Tinkering with Tinkercad

When I first started out as an architect, personal computers were just hitting the practice; small offices were just starting to give CAD (computer aided drafting/design) a try. Now, we have 3D modeling in the cloud. It's rather astonishing.

Even more astonishing, modern CAD software now outputs to 3D printers. I made this little test house to see how to link and embed a model made from geometric primitives in Tinkercad. I then exported the model as an .stl file and printed it.

STEAM Engine

Our rallying cry for the new Science and Innovation Center has been STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), and now the class has had the chance to stand at the confluence of a few of those subjects. Our physics teacher, Jon, has asked us to print out a few parts for a Stirling Cycle Engine - a highly efficient, closed-loop engine.

The class arranged the parts on the build plate in two sets - the first set pictured here; parts were downloaded from Thingiverse. You can clearly see the cylinder body along with other parts - the Stirling uses a "displacer" as well as a piston; the top of the displacer is the larger disk opposite the cylinder body on the build plate.

The Stirling uses the difference in temperature between the gases in the chamber and a pair of plates, which are the aluminum parts mentioned in the video - there is a hot plate (on the bottom) and a cold plate (on the top); a variety of energy sources can be used to create the temperature differential. Once the flywheel is set in motion, very little energy is needed to keep the engine running.

The whole thing makes more sense if you download and study the assembly drawings. We'll release and clean the parts and give them to Jon's class. Can't wait to see the thing in action.

MakerBot Replicator 2

A couple of years ago, MakerBot took a turn from making 3D printer kits and printers that looked like kits, to "mature products". It introduced the Replicator 2 in 2012, as their first real attempt to make a salable consumer product - for about $2200. The Replicator 2 got rave reviews and seemed to spark the market for "pro-sumer" devices, as the number of competitors seems to have swollen in the meantime. And this new class of devices has now found their way into homes and schools everywhere.

This year, MakerBot introduced their latest "5th generation" products, and the price for the Replicator 2 dropped to $1899 - too cheap to ignore. So I went to the Microsoft Store and grabbed one. Set it up, pushed some buttons, and it's very easy to get started - really impressive how easy it is to get started. I printed a couple sets of the nuts and bolts on the provided SD card. Piece of cake.

But there are nuances and issues. My idea is to teach a technology class as an art (architecture) class, so I tested the printer by printing a model of the house, and the steep, curvy contours of the landscape made a giant mess - the extruder never stops extruding, and drags a thread of plastic every time it has to "cross a valley", thus filling the valley. After the printer finished, I had to go back and clear out these threads, leaving lots of funny edges and bumps.

There is also an on-going balancing act going on in the hobbyist community between getting the plastic to adhere to the build plate during the printing process, and releasing the printed object when finished. It involves: blue painter's tape, kapton tape, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, hair spray, glue sticks and other household cleaners and chemicals - or some combination thereof. The basic process I've started with is to lay down blue painter's tape on the build plate (made of acrylic), and clean it with the alcohol between renderings.

The other battle going on is a search for a solution to the curling of the plastic as it cools. The nuts and bolts are about 3/4" in diameter, and I had no problem printing them directly on the build plate. When I first tried a larger print (4-in square base) without the tape, the plastic peeled up at the corners, and began rocking back and forth as the extruder crossed the area. The tape does not prevent the curling, but seems to keep the print job in place, holding the edges steady to get a better render.

I've also found that by turning the model in the software, you can get the extruder to cross the "valleys" in different ways, so it's worth checking the "print preview" to see which position gives the cleanest render.

Any way, there is much more "art" to this process than it might seem. Regardless, it's an amazing technology.

A Week of Science

Science is awesome. Scientists are awesome. I've been binge-watching Neil dGrasse Tyson YouTubes since Sunday.

On Sunday, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted the re-launch of Cosmos, a beautiful re-visioning of Carl Sagan's 35-year-old original; both open on a sea cliff near Carmel, CA, so there's kind of a local connection. Dr. Tyson flew around in a little capsule that reminded me of a cross between Flight of the Navigator and Count Dooku's solar sailer from Star Wars (I don't recall seeing the outside of Sagan's ship): fantastic imagery and story-telling. Can't wait for episode 2. Way better than Downton.

On Monday, Dr. Randy Schekman, cell biologist and Nobel laureate, gave this year's Brizendine Visiting Scholars talk about protein secretions in yeast cells. Nerdy? You bet, but not unfathomable. Dr. Schekman traced the path of proteins thru a series of organelles inside a cell, and described the process he explored using yeast cells. I asked my co-worked what he thought, and he said, "He lost me." Hmm. Not a real nerd.

On Wednesday, Dr. Dan Siegel, psychiatrist and professor at UCLA and founder of the Mindsight Institute, spoke about being an adolescent. Speaking as he was to an audience full of adolescents, he carefully crafted a description of the adolescent brain and the changes in development of the various structures inside it. He used a kind acronym of "essence":

• emotional spark, social engagement, novelty, and creative exploration

to frame the areas of brain growth that are happening - not as nerdy, but illuminating for students and teachers alike.

Pebble

My cousin Henry is a musician and world traveller. At dim sum the other day he leaned over and asked me: so where are we headed tech guy? And I said: wearable tech. Of course, I don't have Google Glass or even a Fitbit, so I'm not sure why I said that except hat I've been reading about this trend.

Then Henry leaned over and showed me his UP band. We discussed his recent bike trip down the coast, and how he used his UP to track his progress. He showed me pictures from his phone and shared some great stories. So Iguess wearable tech is not where we're headed - we're already there. And I'm kinda behind the times.

I do, of course, carry my iPhone with me, and on the iPhone I have an app that basically does a lot of what a fitness tracking wrist band does - it's a GPS pedometer app called Moves. I particularly enjoy when Moves gives me credit for cycling when I'm driving around town. Is it cause I have a convertible? But, boy, look how much I exercise. Not much.

So I decided to take the next step and get a Pebble smart watch, which I've now had for about a week. The Pebble is a watch that adds a kind of bonus display to your phone, and will vibrate when you get a text, a call, or an email - you can then see a small summary of your communication on the watch face. When it's not being an iPhone display, it's a watch, so it doesn't seem like something "else" to wear.

I've already grown to love it and it kinda reminds me of the old days when I first got a Newton Message Pad. there's something a bit rough and kit-like about it that invites customization. And there's a thriving community customizing it. I particularly like a web site where you can make your own watch face - Watchface Generator for Pebble by Paul Rode; fairly easy to waste hours fussing around here. Build your face by uploading a background, adding analog or digital clocks, and other things - then use a QR scanner like Red Laser to download the .pbw file to your phone, and use the Pebble app to load it via Bluetooth.  It's fun and easy.

Here are a couple I made (click the link to download the watchface):

     

webble watchface  |  MAbble watchface

The "Think Question Create" tag line is from the school where I work, Marin Academy.

So how is it working out? The convenience is that I no longer have to take my phone out of my pocket to see who's calling, or get a text or email (just the sender and subject line). That doesn't sound like a big deal, but it turns out it is - at least for me, and I would imagine for lots of folks who do IT work.

Out of the box, the Pebble will just display time and remote your music app. In order to get this kind of functionality, you do have to add some extras: I am using an app called SmartWatch+. This app includes a tool to read your calendar, your texts, your emails, and grab weather info vis-a-vis your GPS. You then have to add a watch face or watch app that will display that info - they have one bundled, but I prefer these from MyPebbleFaces.com:

     

Smartface/SmartStatus  |  Futura Weather 2 Dark

I find that while I'm running around campus, I usually have Smartface going, if the day is not too busy, I prefer the Futura display, and then at home I switch to a basic clock display like the ones above. Just a couple things. When I get a text, the watch vibrates and shows as much as it can in the display. When I get an email from one of two accounts that I have configured, the sender and subject one show up, but when I go to read more, it just says "Loading" and never loads (or I've never seen it finish loading). And its o'd that the watch will display the battery level of your phone, but so far, I have not figured out how to view the battery status of the watch itself.

I also find I don't have to dig out my phone to check if I messed something - my watch will know. The SmartWatch+ also includes some other apps which I have not yet explored: the is a weather forecast, a stock ticker, a more advanced music app, a more complete calendar app. I have yet to load the camera app, a Bitcoin tracker (I'll never need that one I hope), GPS screen, HTTP request screen, Find my Phone, and Reminders. Lots more to play with.

Unlike the fitness trackers, the Pebble does not collect much data, it just displays data you already have on your phone on your wrist. I stopped wearing a watch way back when I was an architect and I was still drawing on drafting tables with pencils (remember those); when I was drawing I'd take off my watch then I'd forget it at the office. So we'll see how long this lasts.

Fireworks on the 4th - Higgs-like Particle Found at LHC

I've heard a lot of talk and chatter in the media about the loss of an active space program at NASA - that the real "heavy lifting" is being contracted to private partners like SpaceX. In particular, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson has made the rounds, including a hearing in Congress, to decry the loss of an active space program - the resultant loss of interest in in education of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics.

