Cool and damp with a small chance of rain today. We’ll see. Most of the local weather goes around us here. Yesterday turned out very nice, with moderate temps and not too much sun.
It was a good day for working and I did get stuff done. I spent some of the afternoon doing meatspace things, building relationships. Getting a feel for people. Trying to become an insider, rather than an interloper. This is not an easy process. It takes a lot of time. And a lot of work.
Speaking of work, I think I’ll try to not do to much of it today. This is a great time to be mindful of what we have to be thankful for. And there is a lot. Time together, and time to get our stuff together.
Thank you all for continuing to come around and participate in this shared endeavor. Thank you Barbara for your continued support. Thank you Rick for all you do.
Count your blessings today, and give thanks.
nick
That is absolutely true.
I don’t think that is correct. It is just that the media here is very far left, without a lot to counterbalance it. Trump has consistently been portrayed as a lunatic and a criminal, while Harris was portrayed as the unexpected savior of all that is true and good. Being outside the US, there is nothing to counterbalance these portrayals.
Meanwhile, most governments in Europe are fighting the populist, right-leaning wave, because people have had quite enough.
The MSM is supporting the established politicians, and demonizes the rightward shift.
Weird. Ostensibly, the money is about restarting construction of the factory in Rutledge, GA. Republican district. It can’t be about buying votes unless Corn Pop is worried about Ossoff in 2026.
Maybe it is a bailout for someone. Amazon owns the biggest chunk of stock, and the ever-mysterious Baillie Gifford is in the top three of institutional owners.
To recap, Baillie Gifford is the largest single holder of Moderna and they have significant investment in SpaceX along with US defense contractors and other Deep State players.
Ironically, I see more six figure Rivian EVs around my neighborhood than I do the “affordable” VW EV.
Lynn might be interested in this large home generator setup:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XBrUI3PRTeo#
I have found some of Dave’s other videos to be interesting.
Ironically, I see more six figure Rivian EVs around my neighborhood than I do the “affordable” VW EV.
Maybe it is part of the plan to deny autos to the dirt people. Does Rivian produce anything a dirt person could afford? I could go get an entry level Tesla right now. A 6-figure auto loan is pricey.
I have until January 8, 2025 to return my MacBook Pro, 14″, M4 Pro Chip, 24 Gig of memory, 1TB SSD. I paid $2369.00 with the veteran discount and tax.
B&H Photo has the same machine, but with 48 Gig of memory for $30.00 more. A big price drop. If I use the PayBoo credit card I pay no sales tax. That brings the price to $2399.00 with free shipping. Or I can get an exact match for what I have and pay $1999.00 and save $370.00.
I would turn in my current device into the Apple store and get the money back on the Apple card. I would also get charged the 3% rebate on the card, about $125.00.
I don’t think I need the additional memory for my needs. Photoshop runs fine as does Lightroom with the memory pressure in the low green category.
Going with the B&H option the savings only amount to $245.00. There is the hassle of the return, fighting the mall traffic, finding something to spend on the Apple Card in the amount of $2369.00 with only 1% rebate, the same as my Citi Costco card.
Transferring the data from one Mac to another is easy, except for some of the settings. That took me a couple of hours when transferring from the M2 Air to the M4 Pro.
Is it worth the hassle?
For late model Ford PU owners:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I_KmO-KaR4A#
Might explain some of Lynn’s problems with Auto Start Stop not working. Wow, 5% state of charge with 10 mile trips. This is a sure way to kill a lead acid battery, even a deep-cycle AGM battery.
This is why supplemental charging is becoming essential to avoid short battery life. Two steps forward, one step back.
Unless the 54 MPG CAFE is vacated, private vehicles are going away for most people.
Even if Trump vacates the order, then it will be up to the manufacturers to decide if they want the mass market anymore.
Ford seems content selling garage queens like my neighbor’s Bronco.
I don’t think so. Your time is worth more than the savings, especially if you are happy with current Mac performance. I bet there would be some hassles along the way with Apple that would require additional time out of your life.
Did you get any additional Apple Care with the purchase?
OTOH, I drove by the big Ford dealer near my house last weekend, and it looks like even the Bronco is starting to sit on floorplans for a while.
For a change, the dealer had at least half a dozen.
RIP Earl Holliman. Quite a career.
ASS has always been a brain-dead idea.
