Cool and beautiful, if it doesn’t rain.
Yesterday was very nice outside, and I spent far too much of the day inside.
I did get up on the roof to swap out one camera for a new one. The new one looks great. The old camera was state of the art when new, homeland security grade, and very expensive. The new one is very capable, pro-sumer quality, and cheap. The low light and IR capabilities are fantastic, and it’s 8 Mpx, so digital zoom looks awesome. As a bonus, it’s a dome and is a bit less visible and intrusive. Certainly more modern and streamlined than the enclosure on an arm it replaced.
Some other minor gardening, and cleanup, and one ebay sold item and that rounds out my day. NOT productive by any means.
Oh, I did use my new battery charger to charge up an old yellow top battery I have in a carrier with a medium sized inverter. The battery took a charge and ended up on Float charge. I forget the name but it’s one of the expensive ones, ultima? with the grey body and yellow top. Some have a red top. I wish I’d found a forklift battery or some reconditioned marine batteries before all this hit, but I’d only been looking for a short time. I would like to work on the solar array project, but I don’t really have batteries. Or for that matter a charge controller. Add it to the list.
I also desperately want to go to the range and put a box or two through a couple of toys. I really need to function test one, and I’ve never fired the other. One local range is open but I don’t want to risk the exposure.
It is a risk too. Every case in the ER in a week will have been contracted this week, most likely through community spread. Don’t go out and play in it.
Dinner was pork chops, a cheesy pasta side dish, and fresh asparagus. Dessert was the triple layer cake my 8yo made for her grandpa’s birthday. We ate it, he admired it on Facetime. It was bright red cake, dark chocolate frosting, and M&Ms inside and out. She did it all on her own from the various boxes, with very little oversight. Very visually striking 🙂
Kids had school video conferences today. They had fun seeing their teachers and friends. It was mainly a ‘work out the bugs and give this a try’ session. Seemed to go well after the slow start. The school uses Zoom. Borepatch noted on his site that WebEx is offering their video meeting product free for the duration. If you have a group you get together with, but have stopped for the wuflu, you might want to check out a group conference. Funny what happens when there is competition.
Lots of stuff needs doin’ today. I better get to it.
n
I read an…interesting…entry on reddit. This guy in Switzerland was complaining that we are all racist against people from his background (Middle Eastern). He then went on to detail the incident that sparked his posting. If I summarize:
– He and a bunch of friends, all young guys, were hanging out
– A Swiss guy in his 50s came up and reminded them about social distancing
– They got in the Swiss guy’s face
– Some sort of altercation took place (“it got physical” – details unclear)
– The Swiss guy gets punched and is taken to the hospital with a concussion.
Based on this, Swiss are racist against Middle Eastern folk? Riiiight.
It is a risk too. Every case in the ER in a week will have been contracted this week, most likely through community spread. Don’t go out and play in it.
My wife came home with a potential work exposure story last night, courtesy of yet another healthcare “professional” from the Subcontinent, a doctor this time — who should have known better.
After putting her known infected niece (!) on an airplane back to India this week (!!), the doctor showed up for work every day at the VA (!!!). VA management finally caught on when the doctor declined to see in-person patients, and the Indian managers co-erced (beat?) the story out of her.
At some point, the numbers from India really are going to go “full hockey stick”. I’d say it will happen when the lying stops, but when do they ever stop lying?
Yes, I used the word “beat”. The Subcontinent at Austin VA has a pecking order amongst themselves, enforced with lots of yelling and occasional physical violence behind closed doors or off site. With caucasians, the managers just scream and yell.
And, yes, my wife needs a new job or at least a new VA clinic location. Those of you dependent on the VA need to watch the Subcontinent arrivals at your clinic. It won’t be a one-off, and the demographic will most likely arrive with the full cooperation of the closest university with a GP residency program.
Bill Gates says the entire country needs to be *locked down* by the Feds. He probably had one of his flunkies text this from one of his numerous bunkers. I bet his has years of Mountain House in a hole by his McMansion. Roaming security with automatic weapons, etc. I guess he thinks the food industry will just deliver free food to 300 million people for the duration. Billionaires seem to view the World through myopic lenses. Heil William!
