Tag Archives: hobbies - Page 8

Filling In The Cracks In The Collection

Posted by anachostic on June 15, 2015 No comments

As I’ve previously noted, I have finished the acquisition phase of my CD collection. I have also completed the scanning of the cover art. The results of this have been added to Flickr and also as a series of pages for other’s benefit. To increase the benefits, I decided to contribute to a music metadata website.

I think I’d been through this before, and I had a big internal debate as to whether to use MusicBrainz or Discogs. Initially, I chose Musicbrainz, but something didn’t sit well with me during that experience and I gave it up pretty quickly. Recently, I submitted some missing information to Discogs and it went a lot smoother. So I think I’ve found my home, there. History shows I’ve said that before and ended up disappointed. We’ll see.

Discogs seems to be more of what I want anyway, because they focus on collectors, which is more and more how I view myself and my CDs. So, not only do you simply submit information, you also consume that information by tracking which CDs you own. I started doing that sporadically. I’m about half-way through with over 300 of my 600+ albums logged.

The problem is, when you are logging a collectable, you have to be very specific as to which collectible you have. In the case of albums, each album can be released under different labels in different countries under different catalog numbers. So as I was logging my collection on the website, I was pretty much choosing the most likely candidate from the multiple choices.

To be the most accurate (and there is a benefit to being accurate), I would have to have the CD in front of me to make sure I was choosing the right one, with the right label and catalog number. Instead of doing that, I decided I should record the Label, Barcode, and Catalog Number in the files’ metadata, so I can refer to them as needed. So, for a little while each day, I sit in font of my CD rack with my laptop and record that data into the files.

I had previously used Windows Media Player’s metadata feature to try and add all missing info using their metadata services. As I was going through and adding the actual info from my CDs, I discovered how inaccurate the results really were. How could an application determine what label the CD was on, when all it has is a ripped audio file? For every album I had to change from Sony to Columbia or anything else, I got really irritated. Not so much that it was wrong, because I understand how it could be wrong, but more because I could have been put in a position of giving bad information. I insist on being as truthful and accurate as possible.

One of the benefits of being accurate is that Discogs can value your collection based on prior sales of the same item. Of course, if you have a common or a rare release of an album, that can make a big difference in its value, so accuracy is important. Being about half-way through my collection, and with moderate accuracy, my collection has a median value of $1500. I have some CDs worth $60 and some worth $.75.

Completion

Posted by anachostic on May 18, 2015 No comments

Today, I purchased the remaining CDs to complete my collection of the entire MCA Master Series catalog: 44 CDs released between 1986 and 1990, including one album with vocals and a rare special issue compilation included with BMW vehicles from that era.

I thought I was done at 42 CDs. I knew about the country/vocal album put out at the very end of the MCA Master Series label’s life and I wanted to purposely disregard it because it has no interest to me. I never had any hope of finding the BMW CD, since it was made so long ago in probably an incredibly small quantity and who would keep something like a promo CD with a new car? However, as fate would have it, the completion of my collection came in a fortunate wave. The two expensive holdouts became available for less than I’d seen before, a search for the rare BMW CD returned a hit, and the vocals album was available for a penny. In a flurry of purchases, I was done, and done more than I even expected. That is the completion of Phase 1 of my music plan.

The status of Phase 2 – the scanning of all CD covers – is pretty sad. I have a LOT of CDs and little free time and even less time where I am motivated to work on them, especially when a batch of scans came out poorly and I have to rescan them. So I think I will reprioritize the scanning to focus on only the MCA Master Series covers so I can move on to Phase 3.

Phase 3 is the printing and framing of the CD artwork. I don’t exactly have a plan for this just yet. More on this to come…

Mai Ties

Posted by anachostic on April 12, 2015 No comments

This is a post about my tie collection. Yeah, another post about collections. No one cares – always remember that when talking about your collections. However, you shouldn’t mistake curiosity for caring. I can imagine that some people would be curious to see someone’s collection of something, even if they don’t share the same enthusiasm.

Anyway, ties to me were always an afterthought. I went to a Catholic high school (which was more like a country club with as little learning that happened there), and we were expected to dress up with button-down shirts and ties. Being teenagers, only about 2% took the dress code seriously. I was part of the population that didn’t really understand the significance of dressing properly, so I just went through the motions.

Back in those days, ultra-skinny leather ties were in fashion, but they didn’t get worn often because of the dreaded “tie-torqueing” personal attack. When yanked by an attacker, the leather ties would knot up so tight, they sometimes had to be cut off. My dad had taught me the full Windsor knot, which proved to be untorqueable, but came with the disadvantage that it was a massive knot. Once I learned the Four-in-Hand knot, I never looked back.

Knit ties were also in fashion then, and recently I have seen a small resurgence of them, but knit ties really aren’t making a permanent comeback. They are more like a novelty tie, which is fine with me. I only have a couple in my collection.

I’ve recently been attracted to ties in non-traditional fabrics, i.e. not silk. Linen, cotton, polyester, and even velvet have made it into my collection. I also like non-traditional shapes, like squared-off ends and I have one that I call a “razor” that has a single-angle end. That one gets compliments when I wear it. A couple of my ties are event-specific, like a red/white/blue/stars tie for July 4th or maybe Memorial Day. The velvet tie just screams Christmas time. My collection is evenly weighted between wide- and narrow-width ties, but most all of my recent purchases have been slim ties.

For me, the why of collecting ties is primarily the recognition. I always used to have four ties, give or take, that were used only for job interviews and funerals. But when some people at my workplace suggested “Tie Tuesday” to balance out the everyday casual attire, I joined in. And that’s when my tie collection started blooming. I’ve mentioned it before. People notice when you are dressed above the norm. But you can’t do it every day, because that then becomes your norm.

As far as cost goes, ties can be a really cheap accessory that adds a lot of style value. I don’t ever pay more than $15 for a tie, and the ones that are usually $30+ at stores are not even the fashion I like. They are more business-suit, power-executive ties. Likewise with tie clips and tacks – you don’t have to spend more than $20 for one. Of course, once you start getting serious, you will need a tie rack. I started with a combo tie/belt rack that had maybe eight posts to hang ties. I’ve since upgraded to a 24-post tie rack for less than $10. In the same way I limit the clothes I own to the number of hangers I have, I will limit myself to the number of ties my rack will hold. It won’t be long before I have to start recycling.

So, without further adieu, here are the ties:

