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I don't know how I forgot to mention this, but last week the four of us went to Tappan Middle School (J's employer) and saw a middle-school rendition of the musical "Grease". But it wasn't a typical middle-school performance - there were dozens of cast members beyond the T-Birds, Pink Ladies, cheerleaders, nerds, and adults. The costumes were terrific, the orchestra was first-rate, and the kids performed well beyond what you'd expect for their ages. For some numbers, students filled the aisles of the auditorium and danced, sang, and provided a lot of color and excitement.
Here is a writeup of the show, with some pictures.
It was very impressive.
The group that produced it, The Tappan Players, are not supported by the public schools other than using the facilities. They are a private group, and the students who performed paid to be a part of the show.
No expense was spared to put on this show, and it was apparent. Makes you wonder what they could possibly do next year to top it...
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Flag Football Wrap-Up, and What Really Happened to the Garage Door Opener
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Today marked the end of M's flag football season. The semi-final playoff game was at 2:30, followed by the championship game at 3:15. M's team won the first game, 9-6, and he had three tackles (a personal best), and three receptions: one was for a first down, and one was for an extra point.
They didn't fare as well in the championship game, losing 26-6 after being down 20-0 early in the game. The other team had an outstanding runner who was able to beat everyone, and he scored three touchdowns in the first half by himself. M had another solid game, with three tackles (to tie his personal best), one reception, and he broke up a pass play on defense.
He's worked very hard at flag football, and plays a lot of football with his friends in the neighborhood, and I can tell all that practice is paying off.
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I told you recently that we had our master bath shower remodeled, and that we also had an unfortunate failure of the garage door opener. It turns out, those two things were related. The people who installed the shower door didn't attach the shower head arm back to the supply line correctly, and water was leaking down behind the wall whenever we took a shower. We didn't notice it right away, so it wasn't apparent that the water was responsible for ruining the door opener. On Monday of last week, I left for work, opened the door to the garage (with the new opener) and saw water dripping down from about ten different spots in the ceiling. That would explain the sudden failure of the door opener pretty well, and the mysterious puddle of water J had seen the day before.
I called the contractors, who know me by name very well at this point, and they sent someone out who was able to successfully turn a threaded pipe so that it attached correctly to a threaded opening, and now we don't have a leak any more. They are going to reimburse us for the door opener, but even with their prompt attention to the problems they had with our project, we won't be calling them again. That is, unless we find some other problem, which I hope we don't.
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After seeing a project at the Science Fair that used an Arduino, I am seriously considering buying a starter kit. I was at the school when a fifth-grade girl brought in a project that used it to demonstrate how a remote garage door opener works (yes, I've had a lot of contact with garage door opener-related things lately.) She told me her dad had worked on the project with her, and after I got all the information I could out of her, I kept a lookout for her dad during the Fair's operating hours. He was there, and I asked him every question I could think of. It looks to be a great way to start getting programmed behavior into an electronics project, which is one of those things I've had on my list of things to learn.
There are many different versions of the Arduino, small ones and large ones, and add-ons called "shields" that help perform tasks such as writing to a memory card, communicating over ethernet, or powering electric motors.
When I would find the time to do this is an entirely different question that needs to be answered first. I've also considered taking an introductory electronics/circuit analysis class at Washtenaw Community College or Jackson Community College, but getting a weeknight free is not that easy, especially in the spring with Science Olympiad and soccer.
By the way, get ready to hear a lot about Science Olympiad and soccer. I'm organizing the yearly Science Olympiad demonstration night at the school, and I'm again going to be assistant to the assistant coach for M's team.
And I still have a job I have to fit in somewhere.
---
Today marked the end of M's flag football season. The semi-final playoff game was at 2:30, followed by the championship game at 3:15. M's team won the first game, 9-6, and he had three tackles (a personal best), and three receptions: one was for a first down, and one was for an extra point.
They didn't fare as well in the championship game, losing 26-6 after being down 20-0 early in the game. The other team had an outstanding runner who was able to beat everyone, and he scored three touchdowns in the first half by himself. M had another solid game, with three tackles (to tie his personal best), one reception, and he broke up a pass play on defense.
