Friday, May 06, 2005
dakar
Here is a little story about an xr650 and a UK rider that survived the paris - dakar race. a must read for the motorcycle enthusiast.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
pela 6000 oil extractor
I got a pela 6000 oil extractor. it holds about 1.5 gallons. its for chaning the oil in the TDI since i'm sick of taking the belly pan off (now full steel). gave it a shot today, worked fine. i'm sure it will come in handy for other odd ball tasks that require something to suck.
I payed 35 or $40 for the pela (got a link off of tdi.com) but in retrospect I could have got one for around 25$ from harborfreight but the one from harbor freight look like it comes with a crappy hose. the end of the hose on the pela is rigid and rams right down the oil check hole perfect.
I payed 35 or $40 for the pela (got a link off of tdi.com) but in retrospect I could have got one for around 25$ from harborfreight but the one from harbor freight look like it comes with a crappy hose. the end of the hose on the pela is rigid and rams right down the oil check hole perfect.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
plaque on pioneer 10
[click to make big]I found this on aerospaceweb.org what were they thinking in the 70's?!!!! what are alians going to think of the human bodies next to 8 in binary. what is that suppose to mean anyway! I'm from earth and its alian. I think they should have sent the probe on a boomerang path so we could get a good look of what we were like in the 70's and see just how far we have come, or not.
small planes
I found a good write up HERE about little planes. amazingly they built planes with around a 7 foot wingspan and 10 feet long. I think thats smaller than my car (15 foot long, 6 foot wide? i'll have to measure it when I get home). if I could find a kit for a plane that would fit in a parking stall I could see some real appeal to that.
cell phone
after almost 2 months of filling out paperwork and waiting, I think the cell phone from work is on the the way. I was assigned a phone number, so I consulted this website to see where my phone was local to. I think they got it off by one county so I'll have to call up and change my prefix. fun fun!
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
wifi channels
the appartment has a motorola wifi access point to cable adapter thinggy-mo-bop. the entire apartment complex seems to be on either 1, 6 or 11. (seems kind of odd, but not when you understand that we really only have 3 wifi channels in the US. i'll take that over the 1 that is allowed in japan.
I was having trouble staying connected, so I rummaged around for the logon and pw to the thing and changed the channel. hmm.. what to change it to, there is about equal interference on all channels. I tried 11 and it works like a champ. so... mental tech note to self. when there is wifi conflicts, with equal interference the higher channels are better than the lower ones. I dunno if this is a lucky coincidence. what channel do you guys use?
I was having trouble staying connected, so I rummaged around for the logon and pw to the thing and changed the channel. hmm.. what to change it to, there is about equal interference on all channels. I tried 11 and it works like a champ. so... mental tech note to self. when there is wifi conflicts, with equal interference the higher channels are better than the lower ones. I dunno if this is a lucky coincidence. what channel do you guys use?
scientific papers.
someone at the office said I should wait for them in their office and they'd come by and talk with me. I waited for about 10 minutes. after I got done going through all of their useless crap I went into the hallway by the cube and started going through the bookshelf. this place has all kinds of interesting books, located throughout the building. as far as I can tell the people that work here think they are for decoration. last time I was here I read one on nuclear weapons. a small pamplet written from the japanese perspective. really interesting. this time I grabbed a book.
How to write and publish a scientific paper, by Rober A. Day. second edition, 1983.
in the back, they have a list of 'words and expressions to avoid'. on page 169 (near the end of the book) it has a little quote.
Sermons on brevity and chastity are about equally effective. Verbal promiscuity flows from poverty of language and obesity of thought, and from unseemly haste to reach print-- a premature ejaculation, as it were.
-Eli Chernin
How to write and publish a scientific paper, by Rober A. Day. second edition, 1983.
in the back, they have a list of 'words and expressions to avoid'. on page 169 (near the end of the book) it has a little quote.
Sermons on brevity and chastity are about equally effective. Verbal promiscuity flows from poverty of language and obesity of thought, and from unseemly haste to reach print-- a premature ejaculation, as it were.
