Sun. July 16, 2023 – yeah, it’s still hot, and I’m still working in it

By on July 16th, 2023 in decline and fall, lakehouse, personal

Crazy hot again, but at least the RH is a bit lower. In some ways that is bad, because I didn’t notice just how hot it got. I stayed a bit too long in the heat and ended up having to take a break to cool off. Today should be about the same, but I’m taking the afternoon off if it’s that hot again. 97F in the shade with a breeze is pretty dang hot.

I did get work done, just not as much as when it’s a bit cooler. I have lights and power at the dock and the dock house again. I did have to jerry rig the main breaker in the workshop to feed the dock area, but I’ll clean that up on my next trip. For now, there is power down there.

Today will be cleaning up the install, putting covers on everything, then doing some more work on the sprinklers. I did get the pump motor wired up, the pump relay in place, and the control box mounted. The new breaker panel is up and working. I need to strap up some of the conduit, and put the extra bits and pieces away too. Then I’ll look at the output from the pump, and see if I can build the manifold and install the sprinkler valves.

If I can get a couple of zones working, I’ll run hoses and oscillating sprinkler heads to the areas that need it the most. There is still a ‘trunk line’ of pipe running up the fence line to the front yard that I’m going to try to get back into service. That will save me a ton of work trying to get irrigation to the top of the hill. Then I’ll do more hoses and temporary heads up there.

If I can get sprinklers working on this trip, it’ll be a major accomplishment and we can get some grass going in the front yard. That’s gonna be critical if we don’t want all the red clay dirt to dry up and blow away. Eventually we will get some rain, and it’ll be just mud without grass. The lake is down about a foot from normal levels so the rain is overdue.

Nothing like last year, yet, but if we don’t get some rain, it will continue to recede.

@brad said I have a lot of energy, but that’s not quite right. It’s more that I’ve learned to focus and just keep pushing when that’s what the job requires. Jenny is the one with all the energy!

I did push a little too hard yesterday afternoon, and had to go inside and lay on the cool concrete floor for a bit. Harder to judge the state of my body without sweat dripping from my nose and eyelashes…

So I’ll take it a bit easier today. Still working though, still stacking. Recommended.

nick

87 Comments and discussion on "Sun. July 16, 2023 – yeah, it’s still hot, and I’m still working in it"

  1. SteveF says:

    Maybe Jenny just got a good deal on a bulk order of amphetamine. Ever consider that?

    It’s going to be raining all day. Chickens will be wet and unhappy, though the coop is secure and dry except for what they bring in. Often on such days I’ll dice some store-brand spam and set it out in a dish to brighten their wet, miserable day. It’s funny, watching one get a piece and run away and half of the others chase her and steal it only to get it stolen in turn … while a couple dozen more pieces are sitting in the dish for anyone who might want them. Amusement factor aside, I actually give them meat because the protein in their pellets is marginal even in the “for laying hens” package. Also, I have a fair few cans of this pseudo-meat in the stacks and I want to use up the older stuff because I don’t trust the seal on easy-open cans. One can is good for three or four days for the birds, so everyone’s happy.

  2. SteveF says:

    Mr. SteveF picks up the mantle of “Grammar Nazi” for OFD.

    That’s spelling nazi, you unterrechtschreibunger.

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  3. brad says:

    Today is a lazy day, but tomorrow I’m taking the dog on a 4-5 hour trip. He has some really weird triggers that we’ve never quite understood or gotten under control. I’ve been taking him off for “adventures” every second day during my vacation, and it seems to be helping. An “adventure” is taking him someplace he’s never been, doing stuff he’s never done. So tomorrow will be our longest train trip so far (about 20 minutes, with several stops), getting out in a town he’s never seen, and then a 3 hour hike to another train station, from where we will go home.

    An example of one of his tics: At home, if you try to pet him, he may – entirely unpredictably – growl and even snap. However, if we are someplace new, where he is less secure, this never happens: he happily soaks up as many pets as you want to give him. I’m hoping this will eventually carry over, but who knows. His user’s manual seems to have gotten lost in shipping…

  4. Greg Norton says:

    “A President who most days cannot find his pants should not be able to sleepwalk the United States of America into a war with a nuclear power.”

    Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL), at TPUSA

    Just remember, Gaetz represents FL-1, possibly the Congressional district most dependent on the military budget in the entire country. 

    Since Gaetz wants to follow DeSantis from Congress to the FL Governor’s Mansion, he will put on a show which plays well in The Villages, but, if needed, he will vote to continue the pork spending even if a war is a side effect.

    And if you want to understand FL Republican politics, go watch one of the documentaries on The Villages. The Dems are crushed in the state for at least a generation, but it came at a price.

  5. lynn says:

    78 F and 100% humidity this morning in West Fort Bend County.  It was really foggy outside at 7am but that has burned off already.  Some big poofy clouds headed north over us from the Gulf but those will burn off soon too.  Gonna be 102 F again.  ERCOT will be rolling 20,000 MW of gas turbines soon, maybe by 11 am.

