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Author Topic: Useless Projects  (Read 118491 times)
Yegolev
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Reply #280 on: September 24, 2019, 07:10:56 AM

I was lamenting to a developer friend that I spend a lot of time tackling meatspace problems, and his response was: "They are ALL meatspace problems."

Why am I homeless?  Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question.
They called it The Prayer, its answer was law
Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
01101010
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Reply #281 on: September 24, 2019, 09:34:34 AM

So finally... FINALLY, pulled the trigger and got some dart frogs sent. The vivarium has been holding up well and had no real die-off of the plants - even added some cheap  post bloom orchids. In fact some of these plants are a little outta control:


So I was recording the temps and humidity for the past 2 months (overkill because I'm mental) to get a feel for the ranges. Met with a few local breeders (which had nothing in stock by the way of the species the wife wanted) and got their input and what to look out for. Since I have a water side, each breeder told me to focus on temps rather than humidity since frogs will naturally find the wet spots and take a dip if they are feeling dehydrated. They also suggested that I have so many 'under' spots (under the leaves of bigger plants, etc) that humidity is sort of a non-issue.

All that said, talked with the wife and found a good spot on my schedule to be at home to received the frogs via FedEx overnight. So 3 juvenile dendrobates auratus came this AM. Bonkers how they ship, the frogs were individually packed in a plastic condiment container with a lid and a wad of sphagnum moss inside a styro shipper with some cool packs. At first I couldn't see 2 of them as they burrowed into the wad, but the one was right on the bottom. First reaction, they are fucking tiny, like fit completely on a dime tiny. None were moving so I was dreading having to call the place I bought from, but it was probably a factor of being cold and popping out into the light from a dark box. Either way, the one started moving and the others moved a leg or two to hide better. I opened the containers in the vivarium and pulled out the moss. Once they realized some big fucker was getting close they all bolted under the leaf litter or into the plants so I probably won't see them again for weeks if ever or until they get comfortable or maybe never again. They are so small, it's going to be a challenge getting pics until they start growing out. The one I did get... well, yeah.





Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
01101010
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Reply #282 on: September 24, 2019, 01:04:56 PM

Well got home from work and found this:


No clue where the third one is.

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Sky
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Reply #283 on: September 24, 2019, 01:28:23 PM

"Oh no...he's back!"
Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #284 on: September 24, 2019, 06:11:01 PM

That is so cool!  Heart Heart Heart

Yes, I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
Samwise
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Reply #285 on: September 24, 2019, 08:12:10 PM

eeee!  Jelly.  Those are some amazing colors, and you've built such a cool home for them.

I hadn't seen my own resident frog in a while, but just last weekend I spotted him hanging out on Swamp Castle, all grown up:

Mandella
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Reply #286 on: September 25, 2019, 10:00:53 AM

Yeah you are kinda motivating me again to do one of those. I might not go the whole do-it-yourself route though and buy some prefabs.

Really interested to know how tough it is to keep them alive and happy too.

Edit: Also if you have any good advice on brands and such for temp and humidity control equipment I'm listening.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2019, 10:04:12 AM by Mandella »
01101010
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Reply #287 on: September 25, 2019, 11:14:21 AM

Yeah you are kinda motivating me again to do one of those. I might not go the whole do-it-yourself route though and buy some prefabs.

Really interested to know how tough it is to keep them alive and happy too.

Edit: Also if you have any good advice on brands and such for temp and humidity control equipment I'm listening.

Temps are kept in ranges (for dart frogs, 65f-80f) thus far with the ambient room temps. Frogs are nice and was a huge selling point because they don't have the steep heating requirements like snakes do. We put the vivarium in the living room which is the only room where the temp doesn't swing wildly from season to season or day to day. It does get warmer in the summer, but the AC window unit worked fine for keeping the temps in the tank in range. For the winter, probably be the same, but I have a heat mat you stick on the bottom. Also have the thermostat for it, so that will be a trial and error thing once things get colder here in Pittsburgh.

