May 8, 2014

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 8, 2013, updated.
Five years ago today: May 8, 2009, a boring day.

           The robot club meeting was held here today. Significance? Plenty. First, the rest of the club used to live miles away, now they are just over here on Mayo. This might look like a simple episode of the club connecting the (previously stated) new air conditioner, but in fact such tasks have become so routine that we spend the time discussing philosophy. We are not mechanics but we’ve worked together so well in the past that there is very little banter about work. Even “hand me that tool” or “what now” is rare, but we do discuss values.

           Consider this: Do I not like Win Vista because of how it works, or do I not like it because I am old, inflexible, and unaccepting of change? We certainly know which angle the media promotes. Today was a drawn-out discussion, you can imagine. One need only “accept” that each new release of Windows is newer and better. Windows is therefore automatically “progress” and those who don’t embrace this viewpoint must have something wrong with them.

           I mean, MicroSoft would not release a substandard product. Would they? Agt. M, who is otherwise a very sharp fellow, says that is so. However, when asked about basic spreadsheet usage, or how to get pictures to appear consistent on one’s blog, it was apparent like most contemporary users, he is not even aware of the advanced features I require. Just for that I pointed out that no matter how diligently he practices tennis, he will never be as good as the wall. Har-dee-har-har-har.
           The photo reveals our quick repair to some internal wall damage. The old unit must have been leaking. Therefore I replaced with a non-recycling unit. A little more expensive to operate but no water leakage [such as caused the damage shown]. The sidecar is visible, all shipshape and parked beside the unit. And that was the day. What should have been a simple slide the old A/C out and swap out the new one became a half-day operation for two men. Used up all my spare lumber and it will take another two hours to clean up the mess we had to make.

           Here is a telling photo. Sadly, ever since 1980 it has become necessary for businesses to put bars on their windows. You can look up what happened April 20, 1980. That's the day Castro flushed Cuba's toilets on the USA, thanks to Jimmy Carter. Here’s out the window of a Chinese takeout across from the local casino. Other folks are over there having fun and I’m outside looking in. How odd some people think I’m missing out on some fun in life. The truth is, statistically, if I was over there [at the casino] instead of here, I’d be around four years older. I would still owe $11,600 on a five-year-old car. I’d be divorced twice and paying both alimony and child support. I would be missing seven teeth, $66,000 in total personal debt and have a negative net worth. And there’s an 80% chance I’ve be legally impaired. That’s who you feel sorry for, not me. Such people are pathetic if you ask me.
           Later, I went downtown to the octopus for a cold bottle of Budweiser. Agt. M did not attend, he not only does not drink at all, he is against it. Do you suppose he’s missing out on some fun in life? Am I a smart-ass? Anyway, the DJ and Karaoke guy Edgar was there. He does not look the part, be he has a keen interest in mechanical gears and he can build linkages. The type of linkages needed for very tiny steering mechanisms. Like the size that would fit on a small robot. His latest project? Well, he built these glowing eyeballs for a pirate mannequin hanging on the back wall of the club. When people applaud, the eyes roll around. But, we all gotta start somewhere somewheres.
           Chatting with a patrolman on break at the coffee shop earlier, he confirms what my neighbor says. The bicycle thieves are now packing rechargeable battery tools with a cutting blade. They will slice a even a kryptonite lock in less than a minute. They throw a damp towel over the action to lower the sound and block the sparks. Therefore, I’ve cleared a space indoors for my soon-to-be $1,000 electric bike. I’ve also opted for a somewhat less powerful model that can be easily removed [from the bicycle]. The electric wheel can be swapped to any compatible bicycle--including my Jamus. The motor can be easily removed and taken indoors. Pictures of all this when it happens.
           Tomorrow is my day off.

ADDENDUM
           One of my supply sources has dried up. Someone in the population has figured out which flat screens to buy at the Goodwill. Dang. All that is left are styles missing the 15-pin cables and/or need fancy power supplies. Oh well, like the women back in high school, I should just be happy I got all the good ones. I have another beef and that is people who give junk to the thrifts. You jerks, if it doesn’t work right, throw it out. Those who “donate” garbage have lives to match.

           Over here the general upgrade of XP computers is nearly complete. This is a RAM chip, one of four going into this motherboard. These upgrades all involve something better than Vista—proven and familiar technology. For that matter, the way my computers are now configured, they would have been practically unaffordable for me when new. For example, the chip shown here is 1 gig of DRAM and cost me only $2.25.
           DRAM is dynamic RAM, meaning it consists of memory junctions using capacitors. But tiny capacitors discharge rapidly, so this type of memory needs constant pulses of electricity to “top off” those capacitors. RAM is where the program instructions in your CPU store and execute the commands, so that is why, when the power goes off, the capacitors discharge. You lose everything you were working on. Ah, I see a light just came on.
           What is nicer about DRAM (dynamic) memory than SRAM (static) memory used in older computers? They both need power. Yes, but not only is DRAM somewhat faster, the fact the electricity is pulsed means it uses less overall battery juice. Guess what they use in laptops? SRAM needs steady power because the memory nodes use transistors instead of capacitors. (Transistor memory, or flip-flops, are the kind I am experimenting with these days. And I’m no expert, but see how much more sense the topic makes when described by a non-geek?)
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