22nd
May
2018
As a household, we’re really patient, or really silly. This whole winter has involved a ballet, every time the car went somewhere, as a broken door latch forced us to get in the back and reach forward to open the driver side door. Today, it was repaired. Not for free, but sometimes you have to accept that auto ownership involves money. And to be fair, we’re well into the sixth year with a smaller domestic model; very little extra expense.
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posted in technology |
19th
May
2018
Even before I understood what a computer was, I knew it could be used to make music. In 1968, my high school library had an AV section, with listening booths containing turntables. The holdings, albeit limited, contained a new album called Switched-On Bach, by Walter/Wendy Carlos. My normal chair in the music classroom put me due south of the row of clarinets, so I had a firm grasp on “analog” and its limitations. This was different. It was digital.
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posted in music, technology |
10th
May
2018
My technical education was tied to the local barber shop. Where else would I get to sit beside a stack of Popular Mechanics magazines, waiting my turn in the big chair? Given that my father was a firm believer in crew cuts, the visits were frequent; I rarely missed an issue during that crucial period of my youth when my mind was an empty barrel, waiting for knowledge.
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posted in education, technology |
9th
May
2018
Thankfully I was warned in advance. Don’t eat fiddleheads from NB, this season. One question, though; do they harvest those little green bits with SCUBA, because floods. As well, there are hungry moose on the highways. Again, because floods. No more “drive through province” jokes, either.
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posted in politics, technology |
30th
April
2018
Can you feel my pain? No? You are among the fortunate. I’ve got aches where I didn’t know aches were an option. This was tire-changing day. Outside. In and on the gravel. With a simple screw-jack provided by the car manufacturer (no luxury there). On the good side, we only swap the tires twice a year; I now have a whole summer and fall to recuperate.
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posted in technology |
21st
April
2018
Despite the fragility of a plastic panel, I was not deterred with my most recent project. A slip of the hand, a nod to gravity and hard surfaces; the end piece for my new audio player cracked. But, hey. We have plastic cement for plastics, right? Just a matter of trial and error, to find out which tube works with an unidentified variety of polycarbonate
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posted in music, technology |
20th
April
2018
This morning, I was very aware of the ferry horn. Heard, but not seen, due to the zero visibility in heavy snow squalls. Spring, as we know it in Canada. Not to worry; they’ve got radar, and I think they know the way to the nearest port. Likewise, when the postal lady stopped by with a parcel, she obviously knew where she was going, even if the road/lane junction was masked.
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posted in education, technology, Wx |
16th
April
2018
Skating videos. From downtown Ottawa and downtown Quebec City. Who would have thought? It’s that freezing rain; removes friction from the equation, even though gravity is still in force. Our turn is scheduled for tomorrow morning, which is why I have pile all my recycling bags by the curb. Should the monthly truck arrive at the right time, I can learn the technique for industrial icebreaking.
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posted in technology |
15th
April
2018
I have a number of hobbies that are, simply, technical in nature. Nothing that others can’t handle. I mean, we accept that someone who wants to drive a car on a public highway has a minimum of experience, right? In my case, I put in a winter of driving around in small circles before passing a test.
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posted in ham radio, technology |
10th
April
2018
In a break with my usual schedule, I actually did some stuff today. Nothing that will restore world peace, or right the wrongs of a generation, but stuff. For example, I practiced rudiments. Look it up; I’m too busy to explain the simple words… And I upgraded firmware in a MIDI router. Not for the faint of heart! Waiting for all those tiny lights to flash was enough to send me for a nap. It didn’t; I still had stuff to do.
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posted in humour, technology |
