All about MAME, my Suzuki M109, and other trivia
We still haven’t been able to come to a conclusion about the kitchen. There are so many different things that need to be considered, and what you choose in one area effects what options you have in others. (more…)
Here’s a look at a big project that Jennifer and I just completed.
Here’s our Sharp 37″ flat-screen TV, wall-mounted. The existing switch on that wall I converted to a plug, and I put in two rings to hold “media outlets” — one behind the TV and one down at the standard plug level.Then I threaded the three cables (HDMI, Wii, audio) through the wall. The TV is mounted with a very-low-profile VESA mount (less than 1″ clearance required) that I got through Amazon. The Wii sensor bar is barely noticeable on the top of the set.
Here’s the storage ottoman we made. It’s an 18 x 16 x 16 rectangle, covered in silk fabric. It has two 2-1/4″ desk grommets in the back–one for AC power cords and the other for the data cables. Four 2″ holes in the bottom and the four grommets provide air movement for passive cooling, allowing the Mini and Wii to stay in standby mode without the interior getting too warm. (more…)
After 12 years without a television, my wife and I decided to spend some of my bonus this year on an LCD TV for the living room. We still won’t have cable, but we do watch a lot of movies and the projector we originally bought to watch them on hasn’t turned out to be as convenient as we’d hoped. So our new 37″ Sharp LCD TV will be delivered on Tuesday. (more…)
Well, it’s amazing the difference that the intelligence, competence, and humanity of a customer service person make. My early-morning visit to City Hall to clear up the unexpected code violation notices (turned in by an inspector who didn’t have the courage to give me the notice while he was here) was a pleasant success–all the electrical permit issues were handled by someone who knew what she was doing and who was very helpful and understanding. A person with a sense of humor and a customer-first attitude, this lady had almost restored my faith in the City’s planning office. (more…)
Today was a reminder of a primary reason why homeowners don’t take out permits for work. After six months, the City of Santa Clara sent me a notice that the inspector didn’t close out the permit I had taken out for the electrical service upgrade. I dutifully requested a re-inspection, since I couldn’t find the job card and the inspector never turned in the approval. (more…)
We got the 3rd floor landing finished, sanded, and painted this week. Next steps are the trim, lights, window seat, and flooring. Slow but sure :-)
I’m planning on building a cabinet for the living room that will contain my Mac mini as a media hub. The picture below shows how I think it will work, with a LCD display hidden behind a mirrored glass top. When in use, the top will tip up to provide a view of the FrontRow interface. (Click image for a close-up)
The open front shows the sound system subwoofer hidden inside the cabinet. Views from upper left, clockwise:
Spent this weekend installing two-panel doors on the second and third floors. These look much better than the flat slabs that were there before.
We purchased this “daisy-themed” fan from Lowes and painted it to match the nursery.
Click the images for a closer view
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The trim between the stripes and top of the wall is in, and the baseboard is about 90% installed. Carpet is down, too.