Something Random

[ddrueding]

If you don't already owna mower, it's a fine time to opt into a lawn care service. Especially if you live in an area where a mower won't be used 12 months a year, the mower would take a long time to pay for itself.

 

[Handruin]

Now that I have my own lawn, I don't mind going out there and walking around. It's good exercise, and I enjoy trying to make it look nice, if only for myself. The only downside I see with a lawn care service (aside from cost) is that you're at the mercy of their schedule. I don't think it's that big a deal though.

 

[Pradeep]

A push or self propelled is what I'm after Buck. We're only talking about 1/4th of an acre.

Thanks for the info on the blowers, my only requirement apart from it being two-stage is that it has remote shute control, I hate having to wind a freaking lever to change throw direction Ideally the whole thing would be remote controlled and I could control it from inside the house. Tho things could get dicey if it went troppo!

 

[Will Rickards]

Mowing the lawn isn't the problem for me.
It is battling the crab grass/weeds.
This spring we've decided to plow it all and reseed.
Lawn service? You think we are made of money

 

[ddrueding]

Broadband Bliss: T-1 -> Cisco Router <-Crossover Cable-> this laptop

:mrgrn:

 

[Mercutio]

Try browsing the internet from an OC-48 in an Exodus datacenter. I kinda liked being on the same collision domain as playboy.com.

 

[ddrueding]

When I worked for CNet in SF my office was next door to a mirror of Download.com, it was nice having that locally. I dont know what the broadband connection was, but it was faster than my hard drive.

 

[Pradeep]

So I have joined the legion of obsessed Americans and fertilised my lawn today. No real idea what crabgrass looks like, but Step 1 of my 4-step program promises to rid me of the evil. Only took about 15 minutes with my trusty rotary spreader. Now I await the rain and results. Step 2 commences June/July.

Any one else tinkering in the green stuff?

 

[Buck]

I don't have a lawn.

 

[Handruin]

I try, but the crab grass has won. I need to mow my lawn...err, rather pick out all the weeds. I should probably try some of the steps with turf builder.

 

[ddrueding]

I have never before done any kind of charity work or even really believed in any of the purposes they claim to represent. However tonight I was the moment of truth for something I've been working on for several months; a casino night fundraiser for the relay for life. We earned about $35,000...not bad really. Afterwards I and the other sponsor got roaring drunk...bedtime...

PUI

 

[Pradeep]

I try, but the crab grass has won. I need to mow my lawn...err, rather pick out all the weeds. I should probably try some of the steps with turf builder.

Problem with crabgrass is that once it's established it can't be killed with a broadleaf herbicide such as the one included in Step 2 or similar. Step 2 will get rid of the dandelions tho. Perhaps something like this:

http://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/even...t/documentId/923185a847f154bc27fa9d3cd135f32e

They also have a concentrate for tank sprayers, for larger areas.

Next spring, put down step 1 early enough and it will prevent any crabgrass from germinating.

 

[Mercutio]

http://r4nt.com/v5/article/120/

 

[LunarMist]

Huh?

 

[i]

I tried to follow the links for all 3 movies...

1. ia108642.us.archive.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

2. ia108609.us.archive.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

3. ia108602.us.archive.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

... is it just this stupid ISP of mine?

 

[ddrueding]

It's too warm here. I moved my workbench out to the deck so I could watch the sailboats while I worked, but now the patch of fluffy cloud that had provided shade has blown by, and now I'm subjected to the 73F (23C) temperature directly...I think I'll go get a hat.

 

[Mercutio]

I tried to follow the links for all 3 movies...

1. ia108642.us.archive.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

2. ia108609.us.archive.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

3. ia108602.us.archive.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

... is it just this stupid ISP of mine?

Apparently. The links work for me.

For those of you who don't go to the movies regularly, the MPAA has these cute little PSAs about how downloading hurts the "little guys" in the movie industry - the gaffers and best boys and craft services people.

Of course, the MPAA doesn't mention the fact that you can pay for 500 extra peons for every million you cut out of Keanu "Waste of an Orgasm" Reeves' salary, but I guess that requires more thinking than a studio executive is prepared to do.

The parody ads I linked to are "Downloading Hurts Zombies", "Downloading Hurts Script-Doctors" and "Downloading Hurts Fluffers".

 

[Buck]

It's too warm here. I moved my workbench out to the deck so I could watch the sailboats while I worked, but now the patch of fluffy cloud that had provided shade has blown by, and now I'm subjected to the 73F (23C) temperature directly...I think I'll go get a hat.

Yup, my patio umbrella came in handy this weekend when I lounged around outside eating lunch, snacking on some chips and salsa, reading some magazines.

