Jake & Eddie’s Excellent Adventure 😎🐶
Two pattern-seeking animals riding the wave of increasing entropy in the space-time continuum
Manatees at Ramp Road Park
Spring is here, and the animals are a humpin! We spotted these manatees at Ramp Road Park. It was hard to tell, but my guess is that there were more than two of them.
This is the second time I was in the right place at the right time to witness this. After I moved to Florida, I spent a lot of time kayaking with my dog Sam. We stumbled across another sighting in the Thousand Islands on the north side of Minuteman Causeway, the islands of my youth.
Theo Plays the Drums!
Most of the family, including the three brothers, the two sisters-in-law, Carl and Kari, and the gem of the Tubridy clan—Theo—came for a visit. Highlights included a celebration at Rick and Myhra’s palatial estate in Rockledge and a stop at Valhalla so Theo could hit the skins.
Big fun for all!
Latin Percussion 16″ Bombo
I recently added a very cool hand drum to my ever-growing list of things to hit. LP (Latin Percussion) recently added it to their so-called ‘world percussion’ line of instruments.
The term Bombo applies to a broad range of large drums derived from the European bass drum, often played by large orchestras’ percussion sections. The specific make of the instrument depends on the regional tradition.
The drum is a beast, and I had to make a heavy, custom stand to bring it to the playing height of my other drums. It has a natural 16-inch drum head secured like a traditional conga drum. The head is so big that you can get a rebound like playing with sticks! The tonal differences between the three traditional types of strokes—slap, open tone, and marcha—are superb!
More accurately, this is called a Barril de bomba and comes from Puerto Rico. It is meant to be played sitting down with the drum tilted forward while playing. Two are used in traditional music from that region, one playing a constant beat while the other plays over the rhythm.
This was actually my second Bombo. I’ve had the first one for a while now. It is very different than this one. It comes from Argentina, has a horse-hide head (complete with fur), and is tuned with a rope. More accurately, it is called a Bombo legüero. It is the traditional bass drum in music from that region. It is played with beaters and has a very low, muffled thud when placed. It also looks great in my living room!
Merkabah Crystal
Merkaba, also spelled Merkabah, comes from a Hebrew word meaning chariot or vehicle and can also be defined as light, spirit, or body. The origin of Merkabah is attributed to the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, who described his vision of the throne of God, or Merkabah.
The Merkaba Symbol is a shape made of two intersecting tetrahedrons that spin in opposite directions, creating a three-dimensional energy field. Hidden within these combined tetrahedrons is the whole divine self and divine knowledge. The star tetrahedron is a 3D representation of the Star of David. This shape is believed to be a tool to aid us in merging with the Source, helping us connect our ethereal and physical bodies.
The Merkaba is a powerful protection tool for light-seeking and deep healing. According to its description, “From helping activate your third eye chakra to encouraging you to access higher dimensions and embrace unconditional love, there’s a lot in store for those who welcome the Merkaba star into their lives.”
Wow!
Crystal Merkabas are made of pure Quartz Crystal. According to Gongs Unlimited:
“Mer” means Light, “Ka” means Spirit, and “Ba” means Body.
Merkabas represent the spirit and body surrounded by fields of light that transport energy from one dimension to another. Each combines and embodies the raw elemental and spiritual power of Quartz and the Merkaba.
Quartz has long been sought after for its spiritual and energetic healing qualities. It is known to have Piezoelectrical properties. Piezoelectricity is an electric charge that accumulates in crystals in response to applied mechanical stress, like pressure and heat, which converts into an electric charge. Clocks, record players, and all kinds of other technology have used piezoelectric crystals. Crystal healers use them to help regulate and balance their spiritual energy and EMF field.
When used in meditation, a Merkaba-shaped crystal enables one to experience expanded awareness, connect with one’s Higher Self, and achieve elevated states of consciousness.
The Dude Abides!
I love to read, but not all the time. I often stop reading, especially when I can’t find anything new and exciting in my genre: Science Fiction.
I started obsessively reading in college and continued for many years after that. I read all the greats, including Frank Herbert’s Dune (my all-time favorite) and works by Auther C Clarke, Issac Asimov, Larry Niven, Michael Crichton, Kurt Vonnegut, and Dan Simons. I was always searching for new authors and stories.
The oldest sci-fi book I have read up to that point was Asimov’s Foundation in 1951. It was the original space opera and took place somewhere a long way away in the future. I recently found one of Clarke’s earliest books, Sands of Time. It was one of his first published novels and describes the colonization of Mars from the point of view of the early 1950s. I found it fascinating and, at the same time, not a great story.
It’s taken me over three months to read the book, but I am determined to finish it!
The story is straightforward and perhaps prophetic for Clarke: A famous science fiction writer is offered a trip to Mars on the first interplanetary tourist spaceship. It’s a stunt to get him to write cool stuff about Mars and bring in the tourists.
Mars is a thriving colony at this point. The Mars envisioned had vegetation and canals. They discover some weird living creature before the story is over. Interestingly, this is how people thought Mars was in the 1950s.
Clarke’s vision of Mars was based on what was known or imagined in the 1950s. The Martian canals were long discredited, but Mars did not have mountains or craters. Seasonal changes visible from Earth were thought to be caused by vegetation of the sort the novel describes.
It led one reviewer to write:
In The Sands of Mars, Clarke addresses hard physical and scientific issues with aplomb—and the best scientific understanding of the times. Included are the challenges of differing air pressures, lack of oxygen, food provisions, severe weather patterns, construction on Mars, and methods of local travel—both on the surface and to the planet’s two moons.
Some of the technology described had not changed since the 1950s. For example, carbon paper and typewriters are used on the interplanetary ship, and cameras have film. Smoking and drinking during the journey are the norm. The white male-oriented social structures (good old boys) are similar to what Clarke wrote. While a woman engineer is mentioned, most of the females on Mars are assumed to be secretaries or receptionists. The only names given in the book are of European derivation.
Manifest Destiny? – perhaps a touch. It is the final frontier, after all.
Happy Leap Day!
In recent years, I have turned to star gazing. I am particularly fascinated by how the Moon, planets, and stars move through the sky. The Moon, in particular, never seems to be where I think it should be or oriented the way it is!
Today is a very special, interesting day. For the longest time, I thought that the extra day added every four years was to account for the fact that there are approximately 365 1/4 days per year. So 4 times 1/4 is equal to one day. And since it’s not exactly 1/4 of a day, we skip the extra day every 400 years.
Sort of….
It turns out the real story is much more complex and interesting! I recently read an article in Big Think about what a day and year actually mean in terms of Earth’s orbit around the Sun and the influence of the Moon on Earth. It points out how this has changed over the millennia. For example, days last only 6-8 hours during the early days of the earth!
As the Earth rotates daily, it is more slowly circling the Sun. This introduces a variation when the Sun peaks during the day. The result is that what we perceive as a ‘day’ from the Sun’s position is a little longer than it takes for Earth to complete a complete (360-degree) rotation (23 hours and 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds)
I’ve always found it interesting to think about how ‘fast’ we are going on Mother Earth relative to a fixed point in space. The earth moves at roughly 67,000 mph in its journey around the sun. It seems that Earth’s cruise control doesn’t work very well as we are slightly changing speed during the course of one revolution around the Sun!
This means that the length of one-day changes and doing so in the most interesting way!
This is another very cool example of complex sinusoidal motion and waveforms. Fascinating!
The next cool fact is a little hard to grasp at first. I’ve always known that the Earth’s rotation axis is tilted (23.5 degrees), but it turns out the axis precesses over time (20,000 years).
Think of a spinning top where you see the very top wobble to trace a circular path.
The net effect is that every time the Earth completes a full rotation around the Sun, it is positioned slightly differently than the previous rotation. The time it takes for four complete seasons (for example, the time between summer solstices) is 20 minutes shorter than for one full rotation around the Sun.
Finally, it makes sense to me that everything is slowing down. It’s sort of like increasing entropy. I was surprised to learn that over the course of Earth’s history, it has slowed from 6 to 8 hours a day to 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09 seconds.
If we keep using our current calendar, we will eventually not need a leap day and will even have to eventually remove a day from the calendar rather than add one.
One other cool fact. While traveling at 67,000 mph around the Sun, the Sun is rotating with a fantastic velocity of 448,000 mph around the galactic center (a big black hole called Sagittarius*). The Milky Way itself is moving 1,300,000 mph through the Universe.
Check it out!
The Dude Abides 😎!
Finished Table at Brother Daves
My most recent woodshop project came from an idea my brother Dave had. They have been decorating their new home with art and furniture reminiscent of the midcentury modern style. Dave had an idea for a design with colors that matched some of their other art.
I had some colored veneer from an older project that we looked at with a table runner they had. Things were looking good!
I worked up a design in AutoCad using the image as a guideline.
Dave wanted to match the wood to the mahogany used on their beautiful doorway. I was able to get a beautiful quartersawn veneer online together with the dye-strained colored veneer. We were in business!
I carefully laid out the first cut after gluing the veneers to 1/8″ baltic birch plywood.
The outline of the shape was extracted from the AutoCAD file. I imported it into the Shaper Studio software and uploaded it to the router.
Making the cut in the tabletop for the individual wood shapes involved setting up the markers that the router used to determine cutter positioning. The markers extend slightly beyond the top and into the workpiece. This allows the router to determine its position with an accuracy of 0.001″. Pretty amazing!
The workpiece is secured to a panel underneath it using double-sided tape. The markers mustn’t move relative to the workplace, so care must be taken to ensure this with the tape and how the markers are laid out. Otherwise, the router displays an error message that the scan is unacceptable. However, once placed, it is accurate and, even more importantly, completely repeatable.
The next step is to cut and fit the individual pieces. They are vacuum glued to the 1/8″ plywood and cut using the Shaper Workstation. This accessory is handy for items up to about 12″ long and 5″ wide.
All the shape pieces were cut and fit into the panel. A solid strip of hard maple is placed in the middle. About 1 hour of sanding was needed to fit all the pieces in place smoothly. It went smoother than I expected.
All the shapes were then glued to form the tabletop.
The final step before finishing was to add the sides. I wanted to ‘bookmatch’ the veneer, so I carefully cut the side and end pieces in the initial layout so the grain patterns would match. These were vacuum glued to the 1/8″ plywood and then onto 1/2″ plywood underlayment. The final step was to carefully cut each edge at a 45-degree angle (mitered) so the veneers would meet at a 90-degree angle.
The edges are carefully cut to meet and then glued to the sides using tape.
The edges meet remarkably well.
All the edges were glued to the top. The final step was to add a solid wood trim piece along the bottom and fit the underside with attachment points and a simple bottom panel of 1/4″ plywood. I carefully sanded all the panels up to 220 grit sandpaper.
I searched for and used a new finish when I finished my high-top table. It is called Rubio Monocoat and is a ‘Silicon Valley’ grade finish purporting a molecular wood bonding, so toxic fumes and similar cool stuff. I have been very impressed with how it has held up. They also recently introduced a final ‘sheen’ costing, which I used. The results were simply stunning!
I still remember you. A phrase from a song by the Who floats through my head:
There once was a note
Pure and easy
Playin’ so free, like a breath rippling by
I remember your passion for that one pure and clear note. It showed in the things you like to do. I loved how you were always wanting to learn more and went about ways to achieve it. Searching and seeking…
You are the note
Thinking of you, Gail…
An AI-Generated Fable
Once upon a time, there was a man who lived alone in a small house. He was mostly happy, but sometimes he felt lonely and sad. His dog, a loyal and faithful companion, was the main thing that brought him joy. The man loved his dog more than anything in the world, and the dog loved him back.
Every day, the man and the dog would go for walks in the park, play fetch with a ball, and cuddle on the couch. They would share their meals and secrets and comfort each other in times of trouble. They were happy and content.
One night, a fairy appeared in their room as they were sleeping. She was touched by the bond between the man and the dog, and she decided to grant them a wish. She said, “You two are the most loving pair I have ever seen. You deserve to be even happier. I will give you one wish, anything you want. But you have to agree on it, and you have to say it together. What do you wish for?”
The man and the dog woke up and saw the fairy. They were surprised and curious, but they trusted her. They looked at each other and thought about what they wanted. They realized that they had everything they needed except for one thing. They wanted to be more like each other, understand each other better, and communicate more easily. They wanted to be closer than ever.
They said in unison, “We wish to be father and son.”
The fairy smiled and said, “Your wish is granted. When you wake up tomorrow, you will be father and son. But remember, this is a permanent change. You can never go back to being a man and a dog. Are you sure you want this?”
The man and the dog nodded and said, “We are sure. We love each other, and we want to be family.”
The fairy said, “Very well. Good night, father and son.”
The fairy disappeared, and the man and the dog fell asleep.
