If I had three wishes, one would be for a billion dollars. The second would be for my wife to have her books published and in bookstores. The third would be for a starship. You can see that the first is for my entire family, the second for my wife, and the third for me.
The starship would be a combination of the Andromeda Ascendant from the 2000 TV series Andromeda and the Teacher from the Alan Dean Foster book series called the Pip And Flinx series. Picture the AIs from the two ships merged, and then take all the features of the Teacher and fit them into both the shape and size of the Andromeda Ascendant. Also add in any features of the Andromeda Ascendant which do not contradict the Teacher's features. And finally, add in the ability to "beam" people from one place to another so that I can get in and out of the ship from Earth undetected. The ship can park on the opposite side of the sun from the Earth and keep itself there so that it avoids detection.
Okay, I have too much free time on my hands! If anyone wants a space ship designer on their staff, let me know!
12 July, 2013
A Billion Dollars (Picture Me With My Pinky Finger In My Mouth)...
I meant this blog to be a series of do it yourself ideas, but I never had the time. So 2 years later I find myself tired and watching TV but wanting to write something, so I will write this:
If I had a billion dollars, I would donate half of it to charity. Which charities? American Cancer Society, Alzheimers Association, St. Judes, The Long Now Society, The University of Miami, and several local non-profits (those are roughly in order of largest to smallest donations).
Next, $200 million goes to my kids, nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents (no particular order, I'd give the most to the youngest people and scale it down as the generations get older).
For the last $300 million, I would split it up. First, I need two houses so I can summer up north and winter down south. Then the north house would be a complex with many houses for my kids and other relatives who wish to live with me. If I ever start a conversation on this complex, I could write books about it after all the thought I've given to it. Then technology would be included. And I would want a garden and solar farm and so forth, along with a bomb shelter, so that I could weather anything. Picture a zombie invasion in the wake of a nuclear winter. And finally, I would travel and enjoy the rest of my life.
Okay, this isn't a good description, in fact it is mission millions of words. So I'll need to write more entries later on.
Oh, incidentally, this isn't my three wishes. For that one, see the next post.
If I had a billion dollars, I would donate half of it to charity. Which charities? American Cancer Society, Alzheimers Association, St. Judes, The Long Now Society, The University of Miami, and several local non-profits (those are roughly in order of largest to smallest donations).
Next, $200 million goes to my kids, nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents (no particular order, I'd give the most to the youngest people and scale it down as the generations get older).
For the last $300 million, I would split it up. First, I need two houses so I can summer up north and winter down south. Then the north house would be a complex with many houses for my kids and other relatives who wish to live with me. If I ever start a conversation on this complex, I could write books about it after all the thought I've given to it. Then technology would be included. And I would want a garden and solar farm and so forth, along with a bomb shelter, so that I could weather anything. Picture a zombie invasion in the wake of a nuclear winter. And finally, I would travel and enjoy the rest of my life.
Okay, this isn't a good description, in fact it is mission millions of words. So I'll need to write more entries later on.
Oh, incidentally, this isn't my three wishes. For that one, see the next post.
13 July, 2012
Amazing Grass!
Okay, I've tried something new, and I'm going to start making entries about it.
Amazing Grass (amazinggrass.com or amazon.com) is a health supplement that offers vegetables and probiotics, along with many other healthful benefits. When I have more time I may blog about how good it is for you.
Right now I want to point out that I have tried three flavors and I wanted to report my results:
1. Orange Dreamsicle: I mixed this with water so I would know it's flavor. The flavor is like taking grass (yes, this product is based in grass) and adding some orange and artificial sweetener. It was hard to drink, and I got it all down only by adding sugar and then chasing every sip with another drink. Then when I was done I had to eat something to wash the aftertaste out. In fact, the flavor was fine but the aftertaste was horrible. Thinking about it, mixing this into orange juice might help. Adding it to an orange smoothie would be the best. I may have to start making smoothies!
2. Energy Superfood Mix: This one is supposed to be lemon lime and people say it tastes like sprite. I mixed it with water and sugar. I don't know why people who review things seem to have no taste buds. Actually it tastes a little like a mojito made without the alcohol (that could be fixed) and with grass added. But I was able to drink it with pauses to gag. I think my plan for this one will be to either try it in club soda with some real lime juice and sugar added to make a lime-aide with a hint of mint (the flavor has a mint and lime taste, hence the mojito reference). Or perhaps this would go well in a lime smoothie or I could add it to lemonaide.
3. Green Superfood (original): This one isn't really supposed to have flavor (other than grass), so I added it to V-8 with worcestershire sauce and sugar. I'm drinking it right now and ... well ... I won't be having the unflavored original one again.
More to come, I'll add to this post soon!
Amazing Grass (amazinggrass.com or amazon.com) is a health supplement that offers vegetables and probiotics, along with many other healthful benefits. When I have more time I may blog about how good it is for you.
Right now I want to point out that I have tried three flavors and I wanted to report my results:
1. Orange Dreamsicle: I mixed this with water so I would know it's flavor. The flavor is like taking grass (yes, this product is based in grass) and adding some orange and artificial sweetener. It was hard to drink, and I got it all down only by adding sugar and then chasing every sip with another drink. Then when I was done I had to eat something to wash the aftertaste out. In fact, the flavor was fine but the aftertaste was horrible. Thinking about it, mixing this into orange juice might help. Adding it to an orange smoothie would be the best. I may have to start making smoothies!
2. Energy Superfood Mix: This one is supposed to be lemon lime and people say it tastes like sprite. I mixed it with water and sugar. I don't know why people who review things seem to have no taste buds. Actually it tastes a little like a mojito made without the alcohol (that could be fixed) and with grass added. But I was able to drink it with pauses to gag. I think my plan for this one will be to either try it in club soda with some real lime juice and sugar added to make a lime-aide with a hint of mint (the flavor has a mint and lime taste, hence the mojito reference). Or perhaps this would go well in a lime smoothie or I could add it to lemonaide.
3. Green Superfood (original): This one isn't really supposed to have flavor (other than grass), so I added it to V-8 with worcestershire sauce and sugar. I'm drinking it right now and ... well ... I won't be having the unflavored original one again.
More to come, I'll add to this post soon!
