A lot of things have happened recently. We are moving to Colorado, I sold a business for millions of dollars, and I bought a new pair of boots. That’s about it.

Take a moment for yourself, and relax.

Some people wrap themselves in a warm blanket, hold a cup of steaming hot cocoa with both hands and relax with a good book propped upon their knee. Others put on a favored movie or record, and allow themselves to take a luxurious nap. Bubble baths and aromatherapy candles may also be included.

I’ve got a new guilty pleasure, one I’ve enjoyed a few times, and will likely become a habit of mine.

I find a quiet place, settle myself down, put on a pair of headphones, blast the glitchiest drum and bass and breakbeats I can get my hands on, and read “The Economist”:http://www.economist.com. Lately I’ve been happy listening to The Freestylers (particularly their live albums, like Fabric Live 19), and Pendulum’s album True Colours or Live on Breezeblock. But I’ve recently gotten back into some of the new releases by “Bassnectar”:http://www.bassnectar.net which are incredibly good. His beats are raw, the bass is grinding and the limited vocals are radically leftist. Lorin AKA Bassnectar is from Santa Cruz, CA, which is great, because I fondly remember hearing him spin early on at Moontribe beach parties. These days he’s a very accomplished producer, and is touring like crazy. I chatted with him briefly after his set here in St. Louis a few days ago, and he was a real pleasure. He obviously loves what he does and has a great time doing it. His sets reflect his energy, and are always special.

But remember, this isn’t just an opportunity to bang some beats, its about the reading material too. The Economist is one of my new favorite news rags. It’s a weekly news publication, but is very unique. Nearly every article is written in an editorial fashion, and they don’t hesitate to make value judgments or criticisms. However, they are never unfair, and seem to make a legitimate attempt to have their facts straight. The thing I like about it is the fact that they make their personal and editorial biases clear, and are consistent with them. I believe that all news sources are highly biased, and I become very wary when a news source claims to be “fair and balanced” (a favored phrase by Fox News, which is not fair or balanced). Usually this just means that they are making an attempt to disguise their bias, or mislead you into thinking a certain way.

I think the Economist is actually pretty fair, and well balanced. But not in the smarmy, way, but the real way. Their coverage of international politics is better than any other major news outlet, and their UK base and international editorial departments mean you get real coverage about things happening in “poor” countries that are often ignored by mainstream media.

It’s not a perfect news magazine, but it is significantly better than most, as far as I can tell, and I enjoy reading it. The material is quite heady, and even their advertisements are fun. Instead of shampoo ads, there are job advertisements for things like CFO of the State Bank of Pakistan. Maybe I should apply.

Plus, it makes me feel smart. I’m reminded of the Simpson’s quote when Homer is on an airplane and manages to get into first class, he finds an Economist and says, “Look at meee. I’m reading the Economist! Did you know that Indonesia is at a crossroads?” Apparently intentionally, the next issue of the Economist had an article entitled, “Investing in Indonesia, at a crossroads”.

The Sea
by William Wordsmith

I think the Sea
Should come to me,
For when I stay
On holiday
It’s always cold
(And I am old).

But when I’m here
The sky is clear;
The sun is out
And people shout
And have such fun
beneath said sun.

So that is why
I think the sky
Is better here
In Haslemere.
There’s not much sand,
But I can stand
To do without,
And would not pout
If, once, the Sea
Would come to me.

Biography: Bernard is from the Great Britain, and he has invented all sorts of useful things, like towers to sit on while judging people, and airs of Suspicion. In addition to poetry, he writes things like children’s books, boring speeches, and letters of complaint.

I present to you:

Dilemma
Dedicated to William Blake
by Bernard R Melchior

O Iris Bold, O Iris Bold.
How could you serve me so?
She shot me in the hand, you know.
You don’t like that, I’m told.
Bernard has a daughter
It’s just a rumour.
You don’t need to humour
Me.
I won’t believe it til we’ve caught ‘er.

