Hettinger.us

Computer Games of 2011

2012-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I rambled about computer games. That doesn't mean I haven't been busy, though. Some of the games I've been enjoying in the last year:

Minecraft
Civ 4
Civ 5
Singularity
Fallout New Vegas
Terrari
Borderlands
Skyrim
Portal 2
Machinarium
Left for Dead 2
Diablo 3 (beta test)

And I have some new ones to play:

Tribes Ascend
Deux Ex
Oblivion
Skyward Sword (Wii)

Reading 1-31-2012

2012-01-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

I recently finished the novel Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett. Another fun book in the Discworld series. I also picked up The Light Fantastic and Wyrd Sisters to read next.

Frankenshelves

2012-01-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

The island vineyard project continues with a couple of small projects to close out the 2011 year. We brought the motorbike across the river and toured around the island. Which was fun, but the weeds were high enough in many places that it made motorbiking a bit difficult.

We also spray-painted a name on the frankenshed, in case it gets lost. we created some new shelves for the inside. The shelves will help free up some floor space.

Books N' Stuff 12-13-2011

2011-12-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett. From the City Watch line of the Discworld series, a fun fiction read in Pratchett's fantastical universe. Pratchett has a wit about him that makes his creations very enjoyable.

Fall 2011 Vineyard Update

2011-11-22T11:39:00.001-08:00

Fall update on the vineyard

Ski Season Approaches

2011-11-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

I got some shorter skis!

My old skis are some circa1998 Salomon Equipeaxe Dr 150 -197cm. Their best performance happens on large radius turns and hard, packed snow. Basically designed for bombing down the hill, not fighting through powder.

The new skis are 2007 Atomic Supercross 10M - 170cm. Pretty good for most things (I hope), and a massive bit shorter.

Four Hot Springs Excursion

2011-11-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we went to several different hot springs. We trekked to Givens hot springs on Friday. On Saturday, we headed to Kirkham hot springs, then up towards Stanley, head off at bear valley towards Deadwood reservoir, then to Warm Lake. From Warm Lake, we drove north to Milepost 16 hot springs. We then drove north to Lick Creek summit, and dropped into McCall from the East. Sunday, we went to Burgdorf hot springs, enjoying the brisk fall weather.

XL80S

2011-10-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've fixed up one of our family's motorbikes. It's a Honda XL80S. I've ridden it to work a few times. Even on some cool and rainy mornings. It's exciting driving on the road when your top speed is 45 mph downhill. I also recently picked up an iPad. I've decided I wanted to use a tablet to make some artwork, as well as whatever tablets are good for. My first iPaintmash is exhibited here as the motorbike.

Updated Satellite Imagery

2011-10-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Google has updated their satellite imagery of the vineyard. The Frankenshed is visible, and you can see the orientation of the rows. Looks like they are almost perfectly north/south oriented.

Reading 9-27-2011

2011-09-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

I've been reading the Last of the Mountain Men, by Harold Peterson. It's an interesting window into the lives of those who lived in the Idaho wilderness. With plenty of information about gold rushes and ghost towns and the hard characters of the old west.
I also have been reading the library's One Man's Wilderness by Sam Keith, a book about Richard Proenneke. Proenneke was an adventurer that built his own cabin and tools in the Alaskan wilderness.
I also got a copy of Constitutional Government in the United States by Woodrow Wilson. I'm interested to read about his interpretation of the Constitution which has apparently been pretty landmark for the last hundred years. I think he was such an interesting president to lead the nation during World War I, help to found the League of Nations, which the congress did not endorse. Interesting in that there is some parallels to the United Nations and how it's not exactly a elected representative force of our populace.
I also checked out a copy of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. It's apparently an upcoming movie with Gary Oldman.

Hettinger Island

2011-09-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Island now is officially named Hettinger Island. As there were no previous names on record, it took about six months of government processing to name it. It now shows up in the national Geographic Names Information System, and probably in a few years in actual maps.

New Lappy

2011-09-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

We recently celebrated Melissa's birthday. Part of the celebrations involved having all of her wisdom teeth out. I'm pretty sure she did not enjoy the event and will most likely pass on having them out again. For her birthday we upgraded her laptop. She is now a full fledged college student, so we got her an Apple lappy. Don't worry, we installed Windows with boot camp (so it runs both operating systems). I'm of a philosophy of hatred towards laptops, so the Applecare warranty should help me from wanting to smash it to bits.

Reading 9-7-2011

2011-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

I love Librarything early reviewers. I've received several books from the early reviewers, and am working to slog through a few that came in over the summer. It's been a busy summer and as a result, I wish I had more time to read. I got the book Come of Age: The Road to Spiritual Maturity by Angus Buchan. Angus of Faith like Potatoes fame. I also got When Bad Christians Happen to Good People by Dave Burchett. I also am excited to read some more of those Science Fiction novels I picked up this Spring.

Coffee Rant - Kona Classic

2011-08-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

There exists a rip in the fabric of time and space. The anomaly is centered around the coffee beans grown in the Hawaiian islands. Kona is the frontrunner of these. The Hawaiian islands are special to us American coffee imbibers because they are in the tropical belt that coffee plants prefer. And they happen to be the only U.S. state in that geographical belt.

Kona, being a precious commodity, is often blended with other coffees. Other things of note that are blended: House paint, Margaritas, and a peculiar blend of 14% wood pulp and 86% water.

Characteristics:
Boiling water percolated over dehydrated grounds, mixed with the blissful shards of the Hawaiian islands. Flying fish... and possibly a dab of pykrete.

