One year ago today: March 22, 2015, I prefer robot co-workers.
Five years ago today: March 22, 2011, Brother printers suck.
Nine years ago today: March 22, 2007, “Overseas Employment”, right . . .
Random years ago today: March 22, 2005, Internet thought crimes.
MORNING
Okay, who bet the five bucks I’d have a go at building the whirlagig? Show of hands. Hmmm. Well, in my own defense let me say my decision was heavily swayed by another cold snap. So cold, for that matter, that I am not planning to drive up to West Marine for a 2016 copy of the Almanac. Here’s the blanks for the cardinal, I made two to allow for prototype error. And there were plenty. Most centered around the propeller, which the instruction helpfully says only that you should take care.
Most common mistakes not mentioned in the instructions:
a) drill your propeller hubs first. Conventional training says don’t do anything that weakens the wood first, but if you don’t, drilling dead center on the hub gets tricky once the blades no longer rest flat.
b) on bird designs, the propellers must be “handed”. One blade is right-handed, the other blade is left. You CANNOT just reverse one of the blades, it doesn’t work that way. You have to flip either your saw blade angle or your pattern over to its mirror image. (The blade in front has the top of the swing toward the bird’s head. The other propeller spins “backwards”.)
c) do all coarse sanding on a belt sander or you will still be hand-finishing the bird the day after tomorrow and the propellers late next week.
d) use dry, easily paintable wood, that is, don’t use cedar or plywood. Make all parts out of cheap pine 1x4” until you get some experience. Then stick with the 1x4”.
e) do not drill the “pivot” hole until the entire structure is built and tested. Then drill it another ¼” toward the front. The bird is NOT a weather vane, it is meant to spin sideways to the wind. The ¼” is to compensate as the wing that is “behind” the body gets somewhat less wind.
Expect to spent twice as long on each propeller (you’ll need two for bird designs) as the rest of the project combined. I’m no propeller expert, I’ve only done it before. Beginners take my advice and build only two-blade propellers out of a solid wooden block. No hub and blade props until you know what is going on. Well-made whirlagigs of basic design sell for around $30 on-line, $20 at the flea market. And that is the brand of “inside information” that keeps you coming back to this blog. Learning without the pain. Learning the parts the “experts” consistently leave out.
I miss my Almanac. Whenever the feeling comes along that the world has the upper hand and I’m the dummy, time to get out that sextant and tables and do so real calculating. Doing something that stupefies most of mankind does wonders for the brain and attitudes. It clears the baffles and makes you realize why there are no super-criminals like Lex Luthor, my hero. It’s because the world prevents really smart people from taking advantage. The world has a creation that prevents the truly smart from flourishing. It is called “law”.
And this invention works by making sure nobody, including the smart, can get ahead without paying their dues. That’s what it is all about. I know of fifty non-violent, non-coercive ways to go out there right now and make $500. But they are all quite artificially made into illegal activities at a commercial level because they don’t give the state their cut. For this reason, most criminals are the dumb hit-and-run small rip-off goons and not your Lex Luthors. The small fry instinctively know that society cannot possibly afford to track down all crime, and it follows that most petty criminals finally get nabbed when they try something just a tad too ambitious.
Now, how’s that for bloviating? Pretty darn impressive, I’d say, for only one morning cup of coffee. And all while finishing prop blades to boot. Here’s two Seattle terms I’ve never heard west of the Mississippi. The USSA. And “waddler”, a reference to fat women who think fat is sexy. There, by now you’ve guessed what mood I’m in today.
Bad dancers.
NOON
“Strive for excellence, not perfection.” ~ RHP
I got a reply on a property. That’s no big deal, except this was a total bottom-fishing offer. The ad contained a phrase nobody over here understood, but I took it to mean that the seller is so desperate for money that they are willing to either co-sign or extend other obligations to get their money out of this place. So I offered them half in cash, and they left a message. By extrapolating the data on the public records by the average mortgage interest in 2004, I was able to guess they put 5% down and now have just over $17,000 equity. So I offered $17,500.
Myself, I could not tell you the closing time of any bar in the world that I’ve ever been to myself. Nor could I say what time they open. I don’t say that in a braggadocios way, but because if Trump can use that word, so can I. It is very presidential of me, one might say. Anyway, how do you like the progress on my whirlagig? Nice paint job, or what. The axle through the wings is made of, well, do you remember the Chinese food I had last week? Yeah.
One thing for sure, I’ll never have a boring old age. Not so boring as to know the pub hours, know what I’m sayin’? But I do enjoy a quaff now and again and if it warms up enough to operate the red scooter, I just might partake later this evening. Um, allow me this opportunity to make a distinction. When I go to a bar or a coffee shop by myself, I do not just sit there and drink. I’ve always got a notebook or a puzzle or a regular book.
I have never just sat in a bar drinking. I defy anyone to find an exception, because yes, I do regularly head out for a beer a few times a week. I was out last Saturday, with my notebook, which has the date and location written at the top of every page. So do not equate how often I go to the saloon with the same frequency that some lush goes there to watch sports TV and hit on the barmaids. I actually get things done, even in a bar.
