A few new photos from the house:
Living room
Closeups of the living room display cases, with some of the junk I’ve collected over the years (beachcombed, dug up, garage sales, etc).
Custom cat architecture. For finicky darn cat who’s scared of the basement.
Less messy basement!
Way less messy garage with room to park, work on boat(s), etc!
My fire “ring” is more of a fire square.
Wobbler plays with Alaskan action figures… Hootchies (fishing lures).
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Posted by saveitforparts
Even more old photos of critters from back in Alaska!
Megan posted about this on Facebook a while back, it’s a Bald Eagle that we found swimming in the ocean near the bay. We assumed it went after a fish a little too large to carry, and wasn’t able to lift off again. Our dad offered it a pole to grab, which it did, and then it started sliding towards him as he lifted the pole up! It ended up perched on the rail of the boat for a while as we went closer to shore, then it tried to fly, splashed back into the water, and was last seen doing the Eagle-stroke towards the beach.
Speaking of critters on the boat, here’s Mandy the cat, who grew up on board Dad’s fishing boat Imperial. She ended up with an un-cat-like acceptance of water, and would occasionally jump in and swim to shore. She survived over 20 years of being an outdoor cat in the woods, attempting to eat/fight pretty much every type of local wildlife (She was once dropped into the water while trying to cling to an angry seagull, and on another occasion Dad caught her trying to sneak up on an eagle). She’s in the lower left of the last picture, waiting for the humans to finish showing off and feed her some salmon noms.
Our neighbor Harvey once had a pet deer that would come inside and sleep by the fire. It even figured out how to open doors. This was a bit before my time, the photos are from my Dad.
Another one of Dad’s photos, spot the brown bear standing on a rock! (Hint, he’s over towards the right). The bear swam out to sea for some reason, maybe to look for food. This is at Cape Spencer lighthouse at the end of a small island chain, so he had already swum quite a way from the mainland: http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=829
And here’s what happens when bears get into a cabin… these were the bear version of teenage delinquents, two juveniles who got kicked out early when their mother had another cub. Someone may have fed them garbage, teaching them that humans have tasty food. Then they learned how to break down doors and find more food in cabins. They spent a summer eating all the sugar, canned food, and beer they could find in local buildings (rumor has it they preferred Miller and wouldn’t touch Bud).
2 Comments | Animals, Funter Bay History | Tagged: Bald Eagle, Brown Bear, Deer, eagle swimming | Permalink
Posted by saveitforparts
The garage at my new house had a big rotten area in the front of the roof. It’s a flat roof, so the rot just got worse over time, with the roof settling in that area and forming a pond, letting even more water through. The pond was so big you could see it on satellite photos of the property 😛
So, here’s what I did about it:
Original roof appearance:
What the decking looked like under the tar (wet!)
What the joists looked like, note that one of them has crumbled completely into dust:
So after removing all the rotten wood I could find, the first step was new joists:
Then some new plywood:
Then some actual roofers who know how to do tar and gravel!
And finally I have my very own gravel patch! There might even be some agates up there…
In my spare (ha!) time, I’ve been working on setting up the house network, office, and server room. Priorities, you know 😛
When I got it, the server rack looked like surplus from a ’70s-themed porn website. Giggidy!
Server rack now;
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Posted by saveitforparts
Here’s the first part of what may be multiple posts on “Animals that got in the house”.
This is a pair of Least Weasels (Or Ermine in the winter when they turn white). They hung out around the house for a few weeks one spring/summer, and were quite fearless towards humans and pets (the dog tried to chase them, but the cat ignored them). They would come up to people and take food from your hand, and occasionally got inside the house despite our attempts to keep them out (they fit through tiny holes and crevices. One night we were eating dinner and heard two thumps, the weasels had squeezed through a crack above a shelf and fallen out on the floor). Eventually they must have moved on to hassle someone else, but we occasionally got their relatives showing up in the entry mudroom sniffing after dogfood or bones.
Another weasel in his winter Ermine coat trying to cart off one of the dog’s bones larger than himself!
(Link goes to my Flickr page)
Leave a Comment » | Animals | Tagged: Alaska, Ermine, Funter Bay, Least Weasel, Weasel | Permalink
Posted by saveitforparts
Over Winter break I went through a bunch of old photo albums at my parents’ house and copied some of the interesting ones. I’ll probably be posting them off and on as I organize them into themes (current possible themes include “Animals that got inside the house”, “Homemade Boats”, and “Things you don’t normally see swimming”).
Here are a few to start off. These are from my childhood, like late 80s and early-mid 90s.
The house at Funter Bay on a snowy day. Normally winter was just wet, and snow didn’t tend to last very long.
Refuelling the property via landing craft. This is also how people got things like vehicles and large generators delivered.
The mail box at Funter Bay. Mail came once a week via seaplane when I was growing up.
Early efforts at boat building. I think the foam block on top was the lifeboat… Megan wisely went with the inflatable torpedo thing.
A small sailboat that our Dad made from an old rowboat. I seem to remember it worked pretty well downwind.
School day at the kitchen table.
Southeast Alaska: Sometimes your front yard floats away.
1 Comment | Funter Bay History | Tagged: Alaska, Funter Bay, Southeast Alaska | Permalink
Posted by saveitforparts
Ha, no wonder they didn’t look too hard… this is straight from the Minneapolis PD’s description of my car after it was recovered, not anything that I told them 😛
(It still mostly runs by the way, and the next person to try and steal it will get a “surprise” 🙂 )
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Posted by saveitforparts
I just bought this little 1950s house in St. Paul. It’s on a huge triple lot and was apparently built of cement all the way up. The original builders started with the basement only, and lived there until the city made them put a ground floor on it. Supposedly this type of house is known for being fairly bomb-proof: “1950’s – a solid concrete “Atom bomb proof” flat roof Hialeah home”
Here’s a quick shot of the kitchen:
The garage is huge, about as big as the ground floor of the house. Depending on how you park, it’s about a 4+ car with an extra storage room and lots of workbenches. It used to be insulated and heated, but the stove is gone and the roof is rotten, so that will be the first project:
Eventually the garage will probably look something like this:
The neighborhood seems pretty quiet:
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Posted by saveitforparts
Update: Bumper stickers (and that damn rusty car) have turned up abandoned and recovered by the cops. Minus the ignition and stereo as expected. CL ad is down now, but here’s how it looked (minus the plate and VIN).
Date: 2012-02-21, 11:19PM CST
Reply to: your anonymous craigslist address will appear here
Someone stole my awesome bumper stickers tonight. And incidentally my rusty ’94 Accord, although I’m not sure why anyone would want that. Was taken between about 5:45pm and 6:45pm on 2-21-12.
The bumper stickers with the most sentimental value are “There really is a Cod Knobs USA” (there isn’t, but it’s a long story), and a big red Ax-Man sticker which looks pretty cool. I could probably get another one, but it won’t look as good on my bicycle, which I’ll be riding to work through the snow for the foreseeable future.
Car is plate # *****, VIN # ********. Mostly blue (“Sage green” per Honda… which means Blue in English). Black hood and newer fender due to accident, hints of rust and bondo throughout. Most major parts held on with zipties and/or duct tape. Three antennas on the back, one bent-up CB antenna, a twisted Ham radio antenna, and the 3rd is the stock “retractable” radio antenna which refuses to retract. Has an aftermarket roof rack, also attached largely with duct tape.
Probably didn’t get far, since it gets about 5 miles to the gallon. I’m not really sure any more, the odometer stopped turning at 200k, and that was 3 years ago. Also not sure how they got it to shift out of park, that’s been getting harder every day. I changed the transmission fluid last weekend and it was mostly metal shavings. The fuel filter is about shot and the plugs need to be replaced, hopefully the thief has a skinny arm and can reach waaay back in there to find the filter (I think it’s behind the mouse nest). The brakes are about gone, it goes from 0-60 in 17 minutes, and I’m not sure what that rattling noise is when it hits 65, I just try to ignore it. The CO poisoning only hits after 45 minutes, since I think the pop cans and hose clamps are still holding the exhaust together pretty well. Other identifying features include the missing drivers-side turn signal, horrible grinding/buzzing noise when the power lock is pushed, some plastic thing that hangs down and scrapes on the road, nonfunctional rear seatbelts, broken left rear power window, broken AC, crack along entire bottom of windshield, and spiderweb fracture on passenger side of windshield where I got mad and beat on some particularly nasty ice build up.
Oh, if you’re the thief, please note the 2-way radio in the dash (if you haven’t already pawned it for meth). Turn it on, turn it to channel 5, and call me up, I’d love to chat about your mother. Also, please feel free to handle, use, and/or lick anything you find in the trunk. I do a lot of sewer-related work and I don’t tend to wash my tools before throwing them in there. Good luck at the pawn shop with those too, I don’t know if they take sewage-coated shovels and boots. Oh, and try not to go faster than 80… things fall off.
