Beautiful Acoustic Drum Machine.
May 8th, 2008
A beautifully being controlled by a computer. I love that it has its own suitcase.
There's another one out there (on the tubes somewhere) of one that is designed and driven in much the same way as a music box. But I've lost the URL.
Vuylsteke (Belgium)
May 6th, 2008
Iron foundry, specialized in iron sewerage pipes and mechanical castings. In 2002 a takeover took place but the factory went bankrupt one year later.



NYTimes - Robot surgery
May 6th, 2008
A robot’s ability to deftly handle small tools may lead to a less invasive procedure and faster recovery for a patient. Robots also can protect surgeons from physical stress and exposure to X-rays that may force them into premature retirement.
Wow! Freshman year is almost over..
May 5th, 2008
It is so hard to believe that we are about to start the sixth week of spring quarter. It seems like only last week that I was stressing over winter’s physics 1 final (which was not as hard as it is made out to be). I shouldn’t be surprised though, that is how my entire first year at UC has been. There is so much to do on campus and around Cincinnati that time just flies by. More often than not, I find myself overbooked and being forced to decide which event I want to attend and which event I will have to miss out on in order to keep up with the engineering curriculum. That is my favorite thing about The University of Cincinnati; the plethora of student organizations and activities. As a freshman fall quarter, I was overwhelmed with invites to attend meetings of student organizations, all of which appealed to my interest. However, I quickly found out that one simply cannot be a part of everything, so I settled on becoming very involved in a few select organizations.
The first student organization I joined was Rally Cats, a student spirit club that attends all of the varsity sporting events. The Rally Cats group is fun, energetic, and always up for having a good time. Aside from attending all of the big games, they plan several smaller outings such as mini golf, ice skating, and canoeing. We even went to Washington D.C. to see our Bearcats play Georgetown in basketball! However, despite all of the friends I made in Rally Cats, I realized quickly that I also needed to become more involved within the college of engineering because really, it takes an engineer to fully appreciate another engineer’s sense of humor and personality. That is why I joined Engineering Ambassadors (EA) and The Society of Women Engineers (SWE); I’m beginning to think everything in college is an acronym! I haven’t had time to be as active in SWE as I would like to be but I’ve really enjoyed my time with EA and I hope to become more involved as I advance in school.
Don’t be fooled though, college is not just attending a series of events and meetings. I spend most week nights studying with my study group, which consists of four other freshmen in mechanical engineering. Joining a study group was, by far, the smartest decision I made this year. Engineering is rewarding but it is also extremely challenging. Having a group to struggle through physics and calculus problems with makes the classes a lot more bearable. Plus, there is always someone that understands a concept and can explain it to the rest of us when we don’t understand.
Overall, I would say my first year at UC has been a success. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
-Meg
Drive (ride?) by posting
May 4th, 2008
Time is flying faster than I can possibly grasp. We made it home and have spent the last few days recovering our things from basements, attics and garages from across Ohio. It's exhausting and taking much more time than anticipated. Today was also little Sis's Senior Prom. I was drafted to drive to the salon and then to pictures, which was fun. She looked so pretty!
Our bikes are safe and sound. My front wheel was pretty far out of true, but Ben took it in to I-Pro and they fixed it right up. Ben said he had never seen a wheel be so violated....but it works great now. We were able to go on a short ride. Holy wow those things are light! The wind was super strong this afternoon and it was blowing me around quite a bit. I was also shocked with my shifting - it felt like I could shift forever and not run out of gears. 10spd cassette = amazing!!!
Tomorrow we are going to try our best to get out and race. Right now it feels rushed, but if we can make it to the line all will be well.
Purchasing a new bird
May 4th, 2008
After many years of , a husband has turned into a , became completely inattentive to his wife and sat guzzling beer and all day. The wife was dismayed because no matter what she did to attract the husband's attention, he'd just shrug her off with some comment.
This went on for many months and the wife was going crazy with boredom. Then one day at a , the wife saw this big, ugly, snorting bird with a hairy chest, powerful hairy forearms, beady eyes and dribble running down the side of its mouth.
Webinars on two-shot molding and rapid prototyping
May 3rd, 2008
I just saw these two incredibly informative (and free !!!) Medical Design Webinars... all you need to do to watch the media streams is to sign up.
