The Kopp–Etchells Effect

I’d never heard of it either. But now I have.

It’s the light produced when dust or sand particles strike the abrasive hard edge of a helicopter rotor blade: an example of a pyrophoric effect. And it’s quite spectacular:

Like sparks from a grindstone:

When a speck of metal is chipped off the rotor, it is heated by rapid oxidation. This occurs because its freshly exposed surface reacts with oxygen to produce heat. If the particle is sufficiently small, then its mass is small compared to its surface area, and so heat is generated faster than it can be dissipated. This causes the particle to become so hot that it reaches its ignition temperature. At that point, the metal continues to burn freely.

Add a dark background and some long exposure, and you can get some amazing images:

Named for two soldiers killed in Afghanistan, the phenomenon might be nice to look at, but can cause problems in the field. Erosion of the rotor blades is a serious issue, and the light produced can not only affect pilots’ night vision, but can also alert the enemy to the exact location of a helicopter or base.

The Hidden Melodies of Subways

Tying into to this nerdy post:

The New Mexico Rail Runner’s door chime is the “meep meep” sound that the Looney Tunes roadrunner makes!

…here’s another nerdy post!

But I’m relying on the New York Times to do all the work for me here.

With this link.

I mean, they’re not very hidden at all, in that they are all warning sounds for closing doors and PA system announcements, but still, it’s (sort of) interesting to hear what the different cities and countries choose to use for what is ostensibly exactly the same purpose.

And it’s also really disappointing to hear how awful London’s effort is.

The Pound Shop Boys

Not sure how I have missed these guys until now, but as parody groups go, they’re pretty much spot on. And their choice of songs is none too shabby either.

Ideally, you’ll know a bit of Pet Shop Boys stuff, and the original version of the song that you listen to.

Thus, you’ll have to be a certain age and nationality to get this one, but that’s fine, because I am:

But there are plenty more to be had on their playlist.

Hint: The Coronation Street one is an absolute banger.

Cobbles

Public Transport Easter Eggs

A lovely video by blogrollee The Tim Traveller in which he heads to Stockholm to catch a metro, and then proceeds to find the seven different easter eggs

Easter eggs are secret messages hidden in computer games, movies, and advertisements. They help content creators bring new meanings to ideas or add a dash of humor to a creative concept. Someone edits a favorite character into a clip, or embellishes a story with cultural references. Some additions gain cult status.

…built into the ventilation grids next to some of the windows on the train.

Niche? Yes.
Nerdy? Absolutely.
Actually pretty cool? 100%.

His videos all have easter eggs of their own as well, usually involving the music (which he records himself). In this one, you have ABBA’s Dancing Queen when he sees the crowns, The Wannadies’ (another Swedish band) Might Be Stars for the stars, and he returns to ABBA for the wholly appropriate Another Town, Another Train to finish.

But it was when he asked if anyone else knew of other easter eggs on public transport that things got serious.

Well. Sort of.

Because there was this comment:

The New Mexico Rail Runner’s door chime is the “meep meep” sound that the Looney Tunes roadrunner makes!

WHAT?!?!? NO WAY!

OK, but first things first. The New Mexico Rail Runner is:

a commuter rail system serving the metropolitan areas of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

And it looks pretty cool:

But it’s the doors we want to see hear. Because there’s no way that they would have actually used the “meep meep” sound that the Looney Tunes roadrunner makes, is there?

Of course there is:

Why? Well, why not? I mean, apart from the fact that it might attract coyotes.

Like the Stockholm metro air vents, there’s always a reason to tie into the local history or environment.

You’re going to need a sound to warn people that the doors are closing, so why not make it quirky, fun, and a feature? And since the Rail Runner is named for the New Mexico state bird – the Greater Roadrunner – what better sound was there to choose?

I’ll likely pop back to that comments section at some point to grab some more amazing public transport easter egg facts, but this one is going to be tough to beat.

An upgrade

World Tour time. But on this occasion, we actually get a visit!

And the Cape Town Cigarettes After Sex gig sold out much more quickly than I expected. Especially given that it’s a whole year away. I actually initially thought that it was going to be in May, which seemed much more reasonable, but I had fallen foul of the American dating system, and it was 5/3 rather than 3/5.

Or whatever.

So yes, we’ve still got 50 weeks to wait for the concert. And I didn’t get very good tickets, because I was a bit slow off the mark, because I genuinely thought that it would be a real slow burner.

What a muppet.

But here’s the thing: because it sold out so quickly, they’ve added another date! And I was much quicker off the mark this time, booking some really awesome seats: right next to the people who are spending far too much money on concert tickets, but only spending a fraction of what they did despite only being 50cm further from the action.

Now all I need to do is get my previous tickets refunded (thankfully, the promoter specifically allows for this “second date” situation on their website) and we’re golden.

Oh. And then just hang about for 11½ months until the gig actually happens…