Capacitors are categorised in terms of their capacitance, voltage and construction – so it is often necessary to tell different similar-looking capacitors apart based on their value markings.
On 5 April, 2063, Zefram Cochrane achieved Warp 1 in his vessel, the Phoenix. The flight caught the notice of a passing Vulcan survey ship, which initiated first contact, paving the way for the United Federation of Planets. This never actually happened, except in the movies. I think it’s worth celebrating anyway — it’s a good day to celebrate having big ideas.
Funny thing about big ideas, though. They tend to be relative. It’s rarely a full stop to full speed leap. The way you get to big ideas is by trying a lot of smaller ideas first, even if they don’t succeed. I’m a big fan of anybody who leaves their comfort zone to make something they see in their head, regardless of complexity or success. It’s all about momentum.
10 Built it.
20 Share it.
GOTO 10
Line 20 is a bit tricky though. It’s never been easier to share your work, and it’s never been easier for the entire world to have an opinion about it. This can be a challenge at times but good communities are out there, celebrate and cherish them! Always keep building and sharing with people and places that are positive and helpful.
The pneumatic conveyor belt can transport objects in a targeted manner and sort them at the same time. It consists of numerous bellows modules that deform the surface creating a wave motion that transports the objects in a targeted manner.
Born in 1940, computer scientist Alan Curtis Kay is one of a handful of visionaries most responsible for the concepts which have propelled personal computing forward over the past thirty years — and surely the most quotable one.
He’s the man who said that “The best way to predict the future is to invent it” and that “Technology is anything that wasn’t around when you were born” and that “If you don’t fail at least 90 percent of the time, you’re not aiming high enough.” And when I first saw Microsoft‘s Surface tablet last June, a Kay maxim helped me understand it: “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.”
Here’s one of the ten classic April Fool’s pranks from the past 50 years shared by Discovery News, among a pretty great list. I remember chuckling at news of this prank back when it occurred, but I enjoyed finally reading the original Pi hoax article and apology here.
As with many famous April Fool’s pranks, more than half of the fun of this one was in the indignation and active protests of those fooled into thinking that Pi might be be up on the legislative chopping block, which proved a more timeless memory than the subject of the political satire itself.
In a 1998 a a newsletter titled “New Mexicans for Science and Reason” claimed that Alabama’s legislature was going to make things simpler for everybody and round off pi to 3.
The piece was meant to be a satire of the debate over teaching evolution in New Mexico public schools. But, like all good post-Internet pranks, the joke was taken seriously by some and widely circulated online.
Check out this article over at Universe Today outlining the long tradition of astronomical April Fool’s pranks from the past. Here are just a few of those shared:
In 1974, John Gribbin published The Jupiter Effect, claiming that a Grand Alignment of the planets would spell doomsday for the Earth on March 10th, 1982. On April 1st 1976, Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore made an announcement along a similar vein to BBC listeners. A rare conjunction of the planets Pluto (which was still classified as a planet at the time) & Jupiter would weaken the gravitational field of the Earth at precisely 9:47AM. This would cause the law of gravity to become temporarily suspended, and cause things to fly about. Big hint: Pluto was nowhere near the gas giant at the time. Not that it would matter or have any consequence for the Earth! Although the hoax was quickly revealed, that didn’t stop several listeners from calling in and reporting observed results from the fake Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational effect!
One particular investigation of ours, conducted as part of our ongoing secure OS project, detected a seriously low level of “computer immunity” for control systems of critically important infrastructure. ICS, including SCADA, all of which is made up of software and computerized hardware, is responsible for controlling – and the smooth, uninterrupted running of – tech-processes in practically every sector of industry, be it the power industry, transportation, the mass media, and so on. Computer systems control critical aspects of all modern cars, airplanes and trains; every power station and waterworks, every factory, and even every modern office building (lifts, electricity and water supply, emergency systems like smoke alarms and sprinklers, air conditioning, etc.). SCADA and other ICS – it’s all imperceptible, working in the background in some corner or other nobody takes any notice of… but a whole lot around us depends on it.
Story Tape started out as an April Fool’s joke. The folks at Lee Valley Tools assumed people would enjoy reading about the fictional product (a spool of retractable blank measuring tape that you can write notes on with a Sharpie pen), but their R&D team liked the idea so much that they decided to put them into production. I can imagine a couple of different uses for them — measuring your child’s growth, and marking the width and depth of your car’s trunk. What else?
Today we’re excited to announce our brand new, fully flat-pack GRÄSSAX lawnmower! Light, foldable and easy to store, perfect for saving space in small gardens!
Why buy things from stores when you can print them yourself? The DIY 3D printer revolution is here, friends, and have we got the entry-level 3D printer for you. It’s the Play-Doh 3D Printer, and it’s loaded with features without a price tag that will set your wallet on fire. Let’s take a quick tour, and then you’ll want to buy one.
First, some quick assembly (of the snap-together variety) and your Play-Doh 3D Printer is almost ready for action. Add 2 C batteries, plug it into your iPad, and launch the free app: iPlay-Doh 3D. Quickly design all sorts of things on the free app and then send them to your Play-Doh 3D Printer. Add up to 3 different colors (they’ll blend like soft serve ice cream) to the top of the Play-Doh 3D Printer and then watch your iPad for directions. The iPlay-Doh 3D app will let you know when the printer is ready for you to start cranking.
There are two different cranks on the Play-Doh 3D Printer: one to drip the Play-Doh down onto the conveyor belt and one to move the conveyor belt back and forth (to make sure the Play-Doh gets in just the right place). Sure, the overall product isn’t as sturdy as an expensive 3D printed object, but it will air-harden and can be painted just like one. With the Play-Doh 3D Printer, you’ll learn basic CAD skills, bow hunting skills (just kidding), and 3D printing skills. It’s time to stop reading and get one now. Go on. Get!
We are delighted to announce a significant new extension to Nokia’s product offering with the Nokia 5AM-TH1N6 Constellation, a touch-screen microwave oven. The Constellation sets itself apart with a superfast, water-cooled 8-core high-voltage transformer, which brings a combined performance of 5,000 watts to end-users, letting them heat up turnkey meal solutions within seconds.
Printable catalog (PDF) or (EPUB)
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