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Archives of ctltheory for Oct19-98 |
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| Mon, 19 Oct 1998 | Vol. 1.15 |
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Date: 19 Oct 1998 14:15:48 -0400
From: jam@timesup.org
Subject: Experiment session Triclops International
GenevaTHEORY FOR BIO-MECHANICAL CONTROL OF AIR CUSHIONED VEHICLE (A.C.V.)Times Times GenevaBetween 1953 and 1954 Charles H Zimmerman a noted American aeronautical scholar undertook a period of research for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). During this time Zimmerman, already well known for his unusal designs explored notions of flight control whereby a pilot could control a machine of flight by simply shifting their weight over the centre of gravity. Times GenevaAs part of "Closing The Loop", (CTL98), Triclops International conducted a period of research modelling the results of Zimmerman's 1950's flight control theories. To do this a custom built Air Cushioned Vehicle (A.C.V) was designed and constructed in Sydney, Australia before leaving for the Time's Up harbourside laboratory in the industrial city of Linz, Austria.Times GenevaA persons body is in unstable equilibrium when standing erect on a solid surface; their reflexes are contantly acting through their muscles to preserve the equilibrium of balance. If a person standing on the ground leans forward, their weight is supported on the balls of their feet. This results in a moment about the ankles resisting the tendency to fall forward. Times GenevaThe A.C.V was designed to exploit a pilots intinct to seek their own direction of travel. Conventional design of other ground effect vehicles were eliminated such as the horizontal thrust fan.. Directional flight is achieved merely by leaning in the direction one wishes to travel. To go to the right, one simply leans right; to the left one simply leans left, moving their body weight in the direction one wishes to travel.Times GenevaThe pilots instinctive anatomic stability, their built-in kinesthetic controls of balance, permits the pilot, automatically and without pre-thinking, to adjust for ground effect control simply by shifting their weight from one direction to another, exactly as one does in maintaining their balance whilst walking or standing. So long as the combined centre of gravity is located high and so long as the pilot instinctively remains naturally in balance, the combination with the point of angular displacement above the ground effect buoyancy plane, the inherent equilibrium of balance will be stable enabling the A.C.V. to be controllable.Times GenevaWhen standing on the A.C.V. in flight and leaning forward, the pilots weight is supported on the balls of the feet. This pressure on the balls of the feet produces a moment about the ankles resisting the tendency to fall, and in addition moves the A.C.V. in the direction the pilot is leaning. Times GenevaConcluding this research the A.C.V designed and constructed by Triclops International can be operated by anyone of normal intelligence, possessing physical mormalcy, and with little or no training, they would already possess the necessary skill to operate the A.C.V with a minimum of oral instruction.Times Times Further Details and Data-sets see at: http://www.timesup.org/ctl/backlog.html Geneva New_York Times
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Date: 19 Oct 1998 14:52:56 -0400 From: "aki (Trevor Batten)"
From: aki
Subject: Subject:
A FEW (IM)POSSIBLY SILLY QUESTIONS: From a worried Scientist!
Members and Staff of the Institute for Autogenetics and Metamorphology
have become seriously desturbed by rumours that they have become
associated with a group of people calling themselves "psuedo-scientists".
We wish to state clearly that we are not at all "pseudo-" but are "proto-"
and "meta-" people!
But who are these other strange people we are asking ourselves (and them)!
Are there any binding factors in this group or are they simply a loose
collection of randomly selected friendly misfits and crazy experimentors
-or is there some (more sinister) common aim or idea?
Is this some kind of (religious) sect, is it another crazy form of so
called "modern" art, or some form of wierd science? Where are now the
boundaries between religious freaks, mad artists or crazy scientists
to be found?
Do aesthetics (or ethics) play a role in these experiments (in theory or
in practice)? What is the role of experiment: Is it part of theory forming,
or just a fun thing to be doing? Is the experiment part of the real world
-or is it really a form of simulation (artificial and therefore potentially
a part of art)? Are the experiments real and the science pseudo -or are
the experiments psuedo and the science real? What is the value of falsehood
in science or art?
Is this group mapping reality, language, technology or mental states?
Do these things actually exist -or are they created simply by looking
for them?
So are these people a group of Bottom-Up anarco-(experimental) pragmatists,
New Age theorists or simply a bunch of Fun People who might be nice to know?
Does inter-program communication, interaction and interdependance
(socio-computology) play any role for them (on the machine, individual or
social level -in theory or practice)?
Does fungibility transcend the logic of Dialectics? Are there any moral
dillemmas we should be fighting with out there (or should they be avoided
like the plague)?
Are these experiments just nice things to see, hear and experience -or do
they have a deeper meaning? Are these experiments unique performances
(with unknown outcome) or are they reproducable demonstrations of
immutable cosmic laws?
So is art part of this psuedo-science -or is psuedo-science a part of art?
Are these people really pseudo-scientists, psuedo-artists, proto-scientists
or simply proto-plasmic psuedo-loonies?
Where are we to stand when we are looking (in which direction)?
Does anybody know, does anybody care what it all means?
Dr. Albertus Throttlebottle
Director Research
Amsterdam, October 1998