79F and 90%RH this morning. It did cool off a bit after the sun went down yesterday. Not much, but noticeable.
I’m beat. I’ve been moving heavy stuff and staying up late. I went back to bed this morning again. Didn’t help much. I’ve got more of the same on deck for today too.
Ugh. I’m sitting here and just zoned out.
In the news, I had a surge of hope when I read this headline -“Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Dies At 99” -but he’s already been retired and replaced. Dang.
Zoned out again. Jeez I’m tired.
I should make some breakfast and coffee.
n
So apparentlly the D’s have drafted an impeachment resolution that they hope to bring to a vote. Despite repeated mentioning “high misdemeanor”, it it all political positioning.
If they bring something this partisan to a formal vote, seems to me that they are just raising the political stakes. The next time a D is in office, they will have set the precedent, and can expect the same thing to be done to them. Just like Trump’s executive orders – the precedent of using them for every-damned-thing was set by Obama.
It’s not pretty, and the divisiveness is just getting worse :-/
In the news, I had a surge of hope when I read this headline -“Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Dies At 99” -but he’s already been retired and replaced. Dang.
Liberal Republican. He held on until Bush left office out of spite, giving Obama the chance to put Hermione Granger -er- Elena Kagan in that chair.
Stevens’ predecessor, Douglas, also held on to the seat out of spite, hoping to make the 76 election year so Ford couldn’t appoint his successor. Ford and Douglas had a bitter feud.
I don’t remember if Stevens wrote the lead dissent in Bush V. Gore or was responsible for the most widely-read one. Progs love to quote him because he was a Republican appointee.
Ginsberg is the next logical departure, but she’ll cling to the seat for the next 18 months in the hope that Trump is defeated, giving the traditional Payola seat to the next Prog President.
All bets are off with Ginsberg if Trump wins reelection and the Senate stays Republican. She was part of Perot’s payola, and he’s gone.
New projectors are being installed at my church. 7K lumens laser projectors. No more bulbs at $500 apiece. Laser unit is supposed to last 20K hours rather than the 1.5K hours for bulbs.
Installation involves pulling 10 cables as the source for the projectors will now be the broadcast studio. A remote switch network (private, no outside connections, no WiFi) connected back to the studio network can be used to control the sources for the projectors from the balcony. Each projector (2), each stage monitor (2) and the balcony monitor can now be switched individually to different sources. I have a network connection in the sanctuary so I can also control the outputs from my laptop.
Currently capability on the graphics computer is only one output. After the first of year when I get my new budget that will change. A new computer will be acquired with a four SDI output video card along with new graphics software that will support the card. That will give me the capability to display different outputs on each display unit. Choir words will be displayed on the stage monitors while the TV output will continue to be displayed on the sanctuary screens.
This new computer will be located in the studio and removed from the current location in the sanctuary. That will improve security on the equipment as I have on occasions had someone mess with the controls and settings causing me difficulty. The DVD player will also be moved back to the studio. I will have to run a couple of audio cables from the studio back to the balcony as that currently does not exist.
Which brings in another problem. Training someone to do the graphics and run the system. The current fellow is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. He gets it done currently, is not real concerned about quality, and any change he is slow to react. Finding good technical people is difficult, finding people that care about what they do is even harder. My goal has always been top quality product but for others just getting by is good enough. Frustrating.
I had a budget of about $20K. I have been explicit with the vendor that I must stay within that budget. The owner has indicated multiple times that is not an issue. I did look on the web for the model of projector, without lens or ceiling bracket, and it is running $9.1K. I suspect the lens is another $1K. The vendor is doing all the installation, pulling cables, etc. So I suspect the vendor is taking a loss or using the difference as a charitable donation and a tax deduction. Fine with me as long as I don’t have to pay any more money.
I suspect that Sunday morning the people will go WOW!. Well most of them. There are others who will complain the projectors are black rather than white like the current projectors (the ceiling is white). I also suspect a few complaints about something else they will find just to be petty. I get it almost every Sunday.
At the conclusion of this everything will be HD except for the actual broadcast. That broadcast is a local cable channel that a company leases from Comcast. That will never change from SD to HD so we are stuck with SD.
The church is also searching for a new pastor as the last pastor died rather suddenly. Hoping for a new pastor that embraces media and social networks rather than complete lack of understanding and aversion by many of the current members.
@ ray, when I first started doing public events I asked my boss what I should play for walk in music. He said, if the client gives you some, play it, if not, play something you like- you are going to get complaints no matter what you play so you might as well play what you like. I have taken that to heart on many projects, with many different things to complain about.
WRT projector pricing, without knowing which specific projectors, dealer pricing is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than MSRP. Most dealers also get “spiffs” for projectors sold, especially from the asian companies. Our internal cost as the manufacturer was 1/10th of MSRP, and depending on how many projs the dealer sells, he may be getting 30, 40, or more percent discount off MSRP, and incentives. Selling your projs may have put him across the line into a higher discount rate, so he’s willing to give up some margin. Refurbs or “B” stock can also be had at a big discount.
Growing the next crop of techs is always a challenge for an org, whether a church or a theater. Don’t be afraid to start a younger kid in the job, if they are responsible and willing. Growing your own has risks that they’ll be a bit “inbred” or have strange gaps in their knowledge, or idiosyncrasies but that is only a concern for their next employer, not you. Train them to do it your way, but explain that there are other ways. High school theater techs are the backbone of the churches around here.
It sounds like you’re gonna end up with a nice system, that should be fun to play with.
n
Indeed. I figured he was getting better pricing than I see. He did mention margins on BlackMagicDesign equipment was low. I suspect the margin on the projectors is much better.
That is what I have been doing. The adults in the church are too afraid of technology, have difficulty learning, or most just don’t care or see the need. I try to get a young adult at about the age of 13 and thus know that there is a good chance they will be available for 5 years.
I did that one Sunday. Upbeat happy music. Thought it was good for a change. Nope. I got blasted by the organist. Not directly but she told 5 or 6 other other people to tell me not to ever do that again. Her job was to play pre-service music and that was the end of the discussion. She plays funeral music in my opinion. But she is old, been in that position for 40 years, and she will die on the organ bench.
If the music director has a song she does not like she just moves her hands on the keyboard with no sound from the organ. If the music director has a song she likes, and knows, she blasts at full volume. She also controls the tempo and will not follow the music director but will go at her own pace thus slowing everyone down to her pace.
I hope so and that it does exactly what I want. Along with the flexibility comes the complications.
All sources and all outputs will be going through a matrix switch. Any input or output can be connected to any input or output. Yes, you can connect the broadcast output to the camera input currently active, I have done it. Result was not pleasant.
The broadcast switcher has four outputs. First is the main bus and that is sent to broadcast using the SD output from the switcher. That signal is split between the broadcast encoder and a DVD recorder. SD of course but good enough for people that want copies as these people still have VCR’s blinking 12:00. A DVD is high tech for them.
Auxiliary buss 1 is being used to send the signal to the streaming device and that will remain. Auxiliary buss 2 will be sent to the matrix switch to be sent to the balcony monitor, sanctuary screens, and stage monitors. Thus I can select different sources in the switcher to go to different locations. Aux buss3 will not be used.
When the new computer and video unit is acquired then the five display units in the sanctuary will be changed in the matrix switch to the appropriate outputs in the computer.
Macros will be created for the matrix switch so that a single button will configure the outputs to the necessary inputs. A couple of buttons to control the screens, a couple of buttons to control the stage monitors, and a couple of buttons to control the balcony display.
With flexibility comes complexity. Hopefully I can make it easy on those involved.
I am waiting for the new uber F-150 hybrid but that seems to have slipped a year. BTW, all F-150s sold now are mild hybrids (stop/start, etc).
