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New and Used Electronics
M now has his own laptop for school work and YouTube browsing. He also has my old TracFone cell phone so he can call us from school if his soccer practice is over, but the bus hasn’t shown up. Both of these have him thinking he’s a little older than 11.
Gaffigan Jokes
A few fun quotes from Jim Gaffigan:
Have you ever been watching TV for a couple hours and you suddenly lose the remote? “I haven’t even gotten up! And I don’t remember throwing it…”
“Whenever you’re at a brunch buffet and you see that big metal tray filled with the four thousand pieces of bacon, don’t you almost expect a rainbow to be coming out of it?”
Fun Links
This is a neat project – turning an old candlestick phone into a modern, touch-tone phone.
Item #1201 of the things I’d like to build someday: Block Clock
Item #1202: A slightly different kind of clock.
I love this kind of thing, but if I made one, it would never look as cool as when someone else does it.
Not only is this beautiful beyond description, but it probably sounds good, too.
Get rid of the gullwing doors, and I’d buy one of these. I mean, if I didn’t already have a car. And I had a lot of money. And this were actually for sale.
Really nice watches, although look at how wide they are – almost 2” wide. But it is nice-looking, so you’d want to show it off.
As a non-cabinetmaker, I think these are pretty funny, and likely spot on. If I was a cabinet maker, they would probably leave me unable to decide between laughing and crying.
Video 1
Video 2
A YouTube lock-picking series. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet.
Coming Soon
A project I've been working on for a while is done - pictures and description coming soon!
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Run-a-thon Results
The students of Lawton collectively logged over 15,000 minutes of walking tonight at the 10th annual Run-a-thon. The Run-a-thon benefits the Lawton PTO and the John Crosby Foundation.
The above image is from the computer program I wrote to help keep track of the minutes. There were some mix-ups between the people keeping track of the minutes for each student and me, but for the most part the time was reported correctly. According to the data file the program was using, there were 208 participants.
I'm so impressed with the effort the kids will make to benefit these great causes.
Wooden Box, School, and Links
School
School starts for 3/4 of our family on Tuesday: M to a new school for sixth grade, K to his comfortable old school for fourth, and J to her middle school as the Media Clerk. Work starts for me on Tuesday the way it always does, with Diet Mt. Dew and deleting most of the email I've received since the last time I was at work.
Soccer practice started Thursday. Someday I won't be reporting on soccer practices any more, but I'm expecting a few more years.
We took a quick weekend trip to Pittsburgh to see J's grandmother, who doesn't come close to acting her age. At her house, 97 looks like 80 for most people. She'll bury us all.
Projects
I'm obviously working on a wood project - this one is a secret until further notice, but it is similar to some projects I've done in the past. It involves a wooden box (poplar), carving (basswood), and magic incantations. Oops, I've said too much.
My Arduino project is on hold for now because I'm working on the wood project, and I was also sidetracked by the software I wrote for the Run-a-thon. But soon I'll be back with it. In the meantime, I made good on my threat to buy the book Making Things Move, and I also purchased this ultrasonic sensor, which I plan to use to help determine the position of a certain moving object that will be controlled by the Arduino and some user input. Stay tuned.
A Few Fun Links
Jeff De Boer's creations are pretty cool.
You've officially run out of excuses for not constructing your own Saturn V rocket or Hubble telescope.
I haven't had a lot of time to look at this PDF more closely, but it's full of interesting ideas for hiding things.
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August Update
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Things have been busy both at home and at work, and I’ve been silent on this web site for a while. Here’s an update.
Maker Faire
The boys inside the Tornado Intercept Vehicle
On July 30, we went to the Maker Faire at Henry Ford Museum. This year’s Faire was somewhat expanded from last year’s, and there were more tables and demonstrations inside the museum. We met Sean Casey, best known from his work on the show Storm Chasers. He built a tank-like vehicle that he drives directly into the line of a tornado, then captures it on film. He and his rig were featured in the IMAX movie “Tornado Alley”, which we saw at Adler Planetarium last month. The kids got to sit inside the “tank” while I impressed Mr. Casey himself by commenting that I saw his movie and that I like the part of the vehicle that drives spikes into the ground to anchor it in high winds. He said that was his favorite part too, but I bet he says that to all his fans.
There were a number of attractions from last year, like the life-sized Mouse Trap game, and the circular bikes that can be pedaled by 6-8 people.
J was quite enamored with the 3-D printing machines that are obiquitous at the Faire, and I agree. They’re pretty cool.
A 3-D printing machine takes the plastic in the spool you see at the top, melts it, and dispenses it out of a small nozzle that moves back and forth. Each layer of carefully-placed plastic builds on the previous, until the object is fully formed.
Dental and Baseball News
Collegiately-colored braces - they say "Go Blue" with every smile.
On August 15, M’s weight rose very slightly with the addition of braces. Part of his new hardware is colored alternately maize and blue. J and I told him that when we had braces, they came in one color: metal.
On August 16, we went to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins. It was a beautiful night, and the boys and I took turns filling out the score sheet for the game. It wasn’t the score sheet format I learned when I was younger, so it was a new experience for each of us.
J and I went to Media Day at UM stadium, and she took a picture of the new, gigantic scoreboards/video screens they've been installing over the past few months. Believe it or not, it looks bigger in person than it does in this picture.
Side Projects, and a Link to Finish
I have been working steadily on a software project for the school’s Run-a-thon, a fund-raiser for the school’s PTO and the John R. Crosby Memorial Foundation. It’s a program into which a timekeeper can enter start and finish times for runners. There are some goals for the total number of minutes the kids will walk and run, and the program will keep track of the grand total and display it on a screen.
Here's a link to a great penguin someone made from typewriter parts. Very creative!
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Things have been busy both at home and at work, and I’ve been silent on this web site for a while. Here’s an update.
Maker Faire
On July 30, we went to the Maker Faire at Henry Ford Museum. This year’s Faire was somewhat expanded from last year’s, and there were more tables and demonstrations inside the museum. We met Sean Casey, best known from his work on the show Storm Chasers. He built a tank-like vehicle that he drives directly into the line of a tornado, then captures it on film. He and his rig were featured in the IMAX movie “Tornado Alley”, which we saw at Adler Planetarium last month. The kids got to sit inside the “tank” while I impressed Mr. Casey himself by commenting that I saw his movie and that I like the part of the vehicle that drives spikes into the ground to anchor it in high winds. He said that was his favorite part too, but I bet he says that to all his fans.
There were a number of attractions from last year, like the life-sized Mouse Trap game, and the circular bikes that can be pedaled by 6-8 people.
J was quite enamored with the 3-D printing machines that are obiquitous at the Faire, and I agree. They’re pretty cool.
Dental and Baseball News
On August 15, M’s weight rose very slightly with the addition of braces. Part of his new hardware is colored alternately maize and blue. J and I told him that when we had braces, they came in one color: metal.
On August 16, we went to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins. It was a beautiful night, and the boys and I took turns filling out the score sheet for the game. It wasn’t the score sheet format I learned when I was younger, so it was a new experience for each of us.
Side Projects, and a Link to Finish
I have been working steadily on a software project for the school’s Run-a-thon, a fund-raiser for the school’s PTO and the John R. Crosby Memorial Foundation. It’s a program into which a timekeeper can enter start and finish times for runners. There are some goals for the total number of minutes the kids will walk and run, and the program will keep track of the grand total and display it on a screen.
Here's a link to a great penguin someone made from typewriter parts. Very creative!
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LEGO Competition, August 4, 2011
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M and his medal-winning creation
None of you will be the least bit surprised to hear that M entered this year's Ann Arbor District Library LEGO contest.
The same number of you will not be surprised to hear that he won the "Best Vehicle" medal in his age group, 6th-8th grade.
His entry was a plane, surrounded by its builders, under the LEGO sign.
The LEGO factory crew shows off the fruits of their labor.
What you may find surprising is that J had an entry in the LEGO contest this year. She, with Kevin's help, also produced a medal-winning project, third place overall in the adult category. The project included the best LEGO UFO I've ever seen.
The sign reads "Billy learns how crop circles are made". Billy and his bike can be seen at the rear of the display.
Wow! Congratulations to J, M, and K, the three-quarters of our family who are now one medal richer!
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None of you will be the least bit surprised to hear that M entered this year's Ann Arbor District Library LEGO contest.
The same number of you will not be surprised to hear that he won the "Best Vehicle" medal in his age group, 6th-8th grade.
His entry was a plane, surrounded by its builders, under the LEGO sign.
What you may find surprising is that J had an entry in the LEGO contest this year. She, with Kevin's help, also produced a medal-winning project, third place overall in the adult category. The project included the best LEGO UFO I've ever seen.
Wow! Congratulations to J, M, and K, the three-quarters of our family who are now one medal richer!
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Frankfort, MI
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We got back from Frankfort several hours ago. We had a great time, some pretty good weather, and a few memories here and there.
Check out some of the pictures below, and click on any of them to see a larger version.
We mini-golfed here. Fortunately, the course was not as off kilter as the sign. I have no idea where the self-storage part of the business was. Maybe it tipped over like the sign, and had to be removed?
K gives a preview of this year's Halloween costume: disembodied head in foam.
The boys, and their friends Hannah and Rachel, constructed this royal estate on time and under budget. On the minus side, it was made of sand, and was found to have been destroyed later in the day. Oh, the humanity!
I swear I have no idea how this picture got in here...
The kids found a poor bee struggling to walk in the sand (it couldn't fly). I felt sorry for it and gave it a Pringle.
The boys pose at sunset on the beach.
It was pretty windy the second day we were there, but we went to the beach anyway, because what's the point of staying 100 yards from Lake Michigan if you don't go to the beach? These folks ventured down to the beach, too, but decided to sit with their backs to the wind. Good idea, if only they had not planted their chairs twenty feet from the porta-johns. We're still completely puzzled about it.
The boys act cool at The Cool Spot, a popular ice cream and fudge shop on Main Street.
The lighthouse, in a postcard picture taken by J. There's nothing more peaceful than a sailboat coming home between the ends of the two piers.
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We got back from Frankfort several hours ago. We had a great time, some pretty good weather, and a few memories here and there.
Check out some of the pictures below, and click on any of them to see a larger version.
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Get Thee to Detroit
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White Sox vs. Tigers
We went to the White Sox vs. Tigers game on Friday night, partly compliments of my company, which hosts a yearly outing to Comerica Park. It was a nice night for baseball, and there were fireworks after the game ended. Unfortunately for Tigers fans, those were the only fireworks that night, except for Miguel Cabrera’s two-run homer, which accounted for all of the Tigers’ scoring in their 8-2 loss. Justin Verlander, a pitcher who is on the short list of AL Cy Young award candidates, had trouble living up to expectations as last night’s starter, although few pitchers would be able to live up to those expectations. The Tigers are now in a close second place to Cleveland in their division.
In short, a battle was lost, but the war is still on. Go Tigers!
I have said before that I really like the city of Detroit – they have more to offer than many think, and have had their reputation sullied by many other problems. Comerica Park is an incredible place, as is Ford Field, the Fox Theater, the nearby Henry Ford complex, and many other buildings and attractions. We’re lucky to be so close. Go Detroit!
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News from the World of Mouth Metal
The word "orthodontist" has been spoken quite often lately at our house, and the next few years will provide M with first-hand knowledge of modern science's best practices in tooth management and movement. That same time span will provide J and me ample opportunity to use the phrases "out-of-pocket expenses", "not covered", "lifetime maximum benefits", and "notice that I've post-dated that check to January 1, 2017".
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Hotter weather is coming - stay inside, or, if you can't stay inside, at least try to put some ice cubes in your cold drink.
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White Sox vs. Tigers
We went to the White Sox vs. Tigers game on Friday night, partly compliments of my company, which hosts a yearly outing to Comerica Park. It was a nice night for baseball, and there were fireworks after the game ended. Unfortunately for Tigers fans, those were the only fireworks that night, except for Miguel Cabrera’s two-run homer, which accounted for all of the Tigers’ scoring in their 8-2 loss. Justin Verlander, a pitcher who is on the short list of AL Cy Young award candidates, had trouble living up to expectations as last night’s starter, although few pitchers would be able to live up to those expectations. The Tigers are now in a close second place to Cleveland in their division.
In short, a battle was lost, but the war is still on. Go Tigers!
I have said before that I really like the city of Detroit – they have more to offer than many think, and have had their reputation sullied by many other problems. Comerica Park is an incredible place, as is Ford Field, the Fox Theater, the nearby Henry Ford complex, and many other buildings and attractions. We’re lucky to be so close. Go Detroit!
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News from the World of Mouth Metal
The word "orthodontist" has been spoken quite often lately at our house, and the next few years will provide M with first-hand knowledge of modern science's best practices in tooth management and movement. That same time span will provide J and me ample opportunity to use the phrases "out-of-pocket expenses", "not covered", "lifetime maximum benefits", and "notice that I've post-dated that check to January 1, 2017".
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Hotter weather is coming - stay inside, or, if you can't stay inside, at least try to put some ice cubes in your cold drink.
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