and the whole group, almost in unison, replied ' because you might get shot!'
Kelly also supplied some photos, from the workshop which made that beautiful airplane and canoe I showed not long ago.
(It's funny how something with such an ugly or primitive function can be beautiful.)
Unlike the originals, which were cast with low-grade iron in the 1700s, this one is machined with a CNC milling machine from a 200 lb ingot of stainless steel. All the parts are also stainless. It shoots a one pound ball of lead. I think it is a one-half scale of the original (a five foot long ingot of stainless wouldn't fit in any of his CNC machines).
Wow, this opens a big can of worms, not to say a hornet's nest! Do you think this will be controversial??!!
Kelly T put in a long and interesting comment, small quote:
At the end of it, the Frenchman said something about how he agreed with Clarkson and how he couldn't understand why we Americans left stuff in the open in the back of our pickups. Then one of the corporate jet drivers said that somebody just walking up to your truck while you were in it and stealing a bunch of crap out of it was something that just wouldn't happen here, unless you were in the bad parts of Detroit, Kansas City, or New Orleans or LA. The French guy gave him a puzzled look and asked 'why not?' and the whole group, almost in unison, replied ' because you might get shot!'
Kelly also supplied some photos, from the workshop which made that beautiful airplane and canoe I showed not long ago.
(It's funny how something with such an ugly or primitive function can be beautiful.)
Unlike the originals, which were cast with low-grade iron in the 1700s, this one is machined with a CNC milling machine from a 200 lb ingot of stainless steel. All the parts are also stainless. It shoots a one pound ball of lead. I think it is a one-half scale of the original (a five foot long ingot of stainless wouldn't fit in any of his CNC machines).
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Focus, durnit!
Article about the limitations of phone cameras.
He is talking about it sort of from a web-journalist's point of view. And I think the new chimera of good cameras with small android tablets will be just the thing for that. They will be able to take pro-quality images and videos under most conditions, and can immediately process and post/send the results.
Something like the Sony RX100 (a shirt-pocket-sized camera with big results even in low light) with a bigger screen and Android (or even iOS, dare to dream) would be exceedingly useful for many.
(Not for me though, I should add. Well it might be, but I like the shirt-pocket size of the RX100, and I prefer to more carefully edit photos on a real computer before posting them.)
He is talking about it sort of from a web-journalist's point of view. And I think the new chimera of good cameras with small android tablets will be just the thing for that. They will be able to take pro-quality images and videos under most conditions, and can immediately process and post/send the results.
Something like the Sony RX100 (a shirt-pocket-sized camera with big results even in low light) with a bigger screen and Android (or even iOS, dare to dream) would be exceedingly useful for many.
(Not for me though, I should add. Well it might be, but I like the shirt-pocket size of the RX100, and I prefer to more carefully edit photos on a real computer before posting them.)