I, too miss the discovery and excitement of, say, Apollo. At the Museum, we are now showing The 1968 Exhibit which features the Apollo 8 mission as a key, year-ending event that united the world - the reading of Genesis in lunar orbit on Christmas Eve. However, I am still excited by NASA's upcoming Curiosity Rover landing in a few weeks.

That said, I don't think mankind's only opportunities to challenge its ingenuity and spark its imagination are in the stars; neither does such an inspirational project need to be "American". The LHC is a scientific tour de force, and (like Apollo) the innovations and advancements in technology that it has spawned will benefit civilization for generations to come: with large scale "grid" computing, focused proton beam technology, advances in clean manufacturing, and much more.

This morning, looking deep into the fabric of matter, the good folks at CERN announced that they have found a new particle - a boson that exhibits all the properties of the Higgs boson as anticipated by the Standard Model. Two teams, represented by Dr. Fabiola Gianotti and Prof. Joe Incandela, using data collected in two separate experiments (ATLAS and CMS respectively), presented evidence of a new particle with a mass of about 125.5-126.5GeV, and with a statistical significance of 5σ, marking this as a "discovery". Boy, I hope I'm saying that right.

It was another Genesis moment, literally made by recreating conditions similar to those immediately after the Big Bang. But how do we use this event ignite new excitement in science, technology, engineering, and math? Does the general public even grok the basic concepts here? I really enjoyed watching all the physicist and other gathered "smart people" erupt in applause when the two 5σ announcements were made - but who else could possible get that? These two slides literally threw the crowd into fits:

Prof. Incandela:

Dr. Gianotti:

You know how, when you're a kid, the first time you go to the symphony, and people don't applaud until after all the movements for a piece are done? It's like that, right? When people first saw Earth-rise in lunar orbit, they understood the significance of the event. When people see oddball computer-generated fireworks and graphs that spike to 5σ at 125.5-126.5GeV, how do we know what that means?

In the vein, here's a quote from Stephen Wolfram in WIRED:

I think it could be justified almost just for the self-esteem of our species: that despite all our specific issues, we’re continuing a path we’ve been on for hundreds of years, systematically making progress in understanding how our universe works. And somehow there’s something ennobling about seeing what’s effectively a worldwide collaboration of people working together in this direction.

Indeed, staying up late to watch the announcement early yesterday morning reminded me more than a bit of being a kid in England nearly 43 years ago and staying up late to watch the Apollo 11 landing and moonwalk (which was timed to be at prime time in the US but not Europe). But I have to say that for a world achievement yesterday’s “it’s a 5 sigma effect” was distinctly less dramatic than “the Eagle has landed”. To be fair, a particle physics experiment has a rather different rhythm than a space mission. But I couldn’t help feeling a certain sadness for the lack of pizazz in yesterday’s announcement.

Links:
Latest update in the search for the Higgs boson (Geneva, 2012-07-04T09:00:00)
Press Conference: Update on the search for the Higgs boson at CERN on 4 July 2012

John Muir Climbs Mt. Whitney

Well, obviously it's been a while since I've had anything to write about regarding technology in education - I've been in transition (like so many teachers!), and am now at the Oakland Museum of California. On August 5th we open a new show called "A Walk in the Wild: Continuing John Muir's Journey". One of the interactives that I'm working on will allow visitors to virtually join Muir during his epic trek during the fall of 1873 to the top of Mount Whitney. It's called "Follow Muir" and it runs on top of Google Earth. The user interface for that presentation is being custom-built by Lawrence Dolton at ViewPoint Geography, but the data is going to be made available for everyone to download and use. The data has been specifically built to run on both the personal computer and the tablet (iPad) versions of Google Earth. It'll work on an iPhone, but it may not be easy to use.

The tour consists of a series of "campsite" placemarks connected by purple (with horses) and yellow (on foot) paths. Most campsites include a pop-up balloon with Muir's journal notes and drawings, along with other additional info. There are also a series of "Fly-bys" which allow you to visually "follow Muir" on one of four peak ascents, as well as a number of "Sketchbook" photo-views which places Muir's sketches into the landscape - use the transparency slide here to help you see what Muir saw.

Here's how you can try it out ...

To download Google Earth for your PC or Mac, click here.

To download the data file for Google Earth on your PC or Mac, click here.

The iPad version does not include the "Fly-bys" or the "Sketchbooks", as these are not supported in the app - but you get everything else, sized for consumption on your tablet.

