We Saw a Chicken …

Month: August 2010

  • old computers, new computer

    Had a bit of a clear-out yesterday. I dropped off

    • one Sempron-based PC
    • an ancient eMac
    • a built-like-a-tank Samsung laser printer
    • two monitors: one LCD, one flatscreen
    • two mini-itx boxen of undetermined operation
    • about six external USB drives
    • a DVD player with VGA output
    • a box of stuff, including various network thingies, an NSLU-2 and a KVM switch.

    at Free Geek Toronto. I’d heard about them from Colin at Mappy Hour, the monthly(ish) OpenStreetMap event. They have a very neat warehouse, and are definitely doing the right thing in getting surplus electronics either to people who need them, or properly recycled. On the (lengthy – 2 hours from the Junction to home, grr) drive back, I even heard a tiny CBC radio spot about them. Shame that the announcer almost said “old electronics crap” instead of “old electronics gear”, though …

    I just built a new linux box to replace a bunch of the stuff I just threw out. It’s a small and quiet MSI 6676-003BUS with a fanless Atom 510 processor. It plugs straight into the HDMI of the TV, and remote work is done with VLC or SSH. To cut down clutter, I’m using a cheapo Logitech® Cordless MediaBoard Pro for PLAYSTATION®3, which works just fine as a keyboard and mouse with a generic $10 bluetooth USB adaptor.

  • squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    A very rotund — quite possibly bulbous — groundhog has taken up residence in our neighbourhood:

  • Thumbs up for Offshore Wind!

    If you want to work out how tall a wind turbine is at a distance, you can use simple proportion:

    If I hold my thumb at arm’s length, it’s about a metre from my eye. The tallest a turbine would appear from shore would be equivalent to the height of the top joint of my thumb. That’s pretty small.

  • maybe a bit too much octave chorus

    In line with the recent misuse of paulstretch, here’s my contribution to the genre: Zzyzx-stretch-sample. I don’t think you’d recognize the original – it’s Zzyzx from Billy Faier’s Banjo album.

  • My comments on the “Renewable Energy Approval Requirements for Off-shore Wind Facilities”

    Dear Mr Duffey

    EBR Registry Number: 011-0089
    Renewable Energy Approval Requirements for Off-shore Wind Facilities – An Overview of the Proposed Approach

    I would like to propose that the mandatory 5km shoreline exclusion be removed entirely, for the following reasons:

    1 Drinking Water Source Setbacks
    While the “Technical Rules: Assessment Report”1 of the     Clean Water Act 2006 is cited as a major reason for the 5km shoreline setback, the assessment report itself provides for no greater setback than 1000m from a water intake in a Great Lake. It is suggested that this one kilometre setback be maintained for existing and planned intakes, but should not be applied as a blanket distance for all development. To force a larger setback than the Act allows is to discriminate against wind energy and the industry.

    2 Lake Bathymetry

    Taking the particular case of Lake Ontario near Toronto, the water depth at 5km from shore is typically2 40-70m. This is far greater than is practical, and would require massive and costly foundations.

    3 Noise
    The proposed shoreline exclusion unscientifically precludes any project coming closer to shore. As your document states that noise guidelines for offshore projects are in development, setbacks derived from these guidelines should be allowed. The document should also clarify that the 5km shoreline exclusion is typically larger than the setback required by the     Noise Guidelines for Wind Farms3, as at a recent MOE session on Low Frequency Noise Measurement4, representatives of “The Society for Wind Vigilance” stated that 5km was now the setback recommended by the MOE for all wind projects.

    4 Positive Visual Enhancement
    Wind energy is the most visual form of electrical generation, and it is a subjective matter as to whether the turbines are ugly or beautiful. The major shoreline constraint cited by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is due to “aesthetic hindrance”5, yet the Great Lakes Wind Energy Center’s Final Feasibility Report6 wishes to site their pilot turbine as close to shore for “the highest iconic value”. Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, has an arc of wind turbines in the bay approximately 3km from the shore, and less than 5km from the Amalienborg Palace. By placing these turbines close to the city, they have made a statement of their commitment to sustainability, and avoided rows of pylons, which few (if any) could call anything but ugly.

    I would hope that you would take my comments into account.

    Yours sincerely,

    Stewart C. Russell, P.Eng.

    References:

    4 12th August – 2300 Yonge St – 9:30-11:30am.

    (more…)

  • To view Ubuntu Remote Desktop under OS X …

    … you need to set a password — even a trivial one — on the Ubuntu Remote Desktop settings. OS X won’t connect to your remote desktop if you don’t set a password.

    That is all.

  • Please Be Kind | Colleen and Paul

    <a href="http://colleenandpaul.bandcamp.com/track/please-be-kind">Please Be Kind by Colleen and Paul</a>

    I like this album a lot. Colleen and Paul have been working together for years (I saw ’em as Jack and Ginger in 2006), and this music needs to be heard!

  • Offshore Wind: much of Copenhagen is within 5km of offshore wind turbines

    There’s a bit of a stooshie going on in Ontario renewables circles about a proposed 5km minimum shoreline setback for offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes. This pretty much kills most projects through infrastructure costs — deep lake foundations are expensive, as is submarine cable. Please express your opposition.

    I’ve flown over Middelgrunden, and found it to be an icon in Copenhagen’s harbour. With some freehand tracing in Google Earth and some minor GIS skills (hey, I’m learning), here’s how much of Copenhagen is within 5km of the turbines:

    That looks like quite a lot; lots of homes and tourist attractions, and not just the harbour. If you want a closer look, here’s the buffer in KML format: Middelgrunden-5km.kml.

    I’m trying to find the location of the turbine 500m from shore at Hooksiel, but maybe it’s a bit new for Google Earth imagery. Fixed that for me:

    File: BARD Hooksiel 5km buffer.kml

  • Summer Heat Bugs

    mobugs (m4v video)

    Summer bugs by the crick at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary.

  • banjo restoration project


    (image links to photo gallery)

    Just picked up an interesting project banjo. It’s an 18 fret Geo. C. Dobson spunover rim model. It’s been through the wars a bit, but I think it’s salvageable:

    • Someone though it would be a great idea to reshape the peghead, somewhat inexpertly, with a rasp.
    • The dowel stick isn’t fitted correctly.
    • Friction tuners were pressed directly over the (rather nice) taper peg holes. I think I’ll replace ’em with Pegheds.
    • The fifth string tuner hole and pip are a disaster.

    But if I manage to look that good at 120+ years old, I’m not going to complain.

  • tall flower

    I think I may have inadvertently grown a triffid.

  • worst. turbine. sheltering. EVAR!!

    Walking on the Town of Kansas bridge, I saw this:

    Its purpose appeared to rotate the white plastic barrels, which were mounted on eccentric and squeaky bearings. The little wind turbines are stuck right behind the solar panels, so they get little, if any, wind.

  • trams of old kansas city

    Spotted this tiny section of disused tracks at Wornall & Mill streets

    Kansas City used to have a huge streetcar system – you could ride out to Independence and Lee’s Summit.  There’s a great map of the 1920s system here: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection: Gallup’s map of greater Kansas City and suburbs. Now, there’s nothing.

  • locust shell