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3D Printing for Construction
Image borrowed from coopernundrums.com
It looks like some more Star Trek tech is coming to life. Remember the replicators? Apparently it could replicate anything, but Captain Picard was constantly wasting it in, “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.” It was mainly shown synthesizing food, though occasionally Geordi used it to replace a part.
Now 3D printers have come to life and according to a recent article in ENR, we’ll soon be seeing 3D printers set up on sites creating structures, layer by layer… This may lead to some design changes. 3D printers prefer curves.
Image borrowed from enr.construction.com
The interesting tie here is that NASA is considering using them on the Moon and Mars. The plan is to use them to build landing bases out of materials gathered from the surface. I think we should let NASA figure it out first, but the time is coming when you’ll call the construction company to come and “print” your new building.
QWERTY
Image Source: Wikimedia.org
QWERTY is the name for the commonly used keyboard on computers. It takes its name from the first six letters in the upper left of the keyboard. Its layout was transferred to computer keyboards from electric typewriter keyboards. It was transferred to electric typewriter keyboards from manual typewriters… which didn’t have “keyboards”. They just had keys.
Computer keyboards are totally electronic. Hitting a key activates electrons. Electric typewriters came in various forms, but most later ones had little balls covered with reversed letters that struck carbon paper ribbons against paper to imprint images when the keys were struck.
Image Source: Blokeish.com
Manual typewriter keys controlled little arms with reversed letters on them. As you hit the keys, the little arm would swing into action, smacking the same carbon paper image against paper. The difference here being that the action was totally controlled by the force of your fingers hitting the keys. Typing this way was hard work and resulted in tired fingers. But if you were good, you could get fast. And if you were too fast, the keys would jamb as in the image to the left. In college I used an electric typewriter with strike arms. As a left-hander, I often caused jambs because commonly used letters are mostly on the left… slowing most right-handed people down.
Thinking Outside the Box
* I’d love to credit this, but it came in an email amongst a random group of humorous pictures.
