Parts wear out, components fail, systems degrade: to keep a machine operating indefinitely will eventually require replacing every part of it, in the fashion of the philosophically debated ship of Theseus. For most systems, this means there comes a point of diminishing returns
Inspired by What Not to Do
Failure can be a bountiful source of more concrete inspiration, like all the times I see an interesting idea and think I could execute it better or that I would like to see it done differently.
Not All That’s Forgotten is Lost
Strategic employment of the writing tool does not just mean intelligently selecting what is written down, although that might be the most important consideration. It also encompasses the format in which the information is captured, the organization of that information, the medium in which the information is stored, and even the location of the information storage.
Some Background on RSGS
This essay will address the notable payload technologies involved in RSGS, but it will mostly focus on its twin robotic arms, the NRL-developed FREND Mk IIs.
Designs and Means
Sometimes a notion gets lodged in my brain which I just can’t shake, for something that seems like it should be easy, obvious, such that a solution should already exist…but I can’t seem to find one that does just what I’m looking to do.
Poetry Practice, Exercise 5
Here, we're tasked with two quatrains of 8-syllable iambic tetrameter, two quatrains alternating between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, and two quatrains featuring trochaic tetrameter (one quatrain with pure trochee, and one with docked weak endings on lines 2 and 4).
From Scratch
When it comes to starting most projects from scratch, though, it’s a bit more complicated than setting down the starting line for a race.
Forewords and Afterwords
By presenting these materials first, before the reader engages with the story on the story’s own terms, and not those provided by the foreword, the reader’s entire experience with and expectations of the story are distorted.
Poetry Practice, Exercise 4
This fourth exercise calls for 16 unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter. They should use pyrrhic and trochaic substitutions, weak endings, and enjambments.
Announcing: Weekly Science and Technology Newsletter
I am announcing a weekly update post/newsletter, primarily focused on science and technology, but with flexibility for me to include other content if I come across something interesting.
