And we hit 500.... Wii Repairs

WARNING: Harsh image!!



Well it's happened, this blog has officially hit 500 posts. I don't have much to say other than I think my comittment to the blog has been excellent and I look forward to another 500 posts.






A week or two ago I was playing Super Smash Bros Brawl on my Wii. I was sitting in my bed, and my roomate walked into the path of the gamecube controller's chord (the Wii was up on a 5 foot dresser) and OUCH there went the Wii, overboard. It received a cracked faceplate, but it still worked. A week later I put it back up there. Not learning my lesson, I accidentally tugged the chord too hard and skipped about 30 seconds of heart beats- this time the Wii's faceplate was completely removed. BEEEEEEP. That is exactly what I said.



So I called up Nintendo and found out that my warranty had expired- wonderful. It was going to cost $120.00USD to fix, and I thanked them and told them I would consider their offer as a repair option. I remembered I got a warranty with Wal*Mart to insure the Wii.... hmmm I went to look for the receipt and I had an active warranty. I filed a claim for my Wii and Wal*Mart contacted a repair place in New Jersey to fix it. NEW JERSEY, I thought. I was very uncomfortable about it until I learned the repair place was in Phillipsburg- not even 45 mins from my home. So I felt better, and heard from an invoice that the repair place specialized in repairing consoles. I felt better still, and sent in the Wii.



TWO days later I received a package, and the Wii looked brand spanking new. I was impressed by the repair job done and by the quality of the repair- only one tiny spot remains chipped and it is so negligible that I can forget about it (it's on the side of the Wii with the rubber feet, I can get away with that and it doesn't look like harm I did to it). My opinions regarding Wal*Mart's business practices have changed slightly, and my opinion about their customer care unit has definetely changed- they fixed my Wii at a cost to me of under $5.00USD for shipping. Good job. I didn't have to do anything but file the invoice and send it in- that is how it should be done.



So for this one, the big Wally World gets a two thumbs up. I am proud that they took responsibility on the warranty and I may stop by in the future as a thanks to pick up a game. They not only had the Wii fixed, they hired the right people to do it. That is how it is done.

Update on the Gaming Market

Sony and Microsoft are enjoying nice profits with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Many analysts are saying that this is the beginning of the decline for Nintendo, yet I believe they are misinterpreting the company and they are taking two totally different situations out of context.

There are generally two types of games, going beyond genre and system: single player and multiplayer. Multiplayer further breaks down into two categories: online play and group games. Many analysts fail to realize that Sony and Microsoft are reaching a different branch of multiplayer play than Nintendo is. Where Nintendo lacks is in online play and support, not offering chat options (probably for good measure) or online rankings. The systems currently in place are also crude, but polished: I can play Super Smash Bros. Brawl online with strangers, but I can't talk to them or customize a game. On Microsoft's Xbox Live, I can chat with people, see rankings, and do a plethora of other stuff. If I am going to get into chatting and playing with people/strangers on a regular basis I am probably going to pick up an Xbox 360 or PS3. If I don't care or want casual online play without the fuss then I will probably get the Wii. As a university student I don't have time to dedicate to online play, so I like my Wii.

The case and point is simple: console giants are targeting different markets. Nintendo continues to focus on those alienated from the market while Sony and Microsoft continue to support gamers who are already experienced or those more than likely to start playing video games often. Despite this, Nintendo has not forgotten it's legion of fans and has released many titles such as Super Smash Bros Brawl. Nintendo impresses me, they create most of the games for the Wii themselves while Microsoft and Sony rely totally on 3rd party support (the Wii lacks third party support).

The Nintendo DS is in it's fourth year now and sales are still up, however folks are saying that "thats about it" for the DS. As long as Nintendo continues to release titles that will keep gamers playing, I don't think they are going to have any problems maintaining "modest" sales, especially with hit game releases, the kind that sell the system. The industry is enjoying profits from GTA 4, but this isn't going to quell the big N back into the volcano.

