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Einstein’s Zurich Notebook
I love the chance to peek into the notebook of a famous person, don’t you? Let’s take a look at one of Einstein’s notebooks, specifically the so called Zurich Notebook This stuff is way over my head but look at the handwriting, it’s so precise! I’m guessing he preferred graph paper as it lends itself to computation and drawing. I think it’s ok to feel a little self conscious of your notebooks after all, this is Einstein we’re talking about.
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Maybe I’ll do this in 2013
At some point in 2009 I decided to ride BMX bicycles. Perhaps you’re an old-school reader and you remember this phase in my life but if not, rest assured I didn’t get far. I did mess up my back and knee which stands to reason, men in their 30’s probably shouldn’t take up BMX as a hobby. I’ll say this, I had high hopes. OK, not really. As I write this, I realize I never posted any pictures or details of the Hoffman Bama I built, I suppose at some point this spring I should pull it out of the garage and snap a few pictures.
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poor quality
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of the low price is forgotten.“ — Ben Franklin (allegedly)
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Immobilized
A few months ago I wrote about the bursitis in my right foot. The steroid shot appeared to eliminate the inflammation but a few months later the pain returned and my options are shrinking. Apparently another shot runs the risk of weakening my tendon which is something I’d like to avoid. The picture above is the current phase of treatment: immobilization. The Aircast boot locks my foot from moving which should help the bursa sac eventually heal.
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Everyone wants more carnage.
Detroit got a taste of spring today with temperatures in the low 60’s so I took the Losi Mini 8ight out for a spin at a local park. I had a lot of fun but then it got messy. About 15 minutes into the first battery, I noticed the radio was randomly losing range. In hindsight, I should have stopped driving but being an RC newb, I swapped the LiPo for a fresh one and kept bashing.
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I’ve got no voice.
“I’ve got no voice. I don’t know how to write like me.” — Kemp (Johnny Depp) in The Rum Diary
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The Making of Pulp Fiction
Vanity Fair on “The Making of Pulp Fiction He has said that his first drafts look like “the diaries of a madman,” but Chen says they’re even worse. “His handwriting is atrocious. He’s a functional illiterate. I was averaging about 9,000 grammatical errors per page. After I would correct them, he would try to put back the errors, because he liked them.” This article has been everywhere lately but perhaps you haven’t seen it yet.
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The discovery of Stuxnet
Have you heard of Stuxnet? I hadn’t until today and it’s a fascinating story. First, let’s learn how researchers found Stuxnet in the first place. This 2011 Wired article does a great job of explaining it. Months earlier, in June 2009, someone had silently unleashed a sophisticated and destructive digital worm that had been slithering its way through computers in Iran with just one aim — to sabotage the country’s uranium enrichment program and prevent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from building a nuclear weapon.
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Lessons from the movie 'Hackers'
I have to be honest, of all the repeatedly viewed movies in my past, Hackers holds the crown. I can’t sit through this movie without annoying everyone in the room by reciting the lines as — or before — they happen. I adore this movie and clearly Chris Sims from Wired agrees with me. Hackers is quite possibly the finest representation of the ’90s that has ever been committed to film, and I love it with an intensity that most people reserve for spouses and children.
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Budget 450 build update
In typical fashion, I’ve picked up yet another project I probably don’t need, I’m attempting to build a 450 class RC helicopter. I went the cheap route and while I’m starting to regret it (as I always do), I’m pushing through to the finished product. The helicopter kit is a Hobby King 450 CCPM 3D Ver. 2 which costs just under $30. If I could start over, I’d buy the HK 450GT-PRO V2 but for now, I’ll deal with what I have.
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