Mindwired

OpenSCAD + Claude: CAD Without Drawing a Single Line

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 10:10:56 +0300

I have been using Claude for something a bit different from my usual coding: designing physical parts to 3D print. The trick that makes it work is OpenSCAD.

Why OpenSCAD fits an AI so well

OpenSCAD is CAD written as code. Instead of clicking and dragging, you describe a part as shapes that are added together and cut from each other, and every dimension is a named variable. To a language model that is just a text file, so it can read the whole design, reason about it and change it precisely.

My setup is simple: Claude Code runs in the terminal and edits the .scad file, while OpenSCAD has the same file open with automatic reload. Every time Claude saves, the 3D preview updates in front of me, so I watch the part take shape in real time.

How the conversation goes

I give it measurements, photos and what the part has to do.
Claude writes a parametric model with comments explaining each value.
I look at the preview and say what is wrong in plain words: "the corners look easy to break", "top and bottom should not be round".
Claude changes a parameter or rebuilds a shape, and I look again.

I never drew a line myself. I describe, measure, look and correct.

Things that surprised me

It thinks about printing. It designs overhangs at 45 degrees so they need no supports, and it wrote a small Python script that reads the exported STL and lists any face that would need them. That turns "probably printable" into a check.
It can review its own geometry. Running a code review agent over the .scad file found real bugs, like a mirror applied in the wrong order and a fillet cutting into a screw counterbore.
It explains preview glitches. Flickering surfaces turned out to be cuts that only touched instead of overlapping, a classic OpenSCAD trap it knew how to fix.
2D output is free. For my closet project it also produced flat layouts with every hole and cut measurement marked.

Where you still need to pay attention

Claude is confident even when a number is wrong. One outline came out 140 mm wide instead of 157, and I only caught it because the screw spacing did not add up. It also cannot measure your real object, so the model is only as good as your calipers. Check the preview against reality every time.

What I built with it

So far: a raised base for my plunge router that fit perfectly on the first print, and a drill guide that clamps onto an 18 mm board so I can drill straight holes into its edge. Both are just parameters at the top of a file, so changing the board thickness or the plate height is a one-line edit.

If you have avoided CAD because the tools feel heavy, try OpenSCAD with an AI assistant. You bring the measurements and the judgement, and it writes the geometry.

Velvet Rollrim, Tapinella atrotomentosa

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:42:56 +0300

I came across this striking mushroom in the forest and identified it as the Velvet Rollrim, Tapinella atrotomentosa.

It has a broad brown cap with a distinctive rolled in margin. Underneath are yellowish to cream colored gills rather than pores. The stem is particularly characteristic, being dark brown, often offset to one side, and covered with a dense velvety texture.

The mushroom has a surprisingly solid and heavy body for its size. When cut or damaged, it does not produce any milky latex, which is another useful feature when identifying it.

Tapinella atrotomentosa is a wood decaying fungus that typically grows on conifer stumps, dead roots, and decaying wood. It is widespread across Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Although it has historically been collected as food in some regions, it is not considered suitable for eating today. Reports of gastrointestinal poisoning exist, so it is best treated as inedible.

An interesting detail is that despite having gills, Tapinella atrotomentosa belongs to the order Boletales, the same order that includes many familiar pore bearing mushrooms.

A distinctive mushroom that is much better appreciated in the forest than on the dinner plate.

How to Remove a Hole in FreeCAD

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:22:33 +0300

If you have an existing solid with a hole that you want to remove, you can use FreeCAD's Defeaturing tool. This is especially useful when working with imported models where you don't have the original feature history.

The process is straightforward. Select the cylindrical face of the hole and let FreeCAD remove the feature and close the opening.

Switch to the Part workbench.
Select the cylindrical face of the hole — not the circular edge.
Go to Part → Defeaturing.
Apply the operation.

FreeCAD will remove the hole and close the resulting opening.

Alone Season 6 Winner Seems Most Deserving So Far

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:08:45 +0300

For the first time in the series, I was genuinely impressed by and happy with the winner.