No, that has proven to be mostly a waste of money for me. I am fairly careful with the devices, keep them in a protective case, carry the laptop in a padded laptop bag, I don’t eat or drink around the machine. After 5 years my Surface Laptop looks brand new with no marks on the machine anywhere.
I am. It does everything I need quite nicely and will for several years. Having to hassle with mall traffic, Apple returns, setting up a system again, transferring all the data, while not difficult, can be annoying and time consuming.
On the other hand, being retired, what else am I going to do with my time?
I am really leaning to just keeping everything as it is and be happy.
@JimB; Interesting! Especially so because today was the first time I’d ever seen my 2020 F-150 display the message “Vehicle in battery saver mode”. I don’t have a lot of short trips, but I don’t drive it more than 2-3 times per week.
Around here, Ford, and all the other dealers, have plenty of inventory. Even Toyota, though they are still extremely proud of their vehicles, even with the recent issues.
The Ford dealer has 7 Mavericks on the lot, including one base model.
The only cars that are scarce are the ones that always are – low volume performance models. Some things never change.
I see plenty of Broncos on the street in Houston, in all the trim levels. My neighbor’s garage must be full as the Bronco sits on the driveway…
I see a lot of cybertrucks lately too. Like from none per day to several per day. The sporty Mercedes with the big logo in the grill is so common now I hardly notice. Masarattis still catch my eye, but I see a couple a month. I don’t live in a “rich” neighborhood, although there are several near me, and everyone loves Costco gas.
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55F mostly clear, and just a gentle breeze.
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coffeecake, coffee, bacon and egg, my day is ready to start.
n
How many below $30k?
The base model no longer stickers for $20k with a hybrid system.
All of them. They are ecoboost XLT’s and one base. The XLT’s are anywhere from 26K – 29k. Now if they actually sell for that, who knows. The local Ford dealer was one of the more egregious ones doing markups during the pandemic. They also love to tack on excessive dealer installed accessories as mandatory.
ADM on a Bronco was running as much as $20k just two years ago, but the increasing interest rates and a recall for a potential loose screw in the transmission has put a chill on sales around here.
The garage queen was absent from the throne down the street for about a week this summer when the recall news first broke.
80 Years is Long Enough
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/11/eighty_years_is_enough.html
Way too long. Suggest they relocate to a third-world shiitehole where they belong.
If the incumbents abandon that market, there will be newcomers. For example, in the heavy truck industry, there’s a Canadian startup, Edison Motors, building hybrid logging trucks running on batteries, but carrying onboard chargers in addition to the standard charging port. A 6cyl Cat engine runs a generator for charging, and due to a loophole, they can use farm/offroad diesel legally, so no road tax on the fuel. I expect if there’s a market for low cost ICE or well designed hybrids, there will be someone to fill it, either in North America or elsewhere.
I wonder if a parallel 12v capacitor bank used only for the start/stop function instead of the primary battery would resolve this. I’ve seen a couple of youtubes about using a DIY 12v capacitor bank to replace the battery in cars.
Not in the US. The EPA and DOT will regulate any newcomer out of the country.
If that wasn’t the case, we would still have a $20k Camry and a sub $20k Maverick with a basic 4 cylinder 2.5 L engine and manual transmission.
CAFE is an asinine concept even if lowered back to “only” 34 MPG.
The myth about the magic 50 MPG carburetor that only Government regulation would force onto the market endures. That one predates $20 Reeboks and The Pizza Box Dream with my generation.
Now all the department stores are gone and you can order $20 Reeboks, adjusted for inflation, directly from the manufacturer’s … well, licensee of the name’s … web site. How is that working for you, X-ers?
>> I see plenty of Broncos on the street in Houston, in all the trim levels. My neighbor’s garage must be full as the Bronco sits on the driveway…
Broncos or Bronco Sports?
>> Not in the US. The EPA and DOT will regulate any newcomer out of the country.
Not to mention a 25(?) percent tariff…
Good point. A Bronco Sport is actually a Ford Escape with different sheet metal.
Hecho en Mexico, not Michigan like the full size Bronco.
>> I expect if there’s a market for low cost ICE or well designed hybrids, there will be someone to fill it, either in North America or elsewhere.
A low-cost ICE or hybrid theoretically should cost more than a comparable EV. Plus, for a new to the market manufacturer, there would be significant overhear costs to support sales, service, repairs, collision and a fast-charging network. Tony’s got a big head-start vs. Rivian, Polestar, etc.
My (bought used) 2018 LEAF has needed zero service, except for new tires, since we bought it. Nissan missed a big opportunity when they didn’t upgrade their fast-charge interface from CHAdeMO to CCS.
>> Good point. A Bronco Sport is actually a Ford Escape with different sheet metal.
Hecho en Mexico, not Michigan like the full size Bronco.
Also, the Sport is unibody construction whereas the full size Bronco is body-on-frame – based on the Ranger pickup platform.
Dunno about the sport, didn’t realize they were completely different platforms.
I hate that the new Ranger is the size of an F150 of not too long ago, and the maverick is a Honda Ridgeline… or a clone of one anyway.
There is a market for a small pickup, people try to buy my ranger all the time. And there are a LOT of them still on the road in great shape.
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garage oven is hooked up and cooking a bird. I didn’t have the right flex pipe, so I used more adapters than I’d like. I’ll redo that when I install the space heater. The propane conversion was straightforward and only took a couple of minutes. A few minutes more to adjust the flame and air mix… several times, and now we’re cookin’ with gas.
n
>> Maybe it is part of the plan to deny autos to the dirt people. Does Rivian produce anything a dirt person could afford? I could go get an entry level Tesla right now. A 6-figure auto loan is pricey.
The price of the 2025 Rivian R1T starts at $71,700 and goes up to $101,700 depending on the trim and options. Probably lots of leases rather than jumbo loans. There’s only so much ‘magic’ that can happen in the F & I office.
I expect Rivian will survive, at least with its commercial (delivery) van platform, as long as the ‘Zon keeps buying.
>> For every new receptacle I put in two duplex outlets. I flip one upside down so that no matter how the flat plug is built, you should be able to plug in and have the cord point down.
Ahh, one of the items most debated by electricians that’s not covered by the NEC, ‘ground up’ or ‘ground down?’ My house is ‘up’ and have had to flip two to accommodate flat plug cords and wall warts.
50mpg was possible 40 years ago. My dad bought a new 1984 Honda Civic S – carb, no fuel injection. We took it on a trip from TN to MA. Dad, mom, and me and the back loaded down with stuff. He averaged just over 50mpg. Yeah, he drove like a little old lady and never went above 55 mph, but the mileage was real.
Gov regulations have continued to add more complexity and weight to vehicles that have killed real fuel efficiency.
>> The tube I had was solid.
Which is a problem for long term prepping. A lot of the adhesives we use will cure in the packaging over time. Crazy glue, caulk, epoxies, moisture cure products…
Dunno what to do about that but ‘cool, dry, and dark’ helps.
For long-term storage, how about vac-sealing the tube along with a couple of oxygen absorber packets?
For short-term storage I use a full sheet of Glad Press ‘N Seal – enough to wrap up the entire tube.
>> Europe is afraid of Trump and what he will do with tariffs, exports, and military support.
Good. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” Shows Trump is winning already and he’s still only “POTUS-elect.” Hopefully the S S has put their #1 team on him.
>> I currently wonder who is running the office of the president. I don’t think Biden is mentally competent enough to run the office. Someone is supporting him, pulling his strings.
My ‘vote’ is for Barry and the Mooch, then Cankles.
I don’t think that means what you think it means.
Streaming update…
The Penguin
Colin Farrell gives a masterful performance.
One season / 5 out of 5 stars.
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Snowpiercer
Post-apocalyptic and some ‘lite’ SF.
Four seasons / 4 out of 5 stars.
>>
I don’t think that means what you think it means.
Sec ret Ser vice.
Oh, I know what organization you meant.
I just don’t think they have Trump’s best interests at heart.
I’d go so far as to say they were complicit in 2 of the assassination attempts.
Just incompetent enough to fail at them, though they came awfully close the first time.
So putting their #1 team on the job would be a bad thing.
The Maverick is a Ford Mondeo/Fusion with a different body style. Unibody.
The same platform is the basis of a new Mondeo made/sold in China but, so far, unavailable here.
Ford could build a new Fusion in the Mexican factory producing the Maverick, and I have pictures which I took personally of a new Crown Vic/Panther platform in very late stage development rolling around Chicago in March 2019.
Impeachment killed the new Crown Vic.
The ICE vehicle costs more only if Uncle puts his thumb on the scale with regulations.
An EV will need a new battery at the 8-10 year mark, and that assumes the battery is even available when the time comes.
Unlike a replacement engine or a transmission for an ICE car, a battery sitting in a warehouse will degrade over time no matter how carefully maintained.