Some pointers about the bird in this picture. The larger the propellers, the slower they turn at a given wind velocity. The paint should be exterior since this gadget is headed outdoors. The paint scheme is arbitrary, since I haven’t seen a cardinal in years and have a limited supply of colors over here.
The pivot is a hole drilled into the base of the bird, then you glue in a BB. The statue then sits on a long pointed nail, preferably the aluminum type I use. This forms the joint that allows the bird to sway in slight breezes. The action of the props is loud enough to hear from several feet away. This is the prototype and I’ve already calculated they are not worthwhile to build and sell at the flea market. However, if produced in bulk, or as a kit, they have possibilities if distributed to others for retail sale.
AFTERNOON
I like my nice toaster oven. After all, I take the “oven” part more seriously than some. JZ only ever uses his to grill things, whereas I rarely grill anything. This is my home made scalloped potatoes, heavy on the cheese. Well, for me, I mean, because to me this casserole is a very carefully calorie-controlled meatless meal for me. That’s 610 calories and one of two meals I had today. And don’t worry about the “dirty” stovetop under the racks. That is sawdust.
I’ve got a theory that potatoes became popular in England partially because they roast their meat a lot. And potatoes cook at exactly the same rate as the meat. Therefore, you can prep everything and put these in the oven together to be ready at the same time. Just a theory, but since it is food, I’ll bet somebody has studied this. I noticed the timing when I always boiled vegetables in a separate pot. I’ve always used kitchen timers so was quick to spot how I’d subtract 18 minutes from potato time for my favorite veggies. Carrots, peas, and string beans.
Which is not to say I don’t like all vegetables except plantains. On the tenth year of my diet, however, there are still some vegetables I cannot say I like without salt. Lots of salt. Those would be beets, turnip, and spinach. Another history study would probably prove those only became human food when salt was available. That’s another of my endless theories, and the major difference with my theories, Ken, is that I write them down. So you can’t argue the next day you were the originator.
The anti-Trumpers are at it again. Some people just don’t know when the apple cart has been upset. Right, wrong, or neutral, Trump is the next president. The media and both dominant parties have ganged up on Trump since day one, to no avail. How do you like that protester who got punched at the rally claiming he was hit by a Trump supporter. The media was all over that, but it seems there is no proof whatsoever that politics had anything to do with the guy getting a licking.
The traditional stomp-the-new-guy tactics have all backfired. That’s likely because they were intended for a far softer target than Trump and were too obvious because Trump fought back. There is still time for the media to do the Hitler thing with real zesto, and time to evolved better smear tactics, but it’s getting down to the wire, you establishment types. The wire that will hang most of you. Have you see the “PolitiFact” attacks?
That’s where they say Trump lies once every five minutes. Hmmm, that only a quarter of the rate of that Cruz fellow (77 lies versus 278), but that point is left out. They publish that three out of four Trump statements are rated as lies. Rated by whom? And how would that same source rate the Pope? “Rating” something as a lie is not at all the same thing as proving it is a lie.
And that, some people should know, is why Trump is winning and they are losing. It is clear to many what Trump means because he did not set out to lie. I only see outtakes, but I sure noticed Hillary playing the Jewish card. How she unequivocally supports Israel where Trump thinks support is negotiable. A year ago that would have killed the opposition, but all Trump had to do was point out that the majority of her campaign contributions came from Jews.
I’ve emphasized before I’m not as pro-Trump as I am anti-establishment. But after six months of watching what the DC insiders have been trying to pull on the man, I now definitely hope he wins. This is a change from predicting he’ll win, to preferring he’ll win, to now hoping he’ll win. I’d say the remaining path to victory left for the establishment is to prove they have not run the country into the ground. The problem is, they would have to lie on an obscene scale over that. Clearly, Trump is not responsible for the way things are compared to the other “experienced” candidates.
As for the “equality” crowd, well, equality has always been a pipe dream. I don’t want America to be equal to the other nations on the planet. I’ve seen enough of those places to know they are not anything to aspire to. As for equal intelligence, folks, there is no such thing. Forty years of intense study with tens of thousands of subjects and allowing for every meaningful control have consistently shown that different races have different average levels of intelligence.
This has been repeatedly demonstrated by every study over multiple categories conducted by every race, country, or schoolboard that ever overseen a test. And worse for the “equality” nutcases, the studies have always shown that the ratio of intelligence between races is also a constant. The American media will not succeed in forever suppressing the European studies that have identified a set of intelligence genes—and that these genes are lacking in certain large race pools.
Over here, the most the authorities will dare admit is that intelligence runs in families. Not, Wallace’s, or Theresa’s or anything like that, but in general they mean. Folks, it runs in families and it runs in races, you can look it up yourself. I’m not for or against anything on the intelligence testing scales, but I am against these nincompoops who won’t let up on the equality thing. They tend to be those who would benefit by a forced averaging out of everything, know what I mean?
NIGHT
I can always tell a quiet day around here because if I fall asleep in my comfy chair, nothing wakes me up until four in the afternoon. I’m wide awake now, peeps. Tell you what, since diagrams are not always a favorite, how about I explain celestial navigation using only words? That will test my grasp on the topic, wouldn’t you say?
What throws beginners, and oh, how I know that, is it helps to think of the world as flat again. And that the edge of a big enough circle seems to be a straight line. The fact is, with navigation, you can assume both. That the Earth is flat and the equator (for instance) is a straight line if you were standing on it. Forget curves, they are theoretical to what you are doing here.
Okay, here goes.
A) There is really one principle to grasp, and it is that at any moment in time the Sun is directly overhead at only one spot on the Earth’s surface. That spot moves as the Earth rotates on its axis. It is called the GP (for Geographic Position) and the location for each hour of each day is calculated in advance and contained in a book called a Nautical Almanac for the upcoming year.
B) Navigation involves the use of two triangles. The first triangle is flat on the surface of the Earth. At the top of this triangle is the North Pole. The next point is the GP, from article A) above, which you look up by knowing what time it is in England. The third point of this triangle is the nearest “whole number” latitude and longitude to where you THINK you are, called the AP. (You choose this point according to some rules, but you do NOT have to be very accurate about it, although it helps.) Now leave that triangle alone.
C) The second triangle has its top point “up in the sky”. Again, one point is the GP from article A) above. The second corner is the AP from article B) above. The third point, well that is the fun one. Because you are unlikely to be exactly at the GP, the Sun will appear at a “lower” angle in the sky, which you measure with your sextant. This one you have to wrap your head around—as you move further from the GP, the Sun appears lower and lower in the sky. Like a giant imaginary lamppost.
D) There will always be a slight difference between the Sun’s angle at your chosen AP and the angle you get when you read your sextant. You get the AP angle from a different book and the sextant angle from practice, practice, practice. You can now subtract these two angles to learn how far you are from the AP. Most people draw this as a line on a chart, hence, you are “plotting” your position.
E) Each “plot” only shows you roughly where you are, so a few hours later, you repeat this process and you get a second line. When you draw this second line on your chart, it will cross the first line. That’s your position. Notice, you never once used a compass. It is customary to take five Sun readings per day, well-spaced so the plot lines cross at nice sharp angles.
Now don’t run out and buy yourself an ocean liner. Most books on navigation are a hundred pages long. Here’s some trivia. The process is so inherently simple that much of what you see in old pirate movies is fake. It was a deliberate ritual to confuse the crew from figuring out how to navigate, in order to prevent mutiny. The cabin boy was set to upending hourglasses and the first lieutenant sent strolling back and forth with a spyglass, all of it a deliberate hoax. The actual sextant reading is the only necessary deck activity and normally takes a minute at most, although smart navigators take five readings at once and average them to one reading.
There are several problems with my explanation. It does not delve into the circular logic of knowing how the time you took your reading matches up to the time in England. I don’t say how you “force” your AP to become whole numbers (integers) or why. Although the navigation tables are handy, I don’t get into why you still need practical sense to read them. However, my explanation is complete, so if you understand it in principle, it should help when learning by any of the other methods out there, most of which are long-winded and opinionated.
There. Now you know too much. Or at least enough to really get yourself in trouble.
ADDENDUM
Bombs in Brussels. Well, Europe, you asked for it and you had it coming. All you had to do was watch what the politicians did to Sweden, but no. Now it serves you right. Maybe you should consider building a wall? Germany awake! There is a reason Europe spent a thousand years keeping the Islamics across the Dardenelles. I’m not saying right or wrong, only that there is a reason. And probably a damn good one. This brings me to the topic of the Trump wall.
Let’s get back to the wall. So it costs money. Let me explain something to the simpletons of the world. Everything worthwhile costs money, so the fact it does cost is a meaningless argument until you define “worthwhile”, which we notice the protestors are loathe to do. Let’s look at life. Food costs me, but I pay it to stay healthy. Motor vehicles cost more than they pay be back, but I pay it so I don’t have to walk everywhere. I pay for food and vehicles at a loss because they are worth it.
So if you think I would not pay for a wall you are nuts. If it keeps out 1% of the illegals, if it keeps just one more illegal off welfare, I’ll gladly pay my share. Naturally, I hope it keeps out 99%, but when it comes to rapists and murderers, if it keeps out even a few, the cost is justified. So let’s not hear any more drivel about the cost of the wall. As long as it costs less than the damage it prevents, it is worthwhile—and we ain’t gonna know until we build the thing.
Either way, Trump is right. The wall works in Israel, China, Berlin, and Capetown. Those walls function well enough for any reasonable person to grasp. Don’t you love the crowd that says a wall will only serve to further divide peoples. Duh, what part of “wall” don’t they understand?
Last Laugh
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