Entropy in the Garage

This post has no title.

2012-02-10T13:05:00.001-08:00

Put stuff together... in any way it happens to fit.

Nope. Next to the turn indicator.

2012-02-02T23:23:00.001-08:00

Cut stuff up...

The shape of things to come.

2012-01-28T15:34:00.001-08:00

I blog, you blog, he/she/it blogs.
We blog, you guys blog, they blog.

Mobile in the Garage

2012-01-26T17:50:00.001-08:00

Testing mobile blogger app.

Headed for the melting pot.

2009-04-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

600 pounds of steel, aluminum, stainless steel, copper, brass and motors.

$137.66

Entropy gets help.

2009-04-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Photos taken from 101 Ways to Make a Pick-up Truck. Sequel to the best selling Rust as Art.

Wedge

2009-04-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

From stairs...

to ramp...

Nick

2009-03-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is Nick, the chisel. I guess we need some sharpening practice.

Inverse

2009-03-30T23:47:00.000-07:00

Entropy likes to increase. It does that very well. But, sometimes entropy can use a little help. You can make that happen faster by taking the extra effort to make things smaller. Like teak trees.

Oh, and planer blades.

Just another number.

2008-11-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. Nothing special at face value.

April 2003 to November 2008. 100,000 current owner miles on the rusty, old truck.

Columbian Scavenger

2008-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Turkey Vulture

Southbound parking lot

2008-08-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

Two Faced

2008-08-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Columbian Sternwheeler

2008-08-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Queen of the West

Columbian Hunter

2008-08-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Osprey

beach combing

2008-08-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

Pokka aluminum can found 7/4/2008, North Head, Cape Disappointment, Southwest Washington. Could be something like this: Biz Time Cafe.

Gluing up - Clamping down

2008-07-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Let's make three pieces of wood into one big piece.

Back to the Garage

2008-06-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

Entropy Downfall

2008-03-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate in Entropy. Does it have an achilles heel? Coming back to life, that would be the anti-entropy. That would be beyond power. It would be divine. Happy Easter.

The Ultimate in Entropy

2008-03-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

Easter is nearly upon us. So while we wait, let's take this time to ponder death and decay. After all, entropy gains on us every minute. There are more wrinkles in the mirror, more creaking in the knees. More forehead. More gut. All reminders that everything burns out. Nothing physical lasts forever. From fruit flies, to trees, to suns. From houses, to cars, and even Sienfeld reruns. Hey, that rhymes. Entropy marches on. Sometimes a little faster, sometimes a little slower, but never in reverse. Always increasing. Energy and time decreasing.

Let's all do our part this year...

2008-02-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

Vote for The Heat Miser for president in 2008!

Your Green Party candidate.

Doing my part, then...

2008-02-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

I recall the words of Willy Wonka, "So much time and so little to do..." That state of being combined with a huge pile of wood make a perfect recipe for doing one's part to bring on higher global temperatures. And though Spring has made small attempts at displacing Winter, more effort is necessary to push on through Summer and into a self-sustaining season of Global warming. If you look closely, you can see an image of Jackie Onassis.

Sick and Tired of Wearing Layers...

2008-01-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

OK, I know it's January, but isn't this global warming supposed to be here by now? I don't think those international climate summits are working. I thought they were going to get the heat turned up. I bet they're going to say it's up to the individual to make a difference. I guess I could leave my vehicle idling overnight. And I could heat the neighborhood like my mom taught me by leaving the front door open when the heat is cranked up. I could start exercising. Well, this isn't sounding promising, now. The international summit people will just have to figure it out 'cause I'm going to watch Magnum P.I. on Netflix.

Tornado fingerprints

2008-01-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

Birds of a Feather...

2007-12-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

Make a lot of noise.

Barge-Eating Tree

2007-12-04T17:22:00.001-08:00

Columbia River East of Stella

Global Dampness

2007-12-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

I-5 exit 9

I-5, exit 22

Foster Rd. Cathlamet

Warming the Garage

2007-12-03T01:02:00.000-08:00

If you make enough mistakes, and have a big enough eraser, you can generate some heat to warm a cold garage. This isn't recommended for summer time when there's already plenty of heat. In the summer, either make fewer mistakes, or live with more of them. Living with mistakes contributes less to global warming. So, you can decide what to do based upon what kind of climate you are pushing for.