    Whoever came up with the term caterwalling described it aptly.  He came in our bedroom at 6am walking around at 50% scream level. We left the bedroom door open with a fan, blowing cool air into the common area which is 74 F this morning so the 15 lb Siamese decided that this was an invitation to sing the song of his people.  I read until 130am so he was not welcomed.

  6. lynn says:

    My a/c buddy has promised a visit sometime today.  He is 70 and has 5 heart stents, I am wondering how much longer he can do this.  He is my height, 6’1″, and only 200 lbs.  Pick your parents wisely for good genes.

  7. lynn says:

    An example of one of his tics: At home, if you try to pet him, he may – entirely unpredictably – growl and even snap.

    That is not good.  Maybe some schooling ?

  8. drwilliams says:

    Trump at TPUSA

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?529330-1/donald-trump-delivers-remarks-turning-point-action-conference

    He was on stage last night longer than FJB is typically awake in a week.

    Speaking of FJB, his handlers will tell him about it this morning, since he was already in bed (or at least out of meds) at 6:45PM.

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  9. lynn says:

    My buddy came by and fixed my ac for $235.  New capacitor and she cranked right up.  He started working at 5am today.  He has lost 30 lbs in the last two months.  He has a dozen more calls to make today.  

    I own six a/c units. One of them is always messing with me.

    I am soaked just watching him working for ten minutes.

  10. Ray Thompson says:

    New capacitor and she cranked right up

    The incapacitator* was incapacitated.

    $235 for a Sunday morning show up is a good price. Those people are probably busier than one-legged soccer goalie.

    Had that same thing happen to my unit only it was the circulation fan, not the compressor. During my repair it was discovered the condenser fan was dragging, bearings going bad. I had that replaced the next day as the service guy did not have a motor on his truck. Expensive motor, his cost was almost $150.00.

    *Yes, I know SteveF.

  11. EdH says:

    One theory I haven’t seen published is that the Secret Service themselves were responsible for the cocaine. They have, after all, a reputation for partying and carrying on.

    So one of their agents left it, then they had to investigate themselves and find themselves innocent.

  12. Greg Norton says:

    An example of one of his tics: At home, if you try to pet him, he may – entirely unpredictably – growl and even snap. However, if we are someplace new, where he is less secure, this never happens: he happily soaks up as many pets as you want to give him. I’m hoping this will eventually carry over, but who knows. His user’s manual seems to have gotten lost in shipping…

    That sounds a lot like dealing with my mother-in-law.

    The big downside of the wife’s nephew moving to Austin is that part of the reason we chose to escape here from WA State instead of moving back to Florida was to avoid the in-law drama.

    Austin used to be a two day drive, minimum, from any family dysfunction.

  13. PaultheManc says:

    @Lynn

    He has lost 30 lbs in the last two months.

    Unless he know why he has lost that weight, I would suggest a visit to the doctor.

  14. Greg Norton says:

    One theory I haven’t seen published is that the Secret Service themselves were responsible for the cocaine. They have, after all, a reputation for partying and carrying on.

    All Federal employees are subject to random drug tests, and the agents are not political appointees.

    Even weed showing up in the blood work is grounds for termination.

    And cocaine in the West Wing with Hunter hanging out for the holiday? I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to the Secret Service.

  15. SteveF says:

    Does the 70-y-o AC repairman have an apprentice learning the trade? Lynn didn’t mention one so I’d guess not.

    The retards who have been pushing college for everyone have a lot to answer for. I don’t know what to do about it, other than continue to encourage teens to learn a trade unless they have a clear (and employable!) purpose in going to college. And learning all that I can so that I can continue to do my own work because finding a capable, reliable, and honest tradesman is beyond me.

  16. Ray Thompson says:

    The retards who have been pushing college for everyone have a lot to answer for. I don’t know what to do about it

    I provide a scholarship each year to a graduating high school senior. That scholarship is for vocational school, no college. It is enough money to pay for some tools, books, or tuition. The scholarship is NOT awarded to the person with the best grades, the scholarship is awarded to the individual, male or female, that would most benefit from the money.

    A lot of kids that are really good with their hands, are good workers, are strapped by their environment being low on the income scale. A small amount will go a long ways to putting them on a productive path.

    The amount of the scholarship is $1,000.00. I get paid $750.00 each year by the annual staff for my sports pictures. That money is separate from the school and the annual budget is not allowed to have a surplus. Paying me helps the budget.

    So I am out $250.00 a year, a little over $20.00 dollars a month to help a student. Seems like a good investment. I suspect there are a lot of companies, and individuals, who could provide the same financial assistance to many students that are going into the trades.

    One of those students I helped showed up for a repair on the house. I was given a very good rate as a thank you for helping the student.

  17. Lynn says:

    He has lost 30 lbs in the last two months.

    Unless he know why he has lost that weight, I would suggest a visit to the doctor.

    He has been working seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day since May 15 when it got hot.   He was telling me about replacing both blower fan motors in somebodies attic yesterday afternoon, he thought he was going to die.

  18. Brad says:

    That is not good.  Maybe some schooling ?

    One of my wife’s hobbies is dog training (she’s even certified). With this pup, she has also gotten lots of help from others, but progress has been limited. 

    The pup has a loose wire somewhere. In any given situation, he will react normally 9 times out of 10. That 10th time is a throw of the dice…

  19. Lynn says:

    Does the 70-y-o AC repairman have an apprentice learning the trade? Lynn didn’t mention one so I’d guess not.

    I was wrong he is 66.  Yes, he has an apprentice, that guy has his own truck and is running too. He also has an install crew of five guys for replacing entire systems and reducting homes. He had them zone my bedrooms for me about three years ago.

    There are two million homes in the Houston metropolitan area. The number of service people is probably at least 100,000 people. Maybe 200,000. Plenty of jobs for the hard working and competent. Honest like my friend is also nice.

  20. Lynn says:

    “First Tesla Cybertruck Rolls Off Production Line At Gigafactory Texas”

        https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/first-tesla-cybertruck-rolls-production-line-gigafactory-texas

    “Tesla tweeted early Saturday morning that the first Cybertruck rolled off the production line at Gigafactory Texas. Four years ago, Elon Musk unveiled the all-electric stainless steel pickup that has encountered a series of production delays. ”

    “EV Blog Electrek recently said Tesla is “planning to produce 375,000 Cybertrucks per year and have release candidates by late August, according to communications they sent to suppliers.””

    “How long will it take for production to ramp up to fill the 1.5 million reservation holders? ”

  21. Lynn says:

    The pup has a loose wire somewhere. In any given situation, he will react normally 9 times out of 10. That 10th time is a throw of the dice…

    Sounds Bipolar.  You never know what those people are going to do.

  22. Greg Norton says:

    “How long will it take for production to ramp up to fill the 1.5 million reservation holders? ”

    The reservation holders at $40k will be waiting a long time.

    Off the record, Toyota still believes a street price of $100k. 

    I believe Tony will start playing the Ford game of trim level upgrades. He may deliver a few at $70k to nab the buyers the rebate and generate press, but $40k is impossible.

  23. Bob Sprowl says:

    Brad:  Please ask your wife if it is possible to teach a dog to bark.  My recuse dog, a Chihuahua, seldom barks; usually it is because a stranger entered our yard.  He didn’t bark at all for two weeks I had him.  He never barks at other dogs, cats, or squirrels.  He ignores all animals that are not larger than he is other than sniff a dog his size.  I never seen him chase one or even a bird.  

    He does not play with toys (balls, rope tugs, dolls, etc.), just ignores them.

    I need to get him to bark when he needs to go “potty”.  

  24. Lynn says:

    “Biden Admin Targets Air Conditioning Refrigerants Over Climate Concerns”

        https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/biden-admin-targets-air-conditioning-refrigerants-over-climate-concerns

    The Biden administration has announced stringent new rules to reduce the use of coolants used in most air conditioning units and other appliances in the name of fighting climate change, with experts warning it will likely mean Americans will have to pay more to stay cool.”

    “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week issued a final rule to slash the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 40 percent by 2028 while decrying the chemical a “climate super-pollutant.””

    They really want to get rid of air conditioning.  Their goal is to make air conditioning so expensive that people drop it.

  25. EdH says:

    All Federal employees are subject to random drug tests, and the agents are not political appointees.

    I think you give too much credence to the testers.  

    All it takes is a wink and a nod to a lab tech and “Samples with a red dot on the label always pass, capiche?

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  26. Lynn says:

    I believe Tony will start playing the Ford game of trim level upgrades. He may deliver a few at $70k to nab the buyers the rebate and generate press, but $40k is impossible.

    Tesla is getting ready to start charging a monthly fee for the software.  They are going to keep the initial price low but the monthly software fee will be expensive.

  27. SteveF says:

    Biden Admin Targets Air Conditioning Refrigerants Over Climate Concerns Patent Expiration

    FIFT

    They really want to get rid of air conditioning.  Their goal is to make air conditioning so expensive that people drop it.

    My standard response: You first. If the politicians and bureaucrats (and puppeteers) want us to do without air conditioning, then they can turn off the AC in DC* and the state capitals.

    * No, that totally wasn’t wordplay.

  28. Greg Norton says:

    Tesla is getting ready to start charging a monthly fee for the software.  They are going to keep the initial price low but the monthly software fee will be expensive.

    It looks like Q2 earnings for TSLA are due Wednesday so the timing of the announcement about production of the Jesus Truck is convenient.

    First delivery will probably be similar to the F150 Lightning, with the buyer being someone who knows how to keep his mouth shut regardless of what he sees/thinks.

    And male. He. Women are too practical and honest.

  29. Jenny says:

    @Bob Sprawl

    Reinforce the barks when they occur. That which is reinforced increases in frequency. If the barks don’t increase in frequency, what you are offering as reinforcement isn’t reinforcing in the dogs opinion, experiment until you find a good reinforcer. Or (less likely) barking is unpleasant to the dog. 
     

    The barks will become predictable. When they are predictable say your cue word just before the bark. Reinforce only for barks that were preceded by the cue word. 
     

    Periodically test the cue word. When the dog will bark on cue, go to the next step. 

    Next step, with dog on leash at the door, say the cue word, get the bark, go out and wait for dog to potty. Reinforce. For many dogs the best reinforcer at this point is a walk.

