Chris

The Voynich Manuscript - Update

2011-02-13T22:34:00.001+10:30

More news on the Voynich Manuscript - See The Voynich Manuscript - Solved (Posted Below).

University of Arizona researchers have used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of the book, between 1404 and 1438.

Read the story here http://uanews.org/node/37825 on the University of Arizona's website.

Hand-cranked Torch Used To Power Radio

2010-09-29T21:00:00.000+09:30

I've liberated the power from an inexpensive hand-cranked torch so it can be used to run an inexpensive FM radio. The torch contains a small rechargeable battery that is charged by turning a crank-handle.

Why? - This equipment is being sent to a part of the world where batteries are very expensive, where farmers need torches to manage night-time pests and where farmers need radios that give them access to weather reports which help with crop management.

Click Read More build details.

The model of torch was chosen because the plastic crank-handle can be easily replaced when it breaks, for its reasonably rugged build and for the three LEDs which give good light and last forever; And it was inexpensive.
I cracked open the case and found a series of gears connected the crank-handle to a small generator from which two wires connected to a small circuit board. The three LEDs are soldered to the circuit board from which two wires connect to an LIR2032 battery.
A quick search on google revealed that the battery was 3 volt / 40mAh - enough juice to power the radio.
Experimentation showed that the circuit board prevented too much power from reaching the battery or the LEDs and that when that little battery dies the hand-crank can still be used to power both of the devices.

Two new wires were soldered to the battery and their other ends to the two bolts to be used as terminals. A couple of holes were then drilled through the back of the torch case and the bolts pushed through before securing them with nuts. The whole thing was then put back together.

Next, I found a $2 FM scanning radio built to run on two AAA batteries. A quick look inside the battery compartment showed that the batteries were connected in series to provide 3 volts - just what I needed.
Two wires were then soldered to the battery terminals and a hole drilled into the back of the battery compartment cover. The two wires were then knotted to prevent them accidentally being pulled out before being pushed through the hole in the battery compartment cover and labelled.

The radio can now be powered by connecting the two wires hanging from its rear to the two bolts protruding from the back of the torch case, securing them with a second nut on each bolt.

I decided to keep the two devices as seperate units because the useful life-expectancy of the torch is much longer than that of the radio. The radio is also less expensive to replace.

2nd Prize Winner - Royal Adelaide Show

2010-09-08T21:00:00.001+09:30

A model motorcycle I built from ordinary printer paper won a second prize at the Royal Adelaide Show 2010.
Congratulations to Dane Filander for taking first place.

HELP English to Kiswahili Translation

2010-09-04T13:09:00.000+09:30

I'm putting together a training programme for a UN volunteer organisation in the Western Region of Kenya.
If you can volunteer your help (a little or a lot) with the translation of documents from English to Kiswahili please email me for details

chris123@myway.com.

DOLPHINS - SMARTER THAN WE THOUGHT

2010-05-19T17:25:00.003+09:30

An analysis of dolphin interventions in shark attacks on humans concludes that dolphins have less than honorable motives.

Dolphins have earned a reputation for protecting humans from shark attacks, is this reputation deserved or has their behaviour been misinterpreted?

Typically the story goes something like this: The human(s) are either injured by or uncomfortably close to a shark when dolphins come to the rescue. They circle the human(s) and, while beating their tails on the water to repel the shark, they drive the human(s) towards the shore.

One explanation for the dolphins’ behaviour is that they are altruistically putting their lives at risk to save humans from their natural enemy, the shark. They do this by using behaviours very similar to their natural hunting behaviours while at the same time, misguidedly attracting the shark!

A much more plausible explanation is that dolphins are using what they know about herding and corralling prey to drive the human(s) to, or to keep the human(s) in a vulnerable position, while attempting to attract the shark. Should the shark prove too dangerous to be driven off by the dolphins, they can make their escape - leaving a largely helpless human to distract the shark and possibly sate its hunger.

In one widely reported event a shark had three attempts at trying to consume surfer Todd Endris, causing him severe injuries. Then dolphins that had been in the area came along to circle him, supposedly keeping the shark at bay until he could catch a wave into shore.

From this account we can assume that the shark wasn’t actually big enough to consume Todd or even kill him without repeated attacks; Putting it at a size within the realm of threatening to dolphins but defendable at considerable risk.

