I am Having a Hard Time

I am having a hard time understanding the venom that is coming from people who have seen the pictures of the #OWS protest at the University of California at Davis. How can people see images if kids being sprayed in the face with military grade pepper spray. How can people see these images of passive kids. How can people see these images and know they are passive kids and spew venom directed at the children? The people spewing venom know they are passive. The people spewing venom know they are kids. I know this because they say it. The use the word passive. They use the word kids. And they still are blinded by fury at the image. They are furious at the kids. But are they? Or do they feel anger at the image just as I do? Do they see a picture of a person who meant no harm being hurt and get angry at that image just as I do? Is the difference in our response not the anger but another pice of knowledge that they have? Is it that they know deep down that authority is protective? They know deep down that police are good? Is the difference that I just add another word into that sentence: Police are usually good. Just as I know that police are people, and people are usually good. The difference may be that I can look at that picture and know that this is astonishingly abhorrent. This is not the behavior of somebody who is protecting and good. This is somebody who has fallen down the trap of Milgram and Zimbardo. The lesson I am learning tonight, is that the person who is expressing outrage towards the kid may vary well be expressing the same outrage I am feeling, but unable to pair their outrage with the other knowledge that they have, so the anger comes out twisted and misdirected. This unconscionable person becomes a person... Or maybe he is just a jerk.

I Have the Power

So, I have not written in a while. I have been a bit busy doing things like


Running 1/2 Marathons (1:43:43 in the rain. 23rd overall, and 4th in class)


Traveling internationally for work (Taiwan, and Dresden (twice))


Breaking machine tools.


Oh, yeah, and buying a house!

Well, the house is small. I am not talking 1200 ft^2 small, I am talking 554 ft^2 small!
So, one of the first things I did was have a shed built in the back to use as a workshop (The technical term is Calculariam), and NOT for storage!!! Well the city (town) I live in lets me build 120 ft^2 without a permit (Over 1/5th the size of the house). But you can't run power out to it (Sadface). Well, problems have solutions:


Some nuts, bolts, angle, and furniture tips from the hardware store (About $20)


Some selections from my Zip-Tie collection,


And some from my back up Zip-Tie collection


Make a lovely mount for a solar panel (15W for 80$).


Mounted on the roof. Everything I have done on this is with an eye towards expanding the system. Now to hook up the running systems:


I covered it up during this part as so not to hurt myself (try licking a car battery). It was still pushing out about 3V so I could make sure all my connections were good, but with almost no current, so I swore a lot less.


To charge the battery (I have a tiny one in place temporarily, but have a big ass (I think that is the brand) one at work (Free), regulate the power, and protect the panels after sunset ($20, good for 100W).


A 50W inverter that I have had kicking around for 15 years or so (and they tell me I should trow things out)


Light provided by a 5W 12V LED bulb ($12). Don't worry, I cleaned up the wiring.


Half a Saturdays work, finished by sundown. Total cost: $132


And finally, no job is done without one of these :)

Ki-Ya!

So, I recently got my black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. So don't mess with me, or I will totally break a brick with my bare hands!. But anyway all of my uniforms have a white collar, which is a problem cuz I now have to wear uniforms with a black collar. So I have all of these used (nasty used) Tae-Kwon-Do uniforms... unless you want to buy one? No? Ok, so I will make something with them.

Step 1) Cut off sleeves.


Step 2) Sew sleeves together.

Yes, I can sew. But it does involve a lot of swearing.


Step 3) Fill with beans (or rice, or peas). I made a 6 pocket arrangement so the beans don't flop around and put 1 pint of beans in each pocket (this is perhaps overkill... they is heavy!)

Step 4) Sew ends closed.

Step 5) Microwave. With the 6 pints of beans and my wimpy ass microwave it takes 7 minutes on high. But until you get the hang of your microwave/dealy combination I recommend staring with 1 min, test, add another min, test... that is unless you like 3rd degree burns (I am kidding. Being foolish will probably only give you 2nd degree burns)

Step 6) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

A new skill

So, my dear and wonderful sweetie has a tendency of bringing home furniture that she finds on the street. These items (like me) have the potential of being wonderful pieces, but are in rough shape.


Her latest acquisition.

Since I don't have a fireplace, I acquired some shaker furniture tape, and some 1" foam:


and a few tools (The clamps is the new one):


The first step is to cut the foam so it will fit the area of the seat, minus 1" square cutouts so the foam does not show at the corners:


Now, starting from the front of the chair lay out the warp:

Notice there is space at the front corners, and the clamp is holding the end on the side rail.

Sew the second color to the first:


Now for the weave:


Two up, two down makes a herringbone pattern:



Now we have two chairs instead of firewood: