I have a Pentax Q and really like it's portability and the fact that it has manual controls, but the downside is that the firmware (v1.01) has been buggy, doing things like locking up and ignoring any button press (even power) until I remove and reinstall the battery. 

But now I heard that there is a new firmware available for the Q which "Improved stability for general performance".  I installed it and so far so good, but there is one thing they don't mention in the installation instructions - the bin file needs to be in the root of the SD card.  That's pretty standard stuff though.

Here is the link:  http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/q_s.html

I set up a Samsung TV which has their apps to work with my Amazon Prime account so I could watch streaming video for free and it works pretty good.  It can be a bit confusing since the TV (which is a couple years old now) has both the Samsung apps and a Yahoo toolbar with widgets.  The Amazon widget is part of the Yahoo toolbar and not the apps (so I just push the Yahoo button on the remote and toggle over to the Amazon widget.. whew, now that is out of the way, a little about prime and Amazon Instant Video.  In a word, awesome, but this is coming from somebody who does not have Netflix or any other streaming service.  Even better is that they offer discounts sometimes on movies and mp3's from Amazon Local site.  I recently took advantage of a coupon to watch "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" and I thought the quality was pretty good, however one thing happened which I did not think much about at the time - I paused the movie for about 10 minutes and when I came back I had to re-start the app and fast forward to the point where I had paused it.  No big deal, this is technology after all...but...a few days later I get a refund from Amazon for poor video playback.  Pretty cool, and another reason Amazon kicks ass.

I have always wanted to learn welding, so when I heard about a class at a local arts center I jumped at it.  The class is going to cover MIG, oxy-acetylene and plasma cutting.  It is geared towards artists and is taught by one.  Unfortunately I have never been much of a artist in the way that a metal sculptor is (which would be envisioning and designing something in 3D), but there is plenty of practical instruction involved which is what I want.  The instructor said that we should not expect it to be a full course on welding, but simply a practical welding class, and unfortunately no TIG welding will be taught - I had really hoped to get the opportunity to try TIG welding aluminum.  On the plus side though he folks in the class are great, and they all have some project in mind, with some of them already underway (this is only the second class).  Since I started late, I was asked to have an idea for a project next time and to bring in some materials to either begin building it or to practice on - so it looks like I will have another project soon - maybe an artistic interpretation of a class 1 trailer hitch for my C-max (only for a bike rack of course).

Probably the coolest thing I was able to use today is the plasma cutter.  Seeing it in action really has got me thinking about designing and hopefully building a CNC plasma table.  It's one of those things that if I built it, it could be a tool waiting for a purpose, but also just having one would open up some really cool project possibilities.  The plasma cutters are pretty damn expensive though and I'd have to do quite a bit of research on them first.

One thing I am pretty sure I will have to buy for myself is a MIG welder before the class is over, it seems to be the most practical.  I am not really into the oxy-acetylene due to the hazards of the gas and it's expense, I doubt I would ever use it outside of this class.  I think I could substitute MAPP for a cutting gas if I ever needed to, but will need to ask about that next time.

I picked up some seat covers for the C-max to protect the seats until somebody starts making better fitted covers. These are just OK and will do for a while I think.  See the full review by clicking the pic.

I need a good cargo cover for a C-max since my dog seems to shed hair like it was going out of style.  Until I get a system in place to protect the interior she is banned from the C-max, and since that is not cool I am working hard to puppy proof it.  I picked up a couple of moving blankets from Harbor Freight and am using those along with some very rusty sewing skills to fit a cover in the back.  Click the pic to see the rest of the saga..

I fixed a shower which has a Moen diverter valve (which switches water between the tub and shower).  Unfortunately it has given up the ghost after many years of faithful service.  If you have a similar problem this post will explain how to replace it.  Click the pic to go to the page.

I finally got around to updating the CNC info page with pics from my X3 mill conversion.  It is not a walk through, but it does have helpful pics and info.