whatcha doing?

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:24 am

Yeah, good luck asking a Greek to go without a soft towel. I think HHGTTG is required reading in their schools...

Post by **DerGolgo** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:43 am

Spent 45 minutes waiting for a train. 15 minutes for the subsequent connection.
Escorted cat lady home after her ex and she and I had gone to an open-air punk concert. Lot of punks brought their kids, but a lot of longboard-skaters made up for that.
Had n beer. Literally couldn't count anymore.
Had two slices of toast for brekkie and a sandwich for lunch.
Basically had to type this in triplicate. Drunk n8w.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:17 pm

On my way there, I went past a most peculiar sight.
Two ... well, hipsters. Sorry, but open face helmets, beards, plaid shirts, they were hipsters. One on a Sportster, the other on a Yam XJ. Parked up on the side of the road, talking about something or other.
As I waslked past, I got to see ... they were wearing full-body-armor. Apart from the open-face helmets, they were ATGATT all over!
But plaid shirts?
Indeed. They were wearing plaid shirts. As I went past at a distance of only two feet or so, I saw.
These plaid shirts were of quite more sturdy assembly than one might expect. Heavier cloth, more sever stitching.
And they were worn OVER the full body armor.

...

I don't know whether to applaud the ingenuity or to despair ...

Did I mention these two chaps' shirts were matching, too?

Pattio · Post by **Pattio** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 2:08 pm

DerGolgo wrote:On my way there, I went past a most peculiar sight.
Two ... well, hipsters. Sorry, but open face helmets, beards, plaid shirts, they were hipsters. One on a Sportster, the other on a Yam XJ. Parked up on the side of the road, talking about something or other.
As I waslked past, I got to see ... they were wearing full-body-armor. Apart from the open-face helmets, they were ATGATT all over!
But plaid shirts?
Indeed. They were wearing plaid shirts. As I went past at a distance of only two feet or so, I saw.
These plaid shirts were of quite more sturdy assembly than one might expect. Heavier cloth, more sever stitching.
And they were worn OVER the full body armor.

...

I don't know whether to applaud the ingenuity or to despair ...

Did I mention these two chaps' shirts were matching, too?

I can honestly say I have been fantasizing since the early 1990’s of wearing humble flannel with perhaps a vest over top of a set of body armor. I could not then, nor could now, grow a thick and luscious beard that could be trimmed into a potent spade shape elaborating on a potent male jawline, nor could I grow a head of dark, oily hair suitable for slicking into the kind of tight, parted haircut suitable for a Hitler Youth to wear to his internship in the first season of Mad Men, but I get where this is coming from.

I can also relate that I recently learned a very funny thing, which is that the mass cultural understanding, as related in the reference text of the cable TV serial the ‘Sons of Anarchy’, is that the decorated vest of the classicist ‘Biker’ is called a ‘Cut’, not just because completing the phrase ‘top with the sleeves cut off’ falls short of the noble minimalism of The Road, but also because in Europe it is a reference to, according to Wikipedia,

The word Kutte (plural: Kutten) is a German loanword which literally references the religious habit of a Christian monk (from the Latin cotta, cf. Engl. coat) but that is also, in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, used for Cut-offs.

Freedom.

Post by **Beemer Dan** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 12:23 am

The armored flannel is totally a thing!

I thought I was just really medicated one night and the armored flannel idea fell into my head while pretending I was a hipster riding his motorbike through Portland and not an exhausted dad hopelessly browsing the interwebs while high as fuck at 3am. Didn't occur to me until I read your posts that it may be real:

http://www.uglybrosusa.com/tag/flannel/

Now I want a helmet that looks like a kickass manly bouffant, something that would go equally well at a welding job or as a televangelist. I'm a diverse man.

jae · Post by **jae** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 7:27 am

While catching up on posts I was about to add that same info about the armored flannel shirts. Seems there are a few to choose from out there...
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/64 ... ored-shirt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/76 ... nnel-shirt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

...though personally I prefer to just wear the mesh exo-armor jacket and put a hoodie over if it's too cool in the morning.

As for your helmet hair, I'm sure there are more to choose from, but these pop up immediately.

red · Post by **red** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:02 am

jae wrote: ...though personally I prefer to just wear the mesh exo-armor jacket and put a hoodie over if it's too cool in the morning.

I keep meaning to buy a pressure suit like that to wear under my jackets after I remove the stock armor. I'm scrawny, so most of the time the elbow arm isn't
where it should be and would probably do little to protect my pointy elbows.

red · Post by **red** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:04 am

That S&S flannel says: "Shoulders & Elbows reinforced with Dupont Kevlar® fiber thread"

I don't think that's going to do much for you when the cotton body of that shirt is reduced to shreds the moment it hits asphalt. A pressure suit underneath would probably save you though.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 7:20 am

FINALLY finished my magnetic stirrer.
The fish finally came a few days ago. Before that, I couldn't stop but fiddle around some more. The cheap generic-tupperwarish box was too soft, so I bought a more sturdy freezer-box at Woolworth's for €1.99.
Yes, there still is a Woolworth's around here. Their closeout sale is about to enter it's second year, I think.
Also meddled around with the magnets quite a bit. Ended up using a single harddrive magnet, but the real problem turned out to be the vessels. Tall vessels, like the bottles I keep my liquid in and had hoped to used for mixing up from the get go, are not suitable. The constituents of the e-liquid will separate in layers when dumped in, and only a shallow vessel provides the necessary vertical transport to mix it all up.
But it really works now!
Not sure if it's any good, yet. Mixing up Tiramisu flavor, usually would let that stand around for two days, with the occasional vigorous shake. Still got some left from the last time I made some. After the stirrer has run for an hour or two, I shall compare!

[media]https://youtu.be/TSDDvq8oGoI[/media]

The knocking noise occurs only at certain rpm, and only with the bigger fish, so I figure that is what causes it. The fan certainly isn't well balanced, but it won't even wander across the table when I take it out of the casing and switch it on, so it's balanced enough I suspect.

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:39 am

Just finished replacing the starter on my wife's Jeep. I love that car.

xtian · Post by **xtian** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:51 pm

DerGolgo wrote:FINALLY finished my magnetic stirrer.

Interesting, I made a lot a research to build one for the gf's jewelry workshop but couldn't decide on a motor, couldn't find any second hand parts (the price of a new powerful electric motor almost equaled the price of the tool) and I was told that if it wasn't properly balanced it would just rotate itself to destruction. I finally bought a Chinese one on alli baba and got ripped in the butt by the customs as usual when I find something cheap abroad.
Did you document the building ? I know a few people who would be interested. I suppose it works with tiny metal pins just like ours ?

Post by **DerGolgo** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 1:17 am

I did't document as such, but it's simple and there are may instructions on the internets. Lots of people are doing this.
Here's what I did:
- buy 120mm CPU fan with rpm control and Molex cable from Amazon. €10 + shipping.
- buy 12V DC power adapter with Molex connector to hook the whole thing up to the grid. Also Amazon, €15 + shipping.
- buy a frozen-food container at Woolworths for a case, € 1.99
- buy a toggle switch at the electronic components/fishing tackle/used bike store (yes, that's a real place here), €1.50. Some solder, too.
- buy some nuts and bolts and washers at the hardware store. Less than €2. I bought: Four 35mm M4 bolts, four M4 nuts, four M4 threaded caps, a bunch of washers (ended up using 20, bolts a little longer than necessary).
- rip apart an ancient 200GB Samsung harddrive for the uber-powerful magnet. But any seriously strong magnet will do, alone or in pairs. Note that not all harddisc magnets can be removed from their mounting brackets.

Step 1: Check the pin-out for the Molex connector, cut the +12V DC wire and solder the switch in there. Optional, that one.

Step 2: Prepare the casing. Drill holes in the right places for the bolts that will hold on the fan. Drill hole for toggle switch, if you use one. Cut away material so the rpm-control thingy will fit through, cut another at the edge so a cable can be put through there.

Step 3: Magnets. Stick single or pair of magnets to the hub of the fan. Do this far away from other magnetic things. That includes the nuts and bolts you laid out, all manner of screwdrivers (lest they be genuinely non-ferrous). That way, you can fiddle around to balance stuff. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. Hold the fan with attached magnets in hand and let run at low rpm. Increase rpm SLOWLY. Motor magnets in the fan's hub will hold your magnet(-s) in place to some degree. Though the glue may act as a lubricant before setting. You may try and add balancing weights. Like a little screw or piece of wire or whatnot. Don't be fooled when it sticks to the magnet like heck, being far out of center, it WILL fly off. Magnets with holes in, sorta donut shaped (they exist) are thus useful, also.
Once balanced as well as you can/want/dare, let the glue set. Make sure to use powerful super-glue or suchlike. I found that, if not mixed entirely perfectly, even two-component stuff won't necessary hold it sufficiently.
Here, this is my third iteration, I used a single harddisk magnet, and a "power strip" removable sticky thingy. Works, the glue is not so important since the centrifugal (don't go there) forces balance out with the magnet sitting in the center. Two magnets should have worked better, but I managed to try and balance it with ferrous items nearby, they flew off. Neodymium magnets will SHATTER if you look at them funny. SAFETY GLASSES!
If you use two magnets, place them with opposite poles pointing upwards. Remember, opposite magnetic poles attract, so the two sides that want to stick together should both point upwards. The magnets will still try and stick together sideways. I think I found that maximizing the distance between the centers of the magnets is helpful. Perhaps use a spacer (bit of wood or something) to keep them apart when gluing them in place.

Step 4: Washers. Put bolts through boltholes of the fan. Fix in place right there with four little nuts. Grab a straight-edge or similar item, balance on a pair of of the nuts that are diagonally opposite one another. See whether the magnet(-s) can spin freely underneath. Add washers on top of the nuts until everything spins freely. Add no more than you have to.

Step 5: Attach stuff to case. The RPM controller on mine is held in place by sophisticated adhesive (duct tape), the toggle switch has a thread and nut for that. With the four bolts held in place already, the fan can be easily fit from underneath, passing the bolts through the holes. I rested the fan on a roll of duct tape so the case could go around it (duct tape - is there anything it cannot do?). Use caps and as many washers as necessary to fix the fan in place.

Step 6: connect all the wiring together. Jam the wires around the outside of the fan, between fan and casing, to they don't get in the way. Put the top on the casing, which is now the bottom.

Step 7: have a cup of coffee and look smug at the magnetic stirrer you just built.

Usage: Hooking up to the power source should be obvious.
The taller the vessel you have for your liquid, the trickier it will be to get stuff floating at the top to mix with lower layers. Damn near impossible, actually, with a layer of propylene glycol floating on a bunch of high purity and comparatively high-viscosity vegetable glycerine.
You want to use larger fish, I found. The narrower the vessel, the smaller the fish you can use before the rpm limit themselves.
So a vessel that is wider than it is tall is definitely to be desired. Also, a flat bottom, so the magnets can get as close to each other as possible and nothing gets in the way. Found this one at the grocery store, a pair for €1.59 I believe it was. Of course, simple food-grade plastic may not be suitable for your chemical needs, but glass is always an option.
Depending on container shape and fish size, at some rpm, the fish won't be able to keep up with the magnet and just float to the side of the vessel. Then, you must reduce rpm a lot and move the vessel around so the fish can orient itself again and start following once more, and only then can you increase rpm to where you want them again. Which is always about 1 rpm below the speed at which that self-limiting action sets in. Annoying. If it wasn't so much hassle, or I used it more often, I'd add an rpm controller.

Fish can be had on Amazon or Ebay. Unfortunately, they are not as cheap as you might expect. The nice, round ones we had at uni, are priciest. I use the cheap ones now, with corners. I suspect that is where the noise comes from.

Haven't actually tried out "Tiny metal pins". Might do, at some future point.

xtian · Post by **xtian** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 6:25 am

thanks for the details. Small correction, what we needed is a magnetic metal polisher, hence the use of small pins rather than what I understand you call the fish. Here is one of my sources when I tried to give it a go: https://youtu.be/3_FpiTzVYP8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I was told that it needed a motor that would be strong enough to stir the pins, and big magnets, as the bowl has to be around 15 cm diameter, and therefor would be very difficult to balance. The jewelry teacher said it could be built with a vacuum motor, or for what I found, air co motors. I am not sure a HD fan would have enough torque. Other problem is my total inability to build anything that has to work properly. So at least if the chinese thing stop working, I'm not to blame and I'm not supposed to fix it.

12ci · Post by **12ci** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 7:54 pm

DerGolgo wrote: Did I mention these two chaps' shirts were matching, too?

latest trend in club colours, especially since Waco...

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 3:46 am

Observing a year of not putting ethanol in my tank.

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 5:18 am

Zim wrote:Observing a year of not putting ethanol in my tank.

They give ya coin for that, yeah?

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 6:13 am

No "they", so no coin. Didn't meet or take any steps... just stopped.

It wasn't intentional but the day I quit a year ago, 9/9, became 'nein, nein'.

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 6:56 am

Feel any benefits other than a little more cash in your wallet? I typically lose a lot of weight when I wagon-up.

Pattio · Post by **Pattio** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 1:15 pm

Respect.

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 1:35 pm

I lost a little weight, but not much. Replaced one habit with another, so now I'm highly caffeinated. There are less glass recyclables to deal with. I'm less of a miserable prick to my family. Reduced/eliminated snoring. And extra cash.... places like Kentucky, Napa Valley, and Scotland have taken a slight financial hit.
Among other things.

Mostly I'm no longer basing my days around when I can get drunk.

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 8:56 pm

Zim wrote:Mostly I'm no longer basing my days around when I can get drunk.

I done that.

--Jaeger

goose · Post by **goose** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:30 am

Jaeger wrote:
Zim wrote:Mostly I'm no longer basing my days around when I can get drunk.
I done that.

--Jaeger

I base my days around when, hopefully, i can get drunk, and geek baitin Jaeger, and annoying Pattio with bad geek jokes, and posting dumb ass shit like it matters right here as I avoid the face place and porn. Ok, the Faceplace . . .

Skkot · Post by **Skkot** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:46 am

I'm in downtown Frederick at my shared studio space drinking a midday beer between errands and checking out the Board.

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:26 am

I'm sitting in the infusion clinic, waiting for the pharmacist to whip up a batch of Benlysta. Very friendly staff here, after the nurse tapped a vein in the back of my hand, she brought me a sandwich, a cola, a bag of chips and a blanket. Nice folks!

SidVicious · Post by **SidVicious** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:33 pm

guitargeek wrote:I'm sitting in the infusion clinic, waiting for the pharmacist to whip up a batch of Benlysta. Very friendly staff here, after the nurse tapped a vein in the back of my hand, she brought me a sandwich, a cola, a bag of chips and a blanket. Nice folks!

pfft, lucky! next they'll be feeding your grapes and fanning you with a big leaf.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 1:21 pm

Wishing ya minimum discomfort, man!

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 2:21 pm

Doing okay so far, I'm home now, diggin' on some fried chicken and beer.

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:35 am

Just got to the office after a nearly 2-1/2 hour commute. Big accident on the freeway kept me hung up for almost an hour. So yeah, I still have a 90 minute commute which ain't no fun. Did on the Duke a few times and its a dull as dull can be, straight up the interstate the whole way. There are no fun twisty roads to liven it up a bit, though I wish I had taken the bike today so I could have ridden the breakdown lane to bypass everyone. Que sera sera.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:12 am

Waiting for the opiates to kick in.
Woke up with FUCKED UP back pain.
Tried to distract myself by voting for the pornographic-punk-rock singer for mayor (yes, he's a candidate), watching Fantomas with Louis de Funès and writing up vast tracts of nonsense about 1950s car culture (elsewhere on this board).
Have been feeling tired for over a month. Literally fell asleep at work a few times, despite having had a good night's rest and many coffee. Blamed pain-killers at first. Changed pain-killers. Didn't get better. Blamed the go-sleepy-makey-happy-pills I'd take very evening. No better. Got a script for another kind of speed from my neurologist. No longer fell asleep, but things didn't get better. All the while, my legs hurt. Compression socks helped, but not for long. Medical-grade compression socks help a little more, but not much. Joint pain, soreness. Last week, I'd get out of my chair and feel woozy like I had an beer or seven. Couldn't go to work.
Doc ran a battery of tests. My cholesterol is high, I should drink a little more. Nothing else out of textbook-normal. Three pages of lab-results. She even had me tested for iron to rule out anemia.
Just spoke to my sister on the phone, she's a pediatrician. She suggested borreliosis, aka Lyme disease. The shit you get from a tick-bite, my symptoms apparently match that. Neither my neurologist/pain therapist (he does both, and has a beard and no tie, so should be competent) nor my GP (she generally knows what she's doing, had about 30 years of practice after all) had thus far considered that. I can't blame them, I've got so much crap wrong with me ... funny thing is, though, when I saw my GP on Friday morning for the blood test results. She asked me to stay around, she has a medical student she is currently training for general practitioning. She wanted me to tell him my medical history, so he'd get an idea what docs outside the ER have to deal with, that there may be a whole lot of things one must consider to find a diagnosis ...

