Category: SitRep

We’ve finally got snow, here.
Something like 8 inches dropped last night, and now I’ve got to go shovel it off the driveway. Before I do, I thought I’d bust one of these posts out, just to bring things up-to-date. Things I’m working on:
+ Repairing a Konica C35 Automatic camera (who’s light meter isn’t currently working)
+ Installing replacement tweeters in a pair of 1972 KLH Model 30 speakers
+ Installing some custom shelving in my new dining room (this includes painting the hardware, building the shelves, and finishing all the materials)
+ Looking for entryway seating/storage
+ Keeping the newsletter running (just put out #46 this morning)
+ Designing a administrative pouch/portfolio for my EDC needs
+ Getting back to taking pictures more often again
+ Getting back to shooting video more often again
+ I’m also (for the first time in a long time) looking at doing another degree- it’s not like I’ve got lots of time or anything, but it’s something that’s been nagging at me for a bit now, and it might be time to at least entertain the idea of scratching the itch.

There’s a bunch of other back-burner stuff going on, but most of that is longer-term and in the planning stages anyway, so we’ll leave that for now.

SitRep

• The new headquarters is up and running (thankfully), though I suspect there will continue to be work to do on it pretty much indefinitely- that being the nature of houses, after all. Regardless, we’ve reached functional status.
• My studio space is nearly fully functional as well- the audio gear isn’t set up at all (and there’s a fair bit of storage that needs to be sorted), but I can stand here and type this without any problems.
• It’s a new year, and while I’m not going to rant about “resolutions” or whatever, it’s as good a time as any to reorient yourself to your goals- take a step back and decide what you really want to accomplish in the short, medium, and long terms. Writing it down helps, as it seems to make it more real (and, thus, something work paying attention to).
• Given the sheer volume of work I need to get done at the day job, I’ve been brushing up on the GTD flowcharts- if you’re not familiar, GTD is “Getting Things Done,” and it’s a method of managing time and workflow.
• I’ve been using an iPhone and iPad as primary computing devices for a little while- my “main” computer is quite old, and it’s been pressed into service as a server, so it’s not really a day-to-day option anymore. My phone continues to be very, very good- though I find myself using one of the iPads we have around from time to time when I simply need more screen space to work with. I’m typing this on a full-sized iPad with a bluetooth keyboard via Poster.
• To that end, I’ve been looking to supplement the performance of my server situation by picking up another machine to handle that- though, I’m not entirely sure if that would be an older Mac Mini (which, it seems, hold their value to an alarming degree…), or a NAS-based solution… My first choice in NAS is Synology, but those won’t (nicely) run the software I need. So.
• I’ve been getting more and more interested in implementing the IoT in this new house. That’s the “Internet of Things,” and that usually means adding internet interfaces to… things. Thermostats. Smoke detectors. Locks. Garage Doors. Some of that stuff is commercially available already; more is no doubt coming. That said, there are a couple of problems:
1. Security- sometimes, you find out that the internet-enabled tea kettle has massive security holes in it’s interface. So that’s not great.
2. Privacy- I’m not thrilled by the idea of paying for a service for, say, my IP camera by allowing my data to be used from them. That’s a bit too much for me.
3. Boring. It’s not much fun to just plug things in.
4. I’m… particular about the stuff I use. I have criteria I develop, and those (for whatever reason) are often not the same as the market develops.
So, to that end, I’ve been exploring the Adafruit offerings more, with the hopes that I might be able to build and code the tools I need. The offerings have only become more inexpensive and easier to work with, and my interest has been growing. I’ve picked up a Raspberry Pi Zero already (and if you haven’t, you might consider it…), a Supermechanical Twine (that, right now, mostly is used to remotely monitor the internal temperature of my house), and I’ve a CHIP on the way (in March, I think). The Raspberry Pi will get pressed into service in the garage, I think, and I’m sure more of that sort of stuff will make it into my house.
• I’m going to try to get back to my newsletter too- I’ve had no time to think about education in any meaningful way, and I’ve had no time to mine my sources to find the tidbits I like to send out to people- and, as I’ve said before, I’d rather send nothing than a half-assed product. Regardless, it will come back.

