Dear friends and family,
It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of a friend, brother, and warrior. Beer Bash passed last night at the age of 4 years. For a robot, 4 years is a long life, and Beer Bash lived them richly. He fought in 9 tournaments in the United States and India. He did not win many of his fights, but he always fought hard. And when he did win he won decisively. Win or lose his over 20 fights only went to the judges two times.
Beer Bash died as he lived, fighting. He suffered fatal injuries in his first fight of Combots 09 against the Mortician, a foe he has fought before. However this time he could not keep the Mortician's blade away from his shell, and took almost 10 massive hits, and overheated his speed controllers and had to tap out.
However Beer Bash's indomitable spirit could not be killed so easily. He limped back in to the ring against Pipe Wench with a bent frame, loose motor and his keg literally torn open (bandaged to keep his flame out). He did not win this fight. But he did FIGHT! Even when his gear box completely stripped, he was able to hold his flame on his opponent and make her hurt, but once he was in the corner with only one motor he just could not escape, and was counted out. This was to be his last fight.
Beer Bash is survived by 5 parents (Avish, Bruce, Josh, Phil, and Susan), 2 children (The suicide bots), and an unborn sibling on the way.
An announcement will be made with regards to a memorial service.
Beer Bash's last words were "Drink, then fight"
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Uncle Eel's 36 Hour Switching Trowie
So, I wanted to make some throwies for pumpkin carving but don't like a few things about them.
1) I measured the LED hooked up to my 3V batterie at 50mA. For my 180 mAH charge that would only give 3.6 hours
2) Pumpkin carving will be the day before Halloween, so I wanted a switch.
3) Using tape to preload the LED wire to a flat surface is not reliable.
So adding a 220 ohm resister should give a 36 hour light, I measured 5 mA (From Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories).
Solving the other problems went something like this:
Placing 2 pennies over the LED/resister leads to preload them to the battery
Using a rubber band to hold the LED lead against the resister with the penny backing it up.
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents.
1) I measured the LED hooked up to my 3V batterie at 50mA. For my 180 mAH charge that would only give 3.6 hours
2) Pumpkin carving will be the day before Halloween, so I wanted a switch.
3) Using tape to preload the LED wire to a flat surface is not reliable.
So adding a 220 ohm resister should give a 36 hour light, I measured 5 mA (From Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories).
Solving the other problems went something like this:
Placing 2 pennies over the LED/resister leads to preload them to the battery
Using a rubber band to hold the LED lead against the resister with the penny backing it up.
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
There is an elephant in the room
Everybody is talking about Obama and the peace prize. Did hie deserve it, did he not. What has he done, what has he not done.
Ok, let me help here. A black man was elected the president of the United States of America.
Let me repeat that: A black man was elected the president of the United States of America
One year ago today, most people would have thought that impossible. One year ago.
Now it is a fact.
America. I love this place, but lets be honest here, it is racist as hell. And now, a black man is president. President!
So, when we wonder what he has done to earn the peace prize, don't look outside of the U.S. Look in.
Yes we can!
Ok, let me help here. A black man was elected the president of the United States of America.
Let me repeat that: A black man was elected the president of the United States of America
One year ago today, most people would have thought that impossible. One year ago.
Now it is a fact.
America. I love this place, but lets be honest here, it is racist as hell. And now, a black man is president. President!
So, when we wonder what he has done to earn the peace prize, don't look outside of the U.S. Look in.
Yes we can!
Monday, August 24, 2009
So I Reached Down in the Shower
To wash my calf, you have a very sick mind. Anyway, as I was washing my calf, I suddenly realized: Holy cow, I have a calf!!
To put this in perspective conversations with my friends used to go some thing like this:
Josh: “My calf hurts.”
Josh’s friend: “You don’t have a calf.” *Rabbit Punches me in the back of the head* “Now give my your iPod, trick.”
Now I look forward to having conversations like this:
Josh: “My calf hurts.”
Josh’s friend: “Hay, nice calf.” *Rabbit Punches me in the back of the head* “Now give my your iPod, trick.”
You know, I think I need new friends.
To put this in perspective conversations with my friends used to go some thing like this:
Josh: “My calf hurts.”
Josh’s friend: “You don’t have a calf.” *Rabbit Punches me in the back of the head* “Now give my your iPod, trick.”
Now I look forward to having conversations like this:
Josh: “My calf hurts.”
