The Weekend Hobby Thread (3/30/24)

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Good afternoon Horde. Welcome to the Weekend Hobby Thread. Some of you have been very busy and found time to share your adventures with us today.

So let's enjoy a couple of hours of fun and serenity until CBD comes along later with his music thread.

Please leave politics and current events outside at the curb. We appreciate it very much.

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Well I know when I handle firewood, I always wear a pair of gloves.

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Are we still in the mood to build a ~~gun loser~~ canoe?

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There are a number of talented Morons here. Also they are brave for showing us their hobbies.

JTB has been commenting that he enjoys sketching with various types of pens. After prodding him for some time he submitted the following:

Hi Mis. Hum.

JTB here.

You asked for drawings, brave fellow that you are. Here are some sketches I made recently. If any are worth posting in the hobby thread feel free to use it/them. I do not regard these as art, just an attempt to acquire a fun skill. I also don't think they are good but compared to my first attempts at drawing these are worthy of Da Vinci. (Trust me. You never want to see what my earlier efforts were like. Not even suitable for surrealism.)

I do want to say how much I appreciate all the encouragement you and folks on the thread have given me. It helped me keep trying to improve and experiment.

Regards, JTB

Well your fun skill is coming along nicely. Thanks JTB for sharing with us today. And hopefully you keep up the good work.

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Even Lurkers like to hobby away. Here is our next submission.

_4bb19660-ab90-4e0e-b5b8-eeca764dac5d copy.jpg

Hi! I love the Hobby thread. And I do dabble in the finer arts of killing time and creating whatever's convenient and works, especially if it's free. I've burped around with AI art (Bing) since last summer and accidentally came up with a few that look better than my earliest attempts. It's all a crapshoot anyway...here's a few pics I "designed".
Lurker since 2005,
Look Whats Not

Pretty nice results for a crap shoot. Now if I could get AI to help me with some of my painting hangups.

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The following submission comes from AZ deplorable moron. He's a modest Moron. A pretty good with a camera.

I don't have many artistic talents but once on a while I take a good picture.
Ciampino let's us know about SpaceX launches out of Vandenberg. I caught some pics while camping. If you enlarge one of them I think I caught the 1st stage desending.
AZ deplorable moron

*****

Our last hobby entry comes from our fiber artist Lirio100. I'll be honest. After reading the narrative and examining the photos submitted I'm not sensing relaxation.

I saw an entry on the Etsy home page for something labeled "Slow Stich kit", it looked to be odds and ends of fabric along with beads, sequins, and bits of lace, etc. I was curious and looked around the internet for information about it, and it turned out to be somewhat amusing. I found a blog article about it dated back to 2016. The idea seems intended to be something of a meditation aid (or as husband commented, becoming one with the needle). The picture with the article showed a strip of cloth made up of bits stitched together into a long strip. The idea was to simply doodle with needle and thread, specifically with *no* end, use, or purpose in mind. Supposedly the idea had been influenced by the idea of 'slow food', although I'm not sure I see the connection! The piece in the picture with the article had random stitch patterns using a running stitch, seemed more influenced by Japanese technique of sashiko.
However, that was then and now...
It's still called slow stitching but seems to have morphed into the child of collage by Victorian crazy quilt. There are kits to make Slow stitch collages, kits to make slow stitch strips to wind on spools, to make journal covers. Can even buy already made slow stitch strips to make into journal covers--and more! The picture attached is my first attempt (haven't done hand sewing in a while). It's not done, I'm trying to decide if I want to outline the bird with the fuzzy stuff. It's about 4 by 6 inches, and will be mounted in a felt paged "journal" (yep, can buy those too) I did buy some kits to try out but I'm not sure I'm finding it all that relaxing!
Lirio100

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A big "Thank You" to our Morons for sharing their hobbies with us today. I hope they are here so they can expound on them more.

You can send your hobby, project photos, tips, stories to yours truly. You can also send 20/0 fan brushes, Jenkins Green Acrylic paint and art store gift certificates to petmorons at gmail dot com. Until the next time, Keep on Hobbying!

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 05:29 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 05:29 PM (fwDg9)

2 JTB very nice

And love the clock work room, the optical illusion is good

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 05:32 PM (fwDg9)

3 hiya

Posted by: JT at March 30, 2024 05:34 PM (T4tVD)

4 I have a block of Plaster Paris nicely dried, so next is to sketch my medallion, ackwards I would add,carve it out and pour in metal. Hoped this week would have it but plumbing problems came up

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 05:34 PM (fwDg9)

5 Who are the astrophotographers who will be positioning themselves along the path of totality a week from Monday?

(I'm not. No equipment and I don't trust my photography skills anyway.)

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at March 30, 2024 05:34 PM (8sMut)

6 So let's enjoy a couple of hours of fun and serenity until CBD comes along later with his music thread.

CBD's gonna sing !

Posted by: JT at March 30, 2024 05:35 PM (T4tVD)

7 Dang! I'd hang that AI art on my wall without hesitation. I especially like the construction scene, but they're both very nice.

Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 05:36 PM (njExo)

8 Love the launch shots. I shoot, but mostly motorsports. Have never been able to catch a launch - let alone a night launch.

Very proud to put the last touches on an overhaul of garage hooks and shelving to impose order on chaos. Also cut the grass for the first time this season and got an application of spring fertilizer spread. Not sure any of that counts as a hobby, but happy to take care of the Casa.

