here's life

Ok, most people can cross their eyes pretty easy--just look at your nose, or a paperclip an inch from your face. But can you make your eyes go outward? I was able to do it. Here's how: Take two of your fingers, two pens or two somethings that are similar in shape and color and hold them parallel to each other an inch apart. Now, relax and look beyond them to make the two objects superimpose on one another. If you need to, move the objects together until you can get them to match. Once you have a good match--you can see the center combination object pretty clearly, slowly move the objects apart, a little at a time, each time looking farther away, relaxing more and more, getting the center image to match up before going on. Repeat this until your fingers are farther apart than you eyes. I got up to 5 or 6 inches, but I had to pretty much put myself to sleep to do it--I was snapping in and out of consciousness to get my fingers to sit on top of each other. Hurray for meetings on tired days!

Well, not really new. I got it a while back, when I was trying to buy a sewing machine on ebay, ended up with a bike, in a city four hours away, but then some friends just happened to be going there, so they got it, and it has sat in my dining room ever since. So, with the return of warmish weather and a transitory fascination with fitness and exercise, I pulled it out, put some wd-40 and never-seize on it and rode it around. I need to get some brakes. And as long as I am fine with two gears, it is quite serviceable. Should I get a helmet? I won't be riding on the road much...

Yes, that is a wine glass, and yes it has alcohol in it. It also has part of the engine of my plane. I took my plane out the other night and a guy helped me start it, and it ran, but not all that well. And the mixture valve didn't close all the way. (which I hear it is supposed to) So, I am trying to clean it out. I need to adjust it so it isn't as rich, but can't. It is a very simple little engine. Do you think my neighbors will be annoyed if I run it out in the parking lot? It is pretty loud.

Just when I though that I had enough computers, I hooked up this monster. It has some pretty features, but I am not sure how best to use it. A guy at work asked me what I do with my computers, how do I use them to help others, or what business use do I have for them. Good question. I think next task is a webserver, but that is pretty useless unless you have something to serve. Or, I could put Window$ [genuflects] on one of them and buy a good CAD program for a couple hundred bucks, and draw stuff. It would take the guesswork out of furniture making. Actually, there is a huge vacuum in the linux world for a good, parametric modeling program. If you write one, tell me. Or, I could install an RC simulator and get the hang of flying--and landing.

I still have a couple other computers and four more monitors, but they will wait for another day.

Well, just had a enjoyable weekend with my family--they drove out Friday and just left. It was good to have a change of scenery, a change of ideas. Got to hang out yesterday afternoon with my brothers at a science museum (they spent most of the time flying flight simulators) and in the morning we went to an Engineering Expo where there were different stations doing different things--one place they were putting together a truss bridge and then replacing a link with a chain to demonstrate the difference between tension and compression. There were some Ham guys with a laser-detector two-way radio. They described modulated laser signals by having two lasers side by side--one just on, and the other flashing at 400hz. You couldn't see it flashing, but they had the same circuitry hooked up to a buzzer, which you could hear. Then they used a mirror to move the beams across the floor, easily showing breaks in the beam as it whizzed across the floor, leaving a dotted line.
Probably my little brothers' favorite was the slime-making--judging by the number of times that we visited that table. Take Elmers glue, add borax. The polymer chains in the glue are crosslinked by the borax, making it thicker, and stretchy.
There was also a group with a complex, remote control robotic manipulator (four channels run by one person) on the end of a 10' class I lever (operated by another person). Watching them pick up three paint cans at once and place them in three holes at a different spacing was cool--especially when the two experts went at it.





This morning we went to one of my churches and heard my cousin's visiting choir sing. It was cool, and then we had a mini-reunion over lunch.
That reminds me, Salt & Light Co: Tuesday one of my cousins was coming through Hutch with his music team, so I went to see him. First, I met his sister and some of her friends for supper in Yoder (mmm, pie!), and then we went and saw the performance (which was excellent and meaningful) and then I hung out with people I didn't know, but my siblings knew, or I knew someone who knew them. I got to introduce my self as "Tirzah's brother", and watch their faces light up, "Oh, yeah, Tirzah is cool!"


