tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17983780936742561042024-03-14T10:28:07.356+10:30120 things in 20 yearsIt's my intention to gain a new ability every 2 months for the next 20 years.
I'd enjoy some company, some help, and some constructive criticism.120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.comBlogger696125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-71673401888895324562023-04-22T01:16:00.002+09:302023-04-22T01:16:43.507+09:30<p> Yeah. I'm BullwinkleIII now</p>120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-77177901363341550832022-06-25T17:00:00.036+09:302023-04-22T02:05:00.668+09:30Cheese - Report 1Cheese report 1<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">It's been a while, but I logged in to post something to prove who I was to a forum I'd lost my password to. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">Anyway, that's not important, but I found hundreds of draft posts that were partially written that I'd been working on in order to keep something posted every day or whatever my schedule was. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">I read a few, and I thought this one was fun, so I thought I'd drop it onto the planet. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">--------------------</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">Cheese report...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">Haloumi - All consumed yum - Cant recommend you try this enough. Instant easy cheesy fun.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">Bouteille Cheese (cheese in a bottle) - don't try this wacky idea - this its not so cheese-like. But it is actually getting cheesyer by the minute.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">Reasonable cheese - confidently named and true to name, this looks like it might be working.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div><br />
</div>120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-77995967429627879972022-05-06T03:19:00.003+09:302022-05-06T03:32:21.017+09:30Aquaponics - Easy automatic duckweed feeder<p>Sorry folks, just a quick proof of ID.</p><p>Hi <span style="color: white;">BYAP.</span></p><p>Actually I do have something to post though.</p><p>I had another idea for an automatic duckweed dispenser, and it works!</p><p>The previous one looked like <a href="https://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/2010/12/aquaponics-duckweed-auto-feeder.html" target="_blank">this</a>...</p><p>Or this from the <a href="https://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/2010/12/aquaponics-duckweed-auto-feeder-side.html" target="_blank">side</a>...</p><p>In this new easy one, all you need to do is pump some water into a pond a that's a bit higher than your fish tank, then create a flat spillway that falls into your fish tank. Make the spillway quite broad so the outflow is slow (or have a low flow to the duckweed growing tank). The idea is to not have the duckweed all flow out. A good way to do this is to create some texture on the flat spillway. paint on some silicon mixed with some fine gravel or something. </p><p>It's a good idea to add water to the duckweed pond so that the water swirls. This way the duckweed builds up in the middle, and less will flow out at each time it triggers.</p><p>If the flow and texture is correct, the duckweed wont flow over because it gets a bit stuck on the spillway. </p><p>After a while, the duckweed grows thick enough that it blocks some of the water. In my little decorative system, I get a rise in tide of around six or seven millimeters before the pressure builds up enough and dumps about ten percent of the duckweed into the fish tank. </p><p>It wont dump again until the duckweed has grown back.</p><p>The result of this is that you never run out of duckweed, you feed more duckweed in the summer (when duckweed is growing faster, and your fish want more food) and it's automatic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not a lot of posts for ages. but I'm still doing stuff. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-63088520253243945892018-11-13T22:42:00.001+10:302018-11-13T22:44:08.799+10:30Thinking - Robotic pleasantries I normally say please when I speak to google and ask it something.<br />
<br />
I suspect this might be a good habit to get into because...<br />
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<ol>
<li>One day robots might get offended if you dont thank them, and punch you in the face.</li>
<li>If we get out of the habit of thanking stuff for doing stuff for us, we will start offending people making us coffee, because we will forget they are human.</li>
<li>If our kids get out of the habit of watching us thank stuff, the world will probably end in an enormous fireball, killing us all. </li>
</ol>
<div>
Thank the floor for not letting you fall. Do it now. It deserves some credit. It's a thankless task, but a very important one.</div>
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> Thinks it's probably worth thanking everything. </div>
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-6984613098486505982018-10-14T00:15:00.003+10:302018-11-13T22:44:45.984+10:30Thinking - Pedestrian traffic self control<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="59p40" data-offset-key="bbvdr-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="bbvdr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">So... you know that thing where you are walking between someone close to some shelves or something and your turn your body sideways... to kind of... crab shuffle... past them? </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4punf-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I just discovered that I'm officially thicker than I am wide, so I should just barge past them front on from now on. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4punf-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4punf-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">It's more polite, more efficient, and less disruptive.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="14q8n-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">You also have the added advantage of not needing to decide to go front facing, or butt facing when you brush past them. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="15mfq-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">120ThingsIn20Years asks...Thicker than you are wide?...</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8qd7e-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">Just barge on through facing front!</span></span></div>
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120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-23175463810843526942018-05-15T13:25:00.000+09:302018-05-15T13:25:03.170+09:30Aquaponics - Seed raising in sphagnum mossAnyone looking for a nice clean medium to sprout seeds for aquaponics should have a look at sphagnum moss. The seedlings come out with out any damage to roots, and perfectly clean.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3YS3JGQ8h20/WvpZBKOnmAI/AAAAAAAAEOI/r5Zj8X-Z0dE3sVAyE1K1EvPxHXKCsJNkwCLcBGAs/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2Byears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2B-%2BSphagnam%2Bmoss%2Bas%2Bseed%2Braising%2Bmix%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="790" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3YS3JGQ8h20/WvpZBKOnmAI/AAAAAAAAEOI/r5Zj8X-Z0dE3sVAyE1K1EvPxHXKCsJNkwCLcBGAs/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2Byears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2B-%2BSphagnam%2Bmoss%2Bas%2Bseed%2Braising%2Bmix%2B.jpg" width="320" /></a>You can even place a wad directly into your system and put the seeds into it. Then either leave the moss in place for ever (it doesn't rot, but springs back into life, even though you buy it dry and dead).<br />
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You could also just pick it out once the plant had become established.<br />
<br />
Here are radishes, and some kind of leek or something growing on my kitchen window sill.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 years</a> grew something!120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-13140785381408067792018-05-03T00:39:00.000+09:302018-05-03T00:39:48.232+09:30Cheese - Where are all the good bits?The best bits of hard cheese are the white specks that sparkle on the tongue and make you ratchet up to the next price or age range, and give your cheese maker more of your money.<br />