You don’t see much about it in the news this week, but Trump rescinded the impending tripling of the “gas guzzler” fines for not meeting the CAFE standards so my guess is that the pipeline has been pushed back until after the election clarifies who exactly will be in charge from 2021 through 2025 when the new asinine 56 MPG standards are supposed to begin.
Whether or not CA goes along with vacating the CAFE standards, Trump emasculated the edict by eliminating the fine. Live in CA and want an F150 with that shiny new 7.3L engine Ford is putting in the F250 without paying a mint in fines? Head to Las Vegas or Phoenix!
If Trump wins reelection, I’ll bet that 7.3L engine becomes an option in the F150.
2025 has to be in the pipeline *now*, but Ford can go either way and still have product.
I just sent an email to my congressman, Pete Olson, TX-22, that I will not support him anymore or vote for him again. He jumped on the bandwagon of the “racist” criticizers of President Trump over the weekend and demanded that Trump take back his tweet. I will not vote for a person who is stupid enough to fall for a dumbocrat trick.
https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/sugarland/news/article/U-S-Rep-Pete-Olson-calls-on-Trump-to-backtrack-14096583.php
Whether or not CA goes along with vacating the CAFE standards, Trump emasculated the edict by eliminating the fine. Live in CA and want an F150 with that shiny new 7.3L engine Ford is putting in the F250 without paying a mint in fines? Head to Las Vegas or Phoenix!
If the 7.3L is not certified for California then the new owner will not be able to license it in California.
If the 7.3L is not certified for California then the new owner will not be able to license it in California.
That is a problem for Californians to consider when they vote.
That was my thinking. An intelligent person would think that should only apply to new vehicles that have never been titled. Someone moving into the state with a vehicle that has been registered in another state should not be forced to get rid of their vehicle. That is a huge penalty. CA is not run by intelligent people, just greedy people.
Dealing with CA since when has reasonable been a consideration? CA would probably allow the registration but slap a “convenience or use fee” of several thousand to do the transfer of registration. The idea is stop people from moving to another state for a couple of months, registering the vehicle, then moving back to CA.
You can be absolutely certain that CA will block new registrations and find a way to stop people from registering in another state then moving back without paying a huge fee. CA wants their money, all they can get.
One of the reasons my brother moved to Idaho. Until 1996 people that were drawing a pension from CA, but were living in another state, were having to pay income tax to CA and their home state (if the state had an income tax).
Ha, you think the illegal immigrants that will be voting would care about a 7.3L F-150 they could not afford? All they want is free stuff as they are part of the FSA and will simply vote for who promises them the most.
Ha, you think the illegal immigrants that will be voting would care about a 7.3L F-150 they could not afford?
They all drive Cadillacs and Prius’, the poor peoples cars of choice.
Ha, you think the illegal immigrants that will be voting would care about a 7.3L F-150 they could not afford? All they want is free stuff as they are part of the FSA and will simply vote for who promises them the most.
Big trucks have a kind of universal appeal, and most native born people can’t truly afford them either. That’s what the 84 month car loan is for.
When we briefly had a cleaning service in FL after our second child was born, the questionably-legal pair of women would show up in a giant Ram pickup with a skull in place of the hood ornament and the word “MIERDA!” in reverse letters painted on a sign placed above the grill. Blew my mind. Wish I had a picture.
Go out to a Walmart in an agricultural area on Friday night and look at the vehicles in the parking lot. Not too many econoboxes … new too.
I am amazed at the number of new trucks I see on the road. The local Ford dealer sends me a mailer about every other month saying I can get a new F150 Platinum for only $900 something a month. Seriously? I wonder how many of these are financed to the hilt like this? I’m guessing they save absolutely nothing for retirement as a result.
The local Ford dealer sends me a mailer about every other month saying I can get a new F150 Platinum for only $900 something a month.
$900/month is almost my house payment before taxes and insurance.
