December 28, 2012

           End of the year and a Friday, it’s lucky I even got out of the sack. Not going out Fridays doesn’t mean I get nothing done. I got around to my chore list, or enough of it to assure I’ll never be the perpetual handyman. Things get done but I cannot be rushed. This does not apply to computers, where I will rapidly investigate every menu option. This photo shows two shots combined in a rounded frame. I’m giving the eBike accessories a coat of anti-rust black paint for the winter ahead.
           Ahead? Yes, it doesn’t really start in Florida until late December and even then there is no freeze. It only takes one trip to the prairies to remind me why I cleared out. Cold and me do not co-exist very well. The photo is the collapsible saddlebag, I’m only installing one side since the other is the battery. And the basket, which I sometimes use but will not mount on my handlebars. Wrong design.
           Another wrong design, disappointingly, is the Nikon S30 camera. I’ve examined the menus there as well and it contains around 15 special purpose functions better left to a computer. Frames, sounds, color changes, all of which I suppose could be mastered in time. Time I don’t have. I’m about to give it a so-so review. Most annoying features are the auto-flash returns every time you start the camera. It takes eight steps to turn the dang thing off. In review mode, the screen menu appears on top of every picture. That was dumb, Nikon. And no viewfinder means the LCD must be used at all times, causing the camera to eat batteries and making it challenging to use in bright sunlight.
           It’s a good thing I have a fancy bakery on my side. Here is a cool glass of fresh apple juice. You can see the pulp. This is hand-made, which involves shredding the apples and squeezing them in a cloth. Is this important? Yes, an apple press will crush the seeds, making the juice bitter. So bitter that commercial canners inject that high-fructose compound that is so good for your arteries and waistline. In fact, if you look closely, you can see some of my emerging booklet beside my apple juice. The juice isn’t on the menu. You have to know the right people. Kiss’s European Bakery, in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
           Good authors will tell you books aren’t written, they are re-written. And I spend another six hours editing my booklet on resistors. I borrowed several ideas for improvement, including adding appendices on organizing resistors and what sizes are commonly paired with components like LEDs and transistors. The lion’s share is written and I’m submitting it for proof-reading soon. Why is my booklet different? Because all of the other readings I’ve seen were incomplete. Years later I was still finding things out [about resistors] by surprise and by accident. I don’t care for authors that can’t do a better job than that.
           Who recalls the brad nailer I bought for $20? It, too, gets a so-so. Although listed as heavy duty, it will not bury any but the smallest nails. Shown here is the protruding heads of 1” nails that would not go through stock lumber. Stay away from the Arrow ET-200. If you try to countersink the nails, forget it, they are 18 ga and will bend. Having said that, it is marginally suitable for my projects which use only the 5/8ths length.
           Last on the agenda is working on my shadow box. The Nikon has no white balance, which is surprising considering the optical peculiarities one can expect under water. Still, it does take reasonably clear macros (close-ups) so I’m rigging up some LED flashlights to the frame. If you see good photos of resistors here shortly, then I succeeded.

ADDENDUM
           Jimmyr had some links concerning the claims that gun control in Australia was a success. It seems what they say isn’t entirely the only angle. This link is pro-gun for the same tired reasons, but you might enjoy how it draws in fairly indisputable facts.
           I had to smile about the lead-in, stating that all human interactions resolve to either reason or force. To get anyone to do anything your way, you must either convince them or force them. This is consistent with my long-held conviction that all the problems in my life have been caused by others wanting me to do things their way without paying me. You can believe me when I tell you I never worked half my life away because somebody persuaded me it was the right thing to do.
           Read the comments, too, which bring out some dominating standpoints. Gun control only disarms honest citizens. Gun control guarantees thieves their quarry is defenseless. Criminals are a minority that can never constitute a threat to any government. And 170 million died since 1900 because they had lacked guns to defend themselves, not from criminals, but from their own governments.
           Best quip: “With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'.”

andrea johnson; st augustine;bike;caffe;bottle caps; candy box;braille bible;juice newton;percocet; nose damage;piles of money;pvc pipe bed;pvc tent for blasting;bike;caffe;pvc pipe bed;82 goldwing with faux tank removed;booth jukebox; mp3 player; table top;boxer shorts in public photos;motor scr fis baic de 49cc;november 1982 calendar;resistor color chart;simple pvc inventions;motor scr fis baic de 49cc;november 1982 calendar;gahan wilson cat fud cartoon;милдред гилларс;