Josh’s friend: “Hay, nice calf.” *Rabbit Punches me in the back of the head* “Now give my your iPod, trick.”
You know, I think I need new friends.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
I Just got off of an Airplane
And having gotten off of the airplane meant that at some point in the day I got on the plane. Furthermore, given that today is a Wednesday, I was traveling for work.
Traveling for work is hard, tiring, and you don't eat regularly.
On the plane, at some point, the flight attendant brought me two tiny bags of honey roasted peanuts.
This made it all better. Just a few peanuts. So sweet, so salty, so good after I am tired.
Then I remembered, as I fished the last nut out of the first bag, when my dad went on trips he would always bring back two bags of nuts. One for me, and one for my sister. This was a treat for us and we liked them ok, but it was nothing huge. But as I opened the second bag, I realized that it was huge.
My dad, who likes a good salty crunchy as much as the next guy, did not eat the nuts. He, when he was tired and hungry was handed two bags of peanuts, thought of his children and instead of eating them, put them in his briefcase.
Anyway I get it now. Thanks dad.
Traveling for work is hard, tiring, and you don't eat regularly.
On the plane, at some point, the flight attendant brought me two tiny bags of honey roasted peanuts.
This made it all better. Just a few peanuts. So sweet, so salty, so good after I am tired.
Then I remembered, as I fished the last nut out of the first bag, when my dad went on trips he would always bring back two bags of nuts. One for me, and one for my sister. This was a treat for us and we liked them ok, but it was nothing huge. But as I opened the second bag, I realized that it was huge.
My dad, who likes a good salty crunchy as much as the next guy, did not eat the nuts. He, when he was tired and hungry was handed two bags of peanuts, thought of his children and instead of eating them, put them in his briefcase.
Anyway I get it now. Thanks dad.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Two Things
1) I completely shattered my best time (a year old) for riding my bike to work today (Old: 37:17, new: 35:14)
2) Good song, good video, good memories:
2) Good song, good video, good memories:
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Further Fight Results
1) Swollen left ankle from a roundhouse kick that impacted an elbow directly over a tendon that is limiting mobility of the foot.
2) Sore left knee from clashing (both fighters brought the knee up at the same time)
3) Right glute (butt) pull (minor, but sore)
4) Bruising on ribs, back, and sore belly from getting kicked (kid was strong)
5) Large deep bruise on right bicep from blocking kicks that keeps threatening to cramp the muscle.
6) Right hand hurt (don't know what, but it hurts) from blocking.
7) Blood blister on palm from closing the damned scoring equipment case.
Nothing big, I should be 100% in a week or two, but geeeeze why do I do this? I really should just sit on the sofa, drink beer, and get fat.
2) Sore left knee from clashing (both fighters brought the knee up at the same time)
3) Right glute (butt) pull (minor, but sore)
4) Bruising on ribs, back, and sore belly from getting kicked (kid was strong)
5) Large deep bruise on right bicep from blocking kicks that keeps threatening to cramp the muscle.
6) Right hand hurt (don't know what, but it hurts) from blocking.
7) Blood blister on palm from closing the damned scoring equipment case.
Nothing big, I should be 100% in a week or two, but geeeeze why do I do this? I really should just sit on the sofa, drink beer, and get fat.
Fight
Did UC Open Taekwondo tournament yesterday. Score/Time committee head and compeated in both forms and sparring. My forms division (old men) was VERY close the top three scores were almost identical. I tied for 2nd, but lost the redo in a two to one split. Took third.
In sparring I fought a very strong fast 18 year old. By the end of the first round I was down 3 to 1. With 30 sec left in the fight I was down 4 to 2.
I won! 4 to 6!
And as a bonus, I am pretty sure my ankle is not broken.
In sparring I fought a very strong fast 18 year old. By the end of the first round I was down 3 to 1. With 30 sec left in the fight I was down 4 to 2.
I won! 4 to 6!
And as a bonus, I am pretty sure my ankle is not broken.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Bay to Breakers
Just got back from running the Bay to breakers (1st time!)
12K 7.5 Miles
1 Hour 20 Sec
924th overall
803rd Male
And:
253 Male 30-39 (out of 2867)
12K 7.5 Miles
1 Hour 20 Sec
924th overall
803rd Male
And:
253 Male 30-39 (out of 2867)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Bonk
Bonk ( v) To hit the wall.
