Dremel + CNC

A relatively new coworker (software engineer/Linux guy) brought in his homemade Dremel/stepper motor mill. Very cool. It got me Googling (too many projects ahead of this one, but it is never too early to start learning...) :)

Instructable: https://www.instructables.com/id/20-CNC-Machine/

Homemade DIY CNC Machine using Stepper Motors, Dremel, and LinuxCNC:

http://www.lirtex.com/robotics/diy-cnc-machine/

While we're at it, let's take a look at EVERYTHING Instructables has under Dremel + CNC:
https://www.instructables.com/howto/dremel+cnc/

Fire and Ice (Cream)

So between a son-in-law who loves hot sauce (on just about everything) and a coworker who is interested in consuming and growing the fiery peppers (including the infamous Carolina Reaper) I have gotten a bit more into hot sauces.

I'm a fan of Sriracha and Tapatio. I recently was "turned-on" to Tabasco Habanero sauce. The aforementioned coworker also alerted me to the fact that the Grand Island Hy-Vee was stocking a great sauce called "Pain 85%".

I've also recently learned of a Fermented Hot Sauce group on Facebook, which I've joined but not yet really explored. But it is A Thing!

On the other end of the spectrum: ICE (cream) making - that journey was begun when I found a new-in-the-box Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker at a garage sale for $10. That led me to groups, books, etc. My first ice cream was a Chocolate Sriracha that I thought worked quite well (already blurring the lines a bit between Fire & Ice). Making your own ice cream costs a lot more than buying it, but it has an entertainment value and is fun to do with the granddaughter. (We last made a nice "Philadelphia Style" ice cream with smashed up frozen Reese's Pieces in it. It was a delicious soft serve in a cone!)

So this post is covering both extremes because I found something interesting today that can share a commonality between hot sauces and ice cream: Chia Seeds! This Saveur article: "Use Chia Seeds as an Easy, No-Fuss Thickener for Homemade Hot Sauce and Purees" outlines how Chia seeds soften and swell, absorbing up to 30 times their weight in water. This helps prevent separation of a solution, such as hot sauce, keeping pureed veggies and spices evenly distributed in the liquid base. Something similar is done in industrial cooking with Xanthan Gum.

Now I had heard of Xanthan Gum being used in ice cream making, as well. So I wondered if anyone was using Chia Seeds in a similar way. Googling this, I found several articles on making a "gel" out of the Chia seeds. In short,
The basic rules are:

• A ratio of about a tablespoon of chia to half a cup of liquid makes a thickish gel.  It’s not as thick as jello (jelly) but more like a sago pudding in thickness and texture.
• The seeds need to soak in the liquid for about 10 minutes for them to jellify.
• The mix needs whisking or it will clump.   I found whisking at the beginning, once or twice in the middle and again at the end of the setting period worked perfectly.
• Chia has such a mild flavour that it will take on the flavour of the liquid (but this means if the liquid doesn’t have much flavour then you’ll probably want to add some other kind of flavouring).

Since this works with any liquid, I thought about using it with the milk (like cocunut milk), or other dairy product in ice cream making. That this should work was made pretty clear by this recipe for a Chia seed pudding, which TASTES like ice cream! One can also make things like "Chia Coconut Pudding Popsicles", which blur the lines. Then I found a recipe for "Chia Seed Ice Cream" , "Chia Seed & Banana Ice Cream" and also "Chocolate Chia Ice Cream!"



Note to self: It is easy to misspell Chia and Chai.




I'm also going to leave this link to an scientific paper entitled:
 "Optimization of the Mucilage Extraction Process from Chia Seeds and Application inIce Cream as a Stabilizer and Emulsifier" for later reading/analysis.

After more than 10 long years: We're ba-aaack!

I've decided to restart this blog with a wider scope of topics. While I am still interested in the night sky (and will post a couple of images that I have taken in the past that you may enjoy) I'm also interested in a great many other things and I will always enjoy learning new things. I have many interests in my life and I think it is wrong to call most of the "hobbies". The line I like to use is that "I collect hobbies" but it really isn't about a hobby as much as it is in understanding things better.

For example: Sourdough bread making. It is not news to point out that bread has been a staple of humans diet for millenia. These days, we mostly pay somebody else to bake it for us. However, it isn't Rocket Surgery. And being in control of the ingredients (down to milling the flour or rye from grain) can be both fun, educational, satisfying AND nutritional. Does doing it myself make it a "hobby" on the same time-wasting/consuming level as model railroading? (No offense to you model railroad enthusiasts out there). I don't think so!

 Similarly, the beverages that we consume are endlessly interesting, starting with COFFEE. Home coffee roasting is simple, with a hot air corn popper (albeit only a 1/2 cup of green coffee beans at a time). I'm interested in roasting bigger quantities and so have begun construction of both a 1 lb propane drum coffee roaster and a 5 lb electric fluid-bed roaster. Tangental to this endeavor is PID control and data acquisition/logging, which involves learning a bit about those devices and some electronics along the way. Mead making interests me, as well and requires a lot less equipment than home beer brewing (which I have done, but left behind, selling all of my equipment).

