79F and 94%RH at 7:55 am. Yesterday was hot, sunny, and mostly clear.
I felt like hammered *stuff* when I got up at 6, so I went back to bed. Feel a lot better at 7:30.
I have swim team practice with the girls this am, so I better get them up and fed.
More later.
n
Testing, testing, …
Is this thing on?
It’s quiet here.
So, with Father’s Day coming up … FLASHLIGHTS !!
Father’s day? Hmmm, half price tools, flashlights, knives, BOBs, radios….
Save on preps!
n
Dilbert: Service Human
https://dilbert.com/strip/2019-06-04
Heh. Wait, I still read magazines ! Guns and Ammo, Mechanical Engineering, Consumer Reports.
Maybe I’ll sell some carbon credits… I’ll promise NOT to burn coal in an open pit in my back yard.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-06-03/secret-source-teslas-cash-has-been-revealed
n
My rep, Pete Olson in TX 22, says that hurricane season is here and get ready:
https://iqconnect.lmhostediq.com/iqextranet/view_newsletter.aspx?id=104455&c=TX22PO
“Tropical disturbance may bring heavy rainfall tonight through Thursday”
https://spacecityweather.com/tropical-disturbance-may-bring-heavy-rainfall-tonight-through-thursday/
4 to 6 inches of rain over the next 48 hours ! Why does all of our rain come in massive quantities lately ? Climate Change Disturbance Global Warming !
Maybe I’ll sell some carbon credits… I’ll promise NOT to burn coal in an open pit in my back yard.
I like coal fired pizza. I’d love an oven of my own out back. I guess I’d have to buy credits.
Try the Anthony’s chain the next time you are in Florida. Be sure to get the wings.
We have a coal fired pizza place near the house, but the cooks are still learning. The owners of Anthony’s are from the same family who run the old school mobster era restaurant Runway 84 in Fort Lauderdale, and their crews *know* how to use that oven.
Capone’s in Fort Myers is also good in a pinch, but they’re more into developing the theme than the food right now.
Dilbert: Service Human
So when does Dogbert get a younger transfusion donor in a quest to live forever like Peter Theil?
“Climate change debate in the focus at Exxon’s annual meeting”
https://www.apnews.com/a957e491d0434dceb6551fd1398186b9
“DALLAS (AP) — Activist shareholders used Exxon Mobil’s annual meeting to renew their accusations that the company is failing to confront a future that may include stricter regulations to limit climate change caused by burning fossil fuels.”
“A representative of the Church of England’s endowment fund said Wednesday that Exxon has moved more slowly than other major oil companies to disclose information about emissions.”
Now the Climate Change activists are trying to force companies to adhere to the fake science known as man-made global warming.
BTW, I have a problem with Christians being Climate Change activists. That is a corruption of the mission of the church.
Hat tip to:
https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/industrynews/2019/climate-change-debate-flares-at-exxon-annual-meeting/
My new Fenix light has been ordered. Waiting for them to get the new stock. Hopefully next it will arrive. In time for my trip out west.
Father’s day? Hmmm, half price tools, flashlights, knives, BOBs, radios….
BOBs. Duluth has a 50% off sale on their bags according to an email I deleted this morning.
“Google’s Project Zero hacks Windows Notepad to offer remote shell access”
https://mspoweruser.com/googles-project-zero-hacks-windows-notepad-to-offer-remote-shell-access/
You have got to be kidding me.
Hat tip to:
https://www.codeproject.com/script/Mailouts/View.aspx?mlid=14381&_z=1988477
A disturbing daily trend in Tri-Cities WA (Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, plus outliers) over the past few weeks, at least one armed robbery of a gas station, convenience store, small local business. About half have been during daylight hours.
So far no shots fired and complete descriptions of the perps have not been forthcoming from the Police Departments, Sheriff, or State Patrol.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (hi there @Cowboy Slim) to figure out who they are from what little has been published: gangs and illegals, all South of the border types.