I am seeing this idea being pushed on social media. Firstly, I don’t think the Federal Government has the constitutional authority to do this outside of marshal law. Secondly, people in urban areas seem to forget that not everyone lives in cities. You can’t treat Toad Suck Arkansas the same way as Brooklyn.
I also hear this every freaking day on the Presidents briefing, some numb-nuts reporter will ask why the president hasn’t acted like a dictator and told every single American what to do. Pisses me off.
I guess he thinks the food industry will just deliver free food to 300 million people for the duration.
I used to see three grocery delivery services working the area where I lived outside Seattle seven years ago. I imagine the number is currently higher in Medina (Gates mansion location), but I doubt Gates is in the Northwest right now. Figure Hawaii or Florida.
Or some sooper-secret bunker in New Zealand.
If I were Gates, I’d be on my yacht having punched out weeks ago.
n
I also hear this every freaking day on the Presidents briefing, some numb-nuts reporter will ask why the president hasn’t acted like a dictator and told every single American what to do. Pisses me off.
Trump knows that’s a political trap. It is the same in Florida.
Abbott gave in partially in Texas yesterday.
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/governor-abbott-issues-essential-services-order-for-texas
After running my car through the HEB car wash last night, I spent some time driving the area and didn’t see a single cop. Williamson County, though. For the most part, the Sheriff’s office isn’t interested in Hut Hut Hut. Austin PD is out enforcing from what I saw driving to work last week, however.
Went to CostCo during the senior hours to avoid the crowds. They put in a snake maze with pallets at the entrance with markers for six foot. Toilet paper is now at the front, supervised, with the person only handing out one package, a CostCo sized package so I think 48 rolls. Plastic shields at all the cashiers. Where the employees used to grab your card that is no longer done. I did not like that anyway so no big deal. Aisles blocked off so there is only one entrance to the cashier stations, six foot marks on the floor.
Stopped at Kroger. They had TP on Sunday morning. Today, none. Shelves are empty. Used the self checkout. They have a person wiping down the station after each use.
Stopped at the RV place to get RV toilet paper, toilet chemicals, and a foot stool to make entrance easier. Limited to only two packages of 4 rolls each. Small roles, go through about one a day when using the RV. They will not take cash, credit/debit card only.
Our friends in Atlanta are down to a couple weeks of TP with none to be found. We may make a run to Costco next Thursday in the senior hours, get a package of TP, and go to Atlanta for a visit. Unless they have closed the state border as Florida and Kentucky have done.
Yes, limousine liberals telling everyone they should be on lock down. It must be a real sacrifice for them to be prisoners in their 5,000 s.f. homes on acreages with every amenity known to man. I’m sure they can empathize with somebody locked down in an 800 s.f. economy apartment.
800? LUXURY, why there are thousands living 4 or more to a space that big in NYFC.
I wouldn’t want to be an angel investor in that ‘dorm room’ company in San Fran right now. Remember the one in the news only a month or two ago? The stacks of pods you could live in with common areas? High tech flop houses?
For that matter, AirBnB, Lyft, Uber, …
n
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/coronavirus/2020/03/30/latest-guard-update-over-14830-troops-mobilized-for-covid-19-response-more-states-on-title-32-status/
–RTWT to get a picture of what the Guard will be doing, and their current missions.
–also, in line with the idea that the tell you what they are thinking — ““We are here to protect our communities, not police them,” said Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Director of the Army National Guard .”
–“yet”
n
And this is both good and bad news, from my FEMA eletter….
https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmlc/Pages/WWD-MedDPlatforms.aspx
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/2130246/northcom-leading-active-duty-dod-for-covid-19-operations/
–Ummm, I get the NOLA deployment, but Dallas?
