Hmmm weather station says 52F and 60%RH, but it said that when I went to bed. Heater running in the house says, “cold out”. [43F by the other thermometer]
Back to sober reflection and well considered actions today. No more tomfoolery. Glad we got that out of our systems.
Maintenance and repair are so much easier than they used to be. Not only do we have google to tell us WHAT to fix, and youtube to show us HOW to fix things, we can easily order parts online. The difference this makes is extraordinary. In the past, you had to go to a specialist retailer to get most of the parts you’d need. They would have to consult literal FEET of catalog and manuals to find the part number, then order it in for you. Appliance repair, mowers, cars, or something even more unusual like a ladder- all the parts are now available online. The best part is you can find the part number, and then compare prices with a click of a button, order the part, and have it come to you in your home, without leaving your seat.
Sunday and Monday I ordered parts for several projects that have been sitting here waiting to be fixed. If I’ve got the parts on hand, it’s much easier to find a short time and knock out a project.
Whatever the repair might be, or your experience and skill level, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s already broken! If the device isn’t critical or very expensive, give fixing it a shot. It’s very satisfying, and good practice for a world when ‘make do, make it last, or do without’ is the norm.
n
weather station updated and now says 36F. It’s about 2 feet above the roof, and the other thermometer is against the brick wall, just outside a leaky window, so I’m inclined to believe the 36F as more accurate.
n
Just got a Home Depot flyer for “Spring Black Friday.”
Retail is dying….
n
34º and partly cloudy on the North Coast. Expect 48º by lunch time, which is shorts weather in these parts.
Re: Appliance repair. Long ago my Dad took me to V&V’s for appliance parts, which I use to this day. I walk in with a picture of the part I suspect, a description of the problem, and make/model information. They give me good advice and prices comparable to online. Invaluable.
I sure hope retail doesn’t die. I find great value in walking the aisles, seeing what’s there.
I have always attempted to fix things I know I can fix. If it out of my skill set, or requires special tools, I leave that to a professional. Cars have become difficult to fix due special tools required and many times the requirement for a jack and a lift.
Another case in point. My wife’s showing machine that she had owned for 50 years quit working. Brushes were bad in the motor. To repair I would have disassemble a large part of the machine (the motor is buried inside) and required a gear puller, a special puller. Then remove the motor, replace the brushes, press the gear back onto the motor, then retime the machine. Requiring a special puller and the retiming both made it a no go. The machine was worthless and was tossed. Shame as she really liked the machine and it was all metal, as in well built.
There is a local appliance parts store that operates the same way. Prices are within a few cents of online prices and I don’t have to pay for shipping. The chap that runs the place has also given me a few tips when replacing some parts that really made a difference in the effort of repair. I too hope that such places don’t disappear as it would be a real loss.
I think the ‘hands on’ jobs are pretty secure, esp. if there is an element of skill, arcane knowledge, or troubleshooting involved. Hard to offshore appliance repair. It’s easier to build them so they aren’t repairable, and convince people not to try.
I think home building will eventually be done either offsite, or automated for the vast majority of homes. Using SIPs that were built in the factory can get you ‘dried in’ in a couple of days, vs. a month for stick built. Using ICFs lets a homeowner do foundation work. (ICFs are made in a factory, then assembled into a foundation onsite, vs. framing for a concrete pour with stick built or reusable formwork.)
Sewing machine repair needs a bunch of arcane knowledge and specialized tools, and it’s low volume so people aren’t making work-arounds (like Iphone screen replacement, forex)
I’m always a bit surprised and heartened when I find a new repair channel on youtube. From shoes to flat panel tvs, someone is fixing it…
n
Well, gee, who’da thunk it?
“The View is a hotbed of bitchiness and tussles on and off camera”
n
This continues to grow–
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6876771/US-officials-worry-paralyzing-illness-grow-common.html
————————————-
We should import more of these poor unfortunates, doing the jobs Americans are unwilling to do–
“Horrifying moment teen ‘assassin aged just FOURTEEN’ shoots two men dead – as Colombian police link him to TWELVE murders
Teenage boy ‘gunned down two men outside off-license’ in Medellin, Colombia
The ’14-year-old’ was seen pulling a pistol from shorts and blasting two men
Colombian police linked alleged shooter to further 10 homicides after his arrest”
———————
It’s about time someone got in the face of the smarmy and self-righteous on this issue–
“Iranian women’s rights activist condemns Western feminists for wearing the hijab in ‘solidarity’, saying: ‘Calling the compulsory headscarf my country’s culture is INSULTING'”
It’s a slave collar, and western feminists are putting it on voluntarily… some people really do yearn for the shackles and the lash.
—————————–
and then, “SQUIRREL!!!!11!!!”
n
FEMA is deploying to the border:
“FEMA Southwest Border Support
Current Situation:
DHS CBP and ICE continue to be challenged with handling the increased migrant population at the
Southwest border. DHS Secretary has requested support from DHS Components and OFA in assisting
both CBP and ICE with personnel in specific areas, enabling more agents to work the migrant issue.
FEMA Headquarters Actions
• FEMA NRCC Response Operations Cell (ROC):
• Activating April 2 to align/coordinate Region VI, Region IX, NWC and HQ programs and
actions
• Field Operations Directorate (FOD):
• Providing technical assistance to the DHS components on processes to identify & deploy
volunteers in pre-identified skill sets (medical, transportation, etc.)
• Assisting with the establishment of a PMC capable of RSOI oversight immediately
FEMA Regional/Field Support:
• FEMA maintains a liaison officer at the United Coordination Group & will be deploying a liaison to
Customs Border Patrol (CBP) shortly
• FEMA Region VI – Rio Grande Valley and El Paso Sectors:
o Regional Administrator will coordinate/align CBP Sectors & Nongovernmental Organizations
(NGOs)
o Deploying a team to each CBP Sector to conduct humanitarian operations assessments &
capacity-building operations with local NGOs
• Teams consist of combination of Team Leader, Operations, Planning, Mass Care, EA, &
VOAD
• FEMA Region IX – San Diego and Yuma Sectors:
o Regional Administrator will lead scoping team to align/coordinate CBP Sector & emergency
management director needs, assess resources & processes necessary to strengthen mission
integration with NGO partners
• Team consists of RA, Operations, Mass Care, and VOAD”
Ebola has not gone away either-
https://allafrica.com/stories/201904010916.html
https://allafrica.com/stories/201904010711.html
It’s not just computer science degrees that are being devalued
whew, thought I was alone in here….
n
Allergies have really been kicking my tail the last few weeks. I didn’t react to pollen till I hit 60. This year is the worst. Symptoms of dripping nose, gooey eyes, no energy make me crabby. Well, more than usual. The Over-The-Counter (OTC) medications help a little, but it just won’t go away. We are going off to Italy in three weeks and I want to feel good for that trip.
links to some interesting public safety info on drones and drone use
https://mailchi.mp/joinipsa/specialty-newsletter-963421
n
Whatever the repair might be, or your experience and skill level, I encourage you to give it a try.
Our washer and refrigerator have chronic issues which I fix myself after having techs out once for each problem to do the work while I watch.. I consider the repair fees to have been tuitiion, plus the refrigerator has hidden screws which I never would have found on my own.
The big downside of the washer problems is that getting the thing back together is essentially a wrestling match with a big piece of sheet metal due to p*ss poor design. I always prevail, but my hands get cut up. Still, a tetanus booster from my wife is cheaper than a tech call.
Meanwhile, @Ray & I are chopped liver? (Just kidding. Busy morning.)
Love the squirrels’ story. Fascinating.
Cornell terrifies me. If there’s a diversity problem, the problem is NOT with the standards. The problem is that minorities are disproportionally unable to meet the standards. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? By the 5th why, if you’re honest, you probably have approached the root cause. Fix the frickin’ cause.
At one time I could carry a 250 lb man over my shoulder at a trot. At that time, I met certain standards. Now, I could not. The younger me could have been a good firefighter (though I was not). The current me cannot.
If someone has difficulty scaling the wall, you help him (or her) to be good enough to scale the wall. You don’t knock down the wall.
We should import more of these poor unfortunates, doing the jobs Americans are unwilling to do–
Southern Californians also need a maid to arrange their $12/mo. landline phone service and a gardener to get the gratis toll tag for the express lanes on SR71.
Please tell me that’s a joke.
Not cool, today started off with a $322 bill to pull the office water well and replace the check valve. Also had to replace the air valves in the holding tank. The 120 gallon water tank was full of water with no air pocket to compress so the well pump was on – off – on – off – on – off every time somebody used some water. All is well now (pun intended).
Sunday and Monday I ordered parts for several projects that have been sitting here waiting to be fixed. If I’ve got the parts on hand, it’s much easier to find a short time and knock out a project.
I ordered six more LED 150 watt light fixtures and 25 sets each of stainless 3/8×1.5 inch and 1/2×1.5 bolts, locking nuts, and plain / lock washers of various sizes. Plus 30 ft of 16 AWG outdoor cord to re-cord four of the light fixtures with six foot cords since the light fixtures only come with three foot of cord.
https://www.amazon.com/AntLux-Perimeter-Equivalent-Waterproof-Floodlight/dp/B077ZK6Q26/?tag=ttgnet-20
Owning stuff means fixing it. Or replacing it.
n
@jimL, I love squirrels, and not just for dinner 🙂
They are very smart, and will go to almost any lengths to get forbidden food, even when other food is laying RIGHT THERE, free for the taking. It’s almost like they relish the challenge.