	“The Razor” Kenneth Cole This one gets a lot of attention. I found it at a discount store and have never seen one like it since.		“Color Flash” Little Black Tie This was a nice gift from the GF. It works well with my black or my aqua shirt. The tie is black, but the end piece is a contrasting color that “flashes” when you move.
	“The 80’s” Sero This one is heavy 80’s with a really big, loose stitch. I think the low clearance price is the only reason I got it.		“Red Velvet” Original Penguin This is red velvet. It’s a bit thick and has limited potential, but it will rock when the holidays come around.
	“They Said I Had To Wear a Tie” Dan Smith This one is a polyester print. The pattern is cool and could probably be used at a youngster party. Definitely “phoning it in” as far as style goes. I use this a lot to practice knots because it’s thin and slick.		“Dark Marble” Unknown Brand This 80’s tie has a nice, tight knit and the red and blue color variations in it match up well with rich, dark shirts.
	“The Southwestern” BDG. (maybe?) This is one of my favorite ties and another gift from the GF. It’s linen, with a nice pattern and shape. It comes undone easier than most ties. Works good with Oxford shirts.		“The Suit” Calvin Klein This blue tie is made of suit jacket material and is part of CK’s Steel series. It’s like wearing a suit jacket when you’re not wearing a jacket.
	“The Distinctive” Original Penguin This tie is a mix of polyester, silk, and cotton. The fabric has a unique look and feel that catches your attention. The color scheme works with a lot of shirts.		“Understated” Buffalo This 100% cotton tie is probably going to be 100% rumpled. But I think that’s its charm. It’s not pompous or power-tie feeling and the neutral color could go with lots of shirts.
	“My Eyes!” T. Edwards This is an old-school tie for me, back when the purpose of wearing a tie was to be obnoxious. It comes out when it needs to.		“New Start” Jerry Garcia This was the first tie I bought when I became re-interested in wearing ties. It started a J. Garcia brand mini-obsession.
	“From the Past” Arrow Some of the ties from my youth I have no idea where they came from or how I acquired them. I keep this around because the color and pattern works with so many shirts.		“Jolly Roger” Merona I found this one at Target on clearance and since I’m into computers and you know, pirates and all… It’s a moderate conversation starter.
	“On Black” Jerry Garcia I wanted this tie to wear with a black shirt for the massive contrast. It did not disappoint. It also got a direct compliment, so, success!		“The Parent’s Tie” KETCH This is another silk tie from my long past. Probably a more traditional (meaning, old person) pattern.
	“Ocean” Jerry Garcia Blue is my first choice in colors, so this tie really called to me. I don’t wear it often enough. This is when I stopped buying J. Garcia ties because it was getting too predictable. I needed more variety.		“Just Silver” Nicole Miller I was really attracted to the shine and smoothness of this tie, but I think I’ve only worn it once. It’s too thick.
	“Old Balls” Ottimo Uomo Who knows how I got this tie. It’s old-school silk and has a design I like a lot: abstract modern. It’s really old, though.		“God Bless Murca” Jerry Garcia Even though I’d stopped buying J. Garcia ties, this one was cheap on clearance and it would be good for American holidays. I have yet to remember to wear it.
	“Oxford” Van Heusen Studio This tie is a super-thin, light cotton tie. Like the Suit Jacket tie, this one is like wearing an Oxford shirt when you are not. It adds a casual feel to a dress shirt, similar to “Understated”.		“Vibrant” Van Heusen Studio Another super-thin tie, this one in silk. It has a bold, deep blue color and modern pattern + accents. Worn against a white shirt, it demands attention. Against a dark shirt, the pattern becomes the focus.
	“The Suit II” Calvin Kline This tie is similar to “The Suit”, although it is not in CK’s Steel series. It’s a silk blend tie with blue/grey/black colors. It has a semi-iridescent sheen to it which makes it “pop”. Bought on clearance with an included tie clip, for less than the cost of a tie clip.

Write On

Posted by anachostic on March 3, 2015 No comments

This is so weird. I was reading a forum this day about site that did essay writings. The forum was complained that essay sites were scams and had unprofessional writers with lesser grammar and no knowledge of true English writing capabilities. I read so much of it that I believe in my heart that it has permanently afflicted my writing ability and compositional style.

Whew. It’s pretty damn hard to write incorrectly. But seriously, after reading so many posts by a site owner defending his business in broken English, after having to mentally extract the meaning from the words, it got to me. I mean, you could understand the meaning, but the words were just wrong. Even now, I feel a little tainted. Or at least, I feel suspicious of what I’m writing.

I feel like I need to write more to get my normal thoughts flowing again instead of thinking in “foreign English”. So, this whole experience made me realize just how identifiable native English is. Even more so, how identifiable your personal writing style is. I’m shocked to think that someone would actually turn to a writing service to create an essay or report for school work. Do people really think they’re fooling anyone?

Maybe I’m just a lucky person who likes writing, but I’m not really an academic. In high school, I had a term paper that was due before Christmas break. I turned it in on the second-to-last day of school. I almost failed. Seeing the poor quality of work being created by these writing services, for a brief moment, I thought, maybe I should sign up to freelance for one. Nah… If the topic doesn’t interest me, I’d never get anywhere with it. Plus, I don’t actually have the proper knowledge of the structure of an academic paper.

I have also heard of – and briefly considered joining – the freelance writing services for reviews/articles/blog posts/etc for the Internet. It doesn’t pay all that well, and it seems like you’re constantly producing vapid content, but it could be a small income. As long as you know how to repeat keywords, I guess. I’ve been getting better at spotting canned reviews and comments lately, so that industry is in need of improvement, too.

And that would possibly be my downfall. I would care too much. I would have to make every fake review or comment unique and look as authentic as possible, which would then just take too much time and cost me money. Sadly, it’s about volume. I’ve seen it over and over in many different professions. Even when I tried freelance remote computer assistance, the people that succeeded were the ones who could identify quick calls, multi-task multiple calls at once, and keep the churn going. Meanwhile, I accepted a job from “an elder” who insisted on telephone support instead of chat, and then spent an hour showing him how to do email. I didn’t make hardly anything from that call, but I’m sure I had a stronger impact. I quit shortly after.

Maker Shack

Posted by anachostic on February 4, 2015 No comments

Radio Shack has been on the decline for a very long time and now is bankrupt. The sad thing is that Radio Shack is missed out on a new and upcoming market. I’m not the brightest and most visionary person out there, so I’m amazed that no one else has really considered this.

I think most people agree that Radio Shack lost its way when it started focusing on cheap consumer electronics because its sales of raw electronic parts was declining. Then it got into mobile phones, like every other electronic retailer. And then it lost whatever it was that made it different.

My proposal would be for Radio Shack to return to its roots as a hobbyist store. Yes, it’s entirely likely that being in that market space means a number of stores will have to close. But, if you want to be successful, you need to stand out.

The stores should stock all manner of hobbyist, DIY, build/maker gear. There’s no shortage of it now. You have Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Makey Makey, LittleBits, and more. Plus, 3d printers are talked about a lot, but no one really talks about where to buy them. Have an advertising blitz that establishes Radio Shack as a source of 3d printers and DIY kits and you have brand recognition. 3d printing=Radio Shack. The old logic was that if you wanted to build something electronic, you go to Radio Shack. That thought can be brought back.

Of course, you can keep the electronic parts around. Actually, there needs to be another competitor in the PC parts arena. Best Buy is everywhere and their prices suck. Tiger Direct is much better, but has far fewer stores. In fact, Tiger Direct has exited the retail space.

The next thing that needs to be done is something that I’ve been hearing about with stores like Macy’s. Turn the retail stores into warehouses and distribution centers. Ship online orders to customers and replenish nearby stores from other stores. Stock levels can immediately be determined, so why not? It will keep your staff busy, too.

There needs to be an easy way for a customer to find something, whether it is in the store, a nearby store, or further away. Then the customer can choose to go to the other store to buy it, or have it shipped.

And although this isn’t really part of the plan, why aren’t companies, especially tech companies, doing something with youth to promote build/make? Home Depot has children workshops, why can’t Radio Shack? Why can’t a representative visit schools and give a talk or presentation involving building and creating your own things?

But, aside from the company now essentially out of business, I recently read an article (and article comments) that indicated Radio Shack had a toxic corporate culture that would not be easily fixed. So I doubt my idea would work right out of the gate. There would have to be massive house-cleaning, then the rebuilding of employee trust.

Can’t Get No… Satisfaction

Posted by anachostic on January 28, 2015 No comments

I’ve been what I would call a professional for quite some time. One of the benefits of being a professional is that my income is pretty good. I have read – and I agree – that once your income covers all your basic needs, more money doesn’t really make your life better. Sure, you drive a nicer car, you eat at better restaurants, maybe you stay at nicer hotels. The old problems of “I wish I could afford to…” kind of go away. Then it becomes more of, “Should I…”

But something else changes. You start looking for ways to make yourself happy by seeing other people happy. You start spending your excess money on other people, because, well, you’re taken care of already. This manifests itself in many ways. For my part, I’ve gotten involved in activities that required investments and purchases for the benefit of everyone in the activity. And that was fine for me, because everyone had a good time.

But, there comes a time when it doesn’t seem as fun, when your effort and contributions don’t seem to make as much as a difference. And more importantly, you are not inspiring others to step up their involvement. And then it’s not just about the money, but the money is what seems to matter the most.

2015 has been named the year of no-involvement. It is a year of rebuilding for me, both financially and socially. For the last couple of years, I’ve tried to get involved with projects, with the hope that they would take off and be something great. A lot of times, I provided a lot of financial support to boost the timeline or the project’s presence for it to succeed. But it just seemed in the end that the people involved or the people benefitting just wanted to go along for the ride.

