Author Archives: dontai

The Pandemic in Toronto: Going Poorly

It looks like a true failure of leadership, here in Toronto. We trust in our provincial leaders and they have let us down. Instead our infection rates are fast rising, with very little holding them back. Yet it is difficult to understand the rise, as the government is not very transparent with the infection data.

We do know that:

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Gift Economics vs Scarcity Economics

During this pandemic it is clear that this CoVid-19 virus has crystalized that we have those with a lot and many more without, who are forced by circumstance to serve others. Those without also overwhelmingly get sick and die more often than those with. The disparity between the rich and poor is ever widening, which degrades out society.

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New York City, Manhattan, 2098: Artist Fan Wennan’s Rendition

New York City, Manhattan, 2098, depicted in a sci-fi drawing, of the US run by the Communist party The People’s Union of America, by Fan Weinan, Beijing, 2020

This is a piece of sci-fi art, by a Chinese artist Fan Wennan, Beijing. it illustrates New York City, Manhattan, in the year 2098, then taken over by a Communist party “The People’s Union of America”. I do not know his/her name in Chinese characters.

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Swiss Cheese Respiratory Virus Pandemic Defense Model

Swiss Cheese Respiratory Virus Pandemic Defense model, version bu Ian Mackay

This model is simple yet comprehensive, and excellent for comprehension. I first read about this The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense, which also has a short interview. Pandemic information, especially in the US, seems muddled in politics, with Trump having an irresponsible disdain for science and the infection. Dr Mackay’s illustration should go far to dispelling negative information on CoVid-19 pandemic control.

Permanent link to this post (75 words, 1 image, estimated 18 secs reading time)

Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts

To come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we must let ourselves be touched by others’ pain.

By Pope Francis
Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome.

Nov. 26, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET

In this past year of change, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with, people with names and faces, people who died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work.

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Bucket Head Wet/Dry Vacuum: Tear Apart and Inspection

Bucket Head Wet/Dry Vacuum, disassembly and quality inspection

Thrown to the curb, this was, with its tail cut off. So sad, I had to take it home, give it a try and possibly a second life. This unit pleaded underdog, discarded and forlorn. Unremarkable in appearance, ’tis a vacuum, for sure, but where is the bottom? The Bucket Head wet/dry vacuum is meant to couple and sit on top of the standard inexpensive Home Depot 19L 5G bucket, sold separately. It just clips onto the top of the bucket, hence the name “Bucket Head”. The vac head even has slots for the bucket’s wire handle!

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Doom: Into the depths of a Depression

The writing on the wall was easy to see, but it is still nevertheless difficult to fathom. This corona virus CoVid-19 has walloped our health and our economy, and now that it is out in the wild, there’s little we can do to prevent further damage. We are in for a terribly rocky ride.

Going on 7 months now, the lockdown we had to endure has decimated our economy. There was a virtual standstill of life. Wide swaths of the economy have ground to a halt, destroying companies in its wake.

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Singer Ultralock 14U32 3 thread Serger: Notes

Singer Ultralock 14U32 3 thread serger. Great machine.

I do love sewing, and use both my Singer and Imperial flatbed sewing machines, as well as an industrial Brother flatbed and a ancient Singer patcher. The Singer Ultralock 14U32 3 thread serger is a completely different beast.

The serger only does edge overlocking, but it does it so well. It not only overlocks the edge, preventing fraying, but also cuts the edge clean and reinforces the edge with a single stitch through the layers of material. The other Ultralock models also have a 4th thread that can do a second stitch through all layers, but I can do that on my flatbed.

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Most Advanced Yet Acceptable: Maya

Change can be jolting for anyone. Huge change can be very disorienting for anyone, and can make people panic. That said, keeping everything the same is gets boring, so we do need change. Most Advanced Yet Acceptable (MAYA) was invented by Raymond Loewy, a European immigrant from the early 1900s, and a great industrial designer.

The concept has far reaching applications and implications. Radical change is too tough for people to accept. Change needs a bit of familiarity to be accepted, but also some novelty to be enticing. Radical change can only be accepted with numerous intermediate steps. The article has some really great examples of innovation progression, very worthy to note.

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Imperial Sewing Machine Model 835: Photos and User Manual

Imperial sewing machine model 835 in blue, front view. Photo 1 by StaceyM.

Lovely, really! StaceyM has a really lovely blue and white Imperial sewing machine Model 835. His Mom bought it in 1965 at the downtown Montreal Simpsons. He inherited it in his teens and has been sewing ever since! What a great story!

The Imperial model 835 has a side mounted thread tensioner, allowing a slimmer and seemingly simpler needle area. The large stitch length knob is easy to see and adjust, with a huge reverse button in the middle. This is very convenient. Two buttons on the right side of the machine allow for a lighter pressure foot for delicate materials, as well as no pressure when you wish to do darning (both use the left button). The rightmost button is for regular sewing with a regular pressure foot.

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