2008-05-10_18-56-48_JHW0357b


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Testing of the VU meter using the Reanimator video. All levels illuminated.

2008-05-10_18-56-30_JHW0356b


Image by tbutanol
Testing of the VU meter using the Reanimator video.

2008-04-10_21-05-48_JHW0210b


Image by tbutanol
Testing the first version of the binary clock.
Time: 6 hrs, 33 min, 21 sec.

Panicked, yet slightly relieved to see a face I knew, I clamored to my feet. “Bran…? You’re here? How? Why?” 2

“Take a seat,” commanded an overhead voice. “You’re a gambling man, aren’t you Brandon? Let’s see how this game of chance plays out for you? I’m quite sure you’ll find you’re companion pleasing.” Although I could not see the speaker, the contempt he had for Bran was obvious in his voice. “The rules are simple,” began the voice again. “One bullet, six chambers, spin the housing, pull the trigger, take a chance, roll the dice. If you do not I will.”3

Through clenched teeth I look at Bran. “What’s going on here?”4

“Not now!” He whispered and motioned for me to take a seat.5

Without a further word, I sat at the slate gray table, wringing my hands. Bran cocked his head as he reached for the gun then gave the chamber a spin with a familiar grace. The light refracted off the spinning metal and glinted in his sapphire eyes. He had done this before.6

“Take a deep breath, try and calm yourself.” He laid the revolver on the table with a soft thud. “If you play, its for keeps, there is no coming back. Take the gun and count to three.”7

I reached for the gun, my hand scooting slowly across the surface of the table. Sweat plastered my shirt to my back, but not because I was warm. My hands trembled as my jugular pulsed hard in my neck while my heart worked overtime. I licked my dry lips, my muscles tense.8

“To pass the test you must play the game.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, his brow knotted. “It’s not my idea, but it must be done. Say a prayer and close your eyes, it helps sometimes.”9

I picked up the revolver and brought the barrel to my head, its weight heavy in my hands. My eyes darted to the heavy closed door I had passed through just seconds before. For a fleeting moment I wanted to drop the gun and sprint out the door. But I’m not leaving, I have to stay and past this test. Swallowing hard, I placed my finger on the trigger, my fear turning to stone in the pit of my stomach. 10

As my life flashes before my eyes, standing on the brink, I wonder will I ever see another sunrise? Who are we to question our lives, to so boldly take the reins from whence we sprang? Are we meant to bend to his will; be molded like clay or be the tide that breaks upon him? We are but candles, just a small flame, a flicker of light lost in the gulf of time. Our existence here is short, a blink of an eye, forgotten by eternity. My being, a hairbreadth away, hangs in the balance; one side a deep chasm, the other flooded with light. Naked and alone in the dark with my thoughts, I walk the razor’s edge between life and death, crossing the void on the wings of a prayer. My heart beating like a trip hammer, the power to choose life over death anchored in my hand, I pull the trigger. 11

Click. The sound of the hammer hitting an empty chamber resonated down the muzzle pressed against my skin. I could barely hear it over the blood seething in my veins. Shuddering, I exhale and place the revolver back on the table, not removing my hand.12

Bran, slow to move, met my gaze. It was not hard to discern the fear etched on his haggard face, hard lines drawn across it, dispelling his youth. Reaching across the table and stretching his arm, his eyes did not leave mine. I watched, stock still, as he placed his hand on mine and squeezed gently, his mouth twitching in an effort to smile. Pulling my hand back from the weapon, I managed a half-hearted smile as he drug the revolver towards him. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I mouth, ‘I love you’. Now the muzzle is pressed against his temple, his finger wrapped around the trigger.13

BAM! There was a metallic clinking as the bullet casing hit the concrete floor.14
Dang, couldn’t get rid of the paragraph number. I know it has tense problems, among other things. But you know how it is when you stare at something too long… This needs a fresh pair of eyes to look it over. This is a short story.
Also for got to add the word min. is 500 and the max. is 1000. Currenlty it is 700 words. I am doing this only to challenge myself, normally I write longer pieces with more devlopement.
In the 6th paragraph, the sentence… Bran c*ocked his head… This is not a bad word, not sure why it was blocked. It means to turn to the side. Of course I am aware of the slang meaning.

