Category: Uncategorized Page 104 of 158

Okay, not exactly a failure, but not expected results from a couple of projects.

1. I saw a project on the web where a scanner was turned into a really crazy camera. The project called for the use of black foam-board to build a couple of sliding boxes that rested on and covered the scanner. A magnifing glass was used for the lens and the “focus” could be adjusted by sliding the boxes. There were examples of the photos, but it didn’t seem worth the effort since the scanner cable is short and the “shutter speed” is so slow. I decided to take the idea and modify it to a single box – the idea being that I could scan 3-d objects inside the box when they would normally be crushed by the lid.

It took me a while to get the box built and make it light-proof – and when I tested it, I discovered a few things:

a) It’s difficult to get the object lined up under the box.
b) I made the box too small (it’s only 5 x5x5)
c) the underside of things? Not really that interesting.

Plus, I had to reinstall my scanner software (I blame Vista for that, but happened during this project, so it still counts) and then the scanner would make these really sad little beeps when I had the box in place. Dunno why.

The few objects I scanned (a 3-d puzzle, a squishy ball, and an action figure) – didn’t really turn out that well. I’ll try a few more, but I think the idea is flawed.

2). I saw a few videos on the web for making a wallet out of a Tyvek envelope. Tyvek is a some pretty cool and very strong material and since my fairly new leather wallet is already breaking down, I thought this might be interesting to try. I bought a small package of regular material envelopes to try out from Staples – and noted that they only sell the Tyvek envelopes in pacakges of 50. Since I’m not making a career out of these, I began a hunt for smaller units.

The sample wallet went together pretty well and I headed to the post office to see if they had these for sale. No dice – though I can order these online in packs of 10. I tried the FedEx/Kinko’s store and the the clerk had no idea what I was talking about.

There’s a UPS store not far from my house – I’ll try there and then give in and order them. Seems a little silly to order envelopes through the mail. Plus, the wallet may not even be that useful since it doesn’t have many pockets for cards.

On the plus side, I’ve got a couple stained glass projects in the queue and some origami that’s going well. Still feels like my Project-fu is weak though.

Back to work…

From a recent “Pearls Before Swine”:

Pig (speaking to Rat): Hey Rat..Mind if I borrow this cardboard box I found in your closet? I’m starting a blog.

Rat’s reply: A blog? What do you need a box for if you’re doing a blog?

Pig: For all the money I’m going to make.

(later)

Rat (speaking to Goat): Are there interventions for stupidity?

I was in the pool the other day and saw a couple of people testing water rescue dummies a couple lanes over. Two funny bits. 1. The dummies had red heads with yellow faces and when I first saw them I thought “Why is Iron Man wearing a wetsuit?” 2. The people doing the testing couldn’t get the dummies to sink – which makes it hard to test a water rescue. So, the guy in the water with them would have to push them to down first, then pull them back up for the rescue. I’m pretty sure that’s not how “step one” is supposed to go. After a while, they finally found the valve to fill them with water and they sank like stones. Pretty funny looking – to the point that I had trouble paying attention to my own swim.

My mom is awesome. This fact has been further verified by her following through with a weird request like a champ. You see, I have 5 meetings scheduled today. I was feeling a little sorry for myself last night and I wanted to get out of some of these and it occurred to me that a note from Mom might help.

So, I called her up last and asked if she would write me a note to get me out of the meetings. And, since I’m planning on getting a hair cut after work today and had a little trouble last time, I also asked if she would write me a note for that. She did, faxed them over this morning, and they are awesome.

Notes from Mom (pdf)

Thanks Mom! Now I’m off to meeting 2 of 5

later….

Even with sleeping in a bit and playing a lot of video games, I still managed to be somewhat productive this weekend.

1. I tried a little Japanese calligraphy. I think I understand it, but my efforts were hindered by not having the right ink. I’ll get some and try again soon.

2. Relearned some origami. There’s a particular module that – although it is very simple – is very difficult to remember. I think I’ve got it this time, but I said that the last two times I learned it.

3. Practiced stained glass. I found my equipment again in the basement and taught myself some techniques. I need to get more glass though, and either find my better soldering iron or buy a new one.

4. Tried to learn how to knit. Seems like a very practical skill to have in case of a zombie uprising. Not that a scarf will stop a zombie, but I’m guessing the TV will go out once the zombies take over and it will be something to keep me occupied. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to follow the directions. This was my second attempt and though I got a little further it turned out I was doing it wrong.

5. Learned a little more CSS. I’m planning on a major overhaul of my personal website and I’ll make heavy usage of these tools.

6. I also cleaned the oven – twice. (my room-mate’s sister is hereby banned from ever using any appliance the apartment again. I dunno what she tried to cook in there, but it looked like an alien had explosively decompressed in there. ) And I did a mountain of laundry.