-Eli Chernin
Monday, April 25, 2005
afordoplane
now that my shed project is coming to a close, I need to get a new project. kevs building a projector, maybe I'll build a affordoplane.com
dual sport rides
I was cruising the net looking for pics of dualsport rides and ran across this article on ama-cycle.org. awesome little story. I'd settle for just going across nevada and back.
recharge the card
We have all had the magnetic strips on our credit cards wear out, I'm sure I"m not the only one. the usual solution is to just call up the credit card company and have them send you a new one. Personally I think it is due to sitting on it all the time and wearing off the magnetic material, but lately I've heard some other theorys.
Today, I tried to use my card and it didn't work in the tellers machine. the teller said it was due to heightened security and the airport had the metal detectors turned on full blast and that was what erased it (yeah right). its funny it works fine at the gas pumps, but not at the grocery store.
A few weeks ago, when I was in ohio and the card didn't work the teller at subway put it in a plastic sack, jumbled it around, took it out and it magically worked again. weird.
then today, it didn't work so the teller at the GIANT EAGLE asked if I wanted to do the 'bag trick' on it. by the way, we have nick named the store 'big bird' and 'screaming eagle' but one of my Coworkers says thats the name of harley aftermarket parts company, but I digress.
So I grab a plastic sack, throw my card in it and shake it around a bit. the teller looks at me like I'm insane (hey, it was her that suggested it...) for her, the 'bag trick' is to put in the plasic bag and then swipe it through the reader IN THE BAG. amazingly it worked. this ohio place is kinda strange.
Today, I tried to use my card and it didn't work in the tellers machine. the teller said it was due to heightened security and the airport had the metal detectors turned on full blast and that was what erased it (yeah right). its funny it works fine at the gas pumps, but not at the grocery store.
A few weeks ago, when I was in ohio and the card didn't work the teller at subway put it in a plastic sack, jumbled it around, took it out and it magically worked again. weird.
then today, it didn't work so the teller at the GIANT EAGLE asked if I wanted to do the 'bag trick' on it. by the way, we have nick named the store 'big bird' and 'screaming eagle' but one of my Coworkers says thats the name of harley aftermarket parts company, but I digress.
So I grab a plastic sack, throw my card in it and shake it around a bit. the teller looks at me like I'm insane (hey, it was her that suggested it...) for her, the 'bag trick' is to put in the plasic bag and then swipe it through the reader IN THE BAG. amazingly it worked. this ohio place is kinda strange.
high temp solder
an informal writeup on high temperature solders specifically in use in down hole applications. it was written from a techs point of view.. pretty good
hightemp
hightemp
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Onion Eyes
Someone, I wont say who, told me that the reason onion vapors burn your eyes is because it turns to sulfiric acid in your eye. Now however unlikely I may think this is (the eye just has salt water in it, right?) I would like to make an onion -> sulfiric acid converter so I can turn my onions (with the addition of the now universally accepted TOXIC LEAD) into car batterys. if you run across a reaction that says this whole onion -> acid conversion is real post me a reaction! this goes nicely with my whole organic power mentality I have been feeling as of late.
Windows Security
I got up this morning with high hopes of traveling in style today. The plan was to copy a few shows/movies onto the laptop and watch them during my 7 hours of coporate travel that was to commence at 12:00 noon.
I tried to connect to my home network, but was unable to because the laptop had already been joined to the corporate domain. so I reset it to my domain, restarted, and logged in.
I TRIED to login, but my logon was tied to the domain that I just disconnected from. I had no root (admin) access, and no one told me the admin password. I was leaving for the airport in 20 minutes, and now the laptop was useless!
