When creating objects for 3D printing, I find I often want to know the volume. In one particular instance, I am making what is called a low pressure drop static mixer and would like to know what volume of a channel is with the mixer installed. Turns out that the problem is easy to solve, so long as you know the right tricks.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: BoB
There’s a Chicken in the Lab
One item on my bucket list has been to learn how to make a video game. I figured forced isolation due to the pandemic gave me the time I needed to dive into this project. After 100 hours, I was able to produce Chicken in the lab! where you – the chicken – need to pick up the elements (in order of atomic number) that have been scattered across the lab by an evil Biology Professor.
I’ll have a link to the game once I get it all packaged up for distribution for the 1 or 2 of you daring enough to try it out. Meanwhile, check out this video commentary about my experience with the Unreal Engine 4. You can just jump to 5:55 and see gameplay if you’d like.
Congrats Jenna
Great news from one of my former summer research students; Jenna will be entering SUNY Upstate‘s medical program this fall.
Jenna was in my first crop of summer research students at SUNY Brockport; (check that link, she’s in one of the tie dye lab coats). She was actually a student at MCC participating in the CSTEP program designed to help students find enriching research opportunities.
Continue readingCribbage board
I’ve had some time to work on my CNC milling and made a Cribbage board for my Dad for Father’s Day. (Yes, I’m late.) We just made it back from a safe, socially distant family vacation in New Hampshire, a place my family has visited for about 4 generations. One of our family traditions is to play Cribbage and we introduced it to my brother-in-law and my nephew. I think they enjoyed it, but you can never really tell because, well, families are not really supposed to share their opinions with one another, right? At least my nephew shared his opinion: it’s boring. Apparently the only thing that isn’t boring to this 15-year-old is a game on his phone where you endlessly “collect power ups to get to the next level”.
Revenge of the Algae
It’s day three of the algae treatment of my pond. The data are not that encouraging if you were rooting for algaecide as a quick fix for my swampy green problem. Here are the results:
The absorption spectrum looks fairly consistent over the three days. We have had temperature fluctuations of about 10-15 degrees in addition to rain, so there are many variables that can impact subtle variations in the shape of the spectrum. The water has not altered from its turbid, green characteristics, and the spectra support the claim that little has changed in terms of algae content.
The fluorescence spectra are displayed slightly differently from the previous articles in that they have been normalized. Assuming that the excitation peak stays roughly the same regardless of conditions, normalizing the spectra allows for a better comparison of the peak at 690 nm. It looks like there was a big change between days 1 and 2; however there is little change, and possibly an increase, in the peak from day 2 to day 3.
The instructions on the algaecide bottle say to repeat the treatment every 3 days until the pond has cleared. I will do one more treatment of 15 mL and if I do not see any meaningful change in the water quality, I will bite the bullet and replace the water.