When I was planning our road trip to Florida, I developed, or rather, realized an interesting, and I think healthy habit: I found that before I go somewhere, I like to research about it, and what is there, and why any of that would be significant or interesting at all.
As well, with this upcoming trip to Dryden Flight Research Center as part of the #DrydenSocial that I have been invited to, even though I know a lot about some of the projects that have taken place at Edwards AFB, I find myself researching planes, and people, and research results. An insatiable thirst for knowledge is a curious thing. The more you learn, the more you want to learn. The more you research, the more subjects you find that are interesting.
Of course, what makes this easy, and convenient, is the internet.
Being able to sit in my livingroom at home with my Wife, and watch some TV, or a movie, and upon discovering some nugget of curiosity, I can almost instantly find out what about that intrigued me, why it was, how it was, who was involved, and what else about it might be interesting. In that regard, I am like a sponge - especially when it comes to Aerospace stuff.
On Sunday, we went over to my Brother's house for a bit, and ended up watching 'In The Shadow Of The Moon', and though I'd seen it before, there were all kinds of things that I found to be interesting. I won't bore you with a list, or rob you of the particular joy of discovering the who, what, when, where and why of it for yourself, but suffice to say, pause was a commonly pressed button, and it took twice as long to watch the movie than it did last time, and the time before that, and there was quite a bit of good conversation. I love that both my Wife and Brother share an interest in Aerospace with me.
2012-04-30
2012-04-28
Hermit without a shell
I used to think that the greatest thing in the world would be to become a hermit somewhere.
I've had my share of jading experiences for sure. High School was one. I think I knew *everyone* at school. I was the quiet one that just observed and watched, and knew everything about everyone because I just sat back and saw it. Never an instigator, never wanted to get anyone into trouble - or get myself into trouble, but I knew an awful lot more than I let on, and than most people thought I knew. I'm not sure that everyone knew who I was, but I knew them. I think an easy way to put it would be this: When they were reading the names for graduation, I said them in my head without a list, and with preferred pronunciation or appropriate nicknames. But at the time, I didn't care to be around anyone. I had maybe two friends when I graduated.
My work environments haven't been much better with few exceptions. Certainly there were few relationships that existed outside of the office, and fewer still that lasted for any decent amount of time.
I have had a lot of exposure to crowds. I hate crowds. It doesn't seem to matter where they gather, but when they do, there is little by way of consideration or manners, and this both saddens me and makes me furious. My parents raised me to be courteous, hold a door for someone, say excuse me if you get in someone's way, and don't cut people off when you're walking. I can hardly ever seem to get the same kind of courtesy from people in a crowd - even from older people, parents, and those that are old enough to know better. Full disclosure, I find myself doing the same thing when I don't watch myself, so I get it. I don't think it's right, but I get it. Sometimes, the parents are the worst offenders! My Wife and I spend a lot of time at Disneyland in Anaheim, and while I love me some good people watching, the crowds are the pits! It never ceases to amaze me how horrible individuals can act in a crowd. From Adults running to get ahead of kids in a line, to what they do with their trash - it's just plain silly. However, it does reinforce the desire to go become a hermit somewhere.
And I've noticed, that perhaps to my own eventual detriment, that I've become much more boisterous about pointing out bad behavior in crowds that is just intolerable.
Walking through an attraction once, I noticed a teen sucking on the last of a pop-sicle when he wrapped the stick in the wrapper, and was noticeably looking for a place to put it. Lacking trash cans within arm's reach, he thought he was slick when he stuffed it in between the knots of a rope barrier, thinking no one had seen, and he was rid of his burden. He turned to talk to his family who was straggling behind, and when they caught up, he began to proceed on through the attraction. I got his attention, and asked him what he was going to do about the trash that he had left behind. With the fear of a scolded child, he grabbed his trash, and walked on - his mother could hardly believe her eyes. There's no reason for that kind of laziness.
I usually have little interest in much of anything that puts me in the middle of more than an intimate gathering. Concerts? I've got the CD. Movies? I'll wait for it on Bluray. Conventions? I'll read about it online. I'll take crowd-free any day of the week.
But recently, I have been learning the distinction between crowds and people. People are great. Individuals are simply amazing. Once you remove someone from the crowd, they become fascinating, intriguing, rewarding to be around. And I'm not even one that is constantly working the angle of what can you do for me - there are just those people that it is a pleasure to be around. I didn't find many of those when I was growing up, or in High School, or even inmost of the places that I have worked. Just one or two, here and there.
I am finding that Twitter, and to a lesser extent, Facebook ae helping me to be able to weed through the crowd, and find decent people with which I would enjoy hanging out. I hope to make that happen in the near future - especially with those who live further away. I think I've come to the point in my life, where I am realizing that being a hermit is not quite the thing for me, and that there exist a number of people with whom spending time with can be a good thing. My hope is that with just the little bit of digging that I've done, and have managed to find the quality and type of people that I've found thus far, that as my efforts increase, so does the quantity of really great people that surface.
I've had my share of jading experiences for sure. High School was one. I think I knew *everyone* at school. I was the quiet one that just observed and watched, and knew everything about everyone because I just sat back and saw it. Never an instigator, never wanted to get anyone into trouble - or get myself into trouble, but I knew an awful lot more than I let on, and than most people thought I knew. I'm not sure that everyone knew who I was, but I knew them. I think an easy way to put it would be this: When they were reading the names for graduation, I said them in my head without a list, and with preferred pronunciation or appropriate nicknames. But at the time, I didn't care to be around anyone. I had maybe two friends when I graduated.
My work environments haven't been much better with few exceptions. Certainly there were few relationships that existed outside of the office, and fewer still that lasted for any decent amount of time.
I have had a lot of exposure to crowds. I hate crowds. It doesn't seem to matter where they gather, but when they do, there is little by way of consideration or manners, and this both saddens me and makes me furious. My parents raised me to be courteous, hold a door for someone, say excuse me if you get in someone's way, and don't cut people off when you're walking. I can hardly ever seem to get the same kind of courtesy from people in a crowd - even from older people, parents, and those that are old enough to know better. Full disclosure, I find myself doing the same thing when I don't watch myself, so I get it. I don't think it's right, but I get it. Sometimes, the parents are the worst offenders! My Wife and I spend a lot of time at Disneyland in Anaheim, and while I love me some good people watching, the crowds are the pits! It never ceases to amaze me how horrible individuals can act in a crowd. From Adults running to get ahead of kids in a line, to what they do with their trash - it's just plain silly. However, it does reinforce the desire to go become a hermit somewhere.
And I've noticed, that perhaps to my own eventual detriment, that I've become much more boisterous about pointing out bad behavior in crowds that is just intolerable.
Walking through an attraction once, I noticed a teen sucking on the last of a pop-sicle when he wrapped the stick in the wrapper, and was noticeably looking for a place to put it. Lacking trash cans within arm's reach, he thought he was slick when he stuffed it in between the knots of a rope barrier, thinking no one had seen, and he was rid of his burden. He turned to talk to his family who was straggling behind, and when they caught up, he began to proceed on through the attraction. I got his attention, and asked him what he was going to do about the trash that he had left behind. With the fear of a scolded child, he grabbed his trash, and walked on - his mother could hardly believe her eyes. There's no reason for that kind of laziness.
I usually have little interest in much of anything that puts me in the middle of more than an intimate gathering. Concerts? I've got the CD. Movies? I'll wait for it on Bluray. Conventions? I'll read about it online. I'll take crowd-free any day of the week.
But recently, I have been learning the distinction between crowds and people. People are great. Individuals are simply amazing. Once you remove someone from the crowd, they become fascinating, intriguing, rewarding to be around. And I'm not even one that is constantly working the angle of what can you do for me - there are just those people that it is a pleasure to be around. I didn't find many of those when I was growing up, or in High School, or even inmost of the places that I have worked. Just one or two, here and there.
I am finding that Twitter, and to a lesser extent, Facebook ae helping me to be able to weed through the crowd, and find decent people with which I would enjoy hanging out. I hope to make that happen in the near future - especially with those who live further away. I think I've come to the point in my life, where I am realizing that being a hermit is not quite the thing for me, and that there exist a number of people with whom spending time with can be a good thing. My hope is that with just the little bit of digging that I've done, and have managed to find the quality and type of people that I've found thus far, that as my efforts increase, so does the quantity of really great people that surface.
2012-04-26
Road Trip Photos
Two years ago, for the STS-133 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, my wife and I took a road trip to try and view the launch. Long story short, we didn't get to see the launch, but ended up taking over 18,000 photos on this epic journey. After returning home, and getting back into the swing of things, I finally managed to collect all of the photos from our phones and, five different cameras, and working with my brother, we developed a shift for the EXIF data that shifted all of the time stamps to line up correctly, and rename each file with a sequential number suffix, and appropriate prefix so that I could go through all of them to filter out anything that was bad, and do any other work on them that needed to be completed before I showed them off.
In a discussion for the Dryden Social, someone had mentioned road trips, and then it occurred to me - I never posted photos from this epic vacation that we took! So many people have been waiting so patiently for me to gather and post photos, and I have been a complete slacker, and hadn't posted a one.
So the good news: I have begun filtering through the photos, organizing them, and adding captions/tags to them so that I can post them on Facebook, and I might duplicate the album on Flickr as well. So if you were waiting on these photos, a little longer, I'm sorry, but they are coming, I promise.
In a discussion for the Dryden Social, someone had mentioned road trips, and then it occurred to me - I never posted photos from this epic vacation that we took! So many people have been waiting so patiently for me to gather and post photos, and I have been a complete slacker, and hadn't posted a one.
So the good news: I have begun filtering through the photos, organizing them, and adding captions/tags to them so that I can post them on Facebook, and I might duplicate the album on Flickr as well. So if you were waiting on these photos, a little longer, I'm sorry, but they are coming, I promise.
An Awesome Opportunity: Dryden Social
My life is usually a little on the mundane side.
But on May 4th, I get to do something *really* cool: visit the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA.
As part of a #NASASocial, Dryden is hosting its first ever #DrydenSocial, and it has invited 75 of its followers from Facebook, Twitter and G+ to come see the facilities, some historic aircraft, and hear a little about what research is currently being conducted at Dryden, and meet with some of the pilots who conduct this research. They are currently working to make sonic booms quieter to advance the possibility of domestic supersonic air travel, and they have even threatened us with the possibility of being able to experience a sonic boom in person!
Beyond all of this, being able to visit the Dryden Flight Research Center is something that I have wanted to do my entire life. A California resident since birth, I grew up knowing that cool things happened there, and research is constantly being conducted in many different areas of study to better our understanding of flight, and just what can be accomplished when we dare to dream. Edwards AFB was the site of the Shuttle landings early in the program, almost exclusively, and it has been crucial to the development of most military, and many civilian aircraft since the jet age. This is where Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier!
My thanks to the Dryden team, and NASA for putting this event together, and for picking me as a participant! This is one of the coolest opportunities that I have ever had, and I am so excited, I can not wait!
Watch this space for an update following the event!
But on May 4th, I get to do something *really* cool: visit the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA.
As part of a #NASASocial, Dryden is hosting its first ever #DrydenSocial, and it has invited 75 of its followers from Facebook, Twitter and G+ to come see the facilities, some historic aircraft, and hear a little about what research is currently being conducted at Dryden, and meet with some of the pilots who conduct this research. They are currently working to make sonic booms quieter to advance the possibility of domestic supersonic air travel, and they have even threatened us with the possibility of being able to experience a sonic boom in person!
Beyond all of this, being able to visit the Dryden Flight Research Center is something that I have wanted to do my entire life. A California resident since birth, I grew up knowing that cool things happened there, and research is constantly being conducted in many different areas of study to better our understanding of flight, and just what can be accomplished when we dare to dream. Edwards AFB was the site of the Shuttle landings early in the program, almost exclusively, and it has been crucial to the development of most military, and many civilian aircraft since the jet age. This is where Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier!
My thanks to the Dryden team, and NASA for putting this event together, and for picking me as a participant! This is one of the coolest opportunities that I have ever had, and I am so excited, I can not wait!
Watch this space for an update following the event!
2012-03-20
Car Maintenance - A Necessary Evil
I drive a Subaru. I love my car. It brings me joy. I had never really realized it, but my wife told me the other day that even in the midst of horrible traffic, and stupid drivers, I look at peace when I am driving.
I do everything I can to do my own work on my car. If at all possible, I do it myself - oil changes, transmission fluid changes, tire rotation - I've even changed the timing belt: something I have been forever fearful about doing because of how bad it would be if I did anything wrong.
Several months ago, I noticed a noise that I hadn't hear before. I was driving into a parking lot, and was told that I was not where I wanted to be, so I reversed out of the lot, and heard a 'thunk', and since then, a ticking noise as I drove. It sounds like it comes from the right fender-well, and from the passenger's side, it sounds like it comes from the left fender-well, so it seems to me like it is coming from the front of the transmission. Rather than being in one gear, or changing the speed of repetition with engine RPM, it is directly related to speed, and occurs in every gear. So, in doing a bit of research, and asking around a bit, it seems to me like it is coming from the front differential - a diagnosis confirmed by a general inspections from two different transmission shops.
In diagnosing this myself, I've had to learn a bit more about my car. I found the gear ratios for the transmission, and did some quick calculations in Excel to see if the frequency of the noise related to anything in particular, and how the transmission is constructed to see where noises can be located, and what might be causing them.
But this being a transmission issue, there are several things that are preventing me from doing the work myself. First, is the lack of a proper workspace where I can take things apart, make a mess, and not have to worry about offending people, or having to secure my property before I turn my back every time. Second is the lack of knowledge about transmissions, and I know them to be something that you don't want to leave to chance.
I saved my pennies, and arranged with a decent shop, and took my car this morning to get my transmission fixed.
I do everything I can to do my own work on my car. If at all possible, I do it myself - oil changes, transmission fluid changes, tire rotation - I've even changed the timing belt: something I have been forever fearful about doing because of how bad it would be if I did anything wrong.
Several months ago, I noticed a noise that I hadn't hear before. I was driving into a parking lot, and was told that I was not where I wanted to be, so I reversed out of the lot, and heard a 'thunk', and since then, a ticking noise as I drove. It sounds like it comes from the right fender-well, and from the passenger's side, it sounds like it comes from the left fender-well, so it seems to me like it is coming from the front of the transmission. Rather than being in one gear, or changing the speed of repetition with engine RPM, it is directly related to speed, and occurs in every gear. So, in doing a bit of research, and asking around a bit, it seems to me like it is coming from the front differential - a diagnosis confirmed by a general inspections from two different transmission shops.
In diagnosing this myself, I've had to learn a bit more about my car. I found the gear ratios for the transmission, and did some quick calculations in Excel to see if the frequency of the noise related to anything in particular, and how the transmission is constructed to see where noises can be located, and what might be causing them.
But this being a transmission issue, there are several things that are preventing me from doing the work myself. First, is the lack of a proper workspace where I can take things apart, make a mess, and not have to worry about offending people, or having to secure my property before I turn my back every time. Second is the lack of knowledge about transmissions, and I know them to be something that you don't want to leave to chance.
I saved my pennies, and arranged with a decent shop, and took my car this morning to get my transmission fixed.
2012-01-18
A couple of things about driving...
I live and drive in Southern California, and for what it's worth, I can tolerate my fair share of traffic jams, rude people, and random accidents for no reason, but I think that much of this is the result of an ignorant public. So, to see if I can't help educate at least one person, here are a couple of tips that I have learned about driving over the years.
Now, before you just pass this up, thinking you know it all - just take a read. If you learn something, then it's all worth it. If you don't, then feel free to laugh at me, and publicly scorn me.
• Pretty much anywhere you go, passing on the right is illegal. It doesn't matter if you think you are more important than the people in the long line waiting to make a left hand turn or not. Actually, that line is probably that long because of your douchebag bretheren that thought they were not only more important than the people in that line, but more important than you. And because they beat you to the punch, your idiotic driving patterns are just a sad excuse for second place, because no matter how hard you try, there will always be someone more douchey than you. Come to think of it, about every third driver is King douche, so your failed attempts just make you look that much more pathetic. Why not turn it around, and see how NICE you can be. See if you can manage to NOT fail at that.
• If you drive a pickup truck, an SUV, a giant monster truck, or even a large sedan, and you're the kind of tool that has to be first to take off from the light, to beat everyone else to next red light (especially when you can see that it is red), you don't get to complain about gas prices. The funny thing is.. me, just poking along as I do from one light to the next red one, I'm still right next to you - you've gained NOTHING.
