Category: Fun Stuff

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Fun Lil Micro-Mini Project

To make a short story longer…

I have an area of our back yard* I’ve mentally designated for a future backyard* garden. Right now, I’m burning wood trash there, in a small pit I’ve dug–limbs, small trees I’ve removed and even good sized logs from a mimosa tree I’ve long hated.

Oh, the lil micro-mini project? Making charcoal in (very) small batches. I get a good fire going and then when it’s burned down a bit I shovel dirt and ashes over the burning wood until I blanket out even traces of smoke. Next day, I uncover the charcoal that’s been created and put it in a steel container until I’m absolutely sure there are no live coals still left, then into a covered plastic bucket.

Oh, the charcoal? For a very small earth-sheltered forge I plan on putting in the same small pit for use turning some old files and lawnmower blades into knives. (I’ve already annealed the files/lawnmower blades to make them soft enough to work… in earlier woodpile burns. :-))

Waste not, want not.

🙂

 

 

 

 

Note the difference. While I may seem (or even be) pedantic, it’s for good cause. I keep reading things on the web–and even in books that’ve been through the whole nine yards of traditional publishing, including editors, proofreaders and the like–that use “backyard” and “backseat” and other such adjectives as though they were nouns. It chaps my gizzard. The distinction is a useful one and should not be abandoned by the illiterati of contemporary writers simply because they’re too butt lazy to be well-read.

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Is Too Exercise!

Well, sorta.

Short story made long(er), I’ve been thinking (in a very desultory, lackadaisical, downright unserious manner) of getting a wee tad more exercise–you know, beyond my typical couch-and-desk-potato exercises with occasional bursts of yardwork. I’ve thought of building a treadmill desk for either my desktop or laptop, but… I’m reluctant to spend the $$ on just adding more unused clutter to the house.

Still… primary hard drive on most-used computer is making funky noises, so it’s powered down until I get a new hard drive in, and, yeh, looks like I’ll have to double its capacity *drat!* since 500GB hard drives are becoming less, common and I can install a 1TB drive for little over a $10-$15 upcharge. *shrugs* Why not?

But… I need another “change of pace” computer. (No, I don’t really, but I’m used to moving around to different workstations and doing different things on ’em, so… ) So…

Enter lil netbook with a real mouse and keyboard attached, sitting on the “bar” on the dining room side of the kitchen counter, right about here:

Those stools are gone–replaced them with some neat ones that have padded seats, backs and built-in pullout step stools. I’m not using seating there, anyway. By using it as a standing desk, I at least get some “exercise” benefits, and by having it there, the coffee’s handy! Sweet!

*heh*

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“Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make Do, Do Without”

Perhaps it’s because I was in awe of my paternal grandfather’s inventiveness, resourcefulness and all around handiness, but every time I see a dumpster, trash pile, yard sale or just something sticking its head out of the corner in the garage, I begin wondering what I can do with whatever is available, what treasure is hiding in other people’s (or even my own!) trash.

OK, an example from today: for the life of me, I couldn’t find my sunglasses. Not where they belong, so I’d obviously taken them off and laid them down somewhere they don’t belong. Duh. But it was a bright day today and my eyes just do NOT like too much sun. So?

I had an older pair with broken temples. Bummer. One temple broke and I (naturally) repaired it, but when the other temple broke and I didn’t have time to repair it before going out, I simply picked up another pair (cheapos, but surprisingly nice to my eyes). So… repaired the other temple, right? Wrong. I did something… different.

    1. Trimmed both temples to same length–the length of the unbroken piece on the most recently broken side–and sanded the broken/trimmed bits smooth.
    2. Attached a cheap eyeglass retention chord–you know, the kind that you imagine librarians use to hang a pair of reading glasses around their necks. (*heh* Don’t tell my librarian Wonder Woman about that imaginary librarian, mmmK?) It’s adjustable via a bead, so that’s handy. Used some self-curing natural rubber tape to tidy things up.