Iridescence

2007-11-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

I guess not all things look better from a distance. For some things it's just the opposite. Up close details can be intriguing, mystifying, beautiful - when you're nose to nose, looking into eyes that are looking back. Pondering something that just might be pondering you with true interest in return. That makes you want to get even closer and find more details that no one else has ever discovered. Curiosity magnified by the remote possibility that you are being studied to the same degree in return...

CLICK ON picture to enlarge details.

Sun behind Oregon over Columbia from Washington

2007-11-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

W is for ...

2007-11-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

Pacific Breeze on Columbia River 11/8/2007

Shiny Scratches and Age Spots

2007-11-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

There are several ways to improve upon how something looks...

Sandpaper, surgery, new paint, polish, new clothes....

But the cheapest and least painful method is to dim the lights and increase your distance. Everything looks better from further away.

Dust and Rust

2007-11-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

It's that uphill battle over and over again. Everything is sliding down to decay and rot. It's so easy to let it run its course. So easy to sit there for a few more minutes. So hard to get up, to take those steps uphill when you're going to slide down further with each step anyway. There's no gaining on entropy. Any attempt to diminish it results in more. Why fight it?

Do you remember Kunta Kinte? At his right-of-passage ceremony, he charged the big guy who just stepped aside and, with a little extra shove, let Kunta Kinte fly on by and crash. That might be the best we can do: divert entropy. Then we can have a sense of progress up the hill even though entropy is still the winner in the end. We might look good for a little while longer, but where did entropy get diverted to? Our knee joints mainly, and landfills.

Minesweeper

2007-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

Another highly marketable skill for today's workforce.

Pretty Peachy

2007-09-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Entropy is a funny thing. When you try to stop it, you end up accelerating it. When you try to avoid it, you swim in it. When you try to eat it, you get a sick feeling deep down in your stomach, and juice stains on your shirt. So, as they say, when you can't beat it, join it, but remember to use your napkin, 'cause there's a bit of mold on the corner of your mouth...

They Keep Coming.

2007-05-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

A Loft-y Experience.

2007-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Beacon Rock

2007-05-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day hike. A few faces - for a change.

Bent into shape.

2007-05-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Now for a real thrill - relatively speaking.

Drawing curved lines using wooden battens.

Ooo, Aaah.

Stalling.

2007-05-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

I need some more time to draw lines, so here are some more exciting tubes-on-the-interstate pictures. Don't fall off your seat.

I have just 3 points to make...

2007-05-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

Diagonals on a grid? That's different. Non-conformist lines? Trying to get a better angle on life.

Get back in line.

2007-04-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Well, this could be the beginning of a long series of boring pictures. I know, I know, you think that this is the 79th posting in what is already a long series of boring pictures. Okay, granted, but now we're going to have some really boring pictures. But what do you expect? We've got a 20' x 8', white-washed floor. How exciting can it get? How exciting is drawing lines? And that, dear blog reader, is the next step - drawing straight lines.

How do you draw a straight line 20 feet long? Use a string.

How do you draw a straight line that is exactly perpendicular to the first? Swing arcs with a compass.

Now, complete the grid with parallel lines.

'Till then.

2007-04-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

There are many forces in one's life that push and pull in all sorts of directions. Some are good and some are bad and some are neutral. Some feel good and some don't. You have to make wise choices about which to resist and which to follow. The consequences of those choices may be immediate or they may reveal themselves days or decades or centuries later.

The main force in my life today said, "That's enough garage for now until you till the garden." I think I made a wise choice with both immediate consequences (sore back and happy wife) and long term consequences (fresh vegetables and less grass to mow).

Pretty Lights.

2007-04-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

She had to learn the hard way. Pull out in front of me, and my personal escort will have a word with you.

Helping hands.

2007-04-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Giant Spawning Salmon....

2007-04-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

I guess I can't get enough of those wind turbine pieces. I've been waiting for the opportunity to catch the blades on film and not just the column sections. Here are two heading South on I-205. I think they are about 150 feet in length.

One shot over the shoulder....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WindTurbinesBlueMountains.JPG

Wood Floor - That will teach those trees.

2007-04-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hub

2007-04-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

More wind turbine pieces are wandering around.

Changes.

2007-04-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

Wow. Garage molecules have been moving around. I can see a concrete floor.

Concrete seems so cold and impersonal, though. Maybe there is another option.

There is such a surplus of forests, perhaps a wood floor is in order.

.

