My Desultory Blog

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!

(more…)

Category: Art, Automotive, Packard, Tools, Video | No Comments »
Tags: 1958, Art, artistic, ebay, electrical, hawk, mp4, packard, painting, relay, testing, tools, vice-grips

Posted By RichC on November 21, 2020

Check out rbwevcars.com

Category: Automotive, MGB, Video | No Comments »
Tags: automotive, electric, german, late brake show, mgb, power, restomod, youtube

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 Format

Standing 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

(more…)

Category: Advice, Computer, Photography, Photos, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: compression, epson, format, gif, heic, images, jp2, jpeg, jpeg2000, jpg, lossless, png, scanning, scans, tech friday, techfriday, tiff

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)?

Category: Misc, Nature, Photos, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: alligator, constrictor, everglades, florida, great white shark, iquanas, pythons, rattlesnake, snakes

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).

Category: Humor, Innovation, Misc | No Comments »
Tags: 2020, cheetos, christmas tree, cincinnati, coronavirus, covid19, moderna, pfizer, security, taylor, vaccine

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.

Category: Advice, Personal, Photos, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: chair, felt, glides, kitchen, slides, stool, upgrade, wood floors

Posted By RichC on November 16, 2020

This content is restricted.

Category: Music | No Comments »
Tags: a1a, escapism, hurricane, jimmy buffett, live, mp3, Music, music monday, musicmonday, parrotheads, tropical storm, weather

Posted By RichC on November 15, 2020

On one of my sailing groups, a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 user complained that the speed controller pedal was hard to regulate. I’ve found that to be true as well. Another person made the comment that they used a piece of flexible tubing/hose that gives the pedal a little more tactile feel … so I tried it. Nothing to write about as the problem has more to do with the starting of the motor under sewing machine load than the pedal … at least that’s my opinion.

Since I had the sewing machine out and was  tinkering with this hack last weekend, I decided to use a piece of cheap leftover tarp (used when I covered hatch openings) and made a cover for my new DeWalt Planer. It works better than drop cloth or packing blanket I’ve been using.

(more…)

Category: Hobby, How-To, Ideas, Personal, Photos, Sailing, Tidbits, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: control, cover, dewalt, hacks, hatch, holder, lsz-1, pedal, planer, sailing, sailrite, sewing machine, speed, tinkering, ultrafeed

Posted By RichC on November 14, 2020

This content is restricted.

Category: Apple, Archive, Computer, Personal, Photos, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, apple, babysitting, big sur, ellerie, event, family, granddaughters, mac, macintosh, mp4, perrysburg, video

Posted By RichC on November 13, 2020

Recently I have been having problems with the Magic Mouse on my aging Apple iMac. The Bluetooth mouse once steadily held it’s connection until the AA batteries were getting weaker. I’ve cleaned the contacts with electrical cleaner and a Scotch-Brite pad but continue to have issue. A quick check on the Internet indicated that I’m not alone.

So it is time to try a new “wedge” approach to tightening up the distance and wiggle room of the battery in the mouse. See Lifewire tip:

Fix First-Generation Magic Mouse Bluetooth Disconnects

There can be several reasons for a Magic Mouse to drop the Bluetooth connection, but the most common reason is a loose battery terminal contact inside the Magic Mouse.

Lifewire / Tim Liedtke

The Magic Mouse’s battery compartment has what appears to be a weak design for the battery contacts. It’s possible for a small jolt, such as lifting the mouse to reposition it, to momentarily cause a disconnect between the battery and battery terminal in the Magic Mouse, thus breaking the electrical connection. No power means no Bluetooth connectivity.

The disconnect may be the result of a weak spring in the contacts or a poor contact design. Either way, this low-tech fix can help:

1. Turn off the mouse, push down the battery cover tab and pull the cover off the mouse. Remove the batteries from the Magic Mouse.

2. Cut two small pieces of aluminum foil about a half-inch square in size.

3. Wrap one aluminum square around the negative terminal (the flat end) of each battery.

4. Reinsert the batteries into the Magic Mouse and replace the cover.

The extra thickness of the aluminum foil produces additional force wedged between the battery and the contact. This makes the battery less likely to be jarred away from the contact when you move the Magic Mouse around.

This may be enough to fix most Bluetooth disconnect problems, but if your Magic Mouse still experiences an occasional disconnect, there’s one more modification you can try.

1. Turn off the Magic Mouse and remove the battery cover.

2. Cut a piece of paper into a rectangle about 1 inch by 1.5 inches.

3. Place the paper on top of the batteries, roughly centered. Tuck any excess paper around the edge of the batteries.

4. Replace the Magic Mouse battery cover.

The extra paper acts as a wedge between the batteries and the battery cover to help hold the batteries in place.

Category: Advice, Apple, Computer, Technology, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: batteries, battery, bluetooth, Computer, lifewire, magic mouse, mouse, tech friday, techfriday, tip