Occasionally we do get a customer who will not listen. I told him to log out (because it was closing time), he tried to talk. I yanked the plug and he lost all his work. Some people take a little longer than necessary to listen to instruction, don’t you think? Besides, I had to go get the implement pictured here, which is described below.
I had to get away because of the situation at the book store, Trader John’s. There is a rumor they will be moving yet again. The business relies on walk-in sales, unless that can be substituted by other revenue. Such as Internet purchases. The cycle begins again, to sell on-line you need a database, and a database is much the same effort no matter how you slice it. One of the first questions was this ISBN bar code on the books. I tackled this number a year ago with the reseller guy that was such a whacko.At the Hollywood Library, I found this numbering system was such a piece of junk that it approached useless. It was plain the staff over there had never encountered questions about the subject and followed my research closely with surprise. ISBNs are sold in blocks to publishers, who assign the codes as they see fit. When one batch runs out, they buy another group. With no rules or standardization it is anybody’s guess what a given number means. It would not take very long screwing around with that mess before, like Border’s, you started putting your own bar codes on the books.
Further, I read up on the scanning devices and I think two would be needed. Think ahead, it is not just the book but the entire classic warehousing problem of finding it quickly. At least one hand held bar code reader and one static unit at the cash register are probably necessary. The hand held can wait, it is a Bluetooth retailing at $300 and I’ll have to see it in action. Yet where around here is somebody who will show me how it works? That is always a barrier in these third world locations.
Between us as the shop, we don’t have a decent soldering iron. I don’t get why they are making them so cheap these days. Even Fred’s heavy duty soldering gun takes up to two minutes to heat one joint. That’s why I biked over to Home Depot and bought a beautifully functional butane model. Really hot in 20 seconds. Strange, Bernzomatic does not include a simple peizo lighter on the thing, you have to hunt around for matches. More stoopid engineers.
While I’m there, I priced out a shower cabinet. A basic model is $300, a super nice type is $500. It will depend on how much standing space is available in the projected location, and we won’t know that until we are moved in a week from Monday. Of course, then we find all the little things wrong with the place that you don’t know until you live there. Where the stair creaks or the pipe rattles. However, it is definitely a very well maintained unit and I like to putter.
Now, I had to check out all the patio furniture and how-to books. It’s obligatory. Wallace, here’s something. Did you know the framed wall was 16” on center because 400 years ago (in England) that was the distance that would hold the then popular plaster lathing? The book, code-certified says the new standard is 24” O.C. This probably saves you a few hundred dollars in lumber. But would you want to live in a wooden house in a flood, earthquake or hurricane zone built to such a standard? I’m the type that thinks all bearing walls should be 2x6 and I’d gladly spend the extra money. Drywall isn’t getting any stronger and two foot studs just have to be 33% weaker overall.
This picture shows a fixture called a “wall sink”. I don’t know about the functionality, but it is so new and different, it gets special mention. The single faucet head must be heat activated as there are no taps. The drain is cleverly hidden in the slot just above the glass. The maximum water depth can’t be more than an inch or two. What stops the water from slopping over the edges? Such mysteries, you can’t imagine.
That building supply store wisely air-conditions to shirtsleeve comfort so I toured the appliance section and I see they are pushing these three-door fridges. Huh? There is an upper side-by-side fridge and freezer, and the lower part is a big pull-out drawer. I suppose there is a savings because you only open the compartment you need but it smacks of a gimmick. My purpose was to check the price on a silent undersink garbage disposal unit. It is smarter than using a polluting truck to throwing rotten wet garbage into a landfill. The new quiet models are expensive ($300) plus installation. That’s where JZ gets to show off.ADDENDUM
What? You say a lot of people don’t like the sound of the grinders? Yes, I know, but are they thinking? Either way, you are getting rid of food scraps. My logic may not be accurate but follow along. I figure new food scraps attract a better animal (song birds and squirrels) than the ones that ingest garbage (sewer rats and seagulls). Try it, put a fresh slice of bread and a moldy slice in your yard and monitor the type of creature that picks each one. Even if I’m wrong on the reason, that’s what I think, because I prefer animals that eat very narrow ranges of food, that is, non-generalists. Ask Pudding-Tat.
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