May 24, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 24, 2025, boring/generic day.
Five years ago today: May 24, 2021, why I hate banks.
Nine years ago today: May 24, 2017, the ten worst.
Random years ago today: May 24, 2015, swim to Portugal.

           Welcome to MillennialWorld. The one best idea I’ve got for the 3D printer has a warning not to print such things. It’s early so I’ll explain the idea. You know those special “D” power cables that fit mostly only the back of computers. Y’know, I could not find a convincing reason except to sell you a longer cord or something like that. The cover story is you can match the length of cable to you needs but that hardly justifies launching a new formal incompatible with other power cables.

           You see, any other system, you would just grab an extension cord. With D cables, you are more likely to find this situation, where you need to string two short lengths together and it can’t be done. My idea was a simple adapter that allows such ends to be joined. Once again, if such a gizmo exists, you have to know what it is called before you can search for it. You’d think such a thing would be almost universally available these days.

           Here’s some #20 biscuits stained for labels. They are not test on the laser yet where too dark a color can obscure the “brand”. I’ve not used stain since I began box-building around a year ago. It was fun to open the cans, see what survived, and how the various stains took to this compressed wood. These are dipped into the can and shown here matching up to see how they fit on top of good old Jenga blocks. These may be my only source of drawer pulls if I don’t find another source.

           No news on the smoke last evening, it could have been somebody burning an incredible pile of leaves. It is just past noon with first rehearsal slated for 2:00PM. And you know, I’ve got some misgivings. While no doubt I’ve met dozens of suitable guitarists, that is just one component of the band. It’s probably nothing, but I will record my hunches.

           Getting him to first rehearsal has been a month-long task. I know that serious contenders will carve out the time. First it was his place, then that didn’t happen, so it’s my place. That is not a solution until I get that kitchen A/C replaced. Then, his lady wrecked his car, so it was motorcycle, then it rained this weekend and back to the car. Which had a dead battery as of his message just now. True enough, this could all be incidental but a fail on any one of those counts is a deal-breaker. That plus his barely disguised ambition to join a full big band.
           I got up early and spiffed up the kitchen. The small PA is set up and I threw curtains over the worst parts of the view. It takes four industrial strength fans to keep the room just tolerable in this heat wave. He called just now to see if I had an extra guitar. Just the Ibanez. My spare is in Miami and the Fender is in Tennessee. And it is now past 2:00PM start time and no guitar player.

Picture of the day.
Bird of Paradise flower.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Almost 4:00PM, no guitarist, no phone, no messages. I’ve been here, waiting and reading datasheets. I found some 5x7 LED components, the bad design model. How does one design a bad LED array? Easy, put the pins on the upper and lower edges, and make the size overlap the last rows of the breadboard so there is no way to connect wiring. Here are some bad pictures, as I finally put the new $30 Vivitar through the paces. I discovered it does NOT have a macro setting which I would have preferred to the crappy telephoto capability.

           The photo of the clock face shows the maximum telephoto setting which I am trying to see might be tricked into thinking it is a macro. That makes for difficult shots and usually requires a tripod. The clock dial was taken with the maximum 16x setting. When the guitar player was late, I thought why not take a nap. You guessed it, I slept past 8:00PM.
           ’ll give the guy the benefit of the doubt, maybe his phone battery went dead or he got stranded, or something. My KIA has an on-board sensor that shuts the electric off if the battery voltage drops to 11.8V. That is also the lowest the [battery] plate design can tolerate. That means if your car battery ever drops below that voltage, it may charge up again but will never be reliable. You’ll need a new one—and I get the feeling that may be a pinch for old Rick.

           In the background, we have world news. The Democrats continue to infuriate the electorate by releasing murderers into the streets. If their plan is to create chaos so thy can declare martial law, it is failing miserably. The Philippines is introducing death by firing squad for stealing public funds. Lindall, the pillow guy, is leading in Minnesota primaries. I don’t know the issues, but if he’s running I hope he wins. Musk has “declared war” on Soros, a most interesting scenario.
           Not long ago, I devised a method to get gifs to play backwards. But I did not document it. Somehow, I was able to rename the files into a new order. That order was in reverse, so I could create a gif that played backwards. Interesting special effects. Well, if I did it once, I’ll do it again.

ADDENDUM
           Here’s a rare [blog] photo showing the unfinished kitchen floor and me standing beside the practice PA. In the end, rehearsal did not happen. I’m beginning to suspect old Rick is broke as hell. In itself, that can be worked around but folks, welcome to America. You must have a newer vehicle, or incur the expense of at least two like I must.

           This photo reveals the problem with my legs. Some say it is not all that bad, but I can see it. My left leg is visibly larger from lymph swelling. I don’t like it. I guess you can’t see the kitchen floor all that well. The point is, I’m standing on plywood. I should be atop some kind of space-age oak flooring material. Then again, I did not waste my life paying for a fancy house to die in.

           Nice and awake from my snooze, I stepped through every menu option on the laser etcher. I found nothing new but here are some burns. Evident is the more confident look of the product. In this case, the generic “Spices & Herbs” show is to see if there is a difference in staining before or after. I’m hoping no difference, as it is quite a walk to the shed if I have samples way up here in the office.
           Harder to spot is the difference in centering of the lettering. Without and expensive optional table, it is impossible to keep the logos consistent. I got lazy, return tomorrow for the picture.

Last Laugh