Welcome 2007

Wow, it's been a hectic last 4-5 weeks or so, and now that I am back at work I will hopefully be able to do some more blogging get back to a normal sort of routine.

Here goes.

Sir Frank would be impressed

Sir Frank Whittle invented the Jet Engine in the 1930s.
As part of my engineering training in the RNZAF, I spent many hours studying how jet engines and the components that hang off them work, including rebuilding a jet engine to pass the course.
When I was working as a Aircraft Technician specializing in A4 Skyhawks, I was lucky enough to be a high power Jet Engine tester, which meant it was one of my jobs to sit in the cockpit of the recently serviced Fighter Jet and take the engine thru a test routine, which included going over 100% throttle while the jet was held back by a single (but big) chain. Slamming the throttle as fast as possible to test spool times was something I had to do - can you imagine that? It's really a difficult thing to describe, but sitting perhaps 2 meters in front of a Jet engine that is making a noise that can be best described as TERRIFYING HOWLING is extremely noisy, scary, exhilerating if not down right stupid...It sure gives some sense of importance in needing to put it together right.
Watching a jet go past in the sky is one thing, but try standing beside a jet at full noise and see what it is like. Now sit IN it......crazy.
I still think of my time working on A4s as a career highlight. That was a time I bolted out of bed to go play....er.... I mean work.

Check out this ( from the BBC)

Engine on a chip drives laptops

Each component is made on silicon wafers

It is one of the most hotly contested and closely watched areas of research - how to provide the most efficient energy source for the mobile devices we carry with us.

Batteries and fuel cells are established contenders to power laptops and mobile phones, but now researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a novel approach to the power conundrum - by building an engine on a chip.

Gas-turbine engines more normally power whole cities but MIT's Professor Alan Epstein was determined that miniscule versions could be used to "power a person".

Ten years on from having the brainwave, Professor Epstein believes the microengine could give batteries a run for their money, offering 10 times the power of a battery of the same weight at the same price point.

"A laptop that will run for three hours on battery charge will run for 15 to 20 years using the microengine and it should end up costing no more than current batteries," said Professor Epstein.

He believes it could be available commercially within three to five years.

Tiny scale

It has been a long road for Professor Epstein and his team of 50 other staff and students.

"When I first told people that I wanted to build a gas-turbine the size of a 50p piece they fell off their chairs laughing," he told the BBC News website.

But with the experts needed to make his vision a reality just a stone's throw from his office at MIT, it didn't take long to persuade them that he wasn't joking.

"A few days later they would call back with a way to do things and then they were hooked," he said.

So how exactly does one set about making a tiny fuel-burning engine? A compressor, a combustion chamber and a spinning turbine are all essential parts but obviously cannot be made in the conventional way on such a tiny scale.

So the team had to use etched silicon. The resulting microengine is made up of six silicon wafers piled on top of each other and bonded together.

To bring down costs, up to 100 components are made on one large wafer and cut into individual units.

The process begins with a tiny combustion chamber where fuel and air mix and burn at the melting point of steel. Turbine blades spin at 20,000 revolutions per second - 100 times faster than those in jet engines.

Fun process

The finished microengine fits in Prof Epstein's palm

A mini-generator produces 10 watts of power and a tiny compressor raises the pressure of air in preparation for combustion. The cooling process is managed by sending the compression air around the outside of the combustor.

Separately it has been proved that all the parts work so the challenge now is to test an integrated chip.

According to Professor Epstein, this should be done by the end of this year but it won't be easy.

Each microengine will be on a single piece of silicon so there is no margin for error. One tiny mistake in a single component would mean starting from scratch, and if anything needs to be changed, the whole design process would be back to the drawing board.

The journey so far has been "an astonishing amount of fun", said Professor Epstein, although, as with many projects, threw up surprising problems.

"What we thought was going to be hard, wasn't, and the things we hadn't thought about were the biggest problems," he told the BBC News website.

"We thought the combustor would be one of the hardest things but in fact it turned out to be the manufacturing of the bearings that was more difficult," he said.

Steam-powered laptops?

While Professor Epstein has lived and breathed his project for the last 10 years, he is aware that there is plenty of competition around.

Batteries are improving all the time, while announcements about advances in fuel-cell technology are regular and closer to commercial reality.

What technique wins out will ultimately be down to what consumers find most satisfactory.

"The users don't care about what powers their laptop. Whether it is chemistry or thermodynamics is a mere detail," he said.

The idea of engine-powered laptops may seem outlandish but research is ongoing to put other types of engine on chips, according to Professor Epstein.

As well as millimetre-scale combustion engines, there is also the possibility of laptops powered by steam engine - which would perhaps be the ultimate collision between old and new technologies.

