I hate meetings.

Went to the Burning Man Artery's meeting tonight. The discussion was mostly on the procedures on how to register art on the playa during the week of the Burning Man Festival. It's a fairly simple process, and the majority of time was spent discussing the exceptional stuff. Stuff that's not going to happen most of the time.

It's during these kinds of meetings, my inner Mad Scientist breaks out and does all sorts of Wile E Coyote - type technical sketches. I'm tempted to scan them and post them just to illustrate what I'm talking about.

Tonight were some pretty usual themes. I want to build some wind-powered vehicles for the desert. I remember seeing a special once when I was younger about some people who made skiffs of some sort that used sails to power them across the Sahara. I think it was a National Geographic event.

I would make a lateen rig, and have four wheels, on front, one back, and two on the sides for stability. I'd probably use plastic tubing, because of cost, but a bicycle type frame has advantages as well.

I want to launch things, using old mechanical power, like what was used in siege engines. The ballista, the trebuchet, etc., they all produced a fair amount of power, and the plans are readily available. It would take a little research, but not much. I have friends in the Renaissance reenactment community.

I also want to build a catapult that launches gliders. The Navy uses steam powered ones to launch planes from the decks of their aircraft carriers. I would propose to use a counterweight and leverage.

The planes and gliders that were made from before the Wright brother's plane and up to World War One are beautiful and elegant in their own sort of way. I'm sure I could find plans for something to build that could house one or two people, that could safely launch and land.

The airfoil design currently for most parachutes would be a good starting point. for that sort of joyride. I'd have to make it something that takes minimal steering

In the movie, Revenge of the Sith, for the 35 seconds the wookiees are on screen, they have some wonderful aircraft(here and here), as do the aliens that Obi Wan visits to have his showdown with General Grievous. I've looked them up too.

These are the sorts of things that ferment in the back of your mind; like Belgian beer or kimchi, the longer it sits, the better it gets.

Someday.

Maybe.


But probably not.