In another widely reported event a group of swimmers in New Zealand were surrounded by dolphins, the dolphins were circling them and slapping their tails in the water. One swimmer then noticed a shark close by in the clear water. The dolphins continued to circle the swimmers, slapping their tails on the water until the shark ‘lost interest’, then the swimmers swam back to shore with the dolphins close behind.

This shark was only big enough to be noticed by one of the swimmers.

Shark and dolphin interactions in the wild are quite common; usually it involves a large shark eating a smaller dolphin. Dolphins will attack some shark species if the shark is small enough for the dolphin to stand a fighting chance, to protect their young or if they are left with no other avenue of escape. In other cases, self-preservation seems to feature highly and they do their best to get out of the area as quickly as possible.

Wild dolphins are known to herd groups of fish by circling them and driving them into a compact mass, making them easier to catch. Corralling is another behaviour commonly exhibited by wild dolphins were groups of fish are driven into shallow water, again making them easier to catch.

As for tail slapping, sharks are attracted to noise in general and especially to such noises as slapping on water. Some Pacific Islanders build ‘rattles’ from coconut shells and shake them up and down at the waterline specifically to attract sharks.

So next time you’re out swimming and dolphins start circling - save your romantic notions of inspirational interspecific interactions with those dastardly dolphinian dealers in death until you get OUT OF THE WATER - because those dolphins are smarter than we thought.

All comments containing the word spiritual, healing or using the word vibration to refer to something that isn’t actually vibrating will be automatically deleted.

Biogas Leak Detection (Canine)

2010-02-23T17:52:00.001+10:30

Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.
The use of biogas technology is an alternative cooking energy for rural people in developing countries.
It provides clean cooking energy, reduces indoor air pollution and reduces the time needed for traditional biomass collection, especially for women and children. The slurry is a clean organic fertilizer that potentially increases agricultural productivity.
Unfortunately, the threat of leaks is a serious problem especially when the quality of materials and labour cannot be guaranteed. However it is relatively cheap and simple to train a local dog to detect the hydrogen sulphide that would be present in any leaks and have it alert someone nearby. Such an animal could easily be trained to carry out regular inspections. The sensitivity of a dog's nose is far greater than commercially available detectors and they can even detect leaks from underground pipes.

On a lighter note - it could also be used to identify anyone that 'passed wind' in a crowded meeting hall enabling the offender to be dealt with appropriately. ;)

New Search Engine - AnthroPilot - Real Time, Human Driven

2010-02-11T22:58:00.000+10:30

Anthropilot is a new human driven search engine designed to make the internet a better place for all.
Frustrated by the ever increasing difficulty of finding things on the internet, I decided to find a better way. After much consideration I decided that we needed a way of connecting people with experience and knowledge in particular areas with those that didn't have experience and knowledge in particular areas, then getting them to communicate.
So here it is - AnthroPilot - a forum where you can ask people to help you find what you're looking for on the internet or, where you can help others find what they are looking for.

Volunteers Needed
To get this project running we are going to need a couple of hundred members.
If interested visit
http://anthro.x10hosting.com/help.html

Please re-post this ad somewhere else.

Ebay Scam - seller shaosan08

2009-11-30T00:38:00.002+10:30

Sometimes the scams are easy to spot - it is in the BOLD print.
Read the questions at the bottom of this page.
Don't think he realises the Q&A's are public
- Hilarious

Click Here to see original Page On Ebay

The Voynich Manuscript - Solved

2009-10-31T18:02:00.007+10:30

Here is a copy of my 2003 (widely misreported as 2007) solution to the Voynich Manuscript - formerly the most mysterious book in the world.
As its home on
http://www.geocities.com/chris123yh/voynich/v1.htm
will soon no longer exist, along with its number one spot on google, I've moved it over here. I've left it completely unedited and as it was. Written in some early hour of the morning as the effects of too much caffeine were starting to wear off, and just after the whirring of hard drives ceased, signalling the final analysis was completed and my results confirmed.

The Voynich Manuscript

CONCLUSIONS - the mystery solved
The VMS was written using an invented 'language' that does not have any meaning - as a language or as some form of code / cipher.
It was probably created in the 15th or 16th century or is a fake from a later date that is designed to look like it was created then.

