Sat. Oct. 5, 2024 – home this weekend, so work will be avoided…

By on October 5th, 2024 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

I suck as a weatherman… today will likely be hot and humid, because we did get some rain yesterday, just after I said we wouldn’t. Just enough to wet everything in my truck… and today will probably be similar, threatening clouds, while slightly warmer and more humid than the last week. Or not, as I said, I suck at forecasting. Of course, so do they.

I did my long round trip yesterday. Took routes I haven’t taken in a while (290 to Austin) and never took (Alt 90 back to Houston instead of I-10.) I am a firm believer in taking different routes places so you see new things.

The stuff I picked up is in pretty good shape. I’ll test the big money pieces today, but I already got a working pro level fog machine, and two older but still working moving lights. My living room was like a disco last night…

Today I’ll do some more testing, and work my list of normal stuff. I really hope I can work outside in comfort. I’ve got a lot to do out there.

There is always stuff to do.

Since I’m moving and re-stacking food preps, I’ll encourage you to do the same. I’ve had some losses, both food and water storage. Those will have to be replaced. My buckets are getting brittle from the UV of indirect sunlight, just like my Aquatainers did. And I’ve had several gamma lids fail. It’s an argument for keeping stuff in the bags it came in, inside the buckets. You won’t fit as much, but it might reduce spoilage in the event of a failure. Also, gamma lids are for buckets that are “in use” not long term storage. Make sure you have extra buckets, lids, and gamma lids.

Stack what you need.

nick

45 Comments and discussion on "Sat. Oct. 5, 2024 – home this weekend, so work will be avoided…"

  1. brad says:

    Ah, home again. Always nice 🙂 Even if the first thing I had to do was mow the lawn.

    Younger son is apparently at a pro-Palestine demo. I doubt he’s participating directly, more likely being part of a supportive audience. It’s not even that I am pro-Israel, but the whole Middle East is a mess, and the Palestinians are as guilty as anyone. Just look to last October.

    Ah, well, things look simpler when you’re young.

  2. brad says:

    Or consider open container laws.   Driver is sober, passes skill and blood tests.   Passenger has an open container, and arrests get mad

    After living in Europe for a while, the Puritanism of the US looks pretty weird. On the evening trains, it is completely normal to see people relaxing with a beer. In the US, public drinking is at best frowned upon and in most places illegal. Why? Open container laws. Drinking age 21. Etc.

    Oh, another one that’s hilarious: women’s nipples not being allowed to show through their clothing on TV. Nude scenes everywhere, but covered nipples will surely corrupt the youth.

  3. CowboyStu says:

    @ EdH & JimB,

    David and I were not going to Red Rock State Park anyway,  However, our next trip will be to the low desert Anza Borrego Desert State Patk going to stay in Borrego Springs Friday, day after Thanksgiving, and returning that Sunday.  We have reservations at the Palm Canyon Resurt Hotel,  We would be very delighted to see you.

    We will be doing the Indian Wells  Brewery, Five Fingers and Lone Pine next year.

  4. brad says:

    Just surfing, so I looked in on Gateway Pundit and glanced at the top couple of paragraphs of two articles.

    – Article about the Loch Ness monster being sighted on sonar “328 feet above the surface of the loch”.

    – Article about Hurricane Helene: “…the people throughout the southwest who are struggling…”

    I know no one bothers hiring editors any more, but apparently journalists don’t even proofread their own articles? FWIW I’m pretty sure that’s not AI – those are human mistakes.

  5. Greg Norton says:

    Ah, well, things look simpler when you’re young.

    … and want to get into the pants of the cute blonde coed wearing the head scarf for “solidarity” with the cause.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    I know no one bothers hiring editors any more, but apparently journalists don’t even proofread their own articles?

    AI.

    I’ve seen some pretty gross things at work lately related to AI use, but I got a weird email yesterday about company policy regarding sharing on social media which makes me wonder if someone is out here poking around.

    I’ll leave it at “gross”.

  7. EdH says:

    Heh.

    Having started Season 2 of The Rings of Power last night (mostly sound-off in the background) this was funny:

    https://xkcd.com/2994/

    Weird that they have commercials during their own flagship “original”.

  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    Overcast and humid.  At least it’s not 90F yet.

    I’m up, caffeinated, and fed.   Time to start on stuff.

    A little bit of auction stuff first, then I’m off.

