Ellerie’s Christmas project and decorating before Thanksgiving
Posted By RichC on November 25, 2020
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Remembering a couple 1970s TV shows and commercials
Posted By RichC on November 24, 2020
A car enthusiast’s off-topic “Today’s Useless Tweet” got me thinking about old television shows that I enjoyed while growing up. I’m sure almost everyone my age flirts with nostalgia and can go on indefinitely with memories of their youth?
His Banacek share (good show) and the George Peppard memory, which for me will always be the A-Team and his character Col. John “Hannibal” Smith’s line, “I love it when a plan comes together”, had me remembering a few other shows. One that came to mind was a favorite WWII Navy aviation-based show: Baa Baa Black Sheep. I need to see if that is streaming somewhere?
John Rowe also mentioned that he was streaming the old show on IMDB TV and that it has commercials and saying… “but for some reason they don’t bother me.” My thought was, it would be nice if they were “old commercials” since it would be interesting to remember them. His reply back was, “as long as they are car commercials”. HA … for sure … definely better than marketing cigarettes!
As the holidays approach, mini-dictators flex their power
Posted By RichC on November 23, 2020
One of the more disturbing trends during the COVID19COVID19 pandemic has been the infringement on personal liberty by politicians in the country.Thankfully we are closing in on a vaccine, but the heavy-handed restrictions that may have been tolerated during the initial outbreak, aren’t being received well by those who are trying to keep food on the table and businesses alive. 
The hypocrisy is likely the most offensive. From governors who dine with a loud dinner party … indoors without masks ... while telling the little people not to go out to eat, to legislators wanting a nation face mask order by the federal government while walking through an airport without one … or the House of Representative’s speaker getting her hair done despite orders to keep salons closed. It is challenging enough for Americans voluntarily to “do the right thing,” but perhaps the most frightening is to have governors like Oregon’s Kate Brown trying to prevent families from getting together for Thanksgiving. Instead of recommending smaller celebrations or even pointing out how to keep people safe … she instead goes beyond her authority and plans to enforce her orders … even to the point of “neighbors reporting neighbors” (jump to 2:45 for comment below). It is frightening when this happens in America.
Ideas: medal holding chop saw fence and tapering rod stock
Posted By RichC on November 22, 2020
Just adding a couple of idea photos for a future metalworking project, or adaptable to woodworking as well.
First, clamp a couple of scrap pieces of wood in a metal cutting chopsaw or miter saw to cut small sizes and keep in place (might rig something on my handheld bandsaw for better control and thinner kerfs). What is missing in the photo are blocks in front to hold the stock against the fence (a better addition might be a U-box).
Also, I liked the use of the belt sander AND ‘chucked’ solid rod stock spinning at the same time to taper a point on this copper rod hold-down component. (House of Chop was welding up a “third-hand” tool. I really also liked his air compressor and moisture control manifold system).
Creatively painting tools and testing a new relay for the Packard
Posted By RichC on November 21, 2020
Personally I don’t want my tools looking like this, but I do admire the effort and creative talent it takes to do this. It does remind me of my grandfather who always painted the handles of his tools bright red .. I still have a couple of them.
Also the new relay arrived for the Packard Hawk and so instead of starting the project this past weekend) … I decided to just check to see if the relay was working correctly. All good!
Tech Friday: Scanning options – jpg, jpeg, jp2, gif, png, heic, tiff
Posted By RichC on November 20, 2020
It has been a while since I’ve compared scanning format and compression option when it comes to down and dirty document scanning. 
For the most part I either scan straight to PDF and live with the document (or shrink it, but that’s another post) … or go straight to the old fashion universal jpeg or jpg (used for the same). Of course the scanner setting have a lot to do with it, but for this test I’m leaving my Epson WF M1560 set exactly how I’ve been using it for a long time now.
The reason the question came up was due to the JPEG 2000 format which offers much better compression (see below). So first the comparison of a scanned receipt at 150 dpi with slight watermarking and the exact sizes of the final scan for each format (that is all that was changed .. the format).
Click for Larger
To my eyes at this lower quality quick scan, there is no different is document quality. I’m not sure I’ll change my ways, but I’ll likely continue to use the .PNG for screenshots, the .GIF for animated and where transparency is needed and either my original JPG or possibly JP2 (jpeg 2000) going forward.
Part 1.
JPG vs. JPEG a. What are JPG and JPEG FormatStanding for Joint Photographic Experts Group, JPEG is a raster image file format that uses lossy compression (in the ratio of 10:1 to 20:1) and is used by the digital cameras and other devices. The format is majorly used for storing as well as transmitting images over the net.
Talking about JPG format it is same as JPEG and both the formats can be considered as interchangeable. The major difference in both the formats lies in the number of characters used in their extension. JPEG uses .jpeg (4 characters) as an extension while .jpg uses 3 characters. The original .jpeg extension was cut short to .jpg as the earlier Windows versions (MS-DOS and FAT-16 file systems) supported only a three letter extension for the file.
The limitation for the number of characters in the extension was restricted only to Windows and DOS users while UNIX and the Mac users continued using the .jpeg extension. However, the new versions of the Windows support more characters in their extension but the majority of the people have been used to using the JPG file.
So in nutshell, there is no difference between JPG and JPEG image format. JPG is the outcome of the Windows and DOS limitation, and now is one of the most commonly used formats.
Part 2.
JPEG 2000 Knowledge
Tropical storms and encroachment brings out Florida wildlife
Posted By RichC on November 19, 2020
If the active record-breaking hurricane season wasn’t enough to have you questioning the idea of moving to Florida, how about a 2000 pound great white shark off Miami, alligators that are straight out of the Jurassic Period on a Naples, FL 
golf course or constrictor snakes slithering out of the Everglades large enough to compete with these alligators?
If those are too far-fetched to concern you, then for good measure, check out this well-fed “poisonous” diamondback rattlesnake leisurely crossing the road on the west coast of Florida (they make our friendly Delray Beach iguanas and water snakes look like innocuous neighbors)?
A "cheesy" security measure and Christmas 2020 in Cincinnati
Posted By RichC on November 18, 2020
Every once in awhile, an interesting and creative, but questionable, idea crossing my eyeballs. Here’s a pretty good one when it comes to the age-old tape,
thread or strand of hair method of securing a door (below). Obviously the broken, and likely telltale orange Cheetos powder, would be a sure sign of an unauthorized entry.
Talking about “something crossing my eyeballs,” my son Taylor forwarded me this Cincinnati Christmas tree as we begin to close out 2020. I suspect most will agree, 2021 and a Coronavirus vaccine, won’t be here fast enough (The good news is that both Pfizer and Moderna are close to FDA emergency authorization).
Kitchen stool screw-on felt slides – a must have and long overdue
Posted By RichC on November 17, 2020
This should have been one of the first things I did when assembling our six metal stools back when we remodeled our kitchen in 2017. I bought slides for the condo stools after remodeling since there were only two and on tile, but cheaped out with stick felts at home. They were never worth the effort.
So, with a rebate check from Bausch and Lomb, I decided now was the time to buy the 1/4” screw-on types was now.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.