HOW THE TEXT WAS GENERATED

It was not unprecidented for authors of the 15th & 16th C. to create entirely fictional 'alphabets' and claim that these were those used in foreign lands - presumably to make their efforts more saleable. Not only did the author of the VMS create a fictional alphabet - he wrote an entire manuscript in it, possibly after realising his artwork wasn't exactly the best and that he needed an edge to make his manuscript more valuable.
Our author, didn't take the obvious route to creating his fictional language - invent some words a grammar etc. but nonetheless he found a simple yet effective way. To do this he simply tried to imitate, speaking out aloud, a foreign language he was familiar with the sound of but of which he understood nothing or very little. Much as in the way children would when play-acting the role of a foreigner. Having done this, he invented a fictional alphabet to spell out his 'words' phonetically.
When you create text this way - as you hit an authentic sounding sound or group of sounds you tend to repeat it only changing the beginning or the ending, adding to it or modifying it slightly. And, what often starts off as a well ordered line can get rather messy/unstructured towards the end as you desperately struggle to make it sound convincing. When a text is generated line by line in this way, it has many of the characteristics of the VMS that has confounded so many for so long, In a hand that looks like it is practised in a Latin script!

* Letter and word combinations tend to occur in runs - Compare the different colours f41r and f42r in the colourized page below - ie in most of any given paragraph or page of the VMS a small subset of words and letters/letter groups occurs more frequently than would be expected in a normal language or code but there is no overall pattern to the entire text beyond what could be expected from a text created in the manner stated above. This favoured subset of words and letters slowly changes in order to avoid to much repetition or sudden changes that would make it look less languagey.

* When creating text in this manner there is an exceptionally high degree of assonance and alliteration, this is evident throughout the VMS.

* Low number of commonly occuring letters.

* This method of generating text also accounts for Captain Prescott H. Currier's findings on lines as functional entities and the effects of Word-Final Symbols on the Initial Symbol of the Following Word.Our author would have had to divide his time between speaking aloud his words and writing them, what better than a line to use as a dividing point between the two activities, and often he struggled to reach the end of a line.

THE ARTWORK
Yes, it is unusual when looked at as a whole, and yes there is nothing else quite like it that we know of from that time, when looked at as a whole. But if you consider the authors intentions and look at the elements
that make up the pictures in the VMS there is nothing unusual. Assuming that the authors intention was to create fantastic pictures of strange and wonderful mysteries from afar (as he did with the text), we see that he was only limited by his experiences. Artistically, he seems to have learned his techniques by imitating the art of the time, particularly the more widely available woodcuts and lower quality hand made manuscripts which, by their very nature, tend towards certain styles of representation. There is nothing unique about any of the 'line-styles' or the repetitve patterns used to make up the pictures of the VMS, they where just put together with a little imagination. What does stand out is the flowing, organic 'tubes', but it is hardly inconceivable that our author did not draw these at his most imaginative moments, and while he was at it he made the less
imaginative step of throwing in a few naked women. Having learned to draw curvy tubular/conical representations (which he may have considered very innovative, given the quality of his work) he couldn't help but use this technique frequently.

YES BUT WHAT ABOUT HIDDEN MESSAGES ?
Not likely, very, very not likely, If I want to hide a message I hide it in something that looks like an informal letter or a shopping list, not a strange and fantastic document that invites scrutiny! As for codes or
ciphers - it doesn't match any known method except for the completely unlikely eg. if you read the eleventh and twenty-ninth letter of this example it says 'hy' which could mean hi, a common form of greeting in the early 21st century. I'm not convinced that the sentence was a secret code - are you? Yes, it is possible that it is some form of highly unusal encoding scheme but there is no reason to suspect that it is, and impossible to prove or disprove. It is also possible that by applying the right algorithm to the text you are reading now you will find that it is really the location of a downed UFO encoded - not impossible, just very, very unlikely.

Well it has been fun and I've learnt more than I ever thought I might while searhing for the answers. Don't take my word for it, these are the conclusions I've reached and the reasons why I've reached them, try to unearth the mysteries of the VMS yourself and see if I'm right or not.

