How do I blog offline?

This is a bit of a test. I would like to be able to write blog posts when I’m on holidays even if I don’t have an internet connection. Today I think I have figured out how to do it. I already have a bluetooth keyboard for my phone. I’m planning to use my phone as my back-up camera anyway so I’ll have it with me.

I’m writing this offline in Google docs and, in theory, it should sync when I next connect to the internet. At the moment I seem to be having difficulty with fiddly fingers. Because the shift key is comparatively small and the up arrow lives right beside it, I keep hitting the up arrow which causes me to get all sorts of words within words until I notice and go back to fix it.  I imagine I can get used to that with practice.

Version 2 bendy wire to replace elastic and clip

I need some way to make the phone stand up while I’m working. I tried several things, one of those bendy wires covered with plastic but the one I had at hand wasn’t big or heavy enough and the phone overbalanced. I thought about the hard case I have for my sunglasses but, it too, overbalanced. I could make something but weight is a concern on the trip we are planning to take this summer and my camera gear makes my carry-on quite heavy.

At the moment I have a flexible ruler wrapped around the phone, its two ends joined with an elastic band and a sewing clip. It is behaving quite well although the ends of the ruler do obscure the bottom line of typing a bit. I bought a batch of these rulers at some point so I don’t mind sacrificing one or two if I find that cutting a notch into one makes for a better stand. On the other hand, I can just get used to moving my head a bit when I want to read the bottom line of what I’m typing.What I like about this solution is that I don’t have to make anything,  it weighs very little, and I can use the elastic, ruler and the clip for other things. 

Version 1 elastic band and clip

I’m working on my lap on a lap table and my touch on the keyboard is not particularly light. The phone and its holder have slid down so they are now in contact with the top of the keyboard and they are no longer moving. I can live with that.

As I’m looking at this set-up I’m wondering if I can permanently attach the elastic to both ends of the ruler at the same time. Then I realize that if I do that I will lose the ability to flatten the whole thing out so it's probably not worth it.

Since I’m using my phone as a screen for typing, I can’t take a photo of the setup. I think I still have an old iPod around somewhere which could act as a photo model, or I could steal R’s phone for the purpose. 

I think I’ve blathered on long enough to give the system a reasonable test. I’ll go and get a stand-in for my phone and take a couple of photos. If you’re reading this, the test has been a success. I may do another couple of blogs in the near future using this system just to get used to it. 

A few hours later

Cherry phone stand

Well many of you could probably predict that I wouldn’t leave the phone stand alone. I wondered if I could make one quickly from some of the scrap wood I have. After some time with my trusty hand saw and a couple of chisels, I have another phone stand. It is sturdy and I can see the whole screen. It’s only useful for one thing but it does that one thing well. I will probably end up taking this chunk of cherry instead of the flexible ruler. It would be elegant if I could figure out how to make it into a box to also hold the charging cable. I’ll have to think about that. I’m not sure I want to put that much work into it.

No finish yet

This will, however, be a good piece for an experiment with finish. I have a new finish that I want to use on ukuleles. The stand is small so it won’t use much.  We also have a polishing system for the lathe that I haven’t yet tried and I plan to give that a go at the same time. It might end up being one classy looking piece of wood. I’ll keep you posted.