I recently had the double pleasure of attending my nephew's wedding. I say double pleasure because a) it was a happy family gathering that united two young people about to begin their journey through life together and b) because it wasn't mine. I wouldn't have the energy.
In the Narthex of the church, my sister-in-law created a display of wedding photos of both sets of grandparents and parents. Boy, we were all young then! And thinner with darker hair ... with hair. Seeing my little brother's wedding photo reminded me of a piece of advice our Dad shared with us at the time. Chris was the last of us three boys to get married and it was at his reception, that Dad called us together. He wanted to speak with his three sons. As we stood before him, watching his face, Dad placed a hand on the shoulders of my brothers and looked each of us in the eye. Then he spoke with fatherly authority.
"Your mother and I want you boys to know that we love you and we love the women you've chosen to marry. Don't come home!" Then he patted us on the shoulder, turned, and headed for the punch bowl. I didn't know what to think at the time, but I never forgot his words.
Over time, I realized what he meant. He knew there would be times in our marriages when we would be unhappy. He knew that marriages are tempered by hard times like steel is tempered by fire. When times would get rough for us, quitting and running 'home' to mommy and daddy was not an option. We were making our own homes and we were expected to make it work.
We did. No one in our family has been divorced or even separated for four generations. My older brother is celebrating his 50th anniversary this year. My hot chick wife and I are working toward 45, and little brother and his wife are celebrating their 40th this year. Good advice, Pop. Thanks.
Royal Dun
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Fly Fishing Equipment is Becoming Too Complicated
OK, I admit to being somewhat old school but I think I'm right on when I tell you that selecting fly fishing equipment now requires a degree in mechanical engineering. Allow me to use an example from a recent fly fishing catalog. This is the description for a fly reel.
"A fusion between the free-form structures of a cast spool and the mechanical integrity of a CNC-machined case, [our reel] is a hybrid.
The case, CNC-machined here in the U.S. from 6061 bar-stock aluminum, delivers maximum structural rigidity and durability all wrapped in a harder, brighter finish. The spool, pressure cast with radiused compound curves, near zero-radius inside corners and a precise fit and finish, delivers both value and sex appeal."
What? Huh? Come again? I could kind of understand what they meant when they described "A fusion between the free-form structures of a cast spool and the mechanical Integrity ...." but then they lost me. Actually, I was not aware that a cast metal fly reel spool was considered a free-form structure. I thought they pretty much needed to be round(ish). Mechanical integrity I understand. That means it works right and probably won't fall apart in midstream when you're fighting a large fish (not that I know how that feels).
I have no clue what a "CNC machined case" is, so I Googled it. Turns out that CNC means Computerized Numerical Controlled. A computer program operates the cutting machine that makes the reel body. That used to be done by a human operating a lathe (manual), or by inserting a disk or tape into the machine (numerical control).
Next, I had to find out if 6061 bar-stock aluminum was the best material for a fly reel. I found out that 6061 aluminum is commonly used to make aircraft wings. Not the strong, durable wings on military or commercial aircraft, just the less strong, less durable wings on personal aircraft. On the other hand, 6061 does not corrode, even if the finished is nicked, so I guess that's best for a fly reel like mine that spends a significant amount of time under water.
Do you know what a radiused compound curve and a zero-radius inside corner are? Turns out its a fancy way of telling you that there are different sizes of curved parts in their fly reel. Since every curve is part of a circle, every curve has a radius, so using radius to imply action makes a lot of sense if you can get another $100 for it. As for the zero-radius inside corner, that means there is no curve where the parts of the reel body make a 90-degree angle. Good thing or the spool would not fit on the reel body.
Finally, the ad says all these features add value and ... sex appeal. Trust me. After standing in a cold stream at midnight waiting for the Hex hatch for the sixth night in a row, wearing a pair of waders over the same clothes worn five days in a row, a fellow needs a little sex appeal. In fact, the reel would be the ONLY thing in camp with any sex appeal. Even so, in the last 55 years of fishing, I've never been accosted by any females, much less females trying to snuggle up with my reel.
So here I am enrolling in a college program for mechanical engineering so that, when I graduate in four years, I can make an intelligent, educated choice for the device I use to hold my excess fly line.
Royal Dun
"A fusion between the free-form structures of a cast spool and the mechanical integrity of a CNC-machined case, [our reel] is a hybrid.