    —————-

    The other day I saw “riff” used when the author meant “rife” and another incorrect word with similar spelling that I can’t remember.  Proofreading is for suckers, apparently.  So is school.

    n

  9. Nick Flandrey says:

    @brad, I’m sure you pointed out to him the repercussions of being in the wrong databases?   And the power of facial recognition?  The US is not the only country that will be locking people up for attending a rally, and while pro-murderer is currently on the approved list, it’s not impossible that there is a future where that is flipped.

    FBI is STILL arresting people for the January 6 demonstration.

    n

  10. Greg Norton says:

    FBI is STILL arresting people for the January 6 demonstration.

    A significant portion of the population wants nothing less than to see Bad Daddy swing from gallows built on the very spot where he was Inaugurated in 2017.

    Not that I believe it would satisfy them, but, in the mean time, there are plenty of other Bad Daddies to arrest and imprison.

  11. Greg Norton says:

    @brad, I’m sure you pointed out to him the repercussions of being in the wrong databases?   And the power of facial recognition?  The US is not the only country that will be locking people up for attending a rally, and while pro-murderer is currently on the approved list, it’s not impossible that there is a future where that is flipped.

    Eventually, the Jacobins themselves were rounded up and put to the guillotine blade.

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    Eventually, the Jacobins themselves were rounded up and put to the guillotine blade.  

    – not before irreparable harm was done though.

    n

  13. brad says:

    @brad, I’m sure you pointed out to him the repercussions of being in the wrong databases?

    Nah, he’s a big boy. And fully aware of IT issues. That’s one reason I’m pretty sure he wasn’t in the demo, but just looking on. His girlfriend, not so sure, she’s far enough left that she might participate. If so, there’s nothing I could say that would matter.

  14. Nick Flandrey says:

    Hates what Austin has become, but took the money when his house appreciated…

    Complains about “guns” in Texas.   And the heat.  Texas and Austin seem to have been pretty good to him and his family.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13917579/austin-photo-liberal-texas-city-alex-hannaford.html 

    plugging his book.

    n

  15. Gavin says:

    nutria

    So… what do they taste like and how long do you have to boil them to kill the parasites?

  16. Greg Norton says:

    Hates what Austin has become, but took the money when his house appreciated…

    Complains about “guns” in Texas.   And the heat.  Texas and Austin seem to have been pretty good to him and his family.

    No word on where the author lived. I’m guessing up in my area for the schools, which would be somewhat hypocritical.

    SxSW still occasionally has a breakthrough movie or musician get discovered at the festival, but that doesn’t happen much anymore.

    The last mainstream film which flew under the radar and blew up at SxSW was “Baby Driver”.

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

    “That’s some Oscar sh*t right there.”

    Indeed.

  17. paul says:
    Complains about “guns” in Texas.   And the heat. 

    Poor baby.  If he liked Austin in 1999, 1980 would have blown his mind. 

  18. JimB says:

    From yesterday:

    Does anyone know if the 911 call system keeps track of who calls and when?  And if it collates or aggregates that information? Or presents it to the call taker?  Like they get a pop up that says the caller has called for service or made a report x number of times over y period of time… or if that info is available to others, for review, or for identifying frequent callers?  Does it get added to a dossier or file?  Is it searchable?

    Of course, it can only keep track of the phone number the caller used, but you already knew that. Until we are forced to use a personal ID, we can hide behind any number we wish. Most are personally identifiable with KYC (Know Your Customer), but there are ways to get a truly anonymous phone number, or to use someone else’s. Nick of all people might know something about this.

    As for data integration, it goes way deeper than what Nick said above:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkCkilZ7EaQ

    Already deployed in small ways. The people who want this are learning and refining. Be afraid.

  19. JimB says:

    That surveillance story I posted earlier reminded me of this.

    I was involved as a customer in planning a new IT system before I retired. Even back then, biometrics was (probably) good enough to be used as ID. When someone proposed that during the formative stages, several people said no way, and I didn’t have to say a word against it. We wanted something divorced from the individual for many good reasons. I retired before it was fully specified, but biometrics was not part of it. Now I realize some of our objections could have been satisfied while using biometrics as the front end, but am still glad it was eliminated.

    Here is a different twist on biometrics that says courts have held that the authorities can (legally, without a warrant) force you to use your biometrics to unlock your phone, but would need a warrant to force you to reveal a passcode to do the same thing:

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

    All this is probably already moot, because encryption might now be too compromised to be useful:

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

    Remember, an honest man only needs to fear dishonest people.

  20. JimB says:

    @ EdH & JimB,

    David and I were not going to Red Rock State Park anyway,  However, our next trip will be to the low desert Anza Borrego Desert State Patk going to stay in Borrego Springs Friday, day after Thanksgiving, and returning that Sunday.  We have reservations at the Palm Canyon Resurt Hotel,  We would be very delighted to see you.