Link to BBC Story
Wiki about that 'Whittle' guy
Wiki about the A4 Skyhawk
Royal New Zealand Air Force
ATSI, Arizona

Dr. Dre - mel

I was lucky enough to visit Vancouver last week for work. It's a really nice place, and it's growing on me.
We switched hotels from the last couple of visits, and the prompt calculations to the nearest pub resulted in "The Flying Beaver" coming up as the best contender.
What a find that was, turned out to be waaaay better than the Foggy Dew, but to be fair, the Dew was about 30 meters away which was nice.
The Flying Beaver is a conversion of a Flying Clubrooms or something like that. There is a dock out the front for the Beavers (yes the planes with floats) to tie up alongside.
I was a nice way to end a day of strenuous work by having a pint of Red Truck Beer (or whatever else the special was) and a nice meal of Halibat or Salmon or ....er....the Big Kahuna Burger, all while watching Flying Beavers land on the river at sunset. Quite habit forming really.

Contrary to popular opinion, I didn't have much time to do anything apart from work while I was there, but this time it was my mission to try to do a tiny bit of shopping. I find clothes (that fit) damn near impossible to find in Taipei, so it's handy to buy those whenever I am in a western country. DVDs are also favorites to hunt out. This time however, the hotel was right across the road from a Rona DIY store, and next to a Costco. On the way to/from the office was another cluster of shops that had a Home Depot and a few other things....so all in all my visits to stores consisted of:
Rona = 3 times.
Home Depot = 2 times.
Costco = 1 time.
The Future Store = 1 time.

5 visits to DIY stores in 5 days. Pretty impressive indeed.

I was thinking about checking out the electrical gadgets at the Future Store, but soon after entering I realised that living in Taiwan likened me to an eskimo going to Jamaica to buy a refrigerator.
DIY shopping was where is was at, so it really became an exercise of what CAN I fit into my check-in luggage.
I had to hold myself back in the end, but what I did leave Vancouver with was a Dremel kit. The new 10.8v 35,000 rpm cordless one. ("Corded performance, Cordless convenience" the box says). I had a "Binford" moment, and decided to get some Dremel accessories (yes they are probably available in Taiwan, but it was nice to be able to read/speak in english) I ended up with the Dremel Workstation, which is a mini drill press thing, fully adjustable for angles & depth....and a Dremel Plunge router. Oh yeah, some router bits too.
I was tempted to buy more, but thought I was getting carried away as it was so left it at that.

Now I have got to find some projects to make use of this stuff - I really could have done with a Dremel when I did the iPod charger project, as it took about an hour just to cut that hole for the rocker switch nicely. I just had a look at the Dremel website. You know you are in North America when they have a Dremel Cordless Pumpkin Carving tool.

So, a good week of therapy for me. It's nice to get away from the craziness of Taiwan now and then and feel like I am 'normal' for a while (but who am I kidding right?)

5 nights. 4 visits to the Flying Beaver, and 1 visit to a place called.....Anton's. :)

Flying Beaver
Red Truck Beer
Rona DIY
Home Depot
Dremel website
Story about a guy who made a boat in his apartment using a Dremel
Anton's Pasta Bar

The Digital Detectives

Check out this story about Cyber Sleuthing. Bloody interesting.

I believe the internet has become a double edged sword for pedophiles. Initially, it gave them the ability to freely share their information, but we are seeing more and more that the internet is a place that criminals do not want to be and one by one, justice is being served.

These guys are heros...

Couver Groover

I'm lucky enough to revisit this fine town for work.

The weather has been pretty much damn near perfect here, 20+ deg clear blue sky, no wind, fresh air. After Taiwan, gulping the air here is great.
This week has been crazy with work, basically discussions/meetings all week mainly in Vancouver but today was a day of the same but in Seattle (which is 2-3 hrs away by car). My first visit to the home of the space needle, and the birthplace of Starbucks, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Corbain...Pearl Jam and who knows what else - oh yeah the 747 Jetliner (which happens to be a big part of why I was there doh).
Before the week started, I managed to get the weekend to myself up here and rented a car. I didn't do as much driving as last time, but this time is was great to cruise around Vancouver checking out some of the regular local hangouts like Tim Hortons, Home Depot and Staples, among other places.
This time I drove to North Vancouver and had a look around the neighborhood that is part of the mountainous forest overlooking the city and the bay towards Victoria.
For some reason the jet lag hit me hard this visit and I lost most of Saturday in bed after waking naturally at 4 PM after 14 hrs sleep....whoops.
Seattle was pretty cool. I literally got to look around the city by car only on the way to and from a nice restaurant I went to with some colleagues called Anthony's Pier 66. It was a seafood restaurant overlooking the bay, and even at 9 pm it was a great view out the window towards the pacific.
The US is quite an eye opener. Lots of BIG people and mega convenience in the form of massive malls and outlet complexes on the outskirts of the city. Also lots of BIG cars and pickups and lots of Harleys, which is great. Always love the sound of a V-Twin over a 125 scooter anyday.
While driving around Vancouver I spotted an early VW Combi camper for sale, $2500 CND which I thought was pretty cheap considering the one we picked up/sold in London was about 3000 POUNDS. (like 2-3 times the price).

