miloš

Maple is such dense, hard wood. I thought I'd push it to its limits by trying to carve a wearable ring. I started with a thin slice from a branch I picked up from a neighbour's pile last summer. I used a 1" hole saw drill bit to cut out a circle from that slice, then did some whittling with my carving knife and a whole lot of fine sanding. Got it down to a perfect fit for my wife's ring finger and finished it with linseed oil. It was fun, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

This worked out... Felt nice to grow something in the hard freeze of winter. Made a tasty side dish, too.

The most satisfying thing I did on the weekend was taking the xmas tree out and cutting it into bits with clippers and a small hand saw. The needles and small branches I will use for mulch and compost in the garden. The larger pieces will contribute habitat and eventually become plant food as well. The best piece I will carve into a couple of ornaments for next year. Nothing wasted. Now I have my eye on my neighbours' discarded trees... 😂

Just re-read Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano after many years and found it just as fun as the first time around, also astonishingly relevant to current anxieties about the impact of AI on quality of life, democracy and economics. It was published in 1952! Highly recommend if you're looking for an entertaining and thought-provoking short novel.

Pretty clear and engaging overview of a topic which should be close to the hearts of nostr enthusiasts: Technology is Not Values Neutral https://consilienceproject.org/technology-is-not-values-neutral-ending-the-reign-of-nihilistic-design-2/