Just when you thought we were done with Clematis...
So, chop the vines and dig up the roots, what's stuck up in trees poses no threat, right?
Wrong.
Happened to glance upwards Saturday, whilst working on Apple harvesting, and saw...
Clumps of fluffy seedpods at the ends of dead Clematis vines, way up in the tops of that there tree they'd done climbed up upon, golly gee, just waiting a little longer 'til they was the perfection of ready to go and then they was a gonna drop on by and lite a spell.
Don't ask me where that bit of dialect came from, same place as all the rest, the depths of my so-called-mind.
But there were a lot of seedpods up there, fluffy, not quite ready to take off, but still and all sneering at me something awful. I don't take well to being sneered at.
Side note: Some plants take a die-back approach, Clematis appear to take a die-forward approach. Vascular structure forces whatever resources are in the vine forward to the ends, maintaining the life of any developing seeds for as long as is possible. If they have bloomed, you can't just cut the vine, you have to pull it out and dispose of the blooms so they don't scatter seeds all over the place a bit later. Almost an argument for Rational Design, especially since they have no redeeming traits; they strangle other plants, they are poison to anything which tries to eat them, extremely hardy and persistent little beggars.
Anyway, there they were, 15' up in the air, sneering at me.
So I cut down the tree.
It didn't quite start out that way, but I didn't like that tree, it too had no redeeming value, and it had grown untended such that it endangered the telephone and power lines going into the neighbor's house. We hadn't planted it, it 'volunteered' all on it's lonesome, just like that danged tree out by the big gates, the one I mostly took down earlier.
They don't call me 'Clear-Cut' for nothing.
When cutting things which bend and flex, you need a sturdy, stiff, blade, unlike what I used. You didn't think the previous post on saws came out of a vacuum, did you? Nope, wrote it after this adventure, when the problems with improper tools were most fresh in my mind.
Also helps if you can control the direction the tree falls. By cutting of various limbs one at a time, and then the four main trunks, I was able to avoid damaging the wires which were entangled by this tree-structured tree.
The one which is going to be a pain is the Walnut in the South East corner, it leans into the neighbor's yard and partially overhangs her roof. I'll have to use a ladder and de-limb it carefully, and then top it, prior to taking it down. It's about 8" diameter at the base of the trunk, its been growing a number of years, and it's now dropping walnuts of its own. Nasty things, walnuts, although I admit their skins make an excellent die, especially suited to staining the hands of kids sent out to pick walnuts for their grandmother, most irksome when I don't like, and never have liked, walnuts. It's a good stain, doesn't wash off rapidly, wears off instead.
Anyway, my arms ache from the sawing I did this morning, as I processed some of the wood I cut down; takes up a lot less space if you lop off the limbs, branches, twigs from the main trunks, and then you can separate them as to whether to keep them to dry and season for possible use, or to yard debris them.
At this point we are looking into a dumpster, and goody for us, they charge by weight; ours is low-mass high-volume, so it won't cast anything like when we were getting rid of sheetrock.
As I was mentioning, before I kept on writing, my arms ache, so its time to
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2008-09-08
2008-09-07
Saws
So, you want to cut something, do ya?
Saws. First, there are two basic design philosophies; do you cut on the push, or on the pull? I won't get into the background which led to the adaptation of push or pull in re culture, but it does matter if you normally work standing or sitting; muscle groups are involved.
Push saws, predominantly used in European-derived societies, cut as you push them away from you. This requires that they be fairly rigid, that they not flex very much, and generally this is done by using thicker metal, although if the saw is cutting a thin enough object a stiffener along the back can do the job; those with such a stiffener are generally referred to as backsaws.
Pull saws, brought to Western awareness via Japan, cut on the pull. As you pull them toward yourself this creates tension on the blade, allowing it to be thinner than a push saw. If there is danger of the blade binding, a technical term for getting caught by the material being sawn, a thicker blade is needful so it doesn't bend all over instead of pushing back out of the cut.
Pull saws can, if used properly, allow for much finer control of the cut.
A third type of saw is used when lumbering, as in going out and cutting down trees, not wandering around like a drunken bear. You may have seen old photographs of trees being cut down with two-handled saws, one person at each end of the blade. The teeth on these saws are actually designed so that half cut on the pull, half on the push, alternating as they go down the blade, so every motion results in a cut, with the sawyers controlling the cut when they pull, and providing more motive power on their push. Smaller, one-person versions of these are used for pruning limbs off trees, there are a couple of different designs which I'm not going to try to describe without visual aids.