    Why on leash? So the dog doesn’t inadvertently learn to bark at the door for non potty reasons. 
     

    Rule of thumb is get the behavior to 80% before you up the criteria. Also have the behavior broken down into bits small enough to have a reasonable chance of occurring so they may be reinforced. 
     

    Lots of details but the basic recipe for learning is Get the behavior, reinforce the behavior, name the behavior when it occurs predictably. Increment difficulty (duration and distance increase difficult) at 80%, reinforce like a slot machine to build stronger behavior kind of early on. Don’t broadcast you are about to reinforce because the dog is smart and you will teach it to check for treats before the behavior. 
     

    Reinforcers aren’t necessarily food, know your dog.

    Training is art and science. The art lies in recognizing what chunks to break the behavior into, and knowing what’s reinforcing. Science will get you most of the way there for the rest.

    Oh – and some behaviors are self reinforcing. Barking comes to mind. So ponder carefully if this is a behavior you want to increase. Perhaps a set of sleigh bells at the door would work instead. And more melodious. Same principles apply but you skip the bits where you encourage barking and put bark on cue.

  30. Jenny says:

    @nick

    I don’t know if it’s more energy, or an inability to be still —grimace—

  31. nick flandrey says:

    Lack of air conditioning primarily affects people in the south.   Texas.  Florida.  It’s almost as if they are weaponizing the .gov against the people that don’t vote for them….   oh wait…

    82F and 100%RH as moisture is falling from the sky.   Not much moisture.  If it was snow, we’d say “it’s snowing but not sticking”.   You can see the dots on the dirt, but it’s not wet.

    The overcast is nice for me working but the dead still and high RH sucks dead bunnies.

    Woke up to two solid black conga lines of tiny ants in the kitchen.  One to the dogs bowl, one to the trash can.   Got most of them kilt and cleaned up.  Start at the far end of the line, spray something that disrupts the chemistry (febreze works a treat) and the incoming ants will hit that and turn around.   With a little patience you can march almost all the ants back out, just by spraying the cleaner 6″ closer to the entry point every couple of minutes.

    Or you can use soap and bleach, which kills them AND disrupts the incoming…

    n

  32. Greg Norton says:

    Lack of air conditioning primarily affects people in the south.   Texas.  Florida.  It’s almost as if they are weaponizing the .gov against the people that don’t vote for them….   oh wait…

    Go read the details of the property tax “reform” if you think Texas is still a Republican state. The surplus at the state level will essentially be gifted to the counties and ISDs to allow them to continue paying for nonsense.

  33. drwilliams says:

    @SteveF

    “Bill Gates and the other The retards who have been pushing college for everyone have a lot to answer for.

    FIFY

  34. Jenny says:

    @brad

    If your wife hasn’t found the Bob Bailey Operant Conditioning workshops, she may enjoy them. Bobs surely retired by now but his students are out there sharing what he taught, plus YouTube. 
    The workshops used chickens as the model animal. Chickens are faster at offering behavior than most dogs, are capable of a wide range of behaviors, don’t have an emotional attachment to people, and will only learn if you apply learning principles correctly. They are a magnifying lens on your skills and flaws as a trainer. 
     

    This is a bit of one of the camps I attended years and years ago. The gal in the video was my training partner. She was very good. 
     

    https://youtu.be/k7fks6lgV1g

    Video is near end of workshop.

    This was the ‘chaining’ workshop. I think it was a 5 day workshop. Worked in two people teams, each person worked two chickens, a slow thoughtful chicken and a rash speedy chicken. Training sessions for the birds were 30 seconds to 3 minutes, multiple times thru the day. Partners and chickens alternating in concentrated working sessions interspersed with lectures. 10 hour days. The chicken was taught three individual behaviors, then those behaviors were combined with the apparatus so we could practice chaining behaviors. A useful skill for training beyond sit-down-stay.

  35. EdH says:

    It was 111F here yesterday in the high desert, and today we are running 8F hotter than that so far: 100F at 9:30am instead of 92.

    Gonna be a scorcher.

    I hear people are heading out to Death Valley to experience real hot…

  36. SteveF says:

    I provide a scholarship each year to a graduating high school senior. That scholarship is for vocational school, no college.

    That’s a fine idea. Thanks for the reminder; I knew you’d been doing it but hadn’t thought about it lately and in particular hadn’t thought, Say, that’s something I could do.

  37. nick flandrey says:

    Well so far the rain hasn’t developed.   Radar shows some around us, but none here.   Very light breeze and only occasionally, is very discouraging to hard work outdoors.   

    I’ll have to start doing stuff at some point but it’s been nice to sit with a coffee and veg.

    n

  38. paul says:

    I just signed up to Treasury Direct.  Easy.  Decent website though the text is kind of tiny.

    Bought a 4 week bill just to see how it works.   Only one way to learn.

    Other than that, it’s hot and will get hotter.  No wind.  A breeze would help.  Oh well, I’ll just look out the windows while my oversized heat pump cycles every 25 minutes or so.  🙂  

  39. Lynn says:

    BC: Survival

        https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2023/07/16

    We do seem to be surviving on Earth at the moment, check back next week.