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 05:40 PM (IQ6Gq)

9 AI "art" is fraudulent art. Discuss.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 05:40 PM (0eaVi)

10 Expensive hobby or art? I write songs and play guitar.
https://www.reverbnationDOTcom/thomaslee4

Posted by: leber at March 30, 2024 05:42 PM (lk6F0)

11 "Well I know when I handle firewood, I always wear a pair of gloves."

That might not be a good idea around a PTO.

Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 05:43 PM (vFG9F)

12 Darn, been spelling ERICA wrong all this time!

Seen on a patient chart?
AIRWRECKA

Posted by: Ciampino - Extreme English at March 30, 2024 05:45 PM (qfLjt)

13 JTB I think you are on your way to becoming a fine sketcher. I’ve always held the opinion that correct proportion is the most important part of sketching /drawing/ painting and you are doing that. Other more professional artists say value but what do they know.😀

As a wannabe painter I don’t want to but I love the AI artwork . Would hang.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 05:47 PM (MNhXM)

14 All those wood chopping, splitting, slicing, dicing, slapping, dropping, mincing and pinching machines could come in handy getting rid of a lot of dead wood and other things.

That bagging machine too.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at March 30, 2024 05:48 PM (R/m4+)

15 "AI "art" is fraudulent art. Discuss.
Posted by: OrangeEnt"

First can you define legitimate art?

Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 05:48 PM (vFG9F)

16 Some of you may have seen my prayer thread updates and my mention of the fact that I build custom model aircraft for extra money. At least one Moron asked for my contact info.

I hesitate to show my own work while Anna is here. Nobody is better than Anna at building models, but I am definitely moderately talented.

You can see some of my work here:
https://tinyurl.com/yzmucshu

And you can contact me at Washingtonnearsider at gee mail if you want to.

There are already a few Morons who have received and are happy with my work.

Thank you for the consideration and space on this thread.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider at March 30, 2024 05:49 PM (AJhhp)

17 First can you define legitimate art?
Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 05:48 PM (vFG9F)

For me , art is the recreating of an image , real or imagined.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 05:51 PM (MNhXM)

18 Slow stitch seems to be a combination of meditative hand sewing and using up scraps of cloth and yarn. It doesn't have to have a 'purpose' like tailoring clothes. There are a bunch of YT videos about it. One that I found interesting was using random scraps to make cloth twine or rope and then use that to make rugs or soft containers. Some of this reminds me of that slow living approach that is popular at the moment.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 05:52 PM (zudum)

19 Love the launch shots. I shoot, but mostly motorsports. Have never been able to catch a launch - let alone a night launch.
Posted by: TRex

I don't have a large enough telephoto to get a day shot!
Night shots you just have to have a steady hand or a tripod and know when to look up!

I was watching for Mercury on that night and couldn't see it for all the 'red glow' in the Western sky.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 05:53 PM (6rao7)

20 First can you define legitimate art?
Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 05:48 PM (vFG9F)

Art made by a human. Not talking about good or bad art, both are legitimate.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 05:55 PM (0eaVi)

21 That firewood video clip is amazing - and slightly terrifying. I'm always impressed at the wide variety of solutions people come up with to accomplish very specific tasks.

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 05:55 PM (IQ6Gq)

22 So let's enjoy a couple of hours of fun and serenity until CBD comes along later with his music thread.

CBD's gonna sing !
Posted by: JT at March 30, 2024 05:35 PM (T4tVD)
---
Karaoke night on the Saturday Evening Music Thread?

*whispers*

the horror! the horror!

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 30, 2024 05:57 PM (BpYfr)

23
Thank you for the consideration and space on this thread.
Posted by: Washington Nearsider at March 30, 2024 05:49 PM (AJhhp)

Thanks for sharing your work. It is very good and the work demonstrates a great affection for it.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian Who Lives In The Frozen Tundra at March 30, 2024 05:57 PM (QXQ4l)

24 Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 05:55 PM (0eaVi)

Yes I forgot the recreated by a human part.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 05:57 PM (MNhXM)

25 17 First can you define legitimate art?
Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 05:48 PM (vFG9F)

For me , art is the recreating of an image , real or imagined.
Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 05:51 PM (MNhXM)

Functionless art is tolerated vandalism.
We are the vandals.

Posted by: Type O Negative at March 30, 2024 05:58 PM (8sMut)

26 AI is overblown.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at March 30, 2024 06:00 PM (8sMut)

27 Wolfus not here but he might appreciate my latest painting I’m working on is of Algiers Point in New Orleans. The part of the Mississippi where New Orleans gets its nickname Crescent City.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:01 PM (MNhXM)

28 Wow I thought that first AI artwork was a quilt until I read the description. I've been bodging today. My air mattress had started leaking, needing to be topped off a couple times overnight so I bit the bullet and bought a Tuft and Needle mattress. Today I decided I would use the memory foam I had on top of the old mattress to make the sleeper sofa downstairs more comfortable but first I decided to put a piece of wood across the bottom of the sofa where the fold up bed made a saggy support. Anyhoo cutting the found piece of particle board and the memory foam to fit ate up lots of time, but the sofa is more comfortable to sit on now. That sofa is so heavy I'm reluctant to try to haul it out of the house to where I could use the tractor to get it in dumpster which would have been the normal people thing to do.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 30, 2024 06:01 PM (wTs+0)

29 I like to figure out Escher's works and see where the illusions begin and end.
I do the same to AI whether it be people or objects. The 2nd AI pic doesn't work, try following the stairs from the bottom up and you'll find it can't get around the central column.
So, not that it isn't neat, it just doesn't work.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 06:01 PM (6rao7)

30 We were on site in South Padre Island, TX to see SpaceX SN11 - and fully armed with cameras. They scrubbed one day and then launched into a fog bank a day or two later. Couldn't see anything. We heard it (amazing crackle sound on the way up) but didn't know what happened until catching up with the interweb coverage later. We thought the big boom was rocket ignition on landing. (For those that don't know, SN11 exploded in the fog and rained parts on the launch pad and surrounding ground.)

