So it goes

We’ve been in the new flat for a year now. In the spirit of multilateralism, I’ve made a U.N.-inspired quality of life index for the past 12 months. The highlights are shown graphically below.

Analysis Points:

1. Initially, Quality of Life (QoL) was low because of a significant mess associated with moving in. However, QoL steadily increased steadily throughout the next two months, mostly due to the removal of the television.

2. A brief elimination of all loo roll stocks led to near-dire situation in July, but this was soon remedied, leading to a local peak in the QoL index. The second half of the year saw several important declines, starting with an attempted electrocution of Phil by the mice, followed by a plethora of moths and blown light bulbs.

3. Currently, QoL is at an all-time high due to the recent purchase of an aeropress, though these gains are slowly wearing off as exam revision causes a general decline in tidiness.

Overall, significant advances in QoL have been made in the past 12 months. However, these lack robustness, and were substantially offset by problems with stock management and minor infestations. Recommendations for next year: Buy mouse traps and moth balls, and always invest in high-quality coffee.

A little insight into the grandest of the fundamental sciences: physics.

The physicist’s condition is one of constant optimism. To solve any problem, we have to imagine the best possible scenario, and then simplify it.

This morning, for instance, I’ve been revising how to derive the 3-dimensional acoustic wave equation. I’ve completed the proof and derived an equation for the intensity of the sound, with these caveats:

1. The sound wave in question must be a plane wave.
2. The wave cannot lose any energy as it travels.
3. The wave cannot become more dispersed.
4. The equation only considers one direction of travel (along the x-axis!).
5. The equation does not work for loud sounds (i.e. large wave fluctuations like those given out by a super-sonic jet, or perhaps by your mom, when she yells at you to come in for dinner).

Obviously, more complicated equations exist, and computers solve many equations that would be difficult to solve on paper. But at this level, physics is a blue sky science, all about ideal conditions.

Unfortunately, the real world’s more complicated, and I have to get back to work! Next revision stop: room acoustics.

The good people at Startup Cafe, Edinburgh’s one-stop-blog-shop for entrepreneurial news and events in the city, have just published a brief interview with yours truly.

If you haven’t seen their site before, let this be an introduction. Startup Cafe is my No. 1 source for timely, interesting and essential news about new companies in Edinburgh (even when they’re not talking about me!).

March was hectic, but exciting, and I have much to report.

I gave my final pitch in the SIE New Ideas Competition, but was beaten in the product design category by my highly talented, accomplished colleague from Glasgow, who went on to win the competition. His product is a remarkable new bicycle lock that can secure a bicycle to almost any surface.

Post-competition, my work on my own product has slowed, but I was able to make a cameo appearance on an American radio show, The BusinessMakers.

I also completed my thesis and gave my final presentation for my Masters. Five exams are still to come, but that will mark the end of the degree. Between my presentation and exams, I attended this year’s MIT Global Startup Workshop in Reykjavik, and spent 10 thrilling days in Iceland. I have also just returned from my first trip to Chicago, where I had been participating in a conference on Winston Churchill.

Both conferences, and trips, were exceptional. More on all of these topics shortly!

I’ve been working on an idea for a new bicycle safety device for the past three months. Today was the first road test. We hacked the proto-prototype together from pieces we had lying around the flat and from bits I bought at the charity shop. After some debate about the scarcity of handlebar real estate, Phil wedged the beast next to my bell and secured it with a bungee cord.

The effect was awesome.

I rode the bike up and down the street while Phil and Alan (our third musketeer) took notes on how far the sound traveled, how directional it was, and how many passers-by took notice. The good news: my bike was audible from a great distance and the sound itself was brilliant. Bright, informative and—dare I say?—pleasant. It fit right in to the sound landscape of the street.

The great news: we learned a lot about the potential final form of the product today. Even though this was an extremely low-tech exercise, we saw what definitely worked, and where we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board. Onwards and upwards to Device 2.0!