And if that isn’t enough, peoples’ outdoor sheds are being broken into, and tools and lawn equipment are being stolen. Maybe to start up some lawn care businesses.
We just brought our son home from an early morning surgery. An abscess was pressing on his spine. He is still in “happy land” and will be out of work until the doctors can assess what caused it to be so stubborn and if they have got it all. He would have had to wait weeks if it were not for my Wife’s “in” with the surgeon (she was his favorite OR Nurse before she retired).
Happy trails.
Ordered a Father’s Day gift for me.
Thinking of getting a travel trailer or Class C vehicle for some traveling. Wife wants to see a bit of the country. We’re not getting any younger. Still deciding on which one to get. But the new toy will be used on any one we look at, new or used, to check for water damage or leaks.
@rick, there are some really good youtube vids of what to look for. One thing that surprised me was corroded or rusty screw heads on the outside of the trailer…
I’ve been keeping an eye out for some time, but nothing I’d own has popped up.
n
You have got to be kidding me.
I stopped using Notepad years ago in favor of Wordpad if I had to do any quick editing on a Windows box.
Notepad never supported CR line terminations vs. CR/LF so it was useless to me unless I wanted to do unix2dos.
I wonder if the same bug is in Wordpad.
The problem with Microsoft is that they never walk away from certain sacred code just because of who wrote it. I’m convinced that rand()/srand() in the C library will always suck because the legend is that BillG himself cookbooked the routine out of Knuth for some early version of Microsoft BASIC.
Notepad probably originated with one of the guys who retired on options to Lake Washington 20-25 years ago, but not before running around the Redmond campus for a year or two sporting a “FUIFV” button.
(F*ck Yo*U* I’m Fully Vested)
I have a long-cooking paper idea for Microsoft rand()/srand() and RSA keys, but the ramifications are awful if what I suspect actually turns out to be true.
“Heavy rain is coming to Houston, but the details are messy”
https://spacecityweather.com/heavy-rain-is-coming-to-houston-but-the-details-are-messy/
Yes, he just said 10 inches of rain.
I like this comment: “This morning a friend of mine said, “First week of June? Reminds me of Allison.” I told him that it so does not and that I need to find new friends.”
Allison sucked. 30+ inches of rain was a nightmare.
I stopped using Notepad years ago in favor of Wordpad if I had to do any quick editing on a Windows box.
I did not know that Wordpad came with Windows 7. Interesting.
I use Notepad 2 when I can.
http://www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html
I also use Crimson Editor for heavy duty editing. Like Fortran since I do not have an IDE. And cedt has Fortran 77 compliant syntax highlighting.
http://www.crimsoneditor.com/
Notepad probably originated with one of the guys who retired on options to Lake Washington 20-25 years ago, but not before running around the Redmond campus for a year or two sporting a “FUIFV” button.
I first ran Notepad on Windows 1.0 in 1985 on a Gen I Compaq Luggable (weighed 30 lbs and used a sewing machine case). That version of Windows ran on an 8086 and in 640K. Tiled windows, not overlapping. It was a dog as it paged constantly. We just ran DOS on it and gave the machine back after our four week tryout at which point Compaq gave us a 20 lb luggable with an orange screen. We bought two of them and I snatched one which I wrote my steam table software on:
https://www.winsim.com/steam/steam.html
I use wordpad as my default for .doc or docx on win7 and win8. I used notepad ++ for line based text. I don’t do much of either any more. It usually pops up a warning about non-supported things, but I see the text fine.
When writing reports or manuals I like to outline then convert to a template, which I never really got working well on the MS office suite. Never took the time to figure out why.
Plain text. Of course mac fanbois had to code a whole application to get the blank slate/bare bones text writing thing. After apple invented desktop publishing, the irony stings… “I need plain text, the options and formatting distract me from my writing” whaa, waaaa……
n
Wife and I bought a travel trailer in August of last year. We had been looking for a couple of years and found one we liked. Especially one that can be towed with my F-150. A couple of pointers if I may from our experience.
