Sunday, 19 July 2015

F.I.A.T. 28.5 liter “Beast Of Turin” driven for first time in 100 years (video)


F.I.A.T. S76 — that's the way the company name was written in 1911 — period marks can just be made out in the sign on the wall behind the S76
Credit: Goodwood

● 28.5 litres & 4 cylinders — over 7 litres per cylinder
● that's over 14 litres of fire & smoke out the exhaust at every engine revolution
● chain drive — one chain each side — transferring 300 hp to the rear wheels
● if either chain lets go, be ready to duck — but there's probably not much point
● heads just visible above the bonnet — this is a very tall car
● add leaf springs & narrow tyres for an exciting ride at over 100 mph
● no front brakes — customary in 1911
● "legburner" exhaust — missing from the restored vehicle in the videos below

In 1911 this was the fastest car in the world. Pietro Bordino drove it to an official land speed record of 116 mph over the flying mile, at Saltburn Sands, England. Later that year, an attempt was made on the the flying kilometre record, at Oostenede, Belguim. It was timed at over 135 mph, but could not complete the return journey in the hour to claim the record, due to external circumstances.

The Beast of Turin trailer from stefan marjoram on Vimeo.




http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1099157_fiat-28-liter-beast-of-turin-driven-for-first-time-in-100-years

https://grrc.goodwood.com/race/historic/legendary-fiat-s76-run-first-time-100-years#SesMZUDemkFJU8wP.97

Assembling the engine

Credit: stefanmarjoram.com/The Old Motor

More images of engine assembly:
http://theoldmotor.com/?p=122246 / F.I.A.T. Fiat fastest car in the world FIAT S76 restoration owner Duncan Pittaway painstakingly rebuilding car hillclimb Goodwood Festival of Speed terrific noise pedestrians three yards of flame stub exhausts bonnet S76 produced Italian manufacturer records flying kilometre flying mile Blitzen Benz S76 mile record Pietro Bordino Saltburn Sands 1911 officially recorded over 135mph kilometre Ostenede in Belguim unable to complete return run specified one hour one car dismantled Fiat First World War racing cars rival manufacturers technical secrets purchased by Russian aristocrat Boris Soukhanov modernised Australia campaigned Fiat Racing Special Duncan drive S76 Goodwood brought rolling chassis remains UK original 28.5 litre four cylinder engine dismantled car machine restored original specification Roach Manufacturing Southampton bodywork restoring Bugatti T35 S76 original S76 components survived restored chassis engine suspension axles pedals steering box gearbox radiator bodywork original Fiat drawings last largest huge-engined Edwardian monsters /

Saturday, 18 July 2015

What’s faster than Insane? Ludicrous

For some time, the fastest 4-door sedan in the world has been the P85D version of the Tesla Model S in “Insane” mode — capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds.

But, no more.

Now, the fastest 4-door sedan in the world is the P90D version of the Tesla Model S in “Ludicrous” mode — capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. 1.1 Gs.

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/teslas-new-ludicrous-mode-makes-model-s-supercar/

http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/17/teslas-model-s-gets-ludicrous-mode-will-do-0-60-in-2-8-seconds/#.u6givh:k8k1 / Tesla Model S LiIon battery cell lithium ion charge recharge Supercharger station charge Elon Musk 85 kWh killo Watt hour /

Colorado bear drops by the pie shop


Credit: BoingBoing

Didn’t pay his bill, but did leave a favourable review on Yelp. His verdict: try the apple or the cherry — skip the strawberry & rhubarb.


Credit: Yelp/BoingBoing



http://boingboing.net/2015/07/17/colorado-bear-with-munchies-br.html?utm_source=moreatbb&utm_medium=nextpost&utm_campaign=nextpostthumbnails

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/16/bear-pies-colorado-bakery / Outside store trail of sugar clump of cherries report Denver, CO TV news station hungry bear Colorado broke into a local pie shop ate every last pie in the place except for one flavor Kristi Lehnert owns owner Colorado Cherry Company bear climbed into her store through a window Tuesday morning feast bear ate 24 cherry pies 14 apple pies bear did not like strawberry rhubarb pie bear area go grab some pies yourself Colorado Cherry Yelp listing gets pretty good reviews black bear brown bear /

Friday, 17 July 2015

Keezel: easy-to-use privacy & security for every online device, everywhere (video)


Credit: keezel/IndieGoGo

Public WiFi networks are far from secure. Even browsing from your own home could benefit from a security upgrade. Oppressive regimes attempt to prevent their citizens from accessing social networks & other Internet content. And then there is region-locked content. All of these problems can be ameliorate by use of a virtual private network (VPN).

Keezel is VPN in a box.

Compared to other VPN solutions, keezel has the following advantages:
● no software to load onto any of your devices
● single button operation
● contains a large capacity battery (“almost three times the capacity of your iPhone 6” i.e. almost 3 * 1810 = 5430 mAh1,2) which can be used as an external battery to charge you phone, tablet or similar device



Keezel is available for as little as $US79 on IndieGoGo:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keezel-online-freedom-for-every-device-everywhere/x/9010251#/story
__________
1 “iPhone 6: Battery Life“ http://www.trustedreviews.com/iphone-6-review-battery-life-and-verdict-page-6

2 “iPhone 6“ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_6 / one device fits in your pocket changes online world control your Internet world’s first portable on line see what you are doing online visit blocked websites all over the world geographically locked region locked secure all your devices one keezel no software installation needed required growth intelligent worldwide keezel network provider provided best providers keezel switch it on with 1 button one button operation privacy feel secure connect to whatever you want control crowdfunding unique server network worldwide keezel chooses best available connection everytime you connect Keezel partners partner world class VPN providers servers worldwide combining multiple VPN networks provide largest most resilient network keezel automatically selects best connection best service simple big worldwide server network working for you keezel online freedom protecting your privacy security free and open internet WiFi networks all WiFi devices VPN technology simple campaign perks 1 year 2 year lifelong access our world class VPN network free basic service protect your privacy security on WiFi networks free WiFi connect to WiFi expose yourself to identity theft data leakage colleagues at work on the company network keezel protects your privacy security online coffee shops hotels airports at work at home encryption encrypts encrypt your connection all connected devices without having to install software app application many governments censor Internet blocking voices opposition Facebook Twitter other websites blocked Internet widespread problem websites TV shows watched in certain countries episodes your favorite show unavailable when travelling watch a sports game race inaccessible in your country or region connect keezel country of your choice keezel creates your own secure WiFi network keezel connects to WiFi networks your favorite coffee shop creates a secure WiFi network open source encryption technology big companies government organizations protect their data doesn't require installation laptop phone smart solution works with all your WiFi devices connect your personal keezel WiFi online freedom without screens keezel's VPN service high quality resilient server network all over the world partners partner world class network providers best service super competitive price Indiegogo perks least one year of this service premium service limited speed locations secure browsing emailing encryption change location country great battery life charge charges your phone keezel powerful battery almost three times the capacity of your iPhone 6 use keezel charge other devices service subscription only limited speed locations /

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Baby incubators, now a staple of premature infant care, were pioneered where?


Credit: How-To Geek

Take the quiz here:
http://www.howtogeek.com/trivia/baby-incubators-now-a-staple-of-premature-infant-care-were-pioneered-where/

Very surprising answer, but demonstrates a few things:
1. conservatism of the medical profession
2. conservatism which is understandable in a profession charged with responsibility for so many human lives
3. conservatism which is understandable in a profession with such high malpractice insurance expenses (Saw a story somewhere about a medico who entered medical practice in the first half of the 20th century. Initially, he was paying $70 per year for malpractice insurance. By the time he retired, this had climbed to $70,000 per year!)
4. if you have a new medical idea, be prepared for a long, hard slog to get it accepted — witness the discoverers of glycemic index & the value of insulin for treating diabetes
5. everything is obvious once you know the answer

http://io9.com/5885939/babies-in-incubators-were-once-an-attraction-at-coney-island / incubators staple of premature infant care millions of premature at-risk babies kept stable temperatures tucked safely inside glass plastic enclosures delicate bodies were ready to handle full exposure the outside world intuitively protect premature babies doctor created championed incubator Dr. Martin Couney wasn’t taken seriously medical establishment incubators failure of the establishment value of the incubators how critical keeping premature babies alive Couney unconventional approach incubators Coney Island Coney Island New York island famously amusement parks hot dogs clever incubators created approached owners Luna Park prominent amusement park on Coney Island set up a sideshow filled with incubators house premature babies charge admission admission fee cover the expenses of staffing exhibit caretakers nurses families premature babies care without expense put premature babies on display sideshow act amusement park saved the lives of thousands upon thousands of children decades Couney parents of premature babies nothing that can be done frantic parents New York City hail cabs rush their frail children Coney Island Dr. Couney innovative incubators curiosity of the public help babies establishment finally came babies Coney Island project had saved incubators became a staple fixture neonatal care wards across the country /

Mountains of Pluto


Credit: NASA/Corbis/The Guardian

Ice mountains — 11,000 feet (3350 metres) tall in the image above — rising above plains of frozen methane & nitrogen in the most detailed images so far, from NASA’s New Horizons.

