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pegkowalski

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Everything posted by pegkowalski

  1. Launch Time: 6/9/2015 8:37am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher Play-by-Play: Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. It's mission was to land a rover on the Mun and take photos. As it landed it took photos of an unknown arch, and a memorial to Neil Kermanstrong Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and travels up to Mun. Lands. Takes pics. Opportunities / Learnings: There are cool stuff on planets Strategies / Project Timeline: Who knows maybe a Manned lander or something, that is up to the great and Powerful Boss Margaret, the goddess of being a cool D00d. Milestone Awards Presented: Taking a picture of the Neil Armstrong Memorial (Apollo 11 landing site) - $100,000 Picture of Mun Arch - $225,000 Available Funds: $ 2,159,016 ($2,484,016 after Milestone)
  2. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: $2,200,486 Vehicle Name: Rover MK I Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Remote Guidance Unit Fuel Tank Solar Panels Decoupler Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel RCS thruster Block Twin-Boar Engine Large Solid Fuel Boosters Wheels 4x4 Plate Battery Packs External Command Seat Illuminators Communitron 16 Landing Gear Total Cost: 41470 Design Goals:Discover cool things on Mun Launch Goal: Successfully land a rover on the Mun Pilot Plan: Lift off when moon is almost overhead of KSC. Launch and aim for interception with Mun, get into orbit around Mun, land, detach rover. Find Arch on mun!
  3. Launch Time: 6/5/2015 8:357am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher, Margaret Kowalski Play-by-Play: Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. It was on a mission to save the kerbals stranded on the Mun for the past seven years. It burned to the Mun and crashlanded, losing only a landing gear. The standed kerbals then used the rover on the Mun to get themselves to the rocket. Then boarded and Lifted off back to Kerbin. Returning from the Mun, safely. Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and travels up to Mun. Lands. Saves kerbals, yayayada, done. Opportunities / Learnings: Those darn kerbals finally were saved, Strategies / Project Timeline: Who knows maybe a Manned lander or something, that is up to the great and Powerful Boss Margaret, the goddess of being a cool D00d. Milestone Awards Presented: Landing on Mun (+ safe return) - $250,000 Available Funds: $ 1,950,486 ($2,200,486 after Milestone)
  4. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: $2,027,862 Vehicle Name: The Munster Mash Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Mk3 Command Pod Remote Control Unit Mk25 Parachute Fuel Tank(2) Big Solar Panels Decoupler Mainsail Engine Fuel Tank (Bigger) Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel Poodle Engine Twin-Boar Engine (4) Launch Stabilitiy Enhancer RCS Thruster Block Landing Gear Total Cost: 77,376 Design Goals: Land on Mun, save kerbals, and safely return Launch Goal: "..." Pilot Plan: Standard gravity turn into orbit, enter a prograde orbit, then stabilize said orbit, burn towards Mun, achieved orbit, destabilize orbit, land, save kerbals, and return
  5. Launch Time: 6/2/2015 8:35am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher, Margaret Kowalski Play-by-Play: Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. It rose higher and higer, like a guy on drugs. It got into a kerbin orbit. Then blasted off into a trajectory to Eeloo. After 3 years of phun. It finally reached Eeloo. It burned retrograde and was able to maintain orbit around Eeloo. Then after a Day, it blasted off into a crash landing with kerbin, in like 2 years. As it entered kerbins atmosphere, it used an amazing technique called air braking, where it let the drag forces of air resistance to slow it down better than its own engine could. It eventually made touchdown. Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and travels up to maintain orbit around Kerbin. Then burns to escape Kerbin and head to Eeloo, then burn to get orbit with Eeloo. Lastly, burns to crash into kerbin. Opportunities / Learnings: We learned to help manage our fuel supplies, and that Eeloo is a bitch to get to. Strategies / Project Timeline: Who knows maybe a Manned lander or something, that is up to the great and Powerful Boss Margaret, the goddess of being a cool D00d. Milestone Awards Presented: Orbiting Eeloo (+ safe return) - $800,000 Available Funds: $ 1,227,862 ($2,027,862 after Milestone)
  6. Justin -- The wave thing is mad cool. I like to imagine a surfer infinitely surfing on a wave rocking based on planetary motion. I also feel like I have to use that analogy to calm my fears of how horrifying the whole concept actually is... Jake -- Same thing with the relativity concept, the live feed vs. video tape description was a perfect way to describe the concept. But it's scary! To calm my fears about this: I like to think of Skyping someone on the planet Miller. You'd think it was just taking forever to buffer. But it's actually just the fact that your partner is so close to a black hole that gravity is messing with how slow they are moving relative to ourselves. So no worries.
