Hot and sticky, again. The humidity has been crazy high, and I expect that to continue for a couple more days, just out of the perversity of the universe.
Yesterday I met with the appliance repair guy and got the dishwasher at the rent house fixed. Simple and quick, I could have done the swap myself, but getting the parts wasn’t presented as an option. Relatively simple and pain free process. Ya know, my first instinct is almost never to call for warranty service. My first instinct is to try fixing stuff myself, with a very cynical view of warranty guarantees,but this time it worked. Should work out at the BOL too.
I spent the rest of the day doing auction stuff.
Which is what I’ll be doing today before and after my doctor appointment. I should do a drop off at my auctioneer, and pickups of stuff I won on the other side of town later in the day. FWIW, prices were low again. That is now officially a trend in my view, and doesn’t bode well for the economy or my auction sales. As a buyer I like low prices. As a seller I don’t. As a ‘big picture guy’ I realize I need the auction houses to make money so they can stay in business and continue to provide lower cost items, and there is a balancing act between those elements. Low auction prices on discretionary spending items is a bad sign. It probably means that people are out of money. We’ll see.
Also FWIW, I’m seeing more food items listed by my various auctioneers, and they are selling well. By that I mean there are multiple bidders and the prices went past where I would have been a buyer. This is the case for both the “returns” auctioneers, and some of the estate sellers. My observation is that people are more willing to buy food outside of a store if they can save money than they used to be.
Take the opportunity to stack. Stuff, but also any extra money. There will be opportunities if you have the funds.
nick
Student loan interest started accruing again on Friday. Payments resume on the first of October.
I’ve seen various numbers, but call it $85 billion/year. The Feds see their piece of the action through payments made on paper written after the student loan program nationalization in 2010.
We had to pass the bill to find out what was in it.
Texas giving the state surplus to the school systems in the property tax “reform” delays the impact on real estate here for two years, but that $350/mo. student loan payment average will be felt in the restaurants and other discretionary spending.
I was wrong about summer – it’s gotten pretty hot here again – upper 80s…
We just voted on a proposal that will restrict the ability of environmentalists to protest energy projects. Right now, there are a couple of non-profits that literally protest every single building project in the mountains. It doesn’t matter what, they protest, costing time and legal fees to get rid of them. It will be interesting to see how the vote falls out. In other words, the Greenies are busy pissing people off again, rather than actually garnering support…
“Casper is experiencing the results of a deliberately created national drug policy intended to destroy America. “
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/09/a_poop_rampage_in_wyoming_is_an_important_insight_into_todays_homeless.html
Exactly.
Time to start my day. Family fed and off to their pursuits. Me fed and caffeinated. I should start pulling auction stuff from the attic and get ready for my Dr visit.
Or will I read Murderbot until the last minute?
n
@Nick check email please.
“I left out the full truth to get my climate change paper published”
https://www.thefp.com/p/i-overhyped-climate-change-to-get-published
Enjoy the ultra-liberal capital of my birth State. I hope you don’t get mugged.
The conference is actually in The Dells, and I’m not sure if we will even venture into Madison at this point.
I need to hide from work for a while so we picked a short conference in someplace we’ve never been.
Back to Casper: If desperately poor people destroyed by the Biden economy had broken into that hotel, they would have done their best to treat it like a home. They would have created a latrine area outdoors, in the back, and would have preserved the rooms so that they were livable. The people who broke in, though, were merely focused on protecting themselves from the elements while they engaged in the behaviors flowing from their addictions. Their drug use reduced them to animal status.
As the article says, warehouse them–or ride them out of town on a rail.
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/09/your-gun-safe-your-privacy-and-your.html?m=1
Liberty just threw away their goodwill and probably the company.
And killed the market for electronic locks on a lot of gub safes. No one is going to believe a manufacturer that claims they don’t have a back door.
Back to Casper:
200 new drug addicts in town.
Squeeze the dealers.
When I bought my Liberty safe, 6 years ago, I bought the DIAL safe, not the digital one. Liberty retains the codes for the electronic ones, just in case the owner ever loses it – which probably happens frequently.
When the safe was installed, I asked them to change the combination. The installer tried to discourage that, because then they wouldn’t be able to “help me” when I forgot it, but I insisted. And I didn’t let them see the combination I was entering. He was working on the inside of the door while I was dialing in the combination on the outside.
So everybody who bought a DIAL safe, and who changed the combination, is probably OK. But digital safes aren’t “safe”.
I have a business rated dial safe that has a recovery procedure involving notarized letters and the serial number.
