Josh's Not-a-Blog

Tools!

2009-12-29T09:32:00.006-05:00

*Tim Taylor throat noise*

Nancy really surprised me with an awesome set of Makita lithium-ion tools for Christmas. It's a very nice set that includes an impact driver (now I can be just like the guys on those home improvement shows), a 2-speed 1/2" drill with a hammer setting, a really nice 6-1/2" circular saw with a cast alloy base, a flashlight, three 18-V battery packs, and a quick charger. Oh, and some fancy luggage.

Makita really nailed it with this combo, and didn't skimp on any of the tools even though it was sold as a set. I think some of my old power tools will be jealous they never get used (like my corded Milwaukee circular saw). Battery-powered tools have gotten really amazing.

Oh, and a lot of other great stuff, including a Bulbdial clock from Nancy's folks. I can't wait to put it together.

Thanks, everybody!

Lucas! shakes fist

2009-12-02T16:27:00.004-05:00

So, when I replaced the headlight switch on my garden tractor a few weeks ago, I used one I had in my junk bin. As I was measuring it to make sure it fit the hole in the instrument panel, I noticed that it said LUCAS - MADE IN ENGLAND.

I chuckled, since Lucas electrics have a pretty bad reputation. (Lucas is sometimes referred to as the Price of Darkness.) I installed it, figuring that surely this switch, still in its original package, can't be affected by the Lucas curse.

Well, today, I fired up the garden tractor, and the switch was dead. *Tap-tap* and it flickered on. Great. I never even owned a British car, and now Lucas has cursed my garden tractor. It's true what they say...

Luxury!

2009-11-19T12:44:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday night, I finished installing a remote starter on my Cutlass Ciera. The car has power locks and trunk release, so I was looking forward to having the remote entry as much as the remote start.

I bought an Autostart AS-2775 on eBay for $51 (with a free Harbor Freight DMM, which turned out to be fairly nice). As it turns out, most of the remote starter brands are owned by Directed Electronics now, so it probably doesn't matter what brand it is. But it did come with very well-written and thorough installation and user manuals.

Armed with my factory service manual, I started by tracking down all the necessary wires. This wasn't too hard with the factory manual, but it took quite a while to remove all the necessary dash and kick panels, as well as find good locations to tap into each wire. After finding all the locations to tap, I stripped an inch of insulation from each wire, soldered on the appropriate wire from the remote starter harness, and taped it up with Scotch Super 33.

One problem I ran into is that the remote starter had only negative triggers (maximum 500 mA to ground) for unlock, lock, and trunk. My car uses positive triggers for each. So I ended up converting polarity with three relays.

I also installed the included hood pin, which disables the remote starter when the hood is open (to prevent Nancy from sucking me into the serpentine belt with the remote). That turned out to be the only wire that needed to go through the firewall, and I used an existing grommet.

After getting everything properly secured behind the dash, I programmed and tested the remote starter, and put everything back together. It's been working great so far, and I can even start it from across campus. Plus, I get a kick out of the second-lock horn confirmation. Chicks dig it.

Anyway, Josh's hints for a successful remote starter install:

Budget two days for installation. You'll probably run into snags.
Get a factory service manual for your car. It's invaluable for wiring locations, connector pin-outs, drawings of connector locations, and instructions for taking the dash apart without breaking everything.
Print out the full installation manual for the remote starter. The printed installation guide that came with mine was a quick-start guide. I found a PDF of the full manual on the manufacturer's website, and it was very helpful.
Check whether you need positive or negative triggers for things like door locks, trunk release, horn, etc. Either buy a remote starter with the correct outputs, or round up some extra relays.
Take the time to do it right. Solder connections, use good electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing where possible, zip tie the wiring harness to keep it away from stuff that moves or is sharp. You'll end up making enough other compromises that you won't want to feel lousy about cutting corners elsewhere.
Don't do something stupid like bypassing the hood pin. Chances are I'll buy your crappy car some day and lose my fingers in the cooling fan.
Vacuum the floor of your car before you start crawling around on it.

In other news, the UP is doing just fine.

2009-11-16T10:53:00.005-05:00

ABC Photoshop Tech 1: "Hey, Bob, what's that funny thing right above Wisconsin?"
ABC Photoshop Tech 2: "I dunno."
ABC Photoshop Tech 1: "Is it a part of Wisconsin? If so, I should color it in."
ABC Photoshop Tech 2: "Nah, it's probably a lake or something."
ABC Photoshop Tech 1: "Wait, I think it's a part of Michigan."
ABC Photoshop Tech 2: "Ha, right. It's not even connected. Just leave it gray."
ABC Photoshop Tech 1: "Okay. TO PRINT!"

Source: ABC News via Nancy.

So, what you been doing?

2009-11-12T21:40:00.004-05:00

Let's see, what have I been up to lately...

Well, I finished preparing my garden tractor for snow plowing duty. I painted my plow mounting frame and reinforced the front blade, replaced front axle bushings, replaced the front tires, fixed the headlights, and a did few other things.

Then I got nine yards (about 14 tons) of crushed mine rock delivered for my driveway. Because of my overhanging trees and the power line in the front, the truck driver ended up leaving a few piles that Nancy and I smoothed out later. I used the garden tractor to knock down the piles and grade the driveway. The Brinly box blade was invaluable for this, and will be very handy for keeping the driveway smooth in the future.

I still have a few more things I'd like to do around here before the weather turns (we've really been lucky with this nice weather lately). My shed will finally get a full clean-out, something that I didn't have a chance to do when I moved in. I "inherited" a lot of interesting stuff (reel mower, ancient gas mower, some kind of rotisserie), but it's time to do some organization and put up some hooks and racks.

I also have grand plans for more home automation stuff, but that'll have to wait until I have more time and spare change on hand.

Results are in!

2009-10-20T12:35:00.005-04:00

In addition:

3 non-coin objects
$0.80 Canadian
0 non-North-American coins
1 quarter with a banana sticker, 1 quarter with bubble gum
1 mutilated dime (not counted by the machine)

How much is inside?

2009-10-19T20:08:00.005-04:00

I've just learned that Nancy has a shocking secret hoarding tendency. She has change tucked away everywhere. Not just stored in the couch like a normal person, but in cleverly-disguised containers hidden in various parts of the house (okay, well, they have flowers on them so I didn't notice).

Before it gets really bad, I staged an intervention and transferred everything to three big ziploc bags, sorting out various buttons, trinkets, inflator needles, and a 1943 steel penny. Tomorrow we'll be the hosers who tie up the self-service change counting machine at the credit union for an hour.

But before we cash it in, in the spirit of Rob Cockerham's legendary series, we're making guesses on the stash before it's cashed in. The first guess: total weight. My guess was 26 lbs. Nancy's guess was 35 lbs. We weighed it already, but take a look at the photo and make your own guess.

We'll add our guesses for a few more measurements before tomorrow:

total face value of US coins
number of non-coin objects (not including cat hair)
total face value of Canadian coins
total number of non-North-American coins

Rube Goldberg thermostatic fan

2009-09-02T23:57:00.008-04:00

This could probably be done more elegantly...

In my crontab:

0 * * * * if [ `wget -q -O - http://www.weather.gov/xml/current_obs/KCMX.xml | xpath "/current_observation/temp_f/text()" 2>/dev/null | xargs printf "%1.0f"` -gt 70 ]; then /usr/local/bin/heyu fon B1; fi
10 * * * * /usr/local/bin/heyu foff B1

Basically, if it's greater than 70° F outside, turn on the X10 circuit for my upstairs fan and run for 10 minutes each hour. I give myself bonus points for including XML (which makes it an Enterprise Solution).

S-H-O-W-E-R

2009-07-05T23:05:00.008-04:00

Today was car cleaning day. Nancy and I vacuumed, washed, and waxed her car and the Neon. Scout was outside "helping" too, but soon decided she wanted to nap under the Neon. It's oily under there, so she ended up with oil in her fur. Time for her first ever B-A-T-H. Or in this case, a S-H-O-W-E-R.

Scout did really well. She squirms and makes unhappy noises when I trim her claws, but through the whole process of having a shower, she didn't claw, bite, hiss, or growl.

After her fur was mostly dry, she sat down and licked herself dry, purring all the while.

