To the beach for a bagel and coffee. I had the place to myself, the only pretty girls out there are the ones working behind the counter just long enough to get out of this town. How’s that for an inspirational kick into the New Year? Wait, take a look at what’s left of the beach. Normally the shoreline is straight after the city trucks in hundreds of tons of artificial sand.
The pounding winter waves on some years wash away huge swaths like the one shown here. The sand isn’t even real; it is made up of something like 40% ground up recycled glass beads. This picture is also artificial, as the skyline shown does not exist, but the wave damage is real. So is the complete lack of tourists this morning.Today’s trivia concerns tourism. What is the top destination in the world? It isn’t in the USA. Hint: nine million people a year head there. It’s France. Now, try to figure out why. Who recalls when the Beatles quit touring and focused on selling albums produced in a studio? I don’t know the date but the reason was the crowds got so large and loud they could not hear themselves on stage. Those where the days, my friend.
The water was too rough to swim or wade. Then again, wasn’t it James Bond who pointed out that on the high seas, if you are in the water it doesn’t matter whether you can swim or not. Anyway, last night was just successful enough for me to go price out my belated birthday present: a Dremel tool. I said price, not buy.
I did want to get started on the yard on such a perfect day, but my ticker says no. I tend to listen when it says that. This will be fun with Wallace due to show up and have to go to work on the leaves right away. Ah, he’s overdue and maybe I’ll feel better in a few days. This is precisely one of the main reasons I recently chose sedentary hobbies, like the Arduino. If that’s all I can handle, at least it will be fascinating.
Come to think of it, I can report a novelty for today. I have designed my first piece of electronic testing equipment. It is a LED tester. Unlike filaments, it is hard to tell when an LED is burnt out. Fumbling with alligator clips gave me an idea to build something better. The unusual feature is a momentary switch to conserve battery power. It is the old “on switch” from a trashed Dell computer. It supplies power only while the switch is held in. Use your imagination. Photos to follow.Making this design was super-educational. It certainly gives me a better idea of what I don’t know. I can also appreciate more the difficulties of design engineers, but that does not for a moment mean I condone stupidity. Here is what my circuit looks like on a template I designed myself using a spreadsheet. I drew it to look like the breadboard, only six times larger so it can be used by non-midgets.
The computer is a strange object in this new game. While there are a handy parts to be salvaged, most of the wiring uses stranded wire, something you don’t let near your breadboard. Inside the computer, most connections are done with fancy plastic clips which show very little standardization.
Drat, by 10:00 AM it turns out I am unable to enjoy the day at all (yes, I called the doc), though I did get the Dremel prices. These gadgets aren’t cheap any more with the beginners model (the 300) running $65.00. Dremel has become a whole line of tools including a router and a drill press (which looks interesting for $47.00). Here’s something. I stopped at the Frenchie flea market for basic kitchen supplies this morning and noticed everything across the board, I mean at every stall, each article now costs a dollar more. It had to happen.
While at the hardware place, I found bargain to the tune of 10 flashlights for $10.00. I splurged and then took 5 over to Fred’s. He lent me his fluorescent emergency lamp back in September and I burned it out before firing up the Coleman. He was fascinated how two LEDs could light up a room and that it was cheaper to buy the whole flashlight than to replace the batteries. China is upon us, my American compatriots, and most of us don’t stand a chance.
Last item, the unexpected winner last night was an old Patsy Cline tune I dropped from my act years ago. With Staci (we are regular contact) a fan of such music, I rewrote the bass line so no two notes are the same in any measure, a personal trick I often apply to Johnny Cash tunes to liven up the presentation. Hot damn, it’s another gooder called “Back In Baby’s Arms”. I sang it an octave lower and it sure mellows out.
Just doing my bit, like Lady Gaga, who is changing the world “one sequin at a time”.
Return Home
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
