Archive for May, 2015

EV Guide

Thursday, May 28th, 2015

Finally got to drive one of these:

The Tesla Model S with Dual Motor Drive

While I have driven most of the leading brands of EV’s on the market today (Check Here), I didn’t have a chance to drive a Tesla until now. I just drove it around town for a bit, not particularly interested in using their ‘autopilot’ feature. The giant display on the console seems a bit out of place. Too big perhaps? The re-gen brake system is really apparent (when you lift your foot off the accelerator, you feel a distinct deceleration, more than any EV I’ve driven). Other than that, it’s a perfect car. Starting at $70K, I may have to wait for the lottery to catch up with me.

Hacked Education

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

Or just another chance to hang the FCCH banner in a public place:

Going toward an analog/digital Education Initiative

The future of a global community of makers, tinkerers, creators, designers and inventors will depend on a group of visionary educators who will dismantle the current education paradigm and rebuild from its parts a new and dynamic view of learning for the sake of learning. I don’t know… I just made that up. It’s got the words ‘education’ and ‘learning’ mentioned twice. Make stuff, don’t buy stuff. Recycle. Preserve nature naturally. Sigh!

Old Joe Clark

Sunday, May 17th, 2015

Or maybe some songs from an earlier period:

Mixolydian Mode

Maybe. Banjo music from the Civil War era plus a few things about early banjo construction, especially how musicians at the time ‘borrowed’ parts from other regiments via various acts of vandalism.

To Live and DIY in FoCo

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

Hackers Invade FoCo Land! News at 11:

Der Maschinemensch

A concept poster for our first location in the basement of the ART CENTER of FORT COLLINS. It’s just across College Avenue from the Museum of Discovery.

Enter through the South Door please.

The second door on the left as you enter the building will take you down to the basement, or the “HUB UNDERGROUND”. We now have a physical location where people with common interests of the Do It Yourself crowd (DIY) can meet, socialize and collaborate in all areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics).

Getting the banner in place

The Fort Collins Creator Hub is our official name and our logo looks like it could be a radiation/bio-hazard warning label or one of those fancy Tri-spoke bike wheels.

Classroom space

We are slowly moving in tools and computer hardware and are happy to accept donations. Money is always good, but we would also take power tools, MIG Welding equipment, soldering stations, art presses, weaving looms, air compressors, hot melt glue guns,  3D printers, Laser cutters, CNC mills… stuff like that. We have a website at FortCollinsCreatorHub.org and a meetup group that you could join to find out about our schedule of classes.

Old town square is 30 years old

Sunday, May 10th, 2015

The DDA says “No Way!”

Time for a change

Can’t take visitors through Old Town this Summer because there’s not much to see. Not good for the businesses is the area, and to make matters worse, a transformer fire just the other day caused a number of stores to go into emergency status. Most notable was Ben and Jerry’s loss of power to their ice cream freezers. Too bad Duncan Madog was not there to lap up the goodness.

Over budget, so what else is new?

Was $3 million, now $3.9 million. The man said “By bringing in additional resources, we are not at the point where we are having to look at eliminating amenities or features,” and “We are approaching changes with a scalpel and finding efficiencies in the ways things are built … rather than using a chainsaw and lopping off a desired amenity as a way to stay within budget. The goal is to not have to go there.”

No Big Bug Here

Tuesday, May 5th, 2015

Where are the teensy tiny bug experts?

A “small” insect collection

It seems getting these little hexapods in line is quite an arduous task. Sorry my ability to see really small objects is starting to ‘bug’ me, but it seems this is mere child’s play for Boris the K; I wonder how old he really is?

My own collection

So, I have submitted 21 clear glass bottles fitted with plastic screw caps containing immature insect varieties preserved in ethanol, properly labeled with name, date, GPS location, habitat, insect order/family name and any other information relative to the capture of said insect sealed in each tiny bottle. Thus ends Ento 555.

Does Anyone ever go to Fort Lupton?

Saturday, May 2nd, 2015

Most FoCo natives I’ve talked to only know of Ft. Lupton from the sign at Interstate 25  and Route 52 exit 235. Just go East 10 miles from the exit and you’re there.

The Tallow River Trappers at the fort

Standing near the fort, these two didn’t mind getting their picture taken. Not to confuse anyone, but the Tallow River is what they now call The South Platte River and Fort Lupton used to be called Fort Lancaster apparently named after a Lieutenant Lancaster Platt Lupton; see where this is going? Anyhow, it was a nice day to visit someplace we’ve never been.

Pile o’ Bones

Not sure what this means, but on this day was held the Official Fort Lupton Heritage Fair where enthusiastic re-enactors from a fairly wide span of history (OK, how about from the early Vikings to WWII era ?) went about re-enacting for anyone who realized there actually was a Heritage Fair in town. Our own non-scientific poll of Ft. Lupton citizens discovered that zero percent of the population knew the fair existed.

Early baseball game

There might have been three teams playing on this day. I would venture to say that there were more vintage baseball players at the fair than there were actual faire attendees.

Trapper and a kid re-enactor

There is a Platte Valley Historical Society with 350 members and they have a bunch of activities throughout the year including the “Frozen Toes”, the Lancaster Rendezvous, Colonial Encampment, Hot Iron Rendezvous, Trapper Days and the Hunter’s Widow’s Rendezvous none of which are as wildly anachronistic as this crazy heritage fair.

And lastly, the Buffalo Soldiers Mounted Drill Team

A really nice show for us and the maybe five other persons at the fair. I hate huge crowds anyway! They have a web site here, but their events calendar is empty so I don’t know where to catch them later this year.