REFLECTIONS

  I recently came across one of the Lockpicking Lawyer's videos on YouTube. I may not be taking it too seriously, but it seems kind of silly to me. But with all the strange people out there it could be dangerous. He might encourage someone to try it out in a real situation. It's supposed to be a hobby.  He says he  He works with lock manufacturers to improve the security of their devices.  He also sells the tools he uses through his own company, Covert Instruments    While still learning how to pick: It’s probably for the best that I was pretty terrible back then because there’s no doubt that I would have gotten into trouble.  After several months of consistent failure, I abandoned my efforts. "It’s funny how often people ask, “Are you really a lawyer?”  The answer is "yes.”  At the time of this interview, I am a 37-year-old practicing attorney from the Washington, D.C. area.  The focus of my law practice has nothing to do with locks or ...

This theme is one of the default themes of Blogger.  I can make some changes in color and gadgets. I'll see how it goes. Take care,  John.

  (from Amazon) A few days ago an old friend called me. It was a great and pleasant surprise. We've sent Christmas cards to each other but nothing else.  This has been going on for about 30 years now! He invited me to come up to visit him. Maybe we can be better in touch now.  The problem is that I can't drive the three hours to get there. It's not safe. My neurological condition is worse. Instead of CIDP I have involvement of the axon not just the nerve myelin cover of the nerves in my lower legs.  I can't control my feet very well while driving. Sometimes moving my foot from the gas to the break pedal is difficult. It doesn't always happen but I can't predict it. Most recently I had to put the car in Park to stop it.  Luckily I was going very slowly. I don't want to hurt anyone or myself so I have not been driving. Asking someone to take me places is difficult. Using Uber or Lyft taxi service is very expensive.  Doctor visits, going to the pharmacy, getti...

  Not Yet (maybe someday?)

    I really don't know much about playing music. I can't read the notes and I'm not sure if  my hands are agile enough. But when I came across the lap harp while I was looking through Amazon, it seemed easy enough to try. You don't have to know how to read the music sheets and anyone can play it right away. It's sometimes advertised for use by children but I found some videos on Youtube where it was played very well by adults. Anyway, it might encourage me to move on to other easy instruments. Above are photos of my lap harp. As you can see I only have to pick at the notes on the inserted music sheet, easy enough for kids. It's not me playing but here's my skill level: Expert musicians seem to be playing without sheet music: Lamento Di Tristano - 14th century Italian Renaissance tune The man in this video must love the instrument: Right now I'm trying to get my harp in tune. There's a free tuner for the iphone called "Plusadd lite" I had t...

Why? So I won't miss out on enjoyable activities. So I'll be able to take care of myself (groceries, dump, exercise, etc) How I avoid doing it: -Spend too much time looking for the ideal to do list on paper and also computer application, instead of doing what I need to do. -Being too vague about what I want and the steps I need to take. I use Microsoft to do: It's free and seems to be as good as any other. And I use paper calendar, paper weekly schedule, Google email reminders, and an index card for what needs to be done right now today. Here is an article I find very useful:    How to Make Your To-Do List Doable I've been feeling very woozy and weak the past few days, It's my sickness CIDP.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDSWrMkvnn0&t=48s Tomorrow I have an IVIG treatment, the last intravenous one before I restart doing subcutaneous treatments on my own at home. Hopefully it will help. I keep typing in the wrong letters s...

I found this radiometer  GIF on the internet.  I've had a radiometer for decades, fascinated by the way it spins in the light.  It works with sunlight or an incandescent light bulb. I finally decided to order a new one after mine stopped working. Here's a photo from the internet that looks just like mine. Sir William Crroke invented the radiometer. Below are explanations about how it works.  It's not so simple! ==================================== "The  radiometer  is made from a glass bulb from which much of the air has been removed to form a partial  vacuum . Inside the bulb, on a low  friction  spindle, is a rotor with several (usually four) vertical lightweight vanes spaced equally around the axis. The vanes are polished or white on one side and black on the other. When exposed to  sunlight , artificial light, or  infrared  radiation (even the heat of a hand nearby can be enough), the vanes...

(Wikipedia) When I saw this engine on Amazon I was fascinated. At first I was looking for a desk ornament but this was much better. It looks good and it's functional. Here's a photo of my Stirling engine set on top of an insulated coffee mug. It works great and I had it running for 4 hours one time. That was the longest time for me. I placed it on a dish filled with crushed ice instead of a coffee mug, it still worked! With ice cubes on top and a coffee cup at the bottom it goes faster. This video explains how it works:

I found a better and easier way to fix my gas cap door opener.  My gas cap door stopped working. I was forced to gently pry it open with a screw driver, being careful not to damage the door or scratch the car.  A better way would be to have someone hold the release lever from inside the car.  Watch this on the video. I think this is the hard way to do it.     He needs to find a sort of spring and use a drill and screws. I just adjusted the original "spring" by gently pulling on it to increase the tension. Now it works fine for me. Maybe it will not work in every situation but it's worth a try. 

