Lego 1:1 Model Bugatti Charon 22 September 2018
Posted by KentuckySerendipity in Hobbies, Technology.add a comment
In my younger days I enjoyed building things with Legos. By “younger days” I don’t mean childhood, for Legos were my pastime during college, graduate school, and my first years as a healthcare chief information officer (CIO). It was an excellent way to take a break between class assignments or to wind down after a busy day. In addition to helping one relax, Legos have been shown to boost creativity when used with proper methods.
Legos can be great demonstration tools. One day a fellow college student asked me how a transmission works. I talked him through it and explained gearing. That evening it struck me that I could build a transmission with Legos. A few hours later I had a chassis with a two-speed transmission and a clutch. (I could have made it with more gears but I ran out of needed parts.) Later that week I showed my friend the working model and demonstrated shifting the gears using the clutch. My friend’s understanding of a transmission increased as the working model was far superior to a verbal description. I’ve often thought that with enough Lego elements one could build pretty much anything. And the folks at Lego seem to agree.
Earlier this year Lego released Technics kit 42083 which is a 1:8 scale model of the Bugatti Chiron sports car. This is highly detailed, complex kit with 3,599 pieces. It includes a W16 engine with moving pistons, highly detailed interior, rear spoiler which can be raised and lowered, and working eight-speed transmission (which can be shifted using paddles on the driver’s side). This is a large model: at 1:8 scale, the completed car is over a foot long. To top it off, each kit comes with a unique serial number. Car enthusiasts as well as Lego fans love the kit.
After completing the 1:8 scale Chiron, the Lego design team had an idea. Like me they thought that with enough Lego elements one could build most anything, so … how about a 1:1 scale Bugatti Chiron? Yes, a life size supercar built from Lego elements. They set themselves to the task and after much work, they were able to pull it off. The completed car:
- contains more than 1,000,000 LEGO Technic elements in total;
- uses 339 types of LEGO Technic elements;
- was assembled using no glue;
- weighs over 1.5 tons;
- has a functional speedometer built entirely from LEGO Technic elements; and
- has a functional rear spoiler (using both LEGO Power Functions and pneumatics).
The full-size model has a functional engine comprised of:
- 2,304 LEGO Power Functions motors;
- 4,032 LEGO Technic gear wheels; and
- 2,016 LEGO Technic cross axles.
The engine has a theoretical output of 5.3 HP and an estimated 92 Nm of torque. The top speed is 18 mph which is somewhat less than the actual Chiron’s top speed of 261 mph.
They took the completed life-size model to the test track and made a video of the event:
The team also produced a video on the design and building of the model:
Both videos are interesting but I wish they were longer with more information — inquiring Lego builders want to know more! This project shows that one can do amazing things with Legos if one has an idea and persistence. And enough Lego elements.
Ocean’s 8: Not Your Father’s, er, Brother’s Crime Story 15 September 2018
Posted by KentuckySerendipity in Movie Reviews.add a comment
The original Ocean’s 11 (1960) was a very good movie, as was the 2001 remake. Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13 managed to carry the story forward and entertain. The sequels have enough original material to keep the franchise fresh while reusing enough earlier elements to keep the ties among the movies strong. I’m not sure the series could have successfully gone on to Ocean’s 14 so it was probably a good thing to end Ocean’s crime adventures with number 13.
Then someone had an idea: What if Danny Ocean had a younger sister, Debbie, who was also a grifter and an ex-con? She could get an all-female crew together and pull off a heist in the grand style of her older brother’s gang. And so Ocean’s 8 was born. How could it miss?
But miss it did. Perhaps the casting was off; the cast is definitely not as strong as the other Ocean’s movies. Consider:
- Ocean’s 11 (1960) — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Cesar Romero, Joey Bishop, Norman Fell, George Raft, Angie Dickinson
- Ocean’s 11 (2001 remake) — George Clooney, Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts
- Ocean’s 12 — as listed for Ocean’s 11 (2001 remake) plus Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Eddie Izzard
- Ocean’s 13 — as listed for Ocean’s 11 (2001 remake) plus Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin
- Ocean’s 8 — Sandra Bullock, Kate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Midori Francis, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Dakota Fanning, Sarah Paulson
Sandra Bullock and Kate Blanchett are near the top of my list of favorite actresses, and I also enjoy performances by Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter very much. However, the above lists show that Ocean’s 11, 12 & 13 clearly beat out Ocean’s 8 in terms of star power — Ocean’s 8 just doesn’t have as much talent in the cast. And it shows.