As for humidity... I was spraying it daily with a simple 1 gal plant mister. Left it for a few days and the humidity never dipped below 80%. That is mostly due to replacing the screens on the top with clear acrylic panels.  Talking with the local breeders/herp people, and they said if you have a water feature, you could ignore humidity for the most part as the frogs will take care of moving to spots around the water feature. However, they also said that I have so many plants that create humid pockets between the leaves and soil. I put the hygrometer sensor all over the tank in the last two months and the only place it dried out to <65% humidity was up at the top near the exhaust fan I put in. Otherwise, I never read anything below 85% near the soil.

So bottom line, it is way easier than I thought to keep the temps and humidity ranges steady. Put the light on a timer and the vivarium runs itself.

Now feeding is not that big a chore, but it is more of an active process. Fruit flies need to be cultured every 10-12 days. You can buy them and I think the guys I got the frogs from actually have a fruit fly subscription process where they automatically charge you and send you a new culture every 2 weeks or so. I am using 32oz Mason jars with coffee filters on the top. Start a culture with a tap from the old culture and you'll have new flies in 7-10 days. Cultures are good for 25-28 days - after that they are basically dead. But as long as you start a new culture every 12 days or so, you'll never run out. I got my first culture from the local Petco in their lizard feeding aisle. Bought the culture mix and the calcium supplement you dust the flies with on amazon and seeded a new culture and it is overflowing. I'm using some of the flies to feed my fish. That's the only real work you need to put in.

Now take all this with a grain of salt... I have had the little guys for a day, but so far I have everything I need at the ready.

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Polysorbate80
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Reply #288 on: November 08, 2019, 01:12:15 PM

Picked up the can of wood finish and it's too light  ACK!

Coulda sworn I had another one around...  *orders more*

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
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Reply #289 on: November 22, 2019, 08:36:13 AM

At last, after a ridiculous amount of time--and major repairs to the basement--I finished the entertainment shelf/stand/whatever:



Top angle, so the wood actually looks like a thing.  I ordered a tapa-cloth table runner to maybe put along the center of the top.  I'll have to get it and put it on to see if I really like it.



I didn't want to go through the trouble of putting a back on it, so to not have a massive shitstorm of cabling visible I attached some strips of cable tray to the back to deal with part of the mess.  Advantages to using such thick lumber...  The faux foliage hides the rest as well as the power strip.  Will probably look for some artsy stuff in Hawaii over Christmas to swap out for some of the greenery, but it depends on what I find.




“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Viin
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Reply #290 on: November 22, 2019, 08:57:19 AM

That looks awesome, nice work.

- Viin
01101010
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Reply #291 on: November 22, 2019, 09:11:43 AM

Someday I may have my own place and start doing home type projects. For now I'll stick to the frogs and fish. I'm actually to a point now that I need to prune the plants in the vivarium. Crazy how fast that stuff grows when happy.

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
01101010
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Reply #292 on: February 23, 2020, 06:55:42 AM

Quick update for those who care... my cheap $2 orchids from Home Depot have popped. Creepy cool plants actually... and nice when they bloom. Might try to find different types when I rescape the vivarium.


The frogs are still kicking and being pigs. Latest awesomeness is one has started to sing. Sounds insect-like actually... a low frequency buzzing for 3-4 second bursts. Only problem, the one we thought was a female is the one 'croaking.'  Females are usually bigger and do not sing. This one fit the bill at first, but is probably a different sub-species than the others, given how many different types of auratus there are. The wife noted as they are getting older that he is slightly bluish-green than the others.  So either this one was a bit older when we got them, hence the size difference, and/or he has some different genetics. Either way... cool none-the-less. If the others are males, then at least I won't have to worry about population growth.

Obligatory photo op:
« Last Edit: February 23, 2020, 06:57:59 AM by 01101010 »

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Mandella
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Reply #293 on: March 02, 2020, 09:17:41 AM

Funny that my wife was just asking if I was ever going to do anything to refurbish our tank -- and wasn't I talking about frogs?

So how noisy are they? The ones that live naturally around these parts can get pretty loud even outside.

I may just go with goldfish... Quiet, don't mind coldish water, and nobody gets too attached...
01101010
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Reply #294 on: March 02, 2020, 11:49:02 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvVG62ueo9s

Not mine, but same species as mine. Not loud at all... actually thought it was some bird on the porch the first time I heard mine. If I had to compare it, I would say it is sorta insect-like.

So yesterday was interesting. I slept in (to 7a EDT), made my coffee, and filled the sprayer for the frog tank. I tend to spray everything down every morning... open the door and spray the plants. Well the big boy was resting under the leaf litter right up by the door and I start spraying. Out of the corner of my eye I see a black blur go shooting out of the tank. Of course the little shit darted underneath the shelf I have the tank on once he hit the floor... so that meant taking everything off the bottom shelf and from under the shelf on the floor without smearing him. A huge pain in the ass nudging him out into the open so I could capture him, of course he was covered in dust. Got him into a cup and spritzed him in the cup, popped him back into the tank, and kept watch to make sure he wasn't doing anything weird.

Was bound to happen, but still stressful.

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Sky
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Reply #295 on: March 02, 2020, 12:40:50 PM

I really enjoyed the raptor kill box we had at the band house with a couple monitors. The Nile monitor was a predator, hunting and killing mice like a, ehm, predator. The water monitor was more of a lurker, akin to watching a croc strike from the river.

If you want to go in a more deadly (and spectator sport) direction.

 why so serious? DRILLING AND WOMANLINESS ACK!
Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #296 on: March 04, 2020, 07:44:13 PM

raptor kill box?  raptor = bird of prey? clever girl dinosaur?

Yes, I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
01101010
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Reply #297 on: July 08, 2020, 08:29:27 AM

Frog softcore porn alert!!

So it seems mid-July to mid-Sept is breeding season. Honestly thought I had 3 males but I might be mistaken given these two have seemly paired off and follow each other all over the tank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQsycunJw5g

Took that last night after watching the male call and seeing the female come hopping over... then the video happened.

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Samwise
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Reply #298 on: July 08, 2020, 09:26:10 AM

giggity

Very jealous of that whole terrarium setup.
01101010
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Reply #299 on: July 10, 2020, 03:46:30 PM

Welp... Definitely have 1 female and 2 males. Been watching the males wrestle all day and the female chasing after each male after they call. Bonkers... I should have recorded it all.

That said, now I have the female tending a pile of eggs:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMuHwWOmoUg

Fun times.

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Polysorbate80
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Reply #300 on: July 10, 2020, 07:00:18 PM

.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:35:44 AM by Polysorbate80 »

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
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Reply #301 on: July 13, 2020, 09:19:49 AM

.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:35:04 AM by Polysorbate80 »

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Mandella
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Reply #302 on: July 13, 2020, 02:21:41 PM

How come you're digging the deep part out by hand? I see you have a tractor with a scoop right there..

 awesome, for real

But yeah neat project. I kinda wish I had dug out my pool instead of setting up an above ground one, but then if I had it would have been a *lot* more difficult to dismantle when the kid moved away and I got tired of it. More specifically, tired of the cost and effort of maintenance -- I do sometimes miss floating around on a hot summer day.

As for trees, you have those in the frozen north? Not just furze on the blasted heath?
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Reply #303 on: July 13, 2020, 03:28:58 PM

.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:37:03 AM by Polysorbate80 »

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Khaldun
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Reply #304 on: July 13, 2020, 07:40:01 PM

Sugar maple sounds good for canopy--and color depending on the fall and winter conditions. I like pin oaks too but they don't have great fall foliage (they just sort of dribble all season long). I love ash trees--great personality--but they're also pretty climate- finicky and also vulnerable to invasive pests.

Otherwise looks good in terms of the basic goal. If it's a spot where water flows through anyway, are you at all worried about whether the water that flows through is clean enough? e.g. there's nothing in the annual flow that you wouldn't want concentrated (pesticide, etc.)?
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Reply #305 on: July 13, 2020, 08:33:02 PM

.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:35:11 AM by Polysorbate80 »

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
MahrinSkel
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Reply #306 on: July 13, 2020, 08:58:35 PM

I can get a little bit of the deep hole with the tractor, but there’s a danger of slipping a front wheel into a 2’ deep hole. An excavator could do it safely but i don’t have one.
Rather be safe (albeit sweary?
Rent a track-hoe mini excavator. Your back will consider it money well spent, and you'll have your hole in an hour or two.

--Dave

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Polysorbate80
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Reply #307 on: July 13, 2020, 09:29:23 PM

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« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:35:16 AM by Polysorbate80 »

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Mandella
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Reply #308 on: July 14, 2020, 10:13:03 AM

Bah, if we were doing easy i could have borrowed the neighbors’ large excavator and had it all done in a day  why so serious?

I’ve got the rest of the year to finish .  Might as well get some exercise

You sound like me deliberately leaving the tool box in another room so I can count it as aerobic exercise..

 Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?
Khaldun
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Reply #309 on: July 17, 2020, 04:16:55 PM

I was thinking of ecoli actually among other things. It seems to me that a lot of farm ponds I see have so little water movement that they turn brown and kind of depressing and smell bad--that it's worth thinking about actually digging out a drainage channel or having a fine rock/pebble bed or planting grasses--something that makes the pond into more of a wetland that is both scenic and environmentally cleansing.
Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #310 on: July 17, 2020, 06:45:39 PM

I don't have the land for it so haven't researched it much, but most of the ponds around here either put in a fountain or have to deal with algae blooms. or both.  but then most of the ponds around here (heart of the Kentucky bluegrass) are on over-fertilized horse farms with both chemical and biological runoff to deal with.

Yes, I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
Khaldun
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Reply #311 on: July 17, 2020, 07:06:04 PM

Yeah, I see some in the Brandywine that have fountains.

And I gather that some folks also put something in the ponds that keeps mosquitos from laying eggs in them. Fish and tadpoles work too but if you have racoons, herons etc. around they tend to pretty mercilessly wipe out that life unless the pond is so big and connected to a local water ecosystem that it naturally replenishes that life.
Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #312 on: July 17, 2020, 07:23:53 PM

yeah, there's a BT bacteria thing that works great to kill mosquitos, but fairly pricey I think.  and some copper compound that's often needed to knock back the algae. you can really see the difference, before and after application, within a week a pond can go from covered in scum to clear again.

Yes, I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
Polysorbate80
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Reply #313 on: July 19, 2020, 09:03:18 AM

.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:35:23 AM by Polysorbate80 »

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #314 on: August 20, 2020, 07:51:57 PM

This was a relatively quick project that took me years to do because I didn't know how to finish it. Then, it finally occurred to me and a couple hours later it was done.

The Problem: how to put in a new base/floor for the cabinet holding the kitchen sink after the garbage disposal cracked its housing and sprayed water everywhere for who knows how long before we found it.  Challenge: can we do it without removing the sink, disposal, cabinet, or any pipes or wiring, just the doors if needed? With a minimal number of pieces and no big holes for things to fall through?



The Solution: some leftover Melamine board from a shelving project, and some 3D chess thinking. A couple scrap chunks of wood in the middle to support it. Left floor piece cut to fit easily through the door horizontally, does a knight move sliding straight in over the two pipes in the notches, then once it's all the way against the back wall slide it left to the side wall. Adjust the blocks to support both sides. Right piece does a bishop move, going in the right door diagonally barely fitting under the drain pipe, with the dishwasher water and drain hoses and electrical cord squeezed into the notch in the back corner. Then once it is completely inside rotate it down with the notch sliding over the center water pipe.



The Result:  the Countess is most pleased.

« Last Edit: August 20, 2020, 08:01:48 PM by Count Nerfedalot »

Yes, I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
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