Sun. Sept. 10, 2023 – a day to rest? Or just another day to work…

By on September 10th, 2023 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

It’s been a bit cooler in the morning lately, not cool as such but cooler. And it was cooler at night last night. Still crossed 100F during the day, and was high 90s in the shade. It’s been a couple of years since we had a run like this, and I’ll be glad when it’s over.

Had my non-prepping hobby meeting. Went to lunch with a couple of the guys afterwards. I don’t usually take the time to do that, and I think I should. Ate at a burger joint near my house that I’ve been driving past for over a decade without going in. It was pretty old school, and the food was good honest and relatively cheap. Clientele bordered on creepy. There were a number of what looked like street people, and some very edgy types. Not a comfortable vibe. No families having brunch on Saturday. We were a group of five and I was glad for it being clear we were all together, and we were ‘self contained’ with social bubble around us. Hard to explain, but we all knew each other, and there wasn’t really an opening for anyone to intrude on that. Not a place I’d willingly take the kids, and I wouldn’t want my wife to go there alone. At least not at 1130am Saturday.

Very valuable intel and important to help me understand the area around my house. I might stop in for lunch or breakfast again, and see if it’s different at a different time. Or I might just mark it “here there might be dragons.”

Meatspace baby, you need to get out of the house. Things are changing rapidly out there in the world, and your mental model probably needs to be updated. Drive down the road you don’t usually take, drive the opposite direction of your normal path, and really look around. I’m betting there will be stuff that surprises you.

If nothing else, it might convince you to further fort up, and stack, because now you’ve seen and smelled some of your neighbors.

Stack some situational awareness this week. And more food.

n

78 Comments and discussion on "Sun. Sept. 10, 2023 – a day to rest? Or just another day to work…"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    The Beefy King in Orlando has been one of our favorite places to eat for decades, but even locals in the neighborhood, including my in-laws, tended to avoid the place until about 10 years ago, when Jimmy Fallon stopped for takeout.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/fiTmhyPZ4x/

    Since then, the city (!) sprung for a new sign as the neighborhood gentrified, but the place remains mostly the same, with clientele you would probably consider “creepy”.

    The tater tots still rule, and the granddaughter of the founders runs the place.

    If you want truly creepy, the area around the new “Western Way” entrance to the Disney property near Davenport looks family friendly, but it is, beneath the surface, Pedo Junction, with most of Grady Judd’s sting operations run in the nearby subdivisions, snagging many tourists visiting The Mouse as well as employees.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRlfRBavwW4

    I’d never been out to the Western Way until we got lost heading back to our hotel on property in April … after eating at the Beefy King!

    Holy Pedo Magnet Batman.

    Just the parking lot of the strip mall in Orlando where we go for Indian food would scare you off of entering the place, but we’ve taken the kids in there many times.

  2. lynn says:

    The WGA even turned down a reasonable offer proposed within the last few weeks, with the studios giving them most of what they want but lacking the guarantees about writing headcount.

    The AI argument is BS. The studios know that won’t work.

    People want way too many guarantees in life.  Not gonna happen.

    Current AI is a joke.  But it will get better and better.  Ladder logic for all !

  3. lynn says:

    It is 78 F and feels nice outside.  We got quite a bit of rain last night.  Suppose to be 67 F in the morning, if so, sweet.  Very cloudy overhead, all heading south so a cold front is coming in.  Still suppose be 98 F today and tomorrow.  

    My Aggies got beat by Miami Hurricanes football yesterday.  No major problems, just a beating away from home.  I still say if they fire Jimbo then who are they going to find ?  People want too much in life.

  4. lynn says:

    And Texas beat Alabama last night.  Lovely, just lovely.

  5. lynn says:

    We don’t have any good Indian food places around here anymore that do not cost $25 for lunch.  We do have a good Paki muslim store though.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Current AI is a joke.  But it will get better and better.  Ladder logic for all !

    I’m not a believer in the monkey trick, but I also believe P ≠ NP.

    When the AI can play Minesweeper in Expert mode perfectly every time, that will be interesting.

    No cheating and compiling Minesweeper with BillG’s cr*p rand()/srand(). That algorithm gives me nightmares but was still used in Visual Studio the last time I checked.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    My Aggies got beat by Miami Hurricanes football yesterday.  No major problems, just a beating away from home.  I still say if they fire Jimbo then who are they going to find ?  People want too much in life.

    Neon Deion!

    Seriously, Tom Herman’s phone is probably ringing off the hook in Boca right now, with the Florida athletic director probably camped in the front yard, but TAMU already passed on Herman earlier this year.

    Miami Gardens in late Summer was going to be tough. Whoever agreed to that going on the schedule needs their head examined.

  8. Ray Thompson says:

    And Texas beat Alabama last night.  Lovely, just lovely.

