Beltrami's Pseudosphere

Work sucked of course---

A week of ups and downs...glad it's over and to obtain my two days of freedom. Currently reading several books at one time....all purchased used...

Cry Wolf by Wilbur Smith is actually a great reread for me...originally published in 1976..featuring armored cars, mercenaries and the war between Italy and Ethiopia in the 1930's....at the same time reading The Hindenburg--an illustrated history...which is a beautiful, well written book I picked up extremely cheap, used but in perfect condition...

Just purchased and enjoyed LOCK OUT on DVD. Made in cooperation with Luc Besson (who directed the 5th element) LOCK OUT has received some stupidly bad press on the Internet for one reason--the basis of the plot---the US President's daughter is on a humanitarian visit to a sub-orbital prison and is taken hostage. 

Guy Pierce does and excellent job as Snow, a freelance agent who is sent in to get her....the same basic plot as in Escape from New York...but that's where the similarities end....unfortunately the Internet goobers got hung up on that one fact and missed a very good, very styling, french action/SF film, while they busily trashed LOCK OUT as a copy of the 80's Carpenter film. 

I don't necessarily recommend buying this DVD unless you are a true SF die hard like myself....but it is for sure worth a rent for the special effects and the excellent portrayals of the world's worst,insane convicts locked up in space--

Dick Cheney said that Mitt Romney was the only choice when it came to foreign relations---yet it seems as if he managed to insult the Brits after being in their country for about 20 minutes, doubting their ability to pull off the Olympic games? The only choice Dick? Then well fuck me....


The US stock market is now like a reservation casino---nothing but bad economic news all week yet stocks are up? Wall street brokers are like convicts betting on the cell block cockroach races.....I wouldn't let them play with monopoly money if it was up to me..........


Today, a legally blind, South Korean Olympic archer, set a new world's scoring record---kinda made my personal great accomplishment of today----managing to stay awake at work seem...well.... pretty weak......


My weekly MPG average was 50.9---

I have written much on self-sufficiency and food storage and felt that it was about time to show photographs of our climate controlled food storage shed. My Darling wife just spent a week organizing and cleaning it since food is always making it's way in and out--It is next to impossible to provide a 360 degree view but the plastic storage bins contain mostly dehydrated foods and the cabinets barely visible to the right are full of long term foodstuffs as well. 
My JoJo has been reorganizing to provide space for this summers canning.

Below is the result of a short walk again through the garden just picking what came to the eye..

The Zeppelin model has arrived via Fed-Ex all 4' of it---and prior to even opening it I have been at work for it's arrival.

It can be considered very strange when one must physically adjust one's living environment to fit a model into it---but that's what has been required with the start of the Zeppelin Model project. I re-purposed a wooden shelf which had been removed from our food storage shed to put to use for storage/display of the zeppelin in the Nerd Cave. Much adaption was required--cutting the shelf down to the right sizing for the space available.... painting since the Nerd Cave is anything but natural wood.....more black, chrome, gray and yellow....so taping, priming, and painting was required of the shelf itself--the brackets and the pole. The pole is an interesting addition--originally intended as a clothes hanger attached to this particular shelf in the shed....

I have purchased a pair of techno, battery powered, multi-position, Stanley clamp lights with the intention to attach these lights to the wooden pole at the front of the shelf for use as adjustable reading lamps when sitting on the sofa beneath the new shelf----rather than removing the pole i believe it is an excellent use factor......

Even I, my greatest critic, have to say that this project might turn out rather nicely, both for display of the Zeppelin and for general Nerd Cave occupation. 

"Today i step into the shoes of a great man, a man by the name of

Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho."
from Mike Judds film Idiocracy

Parrondo's Paradox

50.8 mpg as an average on this weeks commute...

The garden is producing vegetables in an excellent manner...eating lots of salads, canning, storing as much as we can since the rumors abound over increases in produce prices that are coming....

We continue to kill each other in our society like white rats in a failed experiment...

If i had one of the brain neuralizers like the Men in Black I'd use it on myself this week..... 

The past weekend i managed to work on my Rolls Royce armored car kit...above is the completed chassis and engine...this has been the main construction so far, other than priming all parts for future painting.

Previously, I had rooted about the basement till I found a tool box i had made up years ago especially for modeling, and surprisingly after removing ten years of layered dirt from the outside of the box, I found the interior and supplies i had stored years ago were--- perfect...once again justification for the construction of independent kit boxes for projects, (photo above). I am currently awaiting the arrival of the proper colored paints to complete the armored car but in the meanwhile there are small painting and construction jobs on this project that can be worked on....until the main color paints arrive.

A Kit on the way is a 38 1/2 inch long model of the airship, 
Graf Zepplin..complete with lighted passenger compartment...I am already building and painting a shelf to mount over the sofa in the nerd cave not just to display this singular 4' bad boy...but for somewhere to store it out of the way while construction takes place... very, very dieselpunk, sky captain like..I have always had a fascination with airships..always...and bemoan the fact that none operate today...I will provide photo's of the model as it progresses through the construction stage...

John Brennan who protested TSA invasive hand searches by stripping naked at his airport has won his case in court...hit the link for the details--the court upheld the fact that his only reason for stripping down was to protest not to excite which was the type of statue he was arrested under...This was an honest ruling since damn, believe me there is no excitement going on here that i can observe...but i admire his resistance...me i think throwing rocks would be better than getting naked but---any resistance is good resistance.

get naked at TSA and WIN

Both of them, just empty suits. 

