I may have posted this a while back, but it’s worth a re-post. The ultimate Geek Library.
December 7, 2009
October 26, 2009
Z squared Scale
Worlds smallest working Model Train. 1:35,200 scale. While not really a “train” with separate cars, it’s still clever.
August 13, 2009
July 3, 2009
Now That’s a Layout
Walnut Creek California’s train club. 4100 feet of track!
June 1, 2009
May 2, 2009
Lego Bunratty
A neat site by a Lego fiend who specializes in building reproductions of European castles. Kinda nifty to see some of the castles we saw in Ireland reproduced here.
http://www.carneycastle.com/index.htm
Original Castle (being attacked by a dragon)
img src=”http://thebigthink.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bunratty-attacked.jpg” border=”0″ height=”192″ width=”256″ alt=”Bunratty Attacked!.jpg” align=”" />
Lego version (no dragon, unfortunately):
img src=”http://thebigthink.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/south.jpg” border=”0″ height=”297″ width=”230″ alt=”south.jpg” align=”" />
Neat stuff! Check it out:
http://www.carneycastle.com/index.htm
**Just checked this after posting. I’m really sorry, everybody. The company that hosts this knows that there are issues but they’re really dragging their feet fixing things. Knowing that nothing I post will display correctly has taken most of the joy out of blogging for me, which is why you haven’t seen many posts the past few months. They’ve been saying it’ll be fixed “soon” or “next week” or “within the week” since early March. I think fixing this is so low on their list of priorities that they’re not going to ever really get around to it. Sigh. Really sorry you have to come here only to see messed up code, but it really is out of my hands. Drat.
April 21, 2009
Big Rocket
This Saturday Steve Eves will launch the largest home-made rocket in history. His 36 foot replica of the Saturn V will blast off with enough power to launch a VW Bug half a mile. Check it out:
http://www.rocketryplanet.com/content/view/2829/38/
December 31, 2008
December 20, 2008
Tiny Tugs
I met these guys at MakerFaire. They were a blast to talk to. They had a bunch of their ships on display and were really enthusiastic about the hobby. Looks like a hoot.
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November 21, 2008
November 17, 2008
SketchUp
The new version of Sketchup (v 7.0) is available now. If you’re a maker, builder, tinkerer, or designer, SketchUp is THE free design tool. I couldn’t have done as good of a job on my studio or the entertainment center (not to mention many props) without this program. THANKS, GOOGLE!
November 10, 2008
Things They Don’t Teach in Flight Training
I never got that lesson in ground school.
Wow.
Wow.
September 26, 2008
Extreme Pen Spinning
Kam Kuo, extreme pen spinner. Check out the rubber band thing he does at the end. Incredible!
September 9, 2008
September 1, 2008
July 26, 2008
Bombs Away
A few days ago I picked up a copy of William Gurstelle’s The Art of the Catapult. I sat down a bit before dinner tonight just intending to read a few pages but ended up plowing through the entire book. It’s a fascinating and accessible short book (168 pages) written for a slightly younger market, but it still has a lot to inform an adult. Gurstelle’s nine chapters are each divided into two sections. The first part of each chapter has a historical overview of the time period of a specific type of catpult. He describes the development and use of basic catapults, ballistae, trebuchets, onagers, and other types of missile-tossers, complete with some rather harrowing descriptions of actual battles. One of the few books I’ve read that have made me want to learn more about history.
The second part of each chapter has a section that describes how to build a tabletop version of that specific catapult. Excellent! His instructions won’t really let you build anything of massive destructive power, but they will give you the basics (and a *cough* skilled woodworker might consider it childs-play to scale some of the designs up to a “lethal” size).
Reading this book has made me think about using the Hirst blocks to construct a medieval diorama of a castle siege complete with little catapults. Heh.
All in all, a great little book, especially since Half-Price Books is currently featuring it for around five bucks.
June 15, 2008
Choo Choo
Every time Erin and I go to Barnes and Noble for a date night (don’t laugh… it’s great!), I try and pick up a magazine or two on a topic that I know next to nothing about. I’ve read sewing magazines, garden design mags, doll-collection mags (yes, really), and even stuff on hair and fashion (not many, but hey). Why? Because, as vaucous as some of the more extreme ones are, you never know where you’re going to learn something you’ve never known, and sticking to familiar sources will usually only get you familiar (known) information.
One of the new mags that I started looking at a year or so ago was Model Railroader magazine. It’s full of amazing photos of different collectors’ model RR setups. Now, I’m normally really attracted to modeling and making stuff (one of the reasons I’m a woodworker), but the level of craftsmanship that goes into some of these layouts is astounding. I did, however, assure Erin that I wouldn’t be adding a model railroad wing to the house. Believe it or not, there are quite a few hobbies that are fascinating to me that I don’t want to go and partake in.*
The reason I bring this up is that the current issue of Modern Railroader magazine (is there an “Ancient Railroader” magazine?) has an incredible layout by none other than Rod Stewart. Check out Make’s write up, complete with some incredible pictures (more pics here). Who knew that Stewart was such a train freak! See what I mean about learning new stuff?
*I reserve the right to add Model Railroading to my list of hobbies in the future. What else are we going to do with the planned Hobby Wing of the house? 
April 17, 2008
Craftsmanship
An incredible 1/8th scale working tractor.
Don’t miss the other amazing models at the Craftsmanship Museum.
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April 9, 2008
The Craftsman
Core77 has a review up of Richard Sennett’s book “The Craftsman,” which is a conglomerate of case studies that explore the relationship of hand to mind, craftsmanship to Enlightenment. Herein, Sennett, a renown London-based sociologist with a zest for the human experience, argues that the most basic, fundamental ability we humans share is that of craft. When properly trained, this process functions as muscle memory, literally training the mind while working the hand. If its up to Sennett, all those hours spent learning how to throw clay pots, plane wood, and mix plaster for some toy-design/coffee-maker/mobile-phone project actually might just make you, the designer-cum-craftsman, a more enlightened person. From the computer screen to the workshop table, it’s the stuff we’ve known for years: think, make, share, and do it again. It’s what we wake up to do every morning, and what we dream about at night.
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