KNIKKERBAAN WATERWHEEL
Always fun to get a present with Christmas. This time a marble waterwheel construction set.
I took me some time (one long day) to finisch. And honestly I made some wrong choices that cast me additional time to finish it.
(2023-12-25)
GEOMATRIC ARTWORK USING ICE STICKS
A new project this year to uphold the tradition to create something new each year. This time a geometric artwork using ice cream sticks
REVELL - APOLLO 12
Years ago one of my hobbies was building models. Fun to just pick that up again and create a few.
CREATING A WOODEN DISPLAY STAND FOR MY COMMODORE
One of the things I was looking at was a better way of showing the Retro collection.
On the internet I was searching for different solutions and found a lot that where created by 3D printing or created by acrylic material.
Not something that I could create or way to expensive. So I just created a few stands using the jigsaw.
DVD CABINET
To create an efficient cabinet to store my dvd/blueray collection using limited space I designed a dvd carousell cabinet.
For each level in the cabinet I used the same crosshaped form
Those I stacked with a square layer in between
To form a tower
TABLET STAND MADE FROM WOOD
To organize the tablets, e-readers a bit I created a very simple tablet stand. Just a piece of wood that in which I created some cuts on the tablesaw.
CHRISTMAS DECORATION (2020)
Let's do it again. Create a simple jigsaw reindeer decoration.
CHRISTMAS DECORATION (2015)
This year I created a reindeer using parts of a branch and some coper wire.
CHRISTMAT DECORATION (2021)
A tradition of some sort is to creat a simple Christmas decoration item. This year a paper and wire reindeer.
GARDEN BENCH
During the Corona period I had some more time to spend at home so an project that I did was this wooden garden bench.
First created the frame parts and then connected that all together.
PELICAN TO THE RESQUE - VECTORIZE A PENCIL SCETCH
2015 - When working on the Pelican game I was experimenting on how to digitize my Hero. In the 8-bit period I was creating sprites it was simpler as less was possible.
I tried different techniques, using a tablet, drawing in vectors directly on the PC. Drawing in pencil is something that feels much more natural then creating it digitally.
For me the following steps works best.
1. Start with a pencil drawing/sketch
2. Finalize the drawing using a soft black drawing pen (using a lightbox)
3. Using a scanner to digitize the image
4. Importing it into Inkscape and use the "trace bitmap" function to vectorize the image
5. Using layers to add colours
6. Export in any required format (for example png)
Here an enhangement to show difference between a bitmap and the vectorized image.
COLUMBO - JUST ONE MORE THING
2018 - Over time some items related to Columbo came on my path. It all started by buying the DVD collection BOX. Recently I bought some cigar straps that reminded me on my grandfather that always smoked cigars and then we collected the cigar straps that where on those cigars to be glued into scrap books. During a couple of years without a plan more and more items related to Columbo found their way to me and a small collection started to grow.
The book "Just One More Thing", Peter Falk - This book is walking you through his live as an actor, his private live, behind de scenes during his professional working period. Small interesting facts like the one that he wanted to work for the CIA. This book is not a page turner, you read some chapters, put it aside and pick it up to continue reading the next part. At least that is my experience of this book.
It al started by watching the series when I was a child. The series started in 1968 I then was 1 year old so I think I start watching the reruns sometime in the eighties. Recently I watched all 12 seasons during the weekends. It was fun to watch them as there where always some state of the art technical gadgets involved in the series like a video recorder, answering machine, electronic type writer.. At present time relics from the past of course and some people don't now even what a typewriter is anymore, and second knowing who the murderer is at start an than following his reasoning to the end relaxing to watch.
In Italy in a small toy-store I stumbled on the famous car. This I could not resist to buy as a small souvenir. The Peugeot 403 Cabriolet.
DOWNUNDER
April-2017; A trip away from the Netherlands, in this case also a special trip not a place where you go every day. In this case Melbourne. Not a bad place to go-to for a business trip.
What is also special is that this country always has a special place for my father in his stories of the time he lived here and also that we almost emigrated here in the 80s. Strict approval then ensured that this did not take place.
