Cold. Damp. Still/again/of course… [36F and frost on the cars]
Did my volunteer edumacating of the kinder yesterday. It’s really fun and very satisfying. I will point out, I’m like a grandparent. I can spoil them/ get them wound up and then give them back. It’s not something I think I could do every day.
Today should be wrapping up things here around the house before my Christmas trip. Presents, yard work and decor, cleaning, and dropping off presents to my gub store buddies. Oh, laundry and packing too.
I’m having a real internal debate about carrying to MI. I’m not just passing through Illinois on my way there, so I’m not protected by Federal law. I’m staying with my sibling the first night in Illinois. That opens me up to potential issues that I have avoided in the past. No one wants to be the test case. On the other hand, I can provide the locked case, and probably mostly comply. Not having it, and having to drive home if something bad happened would be very unpleasant. There is a lot of bad area between here and there. It will probably come down to whether I have any weight left in my checked bag…
Meanwhile, they world continues on pace for meltdown and realignment. Big trouble brewing domestically too. Virginia is nuts, as Gov. Blackface seems intent on testing the resolve of the population wrt gun confiscation and posse comitatus. There are so many ways this could go wrong I can’t even make a prediction. When I get nervous though, I tend to stack gear and preps. There are many things easily and cheaply available right now, that might not be if things go pear shaped. And there are SO MANY ways things can go pear shaped. I know, we’ve been saying that for a long time and nothing drastic has happened. Just the slow drip drip drip of constraints building and freedoms eroding. One day the icicle falls though.
With that cheery thought, time’s a wasting. Better get the kids out the door and start my day.
nick
Virginia is nuts, as Gov. Blackface seems intent on testing the resolve of the population wrt gun confiscation and posse comitatus.
I’m surprised Governor KKKlansman is still in office in VA.
The problem is that the Governor, along with the VA Assembly, now have nothing to lose since he won’t be reelected. Wait until redistricting. VA will have crazy districts.
Daily Mail following up on a bunch of stories we’ve looked at here…
ISIS linked airplane mechanic in Fla…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7807553/Airline-mechanic-pleads-guilty-jetliner-sabotage.html
Hmm, it IS unconstitutional…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7807547/Court-Obamacare-individual-mandate-unconstitutional.html
Chicago child murdering scumbags…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7807095/Gunman-jailed-90-years-shooting-dead-rivals-9-year-old-son.html
Linejumpers get stabbed to death/ no sandwich is that good…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7808067/Suspect-indicted-murder-stabbing-man-outside-Popeyes-Maryland.html
Ummm, ANOTHER luxury yacht burns?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7808567/Marc-Anthonys-7million-120-foot-yacht-CAPSIZES-massive-fire-breaks-Miami.html
Amazon poisoned their own well allowing third party sellers…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7807501/Inside-underground-economy-dumpster-divers-sell-trash-brand-new-Amazon.html
n
From yesterday:
Brad, your scheme seems logical, but the article I referenced yesterday, repeated here, seems to say otherwise.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/hh475812.aspx
Note that it is old (my original copy was dated in 2011, but this link redirects to 2016-ish.) And, the article is no longer kept up to date.
I like it when a creator documents what he creates! At least we are not left wondering why something seems to work strangely.
Also note that I am not a programmer, and don’t know some of the nuances programmers face. I can only recall my experience, and then somewhat dimly.
I looked into this when I wanted a list of files to sort the same over different file systems. I failed, mostly because I couldn’t catalog all those OSs, much less find out how they were designed. I failed, and moved on.
Coincidently, I ran into file time stamps, which I had used for copy and backup purposes. There, I found that files created on a camera would often change their time stamps by an hour when I copied them to another file system. This was complicated by Daylight Savings Time and time zones. Again, I tried to sort this out, but eventually gave up as my number of “devices” multiplied.