Notes, charts, diagrams, lists etc. (email me for a copy if you want them)

The whole lot in a zip file consisting of:
* A count of the individual letters in the Currier transcription
* A count of the individual 'words' and the pages they appear on. in the Currier transcription
* A count of bi-grams (pairs of letters) in the Currier transcription
* A count of tri-grams in the Currier transcription
* Letter Pair Matrix, in the Currier transcription
- The number of times a letter follows another one can be read by reading the first letter of the pair from the first column on the left and matching it with the second letter of the pair from the top row. Conversely, the number of times a letter comes before another one in a pair can be read by reading the second letter of the pair from the first row on the top and matching it with the first letter of the pair from the first column on the left.
Notes; The pair matrix shows that some letters are never followed by certain others and some never come before certain others. This 'could' suggest that a key is itself in some form of matrix but I've been unable to come up with anything definite.

* Comparative spaced/spaceless letter pair matrix
* A colourized HTML version of the Currier transcript with each different letter highlighted in different colours.
Notes; The colours chosen for each letter are of no significance and only the 15 most frequently occuring are coloured.

* Another colourized HTML version of the Currier transcript with each of the 15 most frequently occuring letters highlighted.
The colours range from Red - 13% - the most frequently occuring letter to Blue - 3% - the least frequently occuring. The inbetweens are coloured proportionately.

Naracoorte Fossil Expedition

2009-07-20T17:07:00.002+09:30

Geared up for caving - Sorting bones in the Lab - Luxurious accommodation

I spent a few days fossil hunting with a team of Palaeontologists from Flinders University. The fossils being down the bottom of deep holes in the ground meant a crash course in caving - my perspective on the size of gap I can fit through has been completely revised.

Then some time was also spent in the Laboratory sorting 12,000 year old bones.

Sleep deprived, repeatedly frozen, battered, bruised and carnivorous plants - haven't had this much fun in a long time - my idea of a holiday!

Box of fossils - Team of intrepid cavers

Build Your Own Proxy Server in 5 Minutes

2009-07-10T13:50:00.006+09:30

Need to get vital information at work but the website has been blocked by nannyware because some nong wrote a rude word in the comments section.
Why not build your own Proxy Server to give you the access you need?

You'll need some webspace that does php - google for free stuff if you don't already have it.

Open notepad and paste in the following five lines.

<html><body>
<form action="p.php" method="post">
<input type="text" name="t" value="http://www.">
<input type=submit name=submit value=submit >
</form></body></html>

Now save this file as "myproxy.html"

Open another notepad and paste in the following five lines.

<?php
$thefile = $_POST['t'];
$thepage = file_get_contents($thefile);
echo $thepage;
?>

Save this file as "p.php"

Next, upload these two new files to your webspace.

That's it - type "http://www.your_webspace.com/myproxy.html" into your
browser,then type the address of the page you want to visit in the box
that appears on the page and hit the 'submit' button.

DELETE THE FILES WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED
- this is the most basic, quick & dirty method I could come up with that mostly works most of the time. The more technically gifted amongst my readers will have noticed there are one or two security issues approximately the size of Greenland that could SERIOUSLY compromise the server if they are left lying around on there. So really, I mean it -
DELETE THE FILES WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED.

West Beach Eco Tours

2009-06-16T00:28:00.002+09:30

Another WebSite by CHRIS - Software Development & Design

West Beach Eco Tours
You are invited on an interesting and informative walking tour of West Beach, the beautiful River Torrens and its surroundings - where you will discover its rich treasures and be surprised by all it has to offer. Be introduced to the diverse plant, animal and bird life that inhabit the area.
Learn about its Aboriginal history and stories and also the history and impact of the European settlement of South Australia.

West Beach Eco Tours

INDOOR UHF ANTENNA

2008-06-09T12:20:00.003+09:30

I've been working with a very talented team over at Channel 31 producing the T.V. show 'Hotel De Barton'. The problem was I didn't have good enough reception to watch my own T.V. show ! I was told that the transmitter was not very powerful and the only way I could get good enough reception in my little suburb by the beach was to install an external UHF antenna that had an uninterupted view of the transmission tower.
Unpersuaded by such a concept as 'impossible', I set about building a better antenna. Using the principles that I just needed to pick up more useful signal, less rubbish and wire all the bits to work synergistically I put together the best antenna I've ever had the pleasure to own. The prototype, nicknamed 'Frankantenna' because it was just plain ugly, is shown above along with a much prettier version for everyday use.

