Fri. Jun. 14, 2024 – so you wanna run with the big dogs…

Hot and humid, because it’s Houston in the summertime… and it gets hot in the swamp. We had a brief bit of relief with some quick showers yesterday, but it was mainly hot and humid. I decided NOT to do outdoor work, and especially not to do work from the roof of the house.

I should have gotten the pole saws out and cleaned up the damage to the big tree. I want to get the branches onto the pile of stuff the city contractor left behind, so that when that gets picked up, my debris will be too. But. HOT.

Did my kid driving duties in the afternoon, and auction stuff in the morning. Got a second coat of drywall mud on the ceiling repairs. Haven’t seen any more rats, alive or dead. I’m sure they are still up there.

I did win some more bait boxes in the auction. These are “professional style” so maybe they’ll work better. They’ll be novel, and the rats won’t be used to them so maybe it will make a difference.

Today I’ve got one pickup in the afternoon, and might try to get another on the other side of town… There is some lighting for the BOL in that auction, and I’ve decided to go up for the weekend after all. I’ll do my non-prepping hobby on Saturday and then go up, W and the DDs will head up tonight. We’ll stay through Monday so I have an extra day. Father’s Day will happen up there…

It will give me some more time to work up there, and with the extra day, maybe I’ll get some time to just chill and try to catch some fish. That would be nice. Might even get a chance to do some floating in the lake.

W asked what I wanted to do for Father’s Day and I couldn’t think of anything. Doing nothing might be nice.

While I slack off, you should be stacking like your life depends on it. Because it might.

nick

36 Comments and discussion on "Fri. Jun. 14, 2024 – so you wanna run with the big dogs…"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    That is growth stock money.  

    The question is, is Tesla still a growth stock ?  With 50,000 excess cars hidden on lots around the world, is Tesla in a temporary doldrum or are they going to rise above this setback ?

    My cousin just bought two new Teslas.  A replacement for his 2019 Model 3 that had well over 100,000 miles and a Model Y for his girlfriend.  He loves the car, especially ludicrous mode. Tell me of another 3 seconds from zero to 60 mph car for less than $100K.

    VTSMX has everything in an attempt to match the index while avoiding a lot of selling and/or dividends.

    Another project on my list is to understand the math behind that kind of fund. I *should* be able to do that number crunching with the EE background, but the kids these days and their fancy software …

    Vanguard still puts TSLA in the top 10 of growth stocks they put into in VIRGX, but barely.

    EVs are toys. If you want a toy, buy a toy if you can afford it.

  2. drwilliams says:

    Not my kind of toy.

    But i would contribute $20 to a fund to buy a house next to the activist judge and turn it into a rehab center for meth addicts.

  3. drwilliams says:

    Remember William Frawley as the political advisor in Miracle on 34th Street?

    It’s really too bad he’s not available to play FJB when they start filming the true story of the Biden Crime Family.

  4. brad says:

    At the moment, my life depends on moving veeery slowly. Freshly operated on, sent home, trying not to use those belly muscles for anything at all :-/ Coughing is right out…

    Better that staying in the hospital, that’s for sure. At home, you have all your entertainment options, can wander the ouse around aimlessly, whatever. My wife makes a killer pizza, and that’s what’s for dinner tonight.

    She’s off on the dog walk. My kindle is charging. I think I’ll watch Terminator II.

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  5. drwilliams says:

    2brad

    “I think I’ll watch Terminator II.”

    No comedies.

    No memes.

    Take care.

  6. Ray Thompson says:

    At the moment, my life depends on moving veeery slowly.

    What to hear a really funny joke that will make you laugh? Nah, I didn’t think so.

    When I had my knee replaced, I spent 24 hours in the hospital as a guard against infection. The surgeon wanted to check the incision the next day. Home was much better than the hospital.

    Except when I took a shower the same day I arrived home. I slipped and put all my weight on the knee that had just been replaced. I found out what is considered level 10 pain. Enough to make a person black out.

    Good luck healing.

  7. nick flandrey says:

    @brad, take care of yourself, and do not overdo it.

    ———–

    88F so far, and overcast.   Probably headed higher.

    ———–

    Time for some sweet creamy coffee.

    n

  8. nick flandrey says:

    Conservative Supreme Court justices strike down Trump-era ban on bump stocks after Las Vegas shooting by ruling they are not machine guns

    • Supreme Court majority strikes down ban on bump stocks
    • Ban passed under Donald Trump after the deadly Las Vegas shooting 

    By Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

    Published: 10:33 EDT, 14 June 2024 | Updated: 11:17 EDT, 14 June 2024 

    The Supreme Court struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks on Friday in a victory for gun rights advocates.

    The ban was passed following the use of bump stocks in the deadly 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. Fifty-eight people were killed making it the deadliest mass shooting by one gunman in American history.

    But the Supreme Court struck down the ban in a six-three decision. The conservative majority on the Supreme Court ruled that bump stocks are not machine guns.

    Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion for the court. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote a concurring opinion.

    Justice Sonia Sotomayor authored the dissent and was joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

    – no one ever showed that a bump stock was used in the murders in Vegas.  The ban was an anti-2A power grab, nothing more.

    Hell, no one ever showed that the guy found dead in the hotel room was the shooter.   

    n

  9. nick flandrey says:

    Hell, no one ever showed that the guy found dead in the hotel room was the shooter.   

    – If you doubt me, please link to any publicly available (or not) sources that show autopsy results with powder residue tests from the “shooter’s”  hands, face, forearms etc.   How many different powders?   Do those powders match any of the weapons and ammo found in the room?   Please link to forensic examination linking recovered rounds to any weapons in the room.   Please link to forensic examination of the weapons found in the room showing them to have been recently fired, particularly any fitted with bump stocks.

    Please link to any sources for who leaked the crime scene photos, taken before evidence techs put down any markers, and WHY they leaked the photos.

    Please link to any sources showing the provenance and ownership/purchase history of the weapons found in the room.

    Seriously.  I want to read any and all of the above, and I never saw any of this in any of the reports I did find and read.

    n

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  10. nick flandrey says:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/counterfeit-titanium-found-boeing-and-airbus-jets 

    The counterfeit titanium issue first emerged in 2019: 

    The issue appears to date to 2019 when a Turkish material supplier, Turkish Aerospace Industries, purchased a batch of titanium from a supplier in China,

     Chinese supplier falsified certification statements.   Imagine that.

    n

  11. drwilliams says:

    A hand-held xrf can differentiate between ss alloys. They don’t have something that works on Ti?

  12. drwilliams says:

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/06/anti-israel-student-activists-at-california-state-u-take-over-building-with-administrators-trapped-inside/

    The only proper response to terrorists is to kill them immediately. 

    I wonder if substituting pork fat for liquid teflon in Glaser Safety Slugs would compromise the ballistics. Probably easier just to load bacon fat in your hollow-points. 

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  13. Lynn says:

    “A … er … sticky (legal) situation?”

       https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/06/a-er-sticky-legal-situation.html

    “A federal appeals court on Wednesday heard arguments over whether car insurance should pay out benefits to a woman who caught a sexually transmitted disease from a policyholder in his insured vehicle.”

    “. . .”

    “Upon review of the parties’ arguments, the court finds that consensual sexual relations inside a car do not constitute a ‘use’ of the automobile within the meaning of the subject policy,” the judge wrote in his decision.”

    “The judges questioned M.O.’s attorney, David Mayer, on whether his client’s argument would make GEICO responsible for every unwanted pregnancy that might have occurred in an automobile.”

    People will sue over anything.

  14. Lynn says:

    “BREAKING: Judge orders liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to pay Sandy Hook families”

         https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-judge-orders-liquidation-of-alex-jones-personal-assets-to-pay-sandy-hook-families

    This is getting worse by the day.   At least they cannot take his home in Austin.

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  15. Greg Norton says:

    “BREAKING: Judge orders liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to pay Sandy Hook families”

    This is getting worse by the day.   At least they cannot take his home in Austin.

    Local Faux News had the clip of the Sandy Hook kids graduating from high school this week. I don’t think the timing is a coincidence.

