Unstructured Thoughts by MikeyPhttps://mikeyp.com/https://mikeyp.com/blog/sumoexercises/https://mikeyp.com/blog/sumoexercises/I'm completely addicted to Sumo. It's become my favorite sport. When most westerners think of Sumo, they tend to think of big fat guys bouncing off of each other. But when…Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/biaslighting/https://mikeyp.com/blog/biaslighting/In the winter, the corner of the room directly behind my computer monitor gets really dark during the daytime. At night it isn't a big deal, since lamplight works the…Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/graphicalconstitution/https://mikeyp.com/blog/graphicalconstitution/Have you ever read the US Constitution? I mean, actually read it, start to finish? Have you tried to understand it or interpret it? When I was a kid living on…Fri, 03 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/aziocascadeslim/https://mikeyp.com/blog/aziocascadeslim/It's great to see the availability of several high-quality low-profile mechanical keyboards. These are perfect boards for people who have been using laptop keyboards for years, and want to migrate over…Sun, 07 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/rssreaders/https://mikeyp.com/blog/rssreaders/Last week mako \(@mako@sanjuans.life\) asked about RSS reader alternatives to Reeder 5. I cheerfully replied that I used NetNewsWire on MacOS, and Unread Premium on iOS. But later, it struck…Sun, 07 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/updateoldmacos/https://mikeyp.com/blog/updateoldmacos/I decided to give away a functional yet very old 2010 27" iMac. Prep seemed somewhat straightforward if I followed Howard Oakley's instructions. After methodically deleting everything, I rebooted into Recovery Mode…Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/jazzbox-fretpolishing/https://mikeyp.com/blog/jazzbox-fretpolishing/I hit upon a lucky eBay find, and managed to acquire a mid-1990's Korean-made Epiphone Howard Roberts guitar for a great price. It's a terrific jazz box, and is really fun…Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/workshopdustcontrol/https://mikeyp.com/blog/workshopdustcontrol/After years of sweeping and dusting and dozens of disposable air filter masks, I'm finally taking dust control seriously in my garage workshop. Dust control starts at the tool with a vacuum…Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/evhflanger/https://mikeyp.com/blog/evhflanger/I used a Boss BF-2 flanger pedal for years. It's a great pedal, especially if you can find one of the older Japanese-made models. But it could never really do that over-the-top…Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/raisingtheaeron/https://mikeyp.com/blog/raisingtheaeron/Almost every high-tech startup in the Bay Area outfits their office with Herman Miller Aeron chairs. And as some of the startups inevitably go out of business, the Aeron chairs hit the…Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/suntory/https://mikeyp.com/blog/suntory/The Uncrate "buyers guide for men" has discovered one of my favorite beverages. Here's what Uncrate has to say: Born from the pure waters of the Vale of Yamazaki and handcrafted at Japan's oldest distillery,…Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/komocoffee/https://mikeyp.com/blog/komocoffee/Every time I visit the Big Island of Hawaii, I buy fresh Kona coffee.  I love driving through Holualoa and Captain Cook, where you can buy freshly roasted coffee right from the…Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/johnpearsestrings/https://mikeyp.com/blog/johnpearsestrings/When I got my new Breedlove guitar last year, I ordered my usual set of Thomastik-Infeld strings from JustStrings.com (my favorite place to buy strings). Unfortunately, the brand that works so well on…Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/tucanoworkout/https://mikeyp.com/blog/tucanoworkout/With the iPhone replacing my iPod, cel phone, PDA, and camera (for casual use), and with my switch from older, clunky laptops to the svelt MacBook Air, I decided to…Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/mitersawlaser/https://mikeyp.com/blog/mitersawlaser/I love my old Delta Compound Miter saw. I have a fairly basic model, but it does what it is designed to do: make straight cuts at measured angles. But with basic…Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/breedloveguitar/https://mikeyp.com/blog/breedloveguitar/For the past few months, I've been looking for a nice-sounding concert-sized acoustic guitar. I have a fine Takamine Dreadnought, but the size is uncomfortably large for me to have in…Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/rolandcube30speaker/https://mikeyp.com/blog/rolandcube30speaker/I decided to shop around for a lightweight guitar amp, and the Roland CUBE 30X hit the sweet spot perfectly. Very affordable at under $250, the amp has a 10" speaker,…Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/shinyfrets/https://mikeyp.com/blog/shinyfrets/After neglecting my Takamine acoustic guitar for a few years, the frets became tarnished and dull. Many guitarists would recommend rubbing steel wool against the frets to polish them up, but…Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/evhphase90/https://mikeyp.com/blog/evhphase90/I received a much-coveted MXR EVH 90 Phase Shifter guitar pedal as a birthday gift. Wow, this pedal really rocks! You can totally get the Van Halen Atomic Punk sound, as…Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/nondesignersbook/https://mikeyp.com/blog/nondesignersbook/I have no formal training in typography or page layout design, but as someone who needs to constantly communicate and pitch ideas, page layout design is really important to me. A…Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/foundersatwork/https://mikeyp.com/blog/foundersatwork/I saw the book Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days as a recommendation on Guy Kawasaki's blog. This is a big book containing dozens of interviews with people who…Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/pyongyang/https://mikeyp.com/blog/pyongyang/Over the past year or two, I've rediscovered a love for comics and graphic novels. But I can't stand most super hero comics, so I usually gravitate toward the independent and…Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/pressurewasher/https://mikeyp.com/blog/pressurewasher/With a house on the northern slope of a hill, I need to pressure wash my siding and decks annually. Of course, I haven't actually done this in five years, so…Thu, 24 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/peopleware/https://mikeyp.com/blog/peopleware/The always interesting blog Cool Tools recommended a book called Peopleware. The book describes just how screwed up managers and management processes tend to be at software companies. The book basically states…Mon, 03 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMThttps://mikeyp.com/blog/norelcotrimmer/https://mikeyp.com/blog/norelcotrimmer/I've been using a Norelco Maverick T-1000 beard trimmer for several years. It is a durable, battery-powered trimmer that has an easy-to-clean trimmer head. You just press a button and the trimmer…Sat, 26 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT