There was a merciful breeze today that kept it cool enough to fix all the little things around the house, but the dust gets inside and over everything. Here is my home repair kit. Duct tape. As the say, “If you can’t duck it, %(@# it.”That other item in the top picture is a fancy wire stripper. See it again in the bottom photo? This is the tool JP and I found in the attic, or was it the laundry room? Anyway, JP: YOU WILL NEVER SEE THIS TOOL AGAIN. You get it back over my dead body.
It was a dull day by any standards. Bingo, yes, but that is on its way out. Afterward I stopped at Karaoke but I don’t know why. The new guy doesn’t work it right. For filler, here is the dialogue when I walked in the door.
John: “You’re late.”
Me: “I hit a headwind.”
John: “There’s holes in your helmet.”
Me: “They match the holes in my head.”
John: “Was that the whistling sound as you drove up?”
Me: “The lower tones were from looking sideways.”
Ah, folks say, why don’t you include more of this banter in the blog? Dynamics, that’s why. There is a trade-off when writing every day. Banter rarely exchanges or creates new information. The premise of this blog was to make learning less painful and to record the unusual or the novel. Only the topics that endure rise to the top, and if you read here long enough, you can see how even that range evolves over time.
As usual, this means only the high points and low point of the day make the grade. Anything but the boring in-between nothingness that surrounds all life if you let it. Today bingo was both the high and low point. It got me out of the house, but the games are running at somewhat less than half what they used to be. Yes, I track that. I think it may be on the way out.
Later, I ran across some staff from the former Kelly’s. The talk went instantly to music and gigs. He notes people don’t go out like they used to, I say they don’t go out to clubs and bars like they used to. You never see a jam-packed house in this town no matter what band is playing. I won’t go downtown on Friday unless somebody I know on a first-name basis is playing, and even then after I get the invite. The role of the band in club entertaining has changed and I’m not surprised there are so many open mics.
I don’t normally do open mics either. I consider them a management gimmick to get music for free. It is a faulty premise [for entertainment] because only third-raters and startups work for free and if by chance they ever make it, I hardly think they’d ever be back at that club. Except for friends and family, I’ve never seen even one local band that had this so-called “following” worthy of the definition.
One song, then I left. I actually paid for a couple beers. They are served with a little jacket with a zipper. Otherwise the humidity makes little rings on the counter that get everything soggy. The skinny barmaid noticed I hold the bottle between my thighs to undo the zipper. I informed her that is because when I go out drinking I like to stay on familiar territory.
I was home by eleven, famished. I walked over to Dominoes for the chicken things. The boxes they come in, when turned inside out, make fairly sturdy containers. Other than that, their chicken isn’t famous. See what an exciting life I lead? I could almost not take all this kind of excitement of today. Time for a road trip, other than to Dominoes, I mean.
ADDENDUM
Last day I mentioned 3D printing because these circuits keep pulling me back to the idea of really printing them. Right now, it is the design that is printed, not the board. The board itself cannot be printed directly, but that should not stop me from planning. I know that the copper is needlessly exposed on all existing circuits. I don’t need any further convincing how important 3D is, so don’t be misled if I don’t mention it every day.
I’d buy a 3D printer right now if I had the cash. There will be breakthroughs when these machines get into the hands of serious thinkers. I know I should get a printer soon. While it is doubtful this technology could ever be controlled, there is no doubt that powerful interests are going to try. The only practical way is to place restrictions is on the printers themselves. De-tune them, as it were. Get one before that happens.
When I heard the original commentary on the guys in Texas printing guns, I said I doubt it would fire. Yes and no. The talk was of a full scale plastic gun which would shatter under the pressure. It turns out only parts of the gun are being made, such as the trigger housing. That can definitely be made from lego-grade plastic. For a very interesting look at the issues involved, got to 3D Printed Guns.
Sleepless in Hollywood.
As for progress on the circuit printing, here are some actual size drawings. As I try to solve the two-layer problem, a mirror image comes in handy. It’s taking longer than necessary for my brain to resolve looking at the negative image.
