Cool, wet, and maybe clearing later. Or not. We started warm and muggy, ended cool and wet. Localized light showers with occasional high wind throughout the day. Not the worst of days, not the best. And that’s where I’m starting today.
Did my volunteer stuff at school. Pretty much wrapped on this project but there’s a lot to do over the next couple of months. Shouldn’t be too hard to fit it in. I’m making a list and when I get some time, I’ll sneak in for a couple of hours and knock stuff out.
Time, time, ask me for anything but time…
Spent the rest of the day doing stuff around the house, starting with cleaning up the recording of the school’s show. It sounds pretty good, considering the source. There are some lovely voices in that middle school. I really like the music and book for the musical they did too. I’m singing at my desk.
Today should be an attempt to get some auction stuff out of the house, or ready to leave. I’m going to talk to another auctioneer about taking some consignments. I can’t have stuff just sitting here. The close auctioneers aren’t getting great prices though, so I have to go a bit farther afield. We’ll see how that turns out.
I’ve also got to do some pickups today. More stuff for the house and the BOL. I hope the rain holds off.
It occurred to me that I have to get some radio gear installed into my vehicles too. The handhelds cover me for the license plates, I think, but permanently installed radios would be better. I just have to FIND the ones I thought I put aside for the trucks. I’m pretty sure they are in a bin here in my office. I haven’t had time to dig them out though…
That’s kind of a recurring refrain, isn’t it. Easier to stack than to USE the stacks. Shouldn’t stop you from stacking though.
nick
Looking at the national weather map last night. Low is pumping large amounts of rain into upper midwest just in time for cold weather to lock it into the ground for next spring.
West coast looking down the barrel at a bomb cyclone delivered by an atmospheric river.
The sheer amounts of water are staggering
Had to grind some beans this am, and my grinder is kinda broken. I dropped it and somehow messed up the safety interlock that keeps you from running it without the lid. I can turn the lid around and depress the switch with a screwdriver, so that is what I’m doing for now. Somehow the connecting rod got to be 1/8 inch short. Maybe the switch moved? Haven’t looked at that. I’ve got backup, but would prefer to fix this one.
Looks like a clear morning. Didn’t see the thermometer yet.
Time to get some kids moving.
n
Ah, 55F and mostly clear. I can see my breath.
———
WWIII just got that much closer.
Ukraine fires first US-made missile into Russia: WW3 fears as Kremlin threatens ‘nuclear response’ if long-range Western weapons are used on its territory
———
Let the pandering begin. Or maybe let the truth come out….
Cynical tricks of food giants that are making so many obese. This is how the smartest people on earth make ultra-processed food irresistible and train you to snack
———
Aesop has a way with words… “Sometimes, you just have to shank a skank to get respect!”
Shank a skank. Oh my.
n
I read the Disney “live action” remake of Snow White” popped a budget of $269 million.
Are there enough PLTs in the World to make it profitable? How can it possibly cost that much?
Lots of reshooting and redoing the CG “companions.”
n
Big Smile!
US missile crews.
“Magical Creatures”.
I‘m not kidding.
if I had to guess, The Beard did something wrong with one or both of the two female leads on the set of “Westside Story” so Disney is obliged to finish and release this mess just like they did with “Wish” In order to buy silence.
The SOB’s at the Apple trade-in company have struck again. I sent in my M2 Air as trade, value $685.00. Now the trade-in company is saying the screen is damaged. The problem is the “damage” is actually reflected light from their overhead lights. This dropped the value to $135.00. The picture was intentionally taken that way so the company (AI) could scam everyone.
I suspect that AI is giving the reduced value but providing the full trade-in value to themselves.
This trade-in partner is scamming Apple and their customers.
We upgraded one of the kids MBP a little over a year ago. The trade-in was sent back with ”screen doesn’t meet standards”. I still use it to run MrsAtoz’s Zoom rig I built. The screen looks fine to me.
The trade-in company didn’t even offer a lower price. They just sent it back. Their loss.
