Wildlife at work moments ago.... A large Cuban tree frog. I should kill it as they are invasive species but they are so numerous and they've been here from 1920 I just don't have the heart to do it though I did use to feed them to my pet water moccasin when I had him. The next one is a "gator flea"... I don't know what they are properly called but I do know that they're aquatic insects that have a life cycle where they come out and fly when we get heavy rains and I know they can Sting the hell out of you.
The parents are very busy now. I ended up doing some chores out here late the other night and they were still feeding the kids well after dark.
When my ex and I split and I moved, I didn't have an office anymore. Testing got a little more complicated....
We are all going to find out together. I haven’t looked it up. A couple years ago I did daily photos of robins from hatch to flight and put them up each day as my profile pic. I don’t think anyone ever noticed. I’ll go look up the pics now and see how long they took.
@crank, Here are some photos I took when I was around 11-12 years old. This set is from the summit of Mt. Elbert, the second highest point in the “lower 48” states. It’s the highest point of the Rocky Mountains at 14,439 feet above sea level. I climbed it as one of the activities of a week long youth group jamboree. It’s the only time I’ve had altitude sickness. Here are a few pictures in the 8000 ft. to 10,000 ft. elevation range. I’m not sure of the exact locations anymore. Long time ago. The Willys jeep was our ride to most of our outdoor adventures. I have it now and it’s one of my prized possessions. LOL See the post below for pics near where I grew up at about 6000 ft. elevation.
Regading This was the result of that work. It was a hugely successful exhibit at a major Museum of Science and Industry. The last time I checked, we had over 2 million users. I'm not sure how long it actually lasted but it was at least 10 years I think. So probably close to 10 million riders before it was finally taken off the floor. As I explained, I stood to make a few $million with this. The museum was a major design group and they had dozens of customers lined up. But the 500 year flood put them out of business for a year and there was no way I could carry the marketing costs. I didn't even have the contact information for the customers and I had to get a real job. The museum opened again after about a year. By then the customers were all gone along with most anyone who knew anything about it. I finally delivered this unit and donated the marketing rights to them. They went on to market for many years but I don't know how many they sold: The user starts to pedal which starts the program. An audio recording of me and a buddy's wife comes on as we explain the experiences the user is having. Graphics highlight the devices discussed such as an old-fashioned light bulb, a TV, microwave, a vacuum cleaner, etc. The user is forced to produce the power required, which may in fact only be a small percentage of the total for the device. So we would say things like, it would take five other people pedaling like this to power a microwave. The power control forced the user to produce the power needed - It was constant power device so if they pedal slower it only gets harder to pedal. Pedal faster and it gets easier. This because power is the product of force times speed. Of course we had a cut off point for kids who could experience a proportionally accurate experience even if not the actual watts required. It helps to provide a tangible understanding of energy use in the home. Creating a device like this for public use for everyone from adults to little kids, that is safe, and gives everyone a meaningful experience, is no small challenge. A great deal of thought and design went into this, which is probably why it was so successful. I sat and watched people using it for many hours. One common theme was for the kids to challenge dad to do the vacuum cleaner. I used this to finish the program and actually required the user to produce 1 HP, or 746 Watts. Even an athlete can only do this for a short time. And having the short pedal stroke for kids gave adults a disadvantage. So dad always got his butt kicked and the kids loved it! LOL! And the heat produced really does go up the chimney.
PS, this sort of technology is fairly common now. But back then, I had to design this all from scratch. And we are talking circuit boards covered with transistors and chips, and all built by hand. I was using cutting edge technology at the time for the PWM [Pulse Width Modulation] used to control the power demand. And I can still tell you the part number. The key component was an IRF 840 FET.
We should have a sweepstake. I'll take day 13. edit, make that 16 days. The feathers still look a long way off.
@557 I am enjoying watching the chicks grow up! Great photos of your mountains too! You should post a picture of that Willys Jeep as it is today.
Just some great beers because beer matters. A nice smooth porter from the Deschutes Brewery out of Bend, Oregon.
What year was the Willys? I once had a 49 Willys CJ2. It was built more for the farm than for the highway. Top speed was about 35 mph. I heard some used them to pull plows and other equipment. I was on an old gas line that went up a steep hill and it got to a point where it was too steep to go further (only feet from the peak). We started down the hill backwards. Brakes weren't working well, and I had to spin the steering wheel and turn it. It went up on two wheels for a moment, then came back down. The one riding with me decided to walk back to flat ground. Kind of a Flintstone moment as far as braking goes.
The jeep is in worse shape right now. I had hoped my nephew who went to school for mechanics and auto body would restore it for me. But he has settled out in Washington State so that’s not going to happen. I think I have a local shop that can do it if I ever load it up and get it down there. It runs and drives but the brakes are shot and it needs a top.
