In the strictest sense, I didn’t stay home this Friday. I took the BatBike out for a 25 mile spin to the Barnes & Noble on University. As bookstores go, that one has no atmosphere whatsoever. I’ve been there before at it was meh then, too. It’s middle of suburbia so the largest section is children’s books and now toys. They are into selling toys. There are so many educational toys, you’d think even the staff there must be geniuses by osmosis. Nor does the place attract a university crowd, I just find that odd considering the location. I was researching a laser cutter. I have no formal carpentry training and although I’d like a small table saw, a laser device is the only way I’ll ever be able to cut fine joints or make anything but the crudest boxes. Have you seen those wooden skeleton kits? Those are laser cut. 2D cutting I understand. The reason these don’t compete with 3D is because they cost so darn much.
Inflation is [again] hitting the things I purchase the most. I read Make magazine at the bookshop cafeteria because it costs $15.00 per issue. It’s getting to the point I avoid American goods because the former quality isn’t there. I can justify twice the price for something superior but it’s become cheaper to buy Chinese and throw away. At first it was only things like hacksaw blades, but now it [made in America] has become nearly ridiculous.
Did I see anything new at the Barn? No, the reference section is so small I needed a guide to find it. All the books were beginner level, though one could argue if anything about the Arduino is for beginners. There's the computer component again, you have to download software and drivers to make an Arduino work. One novel article concerned cutting thin plywood by laser. Not balsa, but the far more durable plywood. They were able to make flexible book covers, dang why did I forget my camera?
3D printing is plowing ahead. My hesitation remains twofold, the cost of operation and my complete lack of ability to create designs. MakerBot has announced they are developing a 3D scanner, so I’m not alone. The pity is although I know this technology is going to blow everything out of the water in the next few years, I don’t have the skill to use it. Remember just months ago I said I’d like to print my own circuit boards? Now there’s Board Forge (still a mysterious outfit, but a sign of the times).
It is my personal belief there is going to be a massive copyright battle over these printers very soon. I would be one of the first consumers to scan and print anything that I thought was too expensive, or merely if I could print it cheaper than buy it. I have never been a friend of the entire “plus shipping and handling” system and I’d dance on their grave. Top of my hit list would be any company that sells the whole assembly instead the one part they damn well know wears out first, Cadillac.
The establishment will eventually lose this printer war, but will the result be designs that are so bad nobody would bother to clone them? Could these printers be the development that causes big business to finally clean up its act? Even if the printers only make plastic right now, it creates a try-before-you-buy option. Either way, untold billions will change hands soon, and I’m missing the ground floor opportunity because I am not a techie.
I’ve been missing lots of good blog photos. For some reason the last stretch I’ve consistently forgotten my own [Nikon] camera at home. Like today, the motorcycle ride was past some great scenery. If I don’t give the BatBike that weekly jaunt, it gets harder to start. Even that short run up to Davie was an exhilarating ride. The sidecar is plain fun to run. I can’t wait to get on the road again.
So you don’t shop at WalMart? That does not mean you don’t spend any money there. Because you do. I’ll explain. The six Walmart heirs are so rich, they almost have as much money as the poorest half of Americans combined. The average pay for their employees is $8.80 per hour. That means every Walmart store receives a government subsidy because most of their employees are on food stamps and medicaid. In most states, the largest single group of people on
Where is JP? The guy doesn’t answer his phone and doesn’t know how to operate the voice mail. But he sure knows the schedule and to call me about the new truck. Myself, another trip out of town during the hot part of summer is almost a given. No serious plans are made yet except leaving. While I like long-distance travel, I also like to rent a private room and stick around long enough to really see the country. Remember beautiful Demopolis? Wish I could have stayed on a bit.
The sidecar isn’t in the news much because I don’t drive it on a daily basis. It’s parked right out in front. I’ve been lazy about getting it into the shop to find the starter problem. You see, I can often get it to fire up by turning off the headlight and that tells me it is at least partly an electrical issue. Which is far cheaper to repair than the $600 to replace the alternator. (The motor has to be pulled for that job.)
The red scooter is back and a little noisy. Not bad, but during the repair, one of the muffler engine bolts snapped inside. The shop has to fix it themselves. That could run into time, so being a nice guy, I’m waiting until they have a quiet day. I’ll wait until it is broken in but the new, larger motor is not more peppy, rather it runs easier. Top speed used to be 46 mph and whining, now it easily pulls up to that.
These were supposed to be filler links, but I'm leaving them in. They proved rather popular.
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