the iMentor

Hints & rants

This weB-LOG is about the musing of a technical consultant. It is the iMentor's thoughts on technology and the human condition.

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Author: Rick Thues

Instinct and Intuition

January 5, 2021 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #623 January 9, 2021 In my role as consultant i employ instinct and intuition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZolkohYKFk Instinct is an innate hardwired tendency toward a particular behavior. All animals and, arguably, some vegetation have instinct. Birds know where north is. Plants reach toward the sun. Bees dance to show the hive where the nectar is. Humans seek out a mate. Some thinking in psychology (Maslow) is that humans have no instinct. Maslow would have us believe that awareness is strictly built on a pyramid of esteem, then on belonging, then on safety, with a foundation of basic physical needs. The physical...
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Gauges

December 29, 2020 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #622 January 2, 2021 We all use gauges routinely in our lives.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odtgM_9oJ6I When driving a car my eyes go regularly to the speedometer, tachometer, temperature and fuel level gauges. My Prius also had a graphic gauge which showed the apportionment between the electric and gasoline motors. This gauge allowed me to assess the charging level of the battery system. There are also proximity gauges in my car in the form of rear view mirrors and my own depth of vision. When a pilot is visually scanning he spends 1 to 2 seconds in 10° increments scanning the...
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Being

December 16, 2020 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode #621  December 26, 2020 Sometimes i just let it be.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6T5C-jzSH0 i brought my old car to the shop one day and gave the mechanic a long list of problems to be fixed. He said, “I can fix these critical things so the car will keep running. Don’t repair these other things. Just drive the car until it quits.” Let it be. My old computer began to run really slow. i checked the operating system. It was not too new. i found that there was plenty of storage and adequate RAM. No malware was present to slow things...
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Christmas tree

December 13, 2020 Uncategorized 9 Comments
Episode #620 December 19, 2020 My house has a commanding view of the valley below — a perfect opportunity to display a  Christmas tree for all to see. i decided to make the tree a lighted one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0EXDwf2090 A step by step plan was required. The engineering and execution was accomplished in the following steps: The center post: i chose to use black PVC pipe for the center post. So that the tree would be visible from the length of the valley i made the post 12’ tall. 3” diameter pipe fit through an umbrella hole in my metal table...
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Rainbow

December 7, 2020 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #619 December 12, 2020 A rainbow is a symbol of beauty, hope, optimism, pride, completeness and promise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I The rainbow displays the visible spectrum of light. All the beautiful colors we see and love are shown in the reflection, refraction and dispersion of light from the sun. Sunlight enters water droplets at a 42° angle, is refracted (bent) toward the back of the drop and reflected back toward the sun where it is again bent as it exits the drop. Because different colors bend at slightly different angles a circular band of colors is projected toward the viewer of...
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Contents or Index

December 2, 2020 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode 618 December 5, 2020 There are two ways to facilitate search: Table of Contents and Index.   https://youtu.be/l_DhFA77xr4 A Table of Contents can be found in the beginning of many text books, manuals and catalogues. It lists chapters of major themes. Sometimes there are tabs in the Contents that lead to the Chapter in the book. Sometimes there are subtopics listed under each chapter for finer detail. The Table of Contents is organized hierarchically, like an English outline. In the back of some books, an Index is an alphabetical list of keywords that point to pages where that word is found....
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