He's worked very hard at flag football, and plays a lot of football with his friends in the neighborhood, and I can tell all that practice is paying off.
---
I told you recently that we had our master bath shower remodeled, and that we also had an unfortunate failure of the garage door opener. It turns out, those two things were related. The people who installed the shower door didn't attach the shower head arm back to the supply line correctly, and water was leaking down behind the wall whenever we took a shower. We didn't notice it right away, so it wasn't apparent that the water was responsible for ruining the door opener. On Monday of last week, I left for work, opened the door to the garage (with the new opener) and saw water dripping down from about ten different spots in the ceiling. That would explain the sudden failure of the door opener pretty well, and the mysterious puddle of water J had seen the day before.
I called the contractors, who know me by name very well at this point, and they sent someone out who was able to successfully turn a threaded pipe so that it attached correctly to a threaded opening, and now we don't have a leak any more. They are going to reimburse us for the door opener, but even with their prompt attention to the problems they had with our project, we won't be calling them again. That is, unless we find some other problem, which I hope we don't.
---
After seeing a project at the Science Fair that used an Arduino, I am seriously considering buying a starter kit. I was at the school when a fifth-grade girl brought in a project that used it to demonstrate how a remote garage door opener works (yes, I've had a lot of contact with garage door opener-related things lately.) She told me her dad had worked on the project with her, and after I got all the information I could out of her, I kept a lookout for her dad during the Fair's operating hours. He was there, and I asked him every question I could think of. It looks to be a great way to start getting programmed behavior into an electronics project, which is one of those things I've had on my list of things to learn.
There are many different versions of the Arduino, small ones and large ones, and add-ons called "shields" that help perform tasks such as writing to a memory card, communicating over ethernet, or powering electric motors.
When I would find the time to do this is an entirely different question that needs to be answered first. I've also considered taking an introductory electronics/circuit analysis class at Washtenaw Community College or Jackson Community College, but getting a weeknight free is not that easy, especially in the spring with Science Olympiad and soccer.
By the way, get ready to hear a lot about Science Olympiad and soccer. I'm organizing the yearly Science Olympiad demonstration night at the school, and I'm again going to be assistant to the assistant coach for M's team.
And I still have a job I have to fit in somewhere.
---
Update from Sunny Michigan (formerly Super-Rainy Michigan)
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A hummingbird takes a break from humming to slurp sugar water.
All the News That's Fit to Blog
Spring is in full swing with soccer and Science Olympiad practice. If we're not driving to something, or waiting for something to start or end, or driving home from something, we're planning carpools to and from something else. Who cares if the kids are overscheduled and overstimulated? I'm the one who needs a rest. If they would lower the driving age to 11 it would be a big help.
Work is about the same as it has been. I'm learning more Silverlight and making progress on my project.
Links
Some links to interesting things:
Neat lamps made from plumbing fixtures - definitely neater-looking than some that I've seen in the past.
Inventables has lots of oddball materials you can use for your next project, if you could only think of something to do with them. The translucent concrete is pretty cool.
Read all about Impostor Syndrome here.
The Savage Chickens Guide to Vague Quantities. Now you know!
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I'm in the middle of a terrific book I got from the library - Making Things Move by Dustyn Roberts. It's a summary of physics, force, motors, pullies, and describes in simple terms how to (say) figure out the torque of an electric motor. It's already on my Christmas list.
I now know how a semiconductor works because I read Electronic Components by Delton Horn. (It has to do with covalent bonds!) This book is a reference about all the common types of electronic components, as you may have guessed. Another Christmas list book for me...
---
All the News That's Fit to Blog
Spring is in full swing with soccer and Science Olympiad practice. If we're not driving to something, or waiting for something to start or end, or driving home from something, we're planning carpools to and from something else. Who cares if the kids are overscheduled and overstimulated? I'm the one who needs a rest. If they would lower the driving age to 11 it would be a big help.
Work is about the same as it has been. I'm learning more Silverlight and making progress on my project.
Links
Some links to interesting things:
Neat lamps made from plumbing fixtures - definitely neater-looking than some that I've seen in the past.
Inventables has lots of oddball materials you can use for your next project, if you could only think of something to do with them. The translucent concrete is pretty cool.
Read all about Impostor Syndrome here.
The Savage Chickens Guide to Vague Quantities. Now you know!
---
I'm in the middle of a terrific book I got from the library - Making Things Move by Dustyn Roberts. It's a summary of physics, force, motors, pullies, and describes in simple terms how to (say) figure out the torque of an electric motor. It's already on my Christmas list.
I now know how a semiconductor works because I read Electronic Components by Delton Horn. (It has to do with covalent bonds!) This book is a reference about all the common types of electronic components, as you may have guessed. Another Christmas list book for me...
---
Science, Football, Showers, and Garage Doors
The Science Fair was Thursday. I spent seven hours at school on Wednesday, and was there most of the day between 8:15 am and 9:00 pm on Thursday. We had about 110 projects made by about 150 students, which was a great turnout, although less than last time. I know a few reasons why there were fewer entries this year, so I think there is a reasonable explanation for the drop-off.
For K's project, he measured the voltages produced by various fruits and vegetables. He also created a cell battery out of coins and paper towels. He used a multimeter to read the voltages from each item and recorded it. At the Science Fair, he created a three-lemon battery that powered a watch-sized digital clock.
Lemon battery
For his project, M soldered a burglar alarm from a kit. There are two parts: a transmitter, which uses an infrared LED, and a receiver, which checks for the transmitter's IR signal. When the IR signal is broken, the receiver switches on a circuit connected to whatever you want (audio alarm, flashing light, etc.). M hooked up a "danger light" to the receiver, which would flash when the alarm is tripped.
M soldering the receiver circuit board.
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M has had two flag football games since the last update. He's caught some passes, made a few tackles, and generally performed well for his team. After two wins to start the season, the team has lost two. Next week is the playoff game, and if they win, they'll play in the championship game.
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Our big home improvement this year is refinishing the master bath shower, which has needed attention for some time. We hired a company to cover the old tile walls with acrylic, and we got a new sliding door and glass wall. It didn't go very smoothly; there were a lot of starts and stops, but we're hoping the shower is finally finished. And it looks great.
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Yesterday, we paid a local company to install a new garage door opener for us. I wish I could say that home improvement was planned, but it wasn't. Garage doors are in the category of Machines That Stop Working With No Warning.
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A few months ago, I bought a cheap subscription to Esquire magazine for a fund-raiser at J's school. Each month they have a feature "Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman", in which a beautiful woman tells a joke, accompanied by her picture and short biography. (Oddly enough, she's always very attractive and not dressed for cold weather.) This month's joke cracked up M and K so much, I thought I better pass it on.
From Esquire:
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For K's project, he measured the voltages produced by various fruits and vegetables. He also created a cell battery out of coins and paper towels. He used a multimeter to read the voltages from each item and recorded it. At the Science Fair, he created a three-lemon battery that powered a watch-sized digital clock.
For his project, M soldered a burglar alarm from a kit. There are two parts: a transmitter, which uses an infrared LED, and a receiver, which checks for the transmitter's IR signal. When the IR signal is broken, the receiver switches on a circuit connected to whatever you want (audio alarm, flashing light, etc.). M hooked up a "danger light" to the receiver, which would flash when the alarm is tripped.
----
M has had two flag football games since the last update. He's caught some passes, made a few tackles, and generally performed well for his team. After two wins to start the season, the team has lost two. Next week is the playoff game, and if they win, they'll play in the championship game.
-----
Our big home improvement this year is refinishing the master bath shower, which has needed attention for some time. We hired a company to cover the old tile walls with acrylic, and we got a new sliding door and glass wall. It didn't go very smoothly; there were a lot of starts and stops, but we're hoping the shower is finally finished. And it looks great.
----
Yesterday, we paid a local company to install a new garage door opener for us. I wish I could say that home improvement was planned, but it wasn't. Garage doors are in the category of Machines That Stop Working With No Warning.