08 March, 2011
Make Betty Crocker Pancakes - wikiHow
Make Betty Crocker Pancakes - wikiHow
1 tbsp. Baking Powder (14g | 1/2 oz.) 1 tbsp. Sugar (14g | 1/2 oz.) 1/2 tsp. Salt (use 1/4 tsp for healthier pancakes) 3/4 Cup of skim milk (175ml | 6 fl. oz.) 2 tbsp vegetable oil or melted shortening (30ml | 1 fl. oz.) (not necessary if you are using a non-stick pan) Mix Ingredients. Whisk the egg until fluffy (frothy?) then beat in the rest of the wet ingredients. Pour that mixture into your dry ingredients and beat until smooth. For thinner pancakes add another 1/4 cup of milk. Clean up! Take some time to keep your cooking area wiped down and your hands washed. This will make cleaning up later a whole lot easier and give you more room to move around in. Test your Pan. Sprinkle a few drops of water onto it. If the bubbles skitter around, the heat is right. Use oil or grease if needed to keep pancakes from sticking. If you are using an electric griddle, set it to 300 degrees. Pour on the batter. Pour roughly 3 tablespoons onto the pan with a large spoon or a pitcher. Cook the pancake until it's puffed up and bubbly on top. You can also judge when to flip by sliding a spatula under it and peeking at the bottom. Cook for another minute or so and transfer to a plate. To keep them warm in the oven, put a paper towel between each pancake. Be patient, if you rush your pancakes by keeping the heat too high you won't cook the center! If that happens cut your pancakes in half until you get them cooked all the way through. Don't sweat it if your pancakes aren't perfect, it usually takes a few tries to get the temperature just right! Experiment with what you put in the pancakes! In one case you can add 3 tablespoons of sugar. You can also do things like substitute ¼ cup of milk for ½ cup of applesauce and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon.
Pancakes make a wonderful breakfast and even a dinner in some countries!
Dry Ingredients
- 1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour (225g | 8 oz.)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 egg
Note: All measurements are Imperial and Metric for CA, US, UK and NZ
- Prepare your space. This includes making sure you have enough room to work and you have all the ingredients required. Start heating your pan and wash your hands.
- You can top your pancakes with virtually anything from butter and maple syrup to sliced fruit or sugar and cinnamon.
- Since you're working with raw eggs make sure to keep your hands washed.
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Betty Crocker Pancakes. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
11 November, 2009
Evony
If you play any other games online, you’ve probably seen ads for Evony, a great massivly-multiplayer game out there called Evony! Their ads are the ones with the cute girls telling you to conquer them (no comment). I am kg4dkf, a lord in the game with two cities that I have built. The game can be completely free, in fact I have spent nothing and I am at the point where I could conquer other cities if I wanted to and build an empire. Of course, I don't like hurting other players, so I avoid all that and I just build for the sake of conquering more unoccupied land. Anyways, enough about me, here's what you should do. First, set up a free account (link above) and open the game up. And you’ll have to choose a server, which server you choose determines what other players you will be playing against.
The game will give you a quest to follow, but while that can help you get more resources, the best thing to do is to start building all basic buildings and a bunch of lumber yards (make sure you build a market place too). Remember that buildings use resources, so make sure you get the ones you need and start producing things. The reason I say to produce lumber is that it is the most expensive resource in the marketplace, so produce that, sell it to others, and then buy the other resources. I can't tell you how much time I wasted on mining for stone!
So once the game is going well, you want to upgrade your buildings. Don’t worry, some things take time, but they are worth it. The more you upgrade, the more you can do in the game! You can send out armies to conquer forests, for example, and once you take them over they increase the output of your lumber yards! And I definitely recommend looking around the map because you will get a feel for what you’re up against.
Buildings max out at level 10, and you have to get a special script to perform that final upgrade, which means you should log in each day to get the free amulet that the game gives you once a day and then spin the wheel hoping to get that script!
Once you've been playing for a few weeks, you'll get the hang of everything, and soon enough you'll be able to start a second city! Grow your empire!!
The game will give you a quest to follow, but while that can help you get more resources, the best thing to do is to start building all basic buildings and a bunch of lumber yards (make sure you build a market place too). Remember that buildings use resources, so make sure you get the ones you need and start producing things. The reason I say to produce lumber is that it is the most expensive resource in the marketplace, so produce that, sell it to others, and then buy the other resources. I can't tell you how much time I wasted on mining for stone!
So once the game is going well, you want to upgrade your buildings. Don’t worry, some things take time, but they are worth it. The more you upgrade, the more you can do in the game! You can send out armies to conquer forests, for example, and once you take them over they increase the output of your lumber yards! And I definitely recommend looking around the map because you will get a feel for what you’re up against.
Buildings max out at level 10, and you have to get a special script to perform that final upgrade, which means you should log in each day to get the free amulet that the game gives you once a day and then spin the wheel hoping to get that script!
Once you've been playing for a few weeks, you'll get the hang of everything, and soon enough you'll be able to start a second city! Grow your empire!!
26 September, 2008
Moving
The link above refers to a company that helps you move by bringing a container to your house and then moving it for you once you fill it. They pay bloggers to enter good reviews about them. If you are looking for this service, there are others out there. If you must do business with this company, look for their reviews on consumer web sites first, do not trust what you read in blogs about them.
27 August, 2008
Flights
I've been trying for months to book a flight, I keep watching fares. I see the following trend with regard to prices. Prices seem to start out in a structured manner, where the first person gets one fare and it goes up for each x people who buy. Then after the first few waves are filled and the flights is only months away, the price starts to rise steadily. It peaks somewhere before, less than 30 days out but more than 14, depending on the airline. Then it starts to fall again because the airline is worried about not filling the flight. As the flight approaches, the price rises again to take advantage of people who book at the last minute (they tend to be the least flexible). Finally, on the day of the flight, one of two things can happen: for popular flight times, the price rises dramatically to take advantage of last minute business travelers who have no choice in flight times; whereas for less popular flight times the price can drop dramatically due to a worry that the flight wont fill up. Spirit complicates this for their customers because they have a $9 fare club which allows you to get deals that are typically on flights in the next 7-30 days and more often on weekday flights than weekend. If you are watching for flgihts, check out AirFareWatchDog. They inform you of sales, even for Spirit's $9 fare club which you can then join to get the fare and cancel after your flight.
26 August, 2008
Publish Your Own Book!
If you've ever wanted to publish your own book, Lulu.com is the place to be! They let you upload your book and set the price (above their standard rates). Then they print the book on demand when someone buys it and you get the profit! Aspiring writers can use this to get published, or you can write a book just for yourself and purchase the one and only copy before removing it from their site... Publish anything short of photo quality including company books, family trees, your will, your life story, your school essays (I plan on doing that one some day), and a whole lot more!!
Cookbooks and Such...
