07:53 – One of the first things I did when I was setting up my Kindle Fire HD last November was install Adblock Plus, despite the large number of one-star reviews. Many of those one-star comments said pretty much the same thing: AdBlock Plus on a desktop/notebook system was great, but on Android it was crap. They were right. After eight months of suffering frequent proxy server failures, I finally decided just to put up with the ads, so I uninstalled AdBlock Plus. It can’t be fixed, and the fault lies with Google rather than AdBlock Plus.
So now I’m seeing ads, and I’m making a point of clicking on lots of them, just to cost the advertisers money for no return. Not only will I never buy anything from one of those ads, but I’m keeping a mental list of which companies are placing those ads so I’ll remember not to buy from them under any circumstances.
More work on science kits today.
Give UC Browser a try, I use it on my android phone and tablet, it’s free, pretty slick and has a built in adblocker which works ok.
cheers
Norman
Thanks. I’ll give it a try.
The guys are hard at work today building the foundation for our new game room / laundry / bath room today in the hot, hot, hot Texas sun. This is day number four. They expect to pour concrete on Friday if the plumber shows up on Thursday to place the new piping first.
I never knew how much work went into digging out the three ft deep concrete beams under the slab. They are hand digging the entire area to make sure that they do not cut any pool piping. So far, they have found about a dozen pool pipes, two electrical conduits and a four inch drainage pipe for the back patio. If interested, I can post a drawing of the addition.
Adblock isn’t very effective on Android, true enough. Google has taken the understandable position that one app is not allowed to mess with another app’s data stream.
The solution is twofold: first, don’t use free apps. If you need a specific functionality, find a paid app that provides it.
Second, on the browser front, I recently discovered that Ghostery has put out a browser. Since it’s their browser, it can contain the Ghostery filtering. That alone eliminates lots of browser ads.
I think I may give uBlock a try.
Here a major failure on the USA’s number one interstate freeway from east to west, I-10. I have driven this road several times. This is what happens when you do not use infrastructure tax money on infrastructure projects:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/20/collapsed–10-bridge-given-rating-just-last-year/30428515/
The continual failure of our nation’s infrastructure will get worse as they are diverting infrastructure maintenance funds to social projects. I do not care what the cost is, we must maintain and expand our infrastructure or our economy will go into a tailspin.
Here’s a great product to add to one of your science kits, Robert: http://www.banggood.com/Mini-Android-Endoscope-Waterproof-Inspection-Borescope-Tube-Camera-6-LED-7mm-Lens-p-981307.html Hooks up to any Android phone.
Might also be good to put in your SHTF kit, also.
The bridge failure: my understanding is that the failure was caused by water from that one flash flood eroding the ‘end’ of the bridge where it was anchored, not a failure of the bridge itself.
But the CC Meyers company could get that fixed in 30 days. They have the track record to do that.
Hey, with that I could change my specialty to proctology. 😉
The bridge failure: my understanding is that the failure was caused by water from that one flash flood eroding the ‘end’ of the bridge where it was anchored, not a failure of the bridge itself.
The bridge foundation failed in the flood. Which, caused the bridge to fail. And, people got hurt. Which is by my definition, a failure to maintain the bridge.
OK, here is the reality regarding the bridge failure on I10. (Note: I have been 4 wheeling and camping in that area for 40 years. I’ve had my tents up a few miles from the failure and have driven every 4WD trail in the area. I am not a newspaper jibberjockey yippity-yapping about an area of which I have no knowledge.)
They had 6+ inches of rain in one day. This is most likely the average annual rainfall. Very likely 10 times the typical daily rain fall..
So what do we do for prevention? Redesign and rebuild every interstate highway bridge in the USA for 10 times rainfall? Richter scale earthquakes of 9.0? Put AlGore and the climate change demagogues at the drawing boards?
Maybe we just have to accept some risk.
Google “Corn Springs Campground (BLM)” for where I’ve put my tent up.
I’m a big fan of over-engineering things. You should see some of my DIY garage projects. However, I must agree with CowboySlim. Should we really be going to the expense of engineering things for a acts of nature that only occur once every 100 or 500 years? Seems silly. Of course, no one I am close to has died in some structural failure. If they had, then I might have a different opinion on the matter.
But wait…..there’s more:
On the wrong side of the I10 bridge collapse was a Tesla owner. Taking a go-around he ran out of coulombs. Was waiting for a Tesla technician to rescue him with a charged battery.
Hydrogen car, anybody?
Bleh. I already deal with enough assholes in the course of making a living.
Maybe we just have to accept some risk.
