The Starfish and the Spider

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

My favorite subjects:  Internet, Open Source Software / Linux, how napster/kazaa/eMule whipped up on the monster music companies, the birth and success of wikipedia.org, ebay.com, craigslist.org, Skype, and how American car companies lost their dominance.  Naturally, a book that discussed these topics would interest me.  The common thread is ‘leaderless organizations’ or ‘decentralized networks’ or ‘starfish’.  Many of the changes our world is going through, and something relativity unknown to business managers, are the concepts described in this book.  It is a real eye-opener to see how powerful the ‘starfish’ is and how well it holds up (and often defeats) huge, powerful traditional organizations.  I highly recommend this book to everyone!  (www.starfishandspider.com)

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Mason Jar Box Design – Version 2

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

Digging through box after box of unorganized mason jars last night to find the ones I needed was enough motivation for me to decide to move forward with my little box-building project. I thought of a better way to make the boxes stack, by arranging a side piece that will extend up into a void in the box on top, the boxes will lock together. Installing the bottom piece so that it extends below the other pieces will mimic a lid, so that I don’t need lids for every box that is stacked. The boxes will stack and lock with or without lids. I also played around with Google SketchUp again. Of course I impressed myself with my self-taught 3D CAD skills. Here are the pictures of my new design:

stackable
front-w-measurements
lid-front
parts-labels-1
parts-labels-2
a
bcd
e
fg
[Show slideshow]

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Strawberry Jam

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

Sprouts is selling strawberries for $0.97/pound right now. This is what $6 of strawberries + $5 of sugar + $3 of pectin, and several hours of my time yielded tonight.

12 half-pint jars and 3 3/4-pint jars. It took me two batches. The last batch has 1/4 tsp of fresh ground black pepper. I’m curious to taste that one. Jars of homemade jelly generally sell for $5 each, so we have about $75 worth of jelly, for about $15 in materials and a few hours of time.

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Why Liberals Hate Conservatives

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

I’ve always wondered why liberals have so much hate for conservatives.  They don’t just hate conservative ideas, they hate the person. I read a great article by Dennis Prager today that really summed things up nicely. The highlights are listed below, but I recommend you go read the article for yourself to get a little more depth.

From Karl Marx to today, the Left has always hated people on the Right, not merely differed or been angry with them.

The question is: why?

Here are three possible answers.

First, the left thinks the right is evil.

. . .

Second, when you don’t confront real evil, you hate those who do.

. . .

Third, the left’s utopian vision is prevented only by the right.

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BO Jokes by Professionals

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

received via email:
—
You know the honeymoon is over when the comedians start.

The liberals are asking us to give Obama time. We agree . . . and think 25 to life would be appropriate.
–Jay Leno

America needs Obama-care like Nancy Pelosi needs a Halloween mask.
–Jay Leno

Q: Have you heard about McDonald’s’ new Obama Value Meal?
A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay for it.
–Conan O’Brien

Q: What does Barack Obama call lunch with a convicted felon?
A: A fund raiser.
–Jay Leno

Q: What’s the difference between Obama’s cabinet and a penitentiary?
A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers, and threats to society. The other is for housing prisoners.
–David Letterman

Q: If Nancy Pelosi and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it started to sink, who would be saved?
A: America !
–Jimmy Fallon

Q: What’s the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo?
A: Bo has papers.
–Jimmy Kimmel

Q: What was the most positive result of the “Cash for Clunkers” program?
A: It took 95% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road.
–David Letterman

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All Screws in Order

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

Most of my weekend was spent cleaning out the garage.  We can probably park Amber’s car in there again now.  I did a lot of organizing this time, which is time consuming and somewhat stressful for me.  Going through everything just reminds me of projects and things I want to get done.  I just don’t have enough time!  I did add some more shelves to my workbench today.  Now, for the first time, I can see all my nails and wood screws without having to dig through boxes.  I installed a piece of all-thread in the middle to cut down on droop.

Here it is all loaded up.  Hey look, I even have room for more screws!

This is a picture of a little panel board I built when I lived in a rental house.  It gives me two 20A 120V circuits so I can run lights, fans, and tools all at the same time.  It also has 220V outlets for the compressor and a welder that I no longer have.  When I move, I just unplug it from the wall and I have it at the next place I live.  This is one of the most useful things I own! Continue reading →

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Cantaloupe is in Season

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

My cantaloupes are ripening, and this is my favorite thing about having a garden.  They are great.  This picture is of the biggest fruit I’ve seen.  You might think it is difficult to eat this much cantaloupe for a family of three, but we take care of business.  Bryson gets pretty testy when he sees me or Amber eating it.  He constantly tells us not to eat it all!

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Bryson Eaten by Shark

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

This is one of the ‘good’ sharks on the Texas coast. Bryson can tell the difference. This store had tons of toys and souvenirs. Amber showed him all the snakes, sharks, and other cool things, but all Bryson wanted was a toy gun! (and mom was not too happy about this)

Also, if you happen to leave your car unlocked for any length of time, there is a good chance Bryson will steal it, but he seems to put safety first and fastens his seat belt before he starts ‘driving’. Now you have been warned.

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Video: Ronald Reagan – “We the People”

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

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IQ Bar Robot

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

A guy goes into a bar, there’s a robot bartender.

The robot says, “What will you have?”

The guy says, “Martini.”

The robot brings back the best martini ever and says to the man,

“What’s your IQ?”

The guy says, “168.”

The robot then proceeds to talk about physics, space exploration and medical technology

The guy leaves, but he is curious…

So he goes back into the bar.

The robot bartender says, “What will you have?”

The guy says, “Martini.”

Again, the robot makes a great martini gives it to the man and says,

“What’s your IQ?”

Continue reading →

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