Stirling Engine

Here is a working model of a beta type Stirling engine. It is built mostly of old VCR parts the flywheel is a bronze counterweight a hard drive disk. This unit was clocked at about 300 RPM and will be displayed the science students at the elementary level. With some things the more you understand them the greater your fascination.

Images of you

What do you see when you look at me,

am I the way you perceive me to be?

Or am I just a reflection of you,

let's play a little game, it's called guess who.

Forty feet to go.

The young boy watched nervously as each of the older kids moved slowly up the wall, never slipping, never lacking in courage, they continued to climb until they reached the top. The skillful climbers moved with ease, placing one hand above the other, gripping a rock they would then move their foot and place it firmly on the next stone to push their body up. Knowing that this was his first year the young boy felt uneasy and being informed by his father that the climbing wall was forty feet to the top only added to his uneasiness. He had voiced his feelings to many of the adults in the area but was only met by encouragement, in the end he was fitted with what the adults called a "full body harness". The discouraging part about the full body harness was that it was meant to catch him if he fell and falling was all that was on his mind.

The young boy approached the wall and felt the cold stones under his fingers. From a distance the climbing wall looked enormous, standing at the bottom looking up, it looked endless. "One step at a time." The instructor said, "Climb as high as you can, then we will lower you down with the rope." After some struggling and help from the instructor the young boy was off the ground and on his own. He looked up seeking some security but all he found was a maze of rocks. His heart pushed on his throat.

Feelings

A young man falls from a ladder only to catch himself half way down, as he hangs there precariously by his inner thigh, he begins to ponder his life. "I never really became what I wanted to be" he thinks, "I have regrets."
After some time a neighbor walks by and sees the young man, feeling compassion for this dangeling perdicimant the nieghbor makes strides to come to the young mans aid. "Is anything wrong" the concerned neighbor says and questions the blank stares of the not so amused drifter.
"What do you think?" The young man answers.
The neighbor slowly reflects on this question and finally answers, "I think time is really short and you are wasting it." Feeling he has done his part to free the man from his bondage the neighbor turns and begins to leave.
"Wait!" the young man pleads, "aren't you going to help me?"
"But I have," says the neighbor "don't you see, you are you and I am me."
"But I am willing to change!" said the young man. "All I ask is for you to lift my legs."
"That's impossible, their stuck." the neighbor states shaking his head "You sure lack a keen grasp for the obvious. If I where you I would be sure to ponder this moment, the world has enough half wits it doesn't need any more.
With that the neighbor leaves and the young man continues to ponder.

mindless women

She passes me, crossing two lines of traffic without shoulder checking or signaling only to turn left at the next light. In the back of her nini-van is a sign that reads.

"Caution"
Baby on board.
Sang-Froid

Mindless men

It always amazes me how men moved upon so easily by things visual, have never taken the time to really look at anything.