    At home, stopping a 21 game win streak at home. There were a lot of tears leaving Tuscaloosa that evening.

    That game probably excited more TN fans than the TN vs Austin Peay. That Saban smirk is has now turned into a front. 3rd and about 4, 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, if Alabama stops the 3rd down effort (and Texas has a miserable success at 3rd downs) and Alabama has enough time to possibly score. But, nope, one of the thugs on the Alabama line jumps offside giving Texas the 1st down. Texas runs out the clock.

    There will be some hiney chewing in the Alabama locker room and at practice.

    Hopefully this will another year that Alabama misses the SEC championship. I suspect Alabama will have a bowl game, certainly a lesser, insignificant bowl, as those are nothing but advertising venues with football on the side and a lot of money put in the school’s coffers.

  9. Greg Norton says:

    We don’t have any good Indian food places around here anymore that do not cost $25 for lunch.  We do have a good Paki muslim store though.

    Houston and Austin are being colonized by very wealthy families from the Subcontinent.

    Plus, both metros are very expensive places to live anymore. When we went to Florida this Spring after a week in Houston, we were surprised by the much lower cost to do things, even in the heart of the tourist district in Orlando.

  10. Ray Thompson says:

    That Saban smirk is has now turned into a frown.

  11. Greg Norton says:

    At home, stopping a 21 game win streak at home. There were a lot of tears leaving Tuscaloosa that evening.

    “Seven Wins Steve” is still on the hot seat in Austin. He could win a national championship and the “Texas Exes” wouldn’t be satisfied.

    Lots of money among the alumni, but not a lot of sense.

  12. Greg Norton says:

    Hopefully this will another year that Alabama misses the SEC championship. I suspect Alabama will have a bowl game, certainly a lesser, insignificant bowl, as those are nothing but advertising venues with football on the side and a lot of money put in the school’s coffers.

    Didn’t the college playoffs expand to 16 teams this year?

    Alabama will be in there just for the TV ad revenue. A bad slate of NCAA football championship games would be grim for Disney and – don’t forget – Hearst Media who owns 20% of ESPN.

    Hearst still employs a few writers, right?

  13. drwilliams says:

    Appeals Court: Doctors Can Sue FDA for Condemning Ivermectin as a COVID-19 Treatment, Resulting Reputational Harm

    The FDA argued its posts were purely informational, which the appeals court rejected:

    On the contrary, all six of the Posts contain syntax that is imperative rather than declaratory (for example: “Stop it,” “Stop it with the #ivermectin,” and “Q: Should I take ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19? A: No.”) For that reason, we are unable to draw any analytical distinction between FDA making the Posts versus FDA telling Americans to “Stop it” with acetaminophen or antibiotics.

    The doctors prescribed human ivermectin to their COVID-19 and alleged the FDA’s “horse” messaging and recommendation against off-label ivermectin use harmed them professionally.

    Dr. Robert Apter alleges he was twice referred to state medical boards for prescribing ivermectin off-label, with the referrals citing the FDA’s posts.

    Dr. Apter and Dr. Mary Bowden allege pharmacies refused to fill their ivermectin prescriptions because of the FDA’s posts. Dr. Bowden claims she lost admitting privileges at a hospital after tweeting about using ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

    Dr. Paul Marik, co-leader of FLCCC, alleges he lost positions at a medical school and hospital “for promoting the use of ivermectin.”

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/09/appeals-court-doctors-can-sue-fda-for-condemning-ivermectin-as-a-covid-19-treatment-resulting-reputational-harm/

  14. ITGuy1998 says:

    And Texas beat Alabama last night.  Lovely, just lovely.

    I didn’t watch the game, since it was on ESPN. That was one of the games in my son’s ticket package, so he was there. Among other issues, his comment “our quarterback sucks” pretty much sums it up.

    I’ll reserve judgement for Tennessee until after they play someone other than a glorified high school team. 

    Okay, maybe Virginia could beat a Div III team. Maybe.

  15. SteveF says:

    Doctors Can Sue FDA

    Allow me to predict the future: millions will be spent on lawyers and expert witnesses, the FDA will be fined millions, and Congress will appropriate millions from the taxpayers to cover the legal costs and fines. Not a single bureaucrat or appointee will be fired, fined, or jailed.

    10
  16. drwilliams says:

    Ana Navarro and ‘The View’ Go Full NIMBY Over the Illegal Immigrant Crisis in New York City

    “It puts tremendous stress on a city, on a community, on the social services. They need to be resettled elsewhere.”

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/09/ana-navarro-and-the-view-go-full-nimby-over-the-illegal-immigrant-crisis-in-new-york-city/

    Open wide.

  17. Ray Thompson says:

    reserve judgement for Tennessee until after they play someone other than a glorified high school team

    Them’s fightin’ words in TN. I personally agree with your comment. TN fans get all excited about the Vols when they start the season with what I call a “Homecoming Team”. The team that other teams know they can beat and thus get invited for homecoming.