I have a couple of S&G keypad locks that have a “reset to factory” mode but you have to have the unit dismounted to access it, ie you have to have it open already. The factory code is 11111 and there is a second factory code in the second user slot too. The local safe guy tried the factory defaults on 3 safes I bought from a school district, but none worked. There is no reason to suspect that there couldn’t be a third or fourth slot with a “recovery” code on file. Remember that businesses and other safe users WANT to be able to get in, if an employee changes the codes for example in a denial of service attack.
Most real safes have a UL listing for the number of minutes it will resist an attacker, 30 is pretty typical iirc. That’s enough for your other security features to have brought help.
n
I have changed combos at my former employers’ work sites, only when necessary. Sometimes policy prevented this. Sometimes other policies made it more practical.
Electronic locks were not yet common, and only some mechanical locks were approved. Changing is easy. I especially liked the locks that required disassembly, because they could only be set precisely to the selected numbers. The more common types with clutch disks and change keys could be set a little bit “off,” and could be annoying.
Never saw a combo lock that could accept more than one combination, but I think they exist. More common are two dials, so two people can be required to open the safe.
Electronic locks are all over the map in features, but I still wouldn’t trust them; especially ones made for house doors.
Feynman was famous for “cracking” safes at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project. As I recall much of the “cracking“ involved trying the factory default combination.
Guess at the military security’s solution to this :
(A) Test that every safe at Los Alamos was NOT factory default or simple.
or
(B) Tell everyone not to let Feynman near their safe.
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/09/your-gun-safe-your-privacy-and-your.html?m=1
Liberty just threw away their goodwill and probably the company.
And killed the market for electronic locks on a lot of gub safes. No one is going to believe a manufacturer that claims they don’t have a back door.
If someone can find your safe, they are going to get in it no matter what. It is just a matter of time. Criminals usually do not have time. The authorities have lots of time.
The deal is to have your safe in a safe place. Good luck with that.
Summer to winter blend shift.
And the price of crude oil is jumping. October is now $87.57 / US barrel. It was $68 back in May.
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/CL%3DF?p=CL%3DF
“Bidenomics just doesn’t make cents”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/bidenomics-just-doesnt-make-cents
“President Joe Biden is barnstorming the country touting his “Bidenomics,” even though his policies are failing, sparking painful inflation that’s eroding real wages and causing widespread, effective household pay cuts.”
“The Biden White House didn’t understand the pain of inflation nearly two years ago, when Biden’s then-chief of staff Ron Klain described supply-chain delays and inflation as “high-class problems.””
“Now, nearly 2 1/2 years into the Biden administration, it’s clear this administration still doesn’t understand the financial hardship the public is being forced to endure. Households are suffering under a $5,600 effective pay cut due to inflation, and prices are about 16% higher today than when Biden took office, ravaging the public’s earnings and savings.”
Never saw a combo lock that could accept more than one combination, but I think they exist. More common are two dials, so two people can be required to open the safe.
Electronic locks are all over the map in features, but I still wouldn’t trust them; especially ones made for house doors.
My safe is a combo lock. I can barely get it open.
I have seen a walk in safe at an acquaintance’s house, a 6,000 ft2 barndominium. It was his safe room, about 15 foot by 15 foot plus a bathroom. He had the whole room fortified with a foot of concrete, including the ceiling. I still think that you could burn him out.
“Ostriches are a great incentive to high-speed pedaling”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/09/ostriches-are-great-incentive-to-high.html
“Ostriches can run at up to 30 mph for extended periods, and up to 45 mph in short bursts; and a fully grown adult can weigh as much as or more than the average human being. The cyclists in this video clip were definitely in danger. I’m sure their race time improved measurably as they fled!”
I like this comment at youtube, “The closest experience you can have to being chased by a velociraptor”. My thought exactly.
If someone can find your safe, they are going to get in it no matter what. It is just a matter of time. Criminals usually do not have time. The authorities have lots of time.
The deal is to have your safe in a safe place. Good luck with that.
I read one apocalypse book that had gun safes in it, I do not remember which one. Anyway, a family kept a gun safe in the house that was easily broken into during the apocalypse and the gun and ammo were stolen. The family was long gone. But the buddy of the family went looking in the house and found another gun safe upstairs in a corner of the attic with two more guns and a bunch of ammo.
Deception and obfuscation work to hide stuff.
plugsOnomics is so good we have enough $$ to drop another billion to Ukraine( including $$ to make their energy infrastructure “cleaner”). Say, how much relief did the people in Maui get? $700 per wasn’t it?