If you judge contestants by overall wilderness competence rather than simply who endured the longest, Jordan Jonas has a very strong case for being the most deserving winner so far.

What stands out in Season 6:

Food acquisition: He didn't merely scrape by. He secured substantial calories, including large game.
Broad skill set: Hunting, fishing, trapping, shelter, fire, tool use, navigation, and more.
Adaptability: He wasn't dependent on one particular food source or technique.
Psychology: He seemed unusually comfortable with isolation and hardship.
Risk and reward judgment: He took calculated risks rather than just sitting in a shelter trying to outlast everyone.
Condition at the end: The contrast with contestants who were progressively starving was pretty striking.

And importantly, his success wasn't just the result of getting lucky with one big kill. His prior experience living with Evenki trappers in Siberia seems to have given him a fundamentally different understanding of what actually matters for long term wilderness living.

He didn't just survive the environment. He seemed to actually understand how to live in it.

That's what made his win feel different to me and, so far, the most deserved.

How to Cut a Section Out of a Solid in FreeCAD

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:25:25 +0300

If you want to remove a rectangular section from an existing solid in FreeCAD, you can use a Part Box as the cutting object and perform a Boolean Cut. This works similarly to using a cube to make a hole, except the removed section can extend through the entire object.

Steps

Create a Part Box
- Switch to the Part workbench.
- Create a Box.
- Position and size it where you want the material removed.
Make the Box intersect the solid
- The Box must physically overlap the original solid.
- It can extend beyond the solid if you want to cut all the way through.
Select the objects in the correct order
- Select the original solid first.
- Hold Ctrl and select the Box second.
Perform the Boolean Cut
- Go to Part → Boolean → Cut.

The result is:

Original solid − Box = Cut solid

The Box acts as the cutting tool and is removed from the result.

Important

The selection order matters:

Solid first → Box second → Boolean Cut

This is different from Boolean Union, where selection order does not matter.

This method is useful for creating holes, slots, recesses, and other rectangular cuts without having to modify the original model's sketch.

How to Cut a FreeCAD Object in Half and Make It Longer

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:58:06 +0300

If you need to make an existing FreeCAD solid longer without rebuilding it from scratch, you can cut it into two pieces, move one half to create a gap, fill the gap with a new solid, and then join everything back together.

Part Design → Create Datum Plane
- Position the Datum Plane where you want to cut.
Switch to the Part workbench.
Select the solid first.
- Hold Ctrl.
- Select the Datum Plane second.
- The selection order matters.
Part → Split → Slice apart
- You should now have two separate solid pieces.
Move one half
- Change its Placement → Position by the desired distance.
Fill the gap
- Create a new solid with the same cross-section and the required length.
Join everything
- Select both halves and the new connecting solid.
- Use Part → Boolean → Union.

Key point

Solid first → Datum Plane second → Slice apart.

The Datum Plane is the cutting tool; it is not the object being sliced.

Measuring Inflation Through Bank Deposits

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:56:00 +0200

Inflation is commonly discussed in terms of rising consumer prices, but this approach can obscure the underlying driver: the expansion of money in the economy. Prices reflect inflation, but they are not a precise measure of it. I take a different approach—measuring inflation directly through the growth of money in circulation, specifically commercial bank deposits.

Why Bank Deposits

I use the Federal Reserve’s Deposits, All Commercial Banks (DPSACBW) series as the core measure. This series tracks the total deposits at U.S. commercial banks, including checking, savings, and time deposits. It represents money that has actually reached households and businesses—money that can be spent, lent, or invested.

Unlike price indexes, DPSACBW reflects monetary expansion itself, rather than adjustments for substitution, quality, or other statistical treatments. It aligns with the monetarist definition of inflation: the growth of money supply driving economic activity and prices.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DPSACBW027SBOG

The Two-Stage Framework

I measure inflation using a two-stage framework:

Potential Monetary Expansion
Central bank balance sheets, bank reserves, and government deficits indicate the future supply of money. At this stage, the liquidity exists in the system but has not yet entered the economy.
Actual Money Circulation
DPSACBW captures deposits in the banking system—the money that has reached the real economy. This is the stage that creates inflationary pressure in assets, goods, and services.