 

[Mercutio]

I work in a windowless office!
A windowless office with no ventilation system.
A windowless office with no ventilation system at the end of a hallway that ends at a blank wall.
A windowless office with no ventilation system at the end of a hallway that ends at a blank wall with no sprinkler outlets.
It's always at least 85 degrees (I have four computers running at all times) in my windowless office with no ventilation system at the end of a hallway that ends at a blank wall with no sprinkler outlets, but at least I'm safe from harmful UV radiation or a possible Republican attack that uses air-borne chemical or biological agents. Fire, though, could be a bit of a problem.

 

[Buck]

I'm within a few miles of a nuclear power plant. :drnk:

 

[Handruin]

I went to the Dr's for a checkup. I also mowed my lawn yesterday (it needs help). It wasn't that warm, but nice outside. I was eaten by dozens of bugs as I tried to clean out a section of our backyard which collects water (enough water where two ducks come to play...I have pictures and video to prove it). The water dried up and left nasty green moldy leaves which needed to be removed. As i started raking the crap out, the bugs came out of no where.

I also cleaned my cat carrier which had urine in it. Zelda had to be spayed, and she peed on the way home from the vet (poor girl). It was a 45 minute drive with tasty urine smell in the car...yum. She was groggy and sore from the operation, and her fur was covered in urine. She tried to clean her belly and tail, but couldn't reach because the incision was hurting her when she would bend over. We had a smelly cat for a few days. We tried to help wash her down, but it was stressing her out.

 

[LunarMist]

The parody ads I linked to are ... "Downloading Hurts Fluffers".

Yikes! Maybe it is better that I could not download from the link.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm within a few miles of a nuclear power plant. :drnk:

I used to work in several. They are really nice compared to coal plants.

 

[Mercutio]

Yikes! Maybe it is better that I could not download from the link.

Only naughty words. The video is sans boobage.

 

[Handruin]

Anyone notice something funny in that picture? I noticed it this morning when I shared my pictures with some friends. At the time I took the picture, I never noticed.

 

[Mercutio]

Looks like you have a helper!

My cats help me build computers, too. Sometimes by standing in the empty cases, sometimes by smacking my tube of silver compound off my workbench and off to someplace where I cannot find them. My cats are very helpful.

 

[Handruin]

She helped to make things more confusing. I had scews on the floor that she loved to go after. She would try to bite the bags that the screws came in. When she felt ignored, she would lay ontop of something I would need. She even tried to bite my screw driver.

 

[ddrueding]

I just fired all my employees at the game center. Now there is just my manager and myself. I've put him on salary and have changed the hours so I only work 2 shifts a week with him taking the rest. Should be interesting.

 

[Pradeep]

Hoiw many hours a week is he going to be working? I'm assuming you have given him a position that is "exempt"

I spent the arvo sprayin Ortho Weed b' Gone Max on the lawn. Death to all dandelions!

 

[Stereodude]

Anyone notice something funny in that picture? I noticed it this morning when I shared my pictures with some friends. At the time I took the picture, I never noticed.

Are those thermaltake fans really quiet?

From the specs they're really quiet, but they still are spec'd to move a lot of air. I was curious if they really performed or if it was all BS.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

...Any one else tinkering in the green stuff?

Every few years or so, I will apply a bag of Scotts TurfBuilder for Saint Augustine Grass -- which is a lightweight sort of fertiliser with a broadleaf weed killer. I use the smallest Scotts spreader they make. I recall it costing US$15.99.

Yes, it takes more time to apply a bag of whatever with this dinky spreader, but I rarely ever use it and I don't want something that I rarely use taking up space in the garage.

I don't particularly need the fertiliser, instead I'm after dollarweed control.

Dollarweed

If I notice other weeds, such as dandelion, I just pull them. If you keep at it EVERY WEEK without fail, diligently pulling weeds as they begin to sprout out, you can turn the tide after a few months. However, if your soil is so poor that it can only sustain weed growth, then you are in a different predicament. Your only choice then is to bring in some topsoil and go from there.

Unfortunately, dollarweed is so small and grows so fast that one could spend days trying pull up this friggin' crap from an average sized lawn, only to have it growing again back where you began pulling the stuff. I try and let my grass grow tall each time before cutting during the months of February ~ June, so that any possible dollarweed growth is shielded from the sun it needs to grow. Unfortunately, about once every 3 or 4 years it somehow gets a jump on me and I have to use the Scotts TurfBuilder for Saint Augustine Grass.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

Congrats Pradeep! I just got a lawn mower a few weeks back. I bought a craftsman 6.75 HP Tecumseh mulch, side, and bagger with self propel. So far no complaints. I would have liked a honda, but they cost a small fortune.