  40. Lynn says:

    So what happened to the 14 year expected life for LED light bulbs ?  I replaced three at the house yesterday.  I need to replace 20 or 30 at the office.  Are the harsh realities of life killing LED light bulbs prematurely ?  I am getting three years max out of my 100 watt equivalent and 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs.

  41. paul says:

    Voltage surges?  Dirty / corroded sockets not doing the heatsink thing? 

    I’ve had one LED light bulb fail and I blame that on Lowes selling off-brand Chinese stuff almost 10 years ago.  I know, it’s almost all Chinese stuff.  I’ve had good luck with Cree and Phillips. And a couple of unknown brands from China. 

    I’ve wondered that since LEDs last so long if perhaps a bit of wheel bearing grease on the bulb’s threads would be good. As an anti-seize. Works on on cars and trailer lights. It doesn’t take a lot.

  42. brad says:

    @Bob: What Jenny wrote sounds good, if you can get the barks. If you cannot, my wife suggests the following:

    “It sounds like the dog is having accidents inside. First, treat the dog like a puppy, take it outside regularly, and praise it for doing its business outside. Second, if the dog won’t bark and won’t take anything in its mouth, then find something that it will do. Have it do this trick before taking it outside to potty. Get it to associate the trick with being let outside to potty.”

    Obviously, you want to find something it can/will do that will get your attention. If not barking, then maybe ringing a bell? Stepping on a buzzer?

  43. brad says:

    So what happened to the 14 year expected life for LED light bulbs?

    Yeah, there’s something weird there. Bulbs that you screw into classic light sockets seem to die much earlier than they should. On the other hand, integrated LED lamps do seem to live forever. I can only imagine that the bulbs have had to cram cheap electronics into the bulb-socket, where they overheat and die. I expect that the manufacturers are betting that people won’t try to return them, or that stores won’t pass them back to the manufacturers.

  44. lpdbw says:

    The exasperating and annoying guy at Tech Connections had an excruciatingly long video about LED bulbs, and my takeaway is that projected lifetimes are based on:

    • No overvoltages
    • Base down
    • Reasonable room temperatures
    • Open ventilation.

    Cheaper bulbs have no heat sinks, and mounting them base up exposes the circuitry to higher temps.  Using them in spaces without cooling exacerbates this.

    How many weird words starting in “ex” can I use in one post?  Not planned, that’s just how my mind works.

  45. RickH says:

    Re: LED Lights – life expectancy is directly related to heat. Most are built to operate at inside/home temperatures (up to 80F). Higher temps will cause shorter life.

    The efficiency of the integrated heat sink in a bulb is a factor. More efficient heat sinks are better, resulting in longer life. Location of the bulb is another factor, some fixtures will ‘trap’ heat, which will reduce bulb life. 

    All of the bulbs in my house are LED. Most are the ‘can’ lights in the ceiling. They have lasted at least two-three years  (that was when I converted all lights to LED). A big issue is that some of those ‘can’ LED bulbs may flicker at times; just enough to be noticeable. I think the Phillips brand lights are not as susceptible to the flicker, but not sure.

    But heat dissipation is the most important part to increasing LED bulb life. 

    Since LEDs have much lower operating costs than incandescent, I am not worried about not getting the ‘14-year’ life span of the bulbs. The operating costs are lower, so that’s the win. Longer life – measured in years – is a bonus.

  46. Ken Mitchell says:

    LED light bulbs are VERY sensitive to high temperatures, such as enclosed fixtures.  

    Most LED bulbs have published warranties. And most LED bulbs have serial numbers printed on the base of the bulb. Complain to the manufacturer, and they’ll probably send you a replacement bulb.

  47. Greg Norton says:

    But heat dissipation is the most important part to increasing LED bulb life. 

    I have a Philips “flat” LED bulb with excellent heat dissipation which has been in an outdoor fixture on my back porch for nearly a decade. Of course, it cost $20 when new IIRC.

    I also have better luck with Feit (?) LED bulbs from Costco than the house brands sold at HEB or Home Depot.

  48. Lynn says:

    “Self-Driving Cars Are Surveillance Cameras on Wheels”

       https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/07/self-driving-cars-are-surveillance-cameras-on-wheels.html

    “Police are already using self-driving car footage as video evidence:”

    Self driving brother.

  49. Lynn says:

    The exasperating and annoying guy at Tech Connections had an excruciatingly long video about LED bulbs, and my takeaway is that projected lifetimes are based on:

    • No overvoltages
    • Base down
    • Reasonable room temperatures
    • Open ventilation.

    Cheaper bulbs have no heat sinks, and mounting them base up exposes the circuitry to higher temps.  Using them in spaces without cooling exacerbates this.

    How many weird words starting in “ex” can I use in one post?  Not planned, that’s just how my mind works.

    Just about every single one of these LED bulbs are can lights. A lot of them have discolored and cracking bases.

  50. Lynn says:

    Since LEDs have much lower operating costs than incandescent, I am not worried about not getting the ‘14-year’ life span of the bulbs. The operating costs are lower, so that’s the win. Longer life – measured in years – is a bonus.

