What is OpenRP?
The STL (Stereolithography) file format is, and for the foreseeable future, will be the standard mode of data exchange in the Rapid Prototyping industry.  It is a known fact that the STL file format does not employ efficient methods of data storage and lacks security.  Over the years, attempts have been made to replace the STL file format with a better, efficient and secure alternative.  Most of these attempts have been made by major RP software developers who, in one way or the other, have tried to derive financial benefit in the bargain.

OpenRP is not another attempt to replace the STL file format.  OpenRP is a non-profit initiative by Deelip Menezes which aims at offering the RP industry an alternative mode of data exchange while maintaining perfect compatibility with the STL file format and without any loss of data whatsoever.  OpenRP offers the RP industry a new RP file format and free software to read and write RP files.  All software at this web site is and will always remain free.  None of the applications, plug-ins or libraries will ever expire.  You are urged to freely use the software for as long as you like.

I hope you enjoyed the thrilling video in this month’s challenge. If you didn’t get a chance to read my latest In the Queue email, you can catch it here.

Let’s have a big round of applause for this month’s winner: M. Christopher from Georgia. That $250 Stereolithography credit at Quickparts.com will really come in handy for an upcoming project.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. The name of the double-decked suspension bridge that serves as the starting point of the New York City Marathon is: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

2. The following is not believed to be a possible meaning behind the nusery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down”: The bridge is an analogy for English rule during the reign of King Henry VIII

3. The origin of the tire company Bridgestone’s name is:  It was an English translation of the surname of the company’s founder

4. The bridge coined “the most dramatic failure in bridge engineering history” is: Tacoma Narrows Bridge

5.  Jeff Bridges’ first Academy Award nomination was for:  The Last Picture Show

6. The bridge that is the site of the most suicides is: Golden Gate Bridge, California

7.  The average age of an American Contract Bridge League member is: 67

Thanks for playing. Please stay tuned as I tunnel my way through my next adventure!

I hope you learned a few things about space travel and observation from this month’s challenge. If you didn’t get a chance to read my latest In the Queue email, you can catch it here.

Let’s have a big round of applause for this month’s winner: V. Coleman from Alabama. That $250 Stereolithography credit at Quickparts.com will go a long way — not to outer space, but you know what I mean.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. The number of individuals that have visited the Internation Space Station (ISS) since the year 2000 is about: 200

2. The person who has spent the most time in space is: Sergei Krikalev

3. The famous person whose last name is also the acronym for an exercise machine used in the ISS is:  Stephen Colbert

4. The approximate cost of the ISS is: $100 Billion

5.  Spock from the original Star Trek series was famous for the slogan:  “Live Long and Prosper”

6. The cartoon character that is the personal safety mascot of U.S. astronauts is: Snoopy

7.  In the United Sates, to be in the running to be an astonaut, one must: All of the Above

Thanks for playing. Please stay tuned for my next adventure when I visit a bridge that’s practically in the clouds!

I hope you had fun answering all of the Dam trivia we could throw at you this month. I know I learned a thing or two about how awe-inspiring and painstakingly hard it is to construct one of these momentous structures. If you didn’t get a chance to read my latest In the Queue email, you can catch it here.

Let’s have a big round of applause for this month’s winner: W. Williams from South Carolina. He will surely enjoy bringing along his NEW Digital SLR Camera for his next Dam outing and beyond.

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. Of the choices given, the one that is NOT a type of dam is a: Suspension Dam

2. The oldest remains of dams have been found in the country of: Jordan

3. Currently, the highest dam in the United States is:  Oroville Dam

4. The state in the USA that is credited with having the highest registered number of dams is: Texas

5. Hoover Dam did NOT make a cameo appearance in the movie: The Fugitive

6. The structure that allows fish to bypass dams on their travel to their spawning grounds is called a: Fish Ladder

7.  The oldest dam in the US national inventory is: Mill Pond Dam

8.  The largest beaver dam ever recorded was approximately: 2,800 Feet Long

9.  The number of construction workers believed to be tragically buried forever in the concrete at Hoover Dam is: Zero

10.  The dam that generates the highest amount of electricity annually is: Itaipu Dam

Thanks for playing. Please stay tuned for my next adventure when I float off on my first Space mission!

This month’s trivia sure did ”throw me for a loop”! Hope you all had fun answering the roller coaster trivia. If you didn’t get a chance to read my latest In the Queue email, you can catch it here.

Congratulations to this month’s winners, especially Duncan Burns for his humorous account of a childhood memory!

Here are the correct answers to this month’s challenge:

1. The name of the roller coaster which opened on Coney Island in 1927 was the: Cyclone

2. A mechanism that is NOT used by engineers to set a roller coaster in motion is a: Turbine Engine

3. The Las Vegas casino that boasts its own in-house roller coaster is:  New York New York

4. The country that is home to the longest steel roller coaster in the world is: Japan

5. The amusement park that has the fastest roller coaster on Earth is: Ferrari World

6. The Flip Flap roller coaster was closed in the 19th century because: It snapped people’s necks

7.  The term NOT used by a foreign country to refer to the word “roller coaster” is: People launcher

For those of you who completed the extra credit portion of this month’s challenge, thank you for all of the very entertaining responses. To view our top picks, check out my facebook NOTE here. You may have to befriend me to view the note. Stay tuned for my next adventure when I take notes from my friendly neighborhood beaver and learn what it takes to construct a proper dam!