Category: Is that the way it is?

More conical? Or more trumpet-shaped? Result inconclusive.

  • May 10, 2024
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? Mucking About With Things Sodding soldering The Diary of Lupin Pooter
Post-soldering, post-cleaning pic of the protoboard and rows of pin headers used in this little test, labeled with the solder wire used for two pairs of 2×4 pin header blocks: 8 pins soldered with no added flux and then 8 pins soldered with Chip Quick CQ4LF liquid flux, done for each alloy. I’m saddled with […]

Never forget that rubber bands eventually go bad.
AND, if you need less-ephemeral, non-messy rubber bands, use silicone rubber bands (FREE ADVICE #002).

  • May 4, 2024
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Free Advice HerpDerp Is that the way it is? Mucking About With Things RECCIES The Diary of Lupin Pooter
Fragments of deteriorated rubber bands. At upper left: bits from rubber bands that were, IIRC, bluish-green originally. Or were they purple? They’re bluish-green now. At lower-right: parts of what were once white rubber bands. Rubber bands (here taken to mean solid, non-woven elastic rings) degrade. Whether they’re made from natural rubber or synthetic rubber (e.g. […]

Testing fresh solder wire: various flavors of flux-cored K100LD and Innolot

  • May 2, 2024
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? Mucking About With Things Sodding soldering The Diary of Lupin Pooter
Post-soldering, pre-cleaning photo of the protoboard and rows of pin headers used in this little test. Numerous punishing soldering sessions have left this solderless breadboard stained, scorched, and cracked and it is not long for this world. Recently, I posted about picking up soldering again after a hiatus () and I’ve gotten some fresh spools […]

Odd (and oddly transient) software (mis)behavior:
Could not find file 'gifski.dll'.
ScreenToGif seemingly losing or forgetting gifski.dll

  • April 25, 2024
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? Mucking About With Things Sodding soldering The Diary of Lupin Pooter TØØLS
Yesterday, I encountered an odd issue where ScreenToGif seemed unable to use its own bundled or downloaded-at-install-time version of gifski (gifski.dll).

The state of being mildly chuffed about carbide box-cutter blades
AND a brief characterization of the recycling and safety iconography on their packaging

  • April 7, 2024
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? The Diary of Lupin Pooter TØØLS
Yep, like it says in the title, I’m moderately chuffed (i.e. UK/Commonwealth lingo approximately corresponding to pleased or enthused) about having acquired some Stanley FATMAX tungsten carbide utility-knife aka box-cutter blades. Tungsten carbide box-cutter blades aren’t new. For all I know, you bown-bag your lunch five days a week and, Monday through Friday, you’re daintily […]

Dishwasher-safeness claims are often fibs: Free Advice #001

  • March 11, 2024
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Free Advice Is that the way it is? The Diary of Lupin Pooter
Remember… free advice is worth every cent you’ve paid for it. Rule of thumb: If it’s not all-metal (e.g. a plain stainless steel saucepan) or all-ceramic (e.g. an unadorned coffee mug) or a solid lump of plastic like a one-piece, you perhaps ought to hand-wash it. Dishwasher detergents are less sudsy but significantly more chemically […]

Heap of diminutive screwdrivers and nutdrivers [Vessel, PB Swiss, Athlet, Wera, and Wiha]

  • February 6, 2024
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Is that the way it is? The Diary of Lupin Pooter TØØLS ZAMAON.C0M
You can’t really have too many of certain basic tools or or too much of certain consumables. In our household, it’s stuff like scissors and box cutters, tape (e.g. masking tape, strapping/packaging tape, and regular transparent Scotch Tape [UK equivalent: Sellotape]), rulers and measuring tapes, mechanical pencils and pens and markers, rubber bands, and zip […]

New (to me) Amazon shenanigans: Requiring a business account AND a “healthcare license” to buy a screwdriver bit holder

  • January 18, 2024
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Is that the way it is? The Diary of Lupin Pooter TØØLS ZAMAON.C0M
A few days back, I looked up the Amazon listing for a low-ESD precision screwdriver bit holder, the 1013 Kraftform Micro ESD Bitholding screwdriver and was nonplussed to see that Amazon was requiring a prospective purchaser to be both an Amazon business account holder and to have submitted healthcare industry credentials to one of Earth’s […]

Rebarrr and… Giant Centipedes

  • October 13, 2023
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? Spitting Images The Diary of Lupin Pooter To see a world in a grain of sand We'll go much more a roving
Below is a photo of some corroded rebar, exposed through spalling, on the floor of a multi-level underground car park in a residential complex here in Hong Kong. Snapshot of a section of floor in a multi-level underground parking lot. Today’s other photo is of a rusty cover for some sort of plumbing/electrical infrastructure access […]

Not *JUST* tableware… “Soft Silicone Baby Utensil Mass Production Process. Silicone Tableware Manufacturing Factory” [APoW]

  • August 27, 2023
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? RECCIES
Are you the sort of person who takes an interest in how some of the things you use are manufactured? If so, then permit me to recommend the All Process of World YouTube account. APoW gives viewers a peek into manufacturing processes of an eclectic variety of goods in Korean factories. Their choice of content […]

A product review TPTB never wanted to see the light of day

  • August 16, 2023
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? Sassafras! Horsefeathers! Fiddlesticks! The Diary of Lupin Pooter TØØLS ZAMAON.C0M
My 3-star review of a set of nut drivers was unacceptable to Amazon.com. A little over a week ago, I submitted an Amazon.com review for the first time in, unless my memory fails me, years and years. The post-form-submission Review submitted – Thank you!” message advised me that processing the review could take several days […]

Wiha SAE nut driver set handle color, size markings (Wiha 34390 7-Piece)

  • August 8, 2023
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HerpDerp Is that the way it is? The Diary of Lupin Pooter TØØLS
Wiha’s 34390 7 PIECE SOFTFINISH HOLLOW SHAFT NUT DRIVER SET, as received by yours truly, as shown on Amazon.com, and as shown on Wihatools.com. Yesterday, a set of Wiha inch-size nut drivers (34390 7 PIECE SOFTFINISH HOLLOW SHAFT NUT DRIVERS) that I’d bought on Amazon.com arrived . They didn’t match the product photo (red-and-black instead […]