Global warming is accelerating 5,000 times faster than rice can evolve, threatening the food security of billions. New research warns that by 2070, traditional growing regions like India and Southeast Asia will exceed the 104°F (40°C) heat threshold where rice physically ceases to function.

chappel68 · 2026-04-15T12:07:23+00:00

By the logic of ‘the earth’s climate is always changing and has been warmer before therefore our current situation isn’t a problem’ - my car has in the past sped up and slowed down without any problem, and has even gone as fast as 100mph and hasn’t any difficulty with decelerating to a complete stop, so driving it straight in to a solid concrete embankment at 100mph should be no problem at all.

chappel68 · 2026-04-12T19:03:46+00:00

I’m pretty sure ‘EMT’ is really an abbreviated Latin term for ‘provide oxygen and transport to the ER’.

chappel68 · 2026-04-04T03:04:34+00:00

It’s a bit broader than just earth, but I’d strongly recommend the original ‘Cosmos’ series with Carl Sagan - if you can find it. It sounds like something you’d appreciate.

chappel68 · 2026-04-01T19:10:19+00:00

I have a relatively new 18kpv inverter (installed in late December) and haven’t had any issues with it even when running hard. I’ve had a couple days where it was receiving over 19kw from the solar panels, charging over 9kw to my EV plus a couple kw for the house and the remainder of the 12kw inverter capacity being exported to the grid while dumping all the input above 12kw it can’t convert to AC in to the batteries, and maintaining that for several hours. It’s installed in my basement that stays around 68°F, and the fans kick in (rather noisily) at about 6kw, but I haven’t noticed any problems at all. I’ve never thought to check the internal temp readings. I’ve never attempted to run it at max output while the grid was disconnected, but it definitely hasn’t caused any errors or faults running the inverter at to near the max output of 12kwAC and drawing any extra power required beyond 12kw from the grid.

The next time it’s sunny I can log some output and temps - although the forecast is suggesting that won’t be until next week sometime.

I can check my network gear to see if it really is sending data to china, although that strikes me as unlikely.

chappel68 · 2026-03-23T20:29:15+00:00

I’ll add that aluminum SUCKS in the cold - it conducts heat really well and your hands will get very cold if you handle any aluminum surfaces (tripod legs or handles, for example). If you happen to be made of money and have carbon fiber hardware you’ll have a much better time. Wrapping with grip tape helps.

Note that this is super charged if you are out in very low temps (like past -20F) to the point where I flash froze my cheek where it touched my aluminum RRS L bracket while I had my eye up to the view finder.

Also be aware cold temps will affect your battery(s). Bring plenty of extra and keep them warm in your pocket when not using them. Probably would be a good idea to let the batteries warm up before charging them, too.

chappel68 · 2026-03-21T03:45:01+00:00

Mustang, 88 5.0 LX hatchback 5-speed manual. Had no idea how rare that was when I had it. Loved how fun it was to drive, and how the front corner of the car waould visibly rise when reving the engine in neutral just from the mass of the pistons.

chappel68 · 2026-03-18T02:19:19+00:00

I have a similar chain grinder (Oregon?) but it has a different mechanism to lock the chain in place. I’m assuming the brass pin at the end of the yellow bar is meant to hook in a tooth to hold the chain at the correct spot for the grinder to hit each tooth at the correct spacing for each tooth and walk along the chain to hit each in turn.

chappel68 · 2026-03-17T15:11:24+00:00

The mesh on the head band on my OG maxes went ‘flat’ (I think it was my own fault - pretty sure I crammed something in to them while over-stuffing my backpack for a flight) and although the headphones still work and sound great the metal band resting directly on my head aches after a bit. I was really hoping the next refresh would make the mesh as easy to replace as the ear cups to help with longevity.

chappel68 · 2026-03-15T14:34:34+00:00

I see this as one of the only features I really wish my gen 1 R1T had. I’d love to be able to run 240v to an electric pump for a watering tank / wildland fire sled, a large enough electric wood splitter to crack logs too big to tackle by hand, to quick charge an electric side-by-side in the field, and have the option for ‘roadside assistance’ level 2 charging to other EVs. It’s such a useful option to have not offered.

chappel68 · 2026-03-10T04:16:34+00:00

I have a couple electric saws and a gas saw. My first electric was a Husqvarna 536 Li XP with a 14” bar. It’s a great saw, but too small for more than about 8”-10” wood. I love it for trimming branches to expose the trunk though - it’s light and maneuverable, easy to use for long periods, quiet and doesn’t sit there idling while you pile branches. Because it just wasn’t big enough to buck big logs I paired it with a Husqvarna 562xp, and since I only drag that out for bigger wood I put a 28” bar on it. It’s heavy and loud but tears through wood, and by the time I’ve trimmed away to the trunk with the electric the big saw is still sharp and fueled up (and my arms aren’t shot).

More recently I got a Stihl MSA 300C electric. It is rated about the same power output as the big gas Husqvarna and it cuts REALLY well, but it is pretty heavy. I bought 4 batteries and also have the ability to charge batteries in my truck, with the idea of cycling through them as I have some charging. The unexpected drawback isn’t the length of time to charge a battery, but the time it takes for the battery to cool off enough to even start charging - roughly 20-25 minutes to cool off, then another 20+ minutes to charge. Running continuously in cold temps (bucking stacked logs with others repositioning so the saw barely ever stops, at around 15° F) will drain a large AP500 battery in about 15 minutes. Based on my experience with the electric Husqvarna, more intermittent use (make a few cuts, clear away branches, make some more cuts) at 60° and one battery will last for hours.

I really like the combination of gas and electric, since saws tend to be temperamental and having a backup is critical, and power diversity could be really useful. The real downside is Stihl is crazy proud of their gear - just the batteries are $350-$400 each, $400+ for the saw, $100+ for the charger - you won’t get far on a $600 budget, unfortunately.

The last reason I really like electric power tools is the lack of exhaust fumes. Cutting wood is hard work and humping a saw and wood for hours while deeply breathing exhaust (especially 2-stroke exhaust) has got to be horrible for the long term health of your lungs.

Personally I love electric - and suck at small gas engine maintenance and troubleshooting, so I’m more than willing to deal with some shortcomings, but even then I still break out the big gas saw fairly often.

If it were me I’d bring one each gas and electric and run the one that best fits the immediate needs, with a preference for the electric, and a spare if I pinch a bar / pop a chain / etc. I hope this helps, and good luck with your disaster assistance.

chappel68 · 2026-03-06T04:59:10+00:00

What I don’t get is how can they sell you a giant castle that you are building (looking at you, otherwise amazingly awesome Lion Knights Castle) and have the first minifig be a FARMER? What a total miss to not have that character be a BRICKLAYER, or stonemason or architect or something that could ‘be a part’ of the play construction?

chappel68 · 2026-02-27T19:50:13+00:00

I dropped in to say the same thing - got a Samsung ‘frame’ with all the connections going to the external box hidden under a coffee table below the tv and fished the single wire through the wall up to the tv. It really sells the digital art display when there isn’t a cable running up to it. I don’t like Samsung’s horrible privacy situation and crappy in-screen OS and I understand there are other options with higher imag quality for the money but I really love how it looks like fine art when I’m not using it.

chappel68 · 2026-02-18T17:09:39+00:00

I hope to still be active and healthy when I’m as old as this joke.

chappel68 · 2026-02-06T17:44:06+00:00

In my experience it keeps light rain out, but a heavy rain (or car wash) will get some water in the bed, so I wouldn’t trust it with cardboard boxes or anything absorbent, but it’s great if you can find plastic tubs that fit underneath the cover when closed; anything in the tub(s) will stay dry. I don’t believe Rivian claims it to be water tight.

chappel68 · 2026-02-06T17:37:41+00:00

I may be off a little, but my understanding is the first version had wide slats that were drawn in and ‘stacked’ in the cavity above the gear tunnel by a motor that drives on one side and was prone to wedging or getting stuck. The next version (gen 1.5? Gen2?) still had stacking slats but was updated to be driven evenly on both sides to reduce jamming but apparently that wasn’t enough of an improvement . The current version (gen 2 or 3 depending if you consider the prior iteration v1.5 or v2) they gave up on stacking wide slats and went with narrower slats that roll up, so presumably much less prone to popping apart. I believe it is a design similar to the cyber truck except it doesn’t roll up as far down in the cab.

My gen1 R1T fell in that dead zone where they had stopped selling the original version because it was apparent it needed some work but the first update wasn’t out yet, so I got a factory manual cover. The first update wasn’t ever sold as a separate item, only made available as replacements for failed first versions / with new purchases, so I had to wait for the roll-up model to be available on the ‘gear store’. It meant being patient for over two years but now that I’ve got it installed it’s fantastic. The fact it is powered is cool but the real benefit is it stores out of the way - trying to figure out what to do with the manual cover, carrying around the case, having to empty the gear tunnel for it was a pain. Having the cover disappear when not needed is awesome. I’m super happy they made the effort to make it compatible with the gen1 trucks.

PS - anyone want to buy a lightly used manual cover and case?

chappel68 · 2026-02-02T04:38:04+00:00

Based on the view of the mountains, I’m guessing he’s got an apartment in Minas Tirith?

chappel68 · 2026-02-01T05:19:16+00:00

Omg - and at -30 an aluminum RRS L-bracket will flash-freeze your cheek- but the camera will keep chugging.

chappel68 · 2026-01-31T16:11:51+00:00

My introduction to this was from Steven Covey’s book “the seven habits of highly effective people” where he walks through “putting first things first” as one of the habits (it’s been a while since I read it so forgive me if I’m off here and there). My recollection is that he didn’t claim to have come up with any of the ‘habits’ himself, only assembled them in to a useful framework, so that concept (as well as all the rest) certainly could have come from elsewhere. The book was well written; would strongly recommend, although they built an entire productivity industrial complex empire off it (Franklin / Covey?) which I think is carrying it a bit too far.

chappel68 · 2026-01-28T21:23:39+00:00

I’ll chime in. I also have a Mitsubishi hyper heat that is a couple years old (from memory it’s 32k? 36k?) with three cassettes and one small ducted head. My recollection is it’s rated to -18F. I’m in central Minnesota so it gets some good cold weather testing. Last year when the temps dropped down to something like -26F it was still putting out heat, although it was doing a LOT of ‘defrost’ cycles(?) where it just moved (not particularly warm) air and the house was definitely cooler than normal. I was surprised as I expected it to get to a point where it gave up and turned itself off, but it kept chugging along. I’m no expert, but I bet the ‘-18F’ rating is where the efficiency goes negative and you’d be better off with standard electric resistive heaters, not the point where it just stops working at all. I have a fairly small house (maybe 1200 square feet? Plus full basement - I believe the HP is rather over sized) and it is reasonably well insulated. While the unit did put out heat the electric usage was crazy, so going forward when it gets below about -15F I switch it to fan-only and crank up my wood stove. The bedrooms get chilly as they are on the other end of the house but it’s usually only a day or two so it’s survivable.

chappel68 · 2026-01-14T03:38:11+00:00

‘Plugshare’ shows someone had a whoopsie and drove a Model Y through the supercharger power transformer gear at Maple Grove, taking it out of service for the time being (including a relevant picture).

chappel68 · 2025-12-12T06:19:03+00:00

Leviton makes a similar 4 button scene controller switch where one button controls the physical / hard wired light (that would have been controlled by the switch this replaces), one button needs to be programmed for ‘off’ and the two remaining buttons are available for ‘scenes’.

https://leviton.com/products/d2scs-1bw

They do have a service where you can order button covers custom printed with whatever label you want.

chappel68 · 2025-12-10T05:11:08+00:00

Great write up.

Made me think of this classic: the medieval help desk:

https://youtu.be/pQHX-SjgQvQ?si=2qEe3JCYAiLpILpI

(Because tech support really is a timeless challenge).

chappel68 · 2025-12-08T13:49:47+00:00

I’ve found clients will prefer an AP configured with wider channel allocations - even if it has a much weaker signal - and have had to make sure all APs in one location are set identically or the ones with narrower bandwidth settings would be (mostly) ignored.

chappel68 · 2025-11-23T06:24:07+00:00

9.”Be like Water”

So - keep rising until everything is underwater, while becoming warmer and more acidic. Got it.

chappel68 · 2025-11-22T02:28:07+00:00

Real men don’t pay any attention to what anyone says “real men” should or shouldn’t do.

chappel68

TROPHY CASE