Just a little picture

December 20, 2006

Repairing a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Pressure Cooker

Model number 3343. Worn out emergency relief valve (the gasket eventually gets brittle). Desultory google search fruitless. Called Seattle's City Kitchens where it was purchased.

They said to call Culinary Parts:
866.727.8435

They said call Kuhn Rikon directly:
800.662.5882

They said to call Shar's Kitchen:
800.714.3391

Price: $18.95 with shipping.

This is here so I will be able to search for it in the future if I need the information again.

Update: The part is called Valve SI, number 1565.

Posted by Charles at 02:26 PM

December 17, 2006

What Rock is

Or, what the Internet is.

Greatest music video ever.

Posted by Charles at 03:40 PM

December 13, 2006

Erratum

If you have a copy of Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen, turn to page 18 ("Cabbage and Leek Gratin"). With a black permanent marker, do that thing they do with sensitive government documents so that all the words are redacted.

Posted by Charles at 10:22 PM

Yes, the plane does take off

I thought we were finished with this thought experiment about a plane on a treadmill, but it has raised its head again recently. Fortunately, Dr. Paul J. Camp of the Spelman College Department of Physics presents the most concise explanation I have read thus far:

I solved this problem in literally less than five seconds by drawing a free body diagram. Anybody who didn't do that as a first step shouldn't be playing the physics game. There is an upward normal force from the road, a downward gravitational force and (eventually) an upward lift force. As long as the plane remains on the ground, these balance because the vertical component of acceleration is zero so the vertical component of the net force is zero. There is a thrust force from the exhaust pushing the engines (yes, I said that right -- Newton's third law) that points horizontally forward, and there is friction backward. What form of friction? The wheel is not sliding or tending to slide on the conveyor belt because the belt moves along with it so there is only rolling friction and it is quite small, certainly smaller than the thrust or the plane wouldn't get off the ground even without a conveyor belt. Add the vectors. The net force is forward, so the acceleration is forward (Newton's second law). All else is math.

Posted by Charles at 03:23 PM

December 10, 2006

Peroba

More pictures added to slideshow of mantel project. Reclaimed peroba flooring stock purchased from RE Store. About peroba wood.

Posted by Charles at 11:52 AM

December 04, 2006

In any event

OK, this has been bugging me for years. I have noticed a strange usage in the New Yorker time after time, but I have never been able to stay organized enough to keep track of which page of which issue it occurs on at any one time and so it slips by me until I notice it again in another issue and get all worked up again. Now, thanks to newyorker.com and google, I can finally search for things across multiple articles and issues.

Below are links to New Yorker articles with examples of this usage that so vexes me (I found them by doing a google search with these terms: "in the event" site:newyorker.com):

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060501fa_fact

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/061002fa_fact

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/061106crbo_books

http://www.newyorker.com/critics/books/articles/061120crbo_books

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/061204fa_fact?page=2

In any of the articles, use the find/search feature of your browser to look for the phrase "in the event." Observe how the phrase is used in each case. You may need to read a few sentences for context.

I usually think of that phrase as being used in a manner like, "in the event of a severe storm, check with local authorities for road conditions." Or, "in the event that you become separated from your party, please use the white courtesy phone." It's a phrase that is pretty much always followed by "of" or "that" in any examples I can think of.

So what is this phrase supposed to mean in this context? Is this alternative usage something relatively new, or is it a normal usage that I just don't understand? Why have I never seen it anywhere else other than the New Yorker? It seems like it sort of means something like the phrase, "in any event," sometimes. Or does it?

I'll leave comments turned on until the comment-spammers get here....

Update: And forgive me if your comment doesn't show up right away; I have some setting turned on where I have to approve them first, which means I have to log in and actually notice they are pending....

Posted by Charles at 06:14 PM | Comments (2)

December 01, 2006

PowerBook Freezing Follow-up

A follow-up to this post about PowerBook freezes: I have never had a problem since implementing my yogurt-lid repair. So my problem really must have been mechanical rather than software-related. In case anyone cares. (Inspired by the discussions here and here.)

Posted by Charles at 08:26 PM






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