the week in re-view

I haven't posted in a while but I have been working on a fue of projects while darting off to the campground to help get ready for the spring.

I have been working on two main projects one is "Thor's Hammer" and project B is a bicycle that is being retro fitted with an electric scooter motor an EV of sorts.

May 2nd @ 7:05PM is the MN Thunder home opener at the NSC in Blaine MN. I decided that we need more then banners and flags. Enter the God of Thunder's Hammer.

I made it all from scrap wood and pvc I had floating around and made a shell and filled it with spray foam for structure.

Bondo, lots of Bondo over the plywood to fill the grain.

It is about 5 feet all (ish) the handle is mare from 1-1/4 pvc pipe with caps and fittings on it to close up the pipe and what not.

I just like this picture.

I am currently working on the paint job for the hammer and it will be done for match day. I will post pics of the finished product on the 2nd, come see it in person I will have it for tail gating and he game.

Note: Bruce is back, check out duNord.

OK covered sport.

I was working on some projects this week and my drill crapped out on me and that put a damper on all the things that I wanted to to, but my new one just got here so a break just as the weather turns sour. So I could not get what I wanted done on the bicycle.

I am bolting a scooter motor to an old Schwinn mt bike. The frame is steel so i have just welded new parts to and there is not much left to do but mount the motor and make the seat. Unlike other motorized bicycles that I have seen, I am removing the peddles and am using pulleys to drive it in replacement of feet to that I can use the transmission. All the other projects that I have seen are all direct drive.
Sorry I don't have pics, but I will soon.

the Slacker Post

I turn this post over to Adam Savage.

The Shameless Plugs Edition.

All the web sites are of friends of mine and they all do great work. They are in the order that i think of them (read in to it how you want).

Brian Quarstad writes the Inside Minnesota Soccer blog. It has everything that any soccer fan living here in the land of 10,000 lakes needs to know. He also writes for Craven Cottage Newsround, about Fulhum FC in the EPL. (Fulhum has had many americans playing for them including Brian McBride (former) and Clint Dempsy (currently). He also contributes over at Blue Sky Soccer a site decated to the MN Thunder.
So go See BQ at insidemnsoccer.com, cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com, and blueskysoccer.com. (He does a lot.)

Gene authors the site Bananas 4 Apples site all about the tips and tricks for Mac users. Gene used to work for apple, he knows the in's and out's of everything Mac.

Although officially on hiatus (hopefully not permanently), Du Nord is the best (once again the best) scroce for US soccer news. He has also been know to share his in site with us at Blue Sky Soccer.

Looking for a place to get a way try Lost Falls Campground (it's owned and operated by my Grandparents Rose and Ed Schaper). "the best kept secret in Jackson County, wisconsin."

Colin Kopp has to be the laziest, worst photographer ever and a Jerome Grant recipient . Ok now that I got that out of my system Colin is one of the best photographers that I know (if not the best). Check out his work at colinkopp.com.

Joel Vollmer keeps us all up to date with what he is working on at Finger Twitchings along with From the Desk of Joel Vollmer. Joel is a great illustrator and you should definitely go check out his work. (I recommend him for any freelance illustration that comes up.)

The Vocab is a site that my brother and his friends edit about hip-hop culture and other musings, a part of the Good Push Co-op.

I went to school with Kate Casanova and she is always up to something new and interesting. Her Sculptures always amaze me go now and see her work at katecasanova.com.

Art Storage is the online gallery. I haven't been featured yet but then again I haven't submitted anything yet. (When I am I'll post more than is necessary.)

In the Chicago land area there is my good friend Sarah Rhemer and her site anthemsofempty.com. She does collage and assemblage work as well as photography, another great artist.

If you got left off my list drop me a line and I'll add you or maybe give you your own post, maybe.

It's Like A Train Wreck, You Just Can't Look Away.

Make Television has to be one of the most disappointing shows that I have ever come across. Now to be fair the most of the segments aren't bad. The segments featuring artists, inventors, and other sorts of "Makers" are usually pretty good. But there are two things that have to change first the Maker Workshop and Maker to Maker.

The Maker Workshop segment has one main problem and that is John Park, I don't believe for one second that knows what he is doing or that he has ever made something on is own. He comes across as just doing the scripts line by line nothing more. There are plenty of examples of the how-to on tv, now I'm not saying be like other shows but learn what makes them work and use that.

The other segment that needs help is Maker to Maker, I like the concept of the segment but the people sometimes come across as stiff and flat. They are in traced by the camera.

The show comes across as trying to reproduce the web site on tv, and that can't work it needs a host or some other way to tie everything together.

I want this show to be good and it is almost there.

I keep watching every week hoping that it will better but every time it ends I am frustrated and have to walk away. I have even cut back on going to the makezine web site because of the association. The show is produced by Twin City's Public Television my local public tv station, the home town crew needs to pull it together, in my humble opinion.