Before you start, you will need libgtkmm-2.4-dev (version 1:2.18.2-1) installed.

When you install it should also call for

libcairomm-1.0-dev (version 1.8.0-1build1) will be installed
libglibmm-2.4-dev (version 2.22.1-2) will be installed
libpangomm-1.4-dev (version 2.26.0-0ubuntu2) will be installed
libsigc++-2.0-dev (version 2.0.18-2) will be installed

You may wish to install
gtkmm-documentation (version 2.17.4-0ubuntu1) will be installed
libglademm-2.4-doc (version 2.6.7-2) will be installed
libglibmm-2.4-doc (version 2.22.1-2) will be installed
libgtkmm-2.4-doc (version 1:2.18.2-1) will be installed

At that point, you can copy and paste the example code found on Wikipedia.

In order to follow the example literally, you will need to save each of the text files as the name indicated in the first line comment into an empty directory. Start a command line window and switch to that directory. Then the command given in the example should work.

If you copy and paste the g++ command you will get it right. If you type it, the “`” things are in the upper-left on most keyboards under the tilde (~), not a single-quote (’)

me@home:~/Projects/gtk/hww$ g++ *.cc -o example `pkg-config gtkmm-2.4 –cflags –libs`
me@home:~/Projects/gtk/hww$ ./example
Hello world
me@home:~/Projects/gtk/hww$

I am sure that many things have changed since those days. But one thing I know for sure is the same. The concrete dam that forms Lake Noah is still there. Which means that Headless Haddie still does not sleep at night.

That was already an old legend 50 years ago when I was a camper at Camp Y-Noah. Haddie was said t0 be a local girl,  just about 12 or so. When the workmen were building the dam, somehow, Haddie, too close to where the concrete was being poured, was struck by a bulldozer, her head severed instantly by the impact, rolled into the flowing concrete and was buried. Her folks buried her body in a nearby graveyard. But on moonless nights, her ghost comes to the lake to see if she can find her head.

The sound you hear in the pine grove is Haddie’s dress, blowing gently in the summer wind.

Make sure you know where your stuff is.  Especially your flashlight.  Did you remember fresh batteries?

Sleep tight campers.

In a previous time, the ice cubes had to be made in the freezer section of the refrigerator.  A metal pan held held metal dividers that had to be warmed or shifted with a lever  to separate the rectangular prisms from the separators in the tray.  When plastic became popular, a plastic tray made “cubes” with trapezoidal faces.  These trays ejected the ice everywhere but into the glass you were trying to fill.

Back even farther, chunks of ice were broken from the same block of ice that cooled the food in the ice box.  An ice pick was poked at the ice until a chunk came off.  The block of ice likely came from an ice plant where ammonia refrigerant cooled a couple of gallons of water in each mold to make thousands of blocks every day.

Even farther back and maybe still today where it is more economical than not, ice was sawn from surface of a lake or even a purpose-built pond. Hauled and stored in an ice-house with sawdust packed between the blocks to keep them from sticking and to insulate.

Just some thoughts on a day when the temperature is 97 or so.  A bit of a breeze make it tolerable.  And ice water makes it enjoyable.

“AVC Patent Portfolio License”

Another license which I, without legal assistance need to understand.  Googling for the phrase gives me a great summary presentation.

Note that the title page provides this warning

“This presentation is for information purposes only.
Actual license agreements will provide the only definitive and reliable statement of license terms.”

In the presentation, on slide 2, second bullet, is “Align with AVC product value chain”

This line reminds me of the moment in my Draft Physical where the doctor says to a line of 20 young men, with their bare toes on a yellow tape line on the floor,  “Bend over and spread your cheeks”.

But do not delay…
First Term: August 1, 2002 – December 31, 2010
Threshold levels to encourage early-stage adoption and minimize impact on lower volume users…
Call now… Operators are standing by… Limited time offer… (Did I pay too much by not waiting for the price to come down?)  Does AVC seem like a scam to you?

Rate Protection on Renewal – royalty rates for specific license grants (except for Internet Broadcast AVC*) will not increase by more than 10% at renewals

This is my absolute favorite because I am a Mainframe Dinosaur.  While the predicted death of the IBM mainframe seems to be long delayed, the mainframe software vendors continue to work to ensure the mainframe’s imminent demise through destructive software licensing conditions.  Dr. Merrill and a few other have the right idea.

I’m with Shakespeare (Henry The Sixth, Part 2 Act 4, scene 2, 71–78)

This little pond is in front of the house

So I needed a replacement solar cell.  How can you tell if your solar cell is bad?  If you have a multimeter [I prefer the kind with a needle because then I know it is not the battery], you can read out the voltage produced in bright sunlight.  The front of the old panel was wet on the inside and you coud see right through in places.  Time for a new one.
A little web-surfing brought up Silcon Solar . Their on-line catalog had a picture of a pump similar to mine. And a kit that included that pump with a solar cell that looked quite different. An e-mail exchange over a couple of days answered my questions and the new solar cell is in place and powering the fountain. This 18v (white and blue at left) solar cell will power the 12v pump unit just fine.

But the little 12v pump needs care too.  The sun helps the algae to grow and the rain stirs up the sand at the bottom of the pond and that can stall the pump, even with the filter.  Here is how to clean the pump in the pond at the front of the house.

12 volt pump unit from the front pond

The pump unit consists of a top cover, a base plate with the motor and pump attached, the fountain tube, a wire that is connected to the power source or solar cell and what cannot be seen is piece of filter media.

Before attempting to remove the top cover, remove the fountain tube from the pump outlet.  Be care not to bend the tube at any time.  Carefully twist and pull the tube from the pump outlet tube just outside the cover.  Once the tube is remove, the cover can be separated from the baseplate.

Press to separate

At the bottom of  the cover where it meets the baseplate  are 4 tabs.  Lifting the tabs lightly at the same time, allows the cover and base plate to separate.Removing the filter media reveals the pump components. The pump, on the baseplate consists of a cover/front half, motor-impeller assembly mounted on the baseplate.

Remove the filter medium.  Rinse thoroughly.  Wringing will shorten the life of the medium.

Carefully use the blade of a straight-slot screwdriver under the pump housing to remove the cover.  Rock the blade back and forth until the cover is loose.  Then lift straight off. Carefully remove any debris or algae. Rinse with pond water if required.

Pry up the pump cover

Cascade

In addition to the fish pond, there is a cascade. Water in the large (50 gallon) pool at the bottom is pumped to the top pan (5 gallon) and cascades down the 3 cascade pan to the bottom. The pump for this set is about 150 G/H and sucks in a lot of stuff. After replacing the pump because of jams a couple of times, I came up with a filter system that seems to work. I used a plastic basket that you may be able to find in the same area of the store where the pumps are sold. The baskets were originally intended to hold the roots of water-plants together when they must be removed to clean the pond. I used the a square piece of plastic (cut from the bottom of a cat litter pan) to make a bottom. The bottom is loosely retained with a couple of rings made with wire, twisted to close them. The hose of the pump is punched through a hole cut in the bottom (now the top) of the basket. The trash filter on the pump acts as the final defense but the plant-basket filter provides a large area screen that is fairly fine. The only problem I have had is if it goes more than a week, the suction on the clogged basket filter flattens the basket. Regular maintenance is essential.

Pump exposed

I usually just leave this pump running when cleaning. Lift the pump and filter out of the pond. Detach the hose from the pump to free the basket-filter. Use a hose or brush to clean the filter. Use a hose or brush to clean the trash filter on the pump. Put the hose back through the hole in the basket and insert the pump outlet in the hose. Close the white lid, lower into the water and check the flow. Put the brick back on the basket-filter to keep the lid closed.