A multi-millionaire who won't disclose his taxes or off-shore bank accounts during our depression--the other a Sheep in wolf's clothing, taking money from wall street---rather than the socialist I voted for....and hoped for. The only thing either will excel at is protecting the 1% because that's where the money is. Nothing of substance spoken of in our time of societal danger and class struggle, of bankrupting cities and crumbling infrastructure--no real vision or leadership, just sound bites, only sound bites.

The top 1% of Americans hold 34.5% of the total wealth in this country, when you examine the top 10% as a whole they own 74.5%.  50% of the total population of this country holds only, ONLY 1% of the wealth.....Let the Republicans spread their bullshit deeper and higher...until the average human in this country owns NOTHING....they will not stop until they have it all.

trickle down is full of shit

Good things were happening--two major bankers dead in two weeks---we were on a roll but all good things must end. No Banker deaths or suicides this week--we can still hope prior to publishing...especially on that Nebraska hedge fund fuck-nut who ran off with 17 million dollars from retiree's-- Then of course there are the bankers who launder money for the Mexican Cartels here in the US and get away with it by apologizing when you or I go to jail for a single joint????

another banker i wish would die

"If one does not know to which port one is sailing,

no wind is favorable."

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Monster Group

Back a work this week as evidenced by the much shorter blog....I am planning on nerd-caving up this weekend and just doing little things...and petting my dogs....

Our kitchen counters are currently loaded down with cucumbers, Iraqi tomatoes, and squash---JoJo's pickles turned out excellent....and we received a bit of rain this week.....


My miles per gallon commute average, this week was 50.5....I'm not paying for a single canape' at Dick Cheney's Mitt Romney love-a-thon at his Wyoming home this weekend out of my gasoline bill.


Missed a second victory against the 1% by thiiiiissss much....

Die investment banker Die

Received My Vermin Supreme, for President 2012 sticker and it is now on the Prius...

http://www.verminsupreme.com/

My little cigar experiment is a success! I will be driving on with this through retirement. 


I still working on shortwave radio with zero success.....

I have decided to express art through scale modeling. This past time fulfills both the watchmaker and artist needs of mine which are calming to me when i am detail working on an item..
My first project (which is in route) is a 1/35th scale kit of a 1920 pattern British, Rolls Royce armored car manufactured by Roden. I also ordered a set of 1/35th British military figures as crew members. This vehicle is very steampunk like in it's design and appearance which added to my desire to build and display it. 
A excellent by-product of this pursuit is the fascinating study of camouflage, outfitting and use of the chosen subject through historical documents and  photographs. I have a feeling I am going to enjoy this pursuit. I will provide photographs as best, i can of the finished product. 

A class act, who worked hard, and always seemed to be cool. My favorite role of his was as Dutch Engstrom, in the Wild Bunch--a quiet bad guy who had seen it all. Gone at 95, a good,long, productive life. 

"Research is what I'm doing when 

I don't know what I'm doing."

Wernher von Braun.

Barber Paradox

Leave is over. Back to the daily routine with a subsequent reduction in the number of blogs issued to one a week. I accomplished much here at the homestead while off work. I'm sure it will take a bit to become 
re-indoctrinated to the daily requirements. I will miss being able to plan my own day, and napping, of course....most of all tho i will miss being with my wife all day....although i don't think she will miss the mad science projects----

JoJo's pickling today...we are literally overwhelmed with cucumbers---of varying types..the garden shade houses are working beyond all expectations and this year may be an outstanding year for everything we planted...it is very cool to think that not only are we using the cucumbers we grew, but JoJo grew all the seasonings we will use in the pickling, canning process as well--

My long suffering, but wondrous wife has finally allowed me to build her an everyday carry day pack. I was beside myself being able to build this for her.  Utilizing a very light weight, small, yellow Marmot bag I had available as a platform the bag contains standard EDC items. Small flashlight, small knife, notebook, pen, snack, as well as bottles of water and an instant cold compress to fight the dreaded New Mexico heat stroke...there remains plenty of room for cell phone, wallet, camera, keys all her normal daily equipment. 
A surprise I have in route for her is the below illustrated Public Toilet survival kit. Purchased for 1cent, plus postage, these were apparently corporate gifts at one time..containing gloves, toilet seat cover, and hand cleaner in a small tin. I am planning on adding several items, such as pellet towels that expand to full size when put in contact with water. It can also be restocked as necessary...I just thought it was a neat idea for her when out and about.

Taliban fundamentalists have destroyed the End of the world gate in Timbuktu. According to legend, this 600 year old, sealed structure had to remain shut, until the end of the world. The Taliban believing this legend to be non-Islamic, destroyed the building---so your guess is as good as mine as to what happens next?

The end of the world gate

I began work today on my Panasonic 4900 Shortwave radio. I bought this item used and cheap on Ebay years ago....I have never been able to get the Shortwave to work but at the time this did not trouble it...I bought it for a garage radio, the price was right and it looks extremely techno.

My search for some type of viable radio media made me drag this radio into the nerd cave and begin the task of rehabilitation. I have purchased an extension speaker dead cheap on amazon...I am going to start by removing the 33 screws holding the exterior case onto the chassis and clean all the tuners, and parts with canned air and electronic contact cleaner that i have in route. If the Shortwave stills resists working I am going to order an indoor power antenna expressly made for SW. If all this does not work...well then....

I'm fucked. But it's a fun project for a guy born to be a watchmaker.

This is in route

"A man who carries a cat by the tail,

learns something he can learn in no other way."

Mark Twain