To add this data set to your iPad, do the following:

1. Get and login to a Google Account
2. Find the map data at this link
3. Click on "Save to my places".
4. Install Google Earth on your iPad
5. Click the "Layers" button in GE on your iPad
6. Login to "My Maps Account"
7. Select "John Muir Climbs Mt. Whitney"

Bentley Core Values Video

A video project which is part tour, and part expository piece on Bentley's Core Values. Bentley has five Core Values, and the students who attempted the fifth one (integrity), well - they couldn't make a video that seemed appropriate. Four out of five ain't bad.

From Augmented Reality to Augmented History

This article in Gizmodo sent me back to my original idea for TimePhiz that I wrote about in 2005 - providing a digital experience in which the backstory is not some mythical fairy tail, but somthing right out of history. I wanted to be able to take a field trip through time. I imagined GoogleEarth with a time slider - and they made that! And when I saw this, well it's like Google StretView with a time slider, too. Unfortunately, you can't download the app in the US - it comes from the Museum of London in the UK.

All I can say is I really hope this catches on. I certainly recognize the value of being able to find a good coffee shop by holding up your iPhone to the street-scape, or even taking yourself on a tour of a new place - but this iPhone app allow you to move the landscape back in time, see people, and get a whole new context.

Of course, this experience is not interactive - those people don't move or talk, but I see no reason why that couldn't happen in another five years.

UPDATE: The app is now available in the US. I've downloaded it, but it's basically just a photo album until you are actually in London (which I'm not).

MLK Assembly Video

Here is the updated MLK Day video for 2010:

Video Production 2009

Video Production Class - First Trimester, 2009

"Halloween Parade":


"Minute Documentaries":


"Opening Shots":

Memories of Bentley

The kids in the Technology Projects Elective are making a series of video essays which document their memories of the Hiller Campus as they prepare to graduate from Middle School. I found the projects amazingly well executed and quite touching.

Quilters of Gee's Bend

The Video Production class (trimester 2) made a video documenting the visit of the Quilters of Gee's Bend, honoring the Martin Luther King holiday.

Live Blogging the Inauguration

JAN 20, 2009, 09:25PM - Ryan: Srry my messages could not get through today was the day before the day. Im so excited. We had a long dress rehersal and had a

JAN 20, 2009, 05:19PM - Emma: It was so amazing did u get the pic alot of my texts arent going through

JAN 20, 2009, 12:28PM - Jacob (in the Mac Lab): i completly agree with you julia. this is a very special day! :)

JAN 20, 2009, 11:18PM - via KRON-4: The San Francisco Boys and Girls Choruses video clips:
- "Hymn to Freedom"
- "An American Hymn"
- "America the Beautiful"

JAN 20, 2009, 10:43AM - Emma: Hey Im @ the inauguration its around 12 there r 4 mill people here there is so much energy many cant see the speakers but we hear obamas voice and hes prez now a

JAN 20, 2009, 09:52AM - Julia (in Meadows): what struck me most was the power in his voice, the conviction he spoke with. he believed in what he was saying, which made me believe too. he addressed Americas issues as well as the worlds problems. i hope that when i look back on this day, i will remember all the emotions that i have now, all the appreciation for barack obama.

JAN 20, 2009, 09:42AM - Sean (in Meadows): I thought that the reverend's speech was quite touching because he had been with Martin Luther King Jr. in the marches, and that he had been through the times where blacks and whites good sit together in a restaurant. I also liked the rhyming.

JAN 20, 2009, 07:37AM - Mr. Calhoun: My Flight to DC
I left SFO for DC Monday at 12:30 AM. As I walked to the gate for my connecting flight at Houston, I felt really excited. As I passed a statue of George H. Bush in the Houston Airport, I could see my gate and folks waiting to fly to DC. People were feeling good. There was an incredible amount of Obama gear and a more police officers than I have ever seen to watch people board a plane. Folks were friendly as we prepared to go witness an historic event.

Monday Lunch
We had lunch yesteday with friends we have not seen in a while including an old friend who is now working for the State Department. She was over with her fiancee, how is a captain in the army. They met while they were both stationed in the Sudan, and they will both be headed to Afghanistan soon. I told the Army captain about the good work being done to support the Lost Boys of the Sudan at Bentley. He was impressed by the committment made by students. He added that the work to support individuals is important, but we need to pressure congress to effect long term change.

