Jan
30
2010

Project Chicken Coop – Part 2

So, here I am, another day building this thing.  It seems almost more of a bother than its worth but I know I will feel better once I get it up and running and get the chickens in there.  Part 2 consists of a few more pictures, as you can see, its turning out to be almost like the 3D rendering I made a few days back.

That's it for now, until next time!

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Jan
27
2010

Project Chicken Coop – Part I(one)

Well, This is my first attempt at a chicken coop.  I only looked up pictures of other coops and figured the rest out through trial and error, there are no exact dimensions available other than that its 5 foot by 3 foot and the floorboard of the coop sits about 24 inches off the ground, though not a whole lot of room, the idea isn't to keep the cooped up in there long, its only a quick holding pen with a small door access.

How I derived my dimensions is by taking an 8 foot 2×4(couldn't get 12 10 footers in my Ford Focus) and cutting a 3 foot piece off the end and I'm left with a 5 foot piece which makes up the length of the structure. That way I could make the largest coop possible with the least amount of wood possible.  Here's how day one turns out.

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Jan
23
2010

Our new chicks!

Yesterday we ended our day picking up 6 little chicks.  We got 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 2 Americaunas, and a lonesome Rhode Island Red.

 

We got them but haven't gotten a coop ready just yet as we're planning on building it large enough for a couple of extra chickens, we're thinking maybe 10 at the most.  The coop will be built to allow 6 nesting sites, and a couple of roosting areas along with it.  I'm still new to raising chickens, but I can sure see the benefits and the opportunity of better health and being more self-sustaining, and best of all, its a learning experience which may grow to a larger scale hobby.

Ummm….Eggs :)

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Jan
22
2010

Another day, another fire…

Here you can see the bonfire I created burning away a gigantic brush pile.  It seems there are many piles and many fires to go.  The recent acquisition of a gas powered chainsaw definitely lifted the spirits of us Far Awayans.

Its a tough life you know :)

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Dec
4
2009

Houston! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

One day sunny the next day snowy.  It seems that here in Houston, you just never know what to expect.  The last time the city saw snow was back on Christmas Eve of 2004 where some parts got as much as 8 inches of snow.  

The weather station has been talking up this snow for just under a week and sure as hell, its snowing!  It hasnt stopped yet and I imagine it will go into the night.  I thought I'd share some pictures :)

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Dec
2
2009

Thoughts on Google Wave

Google Wave

In mid 2009, Google developers announced a new communications technology know simply as Google Wave.  It connects more people and more content together in a sort of email but not email, semi-instant messenger type of fashion.  Though it is still in the beginning of its life, this program already shows some great potential and hopefully proves worthy and not too confusing to catch on to.  

I signed up for a beta preview a few weeks back and finally got approved.  You can request an invitation to join Google Wave by going to https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignup/.  I usually sign up for whatever new idea Google pops up with and try my hands at it.  After approval, first thing I noticed was the 8 available invitations to help me get a small network of friends to Wave with.  Good thing too since so far I have 7 invitations sent and 5 already joined.  Its definitely something to get used to.

Here's the looooong video from I/O 2009 conference where Google publicly announced Wave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ&feature=player_embedded

I'm still in the process of checking it all out and testing various parts of it.  Some things such as the embed video doesn't appear to be working, I've tried Youtube.com, Dailymotion.com, and Break.com and none of the embed codes work.  I even tried the url code for it and still the same thing.  I'm sure its just a matter of time before they vamp it up and get it going once they see evidence that this could potentially overtake emails, which will probably mean another price jump at the port office.

I will return with more words once I've had thorough time to test it and possibly check out the developer extension pack to start learning how to create extensions.  It sure would be nice to see this beta grow and become a full-fledged release and available to everyone.

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Nov
24
2009

Beware of cutomized HP computers!

I ordered a laptop from HP on the 10th of November.  The whole deal was that I would get free 5-7 business day shipping and it would take until the 18th for the computer to get built.  Little did I know what I was getting myself involved in.

First off was the fact that the HP website denied by debit card that I was using to pay in full.  Now I had to call HP to straighten it out, they didn't actually do anything except ask me for my information again and enter it in and it went through(I personally think its for commission purposes).  So my computer is on order and I can expect to receive it by the Friday after Thanksgiving day(I know this isnt happening).  Now comes the weird part.  I get no tracking information from HP until the 20th, at which point I checked it and promptly call them to find out why no tracking information is available for it.  Here's their excuses:

  • We promise that the package is on its way.
  • Well, your package isn't on the delayed system list, so trust us.
  • It doesn't get tracking information until it reaches the United States.
  • We'll expedite your package, but there's no guarantee.
  • I'm sorry, we didn't record that phone call where the HP CS representative totally lied his balls off to you.
  • Please hold while I look up your information for the next hour and a half.
  • I would like to tell you about a survey you can take at the end of the phone call.
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Come to find out after hearing a bunch of bs from them that FedEx shows the package arriving on the 30th of November, thats after getting a late drop off on the 21st, and as of the 24th(today), it is still in China dickin' around.  I don't know how it's going to be here by the 30th, I'm willing to bet it won't make it.

