…is because of the inherent inquisitiveness of being a structural engineer.

I have to know how everything works, which could involve taking things apart and trying to put it back together. I never thought of that in the context of a child, but XKCD Comics really nailed it right on the head with their latest comic.

…for the smart car of my dreams!

Yup, just a short post to let the faithful followers of my smart car dream see how the delivery date is changing constantly.

…other than to provide panty dropping power to frat boys around the world.

Scientists at the University of Nueva Leon outside of Monterrey, Mexico have found that tequila can aid in fabricating diamond film which is an excellent semiconductor. Diamonds are normally an insulator for electrical currents, but when laced with the right types of impurities can become a semiconductor. The impurities are formed by films which are expensive and difficult to make. They are normally produced by vaporizing organic material and then controlling how the carbon atoms crystallize on the surface.

The scientists from Mexico found that heated vapor from 80 proof tequila blanco injected into a low pressure chamber created the right type of diamond film with little extra effort.

Who knew tequila could be used for this?

Retrieved from -NewScientistTech-

…and if I didn’t already have a GPS system, I would jump on this in a heartbeat!

I know I’m showing my age, but most people know who KITT is by this time. I loved Knight Rider when I was growing up. Granted, I was young enough to not care about the overdone chest hair or cheesy acting, but it was great action and drama for a young kid. Later this summer though, people will be able to relive a portion of their youth with the introduction of Mio’s Knight Rider GPS. How do I love this? Let me count the ways…

1. Your pointer showing your current location is a Pontiac Trans-Am
2. The voice directions are given by the original voice actor for KITT
3. You have the flashing red lights on both sides similar to KITT’s front end lights
4. Only $270!
5. And finally, it’s a Mio! I love mine!

Anyway, for all of those nostalgia nerds out there, this one’s for you!

Retrieved from -Engadget-

…I thought I would let you in on my current status. I’ve been trying to keep it quiet, but I can’t any longer.

Hehehehe.

…even if it does shock them (emotionally and physically)!

Who all remembers playing Operation when they were young. I for one never had the skill to do well at that game, but then again, I doubt many young people do. Mega House from Japan is producing what they call Biri Biri Kaze Hiki Wanko, roughly translated, Shocking Sick Puppy. This game is about a puppy that has a cold and has snot and drool filled with germs running out of its head. The goal…remove the germs without touching the slime. If you do, you get shocked. Simple, effective, scary…yup, a perfect toy for a child.

Man, kids nowadays get all the cool toys!

Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

…but I certainly hope that within a few days, someone would know I was gone.

In Zagreb, Croatia, Hedviga Golik was found in front of a television…dead. Hedviga had made herself a cup of tea and then sat down in front of her TV to watch a show which she then passed away. How long do you think it took to find her? Would you believe me if I told you 42 years is how long it took? She had been reported missing as well, but I guess no one decided to check her flat to see if she was there.

Hopefully I leave more of an impact on the people I meet so that they will at least not let me rot for too long when I die at home in front of computer.

Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

…too bad it’s further out than the dealerships quoted 12 to 14 month range!

So, everyday at lunch, I take a quick break, hold my breath and click on the link to check the updated delivery date for my ordered smart car with their DDE (Delivery Date Estimator). Normally it takes 30-90 days from plopping down the reservation deposit to get a response, so, since it has only been about 42 days, I wasn’t really hoping for much, but I got notice (as seen above) that my delivery date is estimated between October 2009 and December 2009. That is more in the 17 to 19 month range, but that’s fine…more time to save up money. I might try to convince the wife to make this either my birthday present (October) or Christmas present.

Or, I could just go over to Japan and buy one from a vending machine. It’s almost the color I want (yellow with black stripe), but beggars can’t be choosers! Just kidding! This has fooled a few people, but it is actually a vending machine for literature about the smart car. Hmmm, maybe if they placed fewer cars in vending machines mine would get here quicker…what do you think?

Retrieved from -Gizmodo-

Anyway, here’s to me in a smart car a year and a half from now…hopefully I won’t be dead!

…based on this chart released by The Oil Drum, it definitely appears that they aren’t helping.

Just because I’m lazy, I’m going to quote from the original site…

Cement is mainly used to make concrete, and is sort of the “active ingredient” in concrete - it is combined with sand and gravel in roughly fixed proportions. So cement production can be considered a rough proxy for the total amount of construction going on in a country.

Lately in the construction industry, we have been finding costs of raw materials to almost double what they used to be. Steel used to be about $1.00/lb for construction needs…now it is up to $2.00/lb. Concrete used to be about $350/cy…now if we can find it for $600/cy, we’ll consider it a deal! This has wreaked havoc with local projects that have supposedly gone over the budget set aside a couple years back, and mainly it’s because of the rising costs that no one could have predicted.

The rumors I have heard is that China is behind the raw material “crisis”. They have hit a huge boom in construction, and probably in no small amount due to the Olympics going to be held in Beijing. The city is being revamped, new skyscrapers are being built, world record breaking bridges are being built, you name it. A lot of this material they are using is purchased scrap from other countries, normally what we (USA) rely on to make our own. Hence, the rise in costs…

But, I can’t fully fault the Chinese. They were low bidder on the scrap, more power to them for using it. Maybe everyone else should have thought about it when they first saw the signs. All I know is at some point in my life I want to travel to China to see all of these wondrous buildings and bridges that are currently in the works!

And by the way, tree huggers will not forget to tell you that producing this much cement is not healthy for the environment. A lot of energy is needed to produce cement, so this huge spike in production can only mean a lot more of coal consumed.

Retrieved from -The Oil Drum-

…now that I have moved into a house far away from neighbors!

Anyone who has lived in a townhome, condominium or apartment has probably had the same problem as me when they lived in one…noisy neighbors! Personally, I hated tip-toeing around so that I didn’t annoy others and was really annoyed myself when I couldn’t set up a surround system for fear of playing it too loud.

Dr. Sanchez-Dehesa of the Polytechnic University of Valencia has developed a sound shield or “cloak of silence” that makes objects impervious to sound waves. They have created “sonic crystals” which are a meta-material which can be engineered to produce specific acoustical effects. These would then be able to channel any sound around an object, like water flowing around a rock in a stream.

The research builds on work by scientists from Duke University in North Carolina, US, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Naturally, a more useful purpose for the mainstream would be for concert halls or stealth warships, but I much prefer the quiet I would get from not hearing neighbors!

Article -Cloak of Silence-