Are getting tied up in knots (or not!) when you have to do an improved clinch? Is a dropper loop driving you insane? Well no more people!!! Check out Grog's Animated Knots, a series of animated step-by-step diagrams guide you smoothly through the knotty complexities, so you don't end up with your knickers in a knot!
They also feature help on a variety of other knotty problems - household, climbing, scouting & rescue to name but a few...
As major automobile manufacturers around the world pour countless dollars and man hours into the research and development of electric vehicles, George Fortin has quietly gone about making one of his own. While it is true that his Z-Kart is just a one-seater with a range of 20 miles and a top speed of 40 mph that lacks pretty much any safety features or cargo capacity, it is nonetheless a well-engineered little buggy that looks like it would be a blast to drive. Not bad at all, for something that was made and designed and built by an estate agent! I feel inspired to get the Meccano out this weekend... :0)
How cool is that?! Thanks to Gizmag for the news, check out their site for more details.
The app can store settings for thousands of different R/C models, and it isn't just limited to planes – iPhly can also be used to control model boats or cars.
iPhone/iPod touch-Based Fitness Coaching System for your Bike
http://www.ibikedash.com/, a leading sports technology company and creator of the iBike® Dash line of cycling computers and power meters, announced that the iBike Dash CC (Cycling Computer) and new iBike Phone Booth Bicycle Mount are now available at all Apple retail stores, starting today.
iBike Dash CC turns any iPhone or iPod touch into your own personal bike and fitness coach, enhancing the cycling experience by helping you ride smarter, keeping track of your cycling accomplishments. Easy to install, the compact (3.2 oz) iBike Dash CC includes the “Smart Phone BoothTM” protective bicycle case with advanced electronics, a wireless bicycle sensor, and free iBike app with customizable bicycling and training tools, available from the iTunes App Store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibike/id369550718?mt=8
The included iBike app shows you how to pace yourself, so that you have more than enough energy left for the last few miles. The app keeps a calendar of your weekly and monthly rides, making it easier to see if you’re improving.
(PhysOrg.com) -- In celebration of the 21st anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s deployment into space, astronomers pointed Hubble at an especially photogenic group of interacting galaxies called Arp 273. How beautiful is that?!
@ The Royal Bath & West Show Ground, Shepton Mallet
Saturday 30th April 2011, 10am – 5pm
Sunday 1st May 2011, 10am – 5pm
Monday 2nd May 2011: 10am - 4pm
The 2011 South West Model Engineering, Model Making & Hobbies Exhibition will take place over the Royal Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 30th April – 2nd May 2011. The organisers expect to see over 12,000 visitors over the new 3 day event.
We hope everyone enjoys a smashing show - visit the website for more details :0)
Here's the latest video installment from Schaeffer Mclean, now a very impressive 7 years old & so much better at skating than me (& most other mortals) that I might cry...
Sorry we haven't been able to post much of late, but it has been sooooo busy
- not that we're complaining of course, but if we don't do some filing soon
we're going to disappear under mountains of paper... :0)
We always love it when we hear from customers using our bearings in applications that are slightly unusual & today we had the pleasure of chatting to Stan Jankowski. Stan has ordered some of our stainless steel bearings for his custom-made weather vanes...
Aren't they just gorgeous?! See more of Stan's work here.
Gone are the days that scooters were the poor relations to skateboards, they are now seriously competing in stunts, tricks, turns & flips at skateparks across the UK. Check this out:
This looks like a great, upcoming sport with the advantage that there's not a massive outlay on expensive kit before you can get started. There don't seem to be many official UK clubs on the go yet, but there's certainly a pretty big Facebook community, which could give all you stunt-nuts out there some useful pointers :0)
Our young skater star Schaeffer Mclean flagged up this video for us on Facebook last night...
There's even a little poem from the skater himself to accompany the vid:
"Hands, more than just hands. Today my legs, which lead me through these paths that life brings. Hands that touch the wheels that take me through life, calloused hands, hands sustained, loving hands, hands needs!" No one else could sum it up quite as powerfully as the man himself...
The great advantage of hydrogen fuel cell engines is that their fuel can be taken from the air & the only waste product is water. It may currently you cost you $849 a month to lease a Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell (one of the few hyrodgen-fueled vehicles currently available to consumers), but Daimler says that cost will come down considerably in the next few years. Speaking with Automotive News, Daimler's Herbert Kohler said that by 2015 he expects a "fuel cell car will not cost more than a four-cylinder diesel hybrid that meets the Euro 6 emissions standard," which would seemingly place it in a race with Toyota and its promise of a $50,000 hydrogen-powered sedan. What's more, Kohler also said that he expects fuel cell vehicles to actually be cheaper than comparable electric vehicles within the next few years, and he said that Daimler is hoping to bring a "four-digit-number" of fuel cell vehicles to market by 2013 or 2014.
Where America leads, let's hope that the rest of the world will follow...
... we hadn't heard of it either, until we had a call from a very nice chap in Colorado USA this week.
Basically, you custom-build the teeniest skateboard imaginable & then use your fingers to do flips, stunts & tricks with it. Some people seem to take it VERY seriously & indeed our caller bought some very high-spec Japanese miniature bearings for his board, as he wants to take it to the next level & enter competitions with his board.
I suppose at least it keeps the requirement for safety equipment & giant concrete skateparks to a minimum :0)
This was screened as part of the London Bicycle Film Festival 2010 & we thought it was worth another look. Check out http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/london/ for more news
The Sunswift IV (aka IVy) might look like a mobile dinner table, but it's actually the world's fastest solar-powered vehicle. The table-top on wheels got the official nod from the Guinness Book of World Records last week, for hitting a top speed of 88km/h (about 55 mph) -- nearly 10 km/h faster than the previous record-holder, the GM Sunraycer, which bears a striking resemblance to a disembodied Android monster. IVy, designed by Sunswift, a student-run non-profit at the University of New South Wales, reached its top speed using 1050 watts, about 400 watts less than the Sunraycer, and performed it's record-smashing run without the 25kg battery it's usually packing. Faster runs have been clocked, including by IVy, but Guinness has not been on hand for confirmation. Plenty of room for a roof box & a bike rack on top too!! Might not run so fast in rain-spattered January British weather though...
We are very proud to announce that the Tweed Run, a truly British cycling romp through the streets of our fair capital, is this year being exported to the USA - our cousins across the Atlantic can now share in the joys of dressing up in as much expensive wool as they can muster & cycling across New York - jolly good show chaps!!!
Elton at Angler's Net has featured the following article:
"We seem to have been very fortunate here in East Anglia, as the weather has been fairly mild in comparison to much of the country.
However, I don't think our friends in the frozen north can claim to have experienced anything quite as drastic as this short clip below, which shows a LOT of carp sitting under what is said to be 18” of thick ice. Given that the area is carpeted in carp, and is said to be the size of a football field, we can only guess that there must be thousands of carp waiting under the ice there.
I should point out that you should NEVER attempt to walk on ice in the UK. Every year, people lose their lives as a result.
I'm not entirely sure where this lake is, but judging by the sheer volume of carp and the fact that no food will have fallen from the sky for them for quite some time, I reckon even MY bite alarms might scream into action if I got to fish it after a thaw!"
What an amazing clip - there is also the news of a very warm January on the cards so there should be no excuse but to go out & get fishing this weekend :0)
We follow the fabulous site http://crapwalthamforest.blogspot.com/ - full of news, views, rants & comic looks at the mad, bad & dangerous to know world of British cycling. The article shown below gave us a right old chuckle:
"The new Olympics cycling park...
This new cycling park close to the Olympic Village is nearing completion, allowing visitors to watch cyclists in their natural environment of mud, broken glass and infrastructure obstructed by vegetation.
CAUTION. Please stay well back from the fence as the cyclists often appear stressed and angry and may be verbally abusive"
Do please check out their site for lots more wry looks at eccentric English traffic laws & road chaos!
A rocket-launch captured on film in Norway... AWESOME!!!!!
The rocket was launched from Andøya Rocket Range near Andenes, Norway, and carried instruments about 200 miles (320 kilometers) into the atmosphere to observe the aurora and the associated flow of heat, particles, and electromagnetic energy. The rocket eventually landed in the ocean about 900 miles (1450 km) from the launch site.