Omega Supremus in Solidworks

A while back I posted about putting Omega Supremus into Solidworks. Now you can see the animation video (I just learned how to do it, so I might as well post about it!) Enjoy.

EMALS Coming to an Aircraft Carrier Near You

Following developments of the Gerald R Ford class of aircraft carriers, Kato Engineering has tested their first motor generator required to drive the electromagnetic catapaults that will be fitted to the new Gerald R Ford class. 12 will be required in total for each Gerald R Ford class aircraft carrier. The motor is huge, and can deliver 60 MEGA-joules of energy or 60 MEGA-watts. Here is the original article:

The first full-size test motor generator for the Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) has been assembled and finished factory acceptance testing April 11. This motor generator is one part of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system for the Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, the Gerald R. Ford-class. The Navy is building the next generation of electromagnetic launch technology to replace the existing steam catapults used on current generation Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

The motor generator is part of a suite of equipment called the Energy Storage Subsystem. Included in this equipment suite is the motor generator, the generator control tower and the stored energy exciter power supply. Twelve of each are required for the new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier. Five of each are currently being manufactured under the Systems Development & Demonstration contract with General Atomics, one for component level testing and four will be installed and used for system level testing at the Lakehurst, N.J., EMALS catapult site.

The recent testing, which lasted approximately 30 days, was done at the manufacturer, Kato Engineering in Mankato, Minn.

"The successful completion of the First Article Testing on the EMALS motor generator is a significant step in getting EMALS to the Fleet,” said Capt. Randy Mahr, program manager of PMA-251, Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Programs. “The General Atomics and Navy teams have worked closely together in reaching this milestone."

The motor generator is a huge piece of equipment: 13 ½ feet long, almost 11 feet wide and almost seven feet tall. Weighing in at more than 80,000 pounds, the motor generator is capable of delivering up to 60 megajoules of electricity and 60 megawatts at its peak. That much electricity could power more than 12,000 homes for three seconds -- the time it takes to launch an aircraft off a carrier.

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/8270

1/35 Tamiya Ford GPA Jeep

I was browsing in Hobbytown this afternoon for some supplies and I saw that they had this Tamiya 1/35 Ford GPA Jeep on sale for $7.00USD. I picked it up and I think I will do a diorama with it. Originally I wanted to do the diorama of this amphibious vehicle with a sherman tank, but I am not so sure if that will work out to my advantage.

So this build will require a unique solution. Up until this point I have built most of my models in a 2d environment, that is the model is 3d, but the diorama is more 2d-ish. Save the half track and my waterline models, I think I need to take this diorama to the next level. I want to have elevation changes in the soil, as if this vehicle were climbing up the shores of Iwo Jima. Albeit I need to check the historical accuracy on that. At this time I am thinking about using plastruct as a base since it would be sort of a waste to clump on containers of sand.

The hard part will be getting the water just right. I want to portray the vehicle coming out of the water and onto the shore, so I need to make sure that the base is hidden well. This also presents another problem: the water will need to be elevated 5mm to 10mm off the surface of the base. There is also another problem, though I won't worry about it- that close to shore means that the water will be much clearer, making it very hard to model. Well.. maybe I can do it by touching up the base with the sand color then laying acrylic gel medium over the top to simulate this, but the problem then is that the acrylic gel is a bit too white for my taste. I dunno; we will just have to wait and see.

This will be one of those projects where if I don't have room, I will send it off to my grandparents. My grandpa likes collecting stuff, and he enjoys anything he can get from me. I also picked up extra aircraft sets (Tamiya sets #1 and #2) for spare aircraft- I wasn't happy with Trumpeter's F-14 set and I will keep the extra F-4 phantoms for a Vietnam era carrier in the distant future.

The T-Rex and the Chicken: I still say that the information is inconclusive

Paleontologists have been discussing recent finds that the collagen in T-Rex fossils greatly resembles the collagen found in chickens. Although I find the information to be interesting, if not startling, I have to disagree with a connection between T-Rex dinos and chickens.

