Exploring Advanced Technologies, 3D Printing, and the Film Industry

Summary:
Hosted by Steve Bakken and Marlo Anderson, this technology podcast episode covers a range of topics related to technology, equipment and the film industry. The hosts discuss the potential of advanced technologies, such as prosthetic limbs that can restore communication between different parts of the body. The conversation also looks at the use of 3D printing to create medical devices, building materials and even houses. In addition, they discuss the potential for a film industry in North Dakota and the need for lawmakers to create tax credits to attract more films to the state.

Transcript:
Hello. You haven’t been here for a while. I know. Tech stuff. Did you miss me? Yes, he did. Yes. I hope so. A lot. Not, not only is Randy, the, the operations manager for this station, but he’s also our engineer. And one of the things that you’re tasked to do is move some of the snow around here because we’ve got a tower out back.

Well, no, no, hold on. Second you transmitter site. But what, but you have to move snow quite often to do your work. To do your job. I, I have in the past moved snow. Yes. Okay. So, so have you ever wondered how they measure snow? I figure just take a yard stick. Go out in the yard and measure the, that’s the unscientific way.

Measure the, the snow, right? Well, it depends if the wind’s warm, I just kind of if’s a drift. I look at how much is built up on my truck hood. Well, yeah, that’s kind of the easy way I do it too, which I, I look at my patio do. Yeah. Yeah. Your, what’s your grill or your table or, yeah, a little of all of it, I guess.

And, and if there’s, if there’s stuff that’s stacking up, I know I got a little bit, the grill’s a good indicator. Yeah. Grill’s a good indicator. Yeah. Unless it’s on, yeah, that’s slightly less accurate at that point. It’s not as accurate. That way the grills on, if you’re cuddle on the ground, then if you were grilling, not accurate at all.

So it’s interesting. I was just digging up this information. So of course there’s a difference between snowfall and snow depth. . So a lot of people don’t realize this, but snow is compressible. So if you have two 10 and a half inch snowfalls, it may only accumulate to 17 inches. Well, and you see that because they run  on the weather, right?

They run the snow depths. Right. And, you know, typically, you know, good snow depth and Bismark  on, on average, cuz they average it out  is eight to 12 inches. Cuz that’s good for the spring. Well we’ve got way more snow than that, but that’s the actual snow cover. Right. So I think this is where it really gets difficult too, because I’m thinking to myself, like right now, what, what have we had this year?

75 inches last I saw, we were on number nine. We were in the number nine position of all time snowfalls over a winter. Okay. Oh, for the entire winter. Yeah. I think we’re gonna get. Cracking the top five. Well, you know, with day, just a day and tomorrow and Thursday every day there’s an two or three or four snow in the forecast.

So, and, and now they’re talking depending on where it tracks the Colorado Lo for Friday into the weekend. I mean this is, this is crazy, but you know what it reminds me of? So I was in Grand Forks in 97. Yes. Except every weekend. We had a blizzard in 97. And actually here it was like every day we were pushing like one or two inches of snow.

That’s why we broke a record here. Cause it wasn’t like it was, we had some big storms, but it was like every day there was, see, I don’t mind every day, I don’t mind big snowfalls because it gives me an excuse to fire up the snowblower. Right. And go out and actually move snow where the one or two inches Yeah.

Is annoying. Do you enjoy it? Do you, yeah, it’s annoying. And then you gotta shovel because Yeah. That’s real annoying. Yeah. Well, and and you know, that’s where the yabo would come in handy. That’s true. That’s true. The yabo soon to be. If we have anything to say about it. Our show sponsor Yes. For the new tech Work Ranch that’s coming out.

Oh, I had a hard time saying that. The New Tech ranch that’s coming out at the end of this one, don’t stumble over that. I’m not going to, it’s gonna get me a yabo, you know, you know why that is? Cause I’m like, we’re on top of the town. We’re moving to the tech ranch, which yeah. Randy, are you excited about this?

I am. I can’t wait. Yeah. Yeah. It’s a brand new, brand New Tech Ranch coming out the end of this month. Fantastic. Actually, it’s the 1st of April first. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s Saturday, three hours show, not in April. Fools not, it’s be a three hour show. But anyway, getting back to the snowfall. Okay, so, so when you have 50 inches on the ground and you get another 10 or 12 or whatever we got over the weekend, I mean, how do you know, because it’s compressing, because there’s more weight of snow coming on this other snow that’s already sitting there.