The following day, the man woke up and saw a boy lying beside him. He had black hair and brown eyes, just like his dog. He was wearing a collar and a tag with his name: Jake. The man realized that this was his son, his former dog. He felt a surge of emotion and hugged him.
The boy woke up and saw a man holding him. He had long gray hair and a long beard, just like his owner. He was wearing a shirt and pants with his name: Eddie. The boy realized that this was his father, his former owner. He felt a wave of affection and kissed him.
They looked at each other and smiled. They said, “Good morning, father. Good morning, son.”
They got up and went to the bathroom. They brushed their teeth and combed their hair. They went to the kitchen and made breakfast. They ate pancakes and bacon, and they drank milk and coffee. They talked and laughed, and they enjoyed each other’s company.
They went to the park and played soccer. They ran and kicked, and they scored and cheered. They met other children and parents, and they made new friends. They had fun and learned, and they grew and matured.
They went back to their house and watched a movie. They snuggled and cuddled, and they cried and laughed. They shared their thoughts and feelings, and they listened and understood. They loved and respected, and they supported and encouraged.
They went to bed and said good night. They hugged and kissed, and they wished and dreamed. They were happy and grateful, and they were father and son.
They lived happily ever after.
The end.
I commonly refer to Jake as my son. When I first met him some 7 1/2 years ago, he immediately went limp in my arms as I picked him up. To this day, he always lets me hold him and rarely struggles. We spend all our time together, and as the pillow says, I mostly speak to him throughout my day.
So, I asked an AI to write an original fable about a man who wishes his beloved dog was his son. With only a few edits, this is what it wrote. I have to say I am touched. But then I cry during my favorite TV shows and movies.
I became interested in woodworking at a young age. I think it was as much about the tools as the process of designing and building something you could point to with varying degrees of pride!
The first new power tool I got when I started graduate school was a router. I had picked up a couple of second-hand tools like a skill saw and a drill. I figured I could start doing some incredible woodworking once I had a router.
Wrong! I quickly discovered there are few things you can do with a router until you have other essentials, like a table saw. But more importantly, I learned there are only specific ways to cut wood with a router. I eagerly tried to create a simple nameplate with my initials, only to discover it was impossible to do anything freehand with a router.
I eventually became proficient at many operations using templates, a router table, and different fixtures and jigs. I could do things with high accuracy, but it involved a lot of setup work. It was tough to do small, detailed work. I was looking for an easy way to do inlay work without investing in CNC machines. These could do accurate work but were large and relatively specialized.
I had a project in mind to replace the top of the side table I built so many years ago in Colorado with a new one with a compass rose inlay. I had seen many examples of those done in wood over the years.
Then, one day, I noticed an ad for a new router showing up online. It is capable of precision-free hand routing using a camera system. I followed the ad to watch a video of a guy adding a compass rose inlay in the middle of the landing of a wood staircase. I pretty much bought it on the spot!
Essentially, a computer attached to a router with the ability to move the cutter head (parallel to the surface of the work) in real time. The operator follows a predefined path on the display while the camera looks at a pattern of user-applied graphical tape in the space above where the cut is being made. The motor is repositioned in real-time to ensure accuracy. The spindle instantly retracts if you move outside the track (roughly 1 inch in diameter).
The system comes with several workstations with pre-applied graphics for common operations on small pieces. Tape is applied directly to the work for larger work so that the larger cut area can be accurately made.
It is absolutely essential the workpiece can not move relative to the positioning tape once the unit has been set up. Two-sided tape is used to keep the piece from shifting while being cut. You specify the cut depth, press the cut button to lower the cutter into the work surface slowly, and then follow and route the path. Effective on-screen graphics help guide the cut. Several cuts at varying depths are made to ensure smooth operation. The unit is heavy enough with a large smooth base and is easy to control when following the path on the display.
I am stunned at how accurate and repeatable the cuts are. Measurements can be entered accurately to one-thousandth of an inch. Offsets can be applied to provide for allowance on mating parts. Pieces can be cut and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle with stunning accuracy.
A web-based design tool can create tool paths for mortising and inlay work. It also can import AutoCAD files. I use AutoCAD to do my design work for my projects. Exporting design files and importing them to the tool was easy.
I would guess this will become a big hit. One of my favorite tool designers and manufacturers, Festool, from Germany, has already acquired the startup. I own several tools they made and have found them to be of exceptional quality and reliability and have held well over the years.
