Farms: On the Moon? Quite Likely

"Space Farms Could Mine Minerals From Moon Dirt"
Space.com (July 29, 2010)

"Future manned missions to the moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils, researchers say.

"Now they hope to launch new experiments to follow up on tests done with plants and lunar regolith during NASA's Apollo program that landed men on the moon.

"Lunar regolith is a loose mixture of dust, soil, broken rock and other related materials that lie on top of solid bedrock. The Apollo-era research showed that returned lunar samples of the regolith did not have toxins or contain alien life-form contaminants that could threaten plants, animals or humans on Earth...."

Apollo-era research suggested that plants would grow fine in moon soil, and that it was safe for food crops. But there just wasn't enough to do thorough field testing (literally and figuratively) with what we found on Earth's satellite.

One of many things we don't know is what happens to bacteria that plants need to grow, when the microorganisms get together with lunar soil. That may change soon:

"...New experiments don't need to wait for a return trip to the Moon, according to the researchers. They already have plans that would require just a few grams of the hundreds of kilograms of lunar regolith collected by NASA.

"Just one gram of lunar regolith could support the growth of several Arabidopsis plants related to cabbage and radish, Paul pointed out. That model organism represented the first plant to have its genome sequenced, and so would provide a great baseline for lunar biology experiments...."

My guess is that critters from Earth will get along pretty well in the sort of material we find on the Moon: the place isn't that different. Assuming that we can grow crops on the Moon, I think the article's idea of growing crops to supply interplanetary expeditions isn't very far-fetched.

We probably won't be seeing "Moon farmers" soon, though: on-site crop maintenance and harvesting could, in principle, be handled by robots.

As I've written before, this is an exciting time to live in.

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More:

• "Humanity in Space: The Next Few Decades"

Farm Toy Collector: Bobby WIlson

"Bobby Wilson's extensive farm toy collection"
The Fence Post (July 19, 2010)

"Farm boys generally learn to drive tractors at a young age. But learning to drive as young as preschool is exceptional. On the other hand, tractors were much simpler when Bobby Wilson started driving at an early age. 'I was placed on a tractor at the age of 5. I would drive between the square bales while the adults threw them on the wagon. Someone would stop the tractor for me because I couldn't reach the clutch or brake pedals,' Bobby recalled.

"Bobby and Donna Wilson along with their son, Samuel, reside in the southwestern community of Morgantown, Ky. Founded in 1810, this bustling little hamlet is contained in Kentucky's cave region. It may have been named Funkhouser Hill after Christopher Funkhouser, who donated land for the city. However, further records suggest that Funkhouser may have eventually named Morgantown to honor a hunter named Morgan or Daniel Morgan Smith, the first child born in the city...."

"...'Simply stated, I cattle farm during the day. I also work the second shift as an Inspector at NHK of America, a firm in Bowling Green, Ky., that makes coil springs for cars and trucks. And now, my passion for farming has spilled over into collecting the toy tractor and implement versions. I guess I'll always be a farmer of some sort,' Bobby noted.

"Bobby explained that his first toy tractor was a 1:16 scale die-cast International model 806; 'I believe I was 4 when I got that 806 International. I played with it so hard that I quickly destroyed it. Since then, I've kept and taken care of my toys.'..."

Bobby Wilson is a practical farmer as well as a collector: He's got an 80-head herd of Angus.

The article is a pleasant biographical look at Bobby Wilson's life, work, and hobby: collecting farm toys. It's got four photos with him, his family, and models.

I don't collect, but there's a collector's fair at the school, a few blocks away: and I've enjoyed seeing what the folks who do have brought together.

He's got advice for collectors starting out, including: "...'I encourage the beginning collector to buy your favorite newest toys first. If you wait, a dealer's edition or collector's edition can become rare very fast. If you have a favorite brand of tractor, concentrate on that brand as you're getting started. Trying to take on too much at the start is not good,'..."

It's a pleasant read, if a bit on the long side.

I particularly appreciated the last section: "Blessings Beyond Collecting." But then, I like 'family' things.

Huge Model Railroad: Diablo Valley Lines

"Giant Model Railroad Is an Analog SimCity"
Wired Raw File (June 30, 2009)

"Before SimCity — even before Dungeons and Dragons — back when 'computer' was a job title, people still found ways to vaporize countless hours of free time designing and maintaining private universes. In the analog world, such parallel realities were built with tweezers, glue and a spouse's permission to cover the basement with papier-mâché massifs and plywood plains...."

I had a model railroad layout when I was a boy, about a half-century back now: and much smaller than the 54 foot by 32 foot Diablo Valley Lines that the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society maintains.

This Wired article has a pretty good mix of text and photos: enough to give people who aren't familiar with model railroading an idea of what's involved, and those who have at least dabbled in the hobby a look at what a group of dedicated amateurs can achieve.

I enjoyed going through the pages - I hope you do, too.

A Playing-Card Capitol Building, Two Watermelons, and an Apple Crate

"Capitol building made of 22000 cards" A 2-and-a-half-minute video featuring time-lapse of the conversion of sixty pounds of playing cards into a large model of a capitol building.

Two watermelons and an apple crate are also featured.

There may be some deep and relevant meaning to this video, but I think the young guys were having fun.

Cycling Through the Solar System: A Big Scale Model

"Tour the World's Largest Model of the Solar System"
"Welcome to the home of Jupiter, part of the world's largest scale model of the solar system."

And, "Tour the Solar System by bicycle, Every Summer>"

Photos, description, links.