GEEK CHIC - SPICE RACK

2008-04-01T17:36:00.000+10:30

This has to be one of the best presents I've ever received, a test tube spice rack. Not only does it look great but it is practical too - test tubes have been used by scientists for centuries, and are still used today because they make it easy to tap out precise amounts. Just what every stylish foodie needs. Available from a Laboratory Equipment Supplier near you.

Weekend Project 4

2007-11-22T12:41:00.000+10:30

Origamic Paper Architecture

I needed a practice piece to re-familiarize myself with some software I'll be using on an upcoming job.
This is what I produced.

Click here to download a printable pdf file and make your own.

Instructions:
Solid lines - Cut
Dotted lines - Fold away from you
Dashed lines - Fold towards you
All folds are 90 degrees

Tip: Score all folds well with something pointy before cutting other lines

- I'm sure there must be a cool Japanese name for it, please email me if you know.

New Real Time Human Powered Search Engine

2007-11-05T12:21:00.001+10:30

New Real Time Human Powered Search Engine

I have begun development on a new search engine that incorporates real human intelligence.
The increasing corporatisation of the internet and popular search engines has impeded the ability to efficiently access information via the internet and left those less savvy amongst us unable to access the benefits of smaller and often more capable operators. Many are unaware of and unable to utilize such developments as the 'open source' movement or waste too much time being mislead while attempting to access the information they need.
The new search engine's emphasis will be on social networking, giving people the tools to connect in a focused way, then leaving it to them to work it out. By enabling people with skills and knowledge to connect in a transparent way with people that require those skills and that knowledge, in real-time, it is intended that mutually beneficial social interactions and the transfer of information will occur across multiple levels.
When a search is conducted using the new search engine human minds will be integrating with traditional search methods to achieve more efficient information access for all.

Or just - hookin up newbs+1337s

If you're interested, feel you have something to contribute and want to get in on the ground level send me an email.

ABS Data Flawed

2007-09-26T21:44:00.001+09:30

I quite like that noble institution, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a treasure trove of information used for such things as guiding public policy and business marketing decisions. I would be pleased to help them in any way I could if they just asked politely. I would even have told them of the Glaring error that even a none-statistician such as myself could not help but see in the last form they forced me to fill out - it was either deliberately designed to provide inaccurate data or put together by an entire team of imbeciles. ... if they just asked politely.
I received a letter this morning informing me that I had been selected to participate in an ABS survey that involved someone coming into my home and asking me questions, and later, a follow up phone interview (the logic of having both a face to face and tele-interview I have yet to understand). A little investigation led me to discover that participation was compulsory and I would be fined if I refused to comply.
This blatant contravention of basic human rights leads to something called resentment, resentment leads to participants sabotaging the data collection process in the only accessible way they have at their disposal - being frugal with the truth.
Yes, the information I will be supplying will be about as accurate as the last form they made me fill out under duress.
So if you find, after sifting through all those stats, that there is a single person in West Beach with a PhD thesis titled 'The Influence of Feminist Principles in Yak Husbandry', an income of 20 sqillion dollars a year, an IQ of 576 that also claims an all liquorice diet is the only true path to enlightenment and that he is regularly contacted by extra terrestrials ... some of it might just be true !
Off to dust off my copy of Mein Kamf and polish up the jackboots

Weekend Project 3

2007-04-28T00:04:00.000+09:30

1/12 scale 10' dinghy

Plans for full size boat - off the net
Frame - Paddle Pop Sticks
Hull - Scrap Pine Veneer
Mast - Bamboo meat skewers
Fittings, Rudder Hinge etc. - Brass lace making pins
(they don't rust)
Sail - Plastic shopping bag
Finish - Many coats of Lacquer

Main Design consideration was keeping the
upper sections as light as possible - hence the
plastic and bamboo sail and mast, both having
an excellent strength to weight ratio.

Using POV-Ray for movie special effects

2007-02-26T12:26:00.000+10:30

(Not for the mathematically challenged)
POV-Ray is still the best Ray tracer, there are many tutorials available to get you started and it is FREE. Get it here: http://www.povray.org/
The effect I wanted was the view from a helicopter as it was flying over a city but you could also use this technique for making documentaries based on old photos or for whatever else your imagination can dream up.
First I loaded an overhead picture of a city onto a plane (the geometric type) in POV-Ray then pointed POV-Ray's 'camera' at it. Next I worked out a starting and ending position for the camera, largely by trial and error, then used
POV-Ray's animation functions to output the rendered frames as a sequence of images. All that remained was to batch convert the images to .jpg and use a program like
JPGVideo http://www.ndrw.co.uk/ (also FREE) to make the sequence of images into a movie clip.

If you are unfamiliar with POV-Ray read the 'quickstart tutorial' then have a look through help for 'animation' and you'll have all the knowledge you need.

NOTE: Remember there are all those lighting and atmospheric effects at your disposal.

1950's Wessex Navy Helicopter

2007-02-26T12:24:00.000+10:30

I needed a shot of myself climbing into a helicopter for a movie I was making. A quick call to the local Aviation Museum and the problem was solved - many thanks guys. And with a few SFX (see above) I was off into the wide blue yonder, on celluloid at least. And yes, the child within got a real buzz.

ILD (improvised lifting device)

2007-02-08T16:33:00.000+10:30

We went crabbing last night at a nearby jetty. There's not much involved, just throw a baited trap over the side and haul it up every 10 or 15 minutes to remove the crabs. So there I was watching the trap slowly sink out of view in the greenish H2O below when an agitated young lady walked up beside me, said 'excuse me' and promptly tossed a bicycle over the side into the ocean, before stamping off. Being concerned with ocean pollution and being unable to resist a challenge I knew something had to be done. Having only limited means at my disposal; just a bucket, rope and a pair of clippers I quickly devised a hook by firmly tying the clippers to the end of the rope. Then it was just a matter of lowering the 'hook' into the water and raising the bike.

GLOBAL FLOWER DELIVERY

2006-09-25T09:38:00.000+09:30

Another WebSite by CHRIS - Software Development & Design
GLOBAL FLOWER DELIVERY - Easy Selection - Speedy Delivery
betterflora.com
Start Sending Flowers
http://www.betterflora.com

Bicycle dual inner tube system

2006-07-18T23:52:00.000+09:30

How to fit a dual tube system to a bicycle wheel that will enable you to deal with a puncture without having to remove the the wheel or need any tools other than a pump until you get home. When you get a puncture the second inner tube is sitting right there in the tyre waiting to be inflated.
CLICK HERE to learn how on instructables.com

No Rust

2006-06-12T10:53:00.000+09:30

I bought myself a new bike - only $70, on special at K-Mart. It would have cost me more than that to
re-fit the tires, cables and brake pads on the old one which had just about been killed by rust anyway.

As we are seriously lacking in mountains here in Adelaide I take my mountain bike down the beach -
crashing through the surf over wave swept rocks, coursing through rivers etc.. The new bike was all
steel and chrome - add a little salt water and all you get is rust ! So I decided to water-proof it;
I painted every piece, every nut, bolt, washer and spring and every bit of chrome and steel with
Etching primer (+epoxy for extra sticking power) then several coats of enamel. All the bits painted
black in the factory got some extra enamel too as these tend to be susceptible to rust. Then all the
holes in the frame were siliconed up. Finally all the spaces between the axles and their housings were
packed solid with thick grease to ensure there was no space for water to flow - a foam insert was made
for the crank housing to reduce the amount of grease needed.
And yes - I know what you're thinking - I did get it all together again without any leftover bits.

ANOTHER WEBSITE

2006-03-06T10:35:00.000+10:30

Another WebSite by CHRIS - Software Development & Design

The Neurological Council of South Australia

http://www.neurocouncil.org.au/

FREE SOFTWARE 3 - JavaScript DeBugger

2005-11-07T12:04:00.001+10:30

A JavaScript DeBugger I wrote that is available here at Planet Source Code is now being used by the Weizmann Institue in the OOP module of their Life Sciences course.

