Swany Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 ... Winner winner chicken dinner! Though, not the way I did it. I broke down Cos(3t) to Cos(2t)Cos(t)+Sin(2t)Sin(t) and put that in terms of Cos(2t). Mumbles: I am using my compounds to make some Gretzel (sp) cells, the Metal oxide substrate dye-sensitized thingors. And to the Chinese comment, it is amusing how each Asian nationality seems to pick their specialty and stick with it, i.e. the best pharma and o-chem people at the university I work at are all from India, the inorganic/photochem are Chinese, etc. In those groups, there are the very good, and the very bad.
Mumbles Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 The funny thing is she's actually not all that smart. She doesn't want to do research for a living. She keeps talking about getting her PhD and starting a chemical company, which to me makes no sense. I could do that with my high school diploma, and make more money than her because she has poor interpersonal skills, and to restate a condescending bitch.
Swany Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 (edited) The funny thing is she's actually not all that smart. She doesn't want to do research for a living. She keeps talking about getting her PhD and starting a chemical company, which to me makes no sense. I could do that with my high school diploma, and make more money than her because she has poor interpersonal skills, and to restate a condescending bitch.Yeah... The dude in our group from China was similar, but funnier and pretty sharp. Pretty sure he only new four-letter Anglo-Saxon words. Starting a chemical company? Have fun with that. Starting a research company? Have fun with that. Maybe it will be better under the next administration, for funding and all. Though, maybe economic issues will dampen that. You going to the ACS convention in Salt Lake? Edited October 17, 2008 by Swany
flying fish Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 What's this economy problem you speak of? The small research company I'm working for is doing better than ever before. We recently signed some deals with some industrial giants, and the orders for custom micro-machined parts just keep flowing in, keepin' our lasers busy. The money is really flowing in this year! That being said, of course the stock market thing is pretty scary. The difference in my dad's stocks between "before" and "after" the "crash" would have been enough to pay off our house two times over. Luckily he has so much in stocks that even it shit hits the fan, we'll still have enough money for the essentials.
Swany Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 It's a bigger problem, with globalization and the huge debts we have racked up and our standard of living that we are used to, it just wont work. Lassiz faire (sp) economics as outlined by Adam Smith supposibly replaced mercantilism and protectionism but I don't believe that, and those systems do not work in a globalized economy, and accordingly there are some serious rough spots that need ironing. The reason I am being very vague is because I am not an economist, so take my concerns with a pile of salt. Really though, the markets are generally a derivative of what happens, but still. And, I am talking of pure chemical research, not what I believe you are describing.
flying fish Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 You are right, my company does optical fluid sensor research and glass micromachining...and we are promoting ourselves heavily to the medical and industrial companies who actually have a direct use for our research, products, etc. I just thought it was ironic that we are finally doing well (and before we were struggling to stay afloat) when the economy is taking a dive.
Mumbles Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 I have a free ride hotel, food, the works from being on the ACS student affiliate board of directors here. I might go to Salt Lake City. No poster though. Are you going? I have a free ride hotel, food, the works from being on the ACS student affiliate board of directors here. I might go to Salt Lake City. No poster though. Are you going?
Swany Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Yeah, I'm slated to present in the grad student poster session. The deadline for abstracts is November sometime I believe, you could still do one, no? Either way, you should take your free trip. Pyro-related: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf94S1MVcl8...feature=relatedI found that incredibly incredible. Shows what can happen when large amounts of confined items ignite... yikes.
Mumbles Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Really? I heard the deadline for abstracts was last monday. Maybe that is for undergrads. I'll let you know if I end up going and we can meet up.
tentacles Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Swany: I've seen at least one or two of those tests in seperate videos... When I saw the dirt bunkered one, all I could think was "Now they're just fucking around blowing shit up". I always wonder how the containers are loaded as well. It says "completely filled" so are they just crammed in there, or properly loaded on pallets in boxes etc. What a waste of good fireworks, though!
Mumbles Posted October 18, 2008 Posted October 18, 2008 I heard they had to weld the entire thing shut and reinforce it to get it to blow up like that.
Richtee Posted October 18, 2008 Posted October 18, 2008 I heard they had to weld the entire thing shut and reinforce it to get it to blow up like that.What? No pasting? It IS a waste of good stuff. At least the components anyway!
asilentbob Posted October 18, 2008 Posted October 18, 2008 Maker Faire ATX 2008 Sat/Sun! IE tomorrow! Its going to be quite kick ass! Looks like I'm going to be there 10am-10pm ish walking around taking pictures, talking to people, etc. Spent alot of time near the Rep-Rap people last time, hopefully the guy got it working better this time, quite interesting the possibilities! Seems I have a very discolored and now useless polypropylene plastic container... Acid vapors em-brittled the sealing gasket, making it shrink and break, and without the force of the sealing gasket the container wont seal anymore anyways. Sooo I'm thinking I'm going to cut it up into smaller chunks and dissolve them in toluene for somekind of sealant resin stuff. Should be resistant to methanol and hence perfect for sealing things for use in alcohol fuel lamparies... IF I can get a good amount of PP dissolved atleast. Looks like I'm bored enough tonight to make another shirt. Thinking "DIY" on the front, then a bunch of various things on the back that I like/promote... like maybe 75:15:10, chemistry, HAM radio, Firefox, Bittorrent, IRC, Skype... or possibly more strictly hobby listing... like 75:15:10, chemistry, brewing, pepper gardening, ham radio, etc... I dunno. Something to do. On a side note I want to coin a term today that I haven't heard in pyrotechnics thus far... "Hemistry" ... The science/art/study of filling hemis.
