http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com analog thoughts in a digital æther Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:38:41 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In my excursions on Craigslist searching for interesting and comical ads, sometimes I stumble across something which grabs hold of my check book and won't let go no matter how much my sensible side pleads.  I recently had one of these experiences when I found two separate ads for 1977 ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/07/notamustang/ I actually spotted this and saved it some time ago and have been remiss in posting it.  So you're all grown up, you have a family, you're surrounded by wee little ones who bear an uncanny resemblance to you.  Yet you yearn for the days of yore when your reckless ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/07/getting-back-the-cool/ As most people probably have at some point in their lives, I had to reassemble one of my motorcycles' steering stem.  This requires a particular torquing/tightening procedure for seating the bearings which must be followed to avoid improper steering tension and long term damage to the steering stem components.  Unfortunately ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/07/the-right-tool-for-the-job/ I've always had a fascination with retro technology, a passion which influenced the design of my 50s-sci-fi-esque tube theremin.  Recently the battery in my five or six year old watch died, which got me thinking about buying a new wristwatch (keeping the old one for rough conditions, of course).  When ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/04/of-timepieces-and-bygone-times/ Today myself and a co-worker decided to go on a ride in the mountains around Hanging Rock Park.  What resulted was six full hours of engine-flogging curve-eating wrist-damaging twisty goodness.  Trip report follows after the map of our route. [caption id="attachment_290" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mountain twisties near Hanging Rock Park, NC."][/caption] Our trip ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/04/mountain-riding-report/ In yet another installment of "Oh Craigslist, What Will You Think of Next?", I present these new-old-stock pentode vacuumless tubes; a steal at $50 a piece.  They've even been cleaned!  Click through to the full article to see the original craigslist ad. [caption id="attachment_280" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="7591 Vacuum pentode, vacuum not ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/03/valuable-antiquities/ This past weekend me and my friend David took advantage of the gorgeous weather and rode up in the mountains for an afternoon.  We headed towards Pilot Mountain in NC, then proceeded up to Virginia and rode along the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually making our way through Stuart, VA before ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/03/after-a-prolonged-hiatus-something-brief/ I recently procured an excellent new addition to my bedroom décor.  Doubtlessly you'll perceive the same timeless artistic quality in it that I did. [caption id="attachment_254" align="aligncenter" width="204" caption="Have you got it in you?"][/caption] http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/01/fine-art/ Ah craigslist, your ability to bring bizarre novelties, inane rants and tirades, fantastically bad trade propositions, and epic transgressions against the English language out of the wood work is what so endears you in our hearts.  For the past couple of months I have been attempting to sell my Bandit ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2009/01/craigslist-people/ Google has released a beta version of their new WebKit-based browser called Chrome.  In reading through the introduction comic and feature list, I couldn't help but keep thinking "why hasn't anybody implemented this feature before?"  As someone who keeps a lot of tabs open for long periods of time, and ... http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/2008/09/chrome-is-rad/