Thank you for all the positive feedback, here is the second part of the story... I think the final third part should be up tomorrow.
March 2nd, 2010
Damn, I forgot our bi-weekly Shadowrun group... and their call got nowhere because my android phone became Cortana's remote and the sim card is laying on my desk. Promised them to replace the 'broken' phone soon and asked why they didn't sent an email.
But at least the waving (still strange to use this word) of the main structure of the car is finished. I cannot dent either the metal or the windows with anything I have, I think they should be okay for our big adventure. Our new radio system has replaced the old car radio and we have been designing the necessary antenna arrays for this little beast. Even Cortana and her computer have got a good place in the car and as long as I do keep her connected to my DSL line, she promised not to hack the local 3G mobile network, at least not too much.
I confirmed that the car is airtight and now we are working on life support. As soon as this finished we will get to the engine to awake my little baby.
March 16th, 2010
Life support is working fine, the air stays clean and fresh inside and oxygen levels seem to be normal. Did some tests by taking some of the air in a glass container and burning a piece of paper inside, no difference to normal air.
The Handwavium for the machine conversion has been growing well, mixed with science fiction books about cool spaceships and their engines and some printouts Cortana produced about the engine. I even sacrificed my LEGO model of the Puddle Jumper, I hope the will go the right way. If I get a high powered engine without an inertial compensator, I might instantly die the moment I push the throttle to the max. But I have a good feeling about it.
I plan to launch in April, so I quit my job today and took vacation for the rest of the month. There should be enough money left to buy anything I need and pay all bills for the rest of the year.
March 23th, 2010
YEAH... WE ROCK!
After six days of nearly constantly waving engine and control panels inside the car, both the engine, the fuel tank and the controls have stabilized. My gear shift lever has only four settings left, "G", "A" and "S". I think they mean ground, air, space... but Cortana says it's gratuitous, acceptable and superb. There are even two small buttons for reverse driving (or flying ?) and one for parking.
It was a great feeling sitting in my car, shifting to 'air' gear and press the start button. There was some electricity in the air as the new engine started for the first time and I heard some new background noise... for a moment I thought nothing had happened, but then I noticed that the car slowly drifted backwards. I hit the parking button hard and jumped out of the car... and there it was... I would have never thought that this small finger wide gap of air below the wheels would be that exciting. I still remember laughing like mad about my triumph over Newton until Cortana got me back onto the ground.
I christened the new spaceship on the name 'Stargazer' on the same evening. It's no longer a car like thousands of other cars, it's something special now so it earned a name.
March 24th, 2010
I am pretty sure the car top was not transparent yesterday.
The car tank is now filled with some strange black crystal, definitely a solid type of Handwavium and no liquid anymore. I am not sure what to do if I need a refill, I hope the crystal is able to replicate as easily as the normal Handwavium.
Cortana and me are now planing on the fine details we will need for the Launch and our journey into space. I bought a combined microwave oven, it's already waved and in the back of the car. I just have to find out whats the macro setting on it. Instead of getting a refrigerator, I waved three rolls of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, both waved with the same Handwavium I used for life support. I hope it will keep eatable things fresh for a good amount of time. I have bought food for the next month to test it in my kitchen.
Had some talking with my Shadowrun group. Told them I would have to leave the group, not enough time to get there the next months. The sessions sucked anyway since our old gamemaster left the town last year. Damn... there goes another nice character to play. Cathy I will miss you.
Still have to get a new smartphone.
March 25th, 2010
Today I surprised Cortana with a small beamer I got for the Stargazer. Soaking it in Handwavium and mounted it at the top of the interior of the ship, pointing forward towards the front window. Should not be difficult for Cortana to project an image on the window, just like a good head up display.
She has been downloading lot's of stuff from the Internet to her local hard disk the last days, both scientific data about Earth, the solar system and all star catalogs she were able to track down. I am not sure what she wants to do with the star catalogs, the Stargazer will not leave the solar system...
at least I think so.
March 30th, 2010
Started working on a collapsable bathroom as I call it. A ground plate with several large compartments in it that I will use as tanks, one for waste being filtered by a well waved cat box granulate. I build in a plastic sack around it that you can draw up to the ceiling of the car to use it to wash yourself and as a shower. Will be a short shower because the water tank is just too small, even with the additional canister in the back of the car. Waved the plastic sack that keeps the water from sprinkling all around in the car with some dilluted Handwavium I used to reinforce the hull. Just have to get some fresh water from time to time.
April 2th, 2010
One of the guys from the RP group appeared today, asked a lot of strange questions what I am doing and what is wrong with me. Hope he did not see the small cup with Handwavium in the kitchen.
My bathroom is working well, I just wish I had enough space for something much larger. Water filtration takes some hours, but it is working much better than a better anything hardtech. I think I am nearly ready to launch, maybe next week. Just have to buy new food and drinks, and maybe somthing to trade stuff after I am up in space. Or maybe exchanging it for Australian Dollar, it seems to be one of the only countries that seems to be staying calm in this insane world.
April 5th, 2010
Damn, I thought about lauching tomorrow evening, but Cortana wrecked this plan with an innocent question.
"Do you own a spacesuit" is really something I have not thought about. Damn... I knew I had forgot something important. I think I need a spacesuit, without it I have no chance to do some repairs when something happens in space. But where should I get one ? Maybe I can mod some suit for driving a motorcycle, but I would like a completely transparent helmet. Let's google for some good shops to buy stuff like this. I think we will start in April, so I have money left to burn.
Memo to myself, buy some Duct tape and wave it for emergency repairs.
