• Two weeks ago I acquired a 3D printer; specifically the Printrbot Simple Metal Kit and, after some warranty help, it’s printing well. The first thing I printed was the fan shroud for the 3D printer itself, as recommended by Printrbot,…

  • When we bought our house we hired an electrician to install ceiling fans and lights. He worked, worked, and worked. My illusions of electrician’s work dissolved. Their work is a great deal more like laying bricks than solving equations. Oddly,…

  • I am rebuilding my Arduino-based data collection system. Named the RIMU for some long-forgotten and pointless acronym. My old one used a momentary switch—a button—to change which sensor is displayed on the LCD. It is awful because if the Arduino…

  • I play Chutes and Ladders with my kids sometimes. It isn’t a game of skill. Many months ago I was involved in a game that went on and on and on. As soon as someone would get close to the…

  • In the desert it almost never rains. I know, you know. When I lived in upstate New York, in my foolish youth, I bought a motorcycle in the beginning of April. I was anxious to learn to ride. Too bad,…

  • The Spiraling Shape will make you go insane Everyone wants to see that groovy thing –They Might Be Giants The chambered nautilus is sometimes called a living fossil. It is the closest living relative of the ammonoids, and cross sections…

  • Most people have never tried in-ear headphones. They get ear wax on them, so to don’t share well. Wearing them on stage, musicians can hear their own instruments without going deaf. Since musicians use them for performance in-ear headphones are…

  • We have an old microscope and a camera adapter for it. Occasionally we dig it out, and light some small stuff up. Several weeks ago my son’s science workbook had a multiple choice question, roughly “which of these would look…

  • Updated February 5, 2014 to correctly display the LaTeX screenshot, minor prose edits, and added discussion of font styles. I do not know if you have a favorite font. I do. I really like Microsoft’s Calibri font because it is…

  • I bought two pieces of art to hang from my son’s elementary school. I loved them immediately. The abstract tiles where done by my son’s 3rd and 4th grade class. The tree was made by a 1st and 2nd grade…

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