There is a great site called Blurb that lets you print your own photo books. I'm not talking 50 cents a page either. I'm talking about 11"x17" pages and 400 of them for $100! I am planning on one day printing several things: I want to print a cookbook (I did this once, but on my ink jet printer and with no pictures, plus it is now stuffed with recepies that I have collected so it needs an update). I want to print my blogs (probably just whenever they reach 400 pages, and I'll include the pictures that I have on my personal blog). And I want to print a photo book for each year once my kids are grown up (that's a long time off) with all my best photos and I'll give them each a copy of the "library." Think of the possibilities!
Aerogarden Part 2
Just a note to let you know that I am trying tomato plants in my aerogarden. I'm not pleased with the fact that it has been a month now and the plants are only 6-8" tall and show no flowers or fruit yet. I'll let you know when I have more to report.
Insulation
Ever thought about doing a better job of insulating the outside of your house? There are a lot of options available. The most expensive is to rip down your drywall and put up new with better insulation inside. The next step down is to laminate more drywall over your existing drywall. Going down still further in price is having holes drilled in your block (from the outside) and foam insulation injected (then the holes get patched). But I just found out about loose fill insulation and other similar products which can be blown in to existing walls by cutting small openings in the walls at every stud (usually every 16 or 24 inches). You cut the holes, blow the insulation in using special equipment, and patch the wall back to look good as new. This can be hard when walls are wallpapered because you can't really patch wallpaper. You don't get as much r-value as installing board insulation in new walls, but you save a fortune. Estimates I found online showed an average of 50 cents per square foot for the complete process including patching your wall back to normal, but those could have been old or inacurate estimates, so I recommend you contact several companies in your area and compare their quotes.
Mold Resistant Drywall
Well, you probably have guessed (if I haven't said) that I'm in the drywall business. Today's post is a summary of why you shouldn't use regular drywall when rennovating your house. In fact, if you are buying a new house you should ask if you can upgrade your drywall for a small fee. XP board (or Gold Bond Mold Tough or another equivelent) is a far superior drywall when it comes to mold. Let's face it, people in the desert have to worry about mold these days. Mold is a health hazzard that comes from everywhere and no one should have to deal with it. Having mold in your house can cause all sorts of health problems, and you are far more likely to have these problems with regular drywall.
Now behind tile you need cement board, because that provides a far better mold barrier. But your regular drywall needs a mold and mildew resistant paper AND CORE. Old fashioned green board doesn't cut it anymore, and it doesn't meet commercial building code in my area. I have mold in my bathroom that I need to get rid of, but I'm putting it off until I can redo the bathroom and I'll rip the walls down and build them right. Everyone may have mold in their walls that they can't see! And the worst part is that what you can't see CAN hurt you...
Now behind tile you need cement board, because that provides a far better mold barrier. But your regular drywall needs a mold and mildew resistant paper AND CORE. Old fashioned green board doesn't cut it anymore, and it doesn't meet commercial building code in my area. I have mold in my bathroom that I need to get rid of, but I'm putting it off until I can redo the bathroom and I'll rip the walls down and build them right. Everyone may have mold in their walls that they can't see! And the worst part is that what you can't see CAN hurt you...
01 August, 2008
Fix Scratches Yourself
If you have scratches on your car, this site is for you. For small scratches, they sell paint pens that fill in the scratch with your original paint. For large scratches or entire panels, they sell spray paint cans and give complete instructions.
If you are looking for a perfect finish, you should let a professional paint your car, because you wont be as good as a professional and you are likely to end up with slight bubbles or irregularities in the paint. But if you just want to do some light touch up, or if you don't care how the paint looks as long as it is painted, this site is for you!
Incidentally, if you do get your car painted, I recommend using a dealership. They will be more expensive, but the job will usually be done better. I have had body shops that looked like they did a great job but a year later the paint bubbled and cracked!
If you are looking for a perfect finish, you should let a professional paint your car, because you wont be as good as a professional and you are likely to end up with slight bubbles or irregularities in the paint. But if you just want to do some light touch up, or if you don't care how the paint looks as long as it is painted, this site is for you!
Incidentally, if you do get your car painted, I recommend using a dealership. They will be more expensive, but the job will usually be done better. I have had body shops that looked like they did a great job but a year later the paint bubbled and cracked!
Fix Your Yellowed Headlights
This post assumes that you have a car with headlights that have yellowed from age. Many people think that headlights yellow because they get wet from inside and the yellow is a discoloration caused by the water that dries on the lenses. While water getting into your headlights can cause its own problems (reducing light output by diffusing the light, for example), these problems are not the yellowing that you may see. This yellowing is a reaction to UV rays that the plastic lense covering the lights has. When certain types of clear plastic are exposed to UV rays for extensive periods of time, they can yellow. This is why garage parked cars will show less yellowing and also cars of people who live up north will show less than those who live in the south.
Fixing this is easy! All you have to do is buy a kit to repair it. These kits are sold in several places on the internet, and range in both quality and price. Remember that more expensive doesn't mean better. The kit will usually have a buffing pad that fits on an electric drill, some compound that strips the top layer of the plastic off, and a protective coat to reduce future damage by making your lenses UV proof. A more expensive option, for people who want their cars to look perfect, is to buy new headlights. I bought a new one after an accident (save money, do your own auto repairs) and it worked perfectly! Depending on your car, the lights may cost anywhere from $40 to $400 or more per side. Mine are $125 per side, so I bought the kit for $25 and cleaned them up.
There is an important safety concern as your headlights yellow. This yellowing reduces light output and causes reduced visibility. You should definately consdier repairing your lenses if they are yellowing.
Fixing this is easy! All you have to do is buy a kit to repair it. These kits are sold in several places on the internet, and range in both quality and price. Remember that more expensive doesn't mean better. The kit will usually have a buffing pad that fits on an electric drill, some compound that strips the top layer of the plastic off, and a protective coat to reduce future damage by making your lenses UV proof. A more expensive option, for people who want their cars to look perfect, is to buy new headlights. I bought a new one after an accident (save money, do your own auto repairs) and it worked perfectly! Depending on your car, the lights may cost anywhere from $40 to $400 or more per side. Mine are $125 per side, so I bought the kit for $25 and cleaned them up.
There is an important safety concern as your headlights yellow. This yellowing reduces light output and causes reduced visibility. You should definately consdier repairing your lenses if they are yellowing.
29 July, 2008
Aerogarden
I was tending to my Aerogarden today and I though I'd blog about my experience with it. I got it about 4 months ago, I know because I ran out of my first 3 month seed kit a month ago and I keep neglecting to do anything about it. I love the garden, but I simply don't have time for all the maintenance. The Aerogarden has the advantage of being able to be neglected for 2 weeks at a time. Then the light starts blinking and it needs water and food tablets. Once that 5 minute task is done, it is good for another 2 weeks. The problem is that every 3 months you have to throw the plants out and shell out another $20 to keep it going. You also loose a month to regrowing each time you renew it. And you are limited to one type of plant (you can't grow basil, tomatoes, lettuce and flowers all at once). My last garden started out as half lettuce and half herbs, and the lettuce suffered because of it. I ended up cutting the lettuce off at the stem and forgetting about those holes for the next few months. Now I'm on to tomatoes.
