Keep My Fingers Away From That Blade

Many of us that work with table saws and wood have heard of the SawStop over recent years. It's a table saw that can sense when it's no longer cutting just wood, but is cutting flesh, and stops it self rather dramatically to protect your hands. Most of us have seen the videos that show what happens when a wiener is used as a substitute for a human finger to demo the SawStop. However, this was a new take on the demo video for me. Watch the video, it's worth a few minutes to see.

Winter Camping Gear List

This is an attempt to publish my winter camping gear list which I use Google Docs to keep in a spreadsheet format. You can view the real version here, where it should appear as a normal spreadsheet and will be kept up to date. I'm getting ready to head out on a couple of trips this winter so I've been getting my list in order.

Note that one could write a book chapter on some of the items on this list such as sleds, boots, tents, etc.

Individual Item Group Item Comments Cooking Stove X 1 per 4 people Matches & lighters X Everyone should have a few fire starting methods on hand, all the time Fuel X Fire starter X X Cooking grate/bars X Gloves X Leather gloves for handling pots, and working the fire. Pots X Pot lifter X Spatula X Dish soap X Warm in a pot of the warmed dishwater to use. For dishes - you may just scrape pots with snow to clean them. Pot scrubber X Dish towel X Food pails X Cutting board X can use lid of the food pail Tinfoil X Thermos X 1 per two people, can be used for hot drinks on the trail, have something hot and ready for the morning, etc. Cutlery X Plate/Bowl X

Insulated mug Camp Gear Tent X Included as individual item since each person needs to make sure they have shelter Ground sheet X Axe X 1 per 4 people, sharpened. Also useful for getting water through ice. Folding saw X 1 or 2 per 4 people Tarps X Rope X Snow shovel X 1 per 1 or 2 people Sleeping Bag System X Cold-weather bag suitable for the coldest weather. Could be a -12C bag plus an overbag, vapour barrier liner, fleece liner, etc. Sleeping pad X it's a good idea to double these up or use a shorter foam pad under a thermarest Big duffels/packs X Duct tape X Lantern X Good item for a group - it gets dark early so most cooking and many camp activities sill be done int the dark Flashlight or headlamp X If using a metal light - wrap end in duct tape if you are like me and occasionally use your mouth as 3rd hand to hold it. I usually bring a headlamp and a maglight with spare batteries for each. Maps X 1 full maps set per - or two people. Compass X Know how to use it. GPS X Does not replace compass and real maps. Plastic bags X

First aid kit X Kit sized for the group, multiple kits is better. Multitool &/or knife X I bring one of each. Toiletries X Don't bother with deoderant and toothpaste - it doesn't work well frozen. Toilet Paper X Sunscreen X Emergency blanket X Transportation: Snowshoes X Bring shoes appropriate for the conditions. If weight is not a major concern, I'll bring a smaller pair for camp/bush use Skis X I might also bring both skis & snowshoes, but usually just snowshoes now. Ski Poles X Even if snowshoeing, poles can be helpful. Sled/Pulk X Ideally with poles and some sort of harness system to help with hilly terrain. Personal Optional Gear Camera/tripod X Binoculars X Chair X Dependant on space/weight limitations, but some sort of device to sit on is good. Small foamie X For sitting on, kneeling on, standing on when changing footwear, etc. Notepad & Pencil X Alcohol X Dependant on space & weight. Remember alcohol decreases cold tolerance.

Medications/pain killers X Clothing Stuff: Boot System Winter boots with removable liners or whatever is going to work for you. Need something for trekking & also camp work, and evening use. Camp booties Heavy socks 1 or 2 pair Midweight socks 2 pair Liner socks Polypro or whatever Vapour Barrier Liners aka plastic bread bags to keep your feet from sweating up your boots, unless your boots breath or you can dry them out at night Jacket/Parka System Breathable shell & insulating layers, might be a separate parka for sitting around the fire and in the morning, or it might just be more layers. Anorak shells with a fur-ruffed hood are very popular. Sweaters I like wool. Multiple layers is good with a thin sweater and a thicker sweater Pants I like a good camping pant with lots of pockets Wool/fleece pants Insulating layer Shell pants Long undies (top & bottom) 2 pair of bottoms, a dry pair to put on in the evening and a pair for when sweating Underwear Scarf Scarf is the equivalent of Arthur Dent's towel. Neck Tube Toque I bring a thick wool toque and a thinner toque. Mitts & gloves I bring a few options

Polypro liner gloves Wool liner gloves Overmitts/Shell mitts Balaclava Ski goggles/sunglasses It's bright out there and you will damage your eyes without GOOD protection.

