And away we go ...
The new SkyJump at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas takes passengers down 855 ft at 40 mph. It is designated by Guinness World Records as the world’s highest commercial decelerated descent. Here, Senior Master Sgt. Darryl LeBouef, of Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, prepares to take the leap.
World’s smallest 3D map
Using a tiny silicon tip with a sharp apex — 1/100,000th the size of a sharpened pencil tip — patterns and structures as small as 15 nm can be created. IBM scientists used this technique to create a 3D map of the Earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on a grain of salt. This patterning technique opens the way for developing nanosized objects in fields such as electronics, future chip technology, medicine, life sciences, and optoelectronics. Shown are 3D images of the heated nanoscale tip.
Trade tools at your fingertips
Need power-transmission information fast? Well then, put away your calculators and notepads and pull out your iPhone instead.
Martin Sprocket & Gear, Arlington, Tex., has released its Engineering Tools of the Trade, Mechanical Engineering Reference Tool app. It contains over 200 key formulas and conversions in areas such as bearings, belts, gears, kinetic energy, metalworking, shafts, sprockets, and drive selection. Simply input the data and you’ll instantly have results.
All formulas can be saved for easy access from the home screen and results can be e-mailed. The application is currently available at no cost from the Apple iTunes app store or by visiting www.martinsprocket.com/iphone.htm.
ATTENTION ALL RACE FANS
If you or someone you know is interested in NASCAR, well here’s the perfect gift. The NASCAR Driving Experience has gift cards for driving-experience packages and ride alongs. The Experience offers real NASCAR race cars driven by Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and others. The cards are good for one year at any NASCAR Racing Experience location.
Go to www.nascarracingexperience.com or call NASCAR Racing Experience customer service at (877) RACE-LAP (722-3527) to make reservations.
Copyright 2010, Penton Media Inc. All rights reserved.