    I like watching TN play, just because. I also like watching Georgia, just because. I will watch Oregon because of the location of my teenage years. I have no particular alliance to any team.

    The way TN has played the 1st two games of the season, I expect some real issues in the season. SEC championship game, I don’t see it happening. A bowl game? Probably as TN may win six games. TN is always good for bowl games as a lot of fans attend spending big money. After all, money is the motivation for bowl games, for the bowl sponsors and the teams participating.

    Bowl games also allow the team to practice longer in the season keeping the academically illiterate from attending classes.

  18. MrAtoz says:

    I love it when you guys talk about football. I haven’t watched any level of football in decades. I can’t count the number of times I was called a fag in the Army when declining to show up for a Super Bowl party. At least when you could say “fag” in the Army. I was raised on Packers football as a chile’, but after Bart Star, I haven’t watched. If someone asks “who ya a fan of”, I just say the Packers, but can’t name anyone on the team. LOL! MrsAtoz is die-hard Cowboys fan. 

  19. Greg Norton says:

    I love it when you guys talk about football. I haven’t watched any level of football in decades. I can’t count the number of times I was called a fag in the Army when declining to show up for a Super Bowl party. At least when you could say “fag” in the Army. I was raised on Packers football as a chile’, but after Bart Star, I haven’t watched. If someone asks “who ya a fan of”, I just say the Packers, but can’t name anyone on the team. LOL! MrsAtoz is die-hard Cowboys fan. 

    I find the off field drama in the NCAA/SEC very entertaining.

    As for pro, I grew up in Tampa. We invented that grocery sack “crying fan” mask.

    In the confines of Raymond James, the mask must be made from a Publix grcoery sack.

    Don’t walk in with a paper bag from Winn Dixie.

    Walmart? Don’t even think about it.

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    You guys and your sportsball….

    It’s a big soap opera-WWF-reality show-spectacle with occasional moments of sporting conflict, as far as I’m concerned.  I stopped watching after the Bears went to the Superbowl.

    Never watched baseball, I grew up in Chicago and I didn’t hate my life enough to watch the Cubs crush my hopes every year.

    Watched hockey for a year as my roommate was very into it- it’s fast paced, I don’t understand the rules, and there is fighting.  What’s not to like?

    The big money distorts everything.

    ———————————————————–

    Looks overcast out, and phone says it’s 84F in Houston.   I slept in, so I haven’t poked my head out yet.

    n

  21. Brad says:

    The big money distorts everything.

    Absolutely. And some of that big money isn’t obvious. Gambling, sometimes not even on game results but on individual events during the game. With players bribed to make unlikely events happen, so that the sheep can be shorn.

  22. dcp says:

    You guys and your sportsball….

    Did any of you ever read Semi-Tough ?

  23. Denis says:

    Watched hockey for a year as my roommate was very into it- it’s fast paced, I don’t understand the rules, and there is fighting.  What’s not to like?

    Hockey. Fit girls in short skirts, but armed with clubs… 

    In other news, Germany just won the basketball world championships, having beaten both hot favourites USA and Serbia. Canada beat USA in the playoff for third place.

    Completely unrelated, I am very much liking my ASUS ZenWiFi mesh system, based around a RT-AX88U router and three AX6600 access points. I just finished pulling Ethernet cables to the garage, where I had a dead spot. Installing one of the APs there has cured it nicely. I took the opportunity to update the firmware on all the units. Very impressed – not cheap, but worth every Euro-cent. I misremember who here recommended this Asus solution, but thank you, whoever you were.

  24. lynn says:

    There will be some hiney chewing in the Alabama locker room and at practice.

    Nope, not any more.  If the guys get their feelings hurt, they run to the portal now and jump to another team.  All of the coaches are complaining about the portal.

  25. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’ve stuck my head out… and it’s gone from 86F to 87.5F in my driveway in an hour.   That is still pretty cool, and a pretty slow rise.

    Overcast, and shady,  so maybe time to do a little outdoor maintenance.

    I’ve had breakfast, and I’m finishing my coffee, so what I really feel like doing is cruising the intarwebs and vegging out for a while.   But, no rest for the wicked, what what..

    n

  26. Denis says:

    Watched hockey for a year as my roommate was very into it- it’s fast paced, I don’t understand the rules, and there is fighting.  What’s not to like?

    I think you need to try watching Hurling. Much faster than Hockey, and there is fighting too! 

    https://youtu.be/3BVIlpPy8Yc?feature=shared

  27. CowboyStu says:

    Here is my lie of the day:  “I love watching Cornhole on TV”.

  28. Ray Thompson says:

    MrsAtoz is die-hard Cowboys fan.

