Tuesday 9 December 2008

Super Cargo Aircraft

This might be common knowledge to others, especially if you’re an aircraft nut, but there are planes that are designed to take oversized cargo, like other plane bits. This might sound pretty ordinary, but the amazing part is they are built on the base fuselage of normal planes, then just stretched out in the middle. The first series were called the Guppy series made by Aero Spaclines, and the coolest of which is the Super Guppy. It’s still used by NASA, and for a long time was used by Airbus to fright its parts. The cool thing is it’s based on a Boeing 377, so the running joke was that every Airbus was built on the wings of a Boeing. ;) It first flew in 1965.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/SuperGuppy-F-BPPA.jpg

Image:LoadingSuperGuppy.jpg

Of course Airbus couldn’t keep making their planes with a Boeing, so they made the Airbus Beluga, a pimped out A300-600 that first flew in 1995. Fatta than yo momma.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/A300-600ST_1_New_Colour.JPG

Once Airbus got in on the act, Boeing had to give it a crack, and popped out the Dreamlifter in 2006. This fatty is based on the familiar 747-400, but you gotta admit the Frenchie design above looks way weirder and cooler.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Boeing_747-400%28LCF%29_Dreamlifter.jpg

Monday 8 December 2008

Spider Flamenco

Must have sound to appreciate this. This is a male jumping spider trying to impress a female. He really gets going about halfway through the vid, so you can skip to there if you like. I was totally amazed by this, he’s moving his legs so fast to make the noise that you can’t even see them moving!

If Women Ruled The World

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hVOW2U7K4-M/STDytOgJeDI/AAAAAAAAtVg/2lH2m0WIFtM/s640/234534tytruyj.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_hVOW2U7K4-M/STDyuBoCqPI/AAAAAAAAtVs/eBoQB8Wacmg/s640/3456546ytrhfgjgh.jpg

Thursday 4 December 2008

How It's Made: Communion Wafers

The Cavanah Co. makes more than 80% of the communion wafers for the US, England, Canada and Australia. They point out that because they have such a huge market share, they can actually detect changes in church attendance. For example, a scandal with Catholic priests dropped church attendance by 20%. 911 increased church attendance for 6 months. Bad economic times increase church attendance, so I’m guessing they’re packed at the moment.

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Bike Hero

One of my favourite songs, one of of my favourite computer games, and one of my new favourite past times combine into one mountain of awesome. I just wish I had thought of it first, but then I'm waaaaay too lazy to do all the work to make it happen.

Mapple – The Simpsons