the mellow tigger's musings

It's easy if you follow the instructions, so of course I went rogue and made mistakes. I'll explain them here so you don't have to make the same ones. :) I apologize in advance for the imperial length measurements. That's what we have available in stores in the USA, even though I'd much prefer switching to metric.

The design concept is sound, and it's even supported by 3M which makes Filtrete brand filters.  If you really need to cut costs, then you can create a triangle or prism design with only 2 filters instead of 4.  The upward-pointing box design has better air flow filtration, though.

( Read how I did it... )

It's a good use for some of the birthday money that my parents sent me. I went shopping for parts on the same day I deposited that check. Happy Birthday (tomorrow) to me, with a fun Build-It-Yourself adventure (today).

I've seen international threads on Twitter from foreigners baffled by certain aspects of USA policy and politics. I agree, it's nonsensical.

Here are 4 quick ways to learn why it is thus, arranged in order of time commitment.

1. 3 minutes: An unusually coherent thread on Twitter explains the Republican party and the difference between its internal motivations versus external reporting.  Using this principle, you can predict how the Republican party will react to any proposal.
    
2. 3 minutes: A YouTube video about the left-to-right spectrum.
   • It doesn't even explain that Richard Nixon (infamous conservative US President) tested Universal Basic Income, froze costs on rent and food, signed anti-discrimination law, created the Environmental Protection Agency, and more liberal stuff.  That's how far right the Overton window in the USA has shifted during my lifetime.  That former conservative is now essentially too liberal for the current Democratic party.  I've written before about this topic.
    
3. 19 minutes: A YouTube video about the pillars of fascism and how conservative politics directly incorporates its tactics. It reviews the actual broadcast by conservative USA politicians during AmericaFest.  You can rewind to the beginning to see him build the list of topics that he starts discussing at the linked point of the video.  Near the end, he proposes how to change USA politics.  "Rage is the correct response to the way things have been going lately.  The only question now is which side gets to claim and wield it."  As I've been saying for a long time, "Don't bring the anointed candidate" to an electorate hungry for a populist.
    
4. 60 minutes: A YouTube video about conservative humor.  Weird topic, right?  It's excellent, though, which is why it has 1.7 million views.  You need to watch through the end, as he shows examples of "good" conservative humor in stark contrast to what counts for conservative jokes currently.
   • The link I've provided skips the first 20 minutes.  You can scroll back to view it, if you want.  It does help to build the logical argument, but it's painful to watch.  The "humor" widely misses the mark, which is bad for a video about the logical construction of good comedy.

That last item is probably the most insightful of the bunch, but it requires a longer time investment to learn the lesson.  I recommend watching it before even starting on the other 3 points.  Knowing its lesson, so much more in conservative performative politics makes sense.

Our 4th estate of journalism is badly failing our country.  It does not point out these 4 lessons.  They are essential, though, to understand what's happening in the USA, with a pattern repeating globally too.

It's time for a Moody Monday post.  This one is pandemic edition.  I apologize for being unusually hyperlink-heavy this time, even for me.  ( Read stuff related to SARS-CoV-2 news... )In these trying times, it's good to see that some people can keep their sense of humor.  Keep reading that Twitter thread of calendar dates to 2022 May for the sad humor to build.