  16. Lynn says:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/counterfeit-titanium-found-boeing-and-airbus-jets 

    The counterfeit titanium issue first emerged in 2019: 

    The issue appears to date to 2019 when a Turkish material supplier, Turkish Aerospace Industries, purchased a batch of titanium from a supplier in China,

     Chinese supplier falsified certification statements.   Imagine that.

    n

    My understanding from my fellow engineers is that all Chinese metal is faked and must be tested after delivery before payment.  All of the field engineers are complaining bitterly.  The bridge builders are reporting that they are having failures as they build.

    BTW, Chinese EVs are made with Chinese metals. Good luck with that.

  17. Greg Norton says:

    BTW, Chinese EVs are made with Chinese metals. Good luck with that.

    Soon Hecho en Mexico with Chinese metals.

  18. Greg Norton says:

    En fuego. $98/share would be the tipping point for the algorithms so that wasn’t going to happen today. The specialist probably held things together this afternoon.

    The rumor is that an emergency board meeting happened in Burbank yesterday.

    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DIS/

    Go space lesbians, go broke.

  19. EdH says:

    My understanding from my fellow engineers is that all Chinese metal is faked and must be tested after delivery before payment.  All of the field engineers are complaining bitterly.  The bridge builders are reporting that they are having failures as they build.

    It’s been 4+ decades since Engineering Practices and Materials Science courses in college, but my recollection is that the big airframers used to test materials & parts randomly as they came from their vendors.  There were departments devoted to that.  Certificates were not enough.

  20. EdH says:

    “BREAKING: Judge orders liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to pay Sandy Hook families”

    Odd.   Did he not have an LLC set up and himself as an employee?

  21. MrAtoz says:

    “BREAKING: Judge orders liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to pay Sandy Hook families”

    It’s absolutely ridiculous. The 51 “intelligence officials” who signed a statement that Hunter “The Bad Son” Biden’s laptop was Rooskie disinformation LIED. That has hurt my feelings. They should each pay me $1 million. The justice system is a political disgrace.

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  22. Greg Norton says:

    It’s absolutely ridiculous. The 51 “intelligence officials” who signed a statement that Hunter “The Bad Son” Biden’s laptop was Rooskie disinformation LIED. That has hurt my feelings. They should each pay me $1 million. The justice system is a political disgrace.

    The last job had Clapper on the board until the NY Times and Washington Post walked away from supporting that Russian disinformation explanation for the laptop.

    Clapper’s name disappeared really fast, but the damage was done.

    The final nail in the company’s coffin was turning product architecture over to the DevOps pinhead, however.

  23. Alan says:

    >>nick flandrey says:

    14 June 2024 at 11:23

    @brad, take care of yourself, and do not overdo it.

    “…do not overdo it.”

    Hmm, how does it go? Pot calling the kettle black. 

  24. Denis says:

    When you say “muck”, do you mean human poo, cow poo, or pig poo ?

    All of them add a unique smell to the air.

    Generally, it is bovine excrement, which is tolerable, if it is not immediately beside one’s residence, and if the farmers abide by the rule of spreading only before or during rain.

    No human, thank goodness.

    Every now and then there is a nose-wrenching stench of porcine. That is after the illicit nocturnal tanker trucks coming from Flanders and the Netherlands get here. There is no piggery within many miles of this location, but one or other of the local farmers is taking black cash to pump pigshit, and who knows what other shit, onto his fields.

    Not only is it an olfactory nuisance, it is also illegal. The local dairy farmers have a dispensation from the rules that are supposed to limit over fertilisation from creating nitrogen-induced algal blooms in surface water, and leaching nitrates into the groundwater. They have the dispensation pending construction of a local agricultural biomethane digester and effluent treatment works, but only so that they can spread their own dairy herd’s excrement on their own pastures. 

    One of the black midnight pigshit tankers nearly killed me some time ago. It came rocketing, unlit, out of a side road onto the main thoroughfare, ignoring my right of way and nearly running me into the ditch at speed. No number plate or other distinguishing marks, and by the time I had composed myself and made a U-turn to pursue, the driver had made good his escape.

    Somebody in authority has a finger in the pigshit mafia pie. The goings-on are well known (they literally stink to high heaven), but no enforcement actions are taken.

  25. drwilliams says:

    “Upon review of the parties’ arguments, the court finds that consensual sexual relations inside a car do not constitute a ‘use’ of the automobile within the meaning of the subject policy,” the judge wrote in his decision.”