n
Place Name: Texas
Region: United States
Confirmed: 3925
Deaths: 58
Recovered: 0
Last Update: 2020-04-01 14:00:00 * CTY: Dallas 631; Harris–Houston 377; Harris–Non Houston 303; Tarrant 273; Travis 244; Bexar 207; Denton 206; Fort Bend 163; Collin 160; Galveston 106; Lubbock 100; Brazoria 95; Montgomery 93; Brazos 53; El Paso 50; Williamson 50; Hidalgo 46; Webb 45; McLennan 44; Bell 44; Wichita 38; Hays 38; Smith 36; Nueces 34; Matagorda 27; Cameron 26; Ellis 20; Jefferson 18; Midland 16; Victoria 15; Guadalupe 15; Taylor 14; Hardin 12; Ector 11; Comal 11; Randall 10; Tom Green 9; Washington 9; Bowie 9; Chambers 8; Johnson 8; Castro 8; Potter 8; Kendall 7; Calhoun 7; Hockley 7; El Paso–Fort Bliss 7; Grayson 7; DeWitt 6; Bastrop 6; Hood 6; Wharton 6; Rockwall 5; Val Verde 5; Orange 5; Erath 5; Angelina 5; Gregg 5; Polk 4; Hunt 4; Parker 4; Terry 4; Eastland 4; Rusk 3; Medina 3; Navarro 3; Waller 3; Kaufman 3; Brown 3; Dawson 3; Burnet 3; Lamar 3; Wilson 3; Grimes 3; Llano 3; Walker 3; Lynn 2; Atascosa 2; Liberty 2; Shelby 2; Nacogdoches 2; Oldham 2; Hopkins 2; Uvalde 2; Cherokee 2; Fayette 2; Milam 2; Starr 2; Upshur 2; Limestone 2; Willacy 2; Colorado 2; Comanche 2; Crane 2; Van Zandt 2; Austin 2; San Patricio 2; Robertson 2; Cass 2; Karnes 2; Deaf Smith 2; San Jacinto 1; Leon 1; Swisher 1; Blanco 1; Hale 1; Wood 1; Maverick 1; Harrison 1; Tyler 1; Kerr 1; Anderson 1; Wise 1; Montague 1; Burleson 1; Gaines 1; Jasper 1; Falls 1; Panola 1; Kleberg 1; Lavaca 1; Live Oak 1; Jackson 1; Hill 1; Newton 1; Henderson 1; Martin 1; Fannin 1; Coryell 1; Morris 1; Donley 1; San Augustine 1; Gillespie 1; Caldwell 1; Franklin 1; Lamb 1; Moore 1; Young 1; Aransas 0; Andrews 0
Place Name: Louisiana
Region: United States
Confirmed: 5237
Deaths: 239
Recovered: 0
Last Update: 2020-04-01 14:00:00 * CTY: Orleans 1834; Jefferson 1193; Caddo 242; East Baton Rouge 228; St. Tammany 220; Ascension 161; Lafayette 118; St. John the Baptist 104; St. James 77; Lafourche 74; St. Charles 71; St. Bernard 71; Calcasieu 65; Bossier 63; Rapides 58; Ouachita 57; Terrebonne 40; Acadia 39; Plaquemines 37; Iberia 36; Iberville 35; St. Martin 32; St. Landry 31; De Soto 30; Washington 28; Tangipahoa 25; Livingston 23; St. Mary 22; unknown 22; Assumption 20; Avoyelles 19; Webster 17; Allen 15; West Baton Rouge 13; Lincoln 12; Evangeline 10; East Feliciana 9; Union 9; Vermilion 8; Claiborne 8; Pointe Coupee 7; Bienville 6; Franklin 5; Jefferson Davis 5; Beauregard 5; West Feliciana 4; Vernon 3; Concordia 3; Catahoula 3; Jackson 3; Grant 2; Natchitoches 2; Morehouse 2; Richland 2; Sabine 2; La Salle 2; Madison 1; East Carroll 1; St. Helena 1; Red River 1; Winn 1
Just wanted to snapshot the TX and LA current situation. LA has almost double our cases. Go Mardi Gras, YOLO!!!
n
In other news…
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/01/nasa_mulls_restoring_saturn_v/
I’m sure they can empathize with somebody locked down in an 800 s.f. economy apartment
I had 450 sq. ft. in Seattle, a 40 minute bus ride from work, and I considered myself lucky.
The only issue with the apartment was parking at night. Most of the units were filled with Subcontinent working for Microsoft who lied (surprise!) about how many people would live there and thus how many cars would be in the lot at after the death march shift ended in Redmond.
The Subcontinent stayed real quiet, though, so the 4-5 guys living in one 450 sq ft apartment wouldn’t get noticed.