Some quick thoughts on valuation of stuff for sale or trade…
When I do an “in person” sale, I want ½ of ebay sold price for the item. I’m only giving up 1/6 of the potential value, and I don’t have to pack, ship, or deal with returns. (Sold price-⅓ to fees = 4/6 of sold price. I accept 3/6, thereby only giving up a 1/6.) Half off ebay looks like a huge discount but is not that much off my net.
Trade in or buy back companies need to make a HUGE margin to stay in business (exclusive of any fees or charges or payments they get from mandatory electronics recycling programs for affiliated prime sellers.) Their offer is going to be low, but is it really that much lower than a realistic sale price, net to you?
FWIW, in an online auction locally, I’m hoping for 1/10 to 1/6 of ebay sold price. The buyers know they are taking risks, so usually won’t pay as much. As is, where is, and no returns… are the usual terms, and you don’t normally get to inspect the item before purchase. This is especially true if the most likely buyer is a reseller hoping to flip the item- at that point you are lucky to get the “used wholesale” value. This is often what I might have paid for the item. This is why I say that resellers “make” their money when they buy. If you don’t get it cheap enough, you can’t make money on it, no matter how nice it is, buyers just won’t pay more.
Different markets have different sold prices based on a number of factors, and learning where to buy and where to sell is going to be important as the economy continues to get tighter. This is why I keep harping on getting out there and participating in the secondary economy. You need practice. And you can save money NOW as a bonus.
nick
I cut this text from an X post I found when I asked myself a simple question and did a search for answers.
The question is, what is the political affiliation of people who shoot presidents?
This omits the 2 separate attempts on Gerald Ford, where shots were fired but he was not injured, and the 2nd assassination attempt on DJT where the assassin was discovered before shooting. And the potential 3rd attempt which has fallen off the radar.
In all cases, the assassin was either to the left of the target, or crazy. And except for JFK, all the targets were Republicans.
@Nick
Currently eBay here in the UK is not charging me any fees – Gross equals Net. I am not a trader as such.
”Manson Family” crazy in the case of Squeaky Fromme.
I contacted Apple, multiple times, before reaching a supervisor. I sent that person (Emily) a picture of the screen of the laptop taken just before I put the machine in the box. She said she would have the problem looked into. It would take up to 48 hours.
Four hours later I get an email saying my trade in is complete for $135.00. Uh, no. I never authorized the completion of the trade.
I then get an email saying that I am getting an Apple gift card for $680.00. Uh, no, I don’t want an Apple gift card. Back on the phone with Apple.
I am then informed there are two refunds, one for $680, the gift card, and $67 back on the Apple Card. I explained the trade-in is supposed to be the original form of purchase, the Apple Card, not a gift card. I am not spending $680.00 in the Apple ecosystem, for several years.
I told the Apple person I want the money applied to the Apple Card, as per the original agreement in the trade-in documents. He said he was able to do that and would be making the change. It will take 2-3 days for the refunds to appear.
Yes, I am still out about $5.00 for the entire trade-in. It is not worth my sanity to continue to deal with Apple support over $5.00.
Talk about a screwed up system. From Apple’s trade-in company that is screwing people, and Apple, over trade-ins, to Apple refunding to the wrong location. I am not impressed.
“This! Exactly this!”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/11/this-exactly-this.html
“The left’s age-old tactic of smearing, vilifying and targeting those they consider potentially dangerous is getting very old. Too many people are shaking their heads and saying “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”, ignoring the fact that precisely the same attacks have been made against anyone and everyone the progressive left (not to mention RINO’s) don’t like.”
“Enough!”
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green puts it in a nutshell:”
This ! Let the sunshine in !
If you release one, then release them all !
@Ray
Welcome to Elysium. Here’s your accordian.
@Nick
Not sure how you get to”1/3 to fees”.
Base eBay seller account has no monthly fee and gets 250 free insertions per month. Final Value Fee is roughly 12.5-15% (listing category dependent). FVF is charged on shipping if charged to buyer (e.g. buyer pays $10 shipping, seller is charged $1.50 if FVF rate is 15%). FVF is also charged on sales tax paid by buyer. There is also a $0.40 per transaction fee on sales over $10.
