Wearing a cut-resistant glove, forced open a tracker to remove its speaker (the tiny white and gold circle). The speaker’s beeping is an anti-stalking feature, but I don’t want a bike thief to know they’re being tracked. My plan is to hide the tracker in a cavity behind the reflector, but it doesn’t quite fit. The reflector vendor is going to 3D-print a case with a slightly wider cavity that will fit.
Category: Home Living
AI-assisted braise: smoky Chinese eggplant with fennel and tomatoes
Chatted with AI about the Chinese eggplant I’d picked up at the farmers market. Arrived at a recipe for which I had all the ingredients. AI called it Smoky Braised Chinese Eggplant with Fennel and Tomatoes, and provided an ingredient list and a self-evident recipe for a braise. The dish did not catch fire: the smoky flavor comes from smoked paprika.
Trackers: a solution in search of problems
A tracker I’d ordered arrived in the mail room today. Now, the challenge is to explore use cases. The first idea is to help me remember my daypack, especially in coffee shops! When I walk 30 to 60 feet away from the tracker, my phone vibrates and displays: “Hey, did you leave your backpack behind?” Next up: tracking my bicycle if it’s stolen.
Bicycle for an upright citizen
After 30 years, Dwight was ready for a new bike, one with a more upright posture that eases the pressure on his wrists. Today he picked it up and brought it into our home to fiddle with the attachments and admire his purchase. It’ll soon be relegated to a rack in the basement garage. And no, it’s not electric.
A watch that dares not show its face
In a moment of boredom, I decided to build my own watch face. I designed it on a PC then loaded it onto my watch. My goal was minimal form and maximal function, but the result was surprisingly displeasing and best forgotten.
Homemade biscotti: just what the doctor ordered
We both now have colds, so it was an at-home day, except I dragged myself five blocks to Trader’s. Dwight had promised to make his world-famous biscotti, but we were running low on staples.
Unraveling wiring and taxes
Installed a 3-gang screwless switch plate for friends. Easier said than done: I had to unwire the three switches, thread the wires through a backplane, then reconnect the switches. (This photo is an example in our home.) It was lucrative work: I learned we are paying too much tax on our parking spaces: they’re homesteaded, but tax is less if they’re not homesteaded, which seems upside down.
Smart home upgrade for snowbirds
Spent the afternoon making the home of friends smarter. Like us, they’re snowbirds who head to warmer places during the depths of winter. After setting up a plant watering system for them previously, today’s project included configuring two cameras, and installing smart wall switches and water leak sensors.
First-world problem: a whining sound
A video showing a whining sound at this bathroom vent can reach 75 decibels helped to get our building’s management company to own the problem. The extraction fan is on the roof and should be silent in our home. The air is controlled by a motorized damper which makes no sound when open. Parts of the roof fan will be replaced. Over the years we’ve found this circa 1995 sound meter to be useful when addressing noise issues.
A soaking day
It’s a grey damp day, best for hunkering down. After rinsing, I’ll hot-soak these dried beans, then freeze half. I’m poking around the freezer for ideas for a bean dish for dinner tonight using the other half of the beans. So far, a ham shank and mirepoix are lined up. Fresh garlic, bay leaves, and cumin should punch up the flavor. Brown rice and stir-fried Swiss chard will balance the meal.