Although I am not a programmer, I have used computers since the 1960s, and designed computer hardware. I was always a bit baffled by how programmers thought. Please, nobody take that as an insult. I am certain programmers are just as logical as I am, but they didn’t have to think about these things way back when we mostly did our work on one system. All was pretty simple. Now it is not. This problem manifests itself in many ways. Most often cited is the security aspect of computers that were never designed to be connected to a world wide network. I can just imagine some of those pioneers spinning in their graves over this.
Hmm, it IS unconstitutional…
The problem with completely striking down the law is that, absent immediate Congressional/Presidential action, the student loan program, used to pay for Doh-bamacare, goes away as well.
“the student loan program…goes away as well. ”
–feature, not bug.
n
–feature, not bug.
That would be way too much pain for the middle class all at once. Trump would get the blame.
The system has become highly dependent on the GSL program, even at state universities.
Even at the mediocre state school where I did my graduate degree, the CS faculty salaries were $180k+. The department chair took home $225k to teach one class a year.
And that in a nutshell is the problem.
n
half the schools and programs only exist to suck up student loan money
n
I would like to thank all you tax payers for funding my Army Graduate Program MS in Maths. I love using OPM.
From @Brad yesterday:
@Greg: IIRC, the Constitution requires 2/3 of the Senators present to vote for conviction. I think the required quorum is 51, so theoretically 49 Senators could stay home that day.
I expect a lot of the RINOs are feeling the pressure from the MSM and their progressive consituents – and won’t want to actually take a side. Doing so would require having a spine. Which is why I suspect that some will chicken out and stay home.
What’s the deal with Pelosi delaying transferring the case to the Senate? How long can she drag this out? Obviously, she would prefer to have this still hanging over Trump during prime election season – whereas he would like to be exonerated so that he can campaign freely.
Trump was out campaigning last night in Michigan. He is not the sort to let other people determine his future. I think that he has three times the amount of energy that I have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAyExa19xvA
I fully expect open war between the House and White House now. Better stock up on your popcorn, it may get heated. In fact, you may not even need a hot air machine.
Arlo and Janis: It is dangerous out there !
https://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2019/12/19
Heh.
Trump was out campaigning last night in Michigan. He is not the sort to let other people determine his future. I think that he has three times the amount of energy that I have.
Lots of Diet Coke. It is how I get through death marches.
The vending machine company in our old building in Austin was really slow about restocking the Diet Coke once word got out that it was Trump’s drink of choice. The Republican Party of Texas used to occupy the floor above us, and I think that compounded the problem with timely deliveries.
What’s the deal with Pelosi delaying transferring the case to the Senate? How long can she drag this out? Obviously, she would prefer to have this still hanging over Trump during prime election season – whereas he would like to be exonerated so that he can campaign freely.
The Senators running for President don’t have to be in town for a trial in January if a delay happens.
The Dems don’t really want the campaigns of Plugs, Mayor Pete, Tulsi Gabbard, or — God forbid — Bloomberg catching fire in Iowa or New Hampshire. A trial would probably be bad for Plugs, but he’s the consummate politician who has survived all kinds of gaffs in 30 years.
Again, Tulsi Gabbard voted present on Impeachment. She wants the trial to keep Warren et al busy, but she also knows that the charges are ridiculous.
I’m confused by a couple of the elements in the reporting of this attack…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7810127/Boy-terrorised-lesbian-couple-London-bus-let-referral-order.html
Maybe one of our UK commentors can assist?
The attacking youth, gets a “referral order”? Which has a duration, but doesn’t seem to be jail or confinement. He gets an extra 2 months because of the homo disrespect aspect, so the only crime he’s charged with is harassing a lesbian by calling her a lesbian. He’s not charged with assault for throwing objects at them, nor battery for hitting them or any contact with them. What bloodied the women? Who has been charged for that? He’s also not being charged for stealing the purse, or receiving or possessing the stolen phone.
Frankly, 8 months of probation or supervision seems harsh for just talking sh!t at someone, especially because the main complaint seems to be calling a lesbian a lesbian. On the other hand, who bloodied the women? Certainly that must be assault (threat of violence or causing fear of harm in a person) or battery (causing physical harm to a person, unlawful physical contact with a person), or even strong arm robbery (which uses threats to accomplish a theft.) In the US both the assault and the battery would probably automatically get an “aggravated” escalation because it happened on a public street or conveyance.
