That's what it says on the big sign above the door in the industrial warehouse slash "artist's collective" where I've just secured some space. Some friends of mine have a shipping container there and asked if I'd like to jump in on the deal. They have three-phase power, vintage World War II machine tools and overhead gantry cranes everywhere. I ( Read more... )

I promised myself last year that I wouldn't be going to Burning Man this year. Apparently, I don't keep my promises to myself very well as I'll be heading out for the desert in a few. I managed to avoid the same problems that I had last year. I invested too much time, effort, and money. I am traveling light this year and aside from welding on a ( Read more... )

I've had an exciting day. Associate rather loosely with a group of nerd-types that like to go out to the Black Rock Desert to chase rockets around. There are folks that occasionally like to launch things in the desert to very high altitudes. Once launched, these things inevitably return to the earth subject to the whim of the winds aloft. My ( Read more... )

I was headed up to Mount Umunum the other day with a friend of mine. The top of the mountain is owned by a friend of his who leases space for radio transmitters of various sorts. One of his towers had fallen and he offered us salvage privileges for any guy cables or parts. My friend drove, I tossed my tool box in the back of his truck and off we ( Read more... )

A friend of mine found this photo in his attic already framed and ready to hang.


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I set myself on fire. This isn't as unusual an occurrence as one would think. I was grinding away on a piece of steel and felt a strange warm sensation on my chest. I looked down and noted that my T-shirt was on fire, having been ignited by the shower of sparks coming from the grinder. It's pretty odd for a 100% cotton T-shirt to go up like ( Read more... )

For the last several weeks, I've been working with a friend of mine to complete a trailer-mounted, sixty foot tall, telescoping radio tower in time to use for Field Day. We'll be doing it again this year in what will hopefully be the dry lakebed in the Black Rock Desert. The event is next weekend and we're still working feverishly on the trailer ( Read more... )

I just received some parts from a CPF group buy that transpired about six months ago. After a few minutes work, I am now the proud owner of a 300+ lumen rechargeable 2D Maglite. I still need to finish a few other flashlight projects as well. I've got parts for a 1000+ lumen 3D Maglite and a 5W LED conversion. At some point, I think I'm going to ( Read more... )

I just received an email with the subject line, "shoot five times as much." I thought to myself, "ooh, is this something about cheap ammo?" Imagine my disappointment when I learned that it wasn't.

I'm here in the coffee shop again, as usual for most afternoons. Given that it's Thursday, the furries are starting to gather. One unfortunate fact that I've recently learned is that Thursday is a national day of gathering for the furries. These particular furries were recently kicked out by the surly barista, but after writing a passionate ( Read more... )