Thursday, September 15, 2011

Cob House? Yup, it's made of MUD!

As a former house builder I have a deeper confusion than the average person as to why we continue to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for stick built homes. Sure, the contractor makes thousands, as does the construction industry as a whole, but what are you really paying for when you purchase a home, or worse - when you have one built? You're paying for something that will last approximately 30 years before requiring major maintenance. You're paying for something that, over those 30 years, will require tons of upkeep and tons of dollars for said upkeep. You're paying for something that is very inefficient and costs hundreds a year to keep warm and cool. For a $100,000.00 mortgage you're really paying between $170,000 (if you're lucky) to $200,000 for a 30 year mortgage, and the bank is loving you for it!
So, why is it that so many people pay such a hefty amount, in both dollars and in time working for those dollars, for something that will most likely be torn down in under 70 years? The answer is simple: most people are undereducated as to the options available.



Wouldn't it make more sense to build a house that will last hundreds of years and could be passed from generation to generation? Imagine building a house that is destined to become an historical landmark, a house that will amaze people 300 years from now. The houses above are cob houses, or cob cottages, in Devon, England. Some were built over 500 years ago and are still occupied today! In fact, there are over 20,000 cob buildings in England still in use today. These homes are sturdy and resistant to fire, rain, insects and humans. They stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer and require little maintenance, compared to our stick frame houses, over the course of their useful lives.
The home above was built by Kevin McCabe, of Devon. He built the first cob home in over 70 years in England, and yes, it's a 3 story home! The walls are 1 meter thick and virtually sound-proof. The roof is thatch and though it looks amazing, a thatch roof is not something I'd venture into. The rest of the structure however, is most definitely something I'm looking into for my future home.

Most who know me know that I'm very much into building and designing items that will last a lifetime and longer, so when researching the best and most inexpensive construction method for my next home cob stood out as the most obvious choice. Not only is cob beautiful, healthy, storm-proof, clean, and long-lasting, it's also cheap to build.

My first experience with cob was many years ago somewhere in Germany, and most recently I experienced building a pizza oven with cob (below). Building the oven was a slow process, as it was my first time working with this strange mix of clay, sand, and straw. The base is simply cement landscaping edging filled with sand and a 4" thick poured cement slab over the edging. On top of that are about 35 firebricks and an arch made with bricks and mortar. The cob took two weeks - a day to mix and build the oven, and two weeks to allow it to dry. The walls are about 8" thick and retain enough heat to cook bread 8 hours after cooking pizza. I don't have an instrument to measure the heat buildup inside the oven, but I'm guessing I've gotten it up to about 800 degrees, give or take a hundred degrees - a pizza takes about 90 seconds to cook!! I love this little oven!


In my next post I'll add some more detailed information about cob and the building process. I'm really looking forward to building, hopefully sometime early next year!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Female surgical enhancements vs natural physique

A few days ago while taking a break from my non-air conditioned sweat-shop I decided to sit down and watch a few brainless TV shows. I sliced some aged cheddar cheese with Irish whiskey (Kerrigold), some prosciutto, cut up a little sweet basil, and grabbed a package of butter crackers. After retrieving a cold Pepsi from the refrigerator I was prepared to zone out in front of the 60 inch LED LCD without a care in the world for at least 1.5 hours. Man tears were beginning to form as I covered my recliner with a thick blanket to keep the dust from my clothes from soiling the upholstery... man heaven was only a few moments away.

Searching through the normal channels I found nothing of interest - didn't want to watch the history channel for fear of actually thinking and becoming immersed in a subject I'd later have to research for myself... same went for Discovery and every other channel featuring something of real value. I surfed the movie channels, but again nothing piqued my interest, so rather than turn to 'On Demand' I chose Netflix, as they have short TV shows that wouldn't take too much time or thought. Soon I found episodes of Scrubs - most certainly not a show I could endure for more than 2 - 3 episodes at a time, and definitely wouldn't require a single ounce of thought! Ahhhh... blissfully brain-dead me-time was imminent and I was happy.

Just a few minutes into the show I realized how badly the JD character got on my nerves. Don't get me wrong, I like the fella, but only in very short bursts. His constant need for attention and girl-child-like behavior make me want to punch him in that enormous Adam's apple that protrudes from this throat and taunts me when he talks. Okay, okay - I know he's a good guy, but does have to be so damned needy and demanding of attention from everywhere?

