Ralph J. Coppola --- r_j_coppola<at>hotmail.com
SAS Disclaimer
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Feature
The recent popularity of wind turbines in my area has got me thinking of the possible human physiological effects of the infrasound that may be produced by some turbine designs. See:
I then began to wonder how easy it would be for an amateur to detect infrasound.
An overview of infrasound data acquisition, processing and interpretation by Läslo Evers
How to detect low frequency acoustic waves in the atmosphere
How to Build an Inexpensive Microbarograph
Seattle Q1 Infrasonic Microphone
Seismic Response of Infrasonic Microphones
NOAA's Infrasonics Program
Paul Neher's DIY microbarograph was featured in Shawn Carlson's May 1998 “The Amateur Scientist” column in Scientific American as Detecting Subtle Tsunamis.
You can download a copy of the May 1998 issue from Scientific American, for $7.95 US. Better yet --- If your public library doesn't have a copy of the May 1998 issue, you can get your own copy of the Amateur Scientist 3.0 CD and get all of “The Amateur Scientist' columns from day 1 to the end of publication.
Note: A 1 litre aluminum or stainless steel water or camping fuel bottle might prove to be a suitable air reservoir for this project. For example --- see the Segg line of bottles.
Wanderings
Our SAS Community Forum
The “Other Forum” --- Bill Beaty's Science Hobbyist Forum.
If you need an accurate balance you could try Richard Nakka's Simple Balance Beam Scale.
You can safely observe the sun with Bruce Hegerberg's DIY Sun Gun.
Richie's Tesla Coil Web Page.
Robert Billon's Electrostatic Devices site offers several simple DIY electro static motors.
Zen Backpacking Stoves --- Home of the Alcohol Stove.
You can build a virtual robot on the BBC's Build-A-Bot web site.
View a short video, on Metacafe, that will show you how to make a simple motor.
Has anyone ever tried to duplicate Prof Gabriel Lorente's novel electrostatic generator with paint rollers?
Attack of the glowing tomatoes.
“How I made a Ball and Plate Doohickey”
Nuclear Fusion --- So you want to build your own fusion reactor?
Bruce Anderson and Malcolm Wells' book "Passive Solar Energy -- The Homeowner's Guide to Natural Heating and Cooling" is available as a free download from the Build it Solar web site.
The Photovore is a small solar tracking robot.
Links and pictures of model Stirling engines.
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Cook Book.
The Engineering ToolBox---Tools and basic information for design, engineering and construction of technical applications.
Convert is Josh Madison's free and easy to use unit conversion program that will convert the most popular units.
The goal of the Sugar Shot to Space project is to use a sugar based amateur rocket propellant to achieve orbit.
Welcome to Michigan Tech's Aurora Page.
The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service is the body responsible for maintaining, among other things, global time and reference frame standards.
“The Australian National University Relativistic Visualization Project has used supercomputers to simulate what we might see in a world where the effects of Einstein's theory of special relativity are everyday experiences.”
The “other” Spitzer --- The Spitzer Space Telescope is a space-based infrared observatory that is part of NASA's Great Observatories program.
The Falkirk Wheel (UK) is a rotating boat lift connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.
Saturn's moon, Titan, has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all of Earth's reserves.
The Kids Room
Acid Rain --- The Project.
The Spring Acid Rain Watch.
Dr. Shawn's Super Science Fair Support Center.
Here is a collection of Home Experiments from Scifun.com.
Virtlab is the chemistry set you always wanted.
Come and play The Sea Monsters Game.
Here is a demonstration that shows a method municipal water plants may use to purify drinking water.
The Science Club has been bringing science to life for over one million elementary school children, teachers, and parents.
The History of Science and Technology from the Franklin Institute
Suppliers
Being listed here does not constitute an endorsement by SAS or me of any information, product or service.
Nick Baker's “The Amateur Naturalist” is said to be one of the best hands-on-guide to nature experiments in print. If you are interested, it is available at Amazon.com.
Solarbotics offers robot kits, solar-powered robots, books, electronic components, motors, parts and information on the expanding field of BEAM Robotics.
Epoxy, resin and fibreglass materials for the hobbyist.
The Rocket Store, located in the UK, says that they are one of the most extensive rocketry outlets in the world.
From The Far Side
I included this next link in “From The Far Side” because it is a bit hard to believe. But then, on the other hand, on 13 January 1905 Scientific American suggested that the Wright Brothers' flight experiments were a hoax.
Ken Schellenberg, of AntiGravity Research Corporation, hopes to put a Water Rocket Into Orbit.
Comments about Ken Schellenberg press release from The Water Rocket Forum.
The Sonic Weapon of Vladimir Gavreau.
Jack Parsons --- A virtually unknown father of American rocketry!
There are probably as many theories of how the pyramids were built as there are blocks in the great pyramid. For example, do you remember the piece about Dr. Marueen Clemmons' theory that the ancient Egyptians may have used kites to lift obelisks and to assist their building of the pyramids? See Wanderings #88.
Dr R H G Parry has an interesting idea about how the Egyptians transported and raising pyramid stones.
What's wrong with Parry's cylinders? 
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