Fri. May 10, 2024 – another week almost done, and still no canned sunshine..

Warm and wet, getting to be summer in Houston. It was mid 90s yesterday and so sweaty just standing still was work. Should be more of that today too, maybe a little cooler if the liars get it right.

I spent the day mostly doing small things around the house. Most weren’t high priority, but they were prerequisites to doing something else, that was a priority. So they needed to be done and gotten out of the way. And they were low effort, because I was feeling a bit pukey today. Never really got sick but didn’t feel good most of the afternoon.

I did get a bunch of small things done, and that feels good, but not the big things that are looming over me. And that feels bad. Maybe I’ll get one or two of them moving today.

I have a pickup to do, that includes stuff for the BOL so it’s on my “need to do” list. And my client decided that between the weather forecast and having 20 kids at the house for Mother’s day, he’d really like his theater working again. My business partner ordered the replacement to be delivered today, and I’ll head over to install it when it arrives. Hopefully it won’t be at 9pm. Saturday I’ve got my non-prepping hobby, then I’m headed to the BOL with a pickup load of stuff, so I really don’t want to delay by going to my client’s house. It’s in the wrong direction.

I don’t want to borrow trouble, so I’m playing today and tomorrow by ear. If things go well, that’ll be awesome. Also a bit unusual, but awesome nonetheless.

Earning money is part of prepping, and my client pays for the service he gets. Plus, I like him and his family, so I’d probably go a bit extra anyway.

I encourage everyone to look for opportunities to make a bit of extra cash. It’s almost the universal solvent when it comes to troubles.

Stack some!

nick

75 Comments and discussion on "Fri. May 10, 2024 – another week almost done, and still no canned sunshine.."

  1. PaultheManc says:

    @Greg

    Replacing the integrated graphics with a 2 GB GT 730 or AMD equivalent would also help if you have the PCI-E slot.

    Greg, I understand the benefits of a graphics card for graphic intensive operations, but what improvement do you believe Nick would have gained with regard to the problems described by Nick – would these still not be GPU limited?

  2. SteveF says:

    Saturday I’ve got my non-prepping hobby

    Soon the abandoned K-Mart parking lot will be filled with the melodious sounds of the barbershop octet with kazoo orchestral accompaniment.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Bull moose in the backyard for four or five hours this afternoon. Dogs needed to piddle, the rabbits were hungry. Moose don‘t care about my problems. He was happily eating his way through my slash pile from the tree massacre a few weeks back. 
    Eventually I got tired of it. Hazing moose is a big no no. 

    Just like the opening credits of “Northern Exposure”!

    Authentic Alaska … filmed in Roslyn, Washington.

    Even the Moose was a WA State resident.

  4. Greg Norton says:

    Disney “Doctor Who”.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWRomxte4hM

    Burbank deserves whats coming.

  5. Greg Norton says:

    Replacing the integrated graphics with a 2 GB GT 730 or AMD equivalent would also help if you have the PCI-E slot.

    Greg, I understand the benefits of a graphics card for graphic intensive operations, but what improvement do you believe Nick would have gained with regard to the problems described by Nick – would these still not be GPU limited?

    The integrated graphics use system memory. Windows needs as much RAM as possible.

    Plus all of the major browsers utilize GPU acceleration for various operations. Hot Skillz!

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Hazing moose is a big no no. 

    Mynd you, m00se bites Kan be pretty nasti …

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    “The drumming, the drumming, always the incessant drumming!  Why does it never stop?”

    “Because bwana, when the drum solo ends, the guitar solo starts…”

    ————-

    Mid 70s and rising with solid overcast.   

    ————-

    “I told you those music lessons would come in handy”

    ————

    n  

  8. Greg Norton says:

    Today’s Tyler Durden cowardice – life imitates Elmore Leonard/Quentin Tarantino art.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-york-flight-attendants-accused-smuggling-millions-drug-money-dominican-republic

    “Jackie Brown” disappointed many Tarantino fans with limited … three ? … homicides, but there really isn’t such a thing as a “bad” Quentin Tarantino flick.

    @Lynn – If you decide to watch, make it a double feature with J-Lo’s “Out of Sight” – also based on an Elmore Leonard book – following in 1-2 order.