    We will be doing the Indian Wells  Brewery, Five Fingers and Lone Pine next year.

    Thanks for the invitation. That’s a long way to go, and I don’t yet know our plans for Thanksgiving. We will likely be here. We were here for the previous two Thanksgivings, and my wife really enjoyed being home.

    I enjoyed your visits to this area, and it will be good to see you next year.

  21. Brad says:

    Encryption isn’t compromised, but it doesn’t need to be. I don’t understand why governments keep pushing for that. They can easily compromise the endpoints. Let you send a perfectly encrypted message, using an app that sends a plain-text copy somewhere else.

  22. Greg Norton says:

    The Gulf is still bathwater as another storm heads towards Florida. This time, the track is right across Tampa Bay through Orlando.

    https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/weather/tropical#Water_Temperatures-WX

  23. EdH says:

    Rodents of unusual size in SF?   That’s a harsh, if accurate, way to describe the city board of supervisors….

  24. Alan says:

    >> I am fairly sure that Kamala is going to EO some serious Red Flag laws that will catch 100% of the gun owners in the USA.  All they will have to do is just show up at your house, note that you are breathing, and grab your guns.

    Yet she (and Timmy) have guns (plural) at home, and are prepared to use them? Not sure (for her) that her Secret Service protective detail would go along.

    Hmm, do former VPOTUS get lifetime SS protection? Timmy though, can get a gig as a social influencer for Tampax.

  25. Alan says:

    >> The Gulf is still bathwater as another storm heads towards Florida. This time, the track is right across Tampa Bay through Orlando.

    More details:

    1. Landfall will occur in Florida. Timing is Wednesday. No changes are expected.
    2. A strong cold front is going to head South early next week. Our hope is, it sends dry air and shear to limit development. Problem is, by then, it will probably already be a hurricane. Still, limiting max winds would be a huge help. It’s a very close call in timing. It’s pretty simple. The models showing a weaker storm are impacted by dry air and shear. The models that show a stronger storm aren’t.
    3. Surge will occur just to the South of landfall. If you’re North, winds will blow offshore and you won’t see surge. So in this case, exact track is massive. 10 miles will make a big difference. No way this early to be that precise, so it’s a waiting game.
    4. In addition, strongest winds will be within 10-15 miles of the eye. So unlike Helene which covered a large area, Milton will be more landfall specific with impacts. It’s a big coastline. Unfortunately, someone will see this, but the overall threat of any particular area seeing landfall this early is low. The track will shift. It always does. The margin or error this far out is 150 miles.
    5. We’ll be updating 24/7. Hopefully you’ll find the information useful. Our goal is always to give you more than you need than not enough. The last thing we ever want to hear is “I didn’t know”. Now is the time to prepare. It’s cliche but it’s true. “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.”
  26. Alan says:

    >> I like the Mountain House variety boxes that Costco used to sell.   I’ve got a bunch on the shelf.  I do add to them, instant coffee, instant oatmeal, koolaid powder,  and some leftover plastic utensils.  Then I reseal the box.

    Hmm, it’s a bucket now.

    Thanks @nick, those buckets look like a good choice. And coincidentally, the first bucket being gluten free reminded me that since W2 is now g-f, I need to make sure that’s accounted for. And thanks to everyone else that made suggestions, much better than some rando AI response from Goog.

    >> Oh. And canned ravioli. And Vienna sausages. Stuff kids will eat.

    And something the dogs will eat, and water for them.

  27. Greg Norton says:

    Hmm, do former VPOTUS get lifetime SS protection? Timmy though, can get a gig as a social influencer for Tampax.

    No. Six months then out.

    That’s why Plugs was able to store the secret documents in the garage next to the ‘vette. Secret Service would have noticed and had them moved.

    First Ladies get protection until they die. The Secret Service hut out at the LBJ ranch was remodeled and kept up to date until Lady Bird Johnson died in 2007.

  28. Lynn says:

    Wizard Of Id: Bike Trail

       https://www.gocomics.com/wizardofid/2024/10/05

    That is one long bike trail !

  29. Denis says:

    The power of timezones and going to bed late. I can now, on Sunday morning for me (well, middle of the night), post the latest post on Friday. Cool.

    Goodnight, all.

  30. Nick Flandrey says:

    Found a $1500 Bosch microwave on the curb.   Really good condition, super clean, built in 2018.    Has arcing and noise inside when run.   There is a $3 cover over the waveguide that is half missing and burnt, which is where the arcing is happening.

