Cool and relatively dry. It stayed pretty cool yesterday too. Great weather for the Carnival at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Today should be nice too.
My AAR for the rodeo (as it’s known here) is in the comments last night. Nothing like the other time with the arrest and all that…. just a nice day out.
I also did some pickup and packing before we went, but I’ve got some more to do today. Then I’m heading to the BOL for a while. Wife may or may not follow right away, she’s got some work stuff that popped up.
I’ve got a list to get from Lowe’s before I can leave and some stuff to drop off at my auctioneer if I can fit it in this morning. And stuff to gather and pack beyond what I’ve already gotten together. Never enough time to do everything…
So it’ll be short shrift today. Hope the economy holds together for a while yet. I’ve got stuff to do and having spending money to do it would be nice. Western civilization was nice while it lasted.
Lynn asked if a run on the grocery stores was next. Yes. Yes I think so. If people are worried, they’ll run out like a storm is coming, and there will be shortages again/still.
But everyone here already has stacks right? Top them off, start some, or whistle Dixie, but don’t let denial catch you short.
What can it hurt to have a bit extra put by? Stack it up.
nick
Many happy returns to your “friend”, Nick!
The county fair that I take The Child and friends to is fairly inexpensive. Something like $12 admission, $5 parking. Most food is expensive though not as bad as Nick described. Rides are several dollars apiece but I always get the kids wristbands for $25. (And always feel bad for the little kids who are out with Grandpa and the remains of a sheet of tickets and they’re having to figure out which kid can go on one final ride to use up the last of the tickets.) Overall, I’ve spent $300 or so each time, bringing two kids, buying shirts and other stuff from the booths, and letting them eat what they wanted.
Geothermal energy = get energy for free-ish. 10% efficiency may be acceptable.
Geothermal storage = pay to store the energy, same as pumped hydro storage, and pay to get it back out. Pumped hydro uses a planning number of 70% efficiency, IIRC. I doubt this system will reach that. As a concept and a proof of concept it’s an interesting idea. As a path to removing dread carrrrrrbon from the atmosphere, it’s a pipe dream. And, as I said yesterday, we don’t know the “unintended and totally unforeseeable you can’t blame us” side effects.
It’s only Pi Day if you use the M/D/Y date format, as only you left-pondians (as far as I know) do. For the rest of the world, 22nd July (22/7) could stand for this.
But I have as much chance of changing this as I have of walking on water, without getting wet shoes.
G.
Added: Grr. I need to replace this laptop keyboard, due to missing keystrokes. Or, more likely, replace the machine.
If you write dates in the only sensible format, YYYYMMDD, it’s PiDay. If you don’t, you’re beyond redemption. No Pi for you!
@stevef:
Agreed! +1000!
G.
My son and his girlfriend went to the local fair yesterday. He said he dropped $166 for the both of them, but it was worth it, as they had a good time. That included the ride armbands and food. I did get a text with a picture of a funnel cake he got – it was huge. What a wonder modern medicine is when a diabetic can eat something like that and not die.
A run on the stores? Please, that’s so 2010s.
HEB Curbside will strip the regular store space clean of inventory on certain items in about an hour in our store if something scary appears on the 9PM Faux News.
Worth it.
I am perfectly happy to celebrate that too.
Don’t miss out on τ (tau) day (6.28).
Real dorks write the date in decimal, the number of days since 01/01/2000, or 1 in decimal. Today is 44999. And for the Trekkies today at 08:45 (AM) the StarDate was 100796.38.
I will quietly let myself out.
@ray:
And astronomers use the Julian Day count, today is 2460017, or, since that can be inconveniently large, the Modified Julian Day count (of days since midnight on 17th November, 1858) where today is 60017, i.e. JD-2400000.5, since the Julian Day is reckoned from midday.
Note: this is definitely not the same as the US military’s Julian date, which is YYDDD, and is more properly called the Ordinal Date. In this nomenclature, today is 23073.
/me follows @Ray out of the door.
G.
@Ray:
Which version of Trek canon? Not TOS – nnnn.n – or TNG/Voyager – nnnnn.n – each iteration of the Trekniverse has a different convention for Stardates.
G.
Been busy, haven’t looked in for a few days…
Fun with the banks again. I just hope that the government continues the current policy of only guaranteeing deposits, and not bailing out the institutions themselves. As some articles have notes: the current failures correlate pretty exactly to the most recent relaxations in banking regulations.
I think it was SVB that I saw quoted: Apparently in 2018 or so, they expected to so completely change the banking industry that “in five years, you won’t refer to us as a ‘bank’ anymore”. Well, they were right…
61F and 48% RH. I think I might have to wear lotion!