Best answer:

Answer by Laura
I’d say you have that ability to find synonyms off the top of your head for words fast enough to apply them. I personally think that is a strong feature in literature, inconstancy. Unpredictability.

Grammatically, you need a bit more punctuation.

(I’ll be honest, I didn’t read it all, but I looked at the basic context, etc.)

Add your own answer in the comments!

See it in operation! In-circuit test and functional test in one low cost fixture soluttion.

www.freescale.com – This is part one of a two-part video guide that offers instruction for assembly of RF Power fixture kits. In Part 1, view how to solder down the PCB to the copper heat sink insert. In Part 2, view how to prepare and solder coaxial cable, and how to mount the RF connectors to the fixture.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Quick demo
Video Rating: 1 / 5

Find More Fluke Circuit Tester Articles

ATEC’s Don Spitler runs through a basic setup of the Anritsu OTDR (optical Time Domain Reflector), an instrument used for measuring characteristics of fiber optic cable. He demonstrates testing in single and multi-modes, and does a fault location test.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Electrical contractor South Hills Electric Heating Cooling is always on the lookout for the newest and best technology for its customers said owner Pat Cray. So when the new product line was available, field tested and proven it was a no brainier. This was the load center for South Hills Electric.

As far as electrical load centers go South Hills Electric feels that the PL series load center is superior in every way. Here are a few ways in which the PL electrical load center saves time, money and provides piece of mind.

In 2011, avid boater and former software sales rep Bob Alves launched a personal war on birds, specifically the gulls, terns and cormorants that were befouling his beloved 1968 Egg Harbor Sportsfish.

?I?ve purchased the existing bird-deterrent solutions?which have been around for decades?but they just didn?t work,? said Alves. ?It got me thinking: Why hasn?t someone come up with something more effective??

A memory from his days as a child, growing up on the docks of Gloucester, Mass., provided an answer. Alves recalled an elderly marina owner who would feed feral cats to keep the birds and rats off his property. Inspired by this recollection, Alves sought the advice of ornithologists and other experts, which eventually led to the creation of an innovative, viscous-looking feline facsimile that Alves dubbed the Gulls Cat.

Using subtle movements powered by green-energy sources such as wind or sea, the Gulls Cat resembles a hungry predator. The Gulls Cat is equipped with a twitching tail and skyward-looking face that moves with the slightest breeze or rocking action of the boat or dock. Birds instinctively avoid it.

Tests in the summer of 2011 proved that the Gulls Cat worked even better than Alves had hoped. Numerous samples were sent to boaters throughout New England and all of them found that the product kept birds from landing on their boats and docks. ?We really knew we were onto something when we collected the prototypes the day before Hurricane Irene hit the Northeast. The following day our testers were calling and texting, demanding that we return the Cat.? Alves said.

Now the Gulls Cat is out of the bag and boaters everywhere will get to see this exciting new bird-deterrent when it makes its debut at the New England Boat Show in Boston (February 11-19). It?s the perfect opportunity to take pre-season action to keep birds off your boat this spring! Drop by Booth 422 for a live demo.

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It might also be of interest to know, at high RPM’s, and the generator is running unloaded, and the speed is quite high, the open-circuit volts are quite high as well. This is actually a very dangerous amount of voltage. One hundred volts, if you were to touch that, would give you quite a jolt! Not until the generator is loaded [with a battery] by demanding current will it clamp the voltage down to the battery voltage. At the moment very little load is required to turn the generator. Again, the volts aren’t the only part of the equation, the current is what makes the power. A few pounds – very little force is required [means] very little torque is required to keep the generator running when it is not connected [to load]. A disconnected wind turbine runs away at fantastic speeds, which is why you never disconnect a wind turbine from its battery. Steve Fahey (SparWeb).