  7. Something (shorter) that I learned from the planetarium was about wormholes. I'd like to connect this to time travel. Where, in Interstellar, Dr. Cooper observed a form of time travel through the mysterious beings and the 5th dimension. He was able to interact with Murph through time travel only to be described beyond science. But is time travel actually possible? In theory, if one were to have some sort of a way of CONNECTING the singularities of two wormholes at their ends, one could plausibly enter one, and exit another in a different time. This would absolutely work, if it were possible, because think, you would be traveling over one warp in space time to meet another and travel over it BACKWARDS. Depending on the space along the wormhole, the time jump would differ. So we wouldn't have control of how much time we would travel across or back, but it's a cool idea to legitimately consider. Just a thought for your next science fair project. Or in case you're bored or something.
  8. So I like going to the planetarium a lot, and last year I went quite a few times to watch and re-watch a presentation on black holes. Watching Interstellar for the first time in class then, I had already some preconceived notions on understanding the idea of black holes and the science/physics behind them. Basically, the second I understood that Cooper and his fellow astronauts planned to enter the black holes to travel across the universe, I was concerned and confused. According to the Strasenburgh Planetarium of Rochester, New York: that isn't really super possible. The website won't let me attach my diagram, so I'm going to paint you a mental picture. A 2D circle, with a dot in the center. Imagination, guys. Got it? Okay, so the circumference of said circle is the event horizon of a black hole and the dot at the center is the singularity. Upon first glance, we would say that this is a representation of, for lack of a better word, a "snapshot" of a black hole; a way to symbolize the space within it. But it's not that simple. Inside of a black hole, the positions of time and space SWITCH. Time becomes the variable and space is constant. This diagram represents a kaleidoscopic view of many different TIMES. A black hole cannot be explained in distance, width, length or any sort of SPACE. Distances in a black hole moreover correspond to different MOMENTS. Along with this: we know that time goes on, and on, and on and on and on, and therefore the singularity of a black hole is not a single point, but exceeds infinitely long. Ergo, as weird as it may sound, we can look at a sphere and see a sphere. We can look at a black hole and see a sphere. INSIDE of a sphere we have an area; a defined area. Inside of a black hole we have an INFINITE area. Therefore, infinitely large objects can be hidden within a black hole...if that makes sense. This corresponds again to the fact that time and space switch places. The diagram represents a simple black hole, an indefinite one: a Schwarzschild black hole. One that has always existed and will continue to exist. From the outside, we see a sphere/black hole suspended in time and assume a finite space within. But on the inside, the tables are turned. Time is finite. It starts at the horizon and ends completely and abruptly at the singularity. But direction (space) is now infinitely long. For this complex switch and turn of tables, it would be much harder to travel through a black hole as simply as Cooper and his scientists. From the planetarium I learned that if you were to cross the event horizon, the switch would occur gradually. And it would actually cause your body to stretch in an uncontrollable manner. You would not be able to control the space around you. But you would be able to control time. Right now I can lift my arm at any pace. And I can look at the clock, and have no effect. Those two "powers" are opposite after crossing the event horizon. Finally, from the outside of a black hole, time and space are as they usually are. So seeing someone cross and event horizon, nothing would seem different. I could wave at Bob inside of a black hole and he could look perfectly fine. When to him, time and space have switched spots, he is out of control and sees everything in continuously changing moments, without having any sense of space anymore. Of course, black holes are all sorts of levels of complex. And Interstellar represents one that obviously has an end and beginning that can be travelled though. But in reality, humanity cannot likely move through black holes and find successes in a mission or even survive.
  9. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: 1,437,774 Vehicle Name: The Gassy Antelope Vehicle Parts List and Cost: MK 1 Cockpit Big Fuel Tanks Solar Panels Decoupler Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Fuel RCS thruster Block Rhino Engine Mainsail Engines Poodle Engine Radial Engines Atomic Engine Stability Enhancer Total Cost: 209,912 Design Goals: Orbit Eeloo and safely return Launch Goal: "..." Pilot Plan: Launch, enter orbit around Kerbin, exit orbit when Eeloo is at its closest to Kerbin, enter Eeloo's sphere of influence, burn retrograde to maintain an orbit and return safely.