Ah, yes. Here we are, again.

I’ve made the move to the new headquarters- it’s still chaos, with boxes and stuff strewn all about, but there’s progress being made. Nearly all the stuff has made it’s way here, and the stuff that hasn’t is scheduled to come soon, so that’s good (insofar as it means I’ll have all the pieces to this particular puzzle- even if the puzzle isn’t finished, so to speak).

I’m behind on the newsletter. There’s just not much time right now to dig through the web to find the nuggets that are worth sharing. Indeed, I’d rather send nothing than send a lame/half-assed edition. These should be back soon.

The (new) house presents a number of projects/problems to solve:

• I’ve cut the cord on our cable subscriptions- we have high speed internet only. That means I’ve had to do some work to build a system that will allow us to continue to enjoy watching tv with as little trouble as possible. Right now, I’m running a Plex server (which, if you’re unfamiliar with, is totally awesome). That server holds our movies and archived tv shows, and makes them available to any of our devices, regardless of their physical location. So that’s good. I’ve also installed a plugin that allows for watching live tv via the same interface- it uses a ip-enabled set of digital tv tuners. There’s some software in the works to allow that to function as a DVR for network television- so that will solve the time-shift problem, and I’ve begun exploring running Rasplex on some Raspberry Pi Zero’s to turn some old monitors into smart tv’s. That’s a neat prospect, especially given a Pi Zero costs $5. The control of that device is the current sticking point- I’m unwilling to have a keyboard/mouse connected. It needs to be something much more remote-like. Still $5!
• The internal house network also has taken some work- the house, despite only being a couple of years old, wasn’t wired for data. At all. Sure, they ran hard phone lines and coax all over the place, but no data. The phones lines were even run in old-school four conductor wire- not eight (which is what data needs, really). Stupid. And I loath the prospect of snaking wires, so I’ve picked up a powerline data system- I’m wary, but the reviews are good, and if it works, it solves my problem without me cutting into walls.
• The house has a number of heating and cooling zones- but it has the oldest kind of thermostats, ever. Remember those round ones that you turn the ring on? Yeah. Those. Totally unacceptable. So I’m looking at moving to smart thermostats (Nest 3.0’s, if you want to be specific about it…) but they’re $250 each, and that’s a pile of loot all together. So I’ll likely do one on the first floor (where we spend a lot of time), and then expand over time as well. I’ve got a Nest Protect around here somewhere too- I should get that installed.
• Storage in the garage is a horror show. It’s a two car garage, but there’s a ton of my junk in it- and combined with the rider mower we now have, there’s no room for my car. So: much shelving- and it can’t rest on the floor. So wall mounted or ceiling hung- those are my choices. And bike winches. Lots of bike winches.

That’s house stuff. Other projects include:

• Finishing a tiny backpack for a 2 year old
• Building a new studio space
• Video essay progress
• Rooftop fly rod transport
• Further car modifications (re: aux lighting)
• Custom rubber stamp procurement
• Physical archive project (this will expand over time, but I’ve already created and had made a full archive of all my tweets between 08/18/2012 and 12/09/2015. I’ll need to figure out a way to go back further than that, and this should also expand to video and photos, too).
• My new computer rig- this is a post-christmas project. Looking like a 27″ Retina iMac of some sort- with lots of storage and whatnot.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s it for now.

Here’s what I’m up to:

• Newsletter #40 goes out this morning. Just a few more and it’ll have been a full year of these. Still not sure why I do it.
• Getting all the ducks in a row for closing day on the existing house/new house. Renting trucks, getting documents in order, buying cardboard boxes, etc etc etc.
• Experimental Education video project is ready for the next round of revision. That will (likely) be the last beta before I give it a try in a live setting. After that, I’ll be able to write about this with more details.
• Car has been (mostly) converted to winter mode. Still waiting on a couple of parts. Suspension is fixed, winter wheels/tires are on. Needs new wipers and the windshield prepped.
• New phone came. iPhone 6s Plus in grey 64gb. Very like. Currently wrapped in a Magpul field case (grey).
• I’ve been researching mini metal lathes. That (usually) means a 7″ swing and a bed between 10-16″. It’s a daunting amount of research, but I’ve got some time before this is a real thing.
• Starting to spec out a new computer for the new house. Looks like an iMac (27?), with a USB3 hard drive array and some other bits and baubles. I’m still working on if I’ll do a second monitor (right away? wait?), and what sort of stands/arms that will require. I’ll likely also use it as a place to consolidate my audio gear, so I’m imagining all that patched in too.

