I’ve been checking out different gallery software packages that I could find, in order to better share my photos with you, Gentle Reader.
I have selected Gallery2, a php application that will run in my existing server configuration, and will also integrate nicely with the Wordpress software which drives this blog. I like the functionality that […]

In general I try to keep politics out of my discussions, but thanks to a post by the lovely Xeni Jardin over at BoingBoing a recent Frontline investigation into acts of spying by our government on everyday, innocent civilians came to my attention. These actions are decidely the opposite of Mirth, but sorely […]

I was probably only 4 or 5 years old when I ran across my first Rube Goldberg cartoon. Yay! What fun it was to see the impossible and impractical contraptions that sprang from the genius of Rube Goldberg!
I suppose that I had been primed for the occasion - some of my favorite puzzles […]

You should be able to tell by the freshly served ads from Google that I’ve already sold out! I’ve decided to reap the benefits of the millions of visitors that flock to my blog on a daily basis, and monetize my stream-of-consciousness diatribe.
Hey! It could happen! Besides, as a means of learning […]

Wayne Lytle is my hero.
No, really. My hero. Here’s why:
Wayne had an idea that landed completely off the beaten path. Wait, more than idea, almost an obsession from what I can tell. Then again, maybe it was just the isolation resulting from being snowed in all those winter nights at Cornell […]

My friend Steve Higley over at The Higley 1000 has been having a ball with his website. If you make a quick visit (don’t forget to come back here!) you can read the results of his research into the racial makeup of the most affluent neighborhoods in the US.
One thing I’ve learned about his […]

I was pretty pleased with the results of the animated GIF file in my previous post on this subject. I like the visualization of what is happening with the magnetic fields as the ball approaches the barrel of the solenoid. And a numerical table that I had output confirmed what I had read […]

Wow! It looks like I’m not the only one who’s been playing with Ping Pong Balls. A few intrepid adventurers visited my blog and viewed the YouTube video of my ping pong ball prototype RBS. A couple of the good folks over at the RollingBallScuptures group wrote back with suggestions and comments […]

Wandering back and forth over the web I’ve found all manner of Rolling Ball Sculptures. The clever variations on the theme are limited only by the imagination of the creators.
However, undertaking the construction of a full size RBS can be a daunting undertaking. You need welding equipment (and skills!), a modestly equipped metalworking […]

The first time I can remember being stopped in my tracks by a Rolling Ball Sculpture, or RBS, was not that long ago. I was visiting the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia as a way of passing some time on a Friday. Just like every other kid growing up in America, I was told […]