April Fool, day 3 and counting

2007-04-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

One man's garbage door
is another man's garage door
even though it too
is just another garbage door.

before door:

after door:

3000 words...

2007-03-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Once again...

2007-02-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

... the blog became formless and void...

but Entropy continued to work his sinister plan while no one was looking.

Soon a new day will dawn...
and a new season will begin...
the season of Global Warming.

And our feet will forever be toasty and warm...
if not a bit sweaty.

Happy Birthday Entropy S.!

2007-01-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

What was formless and void one year ago today is now 68 posts, 120 pictures, 1 video, 57 comments and 1,356 hits. What was a figment of twisted imagination is now gobs of fluff for the world to trip over and/or choke on. Oh, excuse me: over which to trip and/or on which to choke. So, small steps and small bites are recommended for your health and sanity. Special thanks go to Waldo for the cameo's and also to Mr. G. Sun for the excessive, over-abundance of energy that heated the pavement or passed us by and flew into formless and void space.

Timing is everything - as they say

2007-01-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Garage = Garbage - b

2007-01-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

I know you can't tell, but the garage molecules have been moving around a little. Some of the molecules that were laying on the floor are now hanging on the wall studs creating a more pleasant and appealing backdrop and boundary for the horrid mess in the foreground -- and in the background.

What's more, there is now some more appealing lighting to highlight that horrid mess of jumbled garage molecules. I would say that there might be some potential for the heat from the lights to make some more garage molecules move around and find some new places to jumble, but the light is fluorescent, so we'll have to resort to brute force -- but who knows when the next earthquake will be?

(Don't forget to look for Waldo. He's not hiding in a freezing garage for his health.)

2006 in the mirror

2006-12-31T17:34:00.000-08:00

One more posting before the year is out seems in order, even if I don't have anything to say.

The only thing to do with 2006 at this point is look back. It's gone. Yet, who we are is linked immeasurably to our memories. So, though the year is gone, it has forever become part of us. Just like that cheese fondue I ate last week.

Where's Waldo

2006-12-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

Hood

2006-12-20T22:23:00.000-08:00

Life is so amazingly resilient...

Life is incredibly fragile...

Hoist the jib!

2006-12-09T23:20:00.000-08:00

The only way to sail uphill and dead into the wind at the same time.

Same scene, different angle

2006-12-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

I know, Iknow. You're sick of the Sandia mountains. Hang in there, I'm almost out of Albuquerque pictures.

Besides, there's nothing happening in the garage right now, and every now and then it's good for the eyes to focus on infinity -- to stretch a little.

Sure, you and I both know that it's not infinity, but my camera doesn't know that (nevermind the fact that ALL the pictures are as far from your eyes as your monitor screen).

Many people grew up with something that functioned as a directional reference point. That, among other things, is what these mountains are to me. "Sandia mountains East of Albuquerque -- Volcanoes to the West." More on the volcanoes later.

Thanks, Southwest Airlines, for the slight turn to starboard.

Mid-day Sandia

2006-11-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Click to enlarge. See if you can make out the antennaes on the peak ridge. If you can't see the mountain clearly, look behind the casino.

The Duke City lights

2006-11-24T17:25:00.000-08:00

A little Albuturkey for Thanksgiving.

Sandia

2006-11-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

Red like a watermelon - but without the seeds.

http://www.cybergata.com/sandia.htm

Inertia

2006-11-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

20,000 pound rocks don't get up and move themselves.

roygbiv

2006-11-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

2 interesting things about rainbows.

One: no one has to plug them in. They just need the proper alignment of events that are happening anyway.

Two: even when they're out of focus, they still look like rainbows.

2006-11-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

Gone Fishin'.

2006-11-04T00:07:00.000-08:00

Overdue "barn" update -- doors

2006-10-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

2006-10-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

Oscar the Grouch ate Waldo.

2006-10-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

Where's Waldo?

2006-10-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Seasons

2006-10-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for Globalwarming to get here. This is the time of year when I really begin to think about it. The first frost will be here soon. I know, Buffalo-ites already got theirs, but it comes later and less often in the Northwest. Don't get me wrong, I still appreciate a nice dose of Globalwarming. But we need some Autumn, too, so that the Globalwarming attire can go on sale. Then I can stock up on sunglasses, shorts and Don Ho shirts.

