i like to make stuff

What’s that? You’re not listening to Mute Math?? Well, you’d better start.

I saw them in Jacksonville last week, and it was an UNBELIEVABLE show.. probably the best live show I’ve ever seen..
Keep an eye on these boys, and go see them live if at all possible… you won’t regret it.

So, myself and a few friends have started a band called The Flight Out
We’ve just started writing songs, and they’re coming out in an incredible way.. Hopefully we’ll have some reasonable demos to put online soon. Keep an ear out, we’re gonna sweep the nation with a big broom made of ROCK.

(PS the real website will be up in the not too distant future.. the myspace thing is just a starting point)

Well, I play guitar, and I’ve always loved using lots of effects. I’ve also always wanted to build my own effects, but never really thought it’d be worth the trouble. Then I found people like this guy. So, my friend Bert and I decided to build a basic fuzz pedal to get started.. We found a schematic online for the old Fuzz Face. We built them fairly easily, then had to find a creative enclosure for it. I ended up with a die cast metal car by Jada.. and so, I present to you, the FuzzRod.. FYI, the doors still open and close, and the battery goes in the hood There will probably be more of this stuff showing up here in the future.. and music stuff in general.. I’ve recently gotten back into playing regularly, and am starting another band with some friends… (more news on that soon) I also refinished my 1969 Fender Mustang with a sunburst, and I’m waiting on the bridge/tremolo to get back from being rechromed. Be sure to check back..

Well, I finally got the engine back from being rebuilt!! I’ve been thinking that next time, I’ll either send it to a reputable shop or learn to do it myself. I finished all of the body work and got everything primed.. I got my “paint booth” in shape finally and got everything hung.. and finally I got everything painted A note on the painting, for those of you who might get into it. Last time I painted a scooter, I used a siphon feed gun that required a great deal of pressure. I ended up with a couple of runs simply because I was overspraying at the beginning, until I got the hang of it. This time, I used a HVLP gun (high volume, low pressure) gun, and it had a completely different effect. Overall it was a much better gun to shoot with, but I immediately got several runs because of the way it sprays. It sprays a lot more paint, but more separated .. so when you spray at first, it looks like a spatter, not a solid line of paint. All of these little drops contain a lot of paint, so within a few seconds, they flatten out and fill a space. I didn’t know this, so I sprayed a lot to cover an area. well, once they evened out, there was so much paint that it started running very badly. After I realized what was happening, it was easy to avoid. and actually getting rid of most of those runs wasn’t too bad either.. I keep recoating those areas, and essentially making the runs heavy enough that they had to keep running to a place where it wasn’t an issue, or at least not noticeable. By overspraying these areas little by little, it also let them even themselves out. So, overall, the paint looks good, with only a couple small blemishes. I was trying to match the color to a photo that I have. The guy I’m doing the scooter for had a specific color in mind, and the end result isn’t quite the same. We’ll see what he thinks, and go from there..

Well, i know it looks like I haven’t done anything on the 150 GL in a long time, but the truth is, I’ve done a lot, and just been too busy to post anything..
I’ve gotten a huge order of parts already from ScooterWorks, and another one on the way (hopefully) from Classical Wheels

These actually aren’t the most recent pics, but at least show progress.
I’ve had to get into Bondo again, and I can definitely say that I hate working with it.
It has it’s place, and I’m sure it’s easier than a lot of welding/grinding/welding/grinding but .. it sucks nonetheless..

Here’s the GL..

Well, I’ve finally gotten the tank cycled, and have added a couple phases of plants and fish.. Still more to come, but so far, the plants are flourishing, and I’ve been keeping a much better eye on water chemistry than ever before.. I’ve got 12 Von Rio tetras so far, and hopefully another small school coming soon… possibly Cardinal tetras.. Here are some pics…

Well, I decided to add the “Aquaria” section back to my site. (I know…rejoice, rejoice) Since we moved (almost 2 years ago now) my 75 gallon has been sitting in a corner of my workshop gather dusk, and barely avoiding destruction.. Well, recently, I built a new stand and hood for it, then I finally got the tank set up again in the house.. It turned out really nice, and I’m really stoked on getting the tank running again.. and this time, really making it into something beautiful.. I’m doing my research on water chemistry and taking my time with it. I’ve started by getting 2 new bulbs.. a Coralife 50/50 and a Coralife Trichromatic These were recommendations of my local “fish guy”.. and he DEFINITELY knows his stuff. My goal is to have a really well planted tank, almost to the point of it being overrun with plants.. then have 1 or 2 schools of very small, colorful fish.. then a couple bigger animals that you only catch a glimpse of ever so often.. (maybe an eel.. who knows) I’ve had the tank setup for a week now, and so far the pH is really high (7.6) but everything else is looking good.. I’ve got some pH equilizer stuff in the tank now, so I’ll watch it over the next couple weeks, to see how that changes.. I bought a couple Cardinal Tetras to try and get the tank started, and only 1 is still around.. he’ll probably be that 1 fish that last like 15 years. we’ll see

Well, our guys here at Velocity Works have put together a beautiful new site for custom bike builder Mitch Bergeron..

This ones pretty killer.. well done guys
Mitch Bergeron Customs

My wife got my PSP for my birthday back in July, and ever since then I’ve been looking for a really simple way to copy my dvd’s to it for viewing on a trip or whatever..
I’ve been watching the forums, and all the PSP info sites. I’ve tried all of the crazy 10 step processes to make this happen, and have never been happy with the hassle or the end result..
But I finally found the answer..
PSP Movie Creator

This is the one
It’s a single app, handles everything from ripping the dvd and compressing it, to transfering it to the psp..
You’ve got quite a bit of control over the output quality (both audio and video) and it even has the handy little target size option, if you’re just trying to fit the movie onto a certain size file.

The downside, it’s $34.95, but that’s not bad when you consider the ease of use, and the hassle that it removes from the process.. you can download the fully functional trial (limits to 5 minutes of recording i think) and test it out..

I highly recommend it

Since I assume that you’re not reading this via RSS (I don’t think anyone has ever used that “feature” on this site.. You can probably tell that I dida small visual update..
I’d been meaning two for over a year, but never could sit still long enough..
This one is simple enough that I should be happy with it for another year or so.. we’ll see