Hot and humid, back to Houston style… I’m sure it is hotter here than there.
Interesting view of the moon last night, horned moon, and against a clear electric blue sky. Really blue, but only for a few moments.
Pack is all back together. I’ve got the kids all day, so I’m probably home most of it. Although I might get out to do a quick pickup or two.
I did get some real work done at the BOL. We are currently down to one bathroom we can only use sparingly… but I don’t see any show stoppers for getting the master bath back up and running. The missing toilet flange looks like it will be straightforward to replace with a repair kit I already have up there. The plumbing all needs to be redone. Par for the course. Even copper pipe needs to be replaced after nearly 50 years, especially if there are issues with the water, or you’ve mixed metals in the system. The galvanized nipples are all completely shot where they join brass Ts. And some of the brass Ts have pinholes too. At least replacing it with pex is easy. I don’t trust the longevity, especially of the sharkbite push on connections, but it’s easy. And it will outlive me in all likelihood.
That is one thing I keep reminding myself, all the corners the old man cut, and all the decisions he made, all the dubious choices, lasted longer than HE needed them to. They had a lifetime warranty 🙂
I hope my choices last for 50 years.
Wednesday’s meetings with the new contractors and the septic guy will set the tone for the next few months. I hope we can get going on the big items. It’s nice to drink coffee on the dock in the mornings, but not having septic or solid power and water means it’s not ready for use, and that isn’t good.
Stack all the things. You’ll need them and more…
nick
Only 81F and 87%RH this morning. Sunny, and it will get warmer.
————–
Hah, I’ve noticed this too.
Will The Inflation Reduction Act Of 2022 Do Anything At All?
Beware…Congressional legislation has a way of acting opposite to the title and stated intent…
– you can almost take it as fact that whatever the title is, the result will be opposite.
n
Kind of scary:
Social Contagion? Teen girls mimic tics after watching Tourette’s videos on TicToc
I thought this was interesting. GPS interference map, based on ADS-B reports: https://gpsjam.org/
Be sure to read the FAQ.
Sad news over the weekend:
Bill Russell, RIP
Nichelle Nichols, RIP
Pioneers and class acts.
:
@dcp, that is cool. And pretty interesting when the southwestern US sees some.
n
@drwilliams, bad week for aging performers for sure.
n
>> I’ve got the kids all day, so I’m probably home most of it. Although I might get out to do a quick pickup or two.
Just think, in a few(?) years D1 will be driving and you’ll be sending her out to do pickups.
@Nick
I’d like to make it to 88/89.
Before the money runs out.
I’d settle for having the money run out the day before the goobermint underestimates the size of the task force.
Just thinking that it might be time to seriously prioritize stacking the heavy stuff, before we don’t have the fuel to haul it.
It’s nice to drink coffee on the dock in the mornings, but not having septic or solid power and water means it’s not ready for use, and that isn’t good.
You can have septic anytime you want. Just get a port-a-potty and put it on the back or front porch. When I did not have water at the office for six weeks, I put a port-a-potty on the front porch of the office building. The ladies mostly drove the three miles to Bucees though but, it was there for us guys and emergencies. It cost me $300/month but that was ten years ago.
How did it get to be freaking August ? This is the month of flame according to the Iraqis.
“HONEY I SHRUNK THE DAY”
https://www.the-sun.com/tech/5903038/earth-shortest-day-spinning-fast/
“Earth records ‘shortest day EVER’ after scientists reveal planet ‘spinning faster’”
“A faster spin meant that Earth’s usual 24-hour rotation was 1.59 milliseconds shorter.”
We are all going to die.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
No doubt it is global warming, errr, climate change, umm, climate disruption. What are they calling it this week? And WHEN will they validate the computer models?
Trick question, they will never validate the models. The models don’t include the effects of clouds or rain, so they can’t be validated.
The computational power to determine position and Momentum of an electron will come before they validate a global warming model.