The myth was that the carburetor would allow the typical 70s family saloon of the late 70s to get that kind of mileage.
The K Car was rated for 46 MPG highway, but that was under the old testing system where a fudge factor was granted to the manufacturers and involved a lot of bias.
A K Car did not get 46 MPG highway, but Lee Iacocca was a friggin genius working the system.
An 1984 Civic S could not get built and sold under the current safety mandates. Neither could a 2010 (not a typo) S Type Mercedes.
So tired.
Thanksgiving dinner is done.
I checked the clock to see if it was 9 PM and bedtime yet, it’s only six…
>> Ironically, I see more six figure Rivian EVs around my neighborhood than I do the “affordable” VW EV.
W2 wants a VW ID. BUZZ in the worst way. We shall see. Base model is $60K and is decently equipped.
The current safety and fuel mandates are crazy and have driven the cost of new cars too high.
“Elon Musk Delivers Harrowing News to ‘Treasonous’ Liar and Leaker Alexander Vindman After He Seemingly Accuses Musk of Selling State Secrets to Putin (VIDEO)”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/11/elon-musk-delivers-harrowing-news-treasonous-liar-leaker/
“Ukrainian-born Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (US Army Ret.) may be about to pay the ultimate price for his crimes against America if the world’s richest man has any say.”
“As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Vindman was a crucial figure in the first impeachment of President Trump over his “perfect” phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019. But he was caught repeatedly lying during his testimony before Congress, which made him a leftist hero.”
“The truth is that Vindman was a leaker who thought his opinions overruled the Trump administration. He was moved from the White House with his twin brother (who was unfortunately elected to Congress this month) after his unsuccessful attempt, along with Eric Ciaramella, to remove the sitting president from office.”
Sun Tzu said, “Never do the King a small harm”.
Curb weight 5300 lbs, about as much as a IC engine Chevy Tahoe.
Take the range estimates with a grain of salt.
For comparison, the original Type II bus was 2700 lbs.
“Magic Stars (Grey Wolf)” by Ilona Andrews
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Stars-Grey-Wolf-1/dp/151976233X?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number one of a one book paranormal romance dark fantasy series that is a spinoff from the ten book Kate Daniels series by the author. There are several short stories and followon books to the Kate Daniels series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) novella trade paperback published by NYLA Publishing in 2015 that I bought new on Amazon recently. Note that “Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team.
Kate Daniels’s universe sucks. Forty years ago, the tech world crashed over the entire Earth and was replaced by the magic world in the form of a magic flare. Guns don’t work, cars don’t work, electricity and phones do not work. But magic works. Good magic and bad magic.
After a week, the tech world came back to a drastically changed world. And radically fewer humans. And the magic world came back after a while. And the tech world came back after that. And so on and so forth. Each world can last a few weeks or a few hours.
Derek Gaunt and Julie Lennart-Olsen have been called to a home and found the family murdered. The family had a unique object that they were safe keeping and the thieves murdered them for it. Derek and JUlie set off to find the thieves and murderers.
I liked everything about the story. I especially liked the very clear distinction between the tech time and the magic time. I had never thought about it that way. The series may be inspired by “Ariel” by Steven Boyett and “Dies The Fire” by S. M. Stirling except those never interchange the tech time and the magic time, they just transitioned to the magic time and never went back.
The authors have a website at:
https://www.ilona-andrews.com
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,820 reviews)
Lynn
Going with the B&H option the savings only amount to $245.00. There is the hassle of the return, fighting the mall traffic, finding something to spend on the Apple Card in the amount of $2369.00 with only 1% rebate, the same as my Citi Costco card.
Transferring the data from one Mac to another is easy, except for some of the settings. That took me a couple of hours when transferring from the M2 Air to the M4 Pro.
Is it worth the hassle?
Not for me but your mileage may vary.
For late model Ford PU owners:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I_KmO-KaR4A#
Might explain some of Lynn’s problems with Auto Start Stop not working. Wow, 5% state of charge with 10 mile trips. This is a sure way to kill a lead acid battery, even a deep-cycle AGM battery.
This is why supplemental charging is becoming essential to avoid short battery life. Two steps forward, one step back.
Yeek ! These systems need a solid state battery and and better charging circuit. Kinda like the Ford F-150 Hybrid except it has a liquid battery still.
https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/f-150
Wait, $80,245 ??? Are you kidding me ? My wife would kill me !
Maybe the Ford F-150 Hybrid will get a solid state battery by 2030. I may have the wife talked into one by then but I doubt it.
