Logan’s Run Gun Memories

 DS Pistol from Logans Run

One of the first props that I ever made was a DS pistol from the movie Logan’s Run. This was around 1986, way before the Internet was popular and prop makers had the crisp clarity of DVDs (I didn’t have a laser disc player, I didn’t even see one until the 87’s), that makes it easier to freeze frame images of props. I worked from plans a friend of mine had, I think they came from some sort of Logan’s Run guide book. Never having built a prop let alone a replica of one used in a movie, the materials used were a little sketchy. I remember using a few pill bottles for the tubes, Legos for spaces, and stacked sheets of ABS plastic that I ground down on a bench grinder for the grips. Other than falling apart once due to super glue failure it worked pretty well. Later in life I ended up owning a resin copy of one that had a light bulb in the end. that was pretty cool, not as cool as the ones that fired real flame but still… I can’t remember what happened to these, I think I sold them or traded them years ago but they were fun while I had them. It sure is nice to see that not everyone has forgotten this movie, the film was cool (read the book, way better) but the gun was the coolest.

Memory jogged via Props and Costumes form Logans Run

CF to IDE Adapter

CF to IDE adapter 

I’ve seen these in a local monster computer store here in Arizona. I was tempted to get one but I couldn’t think of a good reason to own one. Of course, if you want one you can get a CF to IDE adaper here if you wish. Just trying to help out.

I did speak to a guy that was building a robot that would run Linux off from an old desktop computer. He was trying to figure out a way to extend the battery life of the system, the motorcycle batteries just weren’t lasting as long as he had hoped. I told him about these and he was quite pleased. Using a compact flash card in place of a hard drive should save him a few amps off his power load.

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Superconducting Ring to Fling Satellites Into Space

 Launch ring This so reminds me to the high altitude research project that was dreamt up by Gerald Bull. Bull had this idea that he could build the gigantic gun that would shoot satellites into space like something out of a Jules Vern book.  He came close, he was able to loft a 330 pound round about 60 miles off the Earth. He was assassinated in 1990 after making some rather poor choices in the countries that he dealt with. Ah, he would have loved this concept. LaunchPoint Technologies has this idea would utilize a 1-1/4 mile superconducting ring to, over the course of several hours, accelerate a sled with a 22lb payload to a speed of 5 miles a second. The payload would then separate from the sled and be ‘fired’ through a tunnel that is angled 30 degrees up. The projectile would be moving at over 23 times the speed of sound at this point and the next stop would be low Earth orbit. The payload would only have to survive around 2000G but it’s pointed out that laser guided artillery rounds routinely survive forces of over 20,000G. So far it’s just a theoretical design but if it works it could bring the cost per pound to launch hardware into space down to Earth.

[via jwz] 

Huge ‘launch ring’ to fling satellites into orbit