Gold Day 2009

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

Amber’s school has this big event every year called Gold Day. This year I was invited to come talk about my vegetable car and other “green” topics. I had 8 groups come by for 20-minute sessions. We talked about alternate fuels, backyard gardening, and composting. Some of the kids were really interested, and others fell asleep.

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20 Hours of Fiberglass Experience

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

I’m disappointed that I still don’t have a functioning fuel tank after 20 hours of work. I’ve learned a lot so far: Get your form perfect before you start laying glass, create radiused edges inside your form, use a bunch of small pieces of fabric, use two cups because the one holding your resin sometimes gives way and then you leak toxic goo all over yourself, and you need more sanding disks and paint brushes than you have on hand. I couldn’t get my hand into the last corner of the tank, so I had to take it out of the form and start working on the outside surface. The foil I sprayed with PAM came off easily, the other, I had to take off with a wire wheel on my drill.

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Posted in Automotive, Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fiberglass Fuel Tank Project

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

The only thing missing from having Betty 100% converted to run on vegetable oil is a real tank. Against the criticism of many, I wanted to build my own custom tank, out of fiberglass. I’ve always wanted to learn how to “make stuff” out of fiberglass, and I figured this would be a good way to teach myself how. The smart-asses telling me I shouldn’t do it just made me want to do it more.

I wanted the tank to use the odd-shaped area behind the wheel in the trunk. As I started building my form, I realized I better put some thought into how I’m going to remove the tank, because I’m sure there will be a time when removal will be required. That little detail made the tank size shrink quite a bit. I had to sacrifice area for wiggle room. This is a wedge I made that should give me enough clearance when finished to let me remove it. I used a 10-second two-part glue that worked great.

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Posted in Automotive, Projects | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Garden Update May 26, 2009

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

I took some pictures of my plants this evening. My tomato plants are getting tall. We have been pretty good at keeping the sucker vines pinched off.

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Some Baggage System Trivia

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

Since I received so many comments on my last baggage system post, I decided to do another one.
Fact: Turns are a common area where jams occur. (think: Mt. Samsonite) The picture below is a turn, about 10 foot in the air, accessible from only one side on a catwalk.

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The Argument for Intelligent Design

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

I had intended on going to hear these guys speak in person, but I didn’t get to go after all. Good news is that the presentation was recorded and available for free. I had time to watch them this weekend, and I was impressed with the information they shared. I’ve included the notes for the videos below. To me, this was time well spent, very educational and interesting. Set aside a little time and see what you think.
Go here to view the videos:
http://www.watermarkradio.com/index.php?id=153&channel=237&series=140&message=1

About this series

On April 19, 2009, Watermark hosted a forum that included scientists, authors and scholars deeply immersed in origin theory and its implications.

These presentations explore scientific arguments intended to equip those interested in understanding more about the science behind and the strengths and weaknesses of both Intelligent Design and Darwinistic evolution theories. Our hope is that this content provides you with the opportunity to draw meaningful conclusions about the significance these two theories hold for views on God, morality and society.

Panelists: Michael J. Behe, Professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University; David Berlinksi, author, mathematician, philosopher; Stephen Meyer, Director of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute; Todd Wagner, pastor, Watermark Community Church
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What California’s Budget Mess Means for America

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

California is often on the leading edge of things. It happens there first. Take a look at this little video for some insight in what unsustainable government spending, out of control unions, and high taxes have done to the state.

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Posted in Interesting, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bryson Has Herpangina

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

It has been a pretty sleepy weekend at the Gallimore house this weekend. Although I have a long list of things that need to get done, I’ve been more inclined to sleep late and do nothing all day. Amber hasn’t been feeling well, and Bryson started running a fever last night. Saturday morning, when Amber left to go work out, Bryson asked to watch TV. I took the opportunity to get back in bed while he laid there with me watching Curious George. When I woke up, there was an extra person in bed with us. Amber came home and thought we had a pretty good non-action plan, so she took advantage too.

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Memorial Day Reminders

Posted on May 23, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

Please remember the cost of the freedoms we enjoy. Many paid the ultimate price. Memorial Day is the time to pause and give thanks to those who fought for what we have.


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The Coolest Baggage Merge Ever

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Brian Gallimore

Many people may not know this, but I’m some kind of airport baggage conveyor system controls expert. The coolest stuff I’ve done has been with the merges in these systems. Today, after weeks of work and several iterations and ideas, me and the other guys I’ve been working with finally came up with a working solution that combines nearly every merge feature I’ve ever seen in one single place. Here is a video of one of our test runs today:

link
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Posted in Industrial Automation, News | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments