New Technologies

[kingfish]

psilocybin maybe?

I have to say that the first picture looks like someone spewed their pad thai onto an old PC motherboard.

[crfriend]

Or shades of the VTSC, perhaps.

Avian carriers anyone?

Dammit, my own attempt at a submission a number of years ago for the "Morse Packet Protocol" was ultimately beaten out by the "Infinite Monkey Protocol" after the RFC Editors became uncertain whether I was joking or not. (I was -- at the time -- but later developed it into a potentially working design, unlike "avian carriers". We darned near implemented it at RCS/RI and a few ham associates.)

[kingfish]

Avian carriers eh?
I do get a kick out of terabyte micro-sd card carrying pigeons racing some of the lower bandwidth ISPs for average transfer speeds.

oh, and Carl, I'm doing a deep cleaning and found some 9 track tapes and DC300A type data cartridges (etc) looking for a good home.

[Grok]

Rotodyne. With updated technology, would this aircraft be viable today?

[Uncle Al]

Rotodyne. With updated technology, would this aircraft be viable today?

I LOVE this concept. This is an over-grown Gyrocopter with 'jump take-off' capabilities. The 'tip-jets' provided the basic,
original lift. Then, as forward flight was introduced, the 'tip-jets' were shut off and the natural airflow would take over.
Gyrocopters are just now, beginning to gain traction in General Aviation, in the U. S. Until very recently, only experimental
gyrocopters are allowed to fly in the U. S. The only FAA Certified gyrocopter brand in the U.S. is the AutoGyro.

Type Certificates have been issued for the MTOsport, Calidus and Cavalon. AutoGyro is the only gyroplane company
in the US to hold a total of THREE Type Certificates and this makes us(AutoGyro) the only factory-built gyroplanes
available in the entire US. We are very proud of this sky-high level of approvals.

This craft still requires a normal runway for take-off but minimal runway for landing.

Cavalon specifications

Max Speed - 120 mph
Cruise Speed - 75-110 mph
Minimum Speed - 25 mph
Range - 380 sm @ 100 mph (+30 minute reserve) - 430 sm @ 87 mph (+30 minute reserve) - 470 sm @ 78 mph (+30 minute reserve)
Maximum Climb Rate - 1000 ft/min
Service Ceiling - 12,000 feet
Take off Roll (MGTW no wind) - 300 feet
Landing Roll (no wind) - 60 feet
Maximum Endurance - 6 hours + 30 minute reserve

( MGTW = Maximun Gross Take0ff Weight )

I would love to have one but, on my retirement income, it ain't gonna happen

Uncle Al

[Grok]

(I understand that a few of the early electronic computers were analog).

You're forgetting the mechanical analogue computers here -- lots of which touched more than a few lives. Here's a few examples:

1) Gunnery computers on naval vessels,
2) Automobile distributors and carburettors,
3) Some of the early aircraft flight simulators

Then there were the electronic analoges, as well a digital/analogue hybrids that were used in aircraft design.

Computing -- both analogue and digital -- has a long and compelling history behind it if one cares to actually look behind the curtain.

Good points. Yes, these examples should be deemed a part of Conventional Computing.