Bunker.jordan

[anfractuosus] has been reading magnetic stripe card… optically!

While hackers routinely read and write stripe cards, this is the first time we’ve reported on optically imaging and decoding data from the magnetic stripe. [anfratuosus] used a magnetic developer which is designed to allow visual inspection of the magnetic stripe. The developer uses micron sized iron particles in a suspension which are dropped onto the stripe. To the particles, the magnetic stripe looks like a series of magnets lined up. Long magnets represent 0s and short magnets 1s. With each bit the orientation of the magnet changes, something like the diagram to the right. The magnetic field is strongest where the poles meet. So the iron particles are attracted to these flux reversal points on the stripe creating a visible pattern . There’s an awesome video of the process in action below.

While magnetic developer was designed for debugging faulty recording systems [anfratuosus] went a step further scanning the “developed” card, and writing a tool to decode the images and extract the card data. [anfratuosus] doesn’t mention any particular application, we love this circuitous hack anyway!

Filed under: misc hacks

Artist Shirin Abedinirad (previously) just completed work on her latest sculpture, Mirrored Ziggurat, a pyramid of mirrors resting near a bay in Sydney, Australia as part of the Underbelly Arts Festival. Like her earlier mirror works, the Iranian artist is fascinated by stitching the sky to the ground (or vice versa, depending on your perspective) to create unusual optical illusions from almost every viewing angle. From her statement about the piece:

In this installation I have been inspired by the pyramidal structure of Ziggurat, a common form of temple in ancient Mesopotamia, attempting to connect earth and sky, so humans could be nearer to god. The Mirrored Ziggurat acts as a staircase, which seeks to connect nature with human beings and to create union of ancient history and today’s world. This installation offers a transformative view of the self.

You can see more views of the installation as well as a video on her website.

When I first saw The Phantom Menance, the most memorable moment was when R2-D2 made his heroic entrance – the entire audience cheered! I have no idea if Artoo is planning a similar reprieve in The Force Awakens, but I think he’s going to have a hard time upstaging his even more adorable replacement, BB-8. Not even if he shows off all his bells and whistles, as builder Takamichi Irie imagines him doing here:

In the overall robot pecking order, I suspect a gyroscopically self-balancing sphere probably beats a metal drum with a guy inside. Who knows, maybe this’ll become a divisive issue for Star Wars fans? Of course, if they met on screen, it certainly would be a touching moment. Although I’d worry about half the audience spontaniously losing bladder control.

Cat Purr.

Cuddling up with a purring cat is certainly a relaxing experience. Scientific studies have shown that cat owners have lower blood pressure and can live longer than humans who don’t own pets!
A cat’s purr is generally within the range of 40 – 200 Hz. In sound therapy, these frequencies are believed to heal injuries and relieve pain. It is also told that injured cats often purr to help soothe and heal themselves…
Whether you’re not at home, can’t have a pet, or just need your purr fix right this moment, this soundscape can help you relax and emulate the soothing experience of snuggling up with your furry friend – without the fleas and cat hair!

Heavily tinted blue paintings form space stations, spacesuits, and rockets just after blast. Michael Kagan paints these large-scale works to celebrate the man-made object—machinery that both protects and holds the possibility of instantly killing those that operate the equipment from the inside. To paint the large works, Kagan utilizes an impasto technique with thick strokes that are deliberate and unique, showing an aggression in his application of oil paint on linen.

The New York-based artist focuses on iconic images in his practice, switching back and forth between abstract and representational styles. “The painting is finished when it can fall apart and come back together depending on how it is read and the closeness to the work,” said Kagan about his work. “Each painting is an image, a snapshot, a flash moment, a quick read that is locked into memory by the iconic silhouettes.”

Kagan exhibited this series of space-based paintings last year at Joshua Liner Gallery in an exhibition titled Thunder in the Distance. He was also recently commissioned by The Smithsonian to create three large paintings inspired by their air and space archives. You can see more of his work on his Instagram here. (via Fubiz)

killtonyabbott:

hey boys

my headcanon is this is what transmemesatan‘s roommate is building

This 1908 Thor Model 7 motorcycle is one of only two in the world, and Krystal Hess got to take it for a spin.

Firstly, Krystal is a really rad lady who owns Richochet Customs, a powdercoating business in Austin, Texas, builds bikes, and is generally a really cool chick. You may remember her from previous features including “Spinderella” her custom Suzuki Savage cafe racer covered in photos of historic motorcycling women, or winning the people’s choice award at the JP Cycles’ Ultimate Biker Build off.