I’m trying to get back to posting here a bit more often. But, you should know: most of my writing about education stuff is happening over at my newsletter. You should sign up for that (if you haven’t already).

Anyway. What have I been up to?

• Selling a house. This is not a fun thing to do
• Buying a house. Also: not a fun thing. Especially under a time constraint
• Tracking my diet via my Hobonichi Techno
• Beginning a search for a new winter hat
  • Merino wool (or, alternatively, cashmere…)
  • Minimal labels/branding
  • Long enough to roll the edge
• Packing packing packing
• Designing a new computer work station (for said new house)
  • Currently, that’s looking like a quad-monitor setup with more than one computer running them. I’ve got a kickstarter Chip heading my way soon, so that might run one, and the main computer will be running at least two others… still some work to do here. Also, need figure out the storage solution for this whole rig. My data right now is spread across a pile of hard drives, and I need to consolidate.
• Trying to source an acceptable duck-cloth vest for the cooler weather we’re having. There are a number that would be acceptable, but most of them have price tags I just can’t quite stomach. So I’ll keep looking (and eventually probably just try to make one myself).
• Lusting over the new Glowforge laser cutter/engraver. It’s a totally reasonable price ($2k), though that’s more than I’d like to spend at this moment (see above: buying house). And the software is the real gem there, too. SUPER EASY. Any k-12 Makerspaces that aren’t buying one of these are missing out. Couple this with a decent 3d printer and there isn’t much you can’t make…
• I’ve planned out a roof-top solution for carrying a selection of fishing rods. I won’t source the parts until after the move to the new house, but I think it’ll be worth posting about.
• I’ve got a couple of days until I can order my new cell phone. I won’t post specs here (because I’m still not entirely sure which options I’ll go with), but I’m looking forward to it.
• I’ve been running Ghosterly on my computers for the last couple of weeks, and I really like it. Sure, it breaks some things- but it lets my old, old computer I’m using surf significantly faster when it’s not loading endless junk. I’m also using Peace on my iPhone (pulled from the app store- natch!) and I can’t tell you how much better it is browsing on my phone with that. I totally understand why Marco pulled the app- the ethics of add blocking are… murky. But still. I understand that people derive earnings from ads- but when those ads degrade the experience as much as they have? Yeah. Time for something to change.
• Also: as a result of running Ghosterly, I noticed that my site had more trackers/pings/widgets on it than I either realized or found acceptable. I’ve removed a bunch of those, and I apologize in the meantime. That said, I think there were 4 running- last time I went to a major site (cnn = 16, buzzfeed = 13, people = 19) I found the numbers egregious. So I don’t feel too bad about 4.

Ah, so. Fall.

Except it’s still pushing 90 here. I’m not happy about this, mind you. Regardless, things I’m up to:

• Have packed much of my house into cardboard boxes. Reasons for this should be obvious. I’ve also finished a shocking number of minor house projects that had previously been further down the priority list.
• Most of my making projects have been put on hold re:packing project.
• I’m currently logging my food intake in an attempt to lose some weight. My Hobonichi Techno is the device of choice here (and I’ve ordered my 2016 copy already. Have you?) Intake is tabulated vs. my (estimated) Resting Metabolic Rate (plus any directed exercise calories I burn). I keep a running deficit tally. 25,353.
• Ugh. I backed another Kickstarter project: They’re re-publishing the 1970 NASA style guide. It’s epic, and I’ve always wanted one. So.
• I’m wearing a Seiko SNZF15K1 now and it’s mostly replaced my Croton 1878 (on a silicone deployment band) for reasons of durability. Also: good looking. Pepsi.

