A Difference Maker. Buffalo Trace. Travelers. Strong But Lightweight. A Sequel and Season Four. Christopher Columbus. The Vintage Explosion.
Quote of the Week: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall
Most of us remember Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees. She was an inspiration for all of us, being one of only a few to be accepted into a PhD program at Cambridge without an undergraduate degree. She then went on to be one of the world’s premier primatologists, establishing the Jane Goodall Institute which focused on promoting the understanding and protection of great apes and their habitats.
Goodall is best known for her work with chimpanzees in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. She was the first to discover that chimpanzees made and used tools, overturning the belief by many scientists that toolmaking was reserved for humans. Goodall passed away a couple of weeks ago. In my mind, she was someone who made a difference. RIP, Jane Goodall.
- I do not have a take, but I do have many questions with the video below. I cannot imagine what Jane Goodall would say about this interesting beauty pageant.
Question of the Week: Thank you for those who responded to the last Question of the Week: According to Travel and Leisure, the average person has visited three of the following cities: Paris, London, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Rome, Stockholm, Vancouver, Budapest, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Marrakesh, Cape Town, Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, Naples, New York, Moscow, Athens, Cancun, Tokyo, Cuzco, Cairo, Sydney, Dubai. How many have you visited?
JustMyTake readers are well-traveled:
- Thirteen!
- Of these cities, I’ve been to 13. Color me fortunate.
- Twelve
- I’ve been to 7 and hope to complete visiting all of them.
- I visited 22 of them. Missing Sidney, Cape Town, Cancun and Cuzco.
- 10 of those cities.
- 8
- We have visited 17 of the cities listed, most multiple times.
- 14 and counting!
- Eleven of those countries. Enjoyed all of them.
This week’s Question of the Week: If you could instantly learn one new skill, what would it be?
- 3D printers, once a bit of a mystery with their capabilities, are now being employed for hundreds of uses and applications. The latest development with 3D printing capability could be a game-changer. A class at MIT, taught by Greg Olson, was targeted at designing high-performance alloys using computer simulations. Alloys are materials that are comprised of different elements, which combined can have exceptional strength and rigidity.
Olson challenged his students to design an aluminum alloy stronger than any printable aluminum alloy but after many combinations of materials, the challenge failed. While this effort did not yield the desired results, Mohadeseh Taheri-Mousavi, a post-doctorate at MIT, and now at Carnegie Mellon University, took what the class worked on and used machine-learning tools to identify the key materials that could 3D print aluminum alloy at tremendous strength.
To physically produce this strong alloy, the team realized 3D printing would be the way to go instead of traditional metal casting. The end result is remarkable, with the printed alloy five times stronger than a casted alloy. The applications of a lightweight but very strong aluminum alloy are endless, but for practical matters they could be used as fan blades in jet engines, in high-end automobiles, vacuum pumps, and other uses for aerospace, drones, satellites, and consumer products.
The bottom line is to maximize the use of 3D-printed aluminum alloys as long as they match that of a molded part. The combination of lightweight and super strong printed materials will change manufacturing and fabrication, bringing weight/fuel efficiency and manufacturability advantages to vehicles, aircraft, and ships. This video summarizes the benefits of printed aluminum alloys:
Two Media and Entertainment Blurbs:
- I do not know why, but the movie Lost is Translation remains in my top ten movies of all time. I guess it was the dynamic connection between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, but I have watched the movie numerous times. Now I learn that before year end, a sequel to Lost in Translation will be in a theater near you. There is no way the sequel can be as good but for me it will be a definite watch. Please watch the original 2003 Lost in Translation first.
2. The Mayor of Kingstown, with the outstanding Jeremy Renner and a great supporting cast, has not received the recognition due as it sits on a streaming platform, Paramount+. This show, soon to enter its fourth season, is a combination of the Sopranos and Oz, with Renner the kingpin of the fictional city of Kingstown, Michigan, where the prison industry is the main form of commerce. The series is not for the faint of heart, with some violence and expletives galore, but will open your eyes to the goings on with Renner running the show. Season four starts October 26 so your binge watching better start now.
- Tomorrow’s federal holiday in the United States celebrates Christopher Columbus and his 1492 voyage that led him and his shipmates to the “New World.” The date of this holiday floats every year, as it is celebrated on the second Monday of October. The second Monday in October is also Indigenous Peoples’ Day which recognizes Native American cultures and people who were here in America way before Christopher Columbus arrived.
- Pure Talent. Led by William Hitchell’s vocals, this Glasgow, Scotland-based band sells out of their live performances, and for good reason. Add in a strong horn section and keyboards to great vocals and you get great music. The Vintage Explosion = Pure Talent.