Thur. Aug. 15, 2024 – skool daze, skool daze, dear old golden rule dayz….

By on August 15th, 2024 in culture, decline and fall

Hot and humid, but maybe a little less of both since we got some rain yesterday… depending on where you are in town, maybe a LOT of rain…but probably not. It’ll probably hot and humid.

I did manage a couple of pickups yesterday, in the Expedition, which filled it to the roof. I had to take the Expy because the Ranger died while I was unloading it. Idling fine, then a hiccup, then another, then died. I tried a little gas, keeping the RPMs up, but the same thing happened. Then I tried to go to the end of the block and back, which, after dying and restarting, went ok.

Air, fuel, spark. Hmmm. I did put half a can of gas in at the BOL before coming home… but no way that was bad. Spark. Got some, probably got enough. But the terminals were loose on the battery and there was corrosion. I cleaned that up and tightened everything, which seemed to help. Then I decided to check ‘air’.

Filter was distorted and misfit in the box, and it was FILTHY. I can’t believe they didn’t even look at it during my service and inspection, with all the other prodding they did. With the filter out, the truck ran smoothly.

I stopped and bought a good K&N filter and bulbs for the license plate on my way home from the pickups. I’ll install it today and see if the problem goes away. I’m very disconcerted when my mostly very dependable truck has issues.

Given the downpour, I’m glad I had everything inside the Expy, so it worked out, but if the filter and tightened battery terminals don’t solve the issue with the Ranger, I’ll be back to ‘upset’. 21 years old, but only 154K miles…

————–
Today is the kids’ first day back to school. It is really early by my standards and it seems to get earlier every year. Kids are excited to go back and see their friends. I’m not looking forward to the early start to the day, but maybe I need the kickstart.

And our daily schedule will now revolve around the needs of the school district and not our own lives. I should be used to that by now, but I’m not.

I will have more time to myself during the day, but that time will be shortened by afterschool activities I’m sure.

Oh well. I’ll adapt. I’m the stay at home dad after all. It’s my job.

That and prepping for the future. Which I mainly do by stacking. You can too!

nick

66 Comments and discussion on "Thur. Aug. 15, 2024 – skool daze, skool daze, dear old golden rule dayz…."

  1. Greg Norton says:

    I never thought the Muppets belonged at WDW.   The IP is snarky, adult, and often makes fun of D and Disney IP.

    The attraction and its success, led to several other “4D” attractions that have become mainstays of a WDW visit… so there is that.  It’s looking a bit long in the tooth though, and it’s been a few generations since Sesame Street and the Muppets lost relevance to kids.

    The Muppets belong at Universal, but Disney snapped up the IP when Elmo was hot and Kevin Clash was going to be the “Next Jim Henson” … except African American.

    The golden age of the Muppets was the “exile” in England in the 70s when ITV produced the show and first movie.

    Maybe The Muppets will yet end up at Universal as part of the Bankruptcy process.

  2. Greg Norton says:

    Filter was distorted and misfit in the box, and it was FILTHY. I can’t believe they didn’t even look at it during my service and inspection, with all the other prodding they did. With the filter out, the truck ran smoothly.

    I stopped and bought a good K&N filter and bulbs for the license plate on my way home from the pickups. I’ll install it today and see if the problem goes away. I’m very disconcerted when my mostly very dependable truck has issues.

    Most people pass on the filter replacement at the regular service due to the labor costs. I replace the air filters in all of our cars once a year.

    That reminds me – we’re due for that now.

    The Jetta still had the factory air filter at 60,000 miles when I opened the box last year. My wife’s nephew put about half of the mileage on the car, including high speeds on the Autobahn, so that’s yet another mental note about the way the family handles vehicle maintenance. The irony is that my ex-brother-in-law is obsessed about ‘blue book’.

    Oiling the K&N filter is very tough to get right. I never got to that point, however, when we tried one with the Solara

    About six months into the filter, the car began to start rough and finally threw an OBD code with engine light. Swapping out the K&N for a “blue box” STP resolved the issues. I’m still not sure what happened.

    That’s also when the Evap system started throwing the codes.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    I never thought the Muppets belonged at WDW.   The IP is snarky, adult, and often makes fun of D and Disney IP.

    Disney’s 2024 box office to date is all about “Deadpool & Wolverine” which features, among many other pieces of adult humor, Muppet producers’ favorite Leslie Uggams spewing cocaine euphemisms while one of the title characters name drops the Disney executive in charge.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEJnLKFy43k

    Remember, Weatherman-approved.