Upcoming?

New/more video work. New/more bag constructions (I need to finish an in-progress build, and I need/want a welded tarp gear bag). Develop an unknown number of rolls of 35mm film. New home computer. New house.

Busy busy busy.

I’ve got a bunch of irons in the fire, so here’s the breakdown:

• I’ve got this site (finally!) looking (and more importantly, behaving) like I’d like. So that’s good. The URL works properly, and the posts look like I’d like. Weird settings were weird, and the previous theme was doing all sorts of stuff that was eating bandwidth and whatnot. Better.
• My newsletter is thundering along. I got a shoutout from Roman Mars on it, and that brought a minor spike in readership. Thanks, Roman! Anyway- it’s been going for more than 6 months. If you’re not signed up, you should fix that here. I think it’s pretty great.
• Working on some cool stuff at work that I might (maybe!) be able to share here. Video is a part of that.
• I’ve been building stuff again- sometimes I forget to, and it’s one of the things that keeps me happy. It’s a bit like being outside: I don’t really ever think about it, but when I haven’t done it for a bit I get grumpy. I made some shoes (#timsnottoms) for my eldest kid, and I’m in the midst of making some for the middle kid. I also, in the middle of that, made myself a backpack. More on that below. I also finally finished refinishing a fiberglass shell armchair I’ve had for a while. I’ve been refinishing some vintage rangefinder cameras, too. More on those soon. If you want to see what I’m working on more often than my once-in-a-blue-moon posts here, follow me on instagram.
• The backpack. I’m picky when it comes to bags- they need to do what I want, as I want, and they need to not fail. And they need to do only what I want- I hate the addition of features I don’t need. I hate extra. I’d made a shoulder bag for daily carry that also let me keep a camera with me, and that was great- but it was a little too small for days when I needed a jacket or second shirt or whatever- and when it was loaded, it could get a little rough on my shoulder. So- backpack. I’ve liked the work that GoRuck has done, and I’ve found Bo Gear to be building some good gear too- but GoRuck had more “stuff” than I needed (never mind the justifiably high cost), and Bo Gear was in Australia and similarly offered somewhat more “stuff” than I wanted. A simple solution: I built mine out of cotton duck cloth (10oz) instead of 1000d Codura because I want mine to wear in over time (and for some weight savings). No waist strap, no sternum strap. No padding on the shoulder straps either. No external pockets. No compression straps. Padded back, padded internal laptop/hydration bladder pocket. Two notebook pockets, two pen pockets. Three rows of PALS, one band of 2″ Velcro (loops). That’s it. I even got rid of the storm flap over the zipper and used a waterproof (resistant) zipper instead (a #8, if you must know). It’s about 10″ wide, 17.5″ tall, and 4.5″ deep. It’s exactly what I need, with none of the complications or features I don’t need. And it’s awesome. I just started a second, miniaturized version for my 2 year old son. It’s going to be sweet. And tiny.
• I’m on Beme, but I’m not sure for how much longer. It’s neat, but it feels really hard for me to connect there. We’ll see if I keep it.

And so it goes.

It’s been a minute, so let’s get back to this:

• Posts here have slowed because I’m putting much of my education-centered thinking into my newsletter. What?! You haven’t signed up yet? You best fix that here.
• My shoe resole project went well- they’re back in heavy rotation and seem to be holding up well. In fact, embolden by this success, I went ahead and made some shoes for my eldest daughter from scratch. Those, too, have gone well. They’re roughly modeled after Tom’s shoes, so my daughter (and wife) call them her Tim’s. Cute.
• Tons of work around the house done. Doors and windows, plumbing, deck, etc etc.
• Refinishing a fiberglass shell chair. This has been going on f o r e v e r. I originally scored the chair on the side of the road with some nasty upholstery, but I stripped that off and cleaned it up- and it looked great. Then it broke (or, more accurately, the base came off the shell), and I took that as an opportunity to sand and refinish the whole shell, repaint the base, and generally improve the thing. Anyway, the base is painted and the shell is sanded and they’re back together (side note: steel reinforced epoxy is even more of a pain to work with than regular epoxy).  Now all that’s left is to seal the shell and she’s good to go.
• I’ve grown dissatisfied with my backpacks. Most of them are larger (both because I’m tall, but also because I’ve needed to carry a lot in the past). Anyway, I’m in “need” of a smaller backpack. I built out a shoulder day bag for myself a while ago- it’s great and is holding up pretty well, but it’s just a tiny bit too small for days when I’ve more-than-average to haul. I’m not overly fond of the commercial options I’ve found, so… it’s build my own time. Much of the design is done, and it’s time to start sourcing fabric and hardware. And we’ll see if my sewing machine can keep up…
• I’m on the latest & greatest social media too- Beme (pronounced “Beam”) which has come out of the brain of Casey Neistat. My username there is “nothingfuture” and you can feel free to add me. What is it? Ah. Um… ok. It’s like snapchat, in that you share video (and video only). But: there’s no preview of the video, all clips are 4 seconds long, there’s no edit, and there’s no likes. You can send reactions to videos as you watch them, and you get to watch any Beme once and it’s gone- including your own, strangely. It’s neat, though I’m not sure what sort of legs it will have.

It’s the busiest time of the year for me in my day job, but despite this (or maybe because of it) I’m deep into a few projects here and headquarters.

• I’m midpoint on resoling some shoes- I’ve removed the old soles and am nearly done prepping the welt. I’ve source a new sole, and all I need to do is track down some of the right adhesive, glue things up, and trim everything flush. It’s been an adventure thus far- and I’ve only bled once. So far.
• Our house has several project that need attention- and they’re all starting this week. Busy busy busy. But exciting.
• I’ve swapped the layout of the site here- finally. I’m not 100% on it yet- there are some changes still to make and some detail work to do, but it’s at least up and running.
• Analog film for photography is still a thing- and something I enjoy a lot these days. Digital is great- don’t get me wrong- but having to think about each and every shot is a totally different mindset. I’ll go out and only shoot a frame or three in an hour, whereas with a DSLR I’ll shoot 40-100 frames in that time. Either way, I think it’s good for my brain to have to take a trip into that creative space during each day. I think it helps me in the other areas of my life, too.
• I backed another Kickstarter. I know, I know. I couldn’t help it, though. It’s CHIP, and it’a s tiny computer. A bit like a Raspberry Pi, but it’s $7. Actually, I’m in for one with a VGA breakout board, so mine was a bit more, but still. It runs Linux, and comes pre-loaded with a full suite of apps. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll use it for, but the idea of being able to use it to run a monitor with a live feed of something is very, very appealing.
• I’m trying to get back to making videos again. It’s hard, with all the other stuff I’ve got going at the same time, but just like the photography is good for me, making videos is a great blend of creativity and attention-to-detail in execution. As you know if you subscribe to my newsletter (and you do, right? RIGHT? Upper right corner of this page, if you haven’t…) I’m a fan of Casey Neistat. He’s been on a roll lately- making a vlog video every single day (he’s up to #52 as of this post). It’ been inspiring to watch, because I know he’s at least a busy as I am. I put a very short (and questionable-quality) video up a bit ago, and while I’m not in love with it’s production value, it’s the sort of thing I’d like to keep doing. It’s a story- a short, tiny, little story. But a story. And telling stories is what a lot of what I do boils down to, so practice at it is good.
• And my newsletter. I’ve been doing it now, once a week, for 16 weeks. That’s essentially four months, and I’ve watched the subscriber count rise that entire time. It might be (and this pains me to say) my most successful educational project. It doesn’t take a ton of my time, but it’s work- and it’s nice to see it paying (not literally, of course. I’ve not monetized it) off.

 

Some things I’ve been making progress on:

• v1 of the EDC bag project is done (into sketching for v2)
• nothingfuture-logo “monster” stickers v1 arrived!
• v2 of the NF camera straps are in testing
• new nothingfuture website well in progress
• Got my Luxi lightmeter in (from Kickstarter)
• I’ve been having great luck with BulletJournaling- two months in now
• Slowly learning color correction in Resolve
• Evaluating my current workflow (re: still photos)