The case, CNC-machined here in the U.S. from 6061 bar-stock aluminum, delivers maximum structural rigidity and durability all wrapped in a harder, brighter finish. The spool, pressure cast with radiused compound curves, near zero-radius inside corners and a precise fit and finish, delivers both value and sex appeal."
What? Huh? Come again? I could kind of understand what they meant when they described "A fusion between the free-form structures of a cast spool and the mechanical Integrity ...." but then they lost me. Actually, I was not aware that a cast metal fly reel spool was considered a free-form structure. I thought they pretty much needed to be round(ish). Mechanical integrity I understand. That means it works right and probably won't fall apart in midstream when you're fighting a large fish (not that I know how that feels).
I have no clue what a "CNC machined case" is, so I Googled it. Turns out that CNC means Computerized Numerical Controlled. A computer program operates the cutting machine that makes the reel body. That used to be done by a human operating a lathe (manual), or by inserting a disk or tape into the machine (numerical control).
Next, I had to find out if 6061 bar-stock aluminum was the best material for a fly reel. I found out that 6061 aluminum is commonly used to make aircraft wings. Not the strong, durable wings on military or commercial aircraft, just the less strong, less durable wings on personal aircraft. On the other hand, 6061 does not corrode, even if the finished is nicked, so I guess that's best for a fly reel like mine that spends a significant amount of time under water.
Do you know what a radiused compound curve and a zero-radius inside corner are? Turns out its a fancy way of telling you that there are different sizes of curved parts in their fly reel. Since every curve is part of a circle, every curve has a radius, so using radius to imply action makes a lot of sense if you can get another $100 for it. As for the zero-radius inside corner, that means there is no curve where the parts of the reel body make a 90-degree angle. Good thing or the spool would not fit on the reel body.
Finally, the ad says all these features add value and ... sex appeal. Trust me. After standing in a cold stream at midnight waiting for the Hex hatch for the sixth night in a row, wearing a pair of waders over the same clothes worn five days in a row, a fellow needs a little sex appeal. In fact, the reel would be the ONLY thing in camp with any sex appeal. Even so, in the last 55 years of fishing, I've never been accosted by any females, much less females trying to snuggle up with my reel.
So here I am enrolling in a college program for mechanical engineering so that, when I graduate in four years, I can make an intelligent, educated choice for the device I use to hold my excess fly line.
Royal Dun
Monday, May 11, 2015
The Reason Why the Universe is Expanding
About a week ago, I was looking for a way to relax after dealing with a string of disrespect, power egos, theft, and news about people killing other people for no reason or even worse, for God. It was raining, so a relaxing evening on the stream was out. I read for a while, then decided to vegetate in front of the television. I'm a bit of a nerd for science programs, so I tuned into a Public Broadcasting Station that was airing a series about the universe.
I learned that stars have a life cycle. In about 5 billion years, our own sun will expand into red giant and engulf Mercury, Venus, and Earth. In short, all humans left on earth will die. The only hope for human survival will be to relocate to other planet(s) surrounding other stars, maybe in other galaxies. We will be the universe's immigrants. I will not be around then, but it saddens me to know that here will be no more trout fishing on my favorite streams. Maybe I should fish in the rain more often.
I also learned that most physicists are convinced the universe began with a rapid expansion of a 'singularity', whatever that is. The theory is popularly known as The Big Bang Theory. At first, scientists once thought that the gravity would eventually slow the galaxies as they flew through space, then eventually the gravitational pull would cause everything to collapse back into the 'singularity'. But recent observations have proven that to be wrong.
In fact, the other galaxies are flying away from our own galaxy at ever increasing speeds! This observation has, in turn, led to the theory of dark matter and dark energy. I'm not really going to discuss the theories of dark matter and dark energy except to say that many of my night fishing experiences have involved dark matter (like unseen logs) and dark energy (like falling as a result of dark matter). Instead, I want to share my thoughts about why the universe is behaving this way.
I recently had a eureka moment while visiting a local big box store. I watched people cutting in front of each other to get a parking space 10 feet closer to the door. I saw people leaving shopping carts in any place other than the rack provided for them. There were people cursing at each other and their kids. Their kids ran amok throughout the store, handling produce with their grubby, snot-coated hands without any discipline from a parent. When I left the store, I saw two dogs left in a locked car with the windows rolled up. Suddenly, it all made sense to me. The other galaxies are running like hell to get away from us before we start the emigration!
Royal Dun
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