Old Banners

I've gotten a few emails about my older banners (positive comments, Im glad the readers like my banner choices ^^). I opened a seperate subfolder for anyone interested in seeing the old banners. Peace be with you friend, I must hit the hay. Zzzzz -_-

http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=138668

Model Revisit: DD-445 Fletcher Class

After World War II and during North Korea/Vietnam conflict, the US Military ordered about 100+ duplicate warships, dubbed the "Fletcher Class" ships, or by the name they were known by: Blue Devils. I completed this model in late 2003 and I really had no idea how to properly paint, but I had an idea of how to put a model together. This is when I wanted to really get back into model kit building, and I got my feet wet with this one. Im gonna go back and repaint the model.

Progress: Cantilever Tower

I've made some progess on the Cantilever Tower!

One thing I have noticed with the towers is, when we have to get our balsa wood pieces, we have to "strip" the balsa off a larger, flatter piece. This is tedious, and takes a careful hand to do. I have messed up a few pieces already, but largely saved a lot of balsa. Others have not done as well as I have stripping their balsa, and soon we may not have enough for the class.

So it hit me. I have ordered dragster parts from Pitsco before, so I figure they may have structure building materials. BINGO. 1/8th by 1/8th by 24" pieces of balsa wood, cut with the preciseness of a machine and packaged carefully. I will be ordering some from Pitsco, the 50 pc set is enough for 5 cantilever towers. I can count on it, and make sure I have the best tower I can build with available resources. If I am intelligent enough to secure outside (legal) resources, I should have the power to use them =p.

Progress on BB-62 New Jersey

( This picture is a year old, Ive made progress in repairing the hull of paint damage). I repainted the hull a mica red (it was originally mica) when I went to my local hobby store and found a mica spray can. The paint turned out wonderful, and I expect second to none with Tamiya (which are the results I was given). I sealed the paint, and it made the paint look even better. I chose to seal just the second half of the hull so that when I go to mask off the bottom painted part, the newly sprayed paint does not find a new home on the sticky tape. Ill be painting the upper portion back into the mold color, then adding a black stripe at the water line. After that, a seal and inspection will be all that is required to finish the hull. Next: Gun batteries and the deck!

Exactly How I feel about Gundam Kits

Take it to the green dude: This is how I feel when I get anything larger than a 1/100 scale Gundam Kit =D.

An Otaku's Elite Den

I was randomly browsing Google when it took me here. As I read the article and looked at the photos, a little part of me inside cried inside and it died (jokingly). WOW do I want a room like that!!

I am not a big fan of DC Comics, but that guy seriously has a bookshelf of DVDs larger than suncoast, and I won't take a crack at how much everything is worth. Looks like a really neat room, action figure collecting is always something I wanted to do, but I got into model kits quite a while ago. I looked to the side at my collection of anime, manga, figures, etc and it puts them to shame. I suppose that is the result of 10+ years of loyalty ^^.

http://www.gomanga.com/news/features_aoi_001.php

Flying Kites

I must apologize, I have not had much to say this month. It's not from a lack of energy, but a lack of things to talk about! I remember a while back I wanted to discuss kites, and just a few days ago the temperature went up to 67 farenheight, and the wind was good enough to fly my kite.

Kite flying is one of those things that you do at an early age; and it never gets old as you get older. Part of the highlight of my Ocean City MD, vacation is to actually go kite flying. Most people know about kites and how they work, so really I don't have any real way to explain how they work (see wikipedia). Ive bought numerous kites over the years, and as I enjoyed kite flying, I wanted to go bigger and bigger. Right now my largest kite is a 9.5 foot Delta kite, just your simple triangle design, but the thing is over 10 feet in length and width! (Taller than me standing up). I have a nice windsock for it too; that extends to about 25 feet and makes for good stability.

Kites come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. You have cheaper than $5 "fly 'em once" kites, then you get up into the $30.00-$40.00 range for advanced nylon types. Nylon is much stronger, and is easy to sow if it does tear. This happened to my 4.5 foot Delta, but my 9.5 Delta has performed with no damage to it, despite rigourous 30mph+ winds (really worth the $90 USD I spent on it). The strength of the line is also very important. Usually if you visit a kite shop, there are trained employees there who know what they are doing. If you ever visit one, ask about getting a line wound on a spool that is circular in shape, not like a spool spool. The reason for this is, as an engineer I can tell you that the sphere (or circle) is universally the strongest shape. The line will strain less, tense less, and it will be easier on yourself to reel in your kite. The more expensive kites do handle well, but if it is too windy, don't do what I do and let the kite go out all of the way. If the line snaps, you will be chasing the kite probably for miles (has not happened to me yet).