Teams were taking samples from dinosaur fossils that were millions of years old- and comparing it to a live chicken's collagen might raise some concerns with the validity of the tests. If the T-rex were living- that would be a different story. Many site that there was the possibility of contamination- and although that could have happened I don't think the teams were hasty enough to allow for that to happen.

Every living being has some form of amino acids in them- essentially proteins. I may have some connection to chickens as well, albeit very distant. If that is so, then I am a descendant of the T-Rex, or does this mean that I am literally "what I eat?".

I think once teams have significant DNA proof that chickens and T-rex dinos are cousins, then I will assume otherwise.

Original article- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/25/ST2008042500958.html

Penn State Berks- Police Officers Go the Way of Segway

When you visit Penn State Berks, you can never be sure of what you will see or do. I came back to campus this morning and as I ate my breakfast under the Magnolia Tree near a Lion Shrine I saw someone heading towards the library.... on a segway! I thought that was cool and went back up to my dorm room. It turns out that the dude on the Segway was the Police Chief for this campus, and he was riding all around campus on this thing. I came to the door of the dorm complex and there he was! I took video and a few pictures to give to the campus newspaper.

I talked with him and the campus received three Segways to try out during a trial period. The police will use these Segways to more easily patrol the campus. Each Segway costs about $5,000USD and $1600USD for a replacement battery. It contains five gyroscopes and it can go up and down hills with no problem. I thought Segways were banned- apparantly not for the police!

Manga Talk, Part 1

Manga has been the source of many Japanese Anime titles since anime was created. Manga is where it has all started, and today the industry is thriving.

I believe what makes so many manga titles popular in the US is that most manga focus on a problem or issue a character has, and the reader can probably relate to that problem. Others are about romance if that is the reader's cup of tea. Other titles are pure action, pure comedy, or maybe pure fan service. In my opinion, what sets apart a good manga series is an explanation into a deeper meaning. Kenshin Himura fights to protect those who cannot protect themselves in Rurouni Kenshin, and the manga lays out why. I found the human struggle fascinating, combined with a solid story with minimum filler content.

I can name a couple of good titles I am reading. Bleach is one of the more recent ones. The beginning volumes describe the main character, Ichigo Kurosaki and follows his journey to becoming a shinigami (US- Soul Reaper). He has a deep past and various reasons behind his actions, and really that is what I enjoy most from the manga is that each character has a past (that some are trying to move on with) and many, especially from Bleach have some sort of sense of honor. I've grown attached to Bleach because it really isn't focused in on any kind of romance, but rather a duty towards another person (rescuing Rukia) because that person changed the character's life in some way. All of the core issues and problems all boil down to real life problems that we as people have, and like others it is always fantastic to see a solution.

Back around 2005-2006 I completed my Rurouni Kenshin collection, picking up a few missing volumes in 2007. Again, I love Rurouni Kenshin for it's story and it's deeper meaning. I didn't like the anime too much because of filler content and it's lack of focus. The manga is the original, and with the original you can begin to understand each character and why Kenshin must repay for his sins of murdering as a hitokiri (man-slayer, assasin). It's also great to read some action!

Manga has already hit mainstream in Japan, and everyone is reading it- from school children to businessmen in their 40s and 50s, even older I have heard. Manga has not hit mainstream yet in the United States, but bookstores across the nation are stocking manga as part of a routine stocking order. This is great news for the industry, and better news that more titles are available for me to pick up and enjoy.

Buying manga can get expensive though, it costs roughly $7.95 to $13.95USD (roughly 824yen to 1500yen ), and if I bought every volume of Rurouni Kenshin, then the manga cost me roughly $224.00 USD without tax. If I were to buy the Shonen Jump Magazine, which at one time contained one chapter an issue, buying Rurouni Kenshin through Shonen Jump would have cost me $1,275 USD ( a little over 130,000yen), but then again I would be getting more than just RK.