    True dat.  When I put CFLs / LEDS in my office building, it cut the operating costs by $200/month.  And the incandescent bulbs only lasted a year.  So I get 1/6th the operating cost and three times the life.  I was just expecting ten times the life. 

  51. Lynn says:

    “Johnny Manziel documentary is coming to Netflix soon”

       https://www.chron.com/sports/college/article/johnny-manziel-documentary-netflix-18197041.php

    “The former Texas A&M star is one of the most polarizing college football figures in recent memory.”

    Wow.

  52. Lynn says:

    “SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches for record-breaking 16th time, lands on ship at sea”

       https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-group-6-5-record-breaking-launch

    “The rocket sent 22 of SpaceX’s Starlink ‘V2 Mini’ satellites skyward.”

    Amazing.

  53. paul says:
    Just about every single one of these LED bulbs are can lights.

    Just curious.  What size cans?  I installed recessed lights and used trim rings sized for a 250w incandescent flood.  

    You never know, I might have a need to have 1500 watts of incandescent  lighting in my dining room. Ditto for each of the nine fixtures plus the two in the hallway on tracks.   Options.  For winter time. 

    I have the smaller bulbs, the 75 now 65w flood size.  Fixtures are sized for R40 bulbs and I use R30 bulbs. Room for air circulation is my thinking. The living room tracks are on dimmers.  Always.  When I changed to LED I pulled a couple of 75w GE floods that I bought while living in the dorms, about 1978. 

    I think dimmers make a huge difference, especially if you run them just a hair below Full.  The slight voltage drop is good for bulb life.  I suspect the dimmers act as surge suppressors of a sort, too.

    But … I could be full of shirt-r and I’m cool with anyone thinking that. 

  54. paul says:
    Philips “flat” LED bulb

    I like my flat bulbs.  They don’t seem to flicker and the color is great.  I got mine for $10 each and then they went on sale for $5 each.  I have spares.  Why they quit making them, marketing to morons is my guess.

  55. RickH says:

    What size cans?  

    BR30 bulbs. Specs, similar to these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09943LGVR?ie=UTF8&th=1&linkCode=sl1&linkId=12c0db61710a805dd699f7e781775b6a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=ttgnet-20  Package of 8 for about $24. These are not dimmable, but I don’t have any dimmable switches. There are about 20 can lights in my house.

    Brand – GE LightingLight Type – LEDWattage – 65 wattsBulb Shape Size -BR30Bulb Base – E26 Medium

  56. paul says:

    Looked at the NWS site for the local forecast and it says the low will be 76f.  A cool front?  It was 80f at 6am today.  Nice and steamy like a locker room shower.  The dogs were not impressed at the lack of a/c. 

    As for housebreaking dogs, they are all different.  Penny gives you “the look” and heads to the back door. Buddy is Buddy.  Early in the morning he sort of whines.  The rest of the time, he gets pesty and underfoot. Put his collar on and take a walk.  It’s the best thing ever!  Not always a long walk, and he pees several times and sometimes poops and he’s ready to go back inside.  Dude cracks me up everyday. 

    I do like the sleigh bells idea.  Maybe the next dog, an older dog, from the pound can learn that. 

  57. nick flandrey says:

    As mentioned the heat is the biggest factor.   Look at commercial LED fixtures and they have massive heatsinks.   Home bulbs? Nope.   The LED module often has good lifespan but the assembly fails when the cheap driver electronics overheat and fail.   The cheap capacitors are the problem, like they are in every bit of modern electronics.   I managed to repair one that failed early so that it would continue to match the other 12…

    You don’t see Cree branded lights much anymore, I”m betting they got tired of their name being on bulbs that failed due to driver failure.

    —————

    Low 90s, crazy humid, but still overcast.   I’m working on plumbing for sprinklers.   Got the pump to run thru the irrigation controller, so that is all working.  Built a manifold for the valves.   I”ve got a half – arsed idea what I’m going to do, hope it works for now.

    Taking a break to cool down and eat.   And drink.

    n

  58. Lynn says:

    Just curious.  What size cans?  I installed recessed lights and used trim rings sized for a 250w incandescent flood.   

    The inside cans are about six inches deep and about six inches across.  The outside cans are the same for the horizontal cans, the corner cans are just external shells for spotlights that you see everywhere. I throw GE 100 watt equivalent bulbs in everything now.

  59. CowboyStu says:

    WRT to biden shutting down air conditioners to reduce climate change, why doesn’t he quit flying around the world on Air Force 1?  It would also minimize his stumbling.

  60. Bob Sprowl says:

    Jenny:  My Dog Draco only barks at strangers.  Aa soon as he see me (Or my son) responding to his barks he stops barking.  He doesn’t barks at strange cars, other dogs, cats or even squirrels.  I do not recall him barking at anything else.  

    Draco is a rescue dog, about 9 years old.  He does not play – ignores all dog toys, does not pick up or carry anything.  He doesn’t bark on a leash.  He doesn’t chase cats, squirrels or other dogs.  Off the leash he runs about the yard (3 unfenced acres) and when let out explores but doesn’t disappear.  

  61. Greg Norton says:

    “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” is awesome.

