Just heard he took a spill, and is in the hospital.
Get well soon!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
"Failure To Fire" Is Going Offline
One of the more, uh...."interesting" webcomics has published it's final episode today.
Yep, "Failure To Fire" is going dark.
The author might do a few "afterword" comics, but for the most part he's decided to close up shop and get on with his other projects, and life in general.
I don't remember when I first started reading "Failure To Fire", but it sure was a fun ride while it lasted.
Yep, "Failure To Fire" is going dark.
The author might do a few "afterword" comics, but for the most part he's decided to close up shop and get on with his other projects, and life in general.
I don't remember when I first started reading "Failure To Fire", but it sure was a fun ride while it lasted.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
NRA Basic Pistol Class AAR
Well, we taught another 14 people the NRA Basic Pistol class yesterday.
We started with 15, but one young lady vanished after about an hour. She's an LPN, so we figured maybe she was called in to work or something.
As usual, we had quite a wide variety of people, from Patent Attorneys to web designers, to a retired Navy Officer who brought her son with her.
Some of the students had prior shooting experience and were taking the class to improve their skills, while others had never handled a gun before.
They were all very interested, followed directions well, and we had no safety or firearms handling issues at all.
After the classroom session was over, we headed out to the range to let the students get some hands-on practice.
The basic format of this is to fire 20 rounds at a blank sheet of 8-1/2x10 paper, then 20 rounds at a target, and then 10 rounds at a fresh target for scoring.
The blank paper is used so we can get a feel for the students handle the gun, and correct any errors they might have with stance, grip, and sighting in. I always tell them to try and hit the center of the paper, and then use you first hole as a target and try to get the rest of the rounds "in the same hole", or if you're really off, then try and get your next shot closer to the center.
We had one little Ruger Mark-II malfunction (magazine wouldn't go in), and some ammo problems, mostly failure-to-feeds. The lead instructor told me the Mark-II's are a bit finicky about what ammo works in them, and with 22LR still being a bit scarce, we just try and live with it.
We also saw a bunch of stove-pipes which I assumed was from limp wristing, but after instructing the student who was having the problem to grip the pistol tighter, the problem lessened.
The 20 rounds on a target went well, with ALL of the students shooting 100% in the black target area, and a several getting 100% in the orange bull's eye!
Te retired Navy Officer had some problems with her stance (she was shooting her own pistol, a Taurus clone of a Beretta 92), and once I corrected her, she came right on target.
The 10 rounds on target was a bit different, as the students felt some "pressure" for being in competition.
Two scored 100%, so we had a 3 round shoot-off, with one young lady getting 100%, and the guy she was up against getting two in the orange, and one on the edge.
All-in-all, it was a great day, and we trained 14 more people in the proper handling and the basics of shooting.
We started with 15, but one young lady vanished after about an hour. She's an LPN, so we figured maybe she was called in to work or something.
As usual, we had quite a wide variety of people, from Patent Attorneys to web designers, to a retired Navy Officer who brought her son with her.
Some of the students had prior shooting experience and were taking the class to improve their skills, while others had never handled a gun before.
They were all very interested, followed directions well, and we had no safety or firearms handling issues at all.
After the classroom session was over, we headed out to the range to let the students get some hands-on practice.
The basic format of this is to fire 20 rounds at a blank sheet of 8-1/2x10 paper, then 20 rounds at a target, and then 10 rounds at a fresh target for scoring.
The blank paper is used so we can get a feel for the students handle the gun, and correct any errors they might have with stance, grip, and sighting in. I always tell them to try and hit the center of the paper, and then use you first hole as a target and try to get the rest of the rounds "in the same hole", or if you're really off, then try and get your next shot closer to the center.
We had one little Ruger Mark-II malfunction (magazine wouldn't go in), and some ammo problems, mostly failure-to-feeds. The lead instructor told me the Mark-II's are a bit finicky about what ammo works in them, and with 22LR still being a bit scarce, we just try and live with it.
We also saw a bunch of stove-pipes which I assumed was from limp wristing, but after instructing the student who was having the problem to grip the pistol tighter, the problem lessened.
The 20 rounds on a target went well, with ALL of the students shooting 100% in the black target area, and a several getting 100% in the orange bull's eye!
Te retired Navy Officer had some problems with her stance (she was shooting her own pistol, a Taurus clone of a Beretta 92), and once I corrected her, she came right on target.
The 10 rounds on target was a bit different, as the students felt some "pressure" for being in competition.
Two scored 100%, so we had a 3 round shoot-off, with one young lady getting 100%, and the guy she was up against getting two in the orange, and one on the edge.
All-in-all, it was a great day, and we trained 14 more people in the proper handling and the basics of shooting.
Friday, October 3, 2014
"An OBLIGATION To Defend Ourselves"
Latest from Bill Whittle.
He says the title of this post at 3:03 into the video.
I'm going to assist with another "NRA Basic Pistol" class tomorrow.
Hopefully it goes as well as the last one I helped with.
He says the title of this post at 3:03 into the video.
I'm going to assist with another "NRA Basic Pistol" class tomorrow.
Hopefully it goes as well as the last one I helped with.
Coming Soon To A City Near YOU!
Enough said.......
When I got my flu shot yesterday I asked if it also protected against Ebola.
Half the staff busted up, and the other half didn't know what to make of it.
When I got my flu shot yesterday I asked if it also protected against Ebola.
Half the staff busted up, and the other half didn't know what to make of it.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
James May at the Edge of Space
"Top Gear" (the English one, not that poseur American version) is one of my favorite TV programs.
One of the presenters, James May, is an avid Space enthusiast.
He did a spectacular show a few years ago on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings.
He's also one of the few civilians to get a ride on the trainer version of the U2 aircraft, and did a film about it.
It's quite entertaining in a low-key sort of way, and I found it quite enjoyable to watch.
These days, 70,000 feet isn't considered the "Edge of Space", but he also explains that.
Enjoy!
One of the presenters, James May, is an avid Space enthusiast.
He did a spectacular show a few years ago on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings.
He's also one of the few civilians to get a ride on the trainer version of the U2 aircraft, and did a film about it.
It's quite entertaining in a low-key sort of way, and I found it quite enjoyable to watch.
These days, 70,000 feet isn't considered the "Edge of Space", but he also explains that.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Knives
I've almost always carried some kind of knife. I'm not a knife aficionado or anything, but in all the jobs I've worked at, having a decent knife, in your pocket, has come in handy more times than I can count.
I really like my Benchmade knives, but sadly they need to be sent back to sharpen, as I just can't seem to put a decent edge on them.
Something else I need to learn!
My second most recent purchase was a Gerber. A nice, sharp knife with a "Tanto" blade, but I just HATE that damn stupid mechanism they have on it to fold the blade back in. It takes both hands for a clumsy doofus like me to fold the blade back, and that's just unacceptable for me.
So, I recently purchased a nice little SOG knife. It has assisted opening, and a release button like my Benchmade knives, so I can easily fold it back when I finished using it.
It's one of the "Rescue" knives, with a blunt tip, perfect for sawing through seat belts and such without putting a 22 stitch wound in the person you're trying to save!
And I've also got some serious "Survival" knives that I keep "just in case", and a sweet little Cold Steel tomahawk, just in case the Zombies show up.
So what brings me to talk about knives?
This hilarious post over at Tam's place.
Genius that woman is!
I really like my Benchmade knives, but sadly they need to be sent back to sharpen, as I just can't seem to put a decent edge on them.
Something else I need to learn!
My second most recent purchase was a Gerber. A nice, sharp knife with a "Tanto" blade, but I just HATE that damn stupid mechanism they have on it to fold the blade back in. It takes both hands for a clumsy doofus like me to fold the blade back, and that's just unacceptable for me.
So, I recently purchased a nice little SOG knife. It has assisted opening, and a release button like my Benchmade knives, so I can easily fold it back when I finished using it.
It's one of the "Rescue" knives, with a blunt tip, perfect for sawing through seat belts and such without putting a 22 stitch wound in the person you're trying to save!
And I've also got some serious "Survival" knives that I keep "just in case", and a sweet little Cold Steel tomahawk, just in case the Zombies show up.
So what brings me to talk about knives?
This hilarious post over at Tam's place.
Genius that woman is!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Shit You See At The Range
Found this over at "Every Day No Days Off", and it's absolutely hilarious.
I'm sure some of you have seen the video, and if you hang out at a range long enough, you'll see it in person.
During last week's training class, I was joking with the Range Master about how he'd always said if you worked at a range long enough, you'd see a wide cross-section of weirdness.
He laughed and said "Yeah, about two weeks".
I'm sure some of you have seen the video, and if you hang out at a range long enough, you'll see it in person.
During last week's training class, I was joking with the Range Master about how he'd always said if you worked at a range long enough, you'd see a wide cross-section of weirdness.
He laughed and said "Yeah, about two weeks".
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Busy Wednesday Again
Spent most of the day on the Iowa again, reading documents, and tracing down wire markers.
We're beginning to get a handle on how some of the cabling is done, and thanks to our good friends on the Missouri, the New Jersey, and the Midway, we're slowly getting our own set of manuals for the transmitters, receivers, antenna couplers, and most of the other equipment we have.
Long day, lots of running around, and I'm beat.
G'Night, all!
We're beginning to get a handle on how some of the cabling is done, and thanks to our good friends on the Missouri, the New Jersey, and the Midway, we're slowly getting our own set of manuals for the transmitters, receivers, antenna couplers, and most of the other equipment we have.
Long day, lots of running around, and I'm beat.
G'Night, all!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
"NRA Basic Pistol Class" AAR
Well, the lead instructor and three assistants brought another 8 people into the realm of pistol shooters today.
Why FOUR instructors?
Well, 16 people signed up (and paid!), but only 8 showed up, so as a bonus, each instructor only had two people to help, and we got extra range and classroom time.
The two young people I worked with were a brother and sister, 17 and 15 years old, respectively.
The girl was kinda bummed at first because "My parents own firearms, and they INSISTED we both take this course!".
She considered it more of a waste of a beautiful Saturday morning and afternoon than anything else, but she was attentive, asked excellent questions, took direction extremely well, and wonder-of-wonders, wound up WINNING the "10 Shot Showdown" with a score of 98!
Her older brother was seen muttering something about "I'll never live this down....", but he was a good sport about it, and proud of his sister.
