fun stuff
RIP Guard Kitty
Miri on my shoulders
Meaning of passover
TOILET PAPER BATTERING RAM
Yum yum Yummy Power
HOW TO SOLVE A RUBIK’S CUBE
Origami microwave Popcorn popper
Origami Popcorn BOX
Star dial
Racer’s edge - go-cart racing
Guard Kitty - i trained our cat to growl & snarl whenever anyone is on the front porch. delivery men laugh & keep taking pictures of him. kitty cat makes a great guard dog!
RIP 02-03-2025 - With a heavy heart it pains me to announce our beloved kitty cat died of cancer. it came on suddenly with no signs except he lost his appetite & started to eat the soil from the potted plants. we took him to the vet where they found a large inoperable mass near his stomach & colon. if your cat starts to eat potting soil then take them to the vet immediately. unfortunately by then it is probably too late as was our case.
Bye Sham Sham! i love you…
I WILL FOLLOW HIM by Little Peggy March
I used to carry my daughter to preschool on my shoulders. She would often sing or make up very special stories to entertain us on the journey. I love this one because she was very entertaining this day & i was so lucky to catch her singing this song - I WILL FOLLOW HIM by Little Peggy March. One of my absolute favorite videos.
THE MEANING OF PASSOVER
I asked my daughter to explain what Passover was. Here is her hilarious explanation.
TOILET PAPER BATTERING RAM
During the Covid lockdown, instead of worrying about toilet paper, this is what we were doing. Building walls out out of our paper horde. I had the foresight to anticipate the toilet paper shortage & made a huge Costco order a month before the lockdown. Plus I installed a Japanese Toto toilet so we really don’t use much toilet paper as the beloved Toto has a heated oscillating water squirting bidet (front & back), heated seat & heated air dryer.
I planted fruit trees & berries in the backyard too. We were ready for the zombie apocolypse.
YUMMY POWER!
a neat way to make sure your iPhone is charging when put on a wireless charging stand. annoyingly, sometimes if it is slightly off axis it refuses to charge & there is no way of know this unless you are watching the tiny charge icon. to remedy this, i came up with a way to have the phone tell you it is happy gobbling up some yummy power.
SIDENOTE - you can download other voices for you iPhone. i prefer the Austrailian - Catherine
ON YOUR IPHONE:
Open Shortcuts app
Automation ( + ) to create a new automation
search “charger” - When my iPhone connects to power
Is Connected
Run Immediately
Add Action - “Speak Text”
type in what you want your phone to say when it is plugged in
turn OFF “Wait until Finished”
Adjust the rate, pitch, language & voice to your liking
Search Action “Set Volume” & add
adjust volume to your liking.
HOW TO SOLVE A RUBIK’S CUBE
Here is the simplest algorithm to solve a 3x3 Rubik’s cube. Sure there are shorter, quicker methods but the moves are complicated. You only need to practice 2 moves - Left & Right side (Front is actually Left just turned). Then just keep repeating the moves at different times.
Best if you first get yourself a speed cube ($12-20) so that turning the sides is easy. those cheapo ones with the stickers are hard to turn.
Origami microwave Popcorn popper
instructions for making a popcorn popper out of parchment paper. so much healthier & cheaper than prepackaged popcorn.
no need for oil, special equipment & no mess. prepackaged microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFAs which accumulate in the body. the buttery flavor is diacetyl which can lead to “popcorn lung” when breathed. it also contains a whopping 250-300 mg of sodium. Yikes!! They also use Palm oil which wreaks havoc to the environment.
you can have the kids make their own origami popper bags.
Origami Popcorn Box
directions on how to fold an origami popcorn box. this is an 8.5” x 11” paper version which can easily be scaled up as needed. i tried several box designs, but this one turned out to work the best because it is sturdy and doesn’t need tape or glue. have the kids decorate the paper before you fold it.
STAR DIAL - tell time using the stars & constellations
Perfect for camping or outdoor festivals like Burningman.
I researched ancient star dials & designed a modern, working version. Set today’s date using the 2nd dial. The months are divided by 3rds so each section is about 10 days. Next find Polaris (North Star). Best way is to just locate Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). Polaris is the tip of the tail. Then locate Ursa Major (Big Dipper). If Big Dipper is below the horizon, then locate Cassiopeia ( shaped like a “W”). Turn the Aim dial until it is aligned with those constellations in the sky. Read the hour on the indicator.
This is the pocket card version to test the accuracy. I am laser etching a more decorative brass pendant version.
This is designed for the Northern sky on the northern Hemisphere.
racer’s edge - go-cart racing
ranked 29 out of 24,000 drivers
How To Pass A Lighter, but Sloppier Driver
The driver ahead of me - Brian is 30 lbs lighter than I am which equates to about 2 horsepower per 10lbs = 6 horsepower advantage.
here’s the perfect example of how to pass a lighter, but sloppier driver. Go wide when he goes narrow & visa versa. He was sloppy entering the 2nd lap turn & you can see his tires skid, then i went narrow & was able to pass him as he tried to regain his lost speed.
I was ranked 29 out of 24,000 drivers long ago (in the 99th percentile). John Paik is a tiny 5’4” guy who weights all of about 130lbs. so he had a huge weight advantage & he practically lived at the track so his rank above me wasn’t too thrilling.
i diagrammed the course for the best lines & used side by side comped videos to see how to attack each corner. did an overlay video of my run vs the best driver’s run to see where i was bleeding speed. then put it to test. in the end it was because he weighed so much less (nearly 50 lbs) that i could never realistically beat him.