A thorn, presumably from a desert plant clipping lying on the road, punctured my inner tube. I found the tiny hole in the tire, but I’d forgotten to include tire levers in the kit I’d brought from home. So, I walked the bike over to a bike shop. I left with a new tube (installed) and these very red tire levers.
Category: Learn
Oops, closed Wednesdays
Cycled down to Moorten Botanical Garden. Of course, Wednesday is the one day of the week it’s closed. Continued our bike ride, then got haircuts and did the weekly laundry.
Stalled by joint play in a LEGO mechanical computer
All logic functions can be constructed using AND and NOT logic gates. Modern smartphones contain billions of logic gates. However, the LEGO machine I constructed today only has four AND and four NOT gates to perform binary addition on two single-bit binary numbers. As the signal propagates from the inputs on the left to the outputs on the right, the cumulative effect of joint play leads to unreliable output movements. I need to redesign the machine.
Bugs, Bills, and Beer
Over a welcome beer at our local, Dwight described his time at the greenhouse battling pests and mold on these grapevines. Meanwhile, I’d been caught in a Catch-22, ping-ponging between a vendor and Amex over fraudulent charges. Eventually, Amex took responsibility and issued a refund, leaving me free to enjoy my beer.
Practical Physics
Downtown had its head in the clouds, it rained pretty much all day: time for LEGO. Instead of relying solely on a solid state gyroscope, I wanted to develop a better intuitive grasp of the physics involved. So, I built a test rig with an actual spinning flywheel. It flew apart, leaving my electronic robot…… Continue reading Practical Physics
ELL Training
Completed an online ELL (English Language Learning) training course this afternoon as part of the annual training requirements set by the Minnesota Department of Education.
Temple Plumbing 2022
I hiked to two temples of an 88-temple pilgrimage and photographed the plumbing.
Continuously Variable LEGO Pneumatic Control
In previous LEGO robotic arm builds I’ve used servo motors to move each joint in the arm. However, the weight of the motor and related mechanism meant each arm needed to be reinforced to the point it became too bulky and exhibited excessive inertia. By contrast, pneumatic cylinders are light, and can apply significant force…… Continue reading Continuously Variable LEGO Pneumatic Control
No Adult Literacy Services Here
Wrote to each Hennepin County Commissioner asking them to right a wrong. The $67 million (annual budget) county public library system no longer provides GED and ESL adult literacy services. Recent immigrants have lost an important step-up in life, and I now need to go elsewhere for expert assistance with tutoring. Franklin Library (former home…… Continue reading No Adult Literacy Services Here
Asian Supermarket
The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g., there’s so much good stuff in Asian supermarkets. On my walk, popped into my favorite Asian supermarket for chicken parts westerners generally eschew, Chinese broccoli, and (an impulse purchase) frozen pork steamed buns.