So who do I recommend the Aerogarden for? I think if you can afford to shell out the money for it without feeling like you gave up something else (that doesn't describe me), and you like the novelty of having a small fresh garden indoors, then you should get an Aerogarden.
Incidentally, if you have an Aerogarden, try putting potted plants (perhaps more herbs or flowers) next to it. Those plants will greatly benefit from the added light. Add some fertalizer to those plants from time to time, and don't forget to water them. I got a few aqua-globes (at Bed, Bath and Beyond I paid $8 for two after their standard coupon) to water these other plants and now I just water everything once a week.
The final touch to my strange garden is out on my back porce. I got an upside down hanging tomato plant (the hanging pot was from Target for $10 and the plant was also from Target for $2). I water that once a week too. However, I have been neglecting my weekly watering the past few weeks and this plant is looking sad. I'm going to try to keep on a better schedule going forward and see if I can boost it back to life!
So who do I recommend the Aerogarden for? I think if you can afford to shell out the money for it without feeling like you gave up something else (that doesn't describe me), and you like the novelty of having a small fresh garden indoors, then you should get an Aerogarden.
Incidentally, if you have an Aerogarden, try putting potted plants (perhaps more herbs or flowers) next to it. Those plants will greatly benefit from the added light. Add some fertalizer to those plants from time to time, and don't forget to water them. I got a few aqua-globes (at Bed, Bath and Beyond I paid $8 for two after their standard coupon) to water these other plants and now I just water everything once a week.
The final touch to my strange garden is out on my back porce. I got an upside down hanging tomato plant (the hanging pot was from Target for $10 and the plant was also from Target for $2). I water that once a week too. However, I have been neglecting my weekly watering the past few weeks and this plant is looking sad. I'm going to try to keep on a better schedule going forward and see if I can boost it back to life!
18 July, 2008
Price Increases...
I know that some of my readers may be contractors like myself. And if you are, then I'm sure you know about price increases in steel these days. Some suppliers are even revoking price quotes. Well, I may as well tell you that I don't put up with quote revocations. I have had two such revocations recently. First, Deitrich Metal Framing sent out a notice that all price quotes now expire after 30 days unless a contract is signed. I responded by sending a letter to my suppliers stating that if they have bid Deitrich framing on any job that has not been awarded yet they need to get another company to match Deitrich's price and in future I will not accept a price quote from Deitrich unless it states that the quote is vallid until the expiration date regardless of company policy or material price increases and is signed by an officer of the Deitrich corporation. Of course this means that I don't get Deitrich quotes any more, but even though prices are going up the market isn't and it is easy to find another vendor, especially for metal studs!
Last week I got an even worse one. I have a job called the MIC that is contracted already. I haven't signed a PO to Armstrong for the ceilings yet, but I informed them that I intended to buy from them. So I have a price quote and I have told them that I would buy from them. I have sent in all the submittals already. Now they say that they are increasing my grid prices and wont honor their quote. I am in the process of working my way up their chain of command. I told my rep that not only will I not accept this because the price quote is effectively a contract with their company, but that I intended to switch this job and all future jobs to USG and never buy from Armstrong again unless they honored their quote. Needless to say, a few people over at Armstrong are mad at me. And I work for their largest customer in the area and one of their oldest direct contractors. So I'm expecting the president of my company to tell me to back off at any moment. But I still have the choice in what products to use on future jobs and Armstrong will loose a lot more business from me than they will gain if they don't honor their quote.
So why am I so upset by this? Well the way the system works is that an owner calls 3 GCs and asks them to bid on a project. The GCs each call three drywall companies and asks them to bid. Then I call on one or more suppliers and ask them to bid. My suppliers, in turn, could call on raw material producers and ask them to bid, but they don't. I am bound to my price just as my suppliers are bound to theirs. So when a supplier ups their price to me, I directly loose money. And I wont stand for it anymore. There are hundreds of small manufacturers across the country for every type of material. If Detrich doesn't want my business, Allsteel will. If Armstrong doesn't want it, USG will or perhaps Chicago Metallic. The point is that I always have another option and contractors should not just lie there and take price increases without regard for their own profit.
So if you're a subcontractor and you get a price increase notification, respond with a letter that states you accept the increase for jobs that have not already been quoted but their quotes must be honored. If they say no, then tell them that it has been a pleasure doing business with them and you hope that they have success with another company buying from them, because you wont buy from them again.
And remember that the person who thinks long term will always get the last laugh because the next time that prices drop below cost because there is a housing slowdown and they can't give the stuff away fast enough, just ask for 10 bids on a project until you get one that is low enough to make up for the losses you incured before.
Last week I got an even worse one. I have a job called the MIC that is contracted already. I haven't signed a PO to Armstrong for the ceilings yet, but I informed them that I intended to buy from them. So I have a price quote and I have told them that I would buy from them. I have sent in all the submittals already. Now they say that they are increasing my grid prices and wont honor their quote. I am in the process of working my way up their chain of command. I told my rep that not only will I not accept this because the price quote is effectively a contract with their company, but that I intended to switch this job and all future jobs to USG and never buy from Armstrong again unless they honored their quote. Needless to say, a few people over at Armstrong are mad at me. And I work for their largest customer in the area and one of their oldest direct contractors. So I'm expecting the president of my company to tell me to back off at any moment. But I still have the choice in what products to use on future jobs and Armstrong will loose a lot more business from me than they will gain if they don't honor their quote.
So why am I so upset by this? Well the way the system works is that an owner calls 3 GCs and asks them to bid on a project. The GCs each call three drywall companies and asks them to bid. Then I call on one or more suppliers and ask them to bid. My suppliers, in turn, could call on raw material producers and ask them to bid, but they don't. I am bound to my price just as my suppliers are bound to theirs. So when a supplier ups their price to me, I directly loose money. And I wont stand for it anymore. There are hundreds of small manufacturers across the country for every type of material. If Detrich doesn't want my business, Allsteel will. If Armstrong doesn't want it, USG will or perhaps Chicago Metallic. The point is that I always have another option and contractors should not just lie there and take price increases without regard for their own profit.