Viz Media has some great selections, but really there is a broader spectrum of manga out there to read. I recommend ordering online through Barnes and Nobles or Borders (I have a B&N closer by to the campus) or going there to shop. Normally if you head to the bookstore they won't have every volume, thus you can order through them and pick up your order when it gets there. This is very convinient, because when I needed a For Dummies book for AutoCad2007, and it wasn't in stock, they were able to get it for me. Great stuff.

Manga hoarders like me who get the money when they do: the best way is to order through your bookstore exactly what you want. They are happy to do business with you.

New Series: Rosario + Blood

Kind of odd that I found this, but apparantly there is a new series out right now entitled Rosario + Blood, where a 15 year old failing student is sent to a school for monsters and meets a vampire named Moka.

After watching the first episode, there was way too much fan service (it may get annoying in the future) and I felt that the story was "rushed" or that we were thrown into all of this without much background. I really havn't had very many new series to watch lately, but this one is alright. You can find it here, streamed on Youtube. This is beginning to look a lot like Elfen Lied, mixed with Love Hina and maybe some Trinity Blood.

Please make a comittment to buy after it is released in your country of residence.

"Their Cuban Missile Crisis" and why they started it

A few months ago, the United States accidentally shipped some goods to Taiwan. They were supposed to be helicopter batteries, but instead they turned out to be the fuses to "minuteman" missiles, or short-medium range ICBMs that can carry nuclear warheads. After the United States "finally" realized that they had fuses missing, and after Taiwan notified them the thousandth time, the fuses were shipped back to the US due to their sensitive (classified) nature.

Beijing (China) strongly opposed the "decision" to send the nuclear fuses to Taiwan and wanted an open protest against the United States, costing some of our Naval ships a refusal to dock in Chinese ports. Taiwan seperated from mainland China in 1949 after a civil war, and is a very sensitive issue to the Chinese. With the recent support of the Dalai Lama, China is expressing extreme disapproval and is becoming somewhat bitter towards the United States.

There are a couple of problems here. Although China is a communist nation, it is now at a stage where it can support itself- case and point it is partly our fault (the USA) for boosting China's economy.There is also a problem on China's end: they are making no money if countries are boycotting their goods! I think China really shot itself in the foot here with Taiwan; it's like saying that Britain owns the United States.

Being the sensitive politicians that they are, I think the Chinese government has severely overreacted to this incident, and that the intent behind the fiasco is purely accidental: sometimes I get other people's mail (neighbors), and it happens. America's support of Taiwan may be a hot button issue, but China needs to realize that it cannot control the outside world (or maybe it can). With the Tibet crisis (Olymic Games) and issues with Taiwan, the People's Republic of China is beginning to shoot itself in the foot, and really it doesn't need to.

Economy wise this could be very bad for Wal*Mart. When I hear that their business practices are changing, I would agree. My Nintendo Wii is in need of repair and they hired the correct people to fix it. If they fix it, my opinions of Wal*Mart may change a little bit. China must understand that other countries have standards (safety, etc), and if Communism does not allow for those standards to be met then there won't be any passing of money.

Sorry China, I am buying less chinese made parts for my ships. It's nothing personal- I think it's good to buy "Made in the USA" and some of the best stuff comes out of Japan. Like my southern relatives would say "Ain't no mindin' dem japanese parts".

original article: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ioNEd6iQaDBxMEJ2QcOMp4x_aiHgD8VL9EVO2

USMC Visitor to the Penn State Berks Campus

I was out the other day because of the beautiful weather, and out of nowhere a fighter jet pops up above my head! At first I thought it was an F-15 Eagle but it was a USMC FA-18 Hornet. I was suprised by just how loud those turbofans are! He was circling around the Reading Airport doing landing runs for practice, which is a common practice for any jet fighters that come our way. This year we have been graced by the presence of an F-117 Nighthawk, C-17 Globemaster, a pair of A-10 Warthogs, a B-52 Stratofortress (better not have had any nukes on it) and now an FA-18 Hornet. So "what is with all the military fighters lately!" I think I found the answer. Penn State Berks must be a common intersecting point on many training mission flight paths because we get "frequent" guests that fly over the campus, including an almost daily sighting of a military SH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.