You want to be inspiring and set a good example. A totally made-up scenario would be like having a group that enjoyed beaches and boating and such, so I would rent a boat for the group and we would all have a great time. I would hope that it would inspire them that if they could all put in a little more into the group, then we could do this all the time. But, sadly, that’s not how it would turn out. There was never a “That was awesome, what do I need to do to help make that happen again?” moment.

In some ways, it’s like I want to be a venture capitalist, providing startup money for something that would take off. But I don’t exactly need to see a return on my investment, I just want to see things succeed and see people happy about it. It hasn’t happened yet. So I guess I need to improve my business sense and invest more wisely in the future. 2015 is going to be a great year. 2016 will be my chance to try again.

A Bottle Sling Design

Posted by anachostic on January 27, 2015 No comments

Many years ago, I was at Disney’s Epcot and I purchased a bottle holder lanyard. I was fascinated by its simple design. It’s just a string and a plastic sliding lock to hold the bottle in place. I searched for a similar lanyard and I was surprised you couldn’t get this design anywhere else. So I figured I would search for the parts and make some myself and maybe sell them. Then I found out you couldn’t buy the plastic lock anywhere. So I put it out of my mind for a while.

Every once in a while, I would look for bottle holders and was always dissatisfied with what I found. One day I was out on a hike, with my Epcot bottle holder over my shoulder and the idea came to me. It was such a simple design, I have no idea why I never thought of it before.

I got home from the hike and started prototyping it. The holder worked very well. I could make one or two for myself and be happy. But at the moment, the bigger challenge to me was, can I make them quickly and consistently? Like if I wanted to really sell them? So that led me to thinking about automation and harnesses. The first step would be to make a manual harness for assembly.

Of course, the next day, I decided to search online for my idea and there’s plenty of comparable designs out there. Not exact, but similar in design and functionality. So I’m not going to bother with any selling of these. I may use them as giveaways in geocaches or something.

So, if anyone wants to manufacture these items in quantity, here’s the plans for my harness and instructions on assembly.

To make the harness, you need a block of wood at least 8 inches long, two small headless nails, two small binder clips, and a large paper clip. Drive the first nail 7.5” from the edge and the other nail 2.5” from the edge. That leaves 5” between the nails. The harness is done. The other pieces are assembly tools. Bend the paperclip into a J hook. Use the smaller hook for the J.

To make the slings, you need: a length of paracord, a spool of polyester button/carpet thread, a strong needle (curved if you can get it), and a length of .25” shrink tubing.

To assemble a bottle sling:

Cut a length of paracord to 7.5”. This length is from the edge of the harness to the far nail. This is the benefit of a properly-designed assembly harness, it’s also your ruler. Melt the ends of the cord to prevent unraveling.

Wrap the cord around the nails leaving an equal amount of cord on each end. Hold the cord in place on the nails using the binder clips.

Stitch the cord together, creating loops at the ends. You shouldn’t need more than 3-4 stitches to have a durable sling. Keep the stitches close to the end of the cord to allow a large loop.

Cut two small pieces of shrink tubing – about .75”. Make a mark in your harness for consistency.

Feed a piece of shrink tubing over the J-hook paperclip tool.

Hook one end of the sling and using the paperclip as a guide, slide the shrink tubing over the sling’s loop. The shrink tubing should cover the stitching and the end of the cord.

Shrink the tubing over the stitching and repeat for the other end.

Loop the sling around the neck of the bottle and tuck one loop through the other.

Clip carabineer through end loop to secure sling and attach to anything.

Ask No Questions, Get No Answers

Posted by anachostic on December 30, 2014 No comments

I performed a brief social experiment today that gave me some surprising, and yet unsurprising, results.

At work, our break room has a TV. And during break time, invariably, someone wants the TV to be going. Sometimes, it’s HGTV, or sometimes sports, and one time, it was Jerry Springer. Since I’m not a fan of TV in general, I’m annoyed.

Today, with no one around, I changed the TV to a dead channel. I thought that would annoy other people. I speculated that someone would immediately grab the remote and change the channel. Instead, people just assumed the cable was out and didn’t even try to change it. Some people were mocking the cable company, some people speculated that it was the weather. No one ever looked to see if any other channels worked.

I like this and may do it often in the future.