I have been feeling sick the last days, I hope I didn't got something serious... maybe just working too much, too much excitement.
March 2nd, 2010
Damn, I forgot our bi-weekly Shadowrun group... and their call got nowhere because my android phone became Cortana's remote and the sim card is laying on my desk. Promised them to replace the 'broken' phone soon and asked why they didn't sent an email.
But at least the waving (still strange to use this word) of the main structure of the car is finished. I cannot dent either the metal or the windows with anything I have, I think they should be okay for our big adventure. Our new radio system has replaced the old car radio and we have been designing the necessary antenna arrays for this little beast. Even Cortana and her computer have got a good place in the car and as long as I do keep her connected to my DSL line, she promised not to hack the local 3G mobile network, at least not too much.
I confirmed that the car is airtight and now we are working on life support. As soon as this finished we will get to the engine to awake my little baby.
March 16th, 2010
Life support is working fine, the air stays clean and fresh inside and oxygen levels seem to be normal. Did some tests by taking some of the air in a glass container and burning a piece of paper inside, no difference to normal air.
The Handwavium for the machine conversion has been growing well, mixed with science fiction books about cool spaceships and their engines and some printouts Cortana produced about the engine. I even sacrificed my LEGO model of the Puddle Jumper, I hope the will go the right way. If I get a high powered engine without an inertial compensator, I might instantly die the moment I push the throttle to the max. But I have a good feeling about it.
I plan to launch in April, so I quit my job today and took vacation for the rest of the month. There should be enough money left to buy anything I need and pay all bills for the rest of the year.
March 23th, 2010
YEAH... WE ROCK!
After six days of nearly constantly waving engine and control panels inside the car, both the engine, the fuel tank and the controls have stabilized. My gear shift lever has only four settings left, "G", "A" and "S". I think they mean ground, air, space... but Cortana says it's gratuitous, acceptable and superb. There are even two small buttons for reverse driving (or flying ?) and one for parking.
It was a great feeling sitting in my car, shifting to 'air' gear and press the start button. There was some electricity in the air as the new engine started for the first time and I heard some new background noise... for a moment I thought nothing had happened, but then I noticed that the car slowly drifted backwards. I hit the parking button hard and jumped out of the car... and there it was... I would have never thought that this small finger wide gap of air below the wheels would be that exciting. I still remember laughing like mad about my triumph over Newton until Cortana got me back onto the ground.
I christened the new spaceship on the name 'Stargazer' on the same evening. It's no longer a car like thousands of other cars, it's something special now so it earned a name.
March 24th, 2010
I am pretty sure the car top was not transparent yesterday.
The car tank is now filled with some strange black crystal, definitely a solid type of Handwavium and no liquid anymore. I am not sure what to do if I need a refill, I hope the crystal is able to replicate as easily as the normal Handwavium.
Cortana and me are now planing on the fine details we will need for the Launch and our journey into space. I bought a combined microwave oven, it's already waved and in the back of the car. I just have to find out whats the macro setting on it. Instead of getting a refrigerator, I waved three rolls of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, both waved with the same Handwavium I used for life support. I hope it will keep eatable things fresh for a good amount of time. I have bought food for the next month to test it in my kitchen.
Had some talking with my Shadowrun group. Told them I would have to leave the group, not enough time to get there the next months. The sessions sucked anyway since our old gamemaster left the town last year. Damn... there goes another nice character to play. Cathy I will miss you.
Still have to get a new smartphone.
March 25th, 2010
Today I surprised Cortana with a small beamer I got for the Stargazer. Soaking it in Handwavium and mounted it at the top of the interior of the ship, pointing forward towards the front window. Should not be difficult for Cortana to project an image on the window, just like a good head up display.
She has been downloading lot's of stuff from the Internet to her local hard disk the last days, both scientific data about Earth, the solar system and all star catalogs she were able to track down. I am not sure what she wants to do with the star catalogs, the Stargazer will not leave the solar system...
at least I think so.
March 30th, 2010
Started working on a collapsable bathroom as I call it. A ground plate with several large compartments in it that I will use as tanks, one for waste being filtered by a well waved cat box granulate. I build in a plastic sack around it that you can draw up to the ceiling of the car to use it to wash yourself and as a shower. Will be a short shower because the water tank is just too small, even with the additional canister in the back of the car. Waved the plastic sack that keeps the water from sprinkling all around in the car with some dilluted Handwavium I used to reinforce the hull. Just have to get some fresh water from time to time.
April 2th, 2010
One of the guys from the RP group appeared today, asked a lot of strange questions what I am doing and what is wrong with me. Hope he did not see the small cup with Handwavium in the kitchen.
My bathroom is working well, I just wish I had enough space for something much larger. Water filtration takes some hours, but it is working much better than a better anything hardtech. I think I am nearly ready to launch, maybe next week. Just have to buy new food and drinks, and maybe somthing to trade stuff after I am up in space. Or maybe exchanging it for Australian Dollar, it seems to be one of the only countries that seems to be staying calm in this insane world.
April 5th, 2010
Damn, I thought about lauching tomorrow evening, but Cortana wrecked this plan with an innocent question.
"Do you own a spacesuit" is really something I have not thought about. Damn... I knew I had forgot something important. I think I need a spacesuit, without it I have no chance to do some repairs when something happens in space. But where should I get one ? Maybe I can mod some suit for driving a motorcycle, but I would like a completely transparent helmet. Let's google for some good shops to buy stuff like this. I think we will start in April, so I have money left to burn.
Memo to myself, buy some Duct tape and wave it for emergency repairs.
I have been feeling sick the last days, I hope I didn't got something serious... maybe just working too much, too much excitement.