I'm working in someone else's shop for awhile, while I finish a large project. I prefer to have no radio, music, or other sound playing while I work; because I'm trying to develop what I call “mind time”, where I think of constructive or worthwhile things while doing repetitive work. The results of this practice in the last couple of weeks have been very satisfying. I'm experimenting with new painting and metal preservation methods, getting great results, and documenting the results with a Nikon camera, while mentally rehearsing the copy for accompanying web pages. I hope to start making these web pages at donahuesignarts.com
Anyway, the other day a contractor at the other end of the shop had music playing all day. I've prayed about other people's music before, and seen what I thought was God's intervention. This time, a wicked Rod Steward song came on, but I realized that I should be praying that the message in the song was of no effect, as it was broadcast over the Knoxville area. So I kept praying that way, while some songs were playing. It felt like very worthwhile praying.
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When political, economic, or other problems occur, the first cause is usually sin and disregard of God. However, another usual suspect way back in the chain reaction is government interference. So...if no one has yet done it, I want to coin a phrase: A little government goes a long way. It's sort of like that saying that is attributed to Abraham Lincoln:“This too shall pass”;in that it's dual purpose. You see, liberals will warmly embrace it because they love government, and wish for even more to go even farther. Conservatives will snicker.
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I've heard creationists and intelligent design people talk about the careful position of the Earth in the Solar system and the fine tuning of the universe; which all makes sense. One thing I don't remember anyone talking about is temperature ranges in everyday life. I'm talking about the narrow range of temperature that many processes work in.
In order to define narrow here, I'll look at some extremes: minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, and millions of degrees Fahrenheit. The cold temperature is attempted in a lab, the high temperature is achieved in an atom bomb. In my everyday life, the extremes are a lot less: the dry ice a mechanic was using to shrink a large steel pin, so it would fit in a press-fit hole. The high end is in my coal forge, where I can turn steel (which melts at about 2850 degrees f) to liquid.
I work with my hands more than most people, and the variety of materials I use is also more. Vinyl paint mask is a vinyl film that is adhesive on one side. It allows a computer controlled machine to make a very precise one use stencil. This stuff works great at 80 degrees f, sorta OK at 60, and rather annoying at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil base paint changes a lot between 40 and 65. Think about butter, molasses, and motor oil. See how long one of the new florescent light bulbs takes to work on the porch in winter. Your refrigerator works at a little over freezing, probably? Look how fast food taken out and left on a 60 degree counter would spoil. Look at how much hotter a running horse or dog gets when it's 80 degrees outside, instead of 45. To you and I, that 35 degree difference feels like a lot, but compare it to the other temperature ranges in the world.
