Give me some scrap parts from a plotter-printer, a ruby, a 40-watt LED, and some duct tape 
Yeah, the lab has two laser cutters and they require separate sign-ups but are otherwise free to use.
The class wasnāt amazing, but I canāt say it was bad. I expected the class to be something like:
- Introduction
- Lab safety & policies
- Do something on laser cutters
- Do something on 3d printers
- Maybe do something on other equipment/promotion for optional other classes.
- Wrap-up and review of lab procedures and pricing.
It was more like:
- Brief introduction
- CorelDraw basics (Iāve used CorelDraw in the past, many years ago, and the other student was new to itā¦ But I still felt like we spent a long time on this.)
- SolidWorks basics (New to meā¦ And a bit complex.)
- Demo of laser cutter.
- Into to 3d printers.
- Very rushed āhow to labā stuff.
Not badā¦ Just not where Iād ideally focus the thing.
The lab itself looks nice. They have a pretty large CNC router (that requires an additional course) that had a huge piece of rough wood on it. I think the bed for this one is 4ā x 8ā. Also the aforementioned plasma cutter, and an electronics soldering station.
The main equipment Iām nominally checked out on is a couple laser cutters/engravers. I did a quick price check and getting one at home would be $4,000 for a smaller model, plus at least another $1,000 for a compressor, dehumidifer, and venting. So, not likely for home use. I didnāt check the electrical requirements.
Also have access to 4-ish 3d printers. 2 are lower-end models (what youād see at home) while a couple are higher end. Dual nozzle, with one printing the support structure in a material that can be removed with a special acid bath. Thereās some delay on theseā¦ They want to fill a ātrayā of printed stuff before putting the tray in the chemical bath.
The biggest issue to me is most of the equipment Iām most interested in uses a CorelDraw workflow. Iāll have to get used to converting via PDFs or Illustrator/InDesign files as needed.
Not so much a ātodayā as ālately.ā
Soā¦last winter there was some trouble w/ our Cub Scout Pack which I may or may not have talked about much here. Things said, feelings hurt, oversized egos bruised, and the near loss of the whole unit. But we managed to pull out of it, got huge support from people above us on the food chain (District/Council) and an influx of new parents to help out with things.
Our new Cubmaster is doing an amazing job so far and as the school year approaches and we start the program up at full throttle once again (we lost steam in the Spring due to the above issues) Iām confident that my last year with the Pack will go well.
We even have someone whoās volunteered to be my successor as Committee Chair and heās diving in, shadowing me so he can learn what needs done. I didnāt get much of this opportunity when I took over because our previous Chair gave up the position early because reasons (totally valid, just threw me in earlier than I anticipated).
We had our annual planning meeting last weekend and we had new faces there too. It was a collaborative meeting instead of everyone showing up and one person saying āok, this is what weāre doingā - we actually discussed what to do and when.
A few days before that, we had a meeting with the leaders of the other 2 units in town. In the past, there was a competitive/adversarial relationship between us and them, but the cause of that is now gone and we pushed the message that we want to work with them and the old regime is gone. One of the other 2 is still suspicious - they got burned bad and itāll take time to rebuild things with them, but weāre trying.
I feel like Andy Dufresne walking around town the morning after crawling through that 500 yard sewage pipe. You kno
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As a former Scout, our troop fell apart and then back together into something new just as I was leaving. I went to a ceremony of one of the Scout Masters a couple years ago and it was weird seeing the old troop and the troop he went to sitting down together. It dumbfounded me that politics and egos were so present in what we saw as kids as just a bunch of guys hanging out. A friend of mine is currently taking his boys through the ranks and has said itās pretty much the same, lots of parents bickering and chest puffing.
Iām glad your pack is in a much better position. I know a guy who has a left handed smoke shifter if you need oneā¦
That sounds promising!
My church is starting a new Cub Scout Pack program. Apparently, Iām going to be filling the treasurer position. No one else wanted to, and I didnāt flatly refuse. It seems like an easy job, so sure, whatever. The problem I have is that they have been doing the planning meetings on Tuesdays, which is when my Bible study meets during the school yearā¦ not sure how thatās going to shake out after next week.
I had no clue. Googled it. Never saw that movie, so still dunno.
Short version: man is wrongly convicted for murder, spends nearly twenty years in prison, works during that time to set up an escape route and when he finally uses it, he comes out on top emotionally and financially.
Learned something new today. Thereās the myth that bumblebees are not supposed to be able to fly, but what I learned is that when they want to, they can run along the ground pretty fast. Somewhere along the lines of two inches per second.
Dude. Fix that. The Shawshank Redemption is tied with The Godfather at the top of IMDBās ratings. It. Is. Incredible
Then read the Stephen King story Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and be amazed at how much better the movie is.
Transparency. Keep records of everything and open the books to anyone who asks. Have a budget and stick with it. If someone wants/needs money for a program, get Committee agreement. Every month present a Treasurerās report with starting & ending balance for the month, income and expenses.
Itās not as easy as it seems on the surface if you have people not submitting receipts or playing weird games like āhereās a receipt for the $57.29 I spent on supplies for my den, donāt give me a refund just take it off what Iāll owe for summer camp.ā
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Both my parents were on my Troop committee, and my mother was a Cub Scout Den Leader for a number of years. They never saw anything like what I went through 6 months ago.
I do, actually. I lost mine while I was out snipe hunting.
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Iāve never seen The Godfather all the way through, either. Bits & pieces here & there, but not soup to nuts all the way through.
Yeah, probably going with the one-big-spreadsheet-of-everything approach. I was treasurer for a committee at church and it made reports soooo much easier. Previously, they were using paper - making notes on the previous monthās report and doing all the figuring longhand. (oh the horror)
And Iām going to scan all the receipts; stick them in one cloud folder. Easy to share a link, access anywhere, and backup at home.
Also, thanks!!
Holy crap, dude! Watch it. Amazing film. And then watch Part II because IMO itās right there with The Empire Strikes Back, Superman II, Aliens, Terminator 2, X-Men 2, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier in that small pantheon of sequels that surpassed the originals.
I caught a rerun of Rules of Engagement the other night where Jeff (Patrick Warburton cracks me up) was berating Adam for having never seen The Godfather. FastForward to the end of the show, Adam tells Jeff that he watched The Godfather, and it was so good, he watched The Godfather II, and it was even better, so he watched The Godfather III, and it was great, too! Jeff says something along the lines of, āYou watched The Godfather III? And you loved it? Youāre dead to me.ā
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I donāt hate Godfather III. Itās mainly that I and II form a big connected story (theyāre sometimes shown that way, even!) and Godfather III is this barely-related story at the end.
Also, keep in mind that The Godfather is one of those movies that romanticizes a group that was historically pretty awful. Of course, I also enjoy Pirates of the Carribean, the Vikings TV series, and similar.
It felt like it transitioned poorly to being a more late 70s/80s scary crime drama, and lost the air of civility. I and II have a lot of characters reluctantly doing things or politely ordering killings. III felt like it was meant to be harsher and more modern, and thatās when it seemed to fail.
Thereās a lot better moviesā¦ But a lot worse, too.
And theyāre not included with Prime 
Found that https://www.zasttra.com/ do stock samsung s3 mini screens and batteries.
First a google, and then (if it is not difficult), going to order a new screen and battery, and try to replace the broken screen myself.
Then get a custom ROM flashed on it. Stock sagsmug ROM is scheiĆe anyway.
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Cloudy hazy day is clearing up just before the moon eats the sun.
It just looks dark and overcast here. The sun canāt be seen.
Itās almost turning into a safety device. Though I just proved to myself that even with the glasses on I shouldnāt stare too long still
Sun is in full force here today. I should have run over lunch but itās in the high 80s so forget that, Iāll do it tonight (and tonight, Iāll bail on it Iām sure).
Feeling guilty that I didnāt take the afternoon to watch with my kids but thereās always April 8, 2024.