ShopTalk Sunday: Ben Dover’s Shop Economics, Tour d’ Works

Money first.  Then a ton of interesting projects that keep us busy.  We’ll do a “photo-stroll” around the shop (as of Tuesday morning) so you can get more of a feel for what Making and Doing are like outside the confines of cubicles and 300 square-foot living spaces.  And why retired is usual just tired. Hosed … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: Ham Radio Safety Chokes, ALZ Lite (3)

With the return of George2 (KF7OCD) to family lands, the interest in having a “rock-em-sock-em winter on the low frequency ham radio bands is back in focus. There’s a whole PowerPoint on what needs to be done.  But when it’s warm is a great time to launch antennas into trees. Or, climbing gear-equipped sons. It’s axiomatic … Read More

Hunter Cover, Markets Await Budget, Pre-Hol Tasking Memo

Party Before Work, we believe.  So before jumping brain-first into the news flow, it’s focus on the fun that we (supposedly) buy with all our hard work in Life: Pre-Hol(iday) Tasking Memo is a simple concept.  We are 3 1/2-days out (no one will really work after lunch on a holiday weekend Friday, right?) from … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: An Anti-Alzheimer’s Experimental Build

Yes, we are going to build something (first of 2 parts today) but there is a TON of important background to wrap-around before heading into the shop. So, from the beginning…NONE OF THIS IS MEDICAL ADVICE. You are reading ravings of a crazy man – pure and simple – right? We have, over the years, … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: Time-Expanded Wiring & a Media Rant

Although I got the major PITA project I’ve been putting off partly done Saturday, the real satisfaction came from wiring up the BBQ outlet this week. However, it was a fine study in how “little projects” can turn into Big ones on the clock. The idea sounded simple enough.  We had run an extension cord from … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: The DIY Battery Charger

Prepping note: The battery on the old Kubota is on its last legs. It’s a 51-R series, and they ain’t cheap.  So, I was trying to get the maximum possible service life out of it.  Put it on an 8-amp charger and then got into some pulse charging on top of that… Even after 2 … Read More

There Goes Housing – Slowly, Though

Latest Case-Shiller/S&P report just out: “Data released today for January 2023 show that the trend of declining home price gains continued across the United States with declining prices reported in the San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle markets. YEAR-OVER-YEAR The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census … Read More

Hype in Mire Monday – Sketchy Week Ahead?

Why, looking at the early futures (Dow +200) you’d think that the skies were about to part and the rally into the close Friday might continue. ‘fraid not. But, the good news for old day traders is that the markets always “swing” so there’s usually a lunch money trade, or two, lying around.  Still, it’s … Read More

Collapse: “Noisy Thief Week”

There is a saying in technical analysis:  “You can have Price, or you can have Time.  But you can’t have them both, together.” I’ve been trading stocks since 1971, and even with more than half a century of investing, picking both time and price has been a vexation.  Yes, we know the world will end in … Read More

FoodTalk Sunday: $249 Chocolate Chip Cookie

The ShopTalk Sunday column is about making things to eat.  But not just any things.  There’s the whole aspect of doing of things to perfection woven into the mix, too. Which leads directly to Tuesday’s disaster which rippled to within inches of becoming a $249 Chocolate Chip Cookie. However, many “Foodie” things are “cooking” here. 1- We will … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: Combat Loading – Material Handling

Actual progress around the Ure joint, even with the house guest this week.  Elaine’s son is an extremely useful fellow.  Having run something of a Home Handyman Service before going to work for the post office. Hard to explain to people sometimes, how useful (and valuable!) that wide range of “hands-on” work can be.  Seems … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: Ice? Solar Vs. Genset

Ok, sitting down after a day of working on post-storm chores. As you will remember, the ice storm took us almost offline, except that now I understand why a tablet and Starlink are so crucial to people in Ukraine.  They work great.  Able to look over comments and approve things along with the odd post even … Read More

Ice: After Action Report

Fine tuning of prepping is in the works following the major ice storm in East Texas this past week. Today, a discussion of what we got right and what we got wrong.  Very interesting “school” the universe provides! Plus, in our ChartPack, that alternate count of the (Elliott) wave structure from a few weeks back … Read More