What do you think? Will he make it big and sell millions? Would anyone like to purchase a glistening white tower from him that you can sit on while judging people? You be the judge. Bernard’s judge.

“OH Goodness! The seasons are changing again! Who would have expected it?!? How could we have predicted that the seasons might change! How can a motor vehicle hope to operate if there are two inches of snow on the roads! We’ll be helpless!”

I’ve recently switched to sarcasm, noting that I’ll be leaving work early to pick up extra ammunition on the way home, in case I have to defend my home during the weeks of isolation caused by a moderate snowfall.

I hope it snows a bit, that would be nice. I’ll still have to go to work, however.

The other webpage is the store. A few of us in Pandora’s Matchbox make our own gear, and are now selling it. The storefront is still in progress, most products still need images, etc. However, it is up and running, and you can, in fact, buy our gear online. The shop has been cleverly named “Pandora’s Toolbox”:http://www.pandorastoolbox.com. Cute, huh?

And as long as I’m plugging stuff, I’m doing a little work with my friend’s new business, “Sunflower Solar”:http://www.cosunflower.com. My friend Will has been working up to this for a while, and it is really starting to take off. They do solar power installations around Colorado, mostly around Boulder. They have focused on simple, easy to implement systems that qualify for the maximum rebates from the local energy company, “XCel”:http://www.xcelenergy.com, and the maximum tax credits for renewable power. That means they do grid-tie systems, that don’t use batteries. They install panels on the roof, an inverter that converts DC to AC in the house, and then they back-feed that into your existing breaker panel. During the day, your house makes more power than it uses, and the electric meter spins backwards. At night, or when it’s cloudy, your house uses more power than it makes, and your electric meter spins forwards. At the end of the month, either you owe a little to the power company, or, if your meter ended up farther back than it started, they owe you a little, and will actually cut you a check. Cool, huh? The process is called net-metering, and is available in about 30 states.

Will and his team have been installing like crazy, and are quite busy, so I’m doing some basic engineering work for them, preparing diagrams for building permits, etc. It’s a neat process, and I’m glad his business is doing well.

It was great to see him live, and he puts on a really good show. He has a lot of custom visuals playing along with the music, things that really go along with the tone. He had a few guests who sung vocals on some songs, including Chris James (from “Stateless”:http://www.statelessonline.co.uk) who sung one very sad soulful tune, and another angry, loud song with intense beats. DJ Shadow also did a few songs with “Lateef the Truth Speaker”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateef who also was the opening act. Lateef definately has a lot of energy, and is a very skillful rapper, it was great to see him in action with DJ Shadow.

Shadow’s set was a mixture of old things, and new things from his new album, “Outsider.” He noted, during the show, that he loves all kinds of music, but that he came to them through hip-hop. He loved hip-hop, and then realized, through that, that he loved jazz, and through hip-hop, that he loved rock. This is very clear in his songs, and the fusion of styles is relentless and amazing. There will be a techno synth, a hip-hop breakbeat, a jazzy horn, and a cello playing classical music, and for some reason, it all fits perfectly. His mixes are simple and perfect, nothing seems out of place, and nothing is added without reason. Very deft.

Anyway, it was his first real tour through St. Louis, and there was a huge crowd. I hope he comes back, and maybe we’ll get some other great artists, too. I’d sure love to see Blackalicious, for instance…

The deck is made from two sheets of 6mm Baltic Birch plywood laminated together, for a total of 10 plies of hardwood birch. The laminating is done by taking two planks, about 50″ by 12″, and gluing them together with a layer of Titebond III glue. While they are gluing, you clamp them together in such a way as to induce a shape. In my case, I made a bunch of clamps out of 2x4s with bolts on the ends. They slip over the glued planks, and bolt down. By slipping bits of wood spacers and shims under the clamps in various places, I induced a shape. In this case, a little bit of concave (the deck curves up a bit at the edges, hotdog style), and a bit of a kick tail. No camber (an arched middle of the deck, like my last one).