We had very tame red squirrels in our area when I was young, which were pushed out by the greys, who then seem to have intermingled until my mom now has smaller brown colored squirrels and not many grey or red.
The pix in that article are stunning. And that one has a lot more on display than just his “balancing skills” nudge nudge, wink wink…
(the famous black squirrels of Central Park were something to see too)
n
“gratis toll tag for the express lanes on SR71”
Please tell me that’s a joke.
Mr. Flandrey tuned me into that scam. Certain income levels qualify for reduced/free tolls in CA. Considering where I work, I should know things like that.
I knew about phone service in the maid’s name from my strike training at Death Star Telephone heading into the aborted 2009 strike.
I noticed that @nick claimed that he replaced the batteries in his weather station.
I assumed it was an April Fool’s Day joke.
I had a $17/month landline, no long distance plan, that went to $23. No explanation. Eight months later it went to $28. No explanation.
It had a hum for years. They would send someone and not much would happen. Still a hum. I finally climbed up the ladder to plug a phone into the interface box and then called.
Got the usual “plug in directly” routine. Excuse me? Can you hear the hum? They could. Ok, great, I’m on a ladder plugged into the interface.
They sent a new guy and he fixed it! It was a bad splice, almost to the road. What a difference. It only took 20 years.
A couple of months later I canceled.
I dropped the three lines from the house, used a fence staple to attach them about 8 feet above the ground to the pole and cut the wires. I did split and spread the ends.
Allergies have really been kicking my tail the last few weeks.
Same here. A bit of rain would help.
I’m not congested. My left nostril drips a little and my eyes feel full of sand like a windy day at the beach. This stuff was not a problem until a couple of years ago.
It will all stop in a few weeks. Then we can start complaining about the heat. And mosquitoes. 🙂
“ISS Astronauts at Risk After India Blows Up a Satellite”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/367542/iss-astronauts-at-risk-after-india-blows-up-a-satellite
“A missile test carried out by India blew up a satellite which potentially scattered debris into the path of the International Space Station. NASA is worriedly monitoring the situation.”
So now about six countries have blown up a satellite in orbit using a land launched missile. Great. That means about 250 more countries to go that prove they are tough enough to launch and blow up a satellite in orbit.
So now about six countries have blown up a satellite in orbit using a land launched missile. Great. That means about 250 more countries to go that prove they are tough enough to launch and blow up a satellite in orbit.
Meanwhile, NASA may not even launch SLS once.
It’s not blowing up the satellites that is critical, it’s dropping rocks from orbit. WE need that to regain the high ground, literally.
Cutting the undersea cables and hitting the gps satellites will be the first step in the next World War. Nothing moves without GPS anymore.
n
“I noticed that @nick claimed that he replaced the batteries in his weather station”
I actually did, but the jokes on me apparently, as the thing only works in the daylight… One of the batteries must be bad or in backwards. The ‘only in daylight’ (ie when the solar cell sees sun) is a symptom of dying batteries, and so I must have a bad one mixed in.
n
@nick —
I’ll schedule a post for July of 2020 announcing that you finally changed the batteries (and put them in the right way).
“gratis toll tag for the express lanes on SR71”
Please tell me that’s a joke.
Um – Okay. I pewed the scrooch on that one. SR71 – Blackbird. Did they really name a highway after a spy plane?
Nevermind. Don’t bother to tip the waitress. I’ll exit by the back door.
Shooting down satellites has been good for fiction since ’74
This description is from an amazon review, and NAILS it. Someone here likes “mens adventure” novels, and the Baroness series is just that.
n
NB- this is the only one I read, and I read it at age 13, remembering it to this day. I’d buy and read it, but jeez, some volumes are more than $30!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroness_(novels)
And just got the interior circuit breaker on the office building air handler replaced for $184 including the service call. I did not even know that the air handler units had interior circuit breakers. Luckily, he had one on the truck. The breaker fried itself yesterday afternoon when the person in the 1,000 ft2 upstairs bullpen to himself turned on the heat. I noticed that when I left last night at 10 pm that the south side thermostats were not working anymore. I tried flipping the building breakers but that was not the problem. The service dude said that those breakers have a shorter life since the air handler tends to be a humid place.
It’s not blowing up the satellites that is critical, it’s dropping rocks from orbit. WE need that to regain the high ground, literally.
Cutting the undersea cables and hitting the gps satellites will be the first step in the next World War. Nothing moves without GPS anymore.
