Del Lago

Programming is difficult. Programming is more than just the "coding". Establishing requirements, designing structure of code that is maintainable and easy to understand (and thus update), and testing with adequate use cases are the hard parts. These are the marks of good programming and good programmers. If programming is difficult, so by extension is an “AI” app. Where AI fails is at almost every point except coding. Establishing and understanding requirements, being able to know how to structure code, and knowing how to test it are certainly not “machine friendly”. I will share a couple of incidents that highlighted these concepts to me. After that, I will consider fallout, costs and liability. Case #1 : My wife is a Type 1 Diabetic. Before she started using an insulin pump, she used “Kwikpens” for long acting insulin. Suddenly, out of the clear blue sky, she started receiving texts and emails saying that her doctor’s prescription for the Kwikpens urgentl...

 I have been researching and experimenting with bird house design for a few years. I came up with a basic design which I like.   The door can be opened for clean-out  There is a built-in ladder for baby birds to climb out when they are ready Opening is sloped down and out to avoid rain from running in Drain holes at the bottom Roof strategically slanted so that rain will run off Back is flat so that it can be mounted flat against a tree or building. I have found that birds are very attracted to these.  Particularly smaller birds like sparrows and finches.  I suspect where you mount them will determine that to some extent.   I can make them out of pine or cedar.   Pine must be painted, but if it is it will last for a long time.  I have some out in my front yard which are 5 years old and just repainted (even though they did not need it). Cedar is more expensive, so I used fence pickets.  While this is cheaper than the pine common...

 I built an Owl house.  Primarily for Barred Owls in the neighborhood.  I put it up late last year or early this year and so far, no residents.  I can make more.  Any questions, just ask.   Feel free to leave comments or questions.  

  Dougherty "Lake" is a Retention Pond Alright, but what's the difference between a D etention pond and a R etention pond?   A detention pond is a reservoir created to temporarily hold storm water runoff.  D etention ponds have no outlets or spillways and rely on natural processes such as evaporation for water removal. A retention pond is a permanent pool of water in its design, constructed for the purpose of reducing downstream flooding. R etention ponds are designed with features like an outlet or spillway that regulates how much water can leave the pond at one time.   The Nature of Dougherty "Lake" Dougherty Lake is a Retention Pond.  It will never be a pristine mountain lake.  It is the natural low point for about 250 acres north of Beaver Dam Rd including our subdivision.  As a result it receives every bit of storm water through MSD sewers in that area.  This includes all the fertilizer runoff from lawns and all debris (plast...

I have no special "lake" qualifications.  I'm just trying to use common sense and all the advice and information that I can get to provide a healthy and affordable habitat in our lake.  There is a lot   more to our "lake" than fish. There was an abundance of bluegill and some spawning in the shallow areas on western shoreline. I stocked some catfish this year.   The reason being that I was told that catfish don't generally spawn in smaller bodies of water and don't naturally supplement when they die.  I was also told that catfish being bottom feeders would eat insect larvae/eggs off of the bottom of the lake. This year (2023) I stocked    200  6-8" channel cat     30  Lbs Golden Shiners 7000  Fathead Minnows   200  3-4" Hybrid Bluegill   400  3-4" Bluegill                          ...