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 06:02 PM (IQ6Gq)

31 Bodging goes on with my two air-cooled vehicles, the 60 VW Bus and the 63 Corvair convertible. Approaching 99% finished on both and have been working mostly on the bus this week. Warmed up some yesterday, so I installed 4 stationary windows in the back of the bus. A little hard to do without anyone to help. Usual method is for someone to push the glass w/seal inwards from the outside, while the other person pulls the thin rope you have placed in the groove on the seal over the lip in the opening. I did it alone by using clamps and wood to supply inward pressure.

Finished the last window, which was the most difficult because it was inside a closet, step out quickly, bang my forehead on the piece of wood that was braced from my privacy fence to the bus, start bleeding like a stuck pig. It dried into a scab before it got in my eyes, so I kept on bodging. Hobbyism is not for sissies.

Posted by: Air-cooled Guy at March 30, 2024 06:05 PM (V5BDR)

32 My problem with the original slow stitch is the "with no purpose in mind." Even making the rope and then rugs or containers would not appear to fit with the original intent. I could see "doodling" with the scraps, I am way out of practice with hand stitching, but then what? I totally get the slowing down idea--I spin wool after all!--but I got lost with the no purpose part.

Posted by: Lirio100 at March 30, 2024 06:05 PM (I5U35)

33 I tip my hat to Air-cooled Guy. Talented and tough.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 30, 2024 06:07 PM (wTs+0)

34 I like to figure out Escher's works and see where the illusions begin and end.
I do the same to AI whether it be people or objects. The 2nd AI pic doesn't work, try following the stairs from the bottom up and you'll find it can't get around the central column.
So, not that it isn't neat, it just doesn't work.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 06:01 PM (6rao7)

Lileks has "created" AI art and posted it on the Bleat. The thing about AI art is that it gets things wrong, sometimes laughably so. Some of it is "neat" to look at, but it's an algorithm, a copy of real work by a human. You can like it, and make your own if you want, but it's not "Art" in the traditional sense, to me, at least.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 06:07 PM (0eaVi)

35 I still go at fire wood axe and chainsaw. But then I am just trying to get rid of junk wood not heating a house.
I should have put in a wood stove in my outbuilding instead of a gas fire heater.

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:09 PM (fwDg9)

36 "Legitimate art"

How about conceptual drawings/paintings of things not yet real?

For example; in the 50's, 60's and 70's (and currently) there are "artist renderings" of things that do not yet exist. Space stations, for example. Or architectural designs.

Are those illustrations any different from AI generated imagery given that there are some sort of predefined parameters?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 30, 2024 06:11 PM (Q4IgG)

37 Are those illustrations any different from AI generated imagery given that there are some sort of predefined parameters?
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 30, 2024 06:11 PM (Q4IgG)

The subject doesn't have to be "real." It just has to be done by a human.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 06:13 PM (0eaVi)

38 16 ... Washington Nearsider,

That is great work on the models. I especially like the 'worn' look on some of the WW II planes. A nice bit of reality. I don't know what the materials are like nowadays but my attempts at models in the 1950s were not good, especially trying to get the decals on. I do miss the smell of the glue.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 06:13 PM (zudum)

39 The fire wood splitting machinery is awesome

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:16 PM (fwDg9)

40 Just hoping sooner rather than later God brings a 10 - 12 ft, aluminum semi-v or Jon boat across my path.
Don't want a big, dollar draining, pain in the backside zoom-zoom.
Just something I can upside down in the back of the pick-up. Gear underneath and tie it down.

Posted by: TeeJ at March 30, 2024 06:17 PM (dWUm0)

41 I do miss the smell of the glue.
Posted by: JTB

Still grinning after that line.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 06:17 PM (6rao7)

42 Good evening all you wonderfully talented people.

Posted by: Ben Had at March 30, 2024 06:18 PM (JScbF)

43 Look Ma, I still have 10 fingers

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:18 PM (fwDg9)

44 Hey, hobby folk,

A PSA for those of you who shop at Aldi on Sunday: They are closed tomorrow for Easter. If you have no Aldi in your area, or don't grocery shop on Sundays, don't worry about it.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Hobby Thread.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 30, 2024 06:19 PM (omVj0)

45 Mr Ed was an artist.

Posted by: Big Penguin at March 30, 2024 06:20 PM (vFG9F)

46 > I do miss the smell of the glue.
Posted by: JTB

Still grinning after that line.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron
_____________

If there's a market for Gwyneth Paltrow's smelly snizz candles there has to be a market for Testors scented ones too.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 30, 2024 06:21 PM (Q4IgG)

47 JTB, you really put a ton of expression in the eye of the elephant on the left. I was immediately drawn to it. Lots of depth.

Posted by: Ben Had at March 30, 2024 06:22 PM (JScbF)

48 43 Look Ma, I still have 10 fingers
Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:18 PM (fwDg9)

***SNORT***

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian Who Lives In The Frozen Tundra at March 30, 2024 06:22 PM (QXQ4l)

49 Plumbing is a reluctant hobby, laundry pump went this week so had to, or at least thought the better option was get a new one. So yesterday hooked it up. And today had to redo trap system. May have to do it again.

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:22 PM (fwDg9)

50 My definition of art is something (1) made by human hands , (2) with aesthetic interest, (3) that can stand on its own, and (4) is something I could not have done.

If I can make it, it isn't art. I know my place relative to true artists.

If a piece requires interpretation to reveal the greater philosophical or moral understanding, it isn't art.

If a machine is involved, the machine must only be a tool - the human must primarily drive the process.

I'm sure I have more art rules but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment.

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 06:23 PM (IQ6Gq)

51 It is very good and the work demonstrates a great affection for it.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian Who Lives In The Frozen Tundra at March 30, 2024 05:57 PM (QXQ4l)

I appreciate that, MisHum, thanks.

I truly enjoy the work. For me, the act of building/painting is more satisfying than the finished product itself.

The side money is just a sweet benefit.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider at March 30, 2024 06:25 PM (/nCD+)

52 Wolfus not here but he might appreciate my latest painting I’m working on is of Algiers Point in New Orleans. The part of the Mississippi where New Orleans gets its nickname Crescent City.
Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024

***
I'm here, Polynikes! That sounds great! The Point is where I lived in '88-'89. My kitchen window had a view at night of one of the big office buildings in downtown, across the river. That was back when it was affordable to rent or live there, or to live anywhere decent in this town.

The Crescent nickname could have been derived from almost any point on the river front, but it could well be how it happened. It is possible to stand at the foot of Canal Street, near the ferry, and watch the sun come up over the *West* Bank. 'Struth; I've done it.

Algiers was settled in 1719, the year after Bienville founded the original settlement, and was the landing point for a lot of the slave ships in those days -- thus the African name. It is still legally New Orleans -- the only point anywhere on the Miss. River where a city retains its same legal name where it spans the river.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 30, 2024 06:28 PM (omVj0)

53 If there's a market for Gwyneth Paltrow's smelly snizz candles there has to be a market for Testors scented ones too.
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 30, 2024 06:21 PM

Shut up and take my money!!!

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at March 30, 2024 06:28 PM (Wnv9h)

54 TB, you really put a ton of expression in the eye of the elephant on the left. I was immediately drawn to it. Lots of depth.
Posted by: Ben Had at March 30, 2024

***

Both of them -- they both look astonished and bemused. ("There really is no Elephants' Graveyard???")

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 30, 2024 06:29 PM (omVj0)

55 44 A PSA for those of you who shop at Aldi on Sunday: They are closed tomorrow for Easter.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 30, 2024 06:19 PM
***
Good for Aldi. Apparently same for Costco, Publix, H-E-B, and Target(?!), Hobby Lobby, Lowes, TJ Max, and Kohls.

Open - Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger, TJs, Food Lion, Whole Foods (but closing at 6pm), Harris Teeter, Sprouts, and Meijer.

Check your local listings to confirm before relying on a post by some moron in a hobby thread.

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 06:31 PM (IQ6Gq)

56 The line between art and craft, even more between machine made, has been a gray murky area for a long time--photography and now AI just dropped in more murky gray. Ansel Adams was a photographer eventually famous as an artist. Roman mosaics are considered art except a lot of them were in floors originally. Many quilt shows excluded machine pieced quilts for a long time. AI may eventually be accepted the way photography was.

Posted by: Lirio100 at March 30, 2024 06:32 PM (I5U35)

57
If there's a market for Gwyneth Paltrow's smelly snizz candles there has to be a market for Testors scented ones too.
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 30, 2024

***
Revell plastic model cement was the best. I never cared about the scent, but I found it really held the pieces together well. In late '66 I built Monogram's 1/8 scale Jaguar E-Type 2 + 2 kit. My mother saved it in a large plastic bag in a closet, and I found it after she passed away in '86 -- still intact but for a couple of chrome bits that had fallen off.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 30, 2024 06:33 PM (omVj0)

58 Wonderful stuff this week, everyone! Bravo!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez - these lying bastardi e stronzi have been lying to us for decades at March 30, 2024 06:36 PM (PFYt9)

59 AZ Deplorable, here you go for Vandenberg

SpaceX - Falcon 9 - Starlink Group 7-18 - SLC-4E - Vandenberg SFB
Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than March 30 7:30 p.m. PDT
https://tinyurl.com/57xbcym8E

Posted by: Ciampino - Good luck with the camera at March 30, 2024 06:38 PM (qfLjt)

60 This week is a home run!

Posted by: Eromero at March 30, 2024 06:38 PM (o2ZRX)

61 Art or not, the AI images are pleasing to the eye (mine, anyway). Call it decorative art, if you wish, or wall ornamentation.

Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 06:39 PM (njExo)

62 I've barely done anything hobby-wise, but when I was, I was working on this alien:

https://tinyurl.com/5yw6cmet

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 30, 2024 06:42 PM (CHHv1)

63 53. If there's a market for Gwyneth Paltrow's smelly snizz candles...

But is there, really? Did anyone ever buy those things? I have this image in my head of a huge bonfire in back of the Paltrow Candle Factory, with extraordinarily foul-smelling wax running everywhere and a huge adjustment on the books to inventory.

Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 06:43 PM (njExo)

64 Posted by: Lirio100 at March 30, 2024 06:32 PM (I5U35)

For me photography is a category in its own separate from art but still an artistic endeavor because what makes it different from vacation photos /magazine photos and something you would hang is the unique composition of the subject captured by the photographer.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:45 PM (MNhXM)

65 Art or not, the AI images are pleasing to the eye (mine, anyway). Call it decorative art, if you wish, or wall ornamentation.
Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 06:39 PM (njExo

Agree

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:46 PM (MNhXM)

66 I would describe art as something that causes the viewer to see more in the work that what is physically present. I've just thrown out Abstract Expressionism but it was starting to smell anyway.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 30, 2024 06:46 PM (CHHv1)

67 Art or not, the AI images are pleasing to the eye (mine, anyway). Call it decorative art, if you wish, or wall ornamentation.
Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 06:39 PM (njExo

Agree
Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:46 PM (MNhXM)

I didn't say otherwise. Remember, you like what you like....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 06:47 PM (0eaVi)

68 A cornucopia of home projects this week;

Hot tub when out - took me two days to narrow it down to a (intermittently) bad circulation pump. Even a hot tub has a monster circuit board these days. A two lb part that is fetching $260 these days. Ouch. Figured I might as well add a GFCI breaker to the circuit while I'm at it. Jeepers!

Momma was unhappy with the dryer venting so, rerouted the venting as it should have been done in the first place and also installed a new hookup vent kit at the wall.

Test painted areas of the Master bed room. Momma no likely. Back to SW later this week.

Hector and Jesus (yes, really) are installing the countertops this coming week. Hector is probably 10-11 and works his *** off with Dad. Nice kid, I think he'll go far. Next week - new appliance installation. Yea!

Posted by: Tonypete at March 30, 2024 06:48 PM (WXNFJ)

69 RUGBY
SAVED ME
FROM BECOMING A
PORNSTAR
NOW I'M JUST A
HOOKER

Fixed it.

Posted by: Ignoramus at March 30, 2024 06:49 PM (Gse2f)

70 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 30, 2024 06:28 PM (omVj0)

The reference photo is an aerial view from the French Quarter /Business District so you’re looking towards Lake Pontchartrain.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:50 PM (MNhXM)

71 64 For me photography is a category in its own separate from art but still an artistic endeavor because what makes it different from vacation photos /magazine photos and something you would hang is the unique composition of the subject captured by the photographer.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:45 PM
***
Agree. Huge difference between taking a photo and creating an artistic photo. I'm a freelance shooter and know a little about how to wield a camera. The more I've learned, the more I'm awed by those that can do it well. Thanks to social media like IG, anyone can learn a lot by seeing how the artists see things (and the artists often explain the story behind the photo and/or their process and technique).

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 06:50 PM (IQ6Gq)

72 BeckoningChasm looks good

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:50 PM (fwDg9)

73 This week I've got not one, but two Robyn SB-510D's on the bench.

One seems to be OK, now that I've got it not tripping the overcurrent protection in the power supply. Bad capacitor on the power input. The other one has a dead audio amplifier and a blown reverse polarity protection diode. Gee, could those two problems be related?

Both have a common problem. The ribbon cable between the channel selector and the PLL is busted up. Unfortunately those parts haven't been made in 40+ years. One already has a few wires added to work around the problem, the other one is sort of patched together by bridging solder across the where the conductors have broken.

I figure I'm probably going to have to rewire both to make them work reliably. I'm considering throwing an Arduino in there and adding a scan function. Because if I'm going to change how it works anyways, why not?

So that's what I'll be boring you all with for the next few weeks at least.

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at March 30, 2024 06:52 PM (dZVON)

74 didn't say otherwise. Remember, you like what you like....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 06:47 PM (0eaV

Hah and I didn’t say you did. Did you forget my posts above where I agreed with you too.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:52 PM (MNhXM)

75 Evening, All. A good Holy Saturday to everyone.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at March 30, 2024 06:53 PM (9yWhg)

76
Fixed it.
Posted by: Ignoramus at March 30, 2024 06:49 PM (Gse2f)

Nah, not really.

But, you have your beliefs and I have mine

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian Who Lives In The Frozen Tundra at March 30, 2024 06:53 PM (QXQ4l)

77 39 The fire wood splitting machinery is awesome

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 06:16 PM (fwDg9)
----
I watched that video and for every machine contemplated swapping out the log with a leftist retard (but I repeat myself) that we deemed needed the services of a wood chipper. Yes I know, Fargo spoiled me .... but I liked the feet-in-socks touch.

It was great to read the Italian subtitles ....

Posted by: Ciampino - Good on human limbs too at March 30, 2024 06:55 PM (qfLjt)

78 Hah and I didn’t say you did. Did you forget my posts above where I agreed with you too.
Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:52 PM (MNhXM)

Just making a joke for you. More responding to Paco.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 06:55 PM (0eaVi)

79 You ain't a-foolin me, some of them wood machines weren't home made a-tall. Thing about the industrial strength tree processors is, if used as directed, they're pretty damn safe. Now imagine somebody finding an abandoned one in the clearing in the woods, introducing a power source, and figuring it out on the fly. That's the world we grew up in, those of us who made it.

