November 9, 2014

MORNING
           Midget submarines. You don’t hear much about them, but certain localities, like North Korea, have assembly lines churning these things out. Unlike the last major use, the attack on Pearl Harbor, these new midget subs are built differently. They are mainly submersibles, that is, rather than diving, they run below the surface with just a snorkel or periscope showing. And, they are built for one-way transit. The terrorists are fully aware of how vulnerable coast US cities are such craft. Here is a photo of one captured in Columbia, belonging to drug smugglers. Note the GPS antenna and radome for detecting radar beams long before they are strong enough to be reflected back to the source. The majority of illegal drugs into the US now arrive in this manner.

           The fantastic morning turned to drizzle by 9:30, so we held the club meeting in the workshed. Cancel Harbor Freight unless it lets up, but we got a few pages of measurements ready for cutting, drilling, and welding. One thing we’ve gotten damn good at is measuring things. But we mismeasured the cutout for the clubhouse air conditioner wall socket. We had to repair it and since it reminded me of that drywall repair Wallace and I did for Eric the Finn back in 2010, I measured the time it took M and I to fix this one. I’ll leave you to look up the details, but we were 13-1/2 times faster and did a better job.
           The new miniPod trailer bed is, same as last model, built to overkill standards. Working the better-safe-than-sorry angle, I reinforced all the joints and bends subject to road stress. If all the new bolt-holes look factory fresh, could be they were done on a drill press. I’m still grumpy so I’m staying home, but I’m wondering if I’m down with something. There’s a report of mild flue going around and I was just in a room full of snotty, sneezing kids. Now I have sore shoulders and generally have to move slower than usual. That’s enough to give me attitude right there. I associate slow with lazy. So be on the lookout, ye laggards, slowpokes, and foot-draggers.

           Next, I read that Hans Lippershey may not have been the one who invented the microscope and telescope. Contrary to what we were taught in public school, there is no record that Hans ever invented a thing. What is on file is that in 1608 he was denied a patent for the device, which usually but not necessarily means one thing: it was already invented. What likely happened is that Lippeshey vastly improved the performance of existing lens because, as a spectacle maker, he would have been aware of then-recent discoveries that parabolic lenses worked differently than convex/concave models.

NOON
           Let me tell you who is a little bit retarded. Nova, the PBS people, or at least their web site. Have you seen it? Well, suppose you want to watch a video, you would naturally want them to give you a list of titles. Is Nova that smart? Of course not. The present you with a menu of formats, as shown here. So let’s see, did you want a quiz, a timeline, or an interview? Oh, Nova, you are so sophisticated, it brings a tear to my eye. Really. Now I remember what I wanted to see! A different website, Nova, that's what, you morons.

           Nova, where do you even find . . .
           While looking at lensmaking. I learned that plastic has taken over from glass as the best material. Lighter, stronger, it can be made to cancel out aberrations, which is impossible with ordinary glass due to the crystalline atomic structure. Remember the stick-on plastic lenses once described here? The little plastic lenses that people who need glasses could stick on the inside of cheap sunglasses, etc. Not for driving (I probably have to say that), but for everyday use. So you can see the beach babes like everyone else without those dorky clip-ons where you still have to turn your head toward her, risky business these days. Or so I’m told.
           I got to thinking, as I usually do about making easy money, that inventing anything that sells is a better deal than working for a living. Could a 3D printer make these lenses? As for an eye test, go up to the sales rack and look through the clear covering and find the pair you like the best. End of eye test. Anyway, I was taken aback by the lack of information. I really do have a physics degree so I can calculate the lens formulas myself. No promises, I’m only taking a look.
           Nobody will steal my idea, it is too complicated for the average dude to consider, much less work the formulas. Plus, asking around at the Maker Faire tells me there is no such thing as clear, lens-quality plastic available. I have several samples and the clearest is this green brand I’m holding.
           And it is not nearly good enough [in quality]. The good news is I’ve only begun to look at this concept.