Tag: video

How a Retractable Ballpoint Pen Works – Bill Hammack

Click. Click. The two clicks that you hear when pressing the top button on a retractable ballpoint ‘click pen’ are a key to understanding the mechanics happening inside of it: A rotation, extension, and lock of the spring-loaded ink cartridge, pushing the ballpoint tip into place outside of the casing. The two clicks that follow, the sound of pressing…… Continue reading How a Retractable Ballpoint Pen Works – Bill Hammack

Plastic Injection Molding – Bill Hammack

Bill [Hammack] details the key engineering principles underlying plastic injection molding. He describes its history and then reveals the intricate details of the process. He shows viewers where to found, on any injection-molding product, the markings created by injection molding. He closes with a description of the one of the finest examples of the injection molding:…… Continue reading Plastic Injection Molding – Bill Hammack

An Astronaut’s Dream – Animated Interview with Helen Sharman

The first in a series of videos that explores the impact of space exploration on humanity, The Royal Institution presents The Dreams of an Astronaut, an animated interview with Dr. Helen Sharman, a chemist and the first British astronaut. She was selected for the job on live television in November, 1989.What do astronauts dream of? How do they feel while they…… Continue reading An Astronaut’s Dream – Animated Interview with Helen Sharman

Hayao Miyazaki Shows Us How to Make Instant Ramen

Writer-Director Hayao Miyazaki is renowned for the gorgeousness of his feature length animations, and storylines that combine indigenous Japanese elements with supernatural whimsy. In a world of Disney princesses, let us give thanks for family entertainment in which an eccentric castle roams the countryside on chicken legs, a stink spirit wreaks havoc in a bathhouse, and a fur-lined cat bus transports…… Continue reading Hayao Miyazaki Shows Us How to Make Instant Ramen

Why do Autumn Leaves Cause Train Delays?

Why do ‘leaves on the line’ cause train delays, especially in autumn? The serious danger comes from a series of physics challenges: Leaves are sucked onto the tracks by the fast moving trains. The train wheels crush them into a slimy black pulp, releasing leaf oils that lessen friction. Mixed with rain, this super thin…… Continue reading Why do Autumn Leaves Cause Train Delays?

Modernizing the New York City Subway

“People know that the system is old, but I don’t think they realize just how old it is… in our system, it’s not just the architecture that’s 100 years old. It’s a lot of the basic technology, as well. The infrastructure is old.”From the MTA in New York City, this is CBTC: Communications-Based Train Control, an astounding behind-the-scenes video…… Continue reading Modernizing the New York City Subway

When the Day Breaks (Short) – 1999

In this animated short, Ruby the pig seeks affirmation in the city around her after witnessing the accidental death of a stranger… and finds it in surprising places. With deft humour and finely rendered detail, When the Day Breaks illuminates the links that connect our urban lives, while evoking the promise and fragility of a…… Continue reading When the Day Breaks (Short) – 1999