Don Tai (Canada) Blog

What a pain in the buttocks. Flash is annoying me with upgrade notices, all without a way of opting out. I find that Adobe flash and Reader upgrades have a nasty habit of malfunctioning, requiring me to uninstall and reinstall the whole product. Newer versions have more bloatware than utility. I have opted to simply not upgrade, but the upgrade notices continue to come. Here’s how to end your pain.

Cooler than leather better than mesh: perforated leather

Leather gear is very protective, offering the rider both impact, with armour, and abrasion resistance. Use by professional sportbike riders is a pretty good endorsement for its utility. Unfortunately leather, like anything else, has its disadvantages, two of which is weight and that it is hot to wear. While we cannot do much about the weight issue, adding small perforations to the leather will allow increased air flow and cooling without compromising protectiveness. While perforated motorcycle gear is popular with the summer rider, it is expensive, even more expensive than non-perforated gear. I’ll cover a possible method to perforate your own leather gear.

Call it part of my personality, but I like to be thorough. I also like to have proof of some statement, even if proof is difficult or impossible to come by. When scientific double blind studies are not possible, I don’t mind having a sliding scale of proof where a little proof is better than no proof at all. I dislike old wive’s tales and relish when Mythbusters does their show. A case in fact is my reliance on Google as a search engine. Of course all my knowledgeable friends rely on Google as much as I do, and it’s the best search engine that I’ve used, but it’s far from perfect. Today I wondered if Yahoo’s search engine, the one I used to use long ago, had improved enough to rival Google. The skinny is that Google still is the best for my research, but don’t write off Yahoo either.

There needs to be a fine balance point between sharing personal information on the internet and privacy concerns. I am a private person and thus bias towards not sharing personal information on the internet. Once information goes out to the World Wide Web I know that it will be propagated and disseminated at will, far beyond any one country or individual’s control. Once out, there is no reeling it back in. Facebook is testing this fine line by allowing third party application developers to save the personal information of their clientele. They allow personal information to be shared by default. That’s too much for me. I’ll follow the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s lead and block this privacy breach, and I think you should as well.

Imperial sewing machine, model 535: I am looking for an owner's manual and other info on this machine

An exhaustive internet search yielded very little about these lovely sewing machines. From information from Needlebar.org I found parts of other machines were similar but not exactly the same. Parts of these machines were built in Japan after WWII and imported to North America for final assembly and badging. Here are the few links I found. If you have an owner’s manual for a model 535 please let me know.

Imperial sewing machine, from Anosognosia

Imperial sewing machine, model 535: Front, Perhaps made in Japan and badged in North America

Fate has voluntold me as the human caretaker of an Imperial Sewing Machine, model 535. This lovely machine was left out on the curb as trash, coincidentally as I was bicycling. Though the machine weighs a LOT, it is all metal and sews very beautifully. It even sews quieter than my Singer. The 535 has straight and zig zag stitching, and can darn. Included were about 5 different presser feet. Casting marks “J-C 27″ and “304-1″, and printed marks “JA/3″. A thorough internet search has provided very little, except a couple of photos of similar machines, but images from Needlebar.org shows parts of similar looking machines were manufactured in Japan and badged in North America, circa 1950-’60s. As I did not see a Model 535 anywhere I hope that someone can see my photos and help me find its origins, and perhaps an owner’s guide.

Singer model 217, ~1960s: Simple and reliable, and always ready for me.

Old Singer sewing machines are well made and built to last. My Singer model 217 was handed down to me and sews very well. I was dismayed that the machine would not turn over as it did before and discovered that the motor needed replacement. These motors are no longer made so getting a replacement was not straight forward. After the motor replacement my Singer hums along like new. Maybe I will sew up some Canadian flags!

Google's China specific search engine is gone, ending self-censorship

You have to admire Google for standing up for its corporate philosophy. I could not see how Google could continue to self-censor its content in China while continuing to uphold its corporate values. I also could not see how Google even agreed to enter the Chinese market in 2006 on the condition that they self-censor. Today Google will dismantle its China-specific search engine and redirect queries to its Hong Kong based site. Of course the Chinese government was outraged, as expected. I believe that for the internet as a community, something was lost today, though I am unsure what. Was it possibly a global sign that we can all get along?

Regex is an acquired taste: initially bewildering and bitter, but given time it grows on you. Eventually you begin to appreciate its bouquet. Small, efficient, and powerful, Regex epitomizes good code. This is an advanced discussion of Regex I have found useful in Pipes. If you are new to either, then read up and play.

Other reference material includes Regular Expressions in Yahoo Pipes, but is a tad dated. Similarly. The Pipes forum is very helpful, especially hapdaniel.

Sunforce 12v Power Sports Charger 50014 is but a battery maintainer, not a charger

Solar power has always been enticing idea. You point a panel to the lovely sun and it returns usable power. With few exceptions the sun rises each and every day, so theoretically you have unlimited access to power. Unfortunately the reality of economics creeps into the equation, initially taking the shine off solar power. Wanting to play with the technology, a Canadian Tire sale on small solar panels allowed me to try it out.