Slashdot Mirror
526 Years On, Da Vinci's Clockwork Car Constructed
SimianOverlord writes "The Guardian (and several other news outlets) report on the attempt by Professor Paulo Galluci and his team to build a working model of Leonard Da Vinci's clockwork powered car, designed in 1478. Previous attempts have been made to create the vehicle, but they failed to work properly. This is thought to be due to a misunderstanding of the original design, which is corrected in the new model. Apart from the 1/3 scale replica, the team have also made a full size model but have not dared to test it. Professor Galluzzi explained "It is a very powerful machine. It could run into something and do serious damage.""
It's taken them long enough to figure it out.
I guess that 2 things can be learned from this
1) Da Vinci was a genius ahead of his own time
2) Document your frigging drawings! were not all mind readers ya know!
Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know when your gonna get food poisoning.
A programmable steering mechanism allows it go straight, or turn at pre-set angles. But only to the right.
To the right? That's of no use! Reprogram that sucker to turn left and send it to NASCAR.
I wonder if it'll get you to work on time?
...but the real headline will be when someone successfully pilots one of his flying machines!
I guess DaVinci agrees that we should be Left Hand Drive...
And the SUV that nearly killed me this morning isn't?
The real reason it isn't on the road is government regulation. There needs to be a 10-year rigorous testing project to make sure it meets federal emmission standards.
Until homeless bums jump in front of your clockwork car at traffic lights, start cranking and then demand five bucks...
Do you or your partner snore? - Visit www.snoring.com.au
I will soon complete a modern version of Da Vinci's nuclear breeder reactor as soon as I can find a wood cog that decelerates neutron emissions.
When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.
I was going to say a witty pun related to "A Clockwork Orange," but I couldn't think of anything that rhymes with it...
1) Make obscure drawings the kind of look like what you are thinkging of
2) Don't document, allow other to figure it out
3)Profit!
wait, that would be management.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"It is a very powerful machine. It could run into something and do serious damage." ...and to make things worse, they also successfully reconstructed Da Vinci's design for a clockwork cell phone.
pi = 3.141592653589793helpimtrappedinauniversefactory7
I made a Da Vinci bicycle my freshman year out of wood. Got a lot of odd looks riding it around campus. It was also quite loud. When I left at the year of the year I locked it to a bike rack and it wasn't there when I got back. If you ever see someone riding around Palo Alto on a primitive wooden bicycle knock them off it for me!
Lasers Controlled Games!
of that guys post here
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Perhaps they don't want to depreciate the value of the car by increasing the milage on the clock.
"The wooden models spring forward several meters (yards) after a pair of back wheels are wound up, much like a kid's car zooms forward after the wheels are revved up against a surface."
Only several meters? Not a very quick machine, I imagine. A Supra rear wing and a dozen Type-R stickers would surely help.
"HELP!,HELP!, I'm trapped in some sort of box!"
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I think there probably is, and I think you spell it "giant-ass springs held in place by nothing but Rennaisance-era carpentry."
"Ok, guys, just keep pulling it back, yeah, keep going, keep going, keep..."
*FWOING*
"Oh, Jesus, he's got an arm off!"
That can't be good for the university's insurace rates.
... must be worried.
The Erogenous Zone