blog - Page 4 of 5 - Mark Niemann-Ross

Party Buzz Kill: Data Storage

I’m at this party where Bob and Marsha and I are discussing the best languages for programming a Raspberry Pi. Bob advocates for Python, Marsha is a devout student of C. I’m defending my use of R. After all, Raspberry Pi starts with R. We have chased all the other guests out of the room with our conversation.

“With R, I have all sorts of built-in data management,” I say. “Manipulating matrices is in R’s basic DNA.”

Steve wanders in from the other room and joins our conversation. “Matrices aren’t a proper data strategy. You should be using a database. You can run SQLite on a Raspberry Pi with hardly any effort.”

Bob and Marsha simultaneously turn to stare me down. They are curious about how I’m going to get around this supposition.

“Sure. SQL with R–in particular SQLite, would have been easy to implement,” I pontificate. “Just call up RSQLite, push a few buttons, and Bob’s Your Uncle.”

“And that’s not what you did?” Steve is incredulous.

“I store the R object on disk and pull it into memory when I need it.”

“What kind of knucklehead stores data as a file on disk?”

R Waters My Garden

I’m at a party, and the topic of programming languages comes up. A quarter of the room politely leaves, another half rudely leaves, and the remaining three people banter about the proper language for a certain project. Bob, Marsha, and I have the room to ourselves.

Tonight we’re talking microcontrollers: Arduino or Raspberry Pi. We like to connect things and aren’t afraid to release the magic white smoke with an ill-advised application of excess voltage. Bob assumes programming is done with micropython. Marsha prefers C.

“I use R to water my garden,” I say. “Yep, I installed R on a Raspberry Pi and use it to turn the water valves on and off.”

Caning and Naming

We’ve been back from Port Townsend for a week. Progress on the boat isn’t as dramatic as it is when we’re spending the day dedicated to sanding and epoxy. Instead, we have life issues needing attention, plus some tasks we need to accomplish before we can move to the next step.

Booaat Camp

Before we go any further, That’s not a typo; that’s the way I pronounce the word “Boat.” I’m from Minnesoota, where all double vowels have an elongated pronunciation. Think of saying “ooooh!” like you just ate the best nooodles. So this week we’ve been in “Boat camp” although it might sound like “Boooot Camp.”

The Church of the Wood Boat

This morning, we gather at The Chapel of Carpentry and Canoes for Sunday services. We’ll follow the Presbyterian Order of Worship. If we were to celebrate a Catholic Mass, we’d have to drink wine, a bad idea when using table saws and power tools.

Matthew has given up sawdust for lent so he chose to wander the city of Port Townsend. He will return to New York later today and is trying to remain vapor and sawdust free for the sake of his fellow passengers.

Janell, Rich, and I get breakfast at home then head to the boat shop. We avoid driving by the bakery in a vain glorious show of self-control.

Tiny Bubbles

All endeavors have a beauty…

…and…

…a disappointment

Our canoe is no different.

We admire the beauty of the canoe every morning. The cedar strips form lines from the bow to the stern, pulling the eye along the shape of the boat. Isn’t admiring the beauty of a boat the best part of a boat? Why would anyone create a canoe that didn’t have beauty?

This morning, we dread looking inside the canoe. Last night was an epoxy disaster, and we did our best to remove the bubbles and air pockets before leaving for the evening. Our concern is justified–there are myriad tiny bubbles rising from the epoxy and some of them have collected as air pockets under the fiberglass. If we can fix it, we will have to do considerable sanding and discover why the air pockets formed so we don’t repeat our faulty technique.

A Sense of Place

Crappy writing tells you what is happening. Good writing provides you with mental images. Great writing provides you with a sense of being in a place. So…what’s it like to be in this boat shop in Port Townsend?

We are staying at an AirBnB just outside of Port Townsend. It’s comfortable, has showers, and provides a magnificent view of the Olympic mountains. Every morning, we cook a simple breakfast, make coffee, and hop in the car. Matthew wanted to take his rental vehicle, but we insisted he would miss singing camp songs in the car, so he rides with us.

Pi Day

Those of us building boats agree March 14th is Pi day. 3/14 (March 14) is the first three digits of pi (3.14). A bar here in Port Townsend will give you a 15% discount if you can recite pi to fifteen digits (3.141592653589793). This seems like a lot to memorize, but it’s only three zip code numbers — or one and one-half phone numbers. If you had the motivation to memorize it, you could do it.

There are various ways to celebrate. The Raspberry Pi Foundation often makes major product announcements. Our tradition is to eat pie. Have a slice.

Flipping the Boat

Today is the birthday of this boat.

Up until now, it has only been a fetus. It relied on the stations of the strong back to give it shape and protect it from forces that might wish it ill.

Matthew built the form (aka: “strong back”) to withstand minor explosions. Its spine is three two-by-fours, nailed together and supported by two sturdy legs. Along the spine are stations; thick sheets of plywood like ribs on a whale. The canoe rests tenuously upon this sturdy frame. Without the strong back, the canoe is only a bundle of sticks.

Today…we removed the strong back.

Wedding Dress for a Canoe

Today is Tuesday, March 12th, 2024. The big event today is Joel (the shop manager) making lunch for everyone: Bratwurst and beef brisket with cabbage and potatoes. That…and we are putting on the first coat of fiberglass.

We get up a little slower than yesterday but still make it into the shop at a reasonable hour. The canoe is still beautiful, more so because of the sealer coat of epoxy we put on yesterday. Our first task is to lightly (lightly!) sand the bumps and drips. The drips have to go, but if you are too energetic, the epoxy will warm up and you’ll be sanding bubblegum. Instead, we need to sand for a bit, then walk away like we don’t care about the drip anymore, and then later, when the epoxy has cooled off, we sneak up on it and sand it some more. Rich stops dilly-dallying around and gets out a sharp knife to shave off the drips.