In case you were wondering what IP67 and whatnot means in terms of waterproofing of a device or enclosure, here’s everything you need to know in three compact tables: IP – Ingress Protection Ratings.
Author Archives: Alex
Lots of IKEA hacks and ideas
Apartment Therapy’s Unplggd just did a nice roundup of a bunch of IKEA hacks and ideas. And yes, it links to the great IKEA hacking blog, of course.
IKEA Lovin’: The Best Of IKEA Tech Hacking & DIY | Apartment Therapy Unplggd
Welcome to the ultimate guide to IKEA hacking and DIY at Unplggd, with over 100 articles devoted to all things IKEA. Anything and everything about IKEA that’s been highlighted in these pages is carefully cataloged and categorized (sorta) for your pleasure and convenience. Well maybe not *everything – man can only endure search for so long (in this case a couple of hours). We’ve got IKEA hacking, Ikea DIY, and even some normal IKEA pieces that we just found extraordinary.
Tim Bray discusses the news industry
ongoing by Tim Bray · Good News-Biz News
Tim Bray’s latest blog post, discussing TPM, is well worth a read. It also contains a little side note on the current Republican party, who are largely (and, I believe, correctly) considered by the rest of the world as crazy fucking nutjobs:
Possibly the Republicans are right that homosexuality weakens marriage and tax cuts don’t cause deficits and imprisoning a world-leading proportion of your population increases public safety and deregulating the finance industry is good economics and invading large Middle-Eastern nations (then staying) improves America’s security, as does spending more on the military than the rest of the world put together. And maybe the rest of the world is wrong on these things. I doubt it, though.
But I digress.
Land Cruiser rear brake service, shoes, drum, emergency brake adjustment – YouTube
Great video from Louis on brake service: Land Cruiser rear brake service, shoes, drum, emergency brake adjustment – YouTube
Running from Camera
Running from Camera: Wherein the photographer attempts to get as far from the camera as possible in the 2-second self-timer delay. This seems like a fun project for traveling… (via a tweet from Rands)
How to Recycle/Donate Your Old Tech
Declutter For a Good Cause: Recycle/Donate Your Old Tech | Apartment Therapy Unplggd
Update: In addition to their own products, Apple now takes non-Apple devices for recycling (up to 60 pounds, and including CRTs). Several good options on their recycling page, some of which get you money.
Useful auto-electrical sources
In an earlier post, I mentioned Rhode Island Wiring Service, purveyors of reproduction wire, including what looks to be every wire style used in Land Cruisers (40s and 60s, anyway).
Other good sources of auto/boat electrical parts I always forget about:
Genuinedealz does free shipping, and their prices are great. They will make custom cables, too, for a $1-per-connector labor charge. I remembered about them tonight, right after I spent more than I should have for some Blue Sea stuff on eBay.
Summit Racing does have good pricing and selection on Weatherpack connectors, among many other things.
Del City Wire has reasonable prices, and they (very) occasionally do free shipping on small orders. Memorial Day weekend is apparently one of those free-shipping occasions.
Susquehanna Motorsports makes very good headlight harnesses, and is a good source for all things Hella (including E-code headlight housings). And all things rally-related, of course, from WRC-spec mud-flap material to Hans Devices.
To be edited as I remember or discover more…
Fix your FJ60′s horn
Using the information in a thread on IH8Mud (1985 FJ60 Wagon Horn Problem), I just got the horn working in Dawn’s 60. I used some teeny little rubber grommets, sliced in half, as spacers. Glad that did the trick, since the screws on the cover are stripped.
I’m sure this trick works on FJ40s (at least the late models with the smaller steering wheel, since I’ve got one of those wheels on hand) and FJ62s, too.
(To get the wheel off without a puller, I pulled out the emblem, removed the 19mm nut, and wiggled and pulled until it came off. Didn’t take long, and I didn’t lose any teeth. It’s probably no more crooked now than it was before, either…)
Determining your Dominant Eye
Here’s the easiest way I’ve ever seen to determine your dominant eye, from ArcheryWeb.
(Via Shawn Blanc)
The Seed of Apple’s Innovation
The Seed of Apple’s Innovation is almost seven years old now. And it’s still entirely relevant today. Maybe even more so, since it’s clear that many of Apple’s competitors still don’t understand why the fuck they’re getting their asses kicked.
Steve Jobs: Look at Microsoft (MSFT ) — who’s running Microsoft?
Interviewer: Steve Ballmer.
Steve Jobs: Right, the sales guy. Case closed.
(Microsoft’s stock price has now been stagnant for over a decade…)
And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.