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#61
Off Topic / Re: Merry Christmas and Happy ...
Last post by HAC - December 25, 2025, 06:25:51 PM
Merry Christmas to all!

#62
Off Topic / Re: Merry Christmas and Happy ...
Last post by Cora Courcelle - December 25, 2025, 06:18:27 PM
Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous 2026,
and 'God Bless Us, every one'
#63
Off Topic / Merry Christmas and Happy New ...
Last post by von Corax - December 25, 2025, 03:59:46 PM
The surviving staff here at the Leverkusen Institute of Paleocybernetics would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year.
#64
Architecture / Re: That 'big project' I've be...
Last post by James Harrison - December 24, 2025, 10:37:59 AM
Well...



That was a bit of a struggle, and it's not quite how I intended to do it (but I can put that right after the festivities).

I 'forgot' that nothing in the house is square, or straight, or level.  I also forgot that if you cut a diagonal, the hypotenuse is longer than the opposite and adjacent.  My original intention was to cut the main centre piece square and the shorter end pieces on the diagonal, and butt them together. 

But the angles didn't quite work, and when I eventually got it close I found the hypotenuse issue.  After a lot of frustration I threw in the towel and just cut everything square.  Hence the gaps in the profile.  I'm going to make these good with some filler, later (much later).  On the plus side, I think I've learnt a thing or two that I'll need to remember for another project I'm planning for the bay window.   

I've sealed and primed over the water stain in the ceiling and that doesn't seem to have come back overnight, so fingers crossed that problem is dealt with. 
#65
Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...
Last post by James Harrison - December 23, 2025, 01:51:51 PM
And then there were two. 





That's the workbench cleared for Christmas.  I might make a start on a third carriage for the rake in the gap between Boxing Day and New Years Eve, but I'm also trying to tie up a loose end or two with the house.
#66
Architecture / Re: That 'big project' I've be...
Last post by James Harrison - December 23, 2025, 10:57:33 AM
I think I've taken this as far as I can, for today at least.



I took the existing pelmets off and exposed the blind cartridges.  Then I took the velcro off them.
Next I sanded down the patching plaster and gave it a coat of eggshell paint.  This needs six hours to dry, hence my 'done for today' comment. 



Meanwhile things are progressing with the timber profile.  I actually stained it last night, but it's still tacky now.  So I'll probably leave it for the rest of the day to dry out fully, and aim to cut and install it after Christmas. 

I'm also wondering if I can do something about the water stain now.  Might go and see if I can pick up some suitable sealer/primer whilst the shops are still open.
#67
Metaphysical / Re: Aerial Kraken Defense Thre...
Last post by Ceir - December 23, 2025, 12:59:34 AM
Although weight considerations would make spiked hulls or envelope framework impractical (to say nothing of the melee factor), I am amused at the vision of a zeppelin-scale...coyote vest, more or less.
#68
Architecture / Re: That 'big project' I've be...
Last post by James Harrison - December 22, 2025, 07:18:07 PM
One of the drawbacks of my 90% approach, is that it leaves loose ends and rough edges everywhere.  And unfortunately these tend to get left until such time as either I get sick and tired of being reproached them, or I forget about them. 

One of these loose ends is the bay window in the sitting room.  Technically, I suppose you could say there are three loose ends here;
1. The water stain on the ceiling from when the roof used to leak;
2. The holes in the plaster from when I took down the curtain rail;
3. The frankly awful pelmets above the Venetian blinds. 



Point two I did start on a few weeks ago, patching the holes up.  But then the Christmas tree went up, which blocks one of them, and with that any intention to smooth back and paint over right now died a bit of a death.

Well, I broke up for Christmas on Friday and pretty much all I've done since then is loaf around on the sofa desultorily browsing the Internet.  Which seems a tragic waste of precious holiday time, to be honest.  I remember that when I was living with my parents I used to set myself a little Christmas project - ordinarily something in the model making line of things - and it used to be a healthy distraction away from screens.  So I've decided, as an experiment this year, to bring it back.

I've set myself a goal then of replacing the pelmets over Christmas week.  I'm going to make up a piece of trim from a length of profiled skirting board, which is going to fit over the blind cartridges once the existing pelmets have been removed.  I'm also going to have to sand down and paint over the filled-in holes in the wall. 

That's going to neatly tick-off two of the rough edges and it's going to open the way to ticking off a third, and progress one of my smaller goals for 2026 into the bargain. 
#69
Off Topic / Re: Somewhere between Gaaaaah ...
Last post by Ceir - December 21, 2025, 05:26:42 PM
$deity grant me the resolve to recycle these shipping boxes this season, instead of saving them for a "next time" that will never actually come.
#70
Art by Artificial Entities / Re: Lafayette Bazaar, an AI St...
Last post by J. Wilhelm - December 21, 2025, 02:16:30 AM
Quote from: WillRockwell on December 16, 2025, 11:18:51 AMA few years ago I found an old flyer in New York City for a place called the Lafayette Bazaar, an amusement palace that was active around the year 1850.
I wrote a song based on the writing on the flyer, but never thought I would have the opportunity to turn it into a music video.  Now, with the advent of AI and the Luma Dream Machine, I have been able to make a music video of my song. I hope you like it.

https://youtu.be/VQarK8ekxLw?si=QyMU5P4rGaxLPJnP

Ha ha! Well done! Also , nice to see you again after such a long time.

I've been watching other music videos on YouTube for some time now and now I can add your channel to my feed.