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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A href="mailto:tune4u@earthlink.net"
title=tune4u@earthlink.net>tune4u@earthlink.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"
title=pianotech@ptg.org>Pianotech</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, May 01, 2003 =
7:34
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: OT -- Way, WAY Off =
Topic!</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=428231614-01052003><FONT color=#0000ff =
size=2>Hey. The
necessity for light-weight, less-power-hungry, and more dependable =
electronics
for space vehicles was the impetus for development of integrated =
circuits and
the microminiaturization that has made all our computers and consumer
electronic wonders possible.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=428231614-01052003><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Oh, don't get me started! The benefits to our =
country and our
society that came out of the mad drive to put man on the moon have so =
far
outweighed their cost that, if we've learned nothing else from the =
experience,
we should have learned the value of funding such outlandish ventures =
just for
their side effects. Consider what would happen if we, as a nation, =
decided we
really wanted to be free of oil imports and an oil-based economy in ten =
years.
Or, how about establishing a robot community on Mars in ten years? =
Doesn't have
the pizaz of "One small step...," but still....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: =
0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV><SPAN class=428231614-01052003><FONT color=#0000ff =
size=2>So. Could they
do the same for the piano? A new space-age plate material =
(pre-stressed
Microfibrolated Aluminum Dioxide impregnated polycarbonate resin might =
work) that only weighs 7 ounces, high tension boron-fiber =
strings,
action parts made of hyper-spherical porated polyacrylics, wool from =
really
skinny sheep, that sort of thing ... get the whole piano weight down =
to, say,
2 lbs. Let's get working on it!</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT size=2><SPAN class=428231614-01052003>I'll begin work on =
the project
just as soon as your check arrives in the mail. Well, actually, just as =
soon as
it clears the bank. Such projects always come down to who is willing to =
fund the
research and for what gain. Iron is cheap, easy to cast and machine, =
strong
enough for the requirements and, let's not forget, eminately recyclable. =
Once we
get into all those polycarbonates and polyacrylics I'm not so
sure.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><SPAN =
class=428231614-01052003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><SPAN =
class=428231614-01052003>Del</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=428231614-01052003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>