• I see you driving by, complaining about me going the speed limit, and as you pass, all of the possible alerts, red lights, and your check engine light are as bright as can be. I'm willing to bet there's something wrong with your car. Have it checked out. Most parts stores will read your error codes for free so you can figure out what's wrong. Take your car somewhere and have it fixed. If you can't afford it, buy someone a case of beer to fix it. Your car will run better. You will get more mileage out of your fuel, and you will increase the life of your car.
• When one of your headlights goes out - replace it. Turning your brights on doesn't do anything for you but make it MORE obvious that you failed vehicle maintenance 101. Even if you just had your hurr did, and your nails done, it's not difficult, or tricky. And I'll tell you - you might just feel good about yourself for being able to do something so "complicated". And I'm sure if your polish is still drying, you can wink at the guy (or girl) behind the counter at the auto parts store to have them help you out. But do this. If not for you, then for me - because when you tailgate me with your high beams on, it makes me want to go slower, and GET in your way. And yes, I am pig-headed enough to presume that if you are doing this, your are a girl, because you're pig-headed enough to do this.
• Go ahead, drive as fast as you can - faster even, than you are capable of maintaining vehicle control. I'm sure you get so much from it. Trust me - I understand the joys of a bit of spirited driving, but realize that you do have to share the road with everyone else that's out there. I was young and dumb once too, and I've done my fair share of stupid crap in a car, but recently, I've run a series of tests:
I drove my commute like a crazed maniac for months, trying to eek out every extra second that I could from my day. I got nothing out of it. Nothing. In fact, it cost me a lot more than I thought it would. I've tracked my fuel mileage in my car from the time I got it with 8 miles on the clock, and a full tank from the dealer. I've gotten all kinds of mileage - my low is 17.055mpg, and my high is 30.873mpg - averaging 22.643mpg over the 156551 miles that I've driven it. I've done everything I can think of to get better mileage, to save money, to make my tank last longer, to drive more efficiently. It struck me one day when a friend mentioned his improved mileage from driving 55mph, that no matter what I did - my commute still took the same amount of time. So I tried something. I drove at 55mph. No faster, no slower. I went from getting 21mpg on a good day, to getting nearly 35mpg on my freeway trips (though this number falls with street driving, which is why I'm not getting 35mpg tanks) - and you'd think that this would soak up all of the extra time that I didn't have before, but no. When I drive during off-peak hours, it takes me a whole four minutes extra. Four minutes. During peak traffic times, rush hour and the like, it takes EXACTLY the same amount of time. I've tried taking streets, different streets, other streets, different freeway routes, and a combination of both - and NOTHING is more effective than driving 55mph.
Now, don't get me wrong - driving 55mph might not work for everyone - your number might be... 56mph. But try for yourself. I'll bet you'd be amazed by how much money you can save, and how little frustration you will have at the end of a commute, and how much wear and tear you are saving on your car.
• Every single freeway onramp that I have ever seen, and every single freeway offramp that I have ever seen gives you sufficient room to get up to freeway speed, or decelerate to street speed within the confines of the onramp or offramp. So, by the time you get to the point where you are signaling, checking your mirrors, trying to merge onto the freeway, you should be going freeway speed. None of this, I'm going 30 miles per hour, and move out of my way because I can't be bothered to turn my head, or look in the mirror, get out of my way because I am better than you and I am going to get into the carpool lane stuff. No, accelerate to freeway speed, and merge - one lane at a time, and zipper in where there is room just like a normal person. And slowing down in the slow lane to 30 miles an hour to exit the freeway is just as ridiculous. You have the entire freeway offramp to be able to slow down. There's room.
• I drive with a small gap in front of me. When there is traffic, especially. That gap is a certain size for a reason. I know my ability, my reaction time, and what I am carrying in my car, or in my head, and that gap is custom sized just for me. It gives me enough room to be able to come to a complete stop, should the vehicle in front of me stop suddenly, and it is there for me to avoid getting into an accident. Behind me, however, you will notice that there is usually lots and lots of room. LOTS of room. My gap matching the bumper-to-bumper dimensions of your car to the quarter of an inch is not a personal challenge to you to see if you can wedge your way in there - lift off the gas, breathe for just a half of a second, and slide in behind me hassle free. It takes nothing from your precious schedule, it actually takes less concentration, and causes less stress. Just slip right in there right behind me, and proceed to do what you were going to do.
• Freeway signs in California are abundant. They tell you where you are, and what's coming up next, and how far away things are. They will tell you how far away from a particular street, freeway, even city is. They tell you what freeway you are on (which you should know anyway), and even what cities you can be transported to by changing your current travel venue to a different freeway. The thing is, they do this MILES in advance. MILES! Be prepared. If you miss your exit, there's a thing about exits in large cities - there's always another one. If you don't plan ahead, and you miss your exit, it's okay, you can find your way to your intended destination. But there is no reason to cause an accident, shove your way in, stop traffic in an adjacent lane, waiting for pity from someone to let you in. And on that - if you intentionally delay merging because there is less traffic in lanes not adjacent to an exit, or you are in the exit for another freeway because it flows better, and then you want to stop traffic, and shove your way back onto the main freeway so you can cut 30 seconds out of your commute... no. Just keep right on driving on the wrong freeway and take the long road home, because now, I'm going to make SURE that your car doesn't fit in the gap in front of me, and I will in fact be rude to you, because you mistakenly think that your time is more important than mine.
• We are all familiar with zippers, yes? Perhaps you prefer buttons because of a childhood accident, or whatever, but certainly you're familiar with the concept? The 'slide' is only wide enough for one 'lane' of the hooks to pass through it - much like merging lanes on the freeway. One side goes, and then the other. When two teeth try to go through at the same time, something bad happens - much like merging lanes on the freeway. You notice the trend? The difference, is that zippers don't have the free will to become douchebags, and you do. So, chill out, alternate merging sides, and you'll be on your way shortly.
• On that note, merging, I notice is always a problem. Everyone does everything they inconsiderately can to move on up the line, and gain three car lengths to get ahead. Congratulations, you have gained approximately a second and a half. Way to go. And in the process, you've managed to nearly cause seventeen accidents, and upset a gaggle of other drivers. And for what - a second and a half? You know what - try this, the next time you're on the freeway. Because you have your cellphone in your hand anyway, find the stopwatch app, and time yourself being a complete tool one day, and being a kind, courteous, considerate driver the next day. I'd be willing to bet that if you don't gain time being considerate, you at least break even.
• Occasionally, the city planners, or maintenance crews, or CalTrans will come along, and change something up on you. This might be good for a mild surprise now and then, but really - on your daily commute, if you've been doing it for two or three weeks, there really shouldn't be anything at all that surprises you. Certainly nothing worth slamming on your brakes over. If you've been doing the same commute for a year or more, you should about be able to do it in your sleep - I see people that I think ARE, but that's another thing. But really, even if you're half-paying attention to the fact that you are in control of a rather heavy automobile, you can see things before they happen. I know that you're not going to look over your shoulder, and not see me before you merge into my fender. I see the semi-truck up 200 yards with a blown tire, and he's about to lose the carcass... wait for it... wait for it... and there's all of the brake lights, people freaking out - out of their minds - don't know what to do, where to go, or how to do anything other than implode from indecision. I see you talking on your cell phone, not minding that the road is going one direction, and you in another. I have to account for that. Also, for those of you that have absolutely no idea, after days, weeks, month or years of traveling the same road, that after you merge onto one freeway from another, you can't actually enter the carpool lane for another four miles, yet choose to cut off four lanes of traffic as you make a B-line for the fast lane. You've accomplished nothing, you selfish nit, and you're going to be stuck in the same traffic as the rest of us for another four miles because you can't enter the carpool lane yet. The same lanes are here today that were there yesterday, and the day, week, month before. They'll be the same tomorrow, and no, they still didn't add a lane just for you. But there is no reason you should be surprised by anything that happens on the road. Just relax, and drive.
I'm just sayin'
Now, before you just pass this up, thinking you know it all - just take a read. If you learn something, then it's all worth it. If you don't, then feel free to laugh at me, and publicly scorn me.
