- Designing Potentiometer Knobs ⇒
I’m sure this will come in handy when u hey my printer. - Particle Mesh: Mesh networking for the Internet of Things
The mesh feature is a great idea for IoT devices. - The Search For A Slim Wallet
As a lover of slim wallets, if I ever tire of the iPhone wallet I’ll give this a try. - What Could Go Wrong? (@CouldWrong)
My new favorite Twitter account for a laugh. - This Subsidy for China Is Dumb as a Post ⇒
I’ve been wondering how I was able to get lower cost items shipped from China for free. Now I know. - Every time another one of these mass shootings happen – right when the Republicans start telling us that the answer is more guns, guns for everyone, guns for teachers, guns for students – I think about Chris Kyle.
Average Joes across American think they’re going to be a movie hero and save the world in a real life situation. - Elizabeth Swaney – the Olympic halfpipe skier with no tricks who qualified by always turning up ⇒
I see they took the suggestion and started adding normal athletes to the Olympic events. - Is the CrossFit Open the biggest competition on Earth?
I guess it’s not a secret facility anymore. - Why Decentralization Matters
Keep watching for the next few years. - It sure looks like Bulgarian scammers used fake Spotify playlists to make a shitload of money ⇒
People always find a way to game the system when there is money to make.
I’m Not in the CrossFit Open
The first workout of the 2018 CrossFit Games Open will be announced tonight. I’ve competed in every open since 2012, until this year. After the gym changed ownership last year, the CrossFit affiliation wasn’t renewed (which I have no issue with), so it’s a bit of a hurdle to compete in the open. I’d either have to record a video of every workout (following specifications that are a pain in the ass) or travel to a CrossFit affiliate in the area. I don’t care to do either.
Last year was the first year I allowed myself to redo the workouts and try to improve my scores. The fatigue built up and I paid for it with that bad back tweak a few reps into my 2nd attempt of the 4th workout. Over the last year I’ve had to do a lot of scaling in the gym and haven’t lifted very heavy. For the last few months I’ve been focusing on rehabbing my back, which seems to be helping, but I don’t want a setback at this point.
I’ve realized there is no reason to take it all so seriously. I’m not going on to Regionals or even the Masters online qualifiers. How well I perform in a workout isn’t going to change anything about my life. I do CrossFit for my health, for the challenge, and to feel good. Don’t get me wrong, I’m working to get back to the big lifts, but if I don’t get there it’s ok.
I’ll still do the Open workouts this year and if I have to scale something, so be it. Without getting so serious and putting any extra pressure on myself I’ll probably enjoy it a lot more too.
Photo Challenge: A Face in the Crowd
As I was scrolling through my iPhone pics, it was neat to see the Live Photos come to life. With the theme being a face in the crowd this week, I was able pick a frame from one of the photos where a spotlight was directed at me. Not sure how to explain it, but this frame produced a circular pattern of light on someone’s back. Maybe it was a reflection on the camera lens?
Odd Winter
I’ve been living in Saginaw for almost 20 years, since I started college in 1998. This is the weirdest winter I can remember. It’s 60° outside on February 20th. All of the snow is gone for the 3rd time this winter. There was a lot to melt after storms dumped on us over the last couple of weeks.
I Make Clock
I was always wondering what time it was when working in my shop. So I took apart an old clock I had in a closet. Used the hands, gears, and battery compartment to make this.
I didn’t occur to me it reads as a full sentence, “I make time” until after it was done.
Active Life
I’ve posted before about the low back issues I’ve been dealing with for the last few years. Unfortunately I didn’t keep up with the exercises recommended by the PT. I also realized I was wasting my time and money going to the chiropractor every 4-5 weeks because they weren’t doing anything to correct my problem. After getting a bunch of adjustments over a 2-3 week period in August to use up some FSA funds, I tweaked my back the next day. Go figure. I’ve always been skeptical of the chiropractor; I don’t see how 5-10 minutes of work every month can have an impact.
At the end of November I saw Active Life was running a special on their Athlete Membership, which gives you access to all of their programs. $100 for a full year seemed like a steal, so I signed up.
After explaining my back problems, they told me they see similar issues with a lot of athletes, usually caused by an imbalance on one side of the body. Their recommendation was to follow the Single Leg Bias and Back Max programs. I’m over 2.5 months in and just finished the 40 workout SLB program and am over half way through the 80 workout BM program. Tomorrow I’ll be starting the Hips program to replace the SLB workouts.
I like the programs and there is enough variety in the movements to keep my interest. Since I’ve been a member I’ve experienced what felt like a few tweaks while performing my other CrossFit workouts. Only one affected me a bit for a few days, so it seems like the programs are improving things.
If you’re dealing with any CrossFit injuries, check out what Active Life has to offer.
3-Way Smart Wi-Fi Switch
Last year I installed a bunch of Lutron Caséta switches and remotes with dimming functionality. At the time I forgot to test the ceiling fan in my bedroom. So when I went to use it this summer, I got this nice surprise (turn up the sound)…
Ceiling fans don’t like dimmer switches. I’d done a little searching here and there for a smart 3-way switch alternative, but hadn’t been able to find anything. Then one day while walking through Home Depot I noticed some Leviton Decora Smart switches. I did some research when I got home and ordered a DW15S-1BZ and a DD0SR-DLZ. No dimmers on these. Installation was easy and I can use the ceiling fan again. Check out the difference.
I will mention a few negatives with this Leviton switches. The “remote” is wired in, unlike the Caséta remote which can be placed anywhere. It costs a bit more as well. The last thing probably won’t be a big deal for anyone, but it seems like the system is using a relay because I can hear it click back and forth from across the room when I trigger the switch. The clicking may not be the best for a baby’s room.
Other than those things, the Leviton switches work well so far. Check them out if you’re looking for a 3-way switch.
Black Panther
Another fun movie from Marvel. With most of the action set in Africa it had a different and refreshing feel compared to their other movies. My favorite character was played by Danai Gurira, who you may know as Michonne from The Walking Dead.
Today I’m listening to the soundtrack on repeat.
Craftsman 113.232240 Jointer Dust/Chip Collection
It took a few weeks after restoring the Craftsman Jointer (model 113.232240) to get going on a dust/chip collection upgrade, but now it’s done. It’s not going to win any beauty awards, but it’s functional and works awesome. Not bad for making it up as I went.
The previous owner had installed these two side panels and basically let everything fall to the bottom of the stand. Not sure how well it worked, but I knew I could do better.
I figured I could build some type of chute that would fit up between the motor and the bottom of the machine.
My first idea was to create some type of cardboard model that I could reference for building a real box. This was a terrible idea trying to work up under the machine and as soon as I took it out, it basically fell apart.
Then I had an idea to cut up this popcorn tin and build the dust chute out of it.
I’m still not sure how I managed to keep all my fingers or not even draw a single drop of blood; those edges get extremely jagged and sharp.
In the mean time I made a trip to Home Depot and found some PVC pieces that would work with my dust collection hose.
The tin pieces worked ok, but I wasn’t confident in the duct tape holding up, especially as a means of keeping it connected to the stand. It was not a wasted effort though because I ended up using the pieces as you’ll see in the video.
While working on this project, I realized I really enjoyed the engineering process and solving problems when I made a mistake. I didn’t include footage of the mistakes but there were some epic ones. At some point in the build I stopped checking the fit inside the stand, so when I put it in place I shouldn’t have been surprised that some of the lower parts were smacking into the motor. After fixing that problem, the box for the power switch was in the way, which is why I moved it to the other side of the stand. Finally I forgot the motor needed to be raised in order to get the belt back on and there was no room to spare. Luckily this last problem was the easiest to fix because the motor mount could be flipped over, getting me 3-4 inches of clearance. I picked a 6 inch longer belt at AutoZone.
I imagine you could build something similar for most jointers. If you come across this post and it helps you out, let me know.
Photo Challenge: Sweet
“What do you have for desserts?” I asked in the KFC drive thru.
“We have chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies.”
“I’ll take the chocolate cake.”
She literally meant a chocolate cake!
❤️ is not having to share your sweets on Valentine’s Day.
Nick Momrik 