Archive for the Category ◊ Engineering ◊

5 Fun Test Questions
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

Excerpted from StrangeCosmos:

Questions:
1. A lady read a book, turned the light out and went to sleep. In the morning, when she saw in the newspaper that a ship had sunk drowning all on board, she committed suicide. Why?

2. A young man entered a bar and asked for a glass of water. The person behind the bar produced a gun and pointed it at the man. He replied, “Thank you,” and walked off. Why?

3. Imagine you are driving a Mercedes at 100 mph. The steering locks. The doors lock. The brakes fail. You can’t get out! You’re heading for a 1,000 foot cliff! What do you do?

4. 2 + 2 + 5 = 247. Add one small line to make the sum correct.

5. A man on horseback went on a two day trip. He left on Tuesday and arrived home on Tuesday. How could this be?

Answers:
1. She was a lighthouse keeper.
2. He had the hiccups.
3. You stop “imagining.”
4. Put a line on the first “+,” from the top left, making it into a “4.” 2 4 2 + 5 = 247
5. The name of the horse was “Tuesday.”

Scenes of Irony
Saturday, May 29th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

Humor courtesy of my buddy, Joe K

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Shuttle Prep and Launch
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

A very nice 4-minute time lapse of the preparation and launch of the space shuttle…

Category: Engineering  | Leave a Comment
A New Airline
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

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Go to the Source
Friday, May 14th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

Have you ever had anybody tell you “when all else fails, go to the source”?  In this case, we’re talking about the “source of information”.

Many people like the Internet because it provides the ability to search and locate many stories and commentaries on various subjects.  I’ve grown to appreciate the Web because it has enabled me to quickly locate the unaltered source of information and make my own interpretations.  

When I say “source of information”, I mean the original telegrams, letters, memos, and diaries that reflected the true nature of the discussions during significant events.  Some examples are:

Christopher Columbus’ Logs during his initial voyages in 1492

George Washington’s letter in support of the US Constitution in 1787

Abraham Lincoln’s letters to General McClellan during the Civil War in 1863

Orville Wright’s diaries and notebooks about Flight in 1902

Albert Einstein’s letter to FDR warning about the atom bomb in 1939

Of course, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and other government agencies are great resources for locating the original documents in digital format. In some ways, reading the letters of correspondence, personal logs, and similar items provide tremendous insights that cannot be gleaned reading the commentary of others.

It takes a little more effort than just typing in a keyword at the Google search box, but it often provides interesting revelations… Give it a try

Category: Engineering  | Leave a Comment
Unusual Inventors
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

From Neatorama, some interesting inventions from unusual people:

Henry David Thoreau invented raisin bread
Marlon Brando invented a device that helps musicians tune drums
Roald Dahl invented a brain shunt
Margaret Thatcher helped invent soft serve ice cream
Mark Twain invented adjustable and detachable straps for garments

Dayton Museum of Discovery
Sunday, May 09th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

Len and I hadn’t visited the Dayton Natural History Museum in many years so we thought we’d give it a try…  It wasn’t quite what I remember from my youthful days.   It’s become much more of a “children’s playground” than an exhibition with scientific value…  and it’s  relatively expensive.

I think Oscar Boonshoft would be disappointed…  Rest assured, it’s unlikely that I will ever return there or recommend it to anyone.

Category: Business, Engineering  | One Comment
Top 10 Magic Tricks
Sunday, April 18th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

From Listverse, the top modern magic tricks… with videos.

I’ve seen the Penn and Teller “Magic Bullet” trick in person.  It’s pretty darn good.

More Optical Illusions
Friday, March 12th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

It looks like a nice view by the lake… can you step back and see the larger picture?   How about a baby sucking its thumb?

Optical Illusions
Saturday, March 06th, 2010 | Author: dzsokol

Take a look at the photo below, can you see 10 faces in the branches?   How about 11?