This time around, she talks about getting to ride an incredibly amazing and rare vintage motorcycle- a 1908 Thor model 7, one of only two in the whole world. And in pristine condition, I might add. As you can see, like many bikes back in the day, it’s crazy tall for her. It also doesn’t have the same ol “one up four down” configuration, or clutch for that matter. The bike, in the Steve Klein Collection, is a sight for sore eyes to say the least.

Alright, I’ll let Krystal tell you about the bike’s history, and how it rode.

“Thor was produced by Aurora Automatic Machine a bicycle parts manufacturer who initially supplied all the forged parts and motors to Indian from 1901- 1908. It has a 2.25 HP motor with direct drive (no clutch). You pedal the machine up to speed (about 20 feet distance) and snap the right grip to deactivate the motor compression release while also twisting the throttle (left side). The little motor pops right off and away you go. There is very little throttle response as carburetors were still not understood 107 years ago. So you play with the right hand grip (timing) while finding the sweet spot in the throttle on the left. Before riding one you must mentally prepare one’s mind that it is 108 years ago and everyone walks, rides a bike or a horse… but you have a motor. This little Thor goes down the road easily at 35 mph. An amazing historical experience of what it was actually like at the very beginning of the motorcycle sport in America.

When my good friend Steve asked me if I wanted to ride his 108 year old motorcycle, my response was, “Uhhhh, YEAH”! But once the instructions on how to ride it were discussed, it was easy to get overwhelmed. Also, I’m 5’2″ and I couldn’t get onto it or off without someone there to hold the bike upright (which made me wonder what I would do when it came time to stop). Not only that, just jumping off wasn’t an option because the handlebars wrap right around you making it difficult to do so without being tangled. But, they did it 100+ years ago, so why cant I? Turns out, Thor was way more forgiving than I expected and I stopped gracefully (with a little help). Thor had speed and gusto and was a blast to ride, and I’m so honored I got to have that experience.“

Color us all jealous.

related:

• Krystal Hess on the 2015 Indian Scout
• Austin Ride to Mad Max Fury Road (In Costume)
• Stolen Cannonball Motorcycles Recovered: The Power of the Internet?
• Montgomery Motorcycles, San Clemente, Ca
• Motor Maids Outside the House of Chrome
• Vivian Bales: Harley Enthusiast Girl

tagged: antique | vintage | history

The post Krystal Hess Rides a 1908 Thor Model 7 Motorcycle appeared first on Moto Lady.

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Robo rocking the fall hoodie by GeniusFetus

architectureofdoom:

Mosonmagyaróvár

Gartner 3D printing analyst Pete Basiliere pointed us at their company’s latest detailed report on 3D printing and it shows some interesting predictions. 

As we mentioned the other day, Gartner’s Hype Cycle concept is a way to gauge the industry interest in a technology. Their overall emerging technology ranking for the major domains of 3D printing were listed.  

Now they’ve provided Fabbaloo with a far more detailed breakdown of their predictions, which includes no less than twenty-one tracked 3D printing technologies. An examination of the hype cycle categories shows the following: 

Technologies at the “plateau of productivity”: Only one, in Gartner’s opinion exists at this stage, Prototyping. As this usage pattern has been around literally forever, we can’t disagree. 

Technologies approaching Plateau, within 2-5 years: 3D printing hearing aids, 3D scanners, 3D print service bureaus, 3D print creation software, Enterprise 3D printing, 3D printing medical devices, 3D printed hip/knee replacements. Again, these make sense as there is such demand for medical uses, technology makers have been focusing on development. Regarding 3D creation software, we believe this refers only to industrial use, which is well established by vendors such as Solidworks. There is still a large gap to fill in the consumer 3D print creation software market. 

Technologies “5 to 10 years” away from Plateau: Include, in Gartner’s opinion, everything else with the exception of classroom 3D printing and Macro 3D printing, which they believe will take longer than 10 years to mature. These technologies still have to proceed through the ugly parts of the hype cycle. 

Of particular interest is consumer 3D printing, which is positioned to fall into the “trough of disillusionment” very shortly. We expect to (and have) seen an increase in negative media stories about consumer 3D printing in recent months, as excited consumers discover that the technology is still not quite in a form usable by them. This is the way the hype cycle works. 

