Home ⋆ threeandfour.si

Welcome to my website!

I'm a computer engineer working in the IT industry with many personal hobbies and interests. This is the place where I store and share information about those hobbies. I post things here because I like them, to keep a reference for myself, or because I think someone else might find them interesting. A post might be a tested solution to a technical problem, a thought, or simply something I figured out and want to note down somewhere before I forget it. In any case, feel free to leave a comment if you wish!

Featured content

“Gun Culture” or “Anticulture”? – Another Perspective

June 20, 2025

With the rise of tragic incidents spreading from the United States to the Old World, casting a shadow over civilian gun ownership, the debate around the so-called “gun culture” seems ever-present. But, pardon me — what culture are we actually talking about here?

Protected: Report from “Meridian Island”

What else?

Protected: Report from “Meridian Island”

July 21, 2024

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Mesotriton alpestris. The alpine newt.

What else?

Mesotriton alpestris. The alpine newt.

June 14, 2024

Mesotriton alpestris. The alpine newt. I can’t forget how excited I was as a kid when I discovered a “new” species of animal in a somewhat isolated source of a local stream. Climbing through bushes downhill was also part of the fun. Tiny little creatures.

You can type as fast as you can, but a pen will always be a pen!

Other crafts

You can type as fast as you can, but a pen will always be a pen!

June 14, 2024

I acquired wood turning pen-making tools with the expectation that they might also be useful for other "more serious" woodworking projects. But pen making is fun by itself!

Three moments in words

June 6, 2024

Three sets of stanzas to capture three moments.

Learning How to Do It

Crafts and music

Learning How to Do It

January 3, 2024

The most exciting aspect of engaging in craft activities is the opportunity to learn and discover efficient ways to accomplish tasks without too much hassle, utilizing the skills you have and the tools at your disposal. There are various creative methods to achieve the desired results — some turn out genuinely useful, while others become little more than enjoyable experiments.

Backyard Vineyard

What else?

Backyard Vineyard

January 1, 2024

Embarking on my newfound passion for grapevine pruning and exploring the wine making techniques, I took the leap last year and planted a couple of grapevines in my backyard. Opting for PIWI varieties – hybrids of European Vitis vinifera and various American and Asian grapevines – my aim was to harness their disease resistance and adaptability to colder climates, all while preserving a wine flavor reminiscent of classic vinifera.

Yijing Oracle

Other crafts

Yijing Oracle

December 19, 2023

Yijing is an ancient Chinese method of seeking guidance and insight by interpreting hexagrams (combinations of 6 lines that are either solid or broken) generated through the casting of coins or manipulating yarrow stalks. I wanted to create a casting dice set with equivalent probabilities to traditional methods, intended as a gift.

A Ban a Day, Keeps Your Problems Away!

December 18, 2023

It has been thirty-two years now since politicians in Great Britain implemented the Dangerous Dogs Act, which was supposed to solve the issue of dog attacks "once and for all" through the prohibition and "eradication" of selected breeds. Thirty-two years later, Britain still has 10 deaths per year due to dog attacks.

The Forgotten Chanter from the Museum Depot

Crafts and music

The Forgotten Chanter from the Museum Depot

December 17, 2023

The White Carniola Museum stores in its depot an intriguing diple chanter of local provenance with a tone hole arrangement that is not encountered anywhere else in the Balkans today.

Making Paleolythic Inspired Gifts

Other crafts

Making Paleolythic Inspired Gifts

December 13, 2023

One day I figured I’d make some birthday gifts instead of falling for cliché and buying chocolates or alcohol. This seemingly simple idea soon became an obsession and opened up unexpected horizons.

Grips from Poplar Burl and Turkish Walnut

Other crafts

Grips from Poplar Burl and Turkish Walnut

December 13, 2023

I wanted to make grips from poplar burl and Turkish walnut for 1851 and 1860 historical black powder revolver reproductions. Turkish walnut stands for itself, as it was expected. Poplar burl, although being soft and a bit hard to work properly, turned promising, as well.

Making 1911 grips from poplar burl

Other crafts

Making 1911 grips from poplar burl

December 13, 2023

I took a piece of available poplar burl from Dictum and wanted to turn it into 1911 grips that would look handy on a Ruger or a Walther Colt Gold Cup.

Making parts of a White Carniolan diple

Crafts and music

Making parts of a White Carniolan diple

December 13, 2023

Making parts of a White Carniolan bagpipe in a couple of photos. White Carniolan bagpipe (or "diple") is a reconstructed woodwind instrument from White Carniola, Slovenia (Bela Krajina).

Making a walnut whorl

Other crafts

Making a walnut whorl

February 11, 2020

People began spinning fibers into threads some 40,000 years ago or even earlier. Initially, fibers were simply rolled between the fingers. Spindle whorls were invented much later, perhaps around 7,000 years ago.

Gallery of White Carniolan Instruments (2014 to 2021)

Crafts and music

Gallery of White Carniolan Instruments (2014 to 2021)

January 16, 2020

Instruments I’ve made from 2014 to 2021 (two chanter types – to some degree liberal replicas of the two chanters found in Museum of White

Preprost PLC krmilnik na osnovi okolja Arduino (2010)

January 12, 2019

My bachelor’s thesis from 2010, describing a prototype of a simple Programmable Logic Controller and the corresponding graphical programming environment, implemented with Arduino development framework

Razmišljanja k rekonstrukciji glasbil iz Belokranjskega muzeja – pol desetletja kasneje

Crafts and music

Razmišljanja k rekonstrukciji glasbil iz Belokranjskega muzeja – pol desetletja kasneje

January 12, 2019

[Skrajšano besedilo prvotno objavljeno v reviji Folklornik (št. 13, 2017)] Predstavitev rekonstrukcije glasbil iz metliškega muzeja, ki sem ju v letu 2014 izdelal za FS

Bagpipes within the Territory and Music of Slovenia

Crafts and music

Bagpipes within the Territory and Music of Slovenia

January 11, 2019

When discussing bagpipes as a musical instrument within the context of the territory of present-day Slovenia, we are essentially exploring two narratives. The first revolves around instruments of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, evident in numerous frescoes adorning churches and sporadically referenced in historical writings. The second narrative concerns the narrow area along today’s border in the southwest and southeast.

Making Cuban Rumba Claves from Walnut

Crafts and music

Making Cuban Rumba Claves from Walnut

June 9, 2018

I decided to make Cuban rumba claves to spice up my journey into the world of Cuban rumba and casino dancing, and they turned out quite well. However, the bore should probably be significantly larger to allow for more resonance.

Why "Three And Four" for the title?

When Hrovatin (a researcher) was documenting the folk instruments in Golac, Čičarija, in the late 1940s, he took notes about a woodwind instrument with three finger holes on one side and four on the other. Hence "Three And Four". The blog was extended to accommodate many other subjects and hobby projects, but the title remained.

My name is Tomaž Furlan. I am the author of most of the content on this website, to which I choose to retain copyright wherever applicable. It turns out, though, that my full name is not so rare where I live. A simple internet search yields at least two persons with the same full name – a doctor and an artist. Also, at the faculty, two other students were sharing the same full name. That makes at least four people I’m aware of sharing my name and surname. I’m not one of them. I’m the fifth one!