Why doesn’t Ocean’s 8 have a stronger cast? After all, the movie has a good premise and builds on earlier, quite successful, movies. Perhaps the problem was the script — it was certainly a problem for the movie. The earlier Ocean’s scripts were crisp with jabs and banter but also warmth. Ocean’s 8 lacks those qualities. The earlier Ocean’s scripts kept pulling the story forward while the Ocean’s 8 script often leaves the story floundering. Earlier Ocean’s scripts showed the relationships among the characters and gave the characters depth through insight into their backgrounds. The Ocean’s 8 script doesn’t, and the characters appear to have no relationship other than being drawn into the heist. We never learn the relationship between Debbie (Bullock) and Lou (Blanchett) even though they are the main characters and have some sort of past together but we get no details. Are they past lovers? There seem to be hints that they are but some scenes make this unlikely. We have many questions about Ocean’s 8‘s characters but few answers.
The script is certainly a problem with the movie but so is the acting. Sandra Bullock’s performance is a major disappointment. She uses minimal facial gestures, and apparently is trying to act cool and aloof but usually she just looks bored — and that’s how I felt through most of the film. She comes across as cold rather than cool. Danny Ocean had a coolness which Debbie completely fails to capture. Danny Ocean also had a warmth behind his coolness which made you like him; Debbie lacks warmth. I had no sympathy for the character even though she did prison time after being betrayed by a partner. Kate Blanchett does a little better but her performance also seems wooden and uninspired; but then how could this script inspire an actor?
Helena Bonham Carter does a credible, though not great, performance as a somewhat not-with-it fashion designer. The best performance by far is that by Anne Hathaway. She takes the character and works it. Ms. Hathaway gives a striking performance as an egotistical actress who isn’t as stupid as she seems. This was the only performance in the film which I actually enjoyed, and it was the only character which was fleshed out. This is due in large part to Ms. Hathaway’s portrayal.
Titling the film Ocean’s 8 leaves space of Ocean’s 9 and Ocean’s 10. In other words, they could make sequels to this movie. Let us pray that they don’t.
Lucy Lou, Retired Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Dies 13 September 2018
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We, and the rest of the “press” are saddened to report the death of Lucy Lou, retired mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, on September 10, 2018. Even if she was a dog.
Or maybe because she was.
The citizenry of Rabbit Hash are a bit … well, whimsical.
Lucy Lou was their mayor from 2008 to 2016 when she voluntarily stepped down to raise money to rebuild the historic general store which was ravaged by fire. She was Rabbit Hash’s first female mayor but the third canine mayor. According to her Facebook page, Lucy Lou was 12 years old at the time of her death.
Probably the first thing which pops into people’s minds upon hearing the news is the question, “A dog for a mayor?”
Rabbit Hash is an unincorporated town near the Ohio River in Boone County Kentucky, with a population of just over 300 persons. The primary attraction is the Rabbit Hash General Store, built circa 1831. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 1989; at the time it was regarded as “the best known and best preserved country store in Kentucky”.
In the 1990s the town decided to use the election of a “mayor” as a fundraiser for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. Since the town is unincorporated it does not have any official or recognized government, therefore the office of mayor is only an honorary title and could be sold if the citizenry felt so inclined. The election was simple — one dollar donated equaled one vote. One loving (perhaps doting) pet owner thought, “Why not vote for my dog?” and did so. Thus Goofy Borneman-Calhoun, won the election to a four-year term and was inaugurated in 1998. Sadly he died in office in July 2001, aged 16.
Goofy was the first in a line of canine mayors, and Rabbit Hash has become well know for this predilection for furry, four-legged public servants. There are worse ways for a town to express itself. Rest in peace, Lucy Lou, you were a great ambassador.
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