Tokyo International Anime Fair- Discussion into Why Anime is Struggling in the United States

I read an interesting article this afternoon regarding the crisis with anime sales in the United States, and finally some within the industry are beginning to shed some light on the problem. For those that are unaware of the situation, japanese manga and japanese anime have become wildly popular in the United States. Some argue that it's popularity is doing it in: Many viewers are turning to illegal sources in order to get their anime fix. Sites such as Veoh.com, Youtube.com and CrunchyRoll.com are streaming anime for your viewing pleasure. After all, why do I have to wait three years when I can see my Naruto episodes now?

Anime Piracy is a growing problem and it is beginning to kill the industry. With no way to stream manga (manga is streamed online by posting images of the content, but really it is much too difficult to sit there and scan every page of the manga volume), the manga industry has thrived in the United States, but DVD sales of anime titles are falling drastically. The Tokyo International Anime Fair Identified a few key problems:

- Pressure from Illegal Alternatives (Youtube, Crunchroll, Veoh)
- Lack of nimbleness from the Anime Industry
- Tighter security methods to stop illegal activities (stop streaming)
- Education on internet ettiquette

I think acknowledging a couple of the issues is a "positive step" for the industry, however I strongly feel that they are not understanding the ultimate impact illegal downloading has on the industry itself.

The pressure is very real from illegal sources. Why go to the store and buy Naruto DVDs when I can see the series for free? Also, why wait for Naruto episodes (wait three years) when I can go get it now? This is the key problem; anime is just not available as the world wide web. On the WWW, I can get anime anywhere at anytime I want. For DVDs I have to wait for release dates. It makes perfect logical sense that I would go get the anime elsewhere, and I think the industry is acting lethargic in putting pressure on japanese regulations to get the stuff "out of Japan" and into the world quicker. So one can really say that it is the fault of the industry that they are losing money, and I would agree. I would also agree that the industry is losing money because of pirates.

Pirates are those who are uploading (and sometimes fansubbing) anime content to sites such as Crunchyroll.com, Veoh.com and Youtube.com. This anime is then streamed and visible to every single person on this planet, if they chose to go look for it. I am less likely to go purchase Naruto DVDs if I have seen the entire series online. What makes matters worse is that I can download these videos from these streaming websites and have them for my 24/7 access. (For me personally, I want a high quality copy and you can rarely get those online, so I make an effort to purchase DVDs, whether Japanese or American). All of the blame cannot be put solely on the industry. Fans need to change their habits too if the industry is to begin to thrive again. I think people may be trying to change, but quickly give up because "when you poke the industry with a stick, it will not respond".

Should I say shame on downloaders? yeah you are killing the industry. I say shame on illegal viewers as well, but I wouldn't harshly criticize due to the industry's failure to distribute anime. I also say shame on the industry for stated reasons, shame on everybody for not making this all work. We still have a lot of work to do, and the starting grounds need to be laid by the industry.

original source- http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20080411TDY13002.htm

Ebay Quickly Becoming a Shopping Cart for Terrorists and Conduits

The GAO (Government Accountability Office) of the United States has recently made some disturbing finds: they are purchasing aircraft parts off of Ebay that are listed in their books as classified. Most of these parts are coming off of old F-14 Tomcats and are being mothballed. The F-14s were retired earlier this century and were replaced by the Navy's FA-18 Hornet, which should soon be replaced by the JSF (F-35) Lightning II.

Besides Tomcat parts, supplies such as ammunition, night vision, and IR patches are widely available and can be illegally exported outside of the United States. The patches are a big problem: insurgents can use them to trick US soldiers into believing that they are friendly. I would suggest making sure that those are secure, or find a new way to tell a friend from foe.