I personally prefer using a pull-saw over a push-saw, my manual dexterity isn't the greatest so anything which enables me to do more delicate work is to my benefit. I have found, while pruning trees, that I need to get some thicker bladed pull saws, as binding is a problem when pruning. Then again, that's because the pull-saws I'm using are designed for finishing work, not for lumbering, so no wonder they aren't the best for the job, they aren't designed for this job.
Just need to decide if I'd use the proper tools enough to justify purchasing them.
I'll probably add photos to this down the line, so things make more sense.
Post this Puppy!
Saws. First, there are two basic design philosophies; do you cut on the push, or on the pull? I won't get into the background which led to the adaptation of push or pull in re culture, but it does matter if you normally work standing or sitting; muscle groups are involved.
Push saws, predominantly used in European-derived societies, cut as you push them away from you. This requires that they be fairly rigid, that they not flex very much, and generally this is done by using thicker metal, although if the saw is cutting a thin enough object a stiffener along the back can do the job; those with such a stiffener are generally referred to as backsaws.
Pull saws, brought to Western awareness via Japan, cut on the pull. As you pull them toward yourself this creates tension on the blade, allowing it to be thinner than a push saw. If there is danger of the blade binding, a technical term for getting caught by the material being sawn, a thicker blade is needful so it doesn't bend all over instead of pushing back out of the cut.
Pull saws can, if used properly, allow for much finer control of the cut.
A third type of saw is used when lumbering, as in going out and cutting down trees, not wandering around like a drunken bear. You may have seen old photographs of trees being cut down with two-handled saws, one person at each end of the blade. The teeth on these saws are actually designed so that half cut on the pull, half on the push, alternating as they go down the blade, so every motion results in a cut, with the sawyers controlling the cut when they pull, and providing more motive power on their push. Smaller, one-person versions of these are used for pruning limbs off trees, there are a couple of different designs which I'm not going to try to describe without visual aids.
I personally prefer using a pull-saw over a push-saw, my manual dexterity isn't the greatest so anything which enables me to do more delicate work is to my benefit. I have found, while pruning trees, that I need to get some thicker bladed pull saws, as binding is a problem when pruning. Then again, that's because the pull-saws I'm using are designed for finishing work, not for lumbering, so no wonder they aren't the best for the job, they aren't designed for this job.
Just need to decide if I'd use the proper tools enough to justify purchasing them.
I'll probably add photos to this down the line, so things make more sense.
Post this Puppy!
2008-09-04
Pain: The Aftermath of over-exertion
Ow. As in, my hands, legs, and arms, and to a certain extent my back and shoulders, hurt. Earlier today muscles cramped up on both legs at the same time. My hands keep twitching, which plays hob with letting them rest on the trackball, 'cause I keep getting mouse clicks I didn't need.
Spent three hours yesterday in The Yard. Some of it on Apple Pruning; if it is of a height and mobility to attack me, it gets pruned; Mom, being some shorter than I, thinks this is fine, as it makes it that much safer for her. Some of it on hands and knees, pulling up Blackberries, Clematis, Ivy, and this invasive grass which makes a veritable inches thick mat of roots which practically rolls back on its own with our soil and some rain, and tends to bring the Clematis and Ivy with it. Was actually enjoying that, makes it so much easier, just roll up, lift, and toss aside; 'course, I'll now need to clean up the pile formed by tossing, but did a nice job clearing along the fence. Another like session and I'll have the first sweep done for the whole yard.
Some boards are down from the fence near the rear, need to measure so I'll get the right size for replacing them. Up front, near the double-wide gate, a section of fence is sadly listing and needs to be replaced; part of the reason its leaning so much is that we haven't done the job we should have cleaning up after some of our projects, and left stuff, heavy stuff, leaning against it for, oh, say five-six years and that hasn't been good for it.
Pulling up the grass, along with the Clematis/Ivy/Blackberries, informs me that I do need to think on what we want to plant for ground cover that'll be nice without turning out to be the next problem plant in a couple of years, something able to hold its own without taking over, like there's anything like that running around!
