Tips
Airport Security Tip
Since I was a teenager, possibly even younger since I was in Cub Scouts, I have carried a pocket knife. Something unthinkable for kids today. Did you see the recent story about the
Eagle Scout that was kicked out of school for having a pocket knife (Weapon! Zero Tolerance you know!) at school? In a box… In a locked car… In the parking lot… If you want to read the AP story, it is here. But this is to be a “Tip” not a “Rant” and once again, I’ve digressed.
Anyway, my knife is one of the small multi-purpose ones. It’s so dull it can hardly be called a knife, but it is ocassionally useful on site visits and around the house. I know better than to take it to the airport, but in the rush of getting ready last week, I transferred it from pants pocket to pants pocket as I always do when dressing and didn’t give it a second thought. That is until I was emptying my pockets in the security line at the airport.
This was at South Bend Airport and fortunately I was early for my flight. There was no one else in the line with me and the TSA personnel were sympathetic, but said there was nothing they could do. They suggested I take it out and put it in my checked bag… I wasn’t checking a bag. They suggested that I take it out to my car… I was dropped off at the airport, i.e. no car. They suggested I call someone… It had been 20 minutes since I was dropped off and there was no one close I could call.
As I’m standing there in my stocking feet, my computer, computer case, shoes and coat already down the conveyor belt, a possible solution came to me. I retrieved all my things and got out of line. (Fortunately there was only one person behind me and he seemed to be more amused than upset.) I went back out of the security check area and went over to the car rental counters. I picked the one with no one waiting, Hertz, and asked the attendant, “Do you have a Lost & Found box?” 
She was very helpful and said yes as she started to walk and get it when I explained, “I didn’t lose anything. (yet) I want to put something in it!” I explained that even if I ended up not being able to claim it from their lost & found, there was at least a chance that I could get it back. With TSA, it was going to be a 100% certainty that it was gone. She was extremely nice, let me put a note on it and put in in the lost & found for me. On my return trip, I retrieved it.
Okay, this may not be a great tip and it may have limited applications, but I thought it was worth passing along. It would never work in one of the larger airports at the point that I discovered my error, but it worked for me this time!
Easier Digital Picture Uploads
Eye-Fi Wireless Storage Card
I ran across this item and it’s now on my wish list. The Eye-Fi wireless storage card fits in your camera and can automatically upload your pictures to a photo sharing website. The card fits into your camera just like a regular storage card. It comes with a USB adapter that lets you set it up with a connection to your wireless network. Its range is limited, but that’s not too surprising when you consider that they have crammed the necessary electronics into a standard storage card. The software involved is quite small as well leaving most of the 2 gigs available for picture storage. It runs off your camera battery, but the draw appears to be negligible.
Nikon Coolpix 5200
The digital camera has become ubiquitous to our industry. Working on our website and this blog would be much more difficult without a digital camera. Plus we work with enough out-of-town clients and architects that the digital camera has become an indispensable tool. The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” remains true. We have even begun including color pictures in our proposals along with sketches and drawings to better illustrate the intentions that accompany the words. I’m currently using a Nikon Coolpix 5200 which is easy and convenient, but I am in the market to upgrade. In some cases I need something that does better in lower light and has a panoramic option.
If you’re interested in purchasing a Eye-Fi storage card, they are available from Amazon for as little as $51: http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Fi-Wireless-Secure-Digital-EYE-FI-2HM/dp/B001AD0TGQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237668695&sr=8-2
If you are interested in reviews, I’ve included a couple of links below:
PC World reviewed it here: http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/30801/review/card.html
Digital Photography Review reviewed it here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/eye-fi/7
Critter in the Wall
I received the following email from my sister the other day:
Hello all,
I have something in my wall between my bathroom and kitchen wall…. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get it out? I’m not sure what it is… Kameron and I think it might be a bat, but it’s possible that it’s a mouse.