As I was coaching these two young people, I kept noticing an older couple outside the range, watching through the glass with huge smiles, but didn't think much of it as I was busy.
Turns out it was Mom and Dad watching their kids have a great time, and thanked us all profusely after the class was over.
Always good to introduce some new people to shooting, and this was one of the better classes I assisted with.
Four of the students stayed to take their California "Handgun Safety Certificate" test, and were issued their HSC on the spot.
And they ALL want to come back and take the NRA "Personal Protection in the Home" class!
Why FOUR instructors?
Well, 16 people signed up (and paid!), but only 8 showed up, so as a bonus, each instructor only had two people to help, and we got extra range and classroom time.
The two young people I worked with were a brother and sister, 17 and 15 years old, respectively.
The girl was kinda bummed at first because "My parents own firearms, and they INSISTED we both take this course!".
She considered it more of a waste of a beautiful Saturday morning and afternoon than anything else, but she was attentive, asked excellent questions, took direction extremely well, and wonder-of-wonders, wound up WINNING the "10 Shot Showdown" with a score of 98!
Her older brother was seen muttering something about "I'll never live this down....", but he was a good sport about it, and proud of his sister.
As I was coaching these two young people, I kept noticing an older couple outside the range, watching through the glass with huge smiles, but didn't think much of it as I was busy.
Turns out it was Mom and Dad watching their kids have a great time, and thanked us all profusely after the class was over.
Always good to introduce some new people to shooting, and this was one of the better classes I assisted with.
Four of the students stayed to take their California "Handgun Safety Certificate" test, and were issued their HSC on the spot.
And they ALL want to come back and take the NRA "Personal Protection in the Home" class!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Groan....Finally Recovered From Wednesday's Trip To "Broadway" On The Iowa
I spent most of Wednesday on the Iowa, getting my feet wet with the "Grey Radio Gang", the group of us that are slooooowly restoring the original receivers, and attempting to get the transmitters back on line.
So, the first thing I did was to get a tour of "Broadway", the passageway that runs from one end of the armored box to the other.
To get down to Broadway, we went down one deck, to the armored hatch that leads down to the third deck:
The beveled edges of the hatch fit in to a matching bevel on the deck:
The door to your left leads into one of the Machine Shops, and is where the table with all the people present on V-J Day in Tokyo Bay stamped their names into the metal table top.
Down through the hatch, on a very steep ladder (the steepest one I've seen so far), and we're "On Broadway".
This is looking forward, with the steep ladder to your left:
And my escort leads the way:
The valves on the left have to do with some of the tanks on the ship, but since my friend is a "Radio Guy" like myself, he wasn't sure exactly what they were for. The red box to the right held a Halon bottle, one of MANY along the sides of the passageway.
This is looking aft of where we were:
The transmitter room is located off Broadway, across from the #2 Engine Room:
I thought I took a picture of the #2 Engine Room, but guess not. Engine Room access is NOT allowed unless you have a very good reason to go there, but sticking my head through the hatch showed another ladder leading WAY down, with lots of steel grating about 8' down, and the reduction gears (so I was told) were visible beneath the grating.
We unlocked the hatch, reached in and turned on the lights, and there it was.....the Transmitter Room:
Each complete transmitter consists of an exciter (puts out about 10 Watts), with a power amplifier beneath it (runs 1000 Watts output forever), and a power supply for the exciter on the bottom. These are nominally used for 2~30 MHz operation, the exciters are manually tuned, and generally get their audio/data input from "Radio Central", which is where we operate the Amateur radio station from. The exciters also have a jack for a push-to-talk handset, and a CW (Morse Code) key on the front panel, although my escort, who served on the USS Wisconsin, says he doesn't remember them ever using CW.
Across from each transmitter is the Antenna Coupler. From the writing and Dymo label (remember Dymo labels?) this coupler is for the 2~6MHz range, and connected to the "Twin Fan" antenna. The Twin Fan antenna disappeared at sometime during the Iowa's stay at Suisun Bay, and we're working on getting it replaced. Strangely enough, all of the parts to rebuild it are readily available, but he cost is something like $25,000, which is money we just don't have. The guys on the New Jersey, BB-62, have been most generous with sending us spares for just the cost of shipping, and while they have some spares for the Twin Fan antenna, wed still be out-of-pocket quite a bit of money to replace the antenna with a exact duplicate. We might just scratch our heads a bit to see if we can come up with something that looks the same, and functions the same, but for a lot less cost.
These are what you see in the picture looking in to the Transmitter Room, all located to your right:
To connect one of the transmitter/coupler pairs to a particular antenna, or a dummy load, these patch bays are used:
There's a special "Break Out" or Patch cable used that has a large, rectangular box on one end that slips into the rectangular black sockets, and then connects to the Type-N RF connector, and "Amphenol" connector in the center of the panel:
Here's one of the dry Dummy Loads sitting by the hatch leading in to the Transmitter Room:
Off to one side, is this "stand alone" transmitter unit. The additional box on the top with the two round meters is an antenna auto-coupler. We still have to trace out the cabling for this unit to see where it goes. I found one whip antenna with the remote coupling unit mounted at its base the other day, and it's possible that this transmitter is connected to it. Until we look at the wire number tags on this unit, and the coupler at the base of the antenna, it's a mystery where this one is connected to, and what it's use was:
Further down the row, on the side where the Antenna Couplers are, are these WSC-3, "Whiskey-3", UHF radios, used for SatCom:
And between the racks of WSC-3 radios is this rack containing what appears to be an Antenna Coupler for them:
I know next to nothing about these radios, and as it's highly unlikely we'd ever get a license to use them, they're probably just going to quietly sit there for a long, long time.
Back on the other side of the room are some radios and amplifiers I've actually owned in the distant, dusty past, the famous AN/ART-21 and AN/GRR-23(V), along with the AM-6153 RF Power Amplifier.
The AM-6154 amp was quite popular 'back in the day' to convert to 2 Meter Amateur radio operation. Fair Radio Sales used to have truckloads of them, but these days they command a very high price.
These radios were used to communicate with aircraft in the VHF Aircraft Band.
This is the entire rack, from top to bottom:
One very interesting radio set I found was a"Green Radio" like the ground forces use(d), the RT-524A.
I'm guessing this radio was used to communicate with our ground forces who requested Naval Gunfire Support:
Power Supply:
And a complete set, the second one in this rack:
These appear to be some type of coupler/tuning unit/SWR bridge, and since they're green, and located next to the RT-524's, I'm guessing they're part of that system:
And since we'll be working on the HF transmitters, here's a shot of where the circuit breakers for all the HF Transmitters are located:
One of my tasks as "Lead Technician" for getting the HF transmitters going again (don't ask me how I was chosen as 'lead tech', as I'm clueless!) is to photo document where things are, and the process used to get these big guys going again, so this is just a start of the many pictures I'll be taking as I spend more time down there. The guys on the New Jersey and Missouri loaned us the Technical Manuals, which we had photocopied and then returned, so we have fairly complete documentation. HOWEVER....I'm told each one of the Iowa class ships wound up a bit different, so just because we have the TM's for the equipment doesn't mean we're out of the woods!
On our way back out, I took a few more pictures of the 1930's technology that made the ship operate.
Looking down Broadway:
I think the grey hose is left from when she was in storage, as I know there are many others like this in some of the "off limits" areas, and look just like it.
Some valves used to control "Flooding The Wing Tanks":
A close-up for any Steampunkers out there:
More valves:
Close-up:
I spent about three hours down in the Transmitter Room, and we went through all of the filing and storage cabinets. We found lots of patch cables, boxes full of spare modules, a lot of miscellaneous JUNQUE, and a bunch of spare 8122 ceramic power tubes, condition unknown.
After spending the time down below, I went up to where I normally hangout, and helped a retired PhD from MIT troubleshoot one of the URR-74(V)2 Watkins-Johnson LF/MF/HF receivers.
We have three of these receivers, and only one operates correctly. The other two seem "deaf", so we're starting at the antenna using KNX 1070 for a test signal, and tracing the signal out.
Looks like there's a problem in the "A3 Module", which is the front-end of the receiver with the 1st and 2nd mixer and IF stages in it.
.....Sigh......So much for being "retired"!
So, the first thing I did was to get a tour of "Broadway", the passageway that runs from one end of the armored box to the other.
To get down to Broadway, we went down one deck, to the armored hatch that leads down to the third deck:
The beveled edges of the hatch fit in to a matching bevel on the deck:
The door to your left leads into one of the Machine Shops, and is where the table with all the people present on V-J Day in Tokyo Bay stamped their names into the metal table top.
Down through the hatch, on a very steep ladder (the steepest one I've seen so far), and we're "On Broadway".
This is looking forward, with the steep ladder to your left:
And my escort leads the way:
The valves on the left have to do with some of the tanks on the ship, but since my friend is a "Radio Guy" like myself, he wasn't sure exactly what they were for. The red box to the right held a Halon bottle, one of MANY along the sides of the passageway.
This is looking aft of where we were:
The transmitter room is located off Broadway, across from the #2 Engine Room:
I thought I took a picture of the #2 Engine Room, but guess not. Engine Room access is NOT allowed unless you have a very good reason to go there, but sticking my head through the hatch showed another ladder leading WAY down, with lots of steel grating about 8' down, and the reduction gears (so I was told) were visible beneath the grating.
We unlocked the hatch, reached in and turned on the lights, and there it was.....the Transmitter Room:
Each complete transmitter consists of an exciter (puts out about 10 Watts), with a power amplifier beneath it (runs 1000 Watts output forever), and a power supply for the exciter on the bottom. These are nominally used for 2~30 MHz operation, the exciters are manually tuned, and generally get their audio/data input from "Radio Central", which is where we operate the Amateur radio station from. The exciters also have a jack for a push-to-talk handset, and a CW (Morse Code) key on the front panel, although my escort, who served on the USS Wisconsin, says he doesn't remember them ever using CW.
Across from each transmitter is the Antenna Coupler. From the writing and Dymo label (remember Dymo labels?) this coupler is for the 2~6MHz range, and connected to the "Twin Fan" antenna. The Twin Fan antenna disappeared at sometime during the Iowa's stay at Suisun Bay, and we're working on getting it replaced. Strangely enough, all of the parts to rebuild it are readily available, but he cost is something like $25,000, which is money we just don't have. The guys on the New Jersey, BB-62, have been most generous with sending us spares for just the cost of shipping, and while they have some spares for the Twin Fan antenna, wed still be out-of-pocket quite a bit of money to replace the antenna with a exact duplicate. We might just scratch our heads a bit to see if we can come up with something that looks the same, and functions the same, but for a lot less cost.
