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The man with 1,000 klein bottles under his house [video]
- DrScump 11y agoa warning: the volume on this is REALLY. LOUD.
- EvanAnderson 11y agoCliff Stoll's enthusiasm warrants REALLY. LOUD. Cliff seems like a genuinely great guy.
- DanBC 11y agoThe klein bottles are awesome, but they are the least awesome thing about his under-floor space. That was amazing.
- shabble 11y agoI confess that my first hope was that it was some kind of klein-bottle glassblowing robot bodged togetehr out of bits of scrap wood and insulated with glass-fibre. The reality was almost as good though, it's a cute little forklift-bot, and appears to work really well for his use (although I suspect if he started stacking boxes on top of each other it would get a lot harder). So, who's going to kickstart Kiva for your attic/crawlspace? :)
- bambax 11y agoReal life Gyro Gearloose!!! In the next video he talks about how a Klein bottle is made, and how, contrary to a bottle, it has no edge. I'm not sure I understand why a bottle "has to" have an edge? Surely it's possible to make a bottle with no edge? For example, if one takes a sphere and progressively turns it into a bowl (by punching into it), and then makes the bowl deeper, it still has just one surface and no edge, no?
- peterfirefly 11y ago"The Shape of Space" is a great "topology for dummies" book. Highly recommended. http://www.amazon.com/Shape-Space-Chapman-Applied-Mathematics/dp/0824707095 http://www.amazon.com/Shape-Space-Chapman-Applied-Mathematic...
- TobbenTM 11y agoIf you make this bowl, it will have two surfaces, with no way to get from one side to the other.
- bambax 11y agoWell, I'm not sure about that. The top of my bowl is the top-half of a doughnut if you will: it really does not seem to have an edge. At what point does an "edge" appear?
- peterfirefly 11y agoBut you do have two surfaces: inside and outside. The Klein bottle only has one.
- glomph 11y agoIt has an inner surface and an outer surface, the same as a sphere. They didn't say it had an edge.
- bambax 11y agoYes, in the video I'm talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsICMPwGPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsICMPwGPY he says that a bootle has an edge (~3'40). A sphere does not have an "inner surface", it has just one surface. So does a potato. If you go from sphere to potato to bowl, when does an edge appear and does it have to appear, is my question.
- geon 11y agoWell. A bottle is topologically equivalent to a solid sphere. It only has one surface. The inside and outside of a bottle is just by convention. Usually you would say something is inside the bottle if it is past the opening. (As he says in the video.) So your example with the bowl-shaped "sphere" is correct. There's no clear limit when a bottle has an inside and an outside.
- onion2k 11y agoHe is awesome.
- slyall 11y agoCliff Stoll in case people were wondering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Stoll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Stoll I have his original book my shelf, it was fascinating when it came out. His Klein Bottle company is here: http://www.kleinbottle.com/ http://www.kleinbottle.com/
- tragomaskhalos 11y agoOh my god the Cuckoo's Egg guy! That is a crazy book. Would never have connected them, but then again clearly this is someone who doesn't let go once he gets an idea between his teeth.
- jpalomaki 11y agoIt was interesting to read the Cyberpunk by John Markoff after the Cockoo's egg, because this book covered the same case from the crackers point of view.
- jpalomaki 11y agoHe has also written Cuckoo's Egg, a book about his hunt for hacker that broke into computer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Egg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Egg This was really fascinating read for a young nerd around very early 1990's.
- chii 11y agoahh, no wonder that name sounded so familiar!
- stephendicato 11y agoIt's still a great read today. This HN post led me to hand my copy to one of summer hires. I've certainly passed that copy around.
- jobu 11y agoCan't believe I hadn't heard of that before. That's an amazing story!
- acron0 11y agoThis is incredible. I LOVE stuff like this. It makes me so happy that people like this still exist in the world. I say 'still' because I feel like they're a dying breed. The rationale behind everything he's done is laid bare and it makes sense! People like this don't ever let a detail like "I have no idea how to achieve this" stand in their way. Everything is a challenge or problem that needs solving.
- wodenokoto 11y agoI want a reality show about this guy, this is amazing!
- DanBC 11y agoI'd watch a well made documentary. I'd probably help kickstart one.
- mattyohe 11y agoClifford's TED talk is quite entertaining too: https://youtu.be/dSGHZ4YHP54 https://youtu.be/dSGHZ4YHP54
- squinn2 11y ago& more Cliff, somewhat younger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKxaq1FTac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKxaq1FTac
- ykl 11y agoHere's a link to the actual TED talk, since mattyohe's link is actually to one of Google's promo videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8IA6xOpSk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8IA6xOpSk
- tempodox 11y agoI got one of those Klein bottles from him, and it's really beautifully done. If you are careful, you can even store some liquid or other stuff in it. I wonder if the mathematical original could do that, too.