    Well, there’s your problem fag boy. (Said with humor, no disrespect intended).

    The big money distorts everything.

    Yes, I am afraid that will happen to collegiate football. Especially with the NIL contracts that can be signed. I suspect it has been happening under the table for years. I know that many years ago in TN a player got a brand-new Mustang for about $5K. The dealer said he won a contest and the $5K was taxes and paperwork. Yeh, right.

    What I have never understood about the NCAA are the rules for donors. If I, as a donor, want to give a player’s family $100K in the hopes that he (or shim) will play for a school, why is that any of the NCAA’s business? It is not school money. It is not money going to the player (legally). So what if the player’s family gets paid because I as a donor want him (or shim) on the team I support.

    players bribed to make unlikely events happen

    Oh, say it ain’t so. That easily caught pass that was “dropped”. That step out of bounds while “losing balance”. That easily makeable field goal that gets “shanked” to the right. The team may still win the game but will miss the spread, which is where the big money can be found, betting on the spread.

    Fit girls in short skirts, but armed with clubs…

    I think that was called “Roller Derby”.

    I misremember who here recommended this Asus solution, but thank you, whoever you were

    I think that was me as I have been using the ASUS AIMesh system for about three years now. I have three access points. One functions as the router and is connected to the cable modem. The second upstairs is in the place my wife uses and it is hardwired to the main router. The third being in the living room for the TV, Apple TV, DVD Player and Alexa.

  29. Greg Norton says:

    Nope, not any more.  If the guys get their feelings hurt, they run to the portal now and jump to another team.  All of the coaches are complaining about the portal.

    Not Deion Sanders. He won again yesterday with a roster built from the portal, staring with his son.

    I could see how a once prominent program suddenly facing a season where they were out of contention for a championship would lose kids and face a bleak future. Baylor and TCU are probably toast in Texas. 

    A coach now has zero margin for mistakes in a season.

  30. Nick Flandrey says:

    This auction in Tyler TX has some portable water purification machines in it.

    https://hibid.com/catalog/482762/restaurant-equipment—grindburger—posados-cafe-and-more 

    They look like they use distillation.

    https://hibid.com/lot/168891879/new-out-of-crate-water-purification-system 

    http://www.h2oww.com/aqua125.html 

    This would fill a big gap for me, at the lake, but Tyler is a bit far…

    n

  31. Nick Flandrey says:

    Hurling is proof the irish are insane…

    n

  32. Ray Thompson says:

    A coach now has zero margin for mistakes in a season.

    One coach’s mistake is another coach’s brilliance.

    Going for that two point conversion, down by 1, 18 seconds left. If the team makes two extra points, the coach is a hero for making a brilliant and gutsy call. If the team fails, the coach was an idiot with a stupid call and should have instead gone for the tie and a the overtime tie-breaker.

    Down by 3, less than 5 minutes left, after just completing a field goal. Team does an onside kick. The team recovers, drives the field, and scores with 0.00 on the clock. The coach is a hero for calling for an onside kick. The team does not cover the ball, other team gets the ball, drives to the 20 and is stopped, kicks a field goal making the margin 6. The coach is an idiot for attempting an onside kick and should have instead gone for stopping the other team.

    The thing is that the people in the press box that are making suggestions, have a lot of statistics available to them. Lots of paperwork on possible scenarios, lots of information on the other team in prior games and in the current game. Stuff the average viewer and fan in the stadium does not have. The people in the booth recommend to, advise, the coach of what to call. Regardless, the buck stops at the coach.

  33. Ray Thompson says:

    Hurling is proof the irish are insane…

    Hey McCloud, get off of my ewe.

  34. drwilliams says:

    Eric Adams Warns New Yorkers That Cuts Are Coming to City Services Due to Illegal Immigrant Crisis

    Mayor Adams warned Saturday that all New York City agencies may have to slash up to 15% from their budgets by the spring in response to the ever-rocketing costs of the migrant crisis.

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/09/eric-adams-warns-new-yorkers-that-cuts-are-coming-to-city-services-due-to-illegal-immigrant-crisis/

    Except for the mayor’s office, which will probably add a couple more $250,000 per year crisis managers to help. Wonder if they will have cred other than being from his wife’s family?

  35. EdH says:

    Bits of the hurricanes down past baja are passing through the california high desert, 90F and the humidity, while down from 60%, is still at 33% before noon..  

    The astronomy club outreach last night was a bust, completely clouded over.

    The satanic levels of greed and indifference to the fans have turned me off to professional sports. If asked I would probably say I am a niner’s fan, but I can’t name a single player on the team, as someone  said above.  No idea who the Dodger’s personnel are for the last few years.  No idea who is leading the NL west.

    Life is short, those were wasted hours.

