Rickey Taylor's Sharpened Pencil

my cigar rolling video was added to the Leaf Only site!

2011-10-13T09:58:00.000-04:00

My Utube video on rolling a cigar was added to the commercial site LeafOnly.com which I mentioned several times (favorably I might add!) in the video. Leaf Only is a Connecticut based company offering wholesale and retail tobacco and whole tobacco leaf to the public.

my cigar rolling area and tools

2011-10-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

Rolling a BIG cigar

2011-10-13T09:43:00.000-04:00

a video of me rolling a cigar

Awesome wearable motorcycle check out the video

2010-11-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1735797252?bctid=1729330625

my new ride

2010-07-17T12:06:00.001-04:00

Bought used but at a great price! Suzuki Burgman 650. I love to 2wheel!!

A terrifying prophesy...it may be inevitable!!

2010-07-15T08:54:00.000-04:00

http://www.helium.com/items/1882339-doomsday-how-bp-gulf-disaster-may-have-triggered-a-world-killing-event

"Possible evacuation of Gulf Coast"...WTF

2010-06-26T21:19:00.001-04:00

Check this out....
http://www.infowars.com/methane-and-martial-law-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/

Rendered stills from project in REVIT 2009

2010-03-09T11:42:00.002-05:00

Here are stills from the project created in REVIT by Autodesk shown in the video below. It is a 3 story house on the water in Dunedin Florida. I exported the sheets into Autocad 2009 for final drawings.

Renderings were generated from within REVIT and not touched up in any other program.

A rendering I did with audio from an album of electronic music I composed in 2004

2010-02-15T09:01:00.000-05:00

New old pic has surfaced...

2009-12-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

Found in an old book on the civil war: my great great grandfather with fellow officers in front of the command tent. See if you can pick him out!

Slightly misguided...

2009-10-09T16:41:00.002-04:00

What is wrong with this picture?? Or should I say what is RIGHT?? This is an actual patent drawing from an actual US patent from the 1870's. The parachute was attached to his head and the shoes had a energy absorbing cushion. It was designed for escapes from high buildings in case of fire or emergency. Not much actual physics involved with this one; and I think a fatality is certain with or without the device in a high escape!

Glass House #2

2009-09-14T20:33:00.000-04:00

Another concept utilising a continuous sheathing of commercial storefront glass.

Glass House #1

2009-09-14T20:28:00.001-04:00

This concept residence is entirely enclosed in commercial-style storefront glass. Storefront glass comes in a multitude of colors and tinting which can be mixed and matched.

Shipping container house using vertical units

2009-09-13T08:22:00.000-04:00

Concept residence using shipping containers in the vertical position. Stairwells are contained in the vertical support units. Super quick on-site construction. The containers can be sheathed to disguise their original purpose.

Concept "Hover-ball" personal vehicle

2009-09-13T07:45:00.000-04:00

This is an improvement on a hovercraft which would allow for use on normal roads and if approved for use on highways. It uses inflated ball unattached in sockets as a "connection" to the road. It would be precisely steerable and could literally stop on a dime. Replacing a "tire" would be as simple as lifting the vehicle and rolling the old one out and rolling a new one under the socket. It would use all current technology and talk about a smooth ride!

Concept Dome-Home

2009-09-13T07:11:00.000-04:00

This is a concept for a home within a rotating-opening acrylic dome. With present technology the dome would have to be in small sections in a steel frame or casement (6'x12' or so each section). The dome rotates open to allow fresh air and exposure.

Concept Force-Feedback Taillights

2009-09-04T21:26:00.000-04:00

Concept to provide a system to relay to following drivers how hard a driver is breaking.

"POD" concept for manned orbital insertion

2009-09-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

This is a concept to "rethink" how we get astronauts into orbit. Instead of constructing a vehicle and making it an environmental envelope for the astronauts, we make individual environmental "PODS" for each astronaut and create a lifting system to deliver the "PODS" to an orbital ship or the space station. It is far easier to create a hardened egg-like environment (as opposed to a ship) which meets vehicle lifting capabilities. This concept has greater viable surviveability in case of catastrophic failure than what we have now.

