The Mold Mishap: When One Missing Item Turns Into a Road Trip

I needed one last item to complete an order for a brick paving machine. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication with the staff, I neglected to order the molds. To be honest, I didn’t even realize molds were included in the quote.

I went online to buy them, but the seller can’t ship until Saturday. Waiting on shipping creates a logistics headache: I could either send the big machine by truck and arrange separate courier delivery for the molds, or delay the entire shipment and push back collecting payment.

Another option is to just bite the bullet and make the drive myself. Sexytary and I could pile into the car for a four-hour-each-way road trip to pick them up in person. The seller offered to accept online payment and ship via bus, but that still only gets the molds part of the way—and since I don’t know this person, I’m not comfortable sending money and hoping everything arrives.

Whichever way I slice it, this oversight (which is at least partly my fault) is going to cost money—probably around a hundred dollars in travel expenses. On the upside, since we’ll already be heading out that direction, we could turn it into an overnight trip and hit the beach while we’re in the area.

Either way, mistakes like this happen. They cost time and money, but they’re also a good reminder to double-check the details before pulling the trigger on a big order. update Upon further thought, a more profitable venture would be to do the trip and see the chemist for the microfilm project on the way back.

umm and saw this for sale... divide by 61 to get dollars.

also saw this in the Kuwait newspaper,  With the Iranians also atacking the various infrastructure of its neighbors, not merely the US military stuff, the Iranians sure as hell are not interested in making friends and gaining influence.  :  

KUWAIT: Kuwait on Monday strongly condemned an “aggressive assault” by Iran and Iran-backed militias in Iraq, accusing them of attacking border posts and an offshore drilling platform belonging to Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), leaving people injured and causing material damage.

The foreign ministry said the continuing attacks by Iran and its proxies constitute a flagrant violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty, pose a serious threat to the safety and security of citizens and residents, and represent a blatant challenge to international legitimacy and UN Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026). The ministry added that the attacks undermine regional and international efforts to promote security and stability. The ministry reaffirmed Kuwait’s inherent right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and stability in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

In a separate statement, the foreign ministry also condemned the continued attacks targeting Kuwait’s Consulate General in Basra, describing them as an unacceptable violation of the mission’s inviolability and a breach of Iraq’s obligations under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, particularly Article 31, which requires host states to ensure the protection and security of consular premises.

While acknowledging the Iraqi government’s efforts to confront the attacks, the ministry urged Baghdad to take immediate and decisive action to hold those responsible accountable, prevent further incidents and guarantee the safety of Kuwait’s diplomatic and consular missions and their personnel in Iraq.

Separately, the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces announced that the military intercepted hostile aerial targets within Kuwaiti airspace. It said any explosions heard were the result of air defense systems engaging the incoming threats and urged the public to follow safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities. — KUNA

meanwhile.. Why is the USGOV exporting high tech jobs to the Philippines???

When Your Cat Steals Your Breakfast and the Universe Tells You to Get It Together

Woke up this morning feeling like absolute death — the kind of hangover that makes everything feel heavier. The strange part? I haven’t touched alcohol in weekd. Must be the stress, the weather, or just life collecting its debts.

I was looking forward to a simple breakfast: a little tuna salad on a tortilla. Nothing fancy, but after the rough start it sounded perfect. I turned my back for one second to pour the tuna juice into a bowl next to the cats’ food bowl. When I turned around, my big yellow Persian had already claimed the prize. Two cans of tuna — ruined in seconds.

Tuna isn’t cheap these days, and I had genuinely been looking forward to that meal. Instead I got nothing, and both cats bolted out the door to avoid my wrath.

I ended up choking down some random leftovers from the fridge, cleaned up the mess, and headed to work. There’s a brief gap in this endless train of typhoons and tropical storms today, so I figured I’d better use it.

To survive the morning and put on my enthusiastic face for two government delegations visiting, I knew I’d need a Red Bull. Possibly two.

Last week I spoke at a university conference on Urban Mining — recovering value from waste. During the closing remarks, the main funder of the event turned the cameras off and gave the activists in the room some straight talk. He told them to stop playing around, organize themselves like a real business, take it seriously, and start sending him plastic to recycle so he doesn’t have to keep importing it from Malaysia.

It was blunt, but it landed. Good intentions don’t build systems. Whether it’s cleaning up after a cat or building something that actually works at scale, sometimes you just have to fix your shit and deliver.

meme dump

 

Re Container office

Someone suggested an insulation kit, but it’s not something that’s readily available here.

What I can buy locally are foam insulation sandwich panels. They’re basically the same idea, except I’d have to cut them to size myself. No matter how I run the numbers, though, the cost still comes in over a thousand bucks. I’ve looked at dozens of different methods and material combinations to finish out the container.

Right now, my best option looks like building C-purlin stud walls and lining them with my 5/8-inch plastic plywood. Since I distribute the material for another company, I can get the half-inch sheets for $19.51 each. The 5/8-inch version will obviously be a bit more.

It will still need insulation behind it, but the plastic plywood does a surprisingly good job with sound deadening compared to a lot of other materials. The bigger concern is fire resistance. I’m thinking of either screwing 1/4-inch cement board over the face or applying a fire-retardant paint. I could even look into having some borax added during manufacturing for a little extra protection. Overall, this route should come in a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the sandwich panels.

Yesterday, after I posted, another large sun shade screen arrived. It’s already making a noticeable difference. Once the container falls into shade after 11 a.m., it stays much more tolerable inside.

Today I need to finish building a custom machine that melts plastic and oil together to create a sort of asphalt-like material. After that, I’ll tackle getting my internet properly sorted and knock out the remaining loose ends from the move.

Sexytary will be wiring up the shredder and blower, so two workers can grind down a small mountain of plastic cups and bottles into a couple easily managed jumbo sacks, making room for more materials moved.

Later this week I’m planning to rent a couple of trucks and run two crews — one loading while the other is unloading. Since the trip is only about half a mile, this back-and-forth system should save a lot of time. Each truck run costs around $5.30.

Found this funny

 

Docking as in the gay sex act?

DIY Nitrogen fertilizer

 https://youtu.be/brfSLxoHUps?si=eY15i82QNsV46cde

Plasma Channel has a even better version than what I posted earlier..  except...

I got a even better one.  

He uses a magnetic stir bar, but i would suggest using a bubble stone and aquarium pump to stir it.

Second, measure the output using a timer and nitrate tester, then calculate how much water you can drip thru the system for constant production.  

Third run tbe nitrated water thru a barrel of limestone, then into a carboy.  more stable calcium carbonate.

re comment.. nothing interesting was lost on the microfilm.  Cancelled checks and bank statments from 20 years ago.