  36. Nick Flandrey says:

    I love the hypocrisy and self blindness of the NYFC mouthpieces, “they’ll ruin everything we love – they have to be sent somewhere else”   without seeing or caring that when they get “somewhere else” they’ll ruin everything THOSE people love, because that’s what invaders do.

    n

  37. Ray Thompson says:

    they’ll ruin everything THOSE people love, because that’s what invaders do

    They came from shirtholes(-r) and will turn any place they settle in, into the same shirthole(-r) to match from where they came. Makes the place feel like home. Only this time with welfare money to spend on drugs and booze.

  38. Denis says:

    Hurling is proof the irish are insane…

    Perhaps, but we are insane in a good way!

  39. Denis says:

    I think that was me as I have been using the ASUS AIMesh system for about three years now.

    Then apologies, and thank you very much, Ray! I am very pleased with this gear.  I am considering buying an additional pair of the access point units to keep on hand as spares. I now have three in use at home and two at the BOL, so having one spare for each location would seem prudent.

    A nice side effect of installing the Asus units is that the D-Link 16-port gigabyte Ethernet switch that I thought was malfunctioning is in fact fine. The el cheapo chinesium Access Points that were previously in use had somehow managed to knock out IP traffic on entire segments of the wired network, which made it look like blocks of ports on the switch had failed. With the nasty APs replaced, the switch turns out to be working perfectly. Its NIB “replacement” is now on the spares shelf.

  40. SteveF says:

    They came from shirtholes(-r) and will turn any place they settle in, into the same shirthole(-r) to match from where they came.

    Comparing them to a turd in a punchbowl will surely cause hard feelings but is nevertheless appropriate.

  41. Ray Thompson says:

    I misremember who here recommended this Asus solution, but thank you, whoever you were

    and

    Then apologies

    Not needed. I sometimes forget what I had for lunch.

    It was just my experience. ASUS seems to work well and adding a node was really easy. One of the routers, the one my son gave me,  it was necessary to update the firmware. The router had sat on his shelf for a couple of years and the firmware was not current.

    That was a bit tricky as I had to disconnect and redo connections on some equipment to get the firmware to update without the device taking over the network.

    About once a month I reboot the entire system. Easy to do from the main router interface. You may have done so, but if not, download the ASUS APP from Apple or Android and you can get some fairly good traffic information.

    I have discovered that many of the devices I have on the network (36 of them) are constantly talking with some server or amongst themselves. Constant network traffic. Why is my TV using the network when I am just watching TV through the cable box? Reporting viewing habits? The thermostat I understand as it reports data to Ecobee servers to provide reports to me on usage.

    Printers that are networked, but not being used, are reporting home or somewhere. Some of the devices I do not even recognize as the names match nothing that I have. Instead the names match who made the WiFi interface and not the name of the device.

    My network is not compromised with an intruder as there is no one close enough to use the WiFi. There are only two WiFi networks available, mine, and some Netgear network I don’t know the source. I have no Netgear devices.

    Yes, between iPhone, iPads, watches, smart switches, TV, DVD, Apple TV, computers, Amazon Alexa, even the CPAP machine, it adds up to a lot of devices on a network.

  42. MrAtoz says:

    That Aqua-125 looks sweet. You should bid on it, Mr. Nick. Fresh and salt water distiller. Ultimate stack for the coming plugsacolypse.

  43. Nick Flandrey says:

    but but but…

    The 40 deadliest cities in the world: New Orleans is the only US city in a top ten dominated by Mexico and drug-violence blighted cities 

    – I know, I posted a related story already.  This one has an inforgraphic!

    n

  44. Lynn says:

    “In Australia, they don’t shoot burglars”

        https://areaocho.com/in-australia-they-dont-shoot-burglars/

    “Now that Australia has all of that gun control.

    Burglar: (breaks in)

    Homeowner: (putting on condom) You just broke into the wrong house.”

    That is just wrong.

  45. Greg Norton says:

    I have discovered that many of the devices I have on the network (36 of them) are constantly talking with some server or amongst themselves. Constant network traffic. Why is my TV using the network when I am just watching TV through the cable box? Reporting viewing habits? The thermostat I understand as it reports data to Ecobee servers to provide reports to me on usage.

    A smart TV connected to your WiFi will report your viewing habits. That’s part of the deal when you take home the 50″ TV for $300.

    A Fire-logo TV connected to your WiFi will provide a bridge between your home network and any Amazon devices within range, even if you have the WiFi on the devices turned “off”.  They are only off for your purposes, not Amazon’s.

    However, with 5G capable of using unlicensed spectrum, I doubt any device with a 2.4/5 GHz transceiver is every truly offline anymore as far as the manufacturer is concerned unless you live out in the boonies, far away from a cell tower.

