tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-298480372024-03-13T00:01:20.100-07:00Ancora ImparoIn the last years of his life, Michelangelo scribbled "ancora imparo" ("still I am learning") in the margin of one of his sketches. In celebration of lifelong learning!Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-56528250918757409502009-12-29T20:08:00.000-08:002009-12-29T20:54:16.887-08:00Makin' ButterWe wish you a geeky Christmas, and a happy New Year!
About five years ago, my brother-in-law shared with us the tradition of making butter by hand to serve at Thanksgiving dinner. We each got our little jar of heavy cream with a bit of salt added, and sat shaking the darn things for 1-2 hours while we watched a movie. I like the final product well enough, but wanted to find a better way.
Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-35243560972369815352008-12-15T13:32:00.000-08:002008-12-15T13:36:33.572-08:00An Amazing PuzzleBy far one of the niftiest things I've found on the Internet recently:Play AuditoriumHere's the level where I got stuck on my first attempt:Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-60253262396123063512008-08-13T10:40:00.000-07:002008-08-13T15:09:29.516-07:00Art and Motorcycles, Part IIISee earlier installments:Motorcycles Part I: Making MotorcyclesMotorcycles Part II: Making Motorcycles Out of CutleryAnd now Motorcycles Part III: Dancing with MotorcyclesAs far as I can glean from Ye Olde Internet, this was a motorbike show performed by Italian policemen in 1953.Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-36574504302323939112008-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:002008-07-09T19:15:39.285-07:00Goodbye, princessIt is with deep sorrow that I share the news of the death of my cat, who has been a loving and sweet companion to me for thirteen years.Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-92155373908348135482008-07-07T13:41:00.000-07:002008-07-07T13:46:45.154-07:00The Limerick Game, Part TwoSee here for our earlier installment.Some of the best lately:July 22 - July 29The princess of fairy tale loreSlept on peas ‘neath her bed, but no more.Since discovering them there,In her ears and her hair,"Henceforth, only futons!" she swore.21 Dec. 2007 – 15 Jan. 2008On the twelfth day of Christmas, she said,“Are there MORE days of Christmas ahead?All those pipers and ringsThat the holiday Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-33118303690556416482008-06-18T00:00:00.000-07:002008-07-20T15:16:16.808-07:00BeepThis stained glass piece took me five hours, from conception to completion. I am still practicing my soldering technique - some of the seams are practically perfect, but still some are lumpy. The clear glass was salvaged from an old ("antique") window frame. The design and title were inspired by one of the dot cartoons from Sesame Street, recently jogged in my memory after watching some old Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-7263947264499900822008-05-28T23:31:00.001-07:002008-05-28T23:31:28.386-07:00Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-41166275616222858452008-04-15T21:33:00.000-07:002008-04-15T21:38:31.466-07:00Science Geek HumorCourtesy of my Dad, my favorite engineer:Understanding Engineers - Part OneTwo engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-87026131908042518782008-04-08T08:08:00.000-07:002008-04-08T08:18:47.930-07:00Breaking the Rule of FiveThere are several reasons why this piece is significant:* it is the first piece I made completely in my own studio* I assembled the first half of the piece while I was in labor* the blue glass is all leftovers from repairing the stained glass skylight in my house* some of the blue glass is new, and some is over one hundred years old! (It is a perfect match in color but not in texture.)Extra Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-30253633112151543772008-03-17T10:20:00.000-07:002008-03-18T10:24:58.803-07:00Happy St. Patrick's DayI can't think of anyone who needs to memorize square root approximations anymore, except perhaps carpenters and math tutors, but here's a trick I learned from a student ten years ago - for those of you who like kickin' it old school!Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-32630999793279675792008-01-23T17:18:00.001-08:002008-01-23T17:20:49.994-08:00The Giggle GameHypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-83938507888119119592008-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:002008-01-17T09:51:08.847-08:00SAT prep for fun and riceUse your brains to help others:get started!Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-26682956087030116542008-01-14T12:14:00.000-08:002008-01-14T12:16:24.486-08:00Yvie's smileFinally, after being thwarted for eight weeks, we manage to capture the mega-smile!Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-82822142320454252442007-12-21T16:37:00.001-08:002007-12-21T16:37:54.726-08:00Merry Christmas from YvieMerry Christmas to all, and to all a good night's sleep!Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-25662211054619547542007-12-21T16:22:00.001-08:002007-12-21T16:41:38.647-08:00Baby Science Part 2: LipaseWhen Yvie was about a month old, I started pumping milk so I could build up a frozen supply. The books all say that breastmilk stays fresh for about 4-6 days in the fridge, but it seemed that mine went sour much faster, usually in less than 24 hours. By the time I made this discovery, two months of diligent pumping had gone by, and I ended up having to trash my whole frozen supply of milk, as Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-47785017500376541862007-10-26T14:30:00.001-07:002008-02-03T21:13:23.271-08:00Inspiring Glass/Mixed Media ArtCheck out this cool project! This is the work of Crystal Schenk.Link to Schenk's work at Sculpture.orgAnyone know where I can get an antique shopping cart?Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-53157466587431089462007-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:002007-10-01T22:18:21.918-07:00Baby Science Part 1: JaundiceBaby has jaundice, so I have learned a little more about it in the last few days. In the womb, babies need a really good oxygen supply so their blood is really thick with red blood cells. After birth, the blood needs to be thinner in order to flow into the smaller capillaries. (That's why newborns have bluish/cold feet and hands for the first few days of life.) As the red blood cells break Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-49629432162309928842007-09-28T16:19:00.000-07:002007-09-28T18:56:56.280-07:00Project Mini-Me (Latest Construction Project)Look what we made! Yvie Rae was born Wednesday morning. (Pronounced "E.V.")My mother says all newborns fall into two categories: the ones that look like Abe Lincoln and the ones that look like George Washington. So, is Yvie an Abe or a George?Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-70228739108912849272007-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:002007-08-13T13:49:39.368-07:00Nursery MuralYikes, it's been a long long time. My life has been more about art than science, since chemistry class ended in May, so this is what I have to show for my absence of the last few months. I found a photo online of a quilt, which was based on a Tiffany stained glass design, which I modified (to fit the proportion of the wall and accommodate the crib) and freehanded. It took me about 20 hours, I Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-45714998782638873612007-05-26T13:31:00.001-07:002007-05-26T13:36:40.946-07:00My Brush with Science FameEvery science geek's wet dream? Sighting Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters in Trader Joe's this morning? I didn't speak to him. He tries not to make eye contact with people. On the show he comes across as intimidating, but maybe he's just shy....Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-74396106947077731852007-05-25T21:56:00.001-07:002007-05-25T22:14:27.015-07:00Trivial Tidbit from Modern MarvelsEver wonder why sewer most manhole covers are round?For the last few months, I've been working on and off on restoring the circular skylight in our old Victorian house. It involves dragging the ladder up a flight of stairs, wiggling through the access panel in the bathroom ceiling, balancing my way across the ceiling rafters because there is no floor, and doing all the work on the skylight in Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-52466704118974503582007-04-30T17:03:00.000-07:002007-04-30T17:09:39.336-07:00Latest Construction ProjectMany of you who know me in Real Life are aware that I have been building a baby since January. Though I have learned a lot of interesting sciency things about pregnancy, I've been Too Damn Tired to blog them properly. I do hope to post some pregnancy-related sciency blogs soon, as I have recently become my own favorite science experiment, but right now I am focusing on the last three weeks of Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-25586181689307438522007-02-28T15:29:00.000-08:002007-02-28T15:33:49.063-08:00For Chemistry GeeksI finished a quiz early and got bored:There once was an element named CuWho was so fast that no one could stu.She ran all about'til her father came outYelling "If she ever slows down, then I'll pu!"My next one will be about Zn, I Thn.Also, an incredibly useful simulation for gas laws.Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-86029054767398410722007-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:002007-01-27T11:07:26.447-08:00Finally Done!This is my first glass project using Tiffany method (copper-foil and solder). It took about 20 hours of work, and I finished it in class Thursday night.Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29848037.post-4532808384522808432007-01-16T09:46:00.000-08:002007-01-19T00:00:06.117-08:00Inventions/Inventors QuizThis took me a day longer than it should have to post - I was hung up on the idea that a quiz had to have ten questions. This one has only seven. Answers posted below - no peeking!1) The wheel/axle combination was invented in:a) Chinab) Mesopotamiac) Egyptd) Rome2) The first televised broadcast occurred in:a) 1862b) 1884c) 1923d) 1936e) 19483) Thomas Alva Edison's electric light bulb, patented Hypercycloidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01563143663625367599noreply@blogger.com0