Update 3/16/2018

Spring Break has begun, so has many projects…

Website

One of the biggest things that I’ve made a large stride in was moving things from the main website to the “new”, WordPress site that will eventually become the new main website. While the WordPress site (including the blog – what you’re viewing now) has been up nearly as long as the main site (2016), most of the content was placed on the main site.

A large percentage of the computing section has been moved, and the entire bicycle section was moved earlier and is ready for your viewing pleasure.

A lot of posts are upcoming – some related to the projects mentioned in this update.

T420

As mentioned in my previous update, my main computer/daily driver – the ThinkPad T420 – has been running fairly hot. The CPU has been running near 80 degrees Celsius almost all of the time, which can do damage if not dealt with. The CPU has reached temperatures as high as 93 degrees Celsius. The computer has plenty of ventilation (as it’s placed on my desktop with plenty of room to breathe.)

For comparison, the IBM ThinkPad T42 only runs at 42 degrees celsius. While not used as heavily, the T42 is operating well in the “safe” range.

At some point over the next week, I will do an entry (video???) on disassembling the T420 (first time I’ve opened it up), blowing out the dust with an air compressor, and reapplying new thermal (heat sink) compound to the heat sink. Essentially, the T420 will be going under the knife. The operation is expected to go fine and hopefully we can get those temps back down into the safe range.

Pinnacle Project: Postponed

Also in my previous update, I voiced my desire to get the 1981 Free Spirit Pinnacle back on two wheels in a safe manner. That project as, unfortunately, been postponed again as I have other things that need to get done that take priority over the bike.

The project will hopefully be tackled sometime this upcoming Summer and returned to daily service next semester, but we’ll see. Every time I plan on repairing it, something else demands my attention.

However, I will still (hopefully) have enough time to get the tire situation figured out.