I am so impressed by how quickly some people want to turn a CONDOLENCE thread into their own political bully-pulpit. But I suppose we need to be educated. Let me see. How to best respond...

That is sooo cute. You stillthink governments run countries and citizens have a voice. That is precious. I'll bet you think politics are real too. I could just hug you.

Now, back to the thread:Regardless of why this horrible act was committed, it was both tragic and wrong. Paris and all the world, I am so sorry for your loss.

srx,

Please, this thread is about remembering the victims. Go argue politics in a political forum. Thank you.

Where is the :forehead slap: emoji? I looked everywhere!

I know I'm small potatoes around here. Most of you are well accomplished and well known to each other. But having read this thread, I wanted to share my tuppence with you.

The thread is named "in memoriam", so let me start by expressing my heartfelt condolences for all those that have suffered because of this tragedy; the dead, the wounded, the traumatized and their surviving family and friends - no matter their beliefs. The survivors and their family and friends will be dealing with the aftermath of this senseless act long after the sensational and salacious headlines, the timely sound-bites and well-rehearsed sympathies have faded from the newspapers, the political blogs, the tactical blather of news-show talking heads and the incessant crawls that parade across the bottom of our TV screens.

Concerning all the blame-placing and so-called facts I have read, I only have this to say: Follow the money and use a little common sense. Governments and Religions can only go as far as their budget allows. Wars cost money, a lot of money; religious wars, ideological wars, drug wars, all wars. Believe it or not, most countries cannot finance a prolonged conflict of any nature without outside help. The median wealth of the average citizen does not present a substantial enough tax base for that purpose. Corporations and wealthy individuals own most of the natural resources of any real value on this big blue marble and everything political is quid pro quo.

On the subject of religion, there are only two perspectives that matter; 1) Religious organizations use their doctrines dogmatically to motivate their blind followers to judge everyone else and 2) true believers use those same doctrines to judge themselves - instead of anyone else. Wanna guess which is more dangerous?

The United States of America, the 'Land of the Free', the purveyor of the democratic ideal, isn't even a 'democratic republic' anymore according to the multi-variable statistical analysis of public policy decisions summarized in a recent study Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, by Princeton University Prof Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Prof Benjamin I Page. It is a corporate oligarchy and btw, it incarcerates more of it's citizens per capita, than the most despotic and repressive governments of any ideological bent - in the whole world.

For those that blame 'The West': You may have to wait until it gets out of it's own privatized and corporate owned prison system. Gilens and Paige report that the median voter in the US, even when banded together in large special interest groups, has a ZERO probability of getting ANY public policy measure passed into law, unless it is also supported by the wealthy elite.

We think we know who the ultra-wealthy are. After all, the 'independent' media keeps us abreast of such things, right? But all major media outlets are now completely owned by corporate interests. So they aren't so 'independent' anymore.

If you had that kind of wealth and power, would you want to forego your privacy and anonymity or would you rather pull strings from behind the scenes? Personally, I don't think we have a clue as to who the real movers and shakers are or their motives. Nor do I think that they would subscribe to any nationalistic, religious or idealistic cause that did not directly relate to their love of power and sense of entitlement. Politics and conspiracy theories have a lot in common: A little truth, a lot of fabrication and plenty of drama to spare. Therein lies the real opiate of the masses. The Truth, much like 'Elvis', has left the building.

I would much rather be considered a good neighbor than be known as a political leader, no matter the retirement plan or health benefits. I would rather be considered a kind and moderate person than an ideological zealot. I would much rather be thought of as a caring believer rather than a religious paragon. Who is it that shows up with sustenance and encouragement, long after the cameras, the leaders, the zealots and the purveyors of religious 'truth' have moved on? The good and caring neighbor; the real friend. How is that for truth?

In memoriam? This seems well considered...

A small excerpt from Lord Alfred Tennyson's "In Memoriam"

@unknownuser said:

I held it truth, with him who sings
To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping-stones
Of their dead selves to higher things.

But who shall so forecast the years
And find in loss a gain to match?
Or reach a hand thro' time to catch
The far-off interest of tears?

I learn so much just by listening to you guys. Often, a selected word or phrase and a right-click Google search will keep me up to speed. Thanks to you all.

@garry k said:

Thanks Philip - my latest plugin is over 8000 lines of code.
By comparison this just seems like an exercise.

I saw your post and then I put threw this together from scratch.
What I should say is this only works for component definitions which is what DC's are all about.
You might want to also look at other dictionaries.

Garry, you are too modest. Not taking away from your GREAT plugin GKWare Cabinet Maker, sometimes a short script is all that is needed to fill a void. There is nothing more valuable than the one that 'does the trick' when you need it.

Most users are not coders. There is no equivalent native SU report. Dynamic Components are not that well documented for the new user. Your script (it needs a name) makes tracking and changing formulas in DCs much easier for us amateurs: we can paste results in any text editor and print what we need! It streamlines the learning process (priceless!). So again, for all of us that will benefit from this, thank you. You rock!

@garry k said:

I run this code on one of my doors

` model = Sketchup.active_model
definitions = model.definitions

definitions.each{ |defs|
dicts = defs.attribute_dictionaries()
next if dicts == nil

dicts.each{ |dict|
next if dict.name != 'dynamic_attributes'
puts '', "dictionary: #{dict.name}, definition #{defs.name}"
dict.each_pair{ |key, value|
puts "key: #{key}, value: #{value}"
}
}
}`

dictionary: dynamic_attributes, definition 96 mm Wire Pull
key: _description_label, value: Description
key: _formatversion, value: 1.0
key: _has_movetool_behaviors, value: 0.0
key: _lastmodified, value: 2014-03-13 08:29
key: _lengthunits, value: CENTIMETERS
key: _name, value: 96 mm Wire Pull
key: description, value: Cabinet Pull for 96 mm drilling

dictionary: dynamic_attributes, definition Door#1
key: _lengthunits, value: CENTIMETERS
key: _rotz_formula, value: angle
key: angle, value: 0
key: lenx, value: 40.0
key: leny, value: 76.8
key: lenz, value: 4.6
key: name, value: Door#1
key: onclick, value: animate("angle", 0, 120.0)
Garry, thank you. You are a lifesaver. This would make a nice little plugin. You should at least consider posting this in 'Code Snippets' in the developers forum. I'm sure it would be appreciated.

Does anyone know? Is there anyway to get a report of the formulas in a DC? Obviously the native SU report generator (File>Generate Report...) only reports values, not formulas. Perhaps there is a plugin that might work?

@pbacot said:

Admirable you are trying to use your abilities for a good cause. I like your ordinary fish scale, that could give your tongue weight.

Thank you sir. Knowing the value of visualization, a graphic was needed to show how easy tongue weight can be gauged. Right tool for the job and all that.

For years, my wife and I have been bringing food, clothing, blankets, pup-tents, mini-flashlight, radios, batteries, etc., to the homeless camps in my area; whatever we could find that might help. I learned why so many of them refuse to go to the local shelters. The reasons are varied and too many to address here. But from these exchanges, I saw a real need for an alternative.

The vast majority of this project is made from Coroplast, a trade name for corrugated plastic. Paul Elkins is a DIY'er and a creative kind of guy that makes some fun stuff. It was his design for a Homeless Emergency Shelter that put me on this path. Corrugate plastic seemed a strange choice until its utility had been revealed. It's strength and durability are surprising and its uses are many.

From the mundane...

...To the fantastical, Awesome Oru Origami Kayak Folds Into its Own Compact Carrying Case

...corrugated plastic is used for an impressive array of products. But the most compelling reason to design with Coroplast is that tons of the stuff worldwide is trashed or recycled every year, especially with every election cycle. Translation? Its free.

The body of the project is being redesigned so that most of the features are folded for extra strength. Origami is very cool and this project is turning into a lot of fun!

Here are some links for information and ideas:
(Facebook Group) Velomobiles - Coroplast
Google search: corrugated plastic projects AND corrugated plastic origami

Just wanted to give you a feel for the relative size of the Micro-Miniature Small House Bike Trailer.

