I think everyone has thought about becoming and astronaut at some point in time of their lives. After watching this model rocket be shot into the sky, brought me back to the days that I wanted to be an astronaut. Seeing some of my friends go and work for NASA and fulfill their dreams is amazing to me. I still sometimes wish that I could go and become an astronaut as well. Knowing that this probably won't happen, I think I would settle with launching a model shuttle, such as this, during my retirement.
This movie also reminded me of our class. It showed that you need to go big or go home. Everyone has shot off a model rocket that is a foot long, but 36'? Unheard of. It also shows that if you have the dream to do something, to keep pushing and someday it might just come true.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
No More Pontiac... who's next?
So reading the news today left me thinking about what car I would want to buy in the future. Seeing how most major car companies are falling apart, I have no idea what I would want to purchase. I used to think that a Pontiac G6 would be a good car, until I heard today that GM is cutting the Pontiac Brand. Does this mean that Pontiacs will disappear? Or will someone else pick up the brand?
With the economy the way it is, I can only hope that the future will be better, and that my car choice will be able to live on for many years.
With the economy the way it is, I can only hope that the future will be better, and that my car choice will be able to live on for many years.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
FE Exam....and Saving Farts for Energy!?
Saturday I had the pleasure of taking an 8 hour exam that tested me not only intellectually but also mentally and physically. I have the attention span of maybe 2 hours for an exam, so when I had 8 hours of an exam with an hour break for lunch, I was not sure what I would do. However, I made it through and hopefully I don't have to take it again. If I do, I wished they would consider doing it over two days instead of all in one day.
On another note, I found this article about reusing "Farts" for power. Besides the title catching my interest, so did the person in the article. This short article featured Dr. Logan, a professor in Civil Engineering here at Penn State. It was one of those things I was like what the heck are people doing with this subject, and it turns out that it is actually happening right here in the building that I pretty much live in.
On another note, I found this article about reusing "Farts" for power. Besides the title catching my interest, so did the person in the article. This short article featured Dr. Logan, a professor in Civil Engineering here at Penn State. It was one of those things I was like what the heck are people doing with this subject, and it turns out that it is actually happening right here in the building that I pretty much live in.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Creative Drinking?!?
So I was looking around one of my favorite sites, Dvice, and came across this article. As a wine drinker, I can only imagine how drinking from this glass would be. I have a hard enough time drinking safely from a regular bottle or glass let alone one that has an entire extra glass or two of wine above it.
However, I find the engineering behind this glass interesting and wonder how they even came up with this idea. Who would have thought about making a glass similar to this? Why would you want something like this? Either way, I'm intrigued and want to try one some day!
However, I find the engineering behind this glass interesting and wonder how they even came up with this idea. Who would have thought about making a glass similar to this? Why would you want something like this? Either way, I'm intrigued and want to try one some day!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Magic?
Magic? Tricks? Fakes? Sometimes I wonder what it is with "Illusions" that fascinates so many people. I found this "Viral" video from Samsung that has a camera trick in it. I've watched it, watched it, and watched and still can't figure it out or don't want to figure it out. I've read the comments below and watched for them in the video, but I just don't see what others do.
Watched this video and tell me:
How do you think they pulled this trick off?
Watched this video and tell me:
How do you think they pulled this trick off?
Friday, April 10, 2009
Ending of 407
With 3 weeks left in school, I feel that our time in ENGR 407 is becoming more valuable each day. I can remember the first day of class where I was not sure of what to expect. I was timid and unsure of myself. Now that our time is limited, I find myself not wanting it to end. Each day I seem to learn something new about myself, and I find myself being pushed out of my comfort zone. With the end of class looming in the distance, I see myself pushing harder to learn more about myself and to get the most from this class.
Monday, March 30, 2009
National Rube Goldberg Competition
This past weekend, I was able to go to Purdue University and participate in the National Rube Goldberg Competition. (For those of you who may not know what I am talking about, go here or watch this.)
The task to complete this year was to change an incandescent light bulb to a more efficient one. I helped the American Society of Mechanical Engineers out with their Super Mario Brothers Themed machine this year. We competed at the Regional Competition held here on campus against 4 other groups who has equally qualified machines. However, we ended up winning and secured a trip to Purdue to represent Penn State.
