MetaFilter posts tagged with physics and technology

Aeolipile

Mblue — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:04:00 -0800

Steam engine. Henry was first. Steam powered trains soon followed. Steam powered shovels, tractors, and rollers. Think technology has made steam obsolete? Not yet.

I've got moves you haven't even seen yet

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:29:51 -0800

What is the relationship between the optical groove in a record or wax cylinder and sound, and how can we use this to recover analog recordings from the past? Dr. Carl Haber explains IRENE (.pdf; begin at slide 44 for audio samples).

Vintage Radio and Scientific Equipment

mediareport — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 20:35:48 -0800

The Spark Museum John Jenkins' collection of vintage wireless, radio, scientific and electrical equipment, including Crookes and Geissler tubes, Barlow wheels and other early electric motors, loud speakers and many more oddball electrical devices. [via TeamDroid]

Quantum Encryption

PreacherTom — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:25:47 -0800

Quantum Encryption Scientists have created an unbreakable cypher through the use of quantum physics, where a photon is observed and used as the basis for an encryption key. "Uncertainty is the principle we exploit. It's impossible to find the key, because the photon can be measured once and only once. An eavesdropper can't measure it, and so can't get the key." Props to Heisenberg!

The hidden super university

tellurian — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:04:27 -0800

Vlad gives his views on the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As the anthem of Phystech promises, "we will disperse, when the time comes, in all the world, from Dolgoprudny"

"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 11:41:17 -0800

Sufficiently advanced quantum computer is indistinguishable from magic

Give me the Oscillation Overthruster!

loquacious — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 15:23:57 -0800

How to build yourself a Glow Discharge Panel. No, really. Woah, that's freakin' cool. UFO stuff, I think to myself. Heh. Oh.. Oh holy crap!

Espoo2 — Mon, 17 Jun 2002 18:21:53 -0800

Teleportation finally? Not quite "beam me up scotty" yet, but a definite surge forward. The mechanics of it aren't quite sophisticated enough yet to handle humans, but this does make quantum computers close to reality.