Tricia noticed that the downstairs bathroom exhaust fan groaned and grunkled when we started it. It got on my list of project cards and sat there for quite a while. Finally it got just too hot to work up on the tall ladder trimming the arborvitae this morning so I got to it. First we… Continue reading A Growling Fan
Author: John Daly
Shack, Ukraine, and Literacy
Today we learn (Boston Globe) that Eddie Shack, one of the more colorful legends of Bruins and NHL history has returned to his maker. For some reason I always associate Eddie Shack with Fred Cusick and his “clear the track; here comes Shack” voice overs. Now they are both gone. Source: Boston Globe, 7/27/2020 I… Continue reading Shack, Ukraine, and Literacy
Prius F 150 !?
You say you've got 50 cubic feet of arbor vita and yard to go to the landfill... but no F 150 Super Duty ? No problem. Get a Gen II Prius, move the passenger seat forward, fold down the rear seat, lay in a tarp and load up 60 or more cubic feet of cuttings!… Continue reading Prius F 150 !?
Making a Fitbit Record Bicycling Steps and Heart Rate
I find my Fitbit Charge 2 very helpful for keeping track of walking steps and sleep and heart rate. However, it did NOT record my pedal rotations on bike rides. When your Fitbitted wrist is stationarily holding onto the handlebar, not moving, you can see why. What to do? Various Fitbit community threads like this… Continue reading Making a Fitbit Record Bicycling Steps and Heart Rate
Reignite Your Stove
Time for a pizza.We set the oven to 350º and waited for the convection fan to start. But the characteristic flame whoosh start never happened! It felt like a fairly complete block out. Nothing even hinted of coming on down below, in the oven. Was it an electronic relay? , some control panel failure? the… Continue reading Reignite Your Stove
First, “Assume A Technical Solution Exists.”
We may all have heard the story about the engineer, psychologist and economist stranded on a desert island together. There arrives on shore a crate of cans of food. The stragglers are desperate for food but here in the sand with lapping shore how could they open the cans? They agreed that each of them… Continue reading First, “Assume A Technical Solution Exists.”
Miami’s Atlantic Coastal Ridge
More Miami like weather expected here this PM. I saw this interesting book review titled Miami Vise in the print edition of the New York Times today. The book, Disposable Cities by Mario Ariza is "insightful and richly detailed." Having family in the area I was most interested in this from the Review: “Miami’s only… Continue reading Miami’s Atlantic Coastal Ridge
Knife Learnings
Part of winnowing down over 40 years of collected "belongings" means going through the hard decisions of let go or repair. Sitting in a "junk" drawer for probably 24 of those 40 years was a wonderful serated edge long knife with black walnut custom formed handle. A tang! That is the name for the metal… Continue reading Knife Learnings
Prius II – Achilles Heel?
Many folks have posted stories about Prius II roof body weld leaks in Prius Chat Rooms like PriusChat.com. I was finding the same problem in my 2009 Prius. For us the many contributors on PriusChat honed in on just the source of the leak and helped us a lot. We had been getting water in… Continue reading Prius II – Achilles Heel?
Low-carbon , Car-free Golf
I live 5 minutes away from South Shore Country Club and have a membership. I hate to drive that distance with a car and a golf cart and all. Why add the carbon to the atmosphere for such a short trip? But how can you bike to golf with the cart, clubs, bag, balls etc.?… Continue reading Low-carbon , Car-free Golf









