For this weekend's Steam Powered: The California Steampunk Convention, the band Abney Park and Airship Ventures have teamed up to offer dirigible rides to conference-goers (for $785 a ticket). Airship Ventures just brought one of their Zeppelin NTs over from Germany and it will be moored at Moffett Field. MAKE contributor Todd Lappin was lucky enough to get a ride on the ship and posted a flight report on Telstar Logistics:
Operated by a startup called Airship Ventures, the Zeppelin NT will be based out of Moffett Field, Calfornia -- a fitting home, as Moffett was built by the US Navy during the 1920s to serve as a base for military dirigibles.
The new Zeppelins are filled with the inert helium instead of highly flammable hydrogen, they're only about one-quarter the size of the old giants, and they're equipped with modern technology and avionics. Power is delivered by three Lycoming engines that put out around 200 horsepower each, and the airship frame is constructed from a combination of of aluminum and carbon fiber.
Here's an update on the Escape from Berkeley, the non-petroleum road race from Berkeley to Vegas:
An interesting adventure had by all racers yesterday as we had to navigate around Tioga pass which had been temporarily closed (opening mid day yesterday, such is life). Some chose to go south over the 178 some chose to go north and try their luck with Ebbetts pass. At the end of the day we lost two more and had a surprise change in the ranks, with the Prisoners of Petroleum coming in First.
We followed the Neverwas crew with Judge Michael Michael North to go over one of the Northern passes. We even found Ol' Beth, in Angels Camp to show Kristie's Flyer what she could grow up to be some day. Going over Ebetts pass proved to be quite a challenge and Home School Heros and Kristie's Flyer stayed the night in Lee Vining planning to catch up with us later today.
Vegas is our destination today. We will update with highlights from the awards ceremony.
If you come from the future confused and lost in this world this might be your missing vehicle. Straight out of year 2020 the Peugeot competition this RD concept car is everything you want; speed, comfort, space, and even cool. It operates mainly through articulation meaning you can talk to it and it will give you feedback on road conditions, traffic, and route information, etc. It can compact itself so you can maneuver better around high trafficked areas so you can get to your destination faster. Let’s hope this isn’t just for show. [Tuvie via SpeedFlux]
Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy successfully crossed the English Channel using his homemade jet-propelled wing Friday, the first man to perform the feat. Rossy leapt from a plane more than 8,800 feet or a mile and a half from the ground, before firing up his jets. He made the 22-mile trip from Calais in France to Dover in England in a little under 15 minutes.
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I'm part of a fantastic crew of makers out of West Oakland who are building a 10'x 10' human powered "hamster wheel" styled rail-car for the Handcar Regatta. The Regatta it this Sunday and you're readers should hear about it.
Proximacentuari presents the gorgeous result of what must have been an amazing labor of love -
This is the final result of 15 months and at least 800 hours of work in the garage. This is not counting time spent designing, ordering parts, negotiating prices, etc.
The car was built from scratch. The engine is an Acura k20a3 from an RSX. It sounds awesome.
Special thanks for the Make community for inspiring the maker spirit in me. Building stuff yourself is a much better way to be a citizen than senseless consumption.
The car has a good amount of junk (recycled stuff) in it. The stainless panels all came from old appliances. The black body panels came from an ancient kayak and an old doghouse. The throttle pedal was made entirely from salvaged parts from a dumpster at an engineering firm around town. Of course, the engine was also recycled from a crashed car.
It’s a blast to drive.
0-60: 4.5 seconds
MPG: 35+ miles per gallon
The best part: the bizarre looks I get from random strangers.
Proximacentuari presents the gorgeous result of what must have been an amazing labor of love -
This is the final result of 15 months and at least 800 hours of work in the garage. This is not counting time spent designing, ordering parts, negotiating prices, etc.
The car was built from scratch. The engine is an Acura k20a3 from an RSX. It sounds awesome.
Special thanks for the Make community for inspiring the maker spirit in me. Building stuff yourself is a much better way to be a citizen than senseless consumption.
The car has a good amount of junk (recycled stuff) in it. The stainless panels all came from old appliances. The black body panels came from an ancient kayak and an old doghouse. The throttle pedal was made entirely from salvaged parts from a dumpster at an engineering firm around town. Of course, the engine was also recycled from a crashed car.
It’s a blast to drive.
0-60: 4.5 seconds
MPG: 35+ miles per gallon
The best part: the bizarre looks I get from random strangers.
The Dolmette motorcycle uses the power of 24 on-board chainsaw engines to create one heckuva promotional item -
The heart of the combined power plant is the central drive belt casing of aluminium construction. As well as encasing the eleven belts used to couple up the individual engines, it also houses the exhaust ducts for the cooling air. Twelve engines are mounted in two rows of six on either side of the drive belt casing. Each engine is held in place by means of two threaded studs that normally serve to secure the guide bar to the chainsaw power head. The individual motors are coupled together in sets of three by means of a double-sided drive belt, making up eight modules in all. The individual engines are not rigidly connected; instead they deliver their torque through the centrifugal clutch that is a standard feature of every chainsaw.
While certainly visually impressive, it seems this beast didn't fair so well in a demo race where the pit crew didn't have time to start four of the engines - Dolmette Technical Facts [via Hacked Gadgets]
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