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES
Looking to the stars.. that is an interest I have from early on. This year I even went to a course of Gover Schilling.
In April of 2016 I gave myself a course in astronomy as a gift. These were a few evenings in which Govert Schilling spoke about various topics.
What also made it extra fun for me is that he also gave nice lectures in my youth when I was still a member of the JWG. This was a youth association for astronomy.
It was fascinating to follow the different evenings on which Govert spoke and to hear different topics such as history, telescopes, constellations, the planets and of course a subject like the Big Bang. It was all discussed in a fun lively way.
This also fitted in with an effort of myself to do something every year that is not directly work related.
For example, in 2015 I followed some workshops for assembling a media center with a Raspheri pi 3 and Kodi software and the year before that a game making course.
So for this year I have to come up with a nice topic.
HALL OF FAME
2016 - It's almost two years ago that I started to run. The road from couch potato to being an enthusiastic runner.
On every event that I joined a start number or memorial medal was put to my collection. Now I found a way to show them in my personal hall of fame and sticked them to a bord.
After a visit to the local supply shop I bought a small MDF piece of wood (120×60 cm) and some materials to put this to the wall.
And then it went a little out of control I think
CREATING A
So.... To refer to the old Pipi Longstocking slogan "I've never done it before so I think I can do it".. This time designing and changing the small front-garden of my house.
First look for racks and methods to bind them together. Finally I found galvanized racks just at the Praxis. These panels of 180×90 wire panels seemed suitable to me and I expected to be able to easily cut them to size.
Second chalange was to find clamps or something to connect them together and also spacers to prevent them from bending apart when filling the wire baskets.
After some research on the internet, I saw that different methods were used to make the hives. Some used kind of metal staples but what I found a nice solution is the clip. You can squeeze these with special pliers.
SPEAKER STANDS
For some time I was thinking about a good sollution to place my speakers on a stand. Could not find anyting to my liking so decided to create them myself.
I did have some doubts about whether I could make it sturdy enough without it looking very pompous or heavy.
See the images for the measurements that I experimentaly chosen for my speakers.
I experimented and came to the following sizes are used with an angle chosen so that weight is well distributed and the position does not fall forward or backward but kept well balanced by the weight.
CREATING A TV WALL
This summer I was more or less confined to stay at home, due to the Corona period. So I started an idea that I had in my head for a long time. Completely change the TV / audio set-up On the internet various ideas of TV walls gave me some inspiration.
These wall ideas have certainly helped to create my own design. In this design I first thought about making the base cabinets completely by myself, but then noticed an Ikea system Besta.So modding Ikea it became.
A lot of measurements later.. The solution became to make a long base cabinet with Besta cabinets of different depths and to make a fram on the wall to create some depth for the TV to fall into the wall.
The Besta cabinet was lacking some dept needed to fit the audio equipment in. By removing the back of the Besta cabinet, more space was created behind the equipment for cabling also.
The wall covering itself is made of normal laminate that you lay on the floor. There are also special wall panels available, but they are a lot more expensive and this also works fine.
CHRISTMAS DECORATION
To stay a bit in the tradition i created a small Chrismas decoratin.This time a wireframe.
On Pinterest, you can spend hours browsing and crafting ideas. This time a small craft project. Wire model wrap with crepe paper and fill with printed music motif on paper.
By drawing a moose on a piece of wood, it is easy to bend with wire (electricity wire) and keep the shape.
RETROBRIGHT - SECOND TRY
The first Retrobright project I tried it on a Commodore Mouse. This was rahter successful first try. So I decided preform it on a Commodore 64c 64c.
It was a quite yellowed one and especially the key's of the keyboard.
So first disassembled the computer and removed all the key's using a ic puller. After some sunlight the result was pretty nice.
PELICAN TO THE RESQUE
Another project I did a few years ago was programming this small game.
After more than 30 years I was wondering if I could still create a game like I did in the eighties.
I start playing around with game-maker, now known as YoYo game studio.
Great fun again to learn, create graphics and think about game design again.
See here the result.