Well, it’s hot and humid again. 84F at midnight, slightly cooler in the morning, getting warmer all day. Peaking in the sun well over 100F. Summer, in other words. It was scorching hot in the late afternoon sun, despite a gently breeze and being next to the lake.
I spent the day getting the truck packed, and getting back up here. A stop for diesel fuel, a stop at Home Depot for wire, (and they were out of what I wanted) and some unusual traffic had me getting back up here late. And because my mind is fried, I jumped into electrical work when my time and limited daylight would have been better spend building the stairs to go under the back door, which gives access to the yard and the lake…
The electrical fought me all the way, so I’m headed to the store today, at some point. I hate it when a plan doesn’t come together.
I think I’ll sleep in an hour, I went to bed early too, and maybe that will get my brain back to at least 7 of 8 cylinders. I can’t keep up the pace forever, and I have hit a wall. Hopefully I can reset that with a bit of extra rest. C’na do anythin’ ’bout the ‘eat tho.
Our neighbors do a massive fireworks show for the 4th, and they are slated to go tonight. BIG show. Good times. I’ll have the kids decorating the dock with bunting and flags. Might fly an extra flag or 12 too. This weekend, I’m stacking up community.
Stack some yourself.
nick
Difficulty learning new things would be annoying, but it could be worse. Imagine if, every time you learned something new, you forgot something old? So you accidentally learn the capital of Cambodia but forget where you live.
I refuse to buy such. I don’t care to reward obnoxious behavior.
Just yesterday I wrote elsewhere:
I apologize for nothing. Not even when someone widdle feewings get hurted because I don’t value their contribution.
scott/tiger didn’t work?
The place I currently work has a similar overused default, which the tolling company didn’t even bother to change.
I’m not sure about Microsoft.
John Cusack was in town last month for a screening of “Say Anything” and Q&A afterwards.
I’m a huge fan, but I blew my fun budget getting Rosario Dawson’s autograph on my “Clerks II” poster. Sigh.
Here’s hoping I don’t drive back from Nashville with as much stuff as I take up there to sell.
@Jenny – Before I forget, “Good Omens” is back at the end of the month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2XFzrvXkU
Miranda Richardson is so good with a decent script.
We wondered what else Cusack was up to here in town.
Robert Rodriguez is here and generally doing interesting things.
Unfortunately, so is Powerhouse Animation, production home of “Masters of the Universe: Revelation”, another 80s franchise recently killed – along with He Man himself in the first episode – by woke.
I’ll refrain from further comment on this weekend’s big Disney disaster, but re-releasing “Pirates” with … Johnny Depp … ! … into theaters a week later?!?
Rats survive.
https://www.fandangomovietickets.com/disney100/
The book was required reading at my sooper-secret job in SA. We also had to watch a video of him sitting on a desk like a hippie squawking about security and how CGI visuals of the Universe aren’t what they really look like. Very bizarre. I thought his book could have been cut in half or more by taking out his personal life which contributed nothing to the story.
Grosse Point Blank, awesome soundtrack, the two Cusacks, Minnie Driver, and some great lines…
Miranda Richardson will always be Queenie to me. And those were some great scripts. “I’m sure I know what a gentleman keeps in his tights.” “ Not these tights mi’lord….” “Well, get your manservant out and pop it on the table.”
80F at 8:00 but not yet 90F at 9:00…
W1 has rearranged my priorities to get the stairs done first. THEN shop and deal with electrical. THEN break concrete.
After 10 hours in bed I feel more normal. Sore, but that is kinda normal too.
Food eaten, coffee about half gone.
And somehow I feel like a slacker when I read Jenny’s comments. There was no small animal slaughter in my morning…
n
The day is young.
