My displacement activity now has displacement activity

[hirez]

So far this weekend, I have cut up beer cans to make padlock shims, violently pruned the shrubs in the front of the house and thus generated several bags of green waste, found more padlocks, fettled the bicycle, cracked & trained some CDs, pottered through parts of the 'Learn writing with Uncle Jim thread' and studiously avoided transcribing the finish of the Diner Thing.

Edit: ... And bought another car (9000 CSE. Auto, leather, aircon, LPT, good history)

If you'll excuse me, I'll just go to the shed for the tin bucket of cat-wax...

Comments

[mr-flay.livejournal.com]

Dude! Could you (a) make me some padlock shims, or (b) teach me how to do it? Will financially remunerate as appropriate. As I'm sure you can imagine, this is a skill/piece of kit that carries particular interest for someone with my hobbies...

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Yes. However: http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/189/48/

[samoth.livejournal.com]

Ah, another interest we share in common then :) I've not tried making padlock shims, but I do like them for how ludicrously simple they are...

Have you had a go at bump keys for mul-t-locks and the like yet?

[hirez.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm going to make a post pointing to the back of the New Hacker's Dictionary.

I have been meaning to have a bash at lock-picking since Hacking At The End Of The Universe, I've just never got around to it until now.

[mr-flay.livejournal.com]

If you want a shot at making your own lockpick set, I have a basic one you can attempt to copy. If you succeed though, I'd be very grateful if you could churn out some extra torque wrenches for me, I'm forever worried my current one will break during an escape...

[samoth.livejournal.com]

I have a number of books and video files you might find interesting then :)

(I'm sure I'll regret this thread when 'they' come for me :))

[eljaydaly.livejournal.com]

If you're out of cat-wax, let me know. I've got a lifetime supply!

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I may well take you up on that. Did I get the explanation right below?

[eljaydaly.livejournal.com]

Perfect! Unless, of course, you're Scalzi. With the whole bacon-taping thing.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Quite. That's just wierd.

On the other hand, part of the point behind this writing business is the licence to be wierd and get paid for it.

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

How did the shim thing turn out ? Do you feel like Raffles now ?

25 Gallons of Paranoia, or ...

[jendama.livejournal.com]

I am frightened to ask--what is cat-wax?

(all sorts of horrible and assorted visions are going through my head)

Re: 25 Gallons of Paranoia, or ...

[hirez.livejournal.com]

It's what you use to wax your cat, of course.

Cat-waxing is the mythical thing you do to avoid doing something else. Like cleaning behind the toilet, rearranging your socks, or in my case attacking the garden with sharp implements.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for shiny thing!


(Automatic? *shudder*)

[hirez.livejournal.com]

The previous owner was the archetypal little old lady. However this one seems to have enjoyed going very quickly and not been too bothered about missing bollards, thus most of the panels are straight.

Yes. Auto. I've got rather used to the things, especially after the somewhat intransigent nature of 900 gearboxes. I think I can only count the SII Landie (no sychro on first & second) box and the righteously shagged one in the nasty Mini pickup[1] that belonged to Small Brother as worse.

[1] Had a 1300 engine thrown at it, but was running on Mini wheels rather than the larger ones expected by the final-drive. Thus it was stupidly quick up to 50mph, it which point you were revving the head-bolts off it. The engine steady bushes were also mostly missing, so you could change gear by holding the lever steady and lifting off the throttle so the torque would throw the engine forward...