Good morning, Whitewater.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high 0f seventy-nine degrees. Sunrise is 6:42 and sunset 6:51. for 12h 08m 56s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 61.4% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Urban Forestry Commission meets at 4:30 PM, and the Police & Fire Commission at 7:30 PM.

On this day in 1862, Pres. Lincoln released the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, to take effect January 1, 1863.

Small drones are useful for photography, but in the video below, one sees that they can be programmed to build bridges or other structures:

In this work, a rope bridge that can support the crossing of a person is built by quadrocopters, showing for the ?rst time that small ?ying machines are capable of autonomously realizing load-bearing structures at full-scale and proceeding a step further towards real-world scenarios. Except for the required anchor points at both ends of the structure, the bridge consists exclusively of tensile elements and its connections and links are entirely realized by ?ying machines. Spanning 7.4 m between two scaffolding structures, the bridge consists of nine rope segments for a total rope length of about 120 m and is composed of different elements, such as knots, links, and braids. The rope used for these experiments is made out of Dyneema, a material with a low weight-to-strength ratio and thus suitable for aerial construction. Of little weight (7 g per meter), a 4 mm diameter rope can sustain 1300 kg.

The vehicles are equipped with a motorized spool that allows them to control the tension acting on the rope during deployment. A plastic tube guides the rope to the release point located between two propellers. The external forces and torques exerted on the quadrocopter by the rope during deployment are estimated and taken into account to achieve compliant ?ight behavior. The assembly of the bridge is performed by small custom quadrocopters and builds upon the Flying Machine Arena, a research and demonstration platform for aerial robotics. The arena is equipped with a motion capture system that provides vehicle position and attitude measurements. Algorithms are run on a computer and commands are then sent to the ?ying machines via a customized wireless infrastructure.

In order to be able to design tensile structures that are buildable with flying robots, a series of computational tools have been developed, specifically addressing the characteristics of the building method. The design tools allow to simulate, sequence, and evaluate the structure before building.

The location of the scaffolding structure is manually measured before starting the construction. The primary and bracing structure can then be realized without human intervention. Before realizing the stabilizers, the locations of the narrow openings of the bridge are measured and input to the system, which adapts the trajectories accordingly.

Via YouTube.

A Google a Day asks a science & technology question:

Of the five NASA space shuttles, which one flew the most missions?

Good morning, Whitewater.

A new week begins, and a new season is only two days’ time away. Monday in the Whippet City will be sunny with a high of seventy-four. Sunrise is 6:41 and sunset 8:53, for 12h 11m 49s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 51.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Parks and Recreation Board meets today at 5:30 PM.

On 9.21.1780, Benedict Arnold betrays his country:

On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold meets with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British, in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word “traitor.”

….During the war, Benedict Arnold proved himself a brave and skillful leader, helping Ethan Allen’s troops capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and then participating in the unsuccessful attack on British Quebec later that year, which earned him a promotion to brigadier general. Arnold distinguished himself in campaigns at Lake Champlain, Ridgefield and Saratoga, and gained the support of George Washington. However, Arnold had enemies within the military and in 1777, five men of lesser rank were promoted over him. Over the course of the next few years, Arnold married for a second time and he and his new wife lived a lavish lifestyle in Philadelphia, accumulating substantial debt. The debt and the resentment Arnold felt over not being promoted faster were motivating factors in his choice to become a turncoat.

In 1780, Arnold was given command of West Point, an American fort on the Hudson River in New York (and future home of the U.S. military academy, established in 1802). Arnold contacted Sir Henry Clinton, head of the British forces, and proposed handing over West Point and his men. On September 21 of that year, Arnold met with Major John Andre and made his traitorous pact. However, the conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was captured and executed. Arnold, the former American patriot, fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he’d been promised by the British. He died in London on June 14, 1801.

A Google a Day asks a geography question:

The Indian river basin that includes approximately 25% of the country’s area is bound by what mountain range to the south?

Good morning, Whitewater.

Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high of seventy-two. Sunrise is 6:40 and sunset 6:55, for 12h 14m 42s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 41.3% of its visible disk illuminated.

Friday’s FW poll asked if, along with the view of chess federation president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, chess might have been the creation of extraterrestrial beings. A majority of respondents (82.76%) doubted his speculation, feeling instead that chess was a human invention.

Those who like chess will enjoy a recent story over at FiveThirtyEight about the Subtext Buried In Seven Great Movie Chess Scenes (including some of the X-Men movies and Independence Day).

On this day in 1806, the Lewis & Clark expedition returns to a frontier settlement:

…after nearly two-and-a-half years spent exploring the western wilderness, the Corps of Discovery arrived at the frontier village of La Charette, the first white settlement they had seen since leaving behind the outposts of eastern civilization in 1804.

Entirely out of provisions and trade goods and subsisting on wild plums, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their men were understandably eager to reach home. Upon arriving at La Charette, the men fired a three-round salute to alert the inhabitants of their approach and were answered by three rounds from the trading boats moored at the riverbank. The people of La Charette rushed to the banks of the Missouri to greet the returning heroes. “Every person,” Clark wrote with his characteristic inventive spelling, “both French and americans Seem to express great pleasure at our return, and acknowledge them selves astonished in Seeing us return. They informed us that we were Supposed to have been lost long Since.”

The Lewis and Clark mission had been a spectacular success. With the aid of friendly Native American tribes, the explorers had charted the upper reaches of the Missouri, proved there was no easy water passage across the Continental Divide, reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean, and made the first major step to opening of the trans-Mississippi West to the American settlement.

After spending the evening celebrating with the people of La Charette, the next day the expedition continued rapidly down the river and after two more days reached St. Louis, the city where their long journey had begun. Lewis’ first act upon leaping from his canoe to the St. Louis dock was to send a note asking the postmaster to delay the mail headed east so he could write a quick letter to President Jefferson telling him that the intrepid Corps of Discovery had, at long last, come home.

