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11:40
Seems like a product question to me, but others may disagree:
-1
Q: Monitoring energy consumtion for each plug/outlet

Lukas RugeI am in the process of automating my home. I am a programmer so the software, while using libraries and frameworks such as Open HAB or ambient dynamix, will be my own. For the hardware I want to use established systems such as the hue lighting system (which is already running), since such systems...

 
2 hours later…
13:20
@BMitch But it doesn't fit on any other stacks!? How can a question exist without a stack to ask it on?
@Tester101 I always want to respond that since every question must already have a stack, that we need to throw out the off-topic help section and shutdown area51.
Sometimes the "diy" in our name is annoying.
"I'm doing it myself, and it's improving my home. How could it possibly be off topic?"
14:15
0
Q: responsibility for drywall storage at the end of each day of work on job site

beverly gshould the contractor remove the sheetrock each night that has not been used from my home because I continue to reside there. it is taking up a lot of space.

"Questions you would typically ask a home contractor."
Seems on topic to me
14:39
I'm not such a bad guy... Sometimes I give you the answer, while I close your question.
-4
Q: When and who created the modern "Self-Gripping" Velcro cable ties?

Michael YanniI've learned recently of the greatness of modern Velcro cable ties. They are the style of ties seen here: My question is, when were they created? And by whom? I've seen them called 'self-gripping' cable ties. These things definitely didn't exist 5 years ago. They are amazing! Very strong and th...

bib
bib
14:55
@Tester101 My Lowes link was really an attempt to politely show the OP that he didn't look very far.
@Tester101 And what's so bad about doing chin-ups on the power lines? Even electricians need some exercise.
Electricians have 10,000V gloves.
Why would you want electric gloves?
@Tester101 I never know if you're being serious, or making a suggestion for improving the help section wording.
because they bring you to the same potential as the wire you're holding, so you don't get electrocuted.
@BMitch I'm serious. The question could have good answers.
bib
bib
And come the Zombie Apocalypse, you can power your own electric fence.
2
15:03
"No, the contractor should leave the drywall where it is because...", or "Yes they should move the drywall, because...".
@Tester101 I figured the answer would be "what did your contract specify?"
drywall is heavy and a pain to move, no contractor is going to move a pile of it every day unless the contract requires it.
It's sort of asking what the accepted practice is, just in a bitchy way.
bib
bib
The question might have more meaning if the contractor were staging his materials in a common space, such as a condo or coop hallway.
I think maybe an edit to remove the bitchiness, and it could be a useful question. It could also show future readers that they should be specific when making agreements with contractors.
I have to admit the ranting was also part of why I closed the question. If you can't ask your question without complaining about the contractor, you don't have a question, you have a need to vent, and you shouldn't be venting at us, we have enough problems of our own.
15:06
@BMitch I agree.
@Tester101 Ah ha, back to "agreements with contractors", OT, mod hammer slap
But I think it could be useful, so it might be worth saving.
bib
bib
Then we'll have to start a Contractor-Whining-Therapy site
@bib Make an area51 proposal.
Oh wait, if it's OT here, it must be on topic somewhere, so there isn't a need for area51, just find the site that already exists </sarcasm>
bib
bib
@BMitch Unqualified to do so. Not a contractor or a whiner.
Wait! I once was a therapist, so maybe I AM qualified!
Car's fixed and I've daily maxed out on ELU so no more oppty to be snarky (don't do snark on DIY) so I've gotta go.
15:16
0
Q: Should a contractor remove building supplies from the site, if a homeowner is still occupying the residence?

beverly gShould a contractor remove sheetrock, and other building supplies from an occupied job site each night? The supplies may take up lots of space, and make living on-site difficult.

@BMitch maybe you're right, maybe it is off topic. I guess it would depend on the answers more than the question.
How's that old adage go? "You get more bees with honey, but flies love sour milk."?
I'm allergic to bees, so I don't think I'd like them to come around.
Ooh, it's just flies, and vinegar not sour milk.
4
Q: Origin and meaning of "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"

jadarnel27I'm having trouble understanding the rationale behind the meaning of an American English phrase of which I just became aware. That phrase is: You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar From what I understand now, this phrase would indicate that You make more friends by being ...