Hmmm, these things now stay on better than they did when new, and I didn’t have ’em fall off my hat once (the place I normally store sunglasses when inside somewhere or whatnot), cos they hang around my neck. The lil bead also keeps ’em firmly in place when I need them, nice and tight, just right.

Hacking discarded stuff to be better than new, at least for some uses, is just too much fun, you know?

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“A Day Late…

Forty-six years ago, I purchased a set of books, the Great Books of the Western World as compiled by Mortimer J. Adler, et al. The 54-volume set was a tad expensive for a high school kid (twice what I paid for my first car, in fact; nowadays, USED copies of the set run from ~$350 to ~$1,200 on Amazon), but has been a great resource for decades. Sadly, the bindings are in rough shape (largely the result of toddlers getting their hands on ’em a couple of decades and more back, as well as simple wear from use), and some volumes are in downright raggedy shape.

Fast forward to today. I picked up 40 of the 54 volumes in excellent condition at a library books sale of donated books. Most appear completely unread, untouched, although volume 1 of the complete works of Shakespeare is well worn (though still not as worn as my original copy). Glad to have ’em. Oh, why only 40 of the 54? Well, volume 2, the first of two volumes comprising the “Syntopicon” was missing from the donated collection, and 13 other volumes had been purchased by one person before I purchased the rest.

I’ll probably print up some book covers for the “raggedy” copies in my original set and place them in among the “new” set for use, as I still use them for reference, although I have re-read few of them entirely in the last couple of decades. I may also add volumes from the 1990 “second edition” of the collection, at least some works that I don’t already own in other editions as separate copies–who doesn’t already own at least one copy of Kierkegaard’s “Fear and Trembling” for example, or “Waiting for Godot” [Beckett], Animal Farm [Orwell], etc.? I think I may skip volumes 59 and 60 (heavy on 20th Century) from the new edition. I despise Joyce, detest Faulkner and Ftzgerald, and Virginia Woolf gives me a rash. The ones in the collection that are worth anything, IMO, I already have, usually in multiple copies (Brecht, Beckett, Chekhov, Eliot, Shaw and others), anyway.

The recent “classes” via Hillsdale College dealing with the Constitution (thanks for the tip, Diane) have already gotten me re-reading background the Founders drew on in the discussions that formed our national government, so this is a timely find for me.

So, I worked a little bit tonight on some bookshelves. *heh* I may actually get our books organized more sensibly this year. Hey! It could happen! At least I have plenty to read and plenty to re-read (and plenty that’s worth re-reading) handy.

BTW, from that great *cough* reference work, Wikipedia (which nevertheless does have a few good articles), this:

“The scientific and mathematical selections also came under criticism for being incomprehensible to the average reader… “

Well, boo-hoo. Literacy is more than just puzzling out weird hieroglyphs on a page. Other criticisms of the collection are on a par with that one. *yawn* Yes, it’s incomplete, but hey, “Great” used to mean something more than simply “good” or “trendy” or “makes feminazis and multi-cultis feel good”.

Addendum 2: It’s interesting, to me at least, that this work was compiled and the “Great Conversation of Ideas” (largely via the tool of the Syntopicon–a monumental work in and of itself, IMO) fostered as a project sponsored by the University of Chicago, and yet The Zero, that soi-disant “constitutional scholar” who (mis)taught as an adjunct prof at that institution, seems completely unaware of the works (and ideas) contained in this collection except in a sort of weird, twisted mythological manner, since he never seems to get references to Western Civ (history OR concepts) anywhere near right.

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Consider the Lilies…

“Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Luke 12:27

OK, so the picture isn’t of “lilies of the field” but another, as beautiful and even more useful, flower.

Consider the dandelion, cursed by dunderheaded, tasteless American enstupiates who deem it a weed simply because it can enrich their dull, boring, monochromatic lawns with glorious color and beautiful textures. This flower gifts those who aren’t too dull-witted to see with both a beautiful, slightly variegated green and a stunning, joyous yellow. Moreover, its leaves, roots and flower are all highly nutritious and, when properly prepared and served, delicious as well. Not only that, but if one were to perform a simple search for medicinal properties of dandelions, one would quickly discover that the plant has multiple medicinal properties above and beyond its nutritional values.

