Verbo.se

Category: Engineering

10l Radial-Engined Goggomobil

29/06/2009

Yes, it actually runs, FF to 3:20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIdQFnUvCA

The Russian-built, 10220cc Vedeneyev M14P radial engine was originally commissioned in the 1930’s for airplanes and over the years power rose from 360 HP to a stout 460 HP when electronic injection was added. The Goggomobil was a German-built micro-car, like many ulta-compacts which sprouted up during the post-war era. Its most powerful iteration produced all of 20 HP. The two were never intended to go together, but a German mad man named Uwe Wulf has married radial monster to microcar for what is easily one of the most technically impressive and plain old-fashioned spectacular small car/big engine transplants we’ve ever seen.

More details and photos on Jalopnik.

Long Overdue

11/05/2009

I’ve posted before about open workshops. Pit Start is a more mainstream idea but long overdue, and probably perfectly timed:

If you’re a London gearhead and want to work on your car but have no place to do it, you’ll want to check out Pit Start, a new self-service garage. It is exactly what it sounds like – a communal pay-by-the-hour workspace. Would-be tinkerers can pre-book a space or drop in, and upon arrival, a Pit Start employee will assign you one of the twenty repair bays depending on the kind of work you’ll be doing.

Bays can be rented for a minimum of hour, and it’s £10 for bays without lifts (a little over $15 USD) or £20 (roughly $30 USD) for one of the six bays that come with a four-ton hoist. Pit Start provides an array of common tools for free, sells oil and basic fluids, has a directory of nearby mechanics, and can arrange to have parts delivered for you within the hour. The only things you can’t do are tasks that involve welding or paint spraying. This month, bay rental is 50% off, and the garage is open 24/7 in case you get the urge to install a turbo at 3 a.m. They even provide shop manuals.

screenshot1242062501

(Via Autoblog.)

Google Analytics script 97% slower at peak in Europe

30/01/2009

According to Pingdom, performance in Europe is significantly worse than Stateside. Lets hope AdSense performs better. Beef up that European infrastructure Google!

And webmasters, make sure that script is at the bottom of your pages, not the top!

3238995762_bd276e8f57_o

As you can see, loading the GA script from North America is overall a bit slower than loading it from Europe. On the other hand, while the European load times are significantly faster on average than the North American ones, the performance is much more uneven over the course of the day.

The difference between the maximum and minimum load times for North America is 27%, but in Europe the difference is 97%.

NASA Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine

28/01/2009

Icicles! On an engine that burns at 5000 degress!

A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing. The goal of these tests is to reduce risk and advance technology for a reliable and robust rocket engine that could enable America’s next moon landing.

The tests by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in West Palm Beach, Fla., helped to gather data on this concept engine that might play a role in the next stage of human exploration of the moon. Most rockets make spacecraft travel faster. The goal of a lunar lander descent engine is to slow the vehicle so astronauts can land safely.

Palm Pre

09/01/2009

[This has been in my drafts since January 9, only noticed it now. It does have a motion sensor and landscape mode btw.]

The wife’ll kill me, I want one of these and I only have my Treo Pro a couple months.

Palm Pre

It seems to settle a major deficiency in the Treo Pro, namely Windows Mobile. It’s not a bad mobile OS per se, but the hardware is a tad underpowered for it, and it has niggles that can’t be addressed because of it’s closed nature. That said, I don’t know if the Pre’s webOS will be open either, but hopefully Palm will have generated Clue from their Windows adventure. And drop it forevermore…

One other apparent deficiency would appear to be a motion sensor and/or landscape mode. You’d think that if it had it, the presenter in these PC Pro videos – well worth watching by the way – would have demoed it; although it has to be said that despite best effort, he’s no Steve Jobs and might have been better off deferring to someone with more charisma.

(Via Slashdot.)

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