My next hobby move (OK, belongs on a different thread) is putting mine back together after one of the best industrial hydraulic shops around had to take a second swipe at overhauling the [no-longer-standard] hydraulic ram. I'm confident, but we're near the price point of having just scrapped this one and bought new. I was offended at all the strong metal and still-puffickly good other parts going to the yard. Thing is, you can't sell them used if they're not running.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at March 30, 2024 06:55 PM (zdLoL)

80 by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 06:55 PM (0eaVi)

👍

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 06:56 PM (MNhXM)

81 That is a rare case of a TL;DR bumper sticker.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO, AI Expert at March 30, 2024 06:56 PM (snyZJ)

82 AZ Deplorable, here you go for Vandenberg

SpaceX - Falcon 9 - Starlink Group 7-18 - SLC-4E - Vandenberg SFB
Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than March 30 7:30 p.m. PDT
https://tinyurl.com/57xbcym8E
Posted by: Ciampino

Thanks I don't know if I can get a good shot from home. We are directly East of the Phoenix area's light pollution.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 06:58 PM (6rao7)

83 I donated one of my paintings for a fund raising event in April for a private school. I don’t know if it will sell but as I told MH , I priced it high because very rich people think if something doesn’t cost a lot it must not be any good.

We’ll see if that strategy was sound.

Posted by: polynikes at March 30, 2024 07:01 PM (MNhXM)

84 Just making a joke for you. More responding to Paco. - OrangeEnt

Without wanting to involve myself in a debate on what constitutes art (an area quite outside my area of expertise), I was merely saying that the pictures are attractive, regardless of how they are categorized. I wasn't suggesting that anybody found them to be otherwise.

Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 07:02 PM (njExo)

85 You ain't a-foolin me, some of them wood machines weren't home made a-tall.
Posted by: Way, Way

You're right!
One of my MC friends from the one that cut and then split the logs; but, he upgraded so he can handle even bigger logs than shown.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 07:02 PM (6rao7)

86 Thanks for all the kind words about my sketches. I was serious about how the folks here have helped with their encouragement and generous suggestions. That has really helped. I never expected anyone else to see my efforts and it took some courage to submit them. The journey has been, and continues to be, a joy. (As long as the supply of erasers holds out, I'm in good shape.)

BTW, the elephants sketch was based on one called "Mother and Child". I thought it was poignant. Next try will be to do it in ink.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:04 PM (zudum)

87 So that's what I'll be boring you all with for the next few weeks at least.
Posted by: Blanco Basura

Bored no, intrigued yes.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 30, 2024 07:05 PM (6rao7)

88 "Art" is really in the eye of the beholder.

Monkey scat smeared on canvas might sell for millions.

Maybe depending on who smeared it. Or not. Bet some Harambe "art" would sell bigly to stupid people.

Again... or not. I'm betting it would.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 30, 2024 07:06 PM (Q4IgG)

89 I don't understand the AI art process, so I can't form an opinion. How does it work? Do you have an AI program, and you ask it to give you, say, A + B + C and it does? Or do you direct what it does? I have no clue.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 30, 2024 07:10 PM (OX9vb)

90 looking forward to the updates, Blanco!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez - these lying bastardi e stronzi have been lying to us for decades at March 30, 2024 07:10 PM (PFYt9)

91 Wikipedia actually has an entry for "animal made art"
It does exist.....

Posted by: Lirio100 at March 30, 2024 07:10 PM (I5U35)

92 I've barely done anything hobby-wise, but when I was, I was working on this alien:

https://tinyurl.com/5yw6cmet
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 30, 2024 06:42 PM (CHHv1)
----
Interesting design. Is it aquatic or semiaquatic? What kind of air does it breathe? (if it even breathes air?)

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 30, 2024 07:10 PM (BpYfr)

93 73 This week I've got not one, but two Robyn SB-510D's on the bench.

So that's what I'll be boring you all with for the next few weeks at least.

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at March 30, 2024 06:52 PM
***
More magic than art. Definitely impressed. Electronics and electricity falls well outside my circle of confidence. Best wishes.

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 07:11 PM (IQ6Gq)

94 I think the comparison of AI art with photography as art is appropriate. Both call for technical knowledge and an appreciation for the image but don't require the hand skill of drawing, painting or sculpture. That is the big difference for me.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:13 PM (zudum)

95 What about accidental art created by a machine? I have an example I will send to MisHum and yall can tell me if it's "art".

Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 07:14 PM (vFG9F)

96 What about accidental art created by a machine? I have an example I will send to MisHum and yall can tell me if it's "art".
Posted by: fd

I'm sure failed 3D printing runs create a lot of that. And a lot of weird blobs of plastic.

Posted by: mikeski at March 30, 2024 07:18 PM (DgGvY)

97 Got a nice surprise from one of our nieces: letters hand written with a fountain pen. And she is interested in improving her cursive script. Since she retired from the Army, she has shown more and more interest in developing hand skills and using hand tools. She is an impressive young woman. And I'm encouraged at her interests.

Suggestions on better pens and inks will be forthcoming.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:20 PM (zudum)

98 What about accidental art created by a machine? I have an example I will send to MisHum and yall can tell me if it's "art".
Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 07:14 PM (vFG9F)

Happy little accidents are art

Posted by: Bob Ross at March 30, 2024 07:21 PM (MNhXM)

99 Without wanting to involve myself in a debate on what constitutes art (an area quite outside my area of expertise), I was merely saying that the pictures are attractive, regardless of how they are categorized. I wasn't suggesting that anybody found them to be otherwise.
Posted by: Paco at March 30, 2024 07:02 PM (njExo)

That's fine. The lurker can continue to create them because he/she likes them. Others can as well. Just positing a position for discussion.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 30, 2024 07:23 PM (0eaVi)

100 Bored no, intrigued yes.

"Kid I know" is just starting a PhD project after teaching EE for several years. He's already made a kind of specialty of arduino'ing around the tiny yet vast logic/circuit boards at the heart of everything Modern. Buddy of mine has been saying for 30 years that when the boards behind the dash of Modern cars start to go, that will be the end of them. This Kid has done pretty well so far, so if he retires early enough and I live well enough, I may get to help specialize in a kind of auto restoration never dreamed of by the inventors.

You could rewire the hot set-ups of the heroic era with old fence line, a pocket knife, and the foil-face wrappers from chewing gum and cigarettes. Used to strip wire with my teeth, but the dentist made me promise to quit. I was losing the gauge.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at March 30, 2024 07:23 PM (zdLoL)

101 The weird thing about that AI piece is that my dreams are often that elaborate. The plots seldom make sense, but are very visually sharp.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, My Two Cents at March 30, 2024 07:23 PM (MvA9C)

102 @92 - I haven't really gotten to that part yet. I like to draw things and then build the "logic" of them from that. In this case, the aliens look like tree stumps with tentacles. But they find it's easier to deal with humanoids if you look somewhat humanoid. So they wear these harnesses, which also shape two of their tentacles into "arms."

Still working on their other aspects.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 30, 2024 07:23 PM (CHHv1)

103 69 RUGBY
SAVED ME
FROM BECOMING A
PORNSTAR
NOW I'M JUST A
HOOKER

Posted by: Ignoramus at March 30, 2024 06:49 PM (Gse2f)

----
That Hooker reminded me of: {Dirty} Rugby Songs
"If I Were The Marrying Kind"
Lyrics
https://www.erc69.nl/song /if-i-were-the-marrying-kind/
{remove space after song or use this tinyurl}
https://tinyurl.com/bddjm9nt

more lyrics
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm

Song on youtube
https://tinyurl.com/tk93ujxm

Posted by: Ciampino - Rugby is a great game at March 30, 2024 07:24 PM (qfLjt)

104 that is so cool, JTB! gotta have high hopes for the next generation.

I liked your drawings, particularly the hedgehog; my drawing skills are great for dimensioned objects, particularly if I have a ruler, lol, but freehand drawings of stuff, not so much. yours reminded me of some of my better efforts.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez - these lying bastardi e stronzi have been lying to us for decades at March 30, 2024 07:25 PM (PFYt9)

105 Search engine - give it words and it will search content and photos to find matches (or get as close as possible).
AI - estimates probabilities for what your search words mean when combined together. Not looking for matches but coming up with its best idea of a responsive answer.

AI can do searches if you tell it what attributes to use. Example - tell the machine what a cat looks like and then give it a huge batch of animal photos. It will use math to estimate which are closest to your reference photo.

AI can also take a batch of data and come up with its own idea of what a cat looks like without a reference photo. This is where AI photos get wonky. It makes estimates about what things look like but has no human giving it a reality check.

Better AI tools have better models to produce more useful outputs.

Posted by: TRex at March 30, 2024 07:25 PM (IQ6Gq)

106 I don't know if this counts as a hobby, but I put the first coat of mud on the joints in my parents' laundry room.

The alleged corner trowel is actually pretty decent smoothing things if you use it for the last pass, rather than for trying to apply mud.

Posted by: FeatherBlade at March 30, 2024 07:29 PM (rxJjp)

107 There is a young woman in Portland that goes by Garbage Ghost on X. She takes wonderful photos of the homeless and various buildings in the city.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 30, 2024 07:30 PM (yeEu9)

108 Suggestions on better pens and inks will be forthcoming.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:20 PM (zudum)

I use a Leonardo Officino Momento Zero Grande with Diamine inks (Gunpowder and Boiler Steam).

For my daily driver, I use the TWSBI Diamond 580.

Both with EF nibs, as I have a very fine, flowing script.

Posted by: Washington Nearsider at March 30, 2024 07:31 PM (/nCD+)

109 yeah, Blanco, and Way, Way ... Arduino is a quite capable little platform for that kind of thing ! with an IDE basically a subset of C!

a few years ago I made a freezer thermostat out of one, pretty much to avoid paying $200 for the Ranco one-size-fits-all model; the freezer looked pretty sharp with that blue LCD display on the door!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez - these lying bastardi e stronzi have been lying to us for decades at March 30, 2024 07:31 PM (PFYt9)

110 Dangerous? Worked in a butcher shop for a year, sliced a lot of meat at the deli counter; nicked my thumb once.

The butchers sliced meat and bone on a band saw. The closest I'd ge to that was to clean it.

Posted by: JM in Ill -- Behold the Manchurian Candidate at March 30, 2024 07:32 PM (uAsc0)

111 I've been having fun with the TWSBI Eco fountain pens for sketching. In some ways I like using them more than fineliners although I'm not sure why. But ink has such a different look from graphite. I'm glad I have a big supply of mixed media paper since I can't erase the ink.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:32 PM (zudum)

112 This Kid has done pretty well so far, so if he retires early enough and I live well enough, I may get to help specialize in a kind of auto restoration never dreamed of by the inventors.

Reverse engineering the functions of various automotive control modules and developing drop in replacements is going to be quite the cottage industry in the coming years. Especially as the automakers abandon support earlier and earlier. Hobbyists will, of course, lead the charge. Not because they want to, but because they can't afford a new car every three years.

Time to start learning about the CAN bus?

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at March 30, 2024 07:39 PM (dZVON)

113 108 ... "I use a Leonardo Officino Momento Zero Grande with Diamine inks (Gunpowder and Boiler Steam).

For my daily driver, I use the TWSBI Diamond 580.

Both with EF nibs, as I have a very fine, flowing script."

Hi WN,

I was going to suggest the Lamy Safari pen in fine or extra fine as a good, reliable pen that doesn't cost a lot. I have several with different nibs. I'm a fan of Noodler's and Diamine inks. And I'm going to suggest she check out the Goulet Pens site. My favorite writing pens are a Pelikan 200 and a 600, and a Seas pen that was sold by Levengers many years ago. Wish I had bought the whole set back then. They write so smoothly. When I carry a fountain pen it's a Lamy Safari with Noodler's black.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:41 PM (zudum)

114 FeatherBlade if I have time I do one side at a time, making sure all is perfectly dry before doing other side. If no time will use my corner trowl

Posted by: Skip at March 30, 2024 07:43 PM (fwDg9)

115 Nood. Dildo is singing "Tunnel of Love" upstairs.

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 30, 2024 07:44 PM (6yQ3Y)

116 a few years ago I made a freezer thermostat out of one, pretty much to avoid paying $200 for the Ranco one-size-fits-all model; the freezer looked pretty sharp with that blue LCD display on the door!

I think that's probably the best use for the little boards. Fixing stuff that otherwise would not be cost effective to repair. If you can figure out what the gozintas and gozoutas are supposed to be, it's not that hard to code something up.

Just be careful about your voltages. Not enough and nothing works. Too much and fireworks.

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at March 30, 2024 07:46 PM (dZVON)

117 "Time to start learning about the CAN bus?
Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310"

How about an EMP proof carb and distributor kit?

Posted by: fd at March 30, 2024 07:46 PM (vFG9F)

118 Mis. Hum.,
Thanks for another great thread and for having the guts to use my sketches.

Posted by: JTB at March 30, 2024 07:52 PM (zudum)

119 Not enough and nothing works. Too much and fireworks.

Profoundly, almost mystically true -- of so many things!

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at March 30, 2024 08:09 PM (zdLoL)

120 Good on you JTB! Keep at it!

Posted by: JM in Ill -- Behold the Manchurian Candidate at March 30, 2024 08:09 PM (Y4kHq)

121 @ Look What's Not ... Very nice, very slick. I'd love to know what prompts needed to be used in order to get an AI to generate a final product like that.

I'm currently exploring different engines - Pixlr, NightCafe, etc. AI will (unfortunately for mere human artists) be with us increasingly from now on, so I should know how to use it. I'd prefer it weren't extant, and that sentiment applies to all other fields where it's on its mindless electronic march to supplant humans and human effort. The commonality among all engines I've tried is a 'plastic' and / or 'Disneyfied' look to the final product, no matter which 'genre' or platform is selected for output. That may change later, but it's apparently universal now.

I need to remind myself whenever I see AI 'art’ that it's not art - it's programming and scripting. Any future Da Vincis will be programmers, not artists ... and they better have a ware by then that can draw hands with the right number of fingers on 'em.

Posted by: Dr_No at March 30, 2024 09:06 PM (ayRl+)

122 >>> That firewood video clip is amazing - and slightly terrifying.

House I grew up in Michigan had oil burner / wood / coal furnace for main heat. Dad added wood stove to heat walkout basement. The main furnace wasn't very efficient and actually burned more oil when also burning. So it Dad gave up and stuck with oil.
The wood store heated just as much floor area as the main furnace... and I had to feed it though middle school and high school. Tree felling, limbing, cut to 18" lengths, and spltting with a maul.

So, chainsaw, double bit ax for limbing (found it faster than a chansaw), and maul. All more dangerous than most of the machines in the video.
As soon as I moved out Dad got a hydraulic splitter... then updated to a larger gas furnace to handle both floors of the house... and then central air for that two weeks when its over 100F in the summer.

Boomers are so soft.
/s

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at March 30, 2024 10:05 PM (cOq4q)

123 Surprised to see so many compliments on my AI art thingies. It's true, most AI LLMs or whatever they are are all programmed by Disney groomers. The trick into getting good compositions is looking at some of the descriptive written words from other AI pics posted on those sites like Bing etc...provided they actually post them.
I added descriptors that would include 'steampunk' or, get this, "English Country Shabby'. Ask your favorite aunt what that is.

a large old weathered teak, mahogany, maple, pine, ebony, silver and brass, partly solved Japanese puzzle cube with asymmetrical drawers, marked with small silver plaques with a Japanese letter on each puzzle drawer, and showing strange devices and objects within every solved drawer, with a luxurious folded thick red silk background

Give that a try in any AI and see what you get. Bing gave it a photorealistic look every time.

Posted by: look whats not at March 30, 2024 10:06 PM (nakGR)

124 A bunch of very talented morons! JTB, what a wonderful newfound talent!

Posted by: m at March 31, 2024 01:55 AM (o3SCB)

125 I am curious to find out what blog platform you happen to be working with?
I'm having some minor security problems with my latest website and I'd like to find something more risk-free.

Do you have any suggestions?

Posted by: ai automation at April 01, 2024 08:54 PM (e1x0p)

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