The DC Gala
Last night, I attended the DC Gala Ball. There was no Obama present, but I did get to see the O'Jays. It was fun to be part of the DC contingent. They really know how to celebrate. On the license plates in Washington DC, there is a famous quote "No Taxation Without Representation." In between the speeches congratulating Obama, several DC politicians past and present (including the infamous Marion Berry) commented on how DC needs statehood. I am interested to here what our Bentley History teachers think about this.

Tuesday Morning
Oh boy, I really want to be out on the mall. My wife's family are member of St. John's Church, which where the President will attend. She is on her way back from a service this morning. Her text from church (and she usually would not text from church) stated that the Biden and Obama families were in attendance. As soon as she gets back, we're headed out to the mall.

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JAN 19, 2009, 07:18PM - Ms. Hedrick: Here are links to the clips from today on The Early Show:
- SF Boys Chorus Practices For Obama Inaugural
- SF Boys Chorus To Sing At Obama Inauguration

JAN 19, 2009, 02:34PM - San Francisco Boys Chorus Inauguration rehersal and sound check at the US Capitol Building

JAN 19, 2009, 08:23AM - Alex: We are having a great time here in DC! it was a long flight to get here and when we arrived it was 12 degrees F! The next day we went to the zoo but didnt get to see every thing. and on sunday my aunt brought friends with when she arrived. And also that was the day we went to the concert. today is the day that we are going tto the national mall (its snowing!) and maybe the African Art Museum and eat dinner later with everybody. tommorow is the big day and i just cant wait.

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JAN 18, 2009, 06:03PM - Ms. Hedrick: San Francisco Boys Chorus blog. Thought you may enjoy.

JAN 18, 2009, 09:10AM - Ryan: capitol building

JAN 18, 2009, 06:35AM - Ryan: Today we have our first breakfast in the base. Its sunday and were having our free day. My group is goimg to an air and space mus

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JAN 17, 2009, 03:32PM - Ryan: Hello. Right now in d.c. Its 6:30 pm and im thirty minutes im going to sing for diane feinstein with a select group of boys and g

JAN 17, 2009, 10:12AM - Ryan: To cold for snow. And tonight im singimg for diane feinstein.

JAN 17, 2009, 09:25AM - Ryan: Today we went to a small patch pf green grass in front of the capitol. There we recorded for the channel pbs. Now i am in the lib

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JAN 16, 2009, 10:14AM - Ryan: Thx everybody i just landed, and im not tired anymore. Here im my connection from chicago to d.c. It is 12:12. The rest of my day

JAN 16, 2009, 05:28AM - Ryan: Day one, woke up at 2:45 for a call time of 4:00 and a flight of 6:00. Right now its 5:30, and i can barley feel my eyes.

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JAN 15, 2009, 12:52PM: Next Tuesday we've planned a "Web 2.0" experiment for the kids in which a few of them go off to Washington and send their their experiences back to Oakland; and then we all share our experiences watching the Inauguration "live" on the web. We are gathering grades 5-8 in the auditorium, and we'll project the live broadcast of the Presidential Inauguration on the big screen, and be able to time shift video and show everybody text comments and pictures sent by their friend who are attending the events in DC. We have the amazing fortune of having several student bloggers in some unique places; here are the folks that we know are in attendance:

- Ryan: is on stage and singing with the SF Boys Chorus
- Matthew: is in the VIP seating area
- Emma: is attending with a youth leadership group
- Alex: is attending with his parents (has a camera)
- Upper School: Mr. Calhoun, Shawn, Woody

Let's hope the large crowd does not overwhelm the cellular network, and we can get some real-time feedback from the east coast.

The Live Blog will go up Tuesday, January 20, at 6:30AM or so, on the Bentley School home page.

Hiller Campus Model Fly-over

The kids from "Tech Projects" each made a separate part of the our campus in Google SketchUp and exported their models to Google Earth. This is a screen capture of a "tour", flying over, around and thru the campus ...

Halloween Parade 2008

Video Class Final Projects ...

Flag Football Movie

Another series of student movies ...

Minute Documentaries

The first clean "directors' cuts" from my digital Video Production class. These are one-minute documentaries from the 8th period electives:

SketchUp Houses Fly-over

I have a new class this year which is a kind of buffet style course encompassing all my other courses: programming, robotics, and digital video. They just finished a three-day project building houses in Google SketchUp and then "visiting" each other in Google Earth.

I love the way these simple and intuitive tools allow kids to make immersive experiences really quickly. It's a real hook, and there's a lasting "pay-off" value when kids can build their own models and share them - kids come back and build stuff during open lab times just for fun.

Robot Sumo Tournament

[ click here to view Sumo movie - music by The Flaming Lips ]