Random ideas and questions

1.  Since the gravity from a black hole pulls in both light and matter, how might someone determine the effect on matter as it is drawn into a black hole?
1. Could quantum entanglement be used? If two atoms were quantum entangled and one was released into the gravity of a black hole could you monitor the remaining atom for changes in spin patterns as the other atom is drawn into the black hole? What about trying to change the spin of the local atom and determine if there is any type of resistance to change in the spin? Would we even know if/when the quantum entanglement was broken or disrupted?
2. Every CNC type machine I am aware of uses electric motors (servo or stepper) to drive a screw rod which then moves a platform or device. As the desired max distance increases, it becomes more difficult (or expensive) to handle larger speeds due to rod "flapping" (over a distance without any intermediate supports). Thicker/stiffer rods or reduced speeds often help. Is there a potentially better method available?  Maybe an electric motor with a hollow threaded shaft mounted to the platform instead? So instead of the long threaded shaft spinning, the electric motors threaded shaft spins and moves the platform along the threaded rod?  Downside is extra weight of electric motor on top of the normal platform/device weight. 
3. Homes have all types of appliance that either generate, consume and/or move heat from one place to another; Clothes dryers create heat, hot water generation creates and/or consumes heat, refrigerators and HVAC move heat between locations. Would it be useful/possible to design homes with a "central heat exchanger" where waste heat could be transferred to devices needing heat? i.e. Heat produced by a clothes dryer might get transferred to a water heater instead of directly vented to outside a house. This might need intentional design support for appliances and there are likely issues with "dirty sources" like lint in dryer exhaust. Probably many other issues I'm not thinking of this second.
4. Hot water is useful and needed for many things - showers, baths, washing dishes/clothes, pool heating, etc. In warm climates, using some form of solar heating of water usually involves use of some type of plastic piping, etc which is directly exposed to sunlight - where the heat transfers through the pipe into the water/liquid which then is moved somewhere else for use.  The piping outside is usually on a roof or possibly even taking up space in a yard.  Instead of having external piping, would it be efficient enough to use attic space?  The roof area is typically pretty significant so a huge amount of piping could be run in between rafters/trusses. Lack of direct sun reduces efficiency but the larger area and tendency to retain heat may make up for it - although cost may be a limiting factor. I also wonder if using the "waste heat" from an attic may provide a benefit of lowering cooling needs for a home? There would be obvious concerns about leaks in an attic but I wonder if techniques used for joining pipes for underground geothermal lines might work well. There is also the "my roofer used too long of a nail" type problems to avoid.
5. If small drones were combined with helium "balloons" for lack of a better description and light weight, flexible solar panels with power storage - could it maintain flight for weeks or more? Could modular, self-assembling floating platforms be created from groups of drones? It would likely need some sort of method to prevent "flapping" of the joined drones - maybe some sort of torsion bar joined across the drones.  I visualize this like torsion bars in cars and trucks. I don't consider this "floating" drone as a close cousin to blimps, etc - it would be more aerodynamic and suited to maintaining its location with relatively low power consumption.  Applications of this might include long term monitoring of beaches and shallows (for sharks, etc), wildlife movements (pythons in Florida, turtle nests in remote areas), security, ground monitoring (sinkholes?), disaster relief deliveries, search/rescue, etc. Some domains are likely better handled by simpler technology so this would be more specialized. Domains of use should require fast setup, easy to relocate/remove/replace, reduce danger to human life for placing/operating/monitoring.