Some while back, I mentioned that I’d picked up the Chineseum welder model similar to what’s on Amazon – like this one ($28) – which is “similar-to” the very reliable Smith Little Torch which – at $155 – is a shade more expensive. Before my review of the offshore entry, a few words contexting things for … Read More
The U.S. markets are closed in observance of a democrat give-away to federal workers’ event. I think that’s the polite way of putting it. Older (meaning wiser) heads will remember that it was not until 1971 that America had a national origin holiday. That was when Columbus day (which sounds pretty White to us, though … Read More
Right out of the box, I’d have to say that there has been tremendous fluctuation in the fate of hobby shops around the world. Covid, all that. Mark Your Calendar Home handy-bastard festival note coming up: National Retail Hobby Shops Association has a big convention set for from Sept 11-14 in Lost Wages. See here … Read More
[Exceptionally long (for the free side). But go ahead, take some time and relax with it… Holiday, and all.] Today’s coffee klatch of day-traders and tool sluts is now in order! Our usual dose of news, but then back out to our shop as the weekend enters its final hours. (Gimme a chorus of “Damn!) … Read More
Since this is a holiday weekend, and except for go-fast cars and boozing it up a bit, and not much else going on, I thought we could spend today on Tool Slut Education. So, people new to (pissing away ungodly amounts of money on) vintage tools will get to know some of the makers and … Read More
There you are. One morning, America is going along all normal (like) and then suddenly flick. With nothing more than the eerie sounds of silence (with a nod to S&G) we pass back into the 1800s as a space-based weapon of unknown origins takes down the grid and the internet. Calmly, you survey the panic building … Read More
Oh, boy. This morning’s report will be a “two cupper” – and maybe three cups – if you study the ideas, problems and pictures of today a little bit. There is so much going on around here it’s, well, amazing. This writing less and doing more is turning out to be most agreeable. We’ll get to … Read More
How to become a High Output Production Writer (part 1). While Wednesday Peoplenomics reports are almost entirely income, expense, and getting-ahead oriented, several readers have asked for a “short course on writing.” We get to be “of a certain age” and the impulse to share with future generations is a natural instinct among “elders.” We … Read More
This was a really busy week, around the old “trailer in the Outback.” So, before we get into the nibbins of actually making, a quick photo tour of what we were up to this week. For one, we managed to get the leftovers (tin scrap) turned into a reasonable raised bed garden. Going from this: … Read More
Everyone has a messy shop, to one degree, or another. I’m just more guilty than most because of my youth. See, my Main Hobby was ham radio. When you work on a radio, you do whatever repairs and adjustments are needed. Then seamlessly slide into playing with it. There’s no logical “break in the action” … Read More
Our current ShopTalk project is coming along just great. It’s the 10 X 20-foot vegetable garden add-on to the side of the recording studio. This week, I got serious about the “finishing touches” and – if you worry about radioactive leftovers – here are some of the design parameters that have fallen into place. Although … Read More
Mood-setting and motivation: Russian war in world’s ‘breadbasket’ threatens food supply | AP News Let’s talk first about Design Creep. Although we have yet to eat a single plant from our 20-foot by 10 add-on Garden Room off the recording studio, it has sure been a pleasure in terms of “build.” Honestly, some of the … Read More
War? Victory Gardens? Biden Gardens? We’re in the timeframe when a “survival garden” such as we began working on in November of last year, may not seem so far-fetched, after all. The parts have continued to roll in for the highly experimental automatic veggie garden. Another small piece of the project this week was the … Read More