A thought that plagued me last night was “Why do things get smaller the further away you get?”. For some reason I just couldn’t get my head around it but I wake up this morning and I at least have a theory.
Just because you are further away does not mean the item IS smaller, it definitely looks smaller though. I realize that if it didn’t get smaller then you would never be able to see past a large item regardless of how far away you were. Why does distance have any impact on the size? Perhaps our brain assumes that since it is further away it is of less significance therefor it is given a smaller precedence in your view? After all it is actually our brain building the image for us. What a strange thought.
Maybe it’s the shape of our lens. The rounding does bend the image somewhat, think of a peephole. If this is the case how would the world look if our eyes weren’t round? If we had flat eyes would distance then have no impact on the appearance of size? I don’t think so.
I’m thinking it might have something to do with how we perceive our field of view. The more of our view an object consumes, the larger it appears to us. If you put both of your hands right in front of you face and block much of your view, they appear larger then if you move them outward. They consume less of your view and therefor we describe this as being smaller. We of course also add logic to this. We would never call a skyscraper far off in the distance a small object, because we know better. But if we were take out a ruler and measure how large it is in our current field of view, and then measure how large the tree right in front of us is, in relation to our current field of view. The skyscraper would be much smaller.
I find it difficult to try to judge size by comparing two unknown items at two different distances. I wonder if others do.
A couple weeks ago I planted some Cucumber seeds around the inner perimeter of one of my raised beds. My original plan was just to let them sprawl over the edges along the ground but having done some research I find that they are better off being trained up a trellis. So this weekend I got on it and made a cheap trellis for them. This is not my design but it was easy and sure worked well so I wanted to share it.
Materials:
12 feet of 2 x 2 (if you have a 4 x 4 bed and want the trellis 4 feet high)
screws
twine or string
I first cut the 2 x 2 into three, 4 foot lengths. I didn’t want the trellis to block the sun from getting to the other raised bed, so I only went up 4 feet. FYI, I hear 6 feet high is better. I will most likely move the trellis to the bed in the back for my next vine crop.
Framework
I then screwed the 2 x 2 vertical sections into each corner of my raised bed. I used high quality deck screws which are guaranteed against rust. (just because I had some on hand). Once the sides are in screw in the top piece. If you measured correctly everything should line up just right.
Trellis Row Spacing
Next I marked the framework where I would place a screw which I eventually would tie some twine too. I decided a 5 inch spread would be perfect so I measured and put a mark at 5 inches on a scrap piece of wood. I then made a mark on my framework at 5 inch intervals. I placed a screw at each marked, leaving enough sticking out to attach my twine.
Tying down the rows
I tied the twine to my top left screw and then stretched it horizontally to the corresponding screw on the right side. I then wrapped it around the screw a couple times, went straight down to the next screw below, wrapped the twine again and went back across to the left side. The wraps help keep it from slipping so you have a nice taught lattice.
Single Knot
The last part of the lattice are the vertical rows. Cut a piece of twine so that it is a little longer then the height of the lattice then tie it to the screw at the top. Then tie a single knot on the the row directly below, row number 1. Make sure that you do not leave to much slack between rows, also take care not to pull the rows up or down to make a nice grid. It took a second to learn to maneuver the knot, but once I had it down things went quickly.
Now that I have a trellis up I will have to relocate the cucumber plants I have growing in the front of the bed over to the side. I’m excited to see these baby’s climb!
Today I was tasked with creating a special character filter from the front end of an application we manage. Special characters as well as symbols (such as ¶) were throwing errors in a third party interface that we transmit to.
This particular application is AJAX based so I wanted to avoid doing server side validation which would result in an unnecessary page load. I also want to prevent a user form entering special characters into the text box. The solution has a couple different parts.
Key Press Validation
In order to make sure that a user is not entering a special character I created a function to perform validation as each key is pressed. If a key is pressed that is not on my allowed list then it simply will not appear in the text box. I thought this was cleaner than having an alert box pop up every time the user pressed a forbidden character.
var allowed = /[a-zA-Z0-9]/; //allowed characters
var evt = event;
return true;
}
var char = String.fromCharCode(evt.which || evt.keyCode);
// Cancel the original event
return false;
}
}
This works rather well, unless a user copy’s and pastes special characters. So I needed to create a final check when the page is being submitted.
Locate Special Characters
The locateSpecialChars function accepts an element id, it will then loop through each of the characters in the elements text box validating that each one is in the list of allowed characters. If a disallowed character is found it will immediately stop searching and return true.
var allowed = /[a-zA-Z0-9]/; // allowed characters
textFieldContents = document.getElementById(element).value;
return true;
}
}
}
Putting it together
The checkEntry() function should be called at every key press. This was done using the onkeypress event.
Example:
Name: <input name=”test” type=”text” id=”name” onkeypress=”checkEntry(event);”>
The final check occurs when the user is submitting the form. This is to catch any disallowed characters that were pasted into the field. You will want a function handling the field checking such as the one below.
}
}
This function could be triggered on form submission using the onsubmit event.
Example:
<input name=”Check It” type=”submit” value=”Check It” onsubmit=”checkAll();”>
Other
For my project, I wanted to alert the users that the information entered contained characters or symbols which were no allowed. If I did want to just remove the disallowed characters this function would do the trick.
obj.value = obj.value.replace(/[^a-zA-Z 0-9]+/g,”);
}
Spittle Bug Damage
Today while doing my daily garden check I notice foam/slime oozing from my Basil plant. It looked as though someone spit on it in a couple places. I quickly snapped one of the offending branches off and took a photo. I then cut the entire plant and threw it in the composter. Now I realize that was a hasty move.
After doing a little research it looks like this is the work of a Froghopper or “Spittlebug” and it was something that could easily be solved by a quick blast of water from the hose. Apparently they do little damage unless there is a huge infestation. Regardless, that memory of spit all over my favorite herb was enough to keep the leaves from that plant from coming into the kitchen.
For more information on this little pest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froghopper
Humanity has come a long way in the last 50,000 years. Whether you believe in a god, gods or in evolution; we can all agree that we were at one time a primitive species. We have come from loin cloth to modern day businessman and now dominate the earth. With that must come some sort of obligation to take care of and protect it. The health of our planet and all life within should be #1 on our priority list yet we abuse and rape it of its resources.
It’s seems like people are not even thinking anymore, we are driven by this insatiable need to gain possession and flaunt our wealth (or appearance of wealth in many cases). I am not sure when things changed or what to blame, all I know is we have been living in a dream world for quite some time. We are animals by definition. Intelligent animals yes, but we require the same basic needs to stay alive. If you take away all of mankind’s creations this very instant, all of the sudden the artificial dream is lifted. Only then can you see our true reality and what really is important.
Now that I am awake and looking beyond my daily routine I realize that I need to get back to the basics. Growing up in todays age I was not taught the necessary skills to meet my most basic survival needs on my own, independent of the current barter system. This should be the first thing a person learns, how to be self sufficient. I believe then you will be truly free to live life how you please. Seems like a no brainer to me.
Here is the big question. What if it WAS all taken away? It easy to shrug off the question and assume nothing will happen, and if it does the government will have a plan, or things it will somehow work itself out. “Hey bad things have happened before and were still here.“ We as a species survived many calamities yes, but many people also suffered and died. What makes things different now is the sheer number of people, the declining resources and our dependance on the current system for survival.
I am no pessimist and I also cannot predict the future, but the one thing I can do is make sure that I have given my family the best odds possible for survival. I can’t imagine doing nothing; There are just too many things that can happen to disrupt this fragile system we have created. My worst nightmare is we have no access to food. No food will bring out the worst in people. Your neighbor might have been the nicest guy, but when he’s watching his children starve everything changes. You and I are no different, so lets all do each other a favor and spend some time learning how to fulfill our basic needs as nature intended.
We are planning a trip to Disney World, the only problem is we have two large and determined dogs that will cause all sorts of mischief if left unattended for too long. We need an area for the dogs that will be safe and escape proof.
| Brody | Butter |
 |
 |
When I first moved into this house I put up a wooden picket fence around the back yard so they could play freely, unlike New Mexico many parts of Florida’s back yards are all connected which doesn’t mesh well with my dogs. Then about a month ago I sectioned off an area with a chain link fence to create a dog run area. With some help from a buddy we dug a trench around the entire perimeter and sunk cement blocks to prevent digging (which is entirely too easy in this soft sand). To protect against jumping I ran some electric wire around the perimeter and ran a second ground wire along the wooden fence. All I have left now is the dog house, add trees, reposition the sprinklers and set up a drip system. Geeezz…
I needed a doghouse that would accommodate two large dogs. It should have two entries so one dog cannot block the other from entering or exiting. It should be tall enough for them to stand and maneuver. In colder climates a smaller more compact dog house would help to keep them warm, but here in Florida this was of no concern to me, 3 1/2 by 6 foot would be just fine. I wanted some type of venting in the top to allow the heat to escape and this thing had to be water resistant. I want it to last and look nice at the same time.
