Author: Patrick Rhone

I had a tabletop a that I wanted to use for extra work surface in our office loft but I needed some legs for it. I didn’t want anything permanent just yet, mainly something quick and dirty to try it on for size. I knew that sawhorses would be the best solution for that but , due to the size of the worktop, would leave no room in front to pull up my chair and have my legs under. Then, thanks to the YouTube algorithmic overlords, a solution presented itself to me…

Make sawhorses with three legs. With about $20 of construction grade 2x4s, a mitre saw, impact driver, course thread screws, and an hour and a half of time the problem was solved.

Beyond the advantage of leaving room for my chair and legs underneath, a three legged sawhorse (or stool, or any built thing really) is that it will always find its own center of gravity on uneven surfaces. Get the measurements slightly off on a four legged horse and it will be wobbly. A three legged horse does not have that issue (though, I did measure twice, cut once, and use a level throughout so that fact is irrelevant here).

Increasingly, as I see some popular meme spreading like wildfire through the social media forest I’m suspicious of its intent…

• Is that random person asking if women would rather be stranded in the woods with a man or a bear really interested in provoking a mass thought exercise in gender politics or is it the Chinese government using TikTok to fervent discord to further divide us into Team Man and Team Bear?

• Is that thread asking me to reply with a picture of myself at 18 (or 21, or from 1977, or…) really just for fun or am I training an AI for facial recognition to ultimately be used against me?

• Is the movement to write in “uncommitted” on the ballot really a progressive grassroots effort about sending a message regarding my country’s response to a war or is it an attempt to influence a major election?

My point being is that we should all be asking such questions in today’s day and age. We have copious examples from our last two (at least) major US elections that similar tactics were used and the results were impressive/devastating. We’ve obviously learned nothing about being suspicious of the things we see, especially on social media, and not immediately calling into question the source and the intent.

This is why I generally refuse to participate in such things online. Perhaps doing the same is worth your consideration. At the very least, think through the “what if” when you do.

I’ve long been fascinated with Planned Communities. Especially those with strong architectural and/or environmental goals. Here’s a few examples that continue to hold my interest:

• The Sea Ranch, CA

• Celebration, FL

• Tauxemont, VA

• Jackson Meadow, WI