As the Globalwarming season sets in, I won't have to work so hard in the garage to generate heat. I'll be able to chill, and relax. I can chillax. In fact, when I find myself doing something, I may find that I tend toward more efficiency in order to not overly contribute to excess heat. But I doubt it. I'll probably just chillax.

OHH, C%$P#@&*OLA!!!

2006-10-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

AH, Nuts!!

I drove right past it!

Another proof that driving while talking on the cell phone, eating, writing, and thinking doesn't work. The brain picks what it "thinks" it should focus on instead of paying attention to the important mile markers in life.

And it came with the added blessing of a timing belt light to glare in my eyes for the next 10 to 20 thousand miles.

?99,905.5

2006-10-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

The odometers are rolling over.

CNN quoted the census bureau numbers of America's population in 1915 at 100 million, 200 million in 1967, and today, 39 years later, we are rolling over to 300 million.

I tried to rollover the beater truck to 200,000 miles today, but, alas, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Today would have been a good day for it. I guess I could go for a late drive for a couple of hours and hit all zeros before midnight, but with it being after dark and with 300 million people around, I'd probably hit someone. We wouldn't want to roll that peoplometer backwards just to knock out a few more miles, now, would we.

Anyway, the truck might be hitting 300,000 miles for all I know, but Gary and Tony, the mechanics, think it's the lesser of the two options.

Older and older. "Now" is always at our side, but the seconds incessantly slip past and accumulate into piles of years. Not faster, not slower. One by one steadily slipping by.

Squeeking up the hill with rust holes in our sides and a cloud of exhaust in our wake.

It came to pass something like this, I think...

2006-10-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

At the age of 9, Fredrick Dreival came from Denmark to America with his imigrant parents in 1922 following a spat his mother had with the neighbors, the Steins. Living in poor conditions as they struggled to survive, he followed his father into construction. One day in 1932, he returned home from work to the small apartment his family rented to find that his cat had been crushed by falling ceiling plaster. From that day forward, Fredrick vowed to make the world a safer place. Years in the construction trade and a keen mind led to Fredrick Dreival's most impacting invention: gypsum board, more commonly known after its inventor as Drywall.

S..s..s..sun..s..s..s..set

2006-10-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Eagle Creek

2006-10-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

Pacific Ocean - Peter Iredale

2006-09-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Port Townsend Bay

2006-09-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Columbia River

2006-08-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Pantry shmantry

2006-08-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

What's been happening in the garage? Any energy being put to use? Exertion of energy generates heat. Well, that get's to be a little uncomfortable to deal with in July and August when there is a pre-existing build-up of heat. But maybe we can fight that uphill battle.

Here is an unsightly corner. It escaped previous photos by hiding behind the camera. We have loosely applied the term "pantry" to this corner. And we just gotta have one 'cause that's part of the American dream.

Let's help this pantry live up to its name. Abra ka pokus....

And the answer is...

2006-07-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Bits-O-Wind Turbine.

I know, I know: not very close and hard to see, but I didn't want to get decapited or even killed, so 5 miles is going to have to suffice.

Let's see you get closer.

Tube sightings.

2006-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

Let's wait for a few more guesses. So here are a few more pictures before we see the answer.

When your set on not blogging about anything of value, you have to throw a lot if meaningless fill out there.

This one's worth a couple of days, right?

Totally Tubular.

2006-07-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hey! What's that on the road up ahead?

That doesn't look like a normal load.

A prefab airplane fuselage?

A column for a big mansion?

A culvert?

A missle? I mean, a rocket?

A submarine?

Any guesses? I'll show what I believe is the truth on the next post.

Speaking of Energy...

2006-07-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of recent sporting events come to mind. Nascar and Soccer.

I don't know how much nascar fuel costs, but at $3 per gallon at 6 mpg for 500 miles we're talking $250 of entertainment fuel per car. So that must be around $10,000 for the pack unless some get taken out early from mechanical problems or accidents. I'll leave the $120,000 per car and $100 for each matching uniform for the crew out of the formula and just talk about the energy for the entertainment vehicle.

World Cup Soccer, on the other hand, burns perhaps an energy bar, a bottle of drink-aid, and 1500 calories give or take. So that's about 5 bucks times, what, 18 players on the field? Again leaving the uniforms and oversized goaly gloves out of the formula, we're at $90 of entertainment fuel.

That's an interesting contrast if we worked out some ratios, but I'm tired and I can see you're yawning at all the sport and math talk so good night and see you next time.

