In Defense Of My Junk Box: Married to An Engineer

Just about every electrical or mechanical engineer I know has some kind of junk box—a treasure trove of parts accumulated over the years, all saved with the hope they might come in handy someday. My own junk box started at a very early age. Too young to work a...

Justifying My AI Hobby By Finding Blaze A Forever Home

From my early teenage years, technology has always played a significant part in my life. Though I was late to the party, I joined the technology revolution as the world transitioned from vacuum tubes to transistors in 1963. By 1975, I found myself in the midst of the...

Maximizing Profit: Reliable Designs Or Frequent Repairs?

When I retired, my wife strongly suggested I put some of that newfound free time into cleaning rather than gaining another level in my current game. My trusty old vacuum cleaner, however, decided it wasn’t up to the increased workload and promptly broke a belt. Of...

From the Doghouse

A look at dogs having fun

Poser Gallery

My gallery of pictures I’ve created in Poser

Nature by Carol

A look at the less technical side of life

Symbols Of Power, The Exclamation Point

Symbols Of Power, The Exclamation Point

They say symbols have power. My first response as an engineer is to deny that. Symbols don’t have any power, the power of a symbol is based only on our perception of the symbol. You could say symbols represent power. If we’ve never seen the symbol or don’t recognize...

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Requirements, A Tale With Two Socks

Requirements, A Tale With Two Socks

Chance was and still is a very energetic Australian shepherd that spent last spring with us as a foster. His major vice, in my opinion, was that he loved to chew on my socks.  Worse he managed to convince another dog, Cajun, that this was entertainment. By the time...

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Technical Arrogance, No One Is Immune

Technical Arrogance, No One Is Immune

If there's one thing the engineering world is full of, it's arrogance. Don’t get me wrong, I suffer from the same affliction. I think it comes with being an engineer. After you’ve done the simulations and all the testing, it’s not a surprise that your design works....

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Passwords, We Have Way Too Many

Passwords, We Have Way Too Many

Passwords, it seems like everyplace you go on the Internet someone is asking for your password. It’s not bad enough that everybody and their brother wants you to set up an account with another password, they all have different rules for your password. Must be at least...

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The Great Courses, I Almost Missed Them

The Great Courses, I Almost Missed Them

I have a long list of topics for blogs sitting in my Dropbox folder. I even have a few unfinished posts that would only take a short time to finish. The problem is that nothing appeals to me as a subject and I try to do at least one new post a week. Being completely...

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Random Posts

  • Why All the Hate For PO Boxes?Why All the Hate For PO Boxes?
    Before you read too far, let me confess to you that I was in a very irritated frame of mind when I wrote this. After waiting two weeks for a word on the Nexus 7 I ordered from Google Wallet, I was notified yesterday that they cancelled my order because the address I gave them […]
  • Do Dogs Have Psychic Powers?Do Dogs Have Psychic Powers?
    I’d like you to consider the possibility that dogs have managed to develop a psychic bond with us. I know the animal psychologists say that dogs are extremely perceptive and watch us for small clues. That’s why our dogs turn into a pack of whirling dervishes when my wife gets her car keys. They know […]
  • The Royal Cobbler, A Fairy Tale For Small BusinessThe Royal Cobbler, A Fairy Tale For Small Business
    A long time ago there was a cobbler of great renown. He made a comfortable living selling very nice shoes to rich people. As luck would have it, word of his skills reached the king. The king being a very noble and wise king ( they always are, aren’t they) decided to see the cobbler’s […]

Random Posts

  • Why Can’t I get The Internet Speed I’m Paying For?Why Can’t I get The Internet Speed I’m Paying For?
    This year my electric company made me a deal I couldn’t refuse, 1000 Mbps Internet. Only two years ago, I was still living with two very questionable ADSL lines from AT&T. On a good day I might get 1.2 Mbps. Last year T-Mobile Home offered service in my area and I felt like I had […]
  • BeginningBeginning
    As my age increases  I’m starting to think that I’m wasting a huge opportunity to be a voice in this world. On the other hand, maybe it’s just that the current selection of video games is boring and I’ve always wanted to be part of the Internet. I like challenges, I enjoy accomplishing difficult accomplishments […]
  • Imagination, It Allows Us To See The ImpossibleImagination, It Allows Us To See The Impossible
    I did this post after creating a scene in Poser showing my wife’s fondness for old cemeteries. I’ve never understood her fascination with them but her imagination allows her to reflect on these people’s lives and their contributions to society. My imagination only covers us leaving the cemetery. Before I had a good grasp on […]

Random Posts

  • My Approach To Identifying And Eliminating Email SpamMy Approach To Identifying And Eliminating Email Spam
    I don’t know about you but I’ve completely stopped answering my phone. If you want to talk to me, leave a message. I’m guessing you already know why I made that decision; 99.9 percent of the calls are someone trying to sell me something or to scam me. In case you wonder, I’m including the […]
  • The Solar Powered Chicken Coop Fan Project RevisitedThe Solar Powered Chicken Coop Fan Project Revisited
    Between Google, Pinterest and the renewed interest in keeping chickens, my solar powered chicken coop fan project has become a very popular post. Although low maintenance, I was replacing the battery every year. The Texas heat and the way I hooked it up both conspired to shorten the life of the battery. This year I […]
  • An Insidious Plot Against MenAn Insidious Plot Against Men
    I’ve recently become convinced that my wife has embarked on a deliberate campaign to fatten me up. I don’t know why, I certainly don’t need additional help but I can find no other explanation for her actions. Consider this. It’s the weekend, I’ve spent a grueling day exercising the dogs, writing this blog and printing […]

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From the Doghouse -It’s all about them

A look at dogs having fun!

Short Stories

With posts like these, ever wonder what kind of fiction I would write?

Random Posts

  • The Rise and Fall of a Power ZombieThe Rise and Fall of a Power Zombie
    We’ve all been told about the coming zombie apocalypse. We’ve seen the movies of the zombie hordes but the reality is here, now and it’s far uglier. Forget the mindless searching for brains and more brains. That particular species of zombies accidentally migrated to Washington D.C. and died of starvation. …
  • TNSTAAFL, Windows 10TNSTAAFL, Windows 10
    TNSTAAFL, There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Microsoft’s continuing antics to coerce me, by hook, crook or outright trickery, into accepting their free upgrade to Windows 10 brought this phrase to mind. Microsoft is hardly a nonprofit organization and I doubt that are trying to apologize to all …
  • In Praise of Two Moms, Mother’s DayIn Praise of Two Moms, Mother’s Day
    Mother’s day, that one day of the year that you devote the day to telling your mother thank you for everything she’s done. Of course, if you’re like my Mother and me, a full day is stretching it. Neither one of us has that much free time. When I started …
  • Do Dogs Have Psychic Powers?Do Dogs Have Psychic Powers?
    I’d like you to consider the possibility that dogs have managed to develop a psychic bond with us. I know the animal psychologists say that dogs are extremely perceptive and watch us for small clues. That’s why our dogs turn into a pack of whirling dervishes when my wife gets …
  • Suppose You Built A Blog And No One CameSuppose You Built A Blog And No One Came
    Imagine your disappointment, if after building an entertainment park, your only visitors were robots for Google Street View (no references to EuroDisney please). When I started this blog, I never imagined how hard it was to get readers to my website. I should have known, after all, I don’t spend …
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