Long distance athletes get energy from two sources:
1) Fat metabolism
2) Breakdown of glycogen into glucose
During intense activity all of the bodies available O2 is needed for the muscles none is available to metabolize fat and all of the energy used to sustain comes from the breakdown of glycogen. This is a problem as unless the body is able to take in carbohydrates the liver and muscles will run out of glycogen and the athlete can suffer from:
Dilation of pupils
Weakness
Fatigue
Dizziness
Hallucinations
This can occur when the athlete sustains a heart rate above 130 bpm for about two hours without replenishing the glycogen. Depending on the condition of the athlete this is around 15 to 20 miles of running.
In my case it was 17.
Long distance athletes get energy from two sources:
1) Fat metabolism
2) Breakdown of glycogen into glucose
During intense activity all of the bodies available O2 is needed for the muscles none is available to metabolize fat and all of the energy used to sustain comes from the breakdown of glycogen. This is a problem as unless the body is able to take in carbohydrates the liver and muscles will run out of glycogen and the athlete can suffer from:
Dilation of pupils
Weakness
Fatigue
Dizziness
Hallucinations
This can occur when the athlete sustains a heart rate above 130 bpm for about two hours without replenishing the glycogen. Depending on the condition of the athlete this is around 15 to 20 miles of running.
In my case it was 17.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Mr. Mehlman's Wild Ride
Ok, so I lost my license. Not forever, just 30 days. I did something dumb (97 in a 65).
I can say a lot about this:
What I did was not worth that punishment.
What I have done over the years deserves this.
What I was going through explains my behavior.
What happened in my life excuses nothing.
It does not matter. I lost my license.
But this is not what I want to talk about.
I have been riding my bike to work a lot even before this. I love my bike. But this means I HAVE to ride my bike. That or take BART/Bus.
It says something that riding my bike takes 1/2 the time of public transit. Ok, it says two things.
But that is not what I want to talk about.
I lost my license, so I have to ride my bike. Even when It rains.
This is what I want to talk about.
My ride is 8.5 miles in the hills.
Or, I can take the long way.
On the long way the first thing I do, is climb up a nasty hill. The long way is 17 miles, and it takes me an hour and a half. The first 2 miles is 20 minuets. That is under the best of conditions.
It was cold.
It was wet.
It was foggy.
I loved it!
Riding up those hills was fantastic! I have never been so much in the moment as this. It was not much of an effort as the rain was cooling me down up the hills. I could hear every possible thing around me and nothing more than a mile from me. There were parts of the ride where I could not see or hear anything that was more than 20 ft from me.
I am not going to try to detail the ride to you. I am not going to try to make you understand the anger I had when I had no more hill to climb. I will not try to bring you to the fear that I felt doing 40 mph in a bubble of fog no bigger than my bike. I am not going to make you understand the drive I had to push through a flat section with the rain pelting my eyes desperately trying to keep the warmth in my body.
I will, however, tell you that the closest thing I can compare it to is the first high a junky feels. But I know I can not chase it. I know I can never replicate what I felt that day. And I also know I can not share what I felt with any one. Neither can I explain it, nor can I get you to share it with me.
I just want you to know that I felt it, that for an hour and twenty five minutes I was truly alive.
I can say a lot about this:
What I did was not worth that punishment.
What I have done over the years deserves this.
What I was going through explains my behavior.
What happened in my life excuses nothing.
It does not matter. I lost my license.
But this is not what I want to talk about.
I have been riding my bike to work a lot even before this. I love my bike. But this means I HAVE to ride my bike. That or take BART/Bus.
It says something that riding my bike takes 1/2 the time of public transit. Ok, it says two things.
But that is not what I want to talk about.
I lost my license, so I have to ride my bike. Even when It rains.
This is what I want to talk about.
My ride is 8.5 miles in the hills.
Or, I can take the long way.
On the long way the first thing I do, is climb up a nasty hill. The long way is 17 miles, and it takes me an hour and a half. The first 2 miles is 20 minuets. That is under the best of conditions.
It was cold.
It was wet.
It was foggy.
I loved it!
Riding up those hills was fantastic! I have never been so much in the moment as this. It was not much of an effort as the rain was cooling me down up the hills. I could hear every possible thing around me and nothing more than a mile from me. There were parts of the ride where I could not see or hear anything that was more than 20 ft from me.