  10. Launch Time: 5/29/2015 8:35am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher, Margaret Kowalski Play-by-Play: Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. The Adam and EVE, an interplantetary space station was now on its way to become EVE's shiny new object. The rocket rose higher and higher, and eventually made an orbit around kerbin. Next it Set its course to escape kerbin, and increase its orbit velocity so that it could "catch up" to Eve. This was eqasy since at the time of ignition, Eve was at it's closest to Kerbin. After a 113 days, the traverlers finally entered Eve's Sphere of influence, and the burned Retrograde to finally maintain an orbit around Eve. Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and travels up to maintain orbit around Kerbin. Then burns to escape Kerbin and head to Eve, then burn to get orbit with Eve. Opportunities / Learnings: From this we learned that it is important to pick efficient Engines as the ones we picked where Big, Powerful, but guzzeled Fuel. Strategies / Project Timeline: Who knows maybe a Manned lander or something, that is up to the great and Powerful Boss Margaret. Milestone Awards Presented: First manned satellite in stable orbit around a planet other than Kerbin - $1,000,000 Available Funds: $ 437,774 ($1,437,774 after Milestone)
  11. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: 586,622 Vehicle Name: The Adam & EVE MK I Vehicle Parts List and Cost: MK 3 Cockpit Big Fuel Tanks Solar Panels Decoupler Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel RCS thruster Block Mammoth Engine Rhino Engines Battery Packs Communitron 16 Docking Ports Total Cost: 148,848 Design Goals: Orbit Eve, being a manned satellite Launch Goal: "..." Pilot Plan: Launch, enter orbit around Kerbin, exit orbit when Eve is at its closest to Kerbin, enter Eve's sphere of influence, burn retrograde to maintain an orbit.
  12. As the world now knows due to someone digging into the archives of Kowagher LLP, there was a failed mission to send a rover to the Mun. What happened was, when detaching the solid fuel boosters they smashed into the main engine causing it to rupture. This sent a chain reaction through the remaining fuel tanks, which completely exlploded the decoupler meaning the rocket went out of control, and eventually overheated to a tragic, fatal, finale.
  13. Launch Time: 5/278/2015 8:32 am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher Play-by-Play: Wait for the Mun to be over head. Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. The computer knew its path. It would fly staright from the launch pad to the Mun. The path, a quick orbit around the Mun and then to land. It carried it's payload, a rover that will explore the munar surface. It enters the Muns sphere of influence. Slows down to maintain orbit. Then it waits till it can land on the light side of the mun. It slows down and creaps towards a landing. It lands at a speed of 8.3 m/s. Then the rover detaches and goes for a little sunday drive. Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and travels straight to mun. Maintans orbit around Mun. Lands. Rover Detach. Opportunities / Learnings: This allowed us to learn how careful landings have to be. Strategies / Project Timeline: Next might be a satillite around another planet. Milestone Awards Presented: Working Mun Rover functioning on Mun - $500,000 Available Funds: $ 86,622
  14. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: 128092 Vehicle Name: Rover MK I Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Remote Guidance Unit Fuel Tank Solar Panels Decoupler Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel RCS thruster Block Twin-Boar Engine Large Solid Fuel Boosters Wheels 4x4 Plate Battery Packs External Command Seat Illuminators Communitron 16 Landing Gear Total Cost: 41470 Design Goals: Land a rover on the Mun Launch Goal: Successfully land a rover on the Mun Pilot Plan: Lift off when moon is almost overhead of KSC. Launch and aim for interception with Mun, get into orbit around Mun, land, detach rover. DONE!
