Large Hadron Collider

We all know this is some feat of engineering. However, it’s extremely difficult to get a scale of the project. Not only is it impossible to imagine the sizes of particles whizzing around at beyond breakneck speeds, but it’s even more difficult to get an idea of how bloody big the thing is from the inside.

They’ve hardly started doing guided tours.

Thankfully, a certain Peter McCready has been allowed access to the Large Hadron Collider’s gizzards and has photographed some awesome panoramic views of the thing that you can swush around in full 360 degree loveliness.

Click here and give it a second or two to load. He’s even added sound effects to get a general feel of the ho and the hum of the place. [cap doff]

But, if you swing around for long enough you’ll notice the entire thing is held together by bloody duct/duck/gaffer tape. (OK, I’ll go as far as fancy aluminium tape.)

Your average roll of duct tape

Right, so if we take a look round the LHC then it appears we’ve got gaffer tape roughly every half meter. We can’t exactly say that it goes all the way round the circumference of the inner core, but by the looks of things it could very well do. The width of the inner core is approximately 3.8 meters leading to a core circumference of 11.932 meters with a total collider circumference under the Alps of 27 kilometers. [via]

So, by my reckoning (if we’re saying there’s duct tape every half meter that goes around the whole circumference), that means 644,328 meters of duct tape tops, at a rough cost of $336,227 if I were to buy it in 6″ (144 mm) wide 55 meter rolls costing $28.70 ea.

Let’s hope they got a bulk discount.

Now I don’t want anybody getting too giddy, but rumour has it that Mr. Obama is going to be around and about this neck of the woods at some point today.

Not that I have any intention of bracing the elements to take a peek - it’s been a touch nippy these past couple of days and my big coat has gone missing.

Anyway, he’s going to be visiting some place that fabricates wind turbines in Bedford Heights, which only has a population of around 11,000 and is just down the road.

Apparently it’s all in relation to Obama’s economic stimulus plan and companies involved with new energy sources such as those in tiny towns building wind turbines.

Or, government grants for going green.

Personally, I think it’s a rather good message to be sent and a good way of sending it

Supersized press brake

Oh what a joy it is to be given the 4th of July off as a holiday. But, like this fella, I’d much rather be working than have to traipse three hours up the highway to attend some thoroughly cheesy family function, which this year involves some really spurious talent show. Oh, the horror. I have bought kazoos and it’s either Rule Britannia, Sugar Plum Fairy or The Pyramid Song by Radiohead.

Anyway, is there anybody who can help a sheet metal brother from Western Massachusetts out this weekend? As he states in his craigslist post:

Does any body have a sheet metal brake that I can borrow for the weekend. Will return in same condition. Ready to pay small amount for the favor.

Come on, somebody have a heart. Maybe you can save him from some truly horrendous hoopla with the in-laws as well.

Click here for his details.

Oh, and Happy 4th of July.

A curious instinct tells me I should make Steph get out more. Whether I give her a key or up her housekeeping are a couple of options I’m pondering.

The problem with her doing bits and bobs for me is that she’s very easily distracted. I should know seeming I’m forever having my tract dissed. Once in a while she’ll concoct a scheme or get diverted by an online interest that is, well, remotely interesting.

Of late, she’s been getting into all things Tesla - the first time she mentioned a Tesla Coil I replied that they wouldn’t come cheap at the Family Planning Clinic. Then again, cracking woofers like that and I should be slightly worried about her tapping me up to be the hamster in this particular Tesla cage:

If you like electrical and scientific wonderments - and if you don’t then you’re a bit odd - the Tesla site I found that on has loads of other amazing Tesla-related stuff you can replicate (or not) in your back garden.

I may show you some of the more exciting stuff at a later date, but something I did come across was these Bernoulli Balls:

And this stainless steel Bernoulli Ball:

Now the weird thing is, round about the same time I was being Tesla’d 24/7 by Steph and checking various Tesla sites out, we received an inquiry at Butler Sheetmetal about a stainless steel ball sculpture that bored little oiks kept knocking off its perch:

Stainless Steel Ball Sculpture

And they wanted to know if the boys could do something to ensure the thing remained upright for long enough for people to enjoy it. It’s not too much to ask, is it?

Obviously, with Bernoulli Balls in mind, I suggested an oversized leaf blower and some elongated industrial straws for balance. Personally I thought it was a bit of inspired genius.

They just told me to stick to the blogging. Fair enough fellas.

Hopefully I’ll have something to show you once it’s done to show you how they did it.

I really don’t anticipate any Benny Hill-esque chase routines as they try to fix it and it goes hurtling off down some field.

Not that any of them would catch it, mind.

If only we knew we were moving in more illustrious circles then we could bang on incessantly about them. Apparently we did some stainless steel tree rings that were to be inspected by Her Majesty not so long back, but nobody deemed it newsworthy enough to tell us what they were for until way after the event. Bless ‘em.

But if we’re not rubbing shoulders with invisible royalty then we’re tickling the odd palm with one of those peculiar handshakes. Apparently, that truckload of powder-coated planters we sent down to London a couple of months ago were to be housed in an old Masonic Lodge. As this picture testifies:

Most of the pictures we take tend to be of them in the process of being made or being shipped, and it’s generally up to the kindness of a client’s heart should we receive any pictures of our planters once they’re planted up. But, with this lot we’ve had the rare opportunity to get a series of pictures of them actually being planted up, which makes for a change.

You can view plenty more from where they came in the planter set here.

The finished set of planters in situ are going to look rather impressive I think.