That is a lot of risk for an interstate. Luckily, no one died like this accident:
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/A-decade-later-deadly-bridge-collapse-a-painful-2173347.php
My point is that we are not taking care of our roads as well as we should. Especially our interstates. The interstates here in Texas are abysmal. I got full suspension travel in my Ford Expedition last March on a pothole on I-10 at Luling going 78 mph. Scared the living daylights out of me (and the wife). Admittedly, I was tailgating an 18 wheeler while waiting for a break in the left lane traffic to pass him. My notice of the pothole was his trailer jumping up in the air. We need a third lane on I-10 here in Texas desperately!
Should we really be going to the expense of engineering things for a acts of nature that only occur once every 100 or 500 years?
We do this as a society in the USA every day. Try to build a building in a 100 year flood plain lately? Not gonna happen without a levee or stilts.
I live next to the Brazos River. My home is 72 ft above sea level. The Brazos has risen up to 80 ft above sea level. So, I have a levee between my home and the Brazos that is at 84 ft above sea level. My neighborhood of 4,000 homes just spent eight million dollars four years ago raising the levee another four foot since FEMA required us to do so. Or, we were going to be classified as a flood zone.
I suspect that in this particular case, the amount of flood was underestimated so the bridge abutments were not concreted. Hopefully they will be now.
@lynn, from the pix it looks like the flowing water undercut the abutment. Unless you channelize the whole thing, not sure how you could prevent it.
nick
I feel the pain. The just strengthened the levee here. My best guess for our home is 8′ AMSL. I don’t have a mortgage, but those that now do must get flood insurance.
I do agree that they are letting our highways fall into serious disrepair.
Just as bad in LA with water mains. One or two serious ruptures a month. Recently, a main installed in 1929 let go followed by a 1922 main several days later. Replaced 50′ of the first break. Average age of mains going up much faster than calendar time.
from the pix it looks like the flowing water undercut the abutment. Unless you channelize the whole thing, not sure how you could prevent it.
Yup, you just nailed it. Bring out the BIG concrete mixer to concrete the entire ravine. And I-10 probably needs to be raised 5 to 10 ft over these ravines.
I have not been up east in a long time but Texas and Louisiana probably have the worst roads in the nation. Florida has the nicest roads that I have ever seen, totally awesomely consistent with zero water pooling even in heavy rains. I would gladly pay another 15 cents/gallon gas tax to get Florida’s road in Texas. And that is what the Floridians are paying.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States
Texas and Louisiana probably have the worst roads in the nation
Driven in California lately? Their roads are in terrible shape, especially the cement roads in the central region. Having driven in Texas recently and California recently Texas roads are in much better shape.
Florida has the nicest roads that I have ever seen
Florida has a lot of toll roads which I am sure helps in the infrastructure.
Tennessee has some good roads, well maintained. At least the portions I drive on around my area. Even going to Nashville or Atlanta the roads are in fairly good shape.
Northeast I have heard are some of the worst roads. I have been in New Jersey, did not drive but road in a shuttle. The roads sucked.
Tennessee and New Jersey have some of the lowest gasoline taxes in the country. Pennsylvania, IIRC, is the highest.
One of the nice things about relocating to the far northwest corner of NC is that both Tennessee and Virginia are very close. Virginia’s gas tax is 9 cents a gallon lower than North Carolina’s and Tennesee’s lower still, so while it’s not worth our time to drive even a few miles to get there, we’ll fill up any time we happen to be over there.
I have not been up east in a long time but Texas and Louisiana probably have the worst roads in the nation.
Nope. The interstates all over the US are about the same in my experience. What Texas has is a well developed set of rural roads. The farm-to-market system is denser and nicer than most states.
Nope. The interstates all over the US are about the same in my experience.
Hi ech, I know that I am dissing on Texas. But, I am keeping it real. Drive over to Florida on I-10 someday and see what I mean. Arguably, I-10 in Louisiana is absolutely horrible, especially that monster metal bridge over Lake Charles??? and Baton Rouge gets a special attaboy for extra work on making the interstate more difficult to get through.
What Texas has is a well developed set of rural roads. The farm-to-market system is denser and nicer than most states.
True, very true. I’ll never make the mistake of driving across the reservation in Oklahoma again. At least not without a couple of jerry cans strapped to back of my Expedition and a full set of off-road tires.. But, I am discussing the interstates only here.
My trip out of Chicago to MI some months back was on all toll roads. I had the car up on two wheels most of the time to avoid potholes and rubble. I guess all those tolls go to the public servant retirement fund.