So if you're a subcontractor and you get a price increase notification, respond with a letter that states you accept the increase for jobs that have not already been quoted but their quotes must be honored. If they say no, then tell them that it has been a pleasure doing business with them and you hope that they have success with another company buying from them, because you wont buy from them again.
And remember that the person who thinks long term will always get the last laugh because the next time that prices drop below cost because there is a housing slowdown and they can't give the stuff away fast enough, just ask for 10 bids on a project until you get one that is low enough to make up for the losses you incured before.
16 July, 2008
Personalized Products
If you are like me, you enjoy personalized products. Things like my wife's purse which has pictures of our kids on it, or a photo frame that is etched wood saying our names. There are thousands of examples. Partly to share these with my family, and a little motivated by wanting to get a percentage of sales, I put up a website at http://darkskies.org/snap/ to allow people to buy from my favorite personalization companies (and Amazon.com and a few others). I get a percentage of sales through those links. So check out the products, I think you'll like them. And if you use the links you will be supporting my writing, which I hope to do more of in the future.
Site Map
I'm asking for help from my readers. Please e-mail blog@mccarthy.cn with your suggestions. I am looking for a good site map creator. I want to create a site map by giving it FTP access and having it look for every HTML document and put them in a file structure type of format and them letting me edit and remove what I don't want published.
Creating My Own PVR
I made my own personal video recorder (PVR) using a PC and GB-PVR software about two years ago. Two years later I am letting you know that I don't use it. The GB-PVR software works most of the time; but, because every so often it screws up, my wife wont use it. And the Media-MVP which I use to play back, gets 5 minutes without restarting at best. I had it working for 30 minutes at a time for a while, but then it went back to 5 minutes. Naturally, I gave up on it. What I need is a Tivo, only one that can store to and play from either its own drive or a networked computer, that stores in a common format without copywrite protection, and that will allow me to transport my videos to my computer and play back in Windows Media Player. I want upgradability, I don't want to be stuck with one brand forever. Any comments?
Household Wiring Considerations
With 7+ years of experience as an engineer working with voice, data, radio and telephony systems, I have a unique perspective on home wiring. If you are having a new home built, or remodeling your current home, you might want to consider this post. Homebuilders who want to market to the younger generations who are increasingly "wired" should also take note. Now before I proceed, I should speak to those of you who are thinking that wires are obsolete. It is true that everything I am about to discuss can be done without wires. Computer networks, telephones, speakers for your home theater system, just about everything in your home except for one phone jack and your cable TV lines can be done wirelessly. But there are benefits to wiring your home. I will first tell you what I want in my future home (when I get around to buying one, I currently live rent free and don't complain about the lack of wiring).
First, you want to consider what systems you will have in your house. Computers, telephones, fax machines, in home audio systems, home theater systems, perhaps an alarm system, your thermostat, maybe an intercom, the possibilities are almost limitless. And of course, you can't wire for everything. If you are having a new home built and piping is cheap I would recommend putting in pipes for every system that you currently think you may want. In my case, all bedrooms get one pipe for computer, telephone and tv (combined on one faceplate) as well as two to the ceiling for whole-house audio speakers and one to the door for both the volume controls for the speakers and an intercom. Common rooms (living room, dining room, family room, den, library, game room, whatever you have) get the same, but with extra data/phone/tv jacks around the room whereever I may one day need them if I reposition all my furniture (don't have a need for a computer or tv in the living room today? Wire for it anyway just in case you change your mind in 10 years). The kitchen and bathrooms are special cases. My kitchen gets several data/phone/tv jacks in the upper cabinets around the room for future use (under-cabinet tv, drop down telephone, recepie computer, etc). Also, one set behind the fridge because some newer refridgerators have a network connection to reorder your groceries for you and a TV built in to watch while you cook; and one behind the stove because who knows when they will come out with a stove that you can monitor from your network. Plus jacks in the ceiling for future network cameras so you can walk away from your stove and leave a monitor on in the other room to watch for smoke. Of course, in-ceiling speakers and a volume control/intercom location by the door are necessary. The bathrooms get special treatment too. For right now, just the speakers and volume/intercom locations. But for future use I'll leave two pipes burried in the wall, one opposite the toilet and one in the shower (don't forget to leave empty pipes to your breaker panel too for future power). In the future, if I get bored and want a really complicated project I could open the wall up and build in a shelf (behind plexiglass and sealed water tight) that holds a TV (the shower one would be able to pick up any channel, the one in front of the toilet would show whatever is on the main TV so that you can run to the bathroom during a movie without stopping it and making everyone wait). I would also run alarm pipes to each window, door, and each room for motion detectors. Future alarm systems are already available that, if wired right, can show you on a panel where an intrusion is taking place, call you if you aren't home, call the police automatically (without a service to charge a monitoring fee), and even turn on video cameras in the rooms where the alarm is going off. I would put up boxes for cameras outside (you can get systems for about $1,500 now with 16 day/night cameras and a single recording machine that stores a month of footage from all cameras on one digital drive). One more consideration is speakers for your home theater. In the room with the big tv, you may want pipes from behind the tv to various points around the room (think big, we are up to 8 speaker systems with 7.1 out and who knows what will come next) or you might go with in-wall speakers that turn drywall into a speaker surface for a truely concealed system that has great sound (don't forget that in wall speakers are easiest to install before the walls are finished, so consider buying these and wiring them before the house is done even if you wont be powering them for a while).
Don't forget the electricity, any place that you leave a computer hook-up (or tv or phone) you should have an electrical outlet. For home theater systems, or multiple computer locations, you should consider a quadruplex outlet on a dedicated 20 amp circuit.
Speaking on don't forgets, what about outside your house? You may one day want to put a laptop computer station outside, so anywhere you will have a table and chairs (or may have one in the future) you should put a data/phone/tv box and electrical outlet. How about holiday lighting or just landscape lighting? Putting an electrical outlet by every tree will save unsightly cords later on. And if you want to do low voltage landscape lighting (which is brighter than solar), consider putting in an electrical outlet by your controls and running pipes in series all over the yard with boxes at the start of every row of lighting. Remember, you don't want to tear up your yard later. And think about a sprinkler system while you are putting in all these pipes.
Now let's look at wiring. If money is a concern, and it always is if you aren't hiring someone to do this all for you, then only wire what you need and leave blank covers on the other boxes. It is still good to have them because in the future you can simply change the cover and run some wire to have a new location. All your boxes should go to one location and you should have a wire management system (such as an equipment rack with patch panels for data/phone/tv cables and 66 blocks on the wall for speakers). And I recommend never running a single cable for the tv/phone/data blocks (consider 3 or 4 CAT-5e cables and 2 co-aux cables to give an extra of each type for future use). If you later need another cable, you often can't just pull it in and may end up pulling out your old wires just to pull in a whole new set. It makes sense to put in more cables than you need now, while it is easy, just like putting in extra boxes if you are having a new house built because it is easier to do now than later.
