Technology

When you look up at the stars each night, you probably think it is a beautiful sight to see. We feel the same. It is amazing to see billions of constellations and wonder what is hidden in the stars. For some people, it is the greatest miracle on Earth. For others, though, there are greater miracles than the shooting stars above and that is the miracle of life. That is why we encourage our new mothers to celebrate all aspects of life, especially when they are pregnant and carrying around their newborn child.

Why We Love the Stars

Any time you look toward the sky, a miracle can be seen. There are shooting stars, comets, constellations, and more. It is the universe that we live in. It has been shaped by time and it is constantly changing, much the same as the world around us. It is a place filled with mystery. It is beautiful and unending.

Science knows a lot about the universe, but no one knows all of the secrets it may hold in a black hole billions of miles away. We all ponder the question of whether there is life hidden somewhere in this world beyond ours. It is a fascinating concept that there could be other beings who live out there somewhere wondering if they are also the only ones to exist.

The Beauty of Life

Perhaps we value life so much because of our fascination with the stars because the way a life begins is a mystery as complex as the stars. We are all conceived by our parents. One day we are not there and then something magical happens and a seed is planted. That tiny little cell then forms into a tiny human being and it constantly changes and grows, shining brighter as its life begins at birth.

Our new mothers feel that miracle during their pregnancy. We often joke about the little alien inside of us and savor the way our body changes along with it. It is a beautiful experience that is more valuable to us than the changes within our galaxy.

Share the Beauty with Your Newborn

Often a young mother may worry that she will have to give up star gazing because of her newborn. It is not easy to hold a sleeping infant while focusing in on something in outer space through a telescope. However, most moms have words of wisdom for those who are concerned. We talk openly about sharing the beauty with a newborn by using the best baby carrier on the market. Carriers are designed to keep a newborn warm and safely tucked against their mommy’s heart, exactly where they belong. Best of all though is the simple fact that as the infant grows into toddlerhood, it can be a bonding experience for both parent and child.

In our group, we also have fathers who enjoy star gazing with their little ones. They choose the most comfortable baby carrier for themselves and it is something that makes them love the stars, even more because they are able to share the mysteries of the Universe with their tiny miracle.

Not everyone knows what a gyroscope is, but most everyone has seen them at one time or another and most have had the opportunity to use them, even if they did not realize it. One of the most common gyroscopes is a spinning wheel that is inside of three rings that are called gimbals. These little devices are fun to watch and have been used in a variety of things throughout history, since their invention back in 1743 when it was called either the “Serson’s Speculum” (after John Serson) or the “Whirling Speculum”.

The History of Gyroscopes

It was introduced in 1743 and used to locate the horizon when someone was out in a misty or foggy weather situation. Later, in 1817, Johann Bohnenberger invented a device that more closely resembles today’s gyroscopes. He called it the “Machine” and it was based on a rotating sphere. In 1832, it became a disk thanks to Walter R. Johnson and it became a teaching device. By 1852, Leon Foucault used it as a part of an experiment that showed the rotation of Earth and in 1860 electric motors made it possible for the gyroscope to spin indefinitely.

After those remakes, a toy company, Chandler Company of Indianapolis, began making a simple toy that worked with a pull string and pedestal. After that, the fascination and use of these devices continued to grow. As time went on, they became even more useful as well.

The Science behind Gyroscopes

When it comes to how a gyroscope works, you have to understand how it is designed. You have a center wheel that spins on a rotor. The three gimbals that surround it spin around to keep the center wheel spinning without it having to rely on anything but momentum and gravity. The thing is, with this simple, but very complicated design, you can tilt the device and flip it upside down, and everything will continue to function the way it should. In short, no matter what the wheel and gimbal must deal with, gravity takes over to ensure that it still works the way it should. This makes it ideal for helping things that we use today to maintain the right orientation. It is a concept that some people use everyday thanks to the invention of a self balancing electric scooter.

How We Use Them Now

In today’s world, gyroscopes are used in everything from radio controlled helicopters to the Hubble Space telescope. They are used in things that cannot rely on magnetic compasses to keep them going in the right direction. The theory behind them is also used in bicycles, motorcycles, ships, and most other types of vehicles in one way or the other. Back in the day when everyone had a mouse with a tiny little ball in the middle of them, they were making use of a gyroscope. As technology continues to improve, the gyroscope is right there with us in a smart balance wheel and our smart phones with automatically rotating screens, as well as anything else we use that needs to be able to self-orient.

It kind of makes you wonder how we have so much technology and still base the things we use on a device that was invented over 273 years ago. This machine was invented long before our technology knew what to do with it. It has been reinvented and renamed many times, but in the end it is still the basis of what we use today. Perhaps we should all say, “Thank you” to John Seson for what he has given us today.

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The promise behind self-driving vehicles has been around for many years and each year, we seem to take one step closer to having the option to kick back while the vehicle does the driving. In January 2015, things took a huge step forward when several automakers announced that they would have a self-driving vehicle on the road somewhere between 2017 and 2020. However, Google has had a driverless car in the works since 2010. In April 2014, Google announced that they had logged in approximately 700,000 autonomous miles. By late May, they had developed a new prototype vehicle to try; one that is 100% autonomous. They stated it would have no steering wheel, brake pedal, or gas pedal. This too has now become a reality. (more…)

As a world, we are all fascinated with the possibility of life on other planets. Are there extra-terrestrial beings that live on far away planets? Numerous studies have been done, but still we all wish and hope for more. NASA’s newest efforts to locate other life forms are about to take it one step further. The goal, to send a crowdsourced message on a flyby of Pluto. (more…)