Waste
Month: April 2017
Clinical Canadian
On a recent trip to Pittsburgh, we were channel surfing in our hotel. A soccer game came on. Honestly, soccer is the most boring game. Except for maybe golf. How many sports enthusiasts can I offend? I’m just getting started baby. So, obviously, there were two teams playing. Couldn’t tell you who, but one WAS a Canadian team. The announcer (yeller?) was talking about a particular player and something they had just done. Probably running.. or standing, there was a lot of that happening, we are talking about soccer here. The announcer said the player was a “Clinical Canadian”. Bam.
Clinical Canadian does Barenaked Ladies coves exclusively. Because why not.
Side note. Why does WordPress think yeller is misspelled? I actually had to look it up to be sure.
Watching
Duke Trophies
Quecksito
So my son comes to me and tells me about a book he wants to read. He’s seem references to it in a couple places and has heard how good it is. I’m always up for finding him a good book that he will read. He likes to read but is very picky. So I’m all “great!! What’s the book?” “Don Quecksito” I laughed so hard I cried. Yeah, not great parenting. But he is good at laughing along. So grateful he is a kid who can laugh at himself. I wouldn’t make it through this if his feelings got hurt at that stuff.
Quecksito. I misspell it every time. I’m open for suggestions as to what they would play. I think Quecksito is a confused bunch of kids playing in a garage who haven’t found their jam yet.
Game Jam – 2017 Trophies
Another year and another game jam has come and gone. What a great event. You can read all about it on the NOVA Text Adventure Game Jam Blog. This year we went with a more complicated set of trophies for the event.
I was planning on just using the same models from last year. They were a simple tongue-in-groove design that did the job very well. I like the way plexiglass looks when it’s all nice and shiny. Not one to rest on my laurels, however, I asked allowed while driving the road, “I wonder if there is a Duke model on thingiverse?” Not more than two minutes later my son reported, “yep.” He’d found on on his phone and so a new direction was put in motion.
Last year we joined NOVA Labs Build Group IX. So we’ve been printing things left and right. Well, that’s not true. We did that over the summer exploring all of the crazy things that could be done with the printer. This past Fall, the printer has been pretty much-running full-tilt on parts for the LHMS Robotics team. So we have never had the opportunity to “finish” a 3d print.
3d prints needs to be “finished” if you want them to look nice. Once a 3d print comes out of the machine, you can see how it prints as layers are stacked on top of one another. If you remember those old 3d puzzles they used to sell, there was a Darth Vader one where you stacked different size cardboard rings on top of one another. That’s what a 3d print looks like. In addition to the layering, bits of string and goop can sometimes mar a print as well. So, if you want to show off something, you want to “finish” it.
There are all sorts of crazy strategies to finish a print. A favorite of mine is acetone vapor – let’s create a cloud of toxic gas to melt our 3d print! As you may guess, that’s not the route we’re going – for not just the obvious reason. We’ve found that printing with PCI works best for us, and the acetone vapor is best used with ABS. Different materials have different strengths and weaknesses, and also require different ways to work with them.
The strategy we used this year is the standard strategy of elbow grease with sanding. Years of experiencing putting together Gundam models and hot rods lends itself to following that route. So the local craft store is where we found all the tools we needed:
- Sandsponges
- Primer
Washi Tape Candles
We got these candle holders ages ago. They were a gift, not even sure who gave them to us. Probably MIL. We’ve never had them out before because we just didn’t have a good table for them. But I kept them cause they are awesome. We now have an actual dining room with a long table in it. I stumbled across this in a still-packed box in the basement and pulled them out triumphantly. Another partially unpacked box in the basement! Yes!
I love Washi Tape. It is (they are?) awesome. I found this set at IKEA with their Christmas wrap. Which is always great and sells out too fast. I knew the red would look better. I’m sure I’ll find a use for the white one somewhere else!
I realize this isn’t much of a craft. All I did was put tape on my candle holders. But it came out pretty well so I figured I would share. This may be something that happens with other holidays as well! I’m looking at you Valentine’s Day!
Aren’t the trees awesome too! My husband should really not let me in IKEA anymore.
Fuzzy Head
Take out the Everything
Due to reasons beyond our control, we had to switch garbage companies. Now, before moving to Northern Virginia, I had never lived anywhere where garbage collections weren’t run by the city or something. The fee for city service was just taken out of taxes or whatever. I don’t know (care) how these things work. But here in Northern Virginia, there are like four companies to choose from, and we have to pay for it out of our hard earned money. Except now there are only 3 companies. The closing one gave us, as customers, to a rival. So now we have a new garbage company. This new one didn’t bother to tell us when our collection days are.
Now for regular garbage, that is not a problem; the new company uses the same two days as the one that closed. Jealous of two days? That’s right, we have garbage come twice a week! Fancy. But recycling is on a new day – an entirely different day and we had no idea. So we put the recycling out on our old day, and it sat there. For two days. So it gets dragged back in. Unfortunately, it got dragged in the night before our actual pick up day. Woe is me. So this week we have TWO weeks worth of recycling to take out. And it’s a lot because reasons. So after dinner Jason was flustered looking at all the stuff. “Put your shoes on and help me.. um take out, take out the, take out the everything!” Sometimes I could kiss that man.
Ok, all the times 🙂
Take out the Everything is a DJ doing some awesome EDM covers. I know, redundant.
Game Jam Trophies – 2016 Trophies
Last year we helped the LHMS Robotics Team put on their 1st Annual Text Adventure Game Jam. The students in attendance learned a lot about Java programming and what goes into making a video game. The competition follows FIRST’s format for the Lego League competitions. The winners received trophy’s I created. We’re doing this same thing this year, but mixing it up a little bit.
lomin.org 