These are what you see in the picture looking in to the Transmitter Room, all located to your right:
To connect one of the transmitter/coupler pairs to a particular antenna, or a dummy load, these patch bays are used:
There's a special "Break Out" or Patch cable used that has a large, rectangular box on one end that slips into the rectangular black sockets, and then connects to the Type-N RF connector, and "Amphenol" connector in the center of the panel:
Here's one of the dry Dummy Loads sitting by the hatch leading in to the Transmitter Room:
Off to one side, is this "stand alone" transmitter unit. The additional box on the top with the two round meters is an antenna auto-coupler. We still have to trace out the cabling for this unit to see where it goes. I found one whip antenna with the remote coupling unit mounted at its base the other day, and it's possible that this transmitter is connected to it. Until we look at the wire number tags on this unit, and the coupler at the base of the antenna, it's a mystery where this one is connected to, and what it's use was:
Further down the row, on the side where the Antenna Couplers are, are these WSC-3, "Whiskey-3", UHF radios, used for SatCom:
And between the racks of WSC-3 radios is this rack containing what appears to be an Antenna Coupler for them:
I know next to nothing about these radios, and as it's highly unlikely we'd ever get a license to use them, they're probably just going to quietly sit there for a long, long time.
Back on the other side of the room are some radios and amplifiers I've actually owned in the distant, dusty past, the famous AN/ART-21 and AN/GRR-23(V), along with the AM-6153 RF Power Amplifier.
The AM-6154 amp was quite popular 'back in the day' to convert to 2 Meter Amateur radio operation. Fair Radio Sales used to have truckloads of them, but these days they command a very high price.
These radios were used to communicate with aircraft in the VHF Aircraft Band.
This is the entire rack, from top to bottom:
One very interesting radio set I found was a"Green Radio" like the ground forces use(d), the RT-524A.
I'm guessing this radio was used to communicate with our ground forces who requested Naval Gunfire Support:
Power Supply:
And a complete set, the second one in this rack:
These appear to be some type of coupler/tuning unit/SWR bridge, and since they're green, and located next to the RT-524's, I'm guessing they're part of that system:
And since we'll be working on the HF transmitters, here's a shot of where the circuit breakers for all the HF Transmitters are located:
One of my tasks as "Lead Technician" for getting the HF transmitters going again (don't ask me how I was chosen as 'lead tech', as I'm clueless!) is to photo document where things are, and the process used to get these big guys going again, so this is just a start of the many pictures I'll be taking as I spend more time down there. The guys on the New Jersey and Missouri loaned us the Technical Manuals, which we had photocopied and then returned, so we have fairly complete documentation. HOWEVER....I'm told each one of the Iowa class ships wound up a bit different, so just because we have the TM's for the equipment doesn't mean we're out of the woods!
On our way back out, I took a few more pictures of the 1930's technology that made the ship operate.
Looking down Broadway:
I think the grey hose is left from when she was in storage, as I know there are many others like this in some of the "off limits" areas, and look just like it.
Some valves used to control "Flooding The Wing Tanks":
A close-up for any Steampunkers out there:
More valves:
Close-up:
I spent about three hours down in the Transmitter Room, and we went through all of the filing and storage cabinets. We found lots of patch cables, boxes full of spare modules, a lot of miscellaneous JUNQUE, and a bunch of spare 8122 ceramic power tubes, condition unknown.
After spending the time down below, I went up to where I normally hangout, and helped a retired PhD from MIT troubleshoot one of the URR-74(V)2 Watkins-Johnson LF/MF/HF receivers.
We have three of these receivers, and only one operates correctly. The other two seem "deaf", so we're starting at the antenna using KNX 1070 for a test signal, and tracing the signal out.
Looks like there's a problem in the "A3 Module", which is the front-end of the receiver with the 1st and 2nd mixer and IF stages in it.
.....Sigh......So much for being "retired"!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Common Core New Math
From a buddy......
6. Teaching Math In 2014:
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho? ANSWER: His profit was $375,000 because his logging business is just a front for his pot farm.
Common Core and the new math
The other day I
purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my
$2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket
and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies,
while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and
tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the
manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she
stood there and cried... Why do I tell you this? Because of the
evolution in teaching math since the 1960s:
1. Teaching Math In 1960s: (when
I was in school)
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
2. Teaching Math in 1970s:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math in 1980s:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit? Yes or No
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit? Yes or No
4. Teaching Math In 1990s:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20 your assignment: Underline the number 20.
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20 your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math in 2000s:
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's Okay).
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's Okay).
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho? ANSWER: His profit was $375,000 because his logging business is just a front for his pot farm.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Hmmmmmm...Should Have Put This On The First Engine I Built.....
Well, not really. Out of the dozen or so engines I've built over the years, I never lost one due to bad assembly or bad parts.
Came close a couple of times, but caught the suspect parts before they went into the engine one time, and caught myself very late one night almost firing a dry engine until I looked at the list I had taped on the windshield, and noticed the *one* item not crossed off was "ADD OIL/CHECK FILTER/PRIME ENGINE".
Sure enough, the dipstick was bone dry, and the filter was empty and loose on the remote oil filter setup I'd installed along with the oil cooler. So, I filled the filter and tightened it, and added the 10 quarts I'd estimated the system would hold. Since the distributor was out, I grabbed the 1/2" electric drill and dummy shaft I used to prime engines, and cranked away with the dummy shaft engaged to the oil pump. After a few minutes we had oil pressure, so I checked the level on the dipstick, added another 1/2 quart, and installed the distributor and connected it all up.
Started and ran fine after waiting for the electric fuel pump to fill the carb.
Set the idle to 2000 RPM, and ran it for 30 minutes to check for leaks and break-in the cam and lifters, and took it out for a cruise the next day.
Anyway....saw this over at the Hot Rod Magazine website, and it cracked me up.....
Came close a couple of times, but caught the suspect parts before they went into the engine one time, and caught myself very late one night almost firing a dry engine until I looked at the list I had taped on the windshield, and noticed the *one* item not crossed off was "ADD OIL/CHECK FILTER/PRIME ENGINE".
Sure enough, the dipstick was bone dry, and the filter was empty and loose on the remote oil filter setup I'd installed along with the oil cooler. So, I filled the filter and tightened it, and added the 10 quarts I'd estimated the system would hold. Since the distributor was out, I grabbed the 1/2" electric drill and dummy shaft I used to prime engines, and cranked away with the dummy shaft engaged to the oil pump. After a few minutes we had oil pressure, so I checked the level on the dipstick, added another 1/2 quart, and installed the distributor and connected it all up.
Started and ran fine after waiting for the electric fuel pump to fill the carb.
Set the idle to 2000 RPM, and ran it for 30 minutes to check for leaks and break-in the cam and lifters, and took it out for a cruise the next day.
Anyway....saw this over at the Hot Rod Magazine website, and it cracked me up.....
Monday, September 15, 2014
Another Moldy Oldie
From my vast collection of "Music of My Youth".
This one is by Les Dudek.
Les was one of those "Who?" musicians that played with lots of other groups before trying a solo career.
Who'd he play with?
Oh, little known groups like The Steve Miller Band, Stevie Nicks, The Allman Brothers, and Boz Scaggs, to name a few.
BTW, the guy who posted this appears to have the same turntable I do.
Enjoy!
This one is by Les Dudek.
Les was one of those "Who?" musicians that played with lots of other groups before trying a solo career.
Who'd he play with?
Oh, little known groups like The Steve Miller Band, Stevie Nicks, The Allman Brothers, and Boz Scaggs, to name a few.
BTW, the guy who posted this appears to have the same turntable I do.
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
A Little Travelin' Music, Please.....
By Elvin Bishop.
Did you know he has a PhD in Physics?
Amazing......
Did you know he has a PhD in Physics?
Amazing......
Thursday, September 11, 2014
RATS! My Little Weather PC Went Casters Up
Doggone it, the little Intel Atom PC I put together for my weather station has decided to call it quits.
I'm wondering if the UPS it was connected to had anything to do with its demise. This was the UPS I changed the batteries on a few weeks ago. I've been monitoring it quite closely, and all seems well, but I'm wondering if it did some weirdness when it had athe bad battery in the pack,
Generally, when the batteries inside are no good any longer, they default to "bypass mode", hopefully saving anything connected from voltage fluctuations.
The little PC acted up a week ago (dropped offline and shut down), and disconnecting the DVD drive seemed to bring it back OK.
I know I have some spare power supplies for it *somewhere* out in the garage, but since I'm in the middle of tearing apart the radio room to clean it and sort all the "stuff" that's in here, I think I might be better off just grabbing a new bare-bones unit and swapping the solid state drive from the dead PC to a new one.
As soon as I finish up the radio room, I'm attacking the garage with a vengence so I can start working on the Supra.
I'm wondering if the UPS it was connected to had anything to do with its demise. This was the UPS I changed the batteries on a few weeks ago. I've been monitoring it quite closely, and all seems well, but I'm wondering if it did some weirdness when it had athe bad battery in the pack,
Generally, when the batteries inside are no good any longer, they default to "bypass mode", hopefully saving anything connected from voltage fluctuations.
The little PC acted up a week ago (dropped offline and shut down), and disconnecting the DVD drive seemed to bring it back OK.
I know I have some spare power supplies for it *somewhere* out in the garage, but since I'm in the middle of tearing apart the radio room to clean it and sort all the "stuff" that's in here, I think I might be better off just grabbing a new bare-bones unit and swapping the solid state drive from the dead PC to a new one.
As soon as I finish up the radio room, I'm attacking the garage with a vengence so I can start working on the Supra.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Ever Wonder Where Your Gasoline Dollar Goes?
Here's a new chart by the American Petroleum Institute.
Exxon-Mobil recently published a report that they made a profit of 5.5 cents per gallon sold.
In The People's Republik of Kaliforniastan, the state tax on gasoline is almost SEVENTY-ONE cents per gallon!
So much for the "Greedy Oil Companies"......
Exxon-Mobil recently published a report that they made a profit of 5.5 cents per gallon sold.
In The People's Republik of Kaliforniastan, the state tax on gasoline is almost SEVENTY-ONE cents per gallon!
So much for the "Greedy Oil Companies"......
Friday, September 5, 2014
The Weekend Already?
Geesh.......Been busy the last few days, so haven't posted.
Spent Tuesday on the Iowa playing radio in commemoration of the signing of the "Instrument of Surrender".
The Iowa was anchored in Tokyo Bay, alongside the Mighty Mo, hosting the Missouri's crew members who had been moved off the Mo to accommodate all the VIP's and dignitaries on the Mo, and handling all the communications from Tokyo Bay.
Trimmed a tree back in the backyard, but only about 20% done with it. The "tree" started out as some kind of potted plant my wife put out there years ago. It outgrew the pot, and completely took over a corner of the backyard.
I've cut it back several times, and last year we had a tree service come do it, and the damn thing just keeps growing like a weed. She'd like to completely get rid of it, but I kinda like trees, so I guess I'm going to get real good keeping it in check.
By the time I'm done whacking it back, I'm going to have to go rent a chipper to get rid of the limbs I've cut off.
Got my Jeep smogged today, and then ran over to AAA to get the new sticker for the rear plate. The smog place had me in and out in about 45 minutes, and AAA had me in and out in about 15.
Guess that's one nice thing about being able to take care of stuff during "normal business hours".
Came home, did the dishes and vacuumed, and then had to go to an emergency board meeting of my radio club. Two of the club members have various problems with the museum staff, causing the museum curator to tell us if we don't put a SHORT leash on these two, that we may be asked to leave.
ANYWAY......I'll try and get something creative (HAH!) posted this week.
In the meantime, check out the folks on the side bar.
I think you already know each other, so play nice......
Spent Tuesday on the Iowa playing radio in commemoration of the signing of the "Instrument of Surrender".
The Iowa was anchored in Tokyo Bay, alongside the Mighty Mo, hosting the Missouri's crew members who had been moved off the Mo to accommodate all the VIP's and dignitaries on the Mo, and handling all the communications from Tokyo Bay.
Trimmed a tree back in the backyard, but only about 20% done with it. The "tree" started out as some kind of potted plant my wife put out there years ago. It outgrew the pot, and completely took over a corner of the backyard.
I've cut it back several times, and last year we had a tree service come do it, and the damn thing just keeps growing like a weed. She'd like to completely get rid of it, but I kinda like trees, so I guess I'm going to get real good keeping it in check.
By the time I'm done whacking it back, I'm going to have to go rent a chipper to get rid of the limbs I've cut off.
Got my Jeep smogged today, and then ran over to AAA to get the new sticker for the rear plate. The smog place had me in and out in about 45 minutes, and AAA had me in and out in about 15.
Guess that's one nice thing about being able to take care of stuff during "normal business hours".
Came home, did the dishes and vacuumed, and then had to go to an emergency board meeting of my radio club. Two of the club members have various problems with the museum staff, causing the museum curator to tell us if we don't put a SHORT leash on these two, that we may be asked to leave.
ANYWAY......I'll try and get something creative (HAH!) posted this week.
In the meantime, check out the folks on the side bar.
I think you already know each other, so play nice......
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Flying Through A Fireworks Display
Found this over at Bill Whittle's website.
I'm speechless.......
But thinking of buying a quad copter to mount my GoPro on!
It's in High Definition, so watch it in full screen. You'll be amazed.
I'm speechless.......
But thinking of buying a quad copter to mount my GoPro on!
It's in High Definition, so watch it in full screen. You'll be amazed.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Headed Off to the Hollywood Bowl Tonight
Going to see one of my favorites, John Williams.
Enjoy the sample.
Enjoy the sample.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Papa Oom Mow Mow
Was scratchin' around for some Surf Music today, and came across this.
The Rivingtons sound great, but the artwork really caught my eye!
The Rivingtons sound great, but the artwork really caught my eye!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
*Almost* Went to a Car Show Today
The annual "Legends Car Club" Car Show By The Sea was today, and the wife and I tried to go see it.
I hadn't heard about it until last week when my radio club had their August BBQ, and we noticed a sign for it.
WELL....T'was not to be. It was also the "Tall Ships L.A." festival this weekend, and the traffic along Harbor and Gaffey Streets in San Pedro was insane.
Having lived in San Pedro (or "Speedro" as the natives call it) for a few years, and going there all the time for my radio club and the Battleship Iowa, I pretty much know my way around, so we went in the "back way" (Western Ave South to 25th St, then East to Gaffey) to Point Fermin Park, and avoided 90% of the traffic that was clogging up Harbor and Gaffey.
Right about the time we got to Fort MacArthur (Our Field Day site), we hit the car show traffic.
I probably should have known it would be like this as their flyer said they limited entries to "the first 600 cars that apply", but I thought we'd chance it anyway.
Oh, well, at least we got to see some pretty nice cars in the "overflow" lot, and a ton of tricked out Big Bikes, as we drove by.
Coming up on September 27th is the "Japanese Classic Car Show" at the Queen Mary, and hopefully I'll get to meet some of my fellow Supra owner's there.
Last year they had a Toyota 2000 GT, and I'd really like to see one of those "In The Aluminum"!
I hadn't heard about it until last week when my radio club had their August BBQ, and we noticed a sign for it.
WELL....T'was not to be. It was also the "Tall Ships L.A." festival this weekend, and the traffic along Harbor and Gaffey Streets in San Pedro was insane.
Having lived in San Pedro (or "Speedro" as the natives call it) for a few years, and going there all the time for my radio club and the Battleship Iowa, I pretty much know my way around, so we went in the "back way" (Western Ave South to 25th St, then East to Gaffey) to Point Fermin Park, and avoided 90% of the traffic that was clogging up Harbor and Gaffey.
Right about the time we got to Fort MacArthur (Our Field Day site), we hit the car show traffic.
I probably should have known it would be like this as their flyer said they limited entries to "the first 600 cars that apply", but I thought we'd chance it anyway.
Oh, well, at least we got to see some pretty nice cars in the "overflow" lot, and a ton of tricked out Big Bikes, as we drove by.
Coming up on September 27th is the "Japanese Classic Car Show" at the Queen Mary, and hopefully I'll get to meet some of my fellow Supra owner's there.
Last year they had a Toyota 2000 GT, and I'd really like to see one of those "In The Aluminum"!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
My Dad's Birthday
He would have been one-hundred years old today had he not passed away in 1991.
And like most adult sons, I miss him every day, and long to talk to him.
He taught me a lot of things, and for that I grateful.
Happy birthday, Dad!
And like most adult sons, I miss him every day, and long to talk to him.
He taught me a lot of things, and for that I grateful.
Happy birthday, Dad!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........It's OVER!
Well, I was processed out today, along with 27 other people from my group.
My former group is down to TWO people, and the facilities guys went from 12 people to three.
All three of the purchasing people are gone, along with one of the two Safety guys, the Communications Manager, 3 of the 4 IT people, and the guy who ran Document Control.
That's 46 people that I know of, out of about 70 people on-site, or well over half the staff.
One of the security people has already found another job, and the other is seriously looking.
In the next week or so, several managers will be released, and then there's 8 the Boeing people still there.
I expect the Boeing guys to be released in the next week or so, as my former employer wants toweasel out of renegotiate their contract to get costs down (they're already about as low as they can be made and still make a small profit), and eliminate the $20 million early termination clause that's in the existing contract.
I expect them to shutter the place by the end of the year.
My former group is down to TWO people, and the facilities guys went from 12 people to three.
All three of the purchasing people are gone, along with one of the two Safety guys, the Communications Manager, 3 of the 4 IT people, and the guy who ran Document Control.
That's 46 people that I know of, out of about 70 people on-site, or well over half the staff.
One of the security people has already found another job, and the other is seriously looking.
In the next week or so, several managers will be released, and then there's 8 the Boeing people still there.
I expect the Boeing guys to be released in the next week or so, as my former employer wants to
I expect them to shutter the place by the end of the year.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
The Big SIX THREE Today!
30 didn't bother me
40 didn't bother me
50 didn't bother me
BUT....when I hit 60, I realized I wasn't a kid any more, and some changes would have to be made!
Well, Mother Nature took care of that last year, first with a MRSA infection, and then my cardiac incident requiring three stents to fix.
Still have some weight to lose (I can drive by an In-N-Out and gain 5 pounds), but I've been getting more active since the first of the year with things like walking the dog nightly, doing yard work (we fired the yard service and I bought a small electric mower), volunteering on the Iowa, and scrambling around working on the Supra.
I know my limits, and when I first started getting more active, I had to stick to about a "50% duty cycle", of 15 minutes yard work followed by a 15 minute break.
Now I can do about 30~40 minutes, and only need a 5 minute break to drink some cold water.
After either this Thursday's or Friday's layoff, I'll have LOTS of time to get my groove back, along with building up my stamina back to where I think it should be.
And the dog will probably lose a little weight, too!
Monday, August 18, 2014
We Choose To Go To The Moon.......
Another home run from Bill Whittle.
Makes me almost cry when I listen to President Kennedy......
Makes me almost cry when I listen to President Kennedy......
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Coming Soon!....UNEMPLOYMENT!....
And it won't be a minute too soon for me!
According to my Reliable Sources, who haven't been wrong yet, the axe will fall Thursday, and if they can't process everyone out, it will continue on Friday.
Frankly, this will signal the Beginning of the End for the company as NOBODY will come back, no matter how much our "services will be in great demand" in 2016.
The only way I'd go back would be as a subcontractor to help the Boeing guys pull all the Boeing Proprietary equipment off the ships, inventory it, and help pack it up to be shipped back to Mother Boeing.
Getting a new set of people in there to run all the payload processing and monitoring equipment would slow the process flow down to a crawl, and throw the schedule seriously out the window.
The sad thing is that Boeing just shipped ALL the equipment and fixtures required to build the Payload Accommodation (fairing, avionics, launch vehicle adapter, ordinance, etc) down here in anticipation of us building it up on-site, saving the company about $500k per launch.
So, there's a warehouse full of stuff to build a complete set, plus spares, that might never get used.
Right now the launch platform is in "cold lay-up" (unpowered and unmanned), and the command ship is in "warm lay-up" (minimum crew and power), and all the equipment on board is deteriorating from lack oe.
Having brought all my former systems back up after the bankruptcy (an 18 month down time), I seriously doubt some of them will come up and operate after another two year shutdown.
Oh, well....it was fun while it lasted, but I'm really looking forward to retirement!
I'm just too damn old and busted up to continue doing the job I was doing, and I think it's a fine time for my exit.......
According to my Reliable Sources, who haven't been wrong yet, the axe will fall Thursday, and if they can't process everyone out, it will continue on Friday.
Frankly, this will signal the Beginning of the End for the company as NOBODY will come back, no matter how much our "services will be in great demand" in 2016.
The only way I'd go back would be as a subcontractor to help the Boeing guys pull all the Boeing Proprietary equipment off the ships, inventory it, and help pack it up to be shipped back to Mother Boeing.
Getting a new set of people in there to run all the payload processing and monitoring equipment would slow the process flow down to a crawl, and throw the schedule seriously out the window.
The sad thing is that Boeing just shipped ALL the equipment and fixtures required to build the Payload Accommodation (fairing, avionics, launch vehicle adapter, ordinance, etc) down here in anticipation of us building it up on-site, saving the company about $500k per launch.
So, there's a warehouse full of stuff to build a complete set, plus spares, that might never get used.
Right now the launch platform is in "cold lay-up" (unpowered and unmanned), and the command ship is in "warm lay-up" (minimum crew and power), and all the equipment on board is deteriorating from lack oe.
Having brought all my former systems back up after the bankruptcy (an 18 month down time), I seriously doubt some of them will come up and operate after another two year shutdown.
Oh, well....it was fun while it lasted, but I'm really looking forward to retirement!
I'm just too damn old and busted up to continue doing the job I was doing, and I think it's a fine time for my exit.......
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
PC and UPS Maintenance Day
Several weeks ago the UPS in the living room that runs my weather station mini-PC and Uniden HomePatrol scanner started screaming that its batteries were dying.
Rather than pay the premium that APC wants for their batteries, I picked up a couple of individual AGM batteries from my local supply place, put them on the trickle charger I have, and promptly forgot about them.
WELL.....Monday night I logged in to my weather server, only to get a "404" from its network address.
Hmmm.....go out to the living room and see that it's completely cold, and the UPS has shut down.
Time to swap out the batteries, I guess!
Rather than just replace the batteries, I pulled the covers off the UPS and blew out all the dust, and checked that the fans were easy to spin, and then rebuilt it.
Pulled the covers off the mini-PC, and blew all the dust out of it, too.
So now the weather station is back on-line, and sending data to NOAA via the Citizen's Weather Observer Program.
And they still haven't said a peep about the pending layoffs at work....
Rather than pay the premium that APC wants for their batteries, I picked up a couple of individual AGM batteries from my local supply place, put them on the trickle charger I have, and promptly forgot about them.
WELL.....Monday night I logged in to my weather server, only to get a "404" from its network address.
Hmmm.....go out to the living room and see that it's completely cold, and the UPS has shut down.
Time to swap out the batteries, I guess!
Rather than just replace the batteries, I pulled the covers off the UPS and blew out all the dust, and checked that the fans were easy to spin, and then rebuilt it.
Pulled the covers off the mini-PC, and blew all the dust out of it, too.
So now the weather station is back on-line, and sending data to NOAA via the Citizen's Weather Observer Program.
And they still haven't said a peep about the pending layoffs at work....
Monday, August 11, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
50 years of "Doctor Who" Themes
Thanks to the BBC, us whovians can now watch all the iterations of our favorite them music
Presented in two parts, just click where indicated in the video.
It's very interesting to watch how the title morphed over the years, as well as seeing all our beloved Doctors.
Presented in two parts, just click where indicated in the video.
It's very interesting to watch how the title morphed over the years, as well as seeing all our beloved Doctors.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Friday, and I'm STILL Employed *and* Navy Days L.A.!
Damn....I sure do wish they'd get this lay-off thing rolling.
I have more important stuff to do, like work on the Iowa, work on my car, and mow the lawn, than continue to go in each day at 0-dark-thirty and do NOTHING for 8 hours.
And I'm there with only about half the people who are normally there, as most everyone else is burning up their vacation in anticipation of the cheap, evil, slimy bastids not paying it to us when we leave, although I think Kaliforniastan law forbids that.
On a lighter note, it's "Navy Days L.A." this weekend, and I got to see the LPD-23, USS Anchorage, and the DDG-111 USS Spruance today.
They're both docked immediately North of the Battleship Iowa (we're not allowed to call her the USS Iowa as she's no longer a commissioned USN vessel), and all three of them sure make an imposing sight as you come into San Pedro!
Some of the active duty personnel from each ship came over to the Iowa to help us do some grunt work, chipping, scraping, and painting, and I was privileged to get to meet a few today.
All I can say is we have a terrific bunch of young folks in our Navy, and I thanked each one of them I met.
I had an opportunity to have dinner on the Spruance, but missed it by *that* much.
I would have been most honored to have been allowed to share a meal with these fine people, but I sent my application and donation in about 12 hours too late, and all available seats were taken.
Oh, well........
I have more important stuff to do, like work on the Iowa, work on my car, and mow the lawn, than continue to go in each day at 0-dark-thirty and do NOTHING for 8 hours.
And I'm there with only about half the people who are normally there, as most everyone else is burning up their vacation in anticipation of the cheap, evil, slimy bastids not paying it to us when we leave, although I think Kaliforniastan law forbids that.
On a lighter note, it's "Navy Days L.A." this weekend, and I got to see the LPD-23, USS Anchorage, and the DDG-111 USS Spruance today.
USS Anchorage
USS Spruance
They're both docked immediately North of the Battleship Iowa (we're not allowed to call her the USS Iowa as she's no longer a commissioned USN vessel), and all three of them sure make an imposing sight as you come into San Pedro!
Some of the active duty personnel from each ship came over to the Iowa to help us do some grunt work, chipping, scraping, and painting, and I was privileged to get to meet a few today.
All I can say is we have a terrific bunch of young folks in our Navy, and I thanked each one of them I met.
I had an opportunity to have dinner on the Spruance, but missed it by *that* much.
I would have been most honored to have been allowed to share a meal with these fine people, but I sent my application and donation in about 12 hours too late, and all available seats were taken.
Oh, well........
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Things To Do When You Don't Have Anything To Do
Or, "How To Keep Busy".
Since they've shut down half the lights in the building I work in, and turned off the air conditioning, the place rapidly turned in to a dark, dank, humid sweatbox.
After all of us complained by repeatedly email-bombing the facilities people and upper management, they brought in some portable air conditioning units, plumbed their hot air exhausts into the ceiling air return ducts, and hot-wired the air handlers to run independently of the rest of the A/C systems so the hot air exhausted by the portable units would at least get pulled out of the building.
The portable units are pretty humorous looking, and requiring emptying the 5-gallon water catch can daily, but they keep the office comfortable.
SO......what do a bunch of Engineering Geeks with way too much "free" time on their hands do with one of these funny looking boxes?
Float a ball in the airstream of the outlet, of course!
We've got 5 of these units in our office area, and each one has a different colored ball floating in its cold air outlet, but this one happens to be by my desk.
BTW....the bookcase full of binders is a small part of the documentation required for a single launch.
My first manager used to joke that a rocket wasn't ready for launch until the stack of paperwork exceeded the height of the launch vehicle.
Since they've shut down half the lights in the building I work in, and turned off the air conditioning, the place rapidly turned in to a dark, dank, humid sweatbox.
After all of us complained by repeatedly email-bombing the facilities people and upper management, they brought in some portable air conditioning units, plumbed their hot air exhausts into the ceiling air return ducts, and hot-wired the air handlers to run independently of the rest of the A/C systems so the hot air exhausted by the portable units would at least get pulled out of the building.
The portable units are pretty humorous looking, and requiring emptying the 5-gallon water catch can daily, but they keep the office comfortable.
SO......what do a bunch of Engineering Geeks with way too much "free" time on their hands do with one of these funny looking boxes?
Float a ball in the airstream of the outlet, of course!
We've got 5 of these units in our office area, and each one has a different colored ball floating in its cold air outlet, but this one happens to be by my desk.
BTW....the bookcase full of binders is a small part of the documentation required for a single launch.
My first manager used to joke that a rocket wasn't ready for launch until the stack of paperwork exceeded the height of the launch vehicle.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Sleepy Dog Daze!
Had some rain last night, and it's really humid outside.
It's about 88* with 50% Relative Humidity.
Was out trimming our lemon tree, and was soaked in about 15 minutes.
Think I'll hang out inside where it's cooler with the A/C running.
Even the dog knows better than to be outside this afternoon!
It's about 88* with 50% Relative Humidity.
Was out trimming our lemon tree, and was soaked in about 15 minutes.
Think I'll hang out inside where it's cooler with the A/C running.
Even the dog knows better than to be outside this afternoon!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Greatly Increased Nuttiness At Work......UPDATED
Gee, after today's meeting, I might not get a chance to give them notice!
Since this Friday is payday, and next Friday is when we turn in our time sheets, I'd expect things to hit the fan next week.
And all indications are it's going to be a bloodbath.
More when I know.......
Well, we had another meeting on Tuesday morning where our Direct Manager (the guy who signs our time sheets) brought all 20-something of us in, and clued us in on what's going on.
Everybody that was in the room, including himself, is subject to layoff, along with most of the other office staff, like the purchasing people, secretaries, and most of the IT staff.
It will be a bloodbath.
He said that he'd been in meetings the previous week, prior to the All Hands meeting, where lots of yelling, screaming, and table pounding (of the "We will BURY you" type, if you know what I mean) went on, and the owners were really putting down the American workers as "overpaid, pampered, and lazy", and how we never seemed to be doing anything and spent too much money on things that weren't needed.
And the last six launches we did were all booked in 2007 or earlier, and in some cases were done at a discount because of "launch credits" negotiated during the Chapter 11 doings.
And despite the fact we were told that our services would be "In very high demand" when they started launching again, after hearing what went on the previous week, responses in this meeting ranged from "Fool me once.....", to "I'm not quitting Boeing AGAIN!" (some people are making plans to head back to The Mothership, and a couple have already left), to "Good luck with that!".
I've worked with these guys (and ladies) since 2004, and if they say they won't come back, believe it!
We were advised to try and use our vacation and sick leave ASAP, "just in case" the owner's try and wiggle out of paying it to us at separation.
As far as spending money on things that "weren't needed", our part of the system is literally falling apart, and we're just about fresh out of bailing wire and chewing gum.
We have computers running Windows95 on 486 processors doing critical things.
We have other similar computers running Windows NT 3.5 doing other critical tasks.
All of the computers controlling things in the Launch Control Center are running Windows 2000, as are 95+% of the workstations there.
Some the managers in the LCC had their workstations "upgraded" to Windows XP, but not many.
Our "Autotracker" to run the telemetry capture antennas failed years ago, and I had to manually follow the flight profile using the control knobs on the front of the Antenna Control Unit.
The telemetry receivers have been failing due to old age, and we have to send them to a private place for repair as the company that built them doesn't (and won't) support them.
The telemetry decoders are ancient, require a couple of reboots to get them running, and have been known to just stop working.
Same with the optical tracker for recording the launches on film and video. The had to put a 6' piece of pipe on to the pedestal to muscle the cameras around and follow the launch vehicle, as the computer and control electronics had multiple failures, and the company servicing them "wanted too much money" to come out and fix them.
The ships have been getting a bit run down as well. Safety items are fine, but now you're starting to see rusty spots because there aren't enough crew members left to keep on top of things, and I suspect the paint budget" has been slashed.
They shut down the air conditioning in the building most of my group is in, and brought it portable AC units to keep things tolerable.
The carpets in the building look like something a slumlord would proud of, as they haven't been cleaned in at least 5 years.
There are "Out Of Service" toilets and urinals in the men's room, and burned out lights everywhere.
It really looks like The Beginning of the End for the place.
Since this Friday is payday, and next Friday is when we turn in our time sheets, I'd expect things to hit the fan next week.
And all indications are it's going to be a bloodbath.
More when I know.......
***UPDATE***
Well, we had another meeting on Tuesday morning where our Direct Manager (the guy who signs our time sheets) brought all 20-something of us in, and clued us in on what's going on.
Everybody that was in the room, including himself, is subject to layoff, along with most of the other office staff, like the purchasing people, secretaries, and most of the IT staff.
It will be a bloodbath.
He said that he'd been in meetings the previous week, prior to the All Hands meeting, where lots of yelling, screaming, and table pounding (of the "We will BURY you" type, if you know what I mean) went on, and the owners were really putting down the American workers as "overpaid, pampered, and lazy", and how we never seemed to be doing anything and spent too much money on things that weren't needed.
And the last six launches we did were all booked in 2007 or earlier, and in some cases were done at a discount because of "launch credits" negotiated during the Chapter 11 doings.
And despite the fact we were told that our services would be "In very high demand" when they started launching again, after hearing what went on the previous week, responses in this meeting ranged from "Fool me once.....", to "I'm not quitting Boeing AGAIN!" (some people are making plans to head back to The Mothership, and a couple have already left), to "Good luck with that!".
I've worked with these guys (and ladies) since 2004, and if they say they won't come back, believe it!
We were advised to try and use our vacation and sick leave ASAP, "just in case" the owner's try and wiggle out of paying it to us at separation.
As far as spending money on things that "weren't needed", our part of the system is literally falling apart, and we're just about fresh out of bailing wire and chewing gum.
We have computers running Windows95 on 486 processors doing critical things.
We have other similar computers running Windows NT 3.5 doing other critical tasks.
All of the computers controlling things in the Launch Control Center are running Windows 2000, as are 95+% of the workstations there.
Some the managers in the LCC had their workstations "upgraded" to Windows XP, but not many.
Our "Autotracker" to run the telemetry capture antennas failed years ago, and I had to manually follow the flight profile using the control knobs on the front of the Antenna Control Unit.
The telemetry receivers have been failing due to old age, and we have to send them to a private place for repair as the company that built them doesn't (and won't) support them.
The telemetry decoders are ancient, require a couple of reboots to get them running, and have been known to just stop working.
Same with the optical tracker for recording the launches on film and video. The had to put a 6' piece of pipe on to the pedestal to muscle the cameras around and follow the launch vehicle, as the computer and control electronics had multiple failures, and the company servicing them "wanted too much money" to come out and fix them.
The ships have been getting a bit run down as well. Safety items are fine, but now you're starting to see rusty spots because there aren't enough crew members left to keep on top of things, and I suspect the paint budget" has been slashed.
They shut down the air conditioning in the building most of my group is in, and brought it portable AC units to keep things tolerable.
The carpets in the building look like something a slumlord would proud of, as they haven't been cleaned in at least 5 years.
There are "Out Of Service" toilets and urinals in the men's room, and burned out lights everywhere.
It really looks like The Beginning of the End for the place.
Friday, July 25, 2014
I Picked A GREAT Time To Retire!
WELL.....we had an "All Hands" meeting today, and the outlook is grim.
They're planning on doing some serious layoffs "sometime in August".
Hey, I volunteer!
Lay me off, and I'll happily collect unemployment until October when my SS is scheduled to start.
Seriously, the COO and CEO were there, and they truly sounded pained over having to tell us what's coming down the road.
Unfortunately, I think this may very well mark the beginning of the end for the company.
Considering that many of the operations support people left good jobs to come back, and were met with numerous unfulfilled promises, I think the chances of any of them coming back if called are slim to none, no matter how much the company says it "appreciated" all the hard work and sacrifices we all made.
I think I'm starting to hear nails being driven......
They're planning on doing some serious layoffs "sometime in August".
Hey, I volunteer!
Lay me off, and I'll happily collect unemployment until October when my SS is scheduled to start.
Seriously, the COO and CEO were there, and they truly sounded pained over having to tell us what's coming down the road.
Unfortunately, I think this may very well mark the beginning of the end for the company.
Considering that many of the operations support people left good jobs to come back, and were met with numerous unfulfilled promises, I think the chances of any of them coming back if called are slim to none, no matter how much the company says it "appreciated" all the hard work and sacrifices we all made.
I think I'm starting to hear nails being driven......
Sunday, July 20, 2014
45 Years Ago Today
Two brave men set foot on the Moon, while their shipmate orbited the Moon.
Cronkite (I think) called him "The Lonliest Man In The Universe".
Thanks to Keads for this stunningly wonderful recording of the event.
Even today, 45 years later, it brings tears to my old eyes......
We simply could NOT mount this effort today, and Denninger agrees with me.
I'd say more, but I'm FAR too disgusted with what our Country has become......
Cronkite (I think) called him "The Lonliest Man In The Universe".
Thanks to Keads for this stunningly wonderful recording of the event.
Even today, 45 years later, it brings tears to my old eyes......
We simply could NOT mount this effort today, and Denninger agrees with me.
I'd say more, but I'm FAR too disgusted with what our Country has become......
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Audio/Video/Photgraphy Day
Been going through all the pictures my wife, her friend, and I took on the trip.
Finally got them all organized (3 PLUS GB of Pix), and I'll be burning some CD's later for the kids and her friend.
Went to burn the zipline videos they took with the little GoPro, and Windoze Media Creator doesn't know what to do with them because they're mp4 videos.
Went and downloaded the "GoPro Studio" software so I could convert them to avi, and make Windoze happy.
Yes, I know there's other free software to do this, but the GoPro Studio is very easy to use and does a good job.
If I get some time later I'll post some of the pix from one of our excursions.
Total mileage traveled was around 2700, and fuel economy for the entire trip was 17.1 MPG. Not too bad considering all the elevation changes between here and Colorado and back, and the fact we spent literally HOURS cruising at 75~80 MPH with three people and all the "stuff" two women have to bring on a vacation!
And back to "work" tomorrow.
Oh, well, it's only another 4 weeks before I give my notice, and then two more weeks after that, and I'm outta there!
Finally got them all organized (3 PLUS GB of Pix), and I'll be burning some CD's later for the kids and her friend.
Went to burn the zipline videos they took with the little GoPro, and Windoze Media Creator doesn't know what to do with them because they're mp4 videos.
Went and downloaded the "GoPro Studio" software so I could convert them to avi, and make Windoze happy.
Yes, I know there's other free software to do this, but the GoPro Studio is very easy to use and does a good job.
If I get some time later I'll post some of the pix from one of our excursions.
Total mileage traveled was around 2700, and fuel economy for the entire trip was 17.1 MPG. Not too bad considering all the elevation changes between here and Colorado and back, and the fact we spent literally HOURS cruising at 75~80 MPH with three people and all the "stuff" two women have to bring on a vacation!
And back to "work" tomorrow.
Oh, well, it's only another 4 weeks before I give my notice, and then two more weeks after that, and I'm outta there!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Back In The 'Stan
Got back yesterday about 1545. Dropped off the wife's friend and her luggage, then headed here to unload the Jeep.
Finally got to the kennel about 1800 to pick up Pebbles, who ignored me for the first 20 minutes or so.
I'd forgotten my house keys, so when we got home I couldn't get in to the house! Had to fight the bees around the lavender bush to get at the faucet for the front garden hose so I could give the poor dog a drink, and then we waited for the wife to get home.
And waited.
And waited.
After about 20 minutes, I took the dog for another ride (she's excellent in the car) to kill some time, and when we got home, the wife was still gone.
Hmmmmm....maybe she went to get groceries, as we'd cleaned out the fridge before we left.
SOOOO.....back in the car for another ride. Stopped and got gas, and rode around for about another 30 minutes.
Got home and saw the wife's car in the driveway, so I parked and we went in.
Turns out the fire alarm at the wife's school had gone casters up and was wailing away, so they called her in to reset it. It wouldn't reset, and started throwing error codes she'd never seen, so she called the alarm company who diagnosed it as a bad sensor, and told her to turn it off.
She had to go back in this morning to give the alarm company access to the buildings, and they replaced three different types of sensors, and now all is good.
I'm off to pick up our mail, and then over to my private P.O. Box where I do all my shipping and receiving from. I *know* I have a Heathkit SB-303 receiver waiting for me, along with a few parts for the Supra, and a HUGE box of mail and other junk.
Glad I don't have to be back to "work" until Monday, as the back yard needs some grooming!
Finally got to the kennel about 1800 to pick up Pebbles, who ignored me for the first 20 minutes or so.
I'd forgotten my house keys, so when we got home I couldn't get in to the house! Had to fight the bees around the lavender bush to get at the faucet for the front garden hose so I could give the poor dog a drink, and then we waited for the wife to get home.
And waited.
And waited.