  4. Brad says:

    Avon/Romance template

    After the Kate Daniels series, I’ve now started the Legacy books. Their writing really is great, but re-using the trope “damsel falls for the bad boy, who is really just misunderstood” is a bit disappointing.

  5. Brad says:

    Bunch of ultra orthodox Jews in the train. Judaism is fine, but somehow I find wearing religious clothing in public offensive. Exceptions for pastors or rabbis going to/from work. But here entire families, including young children, are wearing religious clothing.

    Religion, like sexuality: do what you want, but don’t make a public display of it.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Bunch of ultra orthodox Jews in the train. Judaism is fine, but somehow I find wearing religious clothing in public offensive. Exceptions for pastors or rabbis going to/from work. But here entire families, including young children, are wearing religious clothing.

    Religion, like sexuality: do what you want, but don’t make a public display of it.

    But Hijabs/Burqas are fine?

  7. Ray Thompson says:

    Religion, like sexuality: do what you want, but don’t make a public display of it.

    I find no issue with people wearing religious clothing. As long as they don’t try to enforce their beliefs on me, or tell me I am a heathen, I don’t really care. Mormons wear those silly (to me) undergarments that are meant to cover a large portion of the body. My parents wore them, until the divorce, my brother and his wife wear them. Of course, they have to wear them to visit their temple, which requires significant vetting, especially for Salt Lake City. It’s my brother and his wife’s beliefs, their life, they do not infringe upon me, nor do I infringe upon them. More power to them to enjoy their life.

    What I find offensive is some politician wearing a cross pin on their lapel when speaking to Christian groups. That is just pandering to the audience and has nothing to do with their beliefs, and especially their practices.

  8. ITGuy1998 says:

    About six months into the filter, the car began to start rough and finally threw an OBD code with engine light. Swapping out the K&N for a “blue box” STP resolved the issues. I’m still not sure what happened.

    Could have been oil from the filter depositing on the MAF (mass air flow) sensor. Very easy to throw a code that way. Personally, I won’t even consider a used car that has a K&N filter installed.

  9. Brad says:

    But Hijabs/Burqas are fine?

    Um, no? Just wasn’t going to do a whole list.

  10. ITGuy1998 says:

    Re: Mt. Dew and Dr. Pepper

    Growing up, we still had neighborhood stores. They weren’t like the gas station stores of today, more like mini supermarkets and no gas station. I could walk to ours – it was only 100 yards or so away. I lived on Mt. Dew and Dr. Pepper. The store kept them in a big chest cooler, and they were the tall 16 oz bottles. The drinks never tasted the same after switching to plastic. I wonder if that was at the same time the switch from real sugar happened.

    Another memory – I would get my allowance on Saturdays ( I think it was a dollar). I would be down at the store early that morning to play video games. Pac-Man was my first real game addiction. 

    That store lasted until the late 80’s. The long time owner sold it to a family and went to work at K-Mart. The store didn’t last long after the new owners. It’s now some sort of daycare according to the sign. It looks like it should be demolished though.

  11. Nick Flandrey says:

    76F, sunny, and saturated.

    I just checked and the air filter is STP, not K&N.   I thought the “premium” choice was K&N but it was just gold box STP.

    Kids are off to school.  They were very excited.   First day at the middle school is just games and “getting to know each other” group activities.    First week at the HS was rules and regs, classroom behavior, etc.   We’ll see what it is this year with different administration.

    n

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    Here’s a good example of why I shop in the returns auctions. 

    I just got two packs of 3M allergen air filters for the A/C.    One was the normal white 11MERV filters, 4 pack, $5 total.    The other was the black version, odor control, 2 pack $5.   Saved about $50 right there… and I got several multi-packs of the 3M basic dust filters for $4 each.  I’ll use those at the BOL.  I probably got $250 of filters for $25…

    I also picked up an electric vehicle charger for the BOL, as a convenience to any guests (other than tesla drivers) for <$30.   I figure it’s worth that for the plugs and adapter… it would be nice if it did Tesla too.  I’ll have to decide if I want to be that “nice”.   I’ve had two tesla brand chargers come thru this auction but they sold for real money.