There are changes added to the trailer frame and components. The extra reinforcement where the tongue meets the bed of the trailer should increase its overall rigidity. Guide pulleys have been added so the cable does not contact the cross member. The control mechanism for moving the axle assembly has been added at the tongue. It is designed for use with a 3/8" drive ratchet or speed wrench. Tongue weight can be measured with an ordinary fish scale:

For this illustration, the wheels have been moved forward as far as they will go; near the center of the trailer but forward of the center of gravity. The only steel is in the axle, spindle and wheels. The frame is all aluminum.Except the wooden bed, of course.

As always, suggestions and criticisms are welcome.

Phillip

I'll be back to comment on these images after I attend a birthday party. Yay!

There is now a conversion made to the wheels that incorporates suspension elements. Also added is a system to move the axle and wheels so that tongue weight can be easily adjusted.

In this post, I wanted to share what I learned about the ladder I'm using and how that affects my design for the trailer. The D1216-2 16 ft Type II Aluminum D-Rung Extension Ladder is rated at 225lbs or about 102 kilograms. To understand what that means I include the following:

In order to increase total load capacity of the trailer and to reduce deflection under load, I have added a sheet of 1/2" (13mm) marine grade plywood. It is fastened to the two 8' ladder sections with industrial adhesive and 'tech' screws. In addition I have designed a sub-frame consisting of 1" square aluminum tubing @ 1/8" thickness to be welded to the flange of the ladder.

Each ladder segment supported at the ends, would realistically support about 300+ lbs by itself. Two segment augmented laminated between the plywood and the aluminum sub-frame should substantially increase the trailer's load capacity. However, I am not an engineer and do not understand how to calculate the final load capacity. Any feedback would be appreciated.

The Weight About 120 lbs

Ladder: Shipping Wt. Lbs. 22
Plywood: Shipping Weight 8
2 Wheels: Weight 28
Tubing: Weight 60
Misc Mat: Weight 10

To be continued...

Hi Everyone,

I just set my level of expertise backto beginner. It is something I have intended to do for some time now. Looking around this site and seeing some of the stunning work being done with SketchUp; it is truly a humbling experience. I was, and am still, embarrassed at my work. But I must post because I need your insight.

There are two things that I realize:

1. I am not a designer. I am an amateur. But I am also trying to make a difference in this world. I would like to offer those willing an opportunity to help -with no expectation of commitment. Drive-by comments and criticism is encouraged.
2. The membership is much too nice in this community. There are many talented people here; engineers, architects and designers of all types, people of vast skill and experience, that can take one look at these drawings and note hundreds of ways to improve them in both conceptual and practical ways. But most of the membership will not criticize unless invited to do so. Please consider yourself invited. Brutal honesty is needed.

As I make changes and (hopefully) improvements to this project - as I post the results here - it is my desire that you, the dedicated professional and the enthusiast alike, will find a moment to comment. Just a word or two is all I ask. Any constructive thoughts are welcomed.

This last shot illustates some of the possibilities. It features a pop-up for standing headroom, enclosed with clear vinyl and insect netting. A roll-out awning is planned that remains attached to the top. Numerous other features are being added. I will update as they become available.

Rendering on all model illustrations was accomplished with Maxwell(free version).

This view shows the storage with the nose cone removed. It also shows some of the other features like a propane stove and a cooler. More difficult to see is the 6" deep but full width closet for hanging items, etc.

Here is a cut-away illustrating the interior spaces. Keep in mind that this is 8'long by 2'8" wide at the narrowest point of the floor; more than adequate for two people.

This is what the outer shell looks like:

This is with the plywood and the Coroplast floor pan:

These are some of my earlier drawing, but revisited and modeled with an eye towards bringing them into production. The systems being developed include a functional shower and commode; a functional kitchen, plenty of dry storage. It has full standing head room, an aerodynamic profile and barely weighs a hundred pounds; suitable for trailering behind a bicycle, scooter or even drawn by hand.

I found an old aluminum ladder, two 20" BMX bike wheels and a bunch of square aluminum tubing. Add to that my store of recycled Coroplast sheets and a couple of sheets of marine grade plywood. This is what I came up with: