This stud finder is finding studs in my walls.
I have reached the 'hanging artwork' phase of moving into my new home. My old stud finder disappeared in the move, this new one is simple to use and works great.
Tavol sounds like a Vulcan who would beat Spock down during pon farr.
Stud Finder Sensor Wall Scanner - 4 in 1 Electronic Stud Sensor Beam Finders Wall Detector Center Finding with LCD Display for Wood AC Wire Metal Studs Joist Detection via Amazon Read the rest
A few years ago I decided to piece together my own Peloton-compatible stationary bike, it has been a fantastic investment in me. Building your own is easy and significantly cheaper than buying the bike Peloton sells!
Ironically placed in a window overlooking the Pacific for its first few years of service, my Sunny Bike was in storage for the last 12 months and I ached to get it back. When I packed my life into storage last April I thought I would be living in a new home by the end of summer, and haphazardly packed stuff into boxes as labeled by a madman. I did not take my cycling shoes, shorts, heart-rate monitor with me.
Of the 11,000lbs of crap I had in storage, I spent a year missing 3 cardigans, my espresso machine, and the fakey-Peloton. I was thrilled when I saw the movers haul it out of the truck and bring it into my home. It took three days to find the espresso machine.
In the months before going into storage, my physical therapist told me I had to stop riding the Sunny Bike as often as I had been. I was riding 5-6x a week and he suggested some of my back problems might be alleviated by riding less and doing more core building strength exercises. I find that riding the bike not only helped me burn calories, and maintain a better level of cardio fitness than I had in years, it was a huge emotional release, and frequently as I pedaled my heart out, I would just start to laugh or cry. Read the rest
The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death AND The Snarkout Boys & the Baconburg Horror, two of the most wonderful books ever written are available 'free' via Kindle Unlimited.
Absurdist literature for kids? I can not remember a time when I was not a huge fan of Daniel Pinkwater's incredible storytelling... and 'the Snarkout Boys' stories are my favorite.
Snarking Out, or the practice of making late-night pilgrimages to a third-rate theater showing fifth-rate movies at the end of their projectable lifespan, has always sounded like the best idea. A lot of interesting folks do it. Join Winston Bongo, The Mighty Gorilla, Nosferatu the parakeet, Chicken Man, and an incredible cast of characters in what served as The Master and Margarita for a youthful me.
The Snarkout Boys & The Avocado of Death Kindle Edition via Kindle Unlimited
The Snarkout Boys & The Baconburg Horror via Kindle Unlimited Read the rest
Revenger, a fast-paced space opera by Alastair Reynolds with strong women as protagonists and few surprises certainly took my mind off things for a bit.
Worldbuilding galore takes place in Revenger's galaxy, a place littered with the detritus of humanity and other species. Kind of steam-punky and certainly the baubles offer a lot of 'Roadside Picnic'-style Zones which I find ironic as I, and other Boing Boing editors, have been reading the Strugatsky Brothers this month.
Revenger is 400 pages of good solid sci-fi fun.
Revenger (The Revenger Series Book 1) by Alastair Reynolds via Amazon Read the rest
An appropriate book for this time, Soviet-era dystopian fiction grandmasters Boris and Arkady Strugatski considered Snail On The Slope "the most perfect and the most valuable of their works."
Snail on The Slope is comprised of two separate storylines, taking place in and on the edge of The Forest. Together they paint a vivid picture of how modern society is not prepared for the future it is driving towards.
The Bureaucracy has established The Administration on the edge of The Forest. Peretz, a visiting philosopher enthralled with the idea of The Forest but unable to gain clearance to actually see it just wants to leave. Every day he is promised a ride back to civilization, but it never comes. Evicted from the hotel and with his visa revoked, Peretz is suddenly outside a system that doesn't even work when you are ensconced within.
Candide is a survivor of a crashed Administration helicopter in The Forest. Initially, he encounters villagers who appear to be current-ish era humans losing their technology, science, and civilization in a future where physics and biology are evolving faster than they are. Exploring The Forest even slightly more introduces him to new cultures he and the remnants of his humanity could not have predicted or prepared for.
I highly recommend Snail on the Slope.
The Snail on the Slope (Rediscovered Classics) Kindle Editionby Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Olena Bormashenko (Author, Translator) via Amazon Read the rest
Dark Matter is a time travel story that reminded me of a Tom Clancy 'Jack Ryan' adventure and beats all the tropes over the head.
Blake Crouch sets up a blazingly paced adventure revolving around what happens if a human can be placed in Schröedinger's box, instead of damn cat. That human is Jason Dessen, the guy who built the damn box in the first place.
Talk about screwing yourself up, Dessen's adventure takes the cake.
A fast read that touches on heady subjects but doesn't force you down a rathole, Dark Matter was a welcome read during this odd time.
Dark Matter by Black Crouch via Amazon Read the rest
I use this Logitech G502 Hero SE. It is wonderful.
I recently switched from controller to Keyboard + Mouse for my video gaming. This mouse is just great.
The shape of the mouse and the button placement just feels right in my hand. The adjustable weight system let me fine-tune the devices gravitas as I wing it around, trying to headshot some 13-year-old before they shoot me.
While the 'Hero' sensor reads upto 16000 dpi, I usually set it way down to 800 in Fortnite. This lets me turn in a more controlled manner and doesn't have the mouse zipping all over the place.
I don't really care much about the ever-changing colors that light the mouse up, but it seems all my PC gaming gear likes to do this rainbow display... and it is kinda pleasing.
I have no idea why this SPECIAL EDITION of the mouse is cheaper than the regular one, but it is and I like it!
I am gonna admit right now that moving back to KB+M over controller may screw my carpal tunnel right to hell, but I'll be super sensitive to it, and try to stop before I feel any pain. I am already playing less, but enjoying the games I play more. Sacrifices we make, right?
Logitech G502 SE Hero High Performance RGB Gaming Mouse with 11 Programmable Buttons via Amazon Read the rest
I needed new shoes for cycling. These Shimano SH-RP1 cycling shoes are great.
Fairly lightweight, and certainly durable enough for spinning class, I'll be using these Shimano shoes 3-4x a week. They are stiff enough and the velcro straps cinch them down tight.
There are some interesting vent holes cut in the sole that my old pair did not have. I do not really notice much airflow, but maybe when on my roadbike.
I needed to buy a set of SPD clips to make them truly useful. I could have taken the old ones off my last pair, but they are not currently with me.
SHIMANO SH-RP1 Cycling Shoe via Amazon Read the rest
I use these screen protectors on my Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo Switch gets handed from child to child. The Switch gets banged, bumped, dropped and treated like something a 5-year-old is struggling wrest from a 10-year-old. Screen protectors come and go, but thus far the Switch has been undamaged.
Three packs are nice.
[3 Pack] Screen Protector Tempered Glass for Nintendo Switch, iVoler Transparent HD Clear Anti-Scratch Screen Protector Compatible Nintendo Switch via Amazon Read the rest
The Pendleton Westerly shawl collar sweater is super cool, but keeps me warm.
All my winter stuff is in storage and I have no access to it. I expected to be out of storage before the winter came, but now I am cold and without my favorite sweaters: cable knit shawl collar sweaters ala Steve McQueen. Deal is this: I have enough shawl collar sweaters in multiple colors that I do not need duplicates. When I am finally able to get all my stuff out of storage I will be very happy, but I have too much stuff.
Another sweater made famous by media that I love, and super comfortable too boot, is the Pendleton Westerly. This ultra-comfortable 3GG sweater immediately lets people know that you are a chill slacker who doesn't care much about anything, while also keeping you warm.
Vintage models are available on ebay and etsy, but Pendleton has been making an exact-ish replica of the Dude's sweater for a few years now.
Pendleton Original Westerly Sweater via Amazon Read the rest
This DYMO Xpress embossing label gun is the boss. Read the rest
In Artificial Condition, Martha Well's soap opera loving rogue security AI remains cantankerous and awesome.
Murderbot is an AI security robot with a busted autonomy regulator. So long as they can keep the regulator a secret, they can remain fully aware and independent. Mostly they want to watch soap operas. Soap operas and to be left the hell alone.
I absolutely adore Murderbot. Murderbot wants quality time on their own.
In the second installment Murderbot sets out to learn about the event from which they named themselves, wherein many humans died and their AI regulator was broken. Murderbot has no direct recollection of what went on and believes this knowledge will change everything.
Murderbot teams up with an AI research ship named ART and heads off to the mining colony where it all went down.
Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries Book 2 via Amazon Read the rest
'To Be Taught, If Fortunate' Becky Chambers latest, set in the same universe as her Wayfarer series, revolves around one of my favorite 'time-travel' tropes, long space flights at near the speed of light.
Augmented humanity is sent off to explore the stars, discover their secrets and report back to Earth-based humanity. During their long, long time away humanity has changed. What type of society will be there to welcome them back, or not? Have they been gone so long to have been forgotten?
Becky Chambers writes the hopeful, charming and insightful fiction I want my daughter to read.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers via Amazon
Previously:
Becky Chambers' 'A Closed and Common Orbit' brought me to tears
This Candy Chemistry set is a great way to learn about candy with your kid, in the kitchen. Do not, however, leave your kid alone with this Candy Chemistry set.
Learn all about candy, and temperature control, in your own kitchen. This kit comes with almost everything you'll need to make quite a few delicious treats, all posed as science experiments. This is what makes cooking fun, for me and I hope it'll inspire other kids to learn to cook!
Leaving a 12-year-old alone with this can create a huge mess in the kitchen, and should the child be so daring, burnt sugar all over the place.
Candy Chemistry by Thames & Kosmos via Amazon Read the rest
This permanent USB port has everything I want: QC 3.0 charging, 2 USB ports, and a voltmeter.
My little USB 2 port plug in has kept me going in the Vanagon for years. It does tend to fall out when I go over a lot of bumps, or a daughter or dog bumps it. The only thing I ever swap into that lighter port is a voltmeter.
Voilla. Adding QC 3.0 is a big bonus cause I love this battery.
I no longer smoke cigarettes and can light joints with a lighter.
Quick Charge 3.0 USB Charger Socket, ADSDIA 12V/24V 36W Aluminum Waterproof Dual QC3.0 Car Charger Power Adapter Outlet with LED Display via Amazon Read the rest
