Picturing the Past 10 Years
In this Op-Chart for The New York Times created by Phillip Niemeyer called “Picturing the Past 10 Years”, each row is a theme, and each column represents a year. Shown in each cell are the trends and events that dominated the past decade in icons and buzzwords.
via Picturing the Past 10 Years, December 27, 2009.
What’s Changed This Decade (1999-2009)
In “What’s Changed This Decade (1999-2009)” another perspective is given on how far we’ve come and gone, both good and bad…
Are stone cold numbers your thing?
If so, check out “A plethora of numbers traces a decade of change” – From McClatchy Newspapers and Yahoo! News. This article lists other statistics that trace the changes that took place in the last 10 years. Here’s a sample taken from that article:
Unemployment rate: 4.2 percent (1999); 10 percent ( November 2009 )
Jobless workers: 5.7 million (1999); 15.4 million ( November 2009 )
Unemployed workers not included in jobless number because they haven’t looked for work in the past month: 1.1 million (1999); 2.3 million ( November 2009 )
Median household income: $44,900 (1999); $50,303 (2008)
In 1999 constant dollars: $44,900 (1999); $38,924 (2008)
Median sales price for existing homes: $138,000 (1999); $172,700 (2009)
In constant 1999 dollars:$138,000 (1999); $133,000 (2009)
Median sales price for new homes: $161,000 (1999); $212,000 (2009)
In constant 1999 dollars: $161,000 (1999); $163,265 (2009)
Number of foreclosure proceedings: 450,000 (1999); 2 million (2009, estimate)
Banks seized by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.: 8 (1999); 133 (through Dec. 11, 2009 )
People living below the poverty line: 32.8 million in 1999; 39.8 million in 2008
Poverty line for a family of four: $17,029 (1999); $22,025 (2008)
In constant 1999 dollars: $17,029 (1999); $17,043 (2008)
via A plethora of numbers traces a decade of change – Yahoo! News.
Food for thought.
Op-Chart
Phillip Niemeyer | Picturing the Past 10 Years
My Box Amp has a home.
Back on December 7th, I wrote about assembling the Box Amplifier Kit I purchased from the Maker SHED store. After assembling the kit, the amplifier tested perfectly. However, I was still looking for a box to install the kit in. I found what I was looking for at Michael’s arts and crafts store. Michael’s sells a variety of sturdy fiberboard boxes. The box I chose was the right size and only cost a couple of dollars. Although I ended up with a box that I had to buy rather than reusing something I picked out of the recycle bin, I’m really happy with the results.
Completed Box Amplifier Kit - with "AMP" stamp from shipping box.
Freakin’ awesome.
So, how does it all sound? Freakin’ awesome. I’ve been plugging in my iPod, my electric guitar, my portable radio. Basically any portable device with an audio output. This Box Amplifier has great bass and you can actually crank it up pretty good. All powered by a 9-volt alkaline battery.
Below you can see the process I went through cutting holes to mount the speaker and control panel. My intention was to use as few tools as possible. I used a box cutter to cut the holes. It looks a little rough but in the end everything cleaned up nicely. Also, since I liked the “AMP” stamp from the box the kit shipped in (which was too small for the final installation), I decided to cut it away and attach it to the lid of amp box using spray adhesive. It definitely has that grungy, DIY, handmade look I was going for.
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- Completed Box Amplifier Kit – with “AMP” stamp from shipping box.
Thank You Maker SHED.
A big “Thank You” to the Maker Shed store for putting together another great kit. As a huge fan of Make Magazine, the folks at the Maker SHED store have helped renew my interest in DIY projects. You rock!
DIY Box Amplifier Kit
The do-it-yourself (DIY) project I chose to work on this past weekend was waiting for me in a box for over two months. I ordered the Box Amplifier Kit from the Maker SHED store around the end of September. Things, as usual, got busy and I just never made the time to assemble it.
What originally interested me in this kit was a need for a small, portable, amplified speaker that I could use with my iPod, electric guitar or anything else that had an audio/headphone output. This kit does that. The description from Maker SHED store follows:
A great-sounding, loud amplifier kit designed to easily fit in almost any box (cardboard or otherwise). It goes from solder station to stage in under 60µF!! Solder it up, cut out holes for the speaker and controls, and plug in your instrument!
Features
* 1/4″ Jack connects to most instruments (electric guitars, keyboards, theremins, etc)
* Highly portable – take the amp to your jam session, band practice, or the front porch!
* Simple installation in a box allows for easy enclosure customization
* Solders up quickly and easily
* Great for beginner “makers” and accomplished musicians alike
* Works with any center positive 9-volt power supply
* Can be modified to operate on a 9-volt battery
via Box Amplifier Kit.
What’s even better about this kit is, for a relatively low price ($29.95) and a little effort with a soldering iron, I get the satisfaction of having made it myself.
My assembly process.
Sunday afternoon, I finally unpacked all the parts, spread them out and got to work. Using the easy-to-follow How to Instructions I was able to assemble my amplifier in less than an hour. See some pictures of my assembly process below. In addition to the standard DC power jack that is for connecting to a “wall-wart” AC adapter, I added a 9-volt battery snap for portable use. After hooking up the power, I plugged in my electric guitar. Strumming a few notes, I smiled when I heard how much sound came out of that little speaker. Next, I connected the headphone output of my iPod to the amplifier. Again, even though monophonic, it sounded pleasantly full.
In search of …the perfect box.
The reason it’s called a box amplifier is simply because you have to find your own box to mount the amplifier and speaker in. Like the product description says, the assembled kit is intended to fit in almost any kind of box. But it needs to be housed in some kind of box for both protection and to provide the best sound. The kit came in the small cardboard box you see in my pictures with the big red “AMP” stamped on it. I think the stamp looks cool and I considered using that box, but after trying various placements of the speaker and circuit board inside, I decided against mounting it there. It was just a bit too small.
In Part 2 of this project, I’ll describe finding the perfect home for my new box amplifier. My goal is to use “found” materials for the enclosure. Nothing bought or manufactured. Something that can be reclaimed and re-purposed. In short, I’m in search of …the perfect box.
Pancake frustrations.
Two weekends ago, I was up early on a Saturday morning, getting started with my regular weekend routine. After having some coffee and messing around for an hour or two, I decided it was time for breakfast. Pancakes sounded like a good option. With a box of Bisquick from the pantry at hand, I threw together the standard pancakes recipe from Betty Crocker (found on the side of the Bisquick box).
While I was cooking the pancakes, I found I was having a tough time getting them to flip without the batter getting all smeared on the cooked side. I was getting frustrated with myself and wondering what I was doing wrong. I thought I was following the recipe on the box. It calls for three things: Bisquick, water and eggs. Turns out I forgot to add one of the ingredients. What’s funny is, I didn’t realize this until today, two weeks later, after glancing at the recipe on the box again.
Looking at my pictures that documented the final steps of cooking the batch of pancakes in question, can you guess which ingredient I forget?
Eggs. I forgot the eggs. I guess getting two out of three ingredients isn’t bad, right? And guess what? Although the pancakes were dense and not as airy as I’m used to, they still tasted surprisingly good.
It’s just pancakes.
The moral of this story is there is no using getting all worked up over the little mistakes and mess ups in life. An easy thing to say, I know. For me, it’s really hard to live up to this. I always seem to be my worst critic and I can get pretty grumpy when a recipe, project or plan doesn’t come together like I expect.
Since this pancake cooking experience, if I need to remind myself of this lesson and get some perspective when things don’t go according to plan, I’ve begun using my new mantra:
It’s just pancakes.
