Pretty tents above the forest floor.

These are just beautiful, what a sight to encouter in the forest. UFO like. Steve

Tentsile tree tents: floating treehouses mimic sp…: http://youtu.be/SqImIChxJ-E

Famous but wrong ideas

 ''The Bomb will never go off; I speak as an expert in explosives."
- - Admiral William Leahy , US Atomic Bomb Project

"There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom."
-- Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923

"Computers in the future may weigh
no more than 1.5 tons."
-- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

"I think there is a world market for maybe
five computers."
-- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
-- The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

"But what is it good for?"
-- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968,
commenting on the microchip.

"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
-- Bill Gates, 1981

This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us"
-- Western Union internal memo, 1876.

"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
-- David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible"
-- A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper"
-- Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind."

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out"
-- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible"
-- Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

"If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this"
- - Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M "Post-It" Notepads .

"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy"
-- Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.

"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau."
- - Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University , 1929.

"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value"
-- Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre , France .

"Everything that can be invented has been invented"
-- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents, 1899.

"The super computer is technologically impossible. It would take all of the water that flows over Niagara Falls to cool the heat generated by the number of vacuum tubes required."
-- Professor of Electrical Engineering, New York University

"I don't know what use any one could find  for a machine that would make copies of documents. 
It certainly couldn't be a feasible business by itself."
-- the head of IBM, refusing to back the idea, forcing the inventor to found Xerox.

 
"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon,"
-- Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873.
 
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
 
 
Thanks Alex

Power Inverters FAQ - Answers

Power Inverters FAQ - Answers

How long will the inverter run on batteries?

The inverter will run continuously if: The battery(ies) voltage maintains 11 volts (10.5 volts for GO-AC models) or higher (15.5 volts max 16 volts max for GO-AC models). Sufficient air spacing and ventilation around the inverter Not unusually high air temperatures (90+) Wattage is below continuous rating of inverter To determine how long a typical battery will last we need to find the amp/hour rating of the battery. The cold cranking amps or CCA rating is only a number to compare manufacturer's batteries. Somewhere on the battery labeling there should be a "reserve minutes" specification. Simply times the "reserve minutes" number by .3 to get an amp/hour rating for the battery. For example; What is the amp/hour of a battery with 100 reserve minutes? 100 x .3 = 30 amp/hours How long will a battery last? A 300 watt inverter providing 150 watts connected to a fully charged 100 reserve minutes battery will last approximately 2 hours. To determine the power the inverter needs from the battery click here. 30/15 amps = 2 hours The higher the "reserve minutes" the longer the inverter will work.

Vehicle Electrical System (alternators)

A major consideration when installing large inverters (500 Watts and higher) is the charging system. The charging system must be able to keep ahead of the current drain from the inverter plus the drain of the remaining systems in the vehicle. Normal vehicle alternators range from 65 to 90 amps. For example a 1500 watt inverter supplying power to a 1000 watt appliance requires 100 amps from the battery. With the vehicle's alternator rated at 90 amps, this is a 10 amp drain for the battery. Using the above battery, the car will be dead within 3 hours! Not only will the car be dead but the alternator may burn out because it was trying to recharge the battery at its full output. Alternators do not like to work full out. A larger alternator, at least 20 to 30 amps more than what's needed will be required to keep the battery charged. A 110 or 120 amp alternator would be required in this application. If the 1500 watt was used at its continuous rating a 170 to 180 amp alternator is needed. Choosing The Right RV Batteries - Solar RV Panels Charging, Recharging and Monitoring Your RV Batteries - Solar RV Panels

Beers filling up through the bottom of the cup.

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Beers filling up through the bottom of the cup. [VIDEO]: Thanks Alex
.

Brisbane Flooding: 20,000 Homes at risk

How do you prepare for such a large dump of water. Note the scale of the large trees on the opposite bank!Thanks Mom. 

Now, after monsoon rains for the best part of two months, Wivenhoe is bloated to 190% of its capacity.

Authorities have no choice but to release an extraordinary amount of water from the dam to save the structure from giving way.

Local reports say 490,000ML (megalitres) of water a day were being let out - an overflow that Brisbane is bearing the brunt of as it makes its way to the Pacific Ocean.

• Brisbane Flooding: 20,000 Homes At Risk - Yahoo! News UK
• video
• Flooded households asked to conserve water

Gympie, Toowoomba flooding, rain, thunder, trees falling, etc.

This weather is striking perilously close to home. Thanks for the update Alex. I wonder how your little rain meter is doing?

• Gympie, Toowoomba flooding | Brisbane on alert | Dam full.
• Toowoomba Flood Death Toll Rises After Cars, Residents Swept Away
• Weather and Rain Radar : Note extreme rain (yellow) right over Pomona, south east of Gympie... Torrential rain raises alarm for Toowoomba, Maryborough, Gympie, Wide Bay, Kingaroy, Cooloola and Brisbane | Courier Mail
• Resilient Campers: Campers brave torrential rain | Gympie Travel | Holidays and Tourism in Gympie | Gympie Times
• Local Weather: Gympie Local Weather | Courier Mail

When bad inventions disappear, it's not a conspiracy, just physics.

I love inventions, but many very cool ideas disappear from view for no apparent reason  and conspiracy theories are set in motion (I’m reminded of perpetual motion engines, water engines, gas savers, basement nuclear power, etc...).

Today, it’s the Air Car from Tata Motors of India. It runs on Air!  Will they tax the very air we breathe?

Well they won't tax compressed air, because air isn't the fuel, it is just energy storage. You still have to pay for the electrical energy to run the compressor; and it takes a great deal of energy since it is the same energy you would use to move the car plus the energy you waste compressing the air (heating the air, etc.).  I read that less than 15% of the energy you put in moves the car, the rest goes up in heat!

Still compressed air may temporarily be in competition with batteries if only because it is very compelling. But the "air car" is a falacy, since the air is compressed with electrical energy, it might as well be called the "coal car" because electrical energy in India is often coal powered (Compressed air car - Wikipedia).

When "miraculous" inventions disapear from view, I don't blame conspiracy theories, just the laws of physics.

With full tanks it is said to run at 100 km/h (62 mph) for 90 kilometres (56 mi) range in urban cycle. There are severe physical arguments pleading against those figures. In December 2009 Tata's vice president of engineering systems confirmed that the limited range and low engine temperatures were causing difficulties.[23]

Now, where was that bicycle again?

Steve

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 Digital Camera

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 Digital Camera - Express Review -
You have to purchase a proprietary $60 cable in order to view high-def movies on your television directly from the camera.  Congratulations on a terrific camera purchase Alex.