I use a Black & Decker ELECTRIC lawnmower.

I also use a Black & Decker electric weed eater and electric hedge trimmer. In fact, I own NO gasoline-powered lawn implements.

As for leaf blowers, I do it the old fashioned way and use a rake. I don't want the noise pollution.

For tree trimming, once again, I do it the old fashioned way and have a couple of saws and a pruner with various extension handles using interchangeable Wolf Garden Tools system -- of which I also have small hoes, rakes, and spades for doing the odd flowerbed chore.

http://www.garden4less.co.uk/wolf-garden-tools.asp

 

[timwhit]

When I was younger we had something that is even more environmentally safe than your electric mower.

I couldn't find a good picture of anything as old and crappy as ours, but this is the basic idea. Actually we still have it. Requires a lot more effort to mow and it does a worse job, but it only uses human power to do its job.

Trimming was done manually as well.

But, when I was about 12 I started my own lawn business around the neighborhood, so I needed something that would get me through 10 lawns a week, so I bought a self-propelled Toro mower.

 

[GIANT]

Self-powered mechanical mowers are still very much available -- and can be found for dirt cheap (i.e. -- Made In China) if you know where to go. These are much better suited for cutting Bermuda or rye grasses than t-o-u-g-h St. Augustine.

If you wanted to tackle St. Augustine with one of these mechanical mowers, you should first become well aquainted with the fine art of sharpening blades to razor sharpness.

By the way, my electric mower uses a power cord (there are models available with a rechargeable battery if you want to deal with battery maintenance). I use a 100-foot-long very heavy duty 10 gauge power extension cord for lowest voltage crop over that distance. As I recall, this power cord was pretty freeking expensive!

 

[GIANT]

you should first become well aquainted with...

you should first become well aCquainted with...

Argh! I suspect I need to learn how to spell a bit better...



Anyway, I'm thinking that my extension cable could be 12 gauge, as I'm recollecting that the common extension cords come in 12, 14, and 16 gauge (3-conductor variety).

 

[Pradeep]

Actually I'm still thinking about getting a reel mower like the picture, apparently it gives a cut that can't be beat (scissor cutting action rather than the brutal tearing of a gas powered rotary). Idealy it would be a gas powered reel mower, but I think they only make em real expensive for cricket wickets and the like.

 

[i]

Anyway, I'm thinking that my extension cable could be 12 gauge, as I'm recollecting that the common extension cords come in 12, 14, and 16 gauge (3-conductor variety).

It doesn't matter. Any electric lawnmower should be powerful enough to chop through its own electrical cord, whether it's 12, 14, or 16 gauge wiring. I know this from years of experience.

 

[Corvair]

Actually I'm still thinking about getting a reel mower...

Yes, they shear the top of the grass blade very cleanly with their 6 or 7 blades. And, yes, you can get powered models (gasoline or electric) for a pretty hefty price.

A few years back, I recall seeing either a Swedish (not Husqvarna) or Danish electric powered reel mower at some local yuppie haven. It was impressive in capability and price -- maybe US$399, with bag.

 

[Corvair]

It doesn't matter. Any electric lawnmower should be powerful enough to chop through its own electrical cord, whether it's 12, 14, or 16 gauge wiring. I know this from years of experience.

er... I was talking about the voltage drop on the extension cord when I was mentioning the cord's wire gauge, not its resilience to moving blades.

From a selection of 12, 14, and 16 gauge wire, 12 gauge will have the lowest voltage drop over a given length of wire. Making sure the lawnmower's voltage is within operating specifications is important when working with that length of extension cord (100 feet). Fortunately, I have enough outlets in strategic points around the yard to where I could probably get by with a 60 foot extension cord -- if they made them.

Of course, I could have just made my own, but I really didn't want to bother and the price would have been about the same anyway. Besides, the connector on the lawnmower end of the extension cord is a special "rounded" connector, which also has a retainer notch, that I'm sure I would have had a fun time searching for at various hardware and electrical supply stores.

The cord's protective sheath is independent of the wire gauge and wire stock's insulation, and mine has a moderately thick sheath, in highly visible yellow nonetheless.

 

[i]

It doesn't matter. Any electric lawnmower should be powerful enough to chop through its own electrical cord, whether it's 12, 14, or 16 gauge wiring. I know this from years of experience.

er... I was talking about the voltage drop on the extension cord when I was mentioning the cord's wire gauge, not its resilience to moving blades.

It's possible ... just possible ... that I was kidding. :wink: