conquering imac brightness

8.6: proj.cyb`gear/mac`shades/
combined shade&blue-blocker/test:
. make new imac glasses with orange uv shades
taped to sunglasses
-- depressing in room but just right for mac .

8.7: proj.cyb`gear/mac`shades/
string to raise nose bridge:
. add bridge to mac shades to get more ventilation
and reduce fog .

8.10: proj.cyb`gear/mac`shades:
. tape isn't holding up? get help by
tucking the lenses under the nose bridge string .

8.18: proj.cyb`gear/mac`shades/
drill holes for holding shades on shades:
. use the aluminum wire
in the smallest holes my drill will give .
. like a staple but twisted once too .

making room for a used leather couch

08.25 apt`gear couch

8.24: apt`gear/couch/explore reuse:
. my neighbors tossed a great leather couch
so I took it home with my dolly,
but there's no space in the living room
unless I can move out the couch currently there .
. the only way to get it down the hallway,
is to cut off its absurdly tall arms
(they are as high as the back of the couch!);
but how to remove the upholstry on the couch
without ripping all the fabric up?

repairing a recumbent exercycle

6.30: mis.gear/exercycle/chair`stem`weld failed:
. the Marcy exercycle's seat weld failed!
and, inspecting the weld area,
the reason is obvious:
they had the weld strengths reversed:
they needed only light tacks
in the back,
but a good strong seam in the front
because that is getting
a lot of lift pressure;
instead there were only
2 tack welds in the front,
so when the front tacks snapped apart,
then the seat pitched backwards about half a foot .

6.30: proj.gear/exercycle/
recovery from chair`stem`weld failure:

combo solid tire and tube

2013.2.21: summary:
. this chronicles my combining of a
typical pneumatic inner tube
with a Bell No-Mor Flats (solid) Bike Inner Tube .
. I now have this on both a bmx bike front wheel,
and on all wheels of a recumbent trike . 

unlimited free online storage

6.12: summary:
. there is plenty of free storage online:
2GB from dropbox
5GB from google's g'Drive
7GB from Microsoft's SkyDrive,
and 5GB sync'ing services from
Ubuntu One and Apple's iCloud;
however,
iCloud doesn't sync just any folder:
it sync's your iWork doc's,
and 3rd party app's are free to sync
what's in their sandbox;
it also pushes your itune purchases
to all your devices .

. there are many more free sites too,
and, even some unlimited free plans
as long as you're publicly sharing your files,
or not using an ad'blocker, etc .

. DropBox and SkyDrive may be deleted
if not visited every 90 days;
google's gmail has an inactivity policy
but it's Drive service apparently does not .

5.5: news.cyb/net.dropbox/no passwords needed for hours!:
"( Why I switched from Dropbox to Windows Live Mesh ...)

. dropbox had an amazing lapse in security:
for several hours any password would open any acct!

RC Helicopter has a video recorder

5.14: news.gear/Egofly Hawkspy
LT-712 Helicopter with Spy Camera:
makeuseof.com introduces hawkspy
(a remote control helicoptor with video camera)
The fixed forward-facing camera
is activated by a button on the transmitter
and once enabled, it records video only at a resolution of
720×480 in MJPEG format directly into the MicroSD card.
. see videos recorded by the Hawkspy on YouTube
. also seen being used at newegg's youtube .
. needs 6 AA batteries . remember the overcharge warning .

stamps.com (sent by mark levin radio)

5.17: proj.bus/mail/stamps.com (sent by mark levin radio):
summary:
"( . and the first thing you should do is click on the radio icon
and tell'em mark sent you . )
. but they act as if you know what you're signing up for;
in fact I had no idea until they asked for my credit card,
and found this cheap way to do stamps from home
is suitable only for businesses who do mass mailings,
because the service is $16 per month
-- heck, I haven't used that much postage in 10 years!

whole house surge protector

5.5: web.apt`gear/whole house surge protector:

summary:
. the best way to protect from lightning is to
get off the grid, and then to protect your own system,
use a lot of lightning rods at all the high points .

