travels and images

WEEK 35 2013

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Oxnard Weather Underground

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First Post, 17 March 2002

Eleven Years Ago, This Week, 2002

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Three Years Ago, This Week, 2010

Two Years Ago,
This Week,
2011

One Year Ago,
This Week,
2012

Saturday 31 August 2013

Saturday - Off and on during the week I talked/texted with my friends daughter about a new camera.

She would like the Canon 5D MkIII - who wouldn't - but was considering the Canon 6D as an inexpensive alternative. Eventually, after looking at a bunch of reviews she decided that the new Canon 6D would do for now. It actually might surpass the 5D in low light still photography, but the HD video has some issues with aliasing (moire). We determined that those are probably solvable things, so the 6D at perhaps $1800 for a camera body is a steal over the 5DMkIII at about $3500. She could buy another very nice lens, and still come out ahead, monetarily.

The moire issue was the most serious drawback, but the 6D also comes with advantages: built in Wifi so that it can be controlled from one's iPhone, and built in GPS geotagging of pictures if that's an issue for you.

If the year turns out to be profitable, and apparently it's been pretty good so far, she can buy the 5DMkIII later this year and use the 6D as a good camera for the second shooter.

Oddly I saw our photographer using a 5DMkII this week. What a beast, it looks like double the size and weight of my T3i, even without the speedlight.

I put the Kill-a-Watt meter on the new a/c, so I can compare it to the swamp cooler. Yikes.

Device	Amperage	Power
Swamp Cooler, Low	5.33 Amps	280 Watts
Swamp Cooler, High	8.9 Amps	400 Watts
Mechanical Cooler	10.3 Amps	1170 Watts

It doesn't run continuously, but a kilowatt? Sheesh.

I should put the meter on the central air, just for yucks. Or watch the meter, I guess it might be hard wired?

I had noticed the other day that the window mechanical a/c unit had no drain hole and quite a build up of water in it, to the point where the exhaust fan was clearly interacting with it. A little bit of research on the internet says that this is a design feature, that the fan is supposed to splash water onto the hot coils to help cool them. Interesting. I have it tipped the 1/2" or so away from the house as called for in the instructions, so I guess everything is OK.

As one article says:

The
water is sloshed up on the condenser coils which aids cooling. Also the
compressor discharge line runs in the water and aids in subcooling the
freon gas. This line is actually called the subcoolong line.

Friday 30 August 2013

Friday - OTR. Out in the morning, assisting on the sewer job. In the late morning, early afternoon we went through some submittals and guidelines, then I headed back to Lancaster, about 2pm. Only to hit Labor Day traffic. Stop & Go in 106F.

It was a long drive home, and I was pretty tired by the time I got in.

My cat sitter did a good job, the house is sparkling clean, and the cat completely ignored me. Pampered beast...

I need to concentrate on the app, and my own business. I'm getting darn tired of commuting to Ventura, and working for other people.

There’s A Hole In My Sidewalk
– by Portia Nelson

Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault… I get out immediately.

Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter Five
I walk down another street.

Thursday 29 August 2013

Thursday - OTR. Kind of a dead day. I was supposed to work with G, but he got busy and couldn't get out to do any field work. So I worked on generating a GIS UPDATE REQUEST form, then went out and worked with the boss and another guy that were inspecting a sewer line for the City of Ventura. I don't know anything about it, but I was able to help find a manhole, and help get the job done in a day, rather than two days.

Then back to the office, and more paperwork.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Wednesday - OTR. Office work again, submittals and claim reviews. Also a meeting with the WPD people, about the various issues with the Contractor.

I also talked to the GIS people there. They have not implemented a historical data option into their system, as we requested and they agreed to, months ago. They did take my update data from this spring and write over the old data from 2010 though. I'll have to take time and review the ESRI products and tell them what we want, I guess.

They also claim not to have a standard or procedure for GIS update requests and data. I find it a bit hard to believe, but I guess I can make one up...

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Tuesday - OTR. Out in the field, working with a Watershed guy, G, inspecting some repairs that had been done before, and taking notes and imagery for the GIS database.

Monday 26 August 2013

Monday - OTR. Up at 5am and out to the job site at 7am. The inspector, who I was to meet, didn't arrive until after 9. Work is proceeding, but slowly. There is a lot of water coming in, probably a reverse draw down effect, and we measure the new work, and will offer the contractor a chance to fix that too. About a 50% change order.

All afternoon was work on that, in the office. Back to the boat, well after dark.

Sunday 25 August 2013

Sunday - OTR in the afternoon, down to Ventura.

Keeping busy. The morning was mostly spent installing a temporary cover for the side window gap over the air conditioner. It's truly ugly - but for now it works. What I need to do is get the router out and make some frames that fit the sides correctly. The right side is different from the left side, the bottom different from the top. I did buy a piece of glass, but simply ran out of time for the fairly exacting carpentry required. I am not a good finish carpenter, it'll take me some time to get this right.

By 2:30pm I had a secure piece of plywood in place, through bolted with carriage bolts to the inside, and to the a/c itself, so I set it to 85F and headed south for work.

I arrived at the office at 4:30pm and worked until a bit after midnight, the headed down to the boat and into my bunk about 1am.

Picture of the Week

Photo Notes: Control Lever on the side of an old piece of farm equipment, AV Fair, 2013.

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