Thursday, February 28, 2008 

Amazing Results from a Simple Poem

About two years ago I was struggling to breathe life into my pet project called Skyaak. Skyaak is a unique Ring-Wing flying device that I originally saw over thirty years ago when a friend showed me a simple but very strange paper airplane. It consisted of two paper loops fastened on the front and back of a drinking straw, with a bit of gum at the front. It looked like nothing I had ever seen before. When he tossed it to me like a little dart, it flew really well. Really well!

It was love at first flight, and I never forget the elegant design.

Fast forward thirty years. I had been playing around with the idea of creating a much more sophisticated version of the design that could be commercially manufactured. I wanted to build a decent quality working prototype that would prove to my satisfaction that this was an idea worth pursuing. I used household items such as margarine containers for the ring-wings and slowly evolved the project until I could plainly see that it was indeed something worth developing.

Being a free-lance artist, my funds were fairly limited. At a certain moment, I began to feel discouraged that I might never have enough available capital to make a substantial investment in notching the project up to the next level. I had heard and read about the power of the sub-conscious to accomplish amazing feats, if a person had the discipline to ask it to do so.

I began to repeat a sort of mantra just before falling asleep each night in hopes that this might work. The mantra was a request that research and development for my Skyaak project be energized like never before.

Three nights went by and nothing happened. I was growing more discouraged but decided to persevere. At about 3:00 AM on the fourth night, I woke up and stumbled to my keyboard to peck out a sort of pick-me-up. After about an hour, it was finished. I re-read my first and only draft of what turned out to be a 12-stanza poem, thought it was pretty good, saved it, turned my computer off and went back to sleep.

The next day, a good friend who is a professional musician dropped over and I decided to show him the little ditty I had written. Well! He loved it and declared on the spot that he wanted to put it to music. He said that there was already a melody running through his head!

As if that wasnt amazing enough, over the next three weeks seven individuals came forward to invest capital in my Skyaak project after they read the poem. We all agreed that they would be anonymous, known only as Angel Investors.

This early seed capital, as well as the positive energy generated by their collective good faith, fueled the rapid advancement of the Skyaak project. I revisited the series of designs that I had been working on to date and redoubled my efforts to work out the intricacies of creating a mechanical drawing that resolved the challenges of a flat-manufactured ring-wing. This was a critical departure in the design, as I had found that the start-up cost of creating a full 3-dimensional model was daunting.

I was able to take my designs to a plastics manufacturing company and have the wing cut out with a laser beam. The lasers path is guided by my scale drawing, converted by a technician to a vector file, that the computer-generated laser can understand. I shopped all across North America (by phone and online) to find all of the various special plastic components that comprise the advanced Model 3. I custom designed all of the illustrated assembly instructions, the dual-purpose cardboard display/shipping box and the labeling during a period of intense creativity. This burst of creative energy was fueled not only by my dogged faith in the projects merits, but also the huge boost in confidence that I got from the seven Angel Investors.

After I heard him interviewed on CBC Radio, I sent best-selling Minneapolis-based author of Adventures from the Technology Underground William Gurstelle a sample unit of the Skyaak Model 3. He was so excited and impressed with it that he wrote the following on his blog (http://www.nfftu.blogspot.com):

"Skyaak- Canada's Answer to the Frisbee"

" Because I am a writer, I get to appear on national TV and radio every once in a while. Last month I did an interview with Radio Canada about Adventures from the Technology Underground. Fairly often, people contact me with questions and comments afterwards.

A Canadian inventor named Michael Robert Gaudet came up with something called the Skyaak, which is something you toss around to your buddies for fun. He sent me a couple after hearing me on the radio and I have to say, they are incredibly cool. It's sort of like a pole -shaped frisbee. There are two conical surfaces on either side of a plastic pole. The conical surfaces act as wings and provide interesting aerodynamic properties to the thing as a whole.

I took one to a gym last night and threw it around between basketball games. It was a hit!

I've not met Mr. Gaudet and have no financial interest in his product, but I do think it's very neat. I think it has more cachet than your regular old frisbee. Google skyaak if you're interested."

At the time of this writing, Skyaak Model 3 has been picked up by the Long Island, NY-based company New Da Vincis, who have freshly minted an online inventors boutique called http://www.NewDaVincis.com as a Feature Product! Their mandate is A web site that promotes great creative and innovative products made by inventors, entrepreneurs and talented and successful product creators. Products that even Leonardo da Vinci would have been proud of!

How could a simple poem create so much excitement? you ask yourself.

