Thoughts for Oct, 2004
Last Updated: Jan 6th, 2011
This morning, after sleeping a little over 3 hours, I awoke and got ready for what I knew would be another exciting adventure with Malaspina Outdoor Rec. We bused to the base of Mt. Washington (a local ski area) and one group assaulted the peak while another meandered around a valley. I choose the upward movement and was rewarded by fantastic views, good company and some great photo opportunities.
Check out my Gallery for more photos.
Check out my Gallery for more photos.
I don't know for sure if I should be exclaiming this on my blog because it might be an amazingly wicked business idea ... but hey, nobody reads it anyway.
5 Words : Custom Cast Aluminum Picture Frames
Could you imagine! You could embed all kinds of glass shapes into the casting. I know exactly how I'd do it. It would look fantastic with the surfaces of the aluminum and glass ground flush and polished. Each one would be totally unique. I think the embedded pieces of glass would even look like a mirror. Depending on how clean the back surface of the piece was. I have all the gear to print and mat photos too. Heh heh ... another product for my ebay store of the future.
"The Sustainable Picture Frame" - Displaying photos for all eternity. ; )
Here's a photo from today and another one I took in the summertime that I just had a better look at and printed out for someone. I like it.
5 Words : Custom Cast Aluminum Picture Frames
Could you imagine! You could embed all kinds of glass shapes into the casting. I know exactly how I'd do it. It would look fantastic with the surfaces of the aluminum and glass ground flush and polished. Each one would be totally unique. I think the embedded pieces of glass would even look like a mirror. Depending on how clean the back surface of the piece was. I have all the gear to print and mat photos too. Heh heh ... another product for my ebay store of the future.
"The Sustainable Picture Frame" - Displaying photos for all eternity. ; )
Here's a photo from today and another one I took in the summertime that I just had a better look at and printed out for someone. I like it.
This weekend I spent a good amount of time cleaning up and working on small projects in my shop. This evening I built the item pictured to the right. It's an 8" stationary disc sander. I've been thinking about building one for a while and I saw a 3/4 HP jet pump motor at a local used building supply store on Friday and couldn't pass it up. I tried it out after it was completed and it works like a dream. It'll come in handy when I start making patterns for aluminum casting.
On Friday night I had the pleasure of being entertained by my friend Dick and his band the Pissmints. It was a riot and I got some great photos. Click here to open my gallery for the event in a new window.
On Friday night I had the pleasure of being entertained by my friend Dick and his band the Pissmints. It was a riot and I got some great photos. Click here to open my gallery for the event in a new window.
It's easy to get distracted when there are so many choices for how one can spend one's time. I finished reading a book last night that has helped me to stay focused on what I'm planning to do.
Buckminster Fuller was born before the turn of the century and was building futuristic homes in the 30's. He was working 50 years ahead of his time. He shared my view that modern housing hasn't really come very far and the ecological and financial toll of building the structures we build now is significant.
Although I don't know how well a glazed geodesic dome would serve as a home but it sure would be bright. I guess it would be like being outside with all the amenities of being inside. Bucky believed that houses (like cars) should be made on an assembly line to keep costs down. You would never think to build a custom car. You would never hire all the trades people and have them build your car on your property. It would be ridiculously expensive and probably wouldn't turn out that well. Hmm .... that sounds familiar. A good amount of houses look like they were build on an assembly line already anyway.
Yeah sure, everyone wants to express their creativity when they build their own home but that creativity really comes at a price. A price most people will spend their lifetimes paying for, day in, day out, at their unfulfilling jobs.
I totally recommend this book to anyone who likes to think of a world where you aren't a slave to the machine.
Buckminster Fuller was born before the turn of the century and was building futuristic homes in the 30's. He was working 50 years ahead of his time. He shared my view that modern housing hasn't really come very far and the ecological and financial toll of building the structures we build now is significant.
Although I don't know how well a glazed geodesic dome would serve as a home but it sure would be bright. I guess it would be like being outside with all the amenities of being inside. Bucky believed that houses (like cars) should be made on an assembly line to keep costs down. You would never think to build a custom car. You would never hire all the trades people and have them build your car on your property. It would be ridiculously expensive and probably wouldn't turn out that well. Hmm .... that sounds familiar. A good amount of houses look like they were build on an assembly line already anyway.
Yeah sure, everyone wants to express their creativity when they build their own home but that creativity really comes at a price. A price most people will spend their lifetimes paying for, day in, day out, at their unfulfilling jobs.
I totally recommend this book to anyone who likes to think of a world where you aren't a slave to the machine.
The cries of the peppers ...
Today I unplugged my garden and removed several kilograms of fruit from it's respective branches. Not bad for 4 plants! (Considering that I've eaten or given away at least that much already)
I've decided that I'm not going to keep any of the plants going indoors because I will already have 4 tomato plants in their own hydroponic prototype.
I've almost finished the irrigation system for the prototype, just have to put the microsprinklers on the ends of the spagetti tubing and add some water to the reservoir and I'll have fluid movement. The lighting is even easier, just have to mount a mogul socket to a piece of steel an fasten the steel to the piece of aluminum reflective sheet. I'll have photos of the whole thing all lit up within a couple days.
Today I unplugged my garden and removed several kilograms of fruit from it's respective branches. Not bad for 4 plants! (Considering that I've eaten or given away at least that much already)
I've decided that I'm not going to keep any of the plants going indoors because I will already have 4 tomato plants in their own hydroponic prototype.
I've almost finished the irrigation system for the prototype, just have to put the microsprinklers on the ends of the spagetti tubing and add some water to the reservoir and I'll have fluid movement. The lighting is even easier, just have to mount a mogul socket to a piece of steel an fasten the steel to the piece of aluminum reflective sheet. I'll have photos of the whole thing all lit up within a couple days.
This weekend I went for a hike and overnight camp at the Mt. Arrowsmith area in central Vancouver Island. The scenery from where we got to is absolutely amazing.
I had the idea to take a series of photos at one of the top peaks and then stitch them together when I got home. So, after hours at it, I've got what I wanted to produce.
Click here to open the panorama in a new window.
I'll have all the photos up in my 'images' section soon.
I had the idea to take a series of photos at one of the top peaks and then stitch them together when I got home. So, after hours at it, I've got what I wanted to produce.
Click here to open the panorama in a new window.
I'll have all the photos up in my 'images' section soon.
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