Site Updates

I've added five films & one TV program to the GRS database.

There are two new photos in the collection:

Enjoy!

Week Trip

I spent a week with relatives. Despite the fact that it snowed every day, it was a fun time! We visited several memorials, a dinosaur, and an art gallery. I still don't understand modern art. How can something drawn with a "crayon on paper" be considered art? Isn't that what a child does at the Red Lobster? Another exhibit displayed lava lamps and alarm clocks. Really? The museum did redeem itself with masterpieces by van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Degas.

The memorial for the Seabees was impressive. It showed where these men built or improved airports, roads, etc. for the soldiers. A massive Caterpillar tractor is the main exhibit but I wanted to see the stainless steel Seabee. It even wields a detailed Thompson submachine gun! The memorial to the conflict in Vietnam is just as prominent. The centerpiece is the attack helicopter. Both memorials name the men who served. Also, we visited a touching memorial for children who died young of diseases like cancer.

Site Updates

I've added five films, a TV program, and a TV movie to the GRS database. Enjoy!

FORTRAN

I've made a lot of progress on my computer program. While I couldn't code for a living, it makes a good pastime that keeps the mind active. Currently, I'm adding the capability to save and restore games. As users, we take this aspect for granted. There's a bit more to it than we think. Also, as an exercise, I'm encrypting the saved data. I should have a decent program by the time spring rolls in.

Spring!

Like many, I've already planned tasks for spring. Soon, we'll be able to put them into practice! And since the job market is slow, I have plenty of time to accomplish them! One must look at "lost" wages in the correct light. I know other contractors who wait by the phone and worry. I've learned to plan for being "between jobs". We're paid very well so it's not difficult if one has some self control.

In addition to finishing the Power Cellar, I plan to list and hopefully sell the purple truck. I like it but I have a one-ton Dually so I really don't need it. I'd rather use my time to get the MG back on the road. It has been safely stored in a CarCapsule for years now. I don't mind too much because it only costs me a small fan every few years. The fan runs continuously on a battery charged by my solar arrays. Still, it's not good to have any vehicle sit. So, "Barney" truck, when the good weather returns you're going to be listed!

Winter

This winter was really easy. I only had to plow twice or three times! The total snowfall was less than a foot, which is nothing for my area. I credit the overly wet spring, summer, and autumn. It's great that a lousy summer means an easy winter!

Site Updates

I've added seven films to the GRS database.

Three new photos join the others:


Also, I added two quotes:

...feelings aren't positive and negative. They simply exist. It's what we do with those feelings that becomes good or bad.
Counselor Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Nothing in life that's worthwhile is easy. It is the struggle and the fight that makes us who we are.
Mac in The Changed

Enjoy!

A Winter Hobby

I contemplated rebuilding a worn-out chainsaw. (The first one that I bought circa 2012 failed to start last year. I have since replaced it with the same make & model.) A replacement cylinder/piston kit is available. But I'm a bit tired of getting oily. I can do that job next winter!

Instead, I turned my attention to a clean, indoor hobby. I had wanted to learn the programming language C for some time. After fussing with character variables,--C requires special handling when character variables are read from the user--I translated my program into FORTRAN.

I had been told that C is lower level than FORTRAN; however, I had never believed it. So the programmer has to do something special to read-in character variables and not real or integer variables. No, thank you! I may be a nerd but I'm not a glutton for punishment

I learned FORTRAN as a youngster and used it again in university so I'm not necessarily learning something new. Though, the program is developing well and holds my attention. It deals with very large numbers so I have learned about variable precision in FORTRAN.

Since it's written in this antique language, compilers are freely available and work well. I've been using the GNU compiler, which runs on Linux OSes and in Windows. Curiously it takes twice as long to compile in Windows. I noticed because Linux compiles my program instantly. GFortran in Windows pauses like a person taking a deep breath before reciting a tongue-twister.

I briefly thought about learning a language derived from C. But they all seem to be object-oriented. I work enough with that concept when developing this site. JavaScript and Perl use that stuff. I just don't like the idea that the length of a variable is--for instance--VARIABLE.length. In my mind, something needs to be done to determine the length of the variable, like calling a subroutine or a function: call return_length (VARIABLE, length)

This method of thinking must be why I am a trained mechanical engineer and not a computer programmer. (No, I can't call them software engineers.) For example, engineers measure an item to learn its dimensions. Something must be done to determine these dimensions. Of course, one may argue that dimensions are just a property of the item. I'll just ignore the abstraction and enjoy FORTRAN!

Site Updates

I've added six films to the GRS database. Enjoy!

Generator Rebuild

I finished rebuilding the generator. And it runs and energizes a load

I have built an automobile engine so I was interested to see how similar small engines are. I was surprised by the size of the piston. Previously, I disassembled a string trimmer. It's piston-conrod sub-assembly are tiny in comparison! The generator's conrod has no bearings, unlike a car engine. Aside from the oil slinger on the "bearing cap", the sub-assembly looks one from a car.

See the replacement piston & connecting rod here. Here's the original piston in the cylinder so you can scale it. I like the pushrods. I replaced the cylinder head as well so I wouldn't have any problems with leaking valves. I've ground and lapped valve seats. It's not trivial. The original cylinder head looks as one would expect. See it here.

I took a photo just after I cracked the crankcase. The two loose parts in the crankcase cover are part of the governor, which pokes into the top of the crankcase and runs on a nylon gear. The black sensor in the "sump" is the low-oil-pressure switch.

The camshaft is geared to the crankshaft. It reminds me of the cam gears on the Stovebolt Six in my '67 Chevy pick-up. The generator camshaft has a spring-loaded mechanism that keeps the exhaust valve slightly open until the engine is spinning at a certain speed. The idea is that it acts like a compression release to reduce the effort to start the generator (Thanks, Mike, for the research!)

The tapered shaft that forms the connection between the gasoline engine and the electrical alternator was a pain to separate. With no luck and fearing that I would damage the housing, I searched the Internet for a solution.

A clever individual recommended filling the bolt hole with water, loosely threading in the screw, and freezing the entire unit. They were joking about their wives complaining about a greasy engine in her freezer. I lucked out because I have a large freezer at my disposal, free of charge. Yes, I filled the hole with water and put it outside overnight. It worked perfectly!

Here's a shot of the generator fully assembled. As I reported, it runs and does what is should do! Of course, I kept the original parts for future use. I have another generator just like this one.

Site Updates

I've added four films to the GRS database. Enjoy!

Write In?

So the main candidate for the Democratic Party didn't campaign and didn't even bother to pay the fee to have his name listed on the ballot. I'm stunned. These politicians try to shove their dirty work down our throats and then when it comes to an election we are arrogantly ignored.

Of course, Mr. Biden is not responsible. He needs to retire. But, his staff should be ashamed. Want to vote for someone on the ballot? Why not vote for the guy who wears a boot on his head? Or the guy named President something-or-other? What has happened to the Democratic Party? The Kennedy Brothers would be stunned by the strangeness and haughtiness of these candidates.

I wonder if there is no campaign for Biden because they know that he couldn't live through another term. And they know that Ms. Harris isn't a strong enough candidate to win using her own name. Does it sound underhanded? Think about it objectively. Career politicians don't do anything without a personal plan.

Generator Rebuild

I'm nearing the end of the rebuilding project. It was fun to see the internal workings. I'll post photos when I'm done.

Site Updates

I've added seven films and one TV program to the GRS database.

Four new photos are on the page:

Enjoy!