We purchased this trailer.
Screw buying used. You are getting someone else’s problems. Plus there is generally no warranty. Shop for new.
Careful on the slide outs. We chose a single, long slide out as that seemed to provide more room. The slide out on the entry side also intruded into the space under the awning.
Look for ducted A/C in the ceiling. Provides much better cooling rather than a blast in the middle of the trailer leaving the bedroom lacking for cooling. Along with that look for ducted heating to distribute the heat more evenly. And heating takes a lot of propane. Better to get a small electric heater and use that when you have hookups at the RV park.
Don’t pay any attention to additional places that can convert into “beds”. All of them are miserable unless you are a kid. Look for seating comfort instead. My trailer can “sleep six” but four of those people will not be comfortable.
Check out the bathroom thoroughly, stand in the shower and simulate taking a shower. Bigger is better. Skip a tub as they are so small they are useless. The bigger the bathroom, the better. You don’t want your ass hanging out the door while you are trying to spit after brushing your teeth.
My trailer has one black water tank and two grey water tanks. Thus I have to hook the drain hose up twice, once to drain black water and grey water for shower and bathroom sink. Then again for the grey water for the kitchen sink. Not a big deal, just some extra effort.
Get electric stabilizers and an electric jack. An electric jack can be added if the trailer does not come with one and makes setup and leveling much easier.
You have to start getting trailers at 23-24 feet and longer to get a private bedroom with a door. Lengths below that generally don’t have a physical wall separating the spaces.
Almost all trailers are wired for TV with an antenna on the roof (mine is amplified) and also has and external connections for sites that offer cable hookups.
If possible, along with a main switch for the overhead lights, get lights with individual switches. The LED lights are bright and being able to turn some off helps with the lighting in the trailer.
Outlets. You cannot have enough. There should be an outlet in the kitchen, one where the table is located (for a laptop), a couple in the bedroom one on each side of the bed, and one in the bathroom. We have an additional outlet by the TV (our TV raises and lowers) and has it’s own outlet, thus allowing a space to plug in phone chargers.
Check for a TV mounting location in the bedroom. It should be marked and have an outlet and a cable connection. This allowed us to have to two TV’s in the RV.
Throw away any TV provided with the RV and buy a new one at Walmart. The TV’s provided in the trailer are junk. Spend $300.00 and get a couple of new TV’s, Harbor Freight for a TV mount for the bedroom and mount the second TV.
Get leveling blocks. Get a water filter for the water supply hose. Get a power protector for the power cord. Get a couple of cheap two radios to be used when backing rather than yelling at each other. Always, always use RV toilet paper. Get wheel chocks. Get an extra water hose. Get step covers as the metal is slippery at times.
You need a brake controller on the tow vehicle. You also need a stabilizer hitch.
We just ran DOS on it and gave the machine back after our four week tryout at which point Compaq gave us a 20 lb luggable with an orange screen.
I knew a girl in freshman year of college (1986) who had the IBM luggable equivalent. The university Fortran classes were still on a mainframe, however, so she used it to play Adventure (bundled with the IBM). Overkill for that task.
One of the few other non-Indians in my grad program was an engineer behind many of the Compaq portables up until the HP buyout. I gathered that the message from HP to him was “Thanks for all your hard work, but on’t let the door hit you in the a** on the way out.” His options upon graduation were even more limited than mine so the university found him an adjunct gig and a slot in the charter PhD program class.
The US doesn’t have much of a hardware industry anymore.
When writing reports or manuals I like to outline then convert to a template, which I never really got working well on the MS office suite. Never took the time to figure out why.
Think about picking up LaTeX. It is the one of the few practical things I learned about in grad school. When you need to produce a 300 page PDF report for class, Word is not the tool you even think about using.
ShareLatex.com is a great place to start, and I still refer to their documentation when I’m stuck on how to do something.