Bring out your dead!

2006-07-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

What an incredible amount of energy. Think of what it must take to produce an automobile. Engineers, technicians, corporate leadership, investors, money, factories, metals, plastics, glass, petroleum, marketing, and lots of balloons and flags at the car lot.

Imagine how much expended energy is represented in one small junk yard. How many collective miles? One hundred million in this one picture perhaps? How many gallons of fuel spent?

Mmmh. That brings up an interesting math problem. Let's estimate 140 million cars on American roads today averaging 18,000 miles per car. That makes 2.52 trillion vehicle miles this year.

If a car burns its weight in fuel every year, and we guess that the average car weight is about 4000 pounds, then we're at 560 billion pounds of fuel or roughly 93 billion gallons. At 35 kilowatt hours per gallon, that's 3.255 trillion kilowatt hours.

With that much energy, I could run my house needs for 135 million years.

Make it personal.

2006-06-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

[Following posts from May 23 and May 26.]

Aside from countries, what about individual people? Where is the center? Perceptually, isn't the center of the universe for a person the person's head or at least the person's self? Does that carry through in our attitudes about what, or even who, is right and wrong and better and best and dumb and dumber and...?

National pride on an individual scale. Pride based on a perception of where the center is?

.

Like grains of sand through the hourglass...or on the beach...

2006-06-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

There sure are a lot of popcorn texture bumps on my ceiling. It makes me think about the world's population.

There sure are a lot of people here on this planet.

There are two differences. First, my popcorn texture bumps are not multiplying. (That's a good thing) And, second, if you scrape the people off of the planet, asbestos dust doesn't get in your lungs. (That's a good thing, too.)

There is one similarity. When you get just far enough away, like a government, corporation, or Ben Abruzzo, it's really hard to tell one from another.

Can you tell which one is me? How about you?
Well, at least we have unique IP addresses.

Hole in the lawn revisited.

2006-06-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

(see April 29 post and following)

Finally a little more progress.

That hole in the lawn has acquired a full fledged roof.

It's too big to mow and round-up won't kill it, so I think it's here to stay.

With some doors slapped on the front, it might be something useful.

Rainman Moment

2006-06-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, Just a few more lines.

2006-06-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

What now, little brother?
--Gale Snoats, Raising Arizona

And now for something completely different.
--Monty Python's Flying Circus

Sweet!
--Napoleon Dynamite

More cheese, Gromit.
--Wallace

I get the neck!
--Cousin Eddie, Christmas Vacation

All questions must be submitted in writing after the tour.
--Willie Wonka (the original)

Give me the bat, Wendy.
--Jack Torrance, The Shining

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
--Jack Torrance, The Shining

Tagged again - favorite lines

2006-05-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

A Few Favorite Movie Lines

The more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers.
--Princess Leia, Star Wars

I should have taken that left turn in Albuquerque.
--Bugs Bunny

A Plan? I don't know. I'm making this up as I go.
--Indiana Jones

Oh not for me, thank you. I'll stick with the quail's eyeballs. Caviar makes me throw up, you know.
--Wally, Time Bandits

They are all freaks! Not one of them under five foot six. What kind of theater is this?
--Napoleon, Time Bandits

It's just a flesh wound.
--Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail

What is best?

2006-05-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

Or perhaps the question in my mind is: What is a country's refrence point for what is best and good and right?

Where is the center?

2006-05-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Does every country have national pride: thinking that one's own country is the best?

boooom!

2006-05-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

This experiment didn't fit in my garage, so I had to go down by the river.

My Imbeded video doesn't seem to be working properly. To watch it, you can find it at this link.

Will it float?

2006-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Could be a roof...

Could be a boat?

A beautiful day for barn raising.

2006-05-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

That hole in the lawn is really starting to take on some shape.

A basketball court?

2006-05-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

Jenna had the idea that I could make my hole in the lawn into a basketball mini-court. Not a bad idea. (Comments on May 9th entry).

Since it rains now and again here, maybe I could make it an indoor court.

Now that we're brainstorming, what about a mini airplane hanger or a mini-walmart (r)?

Hmmm...

2006-05-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

If the beaver fells a tree in the forest, and there's no one there to hear it, does the spotted owl make a sound?

One thing leads to another.

2006-05-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

Now that there's a hole in the lawn, I guess I'd better use it for something.

Thanks for the help to Ron, Sam, Jim and John.