Scurvy Jake's Pirate Blog

A Quick Update

Scurvy Jake — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:50:23 +0000

Okay, let's see. Build a squirt gun from a sprinkler valve, PVC, and a couple of 9v batteries. That was fun.

I started learning the Dvorak layout. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I'm using Master Key and am very happy with it. If you need a typing tutor program, check it out. It runs on Windows or on a Mac.

My liver is fine. Probably because I'm a teetotaler.

I'm working on deploying a Cisco 881W wireless router at home to test some VPN and routing ideas from work. When it's up, I'll have the biggest wireless router on the block, and the ability to launch multiple SSIDs and name them things like MakeTheBarkingStop and ShutYourStupidDogsUp. No reason, really.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-29

Scurvy Jake — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Good old Conan. You can always rely on him to slay the monster and finish his drink. http://amzn.com/k/38UVNUJS9YQGW #Kindle #
My evil plan is coming to fruition like a fine, aged cheddar. Lured @TillamookCheese to town so I can take all their cheese for myself! #
Wait a minute: Ace of Base has a Greatest Hits album? Did they even HAVE enough hits to make an album?? #
Cashing in on the Tillamook cheese loaf love tour! http://yfrog.com/0rd4nuj #
My wife just informed me her friends want me to put on a bread baking class... #
My wife at the @TillamookCheese van yesterday: http://yfrog.com/n8gsqrj #
Must get to configuring this Cisco 881W router... #
Hello, cheese grater. Goodbye, knuckle. #
Sharpened a chisel and my bookbinding plough blade. Both can shave hair now. Shaving=sharp. #
The video from that RT I just sent out is completely crazy. You should watch it. #
Mine. Not yours. Not even Lorien's. MINE. Tillamook 3 year extra sharp white cheddar. http://yfrog.com/ndfnabj #
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for a Saturday. #
Heaven help me, new more complicated ideas for the new bathroom are in the brain... #
Wow the house got down to 64 this morning after leaving the windows open most of the night. I'm finally...comfortable. #

Happy 7th

Scurvy Jake — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:13:26 +0000

I blew past my 7th blogiversary last Thursday. No celebratory post, no nothing. Seven years of blogging. So little to say, so few to listen…

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-22

Scurvy Jake — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:03:00 +0000

iPhone is still cripplingly slow. Seriously, it takes 30 seconds to open the text message app when I get a message in. And then it crashes. #
New blog post: If I Owned a Gas Station http://bit.ly/b7cIth #
Dear Dell: I'd have preordered a Dell Streak if it had an up-to-date OS. Releasing with 1.6 was not cool. #
Never much cared for KISS, but I would probably buy tickets to Mini-KISS. #midgetsInMakeupFTW #
FYI @thecapnslappy will be at the Portland Pirate Festival. A chance to rub shoulder-parrots with pirate royalty... #
Hey Mr. Jerkypants that parked his truck boat and trailer in the employee lot: nice job getting out. I parked near you on purpose. Jerk. #
It's about time someone's done something about this: RE: @w3c Contacts API Draft Published http://ow.ly/18C0NF #
Force to pay a "standard price" for medical supplies that are half the price on the Internet-this is why our insurance system is doomed #
Preliminary design for "Vera," a portable battery-powered water cannon http://yfrog.com/9fz0dxj #
Just bought some Cisco equipment from Dell. They undercut the best price I found on the Internet! #
STOP! Solder time! Nananananaa! #
I'm pretty sure I just killed my wife's hair dryer. I plugged it in and it made an awful noise and terrible smell. Where can I hide it? #
Self destruct mode activated: http://yfrog.com/n4b5hjxj #
Here's a sneak peek of Vera http://yfrog.com/jp2remkj #
Today's @WootShirt is awesome: http://shirt.woot.com/ #
Vera's working great with an 18v DC power supply. Now I just need a bigger battery storage compartment. #
Didn't sleep well last night. Reconsidering plans to use tools that are capable of removing fingers today. #
Making an irrigation system for plants on our deck. #

I Call Her “Vera”

Scurvy Jake — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:24:54 +0000

A few weeks ago I had some work done on my plumbing. I ended up with an extra hot water expansion tank, a 2.2 gallon tank with a hose connection on one side and a valve like a tire's valve stem has on the other.