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These tasty white specks on aged cheese are the result of enzymes and other interesting things acting on complex fats that are broken down into free fatty acids. Whatever "free fatty acids"are.<br />
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I'll let you know if they turn out to be important, but compared to how important cheese is, I'm guessing they rank a distant second at best, so this is probably the last you will hear of them from me.<br />
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The result is these little crystalline bursts of awesomeness that you can see distributed around in cheeses like parmesan.<br />
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They are delicious.<br />
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Go and open the fridge or climb down into your celler now and have a look.<br />
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Better yet dig out all the crystalline bits and eat them all, and see what I mean.<br />
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Nobody else in your house will mind.<br />
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I'll wait.<br />
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See how absurdly delicious they are?<br />
<br />
So....<br />
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It turns out these crystals of goodness form over time as the cheese drys from the outside in. As a result, you should buy cheese from the outside of a round rather than the inside, as even though the entire cheese is the same age, the cheese on the inside hasn't "aged" as much.<br />
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Probably to do with it drying or it's exposure to air or something.<br />
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It doesn't matter. Buy the stuff nearest the rind, and nearest to the outside of the round.<br />
<br />
But my question is...<br />
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Why dont they just make parmesan with a hole through the middle like a doughnut to allow the air into the centre?<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> is eating cheese, and thinks it should be even better.<br />
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120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-8331204551450352362018-01-22T02:01:00.000+10:302018-01-22T02:01:20.323+10:30Thinking - LightningI never realised just how far out of my way I'm willing to go to get struck by lightning.<br />
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I've called 000 (911) at least half a dozen times in my life.<br />
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Closer to ten times I think.<br />
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One of the times I called was to report a bushfire started by lightning. One of the other times was a house fire caused by the two %#@!*% running away from the fire they set in some guys house, and another time was a house fire caused by who knows what.<br />
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So three fires.<br />
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I'm getting worried that at some stage, the people who are authorities about such stuff will start to wonder why I'm always at the scene of such things. All I can do is proclaim vigilance.<br />
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Perhaps I'm setting fires but dont recall....<br />
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Either way, I think it's best I call the requisite authorities and have them come and put out the fires/or whatever else is required.<br />
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I'm pretty sure it isn't me.<br />
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If it was me, I'd have to doubt the first time I called the police by waving down a cop on a motorcycle, and set him off to chase the three big boys that pushed me down into the gravel and scratched my bike. I had a crazy sense of power as an eight year old boy.<br />
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Righteous, but crazy.<br />
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However it plays out, I'm of the opinion that people like fire fighters and cops are at my command.<br />
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I am a white, middle class, middle aged, male.<br />
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The world (sadly) is built for me.<br />
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Anyway...<br />
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I've called for a lot of fire fighters in my time, and they always respond quickly.<br />
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So today I find myself sitting in my driveway under some power lines enjoying a lightning storm, and wondering who would call the required medics on my behalf should I be struck by lightning.<br />
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After all, I'm the guy that does that. I'm not sure there is another guy in my street that does that.<br />
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I'm not even sure there is another human that does that.<br />
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I may well be the record holder for the most vigilant caller of emergency personnel on the planet for all I know. <br />
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So...<br />
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Actually I've got nothing to say.<br />
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Next time there is lightning, take out a chair and a beer and with a little luck, it will make you happy.<br />
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Happy is good.<br />
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Enjoy nature's extremes.<br />
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If you get killed by being stuck by lightning, sue me if you're feeling mean.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 years</a> is still here<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-54487244559666265342017-08-16T05:34:00.000+09:302017-08-16T05:34:17.844+09:30Thinking - Cloud funded cloud funding projectThe title says it all really.<br />
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Has anyone tried to cloud fund a new cloud funding business?<br />
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If not, I think it's about time.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> has no problem with getting lost in endless loops, or getting lost in endless loops.<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-72540658295829840062017-07-26T18:00:00.000+09:302017-07-28T22:30:16.382+09:30Thinking - Multi-individual organisms (ants and so forth)A while ago I wrote about <a href="https://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com.au/search?q=pest+control" target="_blank">the time I saw a cockroach die of old age</a>. At the time it put me off killing things for a while because I was just about to kill it when it did the getting all dead thing. But...<br />
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Not long after that, I was sitting on the street in front of my workplace enjoying the smells of the traffic, and eating my lunch.<br />
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We didnt have a tree, and there was no other shade.<br />
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As the inevitable crumbs dropped to the ground, the ants started to wander around picking them up and taking them home presumably to feed their kids. I watched with exactly the amount of interest such things demand until I suddenly became slightly more excited.<br />
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!<br />
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An ant had decided to bite me.<br />
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And whats more, it too was taking it's newly acquired bit of food back home to feed the kids.<br />
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The ant was eating me.<br />
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It was holding a huge lump of my leg with it's face.<br />
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It didnt care at all that it was taking a few cells at a time with, I'm guessing, an ultimate goal of taking all my cells. At least all the squishy ones.<br />
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I murdered it of course.<br />
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But then I remembered I didnt like killing things because of the cockroach event.<br />
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But then I remembered that an ant cant really live on it's own. It's just a few cells out of a much bigger creature that is the entire nest. Some critters that live like this cant even feed themselves without other critters from the hive helping. Bees and ants (except for solitary varieties) are just tiny bits of a bigger organism.<br />
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So if one bites you and takes some of you home...<br />
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Murder it.<br />
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Somebody else will take care of their kids.<br />
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The hive won't even care.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 Years</a> wants to acknowledge things are killed on my behalf all the time, that I kill things to eat all the time, and the bees and ants we might normally meet dont actually have kids. Also we all eat thousands of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cheese_mite.jpg" target="_blank">cheese mites</a> (found on cheese, flour, plant leaves etc. I just thought you should know.<br />
<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-39299559317330514882017-04-20T23:03:00.001+09:302017-07-28T23:13:33.045+09:30Thinking - Peak StringI've been busy, but just thought I'd call it. I think this might be "Peak String" as far as string theory goes.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> is just sayin'120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-75111944672264929612017-02-25T01:03:00.000+10:302017-02-25T01:03:05.125+10:30Thinking - Preserves <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We bought a induction hotplate a while back, and sometimes fry stuff on it in a place where we also keep jars of things like apricot jam. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It turns out if you lightly spatter your jars with cooking oil, then subject them to the normal vibrations of a house with people moving around and traffic etc, the jar lids work their way loose in time t</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">o the point where they are effectively off when you pick up a jar, no matter how tightly you put the lids on. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love the universe. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It just keeps revealing new bit's I didnt even know it owned.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> thinks stuff is awesome.</span>120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-62167503429131252752017-02-21T00:15:00.003+10:302017-02-21T00:15:45.908+10:30Thinking - Slightly interesting TV helicopter factoidWhen I watch helicopters shooting at people on TV, it doesn't look very real. Why dont they just hover and shoot?<br />
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Why do they keep flying past really fast and taking a few shots, then letting the escaping car escape?<br />
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It turns out there's a good reason!<br />
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Well at least I think there is, and let's face it, that's good enough for me.<br />
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There's this thing called autorotation, and it's a very fine thing indeed. It seems that when your helicopter's motor dies on you in flight, it's not just a case of "plummet to the ground and hope you land in a used marshmallow dump" or something.<br />
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It turns out there's actually something you can do.<br />
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Which is odd, and a little surprising. And also kind of pleasant if you are in a helicopter with no motor.<br />
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Helicopter blades can change the angle they sit at when they are doing their rotating thing. They can make it so they create more or less lift as required, and they can also tilt forward or backward to create thrust so you can actually go somewhere, and not just hover impressively.<br />
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Personally I think hovering is impressive enough, but it turns out other people like to derive useful function from their helicopters.<br />
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So using some sticks and pedals and things inside the helicopter, your pilot (hopefully) can make your helicopter go where they (or you if you own enough money) want it to.<br />
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But when it's falling out of the sky, it turns out they can set the blades in such a way as to make them spin a lot using the substantial breeze that they find blowing through their blades when they plummet to the ground.<br />
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As I understand it, it's a bit like strapping a ceiling fan to the front your bike and riding around the block.<br />
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The fan, despite being disconnected from any power supply, starts spinning a lot.<br />
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Now, it turns out "spinning a lot" is just the kind of thing that you want from a helicopter's blades when you dont have a motor any more.<br />
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So if your motor dies on you, as long as you have enough forward momentum, OR altitude, you dont just fall from the sky. Your skilled pilot can do the ceiling fan on a bike thing for a bit, get the blades up to pace, then just at the last minute, turn all that handy rotating blade motion into lift and actually land without everyone's blood falling out.<br />
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Way cool.<br />
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I mention that the requirement is either forward momentum, or altitude, because that's true.<br />
<br />
I like to say true stuff where I can.<br />
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If you dont have enough forward momentum to keep the blades spinning, you can trade some altitude by falling out of the sky for a bit and pulling up. This translates into forward momentum. So you need some altitude to do a bit of a dive to get some forward momentum, or just have some forward momentum to start with.<br />
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So...<br />
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I'm guessing the reason the TV helicopters dont just hover fifty feet off the ground and shoot at Jimmy Bond a lot is because it's a really stupid thing to do.<br />
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Who knew?<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> thinks TV might have actually got it right.<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-79783338986930748502017-02-12T22:21:00.003+10:302017-02-12T22:29:51.200+10:30Aquaponics - Float Valve Mod<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-of8T_YA3Vzw/WKBCExmnQ0I/AAAAAAAAEKg/cFIJy6ZZaQQCQ5TlHI854EKQAV9JXlqPgCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-of8T_YA3Vzw/WKBCExmnQ0I/AAAAAAAAEKg/cFIJy6ZZaQQCQ5TlHI854EKQAV9JXlqPgCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I installed a float valve on my aquaponics system because I grow a huge sphere of slime in there as free food for my Golden Comets.<br />
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I'm currently making a half hearted attempt at breeding them.<br />
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My Float valve looks exactly like this pictured to the left.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JN5QmyrVz9Q/WKBC3tvdzpI/AAAAAAAAEKo/8-Ppbm4oIjU-prvyGeawRDz-02I8sSZbACLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JN5QmyrVz9Q/WKBC3tvdzpI/AAAAAAAAEKo/8-Ppbm4oIjU-prvyGeawRDz-02I8sSZbACLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a>I bought it on eBay for two dollars I think.<br />
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It works pretty well but it doesn't put out a lot of water. I'm guessing it was designed to keep a dog bowl full or something, and for this it would be perfect. But I need a little extra flow.<br />
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Here it is in it's full "on" position.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_v9eZLX2S4o/WKBDRkPwz0I/AAAAAAAAEKs/4E2k2K6J5Fomh2Hyp7laGgkcWLti8jjPgCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_v9eZLX2S4o/WKBDRkPwz0I/AAAAAAAAEKs/4E2k2K6J5Fomh2Hyp7laGgkcWLti8jjPgCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B3.JPG" width="320" /></a>And here in it's "off" position.<br />
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It does "off" pretty well, although I'm not overly fussed about it's "off" state. I dont really care if it leaks a little.<br />
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As you can see from the black pipe leading into it, there are some holes to make a spray to add a little aeration, but also to make sure there is never a situation where there is zero flow. <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Md0FJVfRso8/WKBE6Xv4OwI/AAAAAAAAEK8/eK3JbvyXnsYf27xqCZa3OYd_kAET2RVHQCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2B-%2Bslime%2Bgoldfish%2Bfood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Md0FJVfRso8/WKBE6Xv4OwI/AAAAAAAAEK8/eK3JbvyXnsYf27xqCZa3OYd_kAET2RVHQCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2B-%2Bslime%2Bgoldfish%2Bfood.JPG" width="320" /></a>I only have a dozen or so adult goldfish in my system, and it is capable of holding a lot more.<br />
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It could cope without any flow for a day or two, but the fish seem to enjoy their water moving around a bit.<br />
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The problem is that the slimeball I'm cultivating in the tank can sometimes find it's way into the outlet. The result is an overflow, and the sump tank running dry. The pump hates it when that happens, and I was lucky enough to catch it just before it ran dry a couple of days ago.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2qzLaGpX8SA/WKBF4wSQWHI/AAAAAAAAELE/FmQyj82rClYhCsrgLxWNGNCE3UKhsHj-ACLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2qzLaGpX8SA/WKBF4wSQWHI/AAAAAAAAELE/FmQyj82rClYhCsrgLxWNGNCE3UKhsHj-ACLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The point of the float valve was to slow the amount of water entering the fishtank if the water level gets too high. But because the flow through the device isn't very high, it isnt quite doing the task I assigned it.<br />
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I decided to make it flow a little faster.<br />
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To this end, I taped out the pin that holds it all together with a chopstick.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LY9HhCQtrA4/WKBGXehQbzI/AAAAAAAAELI/b7fW43xmWhc8Sfi4jBtLwXD71D4ZZtIygCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LY9HhCQtrA4/WKBGXehQbzI/AAAAAAAAELI/b7fW43xmWhc8Sfi4jBtLwXD71D4ZZtIygCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
As expected, everything fell apart nicely, and I found that the thing worked by the float levering a small slide with a silicone stopper on the end. This blocked the water outlet when the float was<br />
... floating<br />
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The bottom bit has the float on the end and fits into the box section on the next bit up. The lowest bit of green slimy plastic is the silicone stopper that presses against the next higher up bit of green slimy plastic.<br />
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I should write operating manuals.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-USS7u3UiCIo/WKBHaNsl5fI/AAAAAAAAELQ/vC1Nz6NIUnMgtxaVb86a8DUpew5QUqJNQCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-USS7u3UiCIo/WKBHaNsl5fI/AAAAAAAAELQ/vC1Nz6NIUnMgtxaVb86a8DUpew5QUqJNQCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The inlet hole did indeed turn out to be pretty small. Perhaps this is so the silicone stopper has a nice large surface area to stop leaks.<br />
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But I dont care about leaks because even when the slime blocks my system, it always lets some water through.<br />
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It never blocks it perfectly.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UXmQR4mnuRE/WKBIfv3FfgI/AAAAAAAAELY/07RaUvhdCXUHNUbWtuFt3g3vJb7oC3gqQCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UXmQR4mnuRE/WKBIfv3FfgI/AAAAAAAAELY/07RaUvhdCXUHNUbWtuFt3g3vJb7oC3gqQCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B7.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So I drilled it out to a size that should let more water through, but still allow the float to shut down the flow.<br />
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I had to do it by hand because the chuck on my drill has decided that it likes having the 13mm drill in it and refuses to surrender it no matter how I try to persuade the thing otherwise.<br />
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Thats what you get for running water all over the chuck when drilling stainless hinges and trying not to overheat the drill bit.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kLmaEZ7TBR0/WKBJAk5n8sI/AAAAAAAAELg/L4QmH76UFWcf-Ya1VHHsoNcMehQ8dWQrwCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kLmaEZ7TBR0/WKBJAk5n8sI/AAAAAAAAELg/L4QmH76UFWcf-Ya1VHHsoNcMehQ8dWQrwCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Somewhat surprisingly, the thing all fell back together as easily as it fell apart.<br />
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A few taps of the pin and it was all good.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MootZxRKE4E/WKBJgoI-n_I/AAAAAAAAELo/pQ3GKtIB7zEi6NgvvcGS9-tzCYVyg_VUwCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MootZxRKE4E/WKBJgoI-n_I/AAAAAAAAELo/pQ3GKtIB7zEi6NgvvcGS9-tzCYVyg_VUwCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B10.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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So now the flow looks like this when it's in the "off" position.<br />
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Not a bad result.<br />
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Most of that flow is because I didnt bother to clean up the hole I drilled.<br />
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"Drilled" is probably a bit of a fantasy really.<br />
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Lets just say I made a hole with a drill bit.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BUoot6hRQRo/WKBKGMk1jCI/AAAAAAAAELw/UsQVJqYaY0oD8q9lovbdaXl_IgC1rW7dACLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BUoot6hRQRo/WKBKGMk1jCI/AAAAAAAAELw/UsQVJqYaY0oD8q9lovbdaXl_IgC1rW7dACLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B9.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In the "on" position I get a lot more flow now.<br />
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All in all I think this can be called a complete success.<br />
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And perhaps more importantly, it shows that maybe I can still do stuff.<br />
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It's been a while.<br />
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If I care enough, I'll clean up the hole and make it so the flow actually stops when the float is floating.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USS7u3UiCIo/WKBHaNsl5fI/AAAAAAAAELc/PQAdOIcGRoguMq60sLbaFmwi7Vj4hY6eACEw/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USS7u3UiCIo/WKBHaNsl5fI/AAAAAAAAELc/PQAdOIcGRoguMq60sLbaFmwi7Vj4hY6eACEw/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2B6.JPG" width="320" /></a>Trying to drill by hand is fine until you actually make it through the thing your drilling. Then it becomes very difficult to make a clean hole because the drill bit just tries to screw itself into the item.<br />
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This is the "before" shot.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6awz0r925hs/WKBLVblArUI/AAAAAAAAEL8/nUClcbAy4wEWDJ7DqUaTQUTsoHZdg4VFwCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2Bhole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6awz0r925hs/WKBLVblArUI/AAAAAAAAEL8/nUClcbAy4wEWDJ7DqUaTQUTsoHZdg4VFwCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2BAquaponics%2BFloat%2BValve%2Bmod%2Bhole.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
And this is the "after" shot.<br />
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The result is you get three quarters of a hole as you brake through the plastic.<br />
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I'll file it back to something like round if it turns out to matter.<br />
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So...<br />
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I did something.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> Some of the photos were even in focus!<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-74431767410285617732017-02-06T16:48:00.000+10:302017-02-06T16:48:16.812+10:30Cooking - RiceIn lots of places on the globe, people cook rice by rinsing it (if you can afford the water) then adding enough water to cover the rice up to the point where the water is level with the first joint of your pointing finger if you stick it into the pot of water until it just touches the rice.<br />
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So... submerge your rice by one pointing finger joint.<br />
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Where I'm from we just read the packet.<br />
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Not everybody gets a packet.<br />
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It turns out rice doesn't come from the supermarket, but actually grows as the seed of a grass.<br />
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But the interesting thing about the Western world view on rice cooking, is that it often depends on making exactly one dose as described on the packet, and in a saucepan exactly like the one they used when they wrote the recipe.<br />
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All different kinds of rice absorb the same amount of water, but they take different lengths of time to do it. The result is you get a lot more evaporation when you cook brown rice compared to white rice because it takes so much longer to cook.<br />
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If you want to make an extra big stack of rice, you cant just triple your normal recipe, because if you are using a pot that evaporates the same amount of water (or for example, the same pot), you only need to add a single cup of water for every extra cup of rice. There isnt a lot of evaporation until the water starts to simmer, so even if it takes a lot longer to get to temperature, it's still around the same actual cooking time once it has. So you get the same amount of evaporation.<br />
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Roughly.<br />
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If you follow the two and a bit cups water to one cup rice recipe you find on brown rice, then triple it to make enough for everyone, you get glue.<br />
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You start with at least a couple of cups more water than you need.<br />
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To avoid glue it's important to only add one cup of water for every extra cup of rice more than the recipe on the packet calls for.<br />
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Or just stick your finger in your pot so it touches the rice, and fill with water to the first joint on your pointing finger. The finger method also ingeniously accounts for the width of the pot, and thus the surface area of the water, so it works even when you change pots. It works all the time.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> thinks it works all the time.<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-9599848598991010522017-01-20T19:23:00.000+10:302017-01-20T19:25:03.732+10:30Cooking - Emulsifying agentsNope.<br />
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This post isn't going to be about getting spies mixed up with each other, but rather an altogether much more palatable thing.<br />
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It's about salad dressing.<br />
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If I had my way it would be illegal to sell any food with an ingredient my grandmother couldnt instantly recognise.<br />
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Unless it was one that someone else's grandmother from some other country could immediately recognize.<br />
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That would be fine as well.<br />
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But anything like "dextroconcubinic acid" or whatever, is definately out. Dont bother looking that up, I invented it just now.<br />
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But I also dont think prohibition is worth anything at all, so I figure I should embrace all those mystery ingredients.<br />
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Or not.<br />
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Whatever.<br />
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But it's left me wondering why people dont have things like emulsifying agents in their kitchen. I understand an agg does a pretty good job of it, but what if for some unfathomable reason, you dont want an egg?<br />
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Well, (and here's the crux of the post) you can just add a little of something you dont recognise to get the result you want in the stuff you do recognize.<br />
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Take this for example...<br />
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Put a teaspoon of store bought, shelf stable mayonnaise-like product into your next salad dressing, and your oil and vinegar will love each other for ages before their inevitable separation.<br />
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It will undecuple the time your emulsion stays together!<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 years</a> is feeling hungry.<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-90435594032605302792016-12-16T02:23:00.000+10:302016-12-16T02:23:04.420+10:30Thinking - R2D2That little R2D2 robot nugget doesn't really have a lot going for it other than charm and cracking skills. Some would say that's enough, but I want more from my personal robot assistant.<br />
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It talks in ascii via a screen when it communicates with humans, and chirps to everything else regardless of what language they speak. Even my iPhone speaks more languages than R2D2.<br />
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Now dont get me wrong, I've always enjoyed it's company, and it seems like a decent kind of ... device, but it hasn't seen a lot of upgrades in the time we've known it.<br />
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I think it's been a hundred years or so. The kid did a few adjustments, but I dont think there was any kind of major operating system upgrade from the manufacturer or anything, and it seems to have pretty much the same skill set on the ice planet as he did all those years earlier.<br />
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That makes him a toaster as compared to my aging phone.<br />
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Not happy!<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 years</a> wants more from my robots NOW!<br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">OK this time I really haven't added a photo (or a post really)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-25417776108332563022016-12-13T12:06:00.000+10:302016-12-13T12:06:53.472+10:30Thinking - Pest controlOnce when I was eighteen years old or so, I owned a ghetto-blaster style sound system.<br />
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Which is interesting enough as it stands.<br />
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But to add interest to the narrative, I once saw a remarkable thing occur upon it's top surface.<br />
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A cockroach walked across it.<br />
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I realize at this point that this is still not the gripping tale promised by it's title, but there's more...<br />
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I rolled up some junk mail* vouchers for fast food and furniture, and just as I was about to kill it, it died.<br />
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It just died right there in front of me while I watched. I presume it died of old age. I have a slight allergy to bug spray type product (I get hay fever from them) so it wasn't because of a surface spray or anything.<br />
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I'm guessing it didnt die of a heart attack or anything, because I've notice in squashed cockroaches there's no sign of a heart of anything else meaningful.<br />
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Just mush.<br />
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I always assumed they dont have organs, just soup, and something that makes their legs twitch to give their famous ability to scurry.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k8ZBRlIod0Q/WE9M4CyIPNI/AAAAAAAAEKI/TDvwNe0tVFwRH_4fybk6oQF66FbwFHQCgCLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2Byears%2B-%2BArtitsts%2Bcockroaches%2B%2B-%2BX-ray%2Bcockroaches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k8ZBRlIod0Q/WE9M4CyIPNI/AAAAAAAAEKI/TDvwNe0tVFwRH_4fybk6oQF66FbwFHQCgCLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2Bin%2B20%2Byears%2B-%2BArtitsts%2Bcockroaches%2B%2B-%2BX-ray%2Bcockroaches.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's my impression of an actual X-ray of the mush inside a healthy, living cockroach.<br />
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Pretty convincing stuff.<br />
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Anyway...<br />
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The thing just up and died right in front of me just seconds before I was going to kill it.<br />
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I was going to rob it of those last few seconds of life.<br />
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It changed the way I saw killing things for a while.<br />
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Until the ant incident a few months later, but thats a story for another day.<br />
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That's it really.<br />
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I just thought you should know.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 years</a> thinks it may be the only person on earth to have seen an insect die of old age.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">*In order to take a relevant photo of something rolled up, I just went out to get the daily batch of junk mail that we have hand delivered to our door every day. Today for the first time in our history here, there has been no delivery. When we lived in the country we didnt get junk mail, so we still find it culturally interesting and worth a read. Before we lived in the country, I lived in the city, so received junk mail, and something called the Messenger Post, which is a free newspaper (looking thing) that someone sees fit to throw at every house in South Australia, and is typically used to help fill recycling bins, and wrapping fish heads. In fact it was most likely a copy of the Messenger Post news paper that I would have rolled up on the day.</span>120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-15312743589384050442016-12-09T01:37:00.001+10:302016-12-09T01:37:14.122+10:30Sous vide - Rice cooker on keepI just Sous vide(d) a steak to perfection in three hours in a thirty year old rice cooker on "keep".<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CGMQSSvLE1I/WElwUtAdzWI/AAAAAAAAEJ0/I-QbSJHJjwELsph4FbpX79b1kcpXik0bQCLcB/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CGMQSSvLE1I/WElwUtAdzWI/AAAAAAAAEJ0/I-QbSJHJjwELsph4FbpX79b1kcpXik0bQCLcB/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
There's a factory somewhere in Japan that's still turning out "old school" rice cookers. Or at least I figure there must be. It's either a factory that's still running, or a really, really big warehouse that's still full. You can still buy the exact same model as mine thirty years later. Perhaps they just left the factory running and forgot about it.<br />
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My impression of the situation is that there was an order placed thirty five years ago, and someone rocks up in a truck every few hours at the loading bay, and collects the latest batch for drop shipping around the world.<br />
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Anyway...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BVdWt22YYSo/WEls-xvbKoI/AAAAAAAAEJo/5tu_c53rZjofSc3cgeQgLEbsf0cIAxzHACLcB/s1600/rice%2Bcooker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BVdWt22YYSo/WEls-xvbKoI/AAAAAAAAEJo/5tu_c53rZjofSc3cgeQgLEbsf0cIAxzHACLcB/s320/rice%2Bcooker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The rice cooker I'm talking about is the one I still use all the time, and looks like this.<br />
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Actually it looks a little less like this.<br />
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It looks like this, but without the meat thermometer I put under the lid.<br />
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Interestingly it keeps an interesting temperature.<br />
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Which is interesting.<br />
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If you happened to start by putting a quarter of a cup of water into it and set it to "keep" and "cook" so that it first cooks, then keeps, you will find that after the cook cycle has finished and it switches to "keep", you can fill it with hot water, and it will sit at around 57c.<br />
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Now it turns out 57c is a very interesting temperature.<br />
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You even get a bit of control.<br />
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You can control the temperature by putting a thermometer under the lid and thus creating a gap. (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_effect_(physics)" target="_blank">observer effect</a> as pertaining to cooking meat in a rice cooker/something about photons and so forth)<br />
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If you have a shallow depth of water you will get a slightly higher temperature, and if you fill it to the rim, you will get a slightly lower temperature.<br />
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I'm guessing that this is because it vents more heat the fuller it is. Something about the exposed hot surface area or something. (Search "something something law of thermodynamics or something".(Interestingly, a search for exactly <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=something+something+law+of+thermodynamics+or+something&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU699AU699&oq=something+something+law+of+thermodynamics+or+something&aqs=chrome..69i57.961j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">that</a> gets you everything you ever need to know about such stuff.))<br />
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Anyway...<br />
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Get a rice cooker and make it be on keep and fill it with hot water.<br />
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Then get a zip-lock sandwich bag, and drop a steak into it.<br />
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Just make the steak stay dry.<br />
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Then do one of the following to rid it of air pockets and expose all of it to even heat...<br />
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1. Submerge the steak in a bag in the water until the pressure forms a nice tight compression around the steak(s) then seal up the bag.<br />
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2. Seal up the bag but leave a tiny gap and suck the air out. (I used a straw)<br />
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3. Just leave the bag open, peg it to the side, and let the hot water in your rice cooker do it's thing with it's own pressure.<br />
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They all work.<br />
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So now... and this is the exciting bit...<br />
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Put the bag of steak into the hot water.<br />
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Leave it there until you get bored.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CGMQSSvLE1I/WElwUtAdzWI/AAAAAAAAEJ0/4Tr5UpZQ-BogBjJxrH6QDfDDA7S6UDQNgCEw/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CGMQSSvLE1I/WElwUtAdzWI/AAAAAAAAEJ0/4Tr5UpZQ-BogBjJxrH6QDfDDA7S6UDQNgCEw/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
If you get bored in less than an hour and a half, leave it there until someone else gets bored.<br />
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I didn't get bored until around three hours the first time.<br />
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Read that last line again.<br />
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This is a steak cooked for three hours in a rice cooker on "keep" setting in a vat of water! (then very quickly fried)<br />
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It looked like this when I fried it for twenty seconds on each side and cut into it.<br />
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Yeah that's the same photo as above but I thought it was worth another look.<br />
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Bam!<br />
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I count this as a total success,<br />
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<a href="mailto:120thingsin20years@blogspot.com.au" target="_blank">120 Things in 20 years</a> doesn't cook steak the regular way any more, but still makes rice the regular way.<br />
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120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-15081014267419745612016-12-05T21:12:00.000+10:302016-12-05T21:13:07.337+10:30Aquaponics - Vivipary strawberry propagation failIt looks like my <a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/aquaponics-strawberry-propagation.html" target="_blank">absurd strawberry</a> has pretty much failed to do much of anything except go all floopy, and look a lot more like earth than it did a few days ago..<br />
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I was (of course) hoping it would change the world in some enormous way, but alas it was not to be.<br />
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On the up side, a few of my very healthy normal strawberry plants are actually doing quite well, and have started to send out yet more runners, so "normal" might turn out to be a pretty good approach after all.<br />
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I think This might be my first post without a photo, so given the strawberry has turned to what looks like earth, I'll post this pic in place of anything meaningful.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m12!1m3!1d49315.46634657389!2d136.70719000950547!3d-25.10947915106281!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1480934170098" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe>
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120 Things In 20 Years</a> thinks the world might have slipped back into normal mode when it comes to strawberry propagation.120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-82031185166998506262016-11-24T17:01:00.000+10:302016-11-24T17:06:07.442+10:30Aquaponics - Strawberry propagation I found a new way to propagate strawberries. Or at least it's new to me. The secret is to have the seeds sprout while it's still on the fruit.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYWg001__rM/WDaFcYCyXFI/AAAAAAAAEJU/gWEJD5ZODpkdimPV2F3wR35pu2cx-cBGACLcB/s1600/120%2BThings%2BIn%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2Baquaponics%2B-%2BStrawberry%2Bseeds%2Bgrowing%2Bon%2Bfruit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYWg001__rM/WDaFcYCyXFI/AAAAAAAAEJU/gWEJD5ZODpkdimPV2F3wR35pu2cx-cBGACLcB/s320/120%2BThings%2BIn%2B20%2BYears%2B-%2Baquaponics%2B-%2BStrawberry%2Bseeds%2Bgrowing%2Bon%2Bfruit.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Although I would have liked to leave it alone to see if they would all grow by themselves, the fruit is almost rotten so I thought it would be better to pick it and plant them all.<br />
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It came from a dirt garden so there was a lot of risk of it being eaten by things before they had a chance to grow.<br />
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I planted it into my aquaponics system.<br />
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From what I could see, all the seeds had sprouted.<br />
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I have no idea what conditions were required to make it happen or if they will actually end up growing, but the original plant was a modern lab created thing that didn't produce runners. Or almost didn't. From around 60 plants I think I've seen two runners in two years.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years </a>thinks the world is odd.<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-7215844829609831152016-11-13T02:14:00.000+10:302017-01-20T19:32:57.300+10:30Thinking - Sandwiches Dont underestimate the sandwich. It's like Sushi, but with bread! The world needs the sandwich to have a bit of a run. If even a tiny percentage of the western world cared as much about what we put into a sandwich as the average japanese worker cares about their bento box of yummy goodness bought from a train station on the way to work contains, the sandwich would take the world by storm.<br />
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It's like sushi, but with Bread!<br />
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When I was a kid, 45 years ago, a school lunch might be a sandwich that consisted of ham between some buttered bread. This would be lovingly stored in a school bag at, on some days, say.... 48 degrees c .... that's 118.4 F... from the time your mum made it, until you ate it four hours later.<br />
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Can you say "Rancid?"<br />
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Four hours at that temperature is pretty much getting into the zone of eating a dead thing you found on the side of a road after you woke up from a heat induced stupor of a length you could not define.<br />
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But anyway.... the fresh, hand crafted with love, quality sandwich is by any measure a most pleasant thing to eat, and should never be dismissed. I look forward to the day we see "Sandwich Train" restaurants offering us ever more interesting temptations from the sandwich family.<br />
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I dont ever recall being offered a salmon and caviar sandwich in my entire life of eating.<br />
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That's a lot of years.<br />
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That's not a good effort from the sandwich making community.<br />
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Sandwich Train!<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years </a>predicts... Sandwich Train restaurants!<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-24343867984497603752016-10-07T21:16:00.001+10:302016-10-07T21:18:40.325+10:30Aquaponics - Recycled LeeksIt turns out it's possible to recycle leeks.<br />
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Which is nice.<br />