I fired up google, burnt out the first linux NT recovery tool I could find and left for the airport. no movies, and now a piece of rubbish laptop that woudn't let me login!
at the airport I reset the admin password, added my own admin access and was up and running in about 10 minutes.
there was some warning about how loss of data could commence when I reset the password, but a laptop that own't let me login is useless, so I took the risk. no matter any way, I can get most of what I need with web access and with a linux mepis liveCD in the laptop bag I was reasured by the fact that if the hard drive was taken out and run over by a car I'd still be able to start linux with the CD and get most of what I needed done.
moral of the story? every laptop bag should have a copy of mepis in it as well as a boot cd or floppy for 'fixing' admin rights. mepis may have that tool in it, I didn't take the time to look.
I tried to connect to my home network, but was unable to because the laptop had already been joined to the corporate domain. so I reset it to my domain, restarted, and logged in.
I TRIED to login, but my logon was tied to the domain that I just disconnected from. I had no root (admin) access, and no one told me the admin password. I was leaving for the airport in 20 minutes, and now the laptop was useless!
I fired up google, burnt out the first linux NT recovery tool I could find and left for the airport. no movies, and now a piece of rubbish laptop that woudn't let me login!
at the airport I reset the admin password, added my own admin access and was up and running in about 10 minutes.
there was some warning about how loss of data could commence when I reset the password, but a laptop that own't let me login is useless, so I took the risk. no matter any way, I can get most of what I need with web access and with a linux mepis liveCD in the laptop bag I was reasured by the fact that if the hard drive was taken out and run over by a car I'd still be able to start linux with the CD and get most of what I needed done.
moral of the story? every laptop bag should have a copy of mepis in it as well as a boot cd or floppy for 'fixing' admin rights. mepis may have that tool in it, I didn't take the time to look.
Geese in turbines
I've been doing so much flying (can't you tell) that I can't stop thinking about failure modes of the plane. I have been wondering what happens when a canadian goose gets sucked in/through the turbine? I'm sure it has to happen. The turbine must be able to handle it because I can't recall off the top of my head any commercial flight losing an engine and having to limp in underpowered.
I don't have web access right now, so maybe one of you guys can look it up for me!
I don't have web access right now, so maybe one of you guys can look it up for me!
Flying Cars
One of my friends (mike) says according to paul harvey there will be a flying car for sale by the fall for about $50k. I've seen a flying car written up in pop. science, and pop. mechanics a while ago, but last I heard you couldn't drive (fly?) it without a private pilots license.
for $50k I think I might just have to chip in and get one of these. any of you guys heard rumors of flying cars going on sale?
for $50k I think I might just have to chip in and get one of these. any of you guys heard rumors of flying cars going on sale?
organic photovoltaics
I've got another far fetched business venture idea, the problem is I've not seen the technology to make it possible.
I need some kind of plant or chemical (besides traditional and expensive semiconductors) that exhibit the photo Voltaic effect. this is where direct conversion from light (most often sunlight) results in electron movement, or electricity. We see this effect every day in solar powered calculators, solar powered lights in front of your house, and solar street signs.
I want to GROW an entire field of a plant that exhibits this effect and in basic terms.. just plug my field into the power grid. at 15Cents per KwH if some plant, even at a few percent effecient conversion, I might be able to make money. and hey, with the government paying you to not grow stuff I'll just have them pay me to not grow during the winter months and I'll make money all year.
maybe the miricle plant could double as silage for cows, or be used to make ethanol or something so after my field was all juiced out I could sell the plant for another use!
any ideas? I need the biologists and chemists to chime in, you know who you are. if you know how to do it i'll cut you in on the profits! =)
I need some kind of plant or chemical (besides traditional and expensive semiconductors) that exhibit the photo Voltaic effect. this is where direct conversion from light (most often sunlight) results in electron movement, or electricity. We see this effect every day in solar powered calculators, solar powered lights in front of your house, and solar street signs.