- thret 11y agoI suppose I am compelled to get one too. Not that I want one, it's just that I already have his books - and methinks he deserves a little extra money for this video.
- tempodox 11y agoIt's hard for me to resist “math you can touch” :) And although it's “only” in 3 dimensions, the sheer craftsmanship is a feat in itself.
- dwarman 11y agoAFAIK, Chris is the only person to have blown a Klein bottle. I don't think the mass produced version is hand-blown like his original. Maybe there are a few shy chemistry equipment blowers, but not many if so.
- raldi 11y agoYou're not really storing the liquid in it; you're storing the liquid on it.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoTrue of an ordinary bottle too, which is topographically the same as a plate.
- daxelrod 11y agoYou're storing the liquid, and the rest of the universe, in it.
- nedwin 11y ago"Acme Klein Bottles - where yesterday's future is here today!" http://www.kleinbottle.com/ http://www.kleinbottle.com/
- noonespecial 11y agoHis tiny robotic warehouse in the crawlspace of his house is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. Pure distilled mad science. He's like a living cartoon. I want to be him when I get old so very much!
- cben 11y agoMy immediate thought was "here is the real Doc Brown (from BTTF)". Well, the hair is obvious, but it's really the enthusiasm and "come Marty, let me show you this robot I built to make breakfast!" vibe. It's what gives "mad science" a good name, in purest form.
- segmondy 11y agoHe is a true "hacker", I was very impressed with his robot made from various junk parts
- jacquesm 11y agoAbsolute genius. Bits & pieces from the junkyard and old drills cobbled together to make a miniature forklift. Lovely!
- chii 11y ago> Now with a LIFETIME GUARANTEE - we guarantee that you will live your entire life OR YOUR MONEY BACK! ROFL - that site is awesome. You don't need no fancy javascript, graphics or special effects. Just pure humor and good content!
- harel 11y agoWhat would be a practical use for such a feat of inter dimension glass containerism?
- hedgew 11y agoIts practical uses are both guaranteed and finite! >You can convert your Acme Klein Bottle into an astonishing amount of energy, over 1023 ergs! Enough to power a small city for years. To get you started, we'll supply the necessary equation for free. >At any time -- day or night -- you can easily check on the Euler Characteristic of your Acme Klein Bottle. Just add the number of vertices to the number of faces, then subtract the number of edges. So simple, even a grad student can do it! http://www.kleinbottle.com/why_acme.htm http://www.kleinbottle.com/why_acme.htm
- talideon 11y agoYou could truthfully say that your klein beer glass was always empty, no matter how much you put in it. :-)
- dmd 11y agoWow, synchronicity -- I just received a klein bottle order in the mail from him YESTERDAY.
- jay-saint 11y agoCheck out his job postings for his Acme Klein Bottle company http://www.kleinbottle.com/jobs.html http://www.kleinbottle.com/jobs.html My favorite: PENTIUM PROCESSOR. Must know all pentium processes, including preprocessing, postprocessing, and past-pluperfect processing. Ideal candidate pent up at the Pentagon, penthouse, or penitentiary. Pays pennies. Penurious benefits include Pension, Pencil. Pentel, Pentax, and Pentaflex. Write to pensive@kleinbottle.con
- guard-of-terra 11y agoIs it glass wool hanging down from his underfloor ceiling in insane qualities? I was raised to believe it's extremely dangerous to health, people crawling there scare me. Of course it's easier with forklift.
- mxfh 11y agoThat was asbestos, glass wool is reasonably safe to be around.
- anotheryou 11y agojup, just don't handling it sucks (it gets everywhere and itches if it penetrates your skin. construction workers often don't seem to give much of a * though...)
- burger_moon 11y agoI used to work with ceramic wool and in big letters on the box it says that it's known to be a possible carcinogen. Not only does it kill you slowly, it hurts more than itches unlike regular insulation. The fibers are longer and sharper and really sting and take a few freezing cold showers to really get it out of your skin. I certainly don't miss those days :)
- DanBC 11y agoIt's very commonly used in insulation in the UK. Are you sure people were being honest with you? Or were they trying to stop an inquisitive young person from grabbing a handfull of it?
- iuguy 11y agoClifford Stoll is always a fascinating character to watch.
- hakcermani 11y agoThe clicking noises from that robot, its brilliant !