I am not sure that the USA can knock down satellites anymore. We used to use an air launched missile from an F-15 at 38,000 feet. Who knows if the ASAT missiles still work and if they are mountable on the remaining F-15 planes ? Wow, we made fifteen of the missiles and used five of them in testing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-135_ASAT
RE: public safety info on drones and drone use
This is interesting to me as an acquaintance just received his commercial drone pilots license and already has multiple offers. Looks like a hot field.
“The Biggest Saudi Oil Field Is Fading Faster Than Anyone Guessed”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/biggest-saudi-oil-field-fading-113434887.html
“When Saudi Aramco on Monday published its first ever profit figures since its nationalization nearly 40 years ago, it also lifted the veil of secrecy around its mega oil fields. The company’s bond prospectus revealed that Ghawar is able to pump a maximum of 3.8 million barrels a day — well below the more than 5 million that had become conventional wisdom in the market.”
Uh oh. Now I understand why the price of WTI and Brent oil has climbed into the $60+ range. This changes the entire picture of the world oil supply situation from a cushy amount to a tightening of supplies as all of the major fields outside the USA are in decline. We may see the price of oil rise back up into the $100 range this summer or next summer if any tightness of the world crude oil supply is experienced.
Navy Aegis SM-3 ABM system can also shoot down a satellite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-193
I (an others) actually designed a telemetry receiver for that system in a previous life. Kind of cool when they did it and I could claim to have a TINY bit in developing that system.
Cutting the undersea cables and hitting the gps satellites will be the first step in the next World War. Nothing moves without GPS anymore.
The Naval Academy went back to teaching Celectial Navigation to the midshipmen within the last decade. They know what’s coming.
Ironically, the best commonly available sextants right now are Chinese made.
Cutting the undersea cables and hitting the gps satellites will be the first step in the next World War. Nothing moves without GPS anymore.
The Naval Academy went back to teaching Celectial Navigation to the midshipmen within the last decade. They know what’s coming.
The Marines Corps do not use GPS for mortar positioning according to the former USMC son. They have a ranging system that works for them since before WWII. And works well as my son’s mortar platoon had to setup and hit a dishwasher a 1/4 mile away within 90 seconds in order to graduate from mortar school. They nailed the dishwasher over a dozen times with 81 mm mortars. Think long and hard about that the next time you want to piss off a Marine heavy weapons company.
The Marines Corps do not use GPS for mortar positioning according to the former USMC son. They have a ranging system that works for them since before WWII. And works well as my son’s mortar platoon had to setup and hit a dishwasher a 1/4 mile away within 90 seconds in order to graduate from mortar school. They nailed the dishwasher over a dozen times with 81 mm mortars. Think long and hard about that the next time you want to piss off a Marine heavy weapons company.
My grandfather could do the trig in his head to land an artillery shell wherever it needed to go within range of his weapon. The Army was very reluctant to let him go after WWII so he did the full tour up, down, and up the Korean peninsula.
When he left the Army, he became an actuary for Aetna.
Grandpa had two Purple Hearts. Without hesitation he would tell you that he was shot in the a** twice retreating from the Chinese and North Korean infantry after they overran the front lines.
Off to my CPA class. Homicide and Forensic Science.
Fun.
n
Off to my CPA class. Homicide and Forensic Science.
I took Digital Forensics in grad school in WA State, but cops have the best toys for that kind of work.
Um – Okay. I pewed the scrooch on that one. SR71 – Blackbird. Did they really name a highway after a spy plane?
SR71 runs E-W from Orange County through Riverside County. The road features tolled express lanes.
Dunno if it is named after a spy plane.
The real crisis is in the guac
Cinco de Mayo is only a month away.
And millenials need their avocado toast.
n
IM(not so)HO, I think that which I take E-W from OC to RC in the toll lane, with my responder stuck to my windshield is SR91.
I think that SR71 is N-S and does not have toll lanes.
I think that SR71 is N-S and does not have toll lanes.
SR91. Doh!. I just know the road by the IP addresses of our gear.
And millenials need their avocado toast.
The worst restaurant experience of our Chicago trip was an Irish pub (in name) which served avocado toast.
Fortunately, the Billy Goat still doesn’t have it on the menu. No fries, chips. No Pepsi, Coke (opposite of the way they say it on SNL).
Most of the food we ate up there was pretty good. We even stopped in an Amazon Go.
And millenials need their avocado toast.
The main ingredient in Florida Key Lime Pie is only Hencho en Mexico anymore.
Odd-numbered state (and federal) highways are N-S (overall). Even-numbered ones are E-W (overall). The higher the number, the more West or North the highway is.
Three-numbered interstate highways are ‘belt’ routes around areas. Although there are some state highways with three numbers.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highway_System or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System#Numbering_system .