Plasma Balls

2005-10-09T16:06:00.000+09:30

Plasma Balls

After 10 years of faithful service the old microwave oven had rusted to the
point where it could start leaking rays at anytime, so I bought a new one.

What do with the old one ..... PLASMA BALLS - think amorphous blobs
of molten air. After the obligatory CD frying of course.

Here's what happens (or at least what I think - not my srongest subject so bear with me)
Blocked off the vents on the microwave. Broke off pieces of incense sticks and zapped
them on full power. These give off carbon vapour. The microwaves then zap the carbon
vapour molecules which makes them attracted to each other and get REALLY hot aswell.
Looks cool watching fireballs dance around inside the machine- see attached photos.

Got really hot in there after a while - the thick glass jars you see in the photos shattered.
Had to stop when the Microwave, after all the sides had buckled, started to smell
like it was burning. Didn't want to risk burning down the place. Sure warmed the place
up though.

And before you call the RSPCA for putting my offspring in mortal danger - we did it
all behind the safety of a Lexan / Plexiglass / whatever you call it in your part of the world /
screen which I just happen to have lying around for such occasions.

2005-10-09T16:03:00.000+09:30

More Plasma Balls

News

2005-06-26T16:42:00.000+09:30

Going to be busy for the next couple of weeks - any requests for work cannot be
attended to until after then.

Rapid Prototyper / 3D Printer 1

2005-06-26T16:40:00.000+09:30

Two old, dead laserjets and a mercifully retired workstation - You see a
pile of rubbish but I think there's nearly enough bits in there to put together
a High Precision Rapid Prototyper / 3D Printer.
This one is going to take a while, will keep you updated.

Handy Hint 1

2005-06-26T16:39:00.000+09:30

An electric blanket on the sofa / lounge / divan / settee / whatever you call it
in your part of the world, keeps you toasty warm during winter without putting
too much strain on your bank balance.

News

2005-06-21T20:52:00.000+09:30

Another of my sites - Chris' Dating site - now has 645023 profiles in the database.
Take a look

FREE SOFTWARE 2

2005-06-21T20:36:00.000+09:30

This is a small application I wrote that lets you type using just the mouse buttons to
enter a modified version of morse code. Why ? I hear you ask.
* Type into your notebook / laptop while it is safely in your backpack without
walking into things or falling down a deep hole.
* Works for injured or Differently abled people.
* With a little imagination, a screwdriver and some glue a $5 mouse could easily
and inexpensively be adapted to allow almost anyone to use it to communicate.

It is poorly documented and still has a lot more room for further development but
it is free. If you have any ideas about how it could be made more useful for you
send me an email and I'll see what I can do.

DOWNLOAD

Weekend Project 2

2005-06-18T15:54:00.000+09:30

Paper Motorcycles - a free download from

Yamaha

Recognize This ?

2005-06-07T14:37:00.000+09:30

If there is anyone out there that can send me any information about this figurine (19 cm / 7.5 inch high 'N.D DE MONTAIGU' written below figure), the Notre-Dame de Montaigu-Scherpenheuvel, the Basilica of Our Lady of Montaigu-Scherpenheuvel or the miraculous oak of Montaigu-Scherpenheuvel please contact me.

Weekend Project 1

2005-06-07T14:36:00.000+09:30

LED light and mount - cheap pocket torch.
Case - cutdown toothbrush holder.
Battery holder (2 x AAA) & contacts - baked beans tin.
Bracket - coathanger.

Smoked Tasmanian Salmon

2005-06-07T14:34:00.000+09:30

In Australia we eat smoked salmon everyday for breakfast !

FREE SOFTWARE 1 MP3 conversion

2005-06-06T10:53:00.000+09:30

dBpowerAMP Music Converter Release 10 (Free previous version with unlimited MP3 conversion).
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/bin/dMC-r10.exe

Great App with all the bells and whistles - if you upgrade to a later version you'll have to pay for the privilege of full functionality !!!

NEWS

2005-05-18T22:36:00.000+09:30

my site -
How to build a lovely iridescent Glow-In-The-Dark TOXIC GREEN chess set
LINK
featured on the eXtremely cool site http://www.hackaday.com

Just Testing

2005-05-18T17:07:00.000+09:30

And here is a first test post
CHRIS Software Development & Design