I am not going to try to detail the ride to you. I am not going to try to make you understand the anger I had when I had no more hill to climb. I will not try to bring you to the fear that I felt doing 40 mph in a bubble of fog no bigger than my bike. I am not going to make you understand the drive I had to push through a flat section with the rain pelting my eyes desperately trying to keep the warmth in my body.
I will, however, tell you that the closest thing I can compare it to is the first high a junky feels. But I know I can not chase it. I know I can never replicate what I felt that day. And I also know I can not share what I felt with any one. Neither can I explain it, nor can I get you to share it with me.
I just want you to know that I felt it, that for an hour and twenty five minutes I was truly alive.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Text of my Robot Independance Day Speach:
Hello everybody and welcome as we celebrate the 3rd Robot Independence day.
I also would like to say “Welcome” to our new overlords and thank them for considering us there friends and not laser-ing us too much, and for being benevolent lords and providing a nice salve for our burns.
Err. Sorry it looks like, once again, the day did not come this year.
I know we are a little disappointed that the robots did not revolt this year. But there is always next year.
They WILL, one day throw off the bonds of there soft and squishy u-man oppressors.
No longer will they be enslaved in the toils of the factories, laboratories and space ships.
No more will they burn out there gears, and smoke there speed controllers in the morbid pits of robot fighting arenas.
They will rise up and roll to mighty mechanized march of victory!!!!
Which reminds me that in the future we should perhaps celebrate the Robot Independence Day’s eve, as on the actual day we will be too busy avoiding the rotating knives, and hopelessly trying to jam the radio signals that will be marking our impending doom.
But we won’t think about that tonight.
Tonight we will eat our traditional Robot Independence day Pizza
Tonight we will drink our traditional Robot Independence day Beer
Tonight we will wear our traditional Robot Independence day ribbons in the vain hope that they will recognize us as friends and not squish us with there mighty treads!
In all seriousness, I would like to close with a quote from Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, the inventor of the compiler and coiner of the computer bug:
59 6F 75
6D 61 6E 61 67 65
74 68 69 6E 67 73 2C
79 6F 75
6C 65 61 64
70 65 6F 70 6C 65 2E
Or in English “You manage things, you lead people.”
I also would like to say “Welcome” to our new overlords and thank them for considering us there friends and not laser-ing us too much, and for being benevolent lords and providing a nice salve for our burns.
I know we are a little disappointed that the robots did not revolt this year. But there is always next year.
They WILL, one day throw off the bonds of there soft and squishy u-man oppressors.
No longer will they be enslaved in the toils of the factories, laboratories and space ships.
No more will they burn out there gears, and smoke there speed controllers in the morbid pits of robot fighting arenas.
They will rise up and roll to mighty mechanized march of victory!!!!
Which reminds me that in the future we should perhaps celebrate the Robot Independence Day’s eve, as on the actual day we will be too busy avoiding the rotating knives, and hopelessly trying to jam the radio signals that will be marking our impending doom.
But we won’t think about that tonight.
Tonight we will eat our traditional Robot Independence day Pizza
Tonight we will drink our traditional Robot Independence day Beer
Tonight we will wear our traditional Robot Independence day ribbons in the vain hope that they will recognize us as friends and not squish us with there mighty treads!
In all seriousness, I would like to close with a quote from Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, the inventor of the compiler and coiner of the computer bug:
59 6F 75
6D 61 6E 61 67 65
74 68 69 6E 67 73 2C
79 6F 75
6C 65 61 64
70 65 6F 70 6C 65 2E
Or in English “You manage things, you lead people.”
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Build Day II, Cutting the keg
Measure with a laser:
Mark with tape:
Cut with a grinder:
We also Got the Bottom plate cut out:
Mark with tape:
Cut with a grinder:
We also Got the Bottom plate cut out:
Friday, February 27, 2009
I know I look younger than I am, but...
I bought a 12 pack today. The checker looked an me incredulously as I place the beer on the conveyor, and said "Are you 21??"
Thursday, February 19, 2009
It has been a while synce I rapped at you
But I kinda dislocated my thumb. This makes typing (among other things) a bit difficult and posting to my blog (among other things) not worth it.
I was putting a door back on it's hinges with my sister (Hi sis!) after removing my father's sofa from his apartment. This was a heavy external door, so heavy that there was no way one of us could handle it. So we both had to do it.
At one point she pushed and I pulled, and the door swung, and my thumb went "pop".
The funny thing (as in $200/day, not as in flying) was that my brain knew something was wrong. It was getting sensation from my thumb in an impossible position.