15:46
@Tester101 Maybe I'm right? Don't question my authoritah!
 
1 hour later…
16:52
We also need a Contractor whining about clients site.
17:08
Any difference between NeverWet, and Ultra-Ever Dry®?
Never Wet == Ever Dry. So the difference is the Ultra.
read the last comment at the bottom of the page
Of course, Never and Ever are absolutes, so the superlative is unnecessary.
Ooh. Ultra-Ever Dry I can buy by the 55 gallon drum!
"Ultra Ever Dry is FOR INDUSTRIAL USE ONLY - Not permitted for personal use" Source
I think the products should be renamed as SeldomWet and Ultra-Often Dry.
3
@Tester101 Damn. I thought I had solved the deodorant problem.
17:14
@ChrisCudmore That doesn't have the same ring to it.
At the Home Depot site, it recommends buying a Home Depot bucket with NeverWet. Lots of people must be waterproofing buckets.
If you sprayed it on your hand, would it blow a hole through it?
Would your cells be repelled?
17:28
they should rename AMC tv channel to SS during the day for steven seagal
<-- watching the asphalt resealing crew try to beat a thunderstorm. They may get lucky and have it split up just before hitting.
Steven Seagal movies are "classic", so are on topic for "American Movie Classics" channel.
That reminds me, I need to cancel my cable subscription.
friend of mine did
if my wife didnt watch hockey, i would too - she can't wait a day for it to be online somewhere
17:44
BMitch has added an event to this room's schedule.
^-- that's the next event for standard time (with dst is ending in a month and a half)
trigger happy ?
I was reading the different "facts" about Chuck Norris, by clicking reload in my browser. And Google asked me to verify I wasn't a robot.
18:10
Does a Powder Room (toilet and sink only) require a vent?
How else do you get the poop smell out?
18:26
Suppose I like the poop smell. Is there a general code requirement to have one?
3
plumbing vent, exhaust vent, or HVAC vent?
Exhaust vent
now that @BMitch started talking about canceling cable; none of the TV's i have in this house take a Cable Card - WTF ?
Damn you @BMitch! why have you modified @lsiunsuex's TVs?
Does your cable provider support user installed cable cards?
18:34
yes - they rent them
but one of my boxes has a cable card in the back of it
was gonna rip it out of it and plug it into the tv and get rid of the box
none of the tv's take cards though
@#$!, anything for an extra monthly buck, that kind of thing should be free.
i'd thought for sure the 50 inch samsung plasma would
@ChrisCudmore IRC 2009 R303.3 Bathrooms. Bathrooms, water closet compartments and other similar rooms shall be provided with aggregate glazing area in windows of not less than 3 square feet (0.3 m2), one-half of which must be openable.
Exception: The glazed areas shall not be required where artificial light and a mechanical ventilation system are provided. The minimum ventilation rates shall be 50 cubic feet per minute (24 L/s) for intermittent ventilation or 20 cubic feet per minute (10 L/s) for continuous ventilation. Ventilation air from the space shall be exhausted directly to the outside.
you can hang a 60 inch 200lb tv on a wall, but they still can't make a STB small enough to hang on the back of the TV
I don't think you can just yank out the card and plug it in another device. They really screwed up that technology as best they could to encourage everyone to get set top boxes. And they wonder why people are cutting the cords.
18:36
So you need a window or an exhaust fan. Apparently the code council doesn't want to smell your farts.
So I read this story: news.discovery.com/space/…
And think of the budweiser frog:
@lsiunsuex you'd think they'd build one that you could vesa mount
@waxeagle right!
pass through with long VESA compatible bolts
Quick poll: ubuntu or mint or other?
18:38
centos
the problem is that these guys never change out their hardware. they buy them and they're good forever
@BMitch what are you doing with it?
laptop
no no, centos is the answer to all linux server questions
pretty much a desktop replacement.
@BMitch I'd do some research and see what other folks with your model are using. See if there is a custom one with the proper drivers
18:39
if its the right laptop, put OS X on it. *nix plus a pretty interface
I tend to stick to thinkpads which are fairly linux friendly, already on ubuntu today, but it's time for a fresh install.
for instance, Easy Peasy was the right answer for my EEE PC
what model thinkpad ?
today, it's a t400, don't have a real reason to replace it other than the speaker on the dock acting screwy
so I'm going to stop by the store to get a bigger harddrive and do a clean install.
18:42
@BMitch what madness is this. A store?
I live near microcenter, the ability to return things like a bad harddrive in 20 minutes is a huge plus.
ahh, mine is a T60 - tech specs of the 400 sounded almost identical
@BMitch makes sense, we have a bestbuy...and that's it
@ChrisCudmore I've yet to find a code requirement to have poop smells in your home. :)
@lsiunsuex I was a T40-T42 guy, now the T400, I love the tank series. :)
@waxeagle bestbuy is such an oxymoron of a name. There's nothing best about the place.
@ChrisCudmore The code council doesn't want passersby to smell your farts either.
R303.4.2 Exhaust openings. Exhaust air shall not be directed onto walkways.
18:45
made the analogy to my friend the other day when he called bitching that the iPhone 5s is the same as the 5 - its the same as the ThinkPad. Design stays the same, they keep improving the design and making minor changes to it every year; never full slate startovers
thinkpads have had the same design for decades
They work, and they last, and they're repairable, no reason to change a good design. Half of the new laptops out there now seem to be mimicking apple.
exactly
pick up and android and you need a 2 day training course. pick up an iPhone and its the same phone as it was 8 years ago; bigger screen, different shade of black, but it functions the same as the day it came out
i should blog about this; not sure anyone has made this comparison haha
I was so ready to pull the mod hammer out on someone who made the name MiserableOldFart, thought for sure they came here to spew nonsense.
@lsiunsuex But pick up an iphone after never having used one, and you have the same learning curve as with an android device.
I'm clueless on iPhones, where the heck is the back button, how do you get into app menu's, I miss my android buttons.
Uh oh, guess what day it is! Guess what day it is...
Welcome to Project Update Thursday
19:05
How does one remove really stripped screws from a wall stud when they're flush with something? (I really jacked the screws when I installed my tv mount... :/ )
@JimmyHoffa tried the rubber band thing?
Gotta give the countertop people a call, figured they would have called me by now
@JimmyHoffa
11
A: How can I remove a really stuck screw?

Tester101Twist in the proper direction Are you turning the right way? Remember, "Righty tighty, Lefty loosy" (which never made sense to me). Most screws are right-handed threads, so you'll turn them anti(counter)-clockwise to remove them. In some situations left-hand thread screws are used (usually to ...

@BMitch Looking good
Is that real wood floor, or snap-click
@JimmyHoffa If you had used Robertson or Torx, you probably wouldn't have this problem.
@Tester101 Not stuck, stripped as in, really bloody stripped
19:08
@ChrisCudmore I have bad words about torx. stupid brake calipers
@Tester101 engineered click-lock
thought they were an allen key, bought allen socket set...had to go back and buy a torx one
And ruined the allen key at the same time.
@JimmyHoffa Grabit®
I have to admit, the click-lock stuff is incredibly easy to put down, but I haven't done all the trim yet.
19:10
@ChrisCudmore Yes and no. The problem was the instructions for the wall-mount said a 1/8" pilot hole would be appropriate, I stepped it up after attempts to find that It barely got the screws in after I pilotted 5/16, the instructions were just terribly wrong (the screws were obviously too large for a 1/8 pilot hole)
@BMitch Not a fan of it in the kitchen and bath, but looks good.
Combined with my stupidity, when I saw them getting stripped I should have not drove them in anyway, rather should have just gone to home depot with them and asked for identical others
@Tester101 I won't use it in a bath, and I'm considering a tile floor for my entryway. Still undecided on that.
@JimmyHoffa Yeah, that's why I always eye-ball the pilot bit against the screw shaft. I don't trust instructions for pilot holes. They often have it wrong.
@ChrisCudmore thankfully I realized something was wrong quick enough that I didn't ruin anything...
19:12
46
Q: How to remove screws with stripped heads?