At least the Saturn V actually flew
In other news…
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/01/nasa_mulls_restoring_saturn_v/
April Fools. I thought the geek web sites weren’t doing that.
I’d be surprised if SLS flew at this point. It was a full employment act for NASA, and at least another decade of full employment would come from yanking/replacing all the SLS tooling from the three high bays of the VAB NASA retained for the rocket.
Cygnus has (had?) the fourth high bay. That may have changed, but I don’t think they installed any hardware.
The Saturn Vs on display at Kennedy and Houston were flight rated hardware at the time Apollo was cancelled, but NASA let them rust in the rain and salt air for a couple of decades before even building the leaky half-a** shelter at JSC.
The Kennedy building is impressive and will protect the hardware well for posterity, even if abandoned for a while, but that rocket sat outside far longer and, IIRC, does not have a real third stage, having been destined to carry Skylab II, currently at the Smithsonian.
SLS and other scummy Congressional tricks: I wonder how many Congresscritters may not see the elections? Would it be too much to ask, for the Corona virus to do some housecleaning?
OTOH swamp dwellers are probably immune…
I think the current TP shortages can be best addressed by women making an effort to use less than 50 linear feet of TP every time they use the restroom.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! You’re a misogynist, Chad!
Which is not to say I disagree.
SLS and other scummy Congressional tricks: I wonder how many Congresscritters may not see the elections? Would it be too much to ask, for the Corona virus to do some housecleaning?
They’ll survive. They all probably have a stash of whatever meds are being studied, no matter how out there.
I’ve read Interferon is undergoing testing in Europe in addition to the others we all hear frequently. Now *that* will be interesting because Interferon is pricey, unlike the malaria meds and Z Packs.
If we’re still locked down in November and the election goes by mail, expect a Plugs and Congressional Prog victory courtesy of the USPS unions and Perkins Coie.
My Kroger (aka: Ralphs} now opens at 6:30 with seniors only until 8:00. Got there at 6:50 and purchased TP of 12 rolls and PT of 8 rolls, “5 pack of “flushable” wipes and some consumable items. Have to go back in a while for the cooked chicken.
Not hoarding or panic buying, my daughter was de-prepped.
… 5 pack of “flushable” wipes …
Does It Flush? A Primer by Bill (and Caitlin) Walsh
I have a large, ground coffee, can with plastic cover for them. Then put it out in the garbage can for weekly pick up.
Hagar The Horrible: dazzling sunset
https://www.comicskingdom.com/hagar-the-horrible/2020-04-01
Ok, I laughed.
Over The Hedge: who farted ?
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2020/04/01
Oh my !
Bill Gates says the entire country needs to be *locked down* by the Feds. He probably had one of his flunkies text this from one of his numerous bunkers. I bet his has years of Mountain House in a hole by his McMansion. Roaming security with automatic weapons, etc. I guess he thinks the food industry will just deliver free food to 300 million people for the duration. Billionaires seem to view the World through myopic lenses. Heil William!
We are seeing Bill Gates without a filter. He is extremely intelligent and extremely introverted. That combination is deadly for empathy to other people but awesome for computer programming. I am convinced that the guy thinks in machine language.
https://www.geekwire.com/2020/bill-gates-outlines-3-steps-us-government-needs-take-save-lives-get-country-back-work/
_Earth Abides: A Novel_ by George R. Stewart
https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Abides-George-R-Stewart/dp/0345487133/?tag=ttgnet-20
A standalone apocalyptic novel about a plague of unprecedented virulence first published in 1949. I read the well printed and bound trade paperback published in 2006 with an introduction by Connie Willis. “Earth Abides won the inaugural International Fantasy Award in 1951. It was included in Locus Magazine’s list of best All Time Science Fiction in 1987 and 1998] and was a nominee to be entered into the Prometheus Hall of Fame. In November 1950, it was adapted for the CBS radio program Escape as a two-part drama starring John Dehner.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Abides
Few authors have the courage to kill off the human race. After all, who enjoys reading about situations where 99.9999% of the human race die in the first chapter ? Me. This is the life story of Isherwood “Ish” Williams who survives the plague in northern California in 1949. He survived the plague due to a rattlesnake bite where only a thousand people or so survive in the USA.
