Traveling later today, might get an update in before then. Home tonight. Yea!
Stack all the things. ‘Cuz I said so, and you know you want to.
n
Sat. Jun. 18, 2022 – travel day
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Picked up our guests at the “bus stop”. The Greyhound tracking app was spot on for locating the bus. There was another bus with people lined up to get on that bus, probably heading east or west. The bus our guests were on was traveling north to Detroit. Lots of people standing off to the side or sitting on the ground. Must be some more busses departing from the location.
The place is a dump. A small “quickie-mart” owned by a chap that looks to be of India descent. Typical ownership for many of those places. Hard working people doing a miserable job to exist. He closed up at 11:00 PM and 18 seconds later his store alarm went off. There is no covered area to wait so in rain or middle of the day it must be miserable. Seems Greyhound could do better. For people arriving their first impression of the city is certainly tainted by the low-class bus, third world, “depot”.
Some really strange people there. One person, with one shoe, no shirt, was obviously very high on something. Wandering around totally spaced out.
It really surprised me there was probably 50 people at the place. Some young kids, teens it appeared, that were perhaps departing on some field trip, camping trip, or other adventure.
If the city is run by the same demographic as Atlanta, they don’t really care.
Are the city offices closed on Monday?
The VA had an observance of Juneteenth yesterday on the staff meeting conference call. The meeting opened with the “black” national anthem, and since my wife was on speaker, it was audible all over the house, even with the door closed to our home office.
I almost missed this awesome story:
Family’s hidden message on dad’s gravestone sparks controversy
I can only hope my kids do something this great.
@Ray, all of Greyhound’s bus stops have been like that for at least 20 years. Twenty years ago was the last time one of our family members rode the bus from Oklahoma to Midland, TX, and it was the same way. I told my mom “Never again.” When you said your visitors were traveling by bus, I had hoped things had improved, but obviously not. The bus company must not care. It’s an awful shame, because for many ordinary people, there’s no other choice when they need to travel. They deserve better.
Amtrak fools people by putting the bus schedules in with their train schedules, so people think the passenger trains go all over, or that the buses are nice safe transport that normal people can take between train depots. They never mention that there aren’t any more Greyhound-owned dedicated bus stations, or that the train depots are only in a few major cities, so they are going to be dumped out in an industrial area, far from anywhere..
This is your military, folks…
You only run with the unit guidon /colors. Our military is a woke disaster. The VA is following.
Jill warned him not to take off the training wheels yet but he had a tantrum…
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/06/18/biden-unhurt-after-falling-to-the-ground-during-bike-ride-in-delaware/
I came across a Louis L’Amour book on my shelves. Not sure how it came to be there, as I’ve never read him, although he was my great-grandmother’s favorite author. So I thought well it is about time to see what Louis L’Amour westerns are all about.
ROTFL! It’s science fiction! “The Haunted Mesa”
It was not the best SF I’ve ever read, but it was a readable book, and I finished it easily.
But I still feel like I’ve never read a Louis L’Amour book! LOL!
Louis L’Amour wrote a whole lot of books.
I recommend the Sackett series, but I enjoyed several of his standalone novels as well.
I did find that I needed a break after a few novels because of a certain sameness of style, but I keep coming back. There’s an uplifting Horatio Alger feel to most of his heroes that’s missing in most modern entertainment.
Your library probably has most of them. I use my library card mostly to read books on my kindle. Well, the kindle app on my iPad, phone, or computer, anyway.
I just recently bought, and am currently reading, L’Amour’s Hanging Woman Creek at the local used book store.
Edited to add: That was an awkward sentence, wasn’t it? I bought at the local used book store, and I am reading at home. Obviously.
On my list is to get a library card, so that I can “check out” ebooks. I’ve been reading a lot more fiction this year, 2 or 3 books a week, instead of crafting or gardening or canning.
I found another author of British mysteries, Deborah Crombie, whose books I am working through right now. She writes good stories, excellent plots, revolving around a male/female couple who both work for the police. The female is annoying to me, but I like the rest of the characters, and the books are good enough to ignore the personality.
After a long day of web site programming (fixing a site that used to work just fine <sigh>), I am in the middle of binge-watching the original “Bosch” series. Finished Series 1 Episode 10 last night.
Excellent show – great writing, great actors. Recommended. (As is the new “Bosch: Legacy” series.) Both of ‘FreeVee” (was “IMDB”); free streaming with a few ads that are not intrusive.
Season 2 of Legacy was announced during the release of S1. Yes, a very good series.
>> Season 2 of Legacy was announced during the release of S1.
Yes, especially given the Season 1 cliffhanger!
What the actual f…?
I have Win10 on a virtual machine, for those very few things I can’t really do under Linux (my school is pure Microsoft, so…).
