Desert Musings

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Remington Model 1890 - Wikipedia

Originals come in 44.40 only:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_1890

“The Uberti 1890 revolvers are reproductions (but not exact copies) of the famous old Remington revolver, but chambered for more modern smokeless powder cartridges as the .357 Magnum …”

Thursday, August 27, 2026

PowerToys Window Hopper: single key jump between browser tabs & more

https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/powertoys-window-hopper-is-a-must-have-feature-for-windows-11-especially-if-you-live-within-your-browser

"... Window Hopper - a feature that's basically Alt + Tab but for switching between instances of a specific app.

You can activate Window Hopper by pressing Alt + backtick (that's the ` in the upper-left corner of your keyboard). Holding Alt and pressing backtick again cycles you through any open windows of the same app you're already in."

"Window Hopper works with any app that can have multiple windows open, including File Explorer.

I use separate browser windows for research, writing, Airtable, and Slack. I often have to snap these side-by-side or group them together. But being able to cycle between just the browser windows through a keyboard shortcut changes my workflow."

GitHub (this release): https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/tag/v0.101.2362.0
"PowerToys 0.101 introduces Window Hopper for quickly moving between windows from the same app, a redesigned update experience with Stable and Insider channels, and compact mode for Command Palette." Explore other features here also.

PowerToys releases: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases

DIY Thin Ripping Jig For Woodworking

This video presents a pretty simple design that is adaptable to specific saw tables and provides safe support when cutting thin pieces of wood:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19KqKCzE5Z/

Here's a different approach that also looks easy to build and use:

https://www.woodsmith.com/article/simple-jig-for-thin-strips/

Amazon has quite a few pre-built jigs also:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thin%2Bstrip%2Bripping%2Btable%2Bsaw%2Bjig&crid=2OI4XC12ENC72&sprefix=Thin%2Bripping%2Bjig%2Caps%2C227&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_1_16

Drill Press Angle Jig

This video shows how to build a nice jig to enable drilling angled holes on a drill press:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Gj1j25fLZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Friday, August 21, 2026

Toyota V8 (1UZ) engine swaps make a lot of sense

From FB (American Cars Talk group):
"The 1UZ-FE's specifications include:

All-aluminum block with cast-iron cylinder liners — similar to the LS.
DOHC 32-valve heads — four valves per cylinder
Six-bolt main bearing caps — the LS uses six bolts on its performance versions; the 1UZ had six bolts standard on every engine Toyota built from 1989 forward.
Forged steel crankshaft.
Forged steel connecting rods.
Weight: 365 pounds complete with accessories — 35 pounds lighter than a dressed LS1 and 150 pounds lighter than a dressed 5.0 Windsor ... A hot rodder pulling a blown 5.0 from a Fox-body Mustang and installing a 1UZ gains 150 pounds of weight reduction from the engine swap alone — before touching the suspension, wheels, or body.
Toyota designed the 1UZ to run at sustained high RPM in a luxury sedan for 200,000 miles without a rebuild. The result is a bottom end that holds 500 HP on stock internals with boost — supercharged 1UZ builds making 450 to 600 HP on factory crankshafts and rods are common in the drift and drag communities.

The swap ecosystem is growing because the math is irresistible. A used 1UZ from a salvage-yard Lexus LS400 or SC400 costs $300 to $800. Swap adapter plates for Ford and GM bellhousing patterns are available from specialist manufacturers like Collins Adapters and Suprastore.

A CD009 six-speed manual transmission from a Nissan 350Z bolts up with an adapter for $500 to $800 — giving the 1UZ a modern six-speed manual that the original Lexus automatic never offered.

Rod Millen — the legendary New Zealand rally champion — built a 1932 Ford Roadster with a VVT-i 1UZ V8 that became one of the most famous hot rods at SEMA.

The engine swap community has documented 1UZ installations in Fox-body Mustangs, S13/S14 Nissans, Toyota AE86s, Mazda Miatas, Volvo 240s, BMW E30s, and at least one 1955 Chevrolet pickup.
The engine fits where an LS fits because the 1UZ's external dimensions are nearly identical to a Gen III LS — a coincidence of engineering that makes adapter plates and motor mount fabrication straightforward.

The non-VVT-i version (1989-1997) is the one the swap community prefers — and the reason is the same reason the LBZ Duramax outsells the LMM: simplicity. The pre-1997 1UZ has no variable valve timing, no electronic throttle, and a standalone-friendly ECU that aftermarket companies like Megasquirt and Haltech can replace with a plug-and-play harness.

The timing belt — not a chain — requires replacement every 90,000 miles, which sounds like a maintenance burden until you consider that the non-interference design means a broken belt doesn't destroy the engine. A broken timing chain on an LS destroys it. The 1UZ's timing belt is a $200 maintenance event every 90,000 miles. The LS's timing chain is a $2,000 catastrophe if it fails.

The engine that Toyota designed offers 90 percent of the LS's performance at 30 percent of the junkyard cost, 85 percent of the weight, and zero percent of the timing chain anxiety."

KE Conversions (conversion parts): https://www.keconversions.com/shop/1uz/39

North West Toys (conversion parts): https://northwesttoysllc.com/products/uz-swap-package

1UZ-FE FAQ ,Swap Guide For The 84-89 4runner and Pickup:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f161/1uz-fe-faq-swap-guide-84-89-4runner-pickup-254638/

1996 Jeep Cherokee with a 1UZ-FE: https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=9003

Other 1UZ swaps: https://engineswapdepot.com/?s=1uz

1UZ Engine: The Bulletproof V8 That Lived Through Four Decades:

https://carbuzz.com/1uz-engine-toyota-lexus-v8/

"The UZ engine family consists of three different engines, namely the 1UZ-FE (4.0-liter), 2UZ-FE (4.7-liter), 3UZ-FE (4.3-liter). The 1UZ launched the UZ family in 1989 and was specifically designed for the Lexus LS 400. Toyota's ambition here was to build a V8 that was quieter and lighter than anything BMW or Mercedes-Benz was manufacturing at the time. Of the three, the 1UZ is still the most celebrated of Lexus' UZ V8s."

Thursday, August 20, 2026

How to sync Apple Reminders with Microsoft To Do

https://zapier.com/blog/sync-apple-reminders-with-microsoft-to-do-and-zapier/

To get started, you're going to need a Microsoft account. If you've ever used Windows, Microsoft Office, or Outlook Online, you already have one, but if not, create an account here.
Log in to Microsoft To Do.
Create a task, so you can tell when the syncing is working.
With Microsoft To Do working, it's time to sync it with Apple's Reminders. Open System Settings on your Mac or Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Click on Internet Accounts, then hit the Add Account button.
Click the Microsoft Exchange option.
Enter the email address and password for your Microsoft account. It will likely fail to log in and offer more details. Under User Name, put your email address. Under Internal URL and External URL enter outlook.office365.com.
Note that, if your Microsoft account has two-factor authentication enabled, you're going to need to create an app password, or you won't be able to log in.
Once you log in successfully, you'll be asked which services you want to sync. I recommend only syncing Reminders unless you specifically want the other services to sync.

You should be set now! Open Reminders on your device, and you'll see there's a new Exchange section, and that your tasks show up.

It's not perfect: new lists you add won't have the same name, for example. You can rename them quickly enough, though, after which everything should be working the way you expect. Any tasks you add to these lists will show up in Microsoft To Do, and any tasks you add in Microsoft To Do will show up here.

Note that you will have to repeat this process for all of your devices—adding your Microsoft account on your Mac doesn't add it on your iPhone, for example. Once you've set it up everywhere, however, you're done: everything will now sync without you having to pay attention.