tingilinde

phoenix and heat

four filters

If you're thinking about a cheap homemade air filtration system for home or school, Greg points out a simple four filter design.

 

 

simple homemade air cleaners

Simple, cheap and ugly - but perhaps useful.

 

 

a new type of chain-mail fabric

Very cool - a chain-mail fabric that can be made to stiffen.

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The mechanical properties of chain mail have been revisited. The findings reveal that, under confining pressure, chain-mail-inspired materials can switch from pliable to stiff structures that have outstanding load-bearing capacities.

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a lego bike

 Not exactly traditional parts, but still impressive..

covid remote learning and change in 2.007

MIT's fabled 2.007 Design and Manufacturing I course saw important changes last year.  Woodie would been proud.

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The team developed a list of “must haves” when brainstorming how to re-envision 2.007. First and foremost was retaining the confidence-building element of students coming up with their own design and building it with their own two hands, while at the same time learning core mechanical engineering principles.

“It was critical for this year's class for us to provide all the magic and deep engineering learning that comes from our normal hands-on experience, but do it in a remote environment,” adds Winter.

Central to all the teaching staff’s goals was equity. With some students likely participating fully remotely, the teaching team had to come up with solutions that were fair to everyone, whether they lived in a dorm, apartment, or across the country in their family’s home.

The team’s solution was to send a kit of materials to all 130 students in the class. The first generation of the kit was developed last summer by Soledad. By fall, Winter and Soledad were joined by teaching assistant Georgia Van de Zande and four other UROPs to continue iterating the kit.

“Because the students couldn’t come to the Pappalardo lab, we decided to send the Pappalardo lab to them,” says Van de Zande.

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one hopes it doesn't blue screen

And that it isn't connected to the Internet.  

Instructions for a toilet in the Olympic Village.

global warming and buildings

It's not just Florida where building lifetimes are being shortened and expensive repairs are needed.

a tip of the hat to Bjarne

 

 

the ghost forest

Maya Lin's latest installation makes a powerful statement.

 

change gone batty

 

 

Bats from a National Park in American Samoa on a US quarter.