Fusion for power generation will come before they validate the model, and we’ll see flying cars first.
n
Had a brief spatter of rain. But it didn’t stick.
n
So not just black, not just gay, but trans companion as well?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11070165/Neil-Patrick-Harris-reveals-Ncuti-Gatwa-play-gay-Time-Lord-new-Doctor-series.html
Yeah, not interested.
n
Stack it up while you can.
Americans turn to FOOD BANKS as number of families needing handouts surges: Biden’s plan to end hunger by 2030 comes unstuck as prices of eggs, butter and other basics soar
My ISP’s promise of “VERY firm appointment with our top field person” for Monday morning didn’t happen. As predicted. Maybe he meant /next/ Monday?
I’m not holding my breath.
>> Fusion for power generation will come before they validate the model, and we’ll see flying cars first.
Flying cars? How about flying Jesus Trucks?
Or flying pigs, with or without lipstick?
Guy calls the cops on ATF agent demanding to see a newly purchased firearm:
https://twitter.com/capeandcowell/status/1553709678089146368
Suggest watching before the PigTwits take it down.
ADDED:
Should have read further. Longer version on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb1MVFDy_tw
Stopped at Walmart to pickup almonds. I like the Blue Diamond chocolate roasted ones. The 25oz bags have been $11.68 for years. Last week I noticed they were $10.33 for the same 25oz bag. I won’t get rich on the savings, but I do go thorough them – they are my main snack. I went back today specifically to clean them out. Oh, and get dog food. That is still hit or miss on selections available.
Another inflation note. I like the Carmel flavored Dunkin coffee. It’s up to almost $9 a bag. At the start of the pandemic, it was around $5. I found a Walmart brand that is under 5 bucks, and is close enough in taste that I like it. Dunkin priced themselves out of a customer.
I have called it the Principle of Symmetry. This essay was linked by Powerline and AOSHQ:
Are the New Progressive Rules Reciprocal?
Are today’s norms tomorrow’s norms?
By Victor Davis Hanson July 31, 2022
https://amgreatness.com/2022/07/31/are-the-new-progressive-rules-reciprocal/
The answer is:
Of course not; NOT BLOODY LIKELY.Any more that it’s likely that you can compare numbers for Biden (+100% effort by the corrupt MSM to tow his corpse over the finish line) to numbers for Trump (-100% effort by the corrupt MSM to report every manufactured lie as gospel).
If I were organizing it would be Merrick Garland and his entire family that would get a taste of not being able to appear in public and enjoy so much as a hot dog.
>”Guy calls the cops on ATF agent demanding to see a newly purchased firearm”
The ATF agent was apparently trying to confiscate a shotgun from someone who was prohibited from possessing firearms. The agent is suing for use of excessive force. It appears to me that there was a failure in dispatch, as this article states that the woman who called 911 read the agent’s badge number to them. I think that information was mishandled (the dispatcher could have called to verify the agent’s authenticity) and also not relayed to the responding officers. This kind of error can happen all too easily with the 911 system. The idea that anyone in general can call the police out with sketchy information is a very bad design. I don’t see any validity to the ATF agent’s complaint, though. He could have avoided a lot of trouble by merely complying with the responding officers’ commands. It will be interesting to see how the trial (if it is not settled) turns out.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2020/12/10/atf-agent-accuses-columbus-police-officers-excessive-force/6505667002/
It’s interesting that the first hit on DDG for “cancel amaz” listed “cancel amazon prime”.
It just renewed and with sales tax is $147.69.
Ok then. I buy something and I get charged sales tax on the entire order But I already paid for shipping, right? That’s double tax.
If I buy enough at a time I get free shipping. Next Day has happened exactly once. It’s usually two or three days. I shop all the time without being logged in… “add $5 and get free shipping”…. log in and it’s Prime and free shipping.
As for Video, I don’t use it. I liked Victoria and paid for season two. I don’t think I finished season two. I think I watched Ekaterina on prime video. Catherine the Great is interesting.
I have zero interest in Music or Photos.
I figure that for $150 a year, I can pay shipping once in a while.
Or maybe I’m just full of hate. Or something along the line of be a cheapskate. But buffalo gotta bellow!