I want to GROW an entire field of a plant that exhibits this effect and in basic terms.. just plug my field into the power grid. at 15Cents per KwH if some plant, even at a few percent effecient conversion, I might be able to make money. and hey, with the government paying you to not grow stuff I'll just have them pay me to not grow during the winter months and I'll make money all year.
maybe the miricle plant could double as silage for cows, or be used to make ethanol or something so after my field was all juiced out I could sell the plant for another use!
any ideas? I need the biologists and chemists to chime in, you know who you are. if you know how to do it i'll cut you in on the profits! =)
Coins
Jen and I went over to one of our friends places and helped him read dates on pennies. He's got a penny collection that is probably worth a few thousand dollars. We had a great time sorting and what not, trying to optimize our process. its funny, highly educated people tend to want to spend more time doing optimization than actually doing work, but we sorted about 1500 pennies in and hour or so. I think we found about 200 that he added to his collection.
this spurred an interest in coins, so I did some quick research on the new state quarters. jen and I have already been working on a collection of random state quarters. we don't care much about quality, or place that it was minted, we just want the pretty picture on the back.
it turns out the US mint is spitting out MANY MORE of these state quarters than origionally intended because they estimate 150MILLION people are now collecting them? I may have that number wrong, but it was high.
a state quarter in excellent condition (basically uncirculated?) is now worth $1, so I'd encourage you guys to start hanging on to them. if you don't want them, i'll buy em from you (for face value of course =). the early ones are harder to get now.
I'm thinking of buying the full silver PROOF state quarters. they sell for 11$ from the mint each. that should be fun. am I nuts?
What do you guys collect?
this spurred an interest in coins, so I did some quick research on the new state quarters. jen and I have already been working on a collection of random state quarters. we don't care much about quality, or place that it was minted, we just want the pretty picture on the back.
it turns out the US mint is spitting out MANY MORE of these state quarters than origionally intended because they estimate 150MILLION people are now collecting them? I may have that number wrong, but it was high.
a state quarter in excellent condition (basically uncirculated?) is now worth $1, so I'd encourage you guys to start hanging on to them. if you don't want them, i'll buy em from you (for face value of course =). the early ones are harder to get now.
I'm thinking of buying the full silver PROOF state quarters. they sell for 11$ from the mint each. that should be fun. am I nuts?
What do you guys collect?
Airport Wireless
Where is a starbucks when you need it? I thought they had something that if you got a cup of coffee you could get 1/2 hour of wifi access for free (well, as free as it can be when the coffee costs $5), but i have yet to see starbucks or ANYONE with food at the airport offer wifi access with a purchase. maybe I just haven't looked hard enough.
the vast majority of the airports I have been in do NOT have free internet wifi access. most of them have this annoying open wifi access point that once you connect, all HTTP requests are sent to a page that prompts you to purchase wifi access for 6 or 9 or 12 dollars, depending on the airport. how lame. I've been to atlanta, cleveland, mineapolis (sp?), phoenix, houston, and las vegas. of all of those, las vegas was the only open access point that I can remember.
for a future business venture, I think I'll rent a locker in the airport for $5 a month or what ever it costs, and call up the cable company and have cable installed in my locker. then i'll put my own access point in there and sell access for 3$. actually I'll make the first 15min free (and track by mac address or something). then make a deal with all of the food people in the vicinity of my locker. that way people can add a 'wifi sandwich' to their meal and get access. you see, on cooporate travel I can charge food to the company card no problem, but i'm not so sure about internet access. such a solution should solve everyones problems.
the vast majority of the airports I have been in do NOT have free internet wifi access. most of them have this annoying open wifi access point that once you connect, all HTTP requests are sent to a page that prompts you to purchase wifi access for 6 or 9 or 12 dollars, depending on the airport. how lame. I've been to atlanta, cleveland, mineapolis (sp?), phoenix, houston, and las vegas. of all of those, las vegas was the only open access point that I can remember.
for a future business venture, I think I'll rent a locker in the airport for $5 a month or what ever it costs, and call up the cable company and have cable installed in my locker. then i'll put my own access point in there and sell access for 3$. actually I'll make the first 15min free (and track by mac address or something). then make a deal with all of the food people in the vicinity of my locker. that way people can add a 'wifi sandwich' to their meal and get access. you see, on cooporate travel I can charge food to the company card no problem, but i'm not so sure about internet access. such a solution should solve everyones problems.
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