Vanessence

It's been so much fun working with Vanessa Afshari and helping her get her new concept rolling, Vanessence.com. She calls it Vanessence - The Essence of Hair Styling.

Here are some links to some of the great photos at Vanessence.com

http://Vanessence.com

Operation Spy de Orange

Today we learned the actual name the NYPD uses when deploying their orange webbing. It is 'Operation Spy de Orange'. We still have yet to learn the name of the orange netting, only those code words for deploying it.

I brought down a 15' long by 4' high section of orange construction webbing to Liberty Park (Zucotti Park). We wrapped ourselves in it, walked like a group of animated Monty Python characters, and made an instant protest.  After a trip on the sidewalk spinning in circles heading west at the north side of the park, with 5 of us inside the netting, the NYPD spy tower deployed and some of the younger ones in our group took pride in taunting it and the NYPD foot patrol.  We did a photo shoot with the Spy Tower as a back drop and then headed back east.  When we hit Broadway we turned south and someone comes up with the idea to chant, "Pepper Spray, Pepper Spray, Pepper Spray…", as if we wanted to be sprayed.  I could see some of the white shirt captains in the back of a gaggle of them giggle.  They thought it was funny, we thought it was funny and there were hundreds of pics taken, so hopefully some will hit the mark.  We used a 15ft section today which I left there for a prop with Alex from Media, who is a good contact and fearless.  Tomorrow I'm bringing 2 - 30' sections and will leave them as well.  If you have ideas for props or skits or a way to get the media out, ask for Alex.  And don't forget to bring your props and deploy them.

Nurse Betty Amublance

Top Secret? Not if I'm putting it up on the blog. So I think we need to start working on the Nurse Betty ambulance. What day does that take place, Wednesday? It should be modular and fit onto the Heli Cart base 2.0 in about 10 to 30 minutes.



These are both very similar but this is the idea that's caught in my head.



Getting the curves on this Packard Ambulance might be a little harder.

Heli Pics

The Wilking Heli Shuttle was fun for dancing on.


It was about 8.5'high and about 12' long.


and it was great for taking photos.

Four Wheeled Modular Bike Part Helicopter Cart Upcycle Welded with the Trenton Atelier, Partially Dismantled with Baltick & Winckel and Other Assorterd "Hangers-On," Dude

The main problem we are having right now is finding a way to make head tubes to hold the bearing assembly in place. For the first generation we cut off the bike from the tube and grinded down the rough parts. That's a lot of waste and time for de-engineering to get a needed part. Basically to make a head tube we need to expand the ends of a 1" tube to hold the bearings.


Here is a pic of the base in the process of being made, first generation.

The cart needs to be modular and be able to fit into the trunk of a car. It currently has that capability.

There exists a horizontal slide-in system for the wheels and housings and there is too much torque at those points.

I think we want to use a vertical slide in system, see my diagrams, and put a little more depth on the frame at the points where they are attached so the torsional stress is removed.

It would be nice if the frame hinged in the center from the underside and could be folded in half. It currently is made of 2 halves and then bolted together in the center and along the sides with supports.

Engineering for the steerable fork housings.

It has been suggested that rather than use the double plates on the fork to use a rectangle piece of steel over the top of the fork tube. Hmm. . .

This is the engineering I see for the fixed forks.

This was the Wilking Heli Shuttle on its maiden voyage at the Winkel and Balktick New Year's Eve Party in New York.

And here is the groovy aftermath from the party.
















More pics of the party can be seen here:
http://newyork.metromix.com/events/essay_photo_gallery/winkel-and-balktick-present/2384472/content

Santacon Chimney

It was a real tough chore rolling this 100 lb chimney on wheels from the West Village to Central Park. Im thinking that there has to be a better way.

A Frog in the Bog

Torchie the frog truly expected to die. The oil was coming in around him, enveloping his little bog where he ate crickets and listened for mates responding to his croaks. He'd noticed a severe decline in available foods. Flies and mosquitoes and crickets offspring grow much faster than his own babies will or would have if not for the impending disaster.

The drop off of his own supply of food either meant something was wrong with the water or the insects themselves or both. He could smell the oil.

Ribbit, ribbit Torchie croaked. He didn't hear a response.

Where were the available snacks that Torchie loved? The oil probably choked the life out of the insects babies.

The oily sheen on the water, reflecting the setting sun, broke the light into rainbows of colors. Encompassing death was beautiful he thought, in some ways.

If he dove into the water and tried to move to another spot he could only swim so far before he would have to come up for air. It would hurt his skin and get into his mouth and nose. Maybe he could swim to the bottom of the little off shore pool and the oil would go away? He laughed at the silliness of the idea.

The sunset sure is beautiful, he croaked aloud, one last time.

The Gulf of Fiasco

My son and I took our artistic skills and made some
cartoon fish and crustaceans that wonder aloud if
they are going to die from the BP oil spill.

Gulf Oil Spill and Paper Recycling

Would dumping massive amounts of our paper by products along the gulf shore lines allow the oil to be absorbed and thus prevent it being absorbed into the marshes?

We have at our disposal huge amounts of recycled paper being collected by our existing recycling companies. Would it benefit us to send barges, trucks and trains to the gulf with this paper to dump along the gulf states coastlines?

The possible benefits of creating even more of a mess with the paper is that:

The paper will absorb the oil to some extent.

Oil will be prevented from getting into the very sandy bottom of the marshes where it will be very hard to decompose without sufficient oxygen. If it does get into the sediment it will be decades before it biodegrades.

The paper will biodegrade the oil quicker since the paper will encourage bacteria to attack the paper and the oil.

The paper contains oxygen which will be needed to degrade the oil.

Massive amounts of paper will act like natural booms, preventing the oil from being pushed further into marshes.

In shallow water the paper will be easier to collect than in deep water.

Picto-Interactive