The book asks and answers many questions. How do you teach the young to survive as the human civilization gradually rots away ? Can you eat a 60 year old can of Salmon ? How do you keep vehicles running past 20 years when the gasoline and tires have all rotted ?
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,070 reviews)
Florida caved … sorta … but the Governor is vague on enforcement.
I’ll bet Destin was starting to look bad with Louisiana getting worse.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/01/florida-gov-ron-desantis-issues-statewide-stay-at-home-order/
We are seeing Bill Gates without a filter. He is extremely intelligent and extremely introverted. That combination is deadly for empathy to other people but awesome for computer programming. I am convinced that the guy thinks in machine language.
My wife thinks Gates has something bad going on with his health, and that explains his recent actions, attempting to leave some kind of legacy besides Microsoft. I was skeptical until he resigned from the Berkshire-Hathaway board recently.
Mary Gates died young (64) from cancer.
I did see a study many years ago (probably back in the 1990s) that said the single biggest thing to tackle to save the most lives worldwide (excluding lifestyle crap like eating well, exercising, and not smoking) would be curing malaria. The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation has dumped a LOT of money into malaria research.
Ok. FL declaring a lockdown may have been timed to short circuit whatever Anderson Cooper had planned with the Tampa Mayor this morning.
Geesh, the Dem tank is dry in the state.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/01/crisis-puts-tampa-mayor-jane-castor-in-national-spotlight/
800? LUXURY, why there are thousands living 4 or more to a space that big in NYFC.
My nephew and his girlfriend and their dog live in a 350 ft2 apartment in Chicago. I just hope that the kitchen sink does not double as the crapper.
But OMG the shopping, dining, and entertainment options are phenomenal!
We started watching Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined) on Monday night on SY FY (on Amazon Fire TV Stick). Got through the 2 episodes of Season 1 and now will start on the other 4 seasons plus 2 specials.
We watched the series when it originally aired in 2003.
Isn’t amazing how so much science fiction becomes science fact.
It’s not just entertainment folks.
We started watching Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined) on Monday night on SY FY (on Amazon Fire TV Stick). Got through the 2 episodes of Season 1 and now will start on the other 4 seasons plus 2 specials.
We watched the series when it originally aired in 2003.
Isn’t amazing how so much science fiction becomes science fact.
It’s not just entertainment folks.
Hey, I watched the Lorne Greene version with my Dad and Uncle back in 1978. It was great then.
Buck, Buck !
The 2003 version was freaking awesome.
“But OMG the shopping, dining, and entertainment options are phenomenal! ”
–as are the opportunities to interact with diverse and vibrant people…
–remember, diversity is our strength. And consider how diverse those cultures the diversity comes from are, and where they’d take ours if we let them.
n
Our local grocery stores are the same, but in addition to being open for seniors-only it’s also open at that time for people with pre-existing conditions and high-risk people as well. So, basically, anybody can walk in the door as they have no way of telling if you’re just a punk that ignores signs or if you have an underlying health problem.
In the mean time, let’s keep DDT banned. It basically eliminated a lot of disease in ‘Frica until THE BAN!
I was going to point out that DDT managed to eliminate malaria in the US before it was banned. As long as it’s only Africans dying, no one cares…
n
I’ve mentioned it before but I think Mal evil is one of the best post-apocalyptic books around. Hard to find!
Malevil
Robert Merle
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malevil
Full txt here:
https://www.e-reading.life/book.php?book=1009515
Went to the census website to “do my duty” as “required by law”. As expected, they wanted to know a lot more than the Constitutionally-required “how many people were living there on April 1?”. I’d have also answered the number of US citizens residing at this address if they’d asked. As it happens, they wanted to know the names of all claimed residents and a phone number to contact me and I could not proceed without providing that information. At that point I closed the browser window and won’t worry about it.
Remember the Tenth Amendment and keep it holy.
Went to the census website to “do my duty” as “required by law”. As expected, they wanted to know a lot more than the Constitutionally-required “how many people were living there on April 1?”. I’d have also answered the number of US citizens residing at this address if they’d asked. As it happens, they wanted to know the names of all claimed residents and a phone number to contact me and I could not proceed without providing that information. At that point I closed the browser window and won’t worry about it.