I’ve heard rumblings that GM is going to take a truck past the $100k barrier this upcoming model year. I want to see that truck — it must be something special
Given that they occupy the #3 sales spot behind Ram and their more expensive packages are rental car fleet fodder right now, you would think that GM would want to consider some price *decreases*, but what do I know?
BTW, $900/mo in the current pricing/interest rate environment means that the dealer is juicing the deal with extended warranties and other cr*p, even for a 60 month loan.
I’m guessing they save absolutely nothing for retirement as a result.
Please. Once the Progs wipe out the student loans, pay slavery reparations, and pass Medicare For All, they’re coming for the 401(k) plans and private pensions.
Social Security is already cashing Treasuries.
Florida had an impact fee for moving to the state and it was deemed unconstitutional. Didn’t make the impact fee go away though, they just changed it to any vehicle being registered that didn’t have a plate. Buy a second vehicle, pay the fee.
Please. Once the Progs wipe out the student loans, pay slavery reparations, and pass Medicare For All, they’re coming for the 401(k) plans and private pensions.
Social Security is already cashing Treasuries.
So is Medicare IIRC.
You forgot free housing, free electric cars, free electricity for the electric cars, etc, etc, etc.
And hey, the progs will INVEST those 401Ks and IRAs in tbills.
So is Medicare IIRC.
I didn’t think Medicare was a separate trust like Social Security. A couple of court cases over the years established that SS doesn’t actually have to send out checks.
I can’t imagine the AMA supporting a plan where their membership may not get paid.
The debt ceiling snapped back into place in March. The games run out in September, during Congress’ recess.
Maybe we’ll see one of those $1 Trillion coins minted.
“Netflix tanks after whiffing on global paid subscribers”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/17/netflix-earnings-q2-2019.html
I knew that I should have sold my Netflix stock and bought Amazon stock with the proceeds.
I didn’t think Medicare was a separate trust like Social Security. A couple of court cases over the years established that SS doesn’t actually have to send out checks.
Huh, the Medicare trust fund has $100 billion in it now and is projected to grow over the next ten years. See page 30 of the report.
https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/index.html
The table on page 30 and this statement do not agree.
“In 2018, Medicare covered 59.9 million people: 51.2 million aged 65 and older, and 8.8 million disabled. About 36 percent of these beneficiaries have chosen to enroll in Part C private health plans that contract with Medicare to provide Part A and Part B health services. Total expenditures in 2018 were $740.6 billion, and total income was $755.7 billion, which consisted of $745.9 billion in non-interest income and $9.8 billion in interest earnings. Assets held in special issue U.S. Treasury securities increased by $15.1 billion to $304.7 billion.”
“Trump Setting Up Democrats For a Defeat in 2020”
https://www.nysun.com/national/trump-sets-up-democrats-for-a-defeat/90768/
“As we settle into high summer and the period of maximum difficulty in finding anything to fill in hours of television news, especially 24/7 news television, two well-established political trends are emerging in this preelectoral period: The president’s opponents continue to dig themselves into foxholes that they will not be able to escape, and the president’s tactical victories continue to be compromised by his verbal sloppiness.”
“The Democratic Party has now pretty well locked itself into an inescapable confinement of commitments to open borders; free health care for everyone including those who enter illegally in their millions; a green terror that will disemploy millions and achieve nothing useful; open-ended reparations for about 80 million African Americans and Native Americans; a doubling of upper-level personal income taxes; and a definition of “reproductive rights” that extends to the killing of live, born, and separated children.”
Hat tip to:
my dad
I knew that I should have sold my Netflix stock and bought Amazon stock with the proceeds.
Creating a streaming service is easy. Creating a reliable streaming service to provide content to 100s of millions of people simultaneously is tough.
We’ll see if the studios pull it off successfully. Netflix could find new life as a kind of wholesaler for that kind of service.
