November 23, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: November 23,2021, real estate fake-out.
Five years ago today: November 23, 2017, the new Taurus.
Nine years ago today: November 23, 2013, a thousand bucks for gas.
Random years ago today: November 23, 2007, I begin discovering Jimbos.

           Chicken and rice for breakfast, to the sound of the Downeys. They feed one at a time, but now I can tell them apart from any distance in the yard. Today is dedicated to cleaning up an organization, so an extra refill or two won’t slow us down. It’s winter and one of my favorite radio stations fades, so I’m stuck with NPR for now. There’s a good one to show how badly uneducated the average Democrat is. They are complaining that more “Republican” account are being re-instated on Twitter than “Democrat” accounts. Duh, that’s because being libtards, they were never censored. The amount of liberal whining in America is, I think, constant. Saudi Arabia executed 17 people for offenses from drugs to murder. I fell back asleep until 2:00PM, one of the few privileges of true retirement.

           Italy will revoke welfare and unemployment from people who refuse a job offer. I’ve wished for years they’d do that in America. People who turn down jobs they don’t like should be cause. I worked most of my life at jobs I did not like because I had no choice and so can they. Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri now require a drug test to get welfare. Cher at 76 has a new boyfriend who is 36, yet there is no outcry from the same people who would go ballistic if it was the man who was older.

           Now here’s the thing. Life is not as high-powered as it used to be, I know that. So today I’m stuck reporting yard work and repairs as the big events of the day. To me, it is disappointing but that is only because I should be sporting around in a Ferrari with my secretary or something. Instead, I start by reporting a replaced switch in the kitchen. Yes, the one that’s been stuck on for two months. It’s news because I’ve never seen a switch fry itself before. The job is finished, that’s the old switch shown in my hand.
           The D-party is so far behind in payments, they are already suckering in the college students again, saying $25 per hour if you vote for us. If they lose, they don’t have to keep the promise, if they win, they have some obscure judge rule the whole thing unConstitutional, they throw up their arms and say they tried. Either way, shaft the students. It’s curious how they’ve spun it, the libtards. They indoctrinate the students that it is the Boomers who made it so you need a college degree to get any job. The reality is opposite. You can’t tell me somebody doesn’t know they’ve never learned to read and write. The jobs have remained the same but student standards have sunk so low it now requires college to have a ninth grade education.

           Here’s the solar chimney being partially dismantled. I need those four posts for the shop vacuum. Planned along this wall is a better lumber rack. The smaller units I’ve already made make keeping a variety of lumber so handy that I’m expanding on the concept. The chimney itself I’m not sure I’ll keep it even though I have some ideas on how to make it work better. Even full tilt it can theoretically produce only a 4°F difference.

           Instead, I’m looking at an electric light, as in solar-powered DC. You can see, if you peer, that red object upper center. That’s the light shield which has a small solar panel but the internal battery is long since gone. Rather than replace that battery, I have an idea I’d like to try because, once again, I cannot find anything on-line about the topic. Here’s the quick version. If I have a solar panel that goes into over-voltage, as they very often do, is there a breakdown diode arrangement that will limit the voltage. Probably not.

           The theory is like so. A panel is connected to a six volt battery. I have a circuit with two paths, one to my device, the other a Zener diode rated at 5.7. Below that, all the juice goes to my device but above that, can I get the Zener to break down and draw off the excess? Why not? This brings up the question of DC transformers. DC step down is not that easy. I’ve seen what they call buck converters, but the schematics don’t make sense. I studied PWM (pulse width modulation) and could build a fine unit right now, it would produce a perfect voltage, turning off and on remotely and able to cut off the rechargeable battery if the voltage is either too high or too low. But I’m again trying to use discrete (dumb) components because I still hesitate to use a $35 Arduino for such a simple job. More on this in the addendum.
           The dimensions on the shop vacuum can all be made very exact with my existing tools. The hesitation is that while they are just boxes I can build reasonably well I have very little experience building the boxes to any particular inside dimension. This vacuun need three main boxes. The sawdust barrel, the housing for the fan, and the duct that blasts fine particles into a collection bag or a filter.

           JZ called, what a bad set of timing. He should be here and find himself that decent gal he needs so badly. He lacks that spirit for adventure and it extends to how he never presses home the issue with women. Like most nice guys, he gets nowhere. That’s not to say I’m the adventuresome sort in the classical sense. I don’t seek danger but I don’t let small amounts of risk stop me. I’m saying I’m no Crocodile Dundee, but every trip I make in the old vehicles I drive is a risk. Every time I crash in the van, or stop in a strange town, you get the idea. Other people don’t have even that, JZ won’t leave town unless he has a thousand buck “in case something goes wrong”.
           Once you pass 55, I tell you the opportunities for adventure begin to slacken. I was okay because I have some experience creating them. Pile on a sidecar and drive to Seattle. But you will notice I was always alone. I don’t even know anybody with the gumption to do that, which is not to say I don’t know reckless people who might. One adventure a year and this year that turned out to be a series of smaller trips to and from Tennessee. Next year, I go to Seattle by van if all goes right. Talking to JZ made me realize just how much I no longer have adventures unless I make them. I find that sad, so what’s the alternative? Well, vicarious adventure, of course. I read, go to movies, and there is music. So no giving up.

Picture of the day.
Laser cut toy car.
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           I finally watched “Chariots of the Gods”. Nope, never seen it before. I’d already learned most of what thee movie covers. My question remains why is there such an inexactitude in the drawing of these “astronauts” in contrast to other things the same people drew. In so many instances the artists show then are capable of immense accuracy and attention to detail—except when drawing astronauts or space ships. Three hours in the yard, including clearing most of the front with a grass whip. This took me well into aerobic exercise with no strain. This view shows my yard cut and past the fence the depth of ground cover taken down. Even more astonishing to me is working the grass whip works the same shoulder muscles I could barely move not that long ago. Chuck Norris, eat your heart out.

           How serious is it when the Washington Post grudgingly admits something woke is wrong. In this case, the number of deaths from the vaccine has exceeded the numbers among the unvaxxed. Nobody is accepting the apologies of either the vaxxed or the vax companies, who want amnesty. Since the bad guys are only apologizing, not offering restitution or mending their ways, I can’t blame anyone for hating them. What they did was so wrong on every level that swaths of the population want them executed. It’s too severe for any of it to be considered an “oopsie”, which is what they are trying to get away with.

           According to GetPocket, these are the three things I have to do to become the most interesting person in the room. Gee, I wonder what that must feel like, to be the most interesting person. I must give these a try.

1. Be intensely curious – it’s the “secret juice” even if you fake it.
2. Be a good listener – the losers and barflies will love you.
3. Don’t ask dumb questions – I’m designing a chicken coop.

ADDENDUM

           I’ve found something [about DC transformers] and it makes sense. An AC transformer works because the input is constantly changing from peak to zero to negative peak and back. The principle of a wire moving in such a magnetic field will induce a current. But the DC is steady, so how to proceed? Well, if you have a stead input, the diagram show connecting as oscillator to a “chopper”, which is a fast relay. Without a microcomputer, this is neat. The relay flickers on and off and in each cycle the DC rises from zero, then drops back to zero. There is your pulse. Instead of from positive to negative, it is from peak DC to zero.
           The output is a fluctuating DC signal which would have to still be rectified and smoothed out. But from what I read, this could be done by an ordinary AC transformer, which would not know or care if the input signal was AC or DC if it is pulsing. Hmmm, give me time to look into this more. Here’s a diagram of the basic principle. Chopper isn’t exactly a scientific term.

Last Laugh