So how do you know we got 10 or 10, 12 inches of snow? I mean, do they clear off an area? And then they have that clear all the time. So when the next snowfall comes, they can measure that, I would think. But then you have to factor in drifting and cuz the storm drift is much deeper. Right. And if you clear off an area that’s just basically a hole, it’s just gonna drift in and fill it all up anyway.

So because I have to clear off an area in my yard so my dogs have a place to go out and go to the bathroom. So it’ll blow that out. I don’t, they, they still don’t really have a great scientific way to measure snow, you know? I bet there’s a tech gadget that could help. There probably is, and we should probably invent this, but since 1890, put on the list everything else.

Yeah, right. We got a few other things that we need. We need something to reduce the nuisance factor of the snows. He’s on that. No Marlo’s working on that. I’m actually building something legitimately. There’s Are you really? Yes, I am. There’s a mock up in the works. No way. Wow. Unfortunately we could have really used what I’m working on.

Yeah, right. Now you’re a little late here, Marlo. Come on. Well, who, who would’ve thought that this dream that I have of this no removal machine that I’m creating would’ve been so perfect for this year, but, you know, oh, it takes time to build these. We could have Beed Beta tested that thing also. Oh, oh.

When wind, it’s got, it’s got to melt and remove at the same time to get the underlying ice.   well, you just, so I wanna give everything away, but you store the water until you can get it to a place that you can dump it out. So it’s the Zamboni is basically what Yeah, basically. Yeah. . Yeah. Basically. Right.

No, I’m serious though. That’s not named your airport. It’s, it’s not always the snow, it’s the underlying ice. That’s correct. Yeah. So you, that’s the real problem. So you, you, you, you tank it and then you drop it into  you. A event someplace. So anyway, that’s the way to go. You, you can’t let me give away all my secrets.

I’m sorry, but nobody knows how I’m heating this. We should’ve collaborated on this device. This, this is, well, we still can we still You want to? Yeah, you should talk about this. I’m working on the marketing side of this. It’s like, Snow. I’ve developed a new heating source. Yes. That’s what, that’s what fires this thing.

It’s not nuclear, by the way, , you knew what I was gonna say, didn’t you? . This is a way to get rid of the waste. It’s a, it’s, it’s a tiny reactor. . We’re just, we’re just using the waste plutonium. No big deal. Yeah, you can get that on eBay. Yeah. Eight bucks. Look at the rod. I got melted by Marlo’s. Love la Marlo’s.

Love  . Speaking of tanking, this segment’s gone tanking in a . It’s Tuesday Fox. It’s a squirrel day. It is bad enough that we have two people. Adhd. We got Randy. Randy in here. It’s even worse. I am. So, since 1890, the US Weather Service has relied on a network of volunteer observers. So there are 8,700 people across the.

With yard sticks, with yardstick, and they go, what did I say? You were right on. You were right on. That’s right. Well, and and the, the, if you listen to the weather every now and then, they’ll go, oh, national weather service, when we have them on with, when there’s weather, like, hey, send in your reports. Right, right.

That’s, that’s as scientific as the ground hug. That that is true. Yeah, that is true. So they have to do this on a daily basis though, so they have to do it at about the same time every day. And that’s how they’re able to keep track of what the actual snow depth is, and if there’s been any new snow on top of that.

Mm-hmm. . So that’s how it works. Now, how do they factor in the compression and, well, I suppose that every day when they don’t have drifting snow, I, I, they must take an average. That’s the only thing you have to run out before it compresses. Right, right. That’s the thing. E every day that we don’t have snow, and then there’s sun this winter, then there’s sunshine and all the other stuff that make all that happen.

So anyway, I’m just, I thought, I, I thought it was interesting to talk about that. We really don’t have anything more scientific than a yardstick yet. Just saying, Randy. There you go. I’m a big fan of the KISS principle though. Keep it simple. Simple. Keep it simple. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yardstick works. I think so too.

I mean, I don’t know how else reinvent the wheel. How else would you do it? I mean, it’s close enough. You don’t nee