And the stem even has uses beyond nutritive and therapeutic values. Perform a search for “dandelion latex”. Surprising, no? (Those in the know have answered, “No.” *heh*) Moreover, the latex produced from dandelions causes far fewer allergic reactions than the common rubber plant latex.

And this wonderful plant is exceptionally hardy! Just ask any idiot who’s tried to eliminate it from their ugly, boring, monochromatic lawn. Oh, and self-propagating!

What more could one ask from a beautiful ornament of nature? Beauty, utility, hardiness and easy propagation! This wonderful flower has it all! I rejoice that my dandelion crop is so very full this year, so far, and am doing everything within my power to help my neighbors’ yards experience the same bounty.

*heh*

Oh, and my wild allium “crop” is also doing well. Happy-happy-joy-joy!

🙂

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Me: Scairdy Cat

Just finished up some interim fixes on our main electrical service panel. Breathing normally again. *heh* I’m not particularly ashamed to say I’m uncomfortable working around the mains to our home. When I was a very stupid young boy, I managed to shock myself breathless–and even more senseless than I was before contacting 110 volts at 15-20 AMPs–on a few occasions just “messing around” (no, not the proverbial forks in outlets; not even I was that stupid as a child) with still plugged in radios, etc. Now, as a Certified Olde Pharte, I take more precautions than I’m sure are needed, but at least I’ve steered clear of any more 110 Volt (or 120, now) shocks. I especially don’t need the 100 AMP mains coursing through my body.

So… yes, I have replaced main circuit breakers on service panels without having the electric company pull the service temporarily, contrary to ALL advice from EVERYWHERE. *heh* But. I do

  1. Wear a long-sleeved cotton shirt and
  2. Rubber gloves with protective over-gloves (to keep the
    rubber gloves from being damaged, maintaining their protective
    nature    ) and
  3. Stand on a rubber mat with rubber-soled shoes while
  4. Using insulated tools

I also may add additional eye protection beyond just my glasses.

Scairdy cat? Maybe, but I have managed to stay alive… 🙂

Continue reading “Me: Scairdy Cat”

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Little Things… Again

Still. Always. *heh*

My lil Kindle Fire is a trap. As I’ve noted before, via the Amazon Prime videos, I’ve watched a lot of TV shows I’d otherwise not have watched, particularly quite a few British shows. In general, they’ve all beat the pants off the usual fare on cable TV around here. Some, though are just barely better.

Midsomer Murders. What to say about it? *sigh* Very good programatic instrumental music, and on the Fire, with a good set of headphones or ear buds, the sound in general is amazing. All the tiny sounds of the really quite interesting environment–passing traffic, birds, background conversations, etc.: wonderfully reproduced.

The sets and locations are gorgeous, very interesting, lush. And the video is very beautifully done.

So, production values: superb, in general.

But. The plots are pedestrian ripoffs of the typical English village mystery murder story. *meh* Often, the acting is really overdone–a fault in direction, IMO. And some of the details are pretty poorly executed. Depictions of blood are particularly transparently stage blood (I’ve made and used enough of it–and had even more experience with the real stuff *heh*–that the telltale look is really grating at times) poorly applied in unrealistic manners. Settings depicting places that have been ransacked or where fights have supposedly occurred are often clumsy as well.

And then there are the anachronisms and especially the chronological issues that arise when large time offsets are depicted in preview or flashback scenes.

Altogether, these sorts of things reduce what might have been an A- show to a B- or even C+ in my estimation. Sad, really, but I’ll keep watching it, because even a C+ beats the heck out of most other TV that’s available, and the music and visuals are worth it, anyway.

But still… only four episodes per season?!?

Another minor quibble, but this applies to any streaming video from time to time: pixelating, etc., when there are some pipeline issues. But, eh, notaproblem, really.