Oh yeah, I forgot the point of this post. During one of the episodes I watched, The Todd was going to give a 16 year old female patient breast implants. Turk considered this somewhat offensive and immoral and it got me thinking - exactly what I was trying to avoid!! Is it right to allow 16 year old kids to make a decision that involves cosmetic surgery? I'm not talking about a kid who's been in a horrible accident and has been disfigured, or even someone born with defect, such as a cleft pallet - obviously there are sometimes good reasons for cosmetic surgery. A boob-job, however, is a different animal all-together. This is a surgery that, like others, has the very real possibility of deadly consequences, for one thing, but the other thing is... well, it's unnecessary. What is wrong with teaching girls that they are beautiful just as they are? A, B, C, D, DD, EE, GG - it doesn't matter at all! Now, I have nothing against a grown woman opting for any surgical enhancement she so desires - after all, it's her right and non of my business. If it makes her feels better and makes her happy then I'm all for it, but I'm a man who prefers the natural female body to an enhanced version. That's not say I couldn't fall for someone who opted for a boob-job or liposuction or nose job, but maybe I'm closer to earth than some men.

Women have been taught that they aren't beautiful or worthy of the attention of even less-than-average men unless they fall into an impossibly narrow medium that doesn't allow for a natural full figure; small breasts; short stature; natural hair color; glasses; natural eye color; milky white skin; etc... Women of all shapes, sizes, and skin color need to understand one very simple thing: you're women!! YOU have the power the make a man think anything of you you wish. YOU have the power to turn any man on on a whim, if you so desire. What makes a woman desirable is not your boobs or ass - it's how you flaunt what you have, and how you treat the men you're near. Confidence is the single most important quality a woman can possess if she wants her choice in men. Behavior and, of course, hygiene go a long, long way to making yourself beautiful in the eyes of men. Flaunt what you have in front of the man you're after, be flirtatious, but with boundaries, then, when you have him where you want him - play hard to get. It's an old trick, but it works. Men LOVE to chase things they're not sure they can ever catch - fact.

Each and every woman has a physical quality she can use to her benefit, whether it's amazing cleavage or great lips, entrancing eyes or a shapely ass. No matter the quality you possess it's how you use it that makes all the difference. Think of yourself as a model preparing a clean, but sexy spread for a calendar, then think of yourself. Everyone has at least one thing about themselves they're proud of, or at least like - even just a little. Highlight your favorite parts. If you've got a wonderful backside wear a tight skirt or pants. If you've got cleavage to spare wear a top that shows it off. If you've got a gorgeous face get a haircut that frames it better and go where ever women go when they want to learn how to better apply makeup. If you're uncertain of what your best physical assets are then ask a girlfriend, or a trustworthy random male friend - what's the worst that could happen? Just remember: There's nothing wrong with leaving a bit to the imagination, i.e: if you're top-heavy there's no need to show the world everything. Save a little for the bedroom. The same goes for a great pair of legs - nothing wrong with a mini skirt, but try to save your extra-mini mini skirts for special occasions.

My point is this: Why would you want a man who could love you after surgical self modification, but who couldn't fall in love with you just as you are? Men will always want women, no matter their imperfection - you don't have be perfect, believe it, or not.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Cleaning the shop... again!

It was a stiflingly hot day and the air was stagnant and still when I decided to clean the shop. I thought to myself, "if I'm in hell I might as well make the best of it", and so I opened the big steel shop door and instantly became frozen with fear and confusion at the mere thought of the magnitude of the task I had committed myself to completing. I wondered if Michelangelo had felt the same as he stared at the bare ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Was Gustave Eiffel just as intimidated by the immense breadth of the project he bestowed upon himself as he began construction of the Eiffel tower?


I made the manly decision to regard all the great and astonishingly disciplined men of the past who accomplished incredible feats of any nature as frightened little girls who depended on the sweat of others to attain such lofty heights. With their image now temporarily tarnished, in my mind, I began the chore of cleaning up and organizing my little cave.

Half a day and about 3 litres of water later I could begin to see the tops of the workbenches, again. What a glorious sight it was, too. I found a tool I thought I had accidentally thrown in the trash, and I managed to find a part that will work beautifully in my next wooden computer project! The floor was dust-free now, and the piles of scrap wood were now at least somewhat organized. Through the oppressive heat and lack of any sort of breeze what-so-ever I made some mental notes of what to include when I build my new shop in a year or two... and the notes somehow stuck with me until the end of the day when I sat down and actually typed them out in OneNote.


Finally, by the second day, I had my handsaws; chisels; and a hammers back in their rightful place on the sliding wall. The little things are the biggest problem in a small shop. So many tiny tools; screws; nails; hooks; tool parts; jigs; etc, etc, etc... Finding a place for everything is quite a chore, but one that will cut tons of time from each and every project down the road, not to mention save what little sanity I have left.

The shop is now nearing completion and should be 'finished' within a day or two, but the real glory is when I can back to work doing what I love doing - making messes!

Pictured above is my 'small project' workbench and atop the bench are various items needed to complete various projects. The red emergency lights will be placed back on my firetruck once I find a way to mount them. The truck originally came with a hard-top, but because it has no air-conditioning I opted to remove the hard-top and install a soft-top, which left nowhere to reinstall the lights. I'm pretty sure I'll end up making two pole mounts and mounting them on the front of the bed - a whole different blog post!

Hopefully by the middle of next week we'll have new photos up of new projects, and perhaps some photos of various corners of the shop ; )

Monday, April 18, 2011

M35A2 - Deuce and a half!!!


Overcompensating? Nah, I've just always had a thing for HUGE trucks and finally had the perfect opportunity to purchase a bad-ass firetruck/workhorse!!!! I haven't decided on a name, yet, but I'm leaning toward Master Sergeant Gretchen Havoc or Master Sergeant Helga Pain - feel free to help me choose!!

Anyway, my beast is a 1967 M35A2 Kaiser Jeep 6X6... YES, 6X6!!! She weighs in at 14,400 lbs empty and is carried by 10, count 'em, 10 enormous tires. She's a former Texas Army National Guard cargo truck, but was purchased by the Marion County, Texas Volunteer Fire Department and used as a "brush truck" for snuffing out wild-fires.


The awesome fellas at the Fire Department noted that the truck only has 1120 miles and is in great working order! They were right! After fixing some issues their mechanic caused the truck runs fantastic!!

The lights work - the siren works (great way to let the neighbors know it's time to wake up) and all three axles work when the front air-engage system is activated!! What boy wouldn't love this little jewel?!?!

At some point, when she's all nice and legal in the state of Oklahoma, I'll take some videos of here in action off-road. I can't wait!!

Oh, and I'm not sure if I'll keep her a fire truck or restore her to her original Army green... feel free to let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by!

James

UPDATE: I think I've decided on Elizabeth I... any woman who can orchestrate the defeat of the Spanish Armada is definitely a strong female figure;)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Liquid Cooled Computer - RUNNING!


A photo of the nearly finished shop computer. In front you can see the radiator with two 120mm fans with 3/8"id inflow and outflow hoses connected and functioning. To the right is the reservoir/pump housing - the system pumps 610 gallons per hour (excellent for extreme temperatures). Through the Plexiglas is the CPU with water-block attached. Not seen in the photo is the RAM cooler. Above the radiator is the fan/temperature controller.

The entire system is one unit and completely portable - even capable of wi-fi for 'on-site' use when away at a job-site. Each hose is clamped tight with automotive quality hose-clamps to ensure a leak-proof system no matter what environment it is placed. As we speak there is liquid coursing through it's UV-reactive veins and there are no signs of failure.



This is where the system's life-blood will be held - a 4" x 14" PVC pipe with sealed threaded end caps.



The entire reservoir with hose fittings and water-tight cap (above)



CPU water-block with hoses connected.



RAM cooler - hoses connect and allow to flow through the pipe to assist in heat-dissipation.



Building the mounting bracket to attach reservoir to the computer case.



The innards - you can see the RAM cooler here. Wires aren't yet hidden, but she's getting there!

So far, and without further testing the system is running approximately 10C cooler with liquid than with air only. More testing to come.

On a different note: The new website is nearing launch. We have a few paragraphs to write up and a page or two to add. Once the site is launched we will begin shooting our first video.

Alright! Enough of this boring stuff!

James

Friday, December 31, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS!!

What a year this has been, huh? Ups, downs, and not much in-between... seems to sum up 2010 nicely.

I have friends who've changed careers, quite unwillingly, due to "downsizing" in what is being called an "economic downturn". Our economy is failing and our elected officials, for the most part, have failed us for the past decade, at least, or longer. But, we keep pushing forward, handling all adversity with poise and lots of rum! Okay, perhaps "poise" is too strong a word, but the rum part is true!

