free desktop wallpapers

I am enjoying some very nice FREE desktop wallpapers from Vista Wallpapers. In particular, I like the Nicobu and the VladStudio collections.

thrilling movie

I saw the movie "Unstoppable" recently. It is one fantastically gripping, edge-of-your-seat thrilling movie. Very entertaining. Thumbs up!

dog cot round 3

Here is the third attempt at the dog cot. Still 1000 denier Cordura nylon. Camo green color was on sale. I tried sewing the material and then assembling it onto the frame, but it was too loose. I had to undo stitches on one long side and one short side. Then stretching the material as tight as I could on the frame, completed the sewing. Stitches are rather large (and uneven), as can be seen in the photos. This time I didn't cut off any material but used all that was there. Sometimes that meant sewing through three layers of material.

It seems that the solution to minimize stretching of the material under weight is to double the material. If this round doesn't work, maybe I'll order two yards of material the next time so that I can double it. On the back side in the middle is a strip of the left over "awning" green I had on the first go. I stuck it in the middle to try and minimize the stretching.

The pipe photo is a 12-inch tailpiece extension. It seemed to be of a very hard plastic. I cut off the part with the larger diameter. The remaining part I wrapped a few turns of duct tape in the middle and inserted it into the pipes that made the long sides of the cot. The duct tape made it a very snug fit and kept it positioned inside the larger pipe. The inserted extensions prevented the long pipes from overly flexing under the tension of the nylon fabric.

The second attempt was short-lived. I broke two needles in the second round. I had tried using a rug and it failed miserably under load. Additionally, I had skipped the part about screwing down the corners. Doggie managed to work up a corner and tore that particular corner.

In this third round I've learned my lesson and screwed down the corners, using as many existing screw holes as possible. I did have to make one new screw hole.

The stitches are rather large. This morning, doggie was working on one of the stitches with his teeth. With the nylon tensioned so tightly, it was like a drum so every time the thread slipped from his teeth, it'd make quite a bit of noise. A little scolding and he is now snoring away. That stitch has not given away yet, but if he keeps working on it, it will break.

Else so far so good. The fabric stretching has been minimal. But it's only been in use for one night.

I consider doggie our "special needs" child in the sense that his things need to be super rugged. One time I got him a stuffed toy and he tore it apart in minutes and was happily unstuffing it. He also had a ballistic nylon bed at one time and within minutes, tore apart the plastic zipper and was working on unstuffing it. It was a very expensive lesson for me. I had to throw it away after I was unable to get the smell of urine out of it. That smell probably came from the "stop chew" spray that I had put on it. Spray is useless against this dog. I once threw a bananna peel outside to see what he would do. He chewed it and ate it. I cannot understand how Labrador Retrievers can be the most popular dog in the country. They seem to be incredibly destructive, and unless you're an hunter, why have one of these things? I would never ever recommend a Lab for a first-time dog owner.

March 15, 2011: Cot is working fantastic; no problems whatsoever thus far.

September 23, 2011: Cot still ok. It helps that it's in his crate, where he can't get to its sides or flip it. When it's outside, he can flip it and he does chew on the legs. The legs are replaceable if need be but right now they're holding up. Photo below was taken in the morning, when the grass was still wet from dew and hence the marks left on the cot from wet paws.

June 08, 2012: I've had to re-stich. The giant stitches were big enough for him to pick at with his teeth and eventually break. The nylon has stretched and the bed does sag somewhat.

a winning movie

I truly enjoyed the movie "The King's Speech." Witty dialogue and great heroes in the king, his wife and his therapist. This one is a winner.

crazy movie

Just saw the movie "Black Swan." It's crazy. I don't watch horror movies. This one is not a horror movie, but it's "horror" enough for me. *shudder*

footnote: A big screen is not necessary for this movie.

uncontacted tribe

http://www.uncontactedtribes.org/brazilfootage