I was planning on going backpacking next weekend. So far two potential camping mates have bailed out on me. Does anybody want to go backpacking? You'll need a backpack and a sleeping bag, but that's about it. Everything else I have. I may take the girl if no one else wants to go. I made a trip to REI today to get the last bit of kit that I would need. I'm itching to go before it gets insanely hot here. The tentative plan is a moderate 5 mile hike in and out. Ten miles total over two days. You barely have to be in shape for that. C'mon, join me in ditching the world. If your up for a longer treck, I'm more than happy to do a 25 mile loop or out-and-back on the Ozark Trail.
My brother in law got me The Orange Box. Portal is of course genius and I'm working on the Bonus maps now and then. However, TF2 is sucking away my free time. Damn him. I suck, but I have loads of fun. I manage to stay alive for about two minutes on average. I tend to average probably just over 1 kill per life, so I guess I'm causing more harm then I'm taking. Right now I'm trying to get better at rocket jumping. I tried being a spy for all of about 30 seconds.
We are switching to AT&T U-verse. From the reviews that I am reading online, I think I'll be happy with the switch. Especially getting better bandwidth. I also signed up for the HD package. Although from what I read, it's a highly compressed lower bandwidth version of HD that isn't as good as other providers. It's $10/month, but if it sucks I can drop it.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Oh Canada!
(OMG, a new post!)
I'm in Canada. Specifically Waterloo, Ontario. I went bouldering tonight at a local gym. I like it that my climbing shoes take up basically no room in my suitcase and most cities have a climbing gym somewhere nearby. Climbers are a friendly bunch, and it's easy to start tackling a problem with one or two others. Even for an introvert like me.
(heh, they just said "aboot" on the radio)
At home I've been busy. Gardening, closets, a mysterious water leak, slab for the grill, trips to Illinois. I like to keep busy, so no complaints by me. What I've been struggling to find in this is solitude. Here and there some alone time, but not solitude. I noticed this on the flight up. The plane was mostly empty. I guess nobody flies to Toronto from St. Louis. So, I was in a row to myself. Headphones in (same Sony ones as before). Reading my new book. And I was relaxed. Really, really relaxed. There was nothing I needed to get done, no external pressure. I could just be solitary on the plane. It was very enjoyable.
The book I picked up is the Presentation Zen book. I'm only a bit into it. I'm reading it slowly and my mind wanders to my own presentations while I read it. I'm probably getting less out of it then someone who doesn't already know Garr Reynolds approach. But still, it's nice to have it all written down in book format. I can recommend (and lend) it to you if you want to really change your presentations to not suck. It's work. It's not a formula or a procedure but a new way to think about the form and function of presentations. It has basically nothing to do with PowerPoint, and everything to do with story and design. Conferences would be much better if everyone really worked on their presentations. I had to sit through a few today. Slideuments so typical and boring that I don't even bother listening since I know I'll get a CD with all the words later and I can pretend to care then.
A few more days with our neighbors-to-the-north. Endless hockey on Sports Center. Lousy food, but very cold beer. Great sunshine. Then back to St. Louis. I'll try to keep writing.
I'm in Canada. Specifically Waterloo, Ontario. I went bouldering tonight at a local gym. I like it that my climbing shoes take up basically no room in my suitcase and most cities have a climbing gym somewhere nearby. Climbers are a friendly bunch, and it's easy to start tackling a problem with one or two others. Even for an introvert like me.
(heh, they just said "aboot" on the radio)
At home I've been busy. Gardening, closets, a mysterious water leak, slab for the grill, trips to Illinois. I like to keep busy, so no complaints by me. What I've been struggling to find in this is solitude. Here and there some alone time, but not solitude. I noticed this on the flight up. The plane was mostly empty. I guess nobody flies to Toronto from St. Louis. So, I was in a row to myself. Headphones in (same Sony ones as before). Reading my new book. And I was relaxed. Really, really relaxed. There was nothing I needed to get done, no external pressure. I could just be solitary on the plane. It was very enjoyable.
