The Borgias, by G. J. Meyer May 28, 2019
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Books, Brilliant words.add a comment
I have intended to read this book since I became aware of it several years ago. I am delighted to report it was worth the wait. It’s history in its finest form; well-documented, with useful background explanations of the context of events which also elucidates their broader meaning and consequences. And it’s pretty digestible, dramatic and sympathetic to the subjects (except Cesare; he was a right bastard).
Beginning with the elevation of the first Borgia pope and continuing until the death of Lucretia, we are treated to a careful dissection of the historical record (the Vatican kept detailed records) in order to understand the Borgia family’s actions and the consequences of said actions. We are also treated to a thoughtful debunking of the myths surrounding Innocent VIII (first Borgia pope, who was elected pope just before his death) and Alexander VI (the long-reigning Borgia pope), Cesare and Lucretia and a bunch of lesser Borgias who got a job in Uncle Rodrigo’s business (that would be Alexander VI putting various relatives to work in the Vatican. Nepotism was pretty well accepted, and Alexander didn’t go overboard there, except in the case of Cesare).
I just noticed I’m starting to tell the whole story, which is not my intention[1]. The book does the subject justice, but it covers more than half a century in pretty fair detail, so I’m not going to recap that successfully on my lunch hour.[2] Read the book, it’s available at Amazon (naturally) and at sfpl.org, where the booknoscenti get their audiobooks.
[1] But damn, it’s tempting.
[2] I’m just not that speedy a typist.
Frankenprinters May 14, 2019
Posted by stuffilikenet in 3D Printing, Awesome, Science, Toys.add a comment
My army of loyal readers (hi, Mom!) will recall my fondness for and fascination with the promise of 3D printers, and similar robotic manufacturing techniques. I should have acquired several by now, but I am famously cheap thrifty and so never indulged this particular whim..until just a bit ago when I acquired three not-working printers from a cosplay parts dealer named Alder (last name redacted, because I never learned it) for a bargain price of a hundred bucks apiece.
They each had at least one major thing wrong, and all had some disconnected wiring. The middle one had a missing limit switch on the y-axis and a missing adjustment for the z-axis (it’s still missing; I am going to try and fix that this evening–look for exciting updates) limit switch. I can’t tell what else is wrong with it until I stop threatening my build plate.
The left one needed a bit of wiring (fairly easy to find wiring diagrams for the boards attached, with a bit of intuition) and an adjustment to the z-axis limit switch and a new motherboard. The right one needed (may still need) a new heated build plate (I am currently using it as a PLA printer, so a hot plate is not so critical), wiring, z-axis adjustment and some patience, as I was a little too stupid to fix it myself when I bought these guys a while back. I had to grow in confidence before I could troubleshoot. In fairness, the exhausting regimen of commuting between my work and home on weekends (six hours one way) really dampened my spirits. I’m not usually such a coward.
I forget how many of them needed new hot ends or thermistors (two, I think) and rewiring to accomodate them.
Lastly, all needed new blue tape (very important; no adhesion without fresh tape!)
and one needed new glass. The first print (with new tape) did not photograph well:
I attribute poor image quality to beer; cameras should never drink.
3D Printing Progress May 10, 2019
Posted by stuffilikenet in 3D Printing, Applications, Awesome, Geek Stuff.add a comment
There’s going to be a lot of that, now that critical mass of commercial systems are available. new materials are being used in additive manufacturing and new devices have considerably expanded the capabilities of systems in terms of speed, build volume and finish. It’s an interesting moment in engineering history, and nobody knows where it will lead.
Printing with [anything besides plastics] is fraught with difficulty, so interesting methods have been tried for substances like metals, clay, frosting(!) with varying success. Two methods have lately shown promise in metal and glass(amazingly enough).
First, metals. The most common method of depositing metals has been to embed the metal in something a bit more fluid, like in an ink suspension. This has the usual effect of having poor mechanical adhesion, because after the fluid dries the metal may adhere to itself poorly (likely) and there may be fluid contamination trapped in the metal layers (very likely). Researchers got around this with an entirely new method, using a sacrificial electrode to generate ions of the metal and spraying those ions electrostatically. You can get insanely small resolution using this technique:
…and you can print with more than one metal by building both into the tip and just switching voltage from one electrode to the other:
Elegant as hell, isn’t it?
Then, glass: a team in France using chalcogenide glass (which softens at a relatively low temperature compared to other glass) produced chalcogenide glass filaments with dimensions similar to the commercial plastic filaments normally used with the 3-D printer. The research team then increased the maximum extruding temperature of a commercial 3-D printer from around 260 °C to 330 °C. The result is pretty interesting:
An interesting proof-of-concept piece, this points to novel uses for chalcogenide glass commonly used to make optical components that operate at mid-infrared wavelengths. It’s not likely to be used elsewhere, as it’s a “soft” glass, but the feat is going to be useful in optics fabrication. Also, there are some low-temperature metal alloys that could probably benefit from this technique.
Homework: Alain Reiser et al. Multi-metal electrohydrodynamic redox 3D printing at the submicron scale, Nature Communications (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09827-1
E. Baudet et al, 3D-printing of arsenic sulfide chalcogenide glasses, Optical Materials Express (2019). DOI: 10.1364/OME.9.002307
40Hz Light Pulses Stop Alzheimer’s May 10, 2019
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Brain, Geek Stuff, Science, Star Trek Technology.add a comment
Neuroscientists at MIT have published a paper which demonstrates that 40Hz pulses of light can somehow inhibit the progress of neurodegeneration in mouse model. This study is designed to figure out how a flickering light could stifle cognitive decline, using two unique mouse models engineered to overproduced the toxic proteins that contribute to neurodegeneration. The animals were exposed to light flickering at 40 Hz for one hour every day for between three and six weeks. It worked a treat; mice engineered to overproduce tau proteins (that usually cause neurodegeneration) displayed no neuronal degeneration after three weeks of treatment compared to a control group that displayed nearly 20 percent total neuronal loss. The other mouse model, engineered to produce a neurodegenerative protein called p25, displayed no neurodegeneration whatsoever during the entire six weeks of treatment.
The researchers then zoomed in on the light-treated animal’s neurons and microglia to study whether the treatment induced any unusual changes in gene expression. The light-treated mice revealed increased neuronal expression of genes associated with synaptic function and DNA repair. In microglia, the brain’s immune cells, there was a decrease in genes associated with inflammation.
Nobody understands how a 40 Hz flickering light can trigger these specific changes to gene expression deep in the brain, but human trials testing the sound and light treatment in Alzheimer’s patients have already begun.
Note: Adding a 40 Hz auditory tone to the process improved the efficacy of this treatment. Your elderly parents can benefit from this by using gnuaural, an open-source generator of binaural beats for meditation and other psychological effects.
Noir, a Novel, by Christopher Moore May 2, 2019
Posted by stuffilikenet in Uncategorized.add a comment
Noir, a Novel, by Christopher Moore combines Moore’s signature humor with the delivery of a noir-fiction detective. It is, like all his books, filled with wild improbabilities or impossibilities depending on your religion (or lack thereof). Get the audio book version; the reader gets it just right at every turn of the page.
For your trouble you will get murder (of course; it is a noir novel), kidnapping, gangsters, conspiracies, secret societies, hookers dressed like Dorothy Gale, a girlfriend referred to as “The Cheese”, potential human sacrifice and a completely unexpected ending, unless you are big on deus ex machina, or catches in left field.
In my usual way of ensuring maximum delight, I give no details whatsoever. Let it unfold in your mind. Available on Amazon (of course) and sfpl.org.
January Dancer, by Michael Flynn May 1, 2019
Posted by stuffilikenet in Uncategorized.add a comment
January Dancer, by Michael Flynn, is a juicy little bit of wordplay cleverly disguised as a science fiction novel featuring clever cops, more clever criminals, powerful pre-Human artifacts, corporate greed, human cupidity, piracy, rebellion, senseless violence, gratuitous sex (is it only coincidence that it advances the plot?) and moral courage.
I enjoyed it hugely. Basically, a pre-Human artifact is discovered by a space crew repairing their ship, surrendered for a fee to the Big Corporation With Evil Ends in Mind, stolen by space pirates, recovered by persons unknown, sought by idealistic rebels, found by clever policemen, stolen by ….
It’s a little bit complicated, but pretty much everyone can enjoy it despite the complexities of the MacGuffin hunt, if only for the names of the places and characters and the fascinating patois of the locals (see wordplay, above). In the hands of the capable narrator, it fairly sings with delightful banter and description.
Available on Amazon (of course) and sfpl.org. Most highly recommended.
Stuffilike.net 