    Disney is, without a doubt, regretting letting Haley Atwell leave.

    Of course, that didn’t stop them from buying a lot of advertising before “Mission Impossible”.

  62. Jenny says:

    @Bob Sprawl

    Sounds like a good boy. If he doesn’t bark outside those circumstances I’d pick a different way for him to tell you he needs to out. The bells work pretty well. Doesn’t have to be sleigh bells, a remote doorbell works pretty well also. Something he can manipulate with paw or nose. 
     

    Break the behavior into a couple bits. Get him to interact with your chosen device. Reward for a look, a touch with paw or nose. Don’t stay at that stage long, just long enough for him to get the idea you’ve gone mad and will pay him for touching the thing. Up the ante to him getting paid for deliberately making noise for the thing. Put that on cue as described previously. proceed as with bark described above. Many dogs can learn it in a week or so, if they already like nosing things or whacking with a paw.

  63. Jenny says:

    @Greg

    Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” is awesome.

    It was fabulous. Saw it in XD with my husband, worth the cost, then again on my own later in the week on regular screen one night when I needed to shutoff my brain. Really enjoyable film. 

    I hope to see it once or twice more to soak in the action scenes and finer details.

  64. Greg Norton says:

    I hope to see it once or twice more to soak in the action scenes and finer details.

    My current job involves making ChatGPT possible, and we had no clue that the AI tech would be the most important thing in the world even as recently as Christmas.

    Someone was way ahead of the curve with that idea. The big money stunt was filmed over three years ago, at the beginning of production.

  65. Greg Norton says:

    Thanks for the MI:7 reports, the official line is that the movie sucks.

    The CGI is slightly off and probably should have been applied a little more sparingly in the big money stunt, but the movie is fun overall.

    CGI has been off in a lot of movies this year. Like sound, I think too many people continue to try to do the work at home in their jammies.

    I think “Top Gun” turning out to be good last summer was more of a surprise than Cruise turning in another solid “Mission Impossible” movie.

  66. Greg Norton says:

    It was fabulous. Saw it in XD with my husband, worth the cost, then again on my own later in the week on regular screen one night when I needed to shutoff my brain. Really enjoyable film. 

    If you can handle what you see in the trailer, “Sisu” is a good film to watch when you need to shut off your brain for 90 minutes.

    You might even luck out and have prints still circulating in theaters up there.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2k4QAItiSA

    If you’re worried, nothing happens to the little dog or the girls.

    I’m thinking about “The Haunted Mansion” even though it means giving Disney money. I saw Rosario Dawson speak last month in Dallas and I picked up an autograph for my “Clerks II” poster.

    And I am a huge geek for the ride at the Disney parks.

    “Oppenheimer” is a must see. *No CGI*. IMAX requires a road trip to San Antonio, however, but I’m hoping it is still at the Riverwalk IMAX on Labor Day Weekend.

  67. Lynn says:

    “Oppenheimer” is a must see. *No CGI*. IMAX requires a road trip to San Antonio, however, but I’m hoping it is still at the Riverwalk IMAX on Labor Day Weekend.

    I read that the atomic bomb explosion in Oppenheimer came from a secret highres film the DOD has stashed away somewhere.  It might have even been a 70 mm film as people like my grandfather were building 70 mm still cameras before and during WWII.

  68. Lynn says:

    Oh man, FX channel is bringing back new episodes of Justified on Tuesday.

  69. drwilliams says:

    2SteveF

    My standard response: You first. If the politicians and bureaucrats (and puppeteers) want us to do without air conditioning, then they can turn off the AC in DC* and the state capitals.

    The founders put the capitol in a hot swamp on purpose. They did not anticipate air conditioning. 

    This is where our “conservative” lawmakers are shown to be clueless idiots. They should be introducing the “DC first” legislation. All the electric in DC from renewables. All the commuting in EV’s. All the goobermint vehicles EV’s. All the A/C units cyclopentane (with locations published and no armoring allowed.

  70. drwilliams says:

    @Lynn

    “So what happened to the 14 year expected life for LED light bulbs ?”

    China happened, just like with CFL*

    LED’s are only as good as the weakest diode. Numerous YT videos showing lights brought back to life by identifying and shorting across the bad diodes.

    *Chinese Failing* Lamp

    *Yeah, you didn’t think I’d say “failing” did you?

    ADDED:
    Look at the testing specs. “Base down” aka conventional table lamp.
    Put them in a built-in fixture base up, and the temp is much higher and so is the failure rate.
    I have some of the early $20 bulbs from U.S. companies. Heavy suckers with heat sinks. They didn’t make 100-watt equivalent because they couldn’t dissipate the heat and get the lifetime.

  71. drwilliams says:

    Reminds me of one of the cool ideas from the 90’s that got abandone: LCD shutters.

    I saw the prototypes with the LCD sandwiched between multiple panes of glass in exterior windows. Window was clear until the switch was thrown, then not. $100/ft2.  

    Not exactly diappeared:

    http://www.liquidcrystaltechnologies.com/products/LCDShutters.htm

    but very nichey after 25 years.

  72. EdH says:

    I had a Phillips 60w LED fail just the other day.  

