Software Alchemist & Monkey Rancher

Aaron and Keating use this old livestock trailer to move the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:27:25 -0400

Aaron and Keating use this old livestock trailer to move the sheep around. It’s hitched to Keating’s flatbed truck out in our field.

Turned bowl, uncompleted. Claro Walnut. 12” across.

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:34:55 -0400

Turned bowl, uncompleted. Claro Walnut. 12” across.

"The whole practice of management didn’t exist before industrialization. Management IS about..."

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:34:03 -0400

“The whole practice of management didn’t exist before industrialization. Management *IS* about managing factories and workers.”

- Alan Cooper

Airborne dust is always a big problem in a power-tool shop such...

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:29:17 -0400

Airborne dust is always a big problem in a power-tool shop such as mine. I recently built a steel and wood shelf to hold my dust filter up in the air above my wood turning lathe. It really helps to keep the air clean.

At the top of the ridge there’s a dip that forms a saddle,...

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:24:29 -0400

At the top of the ridge there’s a dip that forms a saddle, or what the Italians call a “col.” There’s a sentinal oak tree at either end of the col, and in this picture I’m standing under one of them looking across at the other.

In the mornings, the valleys are filled with fog that evaporates...

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:58:57 -0400

In the mornings, the valleys are filled with fog that evaporates away as the sun rises.

"There is no such thing as “First Mover Advantage.” There IS, however, “First..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:58:15 -0400

“There is no such thing as “First Mover Advantage.” There IS, however, “First Winner Advantage,” and it is often imagined to be the former.”

- Alan Cooper

Sunrise through the foxtails.

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:56:02 -0400

Sunrise through the foxtails.

Katee’s Barn, seen from the Tall Barn.

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:50:01 -0400

Katee’s Barn, seen from the Tall Barn.

Sunset over the manger-fence behind the Tall Barn.

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:47:58 -0400

Sunset over the manger-fence behind the Tall Barn.

"When you finally think you’ve streamlined the interaction enough, keep streamlining."

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:47:30 -0400

“When you finally think you’ve streamlined the interaction enough, keep streamlining.”

- Alan Cooper

Fava beans are notoriously hard to shell. Sue and I developed a...

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:11:57 -0400

Fava beans are notoriously hard to shell. Sue and I developed a little assembly line process to make it easier. I slit each pod with my Swiss Army Knife, and she removed the beans from the pods. Working together we filled this basket. Sue made pesto from the beans. Mmmmm.

We call this little trailer “The Molar Home” because...

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:08:00 -0400

We call this little trailer “The Molar Home” because it looks like a little tooth. Sometimes guests stay in the Molar. It’s kinda cold, or kinda hot, depending on the weather, it has no water or electricity, but it’s parked up on a little hilltop all by itself in the tall grass where it’s quiet and lovely. You can have an adult beverage at the little yellow cafe table out front and imagine that you are on a hilltop in West Petaluma. Oh, wait…

The San Francisco cable car system, unique in the world, was...

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:46:00 -0400

The San Francisco cable car system, unique in the world, was originally built 130 years ago. As you would expect, it has had considerable maintenance and upgrading since then, but the core of the system, the cars and the drive mechanism, remains almost unchanged from the original.

The cars themselves are works of art, wooden superstructures on cast iron frames. They were all hand-built, so each car is slightly different. In order to keep up with demand, the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or MUNI, built a few new cable cars from scratch, but to their everlasting credit, the cars are virtually indistinguishable from their centenarian brethren. The only way to tell is by the inconspicuous bronze plaque on the cabin wall.

This photo of the seat rail of modern car Number 28 shows how the new construction is every bit as authentic as the old. The bronze rail is a sinuously curved casting with the patina of a thousand riders’ arms; the planks of the seat are smoothly varnished hardwood instead of plastic, and the two are fastened with corrosion-proof bronze screws. But look closely at the slotted heads of all of the screws. Some unknown MUNI craftsman worked long and hard to assure that the slots of every screw are perfectly aligned with every other one. Once you notice this tell-tale pattern, you will find it on almost all of the other fasteners on this wonderful, modern, ancient vehicle.

"Don’t get me wrong: prototyping is important, and the easier to do the better. But don’t..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:19:42 -0400

“Don’t get me wrong: prototyping is important, and the easier to do the better. But don’t mistake a ‘shortcut’ with ‘better’.”

- Steve ‘Doc’ Baty @docbaty

The foggy dawn in the tall grass.

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:18:17 -0400

The foggy dawn in the tall grass.

Rusted milk can.

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:13:07 -0400

Rusted milk can.

Good morning, Ms Breakfast!

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:11:18 -0400

Good morning, Ms Breakfast!

"Hey! I’m about the biggest process wonk there is. I’m a big fan of process, an..."

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:45:57 -0400

“Hey! I’m about the biggest process wonk there is. I’m a big fan of process, an originator of process, but process isn’t results.”

- Alan Cooper

Mesa Boogie, a Petaluma company, makes the amplifiers used by...

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:35:57 -0400

Mesa Boogie, a Petaluma company, makes the amplifiers used by the most discerning musicians in the world.

Software Alchemist & Monkey Rancher

Aaron and Keating use this old livestock trailer to move the...

Turned bowl, uncompleted. Claro Walnut. 12” across.

"The whole practice of management didn’t exist before industrialization. Management *IS* about..."

Airborne dust is always a big problem in a power-tool shop such...

At the top of the ridge there’s a dip that forms a saddle,...

In the mornings, the valleys are filled with fog that evaporates...

"There is no such thing as “First Mover Advantage.” There IS, however, “First..."

Sunrise through the foxtails.

Katee’s Barn, seen from the Tall Barn.

Sunset over the manger-fence behind the Tall Barn.

"When you finally think you’ve streamlined the interaction enough, keep streamlining."

Fava beans are notoriously hard to shell. Sue and I developed a...

We call this little trailer “The Molar Home” because...

The San Francisco cable car system, unique in the world, was...

"Don’t get me wrong: prototyping is important, and the easier to do the better. But don’t..."

The foggy dawn in the tall grass.

Rusted milk can.

Good morning, Ms Breakfast!

"Hey! I’m about the biggest process wonk there is. I’m a big fan of process, an..."

Mesa Boogie, a Petaluma company, makes the amplifiers used by...

"The whole practice of management didn’t exist before industrialization. Management IS about..."