Video Player 12

She got a bowl of her favorite food as a reward.

Neon instrument panel

2009-06-28T14:38:00.004-04:00

Since the Neon was handed down to me, I've had trouble with the instrument panel not working. For the last three years I've been driving around with a ScanGauge II instead of gauges.

Today I finally got around to doing the fix described on the neons.org forum. I pulled the PC board, and found the problem right away.

Notice the cracked solder joints around most of the pins on the instrument panel power/data connectors.

The fix is easy. I re-flowed the solder on all of the pins, adding solder where necessary. All my gauges are back and should work fine for another 265,000 miles.

Bikes, new bikes!

2009-06-26T20:01:00.002-04:00

Nancy and I bought a pair of Trek cruisers.

Mine is, of course, the purple one.

Oops

2009-06-10T13:00:00.003-04:00

I'm guessing this wasn't a part of the plan.

This wrong turn was taken in the 300 block of Shelden Ave.

By way of TJ, found at http://twitpic.com/71cxp.

Edit: More pictures, submitted anonymously. I hope nobody was hurt.

Nancy and Spencer

2009-06-07T13:46:00.004-04:00

Spencer loves Nancy. Specifically, her hair. Or her head. Or something.

This is pretty common. He'll just doze off, his head resting against Nancy's.

Sometimes he'll make himself even more comfortable, which is endearing.

But sometimes he goes too far.

Beware the thumb

2009-06-01T11:47:00.001-04:00

Tom added a "thumb" to his backhoe, so he can more easily pick up things like trees and rocks. It can be pinned at 90 degrees, or folded up against the boom when it's not in use.

And a short video of picking up a tree for bucking.

Video Player 11

Why Ultra 10s Suck More

2009-05-22T13:01:00.008-04:00

Here's a blast from the past: A rant from 2000 on crappy old Sun workstations.

Yep, you can tell I've worked on one too many Ultra 10s in the past few years.

Why PCs Suck	Why Ultra 10s Suck More
one-piece sheet metal cover that is difficult to work with	one-piece sheet metal cover that is difficult to work with and is also installed upside-down
IDE	IDE with no DMA
PCI slots that don't line up	PCI slots that don't line up on an upside-down riser, working against gravity
unreliable floppy drive	unreliable floppy drive with the activity LED covered
low-quality cooling fan	low-quality cooling fan with proprietary connector that can only be purchased as a part of a larger assembly
PC RAM sucks	Ultra 10 RAM sucks, but costs more

Lest we look back and remember Sun workstations fondly...

Power outage

2009-05-14T13:30:00.002-04:00

Whoa:

05/14/2009 0756 am

Laurium, Houghton County.

Non-thunderstorm wind damage, reported by co-op observer.

Observer reported extended power failure affecting the
Laurium/Calumet area. Observer reported a transformer on
fire with a pole burning after checking with Michigan
State Police.

The power went out at my house at about 4:25 this morning, came back on, and then went out again at 5:00 or so. It stayed out until 11:30. I was happy to be on city water this morning, so I could still take a hot shower.

See Nancy Run. Run Nancy Run.

2009-05-14T09:10:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, Nancy ran the 2009 Journeys Half Marathon in 2:19:12, continuing her streak of ever-better times. It was a cold and windy day in Eagle River, but it was still fun to be at the race, and to celebrate afterwards.

Nancy at the start, smiling despite a few flakes of snow.

They're off!

Video Player 9

I navigate a back road to my spectating point about 4.5 miles in.

Video Player 10

At the finish, free food in hand, moments before a quick dash to the hot tub.

Goodbye, old road

2009-05-06T19:50:00.004-04:00

I, for one, am happy to see the old road go. It's time.

Video Player 7

Video Player 8

April showers bring hang on what the hell

2009-04-21T23:12:00.001-04:00

Spring in the Keweenaw. We are not amused.

There was well over a foot of snow on my roof tonight.

Well, I'm just peeved enough to take two crummy videos with my phone.

Video Player 5

Video Player 6

Keweenaweeweeweeaweweawewesomefest (Friday)

2009-04-10T10:11:00.009-04:00

Some links to music from tonight's artists. Please comment.

ONE FOR THE TEAM (minneapolis, mn)

http://www.onefortheteammusic.com/

Comment: Meh.

BEEP BEEP (omaha, ne)

Comment: Would like to see.

DRUNKEN BARN DANCE (ann arbor, mi)

http://www.myspace.com/drunkendance

Comment: Meh, might be annoying live.

LIGHTNING LOVE (ypsilanti, mi)

Comment: They sound hot.

THE SHOW IS THE RAINBOW (omaha, ne)

Comment: Woo! Crazy ugly guy techno! I only want to see this band.

GREG McINTOSH (ypsilanti, mi)

http://www.myspace.com/theowlmcintosh

Comment: James says he's a dude from Great Lakes Myth Society.

BVH LIVE (marquette, mi)

Comment: Proto-Da-Yoopers. Meh.

I've been mapped, and I feel dirty

2009-03-24T22:51:00.002-04:00

Our crappy little corner of the world now has Google Street View. It looks like the Googlemobile came through last summer, though I haven't been able to figure out exactly when. The imagery covers at least Houghton and the villages of Laurium and Calumet, but fortunately not all the way out to those of us who live even further in the sticks.

I thought Street View was kind of neat when it was other people's houses I could drive by, but now it just has me feeling...uneasy.

Ice Ice Baby

2009-03-24T09:48:00.003-04:00

Calumet had a heck of an ice storm last night. The giant pine next to my house thwapped against the roof all night under the weight of the ice. All the windows on the east side of my house were converted to a perfect wavy shower door finish. CLK schools were canceled.

I came out to start my car this morning, and noticed my neighbor's flag thumping against his roof, also heavy with ice. I turned around and noticed that one of the power lines in front of my house had come unwrapped, and was sagging below its support cable. There were no power interruptions during the night, but UPPCO was glad to be notified of the problem.

Then I got to Houghton. Dry as a bone. Meh.

In memoriam Josh's office

2009-03-19T21:15:00.004-04:00

Goodbye, my old office. For the last seven years, you've been a very important part of my life.

A cozy place for a nap.

A quiet place for staring out the window.

A private place for reading web comics.

A carefree refuge from the rigors of organization and cleanliness.

You were always so strong: holding up the crap I hung on your walls; supporting the inordinately large piles of leaking UPS batteries on your floor. You were always so accommodating: welcoming myriad flies into your fluorescent light fixtures; your door closer never quite pulling the door fully closed.

Just remember that you will always be with me in spirit, old office. And a part of me will always be with you. At least until they clean behind the file cabinet.

2002-2009

Tom the Snowblowing Yooper

2009-03-13T09:38:00.005-04:00

By popular demand, here's a compilation of the photos and video of Tom moving snow.

Prior to using this snowthrower (a 30" Poulan Pro), Tom had been snowshoeing to the barn to avoid disturbing the insulating layer of snow over his water line. Here he uses the snowthrower to go around the back of the house, and create a walking path to the barn.

Tom pauses for a quick break. The snow is just as deep as the auger housing is high.

The path is nearly complete. This was snow that hadn't been touched until this point.

He nears the barn. After this run, he went back and doubled the width of the path.

I walked up the path behind Tom to take this short video.

Video Player 4

Now I know from whence I came

2009-03-09T08:40:00.002-04:00

My folks are up visiting for the week. They made it up to my house at around 9:00 PM, and I gave them the $0.05 tour (fee waived). I thought for sure they'd echo the common sentiment: "Holy crap, this is a lot of work." Instead, they got really excited, and saw a lot of the same potential I do. I'm fairly confident this means they're nuts, and that I inherited fully this characteristic.

Dad told me a story about our first motorhome. In the early '80s, my folks wanted to move up from a pick-up camper to a Class C motorhome. Dad found a good deal on an almost-new Starcraft that needed some work. Specifically, it had been in a fire and was gutted.

My Grandpa Vernon (my mom's dad) came along to look at the motorhome. When he saw it, and saw how much work it meant, he just shook his head. Dad said, "I think I'm going to get it."

And we did. Now I know.

Epilogue: Dad and Grandpa rebuilt the motorhome to better than brand-new. And I helped, mostly by playing in the bunk, I think. Pictures to follow.