  46. Lynn says:

    xkcd: Gold

       https://xkcd.com/2826/

    “Binary Neutron Star Merger”

    Explained at:

       https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2826:_Gold

  47. Nick Flandrey says:

    Have we come so far that news needs to explain a slim jim? And gets it wrong? 

    In the video a fireman took a Slim Jim, a type of metal rod, to the front driver’s window of the SUV.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12501761/baby-rescued-hot-car-flower-mound-texas.html 

    What sort of programming choices did some faceless engineer make that this sequence of events can happen?

    Deputy Chief Dean Feldpausch said: ‘She started the car and placed the child in the car seat, laying her keys on the back seat. When she closed the door, the car locked- and the engine shut down.’ 

    Yeah, or maybe it wasn’t what happened.   Kinda important distinction.

    According to the fire department, the car was running when they arrived on scene. 

    So the car has one of the push button start systems, that don’t require the keys to be in the ignition, but do require them to be inside or near the vehicle.  SO the car KNOWS the keys are inside, yet it locks, (which we used to call the “pedophile locks” when I was a kid), and happens because of federal standards that require the doors to lock to meet federal roll over standards… but WHY TURN OFF THE ENGINE?

    If the baby had died, or been injured, do you sue the fedgov that mandated automatic door locks, the auto manf who programmed the car to lock the doors with keys inside but no one in the driver’s seat, or the guy who decided to shut off the car in that condition?

    I leave my truck running but locked and empty all the time.   I don’t like it to get hot when I am only out for a short time.   Cars should do what they are TOLD TO DO.   This goes back to unintended consequences, poor programming choices, and lack of visibility/discoverability.

    n

  48. paul says:

    I don’t know if there is 5G cell service here.  

    The NanoBeams are 5G whatever wi-fi but they are locked in bridge mode.  My phone doesn’t see them at all.  Why they are trying to talk to the ISP’s Ubiquity server is unknown.  The ISP guy doesn’t know why. They don’t connect.  Password, I suppose.  I don’t want them to connect, just act like dumb like the Ethernet cable you replaced.   Blocked in Pi Hole.  The  LAN seems to run smoother.  

    I did try blocking in the router via MAC address but that killed my ‘net connection.  I probably did it wrong. 

    I do know my wi-fi is just 2.4 with a couple of Unifis and it all goes through my router to get to the ‘Net.  I do know there is no wi-fi on my phone or a Kindle once I’m about 20 feet out of sight of the house in any direction.  I have a Pi Hole doing DNS. 

    So, I have two ways to block something from phoning home. 

    The Roku constantly pinging somewhere?  Blocked in the Pi Hole.   3500+ times a DAY is ridiculous.  For what?  It seems to work just fine being blocked. 

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    @Paul,   wrt ubiquiti gear, it could be set to use the ISP’s management console as a timeserver, or it could be configured from that console so it’s trying to reconnect.   I find the ubiquiti management tools somewhat confusing, and there are several that you HAVE to use to config different generations of the hardware.    Or they could be checking for updates.

    Roku is most likely looking for updated ads or “featured” content.

    n

  50. drwilliams says:

    I found that tv program that had the olive oil dressing substitute on the caprese salad:

    “Now eat this!” with Chef Rocco Dispirito

    The week he was wrking with “magic” (Shirataki) noodles and rice to reduce carbs.

    The show has been on for more than ten years. Aside from Gordon Ramsey I haven’t paid much attention to tv chefs since they drove Jeff Smith off.

  51. paul says:

    Yep, Nick, I think you are correct on both counts.

    The NanoBeams are looking for updates I think.  They shouldn’t have any reason to try to connect to the ISP’s server.  I had them set up and running for at least a year before I changed ISPs.  Time server?  Why?  They are locked in bridge mode.  Who cares what the time is?   They work like I want, they don’t need an update.  I blocked their trying to connect to the ISP.  Oh, like, I’m going to give the ISP access?  Ever? And how does that work what with getting through my router into my LAN? 

    The Roku is looking for updated ads.  Not interested.  Someone here watches Sling for college football Longhorn Network and for Nascar.  I would turn Sling off right now if it was my choice.  

    Heck, I’d watch a disc once in a while complete with Rumble Rama or if I remember to turn the TV on, Wheel of Fortune.  That’s about it for me. 

  52. paul says:

    I’ve made the caprese salad stuff a few times.  Tried the various recommend dressings and yeah, whatever.  Kraft Zesty Italian  dressing rules.

  53. drwilliams says:

    If you have a vehicle with a real key that opens the real mechanical door lock, a chipless duplicate will do the same thing, and at least get you in the door. 

    Such a key can be taped or embedded in a strip of silicone rubber under the vehicle and be very hard for anyone else to find. Coat it with wax first so adhesive doesn’t stick.

    If you can’t find a cheap key blank and cut a key you can make a mold from silicone rubber (or silicone caulk) and mold a “good enough” key from a suitable two-part polymer.