    Cleaning supplies, stuff for the lawn mower, and some practice arrows were in the lots as well.

    n

  13. Nick Flandrey says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13744393/Macys-malls-retail-Utah-Hockey-jcpenney.html

    How Macy’s closures will set off a wave of changes at shopping malls and reshape the suburbs

    By Dominic Yeatman For Dailymail.Com

    Published: 20:09 EDT, 14 August 2024 | Updated: 20:09 EDT, 14 August 2024 

    The American shopping experience is heading for a radical transformation as malls across the nation face up to the retreat of retail giants that have kept them in business for generations.

    Macy’s has begun shuttering 150 of its stores as consumers increasingly turn to online shopping and budget retailers.

    And other big names including Dillards, JCPenney and Neiman Marcus have joined the exodus, leaving many retail parks without the anchor tenants on which they depend.

    There are several failed malls in my area.   One by the airport has been scraped off and is replaced by a huge apartment complex.   The massive Sears property in Garden Oaks is being torn down, after sitting empty for years, and I’m pretty sure mixed use commercial and apartments or condos will replace it.

    The landlords want crazy money per square foot, and no one is doing the business that can support that anymore.   Look at what the article is bragging about replacing retail with, businesses that need lots of sqft.  I’m betting they are getting free or very low rent.  No way a climbing gym can support $10 sqft rent…

    n

  14. MrAtoz says:

    What I find offensive is some politician wearing a cross pin on their lapel when speaking to Christian groups. That is just pandering to the audience and has nothing to do with their beliefs, and especially their practices.

    Like worshipping Saint Floyd:

    The Embarrassment of Democrats Wearing Kente-Cloth Stoles

    It was hilarious when Stretch couldn’t get up and her lackey had to race over and help her. That pandering stunt improved nothing. Never let a crisis go to waste.

  15. brad says:

    There are several failed malls in my area.

    Online ordering has changed shopping. Aside from food, we now order almost everything online. Clothes, shoes, hardware, computer stuff, pet food – all of it gets delivered.

    I may have mentioned: a couple of years ago, one of my students did a project inside one of the big warehouses. Incredible automation: robots pick products out of bins, put them into a basket. A human packs the contents of the basket into a box. The boxes are packed by robots onto pallets (that’s a fascinating and classic computer science problem). I expect it won’t be all that long before the box-packing is also automated, but right now I guess the products are too varied: some fragile some not, and all sorts of different shapes and sizes.

    One of the big retailers here is selling off their non-food businesses: electronics, sporting goods, etc.. I wonder why? Actually, the only thing I don’t understand is why they are hiring McKinsey for $4 million/month to tell them to do so. Apparently, their own managers are incompetent?

  16. Nick Flandrey says:

    Moving day for my next door neighbors.   They’ve been good neighbors and I’m a bit sad to see them leave.   They are moving up in the world…

    They said they would turn the house into a rental, so I’m hoping they make good choices.

    n

  17. Ray Thompson says:

    That pandering stunt improved nothing. Never let a crisis go to waste.

    That applies to the local news stations. They always try to find a local connection. “The person captured in Iran has an uncle that once drove through Knoxville, interview at eleven.”. Another thing that irritates me is when the governor gets on TV and says that everyone in TN has the person in our thoughts. Bzzztttt, wrong. I don’t have anyone in my thoughts. Or the mayor of Knoxville says that everyone in Knoxville is praying for a speedy recovery. Bzzzzztttt, wrong again. I know lots of people in Knoxville who don’t give a rat’s tooshie. Presuming to tell others what I, or others, think is just pandering for votes.

  18. Ray Thompson says:

    They said they would turn the house into a rental, so I’m hoping they make good choices.

    Bruiser, Tank Queen, and their load of brats all with unmuffled Harley’s, parties with their biker friends, and a cloud of weed smoke may be in your future. Or the state will force the house into section 8 housing and you get a couple of queer welfare queens and their 18 kids by 23 different fathers.

  19. Greg Norton says:

    To recap, Warren Buffett’s secretary makes a low six figure salary living in Omaha. If she isn’t a millionaire then she’s been very stupid with her money.

    I doubt Warren Buffett’s secretary is stupid with money.

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jamie-dimon-wants-hit-millionaires-095457284.html

  20. Greg Norton says:

    One of the big retailers here is selling off their non-food businesses: electronics, sporting goods, etc.. I wonder why? Actually, the only thing I don’t understand is why they are hiring McKinsey for $4 million/month to tell them to do so. Apparently, their own managers are incompetent?

    Who holds the stock of the big retailer?

    McKinsey is into everything. Mayor Pete worked for them doing something unspecified in the Middle East as part of his Deep State apprentice period.

  21. JimB says:

    >> Texture and dye the concrete.  Think “pine tree trunk”.

    This is about the cell phone towers disguised as faux trees. That was done some years ago in a nearby large community, but the towers look like pine trees, and are much more noticeable than unadorned galvanized steel. Someone didn’t realize that pine trees, and almost all trees for that matter, are not native on the desert floor. In the nearby mountains, sure.

    Our community has newer plain steel towers, and they are much less noticeable.

    Good thing those guys don’t design military camouflage!

  22. Greg Norton says:

    Bruiser, Tank Queen, and their load of brats all with unmuffled Harley’s, parties with their biker friends, and a cloud of weed smoke may be in your future. Or the state will force the house into section 8 housing and you get a couple of queer welfare queens and their 18 kids by 23 different fathers.

    Grow house.

  23. Ray Thompson says:

    Grow house.

    Meth lab. Oh, wait, that is TN.

  24. Greg Norton says:

    Grow house.

    Meth lab. Oh, wait, that is TN.

    Florida too.

    Once a state has legalized weed, hash cooking starts along with the inevitable explosions.

  25. MrAtoz says:

    Florida too.

    WA, too. My brother’s primary job working for the city of Seattle was finding meth labs.

  26. nick flandrey says:

    Ordered some new cams.   I’ve got one here at the house pointed at the bus stop area that got killed by lightning some time ago, and one that won’t reboot.  

    B&H has several speco cams on sale, including a full HD PTZ model at 1/10th its original cost.   That one is going to the BOL to point across the lake.    They have a workhorse turret style 4MP on sale for $40.  I bought 2, one for me, one for my client.  I’m thinking about getting another PTZ and a couple more of the 4MP turrets just because the price is so good.

    n

  27. Ray Thompson says:

    WA, too. My brother’s primary job working for the city of Seattle was finding meth labs.

    I’ll see your meth labs and raise you three stills.

  28. nick flandrey says:

    I have chased two sketchy renters away so far, simply by detailing the amount of street surveillance, and by letting them know that there are a half dozen of us on the street that are home all day…

    The bad guys want to be in neighborhoods where no one cares or pays attention.

    n

  29. nick flandrey says:

    I did go ahead and order the additional cams.   I’ll use them or sell them to my client.   I will probably upgrade a couple more of mine first, as I can use the better night vision and higher resolution.   The old cams are still working fine, but new cams are a lot better.

    n

  30. ITGuy1998 says:

    Just watched our son leave to go back to school. 2 years down, 2 more to go, plus an additional for MBA. How time flies.

  31. nick flandrey says:

    I was starting to let this tug on my heartstrings, then I read the part where she jumped on his car…

    Dad sobs over 22 year-old daughter’s hospital bed as she is wheeled off to donate organs ‘after she died during fight with boyfriend’

     

    Zahriya Moreno’s stricken father Robert was overcome with emotion as his daughter was taken off life support on Wednesday afternoon. The 22 year-old was wheeled away for organ donation surgery as 100 family, friends and medics at Banner University Healthcare in Tuscon, Arizona, said a final goodbye. The practice is known as an honor walk. Zahriya, whose twin brother Izac died in a 2021 motorcycle crash, was killed after jumping on her boyfriend’s car during an argument, then falling off it after he drove off, police say.

    n

  32. EdH says:

    I have chased two sketchy renters away so far, simply by detailing the amount of street surveillance, and by letting them know that there are a half dozen of us on the street that are home all day…

    @Nick: A friend that is a landlord found a method that worked pretty well for filtering out the worst. Basically it was an online form that had a list of detailed mandatory questions to be answered, and a list of conditions to be agreed to, for consideration at all. [Credit history, job history, criminal records, etc.  No pets, one vehicle, no noise, no children, etc.]

    I believe the web page stats said that 400+ people viewed the form, something on the order of 40 actually filled it out completely, only 20 were acceptable **by the terms of the form**, and only five agreed to show up to view the property, of which she chose one (despite a few shortcomings). 

    If your neighbor is interested I could find out more details, my friend was pulling her hair out dealing with the horrifically sketchy and trashy and completely worthless people that were applying, before this approach.  

  33. nick flandrey says:

    Since the Butler tragedy ,,,

    That’s what they are calling the assassination attempt and murder.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13746819/dhs-agent-secret-service-patch-jd-vance-rally.html

    n

  34. nick flandrey says:

    Walmart today boosted hopes that the US will avoid a recession – saying it expected bumper sales for the rest of the year after a strong second quarter. 

