Lee.org

I’ve updated my page “Lee Recommends Computer Programs“.

I am in awe of Mr Woo. Watch the whole video and it will gradually dawn on you why.

Watch the video

200 liters of Diet Coke and 500 Mentos = Better than the Bellagio Hotel’s fountains.

This from an email that I decided not to send to a friend

Thank you for writing an intelligent reply to my question.

I’m not referring to you at all in saying that I find it terribly frustrating when when a question in the middle of a conversation is deliberately not addressed.

And I find it a pleasure to deal with people that -do- maintain the conversation.

(unfinished Rant)

Which picture should I choose for the FLG calendar?

Improv games from my Improv class at BATS with Rebecca Stockley

Once upon a time…
Every day…
But one day…
Because of that…
Because of that…
Because of that…
Until Finally…
Ever since that time…
The moral of the story is…

After Adam Corola on 106.9 Free FM this morning at 10am there was a female talk show host. I’m almost positive that it’s the woman who wants a cookie in the Evolution Control Committee’s song!

It took me 10 minutes of listening before I could recall where I knew her voice from.

Netflix to offer free month as part of case
Posted May 2, 2006
A judge has approved a class-action settlement requiring Netflix Inc. to offer a free month of DVDs to 5.5 million current and former subscribers. The settlement resolves a case that prompted the online rental service to acknowledge it gives preferential treatment to its most profitable customers. The settlement, released Monday after being approved last Friday, had been delayed since March when a California state judge balked at lawyers’ payments contained in a settlement proposal. Netflix expects to begin sending out notices of the final settlement later this month. The company has estimated the total settlement costs at $8.95 million, but that figure assumes it will pay $2.5 million in attorney fees.

They are losing a suit because they gave preferential treatment to their more profitable customers? You’re kidding, right? That doesn’t smack of socialism, that is the definition of socialism.

What am I missing here?

(BTW, I’ll be receiving a free month of service as part of the settlement. Heck, that might get me to start using Netflix again… wait a minute…)

I just listened to a podcast of Peter Diamandis speaking at Pop!Tech 2005. He’s the founder of the X Prize. He’s got these crazy ideas about how to foster innovation. Instead of throwing money at a problem, offer up a prize for the first one to achieve the goal and let the competitive spirit of people take its course. He says that the 10 million dollar X Prize for a reusable space ship leveraged many times as much capital, getting people to try and win the prize. It’s a crazy idea that’s not so crazy! Charles Lindburg flew the Spirit of St. Louis to win a $25,000 prize offered by Raymond Orteig…

I’m kind of thinking of going to the X Prize cup but it’s a bit of a distance from me… Anyone interested in going with me?

X-Prize Cup Calendar

I’m going to be doing a bit of stainless steel welding shortly. I know that the fumes can be dangerous, mostly because of hexavalent chromium, but I’m having a hard time getting the following question answered:

Exactly what do I need to do to keep myself safe while welding stainless steel?

We’ll be welding a lot in an only moderately well ventilated building. Running 2 MIG welders for maybe 3 hours a night for 90 days.

I’ve found some tremendously detailed documents but nothing that gives a reasonable guide to safety.

For example, this page reads:

OSHA does not believe that a specific requirement mandating use of HEPA filters for air purifying respirators used for protection from Cr(VI) is justified, and has not included such a requirement in the final rule. For air-purifying respirators, in addition to the option of providing a respirator equipped with a filter certified by NIOSH under 30 CFR Part 11 as a HEPA filter, the Respiratory Protection standard allows employers several alternatives. Under 1910.134 the employer may also provide either (1) An air-purifying respirator equipped with a filter certified for particulates by NIOSH under 42 CFR Part 84; or (2) an air-purifying respirator equipped with any filter certified for particulates by NIOSH where dealing with contaminants consisting primarily of particles with mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMAD) of at least 2 micrometers. OSHA believes these requirements are appropriate for protection from exposures to Cr(VI).

That’s well and good but the standard respirator rating systems don’t talk about 2 micrometer particles. An N95 mask filters 95% of 0.3 micron particles. First, is 95% enough? Second, how good is it at 0.2 micron particles? 94% or 20%???

That document mentions things like “The final rule establishes an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) exposure limit of 5 micrograms of Cr(VI) per cubic meter of air (5 [mu]g/m\3\)”. That’s fine but I have NO idea what kind of exposure rate I might get with welding stainless steel. Maybe a gentle breeze will completely protect me, or maybe it’ll kill every living thing in in a 2 mile radius.

I’ll continue my research but I’m bothered that my research is going so slowly. Where can I get answers?