Categories
Environment Photography Solar car

[183] Of torn by failure

I am currently torn apart by the failure suffered by the team and I’ve decided to to fight this failure by fighting in Green’s name more aggresively. I do not know how yet but maybe finally joining Greenpeace officially.

News by AP on ASC 2003:

Solar-Powered Car Race Opens in Chicago
Mon Jul 14,10:39 AM ET
By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO – The grounds of the Museum of Science and Industry had the look of pit row on race day Sunday, but the cars crossing the starting line bore more than a passing resemblance to giant envelopes on wheels and their fuel comes from the sun, not the pump.

The American Solar Challenge started when a team from Kansas State University became the first from 20 U.S. and Canadian colleges to hit the road in a 2,300-mile race that will end in about 10 days in Claremont, Calif. Drivers will spend most of their time on the way to California on historic Route 66.

“The strategy is to go as fast as you can and look for potholes,” said John Blessing, a crew member for KSU’s car. “You really feel every pothole, that’s the truth.”

The race sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (news – web sites) features cars that were years and, in some cases, well over $100,000 in the making. Made of the lightest and strongest materials the students can find, including the Kevlar used to make bulletproof vests, the cars can weigh as little as 400 pounds, students said.

The cars’ sleek bodies rest just inches off the ground, allowing them to slice through the wind efficiently. The vehicles are powered by the 3,000 or so small solar cells that cover them.

They can easily travel over 50 mph and can climb past 70 mph under the right conditions, students said.

News from the American Solar Challenge by ACS 2003:

REPORTS FROM THE ROAD – July 11, 2003

Last year’s winner Michigan fails to qualify
By Richard King
U.S. Department of Energy

BURLINGTON, Wis., July 11, 2003 – Since I know a lot of you will be going home for the weekend soon, I wanted to share some breaking news.

The University of Michigan, last year’s winner and defending champion, did not pass scrutineering and is out of the race. The servomechanism that powered the steering failed and the car is unable to turn safely out of traffic.

Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal also did not pass scrutineering. That team’s car has stability problems and poor brakes.

As of 2:30 p.m. , teams are frantically driving laps as they try to complete the 140 miles (61 laps) necessary to qualify. Yale, McMaster, Iowa State, and Western Ontartio look “iffy” and might not make it.

I dedicated this post to the University of Michigan Solar Car Team.

Some rights reserved. By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams

We will come back stronger.p/s – Another one of my works published in the Mirror Project.

Categories
Personal Photography

[146] Of sleepless till sunrise

I am sitting here, in front of my computer still trying to sleep. It is a curse to suffer insomnia (or pseudo-insomnia, depending on how you see it) but today, I saw one of the most beautiful things ever, thanks to insomnia.

While I was watching The Pianist in my room alone, I was rudely surprised but the ugly sound the alarm clock made. I had set it to go off sometimes around six in the morning. My first reaction was to shut the alarm off as quickly as possible. I do not know why but the sound of my alarm clock always gives me an adrenaline rush. Anyway, that is not the point. After I slammed the alarm clock with my fist, I saw a line of light far in the horizon.

Curious, I pulled the curtains out of my line of sight and opened up the windows. It didn’t take me long to realize that the light came from the Sun. And it was magnificent view.

A picture worth a thousand words and the phrase is no way untrue.

The sky was dark and the ground was cover with the bluish-white snow. The pavement looked wet and no doubt, it was cold outside. The clouds covered most parts of the sky save the far horizon. The Sun was not visible yet but its light was already brightened up the general east. The light was dully red, almost pink or nearly orange, the sort of colors that you see while twilight was giving way to the night and the formed a line from the south to the north.

I was rather puzzled by the line but soon I understood what caused it. It was the clouds, forming a carpet. It was as if a healthy bulb was lit up and a few feet under it, laid a sheet of thick cardboard. The line of light that I saw would be the light that that would hit the edge of the cardboard. The representation is somewhat way simplified because the spectrum of red light was prevalent around the line.

Slowly, as time passed slowly, the darkness succumbed to light but not without a fight. The deep dark blue was first changed to a softer navy blue. From blue, red took over. The red showed a spectacular array of lights. Farther, the Sun was rising and its shiny yellowish light shot to all areas. The Law School, which looks like a medieval European castle formed an impressive silhouette as the trees covered the modern building as if trying to hide the fact that we are living in the twenty-first century.

Red gave way to a lower level red and that red fell to carrot’s skin. The color conquered vast area of the sky but soon, the Sun was up high. Soon, the lovely cyan declared that it was time to wake up. Soon, the Sun’s brilliance overwhelmed my eyes and no longer could I look straight into the source of all living things.

It was beautiful. These words will no way describe the sunrise. So Batcha, I want my other camera back.

Categories
Humor Photography Solar car This blog

[129] Of The __earthinc V1.3

…wats with all this fuss about aina ni?? haha finally u all know aina’s a hoe… i truly believe she IS a hoe… a HOEribbly smart girl, a HOEribbly good listener to her girlfriends’ countless neverending problems, a HOEribbly fun eatin partner…..even santa claus loves her…..HOE HOE HOE…. tsk tsk…. oh god help me sometimes i thinkk i am soo funny… anyways iv been bedridden for a whole week…

The result of random surfing…
Anyway, The __earthinc Version 1.3 is now here. The Links and Gallery are also updated but the pictures might be taken off due to space constraint. As much as I want to compress it and let it stay on the net, my time is way to precious too be spent on compressing the pictures one by one using Photoshop.

Well, bye, I have tons of homework and Solar Car things.

Categories
Photography

[118] Of the Mirror Project

I made it to the Mirror Project! See my first recognized work here.

Categories
Photography This blog

[59] Of photos from Hadi

Bought a new comic. It’s Paradise X. I know it’s an old version but hey, I’m beginning to read comics again and play Magic The Gatherings.

Here are the latest additions to the photographic project. These pictures are the latest contribution from Wan Mohd Fadzli Hadi Wan Zakaria. There are a few other photos and they are posted under the Gallery section. Enjoy the running project.