  3D Printing has come down to a price point that bring it to the (nerdy) masses. The skills needed to tune a 3D printer, design 3D objects, and actually manufacture whatever you want/need out of PLA or ABS could be endlessly practical - not just a time-wasting "hobby". I have a Wanhao i3 Duplicator that I will hopefully be discussing going forward.

In short, I remain interested in just about everything in the known universe, on a rotating basis. I often get started on one thing only to be "distracted" by something new I learn. I will get back to the unfinished interest eventually! This blog is going to help document those new things that I learn and give me a way to keep track of the different "threads" that I find interesting or am exploring. You are welcome to "come along for the ride"! Share your thoughts and questions.

Astronomy Challenges for the Novice Observer

I realize that the advertisements in the astronomy magazines make you want to go out and immediately make a telescope purchase, but if you are new to the hobby/obsession you would be well-served to hold off on that major purchase for a bit.

There is much that you can do without that telescope that will be fun and educational, as you learn more about astronomical observing and your own particular interests. A great place to start is The Novice Astronomer Observing Challenges Handbook (PDF) available as a free download from the Irish Federation of Astronomical Society (IFAS).

It is described as "A Self-contained Handbook and Logbook for the Novice Astronomer" and contains excellent exercises (called "Your mission:") from the relatively simple (Record the Moon's Phases) to the intermediate (Tracking the Planets) to the more complex (Record an Occultation, and Record a Comet).

Along the way you will learn to chart your way around the stars and learn about atmospheric phenomenon. This is a great place to start, for budding astronomers of any age!

Make Your Own Planisphere

A planisphere is a simple device that shows you where the constellations are, in your night sky, for any time/date combination. (Due to the way the earth orbits the sun, a different portion of the night sky is visible during different times of the year).

You can purchase planisphere's but it is also fun and easy to make your own. First, you will need to select the correct hemisphere (northern or southern). Then, to be the most accurate, you will also need to know what latitude you are nearest. The middle of the U.S. (for example) is latitude 40° - the Kansas-Nebraska border.

Here are a couple of links to sites with printable planispheres and instructions for assembling them. You may find it handy to use them along with the Star Maps for Beginners book I recommended earlier:

• Planisphere 1 (40°, 45°, or 50° N)


• Planisphere 2 (wide range of latitudes, N or S)


• Planisphere 3 (40° to 50° N)

Planispheres are not only used by beginners, however. Even major observatories have them on hand, to assist in knowing what portion of the sky is visible at any given time and date.

If you are a Windows PC user, there is also a nifty program for creating and printing planispheres that works for a large range of latitudes (25-80 N or S !!!) It is also available with language translations for: French, Dutch, Italian, and Africkaans. (How cool is that?) Get it here: http://nio.astronomy.cz/om/.

Learning the Constellations

The first step in learning to find your way around the night sky is to learn some "sign posts". The ancients divided the sky up into numerous constellations, but you can get started by learning just a couple of them. This interactive web site will get you on your way: http://www.quietbay.net/Science/astronomy/nightsky/. In just a few minutes you will learn to identify the constellations of Orion, the Big Dipper (which technically is only a portion of the constellation Ursa Major), and Cassiopeia. You will also learn to identify two major stars: Polaris (the North Star) and Betelgeuse (pronounced "beetle-juice"). You'll also learn to recognize a planet in the night sky. It is a very good exercise to get you started.

Now that your appetite is whetted, here's a more comprehensive site on Learning the Constellations.

Learning on the computer is a great way to get started, but it is no substitute for getting out under the night sky and finding the constellations for yourself, so make sure to take some time to look at the night sky itself!

Put Your Checkbook Back in Your Pocket

Let's face it: We are all well-trained to be consumers. When we get interested in something, our first inclination is to BUY something (like a shiny telescope, maybe?). But most amateur astronomers will tell you that it is a lot wiser to wait a while to buy equipment. There are some very good reasons for that:

1) Your interests may go in an altogether different direction. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe you at an age where you are discovering all kinds of cool things for the first time and still discovering what REALLY gets you going. No sense making a big investment in something that might be gathering dust in a closet before long!

2) You may find that you enjoy astronomy with binoculars even better than astronomy with a telescope. You can see a lot of interesting objects using binoculars. Their wide field views make finding objects much easier than the relatively-more-difficult (narrower field) telescope.

3) Even if you decide on a telescope, there are different kinds (designs), sizes, and price ranges. You might buy a cheap scope that turns out to be a frustrating experience to use. (You don't have to spend "an arm and a leg" but let's make sure that it is money well-spent!

This is true even of BOOKS. I highly recommend that you buy books, don't get me wrong. But I also highly recommend that you check them out from a library before deciding which to purchase. If your library does not have a book you want, ask them about Inter-library Loans. Most libraries will happily get the book you want from another library - and chances are good that SOMEBODY has it.

If you live in a town that has a college or university, don't forget to check out what the campus library may have on the subject of astronomy. I was amazed at what our small state library had available!