Last week I finally sailed on a tall ship, something I’ve been yearning to do for 10 years now. My god it was fantastic!! So authentic, romantic, and exciting all at the same time, nothing compares to it. Except perhaps sailing on an even bigger, older tall ship (something I intend to do). The creaking…
Author: Joe Del Rocco
How To Get 30 Years Out Of A T-Shirt
How to get 30 years out of a t-shirt? Simply lose it in a series of closets and attics for a very long time… then remove, wash, and put it on your child. This little league Padres jersey is going on 32 years now. Pictured: me wearing it in 1985 and my son wearing it…
Nicky Case
Not Neko Case (no disrespect). Nicky Case, and the quality of their work, passion, and humanity. But let’s just say if the world was ending and we could only choose 100 living people to represent Earthlings, I’m pretty sure I’d like Nicky to be on that list (after me, because I don’t want to die)….
Flatland
I just finished reading a very old, apparently well-known cult classic known as Flatland, by Edwin A. Abbott (1884). My friend gave it to me as a going away gift (they were going away, and looking for a good home for it). After reading it (and enjoying it), I did the usual Googling around to…
Tomato Hornworm
Here are some pictures of a tomato hornworm found on our tomato plants. We had never seen one before today. These “loopers” are much more common. I’m just glad it wasn’t one of these bad boys!
March for Science (Orlando)
Today we supported science with a protest march around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, FL. Speeches were made, chants were sung, music was played, and signed messages were flaunted – all in support of science and progress. It was refreshing to see so many supporters of human achievement. Here is my sign. Here are some…
Gone Sailing
Today I went sailing for the first time. I took a 2-day ASA 101 certified sailing course, making me an official sailor! I’ve got a log book and everything 🙂 Captain Billy Chandler of Beachside Sailing took us out in a 23′ Hunter sloop around Merritt Island, FL.
House 2 Remodel: Front Room Floor
The entire downstairs of our new house needed new floors. So we paid a floor removal company to rip it all up and we slowly replaced it room by room. First we tackled the front room (foyer / living room). We laid some dark, distressed-looking, stranded engineered locking bamboo that we purchased from Floor and…
SciFri Live in Orlando
Tonight I attended a live recording of NPR’s Science Friday at the Bob Carr Theater here in Orlando, hosted by WMFE-FM 90.7. It was very cool to see Ira Flatow in person reading lines for the show, cracking jokes, and interviewing guests. The show featured robots, prosthetics, live music, and space exercise. And to top…
Mech VR Simulator
A team of 3 students in our Simulation & Visualization degree here at Full Sail University created a Mech Warrior / MadCat simulation using: Unity3D, VR w/ Oculus Rift, Moog 6DOF motion base, custom CNC routed console, Arduino, LEDs, digital scent technology, etc. I got to check it out the other day during a live demo…