Don’t worry, they know where you live.
I have been to the site three times. Gave different answers to a couple of questions each time. I was not sure of the correct answer so gave them all three choices. They can pick what they want.
“Biden: States Should Prepare for Remote Voting in 2020 Elections”
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/03/31/biden-states-should-prepare-for-remote-voting-in-2020-elections/
Looks like the dumbocrats are filling out the ballots already.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
Oh yeah, Bite Me Biden !
ADD: That should earn me one of the early spots in the gulag.
Did my census today. Took five minutes. No big deal. Not giving out any information that is already not available.
Also, signed all the papers today for the house refinance. Interest rate 3.49%/30 year. Lots of places to sign in front of the notary guy. He was on the front porch, we were inside the front door. Hand-wash before and after.
Getting some cash back via the refinance. Was planning on a newer car purchase before current events started. Current vehicle is 2008 Highlander with 215K miles. Was looking at 2018-2020 Highlanders (gotta have room for grandkid presents when we go there); current car to go to daughter.
Re-thinking the plans. No hurry on the decision.
Oh, no!
I worked with a guy who helped Bill convert PDP Basic machine code to 8080 machine code. He wasn’t impressed with Gates programming prowess. He said that Gates copied or bought all the early Microsoft software before he hired a programming staff. I think Gates expertise is in business, IE: buying 8086 CPM for a song and selling it to IBM for a literal fortune, and his luck.
I worked with a guy who helped Bill convert PDP Basic in machine code to 8080 machine code. He wasn’t impressed with Gates programming prowess. He said that Gates copied or bought all the early Microsoft software before he hired a programming staff. I think Gates expertise is in business, IE: buying 8086 CPM for a song and selling it to IBM for a literal fortune, and his luck.
https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/06/16/my-first-billg-review/
“I noticed that there were comments in the margins of my spec. He had read the first page!
He had read the first page of my spec and written little notes in the margin!
Considering that we only got him the spec about 24 hours earlier, he must have read it the night before.
He was asking questions. I was answering them. They were pretty easy, but I can’t for the life of me remember what they were, because I couldn’t stop noticing that he was flipping through the spec…
He was flipping through the spec! [Calm down, what are you a little girl?]
… and THERE WERE NOTES IN ALL THE MARGINS. ON EVERY PAGE OF THE SPEC. HE HAD READ THE WHOLE GODDAMNED THING AND WRITTEN NOTES IN THE MARGINS.
He Read The Whole Thing! [OMG SQUEEE!]”
Looks like the dumbocrats are filling out the ballots already.
That’s Perkins Coie’s job. They’ll have the paralegals get busy in September/October.
He said that Gates copied or bought all the early Microsoft software before he hired a programming staff.
I’ve written before that I believe the legend that Visual C++ srand()/rand() functions were something Gates cookbooked out of Knuth for an early BASIC interpreter and are held as sacred to this day, despite MAX_RAND of 0x7fff being hilariously inadequate.
Seattle Computer Products developed the first version of DOS, and Microsoft quickly licensed it in in perpetuity for $50,000 when the suits at IBM found dealing with Gary Kildall unpleasant and asked Gates what he could do.
Microsoft’s relationship with IBM predated DOS, and the legend is that Mary Gates friendship with IBM exec John Opel got BillG’s foot in the door to land the BASIC contract for the codename “Peanut” project which ultimately became the PC
If you’re really curious, find the “Triumph of the Nerds” links I put up last week or search for the series on YouTube.
Seattle Computer Products developed the first version of DOS
That was their version of CPM compiled for the 16 bit 8086 Intel chip. IBM was using the 8086 for their PC and shopping for an OS. Kildall famously stood them up when they came to license his CPM, the most popular OS of the time. So they went to Gates whose only success at this point was transcoding PDP Basic to the Intel 8080 and selling it for the CPM platform. He told IBM he had a 8086 OS and sold them the rights for a fortune. Then he ran down the street to Seattle Computer and licensed their OS for a song, renamed it MSDOS and the rest is history. Some of the early versions of MSDOS still had Seattle Computer text strings in it.
I lived in the bay area at this time and attended the computer clubs meetings where we got all the gossip as well as cool code.
I lived in the bay area at this time and attended the computer clubs meetings where we got all the gossip as well as cool code.