Sun is poking thru in several places. I’ve got stuff to do before heading out, so I should get to it.
Some date nerds here!
WRT banking, when we moved money around just prior to closing on the BOL, I was nervous and there hadn’t just been a couple of failures… I was very glad when the deal closed and that money moved.
n
Well, it’s one opinion. Coming from people who said inflation wouldn’t be a problem….until it was.
https://www.ameriprise.com/financial-news-research/insights/2023-inflation-outlook
n
Ameriprise is establishment finance. Of course they are going to maximize trading volume with their advice.
Headed out.
Busy day.
n
Doing taxes.
Don’t let those screams from the general direction of Southern California bother you.
my neighbors are actually in Texas, visiting their son, and going to the rodeo today.
The house foundation levelers finished today. It was wild to stand inside the house while they leveled the east side then the west side. The house was slowly groaning.
Actually…. Pi Day was March 14, 1959 (3/14/59) and we’re celebrating it’s birthday.
I’ll follow the others out the door
Nice try, Gavin, but you blew it. 3.14159 would mean true Pi Day was March 14, 159, March 14, xx15, or March 14, xx16 (with rounding).
More “(small d) democracy by fiat…I guess SCOTUS should think otherwise…
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-sign-executive-order-require-background-checks-more-gun-sales
And further down there’s this tidbit…
Maybe time to think further about switching to a ‘wheel’ piece. [sigh]
So my wISP is slowly slowly upgrading radios like a snail with arthritis moving across a field of rock salt.. Seems that way.
I almost get Plan now. Barely. I use to run faster than Plan. He can ping the radio I have at 350Mbps. So it’s a case of the radio ain’t putting out or the cable from radio to the power supply is whacked. I’m going with a bad cable.
I seem to be on the schedule for a new radio next week. I’ll believe when they show. Anyway, with the new radios, say, for example, your plan is 30 up and 10 down. That’s what you get when the network is loaded. When traffic is light, 100/100. It will throttle down to Plan as traffic increases.
Sounds cool.
It makes sense to me. If they are paying for X amount of pipe to the Internet, use it. Turn the faucets on.
Meaningless. Congress passes laws. Well, that’s how it’s suppose to work. They can’t control the border now. So now they are gonna catch a brotha in a place like Chicongo with ballistics? Yeah, sure.
Anyway. Wheel guns or some sort of mesh bag to catch the shells from your Glock.
What part of the 2nd is too difficult to understand?
@lynn:
Maybe the weight of a usable loadout? When 5.56 came in, I saw reports that 7.62 was too heavy to permit carrying enough rounds. Or was it that the rifles were too heavy? I’m unsure.
Anyway, in the Falklands in 1982, British squaddies were complaining that their 5.56 shots didn’t have enough stopping power.
G.
“Looks like the US Army’s new rifle isn’t living up to expectations”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/03/looks-like-us-armys-new-rifle-isnt.html
The problem is that most of armies of this world are now wearing body armor so the 5.56 will not work anymore. And the new NGSW system is too fragile and the round is too expensive with limited materials (composite and tungsten).
The 7.62 NATO (.308) heaviness is addressed by carrying 20 rounds per magazine instead of 30 rounds per magazine. The standard load out will still be six magazines. 1/3rd less rounds but twice the penetration power of the 5.56. And we have plenty of weapons and ammo already in stock that can be readily mass produced.
Also the 9mm military pistol is not a heavy enough round for the battlefield. We need to go back to the .45 1911 or the S&W .357 Combat Magnum (one of my favorites !).
I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have to math for a living.
How many missed points can there be in one short paragraph?
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-sign-executive-order-require-background-checks-more-gun-sales
Maybe time to think further about switching to a ‘wheel’ piece. [sigh]
I love my wheel pieces. They are easier on my wrists and do not misfire when I limp wrist it.
Please educate me. Why would a wheel piece be better than a semi-auto ? Ah, to be able to easier catch the empty cartridges.
No empty casings on the ground, nothing to scout out, nothing to look up in their database.
And if you are carrying @lynn’s preferred Magnum, in most situations there should be no rush to reload.
“until pols are hanging from lamp posts.”
When it starts it’s going to go real quick.
Tungsten from China. Sure, just have FJB tell Hunter to do the deal.
Or switch to DU at 99% the density.
Pearls Before Swine: Calculus Finals
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2023/03/14
I have taken five Calculus finals and passed them all, no nightmares. Now going to school or work naked, yeesh.
