A motley collection of ideas
Exploring practical problems and clever solutions across all fields of engineering
Hungary’s tallest tower since 1933 has been the Lakihegy transmitter tower. This iconic structure has become a symbol of Hungarian radio broadcasting over the past century. Located on the outskirts of Szigetszentmiklós, the octahedron-shaped tower, made up of eight triangles, reaches a maximum height of 307 meters — taller than the Eiffel Tower was. The … Read more
It is well known that, thanks to its favorable balneological and geothermal conditions, Hungary is a country rich in thermal waters. Although the demand for the energy utilization of thermal water is increasing, geothermal energy remains our largest untapped energy source, due to the unique geological characteristics of the Carpathian Basin. The average domestic heat … Read more
The phenomenon of resonance has many examples in physics, engineering, and everyday life, and the reed frequency meter is one of them. Surprisingly, such instruments are still in use here and there, although they are certainly considered rarities today. I picked up this specimen, manufactured in 1961, for a few coins at a swap meet. … Read more
I found a handful of pocket calculators in a drawer. I haven’t used them in ages—Excel, MathCad, the software called Derive, and smartphones have taken their place—but I thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering their science! Once upon a time, they were important and expensive tools, and even today, machines with similar capabilities aren’t cheap. Yet they seem … Read more
Architects have been interested in mobile buildings since the end of the 19th century. In nature, most things move in some way, whereas traditional architecture creates rigid, static things out of stone, wood and, more recently, steel and glass. There have been various attempts to bring buildings to life in some way, one trend being the revolving house.
A few months ago, I was looking at tests of robot vacuum cleaners. Reading the user reviews, I noticed that many people talk about a vacuum cleaner as a pet, and even talk about it as if it were their child. One young couple, for example, watched with rapt attention in the evenings as the little robot taught them how to move chairs, table legs and other obstacles in the room. Then, when it finally crawled onto its charger and slithered away, the couple dozed off. Admittedly, a robot is more suited to the hipster lifestyle than a dog or cat, and it cleans up and doesn’t need cleaning up after, but to quote Uncle Abel: “No, no!
Every September, Vienna opens its doors to the curious. During the Open House Wien festival, visitors can explore extraordinary buildings that are normally off-limits. On September 15-16, 2018 more than a hundred sites welcomed guests: from sleek office towers and renovated palaces to pioneering co-housing projects. The Department of Urban Planning at the Budapest University … Read more
Secret military facilities have always been the subject of rumors, yet even the local residents rarely knew anything for sure. Today, in the age of the internet and Google Earth satellite imagery, it’s harder to keep secrets—though truly important sites remain shrouded in mystery. The worn-out installations of the Cold War era, however, can now … Read more
A műszaki rajz régi eszközeiről
The old veterans still know the MOM 39/49 M military compass well, which was widely used in the Hungarian People’s Army. In a photograph from the 1930s, the Africa explorer Count László Ede Almásy (the “English Patient”) also appears with such a device. Younger people sometimes marvel at it and ask on internet forums what … Read more