Of course, as soon as I saw it I thought SQUIRT GUN and started stewing over some ideas of how to implement it. In the end, I decided to use a sprinkler valve with a momentary switch connected to it, and a handful of PVC pipes, adapters, and couplers. Home sprinkler valves run on 24v AC power, but I found that for whatever reason a 9v DC battery seems to trigger it just fine. I have yet to do a full pressure test though.

I'll write up more of this later, after my final tests. I've already got some ideas for Vera Mark II (a switch to use a 555 timer generating a square wave with a rheostat or potentiometer as a frequency modulator—think variable machine gun pulses—and a power LED.

If I dress her up she'll get taken out somewhere nice…

Addendum One: The 9v power wasn't enough to trigger the solenoid when it was under pressure. I thought this might happen. Working on a higher power source to see how it goes.

Addendum Two: Switching to a 12v or 18v supply works just fine. Two 9v batteries in series is more compact than 8 AA batteries in a holder.

If I Owned a Gas Station

Scurvy Jake — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:05:07 +0000

I would put short hoses at the pumps to punish the people that pull up on the wrong side just to get a quicker spot.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-15

Scurvy Jake — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:03:00 +0000

Ah gout, why must you visit me so? #
Typical Monday morning virus hunt. #
Purchased early tickets for the @RiffTrax live show on 8/19. It's going to be a bacony-double-rainbow show! #
Virus hunt was a red herring. The problem was Symantec Antivirus... #
Had to take the iMac in to Spokane for repair. Nice guys there, though. ETA Friday. #
Disappointed in the Internet. Whiteboard Jenny was a hoax #
Found an old lying press online for $75. Best price I've seen, and only $13 to ship. #
Haha. @axecop's latest "ask axecop" mixed up then/than. #ShamelessGrammarNazi #
iMac has bad RAM. After 8 months. At least it's still under warranty. It will return to the office tomorrow. #
More barbarian prose from Conan/Robert E. Howard... http://amzn.com/k/36P4J1R8SMFBW #Kindle #
Need to change a blade on a Ryobi BT3000 table saw. Thank goodness for the Internet... #
Blade change went well. It's amazing how much better the right blade cuts. Plywood ripped, bench seat all laid out. #
Shower bench seat is all cut and ready to nail together. It will look nice once its tiled. Think I'll frame the linen closet on the same day #
Going to a late movie with my wife (Salt) #
Free small drink upgraded. Pretzel for Lorien, Twizzlers for me. Movie in 35 minutes. #

Robert Howard’s Conan

Scurvy Jake — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:59:31 +0000

This short passage from Robert E. Howard's The Jewels of Gwahlur (one of his Conan short stories) continues to crack me up:

And, oh, by the way, they took off Zargheba's head and hung it up in a thicket." She shivered, yet at the same time breathed a sigh of relief. "He'll never whip me again." "Not this side of Hell," agreed Conan.

I love how Conan oh-so-nonchalantly implies the girl is going to hell. And that she will be whipped by him again.

L(a)ying Press

Scurvy Jake — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:04:50 +0000

I ordered an old lying press today. Depending on where you search, it's also called a laying press. It looks like this. The bit on top is a plough, the last piece of my bindery puzzle. I'm tempted to just buy a few more tools so I can make my own press and plough. I got a good deal, and having one will make it easier to reproduce if I decide to start making them in the future. There aren't a lot of places to buy them…

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08

Scurvy Jake — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:03:00 +0000

The Jelly Bean gnomes left me an offering on my desk. #
RT @FakeAPStylebook there/their/they're - What, seriously? This confuses you? #
Waiting for the refrigerator repair guy to show up. At the office. #
Had to abandon a Starcraft 2 game to talk to bosses about Internet connections. #
6/10 trending topics are the same thing. This is why I don't like Twitter's TT.. #
I may have counted wrong, it looks like 7/10. #
I'm one pint of A- low now. Two pints shy of four gallons donated. #
Belly full of Chinese food. Naptime imminent. #
Squee! The @TillamookCheese Loaf Love tour is coming through Coeur d'Alene on August 23rd! I am SO there! #
Taking Raisin Bran off my menu. It triggers my gout. #