WarezWally Posted October 18, 2008 Posted October 18, 2008 Trying to buy a mini lathe, bidding on eBay for one now. I hope I get it for under $400 as I still have to buy a tail stock chuck, digital caliper, angle grinder, tool blanks and some stock to play with Doesn't help that our dollar is so shitty, getting the chuck from the US will cost me close to $50
Miech Posted October 18, 2008 Posted October 18, 2008 <snip>Pyro-related: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf94S1MVcl8...feature=relatedI found that incredibly incredible. Shows what can happen when large amounts of confined items ignite... yikes.If you want to see the reason of this research look up 'Enschede disaster' at Youtube. There was a large magazine in Holland illegaly storing fireworks in containers, and the whole magazine blew up causing 22 deaths and a large area of destroyed city. This research had to show such a kind of explosion was possible without storing fireworks of heavier classes than allowed by their license.
mormanman Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 Just a quick question. I can mill with brass media safely and efficaintly right? And is cylinderical media more efficaint than sphereical? I am casting some media from munitions brass.
WarezWally Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 Yes, brass is fine. Be sure to clean it because it will corrode. I prefer a mix of cylinderical and sphereical media.
mormanman Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 What if I mix two different media while milling (lead and brass). Thanks
WarezWally Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 That's whats in my mill atm, lead balls and lead filled brass cylinders. Works very well although it does need cleaning every now and then.
asilentbob Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 Overheard a couple teachers and students at college talking about rockets today... Something along the lines of testing to see what kind of power they could get out of small "fertillizer and sugar" rockets. I might have to get into a conversation with them and point them to James Yawn's site or something. Though the little bits I did hear didn't give me the impression that they know what they are doing. But then again KNO3/Su is pretty forgiving even if you don't know what you are doing. We shall see... Got a physics test coming up. Not feeling too great about it, going to study for it most of tomorrow. Then week after next ish I think I have another Org Chem II exam. They are killing me. Now if it was my only class... and I was studying constantly... I think I would be ok... but with all this other shit... I just don't know... I really need to be studying physics because its what I'm most horrible at... but I really need to be getting a good grade in org chem II... GAH! I have a possible show for new years coming up... Did it last year... and loved it... we'll see... And a possible show for halloween coming up (if I can remember to get the company contact details). And a possible build day or 2 with local club members to just build shells and such for another possible club show around new years... So their might be conflicting dates somewhere around there... and I might have to choose between the club... and the downtown gig... I'd probably choose the downtown gig since I would get paid... BUT man... how can you choose between fireworks and fireworks? OH and yeah probably another show somewhere in there that I just don't know about yet... probably a bit after new years. Dunno. Had an idea that might help spur on more discussion of things and better tie this community together... Ocassional Skype conferences! Its free (when skype to skype), has great audio since its VoIP, and a nice way to communicate in real-time without having to type stuff out. Other options could be like AIM, MSN, or IRC conferences. Just throwin it out there.
tentacles Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 asb: Didn't you see the pyro IRC listed on passfire a while back? I can PM you the info if you want to give it a go. There's maybe 10 regulars on there, and a guy from malta sporadically visits.
asilentbob Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 I know about that IRC room and 2 others that are somewhat less pyro related, but invariably everyone is bashing each other. I don't think you would get that to such an extent with a Skype conference.
tentacles Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 (edited) asb: It's IRC, there's always bashing and silliness, that comes with the territory... The guys on there can be quite helpful. I guess IRC is probably just something you have to grow up with. Edited October 21, 2008 by tentacles
flying fish Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 I thought I'd ask if anyone here knew the answer to this CO-hazard question. When carbon (graphite) oxidizes in air (say, in a high temperature furnace), is there a good amount of CO produced, or is it mostly just CO2? Is this something I should refrain from doing inside of a building? I guess it probably depends on a bunch of factors, like how much graphite I'm cooking, the size of the room, ventilation, etc. etc... I should only be cooking about 80 grams at a time - but I'm not sure how good the ventilation will be (I haven't seen to furnace location yet), and I'm not sure how quickly it will oxidize. It sucks because Graphite was looking like such a good material for "high temperature bonding pads" for our thermo-compressive bonding, but a supplier warned that it would oxidize very rapidly at the temperature we are going to. I'm still tempted to try it though, just for kicks and giggles if nothing else. Its fun to make stuff disappear. If only my company could afford a vacuum or inert-atmosphere furnace, we'd be all set.
Richtee Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 I should only be cooking about 80 grams at a time - but I'm not sure how good the ventilation will be (I haven't seen to furnace location yet), and I'm not sure how quickly it will oxidize. Keep the humidity up in the room if you can, but 80 grams ain't shit. Normal air flow/leakage will keep it below traffic jam levels. Humidity will help it move out easier.
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