If you’re worried about “Friends”, I don’t see that leaving Netflix forever. My former corporate masters only care about the bottom line, and they’ll cut a deal.
It will be interesting to see how completely the Warner/HBO streaming service covers the studio’s back catalog. Will it include “The Dukes of Hazzard”?
Maybe the Duke Boys will go to Netflix.
We’ll see if the studios pull it off successfully. Netflix could find new life as a kind of wholesaler for that kind of service.
Disney now owns a majority of Hulu with the acquisition of Fox. Admittedly, Hulu’s user interface is primitive compared to that of NetFlix but, good enough. I am wondering if Disney will relabel it to Disney ?
The loss of the Disney / Marvel / Star Wars / Pixar is going to hurt Netflix. I just don’t know how much.
I am binge watching Jessica Jones on Netflix as fast as I can. I am not sure when it gets pulled.
I knew that I should have sold my Netflix stock and bought Amazon stock with the proceeds.
Netflix should be more worried about Apple than the studio streaming efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLWkkBtyCMs
More of the vibrance we’re importing by the train load–
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7257255/How-MS-13-members-lured-victims-chopping-bodies-throwing-remains-canyon.html
“The 12-count indictment, unsealed on Monday and shared Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, charges 22 people linked to a subset of the gang known as the Fulton clique, including gang leaders who allegedly authorized and coordinated the murders.
A total of 19 of the 22 named in the indictment were in the country illegally, Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office, said.”
— just 22 good ole boys, wouldn’t change if they could, fightin the system like modern day robin hoods….
Yep, only the nicest people, after full vetting…. o h who am I kidding they are from Central America and get SPECIAL treatment. $1M worth of dope, that’ll ruin a lot of lives.
Past time to close the freaking border and start shooting people.
n
I am binge watching Jessica Jones on Netflix as fast as I can. I am not sure when it gets pulled.
The Kids laugh at me when I torrent down shows. “Oh, Dad, we’ll just watch it on Netflix, Hulu, etc.” Right. I’ll charge them when it happens.
That’s why I buy the CDs and DVDs I do at goodwill and yardsales. If you can’t hold it in your hand, you don’t own it.
n
(I still buy books, but I mostly READ on the kindle. because the backlight and text resizing make it possible to read in bed, without glasses.)
It’s hard to tell if this woman is trolling or if she really is that deranged:
Liberal’s Tweet Goes Viral: ‘White People Love Dogs Because They Miss Owning Slaves’
Her pic suggests, mental issues.
n
The Kids laugh at me when I torrent down shows. “Oh, Dad, we’ll just watch it on Netflix, Hulu, etc.” Right. I’ll charge them when it happens.
I used that method most recently for “Good Omens”. If it is broadcast somewhere over the air on the planet (“Good Omens” will be on BBC One … eventually), I consider it fair game. I don’t do movies and buy the DVD if I want to own a flick, however.
Before we had a BluRay which would play MP4, I used to have to convert the files to DVD. I got really good at it too, complete with accurate anamorphic ratios and subtitles where necessary for foreign flicks, but I guess having that skill is like knowing how to make a buggy whip these days.
That’s why I buy the CDs and DVDs I do at goodwill and yardsales. If you can’t hold it in your hand, you don’t own it.
Playing a CD or DVD also involves less energy than streaming services.
The Interwebs have lots of references to a story out this week that humanity streaming porn generates as much CO2 as Belgium.
Streaming is _convenient_. I’m okay with paying for convenience.
As far as Netflix is concerned, I’m one of the ones that cancelled at the price increase. A buck would have been okay with me. Their increase, along with the dearth of new content, and the threat of losing content, made it easy for me. Hulu is getting my streaming $ now. For a while. Kids are unhappy about the loss of Fuller House, but they absolutely love Full House, so it’s a fair trade.
Wow! I wonder what fraction of a percent of the worldwide total that might be.
I guess I am responsible for Rhode Island. 🙂
FYI, I don’t stream porn.