Hard Drives

Posted by anachostic on December 22, 2014 No comments

If there’s one thing that’s true about me it’s that I drive a lot. I drive a lot. Like on the order of at least 30k miles a year. So cars and driving have always been part of what I do. I have no issue driving an hour to get some food. Lately, I’ve been evaluating how much time a day I might be losing to driving, but that’s for a different post.

It was in May, 2010 that I got my roadster and it didn’t change my driving frequency at all. I still drove all over the place; I just enjoyed it more. But the car did open up a few different doors. It introduced me to the social aspects of having a specialized car.

The first thing I got involved with was an enthusiast club. People who all owned the same make of car and just got together to hang out and talk car stuff. I’m not exactly a social person, but I tried for a few months. I’m also not really a gearhead, so I couldn’t really get into the conversation topics they liked. So eventually, I drifted off.

One of the things they did discuss at the club meetings was racing. And those discussions introduced me to autocrossing, which is a timed solo race on a closed track. Autocross is less about speed and more about technical precision. So I got involved in that and performed averagely. One of the biggest things it did for me is allow me to answer “yes” when someone asks me about my car and asks if I race it. That usually isn’t what they expect to hear. It also educated me on the limits of my car’s ability, which proved to be far above what I would have imagined.

While participating in Autocross, another idea was tossed around – the road rally. And this weekend, I was finally able to participate in one. The rally wasn’t like what you see glamorized through insane photos of cars in midair or bashing through the countryside; it was simply a scavenger hunt done through vehicles. Now of course, having a nimble sports car will help you when you need to stop immediately or do a quick 180 to go back and get a required photo, which did happen. But yes, it did also happen that at one point we were driving 68mph on a 2-lane back road and another that we were driving 87mph and got passed by another team who was behind on time. In the end, it was a rollercoaster experience, thinking we were most likely going to finish last in points and ended up coming in first with a 100 point lead.

So now I can say “yes” with even more confidence when asked about racing.

The Contributors and The Creators

Posted by anachostic on December 3, 2014 No comments

Well, it’s been a year of lessons for me. As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, I am on the board of a non-profit organization. And after a little over a year of operations, that organization is shutting down. The experience that I got out of it has changed a lot of how I view the world, especially towards the end. The net take-away for me is that being a contributor to society doesn’t really have any payoff, either monetarily or emotionally.

Let’s look at the beginning. When you start a business with a group of people, you might all be excited that you’re all building something great. Don’t believe it. Everyone has their motives for the creation of the entity and one or more people involved will only happy to be receiving the benefits of the existence of said entity. The assistance you get from them will be minimal at best.

As time goes on, because of the lack of contribution, you will find yourself picking up the slack, through donations of time and money. You will convince yourself that the business just needs to get over the hump and it can become self-sustaining. As the excitement wears off for the others, you are left more or less alone. Don’t believe in any “build it and they will come” dreams. You’re going to have to drive people to your cause, and probably will have to do it alone.

Then, as you’ve put so much time and effort into your creation, and it actually seems like it might be stabilizing, you might be fortunate enough to be the recipient of an attack. That attack could be in any form, whether financial, betrayal of a corporate officer, character defamation, or something even worse. Maybe you can survive it. Maybe your supporters rally to your cause and get you through it. But, maybe, it just changes your entire perception of why you built the business in the first place. Is it worth playing in the same playground as the bullies and the attackers?

And then, as time and negativity set in, there is no one left that believes in the cause. The ones that were originally in it for themselves have already left. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh members who you hope would feed the excitement for the cause, they may falter and leave. What do you have left? Start from scratch again with all the time and money investment that goes along with it?

The ideal life of a non-profit is like crowdsurfing at a concert. The original people holding the surfer can’t keep doing it forever. It needs to be passed on. But when there’s no one available to pass on to, there can only be a collapse.

But anyway, back to the the title. People may think being a creator is easy, since you just have to think the idea, get it started and off it runs. That’s not always how it works. Think of a for-profit business. Sure you can run that until it explodes in a torrent of money or disaster. But when you create a non-profit, you are not an owner. There are NO owners. You are a creator and a perpetual contributor until someone chooses to relieve you. That time may never come.

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