Very early on the hype cycle is intellectual property protection of 3D printing, which is definitely going to become a large issue. We’ve seen a number of initiatives working towards solutions, but so far none have proven useful or popular. 

You may believe that this picture is disappointing as far as 3D printing usage goes, but we would disagree strongly. When this blog was started, Gartner did not even track 3D printing in this way; it appeared on their “2D” print hype cycle as a single item. Today we have a great many people working on all aspects of 3D printing, creating a long flow of use patterns traveling along the hype cycle. 

Via Gartner

The 1927 H-D FHA racer, with its racing sidecar, little more than a padded platform.  A remarkable original-condition racer from the end of the first Golden Age of American racing

It happens every year; an ultra-rare motorcycle is loosed from the cold, dead hands of a collector, and the 'Net is abuzz with the certainty that THIS, finally, is the Million Dollar Baby.  Some odd mix of voyeurism and knowier-than-thou-ness compels us to excitedly proclaim the staggering rise in blue chip bike prices, while making a show of decrying the very same thing.  The truth is, very few people are savvy enough to know what a blue chip bike is, and fewer still combine that knowledge with a willingness to take a risk and open their wallet.  Prices have risen since the 1950s or the '80s or the 2000s, but the story remains the same - the folks who know and care and want important machines find where they're hiding and buy them.  The folks actually shelling out the big bucks today aren't complaining, because they've known for decades that ultra rare motorcycles are undervalued.  [For a little comparison shopping, check out my list of the World's Most Expensive Motorcycles]

A handsome and purposeful outfit.

The latest gem making the rounds of Instagram (and TheVintagent!) is this just unearthed, single-family for 50 years Harley-Davidson FHA 8-valve racer, which is documented and in as-last-raced condition.  Huzzah; a no-bull 1920s Class A racer which doesn't appear to have been messed with or faked up, like nearly all the others of its ilk.  Hilariously, some of the folks who've sold less than perfect American racers in the past few years have shown their hands with this machine, praising its originality and the importance thereof, while no such praise was possible for their own bikes!  But that's the reality of most old racers - they're usually compromised in the very areas collectors prize most; matching #s, original sheet metal, clear provenance.  When presented with a machine with all boxes ticked, the temperature rises.

The raised ring cast into the timing cover is the giveaway for a 4-cam timing chest.  The oil pump is the horizontal cylinder behind that ring.  Note the exhaust valve lifter emerging from the front of the case, operated by a small lever below the fuel tank.   Although there are no bicycle cranks, a bicycle foot pedal is still used - a rider's affectation or original to the machine?

This FHA is among the last of the factory 8-valves produced by Harley-Davidson, as they were already experimenting with more reliable ways of producing power, and more, the American Class A race series was about to vanish due to the Depression, in favor of Class C, which was production-based and therefore much cheaper for everyone, favoring 'mundane' sidevalve engines instead of 'exotic' OHVs.  Of course, factories across the pond had been producing fast and reliable OHV bikes in increasing numbers since the 'Teens for everyday use, but American buyers trusted valves on the side, but that's another story.

A nice engine shot showing the primary chain oiler, the ignition wires which thread between the barrels, and two further oil lines, one presumably to the rear of the front cylinder barrel, the other to the oil pump on the timing chest.  Note also the small strap keeping the manual advance cable away from the exhaust.  The carb is a racing Schebler - can one of my American racer experts fill in the type?

The FHA used a twin-camshaft timing chest, externally distinguished by the raised ring on the timing cover, which of course meant better valve control and thus higher revs and more power.  The revs were also made possible by the good airflow of the 4-valve cylinder heads, which took advantage of the gas-flow research of Sir Harry Ricardo, which proved many small valves pass more air than two big ones.  But without positive lubrication and the oil cooling it provides, a grease-lubed 4-valve cylinder head is a fragile thing, even with the rocker gear exposed to the airflow... plus dirt, cinders, and dust when raced on the Australian tracks this beast has seen.
This machine is coming up for auction at Shannon's auction house on Sept. 21st, and I'll keep an eye on the sale.
[Update: the FHA sold for A$600k, which was $423,700US on the day, making it the #10 most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction}

A good shot of the struts attached to the early H-D forks, which help prevent flexing under the huge side loads from a sliding sidecar. Note also the small steering damper and slotted plate just below the top fork clamps.  The handlebar bend is standar for board trackers.

Fantastic patina.