- devinmontgomery 11y agoThis NOVA episode with Cliff is what got me interested in the Internet when I was 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKxaq1FTac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKxaq1FTac
- picardo 11y agoIronic because he was also one of the earliest critics of the Internet. http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2010/02/27/newsweek-1995-buy-books-newspapers-straight-intenet-uh/ http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2010/02/27/newsweek-1995-bu...
- craigching 11y agoOk, never heard of klein bottles before, watched the video and I learned about something new today. Awesome robot and storage area as well :) But, aside from that, when I went to youtube to watch the video, the ad I had to watch was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYhdbxj-yoI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYhdbxj-yoI First time I watched a youtube ad all the way through :p
- kristofferR 11y agoWho the fk geo-restricts an ad?
- vijayr 11y agoAdvertisers? They have to pay for the ads, why would they want someone who is not from their target market watching the ads?
- kristofferR 11y agoI'm pretty sure they only have to pay for the ad views (pre-roll etc), not regular video views of the commercial.
- merb 11y agoThis one made me laugh :D
- BillFranklin 11y agoIt's also here: https://vimeo.com/121287413 https://vimeo.com/121287413
- joshstrange 11y agoThat is great! There were 2-3 that auto-played after it (only like 15 sec each) that were also good. Just sent these around to the team (over hipchat of course).
- e0m 11y agoDefinitely subscribe to Numberphile if you thought that was interesting. One of my favorite YouTube channels.
- el_benhameen 11y agoI went to Cliff's house a few years back to buy one of his bottles as a gift for my dad. He was just as effusive, welcoming, and excited for one visitor he'd never met as he was in the video. I thought I was just swinging by to pick up the bottle and pay the check, but I ended up staying for about 45 minutes (because he just kept going!), chatting about the crawlspace, the robot, and life in general. He talked about eschewing a big career so that he and his wife could focus on making life great for their kids. And it certainly seemed to have paid off for both kids and dad: I've never met anyone who seemed to be having so damned much fun just existing. It was refreshing to see that it's totally possible to be driven almost entirely by intrinsic factors and still exist in the real world. He left an impression as being an all-around fantastic human being. The bottle was pretty cool, too.
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 11y agoWell how are his kids? Edit: Seriously, he seems like a fun parent.
- el_benhameen 11y agoHe was wild about them, and given how creative and dedicated this fellow seemed, I'm sure they're geniuses. I didn't meet them, though, so I can't really say much more than that.
- kazinator 11y agoJim Croce should have written the lyrics "If I could save time in Klein's bottle ...": http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jimcroce/timeinabottle.html http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jimcroce/timeinabottle.html Eternity ... looping. Doh!
- zafka 11y agoWell, I just bought mine! It warms my heart to contribute to such a great life style. I aspire to a similar future myself.
- MagnumCI 11y agoI went to a talk from Stoll years ago where he basically danced on tables, his enthusiasm is contagious. I've always been amused by his 'Internet commerce will never work, give up' essay http://www.newsweek.com/clifford-stoll-why-web-wont-be-nirvana-185306 http://www.newsweek.com/clifford-stoll-why-web-wont-be-nirva...
- amdolan 11y agoGood read, as an aside I found this to be somewhat funny :) from your link: http://imgur.com/dTdp2g7 http://imgur.com/dTdp2g7
- konradb 11y agoI bought one of these a few years ago and was touched by the personal note written in it. I hadn't realised until now that it was Clifford Stoll who actually sent these! Fascinating video.
- a_c 11y agoI just bought one too. It is so heart warming seeing his personal note.
- hrayr 11y agoI love this guy, I first saw him in his TED talk [1]. He kinda reminds me of Richard Feynman (similar mannerisms and enthusiasm for science). [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8IA6xOpSk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8IA6xOpSk
- Morendil 11y agoI own one of those. They're rad.
- graffitici 11y agoPerfect model for Amazon's new distribution system! Transform people's basements into small warehouses, complete with autonomous robots. Then ship everything locally, as they are needed!
- dwarman 11y agoI do like Cliff. This reminds me, I dropped my bottle last year; time to replace it. If Klein bottles catch your fanvcy, there's another and very different artist doing metal and glass algorithmic artwork in 3D printers: Bathsheba (at http://bathsheba.com http://bathsheba.com). I had Cliff's bottle sitting on top of her laser etched known universe cube at work. Each contains the other. Too bad nobody there gets the joke. But I saw the same combo in a documentary about String Theory, in one of the scientists' office, so I'm not alone :)
- naggie 11y agoHe sounds like the scientist from X-COM: Enforcer! Random gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O0Z8Fv31l0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O0Z8Fv31l0
- Shivetya 11y agoI see that little robot and I get images of the little guy from Silent Running tending his plants
- spainispain 11y agoAnd what does Naomi has to say about this?