So were the others charge with some actual crimes and he just gets slapped on the wrist for using harsh language? or is there something I’m not seeing?
n
The attacking youth, gets a “referral order”? Which has a duration, but doesn’t seem to be jail or confinement. He gets an extra 2 months because of the homo disrespect aspect, so the only crime he’s charged with is harassing a lesbian by calling her a lesbian.
The USA is the only country in the world with Free Speech. Very important as the dumbocrat socialists want to revoke that Constitutional privilege. In fact, the dumbocrat socialists want to revoke just about all of the Bill of Rights.
ISIS linked airplane mechanic in Fla…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7807553/Airline-mechanic-pleads-guilty-jetliner-sabotage.html
“The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that the 60-year-old has been charged with one count indictment of attempted destruction of an aircraft, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.”
“‘I do admit the guilt,’ Alani, dressed in jail clothing and shackled, said through an Arabic interpreter.”
Why is this guy in this country, the USA ?
How can he do his job as a commercial aircraft mechanic without being fluent in English ?
Something is wrong here.
“US Chamber study lists impacts of banning fracing domestically”
https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/government/article/14073949/us-chamber-study-lists-impacts-of-banning-fracing-domestically
“Banning hydraulic fracturing in the US would eliminate 19 million jobs while reducing Gross Domestic Product by $7.1 trillion between 2021 and 2025, a study by the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute concluded Dec. 19.”
Don’t all of the dumbocrat wannabe’s want to ban hydraulic fracking right now and study it for a century ?
“So you want to keep running Windows 7? Good luck with that, small businesses”
https://www.zdnet.com/article/so-you-want-to-keep-running-windows-7-good-luck-with-that-small-businesses/
“The end of Windows 7 support is weeks away. Microsoft says small businesses can pay for extended security updates just like their enterprise cousins. But my experience says they don’t really want your money.”
Why am I not surprised ?
“The end of Windows 7 support is weeks away. Microsoft says small businesses can pay for extended security updates just like their enterprise cousins. But my experience says they don’t really want your money.”
Why am I not surprised ?
I installed Windows 10 clean and no longer hate the interface sufficiently to wish I had Windows 7 available on that laptop.
Of course, I don’t run the Mail app which now shows ads to everyone.
Because the commie judges said it was unconstitutional that tRump should keep them moooscums out.
From @paul yesterday:
I am running an ethernet over power system at the old house right now. I may just move it to the new used house with the $50 TPlink wifi router.
If it works why leave it at the soon to be old house?
A Ubiquiti Unfi AP will work well. You can have a few “talking” to each other so it’s just one AP as far as phones and stuff know. But this is an upgrade to do after you move.
The downside to the existing ethernet over power that I have now is that it is just an ethernet cable system. It does not extend the wifi also. So I do not have wifi in the existing gameroom and my dad continually complains. I would like to install this system which locates both ethernet cable and wifi at each access point over power lines:
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Orbi-Whole-Home-System/dp/B07CQDHPFT/?tag=ttgnet-20
But, cash is king at the moment and we are running out of it after paying our absurd school and other property taxes on four properties. So I am probably going to cheap out and get the $50 biband wifi router that Rick recommended:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N1L5HX1/?tag=ttgnet-20
Well, that was nice. I dropped of a Christmas gift for my gub store buddy and he hooked me up with a gift of my own. Local, local, local. Meatspace!
I got most of my presents wrapped. I’ve got two more to do tonight, possibly three. Got the ones that are going with us into a suitcase. Put a bunch under the tree. Didn’t get any more decor up, maybe tomorrow if I’m packed soon enough. Did do a load of laundry, so I’m ready to pack.
Unfortunately, the forecast isn’t showing snow for our destination until the day after we leave. We might have to venture further north one or two days to get the kids the snow we promised them.
Dinner tonight is leftovers. It wouldn’t be good to leave the fridge full for a week.
n
Don’t all of the dumbocrat wannabe’s want to ban hydraulic fracking right now and study it for a century ?
Banning fracking is just a means to the end of limiting access to cars. I think that’s the ultimate goal.
Thus the only ones allowed to have and operate cars are the ones that passed the laws to keep the serfs, ie the rest of us, from operating cars. They will have the interstates all to themselves.
Started my taxes for this year about a month ago when TurboTax was released. Not too bad for this year, taxable income is $0.00, again.
Started my taxes for 2020 using 2019 TT, numbers should be close. Will be pulling money from IRA’s, about 5% each year going forward. If the markets continue doing as they are doing I can sustain that withdrawal rate for the rest of my life and still have the same amount of funds in the accounts.
But I will get slammed with taxes. Unavoidable. Now the task is to try an minimize the tax rate, keep it below 10%, preferably 7%. Annoying that SS money will now be taxed, or at least a significant portion of that money.
And one more thing that pisses me off. I really despise the members of congress and senate calling themselves leaders. They are elected representatives, not leaders. I don’t have leaders except for Bible study.
Me, yesterday:
It belatedly occurs to me that Stoll may be the sort of person that Sarah Hoyt describes as “Odd,” a category in which she includes herself and her family.
Would it be outside the realm of possibility if Stoll and those like him were to consider non-Odds to be just a tad, well, dull?
Stoll is DEFINITELY odd as Sarah uses the word.
Most people in IT that are successful are some version of her ‘odd’.
n
Odd. Hmm, I suppose that is a matter of viewpoint. Don’t know Hoyt or Stoll, and don’t have the time to look them up, as, like Nick, I am preparing for holiday events.
A point I wanted to make is that odd is a POV. Some of my fellow engineers disliked making money. I couldn’t figure out why. I figured any way I could augment my adequate salary, as long as it was moral and legal, was OK. I would just try to optimize time spent and risk. It was just another problem to solve. I solved it well enough. I knew I would never be rich or wealthy, because I would quit when I made enough to relax. Now I am relaxing. Some of them thought I was odd. Not to brag, but planning for the future, like prepping, should be a part of life.
A few minutes ago, I rummaged around for some toiletry supplies. We buy those either on sale or from our local Dollar Tree store. I try to rotate stock, even for those things that can last a very long time. I found an item dated 2-14, the oldest of the supply. I have been using 2-14 stock for some years, and all are fine. Bet this one is, too.
BTW, Costco TP might not have an indefinite shelf life. My storage is good, with about 30-50% RH and 50-80F, so maybe the stuff dries out. All I know is that the oldest (I would have to check, but approx 5 years) shreds more easily than some from a new bundle. Has to be bad perforations.
Odd. Hmm, I suppose that is a matter of viewpoint. Don’t know Hoyt or Stoll, and don’t have the time to look them up, as, like Nick, I am preparing for holiday events.
Sarah Hoyt’s website is
https://accordingtohoyt.com/
I like her sci-fi and shapeshifter fantasy books. A lot.
She writes 2 or 3 essays a week on her website with anywhere from 100 to 1,000 comments. She was born in Portugal and emigrated to the USA when she was 18. She is 57 and lived through the socialists takeover in her homeland so she has a few opinions about the dumbocrat socialists of today in the USA.
Most people in IT that are successful are some version of her ‘odd’.
I’ve found that high IQ and kinks of some kind go hand-in-hand. Most of the time the kinks are benign and controlled, but I’ve worked with a few went off the rails.
Most people in IT that are successful are some version of her ‘odd’.
I’m just plain old odd.
Not as bad as “Odd Thomas” though.
https://www.amazon.com/Odd-Thomas-Novel/dp/0345533429/?tag=ttgnet-20
I like Sarah Hoyt, but (I’ve said this before) I surely do wish she would edit her blog entries. They would have a lot more impact if they were 1/4 as long. She rambles, and I usually lose patience and stop reading halfway through.