Working in a vacuum

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Sun May 15, 2005 8:00 pm

Aside from the recent hunt for a new shopvac, my boatwork has been happening in a vacuum for the most part. It's just me, myself, and I, pushing sandpaper and mixing goop. The occasional visitor drops in, but it's rare that one has the curiosity to take more than the first step into the shed. This weekend Julia decided to lend a hand, and I had a few eye-opening moments.

I've laid some dynel on the companionway hatch and painted it as a practice/test piece. When I showed it to her for color approval (interlux Bristol Beige, flattened to semi-gloss), her first word was "Owie!".
I hadn't done anything to knock-down or smooth the texture of the dynel, and the result was something like 40 grit. She has a point. Nonskid is good, but that's a little TOO aggressive. I'm glad she came along before I'd done the whole deck.

I usually have NPR on the radio while working, but she had her/our/her iPod (with the iTrip thingy) in the car, and managed to tune the shed's radio to it. Man it's a whole new world. Hours and hours of random commercial-free music. The REALLY cool part is that I can now have the radio at a fun volume. Usually I can't have it that loud, because I need to be able to answer the phone with a minimum of background noise. With the iPod in the pocket of my overalls, I can adjust volume, skip songs, or even cut it off entirely when the phone rings. It's the next-best thing to Tim's remote power switch thingy.

The extra set of eyes also spotted a handful of spots that need re-fairing. Again, I'm glad she came along before I'd dyneled the whole deck!

Lesson learned: every so often, it's important to have someone ELSE look things over.

Post by **Tim** » Mon May 16, 2005 6:56 am

Figment wrote:With the iPod in the pocket of my overalls...it's the next-best thing to Tim's remote power switch thingy.

Oh, I'd say it's probably way better, actually!

Thanks to Nathan, my shop is now up to date with the current technology, music-wise. He turned an old computer of mine into a mind-blowing electronic DJ with Itunes, after we suffered the frustrations of dust-ridden CD players all winter long, followed by way too much broadcast radio listening. Now, like your Ipod, I can enjoy endless variety out there.

When you work alone, the background music is all you have, and very important. I thought a 25-disc CD changer (which I had in the shop for the first year and a half) was pretty cool, but I have seen the light and have finally been brought up to date. I'm so behind the times. My eyes have been opened, and I'm in awe.

Figment wrote:I've laid some dynel on the companionway hatch and painted it as a practice/test piece...I hadn't done anything to knock-down or smooth the texture of the dynel, and the result was something like 40 grit.

Sounds like a good choice for a workboat of some sort, but not too comfy for bare feet and summer lounging!

Post by **dasein668** » Mon May 16, 2005 10:25 am

Tim, that's iTunes and iPod. Sheesh, man, get wid' it, yo!

Damn pC people...

hehe

Post by **Tim** » Mon May 16, 2005 1:39 pm

(With Valley Girl inflection): What-ev-er!!

JonnyBoats · Post by **JonnyBoats** » Sat May 21, 2005 6:41 pm

Now for the next great leap. How about PodCasting the weekly report on the DaySalor Project? That way we can all be working on our boats while we lisen to your progress reports on our iPods instead of sitting inside staring at our computer screens!

Post by **Tim** » Sat May 21, 2005 7:00 pm

Ummm...I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for that technolgical advance! The website is all I can handle even now!

Besides, why stop there? Don't you just want a live satellite feed at all times, beamed directly to your Palm Pilot or whatever the cool kids are using now?

JonnyBoats · Post by **JonnyBoats** » Mon May 23, 2005 1:06 pm

How about a comprimise, a webcam for now and a live feef from the Allied once it is done?

Post by **dasein668** » Mon May 23, 2005 1:26 pm

Hmm. He might accept donations towards that... So that he can pay his tech support staff! hehe

Post by **Tim** » Mon May 23, 2005 1:37 pm

I'll set up a webcam if someone cares to donate one. The need for donation is based on convenience, not the cost. If the parts are here, I'll feel obligated to set it up, but I'm not about to go shopping for one!

Now that I have a CPU and Internet connection out there, the basic pieces are in place. Webcams can't be that hard to set up. Any takers?