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in Mountain View that goes over CA-85. Embarrassingly, we were passedby about six elementary school students on their smallish bikes, riding
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Today was “Bike to Anywhere Day,” formerly “Bike to Work Day,” in the Bay Area.
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Through Sunnyvale to the Heatherstone Bridge <https://imgur.com/qnap3PM
in Mountain View that goes over CA-85. Embarrassingly, we were passedby about six elementary school students on their smallish bikes, riding
up the steep hairpin bridge approaches, on the way to school.
Continued onto the Stevens Creek Trail, with no grade crossings, all the
way to San Francisco Bay. By the new, strange, Google Buildings <https://www.paloaltoonline.com/wp-content/ uploads/2022/05/98844_original.jpg> Google hosted an Energizer Station
with ham & cheese croissants, cookies, smoothies, Park Tool patch kits
(two kinds), and tire levers. I told them that I thought that they would
be giving out Google Pixel 9 Pro phones, but no such luck. A blimp was landing at Moffett Field which was cool <https://i.imgur.com/vSGkJSu.png>.
On 5/15/2025 8:25 PM, sms wrote:<snip>
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Interestingly, I was on some of those same roads and trails this week.
That wasn't a blimp. It was LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 rigid airship.
(A blimp is limp.) It's the largest flying machine currently existing. I watched one flight from the northern end of the Stevens Creek preserve,
near GooglePlex. I've got contacts at LTA, and was given a facility tour
last Friday.
(Yep, look at me!)
On 2025-05-16, Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@gXXmail.com> wrote:
On 5/15/2025 8:25 PM, sms wrote:<snip>
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Interestingly, I was on some of those same roads and trails this week.
That wasn't a blimp. It was LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 rigid airship.
(A blimp is limp.) It's the largest flying machine currently existing. I
watched one flight from the northern end of the Stevens Creek preserve,
near GooglePlex. I've got contacts at LTA, and was given a facility tour
last Friday.
(Yep, look at me!)
Holy Hindenberg, Batman, I didn't know there were any dirigibles flying.
It seems to be a disappeared part of history that there was indeed a few years of the big ships flying hither and yon.
pH
slightly related, I recall reading that Helium supplies may be diminishing. Of course we can make all the Hydrogen we want, but there's the "boom" factor.
On 5/17/2025 11:08 AM, pH wrote:
On 2025-05-16, Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@gXXmail.com> wrote:
On 5/15/2025 8:25 PM, sms wrote:<snip>
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Interestingly, I was on some of those same roads and trails this week.
That wasn't a blimp. It was LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 rigid airship.
(A blimp is limp.) It's the largest flying machine currently existing. I >>> watched one flight from the northern end of the Stevens Creek preserve,
near GooglePlex. I've got contacts at LTA, and was given a facility tour >>> last Friday.
(Yep, look at me!)
Holy Hindenberg, Batman, I didn't know there were any dirigibles flying.
It seems to be a disappeared part of history that there was indeed a few
years of the big ships flying hither and yon.
There are several companies betting on the usefulness of large airships.
LTA is (mostly?) funded by Sergey Brin of Google, but there's also
Flying Whales (in France) and others. Washington Post did a big article
on this a few days ago. There are proposals to use the technology for disaster relief (dropping tons of relief supplies or cargo where infrastructure has been destroyed), airlifting harvested timber out of inaccessible forests, transporting immense cargo like wind turbine
blades, etc. And BTW, the Zeppelin company still exists.
Most people don't know how successful the old Zeppelins were. Hindenburg
flew across oceans and around the world, successfully handling bad
weather, navigation, etc. without modern technology. But we'll see if companies like LTA can find a niche.
slightly related, I recall reading that Helium supplies may be diminishing. >> Of course we can make all the Hydrogen we want, but there's the "boom"
factor.
IIRC, helium is harvested during natural gas production. It's expensive,
but I doubt it's going away.
I also think it's feasible to use hydrogen. The TV series Nova once did
a program that talked about the controversy regarding the crash of the Hindenburg. There's strong speculation that the very flammable skin of
the craft was the root cause of the disaster. Hydrogen burns, but it
doesn't explode unless pre-mixed with air. Burning hydrogen from an
airship or balloon would produce flames that were barely visible, with
the heat rising pretty slowly upwards.
Gasoline or kerosene are probably more hazardous!
On 5/17/2025 10:08 AM, pH wrote:
On 2025-05-16, Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@gXXmail.com> wrote:
On 5/15/2025 8:25 PM, sms wrote:<snip>
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Interestingly, I was on some of those same roads and trails this week.
That wasn't a blimp. It was LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 rigid airship.
(A blimp is limp.) It's the largest flying machine currently existing. I >>> watched one flight from the northern end of the Stevens Creek preserve,
near GooglePlex. I've got contacts at LTA, and was given a facility tour >>> last Friday.
(Yep, look at me!)
Holy Hindenberg, Batman, I didn't know there were any dirigibles flying.
It seems to be a disappeared part of history that there was indeed a few
years of the big ships flying hither and yon.
pH
slightly related, I recall reading that Helium supplies may be diminishing. >> Of course we can make all the Hydrogen we want, but there's the "boom"
factor.
Helium, which has many uses including the cooling medium for
massive imaging facilities (one of my brothers is in that
racket) is indeed more scarce since the US strategic reserve
was abolished.
https://directmedimaging.com/coldheads-helium-compressors-guide/
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/09/09/the-united-states-national-helium-reserve-and-privatization-relevance-to-the-space-economy/
The various players and interests have not yet adjusted,
which is an actual problem, but there's no physical shortage
of helium so the situation will at some point resolve.
On 2025-05-17, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
On 5/17/2025 10:08 AM, pH wrote:That is good to know that there is not (yet) a shortage. I was going to say we're not making any more here but I guess that's not true--radioactive decay.
On 2025-05-16, Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@gXXmail.com> wrote:
On 5/15/2025 8:25 PM, sms wrote:<snip>
Bike to Anywhere Day Redux
Interestingly, I was on some of those same roads and trails this week. >>>>
That wasn't a blimp. It was LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 rigid airship. >>>> (A blimp is limp.) It's the largest flying machine currently existing. I >>>> watched one flight from the northern end of the Stevens Creek preserve, >>>> near GooglePlex. I've got contacts at LTA, and was given a facility tour >>>> last Friday.
(Yep, look at me!)
Holy Hindenberg, Batman, I didn't know there were any dirigibles flying. >>>
It seems to be a disappeared part of history that there was indeed a few >>> years of the big ships flying hither and yon.
pH
slightly related, I recall reading that Helium supplies may be diminishing. >>> Of course we can make all the Hydrogen we want, but there's the "boom"
factor.
Helium, which has many uses including the cooling medium for
massive imaging facilities (one of my brothers is in that
racket) is indeed more scarce since the US strategic reserve
was abolished.
https://directmedimaging.com/coldheads-helium-compressors-guide/
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/09/09/the-united-states-national-helium-reserve-and-privatization-relevance-to-the-space-economy/
The various players and interests have not yet adjusted,
which is an actual problem, but there's no physical shortage
of helium so the situation will at some point resolve.
...but maybe we'll develop the technology to harvest it from the Sun; we
seem to be doing some amazing things as a species...
pH