Inflation, in this framework, is mainly tied to stage two: the expansion of deposits that can be spent or invested.

Historical Context

Looking at yearly DPSACBW data illustrates how this works in practice:

1973: ~$0.66 T
2000: ~$4.7 T
2010: ~$8.3 T
2020: ~$16.2 T
2025: ~$18.7 T

These long-term trends show the systemic growth of money in the economy. Periods of rapid deposit growth, such as post-2020, indicate strong inflationary potential, while slower or declining growth signals moderation.

Why This Method Works

Direct measure of liquidity: Instead of relying on price indexes, I track money that is actually available to the economy.
Filters noise: Monthly fluctuations can be ignored; trends over quarters or years provide meaningful signals.
Accounts for lag: Policy liquidity can sit in reserves for years before becoming deposits. DPSACBW measures money that has already reached the private sector.
Predictive value: Large-scale deposit growth correlates with both asset inflation and future price pressures.

Summary

By measuring inflation through DPSACBW, I focus on the monetary forces behind price changes, separating potential liquidity from money already in circulation. It is not about short-term movements but tracking large-scale, systemic trends that drive real inflation. This method provides a clearer, more direct view of inflation than conventional consumer price indexes.

A trading strategy for long timeframe investors

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 12:39:00 +0200

In the realm of short-term trading, algorithms and bots dominate, rendering traditional reasoning less effective. However, the landscape of long-term investing remains grounded in fundamentals, demanding a comprehensive understanding of various aspects. Here are some key strategies that you can use in combination to have some predictive capability.

Classical Technical Analysis:
- Utilize chart patterns, support and resistance levels, trendlines, and technical indicators to make trading decisions.
Cycles Analysis (Bressert):
- Incorporate Bressert's cycles analysis to identify recurring patterns and trends in the market, considering time as a crucial factor.
Sentiment Analysis:
- Analyze market sentiment through various indicators, news, and social media to gauge the overall mood of traders and investors.
Fibonacci Analysis:
- Apply Fibonacci retracement and extension levels to identify potential reversal points and price targets in the market.
Inter-market Analysis:
- Study the relationships between different asset classes to gain insights into potential market movements.
Weinstein Stage Analysis:
- Use Weinstein's stage analysis to categorize stocks into stages, helping to identify the current market trend and potential turning points.
Ratio Charts:
- Create and analyze ratio charts to compare the performance of different assets or markets, helping to identify relative strength or weakness.
False Breakouts and Undercut Lows:
- Watch for false breakout signals and undercut lows as potential reversal or trend confirmation signals.
Long Cycles (Kondratieff Wave, Debt/Real Estate Cycle, Commodities Cycle, Gold Cycle):
- Consider long cycles such as the Kondratieff wave, debt/real estate cycle, commodities cycle, and gold cycle to anticipate major market trends and turning points.
Combined Approach (Cycles Analysis + Classical Technical Analysis):
- Recognize the synergy between cycles analysis and classical technical analysis, leveraging the strengths of both to enhance market predictions.
Unique Tools Developed from Experience:
- Utilize any unique tools developed from your experience, applying them as additional resources to refine trading strategies.

You can reduce this list for successful long-term investing encompass applying Technical Analysis (TA) on daily and higher timeframes, staying attuned to prevailing market conditions, and utilizing ratio charts. These strategic elements collectively form a robust foundation for navigating the complexities of long-term investment endeavors.

Bitcoin's Fate: Will Rising Mining Costs from Halving Spell its Demise?

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Sun, 6 Aug 2023 14:21:00 +0300

The Economics of Halving and Mining Costs

Bitcoin's halving events are designed to occur approximately every four years, reducing the block reward miners receive for adding new blocks to the blockchain. As of the most recent halving, the block reward is 6.25 bitcoins. While this mechanism is intended to promote scarcity and control inflation, it also has an impact on the profitability of mining.
Mining Bitcoin requires significant computational power and energy consumption. Miners invest in hardware, electricity, and operational costs to validate transactions and secure the network. Their income is primarily derived from block rewards and transaction fees.

When the block reward is halved, as it has been multiple times in Bitcoin's history, miners effectively receive fewer bitcoins for their efforts. This reduction in revenue can create a challenging economic scenario, especially if mining costs remain constant or increase over time.

Potential Consequences of Expensive Mining

As the block reward continues to decrease with each halving event, mining becomes less profitable for miners. If the cost of mining exceeds the rewards earned, miners may be forced to make difficult decisions:

Shutdowns: Mining operations that can't sustain their costs might shut down. This can lead to a reduction in the overall network hash rate, potentially impacting the security and integrity of the blockchain.

Centralization: Higher costs could drive out smaller, less efficient miners, potentially concentrating mining power in the hands of a few larger players or mining pools.

Energy Consumption: Miners may resort to cheaper, less eco-friendly sources of energy to cut costs, potentially increasing the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining.

Conclusion:

In essence, the concern surrounding the potential end of Bitcoin due to expensive mining is rooted in basic economic principles. The ecosystem's ability to address these challenges, innovate, and adapt will play a significant role in shaping the future of Bitcoin. While the threat of expensive mining due to halving is real, the history of the cryptocurrency space has shown that the community is resilient and capable of finding solutions that ensure the sustainability and longevity of the network.

At what age do people buy real estate?

noreply@blogger.com (ram4nd) — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:25:00 +0300

At what age do people buy real estate:

Late 20s to Early 30s: Approximately 20% to 30% of homebuyers may fall into this age group. As young adults become more financially stable and start families, many consider homeownership as a viable option.
Mid-30s to Early 40s: This age range likely constitutes the largest group of homebuyers, comprising approximately 40% to 50% of the market. During this period, many individuals are in the midst of their careers and are ready to purchase a home for their growing families.
Mid-40s to Mid-50s: Around 20% to 30% of homebuyers may belong to this group. Some individuals in this age range may be repeat buyers, upgrading to larger homes, while others may be entering the market later due to various life circumstances.
Late 50s and Beyond: The remaining 10% to 20% of homebuyers may fall into this category. Some people in this age group may be downsizing or investing in real estate for retirement purposes.

Percentages for age groups that use loans vs cash to buy homes:

Late 20s to Early 30s:

Loans: Approximately 70% to 80% of homebuyers in this age group may use mortgages to finance their home purchase. Many younger buyers may not have sufficient cash reserves for an outright purchase.
Cash: Approximately 20% to 30% of homebuyers in this age group may purchase properties with cash, often due to family assistance, significant savings, or inheritance.

Mid-30s to Early 40s:

Loans: Around 60% to 70% of homebuyers in this age range may use mortgages. Although some buyers have higher incomes and better financial stability, many still prefer financing to leverage their purchasing power.
Cash: Approximately 30% to 40% of homebuyers may purchase with cash as their financial situation becomes more stable and savings increase.

Mid-40s to Mid-50s:

Loans: About 50% to 60% of homebuyers in this age group may use mortgages. Some individuals may choose financing for various reasons, such as maintaining liquidity or investing excess funds elsewhere.
Cash: Approximately 40% to 50% of homebuyers in this age group may purchase with cash, thanks to accumulated savings and potential equity from previous homes.

Late 50s and Beyond:

Loans: Around 40% to 50% of homebuyers in this age range may use mortgages. Some individuals may decide to finance their purchases to preserve capital for other uses.
Cash: Approximately 50% to 60% of homebuyers may purchase with cash. Older buyers often have accumulated wealth and may prefer to own their homes outright for financial security.