The FHA was delivered new to the Milledge Bros Harley-Davidson in Melbourne, Australia.

A period shot of the outfit, showing the braced forks, and the canted wheel angle for sliding on dirt tracks.

The simple direct-drive system is clear, with a countershaft running in a robust casting at the bottom of the frame, which holds the clutch and final drive sprocket. One speed!

For moto-geeks; note the attachment of the sidecar to a U shaped late and the reinforced engine plates up front.  Plus the extensively ribbed drive-side crankcase.  There's a direct oil line to the (missing) primary chain.

The oval port of the late 8-valve motor is clear, as is the single-rocker system used on a simple, pent-roof combustion chamer.  All exposed, of course, to whatever dirt is thrown up by the track.  Also clear is the camshaft layout, with side-by-side pushrods emerging from the timing chest - a cam for each cylinder, plus the crankshaft oiling line emerging from the front of the motor.

1927 FHA #81...not that they built so many!

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That is how my new HW-0.30-mini Quadcopter Flightcontrol looked prior to the repair:

Since a few of the Pads already were delaminated I decided to do a repair instead of soldering in a new CPU. For a repair I would need to get rid of the expoxy mold to directly acces the pins of the leadframe. Initially I was thinking of using a ‘dreml’ tool to remove the exoxy, but watching the Uncaging Microchips talk at 31C3 taught me that using a CO2-Laser will also work.

Those pictures were taken during the laser-removal:

 

After lasering, all left to do was attach new wires. I did use a microscope for that. For scale, the wire running on top of the CPU has a 0.3mm diameter.

I ran some quick tests with the software to make sure the repair worked. Then a blob of hotmelt was applied to secure and protect the repaired pins:

 

Backstory: I am also responsible for breaking the pins. I did solder the CPU at 31C3 without proper lighting using borrowed equipment. The temperature on the soldering iron was set to 450°C, I failed to check that. This lead to some major fuckup. Since I wanted to work with the board, the decision was made to simply cut of the broken pins. At the time I didnt need them.

Hovertext: All telepaths are now employed by high-speed trading firms.

New comic!
Today's News:

 Over half of general admission tickets for BAHFest East have sold out already! You geeks are the best :)

NASA’s venerable Cassini spacecraft may still have another two years left in its exploration of the Saturn system but on Monday, August 17, it had its final intimate visit with Dione, one of Saturn’s largest natural satellites at nearly 700 miles (1,126 km) across. On that day Cassini passed within 300 miles (480 km) of Dione at 2:33 p.m. EDT (18:33 UTC), not its closest flyby ever but certainly near enough to get some truly spectacular views of the icy moon’s ancient and cratered surface.

Check out some of Cassini’s last close-up images of Dione below:

Cassini scientists will study data from the gravity science experiment and magnetosphere and plasma science instruments over the next few months as they look for clues about Dione’s interior structure and processes affecting its surface. (Source)

“I am moved, as I know everyone else is, looking at these exquisite images of Dione’s surface and crescent, and knowing that they are the last we will see of this far-off world for a very long time to come,” said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team lead at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado. “Right down to the last, Cassini has faithfully delivered another extraordinary set of riches. How lucky we have been.”

See more raw images from the D-5 flyby here, and watch a video highlighting Cassini’s previous close passes of Dione below:

Launched Oct. 15, 1997, Cassini arrived in orbit at Saturn on June 30, 2004. It has spent the last eleven-plus years intimately exploring Saturn, its rings, and its family of moons, revealing information only possible through a long-term mission over multiple seasons (and multiple mission extensions!) On September 15, 2017 Cassini will perform its last and most dramatic “Grand Finale” maneuver, traveling between Saturn’s rings and down into the atmosphere of the planet itself. Until then we will steadily be seeing more of Cassini’s “lasts”…hopefully they’ll all yield as beautiful results as this one did!

Learn more about the Cassini mission here and see a collection of images acquired from the spacecraft here.

Above image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Also here’s a color-composite I assembled from raw images acquired before the flyby and posted on JPL’s Cassini mission site – Dione is quite grey, even in boosted color, but you can make out some of its pale bluish tint:

(You can also see a previous color view of Dione here.)

Tagged: Dione, flyby, moon, NASA, News, Porco, Saturn, science, solar system

Via Colossal.