    Other than a couple of crappy “morgue lights” from the 99 cent store I think it is the first LED to fail in five or six years.  Standard table lamp, base down.

  73. Greg Norton says:

    Oh man, FX channel is bringing back new episodes of Justified on Tuesday.

    Tim Olyphant was one of the few bright spots in “The Book of Boba Fett” playing a similar character.

    ABC and FX are rumored to be for sale as of this weekend.

    No reasonable offer refused.

    Heck, no offer refused. Everything must go!

    Crazy Bob’s TV network fire sale. His prices are insaaaaane.

  74. drwilliams says:

    Jake Tapper played the ad for Christie on his show, State of the Union on CNN. Tapper just happened to have it to play for Christie. How convenient, right?

    https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2023/07/16/christie-super-pac-trump-is-too-chicken-to-show-up-for-the-debate-n564983

    “A fat cuck and a fatter cuck walk into a bar…”

    Christie couldn’t stop Trump if he glued himself to the roadway—all four lanes. Look at that photo. When Raymond Burr retired to Hawaii and let his inner girthiness out he traded the suits for a mumu. Send Christie your JoAnn Fabric “buy two yards get one free” coupons and help him with his new wardrobe.

  75. drwilliams says:

    Jennifer Rubin humiliates herself using data from retracted story

    https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2023/07/16/jennifer-rubin-humiliates-herself-using-data-from-retracted-story-n564988

    Lefties had a bad week with numbers. Mathematical impossibilities enshrined in a SCOTUS dissent and the lame followup, and now difficulty in reading the fine print on the date column headers. It’s no wonder they want to teach that 2 + 2 = NOT 4 is an acceptable answer. 

  76. drwilliams says:

    Does Title IX protect furries?

    Last month, Florida ’s Brevard County school board passed a new dress code policy to prohibit students from dressing like animals. Citing student complaints about “furries,” the board forbade attire emulating “on-human characteristics,” e.g., cat ears and dog collars.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/does-title-ix-protect-furries

    Okay. Got rabies and distemper shots? License? Take them to the pound. owner shows up? Prove it. Doesn’t?–Put them down after three days. Sorry, Ralston Purina is all we got.

  77. drwilliams says:

    “All the Ramones are dead but Jimmy Carter persists. What a world.”

    –fd at July 11, 2023 at 10:15PM (iayUP) [AoSHQ comment]

    Last I knew Carter was in hospice. Few people have single-handedly done as much damage to Western democracy. There’s no suffering on earth that could be proportional, so let’s hope he makes it up in the afterlife.

    1
    1
  78. Lynn says:

    ABC and FX are rumored to be for sale as of this weekend.

    No reasonable offer refused.

    Heck, no offer refused. Everything must go!

    Crazy Bob’s TV network fire sale. His prices are insaaaaane.

    You forgot ESPN.  That is the real cash dumpster fire in the Disney stable.

  79. nick flandrey says:

    Joey Ramone is dead?  Who’s doing his show on XM?

    ————-

    nice night for a tiny, smokey fire on the dock but I’m beat.   Even with the half day I’m beat.   It was hot and I was out in it all afternoon.

    so I’m headed to bed.

    Last person to leave, shut out the light.

    n

  80. drwilliams says:

    My original Mr. Coffee 24k gold-plated filter is failing. After 40 years the mesh on one side is separating from the base, letting grounds slip through. 

    I have seen new ones for Keurig cup and #4 (Friehling for $40), but no standard basket.

     “Gold tone” is a freaking joke. Being half the cost of stainless steel tells me everything I need to know. 

    If I can’t find one I may have to make my own. Or buy the Friehling and find a machine to use it. 

    Or maybe set up to do a secondary filtration with the Friehling? Would an N95 filter make better coffee? Centrifuge?

    It’s summer. Maybe drink cold brew for a few months while I think about this.

  81. drwilliams says:

    click

  82. Craig says:

    @Paul, re: Treasury Direct

    The Federal Reserve will meet again on July 26th.  My uneducated guess is Powell will raise rates.  When our four-week T-bills mature, we should see higher rates.  

    I agree with what you said the other day about the 26 week T-bills being “the sweet spot”.  I am expecting at least two more rate hikes in 2023, so I am sticking with the four-week T-bills for now.  Later this year I may look into laddering a few 26 week T-bills so all my money won’t be tied to the same maturity date.

  83. Lynn says:

    Wait, when did Paramont and Showtime merge together ?  All of a sudden, my Paramount subscription on Amazon Prime includes Showtime.

  84. dcp says:

    bringing back new episodes

    Is this not a contradiction?

  85. EdH says:

    My original Mr. Coffee 24k gold-plated filter is failing. After 40 years the mesh on one side is separating from the base, letting grounds slip through. 

    Sounds like a job for 3D printing.

    https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/69063.html

  86. EdH says:

    All the Ramones are dead but Jimmy Carter persists. What a world.”

    Mr. Burns: (after watching a Rolling Stones concert)  Smithers! Have the  Ramones killed!

    Smithers:  But sir…

    Mr. Burns:  I said kill them!

    Smithers: Yes sir.

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