LordHitsI have wood screws whose heads are stripped from trying to remove them with a drill. The drill (or screwdrivers) can't grip the heads anymore. What can i use to remove these screws easily?

Is it a wood or steel stud?
@ChrisCudmore I learned my lesson, I would presume they wouldn't get that wrong (it's not hard to get right and why would they get it wrong ??)
@ChrisCudmore Better be wood otherwise I had an entirely different problem I wasn't even aware of.
And the simple option is to re-mount the stand 1/2 an inch higher and just leave the screw there.
@JimmyHoffa They convert from metric, and often forget to carry the one.
@Tester101 I wish they converted from metric and forgot to carry the instructions, I would have better luck on my damn own.
19:14
Real men don't read instructions.
They ask their wife to consult them (the instructions) when they can't figure something out.
@Tester101 Converting from metric is serious business. Read this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
@Tester101 is that before or after she rolls them up and beats them?
I find wives offer very helpful advice.
@Tester101 Thanks, I thought there was something like this but I didn't know what it were off hand. I'm sure it'll still need a drill likely more powerful than the one I used to begin with.
but I don't need to worry about that until I replace the TV. On the bright side as tight as those screws went in, that TV is quite safely mounted.
@ChrisCudmore Did your wife tell you to say that?
19:19
@ChrisCudmore Yeah, my wife's advice is usually "Please please call someone", that would have been helpful when I stripped the hell out of those screws.
"Is this code?"
No - this is code: public bool AmIAnIdiot(){return true;}
3
0
Q: Is it code to have electrical wire going no where?

DMooreI have a wall open in the center of my house. I am going to run some 14-2 up it and and to about 5 feet from my panel, leaving plenty of extra wire to hook up in a few months. On the other end I am going to just leave about 30 extra feet in the attic. Is this code? I will be installing pot li...

And the insightful probing questions. "Why are you doing that?" "Are you using the right screwdriver?" "Do you really need to buy a new tool?"
Do you mean "is this permitted under code", or "is this a code violation?" — The Evil Greebo 8 mins ago
@TheEvilGreebo What's the difference?
If it's not permitted, isn't it a violation if you do it?
The question asked was "is this code?"
19:30
I'll take that to mean "Is this a code compliant installation"
"Is this permitted under code" - "Yes"
"Is this a code violation" - "Yes"
Same response, two different meanings.
@TheEvilGreebo I would have just defined a constant for that.
@ChrisCudmore Slacker
Well, will the value ever change? Not Likely.
@ChrisCudmore STOP PUSHING YOUR ARBITRARY COMPILER EFFICIENCIES ON ME!
19:32
If it's Audio, Information Technology, Class 2, Class 3, PLTC, fire alarm, communication, coaxial, Network-powered Broadband, optical fiber cable, or electrical circuits for pipe organs, it must be identified for future use with a tag. — Tester101 6 mins ago
Pipe organs? Why pipe organs?
public bool IsThisRedundant(){return IsThisRedundant();}
@TheEvilGreebo no! no recursive loops without exit conditions
@waxeagle COWARD
FTFY:
public bool IsThisRedundant() Throws StackOverflowException {return IsThisRedundant();}
@JimmyHoffa ARTICLE 650 Pipe Organs
19:34
@TheEvilGreebo Not redundant, recursive, redundant would be public void Redundant(int x) { x = x; }
@ChrisCudmore Must be Java. C# doesn't require defining what it throws.
@JimmyHoffa Hmm. True.
public object Redundant(object x) {return x.clone()}
But it allows it
650.7 Installation of Conductors.... Abandoned cables that are not terminated at equipment shall be identified with a tag.
@ChrisCudmore Negative. C# doesn't support checked exceptions.
13
Q: is there a throws keyword in C# like in Java?

peplamb Possible Duplicate: how to use Java-style throws keyword in C#? i have a function where an exception occurs say for example private void functionName() throws Exception { // some code that might throw an exception } thanks!

