The other day I saw this article about building makerspaces in schools and the photo showed what seemed to me to be a nice workshop, similar to what schools had when I grew up. Of course, now these spaces have things like 3D printers, not a tool we had years back, but the saws and drill presses are pretty standard fare. It made me wonder if there was any real purpose for using … [Read more...]
A New Direction for The Kneeslider
It's been a while since I posted and I thought it was time to say a few words about what's going on. Briefly, it's a change of direction. I've spent so much time on my computer over the last 14 years with The Kneeslider and so little time in the garage that the need to make a change became overpowering. The last post I wrote, about fixing things, was a tiny hint of where I'm … [Read more...]
The Existential Pleasures of Fixing Things
Recently, our power went out. About ten seconds later the lights came back on when our standby generator fired up, so I went about my business working on The Kneeslider. Then a couple of minutes later, the lights went out again, but this time, they stayed out. That got my attention, because it meant the generator wasn’t running. Hoping mice hadn't gotten inside and chewed … [Read more...]
Wrench, Ride or Race?
A recent post here touched on the idea that riding time was fast disappearing, as work, for many of us, encroaches on formerly free time with smart phones a constant reminder of what we do all day. Long periods free of interruptions are harder to come by and what you do then is a choice between many competing priorities. The choice, though, isn't always a matter of what we can … [Read more...]