dryfly.ca started as a website for sharing one of my DIY projects, a stitch and glue kayak. Since then I've added several more projects including a skin-on-frame kayak, cedar strip canoe, kayak paddles, canoe paddles, building a spey rod, and an antenna for receiving OTA HDTV. I also occasionally ramble on about politics, technology, bike racing, product reviews and last but not least, our kids.
Click on the Photo Gallery to lots of my pictures in their full glory, including family, friends, boat building, travels, etc.
February 22, 2007 at 11:00 pm · Filed under Tern 14 kayak
I recently finished applying System Three’s WR-LPU to the Tern14. I chose to use this material primarily for two reasons. First, it is touted as being a very tough finish, longer lasting than standard varnishes. Secondly, it is a water-based suspension which means that it avoids nasty organic solvents. I had heard and read about some difficulties in applying the finish. Apparently it has a fine line between drying to fast and leaving orange peel or applying too much and causing runs or sags. Ultimately I wasn’t too concerned about getting a “pro” finish so I thought I’d give it a try.
I decided to try and spray the wr-lpu. System Three’s manual suggested that spraying the lpu would result in a better finish. Not only that, but it gave me a great excuse to buy a cool piece of equipment: a Fuji Q3 HVLP spray gun. Overall, my experience with the wr-lpu is mixed. I think it’s possible to achieve the almost-perfect finish by spraying lpu and not sanding/buffing. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to achieve this myself. Despite practicing on scraps along with coating several coats, I never applied the lpu in a way that gave a “check out that great finish” result. It is clear to me that lpu application process is not very stable and that small changes in application or perhaps formulation (ie dilution with water) or environment make big differences. With my own eyes I saw myself spray a surface that would go from glossy to patchy Read the rest of this entry »
February 11, 2007 at 9:15 pm · Filed under Just Stuff
I guess it’s not that surprising, but I’m constantly awed (and impressed) with the imaginations that kids have. See the photo below? Those are two small dried-up pieces of play-doh. For two days Grady has been saying that they are his special tools. The white one is a screw driver, and I think the blue one is a wrench. He even has “real” play tools, go figure. To me, this highlights my conviction that kids require only the simplest of toys. If a toy needs a battery, chances are that it will actually hinder the usability and fun that a toy inherently possesses.
Here it is, another layman’s technology review. Read with caution because I’ve never actually even seen or used a Canon XTi.
I’ve been biased towards Nikon cameras for some time, but there probably isn’t any real reason to pick one over the other if you are starting out in dSLR. Certainly if you already had some Nikon compatible lenses your decision would swing towards Nikon. That would probably be the easiest way to decide between these cameras.
I’m not even sure if the D50 is a current model for Nikon, it may have been superseded by the D40. The D40 is quite similar I understand. I think its metering isn’t as good as the D50 and it is a bit cheaper. I think they both come with the same lens.
Who is better? Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby? Bobby Orr or Mario Lemieux? People far more knowledgeable than I have attempted to answer this question. This of course begs the question, “Don’t you have something better to do with your spare time?” But I digress. Perhaps it’s the proud parent in me or maybe it’s simply recognizing talent when I see it, but as the video below shows, Grady is well on his way to great things on ice.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’ve noticed a dramatic change in the past two with respects to climate change. Some of the things that have changed include a lot more media coverage, more serious overatures to combatting climate change by politicians, and an even stronger and more unified voice in climate change by scientists.
The media coverage that climate change gets right now is inevitable. Right now the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Paris, and is being attended by hundreds of scientists and representatives from 113 countries. Just last November there was the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi. Stuck in the middle of this and straddling each side are the headline grabbing weather events such as record draughts, windstorms, glaciers disappearing, and hell freezing over, etc.
In Canada, climate change is taking center (or is it centre?) stage on the federal political scene. The environment used to be a fringe political topic in that it was recognized and discussed, but the mainstream politicians only needed to pay lip service to it. In 2007 this has completely changed. From what I understand, the environment is the number one issue for the majority of Canadians. All of the leaders are scrambling to stake their claim to being the true responsible champion for the environment.
The scientific community has now come to unified conclusion and it’s pretty clear that climate change deniers were wrong. Of course that doesn’t mean that there aren’t groups of people trying to play down this issue. In fact, here in Vancouver we are extremely lucky (tongue firmly in cheek) to be the home of the Fraser Institute, who are said to be funded by Exxon to produce a report that contradicts the IPCC report.
That’s about all I have to say on the matter right now. I think I’m going to add a new category of links for climate change information. The David Suzuki Foundation is probably a good place to start…