  15. Launch Time: 5/27/2015 9:15 am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher, Margaret Kowalski Play-by-Play: Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. The computer knew its path. It very slowly creapt higher and higer with the R.A.P.I.E.R. engine, which was air breathing at the time. As it got to the edge of the atmosphere, it switched to closed cycle mode, and thrustet the rocket up to an alltitude of about 2,686.9 km, and then leveled off to make an orbit. At this altitude, it take 1009m/s to orbit, making it a Geostationary orbit due to kerbin's spin being the same. Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and achieves an altitude of 2,686 km. levels off to make orbit. Opportunities / Learnings: We are going to go above and beyond to attain the goal. Strategies / Project Timeline: Save the kerbals Milestone Awards Presented: First working satellite placed in stable orbit - $80,000 First working satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit - $100,000 Available Funds: $ 28,092
  16. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: 39,432 Vehicle Name: Satellite Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Command Modual Fuel Tank Solar Panels Decoupler Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel RCS thruster Block Rapier Engine Total Cost: 11340 Design Goals: Get satellite into orbit Launch Goal: Get a satellite into geo-sync orbit Pilot Plan: Due to no kerbal pilot, the computer will take imputs from HQ
  17. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: 116,308 Vehicle Name: The Munster Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Mk3 Command Pod Mk25 Parachute Fuel Tank(2) Big Solar Panels Decoupler Mainsail Engine Fuel Tank (Bigger) Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel Poodle Engine Twin-Boar Engine (4) Launch Stabilitiy Enhancer RCS Thruster Block Landing Gear Total Cost: 76,876 Design Goals: Land on Mun, and safely return Launch Goal: "..." Pilot Plan: Standard gravity turn into orbit, enter a prograde orbit, then stabilize said orbit, burn towards Mun, achieved orbit, destabilize orbit, land and return
  18. Launch Time: 5/26/2015 8:42 am Team Members Present: Justin Gallagher, Margaret Kowalski Play-by-Play: Ignition! Launch! The rocket screamed to life as the vessel lifted of the ground. Jebediah, The pilot confidant in his mission, to orbit Kerbin. In a time of crisis where the world is raveged by war, and counties compete in a "space race". Kowagher LLP will possibly be the first Company to reach a manned orbit. The rocket climbs to 93,000 meters in altitude, 23 meters above the atmosphere. At this point, the rocket turns to face prograde, waits a minute, then the rocket once again screams. A 33 second burn, and done. Orbit Achieved. Jebediah is the first of kerbal kind to be in orbit. And after 3 full rotations, he gets risk, and agaist all odds, goes above and beyond to also be the first EVA in space. It has happened folks. After flying around in EVA, jeb gets back in, points the rocket retrograde, and uses the last bit of fuel in the first stage. He separates his stage, and then the second much smaller rocket slows the rocket down untill it is 7500 meters above the ground, the parachute opens and Jeb slows makes his desent as he gracfully lands in the ocean. Photographs: Summary: Launch! Rocket thrusts up and achieves an altitude of 93km, then burns prograde to maintan a stabe orbit. After this, Kerbal EVA happens, then after EVA, rocket is burnt retrograde and touches down after parachute has been deployed. Opportunities / Learnings: We are going to go above and beyond to attain the goal. Strategies / Project Timeline: Next: Start planning on next mission and milestone. Milestone Awards Presented: While not all will be awarded, these are the milestones still achevied. Launch to 10 km - $10,000 Manned launch to 10 km - $20,000 Manned launch to 50 km - $30,000 Achieving stable orbit - $40,000 Achieving stable manned orbit - $50,000 First Kerbal EVA - $60,000 Available Funds: $ 6308
  19. Team Name: Kowagher LLP Available Funds: 30,000 Vehicle Name: The Kerbalmeister MK I Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Mk1 Command Pod Mk16 Parachute Advanced Inline Stabilizer Fl-T800 Fuel Tank Solar Panels Decoupler Mainsail Engine Fuel Tank (Big) Av-R8 wing Monopropellant Small Fuel Swivel Engine Launch Stabilitiy Enhancer RCS Thruster Block Total Cost: 23,692 Design Goals: Stable Manned Orbit, and then land on Kerbin using 2 stages Launch Goal: Stable Manned Orbit Pilot Plan: Standard gravity turn into orbit, enter a prograde orbit, then stabilize said orbit, bring it down to the surface after orbit achieved. Illustrations:
  20. Just like how mirrors are colorless and have a color, black holes are TITLED black and do not have one. Fzx obviously didn't go to kindergarten. So I thought I'd just go through this black hole phenomenon real quick because I personally find it super interesting. And now: a brief summary of black holes and radiation... Black holes are NOT black! Not in the least. They glow. Black holes glow slightly and give off light throughout the whole spectrum! This includes visible light. This form of radiation is dubbed "Hawking radiation" after the famous professor Stephen Hawking. He was the first to propose this (legitimate) theory. Black holes are constantly giving off this glow and therefore losing mass. Ergo, unless another source of mass (such as interstellar gas or light) sustains them, a black hole will eventually evaporate altogether! Smaller black holes, in theory, emit radiation a lot faster than larger ones...so as predicted, if the Large Hadron Collider creates miniscule holes through particle collisions...they should evaporate almost immediately! In this way, scientists should be able to study a black holes' decay through radiation and learn much more about the how's, why's, and find answers to some of our most ominous, universal questions... Leading us to a much...brighter...future(;