    I ordered the part, with shipping it’s $12.   Worth the small risk of $12 to get a like new built in Bosch microwave… especially since I’ll be redoing the kitchen at the BOL in the near-ish future.   Plus I get to fix something, and keep it from the landfill.  That’s pretty green…

    n

  31. Alan says:

    >> That’s pretty green…

    Retrieved while riding your tricycle, right? 

  32. drwilliams says:

    Topic of Ace of Spades Hobby Thread today is prepping.

    https://ace.mu.nu/

    Illustrated with single-panel Peanuts and Simpsons, and a Dilbert from 2011 (marked July-311).

    Nice “canned goods” meme, too.

  33. Lynn says:

    “Tropical Storm Milton forms in the Gulf: Zero impacts for Texas, but a very serious threat to Florida”

       https://spacecityweather.com/tropical-storm-milton-forms-in-the-gulf-zero-impacts-for-texas-but-a-very-serious-threat-to-florida/

    “Although we remain about four days—give or take—from a landfall along the west coast of Florida, it is important for residents of the state to take Milton very seriously. We realize that some areas of the state remain dazed by Hurricane Helene, but this is a similarly threatening storm. Although we don’t have full confidence in precisely where the storm will track, it does seem very possible that it will directly impact the greater Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which has a population in excess of 3 million people.”

  34. Ken Mitchell says:

    nutria

    So… what do they taste like and how long do you have to boil them to kill the parasites?

    I have a recipe for seagull, and I’m sure that it would work just as well for nutria.

    1.  Put a seagull and a rock of the same size in a pot of boiling water.
    2. Boil them until you can stick a fork in the rock.
    3. Throw away the seagull, and eat the rock.
  35. Gavin says:

    This came up in my feed today.

  36. Gavin says:

    it can only keep track of the phone number

    Be willing to bet that any notes, including names, locations and events, can be searched.

  37. Nick Flandrey says:

    Nutria are supposed to be really tasty.

    n

  38. Lynn says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13921083/dangerous-rat-creatures-orange-teeth-invade-california.html

    nutria

    Good eating.  Tastes like squirrel.  Dark meat.

    We’ve got huge colonies of nutria in Fort Bend County.

  39. Lynn says:

    Does anyone know if the 911 call system keeps track of who calls and when?  And if it collates or aggregates that information? Or presents it to the call taker?  Like they get a pop up that says the caller has called for service or made a report x number of times over y period of time… or if that info is available to others, for review, or for identifying frequent callers?  Does it get added to a dossier or file?  Is it searchable?

    Of course, it can only keep track of the phone number the caller used, but you already knew that. Until we are forced to use a personal ID, we can hide behind any number we wish. Most are personally identifiable with KYC (Know Your Customer), but there are ways to get a truly anonymous phone number, or to use someone else’s. Nick of all people might know something about this.

    I wonder if there is a place for your Social Credit Score already ?

  40. Lynn says:

    Found a $1500 Bosch microwave on the curb.   Really good condition, super clean, built in 2018.    Has arcing and noise inside when run.   There is a $3 cover over the waveguide that is half missing and burnt, which is where the arcing is happening.

    I ordered the part, with shipping it’s $12.   Worth the small risk of $12 to get a like new built in Bosch microwave… especially since I’ll be redoing the kitchen at the BOL in the near-ish future.   Plus I get to fix something, and keep it from the landfill.  That’s pretty green…

    Wow, that is very 1970s pricing for a microwave.  I just buy a Hamilton Beach at Walmart for $100 or so.

  41. Lynn says:

    >> Oh. And canned ravioli. And Vienna sausages. Stuff kids will eat.

    One of my friends has a couple of hundred cases of canned ravioli from Sam’s Club under the beds in his house.  He figures that is the best prepper food for high carbs, etc.

  42. nick flandrey says:

    Wow, that is very 1970s pricing for a microwave.  

    – it’s a really nice 30″ built in.   Lot of nice one button features too.  Pity that it’s not the dual that has a convection bake function…

    https://www.bosch-home.com/us/en/mkt-product/cooking-baking/microwaves/built-in-microwaves/HMB50152UC 

    Modern high end appliances are crazy money.  Especially german, swiss, or other european imports.

    n

  43. nick flandrey says:

    I can’t eat the orange colored pasta in a can.   It tastes and smells exactly like stomach bile to me.   I would try if I was hungry enough, but not by choice.     I don’t even eat good red pasta sauces.  Nor do I cook them, so my kids don’t eat them either.

    n

  44. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’m really glad we have running water and modern hygiene.  

    n

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