Don't forget to think about home automation, such as a thermostat box because you may upgrade to a network based thermostat at some point; or a box in the laundry room, basement or garage for an alarm point that alerts you to water leaks. There is a company called SmartHome that can give you some ideas for future automation technologies that you may encounter.
As for what to do with the wiring? That's the subject of another post. But I did promise to tell you why wiring your house is a great idea. First is your telephones. Make sure that your home has at least one wired phone, and that the wiring for that phone isn't power dependant (no amplifiers or so forth) because that gives you an emergency phone for when the power is out. Also, wired phone locations near exterior walls mean you can place wireless bases in locations that are reachable from the outside, future phone systems will allow for multiple bases and multiple phones to create your own cell phone system within your house, the phones will hand off to the best base that they can find. Next is your data network, you need this to be wired for security purposes. Even if today's hackers aren't a big threat to you, who knows what tomorrow will bring. Having at least the pipes in place to give you the option of wiring in the future will mean peace of mind in case you get attacked. TV, of course, has to be wired. Alarm systems should be wired because the wireless versions are more easily hacked. Cameras and speakers should be wired for optimal quality and to avoid people picking up your signals. And you should also keep in mind that as more people go wireless the interference will increase and one day it may be that you can't use your wireless devices without getting into a power increasing war with your neighbours that would be both expensive and hazardous to your health. So all things considered, wiring is the way to go!
First, you want to consider what systems you will have in your house. Computers, telephones, fax machines, in home audio systems, home theater systems, perhaps an alarm system, your thermostat, maybe an intercom, the possibilities are almost limitless. And of course, you can't wire for everything. If you are having a new home built and piping is cheap I would recommend putting in pipes for every system that you currently think you may want. In my case, all bedrooms get one pipe for computer, telephone and tv (combined on one faceplate) as well as two to the ceiling for whole-house audio speakers and one to the door for both the volume controls for the speakers and an intercom. Common rooms (living room, dining room, family room, den, library, game room, whatever you have) get the same, but with extra data/phone/tv jacks around the room whereever I may one day need them if I reposition all my furniture (don't have a need for a computer or tv in the living room today? Wire for it anyway just in case you change your mind in 10 years). The kitchen and bathrooms are special cases. My kitchen gets several data/phone/tv jacks in the upper cabinets around the room for future use (under-cabinet tv, drop down telephone, recepie computer, etc). Also, one set behind the fridge because some newer refridgerators have a network connection to reorder your groceries for you and a TV built in to watch while you cook; and one behind the stove because who knows when they will come out with a stove that you can monitor from your network. Plus jacks in the ceiling for future network cameras so you can walk away from your stove and leave a monitor on in the other room to watch for smoke. Of course, in-ceiling speakers and a volume control/intercom location by the door are necessary. The bathrooms get special treatment too. For right now, just the speakers and volume/intercom locations. But for future use I'll leave two pipes burried in the wall, one opposite the toilet and one in the shower (don't forget to leave empty pipes to your breaker panel too for future power). In the future, if I get bored and want a really complicated project I could open the wall up and build in a shelf (behind plexiglass and sealed water tight) that holds a TV (the shower one would be able to pick up any channel, the one in front of the toilet would show whatever is on the main TV so that you can run to the bathroom during a movie without stopping it and making everyone wait). I would also run alarm pipes to each window, door, and each room for motion detectors. Future alarm systems are already available that, if wired right, can show you on a panel where an intrusion is taking place, call you if you aren't home, call the police automatically (without a service to charge a monitoring fee), and even turn on video cameras in the rooms where the alarm is going off. I would put up boxes for cameras outside (you can get systems for about $1,500 now with 16 day/night cameras and a single recording machine that stores a month of footage from all cameras on one digital drive). One more consideration is speakers for your home theater. In the room with the big tv, you may want pipes from behind the tv to various points around the room (think big, we are up to 8 speaker systems with 7.1 out and who knows what will come next) or you might go with in-wall speakers that turn drywall into a speaker surface for a truely concealed system that has great sound (don't forget that in wall speakers are easiest to install before the walls are finished, so consider buying these and wiring them before the house is done even if you wont be powering them for a while).
Don't forget the electricity, any place that you leave a computer hook-up (or tv or phone) you should have an electrical outlet. For home theater systems, or multiple computer locations, you should consider a quadruplex outlet on a dedicated 20 amp circuit.
Speaking on don't forgets, what about outside your house? You may one day want to put a laptop computer station outside, so anywhere you will have a table and chairs (or may have one in the future) you should put a data/phone/tv box and electrical outlet. How about holiday lighting or just landscape lighting? Putting an electrical outlet by every tree will save unsightly cords later on. And if you want to do low voltage landscape lighting (which is brighter than solar), consider putting in an electrical outlet by your controls and running pipes in series all over the yard with boxes at the start of every row of lighting. Remember, you don't want to tear up your yard later. And think about a sprinkler system while you are putting in all these pipes.
Now let's look at wiring. If money is a concern, and it always is if you aren't hiring someone to do this all for you, then only wire what you need and leave blank covers on the other boxes. It is still good to have them because in the future you can simply change the cover and run some wire to have a new location. All your boxes should go to one location and you should have a wire management system (such as an equipment rack with patch panels for data/phone/tv cables and 66 blocks on the wall for speakers). And I recommend never running a single cable for the tv/phone/data blocks (consider 3 or 4 CAT-5e cables and 2 co-aux cables to give an extra of each type for future use). If you later need another cable, you often can't just pull it in and may end up pulling out your old wires just to pull in a whole new set. It makes sense to put in more cables than you need now, while it is easy, just like putting in extra boxes if you are having a new house built because it is easier to do now than later.
Don't forget to think about home automation, such as a thermostat box because you may upgrade to a network based thermostat at some point; or a box in the laundry room, basement or garage for an alarm point that alerts you to water leaks. There is a company called SmartHome that can give you some ideas for future automation technologies that you may encounter.