My father would have been 62 years old today. They just got fresh snow in Anchorage, so I bet he’d be snapping into his bindings and heading out for a wilderness trek on his cross-country skis. I wish I could join you.

Three cheers for all things dad!

I just received the email inviting me to pitch in the finals of the SIE New Ideas Competition. The big prize is £1500 in cash and business funding–basically, enough to go out and celebrate with the team, then build some serious prototypes, lay some money on the patenting process, do market testing, and start making sales. And that’s all you need, right?

There’s stiff competition. Two of my colleagues will also be pitching, and I know them to be excellent speakers, thinkers and people. Still, I’m playing to win. I think you have to.

So far, just going through the application process for this competition has forced me to get down and dirty with bicycle safety facts and figures and the business of business. I’ve waded through reams of statistics and testimonials. I’ve picked up the phone and called my competitors, potential distributors, end customers, and other stakeholders. And I’ve pitched the basics (not the patentable secrets!) to anyone who will listen.

As always, I’m worried that this is just a pipe dream. If it’s such a great idea, why hasn’t anyone else done it already? That’s the fear. On the other hand, I know that new things are invented every day. Maybe someone DID already think of this idea, but they didn’t have the time, technology or resources to pursue it.

For now, I still do. So beware, national finals: I’m coming for you!

Today I went into the field to observe cyclists in action. My five-year old Kodak is not the hippest of cameras, and I’m not the most accomplished photographer, but together, we managed to get a few shots of the landscape. continue reading »

I HAD THREE FIRSTS TODAY:

1. I broke my 5k running record. Current time: 26:20.

1. I ran 6k in one go. Current time: 32:45.

1. I scripted the first draft of my 20 second pitch for Saturday’s competition. This will be the first formal business pitch for my cycling product. I’m eager for the experience, and the feedback.

I’m a little nervous, but the good news is that with two days to go and only 20 seconds of pitch to practice, I can rehearse at least another 8640 times.

Update (7 Feb 2010, 12:41): The pitch took place at approximately 16:06:40 in Glasgow yesterday. Fourty-odd students competed. I didn’t win the money, but I did take second place. It was a great experience, with some room for improvement. I’m still aiming for the national finals.

Earlier this week, my friend Russell was run over by a woman driving an SUV. He was cycling down a road in Washington, D.C. She was a doctor, trying to leave Georgetown Hospital. She didn’t see him. Russell was knocked from his bicycle, and she drove over his left leg.

Before we go any further, I should tell you: Russell’s fine. One-hundred percent intact. That’s the first problem with running him over. I cracked my humerous and underwent surgery after slowly running my bike into a curb. Russell was struck by a car, and then run over, and it didn’t leave a mark. That’s not exactly fair.

The second problem is that Russell now thinks he’s invincible, and that’s a bad attitude for a cyclist to have. Fortunately, there’s some physics we can draw on to explain what really happened that night.

The car ran over Russell’s femur, the strongest bone in the body. The internet suggests a femur can withstand up to 600 lbs of vertical pressure. Russell is a young man who doesn’t suffer any particular bone abnormalities, and we know he rides his bike. So we can assume that his femur is of at least average strength.

A small SUV might weigh an imperial ton, or 2000 lbs. Divide that into the weight supported by each tire (500 lbs), and you find that a small SUV would have trouble breaking Russell’s leg.

However, a large SUV could weigh as much as four tons, or 8000 lbs. It could do some serious damage. That’s where the suspension comes in. If only one tire rolls over the leg, the wheel will simply compress the suspension on that side, and distribute the extra weight of the car to the other tires.

Just how far can the suspension be compressed? A PT Cruiser has an 8.5″ suspension traveling distance. That’s certainly higher than the height of Russell’s squashed leg. The suspension on a Land Rover can travel a respectable 7″. In short, without even considering the supporting role of the ground under Russell’s leg, we’ve determined his limb was already likely to survive the accident intact.

Unfortunately, just like for every other great feat ever performed, a simple physics explanation lies just behind the magic. I’m just glad the physics worked, and I didn’t have to write a eulogy instead.