After about 20 minutes, I took the dog for another ride (she's excellent in the car) to kill some time, and when we got home, the wife was still gone.
Hmmmmm....maybe she went to get groceries, as we'd cleaned out the fridge before we left.
SOOOO.....back in the car for another ride. Stopped and got gas, and rode around for about another 30 minutes.
Got home and saw the wife's car in the driveway, so I parked and we went in.
Turns out the fire alarm at the wife's school had gone casters up and was wailing away, so they called her in to reset it. It wouldn't reset, and started throwing error codes she'd never seen, so she called the alarm company who diagnosed it as a bad sensor, and told her to turn it off.
She had to go back in this morning to give the alarm company access to the buildings, and they replaced three different types of sensors, and now all is good.
I'm off to pick up our mail, and then over to my private P.O. Box where I do all my shipping and receiving from. I *know* I have a Heathkit SB-303 receiver waiting for me, along with a few parts for the Supra, and a HUGE box of mail and other junk.
Glad I don't have to be back to "work" until Monday, as the back yard needs some grooming!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Headed Back to Kaliforniastan......
And we'll really miss Colorado!
Yesterday we went to Estes Park, home of "The Stanley Hotel".
You've seen The Stanley before, I'm sure, as it was extensively used in a movie.
"Here's JOHNNNNNY!" should be enough of a clue.
Turns out that The Stanley was NOT used in "The Shining", but rather was a hotel Stephen King stayed in for a while, inspiring him to write the novel.
It's up at 7500 feet, like the future in-laws homestead, and walking around the grounds (no, the maze isn't there. It was shot somewhere else) kinda winded me, but not as bad as it would have the first day or two we were here.
We spent today with The Kids, going out to lunch, and then going over to their place to see "our" dogs. The dogs went nuts to see us again, but calmed down faster this time.
The stepson's GF was out walking Coco when we pulled up, and I swear she recognized my Jeep, although the GF claims the dog smelled us coming!
Anyway......we'll take The Kids out for breakfast tomorrow, give them and the dogs a big hug, and then head back to the 'Stan Wednesday.
We're going to spend the night in Mesquite, Nevada, as everybody agreed doing this drive in one 18-hour marathon is NOT fun for us Old Folks.
Besides, I want them to see the scenery during daylight hours, as when we came through there on the way out, it was "O Dark Thirty", and they didn't get to see any of the spectacular scenery West of the Continental Divide, and through Utah and Arizona.
We've taking several hundred pix, and I'll sort through them after we get back, and write little posts about some of the things we saw.
Yesterday we went to Estes Park, home of "The Stanley Hotel".
Turns out that The Stanley was NOT used in "The Shining", but rather was a hotel Stephen King stayed in for a while, inspiring him to write the novel.
It's up at 7500 feet, like the future in-laws homestead, and walking around the grounds (no, the maze isn't there. It was shot somewhere else) kinda winded me, but not as bad as it would have the first day or two we were here.
We spent today with The Kids, going out to lunch, and then going over to their place to see "our" dogs. The dogs went nuts to see us again, but calmed down faster this time.
The stepson's GF was out walking Coco when we pulled up, and I swear she recognized my Jeep, although the GF claims the dog smelled us coming!
Anyway......we'll take The Kids out for breakfast tomorrow, give them and the dogs a big hug, and then head back to the 'Stan Wednesday.
We're going to spend the night in Mesquite, Nevada, as everybody agreed doing this drive in one 18-hour marathon is NOT fun for us Old Folks.
Besides, I want them to see the scenery during daylight hours, as when we came through there on the way out, it was "O Dark Thirty", and they didn't get to see any of the spectacular scenery West of the Continental Divide, and through Utah and Arizona.
We've taking several hundred pix, and I'll sort through them after we get back, and write little posts about some of the things we saw.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Shooting and Boating, But NOT at the Same Time
Well, we went shooting today the the stepson's GF's parent's place.
First of all, their homestead is located at seventy five hundred feet above sea level!
After the 14,000+ foot excursion to Pike's peak, which really knocked me for a loop, this wasn't too bad. At least I didn't have to stop every 10 or 15 steps to get my breath.
I *finally* got to fire and AR pattern rifle, the stepson's slightly customized M&P-15.
He got quite a deal on the rifle and EOTech holographic sight for it; $400 for the rifle, and $400 for the sight!
We were firing the Wold Gold ammo I bought him, and it fed perfectly, went BANG everytime, and he seemed to feel it was more accurate than the reloaded stuff he'd been buyinh.
The M&P-15 is a really sweet rifle, and my wife, who is pretty recoil-sensitive, had NO problems firing it, and getting solid hits on the 100-yard steels they have on their range.
After I'd learned the controls, and fired a few "practice" rounds through it, I was able to get solid hits on the 100 and 200-yard steels with it.
I even got fancy, and was alternating shots between the 100 and 200 yard targets, getting solid hits almost every time. If I fired too fast, I'd miss one, but if I waited until I had the pipper solidly on the target, I got a hit every single time!
The GF's brother also brought several rifles, including a Henry "Survival Rifle" in 22LR, and Marlin 336 in 30-30, identical to mine, and a Winchester 94 in 30-30.
I was getting solid hits on the 200-yard steel with both rifles using Hornady LeverEvolution ammo.
The Marlin had a "Factory" 3-9x32mm scope on it, while the Winchester had classic buckhorn sights.
Getting solid 200-yard hits with open sights surprised me, but then I haven't been rifle shooting since I got my new glasses about six months ago.
Then we headed down to the Horsetooth Reservoir @5400 feet for an afternoon of boating, with The Kids going nuts tubing, while all us Old Folks just enjoying the scenery.
And it sure feels good to be back to "only" 4980 feet!
I'm jumping in the shower, and then to bed.......
First of all, their homestead is located at seventy five hundred feet above sea level!
After the 14,000+ foot excursion to Pike's peak, which really knocked me for a loop, this wasn't too bad. At least I didn't have to stop every 10 or 15 steps to get my breath.
I *finally* got to fire and AR pattern rifle, the stepson's slightly customized M&P-15.
He got quite a deal on the rifle and EOTech holographic sight for it; $400 for the rifle, and $400 for the sight!
We were firing the Wold Gold ammo I bought him, and it fed perfectly, went BANG everytime, and he seemed to feel it was more accurate than the reloaded stuff he'd been buyinh.
The M&P-15 is a really sweet rifle, and my wife, who is pretty recoil-sensitive, had NO problems firing it, and getting solid hits on the 100-yard steels they have on their range.
After I'd learned the controls, and fired a few "practice" rounds through it, I was able to get solid hits on the 100 and 200-yard steels with it.
I even got fancy, and was alternating shots between the 100 and 200 yard targets, getting solid hits almost every time. If I fired too fast, I'd miss one, but if I waited until I had the pipper solidly on the target, I got a hit every single time!
The GF's brother also brought several rifles, including a Henry "Survival Rifle" in 22LR, and Marlin 336 in 30-30, identical to mine, and a Winchester 94 in 30-30.
I was getting solid hits on the 200-yard steel with both rifles using Hornady LeverEvolution ammo.
The Marlin had a "Factory" 3-9x32mm scope on it, while the Winchester had classic buckhorn sights.
Getting solid 200-yard hits with open sights surprised me, but then I haven't been rifle shooting since I got my new glasses about six months ago.
Then we headed down to the Horsetooth Reservoir @5400 feet for an afternoon of boating, with The Kids going nuts tubing, while all us Old Folks just enjoying the scenery.
And it sure feels good to be back to "only" 4980 feet!
I'm jumping in the shower, and then to bed.......
Friday, July 4, 2014
Happy Birthday America!
And we're going to a big family BBQ later today.
The stepson's GF's family has a nice 50 acre or so "ranch" west of town, and we'll be heading out there a little later.
They have their own range, so we're going to burn through some of the 1000 rounds of 223 I bought for the stepson (WoW....I get to shoot an AR today, something I've never done), and then we'll have the usual burgers and dogs cooked on the grill, and watch the fireworks from Fort Collins.
Still recovering from the Pike's peak trip.
And I *promise* to never go above 10,000 feet again without my bail-out bottle!
And for a really good take on July 4, 2014, drop on by Wirecutter's place and RTWT.
Bravo, Ken!
The stepson's GF's family has a nice 50 acre or so "ranch" west of town, and we'll be heading out there a little later.
They have their own range, so we're going to burn through some of the 1000 rounds of 223 I bought for the stepson (WoW....I get to shoot an AR today, something I've never done), and then we'll have the usual burgers and dogs cooked on the grill, and watch the fireworks from Fort Collins.
Still recovering from the Pike's peak trip.
And I *promise* to never go above 10,000 feet again without my bail-out bottle!
And for a really good take on July 4, 2014, drop on by Wirecutter's place and RTWT.
Bravo, Ken!
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Went to Pike's Peak Today
And the 14,000+ foot altitude kicked my tail end but good!
Just glad I bought a couple of cans of "Boost O2", basically 2 liters of 95% O2 in a small can, before we rode the Cog Railway to the top.
After that, we went to "Cave of the Winds", but I was too trashed to take the cave tour with my wife, her friend, and my stepson's GF.
Got up @ 0630, and didn't get back until 2100.
One good thing was when we dropped off the GF, I got to see Diamond and Coco, our two dogs that the kids took with them when they moved here. I called them, they heard me, and about knocked poor GF off her feet getting to me.
After much sniffing and licking, they settled down (a bit!) and it was fun to play with them for a while before we headed back here to our hotel.
Too beat to download my camera pix, so I'll do that tomorrow.
Just glad I bought a couple of cans of "Boost O2", basically 2 liters of 95% O2 in a small can, before we rode the Cog Railway to the top.
After that, we went to "Cave of the Winds", but I was too trashed to take the cave tour with my wife, her friend, and my stepson's GF.
Got up @ 0630, and didn't get back until 2100.
One good thing was when we dropped off the GF, I got to see Diamond and Coco, our two dogs that the kids took with them when they moved here. I called them, they heard me, and about knocked poor GF off her feet getting to me.
After much sniffing and licking, they settled down (a bit!) and it was fun to play with them for a while before we headed back here to our hotel.
Too beat to download my camera pix, so I'll do that tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
It's A LOOOONG Drive......
From Long Beach to Fort Collins!
Took us about 17 hours, and we averaged 16.8 MPG, not bad considering we spent HOURS cruising at 75 MPH (80 through Utah!).