Concept "Tower House"

2009-09-01T08:47:00.000-04:00

This is a fun look at designing a house in the style of a fire lookout tower! Big money big structure...big fun!!

Concept "Wave House"

2009-09-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

Here is a concept for an unusually-shaped residence enclosed in a shell of storefront glass.

Levee breach stopgap concept

2009-09-01T08:30:00.000-04:00

This is an attempt to conceptualise an answer to a catastrophic levee breach due to undercutting,washout or overtopping. We saw Corps of Engineers dropping giant sandbags into the breaches in New Orleans levee after Hurricane Katrina. There is a serious need for multiple solutions to this problem.

Self-sufficient building concept

2009-08-31T13:59:00.000-04:00

This is a tower self-sufficiet building concept with angled elevators and helipads.

Concept Pedestal waterfront house

2009-08-31T08:33:00.000-04:00

This is a conventionally designed and constructed residence on a pedestal support.

Concept "container" Monopod House

2009-08-31T08:27:00.000-04:00

This is a concept residence constructed of shipping containers assembled on top of a billboard monostand with circular stairs.

High building escape device #3

2009-08-30T20:18:00.000-04:00

This device allows a person to grab a wrist strap (which inherently is very secure) and be lowered to the ground at a safe speed by a friction reel of cable. The cable would then retract and allow another person to escape to the ground, and so forth till all were safe. There could be mutiple units at the same location if required. This is also a very cost effective system.

High building escape device #2

2009-08-30T19:59:00.000-04:00

This is a device to rapidly deploy and extend a personal parachute for escape from a high building in an emergency (fire).As opposed to the small "thrown" drogue chute used by thrill-seekers, this would be automatically deployed at use.

High building escape device #1

2009-08-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

This is an idea for a device which, when deployed as an escape measure from a tall building, would slow a persons descent down to a velocity which should allow for survival. This was after reflecting back on the loss of life from 9-11-01 when dozens of people opted to jump from the building rather than burn alive. Those people had zero options (which on reflection is hard to believe). Did we learn nothing from the movie "Towering Inferno"?

This concept involves an inflatable spinning gyro rotor attached to a rigid stand-off assy with a body harness for the person to strap into. The size, material, inflation method would have to be determined by simulation and trial and error. The inflation could be similar to an auto airbag mechanism, and has to be rigged to inflate only after a person has exited a window.

Concept 3 wheel car

2009-08-29T11:03:00.001-04:00

This is a concept fpr a three wheeled vehicle. It would have 270 degree visibility and a wrap-around guard assy to allow the vehicle to roll in a collision. The driver is strapped in for safety. The drive system is electric at rear wheel with batteries and regenerative braking system. Very small footprint makes for ease of parking, traffic, etc.

New additions to the Sharpened Pencil!

2009-08-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

I will be concentrating on two of my interests in the near future: first my research in "Convert-erial" (converted materials) construction, i.e. taking our society's cast off materials and using them to construct affordable housing, and second: my interest in inventions and solutions to everyday problems. I will be posting my ideas and thoughts including sketches on these subjects. Although the sketches and ideas will be copyrighted I encourage anyone to contact me and suggest a joint venture to develope these ideas, or anyone offering funding to continue my research.
Keep coming back here to the Sharpened Pencil and see what I'm up to!

a sweet phone!

2009-08-01T14:40:00.000-04:00

I just got my IPHONE 3G in the mail yesterday and so far so SWEET!! It was offered as refurbished or returned and I only paid 49 bucks plus sign up for 2 yrs with ATT service. It came in original packaging and was perfect. Everything was there and activating was a snap. Just install ITUNES and plug the phone into a usb port on the computer-Thats it!!

It auto-syncs everytime I plug it in. I copied about 500 mp3's from my hard drive into ITUNES and..ZIP... right into my IPHONE! got the 8 gig version in black. I have about 4 gigs free.

Anyone else have an iphone?? reply to blog with your experiences!!