When the deck is dry, you pull it out of the clamps, and cut it to the correct shape, routing down the edges, and sanding it smooth. Then you mark and drill the holes according to your template. I drew up the template in Adobe Illustrator, and printed it out on many sheets of paper so I had a life-size pattern to work from.

Next, I needed to apply a layer of fiberglass to the bottom for stiffness. I used 6oz S-Glass, which is a special fiberglass formulation for strength. I used the less-toxic Epoxy resin with it, instead of the traditional Polyester resin used in boat making. I had intended to use a vacuum bag to secure the fiberglass, which is a large bag like those ‘food saver’ bags that allows you to squish the fiberglass onto the deck with the force of air pressure. Unfortunately, my vacuum bag lost its seal, and I couldn’t repair it in time. Once the epoxy resin is mixed and layed down, you don’t have a choice, you must proceed.

So, I was forced to proceed using traditional clamps and weights to smooth the fiberglass. It turned out less smooth than I was hoping, but thats OK. I also used the opportunity to apply graphics. I printed out designs on rice paper, and then laminated them under the fiberglass. Rice paper turns transparent when it is soaked with the epoxy resin, so it looks like I printed right onto the deck. The top of the deck got a coat of resin as well, mixed with silica sand, so it would have texture and grip. I added a graphic to the top as well.

After a good wetsanding, I put down a final coat of exterior polyurethane for UV protection. Then, I began the grueling 48 hour wait to allow everything to harden up before assembly.

The trucks are “Original”:http://www.originaltrucks.com, which use a very unique mechanism involving two rigid saddle-shaped bushings to create an unbelievable turning radius, and a very unique feeling of control. They take a bit of getting used to, but are really incredible trucks. The wheels are big 76mm Gumballs, they present a lot of urethane to the ground, and are very large, so they roll over anything. Plus, they are bright green.

The deck rides very nicely. It is a bit flexy, but has some snap to it too. The trucks carve very deeply, and as you turn, the deck gets lower, and your weight compresses the deck, changing the truck angle, and making them turn tighter. Hence, it feels like it ‘dives’ into turns, which is a fun feeling. Longboard enthusiasts say that when you’ve got three decks, you’ve got a ‘quiver’. I’ve got another set of plywood blanks in the basement, so soon enough, I’ll have a quiver of my own.

The little guy is the “Bodhidharma”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk who founded the Zen school of Buddhism during the 6th century in China. In Japan, they make little dolls of him called “Daruma Dolls”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daruma. They are round little things, with no arms or legs, and his trademark eyebrows. When you buy the doll, it has no eyes drawn in. You fill in one eye when you make a wish, or a resolution for personal improvement. When it comes true, you fill in the other eye. My Daruma has only one eye filled in, because I’ve got a lot of wishes, and I don’t expect them to be fulfilled any time soon.

The calligraphy is by “Hakuin Ekaku”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuin_Ekaku, a very influential monk in Japan who founded the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, and is considered to be the monk who made Zen what it is today. The calligraphy reads, “Zen points directly to the heart; see into your nature, and become Buddha.” It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You don’t need other people to make you spiritually enlightened, it’s already inside you, you just need to see it.

There are also some great instructables from the “Graffiti Research Labs”:http://www.graffitiresearchlab.com, such as their famous “LED Throwies”:http://www.instructables.com/id/E9D2ZJ3FG0EP286JEJ/, and their useful “High Writer”:http://www.instructables.com/id/EDKJXLT277EPZY2PT9/.

It’s a unique setup, and a fun way to share, and learn, interesting ways of doing things. Enjoy!

Damn them! The Mercedes was an easy fix, but the scooter required that I purchase some additional tools. One of my new tools was not functioning well (a vacuum pump), and I ended up spending several hours trying to get the cursed air out of the brake system. Fortunately, I eventually found success. As it was getting dark, I managed to finish up the coolant flush, which wasn’t nearly as difficult (though I did have to dremel a non-removable hose clamp off a hose).

I’m now greasy and tired, and still have more to do tommorow. Its ok, babies, daddy is here for you…