@ITGuy1998
What do the labels say about the source of the caramel flavoring?
Alan, I did not see any replies to your question. I did find the price as $463.60 yesterday, but it is $567.00 today. I didn’t buy it. It looked like a very good deal. I also saw that this model has been selling for a couple of years, so there might be more low price deals later.
As for the gen itself, all I can say is that the few complaints seem to be from people who didn’t do a proper break-in. Getting warranty adjustments or returns through Amazon is usually pretty good. Other than that, most reviews are very positive. If you can trust Amazon reviewers. I want one for only occasional light duty use, so paying Honda prices has always put me off. I will be watching.
I wonder if you could tell the gang here which deal email list you are on. I would at least like to see some of them. Thanks in advance.
. He could have avoided a lot of trouble by merely complying with the responding officers’ commands. It will be interesting to see how the trial (if it is not settled) turns out.
– he could have but he didn’t because he is an “only one” with special privileges. The story comes on the heels of another one that went thru the ‘gun culture’ that had two agents at the door asking for the same thing. The whole incident was recorded on the guy’s ring camera. I already decided I’d call my Constable’s office and ask for someone to come confirm their ID if they show up at my door. I’ve got no idea what legit ID looks like…
———————-
The article linked is a bit suspect because this quote doesn’t match what I saw with my own eyes on the video.
By the ATF guys own words they just treated him like any other suspect. He wasn’t “evading arrest” he was not complying with their instructions. If you don’t comply, their doctrine says they escalate to the next level in the use of force continuum. If you get argumentative or start repeating yourself, you get escalated up another level. Then he fought back against the takedown and the restraints. Now, given, the cops have been trained by thugs to shout out “stop resisting” which is a specific bit of training designed to influence any witnesses… but nothing they did is out of the ordinary for what I saw on the video.
Whether that’s a good thing for society is a bigger question, but a badge and a costume don’t give you special rights.
n
https://www.arthursido.com/2022/07/just-say-no.htmls
the other incident making the rounds earlier.
n
The police officer acted correctly all the way through, and communicated properly about WHY he was issuing those commands. The ATF officer acted like a jerk, and he probably always acts like a jerk. How quickly the ATF agent devolved into profanity and abuse and continual resistance.
A whole lot of law enforcement types really hate it when they get treated like citizens.
>> Will The Inflation Reduction Act Of 2022 Do Anything At All?
Maybe it will do nothing…all it takes is one disgruntled Dem to vote NO…we can only hope.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/manchin-pushes-speedy-passage-new-deal-sinema-stays-quiet-rcna40856
Sen. Durbin is also away from the Senate at the moment with Covid.
>> I wonder if you could tell the gang here which deal email list you are on. I would at least like to see some of them. Thanks in advance.
@JimB – it’s from Slickdeals.net
And they have a couple more gennies today:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L9R5YC5?tag=ttgnet-20 and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MN11GV8?tag=ttgnet-20
Thanks, Alan, I will look.
>”The article linked is a bit suspect because this quote doesn’t match what I saw with my own eyes on the video.”
Very suspect; that was quoted from the lawsuit. The reporter may not have had access to the video when that was written in Dec. 2020. I don’t know when the video was released, but it may have been timed, or be an attempt, to influence settlement negotiations.
>”https://www.arthursido.com/2022/07/just-say-no.htmls
the other incident making the rounds earlier.”
That is another case of the government addressing crimes by harassing the innocent. To some people, the idea of checking up on people who buy more than one firearm at a time mibht sound reasonable, but in fact, it has no chance of uncovering or preventing the crime that it is supposed to address. Would they have tried to get a search warrant if the man had refused them? Would they have been successful? If they did search and didn’t find the firearms, what would they do about it?
I am beta testing a hotspot device, can’t say for who. It uses the 5G cellular network. It provides WiFi in 2.4, 5, and 6. There is a USB-C port and an ethernet port for direct connection to a computer. I get speeds of 300 meg down and 15 meg up. I am on the fringe of T-Mobile’s 5G service. Battery powered and USB-C powered (same USB-C port for connecting to a computer). The ethernet port can connect to router. Impressive device.