Haven't looked at the odometer yet, but we went through $250 worth of gas.
Outside air temp peaked at 116* on the way to Vegas, and it was 113* in Baker where we stopped for fuel.
Stopped for dinner in Veags (BIG mistake!), and I wanted to go to Planet Hollywood.
Big mistake #2.
We got the menu, saw that the steaks were $55, and everything was a la carte, so we politely thanked the staff and slipped out to find something cheaper.
Wasted over 90 minutes in Vegas, including getting off and back on I-15.
At least the parking was free!
Continued on out way through Nevada, cut through the NW corner of Arizona, and then on into Utah, where the speed limit went to 80 MPH!
We picked up with two brand new Dodge Challengers wearing manufacturer's plates, and cruised at 80+ MPH until just before sunset, when they peeled off at a small city that advertised "Gas Food Lodging".
Since they both had "SRT" emblems, and judging from the hood scoops, splitters, and spoilers both had, I'm guessing they were the new "Hellcat" models that aren't quite for sale yet.
Crossed most of Utah in darkness, which is a shame, as I remembered it being nice scenery from the last time I drove through it, some 30 years ago.
Came through the Vail area about 30 minutes after sunrise, and it was just beautiful.
There's still snow in large sections of Vail, and the outside air temp dropped to a low of 31*, quite a difference from some hours earlier in the desert!
Had breakfast in Denver, then headed North to Fort Collins. Got to our hotel several hours early, due to my wife estimating our travel time to be 22 hours, very tired, so I napped in the Jeep.
When we got our room, I laid down on the bed and slept for 7 hours. Got up, had some dinner, watched some TV, and went back to sleep for another 10 hours!
This high-speed traveling is kinda fun, but only when it matches your sleep schedule.
I'm going to be out-of-it until tomorrow........
Took us about 17 hours, and we averaged 16.8 MPG, not bad considering we spent HOURS cruising at 75 MPH (80 through Utah!).
Haven't looked at the odometer yet, but we went through $250 worth of gas.
Outside air temp peaked at 116* on the way to Vegas, and it was 113* in Baker where we stopped for fuel.
Stopped for dinner in Veags (BIG mistake!), and I wanted to go to Planet Hollywood.
Big mistake #2.
We got the menu, saw that the steaks were $55, and everything was a la carte, so we politely thanked the staff and slipped out to find something cheaper.
Wasted over 90 minutes in Vegas, including getting off and back on I-15.
At least the parking was free!
Continued on out way through Nevada, cut through the NW corner of Arizona, and then on into Utah, where the speed limit went to 80 MPH!
We picked up with two brand new Dodge Challengers wearing manufacturer's plates, and cruised at 80+ MPH until just before sunset, when they peeled off at a small city that advertised "Gas Food Lodging".
Since they both had "SRT" emblems, and judging from the hood scoops, splitters, and spoilers both had, I'm guessing they were the new "Hellcat" models that aren't quite for sale yet.
Crossed most of Utah in darkness, which is a shame, as I remembered it being nice scenery from the last time I drove through it, some 30 years ago.
Came through the Vail area about 30 minutes after sunrise, and it was just beautiful.
There's still snow in large sections of Vail, and the outside air temp dropped to a low of 31*, quite a difference from some hours earlier in the desert!
Had breakfast in Denver, then headed North to Fort Collins. Got to our hotel several hours early, due to my wife estimating our travel time to be 22 hours, very tired, so I napped in the Jeep.
When we got our room, I laid down on the bed and slept for 7 hours. Got up, had some dinner, watched some TV, and went back to sleep for another 10 hours!
This high-speed traveling is kinda fun, but only when it matches your sleep schedule.
I'm going to be out-of-it until tomorrow........
Saturday, June 28, 2014
FINALLY Setup for Field Day!
GROAN.......
Got things partially set up, and realized I didn't have a power supply with me.
45 minute round trip to home and back, and then I found I didn't have a Rig Runner with me!
Luckily, one of the guys had a home made Power Pole pigtail with him, that gave me just enough connections to get going.
Then I found I didn't have the correct clamps to hold the cross-boom into the elevation rotor, so had to mickey mouse it with hose clamps.
Then calibrated the rotor, and had everything ready to go just as the Space Station went over the horizon.
They're active this year, so I'll try and get them on the next pass in about two hours.
A lot of this heartburn is MY fault, as I didn't set everything up to run this year, and as a result, I was missing items that I had cannibalized for my "Iowa Box".
BUT, everything is up and apparently running correctly, and since this is positively the LAST time I'm dragging it all out here, I can live with it.
Got things partially set up, and realized I didn't have a power supply with me.
45 minute round trip to home and back, and then I found I didn't have a Rig Runner with me!
Luckily, one of the guys had a home made Power Pole pigtail with him, that gave me just enough connections to get going.
Then I found I didn't have the correct clamps to hold the cross-boom into the elevation rotor, so had to mickey mouse it with hose clamps.
Then calibrated the rotor, and had everything ready to go just as the Space Station went over the horizon.
They're active this year, so I'll try and get them on the next pass in about two hours.
A lot of this heartburn is MY fault, as I didn't set everything up to run this year, and as a result, I was missing items that I had cannibalized for my "Iowa Box".
BUT, everything is up and apparently running correctly, and since this is positively the LAST time I'm dragging it all out here, I can live with it.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Murphy Strikes at Field Day Setup!
Considering how good the last few years were, I suppose he figured he'd better show up this year.
My son and I were 90+% loaded up, and the wife came home.
She immediately starts yakking away about trivial stuff, and then wants pictures taken so she can update the pix her phone shows when either he or I call her.
I protest vehemently saying that we're BUSY, DAMMIT, but she insists, and then continues yakking away about nothing.
By this time we're half an hour behind schedule, totally lost track of what I was doing, so we lock the gate and leave.
About half way to the site I call him on the radio, and ask him if he sees the 2 Meter antenna in the trailer (he's following me), and he replies, "Uhhhh....no. I think we left it propped up against the side of the house".
RATS!
We get to the site, and get set up what we can, when a club member comes up whining about the key to the bathroom, so I lose another 20 minutes walking down to the office to get the key.
Then somebody else starts whining about getting a key for the gates that they lock at 2300, so I lose another 40 minutes getting that taken care of.
I tell my son I'm going home to get the missing antenna, leave, and hit a massive traffic jam on the 710 North freeway.
Takes me over an hour to get home, when iy normally takes about 25 minutes.
Get home, grab the antenna and cable tie it to my roof rack, and head back, only to find that there's a "gaper's block" on the Southbound freeway to look at the accident I passed earlier.
Total wasted travel time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Hook up the rotor controller box to make sure the rotors are where they should be to install the cross-boom and antennas, and notice the Azimuth and Elevation connectors don't match. Get the extension cables I normally use, and power up the rotors only to realize I have the wrong model control box for this model of rotor.
Last year I used a different antenna mount and rotors, and never swapped out the controller from the tote box all the radio stuff is in.
I finally just give up, and pack the valuable stuff back in the Jeep to bring home for the night, as there's no freaking way I'm going to make yet another round trip to get the correct rotor control box.
And now that I'm home, I can't find the control box I used two years ago!
I give up.
I'm taking a shower, having something to eat, and going to relax the rest of the night........
My son and I were 90+% loaded up, and the wife came home.
She immediately starts yakking away about trivial stuff, and then wants pictures taken so she can update the pix her phone shows when either he or I call her.
I protest vehemently saying that we're BUSY, DAMMIT, but she insists, and then continues yakking away about nothing.
By this time we're half an hour behind schedule, totally lost track of what I was doing, so we lock the gate and leave.
About half way to the site I call him on the radio, and ask him if he sees the 2 Meter antenna in the trailer (he's following me), and he replies, "Uhhhh....no. I think we left it propped up against the side of the house".
RATS!
We get to the site, and get set up what we can, when a club member comes up whining about the key to the bathroom, so I lose another 20 minutes walking down to the office to get the key.
Then somebody else starts whining about getting a key for the gates that they lock at 2300, so I lose another 40 minutes getting that taken care of.
I tell my son I'm going home to get the missing antenna, leave, and hit a massive traffic jam on the 710 North freeway.
Takes me over an hour to get home, when iy normally takes about 25 minutes.
Get home, grab the antenna and cable tie it to my roof rack, and head back, only to find that there's a "gaper's block" on the Southbound freeway to look at the accident I passed earlier.
Total wasted travel time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Hook up the rotor controller box to make sure the rotors are where they should be to install the cross-boom and antennas, and notice the Azimuth and Elevation connectors don't match. Get the extension cables I normally use, and power up the rotors only to realize I have the wrong model control box for this model of rotor.
Last year I used a different antenna mount and rotors, and never swapped out the controller from the tote box all the radio stuff is in.
I finally just give up, and pack the valuable stuff back in the Jeep to bring home for the night, as there's no freaking way I'm going to make yet another round trip to get the correct rotor control box.
And now that I'm home, I can't find the control box I used two years ago!
I give up.
I'm taking a shower, having something to eat, and going to relax the rest of the night........
Field Day Weekend
Well, the annual "Pilgrimage to the Hill" is upon us, and I'm going to start loading up the trailer shortly.
This will most likely be the last Field Day I'll do with "my" radio club, as explained in my "Terminal Burnout" post from a week or so ago.
I'd rather do Field Day from my back yard next year than lug everything out to the upper reservation of Fort MacArthur like I've been doing since 1996.
*IF* somebody else in the club steps up for next year, then *MAYBE* I'll go out again, but at this point I just don't care to do it anymore.
Or maybe do Field Day from the Iowa next year.
I'll grab some pix, but considering we'll only be operating two stations (class "2A") this year, it might not be worth taking any.....
This will most likely be the last Field Day I'll do with "my" radio club, as explained in my "Terminal Burnout" post from a week or so ago.
I'd rather do Field Day from my back yard next year than lug everything out to the upper reservation of Fort MacArthur like I've been doing since 1996.
*IF* somebody else in the club steps up for next year, then *MAYBE* I'll go out again, but at this point I just don't care to do it anymore.
Or maybe do Field Day from the Iowa next year.
I'll grab some pix, but considering we'll only be operating two stations (class "2A") this year, it might not be worth taking any.....
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FOURTH time I've written this post. MY Muse has apparently vacated the premises, leaving me too busy doing other things to keep both m... -
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