• Pretty much anywhere you go, passing on the right is illegal. It doesn't matter if you think you are more important than the people in the long line waiting to make a left hand turn or not. Actually, that line is probably that long because of your douchebag bretheren that thought they were not only more important than the people in that line, but more important than you. And because they beat you to the punch, your idiotic driving patterns are just a sad excuse for second place, because no matter how hard you try, there will always be someone more douchey than you. Come to think of it, about every third driver is King douche, so your failed attempts just make you look that much more pathetic. Why not turn it around, and see how NICE you can be. See if you can manage to NOT fail at that.
• If you drive a pickup truck, an SUV, a giant monster truck, or even a large sedan, and you're the kind of tool that has to be first to take off from the light, to beat everyone else to next red light (especially when you can see that it is red), you don't get to complain about gas prices. The funny thing is.. me, just poking along as I do from one light to the next red one, I'm still right next to you - you've gained NOTHING.
• I see you driving by, complaining about me going the speed limit, and as you pass, all of the possible alerts, red lights, and your check engine light are as bright as can be. I'm willing to bet there's something wrong with your car. Have it checked out. Most parts stores will read your error codes for free so you can figure out what's wrong. Take your car somewhere and have it fixed. If you can't afford it, buy someone a case of beer to fix it. Your car will run better. You will get more mileage out of your fuel, and you will increase the life of your car.
• When one of your headlights goes out - replace it. Turning your brights on doesn't do anything for you but make it MORE obvious that you failed vehicle maintenance 101. Even if you just had your hurr did, and your nails done, it's not difficult, or tricky. And I'll tell you - you might just feel good about yourself for being able to do something so "complicated". And I'm sure if your polish is still drying, you can wink at the guy (or girl) behind the counter at the auto parts store to have them help you out. But do this. If not for you, then for me - because when you tailgate me with your high beams on, it makes me want to go slower, and GET in your way. And yes, I am pig-headed enough to presume that if you are doing this, your are a girl, because you're pig-headed enough to do this.
• Go ahead, drive as fast as you can - faster even, than you are capable of maintaining vehicle control. I'm sure you get so much from it. Trust me - I understand the joys of a bit of spirited driving, but realize that you do have to share the road with everyone else that's out there. I was young and dumb once too, and I've done my fair share of stupid crap in a car, but recently, I've run a series of tests:
I drove my commute like a crazed maniac for months, trying to eek out every extra second that I could from my day. I got nothing out of it. Nothing. In fact, it cost me a lot more than I thought it would. I've tracked my fuel mileage in my car from the time I got it with 8 miles on the clock, and a full tank from the dealer. I've gotten all kinds of mileage - my low is 17.055mpg, and my high is 30.873mpg - averaging 22.643mpg over the 156551 miles that I've driven it. I've done everything I can think of to get better mileage, to save money, to make my tank last longer, to drive more efficiently. It struck me one day when a friend mentioned his improved mileage from driving 55mph, that no matter what I did - my commute still took the same amount of time. So I tried something. I drove at 55mph. No faster, no slower. I went from getting 21mpg on a good day, to getting nearly 35mpg on my freeway trips (though this number falls with street driving, which is why I'm not getting 35mpg tanks) - and you'd think that this would soak up all of the extra time that I didn't have before, but no. When I drive during off-peak hours, it takes me a whole four minutes extra. Four minutes. During peak traffic times, rush hour and the like, it takes EXACTLY the same amount of time. I've tried taking streets, different streets, other streets, different freeway routes, and a combination of both - and NOTHING is more effective than driving 55mph.
Now, don't get me wrong - driving 55mph might not work for everyone - your number might be... 56mph. But try for yourself. I'll bet you'd be amazed by how much money you can save, and how little frustration you will have at the end of a commute, and how much wear and tear you are saving on your car.
• Every single freeway onramp that I have ever seen, and every single freeway offramp that I have ever seen gives you sufficient room to get up to freeway speed, or decelerate to street speed within the confines of the onramp or offramp. So, by the time you get to the point where you are signaling, checking your mirrors, trying to merge onto the freeway, you should be going freeway speed. None of this, I'm going 30 miles per hour, and move out of my way because I can't be bothered to turn my head, or look in the mirror, get out of my way because I am better than you and I am going to get into the carpool lane stuff. No, accelerate to freeway speed, and merge - one lane at a time, and zipper in where there is room just like a normal person. And slowing down in the slow lane to 30 miles an hour to exit the freeway is just as ridiculous. You have the entire freeway offramp to be able to slow down. There's room.
• I drive with a small gap in front of me. When there is traffic, especially. That gap is a certain size for a reason. I know my ability, my reaction time, and what I am carrying in my car, or in my head, and that gap is custom sized just for me. It gives me enough room to be able to come to a complete stop, should the vehicle in front of me stop suddenly, and it is there for me to avoid getting into an accident. Behind me, however, you will notice that there is usually lots and lots of room. LOTS of room. My gap matching the bumper-to-bumper dimensions of your car to the quarter of an inch is not a personal challenge to you to see if you can wedge your way in there - lift off the gas, breathe for just a half of a second, and slide in behind me hassle free. It takes nothing from your precious schedule, it actually takes less concentration, and causes less stress. Just slip right in there right behind me, and proceed to do what you were going to do.
• Freeway signs in California are abundant. They tell you where you are, and what's coming up next, and how far away things are. They will tell you how far away from a particular street, freeway, even city is. They tell you what freeway you are on (which you should know anyway), and even what cities you can be transported to by changing your current travel venue to a different freeway. The thing is, they do this MILES in advance. MILES! Be prepared. If you miss your exit, there's a thing about exits in large cities - there's always another one. If you don't plan ahead, and you miss your exit, it's okay, you can find your way to your intended destination. But there is no reason to cause an accident, shove your way in, stop traffic in an adjacent lane, waiting for pity from someone to let you in. And on that - if you intentionally delay merging because there is less traffic in lanes not adjacent to an exit, or you are in the exit for another freeway because it flows better, and then you want to stop traffic, and shove your way back onto the main freeway so you can cut 30 seconds out of your commute... no. Just keep right on driving on the wrong freeway and take the long road home, because now, I'm going to make SURE that your car doesn't fit in the gap in front of me, and I will in fact be rude to you, because you mistakenly think that your time is more important than mine.
• We are all familiar with zippers, yes? Perhaps you prefer buttons because of a childhood accident, or whatever, but certainly you're familiar with the concept? The 'slide' is only wide enough for one 'lane' of the hooks to pass through it - much like merging lanes on the freeway. One side goes, and then the other. When two teeth try to go through at the same time, something bad happens - much like merging lanes on the freeway. You notice the trend? The difference, is that zippers don't have the free will to become douchebags, and you do. So, chill out, alternate merging sides, and you'll be on your way shortly.
• On that note, merging, I notice is always a problem. Everyone does everything they inconsiderately can to move on up the line, and gain three car lengths to get ahead. Congratulations, you have gained approximately a second and a half. Way to go. And in the process, you've managed to nearly cause seventeen accidents, and upset a gaggle of other drivers. And for what - a second and a half? You know what - try this, the next time you're on the freeway. Because you have your cellphone in your hand anyway, find the stopwatch app, and time yourself being a complete tool one day, and being a kind, courteous, considerate driver the next day. I'd be willing to bet that if you don't gain time being considerate, you at least break even.
• Occasionally, the city planners, or maintenance crews, or CalTrans will come along, and change something up on you. This might be good for a mild surprise now and then, but really - on your daily commute, if you've been doing it for two or three weeks, there really shouldn't be anything at all that surprises you. Certainly nothing worth slamming on your brakes over. If you've been doing the same commute for a year or more, you should about be able to do it in your sleep - I see people that I think ARE, but that's another thing. But really, even if you're half-paying attention to the fact that you are in control of a rather heavy automobile, you can see things before they happen. I know that you're not going to look over your shoulder, and not see me before you merge into my fender. I see the semi-truck up 200 yards with a blown tire, and he's about to lose the carcass... wait for it... wait for it... and there's all of the brake lights, people freaking out - out of their minds - don't know what to do, where to go, or how to do anything other than implode from indecision. I see you talking on your cell phone, not minding that the road is going one direction, and you in another. I have to account for that. Also, for those of you that have absolutely no idea, after days, weeks, month or years of traveling the same road, that after you merge onto one freeway from another, you can't actually enter the carpool lane for another four miles, yet choose to cut off four lanes of traffic as you make a B-line for the fast lane. You've accomplished nothing, you selfish nit, and you're going to be stuck in the same traffic as the rest of us for another four miles because you can't enter the carpool lane yet. The same lanes are here today that were there yesterday, and the day, week, month before. They'll be the same tomorrow, and no, they still didn't add a lane just for you. But there is no reason you should be surprised by anything that happens on the road. Just relax, and drive.