Thanks Ray, those are exactly the sort of distilled wisdom I needed.
I still will keep looking for used, if only because of cost reasons, but you are likely correct about others’ problems. They are problem magnets in general. There are plenty of online sagas relating issues with even new trailers, so used is an extra burden.
Still, I’m handy and I’m nothing if not thrifty. And generally lucky.
n
I use wordpad as my default for .doc or docx on win7 and win8. I used notepad ++ for line based text. I don’t do much of either any more. It usually pops up a warning about non-supported things, but I see the text fine.
While I don’t really care for the application myself, Atom seems to have supplanted all other text editors on Mac and Windows machines owned by the cool kids. The impact of the Notepad bug will be minimal.
San Fran considering involuntary commitment—
“San Francisco supervisors were expected to consider a proposal Tuesday that could force drug addicts with serious mental illnesses into treatment.
Mayor London Breed and other supporters of the proposal say the move – known as conservatorship – is necessary to help addicts who are often homeless and suffering from a mental illness, making them a danger to themselves.
They say the number of people who could be forced into treatment is small, likely fewer than 50.
Critics call the measure a violation of civil rights that runs against the principles of the liberal city. They also say San Francisco lacks the services and shelter to successfully expand the number of people in such a program.”
So–a massive change to locking people up and experimenting on them, but it will only affect 50 people (which is so small a number as to be counting error) and even 50 more is more than they can handle…. hmm. Sounds like another recipe for doing nothing.
n
Always, always use RV toilet paper.
Hey, Charmin Soft says it is compatible with all septic tanks.
https://www.charmin.com/en-us/tips-and-articles/flushability
Thanks @Ray….
Been lurking about the ‘RV-Tips” FB group; lots of good info there. Plus other places.
All of your points are great; voice of experience and all that.
Looking at a new Jayco Hummingbird 16MRB https://www.jayco.com/products/travel-trailers/2019-hummingbird/16mrb/ . Just need it for the two of us. No extra passengers.
I like that model cause it has a couch, and a murphy bed that folds down on top of it. Plus, light-weight. Current plans are to use my 2008 Toyota Highlander (with an original tow package, so it can do 5k pounds). It has 202K miles on it, and still running well.
Although I am leaning towards getting a newer vehicle, mostly because of the mileage on the current one. No other problems other than the occasional headlight replacement, wiper blades, regular oil changes. Except one rattle I can’t find in one of the right side doors. Replaced the disc brakes all around last year.
Will probably not purchase until late summer. And leaning strongly towards new. So, just lurking and gathering wisdom from the ‘crowd’. Will have to store it off-site because of HOA restrictions.
As for TP, saw an RV-type-guy that did a comparison of TP. He also said Charmin soft was better than RV-TP.
Thanks for info.
Coward of Broward– tries on the “I was just following policy” defense….
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-06-04/coward-broward-arrested-former-sheriffs-deputy-who-ran-mass-shooting-faces-11
“wrote Peterson, adding that he was “in compliance with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Active Shooter Policy.”‘
–if so, then Broward Cty is at odds with the rest of the nation and Federal guidance on Active Shooter Response.
n
Oh, and one other item. Most state parks have a length limit of 30 feet for an RV. Private parks have more space for RVs. State parks will many times not have full hookups, just water and electricity, no sewer. With two adults you can generally go three, maybe four, days before the black and grey holding tanks must be dumped. State parks have dumping stations. But that requires hooking up as to leave, dumping, then setting everything back up.
Most private parks have full hookups so dumping is not an issue. Don’t leave the valves open. Let the tanks get 2/3 full or more before dumping. You want volume to flush everything away. Always dump the black tank first.
Most private parks also have a two night minimum so you wind up spending about $100.00 for the two nights with full hookups.
