Progress in Paradise...

Progress in Paradise...  Yesterday my new woodworking bench was delivered.  'Tis a thing of beauty, it is – just over 300 pounds of solid maple.  It's strong, stable, and has two outstanding wood vises built right in.  There are dog holes in all the right places.  It's just the right height.  Just gorgeous!

You may remember that I cleaned up and organized the shop to get ready for this delivery.  All the big pieces of gear are more-or-less in their final position (though there are four wheeled tools in the “parking lot” that I'll roll out as needed).  That also means that I was ready to take some photos for the first time.  The two wide, short photos (the last two) are 180° panoramas from opposite sides of the room.

In the first photo you see the north end of the shop, with part of the dust collection system, the band saw (currently on wheels, but I think I'm going to remove them) and the table saw.  The second photo shows the south end of the shop, with the drill press, the “parking lot”, the grinder, the lathe, the coping saw, and of course the bench.  In the fourth photo you see the “parking lot” where the less-often-used tools are stored: planer, jointer, shaper, and (far right) the compound sliding miter saw.  The sixth photo shows the air compressor (hiding behind the bench), the space to the right of it where a vertical “dry” compressed air tank will go, and the dust collection system.  The first panorama was taken from the center of the west side, looking east; the second was taken from the center of the east side looking west.

After I took these photos I started building the wooden parts of the stake bed ATV trailer I bought the chassis for about a month ago.  Using the wood shop – woot woot!

“I want a Lamborghini.”

“I want a Lamborghini.”  Said by a Planned Parenthood executive (Dr. Mary Gatter) negotiating the price for the parts of aborted babies. 

A second horrifying video of Planned Parenthood's sausage factory.  It's a heavily edited video, and the full video isn't in evidence, so it's possible this isn't what it looks like.  Possible.  Much more likely: it's exactly what it looks like.

I watched the video until I got to the part where Gatter discussed using “a less crunchy technique” in abortions to better preserve the body parts she wants to sell.  That's one detail too many about how Planned Parenthood operates.  I understand that this may simply be the jargon in the profession, but it's disturbing to me, so I didn't want to hear any more.

Doctors killing babies.  Every time that factoid slaps me in the face, I'm astonished.  People whom you'd think devote their lives to saving lives, are instead taking them – with no discernible regret, sorrow, or even distaste.  Call me crazy, but I find that idea quite unsettling and scary.  If there are plenty of doctors willing to kill babies, there are probably more than a few willing to kill old software engineers, those well-known useless wastes of protoplasm...

Root cause of SpaceX failure identified...

Root cause of SpaceX failure identified...  It was a lowly strut, of all things.  I was fascinated to see how they figured this out: by acoustic triangulation using the several on-board accelerometers as if they were microphones.  Someone got quite clever there...

A negotiating mentor once taught me...

A negotiating mentor once taught me ... that once you have an agreed deal you like, stop negotiating and close it, quick, before the other side changes their mind.  The Iranian parliament (the Majlis) has clearly not absorbed this piece of wisdom.  They are objecting (or at least posturing as if in objection) that the (overwhelmingly good for the Iranians) deal isn't quite good enough.

Ordinarily this would fill me with hope that Iran is about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  However, on the U.S. side we have Kerry and Obama ... and past experience suggests that in this case, the Majlis are engaging in a last-minute negotiating tactic that just might work...

Morning in Paradise...

Morning in Paradise...  Yesterday morning, that is.  I took the photos below before (the beautiful sunrise) and during our morning walk yesterday, and then forgot to post them – too much going on!