February 25, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 25, 2022, news & visiting.
Five years ago today: February 25, 2018, my $380 wall.
Nine years ago today: February 25, 2014, here’s my code..
Random years ago today: February 25, 2010, why I like duo bands.

           No Internet. Boost is down and they are promising everybody 2 months of free service. Harumph. Waking up with energy, that led to coffee and out to yard before it got hot. It was puttering, not work and I put in 3-1/2 hours, knowing that would impress everybody. Not a lot of construction got done, but take a gander at my new thermometer shelter, upper left. On lower right is the original, but it had ways the thermometer could get wet. Despite being an outdoor design, it is mean to be shelters and this is my answer to that. As shown, it is getting near my cut-off temp of 81°F.
           The new version is 1-1/2” deeper and has mitered joints. Maybe I’ll get you a close-up of the joints, which are far easier to cut with the right tools. This is actually a test setup, with the joints glued and fastened with brads. If that doesn’t hold, they can easily be changed to screws. Yes, I had to use one new piece of lumber but it will weather in. Florida insists.

           The LLBean radio is wired up for commercial power. In a pinch the dynamo still works. Meanwhile it has some use in the silo where I may some day put up an antenna. In the general cleanup this morning, I had another 20 pounds of birdseed go bad. Even the best storage doesn’t keep more than maybe five pounds, that’s a lesson learned. There’s a view of the radio with the new cable into the battery compartment. Also, the cleats to wrap up that cable if needed, as it is nearly three feet long. I got it to pick up some libtard stations who like to quote statistics. Nowadays 64% of drivers know nothing about how their car operates. I say if you poll only millennials, that likely climbs to 85%. There is a reason, folks, that you never see millennials using jumper cables.
           It’s up to 84°F so I cranked the A/C and processed Marion a two page letter with 14 photographs, many versions you don’t see here. Like the most horrid picture of me this year climbing the ladder to the attic. All the while I’m thinking this month will show another surplus from the gas budget, as there were no trips anywhere. That’s where the cash came from for that $25 catfish dinner and there’s still enough for at least a nice day trip. We have a lot of options but I’m just not a beach kind of guy.

           Travel isn’t my only option, I’m still putting together the plans for the giant NAND gate. This isn’t as useless as it seems, since I still have contacts at supply houses that sell kits. The gate is definitely a Science Fair project, the challenge being to build the gate without using integrated circuits. You can’t see what’s happening inside a chip and that is my point. At this time, I’m aiming at no more than a working model. Be nice and I’ll post a copy. Meanwhile I did get you some close-ups of the new thermometer shelter. But you’ll have to wait until this afternoon.
           As for the NAND gate, I think the operation can be duplicated by relays. There’s a parallel to the operation, where the signal that operates the relay does not power the circuit. It’s important that I use colored lights to show this difference. It’s an aspect missing from every source I’ve seen on the topic. When you show a beginner a diagram with labels for input and output, he is not going to automatically think there is no connection between the two.
           This, I dug out a bunch of relays and sorted out the units which were designed for 12 volts, I’ll make a second pass searching for any that will work on less. I will also need some PNP transistors, which I don’t like much, so where is that box? Or, I may use normally closed relays, there is considerable thinking done to emulate this piece of equipment.

Picture of the day.
Romainian walnut factory.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Ta-dah, there’s the joinery from this morning. The bottom plate is also slanted like a window sill but these are the hard spots. Before doing this again, I’d build a jig. The radio says there are blizzard warnings in California. America hopes they all freeze to death so good people can move in there again and start over. The library had another 80 audio books on CD for sale, I bought 6 including what appears to be a totally sucky positive review of the war-monger Winston Churchill. He is often portrayed in left-wind media as a champion of peace, a hero for young and old alike, and a benchmark of how to never give up the struggle. The truth is somewhat less flattering.

           I made it to the library but failed to get on to this blog. Google again. The library changed their system and Google uses every such excuse to try getting your identity. They have long since spotted my verification system was set up back in 1996 when such things were possible. Every once in a while they peel away another layer and today was one. It will be a happy day for me when Google is shot down in flames, never to rise again. I’m amazed by the number of people who use Google thinking, “nothing’s happened to me yet”. It just proves what a nobody they are.
           After recharging the van A/C, I went to get my breadboards and trunk of components only to find it not where I left it. That does it, tomorrow I spend an hour getting most of the parts rounded up. They must be in the shed, but over the years things shift around magincally. I mean. I have dozens of breadboards, some of them mighty fancy. It’s been years and still not stand for my power supply. That’s the dandy rig I picked up in some town up the coast from Miami. Great little kit with a problem. It is light enough that when you try to operate the toggle switch, the whole shebang moves backward, It takes two hands to operate, one to stop it sliding off the desk.

           I can’t think of any way to make that power supply stay put except gravity. If I put rubber feet, it only works until they get shiny. Any clamping system is more cumbersome. What’s a fellow to do besides have another coffee. This next picture was something I’ve suspected. The practically brand new chain saw leaks oil. But so did the others and you don’t notice it until past the 30 day return period. This time, I rested the saw on a metal table. There you have it. I had wanted to run some electric cable today but the heat drove me back. Maybe a little Karaoke later.

           Saturday, so let’s go downtown. It’s Karaoke night, so let’s head over for a look. The place is packed, somebody got married. Wow, people still do that? The room was full of strangers except for my fan club. The president, this lady who is nice but too voluminous for me said I could share their table. Jackpot, they had bought a bucket of Miller and could not drink it, so help myself. They are aware if there are no women of my type, I’ll just haul out a notepad, so they left me alone while I had a couple or three. The Karaoke was a lot of that thirty-something half-rap I don’t know but the fan club got me up for “Jackson”.
           There was a catered food table for twice as many people, so I tried one of the sandwiches. Not bad at all. My fan club, oh, you’ll get diarrhea all day tomorrow! Nope, food rarely bothers me that way and for once, this table was well done. There was so much, I took some of it home for tomorrow. I put my name in for a 1991 Trisha Yearwood tune but I must have been 15th in line, so I left early. Had diarrhea, JUST kidding. I’m fine.

ADDENDUM
           Everybody should have a hobby, not only that, something they excel at. You know, at least one hobby you don’t mind being semi-famous about, should that happen. My candidate is the outcome of my Xmas present last year. Remember the guitar pick punch? I’ve become kind of the mid-Florida go-to guy when it comes to junk credit card plectrums. Normally, I detest junk mail because it means evil. But as of late, I’ve grown fond of those plastic cards and here is this month’s winner, Marco’s Pizza. Flexible, tough enough and an easy 8 picks for little effort out of each mail delivery.

           Here’s the rundown of the losers. The new Dunkin cards are just too thick, it’s like playing bass with a bread clip. The Xfinity cards are the crappiest, a laminated crud that separates after a single rendition of “Act Naturally”, by Ringo Starr. If you get a slow junk mail week, the Wal*Mart gift cards are a good substitute although security can get antsy when you take more than 10 or 20 at a time. Runner up is Tampa Bay Real Estate junk, which is sturdy yet flexible, but they plaster pictures of their staff on the advertising. And let’s face it, nobody likes ugly guitar picks.

           Here’s something interesting. A letter from the bank where I make the largest deposits. It says a change in the laws means the account must have certain information on file. They sent a blank form, which I’m looking at right now. Like all my accounts, this has a separate tax ID number. This form is all about the information they do not have. Aha, they’ve somehow lost all the original information about this account. They don’t even know my real name. And the account has been in existence over ten years. I’m going to sit and do nothing, I only keep enough of a balance to clear my deposits. This is to see what happens.

Last Laugh