I am paying $50 a month (tax included) for 50 gigs of 5G data. After that my speeds will slow but the data is unlimited.
Might be an option.
T-Mobile has been promoting a 5G hot spot for your home for a couple of months. Have no other info, and have not used it, being fully satisfied with my “Astound” (nee’ Wave) service for 7 years here “Somewhere Opposite Mutiny Bay WA”.
Ah, hotspots.
At my old house I was on the very edge of DSL range, and it basically didn’t work, less than 1Mbit down and very unreliable.
I eventually bought a hotspot router and (I think) 3g card, and it worked great. Well, except from about 4:30pm to 7:00pm when the network was overloaded by commuters getting home. Also you couldn’t put it when the sun shone on it, it would overheat.
It was 2009 and it was this unit, with a Verizon card.
https://www.cnet.com/culture/kyocera-kr2-router-mobile-internet-access-sharing-made-easy/
Eventually Time-Warner made available broadband internet over cable, with a solid 20Mb connection (though the first couple of modems were flakey) and it became ancient history. I suppose I still have it and the card in a box somewhere.
The ATF goon had previously demonstrated plenty of entitled attitude and disregard for the law (/blackadder’s King George voice “Sounds a bit over qualified…” /end voice) by shoplifting wine from Kroger.
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/delhi-township/james-burk-atf-agent-charged-with-stealing-wine-from-kroger
https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/atf-agent-james-burk-charged-with-stealing-wine-from-a-kroger.207157/
n
What I have is NOT the home internet that T-Mobile has been pushing. The device I have is battery powered, portable, and is a true hotspot. I can get service where I desire. I chose T-Mobile for the price and 5G is available in my area.
When I tried to order a SIM online the sales dude was pushing the home internet. I had to explain, multiple times, I had my own hotspot and did not need a device. I wanted to order the SIM online so I could waive activation fees. The dude did, but then wanted to charge $30 for account creation fee. I disconnected him rather abruptly.
I went to a T-Mobile store and was able to get a SIM. I had to pay $35.00 activation fee. I will contacting corporate about getting the fee reversed due to the tricks attempted by the online dude.
I have been experimenting with the device. Currently connected via USB-C from my MacBook to the device. Lots of options, lots of features. I have found a couple of issues as the unit is a beta unit. Owned by the provider but I suspect I will get to keep the device. An impressive device indeed.
Ray, that is impressive, especially over the cell network. My 5G phone has seen a max of 187/36 Mb down/up, but that was in an urban area. In our town it can be as high as 70/2. Here at my house, it can be as high as 50/10, but it is often only 5/0.1 or less during peak periods. It varies a lot from test to test. Latency is terrible at 50 to 100 ms and higher all over our town, closer to 50 in urban areas. This is the AT&T network. My Frontier DSL runs a very consistent 3.4/0.5 all the time, and latency is steady at 15-20 ms.
You might think that the AT&T network would seem faster than my DSL for surfing, but there is often a big pause when going to a new site, so DSL actually seems much more responsive. The difference in latency alone can’t account for this.
@Nick
A costume shop or the internet is exactly where you go to get a badge and something that looks like a uniform.
Inasmuch as I know of no legitimate reason why I would have multiple armed men on my porch claiming to be officers, I’m going to verify a lot before I trust.
As far as them talking their way into the house: No frakking way. You know which firearm in the house is the deadliest for an innocent homeowner? The one that Officer Friendly brings in.
And inasmuch as I know of no legitimate reason why I would have same trying to break down my door, verify would go right out the window in favor of no trust at all, aka, assume it’s bad dudes with bad dude stuff in mind.
And having said all that:
Lessons from Ruby Ridge
By Huck Davenport August 1, 2022
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/08/lessons_from_ruby_ridge.html
That opening paragraph is an accurate statement of the facts.