Thats because java f-ed it up, and C# didn't want anything to do with them.
Shame. It's useful.
19:38
@ChrisCudmore the closest you get is xml documenting
But having to wrap thread.sleep(1000) with a try ... catch (InterruptedException ie){} block is just nuts. Like there's a bloody thing I could do to fix that. Might as well crash the app.
But IO classes should have checked exceptions to force you to handle common issues. -
if you're in a process that can be interrupted wouldn't you want to use an asynch pattern?
Hmm thats a fair point
oh well we'll write D% and implement it there
you get started, i'll jump in after a bit
For example. Your database or internet connection will go down at one point. So piping data in/out of those should be checked.
Now you're just being silly. Connections never fail.
You're right. Stupid of me.
19:42
@Tester101 did you reject Hoffa's edit?
@JimmyHoffa Thanks, but no thanks. I don't feel like listing every code section that references abandoned cable.
@TheEvilGreebo Yes
I was about to approve it.
shrug
650.7 only pertains to pipe organs, and is not relevant to the rest of the cables listed.
Each one has it's own article, and a code section about abandoned cable.
they call me... hard to kill
Said @lsiunsuex Randomly.
19:46
Are we back to Steven Seagal?
Did we ever leave
"Steven Seagal movies are "classic", so are on topic for "American Movie Classics" channel."
need a meme made up "SE user for years... still doesn't know how to use chat"
2 hours ago, by Tester101
Steven Seagal movies are "classic", so are on topic for "American Movie Classics" channel.
permalinks are annoying.
@Tester101 Ok, fair enough.
In other news, it looks like Java has finally fixed dates to be somewhat less than annoying.
I just wish C# would do the same.
19:49
that being said, SS movies are about the most normal thing on TV during the day. there's some really weird stuff on.
@ChrisCudmore In other other news, apparently every stackexchange site is inhabited solely by programmers, regardless of the site topic... O_o
2
Aug 22 at 16:12, by Tester101
Just don't try and watch TV during the day. I think people started working during the day, because the TV programming was so terrible.
@JimmyHoffa well, yes
how the hell do you find this stuff so quickly
@lsiunsuex top right corner, it's a search box
19:51
@JimmyHoffa That's because it all started with StackOverflow. That's where everybody came from.
re:
3 mins ago, by lsiunsuex
need a meme made up "SE user for years... still doesn't know how to use chat"
And StackOverflow became annoying to be a regular on, so we all moved to different sites.
@Tester101 I get that, but a part of me would hope the other sites would actually have attracted their own community from google such as SO did rather than just attracting people from SO.
@ChrisCudmore Yeah, FGITW is annoying; that's why I'm mainly on Programmers.SE
conversely, i still find it to be an incredible pain in the a** changing the GMT offset when someone from california visits my site on a server with the time set to EDT. no big deal on discussions and blog posts; but 4 hours is a hell of a lot of a difference when an live event either starts at 6pm or 2pm for a student
Only the annoying prats stayed on StackOverflow, everybody else abandoned ship once all the programming questions that could ever be asked were asked.
19:53
what's FGITW?
fastest gun in the west
@JimmyHoffa Contractors don't sit in front of a computer all day.
i ust to hang out in the server fault chat room; those guys are bigger d**ks then SO i think
@Tester101 Whaaa? I didn't know there were jobs like that...
Hello @Pschultz, welcome to PUT!
19:56
Programming Update Thursday!
we're totally talking about our DIY projects and not programming....totally
still can't figure out these (web) sockets
Look, I'm like @Aarthi, welcoming new Gravatars.
though my DIY lately has been more cars than houses :(.
@waxeagle have you caught any of the Frankfurt auto show coverage?
19:59
@JimmyHoffa You need a Gravatar photo.
@lsiunsuex nah, but we did just have to buy a new car...so I'm not working on one of our two for a good long while
thats one sexy car - there was a video of it actually in motion but they took it down :(