The net effective percentage varies with the amount of the sale, but it’s more in the 1/5 to 1/4 ballpark than 1/3.
Low dollar sales have higher percentage charges, so moving cheap items into lots makes sense.
I think it’s more like Vaseline. Tomorrow may be Vick’s Vapor Rub for a really cheap thrill.
Save the margarine wrappers.
LOL! That’s a good one!
“This is the part of the show where we dance…”
Lower Decks = Sprockets
I smell the Jeb! wing of the Florida Republican party at work in the case of Gaetz.
They had resigned themselves to Gaetz succeeding DeSantis as Governor until Trump made the surprise nomination.
A lot of RINOs in Florida are uncomfortable with how far DeSantis went to secure power, especially Jeb!, who left office under a cloud.
My accordian post was in honor of this Gary Larson cartoon.
“Terra: The New Frontiers Series, Book Seven” by Jack L Knapp
https://www.amazon.com/Terra-New-Frontiers-Book-Seven/dp/B09BSWPQ7G?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number seven of a eight book science fiction space opera series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback self published by the author in 2021. I have all eight books in the series and am rereading them now with the number seven and eight books that I just bought from Big River.
Wow, great story with lots of character development and action. An older engineer buys a bunch of Nikola Tesla’s journals in an old chest and spots a design for an “electric turbine” that was never built. He builds a working version of the electric impeller (a device that converts electricity into motion) after many restarts and has an anti-gravity device. The rest of the story concerns project funding and building various containers for the electric impeller and various peoples trying to steal the design. And aliens. Lots of space aliens.
The Mars humans now have Flicker FTL space ships that can totally clone themselves. The ships and their AI computers are way beyond what the Mars humans and Terran humans can produce. But, going FTL is dangerous and there is hard radiation that makes it through the ship’s hull. The Flickers get around the radiation by swimming in their nanite pools daily on board the ships. The Flickers are near immortal due to their nanite pools but are slowly dying out since no males have been born in thousands of years. Apparently their DNA was severely damaged during a civil war thousands of years ago which radically changed the survivors.
The writing of the story is a little bit rough, a little more editing would have been good. But for me, the story is always the most important thing.
BTW, this is not the first time that a story has been written similar to this. Several stories have “magical” engines for space drives. A very similar book is John Varley’s most excellent “Red Thunder” which uses the squeezer drive.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Thunder-Lightning-Novel/dp/0441011624?tag=ttgnet-20/
The reason why I like these stories so much is that it is not just the new drive device, it is also the design and work to build the container around the new device. And the resulting societal changes from the revolutionary technological changes.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (51 reviews)
Lynn
I smell the Jeb! wing of the Florida Republican party at work in the case of Gaetz.
They had resigned themselves to Gaetz succeeding DeSantis as Governor until Trump made the surprise nomination.
A lot of RINOs in Florida are uncomfortable with how far DeSantis went to secure power, especially Jeb!, who left office under a cloud.
Con or Pro ? I suspect Con though as Jeb is a nasty piece of work.
“I did not know that”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/11/i-did-not-know-that.html
“Larry Lambert, writing at Virtual Mirage, explains why Big Pharma is so upset at the prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being appointed as the Secretary of Health & Human Services.”
I am not comfortable banning anyone in the USA from advertising their products. After all, everyone in the USA has a guarantee of free speech, especially from the federal and state governments.
@drwilliams, I have an ebay store that costs every month, not much, but it does. I pay points to paypal, or did anyway, and as you mentioned, fees vary by category. The amount they vary has changed over time. Ebay also encourages sellers to make discounted offers and to pay to be “featured” vs on the 10th page of search results. I rarely bought the ‘featured” but sometimes would offer the discount. All the small costs add up.
I pay fees to my bank when ebay does a transfer.
And there are costs to pack too, which weren’t covered by the shipping fee, even BEFORE ebay tried to give away my shipping discount to customers.
One return per month eats into the profit too.
So I round to 1/3.