I'm just sayin'
2011-10-28
Boeing Delta II launch from Vandenberg
Anyway, I heard of this last Delta II launch, and entered a lottery to be granted special access to Vandenberg - didn't get in - and still wanted to make it a point to actually go, and see the launch. I've seen launches from VAFB before, but usually just from wherever I was, and that usually just means that I catch a glimpse of a tiny little dot in the sky, and it can barely be traced from horizon to horizon. The date slipped a couple of times, and I was trying to get to a place where I could get a fantastic view of the launch, even though I couldn't attend the tweetup.
So I asked the wife if she wouldn't mind going to see it, and kind of to my surprise, she gave an ecstatic yes. Tired and shagged out Thursday evening, from nearly a week's worth of work and school, I literally came home, and collapsed, and slept until about 11pm. Tellmo woke me up, and we got headed out around midnight. A stop for a snack, and some gas, and we were off. In my research, I found that there are a couple of really spectacular viewing locations that are accessible, but difficult to get to, and having not been there to familiarize myself with the area in the day, there is no way that I would put myself in that situation at night, so I opted for a 'safer' location. It's just a residential coul'de sac in some little town off the 118 in Ventura County. We were checking our smartphones constantly for the time, and to make sure that everything was on track. There was a moment of question before the last four-minute hold where upper-level winds were RED, but the situation cleared before we came out of the hold, and the launch proceeded to count right on schedule. Having never been there before, I didn't know exactly where to look, but as soon as the count reached zero, there was no question - on the other side of a hill, there was a large, bright glow, and within a number of seconds (probably more than I figured, because it seemed like an eternity [or an anomaly?]) before the rocket came into view. We watched it gracefully arc through the sky, like a giant, flaming meteor falling "up'. You could very clearly see where the ground start boosters burnt out, and the air-starts kicked in, and the ground starts were ejected. It was glorious to see the bright yellow-orange flames billowing out of the rocket, and really quite moving to finally see a Delta II launch without some sort of digital interpretation. For a moment, a sadness struck me in that I never will be able to experience this in relation to a Shuttle launch, but I digress. After MECO, I felt (and Chauntel Scott pointed it out too) kind of like a sigh of relief - maybe the collective of the whole NNP team, and the developers of the cube sats that were on board, with their love-labors finally safely in orbit (even if elliptical) followed by kind of a ::tear:: moment.
But I was glad that at that moment, I was in that place, with my love beside me, absorbing it all. It was worth the sleep deprivation, the drive, the cold, and even not getting to join the tweetup.
2011-08-22
Some people...
So, I jump on the freeway to head to work, and immediately, a semi-truck bears down on me. I don't care. You've got two lanes, use them.
Flashing his lights, and even a quick honk, and finally, he gets frustrated enough with me driving 55mph in front of him, that he decides to pass. He passes on the left, and I think that's then end of me having to deal with him. Wonderful.
When his trailer tires get to my window, I realize that there is a lot of noise coming from one of them, and I glance over, and see that he has one tire that is completely flat, split radially, wide open at the edge of the sidewall, and shredded bits are being flung all over, and what is being held on, keeps slapping the pavement with each torturous revolution. I brake just a bit to give him some space, much to the chagrin of the truck behind me, from whom I get more headlight flashes. Whatever. Same rule applies.
I keep my eye on this one truck though, thinking one of two things is going to happen. He's going to realize that he has a flat, and is going to pull over. Or.. and more probably, being only 20 miles or so from the docks, he'll probably try to make it to his destination with the flat tire, hoping that no further problems will arise.
At this point, I should mention that once, a long time ago, while driving a different car, I was behind a semi-truck whose tire let loose. The tread of the carcass split, and was run over by the car in front of me, which compressed it, giving it enough spring to leap into the air, and come down on my hood and windshield with enough force to crack the windshield, and lay a dent across my hood, and fenders, as if someone gift-wrapped my car, and tied the bow too tight. NOT something I want to have to pay to get fixed any time soon. So now, I leave much more space in front of me when there is any kind of speed involved. Call me gun-shy, but I have seen what can happen, and choose - actively - not to participate.
You'd never guess what the dude in the semi-truck did today. Yeah. He kept on going. Awesome.
Now knowing what will, at some point, lie ahead of me, I left extra room in front of me all the way to work. Little did the insistent people behind me know that there was going to be, at some point in my commute, a need to swerve to avoid hitting some large portion of a tire. So, with that information neatly in hand, I exercised caution in keeping the gap ahead of me large enough to identify and react to any such threat. This, apparently, was not a popular position on the matter, as expressed by no less than fifty drivers of cars, trucks, and semi-trucks, who impatiently honked, flashed lights, sped around me at inappropriate places, like an exit-only lane to the right, and gore points for on and off ramps alike. Now, mind you, I never really had more than 100' in front of me - a little more than the length of a semi-truck, and plus maybe one car. I was going the speed of the vehicle in front of me. Yes, every time someone jumped in that gap, I slowed to let it grow again, but come on - aren't we supposed to be operating in this manner anyway?
In my life, I have received two tickets for "tailgating", or following too closely. When I got the first one, there was on the books, some measure of what "too close" was - some formula with car lengths for every ten miles per hour. I argued, that if I obeyed that, I would continually get cut off every three seconds, but I got the ticket anyway. The second one, I didn't bother arguing, but rather, I looked up the law, and figured I'd contest it. By that time, the law had changed to simply a "safe" distance. I was able to identify hazards through the window of the car in front of me, so I was able to fight that ticket and win. Thast stated, here, we have one of these potential threats on the road in front of us. I know this to be a fact: There was a semi-truck, on the reeway, ahead of me, with one tire, and potentially more, that was going to come apart, and spread debris all over the freeway, much of shich could do damage to sheetmetal, glass, and maybe even rubber - all creating a hazard for occupants of vehicles. I was being cautious about this fact, and I was getting flack for it.
I. Don't. Care.
And then it happened. I smelled the faint odor of burnt rubber. I saw a sea of brake lights wash across the freeway, and cars dart in several directions. Traffic moved through the mine field slowly, and I, because I knew it was going to happen, and had armed myself with room in front of me to react, lifted slightly off the gas, and wove through the shards of hot rubber and metal unscathed. The tailgaters behind me, honking and flashing lights had to contend with the surprise--or ignorance-- of the hazards on the freeway. I thought it was over. I keep watching for where the semi-truck missing a tire would pull off of the freeway, surely, he knew what had happened, and figured it would be best to stop and make repairs, right?
I waited, and watched, and saw nothing. I came to the next freeway interchange, and again smelled rubber burning, the air still whispy with smoke. He's still going.
My Step-Dad was a truck driver for many years. I learned a lot from him that the average person probably doesn't know. During our vacations as well, he would drive the pickup truck - the kind with dual rear wheels - with the camper on it, and a trailer for whatever recreation we planned on; boat, dune buggy, whatever. I knew that with the weight involved, if you lost air in one tire, the adjacent tire then had to carry the weight that is no longer being carried by the tire that has been lost. Naturally. Logically.
Here too, I wagered, that it would not be long - unless his trailer was empty, which it didn't appear to be, because it didn't 'bounce' like an empty trailer - before the other tire on that side of that axle was gonig t succumb to the forces acting upon it, and give up the gost. So, I maintained my distance. I knew-by smell- that the truck was still ahead of me. I could see the tell-tale bits of rubber still rolling after having been bounced up by someone's undercarriage, or compressed under someone's tire. I knew.
Once again, though, the people behind me did not. Again with the honking, and the flashing o their headlights, and passing at inappropriate places. Rushing only to find out that there is danger ahead of them after damage has been done. There was a trail of smoke steadily streaming off of the trailer every time I caught a glimpse of it on the next rise ahead of me.