The first of the two broadcasts is given by on as cost saver in medical manufacturing:
"Medical device designers are facing intense pressure to create innovative designs and maintain the highest quality over a product’s lifecycle while also being forced to design for lower cost manufacturing. This is a challenge we recognize, but one that can be overcome by leveraging the cost savings and benefits of two-shot molding technology. Saint-Gobain’s engineering team will present on two-shot molding, how this process innovation can provide cost savings, increased design freedom and provide the quality and performance you demand."
The second Webinar is held by Paul Dvorak and Tony Lockwood and talks about the , from scanning to production:
"... they ... covered the latest 3D-Scan-to-CAD and rapid prototyping technologies with a special focus on real-world applications. The Webinar highlights several manufacturing and medical companies using these technologies to dramatically boost quality and productivity."
Go, check'em out!
Malabar Cements Limited
(A Govt. of Kerala Undertaking)
Walayar-PO, Palakkad-678624
Applications are invited from eligible candidates for the following posts :
1. General Manager (Works) Grade-M1
2. Deputy General Manager (Engineering) Grade-M2
3. Manager (Production) Grade-M3
4. Chief Engineer (Mechenical) Grade-M3
5. Manager (Materials) Grade-M3
6. Mines Manager Grade-M3
7. Store Officer Grade-M6
Pay Scale : M1- Rs.16300-19990, M2 - Rs.15500-18700, M3-14300-18300, M6 - 7800-12975
How to Apply : Interested candidates may submit their applications on or before 19/05/2008 in the prescribed application form.
Dream destination
May 1st, 2008
If you want to derive the pleasure of being in alpine surroundings without worrying about higher altitudes and bone chilling weather, then there is no better place than Kurseong. The clean, well-kept town of Kurseong is halfway up at an altitude of 4,860 ft and is 33 kms from Darjeeling. The peace, serenity and healthy climate make it a great tourist destination, and has attracted famous personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Mark Twain. The Toy Train or the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs on level with the street. As the train leaves the town, mists envelope the landscape, then all of a sudden, they are gone and your dazzled eyes get their first view of the mighty monarch, Mt Kanchenjunga. A viewer standing at Eagle’s Craig gets the view of the plains lying below just as if you are God watching down upon your children on earth. White orchids are grown in plenty here and bestow it with the local name ‘Kharsang’ which in Lepcha language means, “Land of the White Orchids”. The nearest airport, Bagdogra is 60 kms away and the nearest major railway station is New Jalpaiguri about 53 kilometres from Kurseong. Ceded to the British by the King of Sikkim in 1835 as a small village, it gained prominence in 1880 and soon the small hamlet became a tourist destination for the colonial authorities and a place for sanatoriums where the sick would recuperate.
Civic administration
Reputed schools
Higher education
Near Darjeeling, at St Mary's Hills, Eastern Forest Rangers College provides training courses to the would-be Forest Rangers of India. There is a West Bengal Forest School near Deer Park and Victoria Boys School, Dowhill which also provides training for foresters as well. On the way to Darjeeling at Tung is the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) which offers various vocational course in plumbing, motor mechanics, book binding etc. Holy Cross Institute in St Mary's Hills offers higher secondary course in Commerce via the vocational stream.
Demographics
According to 2001 census, Kurseong had a population of 40,067. Males constitute 51 per cent of the population and females 49 per cent. Kurseong has an average literacy rate of 84 per cent, higher than the national average of 59.5 per cent: male literacy is 88 per cent, and female literacy is 80 per cent. In Kurseong, 6 per cent of the population is under 6 years of age.
As you leave the small town you can find acres of verdant slopes covered with tea bushes, one of the finest varieties of Darjeeling Tea is found in the tea gardens surrounding Kurseong. Visitors there can have a first hand experience of how tea-leaves are processed and prepared for production by visiting the nearby tea factories. Kurseong is well connected by roads. The Toy Train takes about 5 hours from New Jalpaiguri to Kurseong.
Even though Kurseong may not be as glamourous as Darjeeling, there is a tranquillity and peace about it that draws visitors to it time and again.
Coordinator, St Joseph’s School - North Point, Darjeeling
Mechanical Mirrors
April 29th, 2008
This is beautiful, stunning, computer-aided mechanical art. See your face in blocks of wood. 's my favorite video, but check out all of Daniel Rozin's and other cool interactive art.