Couple of items I missed that need to be purchased. A 50 amp to 30 amp converter as you may get stuck in a site that only has 50 amp socket. A 15 amp to 30 amp is handy around the house but it will not run the A/C. I had a 30 amp outlet installed on the exterior of my house and the trailer is hooked up all the time.
You also need drain hose support brackets. They go under the hose and keep it off the ground and elevated above the sewer drain in the RV park. Otherwise you have to keep lifting the hose to get it emptied.
Get a cheap 3 foot level at Harbor Freight. Use that to level the trailer placing the level inside one of the doors. The leveling blocks are for side to side, the trailer jack for front to back. Always level side to side first as that involves moving the trailer over the leveling blocks. Then chock the wheels, disconnect, level front to back.
Be certain and turn on the gas when you leave and unhook from power so the fridge stays cold. Before leaving connect to power and turn on the fridge, load the days before, and get it nice and cold. That will save a lot on the gas. And if the 12 volt battery on the trailer goes dead so does the fridge. Keep that sucker charged.
When we set up we found this order seemed to work. Back into the site. Level side to side using the leveling blocks. Then unhook from the tow vehicle. Level front to back using the trailer jack. Lower the stabilizers. Also purchase pads that go under the stabilizer pads so the stabilizers have a large area to sit.
Next hook up power with the power protection plugged into “shore power” and the trailer power cable hooked into the power protection. Then hook up the drain line using the drain supports. Hook up the water. Get short flexible connectors, one for the shore faucet, one for the trailer. Water filter gets attached to the flexible connector on the shore water, then water hose to the flexible connector on the trailer.
You can finally get in the trailer and extend the slide out, turn on the lights, turn on the A/C or small electric heater. Extend the awning, set up any outside stuff. Then enjoy yourself.
I also carry a map gas torch and some fire starting blocks. The blocks make starting a fire much easier and the torch (with spark ignition) makes getting the blocks really easy. None of the boy scout crap for me, I want easy and quick.
You also need a couple of LED camping lantern and a FLASHLIGHT.
My water heater is electric and/or gas selectable on the control panel. It stays on electric and provides enough hot water for the bathroom sink and kitchen sink. When taking a shower I also turn on the gas option for the water heater. Thus far we have never run out of hot water. Amazing for a 6 gallon water heater tank. But then the shower is NOT high volume.
There is also a valve to the fresh water tank close to the water pump where you winterize. That valve needs to be closed when using shore water (lesson learned).
Coward of Broward– tries on the “I was just following policy” defense….
In one of his first official acts, FL Gov. DeSantis fired the Sheriff.
Both guys would probably be on the job today if Gillum had won.
Wisdom from Remus at the Woodpile Report…
“If diversity is our strength, if diversity’s rewards and benefits are so compelling, if diversity is ardently desired by all, why so many enforcers? ”
n
So much for “The Legend Of Jeff Bezos. Family Man. Drives a Honda. Wears the Same Shirt To Work Every Day”.
That meme served its purpose.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeff-bezos-buys-fifth-avenue-condo-spread-for-around-80-million-11559665936
Likely he wants someplace new to bring his floozies. And without any memories of the wife or her taste.
n
Interesting article about the math behind Faraday cages, and some really shocking gaps in our knowledge that went undiscovered for a long time.
https://sinews.siam.org/Details-Page/surprises-of-the-faraday-cage
n
Interesting article about the math behind Faraday cages, and some really shocking gaps in our knowledge that went undiscovered for a long time.
My lab in WA State was inside a Faraday cage which surrounded the entire room.
If you’re looking for another tech related side business, the cages ship prefab and are assembled on side by contractors. I forget the manufacturer’s name, but I’m sure it is available via Google.
Even if he was wrong about Faraday cages, the Feynman Lectures are still great a great resource.
In the mail: Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson
Another great, fat book!