Well, if you are intrigued by this real-life success story, and want to read the poem, visit http://www.theahaexperience.com There, you will find a free download poster of the poem as well as a free sample MP3 file of the musical version. And yes, my musician friend and I did create a professional CD Single called I Believe as a result of our creative collaboration.

It is my hope that this story will inspire everyone who reads it to endure in good faith with your pet idea... to follow your muse and never give up on your dream! The deep feeling of satisfaction you get out of tangible results thanks to your hard work, focus and perseverance is second to none.

Michael Gaudet is a long-time professional artist specializing in large historic murals. See Gallery Gaudet at http://www.ArtAffectsDesign.com. He has branched off into aeronautical design and invented a unique 'Ring-Wing' flying device called Skyaak. To read more, visit http://www.skyaak.com. Skyaak is a feature product at Long Island, NY-based http://www.NewDaVincis.com.

Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Accordion Tutor EBook(R) - High Conversion. ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Make 500% More With The Ultimate In Guitar Lessons. ($11 Rebate)
Professional IPhone Downloads--Make Incredible Money Now. ($11 Rebate)
Read This Blog
Read This Blog
Earn 60% Commission On A Crazy Converting Product. ($11 Rebate)
Psp Downloads - Brand New. ($11 Rebate)
Psp King - Psp Movie, Game, Downloads. ($11 Rebate)

 

Glossary Of Terms (S - Z) - CCTV

S/N RATIO
Signal-to-Noise ratio is calculated with the logarithm of the normal signal and the noise RMS value.

SCENE ILLUMINATION
The average light level incident upon a protected area. Normally measured for the visible spectrum with a light meter having a spectral response corresponding closely to that of the human eye and is quoted in lux. Scotopic Vision levels are illumination levels below 10-2 lux, thus invisible to the human eye. Silicon. The raw material of which modern semiconductor devices are made.

SIMPLEX
In general, it refers to a communications system that can transmit information in one direction only. In CCTV, simplex is used to describe a method of multiplexer operation where only one function can be performed at a time, eg. either recording or playback individually.

SKIN EFFECT
The tendency of alternating current to travel only on the surface of a conductor as its frequency increases.

SLOW SCAN
The transmission of a series of frozen images by means of analog or digital signals over limited bandwidth media, usually telephone.

SMEAR
An unwanted side effect of vertical charge transfer in a CCD chip. It shows vertical bright stripes in places of the image where there are very bright areas. In better cameras smear is minimised to almost undetectable levels.

SMPTE
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Spectrum analyser. An electronic device that can
show the spectrum of an electric signal.

SPECTRUM
In Electromagnetics, spectrum refers to the description of a signals amplitude versus its frequency components. In optics, spectrum refers to the light frequencies composing the "white light" which can be seen as rainbow colours.

SPG
Stands for Sync Pulse Generator. A source of synchronisation pulses.

SPLIT SCREEN UNIT
(Quad compressor). Equipment which simultaneously displays parts or more than one image on a single monitor. It usually refers to four quadrants display.

S-VHS
Super VHS format of video recording. A newer standard proposed by JVC, preserving the downward compatibility with the VHS format. It offers much better horizontal resolution up to 400 TV lines. This is mainly due to the colour separation techniques, high quality video heads and better tapes. Sync. This is short from synchronisation pulse.

TBC
Time Base Correction. Refers to the synchronisation of various signals inside a device such as a multiplexer or a TBC Corrector.

TDG
Short for time and date generator.

TELEMETRY
Remote controlling system of, usually, digital encoded data, intended to control pan, tilt, zoom, focus, preset positions, wash, wipe and similar. Being digital, it is usually sent via twisted pair cable, or coaxial cable together with the video signal.

TERMINATION
This usually refers to the physical act of terminating a cable with a special connector, which for coaxial cable is, usually, BNC. For fibre optic cable this is the ST connector. It can also refer to the impedance matching when electrical transmission is in use. This is especially important for high frequency signals, such as the video signal, where the characteristic impedance is accepted to be 75 Ohms.

TIME LAPSE VCR
(TL VCR). A video recorder, most often in VHS format, that can prolong the video recording on a single tape up to 960 hours (this refers to a 180 min tape). This type of VCRs are very often used in CCTV systems. The principle of operation is very simple - instead of having the video tape travel at a constant speed of 2.275 cm/s (which is the case with the domestic models of VHS VCRs), it moves with discrete steps which can be controlled. Time Lapse VCRs have a number of other special functions very useful in CCTV, such as external alarm trigger, time and date superimposed on the video signal, alarm search and so on.