So, with all that has headed downward there's always a point at which things begin to turn upward again, and here's to hoping 2011 is the year in which that officially happens! HIP-HIP-HURRAY for 2011!!!! (no, I'm not sucking up to 2011 in hopes of getting on it's good side)

The New Year will bring many changes, some profound, some ordinary, some just plain crappy, and some that we won't even realize for years to come - who knows which category those will fall into. BUT, and this is a rather large, I mean BIG, but: many changes will come to MacGowan's over the course of the upcoming year. One change will be short videos - I'm dreading those, in a way, as I've never produced a video, but they should be fun and "light" for the most part. Some will be "how-to", others will be "how-not-to", while others will be out-takes of screw-ups (I'm fairly certain there will be plenty of those)

Other changes will be the addition of the more complicated custom pieces I typically build, but don't normally post anywhere. These pieces range from tables, counters, cabinets, sewing tables, boxes, etc... Normally I don't photograph them, because they're going to people who've paid quite a bit for them and I want them to be able to decide who can see them and who can't. This year, however, I plan to photograph everything I build. Not everything will be posted, but some customers have complained that I haven't posted photos of their order on our website... The problem has been that I don't have a website I can actually manipulate. It was built by a professional, and it looks great, in my opinion, but it's not very user-friendly for me.

With that said, Dorothea has built a new website that is far more functional, and will allow us to post items for sale, as well as insert a gallery of custom pieces. The new website will launch soon after the New Year, but there won't be much for sale, at first, as we have sold out of just about everything I've made this year. Additions to the web-store will be unique items made especially for the videos; new-old style tankards - some of which will be far more intricate than those I current make; wooden laptop tables - built for cooling; etc, etc, etc... also, I'm thinking of a wooden computer case design that's unlike anything we've seen before. Who knows... could be anything.

Our biggest customer base will remain custom jobs, and everything else will remain unique - no matter how many are made/built.

Wow... got bit off-track! Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

Back to my rum and rum cocktail!

James

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Cutting and Burning the Dewalt Valkyrie















































The humble beginnings of the Beastly Valkyrie! Dewalt PC Mod...

Between orders and normal holiday chaos MacGowan's has been burning the midnight oil to build a proper shop PC. Why is a shop PC necessary, James? Well, we're planning to start posting short "how to" videos and normal "day in the shop" videos as soon as humanly possible. Having a fast PC nearby will be incredibly handy for such a task - an added convenience when you don't have a film crew to handle all the media. As a matter of fact, my shop PC has been a mini HP - a great little netbook, but that's really all it is. My "inside" computer is a bit of a monster, but was not built to endure the rigors of shop life, so she will stay where she works best.

MORE POWER is always sought at MacGowan's, and this little Beast will do the trick! She's been put together, updated, unlocked, overclocked, wined and dined, and taken apart to undergo her transformation from skinless mess of innards, to a tough, kill or be killed Valkyrie from hell. Screw Odin! This little Valkyrie will rule Valhalla! Oh, sorry... got carried away.

The first photo is of case #1, which will house the motherboard and possibly hard drive, but I'm thinking of adding the hard drive to the second case to allow more air circulation in the first case. Second photo is of the inside of the case with the original tool bracing removed - a little blood and tissue was removed from myself in the process... it's only fair, I suppose. Third is the motherboard mount from a cannibalized PC case - the cutout part will be used to mount the mATX MSI motherboard, which will have additional metal bracing underneath to allow a more secure mount to the case. And last (for now anyway) is the motherboard mounted in case #1 and the PSU and DVD burner in case #2 (not yet mounted).

The cases will be attached to each other to make transporting easier and to eliminate the possibility of pulling the wiring out and damaging the expensive innards.

A radiator with 2 mounted high output 120mm fans will be added, as well as 2 more high output 120mm case fans to ensure proper air flow. A 350 gph water pump will produce a high flow from the reservoir to the CPU and, finally, the radiator. The ram is cooled by 2 60mm fans housed in a Zalman Ram Cooler, and the hard drive will be cooled by yet another 120mm fan! Yup, she's gonna be one helluva Beast - a loud water/air cooled beast. On this issue of noise: The fans will be controlled by a touchscreen fan controller, so when the ambient temperature is cool I can turn the fans off, such as when the beast is inside in the air-conditioning, or out in the shop on a cold winter's day. But, being a Valkyrie is hard work, and it's bound to raise your body temp when you're busy flying around at top speed killing those who need a good killing, so in the hot summer air she'll have all the cooling capabilities she needs.

Specs to date:

MSI 880G-41E motherboard
AMD Phenom II X2 Calisto Black Edition - 4 core unlocked and overclocked to 3.7ghz
Corsair 4gb DDR3 RAM
Seagate Barracuda 500gb HDD
750 Watt PSU

To be added:

Zalman CPU water block
4gb DDR3 Ram to make a total of 8gb
UV reactive tubing for water supply
UV lighting / LED lighting
Lighted switches for power on/off and reset
LEDs for HDD activity and possibly wi-fi activity

More to come...