As for what to do with the wiring? That's the subject of another post. But I did promise to tell you why wiring your house is a great idea. First is your telephones. Make sure that your home has at least one wired phone, and that the wiring for that phone isn't power dependant (no amplifiers or so forth) because that gives you an emergency phone for when the power is out. Also, wired phone locations near exterior walls mean you can place wireless bases in locations that are reachable from the outside, future phone systems will allow for multiple bases and multiple phones to create your own cell phone system within your house, the phones will hand off to the best base that they can find. Next is your data network, you need this to be wired for security purposes. Even if today's hackers aren't a big threat to you, who knows what tomorrow will bring. Having at least the pipes in place to give you the option of wiring in the future will mean peace of mind in case you get attacked. TV, of course, has to be wired. Alarm systems should be wired because the wireless versions are more easily hacked. Cameras and speakers should be wired for optimal quality and to avoid people picking up your signals. And you should also keep in mind that as more people go wireless the interference will increase and one day it may be that you can't use your wireless devices without getting into a power increasing war with your neighbours that would be both expensive and hazardous to your health. So all things considered, wiring is the way to go!
15 July, 2008
Installing a Post Mount Mailbox on A Slab
I had a pedistal mount mailbox until recently, that's the kind that bolts to a concrete slab instead of being stuck in the ground. When it was time to replace it and my wife chose a post mount variety, I should have torn up the slab and started anew. But instead I came up with a way around this. I went to Lowes and looked in the section where they have metal connectors designed to hold different sized wood together when building a roof. I found a piece designed to take a 4x4 post and connect it to concrete. I put in an expansion anchor, tied this down, put the post on, stuck the mailbox on, and after a few hours I was done. At least that's how it should have gone. But cheap parts and the fact that a mailbox is heavy worked against me and now the thing rocks from side to side a few inches in each direction. Of course, you can't pull it out, a hurricane isn't going to take down out mailbox, but it could twist the metal to the point that it wont stand straight again. So soon I'll be redoing the mailbox by ripping up the slab and putting the stake in the ground. The moral of the story is that you are better off doing a mailbox the way it was meant to than trying to come up with your own design.
Patching a Hold in Drywall
I recently broke my wall, so I had to fix it. I wont go into details, but lets say that someone got mad about something and put a foot through the wall. Anyway, I could have put in backing and cut a new piece of drywall, taped the edged and then finished it. But instead I went the easy route and headed to Lowes. I bought an 8" by 8" wall patch for $5 that doesn't require backing, tape or drywall. I put it up, mudded over it, and scraped away the excess. I'm not a good finisher, in fact I've only done a few small things like this before, so I did my best and then fixed it with sanding 24 hours later. After sanding, I did a second coat, waited 24 hours, sanded, did a third coar, waited 24 hours and sanded one more time. Then I painted with some touch up paint that I had saved. I would have painted the entire wall over to get it perfect, but that would have been too big of a project considering that I will be repainting this room in a few years...
Closing in My Garage
I recently closed in my garage. It was an easy process, and I thought I'd tell you all how to do it. First, you need to have a garage. I don't, but I live with my father-in-law and I closed in his, so that was close enough. Second, you need to decide how much you want closed in. In my case, I wanted to close in 2/3 of the garage, which is much easier than the whole thing. Third, you need to decide how to air condition it. In my case, I wanted this to be temporary, so I bought a stand alone air conditioner for the garage, but it is easy to tap off your household A/C if you can access the crawl space where the ducts are.
For stage one, I built a wall. I put up metal track on the floor and ceiling (using a laser I borrowed from work to line up the ceiling track, but you could use a plumb bob from Lowes just as easily). I left a gap in the bottom track where my door is going (I got a metal door frame and solid wood door that was left over from a job, one of the benefits of working in construction). I put the wall parrallel to the garage door and right where the door ends, so if I open the door too hard it hits the wall, but otherwise this is a great way to do it because it gives the maximum space without changing your garage door or building an exterior wall to replace the door. If you want to leave the door there for asthetic reasons but will never open it again, you could also put the wall right in front of the door without wallboard on the outside and then cut (using a blow torch if you know how or a good bolt cutter) the garage door track off. Since I put the wall about 6' into the garage, I put wallboard on both sides. Next come the studs at 16" o.c., with double studs on each side of the door frame and track and studs above the door frame. Be sure to put the door frame in as you frame the walls, unless you are using a knock-down frame that gets put in afterward. Then I hung the drywall on one side.
Next came the insulation, make sure you pick up an insulation suit because this stuff is terrible to work with. Use FSK faced insulation and put the foil toward the outside, this will help with moisture. Also, make sure the drywall on at least the outside of the wall is moisture resistant (such as National Gypsum's XP board, I use this everywhere since my wife has alergies). After the insulation is in the cavity, put up the other layer of wallboard.
Next you need to finish the wallboard, and caulk the floor. I caulked the top too because this is temporary and I didn't want to have to scrape down finish material, but since I was meeting a drywall ceiling I could have finished it like an inside corner instead. Be sure to use fire caulk and fire rated drywall if you want this wall to have a fire rating. Consult UL details and other sites for information on fire rating of drywall partitions. This is particularly important if you are planning on leaving part of a garage because garages are places where fires often start.
Next I hung the door. I could have furred and insulated the outer walls, but I chose not to because this is temporary. Then I put in the A/C unit. This was done by standing it in place and running the exhaust through an existing vent hole in the side wall. I needed to close that vent up anyway, so I simply put the exhaust hose in it and used Great Stuff expanding foam to fill around it. I could have done more to prevent bugs from crawling in through the exhaust, but in Florida this thing is never going to turn off and it is only temporary.
I put down carpet squares without adhesive since it is temporary, but for a permanent room I would have done wood laminate. You can do that for under $2/SF if you install yourself and buy from Costco!
My long term plan is to buy the house, when I do I want to clear out the rest of the garage and move that wall back to the door so it completely encloses the garage. I'll furr and insulate the side walls and add some low walls to seperate a work area and an office from the rest of the room, which will be a game room. I'll also put in a closet that will hold the house's network equipment. About that time we'll be upgrading the A/C anyway, so I'll have the A/C company install a vent for me to get rid of the portable A/C unit. And I'll consider wood flooring as well.
For stage one, I built a wall. I put up metal track on the floor and ceiling (using a laser I borrowed from work to line up the ceiling track, but you could use a plumb bob from Lowes just as easily). I left a gap in the bottom track where my door is going (I got a metal door frame and solid wood door that was left over from a job, one of the benefits of working in construction). I put the wall parrallel to the garage door and right where the door ends, so if I open the door too hard it hits the wall, but otherwise this is a great way to do it because it gives the maximum space without changing your garage door or building an exterior wall to replace the door. If you want to leave the door there for asthetic reasons but will never open it again, you could also put the wall right in front of the door without wallboard on the outside and then cut (using a blow torch if you know how or a good bolt cutter) the garage door track off. Since I put the wall about 6' into the garage, I put wallboard on both sides. Next come the studs at 16" o.c., with double studs on each side of the door frame and track and studs above the door frame. Be sure to put the door frame in as you frame the walls, unless you are using a knock-down frame that gets put in afterward. Then I hung the drywall on one side.