----
A few months ago, I bought a cheap subscription to Esquire magazine for a fund-raiser at J's school. Each month they have a feature "Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman", in which a beautiful woman tells a joke, accompanied by her picture and short biography. (Oddly enough, she's always very attractive and not dressed for cold weather.) This month's joke cracked up M and K so much, I thought I better pass it on.
From Esquire:
A guy is walking past an insane asylum when he hears the residents inside chanting "Thirteen! Thirteen! Thirteen!" Curious, he finds a hole in the wall and looks in. Immediately he's poked in the eye, then everyone inside starts chanting "Fourteen! Fourteen! Fourteen!"
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Gas Prices, Slow Technology, and Dr. Stockman Does Good
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I was making my weekly stop at the party store for cheap liquor and lottery tickets when I noticed the prices at the gas station next door. Wow - $3.50 a gallon? Isn’t it amazing that even though the supply and demand for gas hasn’t changed at all in the last six months, the price has gone way up? I’m not smart enough to understand how gas prices are set, but I am smart enough to predict some pretty impressive earnings from the oil companies at the end of this quarter.
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Important Advances in Technology
I'm not sure why Amazon is bragging about how long it takes to start reading a book. I can start reading a book in about five seconds, and if I don't bother sitting down first, I can do it even faster.
Miscellaneous News and Links
My favorite college professor, Dr. Stockman, is helping young people get into computer science. He was always a great guy and very giving to the community, and he's not slowing down.
Some neat bugs made out of old ammo and watch parts.
A student project to open a combination lock with a machine.
--
I was making my weekly stop at the party store for cheap liquor and lottery tickets when I noticed the prices at the gas station next door. Wow - $3.50 a gallon? Isn’t it amazing that even though the supply and demand for gas hasn’t changed at all in the last six months, the price has gone way up? I’m not smart enough to understand how gas prices are set, but I am smart enough to predict some pretty impressive earnings from the oil companies at the end of this quarter.
--
Important Advances in Technology
I'm not sure why Amazon is bragging about how long it takes to start reading a book. I can start reading a book in about five seconds, and if I don't bother sitting down first, I can do it even faster.
Miscellaneous News and Links
My favorite college professor, Dr. Stockman, is helping young people get into computer science. He was always a great guy and very giving to the community, and he's not slowing down.
Some neat bugs made out of old ammo and watch parts.
A student project to open a combination lock with a machine.
--
Sports Update: Flag Football and UM/MSU Basketball
J's parents and sister pulled into town for a rolicking sports-filled Saturday. We first went to M's flag football season opener, which his team won handily, 30-something to 6. M caught a pass and scored an extra point during the game, and played quarterback, center, and defense. His extra point came on the second play of the game. On the first play, one of M's teammates blocked a pass the other team was attempting, and took a few steps into the end zone for a touchdown. It was fun game, which I think was closer than the final score showed.
After that, we all went over to Chrisler Arena to watch John Belein outcoach Tom Izzo for state bragging rights. Michigan led the entire game, and for a few minutes it looked like MSU might catch up, but it didn't happen. This hasn't been a great year for MSU basketball, but you never know what will happen when UM and MSU play, so I was hoping for a better outcome. It was a great game, though, with plenty of terrific plays, shooting, ball-stealing, and an abundance of fouling. We were reminded repeatedly of the referee's sign for tripping.
During one of the many time outs, J and I tried to determine the primary difference between the cheerleaders and the dance team. J pointed out that the dance team wore slippers instead of the tennis shoes on the cheerleaders. I pointed out that a few of the dancers looked a little chunkier than the cheerleaders. Also, some cheerleaders are male. But other than that, they appeared to do about the same things. (Just kidding, there aren't any chunky dancers.)
The crowd was very pleasant. The MSU fans behind us were pretty vocal (but reasonably so) and I let them do the loud talking for me (For example, "Come on, you have to make that basket!" and "Foul! Hey, ref! Foul!" and "Is Tom Izzo really allowed to stand that far onto the court during play?")
After the game, the out-of-towners stopped by for a yummy mexican meal before heading home in the snow.
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