  21. My mom and I took the 350ish steep, stair trek to the top of Notre Dame about one week ago. That's weird to say. But we walked up to the bell tower and stood atop the enormous building with impeccable timing...not sure if we were supposed to be, but right before we left the Notre Dame spire and bells began to ring beneath us! With the glory and beauty seen and heard from walking up those stairs, it was well worth the breathlessness. One of the most famous parts of Notre Dame are it's grotesque gargoyles. They function actually as drain pipes and to see and rub against as you walk along the narrow corridor in person was kind of mind-blowing to think of the history... Looking at these gargoyles however, I realized that they were in amazing shape. Of course, they are made of solid, durable rock, but even so: they're outside ALL THE TIME. The changing weather and season over 900 years? And they still look good! Well...not good...grotesque. I mean they're not cute. But they're really cool. So I started thinking, it's funny. We walked up the 350ish stairs that were incredibly WORN. And here are the exposed gargoyles atop the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, perfectly fine! The stairs had actually be worn down so much they were CAVED in! There were little dips in them as you walked up which made climbing them that much more difficult. So I came to the scientific conclusion that MAN is more erosive that our natural weather and environment. It's kind of sad really. Seeing the stairs so worn by the force people step upon them with every single day compared to the mostly natural obstacles the gargoyles have to endure...they look better! I guess the sad part is that we take for granted that WE are much more impactful than the weather. All kinds of claims about the changing weather and how it's affecting us are made every day. But to see the sheer difference between the perfection of the gargoyles and the trash, worn down stairs, it was cool to think that the rock of the gargoyles could withstand the weather and erosion for 900 years. While by comparison, the human forces upon the stairs was much more influential. It just goes to show with a little bit of force and erosion fzx what strong impact WE have on the things around us and how we should probably stop blaming natural causes. Of course, this was bound to happen, Notre Dame is unbelievably tourist-y, it can't be prevented! But just for a little pep-talk about the rest of the environment: we need to start taking responsibility for our actions, all of them; and we need to stop taking advantage of and walking all over things(;
  22. Just a quick background, in Paris we had a lot of mishaps...but obviously I haven't really been focusing on them because the trip was so amazing. However, I just learned something recently that would've been really cool to know while I was there. I had quite the cold by the time I woke up Wednesday morning. And as it turns out, the metal zinc can actually calm and aid colds! I just personally find it interesting that a metal could do that. Especially one not as valuable as platinum and gold, or not as shiny as copper and silver. Zinc is a blue-white metal, and one of the most common found it Earth's crust. It is completely natural, but must be refined if pure zinc is desired; it tends to be found in Earth combined with other elements. It is also a transition element, making it slightly less predictable than some of the other elements on the edges of the Periodic Table. A few more things to zinc about: -zinc is very brittle -when heated up it becomes very malleable -it is a crystalline solid (hexagonal crystals) -galvanization is one of its main uses Galvanization: the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron to prevent rusting. What is zinc good for? Well, when mixed with other elements such as oxygen sulfur, etc...zinc appears in a huge variety of random and everyday objects. -making brass -old style cathode ray tube televisions -oscilloscopes -fluorescent lamps -luminous paint -weed killer -rubber -plastic -ink -concrete -sunscreen -cosmetics -various alloys -dental amalgam -gun metal -types of solder And more! These are just a few of the incredibly different things that zinc is a valuable part of. That makes in no mystery and at the same time a HUGE mystery why the zinc keep your water tank from rusting is also keeping you healthy! Cough and cold remedies as well as vitamin tablets and supplements and even breakfast cereals contain zinc! In the United States, with a good diet, zinc deficiency is very rare. But in developing countries it is an enormous problem that I never would have even thought of! It never seemed like a widely significant element, but lack of it can lead to many health problems or illnesses. So I guess...moral of the story...eat your brass and rubber!
