#kludging

[bullshits-smut]

So I wanted to try my hand at doing custom gunpla shit. Started by chopping up and reposing one of the shitty little 8 dollar gunpla kits.

[vintage-tech]

A 1961 DIY version of a remote control TV mute button using a flashlight.

[dine-on-nervine]

Harbor Freight offers a vacuum tools set but it's unclear what kind of vacuum it's supposed to fit. No, really, they never say what models this was made to work with, and it's clearly not the obvious choice of the hand vacuum, surprisingly, since it'd be perfect.

So, being a hardware store drone, I threw together some PVC plumbing fittings to adapt between the hand vacuum they offer to the size of the tool set. Not visible in the photos is the O-ring I added to the vacuum's nozzle so the fitting fits, and that a bit of sanding inside the tool end of the adaptor was required for the set's attachment piece to fit in.

[ifiknewiwouldtellyou]

My department is in the processes of replacing some of systems with new software.*

Part of the early process in many, many meetings to talk about things like:

What does the system absolutely need to do so that we can do our jobs? What is our end goal?

What are our processes? How do we do each task?

Do they need to be done this way?

What data do we need to keep so that we can use it, what do we need to keep but archive, and what can we get rid of?

Okay, but seriously, does it really need to be done this exact way?

Me wondering if database structure, at its most basic level, is not as inherently sensible and intuitive as I think**

During one meeting a colleague was showing our processes for extracting large datasets to send to clients.

The person heading the system change later referred to it as "the grossest demo of large scale information requests."

So, it probably says a lot about my job that my response was that it wasn't so bad, the program didn't crash that time and it even took under an hour!

*that will eventually integrate 2-3 disparate systems and cut down on So. Much. duplication of work and data. And also let us stop forcing software that was made for a completely different purpose to, well, screw up less of our data than it could.

**basic, basic level. The level that you can diagram with tables and connections. I've only done introductory database work, but the way connections and tables are structured is sheer brain-candy-dopamine-hit-enticing

[abandonedby]

My first attempt at steampunkery! 

had a lot of fun making this, and I will definitely attempt more, as well as add on to this one.  

[sylviala-blog]

Found out about the Brazil-based Gambilogia artist collective via a blogpost in We Make Money Not Art.  Boing Boing has an excerpt from the article, which features images from the show "Gambiologos: Kludging in a Digital Era"