If it's not Lyme disease, my orthopedist will probably default to blaming the back-pain on the bolts I have in my sacrum. The location would match nicely. While I'd welcome more mobility in my pelvis (who wouldn't ...), I'm not so happy about the idea of someone taking a fucking socket-wrench to my spine.
Ah, who am I kidding. They use self-tapping screws, with a cordless-drill. Not even a torque wrench that lot, they wouldn't have a socket wrench.
Monkey wrench, no doubt. I can only hope no lineman's pliers.

Sorry for being such a downer on a Sunday. Go cheer yourself up, it's technically still riding season, so do some twisties for me.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:46 am

Regarding the punk-rock singer I mentioned earlier:
Die Kassierer are the worst punk-band in the world. No, that's not a critique, that's their tag-line. They are from around here, but their fame is nation-wide. The name translates as The Cashiers.
Their music was never particularly political, but they would run around on any lefty protest march. When a pub-owner made a deal with the city to put tables on a public square where the punks used to hang out, and then had the punks removed, the lead singer, Wolfgang Wendland aka Wölfi, organized a public protest in the public square concerned. The pub-owner was there. But the organizer of a public protest, having some responsibility to keep the peace, also has the right to have people removed from the event, just like the pub-owner had the punks removed from his tables. Wölfi publicly announced that the pub-owner was no longer welcome and should fuck off. The pub-owner laughed. The cops didn't.
I saw that, it was amusing. They were obviously entirely confused that they had to carry out the will of Wölfi and escort a local businessman out of the area.
Wölfi, it should be noted, had so many dealings with the local rozzers and one past chief of police, that chief of police got his own song. Published on an album, nationwide.

Now, Wölfi, at one point, was the candidate for chancellor (well, that's more complicated here, we don't elect chancellors directly, but the parties will still present a candidate) for the APPD, the anarchist pogo party of Germany. That was not all that serious, really. Once a party gets more than x votes, their campaign expenses are reimbursed to a certain amount per vote. Wölfi had promised to invite everyone for a beer if they got enough votes to qualify for reimbursement.
Thins is, while his candidacy for chancellor was really an act of protest/real-satire, a joke-candidacy, his candidacy for mayor is NOT.
His campaigning has been serious, as is his platform. The local newspapers even credit him that - and that he, apparently, has a chance. Not a good one, but since we elect our mayors directly (only been like that for a few years), outside candidates shuffling in when people are unhappy with the big party candidates has happened again and again. And many people here love Wölfi or despise the major parties.

I voted for the man. Election day today.
From the seven albums they have released in the band's 30 year history, I have picked some titles, to give you an impression.

Ich bin Jesus und kann alles.
I'm Jesus and can do all.

Im Jenseits gibt es kein Bier
There is no beer in the hereafter.

Morgen weide ich deinen Vater aus!
Tomorrow I disembowel your father!

Ich töte meinen Nachbarn und verprügel seine Leiche
I kill my neighbor and beat up his corpse

Außerirdischer, wo befindet sich dein After?
Extra-terrestrial, where is your rectum?

Mach die Titten frei, ich will wichsen.
Expose your tits, I want to wank.

Blumenkohl am Pillemann
Cauliflower on the pecker.

Rudelfick im Altersheim
Pack-fuck in the senior's home. (rudelfick is colloquial for gangbang)

These are just some of their more colorful titles. Some of their songs have harmless sounding titles, but I've seen drunken headbangers blush when they heard the lyrics for the first time. I'm quite sure, regardless of where you are on the political/cultural/sexual/gastronomic spectrum, Die Kassierer will have more than one song that will offend you not just superficially. But viscerally. I know a few of them offend me. I've got three or four of their albums on CD ...
This man may well soon by my mayor. Can't really do worse than those who came before.

Fingers crossed. If he gets elected and, maybe, Merkel has to come by for some reason ...

BTW: The opiates have kicked in now, my backpain is gone almost completely. But now, my neck hurts ...

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