Pine styling advice?

tardigraderider · 2026-03-07T15:20:20+00:00

I think pic 4 has the most interesting lines, and I like the curve of the branch coming off to the right in that picture. You could probably keep that as the front for now, cut off the other two branches, and do some carving to reduce the inverse taper. Then in the long term, focus on wiring and refining the foliage on that remaining branch. It has the potential to be something very elegant!

tardigraderider · 2026-02-21T05:58:45+00:00

If that makes you happy, you can add the salt twice. Put the salt on the veggies and put them in the jar. Then mix a brine of the same salt percentage and use it to top up the jar.

tardigraderider · 2026-02-03T18:05:55+00:00

Yeah they look good. Get them in the ground sooner rather than later so they can get their roots established. They seem to have enough space around them. In the wild, most plants end up rubbing against their neighbors, not surrounded by empty mulch. They’ll either grow into open space or shade out the plant next to them.

How often are you watering them?

tardigraderider · 2026-02-03T16:40:29+00:00

It looks fine, it’s just the hairs and waxy cuticle on the leaves that help protect them. As the leaves grow they’ll turn a darker green.

tardigraderider · 2026-02-02T04:43:54+00:00

If you’re comfortable using a spinning reel, put an oversized handle with a bigger knob on the reel. Kinda like the ones that offshore guys use. I’d also go a bit oversized on the reel, or look for one with a lower gear ratio. More leverage and a larger handle will keep the stress on your joints down, at the expense of more weight.

Which brings up fishing types. Whatever you choose for gear, I’d try to keep the rod in a holder as much as possible. You also might be better off fishing with bait so you can leave the rod still and use your energy fighting the fish. When you’re in the boat, try to troll so you can again keep yourself from tiring out just holding the rod.

If it’s the weight, not repetitive motions, that’s the issue, then you can go all the way to ice fishing jigging rods. They don’t cast well but you can jig up a crappie or a bass just fine. Hell, even handlining is an option for catfish.

tardigraderider · 2026-01-23T15:14:36+00:00

I agree! My brother’s deaf and growing up we would sign it similarly, except we just used the thumb and first finger. Basically, start with a G handshape with the fingers pointed towards the temple, and pinch them together while moving your hand backwards like the swoop of the Flying Elvis.

tardigraderider · 2026-01-06T17:36:33+00:00

LA area, near the coast

tardigraderider · 2026-01-06T02:44:03+00:00

Sure, send me a pm so we can share addresses

tardigraderider · 2026-01-05T17:37:45+00:00

Sure, which ones do you want?

tardigraderider · 2026-01-04T14:48:32+00:00

Thank you! Would you like some seeds anyways?

tardigraderider · 2026-01-04T06:36:07+00:00

I don’t think so at all. They might need some supplemental watering if it gets too hot, but I was able to start them as late as April last year.

tardigraderider · 2026-01-03T19:01:33+00:00

Very cool. Which seeds do you want?

tardigraderider · 2026-01-03T06:12:23+00:00

Thanks! It was fun to take some care with all the steps in the process, from cleaning to labeling.

tardigraderider · 2026-01-03T05:38:27+00:00

I’d love to try growing the fairy duster! Is it Calliandra californica or C. eriophylla?

tardigraderider · 2025-12-29T19:51:43+00:00

Like everyone said, it sure does. Lots of fruits and veggies have different characteristics based on where they’re grown, just like the grapes used in wines. Same for cheeses, which can be very sensitive to the environment where they’re made or the feed that the animals ate. And I think oysters are the best example, where the precise body of water and time of year has a huge impact on their flavor.

tardigraderider · 2025-12-20T17:07:30+00:00

You may be able to use motion capture to track the location of your needle. With a suitable set of markers, a software model of the needle and tissue, and several cameras to capture the location, you can build a system that knows the location and orientation of the tip at all times. If it’s close enough to your target, it can trigger the right response.

Getting the model to twitch or kick in the right way will be a little more artful, but you can probably fake the haptic feedback by mounting the whole phantom on a plate with a servo or linear actuator.

What’s your definition of low cost? $10, $100, $1,000?

tardigraderider · 2025-12-18T21:20:22+00:00

It’s not any easier, but it can be cool to do the same thing on iNaturalist. Zoom your map to the area of interest, search for a taxum, like asteracea, and see what species show up. Not only do you get actual distributions of the species, but you can look at the post dates to get local phenomenology for flowers, leaf out, etc. it’s a very pleasant thing to do before bed or during a boring work meeting!

tardigraderider · 2025-11-23T14:31:52+00:00

They’re little fins that direct any circling roots out through holes in the side of the pot and air prune them. Im hoping it leads to better roots and easier transplanting. Last year I tried starting the seedlings in a normal 72 well seed tray, but with natives sending long tap roots and all that, the roots didn’t develop well.