    I suspect that you could print a key if you had a good scan.

  54. SteveF says:

    Homeowner: (putting on condom) You just broke into the wrong house.

    He was identified, arrested, and convicted. Something obviously went wrong in the “Snu-snu, shovel, shut up” action plan.

  55. drwilliams says:

    @paul

    The substitute dressing was made with olive oil brine and had ¼ the calories. I could see doing it for a multi-course meal to compensate for a rich desert.

  56. Ray Thompson says:

    A smart TV connected to your WiFi will report your viewing habits.

    My only viewing habit is watching what comes in on the HDMI port. I doubt Xfinity provides program information in the digital HDMI stream. If I used apps on the TV I would agree with your statement.

    laying her keys on the back seat. When she closed the door, the car locked- and the engine shut down.’

    My Highlander will not lock the doors using the manual (electric) door lock with a key fob inside the vehicle. I can force the lock using my fob when the wife leaves her purse in the car.  That behavior guarantees there is a key fob outside the vehicle. I am not buying her excuse.

  57. Nick Flandrey says:

    @ray, there are codes embedded in the video and audio streams that identify the program.    Xfinity is selling your viewing habits too.    And if you are using Xfinity for internet, and use their DNS server, they’re selling your web surfing too.

    n

  58. Nick Flandrey says:

    @drwilliams, AAA in Cali used to make a free wallet card copy of your entry key.  I carried one for years.  It was good enough to open the doors more than once.   It was a relatively soft plastic.

    I carry an extra fob so I can leave the Ranger running and lock the doors.   The Expy has a keypad on the door that I use to get in and out when the truck is locked and running.

    I’ve seen an ‘add on’ keypad for the door that uses your fob code to unlock a car that doesn’t come with a keypad, and have thought about adding one to the ranger.

    Wife’s honda does all kinds of stupid shite with the door locks and the keyfob, including RE-locking your unlocked doors if you unlock with the fob, but then wait too long to open a door.  The range is also very short.

    n

  59. paul says:

    I bought a key for my truck from eBay.  Had it cut at Lowes.   It has a chip but so what?  I just want to unlock the door.  Because sure as heck I’m gonna hit lock  and shut the door one day.  I’ve done that.  So I have a magnet key box up under the lip of the bed.

    It opens the door.   That all it ever needs to ever do.

    How the truck acts with being turned on with a key it doesn’t know?  No clue.  With my luck it’s going to be an expensive tow to a Nissan dealer to reprogram if not replace the entire computer system.

    including RE-locking your unlocked doors if you unlock with the fob, but then wait too long to open a door. 

    Truck does that.  Two minutes.  I haven’t decided if that is good or bad.  Annoying, yes. 

  60. lpdbw says:

    New Ford has keyless entry.  The fob has lock and unlock and remote start buttons.

    There’s a door keypad if the fob isn’t available.  Don’t know if I can start and drive it just with that.

    The motor shuts off in a half hour if you leave it running in park.  That’s a settingn on the infotainment center.  I think you can adjust it and turn it off.

    I can lock and unlock the truck from my cellphone.

    Much of the above requires me to authorize it to talk to Ford’s servers.  I’m undecided about that.  I hate allowing them to track me but I like the convenience.

    I’m still figuring it all out.

  61. drwilliams says:

    Watched a rerun of Antiques Roadshow the other day. Vietnam vet brought in a Rolex Oyster that he bought through the PX–the Paul Newman model, but better, because this one had the screw-down crowns. Never worn–had the sticker on the back of the case. The warranty and other cards had never been filled out, making them worth thousands alone. Estimated at $500,000. Best the appraiser had ever seen or heard of.

    I believe the purchase price ca. 1972 was $340. 

    That was about the time I started buying good stereo equipment, which seemed to be in $300 increments. 

  62. Greg Norton says:

    A smart TV connected to your WiFi will report your viewing habits.

    My only viewing habit is watching what comes in on the HDMI port. I doubt Xfinity provides program information in the digital HDMI stream. If I used apps on the TV I would agree with your statement.

    The audio stream could be fingerprinted, but @Nick is right that Comcast is probably selling your viewing data from the set top box as well.

    As for the network traffic from the TV when you’re watching HDMI, the set is maintaining NTP sync and periodically sending a report of which input was active and when.

  63. Lynn says:

    New Ford has keyless entry.  The fob has lock and unlock and remote start buttons.

    The remote start will turn on my F-150 for between 5 minutes and 15 minutes.  I have yet to figure out the time interval and how to set it.

    So, did you pay less than MSRP, MSRP, or more than MSRP ?

  64. drwilliams says:

    If FJB has a presser tomorrow, I hope sthe last question is:

    “What are you doing to commemorate the day?”

  65. lpdbw says:

    Less than MSRP.