  23. The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal medieval Gothic chapel; another that we visited in Paris to see the incredible history and breath-taking beauty of the chapel's phenomenal stained glass. Now, while reading this blog, focusing on the fzx of creating stained glass, keep in mind that this church was built in 1242 and finished in 1246 and for some perspective: it is about three times older than AMERICA. Walking underneath the shimmering of the Sainte-Chapelle rainbow, stained light I would have been impressed if the chapel was built last year. It's gorgeous atmosphere was unlike none other and I don't think words can do it anymore justice. So I will just get on to a little more history of it...and then stained glass! The Sainte-Chapelle chapel was commissioned by Louis the IX and later became his personal chapel. The 15 tall windows circling the upper part of the church actually can be READ and tell the story of the bible. Looking up at them you can read from the bottom to the left, to the next line and up to the right and then so on, reading as if it were a backward "S" shape that your were following. Starting at the first window, the story of Genesis and Adam and Eve is clearly and amazingly portrayed as you see every scene within the window. Moving to the stained window directly above the alter, Jesus wearing the Crown of Thorns adorns the head of the chapel. All of the notable Biblical scenes are depicted along the walls or in the rose window and through old age, are STILL visible. How was this all done? Let alone...how was it all done nine hundred years ago!? To make stained glass... 1) An artist creates a sketch. Then full-sized drawings are layed out for the different windows/panels; these compositions for the seperate sections are called cartoons. The shapes for the glass, the details to be painted, and the colors are generally indicated on the cartoon. In the early Middle Ages these were drawn on whitewashed boards. 2) DIfferent colored pieces of glass are chosen for the design and painted on the glass surface with white lime wash to next be cut. These rough shapes are cut with a dividing iron with a heated tip, which heats the glass, and breaks it where it needs to be done so. A grozing iron further reduces the size of the glass pieces to be as desired. This is an iron bar with a slot at each end that was used to chip away at the glass edges until a piece was perfected. 3) Next, the pieces are painted with a pigment formed from mixed iron oxide and gorund copper with powdered glass. To apply the pigment, wine, vinegar or even urine was also mixed in. Now all painted from a gray to black color, the pieces are set in a kiln to fuse the paint to the glass. This method works by the idea that the during firing, the powdered glass in the paint melts and merges with the glass surface, permanently staining the piece. a. To make a face, much detail and precision is necessary. Guidelines are painted on the back of a piece and then broad layers of thin paint are done on the front with a wide brush. b. The guidlines on the back are rubbed away. Thicker paint is added over the front washes with a brush, now to create the detail. c. Washes, also thin, are re-painted on the back to enforce shading and give the illusion of depth. Then the piece is replaced in a kiln. 4) Narrow strips of lead hold the pieces together to create a full panel. These strips, "lead came," is flexible and adaptable. In this way, it can be fitted around the various shapes of glass. 5) Glazing is the next step which assembles the pieces of stained glass into a window to be set. As the pieces are finished they are set on the cartoon and connected with lead came to form a panel. A combination knife and hammer was used for this process in the Middle Ages. The knife cut the lead, and the hammer secured nails to the work board to keep the window still during assembly. Finally, a solder joins the lead came together. It is made up of an alloy of lead and tin that melts/sets quickly at a fairly low temperature. 6) Lastly, the panel must be cemented. This secures the leads and waterproofs the window. A semi-liquid cement is applied with a light brush and then is covered with a layer of sawdust or chalk to absorb excess liquid. The full Medieval recipe is unknown, but definitely included both chalk and linseed oil. Then the panel is scrubbed down with a dry brush until only connecting cement remains underneath the lead. The mystery still remains on how exactly it was completed without the technologies we have today. But if it was done: it happened, and it was a true blessing to be able to witness the outcome... Before I leave you in amazement, here's one more fun little tidbit...if you look in the very last window...you'll actually see...who? Well, of course: the king! Louis the IX! He ordered himself placed in the stained glass as he PURCHASES the Crown of Thorns! The story goes, that Louis the IX actually did buy Jesus' crown of Thorns from a street merchant and owned it. He kept it stored in Sainte-Chapelle. But of course...street vendors are dishonest, conniving and persuasive. Louis IX probably bought a highly expensive tumbleweed. If alive today, Louis IX would probably be suffering from some intense buyer's remorse.
