October 13, 2011

           I may have the callout of the year. This company that speaks Spanish only needs each computer to have three monitors. This is called “spanning”, and it was something I studied well back at the old shop. Almost every computer since Win98 can do it, though you have to add enough after-market cards to have the correct number of jacks on the back of your motherboard. I suspect they want me to set up one unit and see if they can do the rest themselves. But I need the money. Here’s four monitors. Just think how much work you could pretend to get done with this setup.
           The good news is rhythm guitar practice. The sounds are showing improvement by the lesson. I’m hoping it isn’t an initial enthusiasm that wears off before we reach the goal of playing out. I’m learning with Erin, who can often mimic back what I do, allowing me to hear what’s right and wrong. For the present, I cannot sing many of her favorite tunes. This is a predictable situation, since many people tend to want to play favorites, while my criteria for what I play is substantially different that what I like.
           Alfredo from the shoe shop came by on his way home. I should have made tea but it was such a nice afternoon we sat out on the porch. Talking for an hour, I miss that job. I’ll never be a shoemaker, but what I learned was plenty of fun and easy-going. Boris is still there and I’ll drop by next week. The scooter shop, just two blocks away, is having a big cook-out this weekend and I’m invited. The cooler weather is always welcome as things pick up for the season.
           Then JP was on the line, planning to head out this way to play some blackjack tomorrow. I’m going along to look for nice women without much hope, but so what? When you hear the new hit tune “How’d I Get to be Number One”, remember I wrote it here tonight in less than an hour. Then another hour making the words fit to some guitar work, which took care of both my daily practice allotment and my left-hand fingertips.
           For study today, I glanced at a new (to me) type of integrated circuit, what look to be like digitally controlled resistors, capacitors and things like potentiometers. Instead of soldering things to a board, it appears these chips are all controlled by a microprocessor and thus only require that the pins be connected properly. I can’t say for sure, as I’m just finding out about these things.
           Last, I’m glad I didn’t begin to write to much on beginner’s Arduino, as the ‘Net has become flooded with material in the last six months. A lot of it is pretty slick, though I can smile smugly at how the code in their examples is nearly identical to my early work. To view the best site I’ve found for novices, search for “tronixstuff”. It’s a great way to test your own IQ because I can tell you the material is basic and properly presented. But since lately, everybody is into the Arduino, except, well, you know.