Coffee Rant - Iced Coffee

2011-08-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

A paradox of the senses. Something that seems to be so wrong, yet somehow turns out ok. Iced coffee: an experiment gone wrong? There has always been those who seek to be 'first' in the discovery of new things. Those who venture into unfamiliar territory. Nine times out of eight, these wrong turns end up a failure. However, in that implausible moment, there exists the spark of discovery. A new element... a new molecule... a new beverage.

The precise wrong turn that started people drinking cold coffee hasn't been revealed to us by history. I imagine it was out of necessity... somewhere in a horrific war. The valiant surviving veteran returned home with a palate for the unusual. A taste for the tepid flavors of cold coffee.

Or perhaps it was something that only could of been conceived in the Space Age. The relatively passive discovery of freeze-dried ice cream has led to us to the greater advance in the science of Iced Coffee. Who knows what strange boundaries are yet to be transgressed in the pursuit of coffee.

Characteristics:
Bold and out of this earthy.

Frankenshed Tour

2011-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

A shaky video of the newly relocated, but rather old, Arrow 10' by 14' shed.

The Mobile Shed - Part 3

2011-07-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

The mobile shed has landed. After much work, the shed is now relocated to its new home. It is situated in the middle of a river, on a nice cement pad. I've taken to calling this shed Frankenshed, since it was taken completely apart and then reassembled elsewhere.

During the shed's re-assemblage, the roof tins go on in sections. As the roof was coming together was the perfect time to mount the solar panel. It's on the edge that tilts towards the south, getting more sun. The panel is rather hard to see, being on top of the shed.

Books 7-11-11

2011-07-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've been reading some Terry Pratchett books of late. I've finished Men At Arms and Interesting Times. I like the comedic writing of Terry Pratchett, who's been likened to Douglas Adams of the Fantasy genre. The Douglas Adams whom essentially defined the genre of Science Fiction comedy. That's a tough comparison due to the calibre of Douglas Adam's comedic tour de farce. Still, Pratchett is a great writer, who had me laughing out loud at some of the hilarious situations and zany plots his colorful characters find themselves in. I'm glad I have more of his books to read.

Coffee Rant - Bali Blue Moon

2011-06-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Bali Blue Moon coffee is a product of the island of Bali, in Indonesia. Bali has a rich history of growing coffee, but in 1963, a volcanic eruption caused the island to have problems that persisted for almost two decades, severely stunting the coffee industry during that time.

Blue Moon is a figure of speech that connotates the idea of rarity. Something that happens every once in a blue moon... doesn't happen very often. Like finding a unicorn, the Loch Ness monster, or a governmental tax decrease. Sure, there are stories about Bigfoot, but no one carries size 52 sneakers.

Blue Moon coffee might just be the Fountain of Youth of coffee-dom. A quest for some mythical water sculpture frozen solid somewheres underneath the Epcot center in the swamps of central Florida. Explorers have scoured the mosquito infested tropical jungles and the back halls of Hogwarts looking for a rumor of better coffee.

Characteristics:
Rich and smooth with a pleasant aftertaste, hints of a tropical monsoon, and Hovitos!

The Mobile Shed - Part 2

2011-06-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Finished the concrete floor pad for the shed. The outer concrete foundation is four inches thick, and the inside area is two inches thick. We used chicken wire in the cement to help strengthen it.

The inside floor required 1,440 lbs of concrete mix. I'm not excited about moving bags of concrete in a small fishing boat, but it is possible. It's also possible to use a boat trailer to haul things other than boats, but I would not recommend it.

In preparing to pour the floor, I ran some pipes for possible future usage, such as low voltage wiring, a drain, and water. Pipes are notoriously hard to place once you pour the concrete.

Tripping Westward

2011-06-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from a vacation to southern California. We drove through Salt Lake, to take in a U2 concert. U2 is on their massive 360 tour which will be winding down soon, and has the distinction of being the biggest show in the history of music. The stage (the claw) was massive!
From Salt Lake, we drove to Los Angeles and went to Disneyland. We then attended Melissa's brother's college graduation. Then we promptly turned around and headed back towards Idaho.

Books 6-2-2011

2011-06-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

I was at a garage sale a while back and scored a trove of Sci-Fi novels. Orson Scott Card's entire Ender series, some Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Neal Stephenson, and some Isaac Asimov. I've been reading the book Xenocide, continuing onward in the Ender storyline.

The Mobile Shed - Part 1

2011-05-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

A while back, we ran into a free shed. We needed to remove it from it's current home, so we disassembled it, and moved it to the vineyard. It's in the process of getting re-assembled. But first, we needed to make a place to put it.

This is the shed in the boat, waiting to float across the river. All the parts of the shed made it across the river.

One of the things that is annoying at the island, is it is very dirty. Here! on the great mound of mud surrounded by river, there exists no dearth of dirt. Callooh Callay; Oh frabjous day! There ain't much storage space, neither. The wheel-barrel, the garden cart, and their friends end up getting stacked on top of each other.

So to help keep things a little cleaner and to make a place to assemble the shed, we poured a concrete pad. The first part of the pad was 20 bags of 80 lbs concrete mix. That's about 1600 lbs, or 0.8 tons of concrete. That's alot of concrete to take across a river in a rowboat.

Sun Shade Gazebo

2011-05-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

One thing we've noticed with working on the vineyard project is the is a lack of shade. So we've been watching craigslist for an awning type material. We ending up finding a gazebo. We reassembled it yesterday, and just in time, as we had blazing sun, and then rain.

Refinishing Adirondack Chairs

2011-05-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

Our Adirondack chairs were in need of refinishing, so we sanded them down, re-stained them, and are re-coating them with polyurethane clear coat. Several coats of clear coat and some light sanding between, and the chairs get a nice glossy glass like finish.