As reported in this post, the missing site images have all been fixed.
Category: General
Preparing for 2021
I’ve decided to focus on deep cleaning, organizing, and purging inventory in the studio. I’m halting all of my own projects until this is complete, with the hopes I can resume everything again on Jan 1st.
To that end, about a month ago I started planning out drawer organizers using foam core boards held together with hot glue. Yesterday, I was able to complete two of them.
There are still two more drawers in that credenza, and eight drawers in my main desk pedestals that need to be done. I hope to be able to do two drawers per week.
I also took the time to completely empty off my desk (computer monitors, charging stations, etc.) and dusted and wiped everything down. I rearranged and relocated a lot of things on the desktop to a point where I could deploy my new MOTU M2 which I’ll be using in the future for some video projects.
This lead to the DeLorean going up on top of the cupboards in it’s display case. I’ll leave it up there most of the time and only pull it down when new parts come it.
And, lastly, been keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Eta.
Movies added to library: Angel Has Fallen
Read: AARP The Magazine, October/November 2020
Image Problems
Supporting Others
A friend of mine, Tif Wegmann (Instagram, Twitter), needs our help to raise $7,500 for her treatment of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Please read her story and donate. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tif-with-heart-treatment
Friend Chris Higgins is producing a five-episode documentary, Best of Five: The Classic Tetris Champions. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chrishiggins/best-of-five-the-classic-tetris-champions
Friend Anders Mouridsen who has been touring with Country artist Cam, has also been a guitarist on her latest album, The Otherside. Pick it up – it’s really good!
Also, don’t forget THAT MONSTER SHOW Episode 1 is now available to watch on YouTube! And check out our Cast & Crew Q&A.
Studio Organizing
Cleaning up and organizing the studio has been a high priority this weekend. It’s started with some smaller projects like going through the literally cleaning, week’s mail, going over finances, and ripping movies. It’s now progressed into making forward movement on some small projects and looking at the space here and organizing.
I heard Adam Savage recently reiterate a saying has: “drawers are where things go to die.” And I would agree. But he reminded me that there’s a particularly interesting way to organize drawers to prevent that, which is to build an insert with custom dividers out of foam-core.
With that in mind, I started looking at all the drawers in the studio and now have it on the docket to properly organize, and subsequently clean out, the drawers. This will include organizing some items, such as spare external and internal hard drives, into caddies, which I currently have printing on the Ender.
I also purchased an online course called Fusion 360 for Makers by the guys at I Like to Make Stuff. I spent a few hours yesterday plowing through the first six chapters and it’s great. I’m hoping to spend more time on it today.
Anyway, next up is working on the DeLorean.
#KetoDay011
Time Management
It’s Saturday again. I’ve spent my morning doing some usual things like updating my financial portfolio and scheduling bills to be paid, cleaning my desk (i.e., going through the week’s mail) and ripping Blu-rays for the video library.
I’ve been struggling with productivity the last month mainly due to having to devote so much extra time to my day job. I was meticulously planning my time for a short while. And while this helped keep me moving forward on things, it was hard to constantly be scheduling that. But, since I can’t seem to be productive without that tool, I need to figure out a better way to manage the time.
On Thursday I started Keto in an effort to loose weight. Today is #KetoDay003. The last time I did this was about 10 years ago, so it’ll be interesting to see how my body responds now that I’m older. Luckily, I’m not feeling mentally sluggish yet, and my energy levels have only dropped a little bit.
I’m going to head out to wash the car and get more groceries now. Will spend time on learning how to better plan things later today.
Added to video library: The Dirty Dozen, Frozen II
Getting Back In The Groove
As I mentioned before, things have been hectic over the past couple of weeks. Today, I’m finally getting a chance to sit at the computer and knock some overdue tasks out.
What’s coming up soon:
- 8 Issues of the DeLorean arrived and need to be added to the model.
- Clean up my desk (what a damned mess).
- Write some scripts for Carl.
- Read a bunch of backlogged magazines.
- Write some code.
I’m currently in the process of upgrading one of the four hard drives in my primary NAS. Disk four was upgraded last month; doing disk three now.
Tough Week
Last week found me putting over 60 hours in at work, leaving me no time to really get any of my projects done. That was mainly due to the fact I had an employee resign and also had an employee on PTO, so we were very short-handed.
I’m currently developing a schedule for this coming week for my personal time, and hope to be more effective.
Closing Out the Time Off
Well, day 10 is coming to a close and I feel like I truly was able to rest and also be productive over this break.
Today I completed several small tasks/projects around the house. I wrote some code and a couple of short scripts. Now it’s time to stop thinking while I sit and watch Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
New Equipment, Continued Building
As I was building out some electronics over the past few days, I realized that my setup was lacking, so I ordered some new tools.
I started off getting a Hakko FA-400 fume extractor to remove the solder smoke. For some reason I’ve never had an extractor, and I decided this week I needed one. I researched the cost and time it would take to 3D print and build my own, and the effort just wasn’t worth it to me.
Next up is the Kaisi Silicone Repair Mat. These things are great as it prevents parts from rolling off the workbench onto the floor and from getting mixed together with its built-in trays. Also, since it’s silicone, the parts that you place on it don’t slide around a lot.
Lastly is a two-piece system. I saw a great review on the QuadHands Workbench Mount over at The Makers Workbench YouTube page. This system is really nice with it’s strong magnetic helping hands and heavy metal base. As is seen in the video, I also got a PanaVise Model 201 to mount in the center. These are great for holding large parts or circuit boards you’re trying to solder. Here’s a picture of the new setup with only one helping-hand attached:
With all this in place, I decided to build a the Indie Badge kit from HackerBox 57. This is essentially a badge you’d get at a (nerd) convention.
This unit has an IR transmitter and receiver, composite audio and video out, a joystick with two buttons, a small speaker, all backed by a TTGO ESP32. As you can see at the top of the picture, I’ve also wired up an old 3.7V 1530mAh cellphone battery so this thing can be mobile.
The TTGO board is pretty amazing. Full color 1.14″ screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, plus a battery connector that allows you to charge through the onboard USB-C connector. I’ve never really used an ESP32 before, but I’m considering starting to now, with or without display.
Anyway, as I slip into day 7 of my time off, I’m feeling relaxed and rested. I intend on spending the remaining time relaxing more and getting some more electronics and coding projects done.
Added to movie library: Synecdoche, New York