My main point when I explain that to others is that what looks like a big discount to my customer isn’t really that much to me.
And the comment as a whole was a (not exactly) counterpoint to the “trade-in companies pay too little” because the comparison of ebay sold values isn’t really good, since the ebay seller doesn’t actually profit that much, and a business needs to profit.
n
“New Windows Recovery Mode Aims to Prevent Repeat of Crowdstrike Outage”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/new-windows-recovery-mode-aims-to-prevent-repeat-of-crowdstrike-outage
“’Quick Machine Recovery’ mode will let IT administrators remotely fix a Windows machine even if it’s unable to boot. Microsoft also teases a public preview of a security layer without kernel access.”
Oh look, a new backdoor in Windows.
And why do antivirus vendors need Kernel access ? Why does anyone need Kernel access ?
“I Can’t Stop Laughing…”
https://www.libertystorch.info/2024/11/16/i-cant-stop-laughing/
“ …and you won’t either, if you watch to the end:”
Two minute “Don’t Cry Cryo” video.
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1857522274917556573
Ok, that is hilarious even with the sound off.
LMAO!
@Nick
“All the small costs add up.”
That’s why they call it “feeBay”
When I started on eBay the FVF was less than 5% up to $25, then it dropped lower. No FVF on shipping, which got abused, and provided the excuse for eBay to start charging FVF on shipping–which they still do, even though most of the shipping now goes though eBay, and they have no excuse.
I don’t eBay much any more. I do not offer free shipping, because it isn’t free to me. I don’t accept returns unless “not as described”, because I’m not Amazon or a lending library. eBay will always force a refund, and I’ve been on the short end too many times to pass any opportunity to screw them in return. And when eBay does side with a scam buyer, I write up the details and submit it to a couple of the independent sites that keep public lists. There’s also the eBay “blocked bidder list” that offers some protection against the stupid scammers repeating with you.
Jeb! was an effective Governor for most of his two terms, but, in the last year he held the office, 2006, Shrub’s “wars” started to become unpopular, and Jeb! got involved with the Terry Schiavo case at a very hands-on level, alienating many voters.
What would have been an easy Senate seat pickup for the Republicans with Jeb! turned into two terms of Bill Nelson, who was already headed down Dementia Highway.
Yes, the current NASA Administrator.
I don’t know about antivirus companies, but an intrusion detection vendor is going to write what is called an Ndis “shim driver” to scan incoming and outgoing network traffic against a set of rules, sending anything suspicious to a central server either on site or at a central collection point for further analysis.
The shim driver may also have a mitigation feature to stop certain network traffic either by remote command or based on analysis from a more sophisticated piece of software at the application layer on the Windows system.
Usually, the shim drivers are signed by Redmond after careful analysis, but I believe Crowdstrike had the capability to put theirs into production without submission for the signature.
Only the US and New Zealand allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription meds on TV.
During our trip last week we saw a fair bit of basic cable at night in places which shut down after dark, and the drug ads were out of control after RFK Jr. was announced as HHS Secretary.
Gotta move that Wegovy now!
In Boston, we stayed at a small hotel near Moderna HQ across from MIT, and it took me a day or so to realize that most of the other guests were business travelers there on Moderna business.
One morning, at breakfast, the wife of one scientist-looking guy seated at the next table was going on about the election, yakking about how she always wanted to be a tattoo artist (!) but that having to pay for healthcare put a crimp in that dream. She also talked about how her gay newly minted MechE grad son was fearful for what will happen in January.
The ACLU Begins Its Fight Against Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/11/19/aclu-already-suing-over-mass-deportation-plan-n2647971
Deport every single one that missed their court date or committed a crime of any kind.
The rest:
Arrest.
Sample DNA.
Incarcerate. Courts have a years long backlog? In jail they sit.
Move them around–see the Feebies J6 playbook.
Split families.
Offer free tickets “home” to anyone signing an agreement never to re-enter the United States without a visa.
Only the US and New Zealand allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription meds on TV.
The USA is the only country in the world with the unlimited freedom of speech embedded in its Constitution. Every other country in the world has limits to their so-called freedom of speech. Especially the European countries that we lost thousands of soldiers freeing them from the Nazis in WWII.
We need to value the freedom of speech. The liberal judges are continuously inventing limits to it. Someday something you love will prompt you to express yourself about it and you might get arrested for that expression.
“These senators pose a threat to Trump’s Cabinet members getting confirmed”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/3233933/these-senators-pose-threat-trump-cabinet-members-getting-confirmed/
Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, and Susan Collins. All RINOs.
I’ll bet that John Cornyn will be joining that group also. I will be actively campaigning against him in 2026 as he does not represent Texas very well.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
“BREAKING: Trump nominates Dr. Mehmet Oz to head Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services”
https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-trump-nominates-dr-mehmet-oz-to-head-centers-for-medicaid-and-medicare-services
“Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.”
Interesting. I approve.
“Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, and Susan Collins. All RINOs.”
Someone start a GoFundMe to buy up adjacent properties.
I will contribute.
“Shame about the house next door getting rezoned as a drug rehab center. And the one next door to your kids. And grandkids. Funny how every one of your family is going to be living next to a rehab center. Lotsa Chebbies up on blocks in the hood, too, I hear.”
BTW, that’s Level 3. The express to 4 is available.
“Bob Casey Files More Ridiculous Lawsuits In Search Of Additional Votes”
https://thefederalist.com/2024/11/19/bob-casey-files-more-ridiculous-lawsuits-in-search-of-additional-votes/
Sooie ! Sooie ! Here pig, here pig.
“Did They Learn Nothing From 2024 Election? Democrats Fight for Man in Women’s Bathroom”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/11/19/nancy-mace-defends-womens-bathrooms-from-sarah-mcbride/
““If you’re a biological man, you shouldn’t be in women’s restrooms.“”
“That’s just common sense—and common courtesy to women. Yet Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, is being crucified by Democrat House members for wanting women’s spaces to be for women only.”
““This is not just bigotry, this is just plain bullying,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., whined to Axios. A co-chair of the House Equality Caucus, Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., told Axios, “The cruelty is the point.””
No, this is not bullying or cruelty, this is common sense.
Exclusive: Pentagon ‘Scrambling,’ Wiping Evidence of DEI as Trump Readies to Fire Woke Generals
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/11/14/exclusive-pentagon-scrambling-wiping-evidence-dei-trump-readies-fire-woke-generals/
Makes it easy:
Have you:
By 2026, Gregorio Eduardo (Cazar) will have enough time in the House representing Austin to make a run at the Dem nomination for the Senate seat.
People will be upset when the trim notices go out that year.
“Shame about the house next door getting rezoned as a drug rehab center. And the one next door to your kids. And grandkids. Funny how every one of your family is going to be living next to a rehab center. Lotsa Chebbies up on blocks in the hood, too, I hear.”
Around here, it is group homes for troubled youths. They wander the neighborhoods at weird hours, doing weird things like ringing people’s doorbells at 3 am. The HOAs go nuts trying to close them down but cannot do anything since they are protected by the ADA.
My brother-in-law is in a group home for Alzheimer patients north of Dallas, Texas. It is a house in a neighborhood that was converted from a residence to a group home. There are seven patients plus staff in the house. But I doubt that they cause any problems as it is a lockdown facility.
Did McBride have the “affirmation” surgery?
If so, where?
Former campaign staffer for Beau … Beau … Beau. Corn Pop wrote the forward for her autobiography.
Married Seymour Cray’s grandson right before he (the grandson) died of cancer four days later.
“Elon Musk Calls Matt Gaetz the ‘Judge Dredd America Needs’”
https://resistthemainstream.com/elon-musk-compares-trump-nom-to-iconic-superhero/
YES !
Citibank played the “late fee” game on my Costco Visa for the third time this year, and they called my bluff about cancellation when I called this evening to have the fee/interest waived.
I mailed the check on 11/6. They cashed it yesterday.
DeSantis will eventually appoint Gaetz to replace Little Marco in the Senate and support his run for Governor. The RINOs aren’t going to budge.