Aside from the bumper stickers, I’m mostly upset that I lost the brand-new pack of tic-tacs in the glove box, those set me back a whole $2. Also I was really looking forward to someday selling the car this way, by writing a snarky CL ad listing all its faults and trying to get $100 for it. Probably would have settled for $20 and a case of beer though, and the buyer would have to let me undo the zipties holding the bumper on so I could keep the stickers.
Anyway, if anyone sees a blue Accord with roof rack and antennas shedding parts on its way down the road, or notices it broken down in a ditch somewhere (where it usually is), please email me.
It looks like this, but without the boats (unless the thief is also using it to steal boats):
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Posted by saveitforparts
Edit (11/23): As an update (hopefully the last update!) T-Mobile has apparently realized that they screwed up on this one, and reversed their position. They issued a press release saying they will disable PPU data for customers who didn’t request it, and reverse the mystery charges accrued during the time PPU data was active: http://www.tmonews.com/2011/11/t-mobile-backpedals-will-offer-credits-for-unauthorized-pay-per-use-data-use/
As an update to the T-Mobile mystery-data charge scam, a growing number of T-Mobile customers seem to be noticing this and complaining about it. Apparently the change happened around mid-September and it has taken /is taking some time to fully kick in (perhaps so that the complaints are staggered rather than all at once?) Here are a few more related threads in the support forums:
support.t-mobile.com/message/55109
support.t-mobile.com/message/55243
support.t-mobile.com/message/40139
support.t-mobile.com/message/39508
support.t-mobile.com/message/55813
And another article with some commentary at the end: http://www.tmonews.com/2011/08/t-mobile-to-add-pay-per-use-data-to-all-smartphone-accounts-on-september-15th/
Edit: And yet another blog entry and comments: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/warning-t-mobile-adding-pay-per-use-data-without-your-permission/6859
On this thread, someone named Adam who apparently represents T-Mobile tries to explain this new “feature” away as a great benefit, which I felt compelled to respond to. I’ve pasted his message and my response below.
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Hi, jatt-
I’m sorry you are having some concerns with your billing. It is certainly the last thing T-Mobile wants to see happen to it’s valuable customers. I assure you this is not being done to obtain revenue in unethical ways. Rather, T-Mobile is simply tapping opportunities it has not in the past to provide a better data experience for it’s customer base. By adding the data access to lines that did not have it, we open up the Internet to those who may not have been taking advantage of the vast features on their devices. Additionally, the charges are not “bogus” as you say. All data access is accurate based on the functions your device performs. As for the varying responses you are receiving regarding how to stop this or block it, I do apologize. T-Mobile does have a way to block Pay Per Use data and to prevent addition of additional features via the web and the device. If this is something you still need assistance with, I encourage you to contact customer care or our live chat team for additional guidance.
http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2593
Thanks,
Adam
And my response below (I can only hope this actually gets read by some kind of T-Mobile related humanoid organism, rather than filed under “mulch” and ignored. I should look up some internal T-mobile contact information and forward some of this to them as well).
Adam, you say there is a way to prevent features from being added via the web and the device, is there a way to prevent features from being added by customer service / T-Mobile employees? When I became a T-mobile customer, I chose a very specific set of features, with known, up-front costs. If I had wanted data access, I would have chosen it. Yes, my phone is capable of vast features and abilities. I don’t necessarily want to use them all. That’s why I didn’t request those features. My car also has a lot of features that I don’t use, but I don’t go in to get my oil changed expecting to have a spoiler and spinning rims added just on the off chance I might want them. I did not become a customer so that your company could arbitrarily add services and costs to my account without my permission, just in case I might want them. Is there an option I can check on my account that will block any and all changes made without my express permission?
Frankly, your statement that “adding data access to lines that did not have it”, just in case we “may not be taking advantage of it” strikes me as irresponsible and unethical. Many of your customers are not taking advantage of this for a reason. How many of your customers are unaware of the implications of this “feature”? How many are senior citizens or others with limited technical skills? How many are children or young adults with no financial awareness? How many are simply general users with common apps designed to make frequent data use? How many people simple do not want, and do not use, data access? Judging by the outcry on these support forums, which is likely a small percentage of your more tech-savvy users, I would say a large number of people are unhappy about this and feel cheated by T-mobile’s actions.
It looks like a lot of these bogus charges are simply common apps “pinging” or phoning home, or serving ads. Most users without data plans will not know or care that apps want data access. I have a Masters degree in Computer Science, and I don’t even know what apps are doing in the background. By turning on internet access for everyone, those kids, seniors, and anyone with any apps installed will suddenly be racking up bills without their knowledge. Did you pay attention when Verizon got sued for this very issue, and was forced to pay refunds?
Additionally, the “other option” of adding a data plan to “erase” the PPU overage charges smacks of extortion. I can add a data plan, or I can be billed for services I didn’t use. I believe the Mafia has a business plan like that, and offers vast features which I may not have been aware of, like not having my shop burned down.
You say that activating PPU internet for everyone is a “feature”, and somehow adds value, but I can’t see it as anything but a scam and an unethical way to generate revenue. Combined with your company’s apparent financial instability, it looks like a last-ditch effort to add cash flow with outdated business models, rather than adapting to modern realities. People don’t want to pay overpriced rates for data. Wifi is everywhere, apps are free, and the savvy consumers know it. You may be able to trick the non-savvy people into paying these mystery data bills, or extort them into switching to data plans, but your younger, more tech-aware users are going to leave you. This feature and action you are defending is a mistake, and only leads me to believe I should switch carriers now before T-mobile goes bankrupt.
———————————————————————————-
Back to the blog rant. To highlight the cost of this, I got $17 in charges over two days, much of which time my phone was turned off. Whether this is “pinging” from apps, or something else, it was not data I was personally using or requesting. A month of such charges would be $255, with no associated services rendered to me as the user. I won’t know until my next bill whether the call center rep reversed the charges, but I caught it in time to at least minimize the damage. I’m sure there are people out there who won’t notice this until it’s in the hundreds or more range (with a nice easy “out” offered by customer service: “just sign up for a data plan and we’ll make those nasty data overages go away”). I have to assume that T-mobile was aware of the pinging issue and the potential revenue from charging for those pings. Apparently it was just too much to pass up.
Update: Here is a list of internal T-Mobile contact numbers and emails (from 2009, who knows if they’re still valid now).
1 Comment | Rants | Tagged: 3G, cell, cellular, data, extortion, mystery charges, ripoff, scam, T-mobile, unsolicited, wireless | Permalink
Posted by saveitforparts
——————-
After Verizon made the news for charging unauthorized “mystery data” fees, T-Mobile seems to have decided this scam was too good to waste. They must be hoping that people have forgotten the refunds that Verizon was supposed to pay out, or maybe they hope their ambiguous “notification” message is enough of an opt-in to make the lawyers happy.
On Friday, I received a text from T-mobile saying “Congratulations! You can now access the web on your phone and pay only for data you use. Go go <url> for more details”. I always ignore these spam texts, but apparently what this one meant is “Congratulations, we’ve automatically signed you up for pay-per-use data without your knowledge”. I never agreed to this, never opted-in, never even replied to their texts offering “great deals” etc. Then today, I got another text saying “You’ve used over $10 worth of data charges this month”. Huh????
After realizing I had a data bill, I checked my account and found that $17 worth of charges had accrued (this weekend alone!) at times that my phone wasn’t even turned on (such as 400k at 8:30am this morning when I specifically noticed that my battery was dead). I use Wifi frequently but never use mobile web, whenever I lose my Wifi connection I get an error page saying I have no data plan, and offering to sign me up for one. So this “pay-per-use” data plan doesn’t even work for Internet access, just mystery data when my phone is turned off.
I called T-mobile to complain, and I *might* have gotten the charges reversed after a half hour on super-secret-no-music-we-hope-you-hang-up hold with India. They initially wanted to “save me money” by signing me up for a data plan, but I got upset and accused them of trying to entrap me into adding features I hadn’t requested. Between poor English and corporate doublespeak I can’t quite tell what the outcome was. I asked to talk to a supervisor, but apparently one wasn’t available. I kept asking if I’d be billed the $17 or not, and the customer service rep kept saying ambiguous stuff like “I cannot guarantee that it will be billed”, and “The charges may not yet be accrued this billing cycle”. She blocked data on my account and said that if the $17 charge shows up, I should call back to have it “adjusted”.
Here are some T-mobile support threads where people are noticing and complaining about this. Hopefully the discussions don’t get big-brothered away anytime soon:
http://support.t-mobile.com/message/39176
http://support.t-mobile.com/message/50262#50262
http://support.t-mobile.com/message/54187#54187
And some more related discussion:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1740503
Update 11/16/11: Here’s an update I posted today, with further complaint threads and some more thoughts on the issue: https://saveitforparts.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/more-t-mobile-feedback/
Leave a Comment » | Rants | Tagged: 3G, cell, cellular, data, mystery charges, ripoff, scam, T-mobile, unsolicited | Permalink
Posted by saveitforparts
Saveitforparts 