CAD Training Course 28 January 2010 Near Sydney

A special one-day progeCAD CAD training course will be held Thursday, 28 January 2010 in Newcastle, NSW Australia. Special pricing for this event in Australia should especially appeal to small businesses on the Australian East Coast. All materials needed for participating in the class will be provided upon arrival. The class will be divided into four sessions on basic and advanced design. Lunch will be catered for.

progeCAD is a powerful tool for AutoCAD-compatible CAD drawing. progeCAD offers most of the same commands and DWG file format support, but at a much lower cost compared to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT software. Recent years have also seen many customer-driven improvements in speed and flexibility. In 2009 progeCAD added in-place text editing, paper space sheet size display and 3D Google Earth model export. New buyers are now also enjoy a free upgrade to the 2010 version upon release. A 30 day trial version can be downloaded from CADDIT.

Newcastle Computer Training is centrally located on Wood Street, Newcastle NSW not far from major highways and public transportation. A wide choice of accommodation is also available. All software, hardware and needed training materials will be provided on site.

Specific questions about next class content material are being answered by CADDIT on (02) 8777 5588. Registration for progeCAD Training 2010 can be completed by phoning or by registering online at HERE at CADDIT.

Sun VirtualBox

I found this little gem before Christmas. I have been running Virtual PC for Windows for the last 12 months using it to test and try alpha and beta software. It was OK, but I found it a little slow especially in relationship to graphics. I could have gone down the route of Virtual Machine such as Parallels, but then it would required me to get my credit card out and its not something I use all the time on my works laptop.So a bit of Googling and I came up with Sun’s VirtualBox, although I am sure there are others out there as well. This is a free VM, details can be found here;

 http://www.virtualbox.org/.

I found it very easy to setup and within an hour or so I had it working with Windows 7 (64bit) with a Windows Vista (32bit) VM running.

The VM supports Direct X and OpenGL as well as the ability to connect USB devices.It seems to offer many of the features that Parrallels has to offer and it is supported on Windows, Mac and Linux. How bizarre would that be…to run Linux as your, host with a Windows VM running Revit???? So if you are looking for a free VM, its certainly worth trying out.

The Liquidlogic Coupe Series: Sit On Top Kayaks

The Coupe 10 and The Deuce Coupe 13

Its been nearly a year since we started working on the Coupe Series, two all-around Sit On Top kayaks that are versatile enough to be paddled in the lake, on the river, and at the beach. We have done several prototypes of each and taken the Coupes to all different types of watery environments for play that we call beta testing. We have also put them in the hands of all types of paddlers. Everyone from complete paddling beginners to grizzled veterans have jumped in the Coupes, but probably the most fun thing to see was how kids just love to play around in these multi-talented cruisers.

The girls having a great afternoon in the Coupe 10


Woody and Andy hanging out at the Lake in the Deuce Coupe



Sarah taking it out on whitewater

The idea for the development of these boats was to use the success of the Remix XP concept,
and design a sit on top kayak with the same versatile features. The Coupe series has the same simple retractable skeg system as the XP, a similar hull design with stability and ease of use as the main features, and comfort as the thing that keeps you coming back to this kayak.

The hull design on the Coupes is one that allows anyone to handle the boat easily on the water.
It has a fairly flat hull that gives it the ability to turn easily and it makes for a very stable boat. We set two channels deeply into the hull to alleviate stress on the scuppers, help with tracking, and create a stiffer hull. With the skeg up it spins on a dime so that you can maneuver in tight areas or spin quickly to catch a wave. If you drop the skeg down it tracks easily. Even an absolute beginner can paddle the Coupe straight. The bow sweeps up for climbing over swells in the ocean, or running rapids in the river and the soft rounded sidewalls give the Coupe Series an easy-to-paddle, stable, confident ride.
It surfs river waves!