I come to the next interchange, still smelling rubber, thinking that our paths have now diverged, only to find still bouncing pieces of rubber in the road ahead of me. I come around a bend, and see him. Still going, but his trailer is sitting so funny, it looks as though it could seriously fall over with just the right combination of turning and braking. On he goes. Vehicles ahead realize, with the source of the danger so close, that it is best now, to just go around him. And they do. With fury. As I get near enough to be concerned with flying bits of tire, I see him finally pull off the freeway, likely continuing on, blindly to his destination - surely not far now. I watch as he brakes down the off-ramp, as sparks fly from his now bare rims scraping at pseed along the pavement, having stopped rotating because there was no tire to offer resistance to the clamping force of his brakes. Just as I pass his cab again - finally.. FINALLY, I can see him look in his mirror, and I can see the shock, and mild panick appear on his face as he wonders what the heck is going on.
This person should not drive a truck.
And you should think about the person in front of you - they might have a reason for doing what they are doing. It might be a good one. And just because you are impatient, gives you no reason to try to rush someone else. If you have an issue, just pass--safely--and go about your business. There is no need to be rude. Maybe they saved you from having to pay for a new windshield, or body work. The sad thing is, you will never know.
Flashing his lights, and even a quick honk, and finally, he gets frustrated enough with me driving 55mph in front of him, that he decides to pass. He passes on the left, and I think that's then end of me having to deal with him. Wonderful.
When his trailer tires get to my window, I realize that there is a lot of noise coming from one of them, and I glance over, and see that he has one tire that is completely flat, split radially, wide open at the edge of the sidewall, and shredded bits are being flung all over, and what is being held on, keeps slapping the pavement with each torturous revolution. I brake just a bit to give him some space, much to the chagrin of the truck behind me, from whom I get more headlight flashes. Whatever. Same rule applies.
I keep my eye on this one truck though, thinking one of two things is going to happen. He's going to realize that he has a flat, and is going to pull over. Or.. and more probably, being only 20 miles or so from the docks, he'll probably try to make it to his destination with the flat tire, hoping that no further problems will arise.
At this point, I should mention that once, a long time ago, while driving a different car, I was behind a semi-truck whose tire let loose. The tread of the carcass split, and was run over by the car in front of me, which compressed it, giving it enough spring to leap into the air, and come down on my hood and windshield with enough force to crack the windshield, and lay a dent across my hood, and fenders, as if someone gift-wrapped my car, and tied the bow too tight. NOT something I want to have to pay to get fixed any time soon. So now, I leave much more space in front of me when there is any kind of speed involved. Call me gun-shy, but I have seen what can happen, and choose - actively - not to participate.
You'd never guess what the dude in the semi-truck did today. Yeah. He kept on going. Awesome.
Now knowing what will, at some point, lie ahead of me, I left extra room in front of me all the way to work. Little did the insistent people behind me know that there was going to be, at some point in my commute, a need to swerve to avoid hitting some large portion of a tire. So, with that information neatly in hand, I exercised caution in keeping the gap ahead of me large enough to identify and react to any such threat. This, apparently, was not a popular position on the matter, as expressed by no less than fifty drivers of cars, trucks, and semi-trucks, who impatiently honked, flashed lights, sped around me at inappropriate places, like an exit-only lane to the right, and gore points for on and off ramps alike. Now, mind you, I never really had more than 100' in front of me - a little more than the length of a semi-truck, and plus maybe one car. I was going the speed of the vehicle in front of me. Yes, every time someone jumped in that gap, I slowed to let it grow again, but come on - aren't we supposed to be operating in this manner anyway?
In my life, I have received two tickets for "tailgating", or following too closely. When I got the first one, there was on the books, some measure of what "too close" was - some formula with car lengths for every ten miles per hour. I argued, that if I obeyed that, I would continually get cut off every three seconds, but I got the ticket anyway. The second one, I didn't bother arguing, but rather, I looked up the law, and figured I'd contest it. By that time, the law had changed to simply a "safe" distance. I was able to identify hazards through the window of the car in front of me, so I was able to fight that ticket and win. Thast stated, here, we have one of these potential threats on the road in front of us. I know this to be a fact: There was a semi-truck, on the reeway, ahead of me, with one tire, and potentially more, that was going to come apart, and spread debris all over the freeway, much of shich could do damage to sheetmetal, glass, and maybe even rubber - all creating a hazard for occupants of vehicles. I was being cautious about this fact, and I was getting flack for it.
I. Don't. Care.
And then it happened. I smelled the faint odor of burnt rubber. I saw a sea of brake lights wash across the freeway, and cars dart in several directions. Traffic moved through the mine field slowly, and I, because I knew it was going to happen, and had armed myself with room in front of me to react, lifted slightly off the gas, and wove through the shards of hot rubber and metal unscathed. The tailgaters behind me, honking and flashing lights had to contend with the surprise--or ignorance-- of the hazards on the freeway. I thought it was over. I keep watching for where the semi-truck missing a tire would pull off of the freeway, surely, he knew what had happened, and figured it would be best to stop and make repairs, right?
I waited, and watched, and saw nothing. I came to the next freeway interchange, and again smelled rubber burning, the air still whispy with smoke. He's still going.
My Step-Dad was a truck driver for many years. I learned a lot from him that the average person probably doesn't know. During our vacations as well, he would drive the pickup truck - the kind with dual rear wheels - with the camper on it, and a trailer for whatever recreation we planned on; boat, dune buggy, whatever. I knew that with the weight involved, if you lost air in one tire, the adjacent tire then had to carry the weight that is no longer being carried by the tire that has been lost. Naturally. Logically.
Here too, I wagered, that it would not be long - unless his trailer was empty, which it didn't appear to be, because it didn't 'bounce' like an empty trailer - before the other tire on that side of that axle was gonig t succumb to the forces acting upon it, and give up the gost. So, I maintained my distance. I knew-by smell- that the truck was still ahead of me. I could see the tell-tale bits of rubber still rolling after having been bounced up by someone's undercarriage, or compressed under someone's tire. I knew.
Once again, though, the people behind me did not. Again with the honking, and the flashing o their headlights, and passing at inappropriate places. Rushing only to find out that there is danger ahead of them after damage has been done. There was a trail of smoke steadily streaming off of the trailer every time I caught a glimpse of it on the next rise ahead of me.
I come to the next interchange, still smelling rubber, thinking that our paths have now diverged, only to find still bouncing pieces of rubber in the road ahead of me. I come around a bend, and see him. Still going, but his trailer is sitting so funny, it looks as though it could seriously fall over with just the right combination of turning and braking. On he goes. Vehicles ahead realize, with the source of the danger so close, that it is best now, to just go around him. And they do. With fury. As I get near enough to be concerned with flying bits of tire, I see him finally pull off the freeway, likely continuing on, blindly to his destination - surely not far now. I watch as he brakes down the off-ramp, as sparks fly from his now bare rims scraping at pseed along the pavement, having stopped rotating because there was no tire to offer resistance to the clamping force of his brakes. Just as I pass his cab again - finally.. FINALLY, I can see him look in his mirror, and I can see the shock, and mild panick appear on his face as he wonders what the heck is going on.
This person should not drive a truck.
And you should think about the person in front of you - they might have a reason for doing what they are doing. It might be a good one. And just because you are impatient, gives you no reason to try to rush someone else. If you have an issue, just pass--safely--and go about your business. There is no need to be rude. Maybe they saved you from having to pay for a new windshield, or body work. The sad thing is, you will never know.
2011-08-04
So, I'm thinkin' of making' me some furniture...
Don't ever ask an Engineer what he's doing unless it's polishing a prototype. We don't like to tell you. Get over it. That's just the way of it.
Mark this day on your calendar.
Partly, because I will have some accountability to more than broken promises to my wife for deadlines missed, and another project started; not finished. But also, because I am going to try to tell you what I want to accomplish before I know that I can accomplish it.
I'll wait for you to pick your jaw up off the floor...
And recover from fainting...
Again...
I'm a little weird about furniture. Most of it is crap. Particle board has its place, but I think that furniture should last, if well cared for, forever. Everything that you have in your house, you should be proud to grant to one of your grand children; the envy of the others, and they will fight over it for decades.
My parents don't have anything like that.
Should I have kids, I would like them to.
But I want it to be functional right now.
And I want to make it myself.
What I want.
Computers are a large part of our daily activities in our house, but so is crafting. Plastic models, side projects, my wife knits, weaves, sews, crochets, croquets, and whatever else she wants to do. Our apartment is a mess, and I hate it. I want to be able to have a place to put everything away, and it not look like we just brought our Christmas decorations out of storage, or we're collecting books for a Goodwill drive. Certain things should be displayed, like books, but others should be concealed - you don't need to know the contents of my DVD/Bluray collection from the door of my apartment. And yet, everything should have its place.
