David Herrold

Edouard schmedward

Posted by Dave | Filed under Personal, Science

It looks like Tropical Storm Edouard will hit Houston tomorrow around lunchtime.

All things considered, I think Edouard hitting Houston is much better than Edouard hitting New Orleans.  I think we can take the blow to the chin much easier than they can right now.

Tomorrow should be an interesting day.  If past performance is any indicator, the television media will do its best to whip the public into a frenzy of worry and panic.  Do we really need 3D spinning storm graphics pounding our TV screens in high definition?

We’ve stocked up on olives, vermouth and vodka - just like we did for Rita a couple years ago.

What are you doing to prepare for the storm?

Tags: edouard, hurricane, storm, weather

BMW concept car with cloth skin

Posted by Dave | Filed under Design, Science, Technology

Video link

GINA Light Visionary Model BMW concept car makes me appreciate design even more. Imagine how light and fuel efficient a car could be made without the additional weight of a steel skin wrapped around it.

The headlights make it look almost alive.

Seen on Neat-o-rama.

Tags: bmw, car, concept, Design, gina

Mars Phoenix has landed!

Posted by Dave | Filed under Science, Technology

I’ve been following the progress of the Mars Phoenix lander for a few days as is got closer and closer to Mars. I’m happy to report that is has landed safely on the north pole of Mars. It will eventually send photos, and data from ice core samples in an attempt to learn more about our mysterious red planet.

Congratulations to the ground crew and everyone involved. Nice work.

Learn more here:

UPDATE: Images from the lander here.
UPDATE 2: According to a NYTimes article Twitter’s @MarsPhoenixe is actually Veronica McGregor, news services managers at NASA’s JPL facility in CA.

Of course, the messages are not coming from Mars. Instead, Veronica McGregor, the news services manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has been playing the part of Phoenix each night after she gets home from work, forwarding questions to the science team and then posting answers.

NASA mission site
Follow mission updates on Twitter
Wikipedia entry on the Mars Phoenix

Tags: jpl, mars phoenix, marsphoenix, nasa

Temperature sensitive paint

Posted by Dave | Filed under Design, Science, Uncategorized

French scientists are testing temperature sensitive paint for use on the highways as a visual warning for drivers in icy conditions

A new temperature-sensitive varnish developed by researchers at French company Eurovia can be applied to road surfaces to warn drivers about dangerous conditions. The technique – still at the testing stage – might help prevent ice-related traffic accidents in future, the researchers say.
Full article.

I love ideas like this. So simple, yet brilliant. This will likely save lives if used in climates conducive to black-ice.

(Via Reaction)

Arthur C. Clarke: RIP 1917 - 2008

Posted by Dave | Filed under Communication, Science, Writing

Award-winning science fiction author, Arthur C. Clarke, passed away in his home in Sri Lanka today.

From Bloomberg

The author, scientist, space expert and underwater diver was one of the most prolific and renowned science-fiction writers, publishing more than 30 novels, at least 13 short-story collections and 28 works of non-fiction. He was honored with a British knighthood in 2000, and his work inspired the names of some spacecraft, an asteroid and even a species of dinosaur. “2001: A Space Odyssey” was adapted in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film of the same name.

Clarke’s visions of the future took form in geostationary satellites, which some credit as a blueprint for modern-day communication methods. In 1945, he set out his ideas in an article, “Extra-Terrestrial Relays,” published in the Wireless World magazine.

The next time you hear Also sprach Zarathustra, by Richard Strauss, think of Sir Arthur looking down on us and saying “My God, it’s full of stars.”

Sir Arthur’s last public comments on his 90th birthday (Youtube video).

- Dave