FJB
LMFAO – “Climate Collapse”
LMFAO – “Climate Collapse”
When you control a man’s energy, you control him.
ERCOT is sucking wind as the 13,000 MW of solar power just went away with the setting sun. There is not much wind blowing out there at 5,000 MW. There is just 2,000 MW of reserves right now and we just came off the 82,705 MW of demand. There is nothing left to start that is not broken by the demands of a long hot summer. We need another 100 of those 48 MW gas turbines that GE makes by the gross for $50 million each plus installation and land.
https://www.ercot.com/gridmktinfo/dashboards
We are suppose to be 104 F on Thursday (we were 102 F today) and 105 F on Friday. There is a cool front coming Saturday afternoon. We may have rotating outages before then.
Shoot, they are even pulling 1,302 MW out of the new battery systems. $5,000 per MWH right now.
“Islamic Supremacists’ Violent Tantrum Over Qur’an Burning Has Sweden Considering Sharia Law, as Police Are Unable to Protect Public (Video)”
https://rairfoundation.com/islamic-supremacists-violent-tantrum-over-quran-burning-has-sweden-considering-sharia-law-as-police-are-unable-to-protect-public-video/
“Malmö, Sweden – A peaceful demonstration in Malmö took a troubling turn on Sunday when tensions flared and chaos erupted, prompting the cancellation of an event critical of Islam. Led by organizer Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi refugee who identifies as a ‘liberal atheist,’ the demonstration encountered violent disruptions from Muslim protesters. Held at Värnhemstorget, this incident not only highlights the underlying societal tensions but also sheds light on the broader challenges posed by the rise of Islamic supremacists in Sweden. As the nation grapples with these issues, a looming threat from Muslim extremists demanding adherence to Sharia law continues to cast a shadow over Sweden’s future.”
“The grave situation underscores the devastating impact of mass migration policies on Swedish society. Famous Swedish journalist and acclaimed author Gunnar Sandelin explains that 30% of the population is now foreign-born, and “Sweden will become Europe’s most Muslim-populated country.” Despite growing concerns and pleas from police, the government has continued to welcome migrants, contributing to the rise of criminal networks that challenge the rule of law.”
The religion of peace.
‘This Is Extremely Dangerous’: Inside the Biden Administration’s Push To Swap Science for ‘Indigenous Knowledge’
https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/this-is-extremely-dangerous-inside-the-biden-administrations-push-to-swap-science-for-indigenous-wisdom/
Which indigenous?
There are “historians” that claim that African civilization was as highly developed as the Europeans that arrived in the 15th century–despite not having any written language. Would African indigenous knowledge need to be considered?
How about Italian ? Seems like they once had “indigenous knowledge” that the Earth was the center of the solar system. FJB going to put NASA on that one? (Maybe he has–“Return to the moon” is taking longer than it did to get there the first time.)
Is fedgov going to come after Feynman next? Will YouTube twist their panties and take down one of the most famous lectures in science history?
Was Lamarck indigenous?
“Huge Nuclear Threat Strike Issued on United States: ‘We Should Be Concerned’”
https://www.westernjournal.com/huge-nuclear-threat-strike-issued-united-states-concerned/
“Igor Korotchenko, a Kremlin propagandist and editor of the newspaper National Defense has warned of a nuclear threat against the West connected to the war in Ukraine, according to Newsweek. Korotchenko said the U.S. is in danger of a Russian nuclear missile attack.”
MAD (mutual assured destruction) don’t work when one of the partners of MAD (Russia) is being attacked by another partner (USA) using proxies (Ukraine).
Joe has a bomb shelter and lots of food. Do you ?
Hey Jenny, did you get the ridge beam for your house fixed ? How tough was the fix ?
“Texas power grid enters emergency mode to avoid rolling blackouts”
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/06/texas-ercot-power-grid-rolling-blackouts/
“ERCOT has called on generators to push all available electricity to the grid as rising demand threatens to surpass the state’s power supply. If that fails, rolling blackouts are likely to begin.”
“The state has broken its power demand record 10 times so far this summer because of economic and population growth and the punishing heat.”
“The state has broken its power demand record 10 times so far this summer because of economic and population growth and the punishing heat.”
And how many alien invaders are contributing to this life-threatening crisis?
“The state has broken its power demand record 10 times so far this summer because of economic and population growth and the punishing heat.”
And how many alien invaders are contributing to this life-threatening crisis?
Millions.
