Joe D
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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Joe D" journal:[<< Previous 10 entries]
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07:13 pm
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I wanted to get out of the house.
I was wanting to ride my bike. I also wanted a hamburger.
Why not both?
So I rode my bike to Andice and got a bacon cheeseburger at the Andice General Store.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31994716
60 miles round trip. The outbound leg took me 2 hours. I was accompanied by my great and good friend Mr Tailwind. It's always a joy to ride with him. It was almost like I didn't even have to pedal.
He couldn't make the ride back, though. His brother Mr Headwind filled in. That guy is a real jerk. 5 hours on the return leg.
But it was a great hamburger!
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08:43 pm
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SCIENCE!!!
So it's science fair time at school, and Moira's required to do something for it.
Being something of a sciency guy, she asks me if I have any ideas, and I remembered making these electric motors out of paper clips and magnet wire when I was about her age. The instructions were in some Time-Life book series, but I couldn't quite remember which one, or the details of construction. I thought about calling dad, but he's in the middle of moving, and the books are either in the old house or all packed up.
TO THE INTERNET!
First off, I google "paper clip electric motor". That turned up a bunch of hits where you can wind a bunch of wire into a loop and make a motor, but wasn't what I was looking for.
Then I remembered The Boy Mechanic. I highly recommend that you download this immediately. Get the PDF. It's a book published in 1913 of cool projects and things to do. If you make the hang glider, let me know. And one of the projects is indeed an electric motor! Excellent. It was a bit more complex than the one I remembered, but so much the better. I banged on that for a week, and couldn't QUITE get it to work.
So back to Google I go, this time looking for the Time-Life books. Was it the Life Science Library? I think so. The "Machines" book looks like the one. I find a used copy for 99 cents online, order it, and pay extra for second-day shipping. Alas, when it arrives, it's not the one.
Back to Google again, and this time I hit the correct incantation. That leads me to the Dec 27, 1943 issue of Life Magazine, online at Google Books, which was the project I was looking for. There were a couple of differences from what I remembered, but the basic plan was the same.
Moira and I start winding coils this afternoon, and I keep trying variations on rotor design and brush placement.
And hey look! It even works!
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02:27 pm
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Squirrels in the Attic
Last spring, my neighbor pointed out where he'd seen a squirrel duck up under the eaves into a hole he'd gnawed into my attic. This explained the gnawing sounds we'd been hearing.
During the heat of the summer, they didn't go in. Then last night, we started hearing the noises again. "Oh yeah, we need to fix that hole..."
Damn tree rats.
So did what anyone would do. I told a nine-year-old girl to fix it.
What? They bounce, right?
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08:01 am
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I cooked!
Using the recipe in my dad's cookbook (cheap at twice the price, get yours today!), I made a couple of gallons of spaghetti sauce from scratch this weekend.
Why was I not informed that it was that easy?
I'll never buy another jar again.
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08:43 pm
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How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Road trip!
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10:59 am
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We're back
We just drove to Yellowstone and back, with stops on the way.
Left on Saturday 7-2, got back last night. Dog was so happy to see us she lost bladder control for the first time in months.
3887.3 miles, according to the trip meter.
Much much fun, awesome trip, would do again.
Pictures and better trip report forthcoming.
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04:23 pm
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Anyone need a washer/dryer set?
Amana washer and dryer. $200. Still work great.
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07:07 pm
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New Water Heater
http://www.cws.org/~joed/projects/waterheater/
It is a wonder to behold. As much hot water as you want!
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07:44 pm
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I planted stuff!
http://www.cws.org/~joed/projects/raisedbed/part2.html
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06:22 pm
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No hot water
The pilot light on the hot water heater won't stay lit.
We're thinking about a this: http://www.rheem.com/product.aspx?id=a714f677-3a8f-4676-960b-0d67e6c0f7da
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