    It was a surprising – and welcome – update after Home Depot gave a more grim outlook earlier this week. 

    It also comes after worrying jobs data in recent weeks sent the stock market crashing.

    Walmart, often seen as a bellwether for the overall economy, accounting for $1 in every $12 spent in the US shops, said its US sales rose 4.2 percent in the three months ending in June.

    The figures were above what analysts had expected, sending the stock up more than 6 percent in early trading. 

    13:41

    Walmart’s strong second quarter leads to raised expectations for rest of the year

    Walmart’s second quarter saw strong profit and sales, CEO Doug McMillon told analysts on Thursday’s earnings call.

    The chain was ‘not seeing a weaker consumer overall,’ McMillon said.

    Walmart shares rose more than 6 percent in early trading on the news.

    The stock is up more than 30 percent year to date.

    — that’s a great way to lie or misdirect with the truth and omission.   Not mentioning  that walmart benefits as the economy tightens, because people move their spending down scale, while trumpeting walmart’s solid sales is misleading at best.   It’s certainly not a sign of a healthy economy.

    Macy’s and Neiman Marcus doing booming business would be a good sign.  But they are closing stores or declaring bankruptcy…

    n

  35. lynn says:

    Finished the Hidden Legacy books and novella.   I liked them a lot because of the family dynamic and change in viewpoint character…  something the authors play with in the Innkeeper series.

    They do stick to their Avon/Romance template, but the books are enjoyable.   They’d be the same without the (small number of) sex scenes, but I guess that’s part of the genre.  There’s a lot of stuff outside of the romance genre to catch and keep my interest.  

    BTW, if you like any of the books they’ve written, you’ll probably like them all… due to the genre conventions…

    All of their books are alternate universes with paranormal humans.  Right down my alley for me.

  36. lynn says:

    Avon/Romance template

    After the Kate Daniels series, I’ve now started the Legacy books. Their writing really is great, but re-using the trope “damsel falls for the bad boy, who is really just misunderstood” is a bit disappointing.

    Not bad boy, tough boy.  Bad boys get the girl pregnant and run away.  Tough boys get the girl pregnant and marry her.  And tough boys don’t slap her around like the bad boys do.

  37. lynn says:

    @Nick: A friend that is a landlord found a method that worked pretty well for filtering out the worst. Basically it was an online form that had a list of detailed mandatory questions to be answered, and a list of conditions to be agreed to, for consideration at all. [Credit history, job history, criminal records, etc.  No pets, one vehicle, no noise, no children, etc.]

    I make them pay the first month’s rent and deposit in cash.  Separates the wannabees from the real lifers.  Yes, I have had a tenant write me two checks to get in the house and then go close the checking account.

  38. nick flandrey says:

    We used a friend who is a Realtor to list the rental and manage the tenant selection process.   She got background and credit checks, met with prospects and showed the house.  I don’t recall how we compensated her, but she thought it was worth it.   W handles that stuff.

    Texas is better than most states for landlord rights, but you can still go wrong if you ask the wrong question, or make a wrong comment.

    Better to have someone else doing it so I can’t be blamed.

    n

  39. Greg Norton says:

    WA, too. My brother’s primary job working for the city of Seattle was finding meth labs.

    Meth cooking replaced the timber jobs in the I-5 corridor between Olympia and Portland.

  40. Greg Norton says:

    I’ll see your meth labs and raise you three stills.

    Please. Two years ago in Nashville, it seemed like every tourist kid had a moonshine distillery t-shirt.

    Friends who get to Gatlinburg frequently say that the place now has at least half a dozen moonshine “tasting rooms” with more on the way.

    Shine to TN is like Mickey Mouse ears to Orlando.

    Well, for now.

  41. Greg Norton says:

    I make them pay the first month’s rent and deposit in cash.  Separates the wannabees from the real lifers.  Yes, I have had a tenant write me two checks to get in the house and then go close the checking account.

    I had to get a money order from HEB for our last rental deposit, and the landlord insisted on being paid monthly using a credit union internal transfer, not a check from another bank.

  42. ITGuy1998 says:

    Shine to TN is like Mickey Mouse ears to Orlando.

    Always has been. I had several friends whose parents made it. I sampled some now and then, but never got the appeal. I still have me eyesight too.

  43. Greg Norton says:

    — that’s a great way to lie or misdirect with the truth and omission.   Not mentioning  that walmart benefits as the economy tightens, because people move their spending down scale, while trumpeting walmart’s solid sales is misleading at best.   It’s certainly not a sign of a healthy economy.

    Walmart also handles a large percentage of the remittances heading to points south of the Rio Grande since fees are waived if the recipient accepts the money as a WalMart gift card instead of cash.

  44. Greg Norton says:

    I suspect some very fine word parsing is going on when the media outlets say that Tim Walz does not own any stocks.

    He’s just plain folks. Right. This is starting to get annoying.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/tim-walzs-working-class-cred-no-stocks-no-bonds-and-he-doesnt-own-a-home/ar-AA1oxzoQ

    5
    1
  45. Lynn says:

    “True Dat”

        https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/08/true-dat.html

    “A system that has no problems printing currency without wealth will have no problems printing votes without voters.”

    All predicted in “The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 Paperback – June 20, 2017” by Lionel Shriver:

       https://www.amazon.com/MANDIBLES-FAMILY-2029-47_PB-171-POCHE/dp/000756077X/?tag=ttgnet-20/

    Things are going to get worse, way worse over the next few years.  There will be no middle class in a decade at most.

    6
    1
  46. Ray Thompson says:

    Friends who get to Gatlinburg frequently say that the place now has at least half a dozen moonshine “tasting rooms” with more on the way.

    Yes, that is true. The tasting used to be free, now it is $5.00 with that amount applied to any purchases. Too many people were wandering from tasting place to tasting place and drinking for free. Some would show up at the same place three or four times in a day. The tourists think they are getting the real thing. Sorry, Blueberry Delight is not the real stuff. The “real” stuff is, ahem, stout.

    There is also a place about 10 miles from where I live that makes, and sells, their own brand of moonshine. The former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. I know some people that can get me the real stuff, Mason jar, distilled through the radiator of a ’57 Dodge pickup truck. I tried a taste and I could barely breathe for several seconds. And like Mr. ItGuy, I still have my eyesight. My balls, however, disappeared for a couple of days.

  47. Lynn says:

    “Mpox a “global health emergency”? Really???”

        https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/08/mpox-global-health-emergency-really.html

    “For the second time in as many years, the World Health Organization has declared mpox (the new, non-racist, politically correct name for what used to be called monkeypox) to be a “global health emergency” . . . but is it really?”

    “According to a BBC report, here’s the incidence of mpox cases in Africa (the epicenter of the outbreak) over the past couple of years.”

    “So, Congo has reported more than 10,000 cases – out of a population estimated at about 110,000,000.  At a rough guesstimate, that amounts to an infection rate of less than one hundredth of one percent.  The rest of the continent is way down on that number, to an almost infinitesimally small proportion of the continent’s population – yet that’s defined as a global health emergency?”

    Somebody is looking for an emergency.

  48. Lynn says:

    “Tesla’s Cybertruck was the best selling vehicle priced over $100K in July”

       https://www.chron.com/culture/article/tesla-cybertruck-best-selling-19658251.php

    “People are snatching up the Cybertruck for an average transaction price of $111,018.”

    Unreal.  I suspect that the values will drop quickly.  My neighbor two doors down has two of them now.

  49. Greg Norton says:

    “People are snatching up the Cybertruck for an average transaction price of $111,018.”

    Whatever happened to the $40k truck?

    Or even the $68k trim level designed to qualify for the tax credit?

    I wonder how many of the $100k Jesus Trucks are doing Turo rental duty.

  50. Lynn says:

    “Andrew McCarthy: Prepare for Judge Juan Merchan to Sentence Trump to Prison on Sept. 18 – Two Months Before Election”

        https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/andrew-mccarthy-prepare-crooked-judge-juan-merchan-sentence/

    That would be bold.

  51. lpdbw says:

    I have an engineer friend who has a still in his basement, in an upscale neighborhood in a midwestern state.

    He wanted to make homemade limoncello, but decided to be truly homemade, he had to start with sugar and yeast and make his own “vodka”.   Really, more like Everclear.  He has a relative who is a petroleum engineer, and  so he built a propane fired fractionating reflux column still.  Because why not?  It’s what engineers do.

    After I tasted his wonderful limoncello, I bought (at Renfest!) a  small oak keg as a gift to him.

    He now has several of those kegs, and has made 100% barley malt “Irish” whiskey, which ages quickly and well in the small kegs.  It’s pretty tasty and mellow.  It turns out there’s a formula for aging, related to the charred surface area of the inside of the keg vs. the volume of the keg.  Small kegs don’t take nearly as long.  I suspect the Angel’s share is smaller, too.

