Libodun baby fence: cute baby standing up. Made in China
My neighbour left a mess of long parts in a bag curbside, so out of curiosity I took it to try to figure out what it was and if I could use it for something else. The bag had metal tubes, metal brackets, padded baby blue metal bars and some plastic corner pieces. It looked like it had something to do with babies or small kids. It turned out to be a couple of sets of Libodun baby fence, used when a baby is small and prevents the kid from rolling off the edge of the bed.
A third attempt at a single 260 penguin, with a beak, two little flippers, a fat belly, that stands up. Interpretations vary widely, but kids don’t quibble about such details. Photo and balloon by Don Tai
I am who I am, and that is a “Jack of all trades” and master of none. Not that I’m complaining, because I’ve been this way all my life. While it has often been to my disadvantage in certain situations, after trying to specialize I naturally revert to muddling through, good enough, then after seeing the shiny new penny, I get distracted and move in a different direction. Do this enough times and you’ll not convince yourself you can stay on the single path and go deep.
Kids need to go back to school, this is not in doubt. When kids return to school their parents can return to work, thereby helping the family as well as the economy in general. Getting our lives back to normal is difficult during this 2020 CoVid-19 pandemic. This virus is highly contagious and unforgiving. The need to prepare for school openings puts mankind against the virus. With proper preparation we can safely open schools, but there is so much the West has not done in school buildings that makes school openings very dangerous. In Ontario masks are not even required below Grade 4.
The CoVid-19 pandemic has walloped us in the head, in an obviously direct way. We, as a species, probably needed this kind of wake up call, as it seems no other method would get our attention. Starting from China, CoVid-19 has spread throughout the world. This, after 5 months of near lock down here in Toronto, is no longer news. Now we are faced with a new school year, the possibility that kids will return to their elementary school classes, become infected, and bring the virus back to their parents and grandparents. While we are still learning about this virus, what is clear is that it is highly infectious and no one is immune.
She’s 16 and very cute, though she has a temper. In fact, she is correct. The adults of the world are ruining the environment, and her generation and beyond will need to repair it. While the outcomes are irrefutable the contributing issues are complex. While there is no excuse for wrecking the environment, there are reasons why adults are not more proactive.
People need jobs or they cannot live. Many of these jobs involve natural resources. Canada, for example, has oil in the ground that has been traditionally extracted and sold to customers around the world. If we stop the burning of oil completely, these jobs will disappear and people’s lives and families will be destroyed. While this can change, in the long run, we have no mechanism to do this yet.
SMAW Stick welding repair of a metal chair. Thin slats of metal welding to tubular side rail. The slats are very thin. I blew through the metal, so had to use a washer to make up the difference. Photo 2 by Don Tai
Enjoy I do, wood working. Usually not loud, it can be very relaxing and most times, not dangerous. Touching wood is warm and natural to work with. Metal is the exact opposite. metal is cold but very strong. When you heat it up it can badly burn you. There are sparks that fly when you grind it, which can start a fire. And in a whole ‘nother world, there is welding. I do shielded metal arc welding, or SMAW, or stick welding. I am a terrible welder but I do get the job done.
Western Digital WD1200 IDE 3.5 inch 120G disk drive, for a desktop, circa 2002, Made in Malaysia. The outer aluminum shell and cover. Besides the 6 perimeter screws remember the two screws hidden under the label. Photo 2 by Don Tai.
This IDE Western Digital WD1200 hard disk drive, we have had, for a very long time. I do not even think it was mine, passed down by a well intended soul with a “Could you get it to work?”. Well, no. It dates back to 2002 and at 120G, made in Malaysia, was large at the time. Alas there was a clicking noise from the disk and it stopped working. All data was lost. I thought that Little Weed and I would do a father and son device autopsy, just for fun.
China has a lot of people. Baoluan, 暴乱, is the Chinese fear of chaos, of the Government or Emperor losing control of their mandate to rule. The people, having little to lose, rise up and kick their overlords out. Today China’s overlords are the Chinese Communist Party. This recurring issue heavily colours what China does.
From China: They provide employment for their people
The solution in China is to give everyone work. With work they will not revolt and not upset the Communist Party, thus preserving the status quo: The Communist Party stays in power.
Pressure cooked pork ribs, Toronto, Canada. Photo by Don Tai
Meat, always seems to be on Little Weed’s mind. As parents we know this, so when NoFrills offered pork ribs for $1.99/lb there was no question we would be going home with a sizable hunk of pig. But how to cook it, Eschewing the usual 3 hr bake time, the pressure cooker did it in 25 minutes, followed by a sauce glaze and 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. It came out great.
Vans Hawaiian Ocean shoes. They have really thick tongues. We removed the thick foam.
Like, Little Weed did, his new Vans shoes. The box says they are the Hawaiianocean model. What he did not realize and regretted was the super thick tongue that came with the shoe. Here is how to remove it.
The Vans Hawaiian Ocean model comes with a super thick and squishy tongue. It makes it harder to securely tie up your shoe laces. Little Weed wanted this thick tongue removed, so I did.
