Blogroll
-
Recent Posts
Archives
- July 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- July 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- November 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- April 2021
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- December 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- February 2017
- June 2016
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- December 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
Meta
Author Archives: engineerzero
Japan Solar Energy Graphics
Sometimes it seems that nuclear power advocates are attempting to insinuate that Japan doesn’t have enough land area to use solar energy in place of nuclear energy. Here’s what the solar panel requirements actually look like. Per person: [Calculations: Electrical … Continue reading
Robot Arm in Sketchup
This design is based on the first iRobot photo shown here. Sketchup, by the way, is not for CAD, it’s for quickly illustrating concepts. Sketchup can draw smooth curves as in the iRobot photo, but boxes are of course faster … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged arduino, fukushima, irobot, robot, robot arm, robotics, sketchup, sketchy physics
Leave a comment
Edison and His Inventions (an 1894 book review)
While prowling in the local Half Price Books, I came across this book. This is not a reproduction of an 1894 book, it is an original, and it only cost me $25. I feel pleased. Here’s the title page, which … Continue reading
Here come the robots
Daily Mail: Pictured: The robots called in to help prevent nuclear meltdown at Fukushima plant As I suggested a week ago:
The Nuclear Renaissance is dead and Moore’s Law killed it
Ramez Naam runs the numbers and finds that in ten years, while that nuclear power plant in your backyard will still be unfinished, solar power will have become cheaper than coal power: Smaller, cheaper, faster: Does Moore’s law apply to … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Bottle Cap Buzzy Glow Toy
Take a plastic bottle cap and make it buzz and glow. Flip it over and here’s the internals: The bottle cap I have in mind is the plastic one that comes on top of one-gallon water jugs. The 3 volt … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bottle cap, diy, led, motor, product design, sketchup, toy
Leave a comment
Would GE make more money by decommissioning reactors?
In the United States today, there are thirty-five boiling water reactors, of the same type as at Fukushima. Nuclear decommissioning costs around $325 million per plant. So if all the GE plants were to be decommissioned immediately, GE (which would … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged decommissioning, general electric, nuclear power, photovoltaics, solar power
Leave a comment
Fukushima: Cooling pools successfully doused
The Nuclear Energy Institute reports: UPDATE AS OF 10:00 A.M. EDT, SUNDAY, MARCH 20: A two-part operation to spray water into the used fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi reactor 4 ended just before 7 A.M. EDT. Japan’s defense ministry announced … Continue reading
Robots at Fukushima: a clash of cultures
From Salon Magazine: Where are the robots at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant? Japan employs more robots than any other country . . . So why are human beings manually pouring water over the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged corporate culture, creativity, culture, fukushima, Japanese culture, nuclear power industry, robots, Salon
Leave a comment
The Best SuperMoon Photo Ever (or am I biased?)
Taken with my cell phone around 9:30 last night. Hey, at least it’s not a ‘file photo!’
Engineer Zero 