Hello folks!
Given that we haven’t had a Free Talk Friday thread in the last time, I now take it upon myself to post our Off-topic thread for the weekend. I always enjoyed reading these threads so I don’t want this tradition to die.
Here you can post:
- what’s currently happening in your life
- what you’re currently reading, watching or listening to (book, movie and music recommendations)
- Any cool projects you’re working on atm
- Jokes, Memes and other funny stuff not fitting elsewhere.
So, I hope everyone has fun over here. Stay safe, stay healthy! ✌🏻
One of my recent projects/hobbies has been the solar setup in my shed. I started with a single 100w solar panel from Harbor Freight, and I’m on my 3rd charge controller after getting the bug (twice) to upgrade.
The location of the shed gets a lot of partial shade and I wasn’t getting much juice out of the single panel. It was enough to get by, but I had to be mindful of how much I drained the battery. I figured if I added a 2nd panel, at least one of them would have sun at any given time, more than doubling the output. I hooked up the second one yesterday, and sure enough today I more than doubled my previous record for watt-hours! The bar graph below has the most recent date (today) on the left.
Another bonus… Harbor Freight mailed me 2 panels for the price of one. They’re typically over $100 each so that was very nice of them. I’m a member of an RC airplane club and they have solar panels so people can charge their RC airplane batteries – I’ll likely donate this extra panel to them if they’re interested.
I also got a bunch of little goodies in the mail to improve the wiring. A big DC circuit breaker and some fuses for safety (and the ability to quickly disconnect things if I need to) – some bus bars to make the wiring nice and neat, and some better wire to run outside to the panels. I’m looking forward to reworking everything and getting it nice and neat.
Very cool project. I also fly RC (well, used to). Your solar power project is a natural offshoot of the types of tinkering involved with the RC hobby.
It’s a great hobby, isn’t it? Wood, adhesive, engines, motors, electronics, linkages, radios… and that’s all before you even go flying!
And the flying inevitably results in fixing wood, adhesive, engines, motors, etc. :)
I mostly fly FPV quadcopters and thermal gliders, but I live in one of the most regulated air spaces on the planet. The latest set of FAA restrictions have taken all the fun out of it for me.
Oh man, don’t even get me started on that stuff. It’s horrible. I live within 5 miles of an airport so I couldn’t fly here (legally) if I wanted to. I do all of my flying at an AMA club. Since having a kid a year ago I’ve only been out there a few times.
Since having a kid a year ago
I’m impressed that you have time for your solar power project!
Really interesting project! Sounds like it’s working great so far.
So, most people of my generation smoked. Mostly cigarettes. And most of us gave this up; at least here in the states. I enjoy the aroma of fine tobacco, though, like that used in pipes, cigars, and the occasional shaving soap. It occurred to me that the harmful effects of reasonable tobacco use would catch up with me long after I have shed this mortal coil. So, I took up cigar smoking; smoking hand-rolled premium cigars. I’m enjoying it. Goes quite well with a beverage and an audiobook. In yesteryear, I smoked very cheap cigars at campsites while hiking. The purpose of this was to ward of tiny biting bugs. This works, but there’s no great enjoyment in it. I’m happy to leave that experience in the past in favor of this new one.
Oh, that sounds very nice. I actually also enjoy the scent of pipe/cigar tobacco a lot. Given that I used to be an occasional smoker until my consumption of tobacco and nicotine got way higher than I wanted, I actually switched to vaping in October 2022. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since December 2022, so it has actually helped me to get off cigs for over a year and switch to a less harmful alternative. I know vaping isn’t without it’s harmful side effects either, but like your cigars it has turned into somewhat of a hobby for me too. I have lots of gadgets, coils and I still enjoy nicely tasting and smelling tobacco liquids (especially those extracted from real tobacco plants). I am perfectly fine with knowing that I won’t get off of nicotine; we’re all going to die one way or another and since it gives me enjoyment, I see no reason to quit fully. So continue to enjoy your premium cigars, at least you’re off cigarettes 👍🏻
I haven’t smoked a cigarette since December 2022, so it has actually helped me to get off cigs for over a year and switch to a less harmful alternative.
I gave up cigarettes in the late '70s. I am fortunate in that the byproducts of smoking (ash everywhere, tobacco film coating everything, etc.) annoyed me so much that I had personal motivations for quitting that were prioritized over the health benefits. I enjoyed smoking, but became disgusted by everything else about it. This made leaving it pretty easy for me and that’s uncommon. I do have some of the same issues with cigar smoking, and am working towards managing them.
I am perfectly fine with knowing that I won’t get off of nicotine; we’re all going to die one way or another and since it gives me enjoyment, I see no reason to quit fully
I know there are downsides to it, but nicotine does allow you to operate normally in doing typical day-to-day activities. It is quite manageable in that way.
Congrats! Being annoyed by the byproducts of smoking (all my clothes smelt like ashtrays, bad breath, yellow stains on my hands) made me quit in the first place and made the switch to vaping easier. Plus, since I work in nursing, a lot of people positively noted that I don’t smell like cold smoke anymore. I hope you’re finding some solutions to enjoy your premium cigars without the side issues. My dad, who’s also still a heavy smoker, usually smokes cigars in his garage or in the garden during summer. That makes tobacco film less of a concern.
Nicotine, like caffeine, is somewhat of a self-medication for my ADHD. I feel like it helps me focus better and even calms me down sometimes.
Nicotine, like caffeine, is somewhat of a self-medication for my ADHD
You might consider meditation as well. A good introduction to its practical benefits are in the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Adoption of this practice is, perhaps, the best self-help I’ve done.
Thanks for the recommendation, getting back into meditation is definitely on my agenda for 2024 and finding books without esoteric BS is hard 👍🏻
You might want to consider the following no BS meditation books:
- The Mind Illuminated (for a rather hardcore howto on concentration, with 10 progressive levels)
- The Path to Nibbana (for Metta Meditation - potentially something you should do at some stage anyway, but this book might benefit from concentration techniques shown in TMI)
- Seeing That Frees (for later; this is not really a beginner’s guide to meditation, but it’s worth reading anyway)
I’m unsurprised to see an overlap between meditation and straight razor appreciation. After all, using, honing and stropping my straights are some of my favourite meditations though I still try to keep a more formal practice.