Why is the selling of classified secret technology over Ebay bad? besides the obvious, countries such as Iran are looking desperatly for spare parts for their wings of F-14 Tomcats still in service. Selling these stolen parts allows them to get their planes back up in the air. I think the GAO needs to push for tighter security of the mothball fleets and wings. Some of these parts are just too valueable to be stolen; I mean they are just sitting out there in the desert rusting. Although it would cost a lot of money, and Congress might hate it, the GAO should really have stations that are securing this equipment away from the mothball fields.

The reports at the Congressional Hearing were startling if not a cause for concern. Lawmakers wish to ban the sale of military parts which do not have a Department of Defense approval on them for disposal. If I have the room, the money, and the guts, I can purchase almost the entire forward canopy section of an F-14 Tomcat for around $15,000 USD. Ebay is trying to regulate sales of illegal items, but with so many new items a day it is nearly impossible to stop them all. I think tighter secuity checks and inventory checks are needed to reduce the amount of supplies reaching hands that do not need these supplies. I am sure with today's technology that shouldn't be a problem.

Original Article: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36895/118/

Spirits No Go: Under Technical/Mechanical Evaluation

I was shocked a couple of months ago when I heard that a B2 had crashed off Andersen's Air Force Base in Guam. I was relieved to hear that it was not shut down, rather it had problems right after takeoff and the crew had to bail.

Air Force officials are still reviewing the crash and still have the remaining B2s on Guam "paused" (not grounded) as they are checked for possible malfunctions. The nature of those malfunctions remain classified. The term "paused" is deemed appropriate for a situation such as this, according to Air Force Officials. Officials did release a bit more in regards to the nature of the crash: stating that the B2 Spirit became unresponsive and uncontrollable; then stalled and began to crash (then the pilots bailed out), however the left wing dragged along the ground as the bomber crashed.

I'm thankful the crash was on USA soil. I would love to explore the engineering aspects of the aircraft; but unfortunatly that information is classified.

original article-http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/04/airforce_b2_crash_update_040408w/

Penn State Berks Hosts Veterans Remembrance Day

Penn State Berk's SGA (Student Government Organization) is hosting Veteran's Remembrance Day, a time to reflect on the service of our men and women in the armed forces. Today is a day for students to thank those they know who are currently serving our country in all sectors of the millitary. Today is a day for myself to reflect on the service these people have done for this country as I do many days out of the week as I build my models and think about my future. Some of these people have given everything so that those in this country may be free. Some of these people have given their lives so that I may move on to my future in safety.

I would like to thank each and every member of the armed services for protecting our country. I appreciate every last detail and job that is performed which is vital to the success of our armed forces. As a thankyou, I hope to work for Northrop Grumman not only because I want to, but because I want to help. I know I don't owe an ounce of debt, but I feel it is my duty and obligation to help those who help us.

There were quite a few recruiters onc ampus today: An Air Force representative, Army Personell and I believe the Marine Corps. I managed to shake the hand of one of the recruiters as a thankyou for their service (I thought it would be inappropriate as a civilian to salute, although we can I chose not to). If you walk around campus today, you will see hundreds of mini-flags planted along the walkways between the Perkins Student Center, the Thun Library and the Franco Building.

Maj Blackout Ends

Just spotted Maj back online. Will be switching back to the good old Maj for image posting.

Work on Supremus to Begin

Well it's now time to get working on Omega Supremus. Hopefully I can have something done by mid-May! I'm not sure if I can get to the CNC machine, but I sure can use a dremel and get in there real good. The weather is good so this is perfect for grinding outside! Hopefully my engineering prowess won't let me down when I send a duplicate back down to the high school for next year's races.

1/700 USS Wisconsin Complete

Well this project can be wrapped up- My 1/700 USS Wisconsin is complete. This one is for my grandfather- he worked at a Naval Ordnance Station for operation Desert Storm and as a chemical engineer he worked on combustibles and fuels for nearly all ordnance methods- in particular tomahawk cruise missiles. His missiles were eventually used on the USS Stephen S. Groves (FFG-29) as well as the Uss Missouri and USS Wisconsin, among many other ships. The USS Wisconsin fired off Tomahawks into Iraq and Kuwait against Iraqi troops and positively contributed to the war.

