While I’ve been dealing with some weather [including a tree falling on my car]; the insane laws being passed in this state; and the dull and boring bits required to continue life [buying and preparing food, cleaning the house, caring for the cats, etc.]; I’ve been required to repair lawn mowers and my main computer.

I’m not a small engine mechanic, but I know how to find parts and YouTube videos that show you how to fix them [normally, get a new carburetor, fuel line, fuel & air filters, spark plug, and change the oil]. Basically – I have the tools and I can rebuild them….

I was adding memory to my big box, and that went so smoothly I decided to install an SSD as the Boot drive for Windows. After installing the the SSD the system couldn’t see either of the two hard drives. So, I have the new motherboard and the updated memory, and am waiting for the AMD Ryzen 5 3400G to be delivered. I can’t really complain as the machine lasted 9 years.

If I get the last lawn mower up and running, and the computer back together, I finally have all of the bits and pieces to replace the kitchen and bathroom faucets. I’ve had the faucets for months, but designing the transition from the existing plumbing to new faucets took some research.

Meanwhile we have put a helicopter on Mars that is zipping around. In a related vein: Billionaire Elon Musk has offered inventors $US100 million ($129 million) on Earth Day to fight global warming by developing carbon dioxide removal technology for the “largest incentive prize in history”. I think he needs to look at the NASA Mars program: MOXIE device aboard Perseverance rover uses electrolysis to produce oxygen from CO₂. It has been a few years [OK, decades] since my last Chemistry course, but if the oxygen is taken away from carbon dioxide, you are left with carbon. If you scale up MOXIE, you can supply hospitals with oxygen and provide carbon for carbon fiber, graphene, and other uses.