Society and Technology

Matter-Antimatter Engine

NASA maybe a few years away from developing a matter-antimatter engine.  A matter-antimatter engine would be the most efficient engine ever to be created because it turns 100% of the matter and antimatter and turns it into energy by colliding matter and antimatter.  The energy released by their annihilation releases about 10 billion times the energy that chemical energy in a combustion engine.  Matter-antimatter reactions are 1,000 times more powerful than nuclear fission and it is 300 times more powerful than nuclear fusion energy.  This means if a space shuttle was built with a matter-antimatter engine then it could travel farther and faster in space because not only do you need less fuel with a matter-antimatter engine but also the engine produces more energy than a combustion engine would thus giving you more power and speed.

The basic design of a matter-antimatter engine would be that it features a magnetic ring that will store and keep the antimatter moving until it is needed.   Then it would need some time of feeding system so that it can take fuel when need.  Finally it needs to have some kind of particle collider so that it can collide matter and antimatter and releasing the energy.  In conclusion, A matter-antimatter engine could be the engine for the future but for now we have to stick to our combustion engines.

Posted at 10:19AM Dec 12, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[2]

Messerschmitt BF-109

The Messerschmitt BF-109 was one of the best WWII fighter aircraft of the German Luftwaffe.  It was also the first true modern fighter plane in that it had an all-metal monocoque construction.  The Messerschmitt BF-109 was designed by Willie Messerschmitt in the early 1930s.   The aircraft was put into service in 1937, after winning a competition against other German aircraft.  What really made the BF-109 stand out among the other competing aircraft was the fact that the test pilots were in complete control of the aircraft while doing manuevers like dives, rolls, spins, etc.

The Messerschmit BF-109 was rugged fighter plane and was the workhorse of the Luftwaffe.  There were many variants for this one aircraft because it could serve multiple roles.  Evne though the BF-109 was a great fighter plane that remained competitive with allied aircraft even towards the end of the war, it was not with its short-comings.  For instance, it had a short range, it was difficult to land and take off because of its steep ground angle which made visibility poor while on the ground, and it featured a sideways hinged cockpit canopy which could not be opened in flight.  Nonetheless the Messerschmitt BF-109 was a great aircraft and a true fighter.

 Here's a link to a video of a real Messerschmitt BF-109 in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nj77mJlzrc

Posted at 09:52AM Dec 12, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[0]

AK-47

The AK-47 assault rifle is one of the most recognizable weapons in the world and has become more than what it was intended for.   An assault rifle is a gun with a smaller cartige than a rifle allowing for a softer blowback, but still utilizes a powerful enough cartige for long distance shooting.  The Allies of WWII became really interested in assualt rifles when they saw how the Germans utilized the STG-44 assault rifle.  Thus after the war, Mikhail Kalishnikov began on the design for an assualt rifle for the Soviet Union.  Then in 1949, Mikhail Kalishnikov came out with the design for the AK-47.

The AK-47 was an innovative piece of military technology when it first came out.  As time went on other countries produced assault rifles of their own, and the AK-47 became less effiecent.  Nonetheless it was rugged and cheap, so many third world countries were able to purchase these guns for their armies.  Because of this, the AK-47 has become a symbol of revolution because many revolutionary parties, that used frce to attain power, used an AK-47.  No better example of this can be seen with Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who brought revolution to Latin America with the use of force and the use of the AK-47.

Posted at 06:42AM Dec 12, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[18]

Heart made to order

It's amazing how far we have come in medical technology, but of course with such advancement comes many ethical questions.  When people hear the words "stem cells" people think of the controversy over human embryonic stem cell research, but what people fail to realize is that human embryonic stem cell research is only a branch of stem research.  Stem cell research has a very promising future that could help save countless lives.   One such branch that could be very promising is adult stem cell research.  Not only is the use of adult stem cell more ethical because it does not involve the destruction of a human embryo, but also patients will not reject the organs made from the adult stem cells because the stem cells are usually taken from the patient.

Even though stem research is relatively new there have already been some accomplishments made.  Recently British doctors have grown the first successful human heart valve using stem cells from bone marrow.  The stem cells are placed into collagen moulds so they can grow into 3cm heart valves.  Afterwards the tissues are implanted into animals and monitored for side effects.  Scientist hope that withing a decade they will be able to grow an entire human heart.  So far the technology seems very promising and the fact that we may be able to effectively fight off heart disease is great news.

Posted at 04:11AM Dec 12, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[0]

Acoustic Levitation

From magic to alien technology, humanity has tried to imagine ways to defy gravity, but anti-gravity has remained a thing of science fiction.  Anit-gravity is the idea of that an object with mass is able to defy the force of gravity.  In other words, anti-gravity is the ability to cause the force of gravity to not be present or not applicable to some mass.  Anit-gravity is not like the lift that an airplane or balloon produces because they produce a force that opposes and overcomes the force of gravity.  Scientist have been trying to find a way to produce such effects and have come up with many interesting ideas.

One idea scientist have stumbled upon in their search for anti-gravity is something called acoustic levitation.  Acoustic levitation is a method of suspending matter using acoustic radiation pressure.  The acoustic radiation pressure is produced from intense sound waves through a medium.  Scientist usually build an acrylic glass tank where a large acoustic field can be created.  Some of the methods used to create acoustic levitation are able to create sound waves that are inaudible to humans while others create some sound waves that are audible.  So far scientist have only been able to levitate a small amount of mass, but this technology could have limitless application that could possibly create an effective anti-gravity engine.

Posted at 11:32PM Dec 11, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[3]

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was one of the notorious fighter aircraft of the Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service.  The Zero was imployed in almost every battle of the Pacific from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway.   When it first came out, the Zero gained a reputation as one of the best fighter planes.  It had a long range and excellent maneuverability.  It could outclass all the Allied fighter aircrafts that it first encountered such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat.