I need a garage, so I have somewhere to shove all my wood and stuff when someone comes to visit me.

I listened to a talk over lunch today that was very inspiring--the people speaking had enthusiasm for their jobs (which seemed pretty cool) and it showed.
Afterward, one of the speakers came up to me and said, "I saw that I really had your attention for a while there." I tried to think of one of the interesting things he spoke about, and drew a blank. So, I just said so. Here I was, being spoken to by one of my superiors, (in an enviable department) and my mind failed. I spent the rest of the day just laughing at myself, because I wanted to cry, but couldn't.

Later I thought of all the things he talked about--networking people, how SGI ended up making the Indigo a superior product (copy machines that only made one copy at a time, so people would stand around and talk, a pingpong table so people could gather around drawings).

Oh, I'd better get to bed, so I can get to work, put in my 8 and go home...No! that is the attitude that makes my department lack the enthusiasm and excellence that these guys had. Maybe I should start going in when I feel like it, so I feel like it when I am there...

I'll try to find some time to talk about S&L Co....

So, I have a new thing in my house, an RC plane! I have wanted to fly for, oh, about 20 years. And now I have a plane. I got it pretty close to flightworthy, I needed to take apart the carb--pretty elegant little design--and there is still a little to do on it.
While not new and shiney this plane should do what it needs to--make me familiar with RC, flying, and the RC community. Also, being a "trainer", I should be able to easily learn to fly on it because it is inherintly stable and easy to control.



Now she just needs a name. You make some suggestions while I go build a plane rack for my car.

After slacking off for several months, I finished the Ottoman/table.









Specs:
Height of table: 27" to 32"
Height of cushion platform: 16" to 20"
Horizontal dimensions: 24" by 23"
Table to Ottoman conversion: 6 seconds
Ottoman to Table conversion: 10 seconds
Weight loads: Don't sit on table.

This evening one of my co-workers took me to a hockey game. It was two pretty good, and well-matched teams, and the show was superbly carried out.  Wichita beat Colorado 3-2 after 5mins .of overtime, and then 10 rounds in the shoot-out.  Yet, I have a feeling of sadness hanging over me.  Now maybe it is because I am hungry, and tried to go shopping on the way home and was only partly successful, but maybe it was spending 3 hours with a crowd of people who cheered "their" team and boo'ed the other team.  Three hours of an announcer striving--mostly unsuccessfully--to whip the audience into an excited frenzy, so that they would go home feeling like they had a good time.  Two intermissions of people standing and cheering and yelling, attempting to get the attention of the guys shooting t-shirts into the stands, or the mascot tossing Frisbees.  Actually, they seemed nearly as excited by the free stuff as by the game--unless there was a close shot or a goal, then everyone jumped to their feet and yelled.  This game had very little fighting, much to the disappointment of the 8,100 person crowd.  A few times there was almost a fight, or one that lasted only long enough for a blow or two to be exchanged.  The whole stadium would leap to it's feet and start shouting encouragement.  And almost that fast it would be over, and everyone would moan their chagrin.  What are these people each thinking?  As a mass, they are thinking about the game, and how bad the other team is.  But what is the driving motivation running through the mind of a Wichita Thunder Fan? Did they notice that Waste Management is the Official Refuse Removal Provider?
But, it was a good time, and both teams did well and had good goalies, although I think Colorado had better teamwork--being able to pass the puck to each other, and they all know what the others were thinking.  And I want a street-legal Zamboni.

Darling did you know that I dream about eating together
Dining Philosophers forever!
My fork's yours, and your fork's mine.
And darling when comes the day,
That's the critical part,
You can keep the mutex of my heart,
While you live, I'll never be "V"

'Cause it's a semaphore,
Semaphore you darling,
Semaphore me, too
Semaphore me as I semaphore you,
I will semaphore,
Semaphore you darling,
Semaphore me, too
Semaphore me as I semaphore you.




Hey, look! A picture!