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Delicious

Sometimes, I run across a bit of descriptive narrative that is so tasty that I am compelled–compelled, I say! *heh*–to savor the thing again and again, eating the self-renewing tidbit up in tiny bites, over and over. This is the meat of one such tasty tidbit:

He’d never been in this room before; this was where they took people who had done things that were just short of murder or robbery, a darkly somber room that left no doubt in the prisoner’s mind that he had trespassed on at least five of the Ten Commandments.

…just short of murder or robbery, of course. *heh* But that still leaves eight commandments…

That’s just too good. Economical, evocative, expanding the scene on multiple levels. Fun.

Update: ‘nother one; this one is from a John Lambshead short story, As Black As Hell:

Chaos theory insists that a single flap of a butterfly’s wing in China can change the direction of a hurricane in the West Indies, sparing one island to devastate another. This may or may not be true. Certainly Chinese butterflies continue to irresponsibly flap, giving absolutely no thought to the welfare of their relatives in the Americas.

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A Lil “Notahowto”

This is not a “How to” as much as it is a pointer about styli for capacitive touch screens. (Love the pun or don’t. I DGARA :-))

Love the Kindle Fire. I use it far, far too much. I’m almost back to the average numbers of books per week read that I indulged myself in for decades before I discovered the Internet in ’93, and I have watched more movies and obscure (mainly foreign) TV shows since Christmas than I care to count.

But I had a small bone to pick with the device. While I have relatively small hands (a curse when I was trying to play piano or guitar), using my fingers to navigate–and especially to type on the onscreen virtual keyboard–was something of a pain at times.

Enter the stylus I received with my matte-finish screen protector from HandHeldItems. Yes, it was the company’s low-end, throwaway stylus, but it worked a charm. Soon, though, I missed being able to store it easily. Oh, it had a lil thingy to plug into the headphone jack, but that was clearly sub-optimal. What to do?

A quick search on the web for “DIY Stylus for Kindle Fire” turned up a raft of possibilities, but the one that suggested using the conductive foam padding used in packing electronic parts seemed ideal, so… dig around in parts to find some that’s easily sacrificed, look around for some pens or other “stylus materials” that can be modified, a lil shade tree mechanicking and…

A couple of styli that work great for my purposes. One is from a nice, heafty-weight metal-bodied “gimme” pen that had a built in laser pointer with dead batteries. It offered a way to embed some conductive foam padding in the top of the pen, just above the clip, once the tiny lil laser pointer was removed. A sized Q-Tip holds the foam in place, jutting from the top of the pen, nicely rounded. Nice, sturdy clip. I even had an ink refill for the pen. Excellent stylus!

Another as a backup for the lil 2″ (though extensible to 3″) HandHeldItems throwaway stylus? Sure. A small metal screwdriver (removed the bit end), a piece of conductive foam padding secured with wire and live rubber tape and, voilà! Nice lil 2.5″ mini-stylus. Works just as well as the other two.

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Another Baby Step In the Kitchen Stuff

Ordered a couple of these last Friday. They arrived today. Nice.

All-in-all, I’m rather pleased with the stools (chairs?). There were a couple of assembly speed bumps that might throw some folks off, but nothing that I feel strongly detracts from the purchase/assembly experience. Some of the holes for the upper side supports/step stool guides were difficult to insert the side support bars into, making screwing the bolts in a potentially frustrating experience. The problem was that those four holes (on each unit) had simply been rather crudely punched, and needed to be deburred in order to insert the parts. Notaproblem.

More difficult was installing the back on the second chair I assembled. The right back support simply would not fit closely enough to allow the bolts to mate with the legs. No problem. Turned it upside down, very, very slightly bent the part, detached the upper back support and installed the thing, then reinstalled the upper back support. Added maybe five minutes time, what with determining the problem and effecting the solution.

Now that the chairs are assembled, they feel quite sturdy and comfortable (that’s my coffee cup in the picture; sat at the counter drinking from it while reading a bit from the Kindle Fire).