As the war progessed, the Zero became less and less effective.  One of the biggest advantages that Allies had over the Axis was production and resources.  Japan itself has little resources, so before the war brokeout they were able to produce quaity aircraft and military weapons due to land that they had captured such as Korea and Manchuria.  When the war broke out, Japan started off strong because they had stocked so many resources.  As the war progressed and the Allies invaded more land, the resources of Japan became more and more limited.  It is because of this, that the Zero had to then be produced using less powerful engines, meanwhile the Allies were producing newer aircraft that could outclass the Zero.  The Zero finally met its match when it went up against the Grumman F6F Hellcat.  Although Japan lost the war,  the A6M Zero is seen as one the most significant aircraft of WWII.  

Posted at 09:33PM Dec 06, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[0]

Audacity

Audacity is one of the most popular audio editing software.  Audacity was created by Dominic Mazzoni, who now works for Google.   Audacity was initially released in May 2000 and it is free to the general public under the GNU General Public License.  The current version of Audacity is version 1.2.6.  One can download Audacity from several different websites on the internet, but one of the most reliable websites is download.com.    

What makes Audacity so popular is that it is free and it has many features that are standards on high-end audio editing software like Adobe Audition.  A lot of the audio editing software that are free to the general public are really limited in performance and features causing users to have below quality production, but Audacity is different.  Although it is limited in its a capabilities, Audacity still holds many features that can allow user to produce quality projects.  Audacity is also a great way to start to learn how to do audio production.  Of course, if one wants to become serious about their work then they should invest in a high end audio editing software, but for those who just want to mess around and start learning audio production then Audacity is a great tool for that.

Posted at 08:54PM Dec 06, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[0]

Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition is a great audio editing software.  Originally Adobe Audition was Cool Edits, but when Adobe bought Cool Edit from Syntrillium Software they changed the name.  The software currently only runs on Windows XP and Vista.  It is a must have tool if you want to be doing audio production with a professional quality.  The software is proprietary, which means you have to pay for it, but in the long run you won't regret it.  At first, it may seem difficult to edit audio files, but once you understand all its feature you will be editing audio files with ease.

The current version of Adobe Audition is 3.0.  One of my favorite features of it is the ability to mix down multiple tracks into a single track.  Say I wanted to record someone talking and have music in the background.  Well with Adobe Audition 3.0 one is able to record the person talking on a single track then in multi-track view, they can add the background music in a second line.  This feature is really helpful because you can now edit the vocals and the music seperately.  In other words, one can scale down the amplitude of the background music and scale up the vocals so that you get a crisp, clear, and professional sounding audio clip.  In conclusion Adobe Audition is a great tool for audio production.  It has a ton of features that allow for the user to make some really good audio tracks.

Posted at 05:31AM Dec 03, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[3]

Gears Of War 2

Gears of War 2 is the exciting sequel to Epic's Gears of War.  Gears of War 2 is a tactical third person shooter published by Microsoft Gaming Studios for the Xbox 360.  It was released on November 7, 2008.

The game is set six months after the events in Gears of War.  At the end of Gears of War, Marcus Fenix [main character] and Delta Squad detonate a Light Mass Bomb that kills off the majority of the Locust, but not all of them.  The Light Mass Bomb has also evaporated some of the emulsion found underground, causing some of the inhabitants of Sera to become infected with "Rust Lung."  The remaining Locust have slowly been entrenching themselves on the last human cit and stronghold, Jacinto.  Delta Squad and the COGs are sent out on an operation for the purpose of striking a final blow to the Locust. The operation entails the COGs going underground and striking the Locust on their home turf.  During their mission, Delta Squad learns of the existence of the Locust Queen and her reasons for waging the war and the existence of a secret scientific research facility that experimented on the Locust.  Dominic Santiago also finds his long lost wife, who was tortured by the Locust and then dies.  As the player progresses even more into the depth of Sera, they learn that Marcus Fenix's father, Adam Fenix, plan of sinking Jacinto before the Locust are able to move above ground is the only way to stop them and put an end to the war.  Delta squad is now forced to reach and tell command that Jacinto must sink so that the human race survives.  One battle after another, Delta Squad pushes through the Locust horde. Finally they sink the city of Jacinto and flood the caverns of the Locust.

What makes Gears of War 2 a great game is that all the essential elements come together nicely.  Gears of War 2 uses the Unreal Engine 3 for graphics and this time around Epic has improved in-game lighting through ambient occlusion.  The game also features a great soundtrack that allows the player to be more in tune with the sorrow, fear, and heroism that a soldier in combat may feel.  Lastly, one of the greatest features that Gears of War 2 features is an awesom multiplayer.  The multiplayer has been revamped from the first game and now features more maps, more game modes, and a smoother gaming experience.

Posted at 04:22AM Dec 03, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[1]

My First Computer Experience

My first computer experience was on the Compaq Presario CDS 744 back in the year 1995.  I was 6 years old and I used that computer to play "Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire."  It was my favorite game at the time, I even liked it more then my super nintendo games.  The reason that I liked it so much was because it was the first 3-D game I have ever played.  All the other games I had played like Super Mario Bros. were all 2-D side scrollers, but this game was 3-D and I thought the graphics for the game were amazing.  There was always one level I would get stuck on and that was when I had to manuver the Millenium Falcon thru what remember as a construction site of some base like the Death Star.  Years later I would play that same level and I was able to complete the mission with ease.  That game was the first of many other games I would love to play on the computer.

Posted at 06:09AM Sep 08, 2008 by Robert Earle in General  |  Comments[0]