What have you been up to lately?

[DeanD]

Speaking of the Coronation: I love this one:

[pakarinen]

Frankenpod!

The AZ5 now rides on the TW-1 without a hockey puck adapter. Hopefully, it'll be steady enough to handle my ST120.

Nope, nah gonna happen. Too much jitter for my tastes even when using the fine focus on my Crayford 2-speed. It's tolerable, but why settle for just tolerable? I really don't want to invest in a heavy Panzer mount though. Maybe a 90mm...

[Nakedgun]

~

My wife took a picture of my return to our desert property Sunday:


:

:





.

[JSBach1801]

Been brushing up on my culinary skills. It went down quite well,

[DeanD]

Ran a seminar last night on "Working towards a darker sky". We live in southern beach-side suburb in Adelaide: a city that has been declared a "National Park City" (only the second city in the world to join this club, along with London), and the long term plan is to declare the entire coastline a National Park, to complete a ring of parks around the city: so we figured we need to point out the need to fix up our light pollution too. (Adelaide has a 28km long sandy beach, running N-S along the western edge of the city.)
Just an information session at this stage, with talks from the Chair of the "River Murray Dark Sky Reserve" (see: https://www.rivermurraydarkskyreserve.org )- wearing his "21.9" t-shirt (the average SQM reading for the reserve!), members of the Astronomical Society of SA, and a very informative lighting designer.
We had 70 attendees, including the local Deputy Mayor, local city Councillors, and the former Environment Minister of our State (now the Leader of the Opposition).
We were able to point out not only the effect on the night sky (and the loss of stars as a result), but the effects on humans and local fauna. I noted that we have even logged 7 species (!) of micro-bats in the area that are affected badly by too much light (due to increased predation and disturbance of hunting/breeding cycles etc.)
Very positive responses, including the Deputy Mayor commenting that they needed to re-think their lighting designs for the local roads.
We are hoping to start a "test case" area of better lighting design with our local sea-side caravan park, and eventually roll it out along the coast and maybe the whole city one day!
So, a good start!

[Nakedgun]

Ran a seminar last night on "Working towards a darker sky". We live in southern beach-side suburb in Adelaide: a city that has been declared a "National Park City" (only the second city in the world to join this club, along with London), and the long term plan is to declare the entire coastline a National Park, to complete a ring of parks around the city: so we figured we need to point out the need to fix up our light pollution too. (Adelaide has a 28km long sandy beach, running N-S along the western edge of the city.)
Just an information session at this stage, with talks from the Chair of the "River Murray Dark Sky Reserve" (see: https://www.rivermurraydarkskyreserve.org )- wearing his "21.9" t-shirt (the average SQM reading for the reserve!), members of the Astronomical Society of SA, and a very informative lighting designer.
We had 70 attendees, including the local Deputy Mayor, local city Councillors, and the former Environment Minister of our State (now the Leader of the Opposition).
We were able to point out not only the effect on the night sky (and the loss of stars as a result), but the effects on humans and local fauna. I noted that we have even logged 7 species (!) of micro-bats in the area that are affected badly by too much light (due to increased predation and disturbance of hunting/breeding cycles etc.)
Very positive responses, including the Deputy Mayor commenting that they needed to re-think their lighting designs for the local roads.
We are hoping to start a "test case" area of better lighting design with our local sea-side caravan park, and eventually roll it out along the coast and maybe the whole city one day!
So, a good start!

~

Good work. May you live long enough to see positive results.




.

[Butterfly Maiden]

One of the favourite events on our calendar each year is the New Forest Show.

Due to our various work commitments, we have not been able to devote enough time practising to enter any of the equine events at the show this year.

We are still intending to visit though and to support our friends who are taking part in the various equine sections.

[OzEclipse]

Between mowing and gardening I’ve been putting a music track together to background my solar eclipse movie. A lot of work for me with my very limited musical skills.

[JSBach1801]

When I was a kid, I used to make put together model kit airplanes all the time. Back them, my idea of a finished product was to glue the pieces on, slap some of the decals in place, and call it done.

A few years ago, I came across some model builders on YouTube who completely changed my idea of what model kit building was. The results these people were able to get was nothing short of masterworks. Museum level quality. I'm nowhere near that level, but I do make an effort. Here is the Spitfire I am currently working on. If you look close you can see some grey/white colors on the raised panel lines. That is an attempt to make the cockpit look used, as over time the paint on raised areas would get worn down. I have also added some dirt and grime effects near all the recesses and corner areas. Again, the idea is that the cockpit has seen lots of use and built up dirty areas.

Waiting on these pieces to dry then I will glue them together, sealing the fuselage tonight. I only do a little each day (all I have time for) so I will be at this build for another couple of weeks at least.

[JSBach1801]

Always a bit nerve racking to get everything aligned just right.

[DeanD]

Went to a snake awareness seminar yesterday in my role as a volunteer Ranger. A very interesting session: most species of snake in Australia are poisonous, and all of them are timid when it comes to we giant humans!
No. 1 rule: if you see a snake, don't move- and it will ignore you and go on its way. One like the one below (a very poisonous Eastern Brown Snake: the most common one around here) went straight between my legs as part of the demonstration. Very cool.

[OzEclipse]

Went to a snake awareness seminar yesterday in my role as a volunteer Ranger. A very interesting session: most species of snake in Australia are poisonous, and all of them are timid when it comes to we giant humans!
No. 1 rule: if you see a snake, don't move- and it will ignore you and go on its way. One like the one below (a very poisonous Eastern Brown Snake: the most common one around here) went straight between my legs as part of the demonstration. Very cool.

brown snake.jpg

I told some visitors from Argentina that many years ago. Took them out bush walking in the Budawang Range, Moreton National Park. I told them to all wear long pants. I turned up in shorts. The teenage kids had a go at me about that. Mid-afternoon, we were sitting down having a break when a king brown came into the clearing, the girls screamed and ran. I froze and it went straight between my legs and kept going.

BTW, There a tiger snake somewhere in my shed. Can you come find and catch it for me. Seriously.

Joe

[DeanD]

Went to a snake awareness seminar yesterday in my role as a volunteer Ranger. A very interesting session: most species of snake in Australia are poisonous, and all of them are timid when it comes to we giant humans!
No. 1 rule: if you see a snake, don't move- and it will ignore you and go on its way. One like the one below (a very poisonous Eastern Brown Snake: the most common one around here) went straight between my legs as part of the demonstration. Very cool.

brown snake.jpg

I told some visitors from Argentina that many years ago. Took them out bush walking in the Budawang Range, Moreton National Park. I told them to all wear long pants. I turned up in shorts. The teenage kids had a go at me about that. Mid-afternoon, we were sitting down having a break when a king brown came into the clearing, the girls screamed and ran. I froze and it went straight between my legs and kept going.

BTW, There a tiger snake somewhere in my shed. Can you come find and catch it for me. Seriously.

Joe

Yeah, shorts are probably not the best option for PPE, unless you have gaiters: and good leather boots are a must. (Leather is good for inch-ants too: I had several hanging on to my shoe the other day, but thankfully they couldn't get through: except the one on my ankle and my finger!) Most of our snakes have small fangs: in the 3-6mm range (even the King Brown), so solid boots and gaiters are very useful. Maybe though the kids were more worried about your legs than the shorts per se. (They would be with mine!!!). Sounds like you did the perfect thing with the freezing bit: especially if you can't run faster than the teenagers!

Sorry, I am not into snake catching (probably the best way to get bitten!)- and you are a long way from Adelaide. If you are aware it is in the shed you can possibly live with it- as long as you make lots of noise and are very careful about picking things up etc. You certainly don't want to corner it or startle it without it having an escape route. If possible, make sure you don't have anything on the floor it can hide under, and so you can see clearly anywhere you are likely to put your hand or foot. Use a stick to check any areas first. Tiger snakes can climb fairly well, but they prefer to live at or near ground level, and they would love a nice wood pile like I have in my shed at the moment...

Apparently about 1/2 of all bites occur when people try to kill the snake (even though they are protected species...): so leaving it alone is the best option!

However I would check out a snake catcher in the area if I were you. Apparently they have a fairly limited range, so if it is caught and relocated it should be within about a kilometre: further than that then it will probably be killed by another one that owns the new territory.

Of course, being in a rural area you might well find another one moves in- and if you are not aware of it it could be even more dangerous.

Given that you have snakes around, just a comment about first aid. They keep moving the goalposts on this, but the latest advice is to wrap (firmly!) and immobilise the bitten limb and keep as still as possible until the ambos can get there with an anti-venom: and that means no movement of any other part of the body too: not even wriggling your fingers! So a mobile phone is probably your best option if you are on your own: and to sit and wait until help arrives, with the bitten area below the level of your heart: even if you can't apply a pressure bandage (which probably requires too much muscle movement to do yourself). No tourniquets!

Good luck!

[OzEclipse]

However I would check out a snake catcher in the area if I were you. Apparently they have a fairly limited range, so if it is caught and relocated it should be within about a kilometre: further than that then it will probably be killed by another one that owns the new territory.

Of course, being in a rural area you might well find another one moves in- and if you are not aware of it it could be even more dangerous.

Given that you have snakes around, just a comment about first aid. They keep moving the goalposts on this, but the latest advice is to wrap (firmly!) and immobilise the bitten limb and keep as still as possible until the ambos can get there with an anti-venom: and that means no movement of any other part of the body too: not even wriggling your fingers! So a mobile phone is probably your best option if you are on your own: and to sit and wait until help arrives, with the bitten area below the level of your heart: even if you can't apply a pressure bandage (which probably requires too much muscle movement to do yourself). No tourniquets!

Good luck!

Hi Dean,

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. My request was somewhat tongue in cheek. I didn't actually expect you to come over to catch a snake. I was packing for my trip on April 2nd. I saw a baby tiger bold as brass slither into the shed and disappear into a gap between the shed slab and gal iron wall. In nearly 3 years here, this is the first snake I've seen anywhere on my property. My first thought was, "well, the mice that live in the shed are SOOL."

I have seen numerous 6 ft long king browns out sunning themselves on the bitumen road at the bottom of the driveway. Whenever working in the garden, I wear thick denim jeans and a long sleeve shirt and boots. I've had 25 years of advanced first aid training and I well know the first aid drill. I keep pressure bandages strategically positioned in my car, in the shed, and in the house. The first aid technique you describe is based on the indigenous traditional technique where they would drop to the ground as soon as they were bitten and stay motionless for days until the poison was metabolised. Now it's long pants in the shed as well and I have to check the ride on mower before each use. I have several sets of drawers I use for tools. I'm expecting to open a drawer one day and find a snake coiled up inside.

My shed is a fantastic faraday cage. Consequently, I have mostly had no phone signal in the shed. When working in there, I am very careful. Eg changing a tyre on a 450kg trailer or working on my 350kg mower I always work clear of the item some that I can never get pinned. If I do, I'm toast. But that goes with the territory of remote living. If I climb a ladder, I am pedantic about making sure the feet are on stable ground or have ground boards and I tie off the ladder to the building if possible. When I get on the ride on mower, I always have the mobile in a small pouch hanging around my neck. If the mower was to roll onto me, the phone can't be trapped or pinned in my pocket. I don't mow close to edges. My neighbours have not rolled their mower but have gone over edges on the common access ground we both mow because they try to mow too close to edges. I'd rather just spray some glyphosate or use the whipper snipper on those edge grasses.