FL-1 is possibly the Congressional district most dependent on Federal Government spending in Florida if not the entire USA. Gaetz brought home the pork so the constituents overlooked his minuses.
Nancy Pelosi melts down into a smoking ruin
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/11/nancy_pelosi_melts_down_into_a_smoking_ruin.html
“So, Paul, coupla things you need to understand. First is that Nancy is going to trial before you, and that gives you an opportunity. Second is that if you have a history of non-cooperation it’s likely that a conviction would get you jail time with no consideration of where you might be serving, or, say, who might be your roommate. Could be a doctor, a lawyer, or maybe an amateur carpenter with a big hammer, if you get my drift…”
Conservatives need to give it up about Pelosi’s stock trades.
At 84, neither one of them will do any prison time let alone be indicted.
This AI thing is getting scary good…
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1854164267693469697/vid/avc1/1280×720/zGVPNcTu1x7_ILdP.mp4?tag=16
DeSantis will eventually appoint Gaetz to replace Little Marco in the Senate and support his run for Governor. The RINOs aren’t going to budge.
FL-1 is possibly the Congressional district most dependent on Federal Government spending in Florida if not the entire USA. Gaetz brought home the pork so the constituents overlooked his minuses.
I need to see the House Ethics report before agreeing that Gaetz has any minuses.
I did read a article on Gaetz a year or so ago that quoted a lot of half truths and innuendos. I dismissed it as such.
“At 84, neither one of them will do any prison time let alone be indicted.”
YGTBFKM.
This is a primary conspirator of the group that has indicted Trump, his family, his associates, his appointees and his attorneys on every manufactured charge they could think of. We either have insider trading laws and apply them to the politically rich and powerful who have made hundreds of millions, or we have no moral authority to indict under those laws ever again.
I’d kind of like to keep with the rule of law and moral authority.
And, sorry, confused old fart card already been played this century.
Basic tenet of law: Ill gotten gains cannot be kept
“We’re coming for the gelato and the freezer.”
“I need to see the House Ethics report before agreeing that Gaetz has any minuses.”
I need to see the unredacted Epstein file released, and then we can see who isn’t going to be voting.
“I need to see the House Ethics report before agreeing that Gaetz has any minuses.”
I need to see the unredacted Epstein file released, and then we can see who isn’t going to be voting.
That sounds even better.
“Colorado to pay $1.5 million for stifling web designer’s free speech”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/supreme-court/3235378/colorado-to-pay-1-5-million-for-stifling-web-designers-free-speech/
“Colorado officials have agreed to pay over $1.5 million to cover attorney fees for graphic designer Lorie Smith, who successfully challenged the state’s antidiscrimination law at the Supreme Court.”
“The settlement, announced Tuesday, comes months after the high court ruled in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis that Colorado violated Smith’s First Amendment rights by attempting to compel her to create wedding websites for same-sex couples against her religious beliefs. Earlier this year, a federal district court issued a final judgment requiring state officials to cease efforts to compel Smith’s speech, a resolution that brought an end to years of legal and personal hardship.”
Speaking of free speech ….
@lynn,
the issue of drug advertising on TV gets into other things besides free speech. FCC regulates TV and cable, they regulate content, they regulate access and ownership, and they regulate technology related to it. They do so in the name of the people, as the people collectively own the airwaves… The stations and networks are not .gov owned entities and the 2A doesn’t apply to them, it only restricts .gov.
There are restrictions on what COMPANIES can say on TV, I don’t recall that the 2A applies to companies, but it’s late and I’m tired, and I can’t recall what the case was that opened TV to drug marketing in the first place. There are restrictions on drug marketing no matter what the media used.
Does “commercial speech” enjoy 2A protections?
Recall that there are restrictions on alcohol and tobacco marketing on tv, restrictions on nudity, profanity, obscenity, etc.
All this mishmash is to say that if they have the authority to restrict and regulate at all, then they have the authority to restrict marketing messages from drug companies too.
I’m headed to bed, since I’m not expressing coherent thought.
n