My experience with with ATT wireless is that all the traffic moves thru their system and it has bottlenecks. In other words they don’t jump out to the public internet, they pass over their own stuff to Virginia? then out and back. Traceroute always had lots of long hops.
n
If it ever comes to it, their practice of “stacking” on both sides of the door is pretty exploitable…. just as a thought experiment, I know how I would write the scene in a novel…
n
Got my monthly invoice for my six cubic yard trash dumpster at the office with two dumps a week. They raised my bill from $600/month to $807/month. This is unreal.
Two headlines:
It may be too late to stop monkeypox from becoming endemic
(Well, ok then, let’s make sure:)
San Francisco holds “kink festival” despite fears it’ll become monkeypox superspreader event
that make a perfect case for the arrest, prosecution, and long-term imprisonment of Anthony Fauci, Rochelle Walensky, and every other federal and state bureaucrat making “public health” policy.
@Lynn
What the devil are you throwing away?
@Nick
“I know how I would write the scene in a novel…”
You’ve read the Freehold series?
Speaking of ‘dumps’, I’ll get the current system pumped for $200 a time and use the indoor facilities rather than a portajon…. any construction crews will need their own however. No spare capacity here.
I am hoping my across the street neighbor will let me use their party room house if I’m shut down at my place for any length of time. I’ll pay a lot to keep sitting on porcelain.
n
“Time’s Lonely One (Perry Rhodan #42)” by K. H. Scheer, translated by Wendayne Ackerman
https://www.amazon.com/Times-Lonely-One-Perry-Rhodan/dp/3441660250?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number forty-two of a series of one hundred and twenty-six space opera books in English. The original German books, actually pamphlets, number in the thousands. The English books started with two translated German stories per book translated by Wendayne Ackerman and transitioned to one story per book with the sixth book. And then they transition back to two stories in book #109/110. The German books were written from 1961 to present time, having sold two billion copies and even recently been rebooted again. I read the well printed and well bound book published by Ace in 1974 that I had to be very careful with due to age. I bought an almost complete box of Perry Rhodans a decade or two ago on ebay that I am finally getting to since I lost my original Perry Rhodans in The Great Flood of 1989. In fact, I now own book #1 to book #103, plus the Atlan books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Rhodan
BTW, this is actually book number 50 of the German Pamphlets. There is a very good explanation of the plot in German on this website of all of the PR books. There is automatic Google translation available for English, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, French, and Portuguese.
https://www.perrypedia.de/wiki/Der_Einsame_der_Zeit
In this alternate universe, USSF Major Perry Rhodan and his three fellow astronauts blasted off in a three stage rocket to the Moon in 1971. The first stage of the rocket was chemical, the second and third stages were nuclear. After crashing on the Moon due to a strange radio interference, they discover a massive crashed alien spaceship with an aged male scientist (Khrest), a female commander (Thora), and a crew of 500. It has been over sixty-nine years since then and the New Power has flourished with tens of millions of people and many spaceships headquartered in the Gobi desert, the city of Terrania.
It has been around fifty-five years since the Springers and the Mounders destroyed the Betelgeuse 3 planet, thinking that it was Sol 3, Terra. Perry Rhodan and the inhabitants of Terra have been building a new empire quietly in the far corner of the Milky Way. And a man is awakened in his bathysphere deep under water by his four robots, having gone to sleep sixty-nine years ago thinking that nuclear war was going to poison the surface of the Earth. Instead, Atlan the Arkonide finds out that Perry Rhodan stopped the nuclear missiles from working and has built an incredible society since that time.
One has to remember that this book was written in German in 1962 and translated to English in 1974. Many items that came about in the 1970s and beyond such as cell phones are not reflected in the book. However, commercial aircraft commonly traveling at Mach 3 are not available to the public as talked about in the book. Niels Bohr’s saying “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future” comes to mind.
Two observations:
1. The publisher should have put two to four of the translated stories in each book. Having two stories in the first five books worked out well. Just having one story in the book is too short and would never allow the translated books to catch up to the German originals.