The book I picked up is the Presentation Zen book. I'm only a bit into it. I'm reading it slowly and my mind wanders to my own presentations while I read it. I'm probably getting less out of it then someone who doesn't already know Garr Reynolds approach. But still, it's nice to have it all written down in book format. I can recommend (and lend) it to you if you want to really change your presentations to not suck. It's work. It's not a formula or a procedure but a new way to think about the form and function of presentations. It has basically nothing to do with PowerPoint, and everything to do with story and design. Conferences would be much better if everyone really worked on their presentations. I had to sit through a few today. Slideuments so typical and boring that I don't even bother listening since I know I'll get a CD with all the words later and I can pretend to care then.
A few more days with our neighbors-to-the-north. Endless hockey on Sports Center. Lousy food, but very cold beer. Great sunshine. Then back to St. Louis. I'll try to keep writing.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Earphones
I have a pair of ear canal phones. Specifically, I have the Sony MDR-EX71. These are not ordinary ear buds by any stretch of the imagination. They use a silicone seal to isolate the earphone in the ear canal like an ear plug. They sound good, but not perfect. Way better then the stock iPod earbuds.
But what I really like is the sound isolation. With them in and my Nano turned to a normal listening volume (say about 70dB), background noise is gone. Not just diminished, but gone. All that is left is music. The kids could be screaming at each other the very next room over and I wouldn't hear them. The wind could be howling outside and it wouldn't even sound like a breeze. At work I took them out at one point and was surprised to hear a jackhammer going in the car park (construction caries on). Lost in the music without having to crank it to deafening levels. This is, to me, the greatest feature.
Anyway, as I said they sound good, but not yet great. I've looked at more expensive and better reviewed ones, but have restrained myself from dropping a C-note on earphones. Etymotic sells a pair called the 6i. Much higher sound quality (balanced armature instead of coil-based driver, better sound isolation). MSRP of $150 (ouch!). Newegg is currently selling them for $73. I am very tempted.
But what I really like is the sound isolation. With them in and my Nano turned to a normal listening volume (say about 70dB), background noise is gone. Not just diminished, but gone. All that is left is music. The kids could be screaming at each other the very next room over and I wouldn't hear them. The wind could be howling outside and it wouldn't even sound like a breeze. At work I took them out at one point and was surprised to hear a jackhammer going in the car park (construction caries on). Lost in the music without having to crank it to deafening levels. This is, to me, the greatest feature.
Anyway, as I said they sound good, but not yet great. I've looked at more expensive and better reviewed ones, but have restrained myself from dropping a C-note on earphones. Etymotic sells a pair called the 6i. Much higher sound quality (balanced armature instead of coil-based driver, better sound isolation). MSRP of $150 (ouch!). Newegg is currently selling them for $73. I am very tempted.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Cars Suck II
At work, I've just moved into the new building. It's not quite done yet, so there is still a load of construction work being done. And debris in the car park. You know, like screws. Like the screw that punctured my tire (tyre?). Fortunately, I had reason to leave before lunch that day, and discovered the flat. I was able to call the leasing company and they sent out a service to replace the tire.
I got the right part for Amanda's car yesterday also, and went to my coworker's house to get the job done. He used to be a mechanic, so that made life much easier. After removing the fan belt cover, I discovered why the pulley failed in the first place. Whomever had installed the fan belt (probably from the factory) didn't get it over the power steering pump in the right location. As a result, it was putting side load onto the idler pulley. This caused the bearing to fail. If this car had been driven normal mileage during its life this would have been a warranty repair. But, it has always been a city car. It only made it to 40,000 miles after 9 years. Warranty long expired.
After getting the fan belt off, we had to 1) drop the alternator out of the way, 2) take off the bolts holding the casting that the idler and power steering pump were mounted to, 3) use a crow bar to pry it off of the rusted pin holding it in place, and then 4) replace the remnants of the old idler. This was actually easier than it sounds. Especially after we got the crow bar out.
We reassembled the bits together and went to put the new fan belt on. We tried three times before concluding that there is no way this belt fits. We fished it out and compared it to the old belt. Sixty millimeters short. Damn. Put the old belt on, and head home. Two hours.
Today, Amanda called me at work to say the battery had died. It was getting weak anyway, and the weather dropped well below freezing today. I figured that that was the end of the battery. When I got home from work today, I pulled the old battery out (marked as being installed in 2003, so very much due for replacement) , went and got a new battery, and swapped belts. Oh, I also noted that the light stock indicated that the headlights had been left on. :) (update: Amanda pointed out that there was some ambiguity as to who left the lights on. Amanda did.)