@Tester101 With the middle name of riddle, his eventual villainy was inevitable. I've thought about doing that however I've grown rather attached to my gravatar over the years. It's quite a pleasant one I think :)
Very symmetrical.
Does anybody other than @BMitch do any home improvement?
20:03
So I'm going through the SO review stack. Get this question: stackoverflow.com/questions/18274464/…
when i have money and am not unemployed and working for free; Yes! very much so!
VTC as Unclear, seeing as there is actually no question.
Surprise! This was an Audit! There's nothing wrong with this question.
@Tester101 I've paid people to improve my home today, they're doing it right now (I'm WFH), does that count?
Bullshit.
next year i plan to rip out the rest of the grass in my back yard, pour 10 cu yards of sand and build myself a little beach
20:05
Wait... What!? Questions, have to be questions!?
@lsiunsuex I think it's only a beach if there's water, otherwise it's a desert.
think i might start an Area 51 for Steven Seagal movies
@Tester101 part of the plan includes an 8ft sq x 4ft deep ccncrete block spa i intend to dig out and build
"Why does Steven Seagal have to break everybody's neck?"
I mean, he shot them 12 times, aren't they already dead? Is he afraid of zombies?
"If you highjack a spy satellite and steven seagal isn't around, does anyone notice?"
@Tester101 Xeriscape, it's not desert, it's natural!
"Is Steven Seagal immortal ?"
a: no, hes just hard to kill
thank you all, time to go pick up the wife from work. see you tomorrow, same great time, same great place!
20:10
Is there anything tricky about building a bearing wall around a front yard to level it?
It seems like back breaking labor that uses all the facilities you learned when you were 10, which means I should be able to do it, but I don't know what I don't know
So you want to backfill?
digging the footer would be the biggest PITA
@lsiunsuex Yeah, trenching is never easy, I'm just curious if there are general concerns (other than grade) to be aware of
@JimmyHoffa you must be new here
@ChrisCudmore flag that sucker
20:12
by hand, with a shovel - 100 concrete blocks, 40 bags of concrete, 6cu yards of crusher run
2 months at night after work and on weekends
@lsiunsuex renting almost 2 decades now... I know how to change a light bulb, everything else was done by maintenance people.
get a shovel, watch some youtube videos, get to work
I posted a rant on meta.
drink plenty of water and protein shakes dont hurt either
How high?
20:14
gatta go - later.
@lsiunsuex Nothing to really know other than put your back into it?
@ChrisCudmore haven't measured, 3-4', maybe 5
You've got to tie it back somehow. That's a lot of dirt trying to topple the wall.
What materials?
guess it depends on exactly how I want to lay it. I have a big cement porch (Ugh.. no such thing as uncracked cement slabs over 5 years old in Colorado..) which has stairs going down maybe 4-5' to the driveway, I want to elevate and flatten my front yard but I'll probably bring it up 1 or 2 ' below the top of my front porch depending on how many steps I want down from the porch to the level part.
You can probably go 2 - 3 courses easy with simple landscape blocks.
@Tester101 That's the general plan.
20:19
3 - 4 feet is a bit of a different story.
How about landscape timbers or railway ties?
@ChrisCudmore timbers I could probably get away with, the wife already veto'd railway ties which are abundant here, but apparently ugly, who knew.
do you get better support with timbers than landscape blocks?
Well, it's easier to tie it back.
Give me a minute to MSPaint something.
You also have to worry about drainage behind the wall. You don't want water to push the wall over.
@Tester101 Yeah, that's kind of where I figured I was going to need genuine advise
20:26
Here's a good video.
That's the Idea. You build a T tied into the wall and bury it.
If you can get it far enough back to tie into a trench dug in the existing slope you're golden.
@ChrisCudmore ahh you anchor it, so long as it crosses the point of the pressure towards the outside, it'll be pushed down or the opposite direction if far enough
Then stick a 3 ft Rebar through it.
are there not cinders and such that could be bound with for instance rebar running through them to brace similarly?
Overengineering at its best!
I'm not familiar with a cinder solution, but I really haven't looked into it.
