Blackberry REACT December 2009 Newsletter

Quick Clicks

Listening in on Apollo 11

The US landed its men on the moon back in July of 1969. Larry Baysinger built a radio receiver and recorded Armstrong’s and Aldrin’s transmissions. They’re very noisy, but you can pick out much of the conversation.

There is also a scan of a local newspaper article (local to Baysinger) which is a reminder of how far we’ve come in cheesecake photography.

The Open Road – London 1927

This is color film from London in 1927. It was done to promote a color process, and naturally we all watch because things were so different then, not because it’s color. The film glories in having over 4,000 motor buses in London – there are lots of horse-drawn vehicles in the way, though – the glories of Big Ben spreading the glory of London throughout the Empire, views of people in the parks and streets. It’s a ten-minute clip at the end of a longer film, and there is no sound at all. A nostalgic look back at a complicated, fast-paced, big city that seems much simpler now.

New kind of AAs

Amateurs have a hard time with batteries; I prefer to use gear that runs on AAs because they’re so widely available, and I have tried using NiMH batteries that are rechargeable. As this article points out, they eventually run out of power after they’ve been run through a number of charge/discharge/recharge cycles, and they no longer hold a charge.

Louise and I travel with our GMRS radios that run on 4 AAs, and our NiMHs no longer last a week even with the radios turned off. We’ll charge up the batteries, use them in the airport to keep in contact, turn them off for a week at our destination, then find that the batteries have run out of juice when we try to use the radios again on our way home.

We bring a charger and an extension cord since outlets in motels and inns are never where you can get to them, and we have to remember to recharge before we leave. I gave up on it our last trip and put alkalines in the radios and they kept their charge and worked fine without any fuss and bother.

The batteries touted in this story are Nickel Zinc (NiZn), and the reviewer positively glows with pleasure at how long they lasted in his external flash for his camera ” after months and months of hardcore usage.” MSRP for four AA NiZn batteries is $15, and a special charger is required. The price for the charger and a four-pack of AAs is $35 MSRP.

The nice thing about NiZn batteries (if the advertised rating is true) is that their output is 1.6V. I have a GPS unit that won’t run on NiMH’s 1.2V, demanding the full 1.5V of alkalines and lithiums.

What happens when you turn a photo upside down

Verizon tips for cellphone use during earthquakes

An older article, but the tips still are worthwhile. The best one: know how to use your cellphone.

Free WiFi at airports

If you’re traveling over the holidays, you may be able to get free WiFi at the airports you’ll be stranded at. Access will last till January 15.

All about inductors

I’ve heard of inductors, and the incredibly earnest, balding man in this video explains how to make them and what they do so even I could understand it. And now we have henrys and farads.

Cal ISO system status

The California Independent System Operator is a “non-profit public benefit corporation,” whatever that is, which operates most of California’s high-voltage wholesale power grid. I think that means Cal ISO provides us with access to electricity.

This page provides you with a graph that shows our demand for watts compared to the supply of watts and a meter showing the level of conservation they request from us. There’s also a forecast for the next day’s demand, so you can track when rolling blackouts are likely.

Guide for Community and Faith-Based Organizations on H1N1

The US government’s guide on how CFBOs should deal with the medical community and the swine flu.

This link is to guidance for facemask use, quarantining people sick with the flu (phrased very diplomatically as how long a sick person should stay away from others), shelters, and more.

These are very helpful guides, by the way. Please take a few minutes to browse through the information.

The world’s largest unintentional Jacob’s Ladder

(but scroll the page for other arcs and sparks) 500,000 Volts worth of electricity writhes in the air. Click the photo for the video.

In keeping with my lunch line of comments

A line of reuseable lunch bags, shopping bags, and more. Take your lunch in a reuseable bag instead of the plastic storage bags and plastic wrap you’re constantly buying more of and throwing away.

Woolworth’s Stereo Spectacular ‘71

RECORD COMMERCIAL (WOOLWORTH) 1971 Top stereo LPs only a dollar fifty-seven.

Engineering Yucca Mountain

Yucca Mountain is or was the proposed nuclear waste disposal site, and this is an interview with the guy in charge of engineering the safety of the site for one million years. It’s a thoughtful interview of a thoughtful man who actually has a plan.

Events

Potential events for 2010 (thanks to Jon)

Programs

Our new officers are Eric as President, Jerry as VP, Phil S. as Secretary, and Jon as Treasurer.