Next came the insulation, make sure you pick up an insulation suit because this stuff is terrible to work with. Use FSK faced insulation and put the foil toward the outside, this will help with moisture. Also, make sure the drywall on at least the outside of the wall is moisture resistant (such as National Gypsum's XP board, I use this everywhere since my wife has alergies). After the insulation is in the cavity, put up the other layer of wallboard.
Next you need to finish the wallboard, and caulk the floor. I caulked the top too because this is temporary and I didn't want to have to scrape down finish material, but since I was meeting a drywall ceiling I could have finished it like an inside corner instead. Be sure to use fire caulk and fire rated drywall if you want this wall to have a fire rating. Consult UL details and other sites for information on fire rating of drywall partitions. This is particularly important if you are planning on leaving part of a garage because garages are places where fires often start.
Next I hung the door. I could have furred and insulated the outer walls, but I chose not to because this is temporary. Then I put in the A/C unit. This was done by standing it in place and running the exhaust through an existing vent hole in the side wall. I needed to close that vent up anyway, so I simply put the exhaust hose in it and used Great Stuff expanding foam to fill around it. I could have done more to prevent bugs from crawling in through the exhaust, but in Florida this thing is never going to turn off and it is only temporary.
I put down carpet squares without adhesive since it is temporary, but for a permanent room I would have done wood laminate. You can do that for under $2/SF if you install yourself and buy from Costco!
My long term plan is to buy the house, when I do I want to clear out the rest of the garage and move that wall back to the door so it completely encloses the garage. I'll furr and insulate the side walls and add some low walls to seperate a work area and an office from the rest of the room, which will be a game room. I'll also put in a closet that will hold the house's network equipment. About that time we'll be upgrading the A/C anyway, so I'll have the A/C company install a vent for me to get rid of the portable A/C unit. And I'll consider wood flooring as well.
31 March, 2008
Welcome Back
I am working on starting this blog up again. This time, I've got to stick to it... Anyone who reads this should keep checking, I'll have more reviews soon!
10 November, 2006
Media MVP
Since this is day 1, I probably don't have any readers yet, but there is no way to get them except post and have Google index that post... So I am writing to you about the Media MVP box. This is a linux box that I plan on buying. A friend of mine has one and is using it in what he calls a JewVo (a Tivo designed by a Jew). It is a linux box that comes with no software but free software is available from the manufacturer, you just have to download it. And other people have written software for it. You load the software, plug it in line with your TV, give it a network cable and and networked Windows share that it can save to and load from, and you have a hard drive recorder. For under $100 at Amazon, this is a great deal just for that much.
But wait, there's more. As he read more about this box, he came accross software that lets it pull up RSS feeds, web audio streams and more, as well as a program guide. He downloaded a skin that makes the whole thing look very professional and now if you didn't know what he had you would swear that he has the next version of Tivo that hasn't been released yet. This all does require a computer with software running, rather than just a hard drive, which is a down side, but the result is impressive. My idea is to hook it to a networked hard drive. If that drive reads as a Windows share, then it should work without a computer. But of course you would loose all the extra features...
Well, I am planning on getting one of these in about two months (either for the holidays or with holiday gift money) and once I do I will be posting about it. However, the box has been out for a while and Randon says he has heard about newer versions on the way, so I might hold off and get a better box, if I can resist...
But wait, there's more. As he read more about this box, he came accross software that lets it pull up RSS feeds, web audio streams and more, as well as a program guide. He downloaded a skin that makes the whole thing look very professional and now if you didn't know what he had you would swear that he has the next version of Tivo that hasn't been released yet. This all does require a computer with software running, rather than just a hard drive, which is a down side, but the result is impressive. My idea is to hook it to a networked hard drive. If that drive reads as a Windows share, then it should work without a computer. But of course you would loose all the extra features...
Well, I am planning on getting one of these in about two months (either for the holidays or with holiday gift money) and once I do I will be posting about it. However, the box has been out for a while and Randon says he has heard about newer versions on the way, so I might hold off and get a better box, if I can resist...
My Blog
Since I am starting a new blog, I thought I would take a post to explain why I am starting over. My last blog is entirely about my family and my life, which is great for my family to keep up with my daughter's life and for them to know how I am doing, but it didn't leave room for me to talk to the world. I didn't want that blog to be public, so I put a password on it and gave that password to my family. This meant that I was blogging only to a very small group of people. Now I don't often need to talk to the whole world, but I intend to start talking more because if I am working on a project and I can help someone else out by leaving information about that project and ideas for other projects, then I want to do so. Hence this new blog. I plan on running this blog for the sold purpose of talking about projects.
I am an amateur radio operator, a former telecom and radio engineer for a major fire department, and an engineering consultant to a radio station (formerly their station engineer). Those are my hobbies, mind you. My job is a project manager for an interior construction company. All of this gives me a lot of ideas and a mind that keeps thinking all the time. I don't have the money or time to invest in all the projects that I come up with, so I will post about three types of things here (primarily): First, I will post about my projects and how they are going. I hope that people will comment and give me ideas to work on. Second, I will post about project ideas that I have had which I don't have enough time or money to carry out. In these cases, I hope that people who like the ideas comment back and tell me what they did and how they did it. Third, I will occassionally comment on new technology that has been released and which I have either heard of or purchased. I hope to get feedback about ways to use technology better and ways to improve on the next version.
If you are interested in these things, subscribe to my blog. There wont be a lot of posts, but they will all be interesting and entertaining. If you are not interested in these things, then you probably don't have the same mind set as me and wouldn't like my writing anyway.
I am an amateur radio operator, a former telecom and radio engineer for a major fire department, and an engineering consultant to a radio station (formerly their station engineer). Those are my hobbies, mind you. My job is a project manager for an interior construction company. All of this gives me a lot of ideas and a mind that keeps thinking all the time. I don't have the money or time to invest in all the projects that I come up with, so I will post about three types of things here (primarily): First, I will post about my projects and how they are going. I hope that people will comment and give me ideas to work on. Second, I will post about project ideas that I have had which I don't have enough time or money to carry out. In these cases, I hope that people who like the ideas comment back and tell me what they did and how they did it. Third, I will occassionally comment on new technology that has been released and which I have either heard of or purchased. I hope to get feedback about ways to use technology better and ways to improve on the next version.
If you are interested in these things, subscribe to my blog. There wont be a lot of posts, but they will all be interesting and entertaining. If you are not interested in these things, then you probably don't have the same mind set as me and wouldn't like my writing anyway.
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