I am not one of these people joined at the hip to my mobile phone and I am very bad at remembering to take my mobile phone with me when I just go outside to the shed or garden. I'll have to improve on that. I just bought a new mobile which seems to have a much more powerful/sensitive reception. It did work a little inside the shed yesterday though I imagine this depends upon which roller doors are open and where in the shed I am located.

cheers
Joe

[Chich]

Went to a snake awareness seminar yesterday in my role as a volunteer Ranger. A very interesting session: most species of snake in Australia are poisonous, and all of them are timid when it comes to we giant humans!
No. 1 rule: if you see a snake, don't move- and it will ignore you and go on its way. One like the one below (a very poisonous Eastern Brown Snake: the most common one around here) went straight between my legs as part of the demonstration. Very cool.

brown snake.jpg

I have quite a few snakes in the yard but none are venomous and I quite enjoy seeing them. I'd have to look it up but as far as I know the only venomous snakes we have are some rattlers in southern BC. Guess I'm lucky in that where I live if something is going to kill you, you can usually hear it coming

I was in Korea a few years ago to give a talk at a symposium. There was a conjunction of Venus, Mars and Jupiter in the early morning with Mercury low on the horizon. Woke up at zero dark thirty to scramble up the backside of a ski hill to get a clear view. Next day we were being shown around the area and warned to be on the lookout for pit vipers and some others. Not sure what my chances were of getting bit but clawing up a steep hillside in the dark in the brush probably wasn't the best idea I've had.

Another snake story. I was in northern Thailand and a friend, who is deathly afraid of snakes, decided for some reason to go to a snake show. We were seated in a small arena type place and the handlers would bring out one snake at a time and show it while describing its habits, dangerous or not etc. They even let a few people go down and handle some of the larger but non venomous ones. Near the end they bring out a wicker basket and the two handlers are struggling with it as the announcer says it is the most venomous and aggressive snake in Asia. The two keep fighting with their long snake poles trying to get it out of the box. Finally it comes out but is flashing around violently and the handlers loose control of it and it gets flung into the crowd. Turns out it was a piece of rope and my buddy had to change his shorts

[Richard]

Last few months astronomy has taken a back seat , we have no power for like 50% of the time so have installed solar with batteries , I am almost off the grid, its amazing with modern tech what solar can do in a sunny South Africa , few things to do and I will be off grid

[Nakedgun]

Last few months astronomy has taken a back seat , we have no power for like 50% of the time so have installed solar with batteries , I am almost off the grid, its amazing with modern tech what solar can do in a sunny South Africa , few things to do and I will be off grid

~

The power situation in SA is insufferable. You have my sympathies.




.

[GCoyote]

Hot water line sprung a leak last night in the utility room. After we got everything sorted out for the night I just shut off the water. Local plumber had the part in stock so we are back in business this morning.
[Full Disclosure: I hate plumbing!]

[Ylem]

I was going to post this under "jokes" but you really had to be there.

So Wifey decides to place a call to our health insurance company to check on the status of getting reimbursed for a procedure.

She dials the number and she's talking to a robot, she says, claims, operator, customer service, she finally gets transferred to an agent.

She starts explaining the issue, costs and dates of procedure.

The agent asks how is our internet?
Fine, we emailed the stuff back in March.

Well I am so sorry, can we offer you a free gift?

No gift please, just reimburse me back for the procedure!!

LOL turns out she dialed the wrong number

[DEnc]

I began a long-delayed project of cleaning and lubricating the gears of my AP Mach1 GTO mount. Disassembly went well. When I connected with the mount motors to run the worm for cleaning, I noticed upgrades for ASCOM and the mount driver. OK fine, upgraded. Initially all went well, but now the DEC motor is not responsive! Ah software....

Post script after the initial post above: I see the AP driver reports a "Counter Weight Up" message. I haven't pushed the mount too far beyond this situation while imaging, so perhaps the software shuts down the slew when too far into this state. So, my bad, so now the question becomes how to run the worm gear without these real-world safeguards?