TIME LAPSE VIDEO RECORDING
The intermittent recording of video signals at intervals to extend the recording time of the recording medium. It is usually measured in reference to a 3 hr (180 min) tape.

TIME MULTIPLEXING
The technique of recording several cameras onto, usually, one time lapse VCR by sequentially sending camera pictures with a timed interval delay to match the time lapse mode selected on the recorder.

UHF SIGNAL
Ultra high frequency signal. In television it is defined to belong in the radio spectrum between 470 MHz and 850 MHz. Unbalanced signal. In CCTV, this refers to a type of video signal transmission through a coaxial cable. It is called unbalanced because the signal travels through the centre core only, while the cable shield is used for equating the two voltage potentials between the coaxial cable ends.

UPS
Uninterruptible power supply. These are power supplies used in the majority of high security systems, whose purpose is to back-up the system for at least 10 minutes without mains power. The duration of this depends on the size of the UPS, usually expressed in VA, and the current consumption of the system itself.

VDA
Video Distribution Amplifier. A device that provides multiple outputs from one video signal such that interference to one output will not affect others.

VERTICAL SHIFT REGISTER
The mechanism in CCD technology whereby charge is read out from the photo sensors of an Interline Transfer or Frame Interline Transfer sensor.

VHF
Stands for Very High Frequency. A signal encompassing frequencies between 30 and 300 MHz. In television, VHF Band I uses frequencies between 45 MHz and 67 MHz, and between 180 MHz and 215 MHz for Band III. Band II is reserved for FM radio from 88 MHz to 108 MHz.

VHS
Stands for Video Home System, as proposed by JVC, a video recording format that is most often used in homes, but also in CCTV. It has its own limitations due to the concept itself, the speed of recording, the magnetic tapes used and the colour separation technique. Most of the CCTV equipment today supersedes VHS resolution.

VIDEO EQUALISATION CORRECTOR
(Video Equaliser). A device which corrects for unequal frequency losses and/or phase errors in the transmission of a video signal. Video frame store. A device which enables digital storage of one or more images for steady display on a video monitor.

VIDEO IN-LINE AMPLIFIER
A device providing amplification of a video signal.

VIDEO MATRIX SWITCHER
(VMS). A device for switching more than one camera, VCR, video printer and similar, to more than one monitor, VCR, video printer and similar. Much more complex and more powerful than video switchers.

VIDEO MONITOR
A device for converting a video signal into an image.

VIDEO MONITOR
A device for converting a video signal into an image.

VIDEO PRINTER
A device for converting a video signal to a hard copy printout. It could be a monochrome (B/W) or colour. They come in different format sizes. Special paper is needed.

VIDEO SIGNAL
An electrical signal containing all of the elements of the image produced by a camera or any other source of video information.

VIDEO SWITCHER
A device for switching more than one camera to one or more monitors manually, automatically or upon receipt of an alarm condition.

VITS
Video Insertion Test Signals. Special shaped electronic signals inserted in the "invisible" lines (in the case of PAL, lines 17, 18, 330 and 331) that are used to determine the quality of reception.

VLF
Very Low Frequency. Refers to the frequencies in the band between 10 and 30 kHz.

Instrom Limited is an independent security consultancy set-up in 1998 to provide a range of impartial security consultancy services to commerce, industry and the public sector. http://www.instrom.com.

How To Become A Musical Mind Reader! ($11 Rebate)
Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook. ($11 Rebate)
Free Backstage Passes To Concerts. ($11 Rebate)
Pentatonic Power. ($11 Rebate)
Fill Your IPhone - IPhone Music, Movies, Tv Shows & More! -- New. ($11 Rebate)
My Online Downloads - Just Released! Make Money By Linking To Us From Any Site! ($11 Rebate)
Learn Faster With Express Guitar. ($11 Rebate)
1 Hottest, Modern Country Guitar Licks Video Instant Download. ($11 Rebate)
How To Harmonize Any Tune On The Piano. ($11 Rebate)
Make Money By Making Beats! ($11 Rebate)
Singing Lessons - Voice Lessons Online. ($11 Rebate)
Drum Basics - 75% Conversion. ($11 Rebate)
Satellite Web Tv On Your Computer. ($11 Rebate)
Record Internet Radio With Radio2MP3. ($11 Rebate)
AlertSpy - Spyware Remover 75%. ($11 Rebate)

About me

  • I'm best-alternative-songs40328
  • From
My profile

Links

Powered by Blogger
and Blogger Templates