Recent content by sandy stone

Those of us of a certain generation were taught that they were harmless (if subtly subversive) doofuses that tended to befriend flying squirrels.

Have you looked inside the house, near the base of the stack? There would normally be a cleanout where the pipe changes from vertical to horizontal. If the stack is near an outside wall, you might look outside, opposite the direction the pipe would take to the sewer line in the street.

To me it looks like the outlet of the water heater relief valve.

Just a comment - I bought my last desktop computer from Dell, and I have never seen such a collection of irksome, intrusive bloatware. I am specifically referring to Dell's proprietary software, which uses up system resources doing who knows what, whenever it feels like it. I wouldn't buy...

And then there's this.

My vote is for a woodpecker, assuming that they are present in your area. Around here, we have one that often pecks on our metal flue cover early in the morning, presumably to announce his presence to other woodpeckers and to claim his territory. The sound is pretty much as you describe it...

You might want to check out the Sparkfun website, it's pretty much hobbyist heaven. They have an amazing assortment of microprocessor boards, sensors, and actuators, all with tutorials. Worth a look.

Thanks. For the time being, I can handle my email through my internet provider's website. I just had gotten used to doing it directly under Windows, but Microsoft is weaning me away from that.

My only real objection (so far) is that I am required to use Microsoft's cloud service with Outlook. They don't mention whether I will be charged for it, but on principle I see no need for my email to be on a Microsoft server.

I was using the Mail app that came with Windows 10. I was upgraded to Outlook overnight without my consent.

This morning when I woke up my computer I found that the Windows Mail app had disappeared and the new Outlook had taken its place, without any input from me. Now, in order to use Outlook and get access to my emails, Microsoft insists that I route all my emails through their cloud servers. Why...

Yes, practically every song from the late 50's/early 60's was I-vi-IV-V, or sometimes a blues progression. I credit the Beatles for shaking things up, not that they didn't cover a lot of 3-chord songs.

Some songs are more about riffs (melody, if you like) than chord progressions. IIRC, the Creedence Clearwater song "Run Through the Jungle" was all one chord. Then you have a song like the Beatles' brilliant "Paperback Writer" which was only two chords, with the focus on the incredible a...

Just an observation, reusable model rockets often use an alternative to parachutes called "streamer recovery", in which they deploy a long crepe-paper strip that slows their fall. Of course, these are very lightweight objects moving relatively slowly to start with, so applying this method to a...

Yes, sorry, I was suggesting Cornick as another nominee. (In my opinion, in the best incarnation of the band along with Barriemore Barlow and Clive Bunker)