I was just getting ready to go to bed, and the scanner has the surveillance op FINALLY getting behind their target after waiting all day… so I’m listening instead of sleeping.
n
added- good, they stopped the guy and seized the drugs. Interestingly they were looking for probable cause to pull him over, “he crossed the solid white line” entering the freeway, and “he signaled, but for less that 100 ft” when exiting. They don’t need much reason to pull you over and toss the car, but they need a reason.
In the mail: Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson
Another great, fat book!
I am going to wait for the trade paperback or the MMPB. “Reamde” was very good.
https://www.amazon.com/Reamde-Novel-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0062191497/?tag=ttgnet-20
I have around 500 books in my SBR (strategic book reserve). The wife is getting a little … perturbed.
added- good, they stopped the guy and seized the drugs. Interestingly they were looking for probable cause to pull him over, “he crossed the solid white line” entering the freeway, and “he signaled, but for less that 100 ft” when exiting. They don’t need much reason to pull you over and toss the car, but they need a reason.
This is the problem with being in the drug business. People will drop a dime on their seller for $20.
In the mail: Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson
Another great, fat book!
Already on my hand-me-down Kindle.
Hopefully, it is more “Reamde” than “Seveneves”.
I’ll even settle for “Rise and Fall of DODO”.
I have around 500 books in my SBR (strategic book reserve). The wife is getting a little … perturbed.
Get an e-ink Kindle and a copy of Calibre. Stash the SBR in an off site backup location.
Calibre allows you to manage book files on the Kindle, including archiving of copy- protected books. So far, Amazon has not moved to shut down the program, but that may change in the future.
I have a 2nd gen Kindle with a monster replacement battery. I charge the device once before trips and it will go weeks before needing recharging.
added- good, they stopped the guy and seized the drugs. Interestingly they were looking for probable cause to pull him over, “he crossed the solid white line” entering the freeway, and “he signaled, but for less that 100 ft” when exiting. They don’t need much reason to pull you over and toss the car, but they need a reason.
New Toyota cars with Lane Assist would have prevented the driving errors.
Even better — new Corollas read the street signs and would have kept the perp at safe, legal speeds.
HPD didn’t have a Border Patrol agent around to abuse the 100 mile authority?
Calibre allows you to manage book files on the Kindle, including archiving of copy- protected books. So far, Amazon has not moved to shut down the program, but that may change in the future.
The Kindle “Ghost” file for books won’t let you side load books from Kindle to Calibre. You have to download the book to PC and drop into Kindle. Calibre will still remove the protection.
The drug running suspect was driving a white Hyundai Santa Fe, with license plate [xxxxxx]. He waited all day to do the deal, and got caught within an hour of setting off anyway. They followed him in a loose ‘box’ formation, with no air support. Popped him when he got off the freeway downtown. Didn’t even need the dog to sniff it out.
n
WRT neal stephenson, Mysterious Galaxy bookstore in San Diego has signed firsts for sale… They don’t charge a premium for firsts or signed copies. They are all fans of the genres they sell and read most of what comes thru the store. One guy left after almost 20 years as a sales clerk there. He could make very good personalized recommendations if you told him what you liked. The owner and some other staff have been there that long too.
n
WRT neal stephenson, Mysterious Galaxy bookstore in San Diego has signed firsts for sale… They don’t charge a premium for firsts or signed copies. They are all fans of the genres they sell and read most of what comes thru the store. One guy left after almost 20 years as a sales clerk there. He could make very good personalized recommendations if you told him what you liked. The owner and some other staff have been there that long too.
Ironically, Stephenson worked for Bezos for a while at Blue Origin, funded by in part by profits from Amazon driving independent bookstores out of business.
Stephenson does pretty extensive tours. For the latest book, he will be in Austin and Houston in two weeks.
Bookpeople in Austin generally gets the big authors. Just make sure your shots are up to date before heading downtown.
I saw him in Portland where he seemed genuinely happy to see and sign my first edition “Cryptonomicon”.
@Greg Norton:
Bad as rand() and stand() are said to be, they probably beat RANDU hands down:
https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2019/04/14/randu/