Unknown Materials!

I saw a UFO, once. I was going north on I-70 outside of Pittsburgh and suddenly there was a gleaming shape in the sky, reflecting light, receeding slowly from me. It looked sort of conical and had a pair of leg-like things at the bottom, and blade-like things from the sides which curved down slightly.

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And Now For Something Completely … I’m Not Even Sure

I’m kind of a nexus of weird among a largeish circle of computer security people, photographers and artists, and bladesmiths. That means that when something comes along that is a bit off the beaten track, there’s a good chance it gets forwarded to me. This little gem hit my in-box yesterday afternoon and I’m still playing with it and scratching my head.

I’ll make a few comments about it and I’ll offer my opinion and some thoughts at the end, if you’re concerned about spoilers just read down to the divider. The comment section is open for spoilers, so fire away; I’d like to hear your thoughts on this stuff.

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How To Vaccum Chuck

I think I am beginning to understand a thing: there are certain lathe accessories that are strictly “build your own” because making them for sale would be difficult (given machine compatibility) and legally dangerous. You’re not going to make any money selling a low-margin piece of tooling because your first customer who doesn’t read the directions and winds up with a chunk of resin sticking out of their forehead, well, there goes your promising career as a toolsmith.

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