This week I performed some repair work on one of our HD video cameras after the various parts arrived. There were two Sony boxes that made me laugh when I first saw them. Notice in the picture above, the relative size of the little square replacement part to the mountain of packing material and large, square box!
But oh, it gets more amusing from there. This box is about a foot long and two inches or so square in height and length. It contained a bundled section of bubble wrap and --do you see them? -- two very tiny little mounting screws!
The collective weight of these screws is certainly less than a gram, but they were in a foot-long box! Not only that, they were also double-bagged in two tiny zip-loc baggies!
I suppose there are some interesting reasons why such boxes are chosen for things, and Sony isn't the only one that ships us stuff in abnormally large boxes. In this case, it prevented some very small, very important parts from being lost or misplaced due to a tiny box escaping notice or falling into a nook or cranny somewhere. The larger box actually shipped for free since it was a backordered part. It can also be cost prohibitive for a company to stock the right size box for absolutely every possible combination of parts. Still, when something shows up in a box 1,000 times its size, it's fun to enjoy a good laugh.
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( 3.1 / 154 )
My wife and I just paid off her truck in just under two years instead of five. Shoveling money at our bills in an effort to make them go the heck away takes discipline and a budget. That means that I don't often get those little indulgences I've favored in years past, such as my beloved Applebee's boneless wings. Imagine my surprise (and glee) tonight when she asked me if I wanted to go get some, since our budget could handle it! Yowza! I thought maybe it was because I surprised her by doing a bunch of housework while she was gone...in reality, I think it's because she loves me. To top it off, she thought it'd be keen if I took a few minutes to grab a couple of photos along my way.
The bridge shot above is a reshoot of something I tried the night before (see the post following this one). I accidentally left the lens's gyroscopic image stabilizer turned on for the shots last night, probably in an effort not to freeze my fingers off, which left it room to wander a little bit and blur my photos. Oops. I made good tonight.
I also featured the Global War On Terror memorial recently, but this was an opportunity to show it at night. The variety of light in the area made it a particularly challenging shot, one that I wasn't sure would turn out. I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
One more angle of said memorial. After I got a few photos out of the way, I figured it was about time for my Carside To Go order to be ready. I pointed the truck toward the 'bees and picked up my wingies. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Clint likey. Clint want wingie. (I couldn't wrap this up without a music or movie quote.)
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( 3.1 / 147 )
Not only is the new bridge finally lit, but work has commenced on the park facilities along River Road nearby. I took this photo standing behind the construction fence along part of the work in progress. If you've read this blog for a while, you already know that I don't take photos where I'm not supposed to. I heed No Trespassing signs and that sort of thing as well. Besides, the structure on the other side of the fence didn't look like a wise place to be!
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( 3 / 125 )
The Patriot Guard Riders donated wreaths to adorn the Global War on Terror Memorial, located near the entrance of Fraine Barracks in west Bismarck. This memorial honors any North Dakota soldier who gives the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the rest of us in this ever-important war.
I have been doubly proud of this memorial not just because of the honor it bestows on these brave soldiers, but also because it acknowledges the Global War on Terror. President Obama and his lockstep liberals are too pusillanimous to acknowledge the threat of evil against the forces of freedom. This memorial shows that North Dakotans have the sack to stand up and call it what it is: a Global War On Terrorism. Period.
As you celebrate this Christmas with your family, please be mindful of the soldiers' families who will be celebrating with loved ones absent. In most cases, they'll have someone special deployed away from home. In some, however, they won't have any more Christmases with that person. This memorial stands as a testimony to that. It isn't just the soldier who sacrifices; it's everyone they love and who loves them. If you or someone you love serves in our military, I'm grateful for what you give on behalf of your country.
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( 3.2 / 141 )
My friend Jerry made a lot of these Peanuts characters back when he was a little kid. This year he made some new ones, and set up a variety of scenes from the Charlie Brown Christmas animated feature. Different scenes light at different times, and the mouth of each character is lit as they speak. The whole thing can be seen on north Montreal Street, and you can listen along on 107.1 FM from your warm, toasty car.
This is the brains of the operation. The netbook runs the audio, feeding into a little household FM transmitter. The computer also sends information to the box on the wall, which controls the lights of the display according to a pre-programmed routine. Those cords dangling from the box go to different zones of lighting for the scenes, background lights, and individual characters.
I took the opportunity to put together a little video of the display, which you can view below. If you don't see playback controls, just mouse your cursor over the bottom part of the video and they'll pop on.
Go check it out! The display runs in the evenings on north Montreal Street, just north of the intersection with Calgary Avenue.
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( 3.2 / 97 )
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