A new year-a fresh start

2009-01-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

Time to take a new look at our lives and situations...how can we make things better and smoother, for ourselves and those around us. First I think we should try to see things from the perspective of those around us. We all too often catagorize everything based solely upon our own experience and vision. We should be open minded and sensitive and realise the world is different for each of us-each based upon his own experiences and vision. This makes it harder for us not to "rock the boat" as everyday situations and problems arise. We should try to empathise and not shut-out each other in our journey through this life...it would make things soooo much easier for us all.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

To everyone have a very Merry Christmas!

Welcome to the world!

2008-12-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

Alexander Dean Taylor born December 22, 2008 to Chris and Brandi, my nephew and his girlfriend at Community Hospital, New Port Richey, Florida.

Thought for the day

2008-11-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

Time to quit fighting...

2008-11-19T19:13:00.000-05:00

Election time is over. Its time to stop the fight. Lets all work together for a better America!

Space shuttle Endeavor blasts off!

2008-11-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

I just witnessed the space shuttle take off (for the umpteenth time) but when I went out to watch it a fantastic full moon was right where the path of the shuttle would take it!! I immediately got my Kodak digital and my tripod, ran out back and set up for a shot...t-minus 90 seconds! I set the camera for 16 second exposure auto everything and did a test shot...looked OK so I waited. Soon I saw a glimmer through the clouds and clicked the shutter. As soon as it was done I did another just as it was passing over the face of the moon-wow. Couldn't see it but the trail appeared above and to he left of the moon.

Here is the first shuttle exposure Fri Nov 14, 2008 (c 2008 Rickey Taylor)

Why I won't quit smoking cigars (today).

2008-11-01T15:27:00.000-04:00

I recently quit smoking cigars. By quit I mean I wasn't smoking cigars. Why? 'cause I was OUT!

I know I should quit but it is one of the things I look forward too and it makes me feel good. I enjoy the aroma, I enjoy the taste and although I don't inhale I like to see the smoke rise in the air. You almost have to be a smker to appreciate what i'm talking about.

I started smoking expensive cigars but over time I gravitated to more affordable selections. It can be very expensive to smoke a top-end stick several times a day. I've found some affordable and enjoyable cigars at Thompsons Cigars in Tampa for under a dollar apiece.

I wasn't going to restock and quit.....but I don't think I will...yet.

Still good looking!

2008-10-31T18:39:00.001-04:00

I found some old pics of myself. I really dont look much different today! Kinda creepy...

Thoughts on why a Republican would vote for Obama

2008-10-31T18:13:00.000-04:00

First, I'm a die-hard Republican. I voted for the Republican candidate since I started voting over 30 yrs ago. I've always felt government is best being out of my business unless I need it. I dont want a central government running my life. It's not that I am unpatriotic...far from it. I was a volunteer in the Army when there was a draft and a war. I still put my hand over my heart when I hear the National Anthem on the TV! I just feel more emphasis should be put in states' rights.
So if I'm a Republican why would I vote for Obama??
First I looked at the empirical evidence; Although I didn't vote for Clinton and didn't like him being in office there is no denying that things sure changed for the better. Elder Bush was a good Prez-hardly anyone denies that, but there was a recession during his tenure and I personally suffered financially.
Second-after Clinton left office and Lil Bush (LOL) became president things went way BAAAAD. His foreign policies were ludicris, his selection of advisers was somewhat questionable and he deferred to them an inordinate number of times (more than we may ever know prol.), and his financial and business leadership was atrocious. The economy went up at first, then down a long slide into the mire. As a rule a war will stimulate the economy, but Mr Bush found a way to screw that up too. Did I mention he owns an OIL COMPANY? Remember cheap gas? COINCIDENCE?? You tell me.
I've decided that the reason almost every other country hates us is a direct result of Pres. Bush's foreign policy decisions and warlike posture. Ive also decided that as a Bush crony McCain will continue those policies-he will almost have to.
As a result I will vote Obama as the lesser of two evils...and hope he makes a sincere effort to change almost everything George W. Bush as "achieved" in his tenure of office.

Amen.

Welcome to my Blog!

2008-10-27T00:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new place on the web. I hope to generate connections and interest in the things I find interesting and look for answers to the things I want to know. Keep coming back and we can find those answers together.