The model uses the nine-planet Mercury-to-Pluto plus comets and asteroids definition of the Solar System, so I don't think you'll find Eris, Sedna, Quaoar and Orcus there.

Build Your Own (Model) Solar System

"Build a Solar System"

"Fill in the diameter of the Sun you want your model to be scaled by." Javascript does the rest.

From the Exploratorium.

Solar System Scale Model Link Page

"A Solar System Scale Model Meta Page"

"The idea: Making scale models of the solar system is a useful way to learn about it. Here are various related pages."

List of Scale Model Websites, World-Wide

"ScaleModel.net:
International List of Scale Model Related Web Sites"

By Categories:

• General Interest
• Static Display Models
• Model Railroad
• Special Interest
• R/C Models
• Supplies &
  Web Resources

By Country, and by "Pre-formulated Popular Search Terms:"

• Land
  • Diecast car
  • Motorcycle
  • Formula 1
  • NASCAR
  • Lowrider
  • Hotwheel
Sea
• Sailing ship
• Wood ship
• Warship
• Tug boat
• Submarine
• Aero
  • Diecast plane
  • Aviation
  • Helicopter
  • Airliner
  • Luftwaffe
• Train
  • G Scale
  • O Scale
  • S Scale
  • HO Scale
  • N Scale
  • Z Scale
• Military
  • WWI
  • WWII
  • Diorama
  • Toy Soldier
  • R/C Tank
• SciFi
  • Anime
  • Gundam
  • Star Wars
  • Star Trek

Really Big Radio-Controlled Airplane

"Huge R/C Plane" "You could fly a dog in this thing"

Just under 2 minutes of video, of a really big radio-controlled model. Impressive.

Star Wars X-Wing Crash: The Truth Revealed!!!!

"What Really Happened at the X-Wing Launch - Video:" "Caught on video: what really caused the X-Wing fighter to disintegrate in mid-air. This Tie Fighter came out of nowhere to shoot it down."

Fun, with not-bad special effects.

One error, I think: The flying X-Wing was 21 feet long. I doubt that was "Life size," as it says in the video title.

Previous posts:

"Star Wars X-Wing: The Force Wasn't With This One"
• "Rocket-Powered 21-Foot-Long X-Wing Model Actually Flies (Updated: Built-in R2-D2)"
• "Video: The Rocket-Powered X-Wing's Flight...and Death"

Star Wars X-Wing: The Force Wasn't With This One

I posted "Star Wars X-Wing to be Launched Next Week" three and a half weeks ago.

Then, I didn't follow up. Until now.

It's a good thing that no one decided to ride along on the X-Wing's first, and last, flight. Finally, the updated links:

• "Rocket-Powered 21-Foot-Long X-Wing Model Actually Flies (Updated: Built-in R2-D2)"
  Gizmodo.com
• "Video: The Rocket-Powered X-Wing's Flight...and Death"
  Gizmodo.com

Bølgen: Architecture so Contemporary, so, Well, Contemporary

"Bølgen" is "a [model of a?] housing development in Denmark" - there's more at boelgenvejle.dk, but my guess is that you'd better know Dansk.

Someone suggested that it looks like a skate ramp. My first impression was that the architect was inspired by the inside part of corrugated cardboard.

China's Cool New Buildings: Eco-Aware, Too

"10 Amazing new buildings in China" shows that China can produce impressively different architecture, in model or concept form, at least, and make it eco-friendly, too.

It's all in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in China.

The page linked above is on the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 / Countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games site.

Apparently, China brought in architects from around the world to work on these projects. It's a nice gesture, of course, and rather common in situations like this. Just the same, I can't help but think that, if China let its college students have computers, they might have found more Chinese architects who could do the job.

Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" A Hyper Detailed Architectural Model

"America's Leading Scale Model Builder / Architectural Models 'Fallingwater' Display Model" is the best visual depiction of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" that I've seen. And I'm something of a fan of Wright's work.

Aside from the artistry involved in creating this "museum-quality" model, photos on this page, from many angles and distances, show the complex three-dimensional design of this house at least as well as illustrations in 'serious' architectural texts. "Museum-quality" isn't, in my opinion, an exaggeration in this case.

The model is roughly two feet on a side, and on display at Architectural Models, in Norman, Oklahoma. They're selling a limited number of copies, and the price is "inquire." That translates into my dialect as "if you have to ask, you can't afford it."

Finally, I was surprised to find Toad, of "Frog and Toad are Friends," lounging against a terrace, his left arm resting on the terrace edge, in one photo. It struck me as a charmingly whimsical detail. Then I noticed that Toad's head was a decorative vase: see if you can see the same figure.

Star Wars X-Wing to be Launched Next Week

Star Wars enthusiasts have built a Rocket-Powered 21-Foot Long X-Wing Model. They're going to try flying it a week from tomorrow: on October 10, 2007.

Model aviation buffs, amateur rocket hobbyists, and experimental aviation fans might be interested: The article has a modest amount of detail, and quite a few photos showing the construction process.

Abu Dhabi's Performing Arts Center: Really Strange

I hope that whoever unleashed architect Zaha Hadid on the Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre understood the possible consequences.

The blog post "Exhibition Highlights: Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre model," and "dezeen" design magazine's "More images of Hadid’s Emirates centre" show a beautiful (my opinion), and distinctly non-traditional piece of sculpture that doubles as a building.

The thing's style reminds me of the alien technology of "Earth: Final Conflict" (1997-2002), which probably means that it's a style that emerged while I was distracted by a hairpin bend in my career path.