…Ferrolic utilizes ferrofluid—a liquid that becomes strongly magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field—to display recognizable shapes in response to magnets embedded inside the clock’s aluminum frame. The moving blobs look almost alive, a fact not lost on Koelman who refers to them as “creatures.” He shares:

Ferrolic was designed from a strong fascination for the magical material Ferro Fluid. The natural dynamics of this fluid makes that this display bridges the gap between everyday digital screens and tangible reality.

Because the fluid behaves in a unpredictable way, it is possible to give the bodies perceived in the Ferrolic display a strong reference to living creatures. It is this lively hood that enables Ferrolic to show a meaningful narrative like for instance having the creatures play tag. In addition the natural flow of the material, it can be used to form recognisable shapes and characters. Ferrolic uses these both layers in parallel in order to display scenes and transitions in an poetic, almost dance like, choreographed way.

Read more.

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Henry Conklin’s dog, Oliver, is one of those very vocal dogs who likes to try to let you know what he’s thinking. By barking. A lot. Henry says:

I decided that his thoughts and comments needed to be shared with the world. Thus the @OliverBarkBark project was born. By connecting a Rasberry Pi, a wifi dongle, and a microphone, I was able to make a system that automatically detected, filtered, and published each and every one of Oliver’s deafening vocalizations.

Henry has built a system around a Raspberry Pi that listens out for sounds over a certain volume, and triggers a recording when that constraint is met.

But there are things in Oliver the dog’s vicinity which are also pretty noisy, so a second, filtering step is needed. Henry says:

Oliver barking is by far the loudest thing within several miles, so the volume threshold should be sufficient. However, the recordings are still triggered occasionally by unwanted junk. To guard against this, I needed to perform a second step to filter the barks from the junk.

I took a machine learning approach to filter out the barks. I built a model using the pyAudioAnalysis library and around a day’s worth of barks (about 20). I then set up a bash script to run every ten minutes, classify each recorded sound, and forward the barks on to the next step.

The output is forwarded to the Twitter API, where they’re published by an account called @OliverBarkBark. Right now, a random string of barks, woofs, howls, and ruffs are published, but Henry is looking at adding some more sophistication by designing a dog-to-text translator which will say “bark” when Oliver barks, “ruff” when Oliver ruffs, and “woof”…you get the idea.

All the code you’ll need to replicate the scheme in your own house (you’ll need a dog first) is available on Henry’s GitHub at https://github.com/HenryWConklin/barkdetect. Thanks Henry, and please give Oliver a biscuit for us.

The post Twitter for dogs appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

For Scott Raabe, his craft lies is in the very fine details—the intersection between pipes and other cuts of metal one might typically glance over without a second thought. It’s in these fine crevices that Raabe welds layered patterns, using his seven years of expertise to create interlocking designs that seem to glow a metallic rainbow sheen after being welded. For the layperson, typical welding this is not.

Raabe started out as a small parts and custom welder for a production company after graduating from Texas State Technical College. In addition to creating unique patterns during his day job as a pipe fitter and welder, he also creates more elaborate commissions including large roses and butterflies on his site Clean Cut Metal Works. You can see more of Raabe’s work on his Instagram. (via Twisted Sifter)

3D printed prosthetics have been steadily improving over the past few years, but most wearers eventually accept that these cheap alternatives are simply not up to the standard of a carbon fiber medical creation. However, even we are often amazed at the progress that is being made and the new abilities that are being developed. Just look at the prosthetic worn by five-year-old Hailey Dawson. Hailey recently received a 3D printed prosthetic from a team of students, and showed off its ability at the baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics last night by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

This article 5-year-old girl with 3D printed hand throws out first pitch at Baltimore Orioles baseball game is first published at 3ders.org.

Throughout the past century, the military has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, so its hardly surprising they have fully adopted 3D printing technology as well. While several military innovations have already been revealed, yesterday the US Air Force and the American Chemical Society unveiled a very interesting development that could have farther reaching applications than the military. They have used 3D printing technology to develop flexible hybrid electronic materials that are small, compact, powerful and above all able to withstand extreme external pressures – thus perfect for use on aircraft and even on bombs. However, the rest of the making world can obviously also benefit from these next-gen replacements of the PCB.

This article US Air Force's new flexible 3D printed electronics can monitor health and help us stay safe is first published at 3ders.org.

puffyartist:

If the gems have a painted portrait of themselves lying around in Amethyst’s room, surely they’ve occasionally stepped out of isolation to get their photos taken over the years…