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When you buy or harvest a leek, cut the base off like you might normally do, but perhaps be a little more generous in what you leave. ie cut the bottom off so that it's 1cm thick or so.<br />
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Also leave the roots on if they are there still.<br />
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Then just stick it into your growbed media and wait patiently for a bit.<br />
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If you bought your Leek from a supermarket and the roots are all removed, it takes quite a while before you see new growth. Like all things without roots, they try to grow enough of a root system to keep from getting all thirsty and dead as a priority, then start to put up the all the photosynthesising bits to get on with the business of growing in earnest.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SP8NA1wyTzM/V_d5dpH28rI/AAAAAAAAEIw/meHWN23bsUUHSge0qFmgO37-WJSjigxEACLcB/s1600/120ThingsIn20Years%2B-%2BAquaponics%2B-%2BLeek%2Bregrowth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SP8NA1wyTzM/V_d5dpH28rI/AAAAAAAAEIw/meHWN23bsUUHSge0qFmgO37-WJSjigxEACLcB/s320/120ThingsIn20Years%2B-%2BAquaponics%2B-%2BLeek%2Bregrowth.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
But, if you leave the roots on when you harvest, or better yet, just cut the stem off and leave the roots in the media, you should see new stem growth right from the start.<br />
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Pictured here are three store bought Leek bases in different stages of growth.<br />
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All of these had no roots at all.<br />
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The one I pulled up was just harassed in order to have it's photo taken, but will no doubt be fine because the expanded clay media is very forgiving when doing such things as pulling up a plant just to take a photo of it's roots.<br />
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As far as I can tell it's growing normally, and should be a perfectly good Leek in no time.<br />
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There's always the chance that something strange might happen and it might turn to a piece of wood or something, but if it does, rest assured I'll probably get around to telling you before you waste too much of your own time doing this.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> thinks it will probably work just fine.120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-88883555341255340522016-09-21T23:34:00.001+09:302016-09-21T23:34:51.485+09:30SpamDue to the overwhelming existence of the spamming minority, comments will now need to be approved before they get published.<br />
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Sorry for any delays to those of you who are real people.<br />
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I hate to sensor, and as per my usual policy, anyone who wants to leave an ad or link may do so, but if you do so more than once or twice (or at least more than once off topic), I wont let them through.<br />
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Unfortunately I'll just have to decide on the day.<br />
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I hate having to do it, but the last few days have been keeping me busy all day deleting spam.<br />
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Please dont let it put you off posting a link to your blog or business if it's on topic and might be useful to someone reading, but everything is moderated now, so by default you are spam, so dont waste your time if you are a bot.<br />
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Sorry normal people, but if you are real, It will be posted when I get around to dealing with it.<br />
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I'm getting hundreds of spam posts per day at the moment, and they all just get pushed into a new mailbox from this point on until I get around to sorting them.<br />
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<br />120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1798378093674256104.post-47170517370371422332016-09-04T01:08:00.000+09:302016-09-04T01:08:18.791+09:30Thinking - Lies and funFor around 25 years I lied to Mrs Bullwinkle that I had been on a flight with Leo Sayer on the one and only time I traveled first class on a plane to Papua New Guinea when I was seventeen years old.<br />
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I cant remember what the original gag was supposed to be that I never managed to punchline, but for some reason, I just kept it up for years and years.<br />
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Then one day when she was really, really sad for very good reasons, I told her the awesome truth.<br />
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She stopped being sad for a few minutes.<br />
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Sometimes it’s worth lying to your partner for twenty five years just for a few minutes of giggles.<br />
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It still cracks her up whenever she remembers it.<br />
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"Of all the people to lie about being on a plane with!"<br />
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It turns out twenty five years is a long time to set up a punchline.<br />
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On a different and oppositely styled gag, I realised I always wore white business shirts, and a blue thing over the top of it.<br />
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The shirts changed, but the blue... thing was always the same.<br />
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But one day I decided to cut the cuffs and the collar off a shirt, and wear them under the same blue thing I always wore.<br />
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So, no shirt, just the blue top, and cuffs and a collar from a white business shirt poking out where they normally should.<br />
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This was when I was around sixteen years old or so, and I was friends with a guy whose parents owned a motel in Kentown in Adelaide. It was pretty cool because we got to eat food from the restaurant at will, use the pool and sauna, and have unlimited access to video games and vending machines.<br />
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So one day I rock up un-announced after school, and find my friend and his girlfriend sitting on the stairs in the middle of a depressing argument that looked like it might spell the end of their relationship.<br />
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Now, keep in mind, this is the first time I had ever worn my cut down stunt shirt, but it was perhaps the 500th time my friend had seen me in a white shirt, and my blue thing.<br />
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I realised I needed to get back on the bus to go home and leave them to it, but for a few seconds before I went, I asked my friend to give me 10:1 odds on a $1 bet that I could take off my shirt in less than 5 seconds without removing my blue thing.<br />
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Three buttons, and it was done.<br />
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To this day, I doubt he could be convinced that I wore normal shirts for all the years he knew me.<br />
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I never did collect my $10, but I also don't think I saved the relationship with my cupid stunt.<br />
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<a href="http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">120ThingsIn20Years</a> thinks lies are always funny and stupid,but are sometimes worth giving a go if you're willing to put in the years to develop them to their full potential, or at least pretend that you have being doing so. You don't need to lie to seem like you are, but when you do, it's worth doing for the right reason.120 Things in 20 yearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936923519713138582noreply@blogger.com2