So, this project should entail several pieces, and I would like them to be relatively modular, so as not to only fit in one specific spot, we end up moving, and nothing fit in the new place. That, I think would be a travesty. Though, despite their diverse functions, I think they should make a relatively cohesive sum. Being in an apartment (unlike those in New York), the room count is.. well, one. So, everything, less the bed and perhaps a dresser or something to be addressed later, will be in one room. So, they need to go together, but not be matchy-matchy, and over-do a theme. They need to fit with each other, and not completely saturate the feeling of the space. There I go sounding like an interior decorator. Martin Short from Parenthood, anyone?
Here's kind of what I was thinking - and all of this is subject to change on a whim (or my Wife's request) at any time, so bite me if it doesn't fit what you were rooting for - cause I'll take whiners right off the inherit list. I will - just you watch!
I need a computer desk. It needs to accommodate my current setup, and be flexible enough for upgrades in the future. I occasionally need access to my machine for cleaning, and such, so removal should be easy. I like clean cables, so cable management is necessary. I like a workspace, so it will have room to do homework, draw, read, construct on small projects, etc. I need some storage, so I would like to have a file drawer, and some smaller drawers for tools, and pencils, etc. Also, some larger storage would be cool, and I was thinking of making a wall unit for above the desk. Lighting is always an issue, and I'm particular about that as well, so I was thinking of integrating the lighting into the bottom of the wall unit, and devise a method of focusing it so that it would light my desk, and reading material, but not shine on my screens, or in my eyes. I am along a short wall with an outside corner, so I was thinking of connecting to another desk around the corner with a corner unit that would provide the drawer space. Whatever I get for a desk, the Wife will get one as well. Make things easy. And in the future, should she not like it, we find a bigger place, we want to expand, I could take both of these units, and she can get something that better suits her needs. I'd help her of course - don't make me sound selfish or insensitive.
We need a better solution for book and media storage. Books are unique because of the size variation. Some large shelves, some small. Some deep, some shallow. But still cohesive. I have a space in mind for a low, wide book shelf that I think could be segregated interestingly, and provide a lovely display of our current and expanding eclectic collection of libros. Media is an expanding issue. Not only for the quantity, but for the media types. CDs, DVDs, Bluray, combo packs, boxed sets, etc. If it were all one media type, then one size and shape of shelf would suit, but I might need to be a little smarter than that. I initially disagreed, but now I see the light. My Wife suggested that no one need know the contents of our collection until granted access to peruse it, so I think enclosed is the way to go. Different from our storage solutions of the past though, I think that software should have a separate storage location.
And now for crafts. Bluntly, we have a bunch of crap. Much of it is craft or hobby related. All of it needs a place where it can be organized and put away. It varies in size from teeny tiny to fairly large, and so imbues a difficult storage problem. I was thinking of making three, fairly general purpose, but slightly customizable storage units that would also function as a place to work on said crafts. Not all furniture is constructed well, but some of it is rather smartly designed. My Wife found this piece at IKEA that was a small desk, enclosed on all sides, with a door in the front that when opened, became the work surface. It had under it for support, a drawer of sorts that slid out with the opening action of the door that became the support for the door itself. Brilliant! So, I think something along these lines is the way to go. A two-door cabinet on the bottom, possibly with some sort of kick, or foot support outside, or inside or something (we both like to put our feet up on something while working), and then the fold-out work space, and then some storage on top. I envision these beasts being rather tall, and quite large, but I think that I can minimize the appearance of their size with intelligent design, and smart decoration. Adjustable shelves in the compartments would help to keep things organized, and I think that it will take some planning to make proper, smart usage out of the workspace inside. I want it to be able to close, but still have some empty space for crafts or hobbies "in work", so as not to damage them, or require that half-completed trinkets need be stored elsewhere when the space is cleaned up.
I would also adore the ability to display some of our finer works. I have some models that I would love for people to be able to see, and I intend on creating more, some of which would not fit well in a display case of any reasonable size.
I'll get to the bedroom eventually, but not in this round, I don't think. Plus, I don't have regular access to a shop or any decent tools, so this project might take a while. But stay tuned, I might post some design ideas.
Mark this day on your calendar.
Partly, because I will have some accountability to more than broken promises to my wife for deadlines missed, and another project started; not finished. But also, because I am going to try to tell you what I want to accomplish before I know that I can accomplish it.
I'll wait for you to pick your jaw up off the floor...
And recover from fainting...
Again...
I'm a little weird about furniture. Most of it is crap. Particle board has its place, but I think that furniture should last, if well cared for, forever. Everything that you have in your house, you should be proud to grant to one of your grand children; the envy of the others, and they will fight over it for decades.
My parents don't have anything like that.
Should I have kids, I would like them to.
But I want it to be functional right now.
And I want to make it myself.
What I want.
Computers are a large part of our daily activities in our house, but so is crafting. Plastic models, side projects, my wife knits, weaves, sews, crochets, croquets, and whatever else she wants to do. Our apartment is a mess, and I hate it. I want to be able to have a place to put everything away, and it not look like we just brought our Christmas decorations out of storage, or we're collecting books for a Goodwill drive. Certain things should be displayed, like books, but others should be concealed - you don't need to know the contents of my DVD/Bluray collection from the door of my apartment. And yet, everything should have its place.
So, this project should entail several pieces, and I would like them to be relatively modular, so as not to only fit in one specific spot, we end up moving, and nothing fit in the new place. That, I think would be a travesty. Though, despite their diverse functions, I think they should make a relatively cohesive sum. Being in an apartment (unlike those in New York), the room count is.. well, one. So, everything, less the bed and perhaps a dresser or something to be addressed later, will be in one room. So, they need to go together, but not be matchy-matchy, and over-do a theme. They need to fit with each other, and not completely saturate the feeling of the space. There I go sounding like an interior decorator. Martin Short from Parenthood, anyone?
Here's kind of what I was thinking - and all of this is subject to change on a whim (or my Wife's request) at any time, so bite me if it doesn't fit what you were rooting for - cause I'll take whiners right off the inherit list. I will - just you watch!
I need a computer desk. It needs to accommodate my current setup, and be flexible enough for upgrades in the future. I occasionally need access to my machine for cleaning, and such, so removal should be easy. I like clean cables, so cable management is necessary. I like a workspace, so it will have room to do homework, draw, read, construct on small projects, etc. I need some storage, so I would like to have a file drawer, and some smaller drawers for tools, and pencils, etc. Also, some larger storage would be cool, and I was thinking of making a wall unit for above the desk. Lighting is always an issue, and I'm particular about that as well, so I was thinking of integrating the lighting into the bottom of the wall unit, and devise a method of focusing it so that it would light my desk, and reading material, but not shine on my screens, or in my eyes. I am along a short wall with an outside corner, so I was thinking of connecting to another desk around the corner with a corner unit that would provide the drawer space. Whatever I get for a desk, the Wife will get one as well. Make things easy. And in the future, should she not like it, we find a bigger place, we want to expand, I could take both of these units, and she can get something that better suits her needs. I'd help her of course - don't make me sound selfish or insensitive.
We need a better solution for book and media storage. Books are unique because of the size variation. Some large shelves, some small. Some deep, some shallow. But still cohesive. I have a space in mind for a low, wide book shelf that I think could be segregated interestingly, and provide a lovely display of our current and expanding eclectic collection of libros. Media is an expanding issue. Not only for the quantity, but for the media types. CDs, DVDs, Bluray, combo packs, boxed sets, etc. If it were all one media type, then one size and shape of shelf would suit, but I might need to be a little smarter than that. I initially disagreed, but now I see the light. My Wife suggested that no one need know the contents of our collection until granted access to peruse it, so I think enclosed is the way to go. Different from our storage solutions of the past though, I think that software should have a separate storage location.