No impact craters in any of the photographs so far seen. This indicates a surface which has recently been formed — & a geologically active planet.

New Horizons is now more than a million miles past Pluto & moving towards the Kuiper Belt.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2015/jul/15/nasa-pluto-new-horizon-photos-discoveries

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-16/nasa-releases-new--images-of-pluto/6623136 / New Horizons mission Pluto NASA’s most recent revelations the edge of our solar system first ever close-up of Pluto’s surface young icy mountain range ascends 11,000ft evidence water ice no impact craters lead scientist Alan Stern surprising diversity of activity on Pluto first high resolution image of Charon dwarf planet’s largest moon orbital partner active world cliffs run hundreds of miles across canyons four to six miles deep early data planetary activity radioactive heat internal ocean energy stored during formation causes for the activity small distant worlds scientists Plutonian geology researcher John Spencer Pluto has so much diversity Cathy Olkin Stern Spencer Olkin Nasa briefing data New Horizons, now more than a million miles past Pluto and voyaging out into the Kuiper Belt at the edge of our solar system transmit data about Pluto Charon next 16 months atmosphere water ice volatiles category of active chemicals puzzle Dwayne Brown NASA headquarters piles of stuff with grooves on it John Spencer erosion mountain building baffling ice mountain range heart region Tombaugh Reggio small mid-size worlds complex active larger worlds Triton solar system most similar to Pluto Plutonian geology Charon moons of Uranus so much data to investigate data other worlds activity worlds tidal heating Pluto has so much diversity /

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Solar Impulse grounded until 2016


Solar Impulse 2 approaches its landing at Kalaeloa Airport in Hawaii
Credit: AP/Daily Mail

During the closing stages of its record-breaking trans-pacific flight into Hawaii, the battery pack of Solar Impulse 2 was damaged by overheating. After repairs & testing the round-the-world flight is expected to resume in April 2016.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33538442

http://time.com/3958478/solar-impulse-grounded/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3148669/Success-Solar-Impulse-2-safely-lands-Hawaii-completing-daring-five-day-flight-Pacific-Ocean.html / Solar Impulse round around the world flight solar powered Swiss pilot pilots first ever attempt fly around the world propelled the Sun André Borschberg compatriot Bertrand Piccard take turns piloting single seater seat Solar Impulse 2 21,747 miles 35,000 km kilometre 12 legs including gruelling five- to six-day stints across the Atlantic Pacific oceans entire journey will take five months Borschberg took the controls takeoff take off take-off Al-Bateen executive airport Abu Dhabi early on Monday first destination Muscat in Oman pilots roughly 250 hours each inside narrow cockpit no oxygen temperature control temperatures outside range between -40 degrees C to 40°C degrees Celsius falling asleep flight need constant attention Piccard Borschberg survive 20-minute naps every two to four hours pilots will practise yoga stave off the physical discomfort remaining confined seat for days at a time Borschberg biggest challenge maintaining concentration Piccard psychiatrist team 1999 first circumnavigated globe non-stop balloon taught techniques of self-hypnosis meditation maintain concentration time duration in the present moment the only way is to be present almost a spiritual experience entire journey circumnavigating Earth in a family car aircraft weighs the same as a Volvo sedan comparable speeds SI2 top speed 87m/h 140km/h pilots conserve battery power limiting plane half cockpit only slightly larger average car contain life support systems food oxygen supplies reclining pilot’s seat triples bed chair toilet fly both day and night no fuel powered by 17,000 solar panels set on its wings wider Boeing 747’s fuselage 633kg bank of lithium batteries quarter weight store energy run motors overnight journey early days intercontinental flight enormous speed range jet engines Qantas fly Kangaroo Route Sydney to London hopping Darwin Singapore Kolkata Karachi Cairo Tripoli en route Borschberg success Solar Impulse project first solar-powered plane fly through the night first to fly between two continents primitive step toward zero-carbon jumbo combustion fossil fuels dominated powered flight 19th century dirigible aviation burns the most carbon per passenger per kilometre of any mode of mass-transport and, despite efforts to limit emissions, remains the fastest growing anthropogenic source of greenhouse gases sector climate change toughest major emissions source to decarbonise solar flight seeks remains decades away Wright Brothers Charles Lindbergh deputy editor Aerospace magazine Bill Read solar flight commercial flights solar cells generate power fly Solar Impulse fly using solar power constructed very light weight light-weight lightweight huge wingspan solar cell technology power source aircraft advances project real-world uses today fly Sun day and night build an aircraft extremely energy efficient technologies energy efficiency used in your home your car appliances four motors power aircraft generate heat energy efficiency single cheapest way reduce carbon emissions across the world technologies challenge energy environment pollution natural resources /