I just installed a bunch of updates on the VM, which I hadn’t had to use since November. Now it demands that, for security, I set a PIN and login with the PIN instead of a password. My password is 11 characters. The PIN is 6 digits.
What was that about security? What brainfart is this?
You can log in with a PIN or password. There should be a link/icon/something below the PIN field which allows you to select a password login. It should remember your choice the next time you log in.
From Pecancorner:
I get novels from my municipal public library in ebook format. I use the cloudLibrarry app on my tablet so search for authors and/or titles and then download them at no cost if read within 21 days. With app also on my phone, I can switch back forth easily as it keeps track of next page on both.
@RickH: I didn’t see anything like that, but I’ll have another look.
Oh, more fun: I see that the updates have installed Minecraft (which I can uninstall) and Xbox-Game-Bar (which I cannot). Really stuff I want to waste space on, in a VM.
@RickH: You were right, I was able to change the login method.
I also read up on why PINs are supposed to be better. You have a different PIN for each device, rather than one password for your organizational login. Given a variety of devices, that’s likely to mean people writing them down. Not seeing how that’s really an improvement…
I bought a light switch for my old fridge. $8.05 including postage from somewhere in New York State. They sent a dryer door switch. I sent e-mail, they sent the correct switch. Which was so easy to install that I spent more time looking for the needle nosed pliers I wanted to use than actually doing the work.
Today I mailed the dryer switch. Same envelope. Same 1 oz. weight. And wtf, $4.80 for First Class postage?
How’s that work? As a business? Charge $8.05. Bubble padded are not cheap. Pay $4.80 postage. Pay someone to pack the envelope and take it to the Post Office. Maybe they get a huge discount like the folks that send junk mail. A mystery.
Then the grocery store. No beer. Had to buy corn tortillas in a much larger package than I need. But that’s pretty normal on Saturdays before the bread aisle has been worked. Not many obvious holes but it all looks “thin”.
No Fiesta menudo seasoning. I found it at Walmart a couple of weeks ago but I don’t want the $8 giant quart size container of something I just want to try. Someday.
Then What-a-burger. Waited five minutes to move one car length. Six cars between me and the pick-up window and yeah, I’ll pass on getting a couple of BoBs. (They’re like Sausage McMuffins on a hamburger bun.)
$4.45 for unleaded at the Valero/CircleK. Yikes. $40 for half a tank with the joy of having to go inside for my receipt. Because someone can’t be bothered to check the printer? Or because they are doing the “Official Fuel of Nascar” station routine like Stripes with hopes of making an extra sale? There are other stations if that is their plan. Oh, and lady behind the counter? I’m sorry I interrupted whatever you were doing but yeah, dusting whatever can wait.
Buddy the Beagle was very happy when I got home. He’s kind of clingy. But just to me.
The PIN allows admin access to the machine without using the Microsoft password.
IIRC Windows 11 insists on having login tied to the mothership where Windows 10 will allow installation with an offline password if you’re paying attention.
>> And wtf, $4.80 for First Class postage?
Purchase your postage via PayPal and you’ll get a discount.
“NextEra Energy plans to cut all carbon emissions by 2045, partly via FPL adding 140 GW of solar, storage”
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nextera-eliminate-carbon-emissions-2045-solar-storage-fpl/625464/
“NextEra Energy plans to eliminate all its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 2045, partly by growing Florida Power & Light’s solar fleet to 90,000 MW and its energy storage capacity to 50,000 MW, the company said Tuesday.”
“NextEra said its FPL subsidiary can reach the goal without increasing its customers’ bills because renewable energy is often less expensive than existing and new fossil-fueled generation.”
Wow, that is just 13 years from now. All fossil fuel plants gone, totally solar and batteries. What an experiment.
I would like to see their calculations, specifically their assumptions.
Of course, my predictions lately are crap. I thought that crude oil would never pass $85/bbl again nor would natural gas pass $5.00/mmbtu.
Louis L’Amour wrote a whole lot of books.
I recommend the Sackett series, but I enjoyed several of his standalone novels as well.
I loved the Sackett books. I never read a bad Louis L’Amour book.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553276743?tag=ttgnet-20
Cool ! The site is back up. Thanks Rick !
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-said-fired-employees-behind-110517569.html
If you have time to write this letter then Tony knows you don’t have enough work to do.
Regarding the site problems, it was an SQL server error at Dreamhost.
Hope you enjoyed the picture while the site was down. (For those of you that missed the picture, it’s here.)
That pix is automatically displayed if there are database errors on the site. Hopefully, it won’t be seen often.
After a long day of web site programming (fixing a site that used to work just fine <sigh>), I am in the middle of binge-watching the original “Bosch” series. Finished Series 1 Episode 10 last night.