I really screwed up in 1987. A friend of mine at the Dallas C Users Group was hired by Microsoft who bought the rights to his Codeview software package that he selling for $10 a person in a baggie on a diskette. My friend called me a month later and said that he had a job for me at Microsoft. I was to be employee 150 or so. I told him that I did not want to leave Texas and said thanks but no thanks. I could of had millions in MSFT stock right now and be comfortably retired. Oh well.
Wow, the USA hit 1,049 deaths in the 24 hours just ended with a total of 5,102 deaths. And 26,473 new cases for a total of 215,003 cases. Just click YESTERDAY on the big table by country.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Almost half of the cases and deaths come from New York State. I suspect that 90+% come from New York City. Why is NYC so messed up ? Do they all kiss and hug each other daily ?
The homeless piss and crap in the streets and alleys. New York is a cesspool. And crowded.
I had an offer in 1984, I think. Don’t remember the company name but think it was Microsoft. Simply based on my code that the company wanted. I said no as the salary and benefits were crappy and I would have needed to relocate. It may have been Bubba’s Computers and Booze Shop for all I know.
Huge Chinese lunar new year party, attended by people from all over.
Really poor hygiene of cab drivers. I’ve watched them piss in a cup then pour the cup onto the gutter.
Filthy subways, jammed in like sardines.
And high density- a lot of people jammed in cheek by jowl at the best of times.
n
added- highest rate of slavery (human trafficking) in the US, mostly from asia, ie china
Huge Chinese lunar new year party, attended by people from all over.
I forgot, New York City, like Houston, has a huge Asian population.
I still think that SARS-2 is targeted to Asian men. But this article says no, “Comparative genetic analysis of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2) receptor ACE2 in different populations”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41421-020-0147-1
“In summary, we systematically analyzed coding-region variants in ACE2 and the eQTL variants, which may affect the expression of ACE2 using the GTEx database to compare the genomic characteristics of ACE2 among different populations. Our findings indicated that no direct evidence was identified genetically supporting the existence of coronavirus S-protein binding-resistant ACE2 mutants in different populations (Fig. 1a). The data of variant distribution and AFs may contribute to the further investigations of ACE2, including its roles in acute lung injury and lung function12. The East Asian populations have much higher AFs in the eQTL variants associated with higher ACE2 expression in tissues (Fig. 1c), which may suggest different susceptibility or response to 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2 from different populations under the similar conditions.”
Good night, I can barely read that.
added- highest rate of slavery (human trafficking) in the US, mostly from asia, ie china
My one experience with that was a young lady from Australia. She walked to my office building with her 1 year old baby from a close by home and asked for a cab back in 2012 or 2013. Cabs don’t come out here. So I drove her over to a hotel and she said that she had enough to cover things until she could get a flight back to Australia. It was surreal (bizarre).
F’ing Cuomo, it’s all about MEMEMEEMMEMMEEMMEMMEMEEEEE! and you’ll be sorry….
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8176985/This-NOT-just-problem-Cuomo-warns-states-prepare-worst.html
Just imagine, while we’ve all been hanging on every thread of the NYC story, the dirty virus has been sneaking out into flyover land…
n
Here come the bread lines. “EXCLUSIVE: Lines stretch at California food banks near Disneyland as ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’s’ home city is crippled by its closure and charities warn of 40-fold increase in pleas for help”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8176555/Lines-stretch-California-food-banks-near-Disneyland-closure.html
My church sponsors a food and clothing charity for the poor in our area. The poor around here are well hidden but we know where they are. They are reporting a huge increase in people asking for help. I have not sent them a donation this year yet.
https://www.secondmile.org/
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
Argh!!! That’s probably my shit paper order!
Where are my white sweat socks?
I’m telling you…Cuomo is the Dumbo’s Great White Dope! I hope Plugs has a good supply of shit paper, or some white sweat socks, cause he is probably shitting his pants right now.
Cankles, too.
Huh, that’s weird, sold another PoE injector.
Yesterday I sold a new old stock 486 math coprocessor. Got $120 for it too.
Strange stuff.
n
… Wut?
F’ing Cuomo, it’s all about MEMEMEEMMEMMEEMMEMMEMEEEEE! and you’ll be sorry….