    His production is for personal consumption and gifts, not for sale.  Kind of an extension of his brewing hobby.

  52. Ray Thompson says:

    I have an engineer friend who has a still in his basement, in an upscale neighborhood in a midwestern state.

    It is legal in TN to have a still to be used for personal consumption and gifts. However, the still has to be registered and there is fairly significant monitoring by the state.

    he built a propane fired fractionating reflux column still

    I don’t think I would want a propane burner for a still in my basement. Lots of combustion gases, heat and humidity are created. I would instead build a detached building and do the distilling in that building. If that would even be legal.

    engineer friend

    Of course, he may be more creative than I am regarding the process and solving the problems.

  53. Lynn says:

    ““Radioactive Waste for Voters”: Kevin O’Leary Says Chlamydia Harris “Has to Get Rid of Biden” to Win Over Americans”

        https://thelibertydaily.com/radioactive-waste-voters-kevin-oleary-says-chlamydia-harris/

    “Harris is reportedly intending to distance herself from Biden’s economic policies dubbed “Bidenomics,” which polls indicated has been a weak spot throughout his presidency, according to an Axios report on Wednesday. She is poised to announce her first major economic plan during a Friday rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she will reportedly propose a federal ban on supposed corporate “price-gouging” on food and groceries.”

    Price controls for all ! ! !  She will put price controls on everything.

    I remember this during the Nixon times when he put price controls on everything.  Then massive inflation once the price controls were relaxed.  All price controls do is cause the economy to come to a ceasing halt and delay the implemention of the rising prices.

  54. Greg Norton says:

    “Harris is reportedly intending to distance herself from Biden’s economic policies dubbed “Bidenomics,” which polls indicated has been a weak spot throughout his presidency, according to an Axios report on Wednesday. She is poised to announce her first major economic plan during a Friday rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she will reportedly propose a federal ban on supposed corporate “price-gouging” on food and groceries.”

    She won’t get far since the target is Kroger, one of the Geico Gecko’s more significant holdings.

  55. Lynn says:

    “Western Battle Tanks Are Invading Russia: Sky News”

        https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/western-battle-tanks-are-invading-russia-sky-news

    “In a first which hasn’t been witnessed since World War 2, Western battle tanks have been operating inside Russian territory. Sky News is reporting Thursday that Ukrainian troops have used British Challenger 2 tanks during the ongoing cross-border offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.”

    Um, Russia seems to be getting nervous about losing territory to the mercenaries fighting for Ukraine.  Of course, Russia could break out the canned sunshine.

        https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-ready-execute-nuclear-attacks-nato-targets-according-leaked-documents

  56. paul says:

    It’s 102f outside.  It’s breezy.  So, it’s not like being in an oven.  It’s like a convection oven.  I was “surveying my domain” through the laundry room door window.  The grass needs mowing.  Penny came and poked me in the leg with her nose so I let her our.  She looked around for a minute and right back into the house. 

    My wISP charges me $92 and change a month.  It just keeps getting better.  Speed used to be 25×5.  Then 30×10. I forget the next level.  Currently the plan is 90×90.  I’m getting 85 to 100×25 to 60.  That’s with trees in the way.  And that is with my router being just 10/100 and not 10/100/1000.  I need to swap the router. 

    So…. they need to replace some radios with new and improved radios.  But the guy they found to do it, well, they are $500 away from paying him to get started.   Yeah, Will can’t do everything by himself..  They run on a tight budget. 

    So the deal was “pay your bill today via zelle and you’ll get a matching bonus on your account”.  Up to $1000.

    Ok.  Pay for about 11 months and have and extra 11 months credited.   Yeah, better than what t-bills pay.

    He’s had other offers when they are a little short on cash.  Like pay $500 on your account and get credit for two months.  Pre-pay five months and get two months free?  Sure! 

    I might be a sucker.  But they just had a 10GB fiber to the main tower pulled in a couple of months ago and it shows.  Solid connection.  The old 1GB  fiber is still there as a back-up…. when it works…. because it keeps getting dug up out near Hutto.  The next big fiber plan is to get 10GB pulled up from San Antonio.

    Well, with the latest deal at the current price, I’m paid up for 40 months.  Time will tell if pre-paying was a good idea.

    And now it is 103f outside.

     
     

  57. Lynn says:

    “People are snatching up the Cybertruck for an average transaction price of $111,018.”

