Talking Flames

Talking flames

How very facinating! 

Talking Flames, was in 1990, the newest technical achievement from the Logos Laboratory for experimental music research. It uses a plasma in ionised air, an electric arc that is modulated with a PWM-audiosignal. Herewith a sound-radiator is created that does’nt make use of any moving parts such as cones or coils. It sets air into vibration in a most direct way. Moreover, it is also capable of converting digital audio-information into sound, using the ionised air arc as an digital to analog converter by simply integrating the PWM- signal. This digital loudspeaker operates on a very high voltage and pretty high frequency: de carrier wave should be at least two times the highest audiofrequency. Ignition voltage is ca. 20kV. The electrodes are made of tungsten enriched with 5% radioactive thorium. The points have to be sharpened every so often.

 I’m going to keep an eye out for more information on this technique.

Talking Flames – audio art by Godfried-Willem Raes

A Statue on the Moon

Moon artHere is some history on a bit of artwork and a plaque dedicated to the fallen astronauts was left on the moon by the crew of Apollo 15. This is the first I’ve ever heard of this and I’ve read quite a bit about the history of the space program.

The only piece of art on the moon (depending, we suppose, on one’s definition of art) is a 3″-tall aluminum sculpture titled “Fallen Astronaut.” It was created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck and installed by Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott, along with a plaque bearing the names of the 14 astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the service of space exploration.

Apparently the crew members and the artist agreed that there should be no commercial gain made by this action. However…

…The 950 replicas of the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine signed by the sculptor have been advertised for sale by the Waddell Gallery of New York at a price of $750 apiece

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this Van Hoeydonck is a jerk and a putz. It is somewhat fitting that most Internet search results for this guys name also mention the replicas. I’d call that karma.

[via neat-o-rama]
The Only Art on the Moon

Articles Carried on Manned Space Flights

For a list of the names on the plaque, check out the Wikipedia entry on ‘Fallen Astronaut‘ 

Defcon, The Game

DEFCON PC 

Funny how this comes only a few days after I forced my kids to watch the classic movie "Dr. Strangelove". Defcon is a game where both sides are going to lose, it’s just a question of who loses first (or the worst). It reminds me of the classic DOS game ‘Scorched Earth‘ (or the updated 3D version called ‘Scorched 3D‘) where your trying to kill the other tank with tactical nuclear weapons. Perfect relaxation on a Sunday afternoon if you ask me. The graphics are right out of ‘War Games‘!

Taking the role of our favorite Cold War nations, players duke it out on a retro style vector display. They begin with the careful placement of radar dishes and silos, then move on to feeling out each other’s defenses with subs, aircraft, and warships. Tensions rise, conventional warfare erupts, and it eventually escalates into a full scale nuclear exchange. Meanwhile, the computer calmly reports the death toll in terms of millions of lives lost. In a nuclear holocaust everyone loses, but through clever tactics, alliances, and well timed backstabbing, it may be possible to "lose the least."

Oh yeah, it’s a networked game so you can play with your friends. 

This is a game that needs to be played on the biggest screen TV you can find, in the dark, and after you’ve spent a day in a cold war movie marathon. ‘Multiple inbound targets are being tracked… Suggest counter measures immediately.’ 

Defcon PC Preview

(A toot of the civil defense siren to Keven for this one)

Friefighting Robots

 

 

 

This reminds me of the robot fire fighters from the anime movie Metropolis. This machine will move into a fire and spray water on it for up to three hours (battery runs flat). If water isn’t doing the trick, it can also use foam. I can see this as being very handy for oil well fires and metal fires. Or just about any fire where the heat or danger of explosion is too great to risk humans.

[via Robot Gossip]

ARMTEC – Firefighting Robot SACI 2.0