If you have any suggestions… Please let me know… I hate how it sounds in there… You can hear the scratching and then something dragging… Not great!
Let me know…
Thanks!
+++++++++++++
Tongue firmly in cheek, I responded as follows:
Critter Options:
- Take Kameron to Chuck E. Cheese with a roll of quarters. Have him practice on Whack-a-Mole for a while. Then when you get home., give him a hammer and let him start busting holes in the drywall. When the critter pops out one of the hammer holes, Whack Him!
- Borrow a shot gun. Do your best Elmer Fudd imitation, “Shhhhhh… Be Verrwy Quiet… I’m hunting wabbits…” Close your eyes, listen and shoot where you hear the sound!
- Rent Mousehunt. Those guys had a million ideas! I particularly liked trying to impale the mouse through the wall using nail guns and 16d nails… http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119715/
- Turn up the TV until whatever it is dies. The smell will go away in about a week…
Kevin
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bat Exclusion using Hardware Cloth and Duct Tape
There are some things you can do. It’s best when you can find out what you’re dealing with, but that’s not always possible. For small mammals such as mice or bats, that you expect are still traveling in and out, you can put hardware cloth over the opening. Cut the metal fabric slightly larger than the opening. Three sides should be cut to leave protruding sharp points. Fasten one edge above the opening and bend the protruding points back towards the wall around the hole, creating a hinged flap that they can escape past, but cannot comfortably re-enter.
Once you are sure that there are no animals inside, seal the hole. Again, once the building envelope has been breached, this is often an area which will be breached over and over as the scent is there and it will be recognized as a weak point.
Bats, rats and mice can enter any hole that they can get their heads through. If the hole is small, steel wool can be used to fill the hole. This is difficult and uncomfortable for them to chew through. Larger holes may need to be patched with sheet metal. Once the point of entry has been permanently sealed, then cosmetic repairs can be made, such as replacing siding, stucco or whatever the appropriate finished material is.
Back to my sister’s issue, odds are this is a bat or mouse in the wall. It has probably entered through a small hole and become trapped, unable to find it’s way back out. It may have followed holes drilled for wiring (or plumbing considering the location) and without her tearing up the walls to find it, it will probably die there. It is not unusual to find mummified remains when doing demolition for remodeling projects.
Even when your solution is #4 above, it is always good to look for an entrance point. If you can find it, it needs to be blocked to prevent additional “critters” from entering. Be they bats, rats, mice, squirrels or God forbid, larger creatures such as possums, raccoons, cats, etc., once an entrance point has been created, breaching the integrity of the building envelope, it will be a constant point of entrance, even after the initial invader has been eliminated or died. If you can determine what intruder you’re dealing with, you can set the appropriate trap outside the hole in the path they are traveling.
You can find more information on bat exclusion here:
You can find out how to build a bat house here:
You can find more about mice here:
And if you’re one that believes misery loves company, check out this amusing blog and read about someone else’s experiences driving critters out of their home: http://www.komar.org/faq/hunting_bats/ Fair warning though, some of his pictures are a bit graphic….
Self-cleaning Drain Pipe
PermaFLOW Trap
Impervious Pavement Discussions before Culver Boards
At the Culver BZA meeting on September 18, 2008 there was a variance request for expanding a nonconforming use. The request was to allow an existing two car garage to be expanded to a three car garage. This was an old garage that sat across the setback lines. There was no doubt that the the existing structure should be replaced. The expansion of the nonconforming use in and of itself wasn’t a big deal, but in the overall big picture, it was not only a structure issue, but an impervious surface issue.
Just two days earlier at the Culver Plan Commission meeting, there was discussion regarding the poor condition of the storm sewers in Culver and their inadequacies. That was regarding another section of town that has poor drainage and another project that was adding impervious surface. Even if the solution of adding new and larger storm sewers to correct these issues was economically feasible, it wouldn’t be environmentally appropriate.