Want a shelter, something pleasant to hang out in, provide shade and cover, integrated into its surroundings. Maybe with controllable [Ha!] creeping plants on it, the grape arbor type; need to find out about native plants for this purpose, not Clematis even thought the twisted vine is native. I'm into the idea of semi-woodland, prairie's edge type of thing, that's the feel I'm after. And how to integrate Mom's desire for truck garden into this, and the real need for paved paths to demarcate varied-purpose areas from each other while providing good footing for Mom. And toying with the shelter being such that with an extension cord I could drag a sewing machine out and sew, or put together a cobbler's horse and working on boots and such.
I want a place I'll enjoy using, all these years being lectured about 'being part of the family', 'family responsibilities', when I wasn't part of the decision-making process and didn't feel like 'the family' gave a rip about how I might like to utilize the space. Parents, in my mind, would be better to use 'Because I told you to' instead of cloaking their desires as some amorphous family thing, because the way mine did it sure didn't leave me wanting to be part of the family, all it did was take and never ask if I might have some insights to throw into the ring, you know, be part of the family, help plan, and actually have the sense that what I thought mattered to 'the family'. Like, 'the family' was another cloak for 'having their way', like saying 'we'll work on this now' when what they really meant was 'you and your sister will do this for us now, we've other things to do', Sis and I called it 'The Mommy "We"' as Mom somehow never was included in 'we' even though she was the one who said it. Royal We, but different; Royal We pulls everything toward one person, Mommy We excludes that one person. Don't jerk your kids around. Don't act like they're involved in decision making when you aren't going to consider anything they say that isn't what you already wanted to do. The upside is, when you do want their input, you'll get it. Just make sure that there are times you will accept their input, make them happen, allow your kids to feel like they really do count for something other than semi-free labor, bring them into the family, someday you'll be old and heaven help you if they want nothing to do with you know that they have options; my parents were lucky, we had enough in common all those years that I was willing to move back from Chicago after he had two strokes so that they had someone who could help them out, even if it did feel too much like not much had changed from when I was a kid. Despite their worst efforts, I do have a strong sense of family. Which makes it a real bummer that it sure looks like my sister and I are the end of this branch of the family. Sure, I'm only 47, going on 48 prior to year's end, grandma lived to 102, but I don't see myself getting married and having kids, not with how my disabilities tie in with ability to shift focus, to maintain closeness, I just don't see it happening.
And there are times I hope no one is reading this blog, don't ever want to feel like a drag on anyone, like I'm pulling them down.
But the stream of consciousness helps me work things out, and doing it in this manner makes it easier to maintain a copy where it may help me, and so I do.
Post this puppy.
Spent three hours yesterday in The Yard. Some of it on Apple Pruning; if it is of a height and mobility to attack me, it gets pruned; Mom, being some shorter than I, thinks this is fine, as it makes it that much safer for her. Some of it on hands and knees, pulling up Blackberries, Clematis, Ivy, and this invasive grass which makes a veritable inches thick mat of roots which practically rolls back on its own with our soil and some rain, and tends to bring the Clematis and Ivy with it. Was actually enjoying that, makes it so much easier, just roll up, lift, and toss aside; 'course, I'll now need to clean up the pile formed by tossing, but did a nice job clearing along the fence. Another like session and I'll have the first sweep done for the whole yard.
Some boards are down from the fence near the rear, need to measure so I'll get the right size for replacing them. Up front, near the double-wide gate, a section of fence is sadly listing and needs to be replaced; part of the reason its leaning so much is that we haven't done the job we should have cleaning up after some of our projects, and left stuff, heavy stuff, leaning against it for, oh, say five-six years and that hasn't been good for it.
Pulling up the grass, along with the Clematis/Ivy/Blackberries, informs me that I do need to think on what we want to plant for ground cover that'll be nice without turning out to be the next problem plant in a couple of years, something able to hold its own without taking over, like there's anything like that running around!
Want a shelter, something pleasant to hang out in, provide shade and cover, integrated into its surroundings. Maybe with controllable [Ha!] creeping plants on it, the grape arbor type; need to find out about native plants for this purpose, not Clematis even thought the twisted vine is native. I'm into the idea of semi-woodland, prairie's edge type of thing, that's the feel I'm after. And how to integrate Mom's desire for truck garden into this, and the real need for paved paths to demarcate varied-purpose areas from each other while providing good footing for Mom. And toying with the shelter being such that with an extension cord I could drag a sewing machine out and sew, or put together a cobbler's horse and working on boots and such.
I want a place I'll enjoy using, all these years being lectured about 'being part of the family', 'family responsibilities', when I wasn't part of the decision-making process and didn't feel like 'the family' gave a rip about how I might like to utilize the space. Parents, in my mind, would be better to use 'Because I told you to' instead of cloaking their desires as some amorphous family thing, because the way mine did it sure didn't leave me wanting to be part of the family, all it did was take and never ask if I might have some insights to throw into the ring, you know, be part of the family, help plan, and actually have the sense that what I thought mattered to 'the family'. Like, 'the family' was another cloak for 'having their way', like saying 'we'll work on this now' when what they really meant was 'you and your sister will do this for us now, we've other things to do', Sis and I called it 'The Mommy "We"' as Mom somehow never was included in 'we' even though she was the one who said it. Royal We, but different; Royal We pulls everything toward one person, Mommy We excludes that one person. Don't jerk your kids around. Don't act like they're involved in decision making when you aren't going to consider anything they say that isn't what you already wanted to do. The upside is, when you do want their input, you'll get it. Just make sure that there are times you will accept their input, make them happen, allow your kids to feel like they really do count for something other than semi-free labor, bring them into the family, someday you'll be old and heaven help you if they want nothing to do with you know that they have options; my parents were lucky, we had enough in common all those years that I was willing to move back from Chicago after he had two strokes so that they had someone who could help them out, even if it did feel too much like not much had changed from when I was a kid. Despite their worst efforts, I do have a strong sense of family. Which makes it a real bummer that it sure looks like my sister and I are the end of this branch of the family. Sure, I'm only 47, going on 48 prior to year's end, grandma lived to 102, but I don't see myself getting married and having kids, not with how my disabilities tie in with ability to shift focus, to maintain closeness, I just don't see it happening.
And there are times I hope no one is reading this blog, don't ever want to feel like a drag on anyone, like I'm pulling them down.
But the stream of consciousness helps me work things out, and doing it in this manner makes it easier to maintain a copy where it may help me, and so I do.
Post this puppy.
2008-09-03
Someone's tried to hack my system
I think I just realized what's been causing weird bleep with my system recently. Somehow, something has successfully bypassed my security software, fooled my various security scans, and been foiled merely because I haven't implemented the electronic interface features of Quicken in re online banking.
Someone with an account at Conduit.com, to be far too vaguely precise for my comfort.
When I do a save with Quicken, suddenly it has started saying the feature I'm trying to run isn't installed and to install it. I fell for that, I'd done some weird things myself recently and thought it needed to have registry entries corrected or some such. Only saved because, given the mess my home is, surprise! I could not find the disk to install the component needed. Which wasn't needed, after telling it no three times it would back up the data just fine. That, combined with suddenly, when I open Windows Explorer I was getting messages from ZoneAlarm Security Suite about blocking cookies; Windows Explorer only looks at stuff inside my computer, what's with cookies? Check, and its trying to contact Conduit.com... and finding myself at Conduit.com after failed URL searches started a bit ago after an auto-install of updating software from Comcast, prior to my munging up the .EXE file associations; since cleaning up that debacle hadn't found myself at conduit.com after failed URL searches... or did that change when I uninstalled the Comcast Toolbar as being non-compatible with FireFox 3? Can't install the Comcast toolbar any longer, something stops it from happening...
OK.
1) Someone Trojans me via an apparent Comcast auto-update, which protects itself from being over-written by rejecting any code which would affect that area of storage. Odds on its hiding somewhere in the code regarding Comcast. Oh, and its using javascript, looks like.
2) Its a smart little bugger, has been blocking WinXP from successfully installing security updates, I thought it was due to my messing things up earlier, I was wrong, its part of this attack. Funny thing, they deal with javascript vulnerabilities?
3) Its tried to send my eBay account info out, my security software has been preventing that, only now tied that into this.
4) I did have some bogus charges show up on one credit card account, thankfully the issuing bank, Bank of America, noticed something funny and contacted me, we closed that card down and hasn't been repeated with other accounts; that account, while not a debit card, was tied to my personal checking account...
5) Trying to get me to install additional functionality with Quicken; it wants me to let it talk to my bank, as me, now doesn't it? Sneaky little bastard!
Conclusion: It sure looks like its time for a new hard drive and a clean install, then put this hard drive on a non-networked machine and go over it with a fine tooth comb while seeing about salvaging data without transferring the Trojan horse. As a data drive, purging all the OS files is an option, actually, purging any executable file becomes an option.
6) Continue documenting what seems to be going on, and when enough data is pulled together to have a chance of figuring out when/where/how, passing the word on to the relevant folks, such as Comcast, as someone spoofed them well enough to get past me, ZoneAlarm, etc., to see how to stop it from getting other folks.
7) Lock down anything I can in re my system communicating with Conduit.com; sure, there may be legit stuff going on there, but nothing I've gone looking for, and that's where my sytem wants to spill its guts. If I've interpreted all of this correctly.
8) Continue my practise of not tying more things together online than I have to, that's all that stopped this one from getting me.
Glad I'm having all my password info stored on a USB key, under its own passwords, etc., that's probably all that has stopped some other things from happening.
Festive, that's all I've got to say, festive.
Time to go shopping, I guess.
Post this Puppy!
Someone with an account at Conduit.com, to be far too vaguely precise for my comfort.
When I do a save with Quicken, suddenly it has started saying the feature I'm trying to run isn't installed and to install it. I fell for that, I'd done some weird things myself recently and thought it needed to have registry entries corrected or some such. Only saved because, given the mess my home is, surprise! I could not find the disk to install the component needed. Which wasn't needed, after telling it no three times it would back up the data just fine. That, combined with suddenly, when I open Windows Explorer I was getting messages from ZoneAlarm Security Suite about blocking cookies; Windows Explorer only looks at stuff inside my computer, what's with cookies? Check, and its trying to contact Conduit.com... and finding myself at Conduit.com after failed URL searches started a bit ago after an auto-install of updating software from Comcast, prior to my munging up the .EXE file associations; since cleaning up that debacle hadn't found myself at conduit.com after failed URL searches... or did that change when I uninstalled the Comcast Toolbar as being non-compatible with FireFox 3? Can't install the Comcast toolbar any longer, something stops it from happening...
OK.
1) Someone Trojans me via an apparent Comcast auto-update, which protects itself from being over-written by rejecting any code which would affect that area of storage. Odds on its hiding somewhere in the code regarding Comcast. Oh, and its using javascript, looks like.
2) Its a smart little bugger, has been blocking WinXP from successfully installing security updates, I thought it was due to my messing things up earlier, I was wrong, its part of this attack. Funny thing, they deal with javascript vulnerabilities?
3) Its tried to send my eBay account info out, my security software has been preventing that, only now tied that into this.
4) I did have some bogus charges show up on one credit card account, thankfully the issuing bank, Bank of America, noticed something funny and contacted me, we closed that card down and hasn't been repeated with other accounts; that account, while not a debit card, was tied to my personal checking account...
5) Trying to get me to install additional functionality with Quicken; it wants me to let it talk to my bank, as me, now doesn't it? Sneaky little bastard!
Conclusion: It sure looks like its time for a new hard drive and a clean install, then put this hard drive on a non-networked machine and go over it with a fine tooth comb while seeing about salvaging data without transferring the Trojan horse. As a data drive, purging all the OS files is an option, actually, purging any executable file becomes an option.
6) Continue documenting what seems to be going on, and when enough data is pulled together to have a chance of figuring out when/where/how, passing the word on to the relevant folks, such as Comcast, as someone spoofed them well enough to get past me, ZoneAlarm, etc., to see how to stop it from getting other folks.
7) Lock down anything I can in re my system communicating with Conduit.com; sure, there may be legit stuff going on there, but nothing I've gone looking for, and that's where my sytem wants to spill its guts. If I've interpreted all of this correctly.
8) Continue my practise of not tying more things together online than I have to, that's all that stopped this one from getting me.
Glad I'm having all my password info stored on a USB key, under its own passwords, etc., that's probably all that has stopped some other things from happening.
Festive, that's all I've got to say, festive.
Time to go shopping, I guess.
Post this Puppy!
2008-09-02
Protection from Branch wielding Apple Trees...
Wielding branches, valiantly the Apple Trees fought, the pruner to dismay.
And dismay they did, on Saturday, when they did a good job of poking my right eye, as mentioned previously. What hasn't been mentioned are the steps taken to prevent this vile situation from recurring.
No, I didn't chop down the Apple Trees, must have me confused with that Washington Boy, George, think he needed the hard wood for some new dentures...
No, I drug out some shop safety equipment, gotten when I got tired of full face shields fogging up on me.
Funky Looking, eh? Purchased 
lo these many years agone, for the Princely Sum of $32.45, or at least that's their current price, I don't have the problem of my face protection fogging up on me, which is nice. Nice semi-rigid wire mesh, with a clear plastic insert for better vision, although they don't state what type of plastic. The plastic bends, so far it's sprung back. And it covers the endangered area better than safety glasses, which generally don't actually provide much in the way of side-entry protection, and sneaking a side shot in is how they tried to get me. Hurt pretty good, too, still have some irritation 3 days later, nothing like at first, let me assure you of that!
I just have the problem of thinking I look like an Idiot, which when I think about it, is better than loosing an eye... by being an idiot!
Like I said, didn't raze them to the ground in retaliation, although they have very few low branches now, and those aren't branches, they're Main Structural Supports, won't take out your eye, but do not raise your head rapidly from under them, did that the first day I started clearing stuff out. Which is why I now have a long, thin, scar in the top of my head. Anyone ever mention that I'm an accident looking for a place to happen? Come to think of it, my father mentioned that on occasion.
Anyway, that's three Apple Trees, planted around 30 years ago, sometime in the first few years after we moved here from Salem, back in '76, 1976, that is!
I did take some reparations. Observe the denuded branches, stripped of their leaves and limbs, lying stark and forlorn atop the ravaged twigs and leaves, mute testimony to the vengeance of 'Clear-Cut' Mead!
No tree dare stand afore me! No Vine, nor plant, dare rouse mine ire ere they feel my fel wrath, most strong in this mine own desmagnes, nay, no etranger am I, claimant am I, co-heir with my sister of this, our ancestral steading.
Um, erm, mayhap I've been reading too much High Fantasy these days, place we purchased when I was fifteen is hardly ancestral! But you get the idea, no mere plant is getting the better of me.
Looking at these photos, you'd never think I lived a mere 15-20 minutes from city center by bus. But I do, on a good day. On a bad day, I've walked from downtown, a 45-50 minute walk at a 4 mile/hour pace, and beaten the bus home! Truth, I have. And this, a city with seven+ bridges crossing the river in the downtown area alone! 'course, hasn't been a new bridge in 30+ years, and as I recollect it the adjacent bridge was undergoing repairs, it was a Friday afternoon rush hour thing, plus an accident closing several lanes of traffic on the bridge, but that wasn't the case the other couple of times. At least this bridge doesn't open up for ships to go through, like most of the rest of them do, so foot traffic got through OK.
Anyway, I'm going long, time to
Post this Puppy!
Funky Looking, eh? Purchased lo these many years agone, for the Princely Sum of $32.45, or at least that's their current price, I don't have the problem of my face protection fogging up on me, which is nice. Nice semi-rigid wire mesh, with a clear plastic insert for better vision, although they don't state what type of plastic. The plastic bends, so far it's sprung back. And it covers the endangered area better than safety glasses, which generally don't actually provide much in the way of side-entry protection, and sneaking a side shot in is how they tried to get me. Hurt pretty good, too, still have some irritation 3 days later, nothing like at first, let me assure you of that!
I just have the problem of thinking I look like an Idiot, which when I think about it, is better than loosing an eye... by being an idiot!
Like I said, didn't raze them to the ground in retaliation, although they have very few low branches now, and those aren't branches, they're Main Structural Supports, won't take out your eye, but do not raise your head rapidly from under them, did that the first day I started clearing stuff out. Which is why I now have a long, thin, scar in the top of my head. Anyone ever mention that I'm an accident looking for a place to happen? Come to think of it, my father mentioned that on occasion.
Anyway, that's three Apple Trees, planted around 30 years ago, sometime in the first few years after we moved here from Salem, back in '76, 1976, that is!
I did take some reparations. Observe the denuded branches, stripped of their leaves and limbs, lying stark and forlorn atop the ravaged twigs and leaves, mute testimony to the vengeance of 'Clear-Cut' Mead!
No tree dare stand afore me! No Vine, nor plant, dare rouse mine ire ere they feel my fel wrath, most strong in this mine own desmagnes, nay, no etranger am I, claimant am I, co-heir with my sister of this, our ancestral steading.
Um, erm, mayhap I've been reading too much High Fantasy these days, place we purchased when I was fifteen is hardly ancestral! But you get the idea, no mere plant is getting the better of me.
Looking at these photos, you'd never think I lived a mere 15-20 minutes from city center by bus. But I do, on a good day. On a bad day, I've walked from downtown, a 45-50 minute walk at a 4 mile/hour pace, and beaten the bus home! Truth, I have. And this, a city with seven+ bridges crossing the river in the downtown area alone! 'course, hasn't been a new bridge in 30+ years, and as I recollect it the adjacent bridge was undergoing repairs, it was a Friday afternoon rush hour thing, plus an accident closing several lanes of traffic on the bridge, but that wasn't the case the other couple of times. At least this bridge doesn't open up for ships to go through, like most of the rest of them do, so foot traffic got through OK.
Anyway, I'm going long, time to
Post this Puppy!
The Remnant: An Eulogy for Clematis
Yea verily, and it came to pass that the Formerly Dread Clematii were smote full hard by their Nemesis, the Dread 'Clear-Cut' Mead, and they did flee unto former fastnesses, cowering in the shadows, in hopes of evading his e'er vigilant gaze.
Little did they know that, while a short respite they might acheive, their sure and utter doom was even then approaching...
Trowels, an item not previously discussed. Observe the four trowels laid out upon the compost bin lid; there is one thing they all have in common. They are bent where the handle meets the blade.
These are the Remnant of all the Trowels my parents bought over the years, and full many times their number have failed completely, blades snapped free of handles, fallen in the wayside and of no use to man nor garden, a wasted proof of Foolish Economy. For while each cost but little, but little was how long they did last, and the o'er all expense far exceeds that which I now make to obtain their replacement, their True Master, the Dread Hori Hori Knife,
ordered yester'eve from the Purveyor of Magnificent Tools themselves.
Yea, although I walk through the very Garden of Clematis, I shall fear no Evil, for the Hori Hori Knife shall be with me, and with its 12" stainless steel blade, serrated on one edge and razor sharp on the other, I shall seek out their root mass and unearth them, severing those so far beneath the earth that should they e'er reach daylight they should be but small and paltry compared to their Former Dreadness, and should soon fall, exhausted, into that Final Slumber as e'er and again they be Severed from their Presumed Jointures of Sun and Earth and Water, ne'er to Torment man again.
$28.50 plus Shipping $ Handling, A Princely Sum but far less than that paid by Mine Parents these many years past for Trowels which Trowel not.
And that'll do for now.
Post this Puppy!
Trowels, an item not previously discussed. Observe the four trowels laid out upon the compost bin lid; there is one thing they all have in common. They are bent where the handle meets the blade.
These are the Remnant of all the Trowels my parents bought over the years, and full many times their number have failed completely, blades snapped free of handles, fallen in the wayside and of no use to man nor garden, a wasted proof of Foolish Economy. For while each cost but little, but little was how long they did last, and the o'er all expense far exceeds that which I now make to obtain their replacement, their True Master, the Dread Hori Hori Knife,
ordered yester'eve from the Purveyor of Magnificent Tools themselves. Yea, although I walk through the very Garden of Clematis, I shall fear no Evil, for the Hori Hori Knife shall be with me, and with its 12" stainless steel blade, serrated on one edge and razor sharp on the other, I shall seek out their root mass and unearth them, severing those so far beneath the earth that should they e'er reach daylight they should be but small and paltry compared to their Former Dreadness, and should soon fall, exhausted, into that Final Slumber as e'er and again they be Severed from their Presumed Jointures of Sun and Earth and Water, ne'er to Torment man again.
$28.50 plus Shipping $ Handling, A Princely Sum but far less than that paid by Mine Parents these many years past for Trowels which Trowel not.
And that'll do for now.
Post this Puppy!
2008-09-01
A Modest Proposal concerning Integrated Computer Graphics
Integrated Computer Graphics [ICG], for the non-tech savvy, is when the Graphics Chip is built into the Computer MotherBoard [MoBo] instead of being on a separate add-on Graphics Card.
Traditionally, ICGs are inferior to Graphics Cards. Many arguments could be given, but they boil down to 1) Non-upgradeable 2) Shared, instead of distinct, Video Memory. Also, ICGs tend to be on MoBos that are sub-par in other ways as well, such as very small form factor, limiting the potential of the MoBo for anything other than ho-hum use, not the makings of a Graphics Workhorse.
Around now you should be thinking to yourself, "I hear a 'but' coming."
However, [close enough], this doesn't have to be the case.
