Bryon Blog-O-Rama

Been a while since I posted, mostly due to shed/workshop/studio/secret laboratory construction. It’s getting there, more exciting as we go along and we can almost see it done! World conquering robots can’t be too far behind!

I did do one thing that I think will be interesting to see the results of: I finally built an intervalometer for my Nikon.

This is basically a box that tells the camera to take a picture at intervals (hence the name). I used an Arduino and a IR LED in a cardboard box and a power adapter, so I don’t have to worry about batteries. I plan to put it within sight of the camera (or possibly in the tree I’m mounting the camera to) to take progress pictures of the shingling that we’re in progress on. I then set the camera to watch for the remote trigger which is sent by the Arduino (mimicking the Nikon IR remote).

I was using a 10 minute timer on my iPhone and then using the handheld IR remote I have, but this was less than satisfactory for a few reasons. One, it interrupted me while I was working. Also, I had to move over to “right field” so the camera would trigger. Annoying. Anyway, I’m hoping that also with putting the camera on a manual exposure/aperture setting it’s battery will last long enough to do the job tomorrow (today it lasted about half the day). Eventually I’ll put all the pictures together into a fast-motion movie along with the progress pictures to date. I’ll be sure to post it all when I’m done.

But later, now I have to sleep, then shingle, then sleep, then shingle…

Tis the season to be a consumerist pig. Well, no, actually, I would rather not in general get a bunch of stuff for the sake of getting stuff.

My bride is a good influence on me, and so I am very chary with my purchasing power. Also, I’m trying to head off misguided gifting at the pass (scented candle = epic fail). Now that I’m an old-ish fart, I don’t have to worry so much about it, but honesty compels me to also admit that there is stuff I actually do want. So for all these reasons, hopefully without being gauche, here’s my “WANT!” Uber-list(including wishlists at various sites where possible) for my dear parents and bride, although if somebody else gives me stuff it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Geeky stuff first, in the probably vain hope that anybody will actually get me something that I want for inexplicable esoteric reasons. Well, I try to explain, but it quickly turns into massive glazing for the listener. Well, here goes anyway.

Oh please oh please oh please?

ArduiNIX shield Kit:
http://arduinix.com/Main/Store.htm
Drive Nixie tubes from an Arduino! What’s not to love! I’d have to make something totally cool with it, like a ICBM launch panel or 1950′s era “super computer” or maybe just a clock. Nah, no clocks, been done to death. I’d rather make a DRO readout for a CNC machine or something way cool like that. Or just a really neat sculpture. Nixie tubes are from the vacuum tube era, where you have individual wires shaped like numbers in a tube filled with neon and lit up via high voltage. This once was the only way to have a numerical display, the technology was eventually replaced with solid state options, first LED’s then LCD’s shortly thereafter. But there is something about them that is just funky cool.
And I’m a total Arduino fiend these days, so this particular solution is a no-brainer for me. And it’s pretty cheap!

ThinkGeek Wish List:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/glennz/bc93/ A fun T-shirt
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/watches/6a17/ A Watch that tells time in binary. This warms my heart and reminds me of my childhood.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/754d/ A firesteel for the go-packs that I do need to assemble still….

Sparkfun Wishlist:
Okay, I know this stuff is just “electronic parts” to you, but to me it’s a medium for art and learning. And eventually conquering the world with my robot minions. Or creating something so cool it makes me millions of real American dollars. Or not.

Arduino- the endless applications for Art and fun!
Arduino Pro, need one of these.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9219
Arduino Pro Mini, also need one or two of these, if they’re in stock.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9218
And here’s the low power Pro Mini, I can use one of these too.
https://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9220
Screwshield, makes it easier to wire in stuff for some applications:
https://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9282
Other stuff:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9117
Rotary encoder, also needs the knob below, best of all- Cheep! I could use maybe 4 of these, with 4 knobs.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8828

Okay, moving on from Sparkfun, um, I also need a rain coat. That actually fits, so of course Mr. Gorilla Arms is a bit of a challenge. It’d have to be a shopping trip to find one. Costco doesn’t have anything sadly, all the sleeves are way too short.

From last year: X-Band Saw, currently I think it’s available at OSH hardware, Maker shed is no longer carrying it. The cutting station is awesome too, but the saw itself is the bomb. And some spare blades would be good too…
I can’t tell you how handy this thing will be for the next few years. Even after the remodel, I will find much use for it in sculpting.

Afterthoughts-

Ah yes- dr bronners peppermint soap!

Duct Tape! specifically: Scotch high performance transparent duct tape! Rather than getting a new wallet, give me the stuff to make one! (duct tape wallets are apparently still cool.)

Socks! Gold toe black socks at Costco specifically. Size 12 minimum, prefer larger if possible.

Okay, by now everybody knows that posting what you just ate on social media sites is an indicator that somebody needs a self-importance-control-bitch-slap. This said, I have to report that I did in fact just have a incredible sandwich.

That it was I that ate it is of no importance at all. None. I acknowledge this. Thou shalt not give a damn about that part.

But I must share this practical helpful tip with all my friends:
Blue cheese mustard.

