The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

Category: Oddities

Who’d’a thunk it?

Soldering Iron Spider

I noticed something out of place when I fired up the soldering iron:

Soldering Iron Spider

It’s not obvious in a flat photo without depth perception, but here’s a closer look:

Soldering Iron Spider – detail

A tiny spider had set up shop just over the tip cleaning port, with a delicate web linking the sponge to the iron holder.

I tried to deport her outdoors, as is our custom with helpful critters, but she jumped off the web and scurried to an unknown spot on the bench. She’ll surely rebuild in an equally productive spot.

Obviously, I’m not soldering enough electronic gadgetry …

2021-08-24
Tree Frog Redux

Mary found another tree frog while picking Savoy lettuce for breakfast:

Tree frog on Savoy cabbage

They’re much better camouflaged in their (more or less) natural surroundings, so I didn’t spot it at first, either.

They really are cute little gadgets:

Tree frog on Savoy cabbage – detail

This is only the fourth tree frog she’s seen in the last two decades, but the second one in a month. It may be the same frog as before, although the garden now has a rather husky resident snake who seems to be eating well.

2021-08-15
Natural Gas Meter non-Protection

Spotted on the way into a fast food joint:

Natural Gas Meter Plumbing – overview

Reading the lower meter seems particularly difficult:

Natural Gas Meter Plumbing – detail

Given how bollards embedded in concrete fail, they’re not providing any protection.

Did the meters get plumbed in first, with the bollards carefully fitted around them?

2021-08-08
Tree Frog

A myriad of tree frogs serenade us in the evenings, but we rarely see any. This fingernail-size critter was impossible to miss against a brown plastic trash can:

Tree Frog on trash can handle

It sat tucked nose-up inside the handle until I loomed overhead, whereupon the edge seemed better. It eventually jumped to the ground, dozens of body lengths below, and hopped off into the leaf litter behind the cans.

We wished it well and expect to hear from it during the rest of the season.

2021-08-01
Power Outage Explained

Spotted in the corner gas station’s wrecked car lookaside buffer:

Rt 376 midnight crash – vehicle

The white paint seemed familiar:

Rt 376 midnight crash – 2021-07-20 – C

Word has it the 16 year old son was driving, with his father in the passenger seat, and managed to lose control without any of the usual causative factors. Everyone lived to tell the tale, which is a tribute to the contemporary auto tech we all take for granted.

Contrary to what we thought, they crashed around 8 pm and Central Hudson cut the power around midnight to repair the lines.

Looks they’ll need another truck; that ain’t gonna buff right out.

2021-07-31
Elevator Control Quiz

You’re on the ground floor of a motel, on your way to your room on the second floor, and you’ve found the elevators:

Ground Floor Elevator Station

Which one of those six button-like objects will summon the elevator for a trip up to your room?

Quickly, press one of them!

2021-07-25
Goose Parade

Canada Geese seem primed to travel in a straight line, whether in the air, on water, along a rail trail, or even on a sidewalk:

Canada Goose parade – A

They proceed around corners in an orderly manner:

Canada Goose parade – B

But they completely ignore crosswalk markings:

Canada Goose parade – C

We think two goose families joined forces for this outing: four large geese and seven goslings by our count.

The sidewalks sport a rich assortment of goose poop, so the geese obviously enjoy their hikes.

2021-07-24