I knew of this before and now I'm going to use it. The German word of the day...
http://www.transparent.com/wotd/today/german.htm
The best or at least most prominent info I've found on actual sentence structure is the Wikipedia. That's a little more involved than a lesson a day, but I'll see what I can pull off.
Today's word? Gesund. It means 'healthy'.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Diode
Another easy one today; The Diode..
My friend Andy offered up the idea that I should take notes to reinforce memory of certain fact, so this is what I typed out while watching this video and reading the wiki...
Diode allow flow of electricity in only one direction in a circuit. Effectively converts alternate current, AC to direct current, DC
Zener Diode, also known as avalanche diode low voltage, prevent damage to components
Signal Diode, low voltage
Rectifier Diode, hi voltage, so called because it converts AC to DC, ie rectification
Light emitting diode, LED
varicap diode is also used as a capacitor
1874 Ferdinand Braun, accidentally discovered first diode
Yungadish Chandra Bose, used similar device to look for electromagnic waves
P/N Junction Russel Shcumacher Ohl, 1939 discovered mixing impurities with semiconductor crystal, usually silicon, would allow control of how well it would conduct electricity, P = Positive, N = Negative (duh). Put them end to end, you have a diode
The interest here is not only in the knowledge of the parts. I would like to build a tube amplifier or two, for both instrument and hi-fi stereo amplification. I have a developed ear that hears that difference while playing guitar. I'm sure there's a difference with playing recorded music too.
One last note; As I'm out and about and may not be able to post here every day. This is an interesting thing to try though and I will endeavor to persevere...
My friend Andy offered up the idea that I should take notes to reinforce memory of certain fact, so this is what I typed out while watching this video and reading the wiki...
Diode allow flow of electricity in only one direction in a circuit. Effectively converts alternate current, AC to direct current, DC
Zener Diode, also known as avalanche diode low voltage, prevent damage to components
Signal Diode, low voltage
Rectifier Diode, hi voltage, so called because it converts AC to DC, ie rectification
Light emitting diode, LED
varicap diode is also used as a capacitor
1874 Ferdinand Braun, accidentally discovered first diode
Yungadish Chandra Bose, used similar device to look for electromagnic waves
P/N Junction Russel Shcumacher Ohl, 1939 discovered mixing impurities with semiconductor crystal, usually silicon, would allow control of how well it would conduct electricity, P = Positive, N = Negative (duh). Put them end to end, you have a diode
The interest here is not only in the knowledge of the parts. I would like to build a tube amplifier or two, for both instrument and hi-fi stereo amplification. I have a developed ear that hears that difference while playing guitar. I'm sure there's a difference with playing recorded music too.
One last note; As I'm out and about and may not be able to post here every day. This is an interesting thing to try though and I will endeavor to persevere...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Knowledge, Creativity and where they meet
You know, I love caffeine.
There's something about the fire it lights between the synapses that just makes me aware of so many things that I'm in the middle of, things I could learn and things I could be making. This is rarely surrounded much by negative waves...
...and it really wasn't today either. I was well aware that as soon as the three shots of espresso kicked in an outlet for the inspiration would be taken out by pencil on paper. But since I was thinking about the inspiration when the caffeine kicked in, I concentrated on that and cross-referenced it with things that have skimming the top of my head, specifically things that I've wanted to do but haven't for the same reason that we all don't do these things; Time.
Today's excuse is of course being on the road. That argument holds no water. I have the internet. Why can't I learn a word or two of German a day? Why can't I learn about how a capacitor works?
I have no time, yet there are long periods of boredom. There are all these interesting things I want to do but for some odd reason I'm not making an effort. I figure the most obvious way around the problem is to go to school. When you're paying for it and it's on the schedule, you follow through. But I'm going to try to do is breath new life into the blog and try and learn something each day.
It's a small thing to learn that the German word 'nagel bett' means 'nail bed' (An odd thing to start out with, yes. Just happen to be watching The Big Lebowski with a friend and it was in there.) but it's more than I knew 20 minutes ago. if I can hold onto it, I'm a little bit closer to speaking German. If I learn another language, it will probably make learning other languages moderately easier.
So expect a new small challenge each day. It might be super-easy, it might not. If I have internet connection, I will post though. Play along if you'd like...
There's something about the fire it lights between the synapses that just makes me aware of so many things that I'm in the middle of, things I could learn and things I could be making. This is rarely surrounded much by negative waves...
...and it really wasn't today either. I was well aware that as soon as the three shots of espresso kicked in an outlet for the inspiration would be taken out by pencil on paper. But since I was thinking about the inspiration when the caffeine kicked in, I concentrated on that and cross-referenced it with things that have skimming the top of my head, specifically things that I've wanted to do but haven't for the same reason that we all don't do these things; Time.
Today's excuse is of course being on the road. That argument holds no water. I have the internet. Why can't I learn a word or two of German a day? Why can't I learn about how a capacitor works?
I have no time, yet there are long periods of boredom. There are all these interesting things I want to do but for some odd reason I'm not making an effort. I figure the most obvious way around the problem is to go to school. When you're paying for it and it's on the schedule, you follow through. But I'm going to try to do is breath new life into the blog and try and learn something each day.
It's a small thing to learn that the German word 'nagel bett' means 'nail bed' (An odd thing to start out with, yes. Just happen to be watching The Big Lebowski with a friend and it was in there.) but it's more than I knew 20 minutes ago. if I can hold onto it, I'm a little bit closer to speaking German. If I learn another language, it will probably make learning other languages moderately easier.
So expect a new small challenge each day. It might be super-easy, it might not. If I have internet connection, I will post though. Play along if you'd like...
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