Good morning, Whitewater.

Saturday will be partly cloudy with a high of sixty-eight. Sunrise is 6:39 and sunset 6:57, for 12h 17m 34s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 32.3% of its visible disk illuminated.

Someone wants more cat food:

On this day in 1959, Soviet Premier Khrushchev learns where he can’t go:

…Nikita Khrushchev, having arrived in Los Angeles during a two-week coast-to-coast tour by the Soviet leader, learned that he would not be allowed to visit Disneyland, ostensibly for security reasons.
Khrushchev’s immersion in Hollywood began that day with a tour of the 20th Century Fox Studios. He was ushered onto the sound stage of “Can-Can,” where he met Shirley MacLaine and Juliet Prowse. Khrushchev begged off when MacLaine sought to engage him in an impromptu dance and watched as cast members performed a number from the film, then in production. Afterward, Frank Sinatra hosted a lunch for a delighted Khrushchev and his wife.

The mood darkened, however, after Spyros Skouras, 20th Century Fox’s president, introduced Khrushchev at Los Angeles Town Hall. Skouras, citing Khrushchev’s boasts that the Soviet Union would “bury” capitalism, said while L.A. wasn’t interested in “burying” anyone, it would meet any challenge.
Responding angrily, Khrushchev said: “If you want to go on with the arms race, very well. We accept that challenge. As for the output of rockets — well, they are on the assembly line. This is a most serious question. It is one of life or death, ladies and gentlemen — one of war and peace.”
When on top of that perceived insult, the premier learned he could not tour Disneyland, he fumed: “And I say, ‘I would very much like to go and see Disneyland.’ But then, we cannot guarantee your security, they say. Then what must I do? Commit suicide? What is it? Is there an epidemic of cholera there or something? Or have gangsters taken hold of the place that can destroy me?”
The next morning, Khrushchev continued his trip through California without further incident, eventually returning to Washington for an unproductive summit meeting with President Dwight Eisenhower.

On this day in 1832, the Sauk and Fox concede:

On this date Sauk and Fox Indians signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. The treaty demanded that the Sauk cede some six million acres of land that ran the length of the eastern boundary of modern-day Iowa. The Sauk and Fox were given until June 1, 1833 to leave the area and never return to the surrendered lands. Some sources place the date as September 21.[Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William F. Stark, p. 160-161]

Good morning, Whitewater.

Friday will bring a high of seventy-six to Whitewater, and an even chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Sunrise is 6:38 and sunset 6:58, for 12h 20m 27s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 22.9% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1793, a great building begins:

George Washington lays the cornerstone to the United States Capitol building, the home of the legislative branch of American government. The building would take nearly a century to complete, as architects came and went, the British set fire to it and it was called into use during the Civil War. Today, the Capitol building, with its famous cast-iron dome and important collection of American art, is part of the Capitol Complex, which includes six Congressional office buildings and three Library of Congress buildings, all developed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

As a young nation, the United States had no permanent capital, and Congress met in eight different cities, including Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia, before 1791. In 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which gave President Washington the power to select a permanent home for the federal government. The following year, he chose what would become the District of Columbia from land provided by Maryland. Washington picked three commissioners to oversee the capital city’s development and they in turn chose French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant to come up with the design. However, L’Enfant clashed with the commissioners and was fired in 1792. A design competition was then held, with a Scotsman named William Thornton submitting the winning entry for the Capitol building. In September 1793, Washington laid the Capitol’s cornerstone and the lengthy construction process, which would involve a line of project managers and architects, got under way.

In 1800, Congress moved into the Capitol’s north wing. In 1807, the House of Representatives moved into the building’s south wing, which was finished in 1811. During the War of 1812, the British invaded Washington, D.C., and set fire to the Capitol on August 24, 1814. A rainstorm saved the building from total destruction. Congress met in nearby temporary quarters from 1815 to 1819. In the early 1850s, work began to expand the Capitol to accommodate the growing number of Congressmen. In 1861, construction was temporarily halted while the Capitol was used by Union troops as a hospital and barracks. Following the war, expansions and modern upgrades to the building continued into the next century.

On this day in 1942, a flood overcomes Spring Valley:

1942 – Spring Valley Flood
On the evening of September 17, 1942, after a day of heavy rain, water began rolling through the streets of Spring Valley, in Pierce Co. The village, strung out along the Eau Galle River in a deep valley, had been inundated before, but this was no ordinary flood. By 11:30p.m., water in the streets was 12 to 20 feet deep, flowing at 12 to 15 miles an hour, and laden with logs, lumber, and dislodged buildings. Throughout the early morning hours of Sept. 18th, village residents became trapped in their homes or were carried downstream as buildings were swept off foundations and floated away. One couple spent the night chest-deep in water in their living room, holding their family dog above the water and fending off floating furniture. The raging torrent uprooted and twisted the tracks of the Northwestern Railroad like wire, and electricity and drinking water were unavailable for several days. Miraculously, there were no deaths or serious injuries.

Here’s the final game in Puzzability‘s Mouth Pieces series:

This Week’s Game — September 14-18

Mouth Pieces

We’re listening for art sounds this week. For each day, we started with the name of a famous painting. Then, for the day’s clue, we broke it down into a series of words that, when said in order, sounds like the original title. You’ll probably need to say the words out loud to get the answers.

Example:

Him, purr, Hessians, Hun, rice

Answer:

“Impression, Sunrise” (by Claude Monet)

What to Submit:

Submit the painting’s title (as “Impression, Sunrise” in the example) for your answer.

Friday, September 18

Suppers, hiss, dents, huff, Ma’am, hurry