  24. Marching around Paris with my mom and friend Michel, we took the journey up to Montmartre: the highest point in France. Up on this enormous point is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, otherwise known as the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. This is a monstrous Roman Catholic church dedicated to the heart of Jesus that was started in 1875 and in 1914 was completely finished/built. This church is home to the largest bell in the world! At a whopping nineteen tons, this bell can be heard in a 25 mile radius! For this, somewhat loud reason, the bell only rings once a year...on Easter. And guess who was in Paris on Easter? Conveniently: me! Michel and I hiked up the 400-ish stairs to the top of the dome and saw all of Paris from the tippy-top! However, for a reason unknown we did not hear the bell ring. Whether we were too far away, or asleep or underground in the metro (probably) at that time, I have no idea, we did not hear it ring. But no worries because I can still talk about the fzx of bells! Phew, right? Okay...so the main question and discussion here will be the shape of a bell. For instance: WHY? Why is a bell shaped the way it is? Fzx! Of course! So a bell is typically shaped for two reasons. REASON ONE: The circular shape of a bell is extremely structurally strong and sound. This allows the ball to be struck with a greater force than if the shape was flat or had sharp edges, which would be more prone to cracking. The circular shape also allows for a sound wave to travel, guided along the easy perimeter of the bell. Therefore, the standing waves form along the circumference of the bell. The resonance from these standing waves is where a bell's sound is derived from. REASON TWO: Shaping of a bell makes the bell's timbre more musically pleasing! The increasing diameter from the top of a bell as you go down to the bottom ring allows for the bell to ring at different frequencies all along its height. These varying frequencies can be tuned in a large enough bell and then create a complex musical chord when the bell is struck. The different diameters in the bell contribute to different harmonics which will all ring at different notes and sounds! SOMETHING ELSE: To perfect the bell's sound, a tubular bell is actually best. These are the types of bells used by a symphony orchestra. A tubular bell is a tuned bell. The actual bell shape may not produce the best tone out there, but it all depends on what you are looking for. Church bells are enormous, loud, look and sound pretty. But maybe they aren't as tuned as the intricate tubular bell. Most people sort of take bells for granted I suppose, because in the end, they are quite simple and very common. We hear them at church, at the door, on ice cream trucks, when we walk into stores...but the reality in sounding as perfect as they chime is that a lot more fzx goes into it! Well, I'm going to have to leave you with that for the day! I think I just heard the dinner bell(;
  25. Every week, we do an economic update for economics class. This week we were to choose a company found in Rochester's Top 100 businesses. This means that this is a privately held company and is ranked based on their three most recent years of growth. These companies have at least one million dollars in revenue annually; the ranking accounts for both dollar and percentage growth. For this project I decided to choose a fzx related company, specifically: Cutting Edge Laser Technologies. This is a wholesale/distribution company based in Fairport that employs a mere seventeen Rochester area workers, and yet, they are #68 on the Rochester Top 100 companies! I chose this company especially because of its fzx background. The website is vey easy to navigate (which probably adds to the company's successes) and has an entire page dedicated to the fzx of laser therapy! This company specializes in equipment used for veterinary lasers...for your dog! MLS Veterinary Therapy is quick to relieve pain, it reduces inflammation and speeds healing! There a multiple types of lasers used for Veterinary Therapy. Each laser has different characteristics resulting in different effects. If you go onto Cutting Edge Laser's website and navigate ever-so-slightly you will easily find the characteristics listed and described as below: Energy: Measured in joules. Time: Defined as the duration of irradiance of target tissue and is measured in seconds. It is also known as impulse duration or impulse width. Wavelength: Penetration depth is directed by the laser emission wavelength and the type of tissue: chromosphores. Frequency: Defined as the number of impulses emitted during the unit of time and should reflect the condition being treated. Power: Rate at which energy is delivered and is measured in watts. Fluence: Energy density or dose. Irradiance: Power density or power delivered per unit area. Emission Mode: Continuous Wave (CW) Or Pulsed Wave (PW). Impulse Duration: Duration of laser emission, also called impulse width. These lasers and their characteristics have been clinically tested and proved efficient at world-renown research institutions across the globe. Believe it or not, they really, really do help humans and animals to heal faster and better than ever. To me it still sounds fairly scary, but advances are certainly being made in great bounds. I guess the term laser is currently associated with too much evil for our generation. But eventually, they'll probably be incorporated in medical practices everywhere and no one will think a thing of it.
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