My favorite nightmare is showing up for the final a day late.
FJillB has agreed to PETA’s request to stop using real chicken eggs for the White House Easter Egg Roll. They’re going to use fake eggs from Hunter’s favorite Mexican supplier instead.
Twitchy has offered to cover the event live.
https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2023/03/14/peta-asks-jill-biden-to-stop-using-real-chicken-eggs-for-white-house-easter-egg-roll-n536872
I’ve used plastic eggs at Easter time for kids (and grandkids) for decades, hiding them in the back yard (or inside the house).
An advantage, since some are only found weeks/months later, as I am not paying attention when I hide them.
“The Readers Speak! This Blog’s Readers’ Favorite Science Fiction Books” by Dan Livingston
https://best-sci-fi-books.com/the-readers-speak-this-blogs-readers-favorite-science-fiction-books/
I have read 20 of the 24:
24. Slaughterhouse Five
23. Ready Player One (one of my suggested favorites)
21. Foundation (but this is a series !)
20. Neuromancer
17. Project Hail Mary
16. I, Robot
15. 1984
14. Hyperion
12. The Time Machine
11. The Forever War
10. Brave New World
9. The Martian Chronicles
8. Ender’s Game (another series)
7. Ringworld
6. Old Man’s War
5. The Mote In God’s Eye
4. The Martian (one of my suggested favorites)
3. Childhood’s End
2. Rendezvous With Rama
1. Dune (another series)
There will be a list of reader’s favorite series soon. I am hoping that the Vorkosigans will make it on the list.
Chilly up here. Partly cloudy, so the black sky is wasted on me.
Met the local ham club. Volunteered to help with an antenna tower raising on Saturday…
Green stuff growing from the dirt has gone insane. I’ll be getting the mower in good condition first thing tomorrow. (I can’t really say “grass” ‘cuz it ain’t…)
Lake is still full. Got a smattering of rain around dusk, but nothing that even wet the ground.
Family got up here about the time I got out of my club meeting, so the pack is all back together.
Lots to do. Of course.
n
In answer to the question ‘What does the man on the street think in the UK?’ Based on my circle of friends, in descending order of concern;
And in my personal case, my city council was captured by the greens several years ago and they’re slowly wrecking my city (Brighton & Hove), wasting money on cycle paths nobody uses, making it near impossible to drive into the city centre & park, refusing to use weedkiller to keep down weed growth, neglecting road maintenance, wasting money on assorted ‘vanity’ projects that do nothing to protect the heritage of the city.
Yet.
@Norman:
I tend to agree, although not with such fervour about Auntie – possibly because I used to work for them (35 years ago. Ghod, how time flies!) I used to say, “If both main parties are slagging them off from opposite viewpoints, they must be doing something right”. Today, not so much.
The immigration situation, as described, bears a distinct resemblance to what seems (from an ocean’s distance away) to be happening on the US southern border. I won’t go so far as to accuse anyone (other than criminal elements) of greasing the skids, but I find it suspicious that no illegal immigrants are stopping in France – they all infest the coasts of France and Belgium, fighting for a chance to cross the English Channel to the UK – which appears to be their Shangri-La, possibly because everything suggests to them the streets are paved with gold.
As far as energy policies are concerned, our Government appear to be incompetent at anything that doesn’t enrich them, even at local level. I’m in London, and my local council is staunchly left-wing. Despite that, everyday services are underfunded, although pet left-wing policies appear to be fast-tracked. Our roads, or example, are pitted and disintegrating, to the extent that you have to swerve around the holes, if you don’t want your teeth jarred loose.
Banks: I agree with SteveF. It’s coming, mainly because our Gov. aren’t policing the excesses of “Gimme at any cost”, because they see £ signs in the present free-for-all. I will agree that it’s not as bad here, but give it time…
To sum up, I see most of our problems as due to Pols pushing their pet schemes, rather than sensible policies that would not exacerbate the problems. That said, most of the scientists and economists have their pet schemes, a lot of which are just as bad. Witness Norman’s Green party in Brighton.
G.
Had a small campfire. Wind has picked up and it wasn’t prudent to have coals blowing everywhere. Listened to INFOwars on the shortwave for a bit. He was interviewing Steven Crowder, who’s show I’ve never seen. Show has lots of viewers and he keeps getting banned by social media so he must be doing something right.
Time for a last ginger ale, a chapter or two of the book D1 got me for my birthday, and bed. I’m SORE. Did a lot of physical stuff today. Didn’t get any one thing done. That’s a report for tomorrow though.
night all,
I’m a pumpkin.
n