And now for crafts. Bluntly, we have a bunch of crap. Much of it is craft or hobby related. All of it needs a place where it can be organized and put away. It varies in size from teeny tiny to fairly large, and so imbues a difficult storage problem. I was thinking of making three, fairly general purpose, but slightly customizable storage units that would also function as a place to work on said crafts. Not all furniture is constructed well, but some of it is rather smartly designed. My Wife found this piece at IKEA that was a small desk, enclosed on all sides, with a door in the front that when opened, became the work surface. It had under it for support, a drawer of sorts that slid out with the opening action of the door that became the support for the door itself. Brilliant! So, I think something along these lines is the way to go. A two-door cabinet on the bottom, possibly with some sort of kick, or foot support outside, or inside or something (we both like to put our feet up on something while working), and then the fold-out work space, and then some storage on top. I envision these beasts being rather tall, and quite large, but I think that I can minimize the appearance of their size with intelligent design, and smart decoration. Adjustable shelves in the compartments would help to keep things organized, and I think that it will take some planning to make proper, smart usage out of the workspace inside. I want it to be able to close, but still have some empty space for crafts or hobbies "in work", so as not to damage them, or require that half-completed trinkets need be stored elsewhere when the space is cleaned up.
I would also adore the ability to display some of our finer works. I have some models that I would love for people to be able to see, and I intend on creating more, some of which would not fit well in a display case of any reasonable size.
I'll get to the bedroom eventually, but not in this round, I don't think. Plus, I don't have regular access to a shop or any decent tools, so this project might take a while. But stay tuned, I might post some design ideas.
2011-08-03
I <3'd Google - past-tense.
Google is awesome.
Well, was.
I am... was, a loyal user. For as long as I can remember, when I had a thought, wanted to know something, needed assistance finding a part for work, or needed to locate anything from the song in my head to dinner in an unfamiliar place, the text that rolled off my fingers was google.com. Old habits are hard to break. But there's a reason I want to break them.
Their products are usually well tested, and nearly flawless. I've been using gmail since 2006. It has the best spam filtration system that I have ever seen. I have converted many a friend from other products to google. Maps are amazing. Earth is a wonderful tool for all sorts of things. I've tried other products here and there, and have loved them whether or not they had any place in my life. This, I think is one of the few companies around today who has gotten most everything right.
But recently, things seem to be falling apart.
I noticed some gradual changes to my inbox in gmail. Okay fine. I'm down with progress. Kinda sucked I can't quickly navigate to my oldest page of messages, but I get it. Trying to integrate the flop "Buzz", I get it, but not for me. "Instant" is pretty cool, unless you have a low bandwidth, or pay by the bit for interwebs. It usually has some pretty asinine (albeit entertaining) suggestions, but I usually type in what I want too fast for that to be a bother. It finds me what I am looking for most of the time. Occasionally, I am searching for something industry related that matches something in another industry, avenue or lifestyle, so I get a surprise now and then. Sometime image searches are funny, because if you search for nearly anything without safe search on, you'll find porn one way or another. Especially in images. But until recently, all of these little quirks is what has given google its character.
The other day, I was looking for some parts for work. I had turned off instant, because it was a slow internet day at work - don't ask. Just know that the internet was being slow. I entered my query, and hit enter, and nothing happened. NOTHING. Maybe a glitch. I hit enter again. Nothing. I clicked on the Google Search button which had recently changed, I believe in conjunction with the release of Google+. There we go. My search came up. Plenty of results, and most of them seemed to be what I was looking for. So I clicked on a couple of links with my middle mouse button as I have done thousands of times before. If you don't know, this action in most web browsers opens the link in a new tab, and leaves your search results right there waiting for you in case that link isn't what you were looking for, you are not forced to re-load your results, and lose your place. I waited a second for the links to come up, and one by one, they failed to load. Weird. I check the tab for the link, and it begins with googleads.sgdoubleclick.net... and trails off with some insane link that I don't understand. All of the special characters are replaced with their html-safe counterparts. I look at the next one. Same thing. WTH? This is weird. Somehow, I muddled through, and found that opening the cached page and clicking on the live link was the easiest shortcut, but that wasn't always available. I figured that there was some glitch in transition, and they'd have it fixed momentarily.
Nope.
Same thing happened the next day.
And the next.
And the next.
It's been what, a month since Google+ went live? I've had the same problem since then. (Wikipedia says June 28th)
I'm sorry, but this is a pain. I have written to google's help several times, expecting some dude on the other end to go, "Doh! I forgot to uncomment some code", and the problem would be fixed. I've written my fair share of HTML, albeit not in many of the more recent, and advanced languages, but damn. How hard is it to make a graphic region part of a submit button, and have it activated with the enter key? Is it so difficult and bandwith consuming a task to pass a link to an application, and open my link for me without the connection timing out stopping the whole sequence? I know you are free, and your business model is such that you're not hurting for money, and while you need all of this information for your data mining, which I put up with, as that's what pays the bills, but shouldn't this be seamless to the user? I am sorry google, but I just can not tolerate this kind of oversight in your inspection processes that let code that creates this behavior go live, and unchecked for so long.
Or maybe I'm the one with the problem. Is my system and usage of your services so distinct or unique as to cause unwanted results that were unforseen? What is going on?
Well, was.
I am... was, a loyal user. For as long as I can remember, when I had a thought, wanted to know something, needed assistance finding a part for work, or needed to locate anything from the song in my head to dinner in an unfamiliar place, the text that rolled off my fingers was google.com. Old habits are hard to break. But there's a reason I want to break them.
Their products are usually well tested, and nearly flawless. I've been using gmail since 2006. It has the best spam filtration system that I have ever seen. I have converted many a friend from other products to google. Maps are amazing. Earth is a wonderful tool for all sorts of things. I've tried other products here and there, and have loved them whether or not they had any place in my life. This, I think is one of the few companies around today who has gotten most everything right.
But recently, things seem to be falling apart.
I noticed some gradual changes to my inbox in gmail. Okay fine. I'm down with progress. Kinda sucked I can't quickly navigate to my oldest page of messages, but I get it. Trying to integrate the flop "Buzz", I get it, but not for me. "Instant" is pretty cool, unless you have a low bandwidth, or pay by the bit for interwebs. It usually has some pretty asinine (albeit entertaining) suggestions, but I usually type in what I want too fast for that to be a bother. It finds me what I am looking for most of the time. Occasionally, I am searching for something industry related that matches something in another industry, avenue or lifestyle, so I get a surprise now and then. Sometime image searches are funny, because if you search for nearly anything without safe search on, you'll find porn one way or another. Especially in images. But until recently, all of these little quirks is what has given google its character.
The other day, I was looking for some parts for work. I had turned off instant, because it was a slow internet day at work - don't ask. Just know that the internet was being slow. I entered my query, and hit enter, and nothing happened. NOTHING. Maybe a glitch. I hit enter again. Nothing. I clicked on the Google Search button which had recently changed, I believe in conjunction with the release of Google+. There we go. My search came up. Plenty of results, and most of them seemed to be what I was looking for. So I clicked on a couple of links with my middle mouse button as I have done thousands of times before. If you don't know, this action in most web browsers opens the link in a new tab, and leaves your search results right there waiting for you in case that link isn't what you were looking for, you are not forced to re-load your results, and lose your place. I waited a second for the links to come up, and one by one, they failed to load. Weird. I check the tab for the link, and it begins with googleads.sgdoubleclick.net... and trails off with some insane link that I don't understand. All of the special characters are replaced with their html-safe counterparts. I look at the next one. Same thing. WTH? This is weird. Somehow, I muddled through, and found that opening the cached page and clicking on the live link was the easiest shortcut, but that wasn't always available. I figured that there was some glitch in transition, and they'd have it fixed momentarily.
Nope.
Same thing happened the next day.
And the next.
And the next.
It's been what, a month since Google+ went live? I've had the same problem since then. (Wikipedia says June 28th)
I'm sorry, but this is a pain. I have written to google's help several times, expecting some dude on the other end to go, "Doh! I forgot to uncomment some code", and the problem would be fixed. I've written my fair share of HTML, albeit not in many of the more recent, and advanced languages, but damn. How hard is it to make a graphic region part of a submit button, and have it activated with the enter key? Is it so difficult and bandwith consuming a task to pass a link to an application, and open my link for me without the connection timing out stopping the whole sequence? I know you are free, and your business model is such that you're not hurting for money, and while you need all of this information for your data mining, which I put up with, as that's what pays the bills, but shouldn't this be seamless to the user? I am sorry google, but I just can not tolerate this kind of oversight in your inspection processes that let code that creates this behavior go live, and unchecked for so long.
Or maybe I'm the one with the problem. Is my system and usage of your services so distinct or unique as to cause unwanted results that were unforseen? What is going on?
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