builtin-shoes as toe-clips

4.16: gear/trike/builtin-shoes as toe-clips:
. Idea: combine powergrips with a heel cup
that has most of the outer half removed;they fit together
... but moot if building a shell for the trike
that is complete with a floor?
still, even if saved from catastrophe of
slipping out of pedals and breaking a leg
as your foot is dragged under the trike,
slipping onto a shell's floor
is still an annoying interruption of pedaling;
and, the new idea would mean

sealed bearings not easy to remove

4.1: news.gear/trike/sealed bearings not easy to remove:

. bearings actually quite easy to install if you do it yourself.
Just make sure you use a socket that just fits inside the hub
to seat the new bearing.
Pushing on any part of the bearing but the outside race
will distort the bearing and cause it to have
a very short lifespan.
Look carefully for the bearing # on the race.
Likely it is a 6001RS 12x28x8. 10 about $15.
Email ICE and they'll send you a video
on how to replace them.
I used the old bearings once removed
and the axle bolts to
force the new bearings to seat in the hubs.
Alternatively is to have them changed at a dealer.
I chose to change the 4 bearings for the front wheels
with ceramic hybrid bearings
of the 6001 series. [$35, $15 /each]
ICE ceramic bearings cost about $15 each.
...
Driving the old bearings out is pretty simple
from the "outside" of the hub.

...
. used the Ice method for driving out the old bearings;

After half an hour of trying and making no progress
I took the wheel to my LBS;
They said how hard it was get the bearings out
- they had to make a tool specially to get behind the casing.

learning to tighten spokes on cheap wheels

4.13: proj.gear/bike#walmart/tighten spokes on both wheels:
. I have a great new Park Tool SW-42 Four Sided-Spoke
Wrench for Nipples of 1.36 Inch/ $8.40
. the front was easy, give each a 1/4 turn
and things were still ok;
but the rear had some seemingly loose ones,
and when trying to bring those to
the same tension as the others,
I got the rim so twisted it wouldn't turn!
so I had to completely loosen all of them and start over .

hp-15c - my 1980's college math conqueror

2011.4.18: web.cyb/hp-15c:

[20.12.1.1:
. hp-15c was my calculator while
getting a BA degree in Math,
it was programmable,
with a solver for calculus,
and had matrices for  linear algebra .]

hp15c on ebay? yes
-- expensively sold as vintage rare,
one though is $62
-- cheaper than new for used ok .

open source hp15c simulator
HP-15C (UNIX/Linux Windows NT4/2000/XP) (new)
. Torsten Manz' Tcl/Tk simulator .
It should run on all operating systems
supported by Tcl/Tk.
It has been tested on
several UNIX/Linux flavours
as well as Windows NT4/2000/XP.
It has not been tested on
Windows 95/ 98/ME or Mac OS.
This distribution contains
both the executables
for the Windows and Linux platform,
as well as the Tcl/Tk source file.

Nonpareil simulates HP's calc's(1972 ... 1982).
-- the 15c is from 1984 .
Tom Fors`iPhone port of Nonpareil
supporting the Voyager calculators
(11C, 12C, 15C, 16C).

Calculator Emulator for the iPhone
* 09-Mar-2008
- Calculators are now built using the SDK
and running in the simulator...
"( Still waiting for Apple to approve my registration
so I can test on a real phone and distribute them in June. )
. you can download [crude copy of] manual here :
http://hp15c.org/hp15c.pdf
http://hp15c.org/hp15cAdvanced.pdf
--
[. I have the manuals!
(I can use my paper ones for whatever the copies left out
they are black&whites of the colored paper manual)]

The 10C series:
Compact yet Sophisticated Calculators (1981)
    * HP-10C Basic Scientific Programmable Calculator
    * HP-11C More Advanced Scientific Programmable
    * $135 HP-12C Top Selling Business Calculator 1982-1989
    * HP-15C Scientific with Matrix & Complex Math
    * HP-16C The Computer Scientist Calculator
   
The RPL Family (1986)
    * RPL A Platform for Powerful Calculators
    * HP-18C Business Model with Solver
    * HP-28C/S Scientifics with Symbolic Math and Solver
    * HP-48S/SX Large Screen Scientifics with Symbolic Math

Some Interesting Later Models (1986)
    * HP-27S Algebraic Do Everything Calculator
    * HP-17B Algebraic Business Model
    * HP-22S Algebraic Scientific Calculator
    * HP-32S RPN Scientific with Complex Math
      (Including Anniversary Edition.)
    * HP-42S RPN Scientific (HP-41C compatible)
    * HP-14B (50th Anniversary Edition)
    * HP-67CX Unreleased RPN / HPL / Linux Scientific
   

solar storm not in 2012 #cyber #backup #ups

2011.4.16: cyb/backup/solar storm

Do solar storms create hard drive data loss?
I read we are expecting increased solar storm activity for 2012.
I would like to prepare. What would be the best way to
protect sensitive data on hard drives
(backups and internal).
Would it be preferable to back up things on DVDs?
The 1989 storm managed to damage the computers
of the Toronto Stock Market.
reply:
 2012  will actually be a damn boring year.

a solar physicist: Do not worry about solar storms.
. solar and geomagnetic activity pose essentially
no risk to your data.
The biggest possible risk would be power outage,
so you could buy yourself a UPS if you are really worried,
but even then, the risk is really minimal,
since these events are predictable and power companies are
proactive about mitigating their effects on infrastructure.

If your backups are not connected to the power grid
you don't have to worry about solar storms,
because solar storms cause problems by induction.
Large loops of cable such as power grids might be affected,
but not small external hard drives.
Good back ups are not connected to the computer
they are supposed to back up 24/7.
Online backups that are located far away from your local backups
will probably not be affected by the same solar storm.

magnetic storm of September 10, 2005 over Quebec:
August 1989, another solar storm affected microchips
and caused a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.
Since then, power companies worldwide have
started evaluating the risks of
geomagnetically induced currents
so that contingency plans can be put in place
to deal with any power outages.

 Officials watched in disbelief as three disc drives
 
 failed in succession on what is supposed to be
 a 'fault-tolerant' computer system.

 . most of Quebec sits on a large rock shield
that prevented current flowing through the earth,
for finding a less resistant path along the 735 kV power lines.
. Other utilities in North America, and elsewhere
implemented programs to reduce the risks associated with
geomagnetically induced currents.

links:
# geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) @solarstorms.org
# laser light and magnetic storm both em wave?

2012.1.1:
On-Line UPS Systems
eg, $273 IS250HG Isolation Transformer
-- Isolator Series UL60601-1 Listed Medical Grade Isolation Transformers
$178.99 at newegg.com
This is the highest level of battery backup protection available.
Power is first broken down and then
perfectly reconstructed by the inverter,
which is "on-line" 100% of the time.
There is absolutely no transfer switching time.
This process completely eliminates
incoming surge and line noise,
adjusts high or low voltages,
and produces perfect sine wave power.

IS250HG Medical Grade Isolation Transformer
Key Features
. offers line isolation, continuous noise filtering
and enhanced common mode surge suppression.
Internal low-impedance isolation transformer
with Faraday shield offers 100% isolation from the input AC line
Full UL60601-1 medical-grade listing with hospital-grade plug
and outlet receptacles;
Reduces the cumulative leakage current
of the Isolator and connected equipment
to levels less than 100 microamps
Secondary neutral-to-ground bonding
eliminates common mode noise,
providing an isolated ground reference
for sensitive equipment
Serves as an inexpensive alternative to dedicated circuits
and site electrical upgrades
Removes EMI/RFI noise, utility switching transients,
load-generated harmonics and ground loops
Additional surge suppression components
placed at the line input and output
combined with full line isolation
provide continuous filtering of a full range of
power line noise in all modes
Active transformer filtering offers
continuous common-mode noise rejection
with no wearable parts; unique ability to reduce surges
in the worst of power environments to harmless levels
Reduces 6000V IEEE587 Cat A&B ring wave
and combination wave test surges to only 0.5V common mode
Includes 2 widely spaced NEMA 5-15R
hospital-grade output receptacles,
a 6-ft. power cord, hospital-grade input plug,
circuit breaker overload protection and lighted power switch.

saved by backup with many snapshots

9.21: mis.cyb/fat32 sd card/corrupted:
(9.30: summary:
. only just months ago I started the policy of having
multiple backup snapshots instead of overwriting;
that turned out to be a life-saver, because,
to do overwrites safely,
you have to check every folder and file
to make sure none of them are corrupted .
)
. I tried saving html code to my sd card,
and it failed from both ko'edit and kompozer;
I thought it was a copy-protection trick ...
in fact, it's showing
everything in that folder is deleted!
log/psy now has zero items .

verifying corruption:
volume “SD2GB” ** /dev/disk2s1
** Phase 1 - Preparing FAT
** Phase 2 - Checking Directories
/PIM/2011/09 sep/0(cyb) has no clusters
/PIM/2011/09 sep/psy has no clusters
Marked 44 clusters as free
Free space in FSInfo block (141148) not correct (141192)
3306 files, 564768 KiB free (141192 clusters)

recovery by snapshot-backups:
oh, bak's are showing
those 2 folders have been empty for a while .
try a binary search:14, 17, 18 : ok?
18 14:17 is the last good;
cyb 15 9:37 (files: 15 18:48)
psy 15 18:42 (files 15 18:44)
the next is 19 18:58 -- both {psy, cyb} are missing .
cyb 19 17:50
psy 19 10:54 .

finding the cause:
. what was I doing when these changes got made?:
cyb 19 17:50
psy 19 10:54
. at 9.19.10:54 I was approaching mac,
but didn't do anything deliberate until 2 min later:

"( ... 10:56, gmail:0, log, ).

. maybe I jiggled the sd card, and lost the connection,
so it was like pulling it out without
giving the OS the warning it needed
to flush the caches and close the fs .
. at 9.19.17:50
I was about to break for some dictionary work;
1750 may have been at the time I started,
since I didn't give start-stop times for a 5-min job,
tho' it might have taken 10min

"( 17:50: this is the modify date of cyb.folder
getting corrupted . [9.21: found]
18:00?: used dictionary, )

. I remember being concerned that I was on a page
that did have ad's on it, but from the various browser logs,
{mac.safari, xu#main.vm, xu#wild.vm }
there was nothing around the time 19.18:00;
did I get ad's from mac.dictionary?
there were no ad's as I cycled through dict's history
but I think I was getting wikipedia from dictionary,
and then a link opened into safari .
. anyway,
pos.cyb/fs/sd card should be backup not primary:
. I'm working mostly from a vm,
so I keep my primary in a vmware shared folder,
and then backups happen with mac.timemachine .

dead hard drive revived

9.17: mis.cyb/usb.enclosure/dead drive needs deconnect:
. the backup drive is sputtering instead of on?
this is interesting because the reason I had stopped it,
was that the lightening was so fierce,
I was afraid to have my backup drive connected;
but here's another case where
being turned off is the end! ...
I think it had circuitry zapped that starts trouble,
but that trouble wouldn't show up until
unit was turned off
(I was using a UPS but didn't test it myself).
. anyway,
maybe the enclosure is zapped;
so, try a new drive: the enclosure is fine?
maybe it was the connections;
so, try the old drive again:
ok! my backup drive is humming .

Pixel Qi sensible displays

9.16: news.cyb/Pixel Qi sensible displays:
. when considering mobile devices,
remember first the display energy: Pixel Qi!
. it can be set to operate under transflective mode
(thus it needs lower backlight than normal LCDs)
and reflective mode (requires only ambient light)
--for eye-comfort, power-saving,
and visibility under bright ambient light.