This year in my 4 foot by 4 foot garden I've planted tomato, cucumber and basil.  It's only for fun but I do get enough for my wife and I to enjoy.

In the package I bought each battery disc has an adhesive backing and the north and south ends are labeled. The door to the clock would not stay closed. Same thing for a wine cabinet. Their magnets lost their strength over the years. The Original Magnet I placed a magnet on top of the old magnet to see how it would work. They are very powerful. BUT I USED THE ADHESIVE AS AN EXTRA PRECAUTION

Corroded It fits right under the ice cube/water dispenser. It's where you place your glass to fill it with ice cubs or water. I soaked it in vinegar overnight. It's clean but the finish is partly gone. It still looks bad. I phoned GE for a replacement and the price for a new tray is $60.02! 😧  What? They offered me a special deal price of $49.41.❌ I'm not sure what to do next. At Loews they had nothing to replace it.  I'm thinking of going to Hobby Lobby to see if they have any ideas.  Maybe they haves some sort of silver waterproof paint that will stick to plastic. After spending all that money on the refrigerator you'd think they'd use metal, not plastic. Have any of you had a similar problem? Do you have any ideas?

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I was used to digging through the freezer of my refrigerator to find what I wanted after the shelf kept falling off its holder.  Items would fall down and between the other shelves below. It was very frustrating. I finally found a fix for this today on the internet.  Here's the video: How to permanently fix falling freezer shelves in GE Profile Refrigerator It worked for me! I think it should work for other refrigerators with the same problem. Here's a nice cartoon about a man and his refrigerator:

This is a "free" photo editing program but as usual some of the features are not free. Hopefully I'll only need the free ones. Sorry I haven't been posting recently. I'm just too tired. I'm seeing my family doctor on Wednesday. Blood work should help determine the cause. Looks too good to be true doesn't it? Hopefully any advertisements should cover it. Ill be surprised if most of theses features don't cost something. Nothing is truly free. Everyone needs income. 

Lynette's Rose Marzipan Chocolates with white sanding sugar dew drops Lynette entered these candies in the fair, along with banana bread and fudge. She also entered flowers: zinnias and dahlias; a very busy week for her. Packed and ready to go

I'm scheduled to take another EEG exam for three days.  I'll have the electrodes put in tomorrow, wear them all weekend, then have them removed on Monday.  I will go home wearing the wires on my head. It's not painful, just annoying.    This weekend I'll keep learning how to use the new iPhone I just bought.  My flip-phone would not recharge. This is the second flip-phone I've had that did this.  Besides, it was time for me to finally get a "smart phone".  Kidding around I used to call my old phone a "dumb phone" because all it could do was to make and receive calls and text.  It was easy with almost nothing to learn about using it.  The EEG will be checking all the areas of my brain.  I must be in there somewhere. Maybe the combination of all the functioning areas make up a soul. Maybe the soul just goes for a ride in the body, like a person riding in a car. Who knows for sure. It would be great for me to have more faith in God...

What do you think about the advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI)?  Is it something good or is it too risky? What about the possibility that it is not as developed as they make it out to be?  I feel it could be a great advance for civilization if done carefully.   But consider just as a possibility if the military uses AI  as a weapon?  AI might further develop on its own to take over the world when it reaches the stage where it becomes more intelligent than we are. What would happen to us? Here's an interesting video that examines some of the possibilities:

I have a problem this week about my hot water smelling like rotten eggs.  Not all my hot water from the faucets smells bad. It's mostly in one of the bathrooms. The cold water is not affected so I know it's the hot water heater. Hydrogen Sulfide Luckily I bought a warranty. the water heater should be repaired or replaced later this month.  Here's a video about what I believe is the problem.

I put two chicken cutlets in a pan with about a quarter cup of white wine. Then I added a pinch of thyme, sage and salt.  Into the oven at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes; it came out okay, nothing great but okay. The next day I put a left over cutlet on a roll with a large amount of mayonnaise. It tasted much better.  The mayonnaise is what did it.  Next time I'll try putting a heap of mayo on the chicken before cooking.  Do you think it will work or will the mayo burn it?