tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239020502024-03-07T07:55:39.243-08:00Personal effectsJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-11997491946942672682012-08-10T16:23:00.000-07:002012-08-10T17:10:22.769-07:00How to create your own sidewalk chalk drawing<span class="dropcap">Y</span>ou've seen those <a target="_blank" href="http://bumbumbum.me/2011/11/14/making-off-3d-lego-chalk-drawing/"><img align=right src="http://bumbumbum.me/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/legochalkdrawing04.jpg" width=50% height=50%></a> amazing chalk drawings. How do they do those? Can you create your own?
<p>Here is one way you create your own. (Yeah, I've cheated by illustrating with gridline paper, but you'll get the idea.)
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 1</span>: Visit the location where you will eventually create your chalk drawing (the "sidewalk canvas"). Create evenly spaced grid markers along the periphery, markers that you can capture with your camera. Take a photo of the marked area from the angle and height that represents the best view of the to-be-completed project. Write down the actual dimensions of the sidewalk canvas. This is your reference perspective photo.
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 2</span>: With photo editing software that supports layers or transparency, add lines in a new layer so that the grid looks complete.
<img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/chalk0.jpg">
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 3</span>: Copy the result of Step 2 and stretch and skew it until it has the same aspect ratio as the actual sidewalk canvas. (Alternately, you could modify an aerial view photo from an internet map page so that it has a matching grid.) This is your reference aerial photo.
<img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/chalk1.jpg">
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 4</span>: In your reference perspective photo, insert a layer that shows your desired chalk drawing. Bottom layer: the photo of the site; middle layer: your proposed chalk drawing; top layer: the grid lines.
<img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/chalk2.jpg">
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 5</span>: Stretch and skew (a copy of) this reference perspective photo so that it matches your reference aerial photo.
<p>In the illustration, the reference perspective photo is viewed on top of the reference aerial photo. The reference perspective photo is rectangle C and the corners of the grid are labelled B. The reference aerial photo is A. Goal: stretch and skew C until the B corners align with the A corners.
<img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/chalk3.jpg">
<p>It took a lot of stretching an restretching to get each A-B pair lined up right. Note how skewed photo C became as a result.
<img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/chalk4.jpg">
<p>The result is your sidewalk canvas reference.
<img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/chalk5.jpg">
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 6</span>: On location, recreate the grid. Copy details from your sidewalk canvas reference to the sidewalk.
<p><span style="font-size:20px">Step 7</span>: If folks need to stand in a certain location to view your chalk drawing, consider providing a tripod that helps them know to "look from here". (If you printed this image, laid it on a table and viewed it from the correct angle, it would look like the object is sticking out of the table.)Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-13768484836891839532011-09-14T00:20:00.001-07:002011-09-18T00:57:37.656-07:00Installing my old Riven on Windows 7, 64 bit machine ... and running it without swapping CDsI could find no way to get it to install on Windows 7, 64 bit machine directly. (Plenty of websites confirm it just won't work.)<br /><br />But, I have a second computer with Windows XP on it and was able, with a bunch of extra steps plus USB memory, to get Riven onto my Windows 7, 64 bit machine. Sweet.<br /><br /><strong>Normal installation on XP</strong><br /><br />I did a normal install of Riven on the Windows XP machine. That's the easy part (except, sometimes, for the QuickTime part of the installation, and perhaps the steps at the end of this post regarding "Skip" help in that).<br /><br /><strong>Tweaks to enable running Riven without CDs</strong><br /><br />Then I enabled that machine to run Riven without my having to swap CDs:<br /><br />- I opened two Explorer windows: one showing my Program Files\Riven\data folder, and the other showing the Data folder of CD 1.<br /><br />- I copied the MHK file(s) from CD 1's data folder to the computer's data folder.<br /><br />- I similarly copied the MHK files from the other CDs' data folders to the one data folder on the computer.<br /><br />- I opened the riven.cfg file (Program Files\Riven) in an editor. About half way down is a comment that says "Data file sets". There are groups of *spit. Each has its own "Disc =" a number line. For every one of those, I changed the number to 0. That's it for Riven. It worked fine on the XP machine without the CDs.<br /><br /><strong>Transfer to the Windows 7 machine</strong><br /><br />I moved the Riven folder from the XP machine to a USB device (I didn't have a big enough memory stick, so I used... my camera's memory!) and from the USB device to Program Files\Riven on the Windows 7 machine.<br /><br /><strong>Install the ancient QuickTime</strong><br /><br />I viewed CD 1 on the Windows 7 machine, drilling down into QTWSETUP\WIN32\CUSTOM.<br /><br />I ran QT32INST.EXE and selected Install and Start. It fails with "QuickTime for Windows has stopped working." I selected "Close Program".<br /><br />I restarted the same QT32INST.EXE program and selected Complete and Start. It, too, fails. But stuff is being or has been installed. <br /><br />I restarted and selected Skip and Skip All. (Is it checking for newer versions of the QuickTime pieces? Is that what's failing?) Skipping let me get a new Install button, and I progress, obtaining the desireable "red filmstrip" style progress bar and then a message of success.<br /><br />By golly, my old Riven now works on my new Windows 7, 64 bit machine.<br /><br /><strong>Multi-core machine?</strong><br /><br />Riven doesn't do well with multi-core. So, each time I start Riven, I have to view Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del), right click the Riven process, select Set Affinity, waaaait for the window to appear, and unchecked all but one core. Then it doesn't crash randomly.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-22800626981379552402011-04-16T22:45:00.001-07:002011-04-17T01:03:58.495-07:00Where we planted geraniums<span class="dropcap">E</span>ach red dot represents where we planted a cutting. After my first pass at adding dots to the photo, I went with pen and paper to the slope to tally how many between curves (along the fence) and along the curves. I was stunned to discover that the count was more than double what I'd drawn. So, I added dots between the existing dots (a convenience for me compared to redrawing from scratch), a few dots short of reality. Man, what if all of these survive till next year and all bloom? That would be so cool. <br /><br />See the upper right red dot? It's just beyond the wire fence. I was able to get one hand through a narrow gap, pound a hole and insert a cutting. Even if the rest get cut out, that one will remain beyond reach. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/path0416.jpg">Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-11020344724846956882011-04-13T15:11:00.001-07:002011-04-13T15:20:11.895-07:00Another Thai soup recipe<span class="dropcap">I</span> think I like this recipe better than the version I posted a few years ago.<br /><br /><div style="clear:both"></div><br /><br />FOR STAGE 1<br />1 can coconut milk, then 2 cans water (or 1 can water, 1 can chicken broth)<br />1/2 t pepper,<br />1/2 t salt<br />1-2 chicken breasts<br />fistful of mushrooms, sliced<br /> <br />FOR STAGE 2<br />something hot-spicy (e.g. habanero sauce; 1/4t cayenne; 1/2 serrano, diced)<br />two med carrots, slivered or bias cut for visual<br />4 cloves garlic, chopped<br />2t (or more) fresh ginger, chopped<br />1/2 red bell pepper, slivered for visual<br />1/4 c lemon juice<br />2T cabbage, coarsely chopped<br /> <br />WHILE THE SOUP IS SIMMERING<br />fistful fresh basil, coarsely chopped<br />fistful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped<br /> <br />---<br /><br /><img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/thaisoup2.jpg"> STAGE 1: Start heating a skillet to high. In a large saucepan, add the coconut milk, water, pepper, salt, turn up the heat to boil while you move to the chicken. In the hot skillet, sear the chicken on one side till it has some dark brown, flip briefly for slight cooking, but do not cook through. Cube and set aside for STAGE 3. Dry-sear the mushrooms in the chicken fry pan to reduce mushroom moisture, then brown with a tiny bit of oil or butter.<br /> <br />STAGE 2: While the mushrooms cook, do this for each of the stage 2 ingredients, in the order listed: prepare the item, then add it to the soup base. Reduce to simmer.<br /> <br />STAGE 3: Add the chicken and mushrooms to the soup base. Taste. Increase spiciness, lemoniness or saltiness as needed.<br /><br />Right at serving time, stir in the basil and cilantro. Serve.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-19731622676182013202011-04-12T20:35:00.000-07:002011-04-12T21:24:52.941-07:00Creating and editing webcam videos with Windows<span class="dropcap">S</span>o, you have a webcam and you want to create some simple videos and post them to youtube?<br /><br /><b>Recording with your webcam software</b><br /><br />Your webcam probably comes with software that lets you record a video. Look for it.<br /><br /><b>Recording with (free) MovieMaker</b><br /><br />If you couldn't find a video recorder that came with your webcam, let's see if your MovieMaker program lets you record video. First, see if you have this program: C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\moviemk.exe. If you do, run it and see if the File menu has the option named Capture Video. If it does not, you cannot record with MovieMaker.<br /><br /><b>Recording with (free) ManyCam</b><br /><br />Download and install ManyCam (http://download.manycam.com/)<br /><br />After you start ManyCam, you see an Effects tab. It has "Text over video". Uncheck the little box by Show ManyCam Logo.<br /><br />Under the Sources tab, click Cameras and select your webcam. (Or, if you want to record what's visible on your Desktop, click Desktop and experiment with its options (Full desktop, partial desktop, custom desktop).)<br /><br />Just below the video display, do you see a red "Rec"? Can you click it and start recording?<br /><br /><span class="dropcap">E</span>diting a video with MovieMaker<br /><br /><div style="clear:both"></div><br /><br />[[to do: add basic split/delete steps]]<br /><br /><b>Adding words/titles</b><br /> <br />Split (Ctrl-L) where you want a title to be added. Highlight the segment after the split.<br />Tools > Titles and Credits.<br />Select "title before the selected clip"<br />Put text in the top portion if you want it big. Put text in the bottom portion if you want it to be a subtitle of the upper part or all on its own if you just want the smaller text.<br />Click Done<br />Click-hold-drag the right edge of the resultant clip to increase its duration upon playback.<br /> <br /> <br /><b>Fading out</b><br /> <br />Right click the segment you want to fade out at its end.<br />Click Fade Out. (Similar works for "fade in" at the start of a segment.)<br /> <br /> <br /><b>Adjusting the length of a segment without further splitting of it via Ctrl-L</b><br /> <br />Click the segment. It is "highlighted" as evidenced by the darker border on it.<br />Click-hold-drag either end of the segment and drag toward the middle of the segment to move that end inward. You can later drag that end back to its original length if you want.<br /> <br /> <br /><b>Saving the project</b><br /> <br />File > Save Project<br />This lets you save the editing facts but doesn't actually create a movie.<br /> <br /> <br /><b>Saving the project as a video/movie</b><br /> <br />File > Save movie file<br />My computer (next)<br />Provide a first name, and set the second box to Desktop<br />Either leave it as "Best quality" OR select Show More Choices and select High Quality, either Large or Small<br />Next or Finish...whatever it takes :)<br />Soon you will have a wmv file on your Desktop and you can upload that to youtube, email it, whateverJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-35689945480122484722011-03-19T16:42:00.000-07:002011-03-19T16:50:49.748-07:00Geranium outing - part 2<img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/ger2.jpg"><br /><span class="dropcap">M</span>om and I tromped through the weeds on this cold, soggy, rainy day, to enjoy blooms on some of the cuttings we planted in the last few weeks. With my additional weekend and midnight plantings, we're now up to 140. About 10 of those have bright blooms. <br /><br /><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/ger1.jpg"><br /><br />There remains a 30 foot stretch along the top end of the fence with no cuttings yet. Opportunity.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-45386068347340672202011-03-12T17:36:00.000-08:002011-03-12T20:47:17.201-08:00Geranium outingA week ago, I went out at midnight and planted seven geranium cuttings near the Cupertino bridge walkway. It had been raining and the soil was softened--a bit. Using my palm, I would try to push a piece of rebar about five inches into the soil. The soil is hard there, and my palm hurt. I failed in several spots before finding seven places where I made decent holes for the cuttings.<br /><br />A few days later, Mom announced <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/fence.jpg"> she'd pruned a bunch of her geraniums. She had filled a couple of buckets with cuttings that I could plant.<br /><br /><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/buckets.jpg"><br />Today, we headed over to the bridge with the cuttings. <br /><br />Mom prepped cuttings (trimming off lower leaves, etc) and laid them out every few feet. <br /><br /><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/momspile.jpg"><br />This time, I brought a small sledge hammer to help me drive the rebar.<br /><br />My technique was this: whack a hole with the short length of rebar, slip the cutting down the hole, whack the dirt next to the cutting (to collapse the hole and press the dirt more tightly around the cutting).<br /><br /><img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/hammer.jpg"> In an hour or so, we had planted 72 cuttings along the fence. We'll be back with more cuttings.<br /><br />I think the abundance of grasses and weeds there right now will provide a helpful shade while these get started. I'm looking forward to seeing how quickly these bush out. Even more satisfying will be the pink and red blooms in the summer. <br /><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/fence2.jpg">Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-88418167782725951492011-02-24T01:09:00.000-08:002011-02-24T01:30:34.153-08:00How to record a computer demonstration<span class="dropcap">I</span> wanted to create a video of a computer-based work task and show it to teammates. A picture is worth a thousand words--the video would convey the concept way faster than my trying to convey the value via text like this.<br /><br />I used these tools :<br /><ul><br /><li>MovieMaker (free on many Windows systems... look for C:\Program Files\MovieMaker\moviemk.exe)<br /><li>ManyCam (free to download and use; see http://download.manycam.com)<br /><li>A microphone (if you want to narrate)<br /></ul><br /><br />Here's the basic concept. MovieMaker records videos. It asks for a "video source". ManyCam makes the computer think it is a video source. ManyCam lets you choose whether to use a webcam for video OR to display a portion of your Desktop. (So, if you do not have a webcam and all you really want to do is record your Desktop, you can.) Now, put these two together: tell MovieMaker to record whatever ManyCam is showing. Finally, MovieMaker has a Narration menu selection: if you prefer, you can add a voice track AFTER you create and trim down the video shots (I like that; I'm not skilled enough to narrate at the same time that I'm capturing the desktop activity).<br /><br />ManyCam acts like a webcam substitute or a webcam middleman. Once you start and set up ManyCam to show your webcam or your Desktop, you can then fire up any other program that wants a video source, and you pick ManyCam as the source... and it works.<br /><br />Okay, so what are the actual steps for recording your desktop activity?<br /><br />[to be provided soon]<br />[how to turn off the ManyCam logo]<br />[how to start ManyCam and tell it to view your Desktop]<br />[how to setup for recording and select the ManyCam source]<br />[how to record; advice on motion; how to stop the recording]<br />[tips and tricks for refining your video's visuals before you narrate]<br />[how to add narration]<br />[how to save as a movie file; uploading to youtube]Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-17823728110156022622011-02-06T01:10:00.000-08:002011-02-06T23:32:59.498-08:00How to remove and replace a circuit breaker<span class="dropcap">F</span>or those who are here just to get the answer, it's this:<br /><br />1. After you have removed the panel and turned off "main" (something there is a switch for the rest of the panel), pry out the circuit breaker that you want replace. It is just wedged in there, really. Fiddle with either end of the specific circuit breaker.<br />2. Detach whatever wire was connected; reconnect that to a new circuit breaker of same amperage and style/form, and press it back in place.<br /><br />Oh my gosh, that was easy. What a relief.<br /><br />And here's my story leading up to those simple steps.<br /><br />For the last few months, lights have dimmed a little when the anything on the kitchen circuit was turned on, such as a little coffee grinder or plugging in my laptop. When I had measured with a voltmeter, outlets yielded AC voltage between 109 and 114 (in contrast to other circuits which were between 115 and 125).<br /><br />Yesterday, lights flickered, dimmed, went out. After a few minutes of appliances off, I could measure a full 115 to 125 on this circuit that had been bad for months ("Yay! Is it back to normal?!") but if I turned on anything on that circuit, whoop, it would drop to 0 volts.<br /><br />Sigh. I got out the phone book and looked up electricians. I didn't like the prospect of calling, seeking estimates.<br /><br />I called our electric company and asked if they could come out to measure the "drop" to the house (the voltage coming to the circuit breaker). To my surprise, they sent someone out about an hour later. The guy called me on his way to the house and asked for symptoms, facts. When he arrived, he flipped the switch of the circuit breaker I pointed out and immediately said "It's broken!" I needed to replace it. It was a relief to know that the cause was known AND great that I had gotten this information for free. I asked if it was something I should hire an electrician to do or could I do it myself. He warned of some odd style of screw head that I would encounter inside and off he went.<br /><br />Today, with daylight, I stared inside the open box. I am used to taking stuff apart. Having taken stuff apart since childhood, there are just "standard things" to look for, typical ways things are assembled that you know to consider first. And I couldn't find those. Instead, I saw these metal bars above and below the circuit breakers and no screw heads were visible. I started to wonder if, for safety reasons, special tools and knowledge were required to (1) move those metal bars out of the way so that I could then (2) find out how to get the circuit breaker out.<br /><br />Man, the internet is cool. I searched the internet for "how to I replace a circuit breaker" and was offered several videos made by kind folks out there sharing their knowledge. I picked the first one.<br /><br />The video started off with a guy showing his two golden retrievers in the snow. Over the next few minutes, he repeated how easy it would be to remove and replace a circuit breaker. He turned off "main" and all the lights went out, as he had alerted, AND then we watch another scene of his dogs in the snow. <br /><br />Back in the basement... He lights up the box with his flashlight and repeats how easy it is going to be. And then he gets a screwdriver and pops the skinny breaker out of the bank of breakers. A bit later, he repeated that it was easy to replace. <br /><br />No way. It's just wedged in? Oh my gosh, that IS easy. Funny that he spent way more time showing us his dogs and talking about how easy it would be than to just take 30 seconds and show him removing it. (Thus my brief instructions as the top, to balance out the efficiency universe.)<br /><br />I rushed to my circuit breaker panel, turned off main, found a simple place to wedge my flathead screwdriver, and confirmed that, sure enough, that bad boy would just slip right out with a tweak or two. Soon I had it in my hand and was off to the store. Bought a replacement. Came home, squished it in place and attached the wire and was done. Lights don't flicker.<br /><br />Oh my gosh, that's satisfying when stuff's that easy.<br /><br />And it's nice to not have the extension cord going from the family room to the kitchen to keep the refrigerator going.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="390" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EvCnNEUD8Xk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-65123457558650565862011-01-30T21:40:00.000-08:002011-01-30T21:57:56.368-08:00Rose grafting, part 2<span class="dropcap">I</span>t's been about a year now since my failed rose grafting.<br /><br />I ended up grafting again two weeks ago (Jan 16), rather by accident:<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="395" height="321" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bYd4YvwkS4s" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br /><img align="right" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKba_4lLh6T4M07U_Yef_RQDCa1ReJKhzFJ2SrdhuCY_CLBVdtf1WjlnFKVupYuCI6bwdJYYi89AQo5uqRgKzs2aDqYNdpGjcpAQh-S1Cas7bqi6wnyI722zeYbx52Hn-2ltjb/s400/twig.jpg" border="0" alt="rose grafting" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568223493204404338" /><br /><br />I took this photo on Jan 30 so I can observe any change in the coming weeks.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-31847118957831927052011-01-26T22:20:00.000-08:002011-01-26T22:41:31.259-08:00The rocking of the moon<span class="dropcap">I</span> am watching Sagan's "Cosmos" series from decades ago and just learned about a wobble in the moon.<br /><br />I recall that the reason we always see one side of the moon is that the moon is not round, that it is "heavier enough" on one side that the mutual gravity between the earth and moon keep that heavier side pulled toward the earth. (Mind bender: to the rest of space, the moon is spinning; to us, it doesn't look like it's spinning because it's pointing toward us we make our way around the Sun.)<br /><br />I recall that humans put some special mirrors on the moon so we could aim lasers at them and measure how long it takes for the laser light to get there, bounce off the mirrors and arrive back home, and thus measure the distance, since we know how fast light travels through space. The principle behind the mirrors is just like your car's reflectors. You've seen your reflection in a store whose corner has a mirror on each wall: as you walk by, you continually see your reflection in that very corner, albeit reversed. The reflectors of a car--and the mirrors on the moon--have three surfaces (one more than the store) so that the image bounces back for up and down motion, too. So, no matter where you are, if you shine a light at that corner mirror, the light bounces straight back to you.<br /><br />In the Cosmos program, Carl noted how scientists used lasers and those mirrors on the moon to measure our distance from the moon with amazing accuracy ("only in error by about one millionth of a percent"). Picture that the moon's heavy side is facing us, like a bell out in space that always "hangs" directly away from the earth. Scientists measured the distance of the moon from us over quite a long period of time and observed a wobble, back and forth. Some concluded that this was evidence of the moon having been struck long ago by a comet or meteor, making it rock back and forth as it restabilizes toward not wobbling, toward simply facing toward us with no wobble. Cool.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-1564654093466718632010-12-19T13:49:00.000-08:002010-12-19T14:04:16.057-08:00Water goes boom in microwave<span class="dropcap">S</span>ure enough, water can "explode". I was heating 3 or 4 ounces of water in a juice glass in the microwave. I was tending to some other matter (and I'd forgotten about the water) when I heard what sounded like someone loudly clap-popping a medium plastic bag of air. "What was THAT?" Spinning around and seeing the microwave, I peered in and saw the glass was nearly empty. What was most fascinating to me (besides finding out personally that my water can blowing up in the microwave) was seeing how evenly distributed the water droplets were on the walls and ceiling of the microwave. The glass was still whole.<br /><br />I remember reading about this phenomenon a few years ago. The writeup had suggested that water could be ready to explode (my words) and just waiting for the glass to be jiggled to release the energy. Makes me that more willing to poke my superheated coffee with a spatula behind the safety of my welding mask.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-89181025989938700672010-11-04T19:34:00.000-07:002010-11-09T00:27:46.885-08:00Don't forget to look in the washing machine<span class="dropcap">"</span>The good news is we have one fewer rats around here. The bad news is that we have yet to find it," I called across to Mom from my ground-level view. I had been looking for the last 15 minutes under and between and behind the rows of boxes in the garage, trying to find the source of the smell. <br /><br />Two nights earlier, Mom heard the rat trap snap out in the garage. I had placed it near the birdseed supply after seeing a rat departing from that area earlier. But it was empty when I inspected it.<br /><br />Today, I smelled an odd smell. Mom and I agreed it "had the smell of death," and thus began my exploration, my seeking the little frame that had only gotten so far.<br /><br />As each of us circled the paths in the garage, we observed the smell was strongest at the end where the dryer and washing machine and freezer are. I looked yet again under each of these with a bright light. Then Mom sniffed the kitchen rags she'd lain in the washing machine. Whoa... Note to self: rags used for cleaning up after cooking fish should be washed a tad sooner.<br /><br />We're probably not down one rat afterall.<br /><br /><hr><br />Nov 8, morning: Caught/disposed of one rat last night. Reset trap. Fresh rat this morning. Reset trap.<br />Nov 8, evening: Put the trap out on our awning. Snap! Three in less than 24 hours. Cool. (Okay, except for the creepy disposal part.)Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-71955067670385790452010-10-29T17:16:00.000-07:002010-10-29T17:54:12.146-07:00Using Skype without a webcam; using ManyCam<span class="dropcap">I</span>t is not true that you need a webcam to use Skype. (Why Skype says on their web page that you need a webcam--that confuses me.)<br /><br />It is not true that you need to show video of yourself to use Skype (in case you assumed that that is a requirement). <br /><br />It is not true that you need to have a microphone to use Skype (in case you assumed that you needed to).<br /><br />(Hey, you can simply type messages to others, if you want. Most of my use of Skype is simply typing messages to others. With that said, it IS great to have a simple mic/headphones set (such as "headset 33-1187" which you can find on Google for around $20.) You can talk for free with an individual or with a group of friends regardless of the distance between all of you in the country.)<br /><br />Is it a pain to install Skype? No. I think the two most challenging parts of getting started with Skype are (1) deciding what your nickname will be and (2) initiating your first text-only contact with someone else on Skype. And even those are not very difficult. I'd say the easy up-front part is downloading and installing Skype. <br /><br />So, even if you do NOT have a microphone yet, you can still be up and running with Skype in just a few minutes. It's free. So, go here and get started! http://skype.com/download/<br /><br /><span class="dropcap">Y</span>ou might also like ManyCam. It's free, too. ManyCam acts like a webcam substitute or a webcam middleman. You tell ManyCam whether you want ManyCam to show your webcam (if you have one) or show some part of your computer Desktop, or show a movie clip, etc. ManyCam is a switching mechanism. You decide at any instant what it should display.<br /><br />This is nice! I can use ManyCam, then, to broadcast a card game I am playing on my computer--I can broadcast it over Skype video or on Ustream. And if I am currently displaying my Desktop over Skype or Ustream and want to show my actual webcam instead, I just bring up ManyCam and click the appropriate button in ManyCam to switch from Desktop to Camera.<br /><br />Here is another use for ManyCam: if you need help on your computer, you can turn on ManyCam so your friend can see your computer screen (they cannot actually control anything on your computer, though; it is simply a picture of your screen), and your friend can ask you to click here, click there, while watching your screen via your Skype call with your friend. I have used this approach many times to help friends find solutions to their computer issues.<br /><br />Want ManyCam? http://download.manycam.comJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-89166564018470733882010-10-16T19:37:00.001-07:002010-10-19T04:23:02.807-07:00How do I add a Java classpath in Eclipse?<span class="dropcap">U</span>gh. I needed to include a folder in my classpath. I didn't need to include a jar file--that's easy in Eclipse. There are so many answers out there on the 'net about "how easy it is to use Eclipse," that "you don't need to set classpath because Eclipse does it for you." I disagree. If it were so easy, there wouldn't be all of these explanations that still come up short.<br /><br />Hours after experimenting, fiddling, I finally got it to work the way that I wanted.<br /><br />To include my folder in the classpath maintained by the Eclipse project, I had to (1) exit Eclipse and (2) hand-modify the .classpath file for the project.<br /><br />I included this line, where C:\jed is the folder that I wanted in my classpath:<br /><br /><classpathentry kind="lib" path="C:/jed"/><br /><br />For my fellow Java programmers...Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-64008439253468767372010-08-22T16:13:00.000-07:002010-08-22T16:18:18.943-07:00Her ear was in front<span class="dropcap">W</span>ay back at my sister's memorial, person after person insisted in jest that, no, THEY were her favorite. Resounding evidence that Jan grasped that notion of "look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others" and "in humility, consider others more important than yourself." She valued you with her ear. Time might fly by before you realized you hadn't heard anything about her. She chose well.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-54729575931102261002010-08-20T00:31:00.000-07:002010-08-20T23:15:47.708-07:00Adobe vs Macromedia<span class="dropcap">I</span>n 2004, I was browsing through my phoons website statistics, and I discovered an unfamiliar web page address, something about "upcoming events". <a target="_blank" href="http://phoons.com/adobe.html"><img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/adobe1.jpg"></a> Tracing it, I discovered that someone had created a web page to advertise some Adobe training session coming up the next week. And their web page was linking directly a photo on my Phoons site that I had taken of my friend phooning in front of the Adobe headquarters. With some HTML magic, they were displaying my site's photo at about 1/4 scale on their site. (If you click the image to the right, you can see MY page and see what photo they were "borrowing".)<br /><br />They had contact information on their page, so I emailed them and left a phone message to the effect, "You're using my copyrighted image without my permission. Please remove it."<br /><br />After a time of them having neither responded nor taken action, I decided to have some fun. I made a backup copy of my original photo. Then I replaced it <i>on my site</i> with the logo of a key competitor of Adobe: Macromedia. I added the word BUY. <img align="left" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/adobe2.jpg"> Yep, sure enough, when I visited their web site, my BUY Macromedia image shone prominently.<br /><br />I had expressed to my brother in my original email to him, "For the time being,<br />if people visit the Adobe ad page, they'll see what I've attached. :) Hey, that oughta get a few more emails coming in to their group to change the picture :)"<br /><br />Ha, I wish I could've heard the behind-the-scenes scrambling. Imagine if the folks who discovered it had no idea how to change their web page because they'd hired someone else to set up the web page for them and that person wasn't available over the weekend.<br /><br /><img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/adobe3.jpg"> I also sent my brother the second version I had created. Its origin? I already had a photo I had created of Dad and birds. My sister had taken a photo of Dad standing in her patio doorway with a BB gun, shooing away pesky starlings. I had photoshop'd it to add starlings all over him--plus a huge one in a rocking chair nearby. It was easy, then, to use that as the backdrop for the latest BUY Macromedia picture. (Note the big bird, lower right.)<br /><br />Before I could substitute in this second version, I discovered that those folks had fixed their web page. Never any communication with me. Sigh. No opportunity to use version #2 on their web page!<br /><br />Fun memory. Thanks, David, for finding this treasure in your old emails!Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-3029760546422700672010-06-20T16:07:00.000-07:002010-06-21T12:19:08.162-07:00Is it a Happy Father's Day?<span class="dropcap">W</span>hat do you say to someone on Father's Day when<br /><br />their father is dying in the hospital? or<br />they never knew their father?<br />they lost their father at a younger age than most of us? or<br />their father was far from the right kind of man? or...<br /><br />It's easy to say Happy Father's Day to those who are clearly connected as father-child.<br /><br />I just returned from the hospital. The neighbor's driveway had been predominantly empty this couple of weeks. We knew the husband was facing a serious illness. Mom had suggested last week that we might cruise by the hospital to see if perhaps that's where they were.<br /><br />I went. As I followed the hallway directions to the room number I was given at the desk, the "message" of the particular room became increasingly clear as I followed the signs; first the department name, then the sign on the door itself. Critical care.<br /><br />The door was closed. I figured it best to not join them, even though the nurse said, "Oh, just knock." I found a quiet waiting area and set my things down. Nearby was an unattended work counter. I figured I could find some writing material and pen there. I knocked over a brochure display while reaching over the counter for a pad of paper. Back at my quiet seat, I scribbled various thoughts of what I want to express to them in absentia; I'd leave a note for them, I figured.<br /><br />A little while later, the wife walked by, on her way out. What do I say to someone who has just left a closed door room where it's been just family? <br /><br />People have different approaches, some of them helpful, some quite hurtful (out of not knowing what else to say, even though their heart is right in wanting the best for the other).<br /><br />In my better moments, what I "say" varies but it basically has the meaning "talk to me" or "tell me your story." And in my better moments, I clear the way for them to talk. I convey that I am indeed going to listen. I convey that their feelings of embarrassment or fear about talking are feelings are okay, that they'll soon be past those, that it's okay for them to be open. Sure, I talk, too. In my better moments, the talking I do is shaped to communicate understanding of what they're saying and to return to their story. I hope that this moment with my neighbor was one of those better moments.<br /><br />My opening line: "Hi." and "I found you." That worked. She started opening up. She told me her husband didn't want visitors. I said I understood that (even though the nurse had said "just knock"). She was obviously heading out. As she talked, I told her I'd join her out to the parking lot. She set the pace. I knew she'd get deeper if given the ear, if given the time, if I "stayed out of the way" by sticking with her topics and conveying permission to talk about tougher stuff. I suspect that part of that "permission" was her knowing I'd lost my father. She and her husband had joined me in the street a few hours after Dad had passed way. They had acknowledged my loss and shown love in that simple gesture. (That's an important aspect isn't it: those of us who have the same kind of loss are most likely to have a kind of permission to enter into such conversation; the further we are from sharing such experience, the more likely we should keep our mouths shut and let others enter such conversation. With that said, a simple "hello" can be vastly superior to maintaining a distance from the person.)<br /><br />We reached the parking lot and she stopped in the shade; I didn't want to delay her in her traveling to her home for the present task she'd already identified and hinted at continuing toward her car. But she lingered, and there was that subtle signal. Soon I was hearing her deeper story, initiating a sideways hug that tripped her into releasing a few pent-up tears, retreating again to listen to her details.<br /><br />Oh how her daughters don't want to lose their father on this of all days. Understood.<br /><br />I joined her to her car, parted.<br /><br />I wandered back into the hospital; found a quiet place; scribbled a few thoughts of what I could express to the grieving family via note. After six pages of drafts of idea, I abandoned all of those. In the end, I wrote something about praying for them and their father, something about being glad to hear that they were all able to be together and talk, to be together to hear each other's thoughts in this dark moment. To be together. I folded the note, wrote their names on it, left it with the attending nurse.<br /><br />What do you say to someone in their loss...<br /><br />---<br /><br />Many hours later, after Mom and I had dinner out, I suggested we could swing by, see if we happened to cross paths with any of the family. We hung out in the empty waiting area. I read aloud some article from a magazine. One of the few footsteps we heard was one of the daughters arriving. Arriving? Ah, they'd decided to do "shifts".<br /><br />I'm not the one needing comfort, but it brought me some, from the thought that the daughters would get their wish to not lose their Dad on Father's Day. I thanked God in my heart. Simple love given, connection made, we left.<br /><br />---<br /><br />June 21: The neighbor's cars were in the driveway. Hm, yes. I hugged the wife; found out he'd slipped away at 4 am. I mentioned I'd prayed that God would "keep her husband" longer for the sake of her daughters. She said she had, too. I'm thankful for that little light in the darkness.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Part of my brother's tribute to my father: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyWpwn1QC-A<br /><br />You can find the other five parts on youtube; search for "A Tribute to my Father, Robert Darrow".Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-37771095643280197912010-04-28T22:44:00.000-07:002010-04-28T23:00:50.267-07:00Kentucky Fried Salad<span class="dropcap">W</span>hat's open after 10 pm? After staying late at work, I was heading home. KFC, a place I rarely go to, sounded fine. They were out of potato wedges, so I doubled the other side I usually settle for: side salad. So, I now had two chicken parts, two garden salads with ranch, and a biscuit with honey. <br /><br />Apparently this branch appeals to those with a hankering for jalepenos. There was a huge jar. I poked at the change from having just paid for the two piece two sides. Twenty two cents. "Will you sell me a jalepeno for 22 cents?" "Sure."<br /><br />Back home. The salad is basically shredded iceberg and a handful of tomato bits. Not very nutritious, "so how can I improve this?" There were four sprigs of leftover broccoli in the fridge. And a big jar of shredded parmesan cheese. <br /><br />Caesar salad has croutons; you can add chicken. Hmm.<br /><br />I dumped the salads in a big mixing bowl and threw in a pile of parmesan. I chopped up the jalepeno and the broccoli and stirred those in with the packet of ranch dressing. The greasy skin slipped easily off the chicken; I chopped up the chicken (okay, and just a wee bit of tasty fried skin) and mixed that in. <br /><br />Bisquit. Hm. Sure, why not. Chop, chop, mix. At this point, I have the entire meal blended in a bowl, plus broccoli, parmesan and a jalapeno--everything except the butter and honey. Sure, why not. I added the honey.<br /><br />This is a really big bowl of chicken salad now. And I'm working my way through it. Not bad! (Do you have to be from California to be okay with such a salad?)Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-71332951298786850012010-04-12T00:36:00.000-07:002010-04-12T00:51:06.379-07:00Rainwater<span class="dropcap">L</span>ook at all that water exiting the rain gutter and flowing out to the street. Look at all those porch plants that could use that nice nitrogen-laden rainwater. <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/siphon.gif"><br /><br />I stuffed a rag into the top of the rain gutter exit, used these huge red clamps to hold some tubing in place in the now-filling gutter and, voila, I'm filling a garbage can that I've put onto a skateboard (so I can move it to the next porch plant) and I have a second siphon tube from there to the plants.<br /><br />A neighbor stopped his car to pause and stare at the ladder and the bright red clamps on the light gray house. He called a bit later to joke that he thought I was doing some sort of electrical experiment.<br /><br />I'm just glad to be accepted by the hippies in California.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-57992077468315199562010-04-05T23:35:00.000-07:002010-04-05T23:46:24.680-07:00The $15 echinacea weed, revisited<span class="dropcap">I</span>n an earlier <a href="http://personaleffects.blogspot.com/2009/09/15-echinacea-weed.html">post</a>, I highlighted my disappointment with the performance of my new echinacea. I admired the hardy echniceas I saw while at a backyard wedding reception, and the host said the first year's growth was disappointing. That gave me hope.<br /><br />And so, I've been watching that spot in the yard, waiting for the echinacea weed to break through the ground for the first time this year. And today I saw it. "Yay, the echnicea weed is back!" I announced. <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/ech2.jpg"><br /><br />It's off to a good start.<br /><br />Well, it was. After taking the photo, I decided to transplant it to a better spot in the yard. (Duh, I'd planted it almost _under_ the lily, and the lily is a snail breeder, and last year's growth was tackled by snails, slugs and pill bugs.) With a post-hole digger, I made a hole; then I used it to grab the soil containing this growth and yanked it out and moved it. That means I just shocked it by breaking its roots. But it'll do fine. (Hey, it's already looking better than what I first received in the mail last year, its root system is more mature, its roots are in native soil, AND I'm hitting it with the pill bug treat that'll knock those buggers out in the early growth stage, way sooner than last year's growth.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-24857940733139352712010-04-05T21:19:00.000-07:002010-04-06T22:35:52.100-07:00Jury duty<span class="dropcap">T</span>his was day 2 of filling the jury box and interviewing the prospective jurors. Oh, we were so close. They had excused only a few folks from the box. It was just about lunch time. They called my name to come fill the newly vacated seat in the box. Sigh.<br /><br />When you tell friends, family and coworkers you're called in for jury selection, you're likely to hear stories and ideas on what to say to be rejected. Two folks had said that announcing their particular profession seemed to get them out of service. Several joked about what ridiculous things I could claim about my background or come up with some extreme beliefs. My brother said his artist friend would show up unshaven and start sketching the lawyers and then be dismissed.<br /><br />So, they had called my name. I was seated by the wall and needed to sidestep in front of my whole row in the gallery. In that time, I pondered what was the best timing. As I approached and made my way through the swivel barrier between the gallery and main court area, I quietly mimicked (though loud enough for the court to hear), "The Price is Right! Come ooonnn dooown!"<br /><br />In the span of hours in the gallery, I had jotted notes about what I might say about my background. I had observed the routine: jurors were asked the same set of printed questions; they were given the chance to bring up issues at the start. When asked if I had anything key, I went into my speech. I spoke the truth; I was one to keep watch on the neighborhood; I'd been a key witness to a street crime a few months back; I was a process engineer / tech writer / programmer with a drive to find better ways to do things. I was also truthful about how I most definitely understood the rules about the burden being on the prosecution yet had my attitudes and feelings about how I wish things might go. I praised the American justice system over other countries' systems yet noted I would follow all the rules even if I ended up feeling quite frustrated with the rules.<br /><br />Oh my gosh, was I nervous. My voice cracked frequently; I choked up; I was jumpy. (Almost without fail, my throat tightens up if I have to speak in front of strangers AND have a mic on me...or whatever represents "one shot at sounding right". Probably some kind of perfectionism/fear thing.) Maybe to others I sounded fine. To me, they all sounded way cooler and more collected than me.<br /><br />I poured out all this information to the judge and lawyers. The judge asked at each key point whether I understood and would follow the rules. "Absolutely!" I felt I sounded fair. <br /><br />Each lawyer is given a chance to ask whatever questions may reveal whatever secret thing it is that the lawyer wants to gauge or know. The other prospective jurors had received lots of questions. But when the judge gave the opportunity to the lawyers for my interrogation, they basically passed. Had I explained everything so well?? Had I pre-answered questions they were lining up?? Had I made myself out to be so off-center that they were ready to dismiss me with no further information? I did not know; I had to wait for the next formal leading of the judge for dismissals. <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/jduty2.jpg"><br /><br />We broke for lunch. A fellow juror (one of the earliest to be selected) said, "YOU'RE stuck." Drat. Had I been so thorough and fair-sounding that I eliminated all doubt for the lawyers and they liked me? Well, okay, then. That helped me settle into the notion that I'd be on jury duty for the next month. I fired up my laptop and connected to work. <br /><br />I cracked up in seeing my boss had written a haiku about jury duty in honor of me and coworker Curtis, also on call for jury duty, and had emailed it to the team. We have a long-standing semi-tradition of using pointless opportunities to communicate via haiku, just for our amusement as writers. Oh, and invariably, someone would come up with lines that did not even come close to fitting the 5-7-5 syllable rule, much less the point of capturing nature in some way.) <br /><br />Her haiku:<br /><br /><center>A higher power<br /><br>summons juror candidates.<br /><br>Curtis, John, who's next?</center><br /><br />I replied with my sobering status:<br /><br /><center>I am in the box.<br /><br>Selection continues, but<br /><br>I think I am stuck.</center><br />Newt.<br /><br />(I added on the "newt" part because I failed to work newt into my haiku like I usually do, a silly signature of mine, so to speak.)<br /><br />We were all called back in from the break. There was a seating issue: not enough seats in this new venue. They were now asking gallery folks to come sit in seats close to or even in the jury box. I offered loudly, "Hey, I'm willing to give up MY seat..." Nice to see even the judge and lawyers chuckle. (Nice try, buddy.)<br /><br />Jury selection resumed. I settled into my comfy swiveling seat and listened to the repeat of all the questions for each new juror candidate. Over the next hour, they dismissed person after person. I broke out my little notebook and started sketching a couple of lawyers. At one point, I observed the lawyers passed around a post-it note and thought I caught them glancing my direction. They asked for a sidebar and chatted up there for a while. Hey! <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/jduty1.jpg">Had this "sketching the lawyers" thing paid off--were they moving to dismiss me? On the other hand, was I about to get in trouble for "recording" court action in this way? Recording devices had been expressly forbidden. Well, nope. Turns out they were having a side bar about the guy next to me who they had been interviewing while I sketched away. <br /><br />They continued dismissing jurors, most of them the ones called since I'd been interviewed. (In a couple cases, I thought, "Hey, I could've said the same thing and gotten immediately dismissed...") Plenty of interviews were conducted of folks next to me. (I resisted the urge to joke that I wanted to move into the chair to my right--a reference to the nonsensical statistic of that chair position resulting in dismissal.)<br /><br />One guy they interview at length was next to me. He reminded me of a key character on the TV show "LOST". When the lawyers and judge gathered for a little sidebar, I leaned toward him and asked if he was the stunt double for the Asian scientist. He smiled and said he knew who I was talking about. "You get that a lot?" "No." "Oops, I guess I'm the only one rude enough to say it!" I said. We smiled. The lawyers returned to their seats.<br /><br />Last week, the judge had said we'd go from 8:30 to 3:30. Just before 3:30, the judge gave us a break and announced we'd be there till 5 pm. Big gasp in the audience. (I thought gasps like that were reserved for poorly directed TV dramas.) It was clear from that gasp that many people had planned on the clear 3:30 ending time. The judge then said that his reason for doing this was with the hopes of being done with this and folks not having to come back the next day. In response, there was a collective delighted "Oh!" and then laughter as a few of us in the jury box reflected on the quick reversal in emotion we just observed. <br /><br />Well, that kinda sealed it for me. It had been a few hours since I had been interviewed, and others who seemed to me to be pretty middle of the road were being dismissed. I was still there, and the clock was approaching 4:30. And the judge had set the context of "almost done".<br /><br />It was the prosecution's turn to dismiss whomever he might wish. I heard my number come out of his mouth. It was a strange dreamy moment. I thought he said my number. It had been a long time since they interviewed me, so there was that additional lack of connection. And why would *he* say my number? I figured he would've liked me and wanted to keep me for "his side" of the case. The judge then used my number in a complete sentence about "juror number such and such" and looked at me. Oh my goodness, it was indeed me. I calmly rose (the judge had earlier cautioned the jurors against departing with joyous high-fives, to the laughter of the gathering) and picked up my items; at the same moment, the clerk called out the number of the next gallery person to fill the seat I was vacating. (Efficient, that one.) I paused and turned back toward my fellow jurors in the box, looking particularly at the one who'd declared "You're stuck". I twisted my expression into a partial smile, partial raised eyebrows of sympathy, partial "I don't know what just happened!" and then headed on down the center aisle. A few folks in the gallery smiled at me. I think they were communicating a mix of envy and congratulations. I, unlike them, was free to go. They were still there, with the prospect of returning the next morning.<br /><br />Had I been the last person to be dismissed that day? I considered that possibility. <br /><br />I wasn't far beyond the exit from the courtroom when I started speaking my glee. I was basically talking to myself and God to congratulate myself. In hindsight, the joy I was feeling was the joy of the fresh taste of freedom. As I made my way down three flights of stairs, cheers kept falling out of my mouth. They kept coming out all the way back to my car in the parking structure way across the street.<br /><br />Invigorated, I made my way over to the San Jose airport and put my energy into taking <a href="http://phoons.com/sanjoseintl.html">this self-portrait</a>.<br /><br />When I got home, I fired off a new haiku to my coworkers to correct my prior guess that I'd be out for a month:<br /><br /><center>I didn't have to<br /><br>mention my insanity;<br /><br>they just dismissed me.</center><br /><br />In hindsight, I'm considering that might not be far off. The prosecutor might've been annoyed from the start with my drama. The price was right.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-20447079625737825832010-04-05T19:10:00.000-07:002010-04-13T21:29:35.509-07:00Molly the owl and Alf<span class="dropcap">L</span>ast night, a few thousand of us were watching Molly and her hatchlings. Her bedding material is entirely pellets--that is, coughed up rodent fur and bones. <br /><br /><a href="http://phoons.com/blog/images/MollyAndAlf.jpg"><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/MollyAndAlf.jpg" width="25%" height="25%" align="right"></a> Somebody pointed out that it looked like there was a pig snout in the picture (see the bottom right). I said it was Alf, and that stuck. What you see below is my (obviously) tweaked version of a screenshot. At least you still get to see the "snout" and speculate what it is.<br /><br /><a href="http://phoons.com/blog/images/MollyAndNEStory.jpg"><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/MollyAndNEStory.jpg" width="25%" height="25%" align="right"></a> Two nights later, we got the Neverending Story character. (Sorry, kids.)<br /><br />A poem to accompany the Mouse Escape video:<br /><br /><i>The mouse was live when it arrived, and Molly planned to eat.<br>She'd held it in her beak a while and stretched her pointy feet.<br>The mouse got loose and slipped behind the chicks that we adore.<br>While Molly looked down to the right, the mouse ran out the door.</i><br /><br />A poem about CBS' Molly interview error:<br /><br /><i>Six hours' recording a few days ago<br>(and all for three minutes in CBS' show!).<br>Molly fans watched and are now calling 'foul':<br>the idiot editors showed the wrong owl!</i><br /><br />A poem about the egg sitting in the corner, and that's just about all we could see with the new camera angle:<br /><br /><i>We had high hopes we'd someday see a lovely little owlet;<br>instead, our Dudley rules the roost as Honorary Pellet.</i>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-25144254137978490252010-04-01T13:58:00.000-07:002010-04-01T14:00:41.098-07:00Looking for true love<span class="dropcap">A</span> re you my dream woman? My dream woman is well-educated, has long hair, not only knows how to cook but frequently entertains, can drive stick shift, owns her own tree pruning cherry picker, is not afraid of snakes or spiders, just says no to prescription glasses, can start a fire without matches, wrote a novel in high school and won an award for it, is able to live out of the narrow backseat of a pickup, organizes files for the U. N., has memorized two poems by Robert Frost, buys and sells condos in Belize, likes to cuddle even on a tandem bicycle, remembers to lower the seat, can play the theme music of "Fractured Fairy Tales" on the piano, uses only environmentally friendly solvents when hosing down garbage men, spreads wildflower seeds while singing songs from Broadway, knows the difference between chelated calcium/magnesium and Belgian chocolate, creates her own wine labels and sneaks them onto friends' bottles when we're visiting their homes, uses programmable crochet needles to write social networking software while simultaneous creating fashionable rayon swimwear, likes me, makes oboes for charity, attends book clubs, studies the feeding ranges of whelks, can separate out egg whites with ease, can show me the best shoe stores at the mall, and can explain Oprah. She is able to find (and retrieve, as needed) things I've lost (e. g. car parts under the middle of the car, parts of her sewing machine I've dropped under the bed, parts of her food processor that I left in the car, her entire Precious Moments collection that just magically disappeared when I was there), and she is graceful even when standing on the top rung of the ladder while hanging Christmas lights or raking lemons off the back awning. <br /><br />I'll gladly give you the local tour: there's the Methuselah Tree on Skyline Blvd; there's the Sections of the Berlin Wall "hidden" in the corner of a small business parking lot in Mountain View (both easy to find on internet); there's the Elizabeth Gamble Gardens, the Yoda statue in San Francisco; there's the stench of Alviso and of Shoreline Park, worth positioning ourselves downwind. Maybe we'll hang out by the railroad tracks, downtown, at night, and collect returnable bottles. <br /><br />I tend to write math equations on walls, using broad felt pens. I invite friends over in the middle of the night to review these equations, finish off whatever beer is left, and add color wherever they find Greek letters. I like to attract the neighborhood cats into the garage by dribbling the oil from a can of herring in lines radiating from the garage door to a block or two away. If my fingernails had been shorter, I could have typed all of this; thankfully, though, someone typed this up from my dictation so that I continue to be free to pursue my dream of breaking the Guiness record for long fingernails. I wish it weren't so, but I tend to react negatively to Doppler radar. I am a licensed mountain lion breeder but thankfully have no experience. I am humble. <br /><br />If you're the woman for me or I am the man for you, well, that's the way it goes.<br /><br /><i>Posted as my description on an online dating site, Apr 1</i>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902050.post-49810463381335778952010-03-27T23:36:00.000-07:002010-03-28T16:10:46.889-07:00Great Scott! I'm grafting!<span class="dropcap">I</span> think it's fair to say that I've been afraid to reattempt grafting since my failure in 8th grade science.<br /><br />I don't remember whether it was a B- or a C+ I got on my project. I do remember that it hurt, since it was, I felt, "considerably lower" than what I was <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft1.jpg"> used to getting as a science-minded youth.<br /><br />I suspect it was November when we were told we had a science project due in January. The choice of project was ours. It was now December (and I think it was even during the Christmas school break) and high time to pick a project. I thought of the wild citrus my folks had let grow in our front yard. Someone in the family nicknamed it a "limerine" (LIM-uh-REEN) as in "lime crossed with tangerine." That was far too kind of a name for what a fruit that, though appealing with its bright orange skin, was nasty <img align="left" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft5.jpg"> sour-bitter. The project I chose was grafting, to graft a good lemon branch onto the limerine. Wouldn't it be cool to redeem this plant with at least one branch producing something of value!<br /><br />We lived along the coast near Los Angeles. Winters were cool but there wasn't frost. I figured that might work in my favor. I reviewed the gardening book. My brain readily received the messages about how to cut into the main branch and how to shape the part to graft into it. My brain <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft2.jpg"> ignored whatever information there might have been about timing. I made the cuts, stuck this in that, tied stuff securely, gooped it up with pruning tar.<br /><br />A couple of weeks later, the report was due. I could see no change in the graft. I had nothing to write about except to describe what I had done and what I hoped would happen. Well, I shouldn't have been surprised to get the disappointing mark nor see the teacher's note about how unreasonable it was to expect results in such a short period.<br /><br /><img align="left" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft3.jpg"> The graft never did take.<br /><br />On reflection, I have been fascinated by grafting my whole life. I have remained interested in the topic, despite my failure in junior high. When flipping through gardening books, I'm likely to pause on the section about grafting and review the illustrations on the various ways folks graft plants. (Readers' Digest produces such wonderful line drawings of how to do things. One of their drawings influenced <a href="http://phoons.com/john/cartoons/grafting.jpg">this cartoon I drew</a> in 1982.)<br /><br />The failure of my grafting experience in junior high lodged that little <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft4.jpg"> doubt in my mind that I could ever succeed at grafting. I have tackled and succeeded at so many other gardening concepts that I'd think I would've been more willing to experiment. But I haven't been.<br /><br />Today, I grabbed a book off my shelf, a book on Bonsai. My brother-in-law Scott mailed a couple of these treasured books to me before he died (just two years ago) knowing I shared his interest in trees and pruning. Making my way through it, I came across a section on grafting. I lingered on that for some time, backing up, rereading, trying to make sense of the photos plus the inadequate descriptions that accompanied them. One phrase caught <img align="left" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft6.jpg"> my eye: "...February or March, while the buds are still dormant." Hey, I was in March. In an instant, I was thinking it was prime time I tried a graft.<br /><br />Mom has had few-years-old rose plant among her rose bushes that shoots out these really long branches before producing one or two blooms. Her other rose bushes are standard height and pump out blooms. That one rose bush is just stupid. She also has a new rose bush planted last summer. I chose the <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft7.jpg"> stupid rose bush as the base and snipped a fresh twig from the young bush.<br /><br />Out of all of the grafting styles, the one I chose was the T cut with a bud shield. (Coincidentally, this is the same approach I used on the limerine.)<br /><br />The cambium layer for a branch or trunk is "the only living tissue" through which the nutrients are passed. And for a tree, the outermost part is called the "cork cambium". Picture a banana still in its peel. If I'm understanding right, the peel would be the cork cambium, and the surface of the edible part of the banana would be the cambium layer we care about. <img align="left" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft8.jpg"> For a branch, supposedly the center stuff is dead tissue. So, the really important thing in grafting it getting the new graft's living cambium layer touching the living cambium layer of the base plant.<br /><br />With a razor blade, I cut a T shape through the bark...through the cambium layer. I couldn't tell, from any feeling I got through cutting with the blade, how thick the cambium layer was. But I knew that I should be able to peel it back from the inner core of the branch, kind of like there is that difference between the banana and its peel. With my little knife, I poked <img align="right" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft9.jpg"> and pried until I found that separation.<br /><br />The bud shield, if I understand right, is to be carved from where a bud would naturally form along the twig: where a leaf is or has existed along the twig. So, I chopped the twig down to just the portion containing the bud location. Successful grafting involves the cambium layers of the base and of the little graft thingy coming into and remaining in contact so that the little graft thingy is adopted by the base, forming plant cell this and that, and the bud grows. Well, at least that's what I'm hoping for. And, so, I need to expose the cambium layer of the little graft thingy. I split the stem with the razor blade. There it was. Fresh "shield" of a graft thingy, ready to insert into the T cut on the base rose bush.<br /><br />After jamming the shield into the T cut, I pressed the T flaps a little <img align="left" src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft10.jpg"> more snuggly onto the shield a few times, a symptom of my being new at this and wondering if I should expect something different. Well, the book said the graft needs to be tight and free from getting water in it. Years ago, sister Jan talked Mom into turning some old nylons into a big source of little flexible garden ties. I cut a little strip and tied it tight around the flaps.<br /><br />As for water-tight, I went for the old pruning spray.<br /><br /><img src="http://phoons.com/blog/images/graft11.jpg"> <br /><br />Well, the graft is done.<br /><br />My gosh, I did it! It's been 36 years since I last attempted to graft something. Will this work? I have no idea. But I'm hopeful. And when it starts growing, I will shout with joy and relief or vindication or something and will update this blog post with a photo.<br /><br />[Day 2: Drat. It appears I did it wrong. You can see I only slipped it in partway. I thought that was right. But that means that the top end is not touching the inner cambium layer. I should have trimmed the little thingy down so it could fit entirely under the flaps, with the potential bud part of it sticking out in the center. I now wonder if an "I" cut would've been better than a "T" cut, for the resulting "double doors" would have let me seat the little graft thingy better and I could have tied tightly above and below it. But I didn't. So, on Day 2, I added a bit more pruning tar on the top end to ensure no more moisture slips out the top end of my cutting.]Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935632763820485907noreply@blogger.com1