This looks promising.
July 20, 2010
Shop Time!
I’ve been going nuts not being able to spend time in my shop lately. Normally I’d spend a month or so building a big piece of furniture, but between the end of the Sing season and mixing the movie, I never got into a big shop project this year before the heat hit. I’ve been scratching the construction itch lately by making smaller indoor projects (see my post of a few months ago called “Tiny Things”). However, a few weeks ago I got up early and decided to just stick it out and start tackling the book case I’ve been wanting to build for a while.
It’s going to be a 6′ tall by 30″ wide case of oak and oak plywood. It’ll fit in our “library” (aka, the extra room upstairs) and will relieve the pressure of the books that have been piled on the floor for a few years, as well as the overflow from the other bookshelves that have been double stacked for quite a while now. I think after this one is done, it’ll be completely full, but at least there won’t be two rows of books on all the other shelves.
I got the 4′x8′ piece of oak ply cut down into all of the necessary pieces and I routed out the grooves and dadoes for the shelves. I bought a 1/4″ piece of ply from the hardware store for the back, and once that’s done I’ll be gluing the whole thing together start cutting the oak for the face frame. Then it’s a coat of stain and a few coats of shellac and we’ll have ourselves a new book shelf.
*Update* Done! The case is now installed and filled with about fifty books. It’s my “Maker Shelf” and contains only my Maker-type books (Make magazine (of course), woodworking books, modeling, miscellaneous hobby books, etc). Believe it or not… we need another one. Sheesh. 
Quoth
Representation without taxation is not our fatal problem. People from every income group should accept the responsibility to vote wisely, and insist on absolute fidelity to the Constitution – that mighty covenant between free men and the lawful republic they defied the guns of empire to raise. Our legislators and President are meant to be the guardians of our freedom, not the engineers of our lives… or merchants who trade entitlements for power. The thick web of puppet strings which spread from our titanic State reach deep into the 53% who still pay taxes. Ignorance and ideology led us to this moment, not just the selfish votes of our permanent dependency class. The government needs to shrink, not the electorate.
Happy 12th K-Day
Today is the Voyager 1 Spacecraft’s 12,000th day in space. (actually, it was a few days ago, but I couldn’t post this because our internet is down. Happy Belated K-day!)
Engineer Guy
I’ve been enjoying watching Bill Hammack’s Engineerguy.com videos. These short (2-3 minute) videos look at everything from golf ball interiors to copper to copiers from an engineering perspective. They’re creative and fun and show me that I wish there was more time in my life. I think I’d really enjoying being an engineer- if only I had the math!
July 19, 2010
July 18, 2010
Did I Mention it’s a Nude Scene?
XtraNormal is a website that lets people do cheap animated “films” by just typing in a script. It’s really basic and the results are far, far from professional.
Still, sometimes you happen across something golden in spite of the primitive tools.
Witness Sound Mixer Hell. This little gem was put together by a professional sound mixer and features all of the tired reasons we hear when we’re pitched a film. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of this sort of thing you’ll get why it’s so funny.
(Note: This kind of thing is the rule, but there are exceptions. About a year ago I worked on a low budget movie using the Red and just me as the sound dept. In this case, though, the producers did everything in their power to make sure that the technical crew- those of us with an investment in equipment and consumables- were paid. And they listened to what we needed in order to do our jobs and took advice. It ended up being a good experience. Ask me about the other times when I’ve been asked to volunteer my time and equipment on a set where everyone else had been paid, simply because the producer had “run out of money”. When told that I had bills to pay, the response was “well… can we borrow your gear?”. This came from a complete stranger.)
A Name, and Parents, Like No Other
Congratulations to good friends Barry and Catherine on the birth of their daughter. Introducting Greata Lind Saenger Brake. Perfect! Congrats, you two. We love you both… er, all three!
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July 17, 2010
Well, It’s a Surprise to Me, Too
No idea why the look changed. I certainly didn’t do it. I kinda like it, but obviously I’ll track down what’s going on.
July 16, 2010
July 15, 2010
Bionics
Robotic bionic exoskeletons for parapalegics. If I didn’t do music, it’s hard to imagine anything more fulfilling than some sort of prosthetic/assistant device work. This tech is way cool.
Quoth
I’m a professional musician — composer, arranger, producer, worship leader, jazz performer. The times when my work becomes tedious and sloggy, which happen often, are the times I can look back on with most joy, because there’s nothing mere about a job, and there’s nothing mere about digging into it.
context here. Couldn’t have said it better. Couldn’t have said it as well.
New Addition
Congratulations to Barry and Catherine Brake on the birth of their daughter. Little Unknown Name Brake is doing fine.
No, she doesn’t have a name yet. That’s what happens when the baby comes two weeks early!
July 14, 2010
July 13, 2010
Toyota Absolved
The news cycle has moved on and telling the public that something you were hyping a couple months ago turns out to have been nothing at all doesn’t make much business sense in the current climate. Still, it’s worth noting that Toyota seems to have been absolved of any wrongdoing or bad design in the “Runaway Toyota Scare” of 2010.
…after examining data from 75 fatal crashes which were blamed on “sudden acceleration” due to faulty electronics, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has come to the conclusion that only one incident was not related to driver error. The incident in question is the high profile crash involving a CHP officer driving a 2009 Lexus ES 350. The vehicle accelerated uncontrollably due to improperly installed floor mats which trapped the accelerator pedal. The crash resulted in the death of four people including the officer.
The NHTSA concluded that the other 74 crashes were a result of driver error — specifically, drivers were mistaking the accelerator pedal for the brake pedal, according to the Wall Street Journal.
I hate it when that happens.