{"id":11828,"date":"2015-06-22T16:11:29","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T21:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=11828"},"modified":"2015-06-22T16:11:29","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T21:11:29","slug":"geek-month-in-review-may-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=11828","title":{"rendered":"Geek Month in Review: May 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JB Sanders<\/p>\n

May flowers! <\/p>\n

We Are Truly in the Future<\/a><\/strong>
\nLet Pancake Bot draw whatever shape you want your pancakes in, then cook them for you. <\/p>\n

What Do Tree Rings Sounds Like?<\/a> <\/strong>
\nOddly ethereal. See scientists take tree rings and treat them like they\u2019re special long-playing vinyl. <\/p>\n

The Forgotten Pyramids of Meroe<\/a><\/strong>
\nAlong the Nile, in the Sudan, there are some 200 pyramids left \u2014 not by the Egyptians \u2014 but by the Meroitic Kingdom. They\u2019re not as big but they are very cool looking. In fact, I suspect some of the artists drawing tombs in various fantasy games over the years saw these. <\/p>\n

Cube inside a Cube inside a Cube<\/a><\/strong>
\nWhich is not not the remarkable part \u2014 no, because any idiot with a 3D printer and the right file can make one of those. This guy did it with a block of aluminum, some hot glue, and a lathe. Not a CNC reduction machine. No! An honest-to-Pete lathe \u2014 spinning in circles, crank-controlled, and computer-free. <\/p>\n

Artificial Lava<\/a><\/strong>
\nWant to experiment with lava flows, but live in upstate New York? Melt some basalt and make your own!<\/p>\n

The Quiet Zone<\/a><\/strong>
\nImagine a place with no cell phones, no radio broadcasts, not even any microwave ovens (unless they\u2019re in a Faraday cage). That place is the Quiet Zone, an area of 13,000 square miles that is forbidden by law from having any radio interference.<\/p>\n

3D Interactive Map of the Universe<\/a><\/strong>
\nYup, time to break out your holoprojectors. It\u2019s a full 3D map of the known universe and you can monkey around with the view. <\/p>\n

Hyperloop Test Track in the Works<\/a><\/strong>
\nThe Hyperloop is a train, set in a near-vacuum tube, which \u2014 if the theory proves correct \u2014 could travel faster than an airplane. Yes, Elon Musk, super-villain in training (or a hero using the villain playbook, which one is unclear) is making another of his wacky ideas a reality. Giant pneumatic tubes could some day criss-cross the country, or even under the oceans. If you\u2019re wondering why anyone would want to use or build something like that, let\u2019s lay down the travel times: Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes. Yeah. Anyway, they\u2019re actually building a test track now. <\/p>\n

How to Make Stackable Edible LEGOs<\/a><\/strong>
\nWant to build amazing structures or spaceships (spaceships!)? LEGOs. Want to be able to eat them after the inevitable fiery comet of doom? Look no farther. <\/p>\n

Micro-Living Pod<\/a><\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a super-tiny house that can accommodate up to 2 people, runs off wind and solar, and even collects its own rain water in a cistern below the living space. Looks like a futuristic egg, but the interior is actually kinda cool. Coming in 2016. <\/p>\n

Wait, the thing has its own website<\/a>:<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a> About John:<\/strong>
\nJohn’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).<\/p>\n

Geek Credentials:<\/strong>
\nRPG:<\/strong> Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
\nComputer:<\/strong> TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w\/reel-to-reel backup tape
\nCard games:<\/strong> bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
\nScience:<\/strong> Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
\nHis Blog:<\/strong>http:\/\/www.glenandtyler.com\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"