    Even with TTL paid, still less.

    But I bought some peace of mind with warranties to even it out a bit.

  66. Nick Flandrey says:

    Huh, one of my auctioneers just started a new auction and it’s got a bunch of my stuff in it.  I’d forgotten about the stuff.   

    It’s a bit like finding money in a jacket pocket.

    n

  67. Lynn says:

    Less than MSRP.

    Even with TTL paid, still less.

    But I bought some peace of mind with warranties to even it out a bit.

    Cool !

    As Greg likes to say, I am driving naked.  No bumper to bumper warranty now at 37K miles.  I do have the standard Ford Powertrain warranty for five years (bought Oct 31, 2019) or 60,000 miles.

  68. Lynn says:

    Cool !

    As Greg likes to say, I am driving naked.  No bumper to bumper warranty now at 37K miles.  I do have the standard Ford Powertrain warranty for five years (bought Oct 31, 2019) or 60,000 miles.

    I am thinking about chipping my F-150 like my buddy has done when my powertrain warranty expires.  375 hp to 550+ hp by cranking the boost on the turbos from 14 psig to 25 psig.

    2
    1
  69. Gavin says:

    Driving naked

    I haven’t had warranty on a vehicle for almost 20 years. All my cars and trucks have been well-used, so I try to keep two running at all times so I have a backup.

  70. Nick Flandrey says:

    Turbos spin, go BANG!

    n

  71. Nick Flandrey says:

    It’s almost like there is something in common with incidents like this, but I just can’t quite say (out loud) what it is…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12502573/Utica-shooting-school-security-guard.html 

    n

    I don’t have Scott Adams money…
    n

  72. Lynn says:

    “Why CO2 is Not a Pollutant”

        https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/09/10/why-co2-is-not-a-pollutant/

    “… the UK Health and Safety Executive has defined safe CO2 limits for the workplace. The limit for long-term exposure is 0.5% (5,000 ppm) but for shorter encounters it is 2% [20,000 ppm]. Anything over that figure is regarded as a risk to human health.”

    “Skeptical Science, advertised as “getting skeptical about global warming skepticism,” posted recently on the question: Is CO2 a pollutant? Interestingly, they made the point that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant in any sense of the word. Yes, very high concentrations in confined spaces (they provide an example) is deadly, but then so is water in a drowning. But water is not a pollutant either.”

    Our lungs will not work properly without 200 ppm of CO2 in the air we breathe.

  73. Lynn says:

    I haven’t had warranty on a vehicle for almost 20 years. All my cars and trucks have been well-used, so I try to keep two running at all times so I have a backup.

    I have three running vehicles at the moment.  My 2019 F-150, my wife’s 2019 Highlander, and the business 2008 Highlander.  I hope this stays like this.

  74. Lynn says:

    “Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin pardons Scott Smith, father of a girl raped in unisex bathroom by a ‘boy in a skirt’ at Stone Bright High School after he was convicted for erupting in fury over cover-up at board meeting”

        https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12501823/Virginia-Governor-Glenn-Youngkin-pardons-Scott-Smith-father-girl-raped-unisex-bathroom-boy-skirt-Stone-Bright-High-School-convicted-erupting-fury-cover-board-meeting.html

    • “An outraged father faced jail term for protesting at school board meeting
    • Governor Glenn Youngkin says Smith suffered a ‘gross miscarriage of justice’ 
    • The incident led to the Superintendent’s dismissal and a judge ordering the District Attorney be removed from the case”

    Robert E. Lee is rolling in his grave that the Governor had to personally right this serious miscarriage of justice.

  75. Greg Norton says:

    Robert E. Lee is rolling in his grave that the Governor had to personally right this serious miscarriage of justice.

    Loudoun County, VA is one of the few that Youngkin didn’t carry in the election two years ago.

    Hardcore Dem. Lots of Made Men and Women in the FedGov racket.

  76. Greg Norton says:

    As Greg likes to say, I am driving naked.  No bumper to bumper warranty now at 37K miles.  I do have the standard Ford Powertrain warranty for five years (bought Oct 31, 2019) or 60,000 miles.

    I spent my Christmas Vacation in 2016 clawing back about $5000 in extended warranties which the Ford dealer’s F&I weasel snuck onto the Exploder thanks to a 2% loan and my wife’s inability to understand finance math which has bit us repeatedly over the years.

    Plus too much faith in Costco’s Auto program.

    During what would have been the coverage period, we dropped $3000 on a water pump job, but we’ve still come out ahead.

    The next major repair on the Exploder will be the last.

    We just had another argument at our house this weekend about living on the West Coast because a recruiter for [big name university] med school keeps emailing my spouse about a faculty position.

    “People live out there and make it work.”

    “Yes, broke people making six figures a year. I don’t want to live like a broke person.”

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