March 18, 2015

Yesteryear
One year ago today: March 18, 2014, I discover gout!
Five years ago today: March 18, 2010, on computer abuse.
Ten years ago today: March 18, 2005, on JZ becoming Pope.

MORNING
           Okay. Nice day or not, I’m going to do the yard work. Clean a work area in the back and install a new work counter in the tool shed. Using lumber left over from the old cPod. It was vastly over-built and its replacement will weigh only a third as much. And be only 54% as long. It is a lazy day and may you have the same, within reason. I further stopped at the scooter shop to see what’s on sale. Nothing. Spring is not a great trade-in time for motorcycles. (That’s the same shop I saw the Honda 250 in January.)

           These are trailers, you can tell by the wheels. I found out that sales of trailers, mobile homes, and motorcycle towed wagons have been climbing steadily for a couple of years. Meaning we were again on the leading edge of a trend over here. But making any money at it never seems to work either.

           I wonder if these units have any wainscoting? Anyway, I’m going to invest in some steel to make a bicycle rack that clamps the frame and wheels so they would have to be cut before it could be stolen. Watch for the design, as I’ll have Agt. M weld it up. I still have not gotten enough practice on my own. Probably because the saws are so much more fun. The scroll saw and the band saw.
           While it is super-handy to have the saws inside, I will also have to invest in a better dust vacuum. I've been connecting up the ordinary shop vacuum but it lacks the power to draw in dust unless it is directly beside the saw blades.
           And who remembers the guy I gave a lift to back on June 6, 2013? He sent a thank you email, which is very thoughtful. And also a great way to get mentioned here, as normal policy is not to acknowledge comments. Hey, dude, you are certainly welcome. I ask only that you do the same for others.

NOON

           “You ain’t learnin’ when you’re talkin’. (Farm wisdom)

           See that? That’s yardwork. My least favorite activity. I’d rather dance with a fat girl. Look at Cactus Pete. And that’s after I trimmed the unnecessaries. The guy is outta control. Note the flatdeck of the cPod, still disassembled. And the branches from that wild tree next to the shed. It just started growing there and I have to hammer it back before summer. That’s when the winds blow the branches against my roof.

           I’ve also got a shelf up in the tool shed, and another going in to make room for my soon-to-be router table. How much work was it? One battery charge on the Ryobi drill, so around two hours of drilling alone. I notice the office let the Frenchie up the lane put a complete workshed next to his unit. I’ll keep that in mind if I decide to stay here another year.

           Wind-borne dust is also a problem around here. It collects in corners and before you know it, a weed-patch gets started up. Myself, I’m okay with weeds, but I signed an agreement with the office to keep it trimmed. Over the years, I’ve learned exactly how much they will allow.
           I also measured out the tongue on the mobile home. It is just long enough to weld the bicycle clamp right there. I like the idea of it being handy when I walk out the door, instead of behind in the back yard. Anyhow, that’s my afternoon and now it will go down in history that on this date in 2015, I actually did yard work. Women of the world, don’t get any ideas.
           Put another way, I done all the damn garden-weeding I need in this lifetime by the age of eight years old.

EVENING
           Eva, the movie. It’s a novel twist, but for a robot story set in 2043 (that’s in the reviews, there is nothing in the movie that says it), it lacks imagination. The plot centers around “emotional” intelligence which is not far-fetched. People fall in love with their lawnmowers and I’m awful particular to who goes near my motorcycles. There are few special effects you haven’t seen before except maybe all these swirling chandeliers. Or they kind of look a bit like snot, too.

           The storyline can be tricky to follow as it is also a pseudo-chick flick with that annoying sub-plot that every parent thinks their bratty kids are as special to others as themselve. Not quite, but you know what I mean. Great scenery, Spanish with English subtitles, it’s worth the eight bucks. But not much more.

           Beware, knowing a little Spanish and a little about robots can make this movie seem non-sensical at times. The best acting is done by the robot cat, in that by 2043 that is entirely possible. But I’m not so sure about the fixation on emotional robots as being the best thing for humanity. Mind you, I could use a maid around here that doesn’t crab about my pictures of old girlfriends or how much time I spend on the computer.
           One thing, the women in this movie are not all that pretty. That includes the little girl. The movie won 15 awards of some sort, but I’m old fashioned. I like all the women in movies to be extremely good-looking for their respective ages. I’m just mentioning it because it is a sad day when such things become a trend. Like the 90s thing with retard kids with special powers. Give me a break. Eva was also supposed to be precocious. Not by any definition I'm aware of.

           The I hear this crash outside my door. Agt. M. Fell off his bicycle. He’s got a trick knee that lets him down on occasion, and as he pulled up and leaned the bike to stop, splattered himself on the pavement. So we had the club meeting on my porch while he recovered. He must be used to it as he didn’t even have a scrape on his knee. We decided to make the bicycle security clamp out of an old bed frame. Those things last forever.
           Also, he has succeeded in braising some aluminum. I’d heard it could be done but he managed a four foot piece. We have an extra meeting scheduled tomorrow to go over this development. I have to see it. And I have to see JZ’s new truck as well.

ADDENDUM
           The club may be getting closer to some kind of project that justifies the use of a $35 Arduino. But it is still dependent on our ability to build a chassis rather than purchase. In terms of mobility, the tank tread is superior to wheels, if only because it must be learned. Wheels are too easy and too obvious. Yes, we were already tempted to wrap a track around some tires, but that was rejected years ago.

           It is noteworthy how divergence works for the club. If Agt. M had the bandsaw, he’d be cutting lumber by now. I’m the opposite, I am switching to the smallest blade made to cut the smallest parts we’ve made yet. That would be, as far as I know, the fine-tooth ¼” blade. I specify wood blade, although I have a metal blade, I do not intend to use it until I know more about the tool limitations.

           We have also failed to find anyone who knows anything about building radio receivers. Hence, we have not pursued our antennas or even built a toy radio. That is due to lack of a variable capacitor, shown here is my first attempt to cut very thin kerf to hold the metal plates. Invisible is a conductor pilot hole drilled across the length of the wooden retainers before the slots are cut. In this instance, it is the slot (kerf) that I’m interested in, not the wood that remains.
           I see that the metal itself is too flexible and I still have not figured a way to get two of these items to interleave. Cheer up. Not that long ago there was no chance of having gotten even this far. And I still have no way of measuring capacitance nor any inkling of how it can be adjusted. I’m going solely on pictures I seen that show these radio parts to be about the size I’m working with.


Last Laugh
Al says, “Hi”.

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