2. Anyone liking Perry Rhodan and wanting a more up to date story should read the totally awesome “Mutineer’s Moon” Dahak series of three books by David Weber.
https://www.amazon.com/Mutineers-Moon-Dahak-David-Weber/dp/0671720856?tag=ttgnet-20/
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 5 out of 5 stars (1 review)
You’ve read the Freehold series?
– every thing and more than once.
n
@Lynn
What the devil are you throwing away?
I’ve got about 40 people working here at the office complex. Lots of trash. The landscaper brother has about 20 people and his own 8 cubic yard dumpster. Plus his guys make dump runs once or twice a month with big items. The commercial pool brother has a lot of pool junk to throw away. We are just really trashy people.
When I rented the dumpster back in 2012, my cost was $300/month. They have steadily cranked it on me.
You’ve read the Freehold series?
– every thing and more than once.
n
Me too.
@Lynn
“We are just really trashy people.”
At about 1.2 yd3/month for each of those 40 people, I would agree.
Ah, George, you would admire the lengths that you could not imagine they would stoop to:
Wikipedia Redefines ‘Recession’ to Resemble Biden’s Changes—Then Locks Page to New Edits
By Katie Daviscourt | July 29, 2022
https://humanevents.com/2022/07/29/wikipedia-redefines-recession-to-resemble-bidens-changes-then-locks-page-to-new-edits/
I must confess that I haven’t read much George Orwell biography. I wonder if there is a good bit on the writing of 1984? Did he think up worse, but leave it out as unbelievable?
I’ve started bestowing the “OK Hand” as half of “The Accolade That Must Not Be Named”
“‘The clock is ticking’: PG&E exploring possibility of keeping Diablo Canyo open to boost reliability: CEO”
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pge-exploring-possibility-of-keeping-diablo-canyon-nuclear-open-poppe-ceo/628414/
Wow, somebody in California has a clue.
Nah.
Toyota and Honda make lots of boo boos, but they generally take care of the original owners within 7-8 years of purchase.
My Camry has trouble finding the right gear when downshifting, particularly in the overdrive range. It is a problem endemic to the 2018s, the first year of TNGA with the eight speed transmission that makes 40+ hwy MPG possible with a normally aspirated 2.5 L four cylinder engine.
Of course, if Mayor Buttigag (sp?) gets 55 MPH reinstated as the national speed limit, however, the party’s over for 8-10 speed transmissions. It doesn’t matter if the states go along or not because it will be the top speed the EPA will use for testing and calculating CAFE.
Keeping Diablo Canyon open will be a problem with Fukushima radiation continuing to make its way across the ocean. I can still smell that strange odor in occasional Pacific cold fronts that make it to Texas.
BTW, the site was weird for me last night, after we got off the road, and the problems continued this morning before we rolled out again early.
I have to continue op sec for now, but “A Prairie Home Companion” fans take note – I did something seriously cool related to that program today.
You know things are bad when even Garrison Keillor isn’t safe from cancel culture.
Keillor po’d his hometown base years ago.
My dad was a huge fan of his books, and less so the radio show, but he thought Keillor was one of the funniest guys alive.
n
I am rehabbing an old notebook I picked up at a thrift store. Popped the password by using a recovery disk and changing the name of utilman.exe. Got the naked pics off it (nothing more interesting or salacious than bikini shots on Daily Mail. I will say that having 6 kids in 10 years, starting right out of high school, will age a woman, and change her body). Deleted all the personal data, kid pics, games, and un-needed programs. Deleted users, changed the password, and computer name. It’s an old Toshiba but it has a huge screen and full sized keyboard. Still plenty usable with its old OS and spinning disk, so I didn’t want to do the wipe and reinstall.
It should work fine as a movie playing machine at the lake. If we ever get any internet up there, it should be ok for web use too. An SSD and moving up one or two OS versions would help, but that is more work than I want to put in.
Just about done… and it only took a few hours while I was doing other things. $10 well spent I think.
n
I gave up on Garrison when every other joke was about pee or farts and the rest really weren’t all that funny. It was obvious that some of his Crayolas were missing from the 64 count box. Kinda sad that they let that go on too long.