Fusion sharing external Linux drive #Mac #Vmware

9.22: cyb/mac/formats sharable with linux
9.30: intro:
. I have 2 machines: mac and linux,
and I want an external drive they can both use:
however last time I checked,
fusion couldn't allow a linux vm to
directly access a mac's external drive .
. if that is true, then I need some
mac drivers that access linux`ext{2,3,4} .
9.22: summary:
. it looks like the openware community
isn't really interested in ntfs support;
fat32 is sufficient if you minimize exposure:
having it mounted only for loading bak's,
and using that card only for a bak .
. I should use version control systems
to notice when corruptions have happened .

politics of bike lanes

2.21: news.pol/bike lanes/zombie issue:
. this paper: why bike lanes and paths aren't the answer,
is hoping to demand equal rights for hpv's
. we need to plan cities around hpv's;
(human-powered vehicles);
this is sad .
hpv's should be electric-assisted
and enclosed (velomobile)
so that the physically disabled
can use the same vehicles .
. safe, weatherproof, eco-friendly,
economical and healthy:
universally usable transportation .
the automotive x-prize winner has a good start;
that car is light eno for pedaling to be meaningful .
. it should also perfect suspension systems
so that we can forever be rid of flat tires .
why bike lanes and paths aren't the answer:
League of American Bicyclists:
. bike paths along roadways:
# economics:
It is difficult, if not impossible in most locations,
to design a safe [side path]-style
separated bicycle facility .
# accidents occur at intersections:
every driveway or side road is an intersection;
and side paths enormously complicate those intersections
in ways that impact safety...
ADULT BICYCLISTS in usa 1996
- CHARACTERISTICS AND RIDING EXPERIENCE
Facility Relative Danger Index
-- likelihood of experiencing a crash
On-street bike lanes (BL) 0.41
Signed bike route only (BR) 0.51
Major streets w/o bike facilities 0.66
Minor streets w/o bike facilities 0.94
Multiuse trail 1.39
Off-road/unpaved 4.49
Other (most often ‘sidewalk’) 16.34
what to tell your gov:
# eliminate on-street parking:
thereby freeing up two lanes of road width
making it easier for cars to share lanes with bikes
# more radials aka roundabouts .

#care microwave power on with a bump sets fire

2.20: mis.gear/microwave/power on with a bump sets fire

. the microwave is suddenly on fire?
I didn't even touch it!
what's burning inside it?
it must be something that includes
both metal and fuel .
first unplug, then it keeps burning?
keep the door closed
and it will smother or at least keep smoke in .
. mov it out in the garage .
...
in fact, I had touced it:
how does it turn on?
simply elbowing the duration knob
to non-zero
-- I had bumped it without noticing .
I had stored a toxic unfermented
soy soup mix in there,
waiting to offer it to the next microwave user;
and, that packaging was freshness sealed
with both burnable plastic
and microwave-bombing aluminum foil !
worst case:
. I could have bumped that while deaf
as when wearing loud earbuds,
then gone to bed,
to get smoked during sleep .
keep it unplugged,
and leave the burning plastic
in garage as reminder .

#green #ethanol coffee vending with less wait

2.19: gear/coffee vending drive thru':
. is there a portable coffee machine?
for something that's so easy
to micro-localize
why are people spending gas in
long drive thru's
-- as the way to start every day,
all of them at the same time ?
. perhaps some use coffee only for the job,
or see that minimizing ownership
has the same advantages as leasing cars
or going to cloud computing .

. some drive-thru's feature fresh roast?
that would not be so easy to match .
do these drive-thru's use gas heat?
that would be much cheaper than
the user's electric appliance .

. less gasoline use would reduce cancer rates;
so, perhaps the best idea is proaction
not unlike the carbon tax [3.7: except that
oil users pay more than ethanol
(that information would be on your card).]
. we could give free loans to drive-thru's
for expanding the number of concurrent lanes;
people who have a debit card
get a cheaper rate than if they have need
more time for getting the correct change .
[3.7: (plus they can save
getting verified as ethanol users)]
token based:
. most of the transaction time is spent on
ordering and paying;
so, instead of expensively duplicating
the pickup station,
there are many automated vending stations
that give you a token with an order#,
then you give the pickup station .
. many vendors could share the same
token service;
it works like app's sharing a computer;
each vendor has their own icon on main menu;
that is leading to their own menu .
. searches could also find items;
instead of "(what do you have),
there's "(what is there like ...)? .