Collaborate Disseminate
The Brennan torpedo, invented in 1877 by Louis Brennan, was one of the first (if not the first) guided torpedoes of a practical design. Amazingly, it had no internal power …read more Continue reading Pulling Backward to Go Forward: The Brennan Torpedo Explained
Although largely relegated to retrocomputing enthusiasts and embedded systems or microcontrollers now, there was a time when there were no other computers available other than those with 8-bit processors. The …read more Continue reading 8-Bit Computers Crunch Advanced Scientific Computations
There’s no shortage of movies, TV shows, and books that show a dystopian future with corporations run amok in outer space with little or no effective oversight. Dune, The Expanse, …read more Continue reading Libre Space Foundation Aims to Improve Satellite Tech
The oft-quoted saying “all models are wrong, but some are useful” is a tounge-in-cheek way of saying that at some level, tools we use to predict how the world behaves …read more Continue reading Misleading GPS, Philosophy of Maps, And You
HVAC – heating, ventilation, and air conditioning – can account for a huge amount of energy usage of a building, whether it’s residential or industrial. Often it’s the majority energy …read more Continue reading Building AI Models To Diagnose HVAC Issues
If you’ve ever built a model rocket, you’ll know there’s not a whole lot to them. Essentially it’s a cardboard tube, a plastic nosecone, some fins, and a little clip …read more Continue reading OSHW Model Rocket Kit Embraces the Hexagon
Ever wonder how effectively your model cars would slice through the air if they were full-scale functional automobiles? Well, a little something known as the Windsible could tell ya (sort of), as it’s touted as being the world’s first consumer desktop … Continue reading Desktop wind tunnel runs aerodynamic tests at small scale
Reverse-engineered schematics are de rigeur around these parts, largely because they’re often the key to very cool hardware hacks. We don’t get to see many mechanical reverse-engineering efforts, though, which …read more Continue reading Hackable Ham Radio Gives Up Its Mechanical Secrets
Electricity flow is generally invisible, silent, and not something that most humans want to touch, so understanding how charge moves around can be fairly unintuitive at first. There are plenty …read more Continue reading Modeling Home Heating Systems With Circuit Simulation Software
Batman is a compelling superhero for enough reasons that he’s been a cultural force for the better part of a century. His story has complex characters, interesting explorations of morality, …read more Continue reading RC Batwing Actually Flies