Of course nothing with this car has been simple. Not even the battery. Peugeot uses this weird terminal clamp on the positive terminal that is a one time install thing. You can try and pry it off, but it just ends up breaking. So, when you replace the battery you also have to replace this post clamp thing. Stupid French. Because this is after work, I now have to go to the Peugeot dealer tomorrow and get this stupid post clamp. It really is a stupid design. Why not just have a normal bolt on clamp like the rest of the world?
But that is it. The car should give me no more grief over the next few weeks. And in the end, I've spent less than ₤100 on Amanda's car, which is not bad for an el cheapo vehicle meant to get her around for a year. The total inventory on this car comes to:
Remove and replace blower motor to rid of voodoo spirits. ₤0.
Replace spark plug wires. ₤15.
Replace fan belt and idler pulley. ₤30.
Replace battery. ₤40.
I'm happy with how it all came out.
I got the right part for Amanda's car yesterday also, and went to my coworker's house to get the job done. He used to be a mechanic, so that made life much easier. After removing the fan belt cover, I discovered why the pulley failed in the first place. Whomever had installed the fan belt (probably from the factory) didn't get it over the power steering pump in the right location. As a result, it was putting side load onto the idler pulley. This caused the bearing to fail. If this car had been driven normal mileage during its life this would have been a warranty repair. But, it has always been a city car. It only made it to 40,000 miles after 9 years. Warranty long expired.
After getting the fan belt off, we had to 1) drop the alternator out of the way, 2) take off the bolts holding the casting that the idler and power steering pump were mounted to, 3) use a crow bar to pry it off of the rusted pin holding it in place, and then 4) replace the remnants of the old idler. This was actually easier than it sounds. Especially after we got the crow bar out.
We reassembled the bits together and went to put the new fan belt on. We tried three times before concluding that there is no way this belt fits. We fished it out and compared it to the old belt. Sixty millimeters short. Damn. Put the old belt on, and head home. Two hours.
Today, Amanda called me at work to say the battery had died. It was getting weak anyway, and the weather dropped well below freezing today. I figured that that was the end of the battery. When I got home from work today, I pulled the old battery out (marked as being installed in 2003, so very much due for replacement) , went and got a new battery, and swapped belts. Oh, I also noted that the light stock indicated that the headlights had been left on. :) (update: Amanda pointed out that there was some ambiguity as to who left the lights on. Amanda did.)
Of course nothing with this car has been simple. Not even the battery. Peugeot uses this weird terminal clamp on the positive terminal that is a one time install thing. You can try and pry it off, but it just ends up breaking. So, when you replace the battery you also have to replace this post clamp thing. Stupid French. Because this is after work, I now have to go to the Peugeot dealer tomorrow and get this stupid post clamp. It really is a stupid design. Why not just have a normal bolt on clamp like the rest of the world?
But that is it. The car should give me no more grief over the next few weeks. And in the end, I've spent less than ₤100 on Amanda's car, which is not bad for an el cheapo vehicle meant to get her around for a year. The total inventory on this car comes to:
Remove and replace blower motor to rid of voodoo spirits. ₤0.
Replace spark plug wires. ₤15.
Replace fan belt and idler pulley. ₤30.
Replace battery. ₤40.
I'm happy with how it all came out.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Spring Is Here?
I'm probably getting my hopes up, but today was beautiful. The sky was clear blue and the temperature was in the 40's. The girl and I drove to Castleton and went on a 3.5 mile hike up Mam Tor. Sort of the Peak District version of Half Dome, except it only has a prominence of about 800 feet. Our hike took us from the bottom of the valley up to Hollins Cross and then across the ridge to the top of Mam Tor. We took our time and stopped multiple times for snacks and photos. The best weekend weather in a while. As a result, it was crowded everywhere. We couldn't find any parking places in Castleton, and had to park at a lot near Speedwell Cavern (about a half mile out of town). This actually ended up being a great place to start off from, though a bit pricey for a car park (minimum of 3 pounds for four hours).