View of Pond

On our lot in a subdivision, I have 4 small artificial garden ponds. My wife likes the sound of falling water so 3 of the ponds have a pump to create a fountain or waterfall. As the water circulates, the stuff that falls in the pond eventually ends up trying to go through the pump.
I have spent a bundle of money over the years replacing pumps that have become clogged or jammed. In an attempt to avoid this, I have put filters on each of the pumps. The pump filters need periodic maintenance. I have discovered that during the spring, summer and fall, the right period is once per week. If weather does not permit doing it each Saturday, it can go one more week but no more. By the end of the second week, the filters are so filled with stuff that the pump is straining with reduced flow and there is the possiblility of jamming on something that would normally wash through.
The largest pond has a few goldfish. They winter over as it is warm enough here that the pond does not stay iced over. As the main problem with the filter and pump on this pond is brown algae, cleaning once a month is frequent enough in the winter.

Pump and filter components

This set up was purchased as a unit with a filter box, a pump, tube, assortment of fountain heads, coarse filter media, fine filter media, and something called bio-filter balls. I believe these are intended to provide a place where beneficial organisms can attach and aid with the chemical balance in the water. Since the garden pond is large and replenished with rain water, I have never been too concerned about the chemistry of the water. Except that if I do have to add significant amounts of tap water, I use a conditioner to control chlorine.
The spray head makes an a spray which is too large in height (it blows away) and size (lands outside the pond) if unregulated. There is an adjustment that allows some water to bypass the spray head to control the size of the fountain plume.
To maintain this pump, first turn off the power. The circuit has a switch at the deck.
Next lift the filter box out of the pond. Wire bails have been added to help with the lifting.

Wire Bails for lifting.

First remove the fountain pipe at the joint in the middle of the pipe just below the regulating valve. Gentle twisting may be required to get the valve to separate from the lower pipe.

Removing Filter Cover

Next remove the filter cover. A tab at each end of the filter cover keep the cover on the filter box. These need to be lifted slightly away from the box to release the cover. Inside you will find the coarse filter media (brown). Remove this layer. Use a hose sprayer set to “Spray” to wash all of the algae and leaf material out of the coarse filter. Wring the media to get the water out once or twice and rinse until the water runs clear. Repeat for the fine (green).
Underneath the fine filter media are the bio-filter balls.

Bio-filter Balls

Remove each of the balls and rinse it with the hose spray.
The spray fountain needs to have the top cover removed from the bottom part. This is done by gently unscrewing (top counterclockwise) until they separate. Inside you will see a labyrinth in the bottom to distribute the water and the holes in the top. Both of these tend to catch debris and need to be thoroughly cleaned. Make sure that all holes are clear. Poke them out with a toothpick if required. Re-assemble by screwing the top back on the bottom. Take extra care not to cross-thread. There is no need to screw it on tight, a bit more than a full turn is enough.

Fountain Head Detail

The pump is held into the filter box with suction cups. For weekly maintenance, you can just leave it in place. Rinse the box with the spray and empty the dirty water out. About once a month you will need to remove the pump from the box and clean it thoroughly. To clean the pump, insert and gently twist a screw driver in the vertical case split on the bottom on the end away from the intake and outlet. Gently slide the case apart to reveal the pump impeller. Clean any material from this area. There is normally no need to remove the impeller retainer.

If there is debris in thhttp://www.brafetishpage.com/blog/e pump impeller area, first, make sure the power is off.  Then rotate the impeller retainer counter clockwise until the tabs that retain it at the edges are clear of the case.  It may be necessary to pry it lightly to separate it from the bearing plate. plate.  The bearing plate has an o-ring around the edge.  Grasp the post in the center by the pump inlet and lift.  Help it with a screwdriver if required.  The pump impeller, shaft with a bearing at each end, and ferro-ceramic magnet can now be lifted out.  Clean everything.  Put the shaft of the magnet back in the motor.  Replaces the shaft retainer, taking care to center the bearing.  Do not force.  Slight pressure should re-seat the o-ring.  Replace the cover plate and rotate the tabs into the grooves in the case.

When the pump is clean, replace the cover and slide it to the stop.
Reverse the disassembly to assemble the pump and filter. Bio-balls, 4 in one end, 6 in the the other, fine filter, coarse filter, cover, bails. Re-insert the fountain pipe. Place the filter box on the bricks in the bottom of the pond and ensure that it is stable. Turn the power back on and check the fountain is flowing properly and that the plume is falling back into the pond.