Its the perfect thing to do at the beach! On the beach the winds coming in and around shore are pretty much linear, and you won't get too much turbulence. Try and get out in the early morning or late evening (with sunlight out) to fly the kite. I almost gurantee 99% of the time there will be enough wind to fly. To be polite to others, try not to fly your kite when you have people relaxing on the beach. If you can find a large gap where no one is, and there are people just walking the beach, have fun!

Next Gundam Project: 1/60 PG Wing Zero (Post #200)

I have been trying to track this one down like a hawk- and some recent tax returns seem nice to spend on a Perfect Grade Wing Zero Custom. I just love this Gundam, and it would make an awesome Perfect Grade Kit. In fact I may not paint this one, and be really careful with the sanding and construction. Here are some nice pictures, Ill start building it once I can track down the kit.

Cantilever Tower: How To

The Cantilever Tower is essentially a tower and crane designed to hold a certain amount of weight. For our next project, the Cantilever Tower will be made out of Balsa Wood, and you may only have 240 inches of material. You may laminate (glue two pieces of balsa together face to face) once, and you may not excess glue. Design and especially, construction is everything in this project.




To start your cantilever tower, you will need to procure the right amount and size of balsa wood. For our project, we may not use any larger than 1/8th by 1/8th balsa wood. The length will actually vary, but really will not exceed 12 inches. An x-acto knife will be your tool of the trade: a really brand new and sharp one will cut through the balsa wood like butter, accuratly almost everytime without splitting it. When you cut your balsa wood, it is ok to rest a finger on the non sharp edge of the blade and help push, but do it lightly, and be careful (Responsibility kids, cut your finger I am not liable). If you feel uncomfortable with knives, then see-saw it like a saw carefully and slowly until the piece is cut.


I recommend saving every bit you cut off, because you get only so much of it, and you never know where and when you could use a little more wood. My preferred method of construction is to tape two pieces of graph paper together, and draw a 1:1 Scale (actual size) of the Cantilever. It should fit on the paper. When that is done, tape it down to a table and make sure the paper is as flat as possible. Now use wax paper to cover over that (less mess, and it will save your blueprint). If you accidentally cut too much with your x-acto knife, put a new patch of wax paper on top and remove the old piece.


I strongly suggest building the tower in two halves, vertically. Structurally, the Cantilever Tower will be weaker if you build the tower, then attach the arm. Build the tower and arm as one, and attach the two halves. To construct your Cantilever, cut the pieces first, then glue them all together after the cutting is done, to ensure quality and accuracy. QUALITY AND ACCURACY! BOTH ARE ESSENTIAL. Your crane will withstand more stress when built better.



Remember that the weight will want to pull down on the tower, and rip about where the arm and tower meet. Technically, the weight wants to rotate the arm off of the tower, this is called torque. Torque is the same principle behind spinning wheels in place before a car accelerates: except the wheels will not come off the axels (like they want to, due to torque). The only way to reduce the force of torque is to have an efficient design. You want to send stress to other parts of the entire crane that will not receive much stress. You also want to distribute the weight, NOT focus it all on one point. If you focus any part of the crane, at any point into one stress point, that is where the crane will fail.


I am currently building side A of the crane. Will let you know how far I get when I get there.

Wii: Rumors of External Devices

http://www.playfuls.com/news_9837_Wii_Hard_Drive_Nope_Just_Nintendo_DS_Headset.html

Wii fans may be getting their DVD (movie) playback in late 2007, as announced in November, but Nintendo are still not ready to confirm an external HDD for their console, despite recent rumours claiming that such an extension is already in development. The rumours about a Wii hard drive apparently escalated after a Japanese gaming magazine reported that Nintendo held an executive meeting in Japan recently, to discuss the new hard drive. But when questioned by GI.biz on this matter, a Nintendo of Europe spokesperson dismissed the report as being "pure rumour and speculation" (ed. - though not explicitly false...). The only peripheral confirmed by the company a few days ago is a Nintendo DS headset, supporting online voice chat between players of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. These two DS games are set to launch in North America on April 22, and according to Gamespot, "a Nintendo representative would only confirm the headset as being released roughly alongside the new Pokemon [Diamond and Pearl] games". GameStop seems to support this claim, as it currently lists the Nintendo DS headset with a price tag of $14.99, and an April 23 release date.

Rurouni Kenshin Collection Complete

http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=138023

Here it is! I was in Walden Books the other weekend and I spotted Tonkuban # 18. I picked it up, and happily added it as the last one to my collection. Rurouni Kenshin is best experienced through the manga, it is a great series and I frequently find myself rereading all of them. RuroKen is big now, but in a few years should be a classic hit. As manga are produced and get older, it is harder to secure every single one in a series (thus, I completed the collection!). Viz Graphic Novels sell for $7.95 plus tax in the USA. If you like Rurouni Kenshin, and have money to spend on the manga collection, try and pick them all up! They are great books!

Murphy Defined: Rage of Firebird Roars

Rage of Firebird (Lane 2, Far Right)

Here are the pictures from the races yesterday. Everyone did much better, and our cars went much faster when we fixed the issue with the track. Rage of Firebird clocked in at 1.072 seconds, just a tad slower than Revenge of Firebird. Rage secured 2nd place in the races, and has more than pleased me as a racer and designer. In the high speed shot, Rage is in lane 2 (the farthest to the right), and broke the initial inertia so fast that it is just BARELY visible with a camera. I am very pleased with the result of all of my hard work, and I look forward to sending down Omega Supremus (Firebird V, the final Firebird) down to be raced while I am at Penn State.

Rejuiced A Go Go: C02 Races Tomorrow

Rage of Firebird is greased, lubricated and ready to go for tomorrow's races! Now that we have all found that there was a problem with the track setup, we know how to fix this issue, and shave off valueable fractions of a second for a better score. I will request to race the newcomer "The Hornet", which was built to replace the car that was destroyed completely in last time's races. Regardless of Rage of Firebirds performance, I am very proud of it and my work I have done on the Firebird line: Rage of Firebird pushed the envelope on design theory and idea.

Expert Gunpla: Qubeley

This is a really nice Youtube Video of the construction and painting of the MS "Qubeley". What hurts my pride is, the Gunpla expert is a woman >_<. Time to revamp my skills! I really like the way this model was built, and some of the tips are invalueable. The movie is in Japanese, but even if you cannot understand Japanese, the methods should be clear. I love how she uses paint to paint in the groove lines, then removes excess on the surface via cue tips. She also uses a nail buffer (something I shyed away from) To fine sand edges. These are great tips, ones I will use on my next Gundam project (hopefully soon).

BB-62 USS New Jersey Revisit

I've been trying to find something to do to get my mind off my illness lately, and I have decided to revisit the USS New Jersey Model I supposedly started in January of last year (oops). I am going to sand off and smooth the hull of the ship and repaint it in a similar color that mimicks the mold color. I have a few recent BB-62 "actual" photographs of the ship, and I am going to paint a smaller black line on the very bottom of the ship. After that, its painting the decks and constructing the towers. Should be done in about 2-3months, I want to take my time on this one.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition where the Thyroid Gland does not produce enough T3 or T4. The Pituitary Gland and Hypothalymus urge the Thyroid to produce these hormones, but it cannot, resulting in a number of side effects including fatigue and headaches. That is basically what I have, in a nutshell. Sorry I have not been reporting lately, I have felt like crap and finally I can take a break and get myself better. Until then, I really have nothing to report about since our C02 Races are going to drag onto NEXT Friday.

3/12/07- Test came back positive for Hypothyroidism. Woohoo! I can get better now.

-XYZPDQ

Heat 2 No Go Jo - C02 Cars

Heat 2 for the C02 Dragster races also did not perform at tops. Students received times at about an average of 1.100 seconds averaging 38 to 41 mph. What is attributing to this issue? That is highly debateable among the students racing their cars. All can agree that something may be wrong with the track, but that is not what some students say who clocked in at Class A Rankings. The fastest car speeded in at 44mph, and was designed delicatly with inlets for air passage from the side.


If aerodynamic design is not coming into play, than there is an issue with construction. Many frustrated students remember their cars starting off fine for a split second, then swerving on the track at an angle either to flip at the end gate, hit the end gate, or to come back in even through the finish line. Some blame the problem on faulty hardware while others accuse others of their designs being the problem.


My car on the other hand went down the track smoothly with no noticeable wobbling, but I can't fathom how this car is going so slow when I put so much work and effort into it. What could be the problem? Friction. Friction by definition is a force rubbing against another force, with one of the forces attempting to oppose the other force from moving/accelerating. There could have been an issue where Rage of Firebird had too much friction between washers/spacers to the wheels, or there was too much friction between the screw eyes and the monofillament line. This can be fixed, with a bit of lubricant and a better spacing option that will further reduce friction. If that doesn't help the dragster race faster, then I did not repair it correctly, or the design could have been perfected a bit better.

Wii Weight Loss Program

I have heard stories of people playing their Wiis for 30 minutes vigorously a day, and after a month or so noticed a significant weight loss (3 or 4 pounds). I have been giving this a try, and after Day 4 I am noticing a slight drop in average weight (a deviation of -1.833). I highly doubt something that large is a fluctuation, but I may be wrong since I am no expert.

Steps:
1) Get a Wii and Wii Sports
2) Play all of the mini games vigorously for 30 minute workouts everyday.
3) Do the built in fitness test.
4) Record your results

and I want to see if, after 42 days I have a noticable weight loss! I need to lose the weight, so let's see where the experiment takes us.

A Penn Stater is Emerging

After being to the science olympiad today, it has completely revamped my way of thinking about school spirit. We all work together as a team, and not that I am keen with fitting in with everyone; because only a fool can please everyone. I felt a sense of pride and a sense of honor competing in the events today, and like I said I love to keep failure projects (the scrambler wasnt ENTIERLY a failure; it did move).


That school spirit is growing, and even though I am alone most of the time through school I feel a sense of pride and honor that I represent a body as a whole. I am the kind of guy that is holed up in one place, but wishes not to be. I have every inclination to GET INVOLVED when I get over to the campus at Penn State. I am going to jump right in, the key I have found with meeting new people is to jump into things, and others will soon follow. If College is nothing like High School (which I heard), it looks like my life may be turning around for the better (what an awesome blessing).

Since I am going to be attending Penn State, I make sure to represent myself (in all other matters other than personal) as a mature, respectful, bright and listening individual (which I am of course =)) to let my places of education earn a reputation for being formidable. School is very rough right now with Calculus and Physics, but I am going to have to ultimatly push through this barrage of bullets coming at me and get through passing. The difference between school and college is, a professor is more educated and stays far longer than a teacher.

Ding Fries Are Done

I LOVED this episode XD No idea how Seth McFarlane did this gag not breaking in laughter.

Science Olympiad: (Regionals) Lehigh Conference

Today was an awesome event, since we got to take a day off from school to attend the Lehigh Conference Science Olympiad, where schools compete in knowledge, quick know how, engineering, and other fun projects.

Our event was the scrambler, where we had to design a car that would travel down a track and not hit a wall. The car had an egg protruding from the front, so if it hits the wall... well. Ours went slightly forward, it did a flip in midair as it was pulled up and the egg cracked. As the weight pulled the car up, the yoke came out of the cracks in the egg... Awesome! We didn't win, but we wern't last either. 1 or 2 groups could not get their vehicles to move. Our problem? the car was too light.




There was also the "boomilever" (pronounced "boom-ihh-leever"), which was a tower that is designed to hold 32 kilograms (71 lbs) from a hanging bucket of sand. Two boomilevers held that weight constantly, Nazareth (and I believe) Whitehall. The Nazareth Boomilever was so well built that the table fixture made by the judges was coming APART and the boomilever didn't even flinch the entire time. We earned a silver medal, because Whitehall was 1 gram lighter than our bridge (The winner is determined by a payload to weight ratio, aka the most "weight efficient" bridge). Good job both teams!!! The boomilever for the Lehigh Conference was an INTENSE fight.





Other events included knowledge and logic tests, as well as a competition to "do stuff on the fly". Nazareth took home 4 Gold Medals, 2 Silver Medals, and a bronze. GREAT job team!! We really represented our school with pride and honor, because we BLEED blue and white.