I propose using the fullest, largest, push-the-form-factor-envelope-humongous ATX MoBo possible, and having an ICG which echoes the design of CPUs, to wit: 1) ZIF Socket, for upgradeability, 2) Flash ROM BIOS, 3) DIMM sockets for Graphics use distinct from System DIMMs.
In other words, treat the ICGs GPU [Graphics Processing Unit] as the crucial entity which it is, while allowing it, and its memory, to be customizable at the end-user level based upon their budget and desires.
For this to work several things would have to occur. 1) All the GPUs in a given series would have to use the same pin-out and be identifiable as to capabilities in like manner as today's CPUs. 2) Memory sockets utilizing industry standard memory modules be added, additional and distinct from CPU-accessible RAM, be designed onto the MoBo; you want 2 Gb of RAM, you can have it. 3) Brackets with user-configurable Graphics connectors that cable back to the ICG, allowing the user to configure the outputs to match the display-types available at a given installation. 4) either Multi-Core GPUs, or PCIe slots tied to the Graphics bus for additional GPUs, the idea being to provide a distinct GPU Core for each CPU core, making it possible for each CPU to have its own dedicated Graphics Processor and Display Unit.
Graphics have been treated as secondary for too long; that went out with the introduction of GUIs 20 years ago, at this time every application is more GPU/Memory intensive than the slickest gaming apps from ten years ago, with many of them exceeding those of five years ago.
In recent years various of the major GPU manufacturers have been purchased by CPU manufacturers, resulting in CPU/GPU configurations much more tightly integrated than before. To an extent this is good, but for competitive pricing to remain, and to prevent OS' abandonment of one CPU/GPU architecture in favor of another for easier programing, standards for CPU/GPU integration need to be established which will allow OS-generic graphic drivers basic operability without saddling the OS' with designing complex drivers for each GPU family.
Fascinating as this all is, it doesn't seem to be grabbing my attention; narcoleptic symptoms detected in blogger, must post and rest ere my eyes close and my head plop forward.
so.
Post this Puppy!
Traditionally, ICGs are inferior to Graphics Cards. Many arguments could be given, but they boil down to 1) Non-upgradeable 2) Shared, instead of distinct, Video Memory. Also, ICGs tend to be on MoBos that are sub-par in other ways as well, such as very small form factor, limiting the potential of the MoBo for anything other than ho-hum use, not the makings of a Graphics Workhorse.
Around now you should be thinking to yourself, "I hear a 'but' coming."
However, [close enough], this doesn't have to be the case.
I propose using the fullest, largest, push-the-form-factor-envelope-humongous ATX MoBo possible, and having an ICG which echoes the design of CPUs, to wit: 1) ZIF Socket, for upgradeability, 2) Flash ROM BIOS, 3) DIMM sockets for Graphics use distinct from System DIMMs.
In other words, treat the ICGs GPU [Graphics Processing Unit] as the crucial entity which it is, while allowing it, and its memory, to be customizable at the end-user level based upon their budget and desires.
For this to work several things would have to occur. 1) All the GPUs in a given series would have to use the same pin-out and be identifiable as to capabilities in like manner as today's CPUs. 2) Memory sockets utilizing industry standard memory modules be added, additional and distinct from CPU-accessible RAM, be designed onto the MoBo; you want 2 Gb of RAM, you can have it. 3) Brackets with user-configurable Graphics connectors that cable back to the ICG, allowing the user to configure the outputs to match the display-types available at a given installation. 4) either Multi-Core GPUs, or PCIe slots tied to the Graphics bus for additional GPUs, the idea being to provide a distinct GPU Core for each CPU core, making it possible for each CPU to have its own dedicated Graphics Processor and Display Unit.
Graphics have been treated as secondary for too long; that went out with the introduction of GUIs 20 years ago, at this time every application is more GPU/Memory intensive than the slickest gaming apps from ten years ago, with many of them exceeding those of five years ago.
In recent years various of the major GPU manufacturers have been purchased by CPU manufacturers, resulting in CPU/GPU configurations much more tightly integrated than before. To an extent this is good, but for competitive pricing to remain, and to prevent OS' abandonment of one CPU/GPU architecture in favor of another for easier programing, standards for CPU/GPU integration need to be established which will allow OS-generic graphic drivers basic operability without saddling the OS' with designing complex drivers for each GPU family.
Fascinating as this all is, it doesn't seem to be grabbing my attention; narcoleptic symptoms detected in blogger, must post and rest ere my eyes close and my head plop forward.
so.
Post this Puppy!
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