20:32
That's what I assumed you meant by "landscaping blocks" I was presuming those red gradiated cinder style blocks
because the openings inside I would think you'd be able to reinforce them. I tend to see bearing walls built with them...
This is landscape block...
That looks interesting.
Ah yes that's what I was thinking of @Tester101, but I thought those had hollowed out spaces inside like cinders..
same size and such, they just have that pleasant looking fascia
@ChrisCudmore Is the bird required, or can I just place the pins?
20:35
Bird, and Motherf###ing Giant Hand are mandatory!
Landscape blocks have a little lip on the back, so they lock together.
@Tester101 Bird, white glove, and poorly placed drainage line required
That's a well placed drainage line.
Shoudnt' the drainage line be below the footer?
20:37
@ChrisCudmore The hand isn't giant, the bird is small. Obviously that's the birds compactor, so it's small too.
If that's the scale we're talking about, then it's definately over-engineered.
@Tester101 That's a great picture just because it lists multiple easy to make mistakes
@ChrisCudmore What? Birds aren't entitled to strong walls?
I'm just saying that lego would be sufficient if that's our scale.
2
20:40
It's hard to find Lego in all the same color.
@ChrisCudmore This is a surprisingly intriguing approach... I'd like to hear more about it.
This just hurts my eyes.
Lego bearing wall... I'd just have to yell at the neighbor kids to quit stealing blocks...
Without having read through the entire thing, that Family Handyman site looks pretty good.
Family Handyman is a great magazine, and they have great articles online too.
This was a good episode, but I'm not sure I'd pay for it.
In all reality, the next DIY project I actually will genuinely be doing is the backyard firepit
Where are you?
Temperatures will drop in about a month and that's cheap and easy; just buy 20 or 30 small nice looking landscape blocks
Check local code. A firepit may be illegal. A Barbeque however, is usually ok. So you need to include a grill.
20:49
checked with my city code, so long as it's made of appropriate material and no higher than 2' and no greater diameter than 3' it's fine
And every time you light a fire, you must toast one marshmallow.
@ChrisCudmore This is my wife's rule
@ChrisCudmore Number 5 can be done with a GFCI, but better safe than sorry I guess.
> 3. Recreational fire: An outdoor fire burning materials other than rubbish where the fuel being burned is not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, barbeque grill, or barbeque pit and has a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height for pleasure,religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purposes.
> a. Note: Fires not complying with this definition are regulated as open burning fires or bonfires.
Time to make the doughnuts. Later boys.
20:53
That's fire code.
Also check for city council prohibitions.
@ChrisCudmore Good idea.
The FD only cares that you don't burn the neighbourhood down. There may be pollution restrictions.
Like in LA
Protip: Regardless of scale, Lego is not an appropriate material for a fire pit.
4
Yes, but the evidence either destroys itself or you can't prove it's a fire pit
It's a landscaping circle
Thanks for joining us for this week's PUT

Project Update Thursday - 2013/09/12

2 hours ago, 2 hours 4 minutes total – 248 messages, 8 users, 12 stars

Bookmarked 14 secs ago by BMitch

Sorry for the disappearing act in the middle of PUT, big thunderstorm, I prefer to be safe than sorry when it comes to fried laptops with all my data.
21:09
@BMitch, the lightning comes down to make your laptops join the cloud
technically lightning goes up but whatever
@Jason When the lightening comes down, I say suspend and undock. I could have resumed and worked wirelessly, but I figured it was as good a time as any for a break.
Seen places in the past where lightening traveled through phone or other communications lines, all the surge protectors on the power lines were useless.
Yeah, I just wanted to make a cloud computing joke.
I think I'd still be able to stay in the chat room with cloud computing.
Of course, accidents happen when you put everything in the cloud:

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