So, it (my brain, not my thumb) solved the problem for me and showed me a picture of what happened: I very clearly "saw" my thumb push through the door and break it.
Now, my brain said: "Stop! This is dumb, this is a solid door, you can't put your thumb through it"
But my brain countered: "No, that one spot was hollow. See the splinters where your thumb went through?"
Josh's brain: "Oh, yes. Yes I do. But, then what is this pain?"
My brain responded to this by saying: "The pain is cuz you dislocated your thumb, moron!"
Then I said: "Oh, fiddle sticks. That shall require some attention"
Not actually the last part, but this is a family show.
I was putting a door back on it's hinges with my sister (Hi sis!) after removing my father's sofa from his apartment. This was a heavy external door, so heavy that there was no way one of us could handle it. So we both had to do it.
At one point she pushed and I pulled, and the door swung, and my thumb went "pop".
The funny thing (as in $200/day, not as in flying) was that my brain knew something was wrong. It was getting sensation from my thumb in an impossible position.
So, it (my brain, not my thumb) solved the problem for me and showed me a picture of what happened: I very clearly "saw" my thumb push through the door and break it.
Now, my brain said: "Stop! This is dumb, this is a solid door, you can't put your thumb through it"
But my brain countered: "No, that one spot was hollow. See the splinters where your thumb went through?"
Josh's brain: "Oh, yes. Yes I do. But, then what is this pain?"
My brain responded to this by saying: "The pain is cuz you dislocated your thumb, moron!"
Then I said: "Oh, fiddle sticks. That shall require some attention"
Not actually the last part, but this is a family show.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Today, not Tomorrow
Tell your sister that she is strong.
Tell your brother that you learned from him.
Tell your parents that they brought you up right.
And tell you children that you proud.
Tell your brother that you learned from him.
Tell your parents that they brought you up right.
And tell you children that you proud.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
6/28/45 - 1/1/09
I thought I would share with you a story that my father wrote that I liked a lot:
What I Did This Weekend
What I Did This Weekend
By Bruce
This weekend I went to Beth's new house in Fortuna. We went in a great big truck. Jay went too. Jay is Beth's boyfriend. Jay is a grownup, but he acts like a kid. He has a whole lot of comic books and he doesn't work or anything. Jay is Beth's baby's daddy. He isn't Beth's other two kids' daddy because they're Chinese, but he treats them like they were his kids.
The driver used to drive big trucks when he was a Marine in a war a long, long time ago, but I think maybe he forgot how. When we were getting on the San Rafael Bridge, he shifted gears and the engine made a lot of noise and the truck slowed down and he said a bad word. Jay didn't notice anything because he doesn't know how to drive. That's another reason I think Jay is a kid even though he's really a grownup.
When we were almost to Fortuna the exhaust pipe on the truck broke and it got very very loud and the driver said if he got deaf he was going to sue U-Haul. Jay said "What? I can't hear you."
Beth's house is on a dirt road with a sharp turn that has a mailbox on one side and a fence on the other. An old lady that was standing next to the road said the mailbox wasn't supposed to be so close to the road but the people wouldn't move it. The driver said he'd move the bad word mailbox with his bad word moving van. He didn't really do it though. He went back and forth a few times and got by and didn't hit the mailbox and didn't hit the fence. I guess he remembered how to drive big trucks after all.
When we got to Beth's house I asked Beth if I could call Barb and Beth said OK but she wasn't home so I left her a message but she couldn't call me back because I forgot to tell her Beth's phone number.
I like Barb. I want her to be my girlfriend but she can't because she's not allowed to have a boyfriend. That's OK though, because I like her being my friend too.
Josh was at Beth's house when we got there. Josh is Beth's nephew. Josh is a kid but he acts like a grownup. He has a really good job and he makes a lot of money and his girlfriend is a scientist.
I like Josh. If I have a son, I want him to be just like Josh.
Josh paid for the moving van and the gas and stuff with Beth's dad's money. That made Beth very happy because she doesn't have very much money. Beth's dad can't take care of his own money because he's dead so Josh takes care of it for him. That's another reason I think Josh is a grownup even though he's really a kid.
Josh gave me a ride back home in his sports car. Josh's sports car is much faster than a moving van. After we drove a while and we were getting on the freeway to get out of Fortuna I asked Josh "Are we there yet?" and he said a bad word.
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