You can't tip the thing over!

It surfs ocean waves!




After spending so much time working on, paddling, and watching others paddle this boat I was able to see many of the things that make a good sit on top or not. We put a lot of time and creative energy into the features of the Coupes.

• The molded in seat offers comfort even without using one of the three other seating options we offer.
• The skeg is simple, easy-to-use, and bomber.
• The molded-in footbraces are comfortable for all size paddlers.
• There is ample storage in the back of the boat as well as personal dry storage for each paddler.
• The molded-in handle in the back and luggage handle in the front provide strong comfortable grips to handle the boat.
• The Coupes come with a paddle holder that hold the paddle solidly in place.
• There are lots of good cup holders for any type of beverage you would like to take.
• (these were tested thoroughly by our R&D team)
• The Coupes stack perfectly for storage in the Garage or in the Store.
• We put in extra large scuppers for a couple reasons, they are much stronger, and drain the water very quickly.
• You can also use the large scuppers and molded-in handle as an easy lock up point.

We have also developed a few accessories to go with the Coupes.

• Three different seat accessory options including Bad Ass Outfitting.
• Thigh straps for added control.
• Storage areas are designed to work with several of our Water Trail cooler and storage bags.
• And my personal favorite accessory: a wheel for the back of the boat for easy one-person transport even on the Deuce Coupe.

It'll go where ever you want to go

The Coupes have been shipping the last month and are shipping all over the world so check'em out!


Here's a bunch of shots from the past year in the Coupes


For more info go to the Coupe pages on the Liquidlogic website.
Here are the links.
Click Here For The Coupe 10
Click Here For The Deuce Coupe

Cheers
Shane

Four Myths about PTC Pro/ENGINEER 3D CAD

1. Pro/ENGINEER seems harder to use
All CAD software has some learning curve, and requires some training to use correctly. The more functionality software offers, the more that there is to learn about it (claims to the contrary usually have less to to with engineering design and more to do with clever marketing). Jeffrey Rowe, Editor at MCADCafe writes regarding the latest Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire release:

"Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0, is a refreshing continuation of 4.0 Instead of again just piling on an additional zillion new features and capabilities that relatively few designers use, PTC (like some of its competitors) chose to improve Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 in other ways that matter to most customers, namely, software stability, better consistency across modeling functions, and promotion of more efficient work flows."

Three examples of this expressed in business are PowerSki (USA), Hayter (UK), Haald Engineering (Australia) Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5 further updated its 2D detail drawing interface with a familiar "command ribbon", similar to many other Windows applications. Pro/ENGINEER also holds a tradition of delivering more control over the final design than competing systems. And, unlike many bloated CAD systems today, much of Pro/ENGINEER is still leanly coded using C language.

2. Pro/ENGINEER doesn't support surface modelling
False. Simply put, Pro/ENGINEER has supported parametric surface modelling for years, with no additional license required to create parametric surface models. PTC tightly integrates surface machining with its manufacturing software.

3. I heard Pro/ENGINEER is really expensive
"For those still in the 2D realm and looking to switch, one thing worth considering is that Pro/Engineer is often perceived as an expensive option, particularly when you consider the price erosion in the mainstream market. This is not really the case anymore and the starting costs are comparable to its competition" - Al Dean, MCADonline.

In Australia, Pro Engineer is being offered at prices lower that its mainstream market competitors, CATIA and Unigraphics NX, perhaps Autodesk. In fact, a recent study in the Australian market found the total cost of ownership for Pro/Engineer to be lower than many mid-range products including Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks.


4. Pro/ENGINEER can't collaborate
Nothing could be further from the truth. Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire was designed from the start to make use of web technology. Pro/ENGINEER was the first CAD solution to be enabled for social product development. Wildfire offers file import/export including both ACIS & Parasolid, as well as Autodesk Inventor import and more. Windchill, ProductLink, ProjectLink and PTC ProductPoint PDM for Microsoft Office Sharepoint server are all examples of Pro/ENGINEER design team support.

As of 2010, CADDIT will be joining PTC a Pro/ENGINEER Reseller in Australia. For more information, we can be contacted per phone, fax, email, etc as shown HERE.

Blogs need vacations, too

We're taking a few weeks off. Check back in mid-January.