I also watched much of season two of justice league again – good stuff. And “The midnight meat train” on one of the free-per-view channels. Good stuff and while it didn’t totally follow the book by clive barker, it was close enough.

that’s it for now. later…

The main pool was closed today, so, I had to use the Wellness Center’s two lanes for lap swimming. Though, it wasn’t really two lanes – more like 1.5 since they were so narrow. I got in the “outer lane” to start since the other was in use. The rest of the pool is open for games and such – and includes a whirlpool. All the water is connected, so the whirlpool generates a pretty substantial current. I was really really fast in one direction – and very slow in the other. And I’m pretty tired even though I only did 30 laps.

One highlight from the thanksgiving trip was a game of Cranium. Mom and I were on a team and though we didn’t win, we did rally at the end. My best area was the Sensosketch – sort of like pictionary except that you draw with your eyes closed. The rest of the group was amazed at the accuracy of my drawings – but I wasn’t really surprised since dad and I are both good at visualing things in our heads. It’s one of the things I got from him that works well – unlike the hair loss and intense headaches.

later…

I did my first “tableless” table in HTML recently. It’s a terribly geeky thing to be proud of – but proud of it I am. I’m still just a novice on this, but it was pretty cool and not as tough as I had expected.

Did some shopping last night on Amazon.com – made a pretty big dent in my list. Still got a few things to pick up this evening – wish me luck.

Finally, the main pool here is closed today for a swim meet – and the other pool area only has too lanes for lap swimming. Should be interesting…

later…

I left work at 4:00 last Tuesday and while it usually takes me 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to my parents house, it took me 4 hours because of a lane being closed for no reason. Not a good way to start a trip. The next day – Wednesday – my dad drove us to Illinois. That trip took 8 hours. My parents also took their dog – who ended up being very stinky much of the trip. Too much pork, I suspect.

We visited with my grandmother much of the extended weekend and had Thanksgiving at the my aunt and uncle’s house. I ended up staying there a few nights since there wasn’t room at grandma’s house. Hung out with my sister and brother in law and several of my cousins. One of my cousins recently had a baby and determined that my sister and I now had the title of FCOR (“F-CORe” first cousin, once removed).

Turkey dinner was pretty good and for a change of pace, one evening we went out to Ming’s Chinese Buffet. I ate way too much and I think a few of my relatives were impressed.

My parents headed back on Saturday – I waited and went back on Sunday with my sister and brother-in-law. 6.5 hours there, then chili at my parents house before I got in my car to head back to akron. 3 hours there since I took a longer route to avoid traffic.

Total time in a car = 21.5 hours. I really dreaded getting into my car this morning to drive to work.

So, I’m back to work. Looking forward to my swim today and thinking about my Christmas list while I try to get caught up.

That’s about it for now. I’ll write later about some more details.

My room-mate is hosting thanksgiving for his family at the apartment this week and is stressing about in a major way. I’ve offered some suggestions – but I’m going to be out of town and he’s pretty much on his own. Not that no one has offered to help – that’s actually part of the problem since the kitchen is not that big. I wish him good luck – and I hope the place is still standing when I get back.

Due to the holiday schedule, my co-worker and I deviated from our regular Thursday schedule and went for Chipotle Burritos today. They were excellent, but not as massive as we’ve come to expect. I also skipped the swim today and I’ll do that tomorrow instead.

On Saturday, I unhooked the cable box and headed down the road to the local cable tv office – with the intention of swapping out the box for an HD one. Except that they were closed. No weekend hours at all. In fact, they are only open from 9 Am to 4:30 Pm Monday through Friday. And closed everyday from 1-2 PM. Must be nice. Given the rest of… well, the rest of the country’s work scheudule, this seems pretty well designed to avoid anything that would work for anyone else. Except me. I’m getting out of here a few minutes early and I’ll be over there by 4:15 at the latest. Wish me luck.

That’s it for now…

I did a little painting recently, using the style of Mark Rothko for a color block piece.   I titled mine though.   You can see it here.

I swam a mile today – though I was strangely disconnected from it. I always have a few things going on in my head when I swim because it doesn’t take much brain power to count laps – but I was just a little… off today.

It carried over into my afternoon – and I suspect that listening to Sia Fuller’s “Soon we’ll be found” hasn’t helped much. Maybe I need some more Bob the Builder to get me out of my funk – though yesterday I had that song lodged in my head for much of the evening.

Also, forgot to mention something about the haircut yesterday. The near “head-shaving” experience had the stylist rubbing her hands over my head to make sure she didn’t miss any of the stray hairs. Which is good – that attention to detail is important. And then… then… well, my hair – despite the swimming and chlorine, is very soft. And she was almost… caressing my head. It was very subtle, but just slightly past the professional contact. Granted, the soft hair does make my head feel “plush” so I can understand the tactile attraction. But it was a little uncomfortable for me in a way.

Maybe I was reading too much into it, but it was still a little odd.

later…