Okay, I’ve Really Missed Talking About Teratology.

If I could catch a rainbow

If i could catch a rainbow,

I would just do it for you

And share with you it’s beauty,

On the days you are feeling Blue.

Rainbows are nature’s optical illusion.

It’s not possible unfortunately to catch a rainbow. They are not objects and are not located at specific distance from the observer that one can physically approach.

Rainbows stems from an optical illusion caused by any water droplets viewed from a certain angle relative to a light source.

They are user-specific and everyone sees a different rainbow.

The monochrome rainbow

Not all rainbows that occur in nature are multicolored. Under specific atmospheric conditions, one can spot the Mono-chrome rainbow i.e It has only one color.

                                   PC : rodjonesphotography

Moonbows

A Moonbow / Lunar rainbow /White rainbow  is a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon (as opposed to direct sunlight) refracting off of moisture-laden clouds in the atmosphere / from waterfalls.

                                            PC: GanMed64

Each of your eyes sees a different rainbow.

Just as no two people see exactly the same rainbow, even if they’re standing next to each other, the few inches between your eyes make a difference in what you are viewing. 

There is no color- indigo ( sort of )

One can distinguish almost all colors in a rainbow but Indigo.

Legend has it that Newton included indigo because he felt that there should be seven rather than six colors in a rainbow due to his strong religious beliefs.

Origins of ‘Iris’

The Greeks and Romans thought a rainbow was the path made by Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, between heaven and earth, linking gods with humans. “Rainbow” in Latin is arcus iris or arcus pluvius, a “rainy arch”.

The iris of the eye is named after her, because of its colour. 

The Greeks used the word “iris” to describe any coloured circle, such as the “eye” of a peacock’s tail. The flower called iris gets its name from the Greek, as does the chemical iridium (Ir), compounds of which are highly coloured. Iris is also the root of “iridescent”.

Pulsating Rainbows

Place a linear polarizer over the camera whilst capturing a rainbow and you get pulsating rainbows.

                                                   Source

Double Rainbows/ Multiple Rainbows

A double rainbow is a phenomenon in which two rainbows appear. They are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops. Similarly multiple rainbows are a possibility as well.

Observe that the colors in the second rainbow are inverted because the light is reflected twice inside the water droplet

                                             PC: Janbazian

Viral Double Rainbow Video

This video of a man witnessing a double rainbow for the first time went viral,  featuring on numerous popular talk shows. Pure ecstasy!

The full rainbow

Whilst standing on earth, we see rainbows as magical arcs across the sky, but rainbows are full circles. The bottom part of the full circle is usually blocked by the horizon.

Pilots however do not face this difficulty. Under the right sky conditions, pilots are spectators to one of nature’s most beautiful spectacles - The full rainbow.

                                          PC : Steve Kaufman

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Have a great day!

Crazy Looking Bamboo Tower Creates 25 Gallons of Drinking Water Per Day From Thin air

This crazy looking tower creates 25 gallons of drinking water per day from thin air. It’s basically an atmospheric water collector which gathers dew from the air.

“…The 9 m tall bamboo framework has a special fabric hanging inside capable to collect potable water from the air by condensation…”

It’s called the WarkaWater:

“…The name ‘WarkaWater’ comes from the Warka Tree, a giant wild fig tree native to Ethiopia, traditionally used for public gatherings and school education. The Warka Tree is an archetype of the Biennale theme ‘Common Ground’…”

The simple and practical, yet elegant design powers out ahead of any of the commercial atmospheric water generators on the market which cost thousands more to build than this.

This is a wonderful water generation idea, that’s inexpensive, and actually beautiful to look at.

Water is life, and being designed after a tree. This is a real Tree of Life.

Hackaday Useful Tools Links

So I am an avid reader of Hackaday for a long time now and they have been putting out a lot of great introductions to tools and processes to get makers up to speed on the resources that are available.  This is just a splattering of links that I have found lately that you guys might be interested in.

DC Motors

Lessons in Small Scale Manufacturing

Grinding Gears: Figuring out gear ratios

Tools of the trade: Injection Molding

Are todays engineers worse?

How to nail a technical presentation

Tools of the trade: Vacuum Forming

The Art and Science of Bending Sheetmetal

A how-to of designing, fab, and assembly with structural framing systems (t slot)

Machine learning foundations

A machine shop in a box

How to: Cold resin casting

Join the GUI generation: Qtcreator

Do you guys have any other great resources that you’d like to share and/or are you enjoying this type of content?

Smooth Ride, Bumpy Road

Why are wheels circular? Why aren’t they triangular or square shaped?

That is a question that you might have pondered at some point in your life ( perhaps as a shower-thought? ) But sometimes even the most simple questions have the most elegant answers!

A square wheel can roll smoothly if the ground consists of evenly shaped inverted catenaries of the right size and curvature.

What is a Catenary?

Well, it is the curve that a hanging cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends. You find these everywhere!

Those chains on the pavement,

those hanging cables on a power transmission station,

or maybe a chandelier is of your type

All are catenaries!

Although it superficially resembles a parabola, it is NOT!

Practicality

The mythbusters (like always) decided to give the four wheel vehicle a try.

And found out that, get this - with speed, a truck fitted with square wheels can deliver a relatively smooth ride, despite that bouncy start!

Well, although circular wheels still remain as the king of wheels, it is nice to know that we do have some alternatives up our sleeve!

Merry Christmas :)

PC: Etan J. Tal, kamel15

Week in brief (7–11 October)

Tesla reveals solar roof tiles

Electric carmaker Tesla has unveiled a new design of solar roof panels with integrated photovoltaic cells that are not visible from the outside. The tiles, made from glass, are intended to be a more attractive way to add solar panels to homes, by disguising the cells through a coloured film. 

Presenting the new tiles for the first time, Elon Musk, Chief Executive of Tesla, said, ‘We need to make solar panels as appealing as electric cars have become. The goal is to have solar roofs that look better than a normal roof.’

Musk demonstrated in the launch the strength of his new roofing product, testing heavy weights on three common roofing shingles as well as his own. The Tesla roof was the only one that could withstand the weight and pressure. ‘It’s made of quartz. It has a quasi-infinite lifetime,’ explained Musk.

The new roof will be offered in four designs including Tuscan glass, slate glass, textured glass and smooth glass tile. Elon Musk presented the Solar Roof during a Tesla event at Universal Studios, USA.

In other news:

·      New surfaces repel water in oil as well as oil in water

·      Rewritable material could help reduce paper waste

·      Ministers reject calls for 5p charge on UK’s disposable coffee cups

·      Electric current used to track water in concrete

To find out more on materials science, packaging and engineering news, visit our website IOM3 or follow us on Twitter @MaterialsWorld for regular news updates. You can also now get access to our content any time, offline and online, anywhere via our app. For more information, visit app.materialsworld.org

Handy Tool Definitions

I found some handy definitions of tools on edn.com for those of you who are unclear about them. So, I put together this reference guide. 

http://ow.ly/VyRt30dOlwi 

Elon Musk Announces New Hyperloop Approval Making NYC to DC Trip in Only 29 Minutes

Sound waves could take a tsunami down a few notches

A tsunami’s ferocious force could be taken down a few notches with a pair of counter waves.

Fight waves with more waves!

A tsunami’s immense wall of water may not be stoppable. But there may be a way to take the ferocious force of nature down a few notches, using a pair of counterwaves.

If released at the right moment, a type of sound wave known as an acoustic-gravity wave could subdue a tsunami, applied mathematician Usama Kadri of Cardiff University in Wales reports January 23 in Heliyon. These acoustic-gravity waves, which reach deep below the ocean’s surface, can stretch tens or hundreds of kilometers and easily travel long distances at high speeds.

Solar System: Things to Know This Week

10 Tools for the Armchair Astronaut, or  How to Explore the Solar System from Home

At this very moment, spacecraft are surveying the solar system, from Mars, to Saturn, to Pluto and beyond. Now you can ride along to see the latest discoveries from deep space. For this week’s edition of 10 Things, we’ve assembled a toolkit of 10 essential resources for the desktop astronaut.  

1. It’s Like Facebook, but for Planets

Or is it more of a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Solar System? Whatever one calls it, our planets page offers quick rundowns, as well as in-depth guides, for all the major bodies in the solar system. Explore from the sun all the way to the Oort Cloud.

+ Peruse the planets + See how objects in the solar system stack up against each other

2. Keep Your Eyes on This One

If you still haven’t tried Eyes on the Solar System, you’re missing out. This free, downloadable simulation app lets you tour the planets and track the past, current and future positions of spacecraft–all in 3D. Eyes on the Solar System uses real NASA data to help you take a virtual flight across both space and time.

+ Prepare for departure

3. Dateline: Deep Space

With so much exploration underway, discoveries and new insights into the solar system come at a pace that borders on bewildering. NASA is rewriting the textbooks, literally, on a regular basis. Relax, though: there are several easy ways to stay up to date with what’s happening in space.

+ See the latest headlines + Stay connected on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram + Find more top NASA social media accounts

4. Space? There’s an App for That

NASA offers phone and tablet apps for star gazing, pictures, news, 3D tours, satellite tracking, live NASA TV and many other kinds of info.

+ Start downloading + See other cool apps

5. A (Very) Long Distance Call

We’re in constant communication with spacecraft all over the solar system. The Deep Space Network is a global network of giant antenna dishes that makes it possible. With this online app, you can learn how it works – and even see which spacecraft are phoning home right now.

+ Deep Space Network (DSN) Now

6. Collect ‘Em All

Spacecraft 3D is an augmented reality (AR) application that lets you learn about and interact with a variety of spacecraft that are used to explore our solar system, study Earth and observe the universe. Print out the AR target and your camera will do the rest, making the spacecraft appear in 3D right in front of you. Learn more about these robotic explorers as they pop up on your desk, in your hand, or on your dog’s head.

+ Download Spacecraft 3D + See more cool 3-D resources from NASA

7. Ever Wanted to Drive a Mars Rover?

This site will give you a 3D look at the Mars Curiosity rover, along with some of the terrain it has explored. It will even let you take the controls.

+ Experience Curiosity

8. More E-Ticket Attractions

But wait, there’s more. NASA offers a variety of other fascinating (and free) online experiences, all based on actual data from real missions. Here are a few to explore:

+ Mars Trek + Vesta Trek + Moon Trek

9. The Universe Is Our Classroom

Studying the solar system makes for a compelling route into learning and teaching science, engineering and math. We have some great places to start.

+ Find resources for teachers + Build your own solar system with your classroom

10. Bring It on Home

After you’ve toured the far reaches of the solar system, you can always come home again. When you have spent time studying the harsh conditions on our neighboring planets, the charms of a unique paradise come into sharp focus, the place we call Earth.

+ Watch a real-time video feed from Earth orbit + See a daily global view of our planet from a million miles away + Hold the earth in your hands with the Earth Now mobile app

Discover more lists of 10 things to know about our solar system HERE.

Follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

On the transpose of a matrix

In this post, I would just like to highlight the fact an image can be represented in a matrix form and matrix transformations such as transpose, shearing, scaling, etc, from an image processing point of view are purely physical !

Check out this article from the klein project if this post interested you.

Have a great day!

* Interactive Felix the cat and matrix