If the weather stays like this (fat chance) it will be hard to go.
If the weather stays like this (fat chance) it will be hard to go.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Cars Suck
Pop quiz. Do you know what this is (or more appropriately, what this used to be)? It's the mangled remains of the idler pulley for the auxiliary (a.k.a. fan) belt in Amanda's car. It appears as though the bearing seized, which led to the plastic shearing away from the bearing. This then rubbed against the remains of the bearing, melting down to just a rim. Finally, it slipped over and the belt ate away part of the outside. In it's last grasp for freedom, it threw itself off of the mounting shaft and into a cavity in the engine compartment, where it got tossed around by the fan belt with a clatter loud enough to get Amanda to call me.
She drove home safely and I found the above piece wedged between the fan belt and the chassis. Amanda and I fished the part out that evening and I took it into work the next day. After scanning some photos on e-bay with my co-workers Wednesday, we determined that it was the tensioner pulley for the fan belt. So, I called a local parts store and ordered the part, as well as a new fan belt. I picked up the tension arm assembly Friday. Sure looks like the part. Then Friday evening I take a look inside Amanda's car again. Not the tension pulley. Only the idler pulley. Hard to explain why this was an easy mistake to make, but it was. It wasn't clear until I was holding the part in my hand and comparing it to what was in the car. And by comparing I mean looking into dark recesses with a torch and feeling around with my hands. They pack everything in so tightly these days.
Today, I'm calling around seeing if anybody has it in stock. It's not looking promising. So that means I'll have to take Monday off to fix the car. However, the good news is that while the tension arm set me back about 50 pounds, the idler pulley is only about 15 pounds.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Onomotopoeia
I may get scorned for this post, but I think it's worth it.
What word do you think best describes the sound of a sock hitting a pillow? Poof maybe? How about flif (I made that one up)? According to Amanda the correct answer is, "...Hit the pillow with a thud." Thud? Thud is the sound of a brick hitting hard dirt. Thud is the word for your head slamming into the door that was closing when you weren't paying attention. Thud in no way describes the sound of a SOCK hitting a PILLOW.
Let me back up a bit.
I have to wake up about 45 minutes before Amanda, which in and of itself sucks. As I was looking for a pair of socks in my sock pile (who folds their socks, really), I came across one of Amanda's. So, to segregate it from my stuff, I tossed it onto my pillow which happened to be next to Amanda's face while she slept. No harm, no foul.
After I got home from work that night, I mentioned that I found one of her socks in my sock pile and left it on the bed for her. She said, "Yes, I noticed it this morning when you tossed it at my face and it hit the pillow with a thud."
I couldn't stop laughing. It was like a phrase that Douglas Adams would write ("Hung in the air in much the same way that a brick doesn't"). But here's the thing, she was serious, and my laughing was making the whole situation worse. How can you not laugh when someone describes the sound of a sock hitting a pillow as a thud.
If I could write, the above would be funny. I guess you had to be there.
I guess you also had to be me.
What word do you think best describes the sound of a sock hitting a pillow? Poof maybe? How about flif (I made that one up)? According to Amanda the correct answer is, "...Hit the pillow with a thud." Thud? Thud is the sound of a brick hitting hard dirt. Thud is the word for your head slamming into the door that was closing when you weren't paying attention. Thud in no way describes the sound of a SOCK hitting a PILLOW.
Let me back up a bit.
I have to wake up about 45 minutes before Amanda, which in and of itself sucks. As I was looking for a pair of socks in my sock pile (who folds their socks, really), I came across one of Amanda's. So, to segregate it from my stuff, I tossed it onto my pillow which happened to be next to Amanda's face while she slept. No harm, no foul.
After I got home from work that night, I mentioned that I found one of her socks in my sock pile and left it on the bed for her. She said, "Yes, I noticed it this morning when you tossed it at my face and it hit the pillow with a thud."
I couldn't stop laughing. It was like a phrase that Douglas Adams would write ("Hung in the air in much the same way that a brick doesn't"). But here's the thing, she was serious, and my laughing was making the whole situation worse. How can you not laugh when someone describes the sound of a sock hitting a pillow as a thud.
If I could write, the above would be funny. I guess you had to be there.
I guess you also had to be me.
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