A tree we have had in the yard for 34 years, always has leaned about 45 degrees, finally self-destructed. The roots were bad and the tree fell over in the last big thunderstorm. A local tree removal company, owned by the mayor of the city, did the removal. $450.00 and they were done in an hour. It would have taken me several days, maybe a week, to remove that tree. A big shredder involved that was able to shred logs about 10″ in diameter. The machine groaned, but got the job done. The larger stuff was loaded onto a trailer and hauled away.
Some stuff is best left to professionals.
I will miss that tree. The removal made the yard look larger.
There was no small animal slaughter in my morning, either. I’d planned to kill the rooster, then Grandma would cook it up for my wife’s niece. Except… The willingness to clean and eat the critter seems to be missing. Grandma is willing to pluck and clean it but her ability to do so is in doubt. I can but am not willing to – laziness, not squeamishness. No one else – ie, wife, daughter, or niece – is willing to do so. Plus, no one except Grandma and I is willing to eat it, and I just cooked a pork loin and have four big leg quarters that I need to cook today or tomorrow.
Bottom line, the cock-a-doodle-dingbat gets a stay of execution until a neighbor complains (unlikely; I’ve already checked with all of them and no one cares) or there’s a party with Grandma’s friends, because they’ll like that he was running around squawking a couple hours before.
Bonus: Daughter and Spare Kid learned to recognize a distinctive squawk-squawk-squawk from the chicken run. The first time they heard it, they went over to see whether one of the birds was hurt or being attacked. No, not exactly… “What are they doing? Ew….” Then, as I said, they learned to recognize that distinctive squawk … and to cover their ears or start singing loudly. Ah, traumatizing the children: One of the universal pleasures of parenthood.
My family home used to have five very large, very old maples. Two were along the street, predating the sidewalk for sure and the power lines probably, and were killed by the power company’s incompetence in trimming them. One was split in a (very rare) tornado and half fell on the neighbor’s house, which also was younger than the tree. (They threatened a lawsuit, but they bought the house knowing that a huge tree overhung the property line, and tornadoes are not exactly under our control.) The other two were just old and needed to be brought down.
The house is much hotter in the Summer now, and looks bare just sitting there. There are plenty of smaller trees and bushes and what-not, but the trees were part of the property’s look.
The house is more than a century and a half old now and it’s reasonable to think that the big trees were planted around the same time. Old farmhouse; the barn is still there and still in use. Didn’t become part of the city until fifty-odd years ago, when the city expanded its borders. Plus: sidewalks and municipal garbage collection. Minus: taxes and corrupt city police. Overall, a big loss.
Looks like I can buy a new Dewalt at Homeless Depot if need be for $2,133.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-80-Gal-Stationary-Electric-Air-Compressor-DXCMV5048055/204068487
@lynn, that’s a considerable capacity to top off the air in your F-150 tires…or do you have a hidden stash of dozers and dump trucks?
Warehouse guy has half a dozen trailers and trucks. Half of the trucks even run. They use compressed air like it is going out of style.
Old dozers need a lot of air to start unless they have a donkey engine but they don’t need air for their tracks. The really big dump trucks have solid tires.
Costco was crowded with more people than at a WNBA game.
4th of July holiday, plus a Saturday. Which is why I will go on Wed next week.
(yeah, got the sacrasm)
WNBA = sarcasm.
WinCo was busy, six registers open & the four self check.
But the 1st, and the 4th of July coming up. I am a Sunday morning kind of shopper, but I happened to be in town, needed some bones for the dogs.
Considered getting a tri-tip … but not at $13/lb.
Difficulty learning new things would be annoying, but it could be worse. Imagine if, every time you learned something new, you forgot something old? So you accidentally learn the capital of Cambodia but forget where you live.
I am putting all of my debugging hints in my favorite Fortran subroutines since I cannot remember them all now. The entry point subroutine for our generalized four phase flash just hit 11,000 lines of code and comments. I figure a few lines of debugging hints won’t add much to that dumpster fire. There are 300,000 lines of mixed Fortran and C++ code in over 2,000 subroutines underneath it.