This post was just for me to speak of my recent HP experience.  My suggestion to you is to go check out techbargains.com, slickdeals.net, or woot.com and see if you find anything that isnt an HP and to verify with whoever you order your computer through that it isn't coming from another country and that there are guarantees  in case something doesn't work out.  Keep boxes for a while, record all information(serial and model numbers) and take note of any specific dates that they say your item will be built or shipped and hold them to it like a verbal contract.

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Nov
18
2009

What’s this world coming to?

In the same weekend as my burglary, I heard my friends very first dog was taken out of his backyard after 2 months of owning it, another got his front door kicked in while he was standing in his living room, and yet another got a brick thrown thru her window when she left to go to the convenient store at the end of the street.

Maybe Houston has just gotten too big and crowded, who knows, one things for sure, people are desperate and criminals are even more desperate.

So as a warning to you:

  • lock up your house and take whatever precautions to ensure that your windows and doors are secure
  • have motion activated flood lights outside on at night
  • record serial numbers of all electronics and store it online incase they take your computer(google docs)
  • get a computer lock and lock it to something solid, preferably metal
  • watch out for anyone lurking around or suspicious persons(you can always call the neighborhood watch or the constables to come check it out)
  • put jewelry in a safe(bolted down securely)
  • have your neighbors check on your house while your gone for long periods of time or someone to stay at your house
  • get an alarm system
  • window ac units are an easy target for them to just rip off and climb in(secure your window by putting self tapping screws through the window and frame and screw in extra vertical metal pieces on both sides of the unit)
  • close your windows blinds/curtains at night(they can see inside when you cant see out)
  • ensure that doors and windows and closed and locked before going to bed
  • lock your garage door and your car when parked in it
  • get a dog with a loud bark

If your house or residence has been broken into, get someone to start patrolling the area for the next few weeks.  I have a friend who was the victim of multiple burglaries then they came back when everything settled down and held him at gunpoint in his own house taking just about everything he owns and throwing everything in his car and taking off.  Apparently alot of the times a burglar enters your house, they scout it all out and take whatever they can get leaving the rest as a later treasure.  So if you've been a victim of a burglary, check ALL areas of your house, I do mean ALL, including attic and/or basement.  They will supposedly break in and stay the night waiting……that's just damn scary thinking about it…You really can't ever be too safe.  Material goods aren't nearly as important as your life, so always make sure YOU are safe.

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Nov
9
2009

Got jacked!

 

Yep, got burglarized over the Halloween weekend, they took my Apple laptop, a 17 inch lcd monitor and Tami's 20" lcd tv(our only tv).  All this just makes me realize how much Houston sucks and how terrible people in congested cities are. 

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Obviously crime is nothing new here, the problem is that there is no nice neighborhood in Houston that doesn't back a crime ridden minority populated low income housing neighborhood, some run down apartment or brand new townhomes rented out by people riding the government housing fad that seems to be oh so popular with the typical poverty stricken muti-families that occupy the majority of the city, even spreading as the city grows.


To that I will gladly leave Houston only to look back at the good friends I have made and the many many family members that I will dearly miss.


On another note, if you would like to donate money to the "Billy needs a new computer" fund, it would be gladly accepted put aside for the day I have enough to fully purchase one.

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Oct
26
2009

Voodoo Fest for the weekend

That's right, if you hadn't heard yet, Voodoo Fest is all Halloween weekend long(FRI-SUN) from 10AM-10PM in New Orleans!  It's going to be cool to see some of the bands that don't make it to Houston too often, including some of the big guys, like KISS.  Here's the band lineup for the festival.

Some rumors I've read is that the bands will most likely play at the local bars and venues after the actual festival itself and the music will essentially play 24 hours continuously.  Its a good thing we're not directly in the French Quarter which should help with any type of sleep we might be attempting to get.  Our room(shared rent house) and tickets are covered and everything is good to go.  Matt and Erin of course backed out last minute which put a considerable burden on us to try and fill the spot or everyone would need to fork over more money to cover their part of it.  So it looks like we might need to pay a bit more to ensure that we are covered.

I've also been reading about another Voodoo Festival going on in New Orleans.

VOODOOFEST is our FREE annual festival, held EVERY Halloween, which celebrates the Voodoo religion's many important contributions to New Orleans' traditions.  VOODOOFEST’s primary goals are to honor the Ancestors, educate the public about this widely misunderstood religion & to preserve and celebrate the unique Spiritual & Cultural Heritage of New Orleans.

It would probably be nice to take a break in the day to go check out this festival, it's free, so why not? Maybe I'll learn a thing or two.  Who knows, it might be fun :)

Anyway, I'll be bringing my camera for some photos of the bands and our trip.

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