Excellent show – great writing, great actors. Recommended. (As is the new “Bosch: Legacy” series.) Both of ‘FreeVee” (was “IMDB”); free streaming with a few ads that are not intrusive.
I am on season three episode five of the Bosch series on Amazon Prime. Extremely well done.
Hope you enjoyed the picture while the site was down. (For those of you that missed the picture, it’s here.)
That pix is automatically displayed if there are database errors on the site. Hopefully, it won’t be seen often.
I liked it ! Very clear there that were problems.
Was 104 F with 40% humidity here in the wilds of Fort Bend County today. ERCOT hit 73,000 MW today on a Saturday.
We may be headed toward a competition with the summer of 1999. 113 F on Labor Day here in Sugar Land. Houston Light and Power and ERCOT were dying from noon until 8 pm. They barely held it together but they did it using rotating blackouts. I wonder about ERCOT holding it together.
Pearls Before Swine: Best of the World at One Thing
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2022/06/18
Hey, I am in the competition for that award !
Well, on the ground in Houston. And the site is back up.
Looks like a beautiful night outside the plane… bet it’s still hot
N
Thanks Rick for getting things running. Disturbing when sitecwouldnt load. Reassuring to see the mushroom cloud as I knew you were working the problem at that point
Errands but not much actually accomplished today. Lunch at the White Spot. Iconic diner in Anchorag, definitely a local secret. Started in the 1940’s by Mr. White. I had the salmon chowder (scratch), daughter had shrimp platter, husband the halibut sandwich. Everything from scratch. Hand cut fries, blanched, cooled, deep fried. Perfection. I stole my daughters coleslaw. Yum.
Leaving downtown we passed a parked Lamborghini in the opposite lane. Husband and I both freaked out – you just don’t see vehicles like that up here. I love cars. We flipped a U, parked, and exalted over its beauty. We weren’t the only ones snapping pics.
Gorgeous car. Absolutely gorgeous.
Home again. I’ve got a long to do list but am resting. Overdid the caffeine and now my body is demanding downtime. Dinner is in oven. MYbe after ill get something more than laundry completed.
“SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aces record 13th flight in Starlink satellite launch”
https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-record-13th-launch
“SpaceX launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets for the 13th time today (June 17), setting a new reuse record.”
“The two-stage Falcon 9 lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 GMT), carrying 53 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites to orbit. It was the first of three rocket launches in three days from three different pads that SpaceX plans to pull off.”
Impressive !
“Taxonomy of Trolls” by Sarah Hoyt
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2022/06/17/taxonomy-of-trolls/
A complete exposition on trolls. How appropriately on topic for us.
The assumption is that FPL will get two new nuke plants approved for Turkey Point south of Miami. They’ve been talking about the new plants for decades, at least as far back as when my wife was in school down there.
We saw a Toyota Soarer on a trailer heading to Dallas today. Hecho en Japan. Late model.
Someone in Houston imports Japanese Toyotas. My wife has been eyeing some teeny coupe the company never sold here.
The assumption is that FPL will get two new nuke plants approved for Turkey Point south of Miami. They’ve been talking about the new plants for decades, at least as far back as when my wife was in school down there.
Not gonna happen. $14 billion each for 1,250 MW each that take 20 years to build. No freaking way that any PUC is going to approve that.
“Things NASA climate scientists say:”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/06/16/things-nasa-climate-scientists-say/
“Capitalism is a form of violence”
“No one *needs* to fly.”
“I’d prefer a world without private cars”
“Empower women to depopulate.”
Wow.
Home safe. As usual the drive from the airport was the scariest part.
Easy trip. Empty seats on the plane too, although I guess Saturday evening isn’t a huge time to travel.
Thanks to Rick for getting things sorted out. When did we first go down? I didn’t know until about 5pm central.
BTW gas at the airport chevron station for rental car return, was only $4.69, but the kid said they had competition a mile away so that helped keep the price down. (midwestern airport)
And I’ll never buy a Chrysler Pacifica. What an obnoxious driving experience.
n
more battlespace prep?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10918281/SADS-Sudden-Adult-Death-Syndrome-Moment-young-mums-husband-dropped-dead-her.html
n
>> Impressive !
Nah, Tony wants you to say “Meh” as he quietly builds control of the satellite internet market.
>> Leaving downtown we passed a parked Lamborghini in the opposite lane.
Which model?
Wally has Covid (again)…
https://dilbert.com/strip/2022-06-17
My wife started school down there 30 years ago next year. FPL has been talking up a new set of plants at least that long.
Duke Energy gave up on new plants at Crystal River and decommissioned the reactor. Florida is down to four plants but has coal capacity and an interconnected grid.