“Going Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)” by Angery American
https://www.amazon.com/Going-Home-Novel-Survivalist-American/dp/0142181277?tag=ttgnet-20/
Ah, another 6-star recommendation from Lynn. Not sure it’s really my cup of tea, but I bought it to have a look. Even though it is one of those weird ones where the Kindle price is more than the dead-tree price.
I hope that you like it. Apocalyptic dystopian science fiction is not for everyone. Especially when we are living in the apocalyptic times ourselves. These are the good old days, enjoy them.
Back on Alan Arkin, here’s the clip I referenced from The In-Laws.
Hat tip to Aesop for finding and posting it at his place.
And rolled back the migration. Turns out there was additionally an overlooked compatibility issue. DBAs didn’t have access to the compatibility issue information as it was behind a password on vendors site. We’d previously asked the devops guy about the SQL version and he ok’d it. DevOps guy is usually reliable. Whoops.
Tackling again Monday night.
Yeehaw.
The supplier for our customer support database, Act!, is bugging me about upgrading. I have the v25 release, I just need to install it. These things are always dicey. We have 40,000 names in it and the database is almost 3 GB without all of the application files that are stashed outside it.
If it works why “upgrade”?
I would suppose the upgrade adds an NSA or CIA backdoor. But that’s me, being a butthead.
If you’re up to version 25 and it’s still needs updates, yeah…..
I’m piddling with the newest PC. I put the new WD 1TB stick drive into the case. Installed Acronis on the old PC. What? 14 hours? Cancel that and use a USB 3 (?) port on the back of the PC to clone the drive.
Done after about half an hour.
My plan is to copy all of his stuff to the new PC. Get T-Bird going. Import bookmarks into Firefox. Ditto with My Documents and all that stuff. Meanwhile, he can use his PC.
Might miss a day or two of e-mail. But he does most of that on his phone.
Anyway. Make the change from Win7 to Win11 as invisible as I can.
Yeah, I’m sure the taskbar icons being in the center of the bar will cause comments. 🙂 I wasn’t a fan but it’s actually ok.
But it’s Windows. Right-click on everything to see what shows.
Don’t worry. The ChatBot will figure it out.
Before going offline for the holiday weekend yesterday evening, I received an email from someone on another team asking about one of our database tables used to keep track of hardware installed on the server boxes. She was using my source as a “reference” and asked me if I consulted someone for help writing the code to insert new entries or if I simply “figured it out”.
She didn’t like the response indicating that I went the latter route. Trial and error. One Primary Key. If he entry isn’t right, it doesn’t appear in the web interface. QED.
No one wants to do the hard work anymore.
I got the impression she was under a tight deadline and wanted me to walk her through the code. Enjoy the holiday weekend just like how I spent Christmas.
If she thinks the SQLite abstraction code is fun, wait until she hits SELinux permissions, the NSA’s ‘gift’ to Linux.
ChatBot wouldn’t want my job.
Default for taskbar icons is centered, but you can change that. Right-click the taskbar, then “Taskbar Settings, then “Taskbar Behaviors”.
Before going offline for the holiday weekend yesterday evening, I received an email from someone on another team asking about one of our database tables used to keep track of hardware installed on the server boxes. She was using my source as a “reference” and asked me if I consulted someone for help writing the code to insert new entries or if I simply “figured it out”.
She didn’t like the response indicating that I went the latter route. Trial and error. One Primary Key. If he entry isn’t right, it doesn’t appear in the web interface. QED.
No one wants to do the hard work anymore.
Wow, and she does not want your help either.
Don’t worry. The ChatBot will figure it out.
I have zero faith that ChatGPT can do any programming of significance. For instance, the programming that I do.
If there is already a significant body of work available on the internet to do what you want in the language that you want, and correctly labeled, a mock intelligence can use it to generate code that will compile.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
And they will resist to their dying breath against having to admit that you’re smarter than they are, or even that you’re better educated, more experienced, or simply more focused on getting it working.
There is a program called Start11 from Stardock software that will allow major customizations to the Windows 11 menu. Including the taskbar. A single license is $2.99, five licenses is $7.99. The stuff just works and works well. Highly recommended.
The same company also sells Fences that allows desktop icons to be placed in boundaries, grouped together. Another excellent product although more expensive at $20 for a permanent license. Otherwise, $10.00 a year which I really don’t like.
https://www.stardock.com
My limited intelligence can create code that will compile. In fact, over my many years in programming I have created lots of programs that will compile. Few actually worked on the first try. Those that worked on the first try were highly suspicious that they were actually doing what was desired. Writing code that compiles is easy, writing code that works is just a little more difficult.
No, she wanted my help. That was the point of contacting me, but I was not going to volunteer at 4 PM on a Friday before a holiday weekend.
I had never even heard the name before or her group.
It will wait until Wednesday. I know better than to be on the clock Monday.
I was kidding about ChatBot figuring it out.
>> I will miss that tree.
Careful Ray, don’t want to be tagged as a tree-hugger.
Starting about a decade ago, I saw conference papers concerning the generation of Computer Science conference papers which would have been pure gibberish pre AI. A few of the generated papers even got accepted into some of the more obscure conferences, much to the embarrassment of the review panels.
>> Writing code that compiles is easy, writing code that works is just a little more difficult.
I got this one…
I’m not worried whether AI could write a program like that as much as I would be if AI could prove mathematically that it wouldn’t stop running, solving The Halting Problem.
We would all be in trouble then.
So much to comment on.
excited about Good Omens. Hope it’s good.
cock-a-doodle-dingbat Is the perfect moniker for a rooster. And out loud laughing at the reactions to dingbat doing what roosters do. Our first rooster couldn’t catch the hens. So he’d make his special “come quick I found a delicious bug for you to eat” croon, from behind the garbage can. The hens would squish behind the garbage can to get the bug, and squawk indignation at his fowl lie as he jumped her for his humping pleasure. Roosters. Who knew they could lie?
We tend to be slow about adopting new versions and upgrading. Cautious. Bleeding edge bad, cutting edge expensive. Slow and steady and methodical. And usually better organized than last nights mess.
I like figuring out scripting and query programmers, I like working with SSIS for SSRS reports though I don’t like what the code looks like under the hood. But I’m no programmer and while I recognize there are better more efficient ways I’m probably not going to master them. ChatGPT may be a useful tool, however there’s a brain thing going on with good and great programmers (some of you gentlemen posses it, I don’t) that is innate. You can get to be an adequate programmer with hard work, humility, and hanging around good and great programmer, but I’m pretty sure if you don’t have the knack you’re not going to develop it through force of will.
I put three rabbits in the freezer yesterday afternoon, three more before 11 this morning, and three more just now. I sent the first upstairs for our 11 year old to cook for dinner. The next I nearly whoops’d the guts (tugged too hard on the hide and pulled open the cavity, slow careful work after that) and I did whoops the third, darn it. Stomach abruptly opened as I was in the home stretch. It got rapidly processed, rinsed very well, and into a brine to kill anything still on the surface. I’ll over cook it later tonight.
These rabbits were left too long for processing. They are from a January breeding, were born February 20. I made a mistake on sexing a couple of them and two were does in with bucks. In the earliest stages of pregnancy. I need to hurry up and get the last four done tomorow. I was going to do them after dinner but not on top of two whoopses. on the other hand, they are old enough that they would tan well. The remaining rabbits have nice colored hides. i might slow down and take the hides more carefully and put the hides in the freezer to tan later.
It’s hot today, low 70’s, rain resumes tomorrow. The bungee replacement kit came in for the ALiner but it’ll have to wait. It took me a long time but I’m slowly figuring out that doing fiddly tasks tired is dumb.
Oh, and StarDock makes some cool stuff. I used it twenty years ago, glad they’re still around.
“And they will resist to their dying breath against having to admit that you’re smarter than they are, or even that you’re better educated, more experienced, or simply more focused on getting it working.”
Or [*cough*] better looking…
Or in Ray’s case better …
Jenny
It’s well-known.
There’s an old joke about a rooster that was not satisfied with just the hens, he was attacking the other barnyard animals.
The farmer warned him that he was going to “work” himself into an early grave.
One day the farmer saw buzzards circling and found the rooster lying in the yard.
“See! I told you not to ”work” so hard!”
The rooster opened one eye and said “Shhh! They’re about to land.”
Another Climate-Savior Alarmist Jetsets to South America – For Two Months Of Vacation!
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/30/another-climate-savior-alarmist-jetsets-to-south-america-for-two-months-of-vacation/
Hopefully someone will recognize him at a hotel and glue him to a deck chair.
Long day so I’ll use it for blog-fodder tomorrow….
I couldn’t get the stuff I needed for the electrical project. Rural America still has supply issues. Even a very common item, in stock at Lowe’s in Houston, isn’t in a store within 2 hrs drive. Funny thing is that I could probably order it from the zon and have it delivered Monday.
So I built stairs. Worked out well. Used the store bought stringers with a mod for height, and some of the aluminum bleacher seats I still have in the stacks. I love those aluminum planks.
Then I jumped on the machines and did 5 hours of concrete removal.
The highest temp I saw was 94F in the shade, but there was a breeze most of the day. Sun was indeed brutal.
Had a fantastic fireworks show, live band, and a real nice night.
So now to bed, to sleep in again, since no one wants to hear me breaking concrete before 10AM on a Sunday.
n
Huh, not just rural stores, amazon has several third party sellers, only 2 left in stock, delivery 7-10 days, which really means it’s not in stock, but drop shipped. Every comparable unit is also 7-10 days.
bugger.
n
>> Huh, not just rural stores, amazon has several third party sellers, only 2 left in stock, delivery 7-10 days, which really means it’s not in stock, but drop shipped. Every comparable unit is also 7-10 days.
I’ve seen items recently that were sold by/shipped by Amazon that were marked as “just” Prime and not two days. Wondering if they’re (Jeff’s AI) accounting for the Tuesday holiday plus added volume from summer Prime Days coming on the 11th and 12th. Then add on any ‘heat dome’ air flight delays and possibly some up-coming UPS labor action, although TBH haven’t heard any updates recently.
Caught some of the NASCAR Xfinity (second tier) race today on the first ever streets of Chicago, and dispite all the anticipation what I saw was boorrring. Single file racing 95% of the time with little opportunity to pass. Race was called for the day due to lightening in the vicinity. Resumes tomorrow AM and the the Cup race in the afternoon. They need to leave the street racing to the Indy and F1 cars.
It can’t, of course. The solution to your programming problem must already be out there. So it’s great if you have small, specific questions (how do I open a socket in Java), but it cannot possible write larger pieces of code (give me a logistics module for my ERP system).
Of course, when you are just learning something new, it can be a help. It can also be a crutch for the 90% of programmers who aren’t actually able “do any programming of significance” themselves.
This twit made international news? For those who haven’t heard of him, he’s the spokesperson for Renovate Switzerland, which is a climate activist group best known for members gluing themselves to roads. Which tactic has mainly won them scorn and anger.
Turns out the guy flies on long-distance vacations and even is a Formula-1 fan. It’s bad enough that he’s such a hypocrit. It’s worse that he’s stupid enough to have posted some of this stuff on social media.
Does “If you want to talk the talk, you must walk the walk” translate to other languages?
The one change I would really like to make is to move my taskbar to the right edge of the monitor. Start11 doesn’t do that.
Still looking….
Try this:
https://pureinfotech.com/move-taskbar-top-side-windows-11/
Google is your friend.