“Is the Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid the Least Reliable Vehicle You Can Buy?”
https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/is-the-ford-150-hybrid-the-least-reliable-vehicle-you-can-buy.html
“Consumer Reports issues the F-150 Hybrid its lowest reliability score.”
“Our long-term F-150 Hybrid has been mostly trouble-free by comparison.”
“Read about our experiences, including one dealer repair, below.”
Conflicting data. My 2019 F-150 4×4 works just fine at 49K miles and gets an average of 18 mpg since I bought it. I can wait until 2030 for a new truck. Unless, the 2029 President (Hilary ???) kills all gasoline engines.
Dinner was awesome. W and the Ds did a great job. Turkey took longer than expected, but part of that was because of the oven. The oven in the kitchen just isn’t very big or good. Moved it to the garage oven to finish it.
Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with brown sugar marshmallow and pecans, green bean casserole, canned cranberry sauce (the only good kind), home made bread, and a small turkey with 3 extra legs. Apple and cherry pie for dessert.
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I got the Mr Heater propane wall unit into the garage, and made a place for it. Didn’t get it hooked up though. Will look at that tomorrow. It’s 43F right now and the garage is pretty cold. Playing pool is a chilly proposition. I can bring one of the kero heaters in to take the chill off if I need to tomorrow.
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Started watching another season of “Alone” with the kid. D2 loves that show. We talk about the approaches and choices the contestants make and take, and what mistakes they make over and over. Spending too much effort on a shelter is the biggest and most common mistake. You have to do the hard work when you are fresh, but you don’t need a mansion. One guy built a log cabin, slept in it one night, then realized he was starving with no success getting food, and tapped out.
The woman that tapped out admitted to spending too many calories on her log cabin, and she had no success getting food either. They both built square cabins with thick logs. Heavy logs. Logs that took effort to cut and move. You don’t need a shelter to last the winter if you can’t feed yourself for 3 weeks…
I really like the show and I think there are a lot of harsh lessons and hard truths if you are looking for them. Lots of application to a post apocalypse or “head to the forest and live off the land” scenario.
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I think I’ll read and get to bed early tonight. It’s too cold and too late to have a fire.
n
50mpg was possible 40 years ago. My dad bought a new 1984 Honda Civic S – carb, no fuel injection. We took it on a trip from TN to MA. Dad, mom, and me and the back loaded down with stuff. He averaged just over 50mpg. Yeah, he drove like a little old lady and never went above 55 mph, but the mileage was real.
Gov regulations have continued to add more complexity and weight to vehicles that have killed real fuel efficiency.
My 1982 VW diesel Rabbit 5 speed manual got 50 mpg on the highway at 60 mph. It had no emissions and no turbo so it was a slackard. But it got 50 mpg on the highway in the winter without the a/c running.
>> Europe is afraid of Trump and what he will do with tariffs, exports, and military support.
Good. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” Shows Trump is winning already and he’s still only “POTUS-elect.” Hopefully the S S has put their #1 team on him.
Trump mentioned in one of his speeches that he hired a new security team after the shooting incident. I am wondering if he will be keeping them on after Jan 20. I would.
The ICE vehicle costs more only if Uncle puts his thumb on the scale with regulations.
An EV will need a new battery at the 8-10 year mark, and that assumes the battery is even available when the time comes.
Unlike a replacement engine or a transmission for an ICE car, a battery sitting in a warehouse will degrade over time no matter how carefully maintained.
If they can ever get the solid state batteries to mass produce instead of having to have a PhD Chemical Engineer babysit the production process, then this is the answer. Solid state batteries should last for decades without significant degradation and a very wide range of temperature range from -20 F to 200+ F.
“How Toyota Has Put Every Automaker On Notice With Its 745-Mile Solid-State Battery”
https://www.topspeed.com/automakers-on-notice-toyota-745-mile-solid-state-battery/
Reading stories on NotAlwaysRight about people shopping on Black Friday. Why would you do that to yourself? Once, exactly once, I needed a last minute Christmas present on Christmas Eve. The crowds were unreal, and I vowed never to do that again. Black Friday is apparently far worse.
That said, the idea of Black Friday sales has made it’s way to Europe, although the deals are nothing crazy – 10% here, 15% there. Still, I am watching a couple of online shops. I’m idly considering upgrading some parts of our home IT infrastructure, and if something interesting were to go on sale… So far, no luck.