Before getting to nationals, I personally had no idea what to expect. I had heard that previous winners had over 100 steps. Our machine only had about 50 steps, which made me nervous. So after making the 10-11 hour drive out to Purdue on Friday, the 6 of us were getting nervous. We started the weekend off with a dinner in what I think was Purdue's "President's" Box of their stadium. It was extremely neat because I have never been to their football stadium, and to be able to look all the way down on it, was just amazing.
The next day we had the actual competition. Here we found ourselves up against 5 other teams from Illinois with a "Clue Theme", Texas with a "Jurassic Park Theme", Michigan Tech with a "Super Heroes Theme", St. Olaf with a "Crazy Scientist Theme", and Ferris State with a "House of Rube Theme". Each of these teams had an impressive machine and it was clear to see that we had our work cut out for us.
With the results in, we ended up not placing, but needless to say, I had a blast. Being able to talk to people, especially little kids, and to be able to teach them something was well worth it. Overall St. Olaf took both first place overall and People's Choice award.
St. Olaf is a liberal arts school which makes me wonder if all of the engineering teams just over thought the entire task. Then I learned that they had a budget that was 6 times that of what we had, which gave them a lot more opportunities then us. So maybe it was more along the lines of that? There are so many questions as to what it could have been, but I do know that their machine was quite impressive, especially for non-engineering majors.
I hope that more people will become interested in the Rube Competition here on campus because it is something that can be challenging and fun at the same time. I know that I wished I would have gotten involved sooner, because I had a lot of fun working on it this year.
(I'll post a video and pictures of our machine at a later date!)
The task to complete this year was to change an incandescent light bulb to a more efficient one. I helped the American Society of Mechanical Engineers out with their Super Mario Brothers Themed machine this year. We competed at the Regional Competition held here on campus against 4 other groups who has equally qualified machines. However, we ended up winning and secured a trip to Purdue to represent Penn State.
Before getting to nationals, I personally had no idea what to expect. I had heard that previous winners had over 100 steps. Our machine only had about 50 steps, which made me nervous. So after making the 10-11 hour drive out to Purdue on Friday, the 6 of us were getting nervous. We started the weekend off with a dinner in what I think was Purdue's "President's" Box of their stadium. It was extremely neat because I have never been to their football stadium, and to be able to look all the way down on it, was just amazing.
The next day we had the actual competition. Here we found ourselves up against 5 other teams from Illinois with a "Clue Theme", Texas with a "Jurassic Park Theme", Michigan Tech with a "Super Heroes Theme", St. Olaf with a "Crazy Scientist Theme", and Ferris State with a "House of Rube Theme". Each of these teams had an impressive machine and it was clear to see that we had our work cut out for us.
With the results in, we ended up not placing, but needless to say, I had a blast. Being able to talk to people, especially little kids, and to be able to teach them something was well worth it. Overall St. Olaf took both first place overall and People's Choice award.
St. Olaf is a liberal arts school which makes me wonder if all of the engineering teams just over thought the entire task. Then I learned that they had a budget that was 6 times that of what we had, which gave them a lot more opportunities then us. So maybe it was more along the lines of that? There are so many questions as to what it could have been, but I do know that their machine was quite impressive, especially for non-engineering majors.
I hope that more people will become interested in the Rube Competition here on campus because it is something that can be challenging and fun at the same time. I know that I wished I would have gotten involved sooner, because I had a lot of fun working on it this year.
(I'll post a video and pictures of our machine at a later date!)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Chillax-A-Chair
So getting clicks on our videos is harder than I expected. I knew that it would be difficult because our idea isn't Funny, Entertaining, or something that a lot of people would like to sit down and watch. However, I think for only having posted these items about a week ago and having 3 of them succeed at passing the 350 isn't to bad. Now we just need to come up with more marketing ideas for our videos so we can get a couple hundred of clicks. Like I previous said, this is going to be a challenge.