Cuomo thinks he has a shot to fulfill Daddy’s ambitions of becoming Emperor.
Saint Mario didn’t want to just run and win. He wanted a coronation. In 1992, only Clinton and Paul Taxongas -er- Tsongas had the organization in place to run against Daddy Bush when ’41’ got bored and lost interest after the Gulf War. The rest is history.
Huh, that’s weird, sold another PoE injector.
Yesterday I sold a new old stock 486 math coprocessor. Got $120 for it too.
Strange stuff.
Yeah, even stranger is that if the guy needed the coprocessor then he had a 486SX which probably had a perfectly good FPU on the silicon, just disabled.
IBM was still using a ton of 486SX machines for the VPN service when I left the Death Star in 2010. It AIX just to think about those things. 🙂
IDT Winchip 200Mhz, Evergreen Technologies
Sealed box. I guess they’re collectible?
n
like this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Evergreen-Technologies-MxPro-200-MHz-Upgrade-WinChip-C6/114157879285?hash=item1a9456fff5:g:h1UAAOSwUwtc3LSj
Lynn – you’re not the only one with regrets from those days.
As I’ve mentioned before, I turned down an offer from Steve Jobs for exclusive distributorship of Apple products in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. I turned him down because I was a programmer not a retailer and I didn’t think the Apple II was impressive.
If I’d bought MS and apple stock instead of computers, I’d be rich.
Even Tandy stock, if I’d sold it at the right time.
On the other hand, I didn’t buy Infospace at $120/share in early 2008… and I didn’t end up in jail for any of the stupid stuff I did, nor did I end up crippled or blind…or choked to death in a pool of my own vomit. Not all of my friends can say the same regarding those things….
n
The speed this wuflu moves at once it gets going is pretty shocking.
IDT Winchip 200Mhz, Evergreen Technologies
Sealed box. I guess they’re collectible?
They’re desirable as an easy upgrade for a Socket 7 machine. Compaq had some which would support 128 MB RAM which I’m sure still run somewhere for embedded purposes.
If I’d bought MS and apple stock instead of computers, I’d be rich.
I bought Apple when Steve got sick. Unfortunately, I had to sell most of it when we needed money in Vantucky. What’s left has seen a 10x gain since ~ 2008/9, even now.
I did hang on to the Microsoft stock I bought when Windows 8 trashed the share price. I figured Ballmer the Monkey Boy and the women who had his nuts in a jar in Redmond wouldn’t last forever, and, sooner or later, adults would be in charge again at the insistence of the institutional holders. Fortunately, it was sooner.
On Wednesday, New York state’s COVID-19 death count more than doubled in 72 hours to 1,941.
Something stinks in New York, but everyone is too polite to say it while they try to fight the thing. Hopefully, someone figures it out before we ensconce Cuomo in the White House for eight years.
Fredo as Attorney General. Shudder.
Sam’s Club run today. My wife actually needed a normal TP run. Store was dead, but inventory was visibly starting to recover. Still, one bulk pak of Sam’s Choice TP to a customer.
Management is making noise about re-classifying the developers as hourly and only having us work enough to service the immediate customer needs. If I get a part time night stock job at HEB, will I get dibs on the Charmin?
I’m not going to accept the old 90s antics like deferred paychecks. I wasn’t pushing things real had this week until I saw the direct deposit go into the bank last night.
Placed an order at Costco today. 2 day delivery and did my normal monthly shopping. Got a pack of tp, paper towels, almonds, 2 boxes of canned green beans, a pack of spam (buy that less frequently, but I’ve used some lately), tide pods and dishwasher pods.
Wife and I are going to the grocery store tomorrow morning. Depending on the crowds, I’m going to stock up even more on what I can. I want this to be the last store trip for at least 2 weeks, and really would like it to be three.
I’ve run into freezer space limitations, but I’m not going to buy a separate freezer right now..too few choices available. I’ll wait until supply comes back then start work on upping my storage even more. I did take the ice tray out of our freezer, which gave a little more room….
Hah, I took the ice bucket and trays out of my garage fridge last week or the week before. Needed the room for preps.
I get ice from the thru door maker in the kitchen so I never hooked it up.
n