This was a trumpeter kit built out of the box. The entire paint scheme is painted from using Pollyscale. I used their deck tan along with engine black and gunship gray to paint the model. The decals were absoloutely horrible! I need to order a new set from a non-chinese manufacturer to get a good set. The water was used with Liquitex's "Acrylic Gel Medium", and it was the glossy variety. I then used Tamiya's Blue for the water.

All that's left is to have the nameplate ordered, which is why that bare wood is left in front of the ship. This was overall an ok build- it could have used more detail though. PS- I have now switched to photo-bucket since it seems Maj.com probably won't be coming back online for the forseeable future. You can find a link to the gallery here.

Maj Blackout

It seems that the image hosting site Maj.com has been offline for quite a while and I am worried that they may have gone under. I apologize for the inconvinience but most of the images on the blog are down. I am working on trying to find a just as easy uploading site that is free.

Work Begins on the Gerald R Ford Class

I'm disappointed I didn't hear about this earlier, but Northrop Grumman Newport News has started construction on the USS Gerald R Ford, CVN-78. Northrop Grumman is short of workers and is getting workers from other industries and is training them. Congress approved the budget early and Newport News is welding away at the new aircraft carriers. Story Here:

NEWPORT NEWS - Full-scale production is at least a year away, but construction has started on pieces of the Navy's first Ford-class aircraft carrier.

Most of the work at Northrop Grumman Newport News has involved piecing together the structural steel modules that will make up the flattop's framework - bulkheads, inner bottom, decks and side shells.

More than 50 module sections and 1,300 sections of pipe detail have been completed, and work will be under way on at least 300 of the structural units by the end of this year, shipyard officials said.

It's geared partly toward building up worker expertise in anticipation of full ramp- up of construction in 2008.

"We have the biggest gap we've ever had, at least in recent times, between carriers," said Mike Shawcross, vice president of the carrier class, named after former President Gerald R. Ford.
Construction on the George H.W. Bush, the 10th and final Nimitz-class carrier, started in 2001, a seven-year gap that left the yard with fewer veteran workers to begin the Ford, or CVN-78.
In part to address that, Congress set aside $1.38 billion that the Navy awarded Northrop Grumman in 2004 to allow the shipbuilder to begin ordering material and start advance construction.

"It allows us to level-load our work force," Shawcross said. "We wanted to have a ramp- up that was as gradual as possible."

Many of the workers hired will be coming from other industries and will need training, he said.
Congress began providing money for the Ford-class program in fiscal 2001, but the date for full-scale construction has slipped two years. President Bush has included $2.8 billion in his proposed fiscal 2008 budget to get the full work under way. On that schedule, the Ford would be delivered to the Navy in 2015.

Despite debate on Capitol Hill about the Navy's rising shipbuilding costs, there's no indication that Congress will reject Bush's request for Ford construction money, said Ronald O'Rourke, a national defense specialist for the Congressional Research Service.

"Compared to certain other shipbuilding programs, the procurement of CVN-78 has been a relatively noncontroversial item," O'Rourke said in an e-mail.

Congress, he added, gave the Navy authority last year to spread the Ford's construction cost, projected at $8.1 billion, over four years to free up money for other ships. Doing so would not alter the planned 2008 ramp- up, he said.

Northrop Grumman has spent more than $170 million to upgrade facilities at its Newport News yard to build the Ford class, said Lucas Hicks, a construction superintendent.

That includes construction of a 1.2-acre Covered Modular Outfitting Facility, which has a retractable roof allowing cranes to lift out completed modules. The yard's signature 900-ton crane is being upgraded to lift 1,050 tons.

"We're trying to get bigger chunks of steel going to the ship at once," Hicks said.
Inside the shipyard's Aviation Ship Integration Center, work continues on a key design innovation - modular rooms that can be quickly outfitted to meet changing missions.

Equipment going into the Ford carriers, including desks, computer stations and overhead lights, will be bolted into place on lightweight aluminum tracks embedded into the flooring. Such things used to be hot- welded, making it time-consuming and costly to remove them during technology upgrades or other modernization.

Even air vents and bulkheads - walls inside the ship - will be mov able. Recently, Northrop Grumman gave Navy officers a demonstration, setting up one room for a flag officers briefing, and then changing it out for a homeland security meeting two hours later.

"The less we have to weld into the ship, the more flexible it's going to be," said Rich Johnson, the shipyard's manager for concept of operations for future aircraft carriers. "Less is more in this case."

Like the design changes to the carrier, Shawcross said Northrop Grumman's facility improvements are aimed at driving down costs.

Please ladies and gentlemen, save me a piece of that hull to work on!

"American Components, Russian Components! All made in Taiwan!

It was my birthday Monday and I acquired another model- Tamiya's 1/350 USS Enterprise. This kit is absoloutly HUGE, around 3.297feet (1005mm) in length. This project is massive and it is going to take a couple of months to complete. Here is what I want to do with the aircraft carrier:


-Sound system (2 speakers, hooked into Ipod/MP3 system)
-Mossfet system
-rotateable radar (seperate motor system)
-switch to control power (50%power or 100% power)
- LED lighting system (on landing strip, island, all across ship)


I purchased extra aircraft sets and I will be completing the USS Enterprise in her 1986-1989 fitting (I am leaning to do 1989 since I was born in 1989). The kit is definetly going to take a while, and I can't wait until she is done. I just hope all of these motors can push all this weight!!

Also, in protest to China and a general increase in my decisions when purchasing goods, I am reducing the amount of Chinese components in this kit. I don't think China is fit to hold the Olympics and their supression of freedom of speech and thought is wrong. I am reducing the amount of Chinese components for the following reasons in addition:

1) Increase in steel prices.
2) Disregard and ignorance for dangerous chemicals in toys.
3) General poor quality lately.
4) Supression of human rights.
5) One of the major places encouraging outsourcing.
6) Sweatshops.


I am actively seeking out American components and anything "Made in the USA!" to make my small contribution to getting our country self-sufficient.

So Whats With All the Military Action Lately?

Around Reading, PA I have noticed a lot of military stuff passing by and around lately. I am not sure if we have a military base nearby, but almost daily I see a military marked SH-60 Blackhawk fly above the campus. From time to time I see a civilian model of the same helicopter. Yesterday was odd too: I saw two USMC (United States Marine Corps) A-10 Warthogs flying in a formation, passing right over the campus at around 2000-3000 feet. After 10 seconds or so they were out of sight.

And today was a beautiful sight. I noticed when walking out of a class of a C17-Globemaster passing over. C17's are military transports designed to hold tanks, vehicles, some helicopters, troops, supplies, etc. Roughly 2 minutes after that I noticed another aircraft heading into Reading Airport, and it wasn't a KC-135, or any commercial jet. It was the mighty B-52 Stratofortress, the mother of all bomber aircraft. I was stunned at the sight and it leads me to wonder: why are so many military aircraft flying around lately? I also notice Army personell on the ground sometimes, but I rarely see anything good on the ground, save one time I passed a howitzer up close. All I really see are transport trucks, and one time at a gas station these two HUGE transports (I am talking tires around 9 feet tall) pulled in to guzzle diesel.

Anybody know the reasons for recent activity around the Reading area? I doubt there was an airshow but you never know.

More Solidworks Fun

I have been having fun in my Solidworks course lately- learning new techniques in order to make some crazy parts! We are now getting into more advanced techniques for solid part modeling and here is some of the work I have been doing. My picture galleries are down so I will need to load images through blogger. Now that I learned about the trim command, I may just put my dragster into Solidworks. It will be tough but I think I can do it (multiple blocks then trimmed). If I can do it, then it's going to be really neat putting my dragsters into Solidworks. Dimensions, dimensions dimensions... I think it is about time I use my knowledge I have learned here at Penn State to design Omega Supremus (Firevird V) using Solidworks only with rough manual drafting.