It’s one of those things, that when first encountered, makes you say “what the hell took so long for us to think of this?” Pure gustatory brilliance. It gives me hope for western civilization, karmically balancing unrecycled plastic and blue screen ads for “shamwow”s. If we can produce something this wonderful, then maybe America isn’t totally screwed!

Seriously, get some, you will thank me rather than damming me for yet another stupid “look what I just ate” post.
(And folks, unless you ate an entire giant squid or other newsworthy object by yourself, really, nobody cares, sorry.)

One of the many ways that my father and I were linked was our own peculiar numerology. Our birthdays are only 3 days apart, and Nov 9th (his) and 12th(mine) have a mathematical relationship with some amusing dimensions.

My father and I were alike in many ways, appearance, allgeries, intellectual interests (or rather having intellectual interest, generally speaking).

I’m able to remember him now without being crushed with the pain of his loss, even on days like today. I think he’d be pretty proud of what I’ve managed to do in life, although we both always felt we could do better.

Happy Birthday Dad.
11/09/09

So, in response to a “scary dessert” contest at Lois’s work, we made this:

“Independent Chainsaw Massacre”

Independent Chainsaw Massacre Cake

It wasn’t a big competition, and we clearly won the day. Apparently the “blood spatter” really took it over the top. I was just glad we had enough dark jelly bellies to make teeth.

In other news, I’m tempted to create a “you must be shorter than this sign to trick or treat at this house”.
Punk ass teenagers without costumes need to be hosed down. Get off my lawn and so forth.

Fortunately there are enough real cute little ones to make up for it this year. We’re out of candy now, so time to turn off the lights and go hide.

Well, after much digging (hello china!), and waiting for concrete to dry, progress has picked up dramatically.

Even though our builders can only work weekends, they’ve just about done the job already on the first one. Now the hold up is our window and door order, so maybe by mid November we’ll be good on stage one- storage.

Post remodel I will be finishing the interior and so forth to create my work space. Until then it’s just a storage box. A nice storage box, but still not my secret laboratory just yet.

Ah, progress!

Well, it was a Pretty good bday lunch for mom. After hitting the sf library booksale at Ft mason, we had lunch at Greens.

When dessert came they put a candle in it, and we sang a quiet little happy birthday.

Then Grammy award winning singer India.Arie came over and sang it with her mom and godmother/acting coach.

They sounded much better than we did.

Ironically, Lois produced and broadcast “Iron ladies of Liberia” and India.Arie wrote the song for the documentary, which was premiered on Independent Lens. So Lois had a great conversation with her.

Six degrees indeed.

Happy birthday mom!

As part of the “Jay’s Secret Laboratory”/Shed build, I’ve been spending the past few weekends digging a big hole in the back yard (and creating an almost Egyptian dirt pile). This project started with Lois and Rick also digging but I’ve been solo for the past two weekends. Anyway, a few things have come to light, literally and figuratively.

It turns out that a backyard as leisure space is a more recent phenomenon, whereas historically it used to be more of a utility space. Besides clotheslines and gardens, a common activity was trash burning. (This makes me wonder if urbanization and laws against burning resulted in the shift to leisure space? Well, that and supermarkets vs. gardens I suppose…)

Anyway, as any Jr. Archaeologist will tell you, trash piles are a treasure trove of information about previous cultures and people. [Keep that in mind as we create landfills that beggar the imagination.] Anyway I can now state the following about the previous inhabitants: they had a burn barrel, 55-Gallon steel drum, and threw lots of trash in it (I found the rusted remains of the barrel’s bottom, literally scraping it with the shovel. We’ve also pulled a lot of steak bones, rusty metal, broken glass, broken plates, and best of all some intact old bottles from the back yard. Yesterday alone I pulled out 4 good ones. My favorite so far was a smallish triangular blue glass bottle from the “Owl Drug Company” labeled “POISON” right on the glass. I got that one last weekend. This weekend I got a very small bottle which took the cute award, and a still-full bottle of what appears to be lotion of some sort. This looks more recent than most of the stuff out there, but I’m still a little leery of opening it.

So where’s the profit? Well, mostly that had we hired this work out, it’d be about $1000. So we saved a grand and got some cool bottles.

Yay. I’d put an exclamation point there, but I’m not sure my back is up to lifting it…

So after two weeks of being sick, bronchitis, I’ve now got antibiotic pills (huge!) and they’re finally kicking in. And I even got an inhaler, but I have no idea if it’s doing anything. Whatever, I’m getting better so I’ll stick with it. It’s actually a pretty amazing little plastic device, with 14 measured doses, the indicator reminds me of my old 110 film camera. Ka-click, and the number changes.

Anyway, I’m returning to something resembling healthy again. I’m just around the corner from there, but I can still see that it’s a much nicer place to be.

Really looking forward to arriving in the next few days…

So, for the first time I’m hanging out on the Independent Lens set while Lois is working her usual magic.

We’re in a wherehouse on the edge of the bronx. They had to bring in everything and transformed this empty shell into a set. I grew up around this sort of thing, but I gotta say I’m impressed.

And the food is good too, catering has been brought in along with everything else (including a generator, air conditioning, and all the usual shoot kit).

Our yet-to-be-disclosed talent this year set a fantastic level of professionalism and performed so well it was a total joy to watch each take.