    True story:

    ca. late 60’s, my parents lived next to a  couple in their 70’s who were the personification of Southern charm. Mr. C. worked in the haberdashery department at Sears and was always impeccably dressed. He had cataract surgery on both eyes, one first, then the other, and during that time needed some assistance with a few chores that we were more than happy to assist with. On one occasion I helped carry a suitcase from to the car before a hospital stay, and Mrs. C. had to be talked out of paying me for my help with the “grip”. (I used to enjoy traveling and hearing regional accents and usage of the language, but the media have largely washed that away along with other things)

    We were working on a car one evening when Mr. C. stopped over and asked for some minor assistance. He and dad started talking about cars and he related a tale from his youth where his Model A was “borrowed” by someone unknown. It was returned unharmed, but he noted the necessity of having to get new rear seat covers.

  26. nick flandrey says:

    Apparently the carpet in the back “fold flat” area of a mid 80s Chevy Chevette had an affinity for short curly hairs.

    Sibling had some things to say after trying to vacuum said carpet….

    n

  27. paul says:

    So I’m trying to shut stuff down.  A part of that is to change the CC USAA charges.  I called Discover to ask for an increase.  Because last January’s bill for house and car insurance was like $2800.   And if I have much of anything else there, it’s going to bounce with my $3300 limit.

    Heh.  They raised my limit $3000 bucks.  

    Now I have to deal with USAA or their website to change the card they charge.  Tomorrow.

  28. paul says:
    Apparently the carpet in the back “fold flat” area of a mid 80s Chevy Chevette had an affinity for short curly hairs.

    My ’85 Cavalier had the same carpet.  Dog hair?  Cat hair?  Not gonna vacuum out at all.

  29. nick flandrey says:

    Four Democratic operatives are charged with election offenses – after one was caught ‘ballot-stuffing’

     

    Four Democratic operatives who worked in the contentious 2019 Bridgeport, Connecticut mayoral primaries are facing a slew of charges related to absentee ballots in the election. Two campaign workers in Bridgeport, along with Bridgeport City Councilmember Alfredo Castillo and the town’s Committee Vice Chair Wanda Geter-Pataky, were charged this week with election offenses.

    – they did it for a MAYORAL race, anyone really think they wouldn’t do it for a more serious race?

    n

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  30. lynn says:

    “U.S., Ukraine Sign 10-Year Security Agreement, G7 Gives Kyiv $50B Loan”   https://www.oann.com/newsroom/u-s-ukraine-sign-10-year-security-agreement-g7-gives-kyiv-50b-loan/

    Oh, isnt that nice.  However, that agreement requires 2/3rds of the USA Senate to make it a real thing.

  31. Greg Norton says:

    “U.S., Ukraine Sign 10-Year Security Agreement, G7 Gives Kyiv $50B Loan”

    Cue John Barrowman.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca7063tXIP4

    “Watch out Europe … we’re going … on tourrrrr.”

  32. brad says:

    What to hear a really funny joke that will make you laugh? Nah, I didn’t think so.

    Nope, definitely not. Actually, today (it’s Saturday here) isn’t too bad. I’m sore in new and interesting places, but the incisions (three small ones, laproscopy) are better.

    After the emergency room visit with my wife, and now my surgery: I am seriously impressed with the personnel at the hospital. Incredibly friendly, treat you like a person, etc, etc..

    Judge orders liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets to pay Sandy Hook families

    I don’t know a lot about the case, but $1.5 billion in damages for defamation of…if I read right…26 people? That sounds insane on the face of it. US tort system out of control?

    my recollection is that the big airframers used to test materials & parts randomly as they came from their vendors

    Yup. Any company that cares about quality must do this.

  33. lynn says:

    I am at my BOL in south Texas.   Down here watching the hapless Astros with my Dad.  And watching movies on Netflix with my Mom.

    Wait, does BOL stand for Bug Out Lake ?  If so, I am at my BOO, Bug Out Ocean.

  34. lynn says:

    my recollection is that the big airframers used to test materials & parts randomly as they came from their vendors

    Yup. Any company that cares about quality must do this.

    I am not sure that Boeing does QA anymore.

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