November 2016 – Mechanical Sympathy

VR: visualizing data and realizing potential

November 29, 2016 By Tim

I spent Saturday morning in the next town over demonstrating virtual reality systems at our board's Digital Saturday. We had a line up the whole time and put dozens of kids through their first VR experience. You get to see their first moments when they realize just how immersive this…

Fury Project: final drive & body panels

November 27, 2016January 17, 2017 By Tim

With the snow finally falling I've had time to start into the naked Concours project. The first thing that needed addressing was the final drive unit which was leaking from the inner seal. When the Clymers manual says you can do it but it's a big pain in the ass,…

Dreamtime Begins

November 27, 2016January 17, 2017 By Tim

You tend to see a lot more Photoshop post production during Dreamtime. The end of riding season means it's the beginning of Dreamtime. I shift from what I'm doing on a motorcycle to what I wish I were doing but can't. Things get fictional and funky. Instead of generating…

Riding on ice is hard

November 19, 2016January 24, 2017 By Tim

It dawned a cool, foggy morning on Thursday. If it's hard to take a photo of it I get very interested in trying to do it, and foggy, early morning weather is particularly difficult to photograph. I hustled out of the house to find the moist air particularly cold.…

Bleeding Edges

November 19, 2016 By Timothy King

Originally posted on Dusty World in 2014... One of the reasons I've always enjoyed computers is because I tackle them like an engineering problem to be solved. I'm less interested in using them as an appliance than I am as an experimental tool. My interest in machines generally leans this way:…

Rear hub gaskets & Moto Guzzi’s MGX21 Flying Fortress

November 17, 2016January 17, 2017 By Tim

I was at Two Wheel Motorsport yesterday dropping off the Concours' rear hub to get the inner gasket re-done. The rear hub comes off easily enough, but the Clymer's manual said that with the special tools required as well as how much a pain in the ass it is to…

Mid-November Last Gasps

November 15, 2016January 17, 2017 By Tim

The Tiger's still purring to the edge of winter! Mid November and I'm still commuting in to work! It was -2°C while riding past frost covered grass on the way in, but a comfortable 12°C and sunny on the way home. I should be able to two wheel it in…

ECOO16: the DIY approach protects you from the tyranny of technology

November 13, 2016January 26, 2018 By Tim

The perils of presenting last; you've got other things on your mind instead of what you planned to present, but it helped! By the time I got to my presentation in the last slot on Friday I was brain full, exhausted and not entirely sure I would be coherent. After…

ECOO 2016 Reflections: maker spaces and iteration

November 13, 2016February 11, 2017 By Tim

The maker movement isn't a fad to engage students. The people who believe in it live it. Back from the 2016 ECOO Conference, I've let things mull over for a couple of days before reflecting: On maker spaces... Last year's conference was very excited about Maker Spaces, and that…

Turning Tedium Into Adventure

November 5, 2016January 17, 2017 By Tim

It was actually warmer this month than it was last as I headed over to Erin for a monthly meeting. I thought I'd had my last ride then, but instead I'm still at it as November begins. The commute in to work starts before sunrise these days, it's often below…