Either way, check out our videos!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2580047/chillax_a_chair_introduction/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2588682/chillax_a_chair_introduction_2/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2592494/chillax_a_chair_intro/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2592860/how_to_part_1_materials/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2592992/how_to_part_2_insulation/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-T8ncswqw0kM/how_to_part_3_tubing/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2593280/how_to_part_4_cover_and_finishing/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-9GK5lGjAPrw/naming_the_chillax_a_chair/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2593222/chillax_a_chair_first_prototype_test/
Either way, check out our videos!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2580047/chillax_a_chair_introduction/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2588682/chillax_a_chair_introduction_2/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2592494/chillax_a_chair_intro/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2592860/how_to_part_1_materials/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2592992/how_to_part_2_insulation/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-T8ncswqw0kM/how_to_part_3_tubing/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2593280/how_to_part_4_cover_and_finishing/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-9GK5lGjAPrw/naming_the_chillax_a_chair/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2593222/chillax_a_chair_first_prototype_test/
Monday, March 2, 2009
Hatred for doing Laundry.....
I'm one of those people who hate to do laundry. I wait until the last possible moment to do laundry, which is about after 3 weeks, and because of this, my laundry basket/bag is always over flowing. I normally have to take two different carrying mechanisms just to safely transport my clothing. With this being said, I always seem to over pack my bags and they always seem to break.
I wished there was an easy way to transport my laundry from one place to another. I know there are hampers on wheels, but they are extremely bulky, stiff, and sometimes hard to maneuver. I need something that would be easy to move, doesn't take up a lot of space, can be smashed into small spaces, and can handle a lot of clothes.
Any suggestions? (Besides doing my laundry more often!)
I wished there was an easy way to transport my laundry from one place to another. I know there are hampers on wheels, but they are extremely bulky, stiff, and sometimes hard to maneuver. I need something that would be easy to move, doesn't take up a lot of space, can be smashed into small spaces, and can handle a lot of clothes.
Any suggestions? (Besides doing my laundry more often!)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Foot Powered Energy

Most of us have heard about using water and the sun to obtain energy. However, did you ever think about possibly generating power when we walk?
After searching the internet, I found an interesting article on a device that a doctor has created that generates power while he walks. I never would have thought about this, but after reading the article and having this idea presented to me, it makes sense. Walking is something that we do everyday. We can't go anywhere in a short distance, without either a) walking there or b) riding there via a bike, skate boards, roller skates. So why not do something environmentally friendly while going about our daily business?
The article states that at normal walking speeds, it can generate enough power to charge a cell phone. This is more than I would have imagined, however, its definitely something that I think should be looked into. Especially since the doctors main intentions were for places such as Africa.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Housing Nightmares...
As a senior who is graduating in December, I am starting to see that finding housing for just the Fall Semester is very challenging. Each time I search for a possible fall semester sublet, I have to go through many different websites. I have searched several different reality websites to find that only one or two have an actual place that lists sublets. I have also searched Facebook and Craigslist. Each time I go to these places, I have to sift through offers that are looking for summer, both fall and spring semesters of next year, etc. I wished there was one single place that I could go and see just Sublets, and have them sorted by when they are wanted and for how long.
If you guys know of any place that I can go and have an easier time finding fall sublets, please let me know. Also, when thinking about making a post to such sites as mentioned above, please think about what you are offering, and make it clear.
If you guys know of any place that I can go and have an easier time finding fall sublets, please let me know. Also, when thinking about making a post to such sites as mentioned above, please think about what you are offering, and make it clear.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Ice or Snow?
It amazes me that when we get a snow storm, or even hear about a snow storm, OPP is geared up and ready to take it on full force. I appreciate this, however, I wished they would do this when the snow melts and then refreezes.
On my way to class yesterday morning, 8am, I cannot tell you the amount of people I saw slipping, sliding, and falling; and yet I did not see any OPP people out and about. I was unfortunately one of the ones who stepped onto a sidewalk, only to find out it was covered in a layer of ice. I slip, slid, and finally came to stop face first in the side walk. I came away with nothing but a bruise on my side, but I know people who have fallen previously and broke their noses.
I know part of campus sidewalks are heated by steam below, which melts the ice and snow on top of it. I only wished that there was some way to eliminate snow and ice, especially ice, on top of walk ways all the time. This way we would not need to rely on OPP to come out early in the morning and salt the many miles of sidewalks on our University.
