Recently I was hospitalized due to a partial obstruction of my small intestine caused by my Crohns disease, and it has given me an insight into the health industry here in the states, and proof of how important insurance is. (It also is why there have not been updates to my site for a while.

It seems that when your insurance claims reach a certain amount they get denied whilst the insurance company reviews them, and I have managed to reach that threshold (about $10k).

What’s amazing though is when you see the amounts being claimed. When I went to hospital I went to the ER department, and saw the doctor who decided to admit me. That was about 11pm. I was admitted at about 8am having had a CT scan, and stayed 1 additional night.

The bills are starting to come through now. Each dept will bill separatly, and I’ve only had a few bills so far.

CT Scan: $3,600
MRI: $5,900
Hospital stay: $15,000
Follow up appointment with Gastrenterologist: $250

So we are already well over $20,000 without all the bills. My treatment was complete rest with no food or drink for 2 days, on a saline IV line to keep hydrated and some anticoagulants to stop me getting dangerous blood clots.

Whilst my treatment was good, I don’t feel it was any better than I would have got on the NHS, and I was sharing a room with someone else.

So how much would something serious cost?

DRILL PRESS:
A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings objects across the room, denting the freshly-painted vertical stabilizer which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL:
Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench at the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, ‘Oh sh*t’

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL:
Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

SKILL SAW:
A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS:
Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER:
An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW:
One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS:
Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH:
Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW:
A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK:
Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW:
A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST:
A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER:
Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER:
A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

PRY BAR:
A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50-cent part.

HOSE CUTTER:
A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE:
Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as leather seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

DAMMIT TOOL:
Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling ‘DAMMIT’ at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Original by Peter Egan (http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Workshop/Definitions.htm)

Summer is fast approaching, and Chez Cole is proud to announce the addition of a hot tub for all visiting guests.

Installation is not complete, but we hope to soon be enjoying the summer evenings in our new Aruba LX hot tub.

Contact us for your summer booking – swimsuits optional (apart from Russell, then the are compulsory).

I’ve been playing with Ableton again, this time with some old favorites from 1989.

I experimented this time with running regular and accapela tracks together, and there is some flanging in there too for good measure.

Track Listing
Adeva – Respect – 119bpm
28th Street Crew – I Need A Rhythm – 129.3 bpm
Kariya – Let Me Love You Tonight (12 inch mix) – 111.7 bpm
Frankie Knuckles – Your Love (Original) – 117.6 bpm
Candi Staton – You Got The Love – 111.5 bpm
Candi Staton – You Got The Love (Accapella) – 110.8 bpm
Corporation Of One – The Real Life – 119.8 bpm
Loretta Holloway – Love Sensation – ~116.0 bpm
Black Box – Ride On Time – 118.7 bpm
Groove Is In the Heart – Deee-Lite – 120.9 bpm
Simon – Free At Last – 133.9 bpm
Illusion – Why Can’t We Live Together – 112.9 bpm

Runtime: 37:02

Listen:

Download:
Ableton – Passion

Something a bit more modern next I think.

A while back I posted my first attempt at mixing with Ableton. The results are here:

, or it can be downloaded here Ableton Mix

I saw this on B3TA and have been addicted ever since. As the quote says, there is almost always some second rate porn image, so be warned (PS, that’s not why I’m addicted).

Tracks the 30 most recent photos to be uploaded
to Livejournal. It’s interesting to just keep
refreshing, although every page is guaranteed a
cat, some porn, a teenager looking thoughtful
and someone selling cheap clothes.
http://www.portalofevil.com/lj.php

I found a picture of our house on live.com – this is the day we moved in over 2 years ago – hence the van and the jeep parked on the grass.