Commander Fire

The Salt Sings

Noamaan — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:41:37 +0000

Further to my last post…

Ode to Salt – Speed Week 2010 from Josh Clason on Vimeo.

Salt time

Noamaan — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:06:41 +0000

That time of year again; Speed week comes and goes, but I am still not there.
Like last year, I say, “maybe next year”.

Electric Car Thoughts

Noamaan — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:48:28 +0000

In an electric car, you require a functional stereo. As interested in electromechanical systems as I am, there is nothing tremendously interesting about the whirring of electric motors.

Also, I do suffer from so-called “range-anxiety”.

Karmann work

Noamaan — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:10:52 +0000

New post on the Karmann Ghia buildlog

http://www.cmdr-fire.co.uk/karmannghia/?p=53

Sasha

Noamaan — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:09:01 +0000

Consolidated Cupcake

Noamaan — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:56:39 +0000

I bought a new domain, but I’m not sure what to do with it.

http://www.consolidatedcupcake.com/

Haddock, and related matters

Noamaan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:39:38 +0000

I wrote the Captain Haddock Insult Generator way back in June of 2006 (it’s the Insult Generator’s fourth birthday today!). I just did a google search for Captain Haddock, out of interest… and it’s the second link after the Wikipedia entry! Not bad going for something left more or less untouched for four years. Someone must like it!

Edit: Some quick stats from webilizer… in May 2010, there were 2471 unique hits. It is, amusingly, the most visited portion of my little domain.

U2

Noamaan — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:32:31 +0000

Jalopnik recently ran a couple of articles on the U2 spyplane which are worth reading. The first covered the U2 itself, a sublimely elegant aircraft that was concieved of in that strange time where jet power was becoming common but satellite surveillance still required a canister drop of film from orbit.

The Dragon Lady

There’s something ethereal about that shape, isn’t there? Designed to fly at the edge of atmosphere, those long wings eked out whatever lift they could. James May recently took an emotional flight in the “Dragon Lady”; of all the things that’s he’s been priveleged enough to do, I think this is the finest and most unparalleled by far (it really is worth watching in fullscreen if possible).

The second of Jalopnik’s posts is rather more down-to-earth, but still pretty thrilling nonetheless, concerning the chase cars that would follow the U2 on its perlious, knife-edge of landing.

Not quite as cool as U2-equipment, I once had the opportunity to buy a MiG-25 Foxbat flight suit, which was for all intents and purposes a space suit. The Foxbat was designed to hunt down U2s, and later SR-71s; it never did, but it was still a Mach 2.5+ fighter-interceptor that was effectively a tiny cockpit ahead of a pair of massive afterburning turbines. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to purchase the suit (it wouldn’t have fit me anyway, designed for a 5-foot tall Soviet airman), but it would’ve been a nice part of that strange (and deadly) competition that played out throughout the fifties, sixties, and seventies.

IC day

Noamaan — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:52:25 +0000

Jack Kilby with the first Integrated Circuit

That little device which changed – and continues to change – everything was first introduced this day in 1952.

The Integrated Circuit itself.

Moduhardindin

Noamaan — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:11:42 +0000

I can smell sulphur outside. Just a slight hint, that irritates the back of the throat.

Moduhardindin means “the hardship of the fog”, and refers to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Laki in 1783; a far more violent and devastating eruption than that of Eyjafjallajokull which is ongoing at the moment and causing massive disruption in Europe.
The Eruption that changed Iceland Forever