How about “Sweet Child of Mine” (and others) covered by a German Polka Band? Wait, these guys are good!
https://www.themusicman.uk/the-heimatdamisch/
Don’t forget all those people saving money on gas and protecting the planet.
2,000 MW is about 100,000 F150 Lightning-class EVs.
IF the Tonytruck does not disappoint — IF – how many more half ton pickup EVs would you see hitting Texas roads in the next year.
It is my God-given right to charge my truck to full every night, son. What are you? A commie?
The heat dome smothering Austin since June is supposed to break next week according to the weather geek on the local Faux News tonight. Wait until next Summer, however.
>> The deal is to have your safe in a safe place. Good luck with that.
Number one reason for my safe is to keep gubs away from untrained individuals.
Number two is to have any gub not on my person not readily accessible to any baddies.
Most combo locks should cover one and two.
Any other scenarios involve alarms and multiple dogs.
It is my God-given right to charge my truck to full every night, son. What are you? A commie?
The problem starts at 5pm when the sun starts going down. Solar power is 13,000 MW of the 80,000 MW demand. You cannot throw away 16% of the power generation over two hours when people are just getting home from work. It is called the Duck Curve and we have imported it from California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_curve
>> IF the Tonytruck does not disappoint — IF – how many more half ton pickup EVs would you see hitting Texas roads in the next year.
Should we expect at least a few EV pick-em-up trucks from Chevy, GMC, Dodge?
>> And how many alien invaders are contributing to this life-threatening crisis?
Quite a few as we’re currently watching the 2019 three season interpretation of War of the Worlds. Very intense.
>> If that fails, rolling blackouts are likely to begin.”
And “randomly” starting them in the Amish neighborhoods, right?
Easily said, but: it’s a genuine problem. What do you *do* with people who cannot or will not be civilized? You don’t want them running around, you can’t afford to jail them all (even if you could make criminal charges stick). So what – really, realistically – do you do?
I have no answers, but I do think a long-term approach is needed. Let them die out over a decade or three. Importantly: you do not want them producing a new generation of barbarians. Having children in a civilized society should require proof that you can and will raise them to be members of said civilization.
Safe rooms are good for short-term shelter, but only short-term You need food, you need air, you need water.
Y’all also need some storage. Make hay (well, electrons) while the sun shines, set some aside to smooth out that “duck curve”. Pumped hydroelectric, maybe, though environmentalists will fight tooth-and-nail against it. Electricity just comes out of the plug, as we all know…
>> Say, how much relief did the people in Maui get? $700 per wasn’t it?
Not to defend FJB, but the $700 is just an initial stipend to cover essentials, with additional funds available depending on insurance coverage.
Y’all also need some storage. Make hay (well, electrons) while the sun shines, set some aside to smooth out that “duck curve”. Pumped hydroelectric, maybe, though environmentalists will fight tooth-and-nail against it. Electricity just comes out of the plug, as we all know…
Stored hydro does not work well in Texas. You need a large supply of water and a big canyon, 200 feet of elevation is ok but 600 feet is optimal. Most of the big canyons have already been turned into lakes in Texas for power plant cooling.
By the end of the year, we will have 4,835 MW of batteries in the Houston and Dallas areas. Almost 1,500 MW of batteries are running now. So, we are going with batteries. Of course, their estimated life is only 10 years then you have to dispose of the old batteries and buy new ones. Do you want an old battery ?
with additional funds available
– there is a chart in my FEMA updates that shows how much is being spent and on what disasters over time. I don’t copy and paste it like I do the text of the report, but it shows the disaster assistance that comes with the declarations. It takes time, and it continues for some time.
If I remember in the morning, I’ll figure out a way to show the latest one, or link to it. That spending CAN NOT be attributed to SloJoe, as it’s part of the existing response authorizations and funding. Plus, Bush and Trump never got credit for it, and I’m petty like that.
n
BTW, we have 13,000 MW of solar power in Texas now with 9,000 MW more coming in the next 12 months. It is going to make the Duck Curve even worse.
Importantly: you do not want them producing a new generation of barbarians. Having children in a civilized society should require proof that you can and will raise them to be members of said civilization.
How are you going to keep people from having children again ?
Sterilizing people will not go over well here in the South.
@lynn: Is the molten sulfur storage something that will (can?) pan out eventually? I mean medium term, not next year.
Love that version of Sweet Child of Mine, here’s another good cover
Stary Olsa – Child In Time (medieval cover)
https://youtu.be/7ZUii7K_QTUhttps://youtu.be/7ZUii7K_QTU
They do a bunch of other good stuff as well.