One year ago today: July 31, 2024, porridge, truck, buffer.
Five years ago today: July 31, 2020, music chat.
Nine years ago today: July 31, 2016, lots of work.
Random years ago today: July 31, 2019, low gear this morning.
It’s a physio day, so no plans. The routine is not work, but they are ultra-careful to not strain a thing. I’m benefiting because they have a series of motions that seems to get to every unused muscle, even childhood injuries long forgotten. It meshes well for two reasons. One, doing the exercises at home is less effective because you want it over with and will strain, and two, the natural tendency to favor a sore spot isn’t as strong when there is somebody watching.
You can see where the length is not. It isn’t in the middle of that big empty space in the middle of the package. I did not pick this brand special, every saw blade on the rack had this same defect. You had to pick it up and hunt for the data. Now, even if that is on purpose and it works, that still makes them a-holes. It’s a prime example of early Internet-think, where some clown in the office thinks getting you to waste time increases his odds. I have no doubt that is also his philosophy about getting women. I have brothers who confirmed this long ago.
A closer look at the bandsaw shows that the problem may be the blade guide rollers. They are adjusted to spec as best I can, but the cut wavers off my guide lines after every few inches. When looking at replacement assemblies, the cost is more than a new tool. And a lighting bolt was recorded between Texas and Missouri at 515 miles long.
The next product is this air-line repair kit. It comes with two barbs, you cannot buy just the one you need. True, it is a matching set, but it’s probably not that often you need to repair 1-1/2 hoses. The parts will be long lost before you need them again.
This is new, I received an email from a small electronics blog that wants a sample of my work. It caught my attention a few weeks ago when the publisher mentioned something I know to be a harsh fact. It’s that after you maser the basics, there is no intermediate level of much use. You are still a beginner, but not ready to leap into huge complicated projects. Something just to hone skills that don’t repeatedly bog you down with what you already know.
Then, I flaked out for 4-1/2 hours. This therapy is, by my standards, hardly a cure. Will I accomplish anything today? A side-bet, okay! If I get things done, I might go downtown. Dang, but this blog is great for reader involvement. To even the odds, here’s some conditions to factor in. It’s sprinkling outside, so I cannot charge the mower. We know that almost every project involves walking around between the sheds, so staying dry is not an option. But going downtown may not be optional either—we are out of coffee except the emergency pack in the freezer.
I found the elusive charging port on the Homelite mower. It was under a yellow plug that was not yellow any more and was broken off smooth with the housing. The manual says the charging time is 15 hours. I got the plug out with pliers and have it rigged up, but six hour into the cycle the lights show nothing. I hot wired the battery lugs with my charger to confirm the motor turns. It does, with a rattle. Leave the thing overnight, I say.
YouTube has launched another major anti-adblocker campaign. One curious tactic is demanding people log on to “confirm you are not a bot” thing again. Like every measure to force you to watch ads, there will soon be a countermeasure. After 100 years of maybe with the Qatarra Depression nothing-burger, I decided to watch Australia’s plan to turn the middle of the desert into a lake. It involves using the vast deserts to generate solar power to run desalination plants. (Desalination costs have plummeted 90% due to new membrane technology.)
World’s largest foosball table.
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Here is a curious tool I had a hard time finding, but when I did, it was only $2 on sale. It is a crimper that uses small metal rings to repair small animal cages, hence the pet store brand name. The difference is this has three crimp bends to the electrician’s usual one small flat style that can be tugged loose. Staying out of the alternating rain and sun, I got a couple shall shelves installed and tested making some fancier labels with the laser.
Other quirks with the laser include not doing a good job with imported text. I stepped though every laser setting until I got a tag to print on some balsa, a popsicle stick. In the process, I discovered how to print layers, but also that the layers have a color setting that does not print properly even when defaulted to black. Only one layer can be selected at a time, but the design can be (by the looks of it) 30 layers deep. Is that how they do those 3D graphics? By burning layers a different laser powers.
As evening gets along, I strung the repaired air hose up over some tree limbs so the scooter shed has service. It’s Mickey Mouse, but it works and these Feng-Shooey people should not be appraising my back yard anyway. It is strung across the path. Relax, it is high enough you’d bang you head on a tree limb before this got in the way. It’s right orange so you can see it.
China’s plan partly seems to be manipulating statistics. They already produce twice as many solar panels as they sell. It’s part of China’s plan to outstrip the USA as world leader by 2049. Didn’t the Soviets try that already? This Five-Year Plan stuff that starved all the Ukrainians.
Most serious is reports now making it out of New Zealand. Ten years ago it was billed as a great land for immigration, having recovered from a ruinous fiscal policy. Now, we hear of near-martial law, crackdowns, confiscations, jailings, and woketard government behavior usually associated with violent dictatorships. Forced vaccinations and unaffordable housing, it’s as bad as Canada. Island economies are always fragile and if the facts are true, New Zealand managed to fool the world for a short while anyway.
As a back-up, there are some 7/8” staples. But on thin wood, the tool must be held quite parallel or the same poke-through problem occurs. I also chatted with the lady who now owns the lumber yard and there is a possibility of some shelf space, or even the boxes as displays or a tool box. I already have the jigs to make the Z-box with a lid, but where did I put them?
What’s going on out there in the news. Kamela says she will not run for Governor or President, or something or other. Good, she caused a negative voting pattern over anything she touches. Biden made a fool of himself trying to make a speech somewhere. And the rest was boringly repetition so I made a grilled cheese sammich and coffee. How was your July, 2025? Mine was pretty ordinary, all told.
ADDENDUM
The mother of one nog who beat the White couple unconscious has gone TV saying he is a good boy, in school, with 5 kids. Yes, reform school, he’s 34 with at least a half-dozen convictions. How will NASA ever get back to the Moon if we keep arresting all the rocket scientists?