    Whatever happened to the $40k truck?

    Or even the $68k trim level designed to qualify for the tax credit?

    I wonder how many of the $100k Jesus Trucks are doing Turo rental duty.

    I am fascinated by the concept of renting out a truck that I just paid $111K for.   People tend to go wild in rental vehicles.  There is old expression “drive it like I stole it” which also applies to rental vehicles.  If you are paying $100 per day for a rental vehicle, you are not going to treat it like it is fragile.

    I am still wondering why my neighbor bought two of the Cybertrucks.  That makes no sense at all.  He is a plumber with about 30 plumbers working for him.  He had a big party last Saturday night for his employees but half of them had to park on our two lane country road with no shoulders.  They had a live band on his full court basketball court in the backyard with dancing and swimming in his pool.

    I’ll guarantee you that Tesla will not sell any of the $68K trucks while they can sell $111K trucks.

  58. Greg Norton says:

    I wonder how many of the $100k Jesus Trucks are doing Turo rental duty.

    I am fascinated by the concept of renting out a truck that I just paid $111K for.   People tend to go wild in rental vehicles.  There is old expression “drive it like I stole it” which also applies to rental vehicles.  If you are paying $100 per day for a rental vehicle, you are not going to treat it like it is fragile.

    I’ve heard stories about Turo brochures being presented to buyers in F&I rooms when the financing discussion starts.

    I’ve seen first hand an F150 Lightning on Uber Eats delivery duty. Parked right next to it was the Kia EV, also in a “Delivery driver only” space.

  59. nick flandrey says:

    New air filter and tightening the electrical seems to have fixed the problems with the Ranger.   The speedo even behaved, although that isn’t definitive yet.

    HEB had the 24 pack of Dr Pepper for $13, so only a bit more than Costco.

    Pork butt was 99c/pound so I bought some. 

    n

  60. Gavin says:

    I was working on my Ranger-From-A-Stranger (Mazda B-series) today. It doesn’t move forward, but will in reverse. I dropped the driveshaft and determined that the issue is the rear end this time, not the transmission. OK, I have 3 parts trucks for … reasons. Not one has a matching rear end, so either I swap and then figure out how to correct the speedometer, or buy a rear end (or another parts truck). Have to think about that; the yard is getting crowded.

  61. EdH says:

    I’ll guarantee you that Tesla will not sell any of the $68K trucks while they can sell $111K trucks.

    I thought I read somewhere recently that they’ve already phased that out, and their webpage only seems to show the $94k and the $114k trucks.

  62. EdH says:

    I may have bought the last Ram 1500 under $30k in California in 2019.

  63. crawdaddy says:

     There is old expression “drive it like I stole it” which also applies to rental vehicles.  

    I have found the top speed of every rental car I have ever rented (and every car I have ever owned – learned from Gramps). Funny, Hertz is still happy to have me as a customer. The last time they tried to tell me that some Suzuki SUV was “premium full size”, I pulled up in the tiny thing and showed them my left shoulder pressed against the window. They tried to correct my bad behavior in a densely packed city by swapping it out for a giant SUV (Suburban or Excursion, I can’t remember); I thanked them and then proceeded to find its rev-limited top speed on I-75. I was also treated to the “oversize” parking lots, which were actually closer than the normal parking garage levels. Hertz still likes me, even though they must have all kinds of “interesting” data about my driving habits.

  64. nick flandrey says:

    Hertz corporate might have some data, but the counter people surely don’t.  And Hertz doesn’t care much, they are going to send the cars to auction as soon as there is any problem or they age out anyway.

    I don’t typically drive any differently in a rental, my own, or a relative’s car.   When I was traveling for work I had a different rental every week.  President’s Circle with Hertz more than once… usually 5 star.  FWIW, I rent from Hertz because they stood behind us on 9-11 when we were trying to get out of NY and get home.  Some other companies, not so much.

    n

  65. Nick Flandrey says:

    I had an early start today, so I think I’ll try to get to bed early too.   Dunno if it will work, depends on my will power to not read, or my actual tiredness…

    n

  66. Lynn says:

    “O Please, O Please, O Please…”

        http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2024/08/o-please-o-please-o-please.html

    ““I will use an Executive Order to end the Second Amendment.” – Kamala Harris”

    ““We will confiscate all weapons of war starting with AR15s.” – Tim Walz”

    Texas and 30+ states will secede that day. We won’t wait for the gun seizure squads.

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