On my way to class yesterday morning, 8am, I cannot tell you the amount of people I saw slipping, sliding, and falling; and yet I did not see any OPP people out and about. I was unfortunately one of the ones who stepped onto a sidewalk, only to find out it was covered in a layer of ice. I slip, slid, and finally came to stop face first in the side walk. I came away with nothing but a bruise on my side, but I know people who have fallen previously and broke their noses.
I know part of campus sidewalks are heated by steam below, which melts the ice and snow on top of it. I only wished that there was some way to eliminate snow and ice, especially ice, on top of walk ways all the time. This way we would not need to rely on OPP to come out early in the morning and salt the many miles of sidewalks on our University.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Time, Too much? Too Little?
The first couple of weeks of classes have now passed us by. To me these past couple of weeks flew by with very little work involved, not that I'm complaining. Then this week was presented to me. I feel as if all of my Professors are on the same clock.
I can hear all of them saying, "Let's wait two weeks before we start assigning HW and projects."
I feel like a little kid saying this, but I wished there was a way to slow down time. Not only because I have a lot of work to complete, but because this is suppose to be the time of our lives and I spend it in the computer lab. Exciting right?
Anyways, this week I am being challenged in many ways. I am being challenged to become extremely organized with my assignments and time. I feel the need to plan out every single hour, minute, and second of my day. This where I raise the question, is there such a thing as spending too much time on one project? Does one project deserve your full attention? How do you know when enough is enough and to just go with what you have?
This current project in Engr 407 is a project where I feel these questions are going to apply on several occasions. Having the ability to do what ever we want, when we want to, and only having a deadline to meet, does not give us a lot of structure to work with in planning, besides what I feel as chaotic. Therefore, not only is this project testing our ability to be decisve in making a product, but it also tests our ability to find the proper amount of time to spend on one item.
I hope that from this project we all come away with a better sense on when enough is enough and how to get to that point in a faster more effecient way.
I can hear all of them saying, "Let's wait two weeks before we start assigning HW and projects."
I feel like a little kid saying this, but I wished there was a way to slow down time. Not only because I have a lot of work to complete, but because this is suppose to be the time of our lives and I spend it in the computer lab. Exciting right?
Anyways, this week I am being challenged in many ways. I am being challenged to become extremely organized with my assignments and time. I feel the need to plan out every single hour, minute, and second of my day. This where I raise the question, is there such a thing as spending too much time on one project? Does one project deserve your full attention? How do you know when enough is enough and to just go with what you have?
This current project in Engr 407 is a project where I feel these questions are going to apply on several occasions. Having the ability to do what ever we want, when we want to, and only having a deadline to meet, does not give us a lot of structure to work with in planning, besides what I feel as chaotic. Therefore, not only is this project testing our ability to be decisve in making a product, but it also tests our ability to find the proper amount of time to spend on one item.
I hope that from this project we all come away with a better sense on when enough is enough and how to get to that point in a faster more effecient way.
Monday, January 19, 2009
History in the Making
Today is the day that we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. A person who has fought for what he believed and stopped at nothing to make his opinion heard. With all respect for MLK, I feel that this years celebration may not get the appreciation and celebration that it normally does due to the historical moment happening tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a day that will go down in history as the first African American President of the United States is inaugurated. It will be a day that all history books will talk about and point out that the United States has changed. Future generations will learn of the man who fought and showed that change is something that was bound to come and that this is the time that we need to have it. With such a economic crisis, Barrack Obama will have to prove that he is the man for the job. The man that he showed this nation in the presidential race over the past year and the person who believes this nation can change for the better.
With two spectacular historic events happening, one from the past and one for the future, I feel that the entire nation is more focused on the one that is effecting the future. This is not wrong to do. I encourage you to look into the future, but to never forget the past.
Tomorrow is a day that will go down in history as the first African American President of the United States is inaugurated. It will be a day that all history books will talk about and point out that the United States has changed. Future generations will learn of the man who fought and showed that change is something that was bound to come and that this is the time that we need to have it. With such a economic crisis, Barrack Obama will have to prove that he is the man for the job. The man that he showed this nation in the presidential race over the past year and the person who believes this nation can change for the better.
With two spectacular historic events happening, one from the past and one for the future, I feel that the entire nation is more focused on the one that is effecting the future. This is not wrong to do. I encourage you to look into the future, but to never forget the past.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)