One hotel I was staying at, the Hilton, ended up being the most expensive place out of the three, and didn't have internet or breakfast included in the room rate. I wasn't going to pay $20 CND for a bowl of cereal for 5 mornings, so I went to a store and bought some cereal and some milk. I have been meaning to try out some Cheerios, so I got those. Not bad, tastes like "Nutrigrain" for those from Oz and NZ.

Who knows if we'll ever end up in this part of the world again, for work, a holiday or to live, but it sure is a nice part of the world and I'm lucky to be able to visit. Twice.

Tim Hortons
Home Depot
Tourism Vancouver
See Seattle

Sam, you ARE the man!

Meet Sam Morgan.

Back in 1999, Sam decided to drop out of school and start an internet auction site, called trademe.co.nz.

Not long after it started, I signed up along with my best friend Marty. Back in those early days we were wheeling and dealing all sorts of stuff, and would bid on each other's stuff to get the price higher and all that. At that time, trademe was so small that I remember the team was just 1 or 2 people and I'd get emails from Sam himself from time to time. We were like pioneer traders in NZ, ha.
When I left NZ, Marty continued to buy and sell lots of stuff on trademe (and still does), but for me things went a bit quiet for me there for a while.
When we were living in Singapore, I found a music shop that sold all the good gear, like Gibson, Fender, and Epiphone Guitars.
As it was, the retail price of stuff at that shop was about 50% what it was in NZ, so I spied an opportunity with trademe.
I talked to the shop and got a trade account, which bumped the low price even lower, and I started to buy Guitars in 2s and 3s. What I would do is take them out of the box and photograph them at all angles and close up etc. Then I'd pack them into a proper guitar hardshell case, and cover it all with cardboard.
I went to the post office down the road and airfreighted them individually back to NZ, and listed them on Trademe. They were hot selling items.

Along with the auctions and a few word of mouth spinoffs and special orders, I sold about 11 or 12 guitars before a few things put the brakes on it: Tax & Import customs, Traders who bought but changed their mind and then tried to claim the guitars were fakes etc (what a hassle to sort out), and then the move away from Singapore to Taiwan.

I was approached by a couple of guys that wanted to start a parallel import business, but to be honest, I don't think making a business out of pure undercutting will ever work long term unless it is on a massive scale.

It was fun, and I learned a lot...and actually made a respectable amount of cash...But look at Sam. In 1999 at 23, he started with a borrowed laptop and an idea. It wasn't a new idea. The site wasn't really that complex or flashy. Just a no bullshit, simple site that was reliable.
Today he sold it for 700 million dollars. 700 MILLION dollars.
And he gets another 50 millon if some targets are met in the next 2 years. And he gets to keep his job - and I bet he's not just getting 5 bucks an hour.

Man, 700 million at the age of 30.....what am I doing?

Today's News Release
Small Bio
Bigger Bio
Good Wiki Article
A book about Trademe secrets

Vancouver

The long approach in YVR commenced as I lifted the window screen after watching "Elizabethtown" for the second time. What I saw was simply a sight for literally sore eyes. Mountains, water, snow and trees. As the Captain crackled something over the radio about wanting to welcome me to Canada, I didn't understand anything much except the outside temperature being -5. At least these people use the right units I thought, then it hit me - my god this is going to be a unique experience.
It sure was. After getting off the flight, the customs lady wanted to know all about NZ (huh) and then there I was standing in that cold. After the shuttle dude took me and my colleague in the bus alone to the hotel, the check in Biotch was obviously pretty pissed of with the fact I was so happy to see the place after waiting, like, 13 hrs to go to bed....yes, even tho it was 8 30 am she told me to "take a seat until 3 pm". yep 3. I mean, I like a good practical joke, but she was grimacing when I said "WTF?"
So I saw some guy but the name of Ryan or Brian or Bill or something who was at a booth called Enterprise cars. I asked him how much to rent a car, and he said $17 per day. SEVENTEEN bucks. After a chat, it turned out the dood was in Khaioshiang last year teaching engrish. Another Canadian teaching english in Taiwan? I mean my god, my first coversation in BC had to be THAT? (except for devil lady still scorning at me thru the glass)
So I took the car, a red Chevy Cobalt reg 700-HDV. That plate meant arot to me, so I told the guy 'Rock on' and peeled out of the carpark and into Westminster Highway heading for van going in wrong direction. The clue was the roads were going #4 road, #3 road, #2 road and I figured there wouldn't be a number zero road, so I had to flick the red beast around. Using my honed TW driving skills I needed not to actually find a U turn place, I just let it rip. 2 litre 6, or at least it felt like it. The radio was a bit dodgy pumping out some french crap, so a scan or 4 got me to 103.5, which was OK. I did notice that everyone drives with their lights on here, so I turned mine on too (little did I know they were already on even though the switch was off) I had the trusty Canon G3 with me, and there I was shooting shots outta the car at the lights or sometime while passing huge pickups called Dodge and Blazer.

"Highway 99, North" a small white sign with a BC on it said, along with Vancouver, BC ferries and Whistler in green....My mission was sealed.