Due to our heavy rains, and puddling I knew I needed to use materials that could hold up well but still stay in our budget. I determined that it should be up off the ground so the wood would not rot as quickly (wood would?) and also to use pressure treated lumber. I would need shingles, tar paper, roofing nails, deck screws 1 5/8″ also a small box of 2″, several pressure treated 2×4′s, something to cover the walls, wood for trim, drip edge, paint, blocks to elevate it and finally a few sheets of plywood. I wish I could say that I hit Home Depot with this list handy, but the truth is I made several unnecessary trips trying to figure it out as needed.
I spent quite a while debating what to use for the walls, the cheapest was OSB but I knew that would just fall apart once water hit it so that was not an option. The next cheapest was plywood, but that didn’t have that nice wood panel look some of the fancier panelling had. Then I came across the cement paneling. It’s made of cement! It wont rust, warp and will basically be unaffected by the rain. More expensive, yes, but it will also be expensive to replace the walls after a few years not to mention the time.
Note: If you ever buy cement board and plan on tying it down to down to yoir roof like I did, make sure and put a tie down in the front and e back. After driving a short distance on the main street I saw half of one of my 4×8 sheets of concrete go flying through the air behind me in my rearview. This stuff is not flexible so when the wind got up under it it just snapped off. Luckily there were no cars or that would have caused a real mess – it must have weighed 20-30 lbs.
I built the frame out of pressure treated 2×4′s. I highly suggest that if you ever make a dog house this size and you plan on moving it, you build it in sections. In this picture the walls and floor are all seperate other wise the doghouse would be a new fixture in my garage. This beast is heavy! That is exactly what I need in the windy state of Florida.
When working with pressure treated lumber you should always use gloves. I’ve read that the additives are toxic. Also it requires screws that do not react with the chemicals in pressure treated wood, otherwise they will corrode. I used the 2″ deck screws that come with the torx head. The days of stripping my screws out with a phillips are over!
After I got the framework screwed together and put it up on some blocks I was able to cut and attach the cement panelling. I just used my circular saw with a wood blade (which I’m sure is ruined) it cut it fine although a little choppy. A mask is crucial at this step, it creates lots of dust and this dust apparently causes cancer! They make special screws for this board, but I just used my deck screws and all went fine. I used them on the edges where my trim would later conceal the blemishes.
I decided to use shingles purely for aesthetics. Any roof material would have worked fine but shingles just look nice to me. I chose white shingles which would help reflect some of the sun but also go nicely with the white trim I’m planning. I used tar paper underneath to create a vapor barrier and 7/8″ roofing nails to shingles. I will wait to apply the final row of shingles. I am going to some sort of adhesive to attach these since I do not want any nail heads exposed.
I was a little skeptical of my choice in using a red paint. I found many dog house pictures online that were red and they looked nice. Now that I see it, I love it. I went with a Baer outdoor semi-gloss.
Nothing adds the finishing touches like trim. Its such a cheap and easy step yet takes the project from okay to awesome. I again used Baer semi-gloss. The trim itself was 1×3 pine board and only tricky tricky step here is cutting the 45 degree angles for around the door. I borrowed a friends miterbox, what a hassle, I sure miss the radial arm saw my father gave me.
Okay okay drip edge should have been installed BEFORE the shingles went on. I didn’t even think about it at the time, I was just so excited to be moving along and I hadn’t even purchased the drip edge yet. It really wasn’t that big of a deal however most of my shingles nails we far enough in I already had clearance for the edging. I just had to lift a few shingles and put a nail in. Hopefully the drip edge will help keep the water off of the wood trim extending its life. It was a cheap addition and also looks more pro. I cut the drip edge with some sheet metal shears and nailed it in with the 7/8″ roofing nails. One small issue here is that the drip edge I bought sticks out a little past the shingles. I am concerned that water will be channeled under the shingles so I am going to run a bead of silicone along the underside of the shingles.
I considered a couple things with the interior floor. My first thought was it sure would be nice for the dogs if they had carpet with doubled up padding beneath. But with the insects and moisture this was doomed to fail. I am afraid that fleas or something would find a home in the carpet. I found some rubber flooring at Lowes which they sell by the linear foot. It would not provide the comfort I had hoped for but it would provide the durability. I painted just inside the doorway to protect the plywood flooring since this would be the one entry point of rain. Then used adhesive to attach the rubber matting.
That took a couple days to complete but at least it’s one less thing to worry about and maintenance should be minimal. Now if I could just get the dogs inside! I figure I will need to do training with treats to get them to appreciate all of my hard work.