    And if you think you see something cool in terms of cameo early in “Out of Sight”, wait for the end.

    Watch cold.

    Yeah, J-Lo, but she’s adequate if not bordering on good. Dennis Farina’s performance makes up for it.

  9. CowboyStu says:

    Ain’t no one here watching Nascar all weekend anymore, ya know? 

    One here, I’ll be watching Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series races this weekend,

  10. Nick Flandrey says:

    This will not end well.   

    https://rapidsos.com/our-latest/eagle-eye-911-camera-sharing-revolutionize-emergency-response/ 

    First-of-its-kind technology immediately delivers ‘eyes on the scene’ to 911 professionals empowering them to give precise details to first responders to accelerate and improve their response

    AUSTIN, Texas—April 2, 2024Eagle Eye Networks, the global leader in cloud video surveillance, today launched Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing, a first-of-its-kind technology that gives Emergency Communication Center telecommunicators (911 professionals) instant access to security cameras during an emergency, empowering them to deliver critical incident information to first responders through a partnership with RapidSOS.

    its a system that lets cops into your security cams and those of your neighbors when a 911 call is made…

    This is how Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing works: 

    • The school or business predetermines which cameras are shareable via Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing.
    • A 911 call triggers an alert that enables Emergency Communication Center telecommunicators to instantly view footage from cameras at or near the crime scene. Video may be available from multiple sources, including any businesses in close proximity to the crime scene.
    • The 911 telecommunicator can use the security cameras for situational awareness and to inform first responders.

    Some of the first organizations to adopt Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing include schools and universities, retail outlets, facilities with lone workers, and businesses that may be unstaffed at certain hours of the day such as 24-hour gyms. Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing increases the value of any organization’s security cameras and greatly enhances emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

    Tolerate.  Celebrate. Mandate.   It’s the prog progression.  

    https://www.securityinfowatch.com/alarms-monitoring/article/55001631/eagle-eye-networks-rapidsos-unveil-911-triggered-camera-access-for-emergency-communicators 

    Although some customers or even rights groups may bring up privacy concerns, Drako notes the program is voluntary and the company is allowing customers to make the call on this issue.

    n

  11. Greg Norton says:

    This will not end well.   

    https://rapidsos.com/our-latest/eagle-eye-911-camera-sharing-revolutionize-emergency-response/ 

    Hookers-n-steaks marketing. DEI spotlighted on the web site. Unlimited PTO in the Austin job descriptions.

    The principals are filling their soup bowls from government largess, but they won’t actually deliver anything.

    The CEO had his own failed EV company after founding Barracuda Networks. He resigned from Barracuda to “spend more time with family” in 2012, however.

    Barracuda is another one of those places which seemed to infringe on open source copyrights but never got caught … or at least not caught in a way that would stick in court. They’re privately held by KKR right now.

  12. Ray Thompson says:

    Subbing again today. Five days in a row for the same class. Ugh. There is a couple of real problem students. What also stands out is the poor hand writing of the students. Barely recognizable scrawls, even for the their own name. No cursive as that is not taught anymore. What is left is printing that is really horrible.

  13. MrAtoz says:

    Subbing again today. Five days in a row for the same class. Ugh. There is a couple of real problem students. What also stands out is the poor hand writing of the students. Barely recognizable scrawls, even for the their own name. No cursive as that is not taught anymore. What is left is printing that is really horrible.

    Do we need any more proof that the CommieCooties shutdowns gave us the dumbest generation of kids, evah?

  14. Greg Norton says:

    Subbing again today. Five days in a row for the same class. Ugh. There is a couple of real problem students. What also stands out is the poor hand writing of the students. Barely recognizable scrawls, even for the their own name. No cursive as that is not taught anymore. What is left is printing that is really horrible.

    A high school senior graduating this year spent the entire four year experience living pandemic kabuki.

    A current high school freshman spent their entire time in serious sickness theater, complete with armbands -er- masks.

    The first summer of the pandemic, one of the local construction companies filled their soup bowls installing plexiglass dividers at every desk at the nearby middle school The trucks were there all summer.

    The following summer, the same company was back, spending nearly three months filling dumpsters with … plexiglass dividers.

    Someone made a lot of money as the kids got dumber.

  15. Ray Thompson says:

    A high school senior graduating this year spent the entire four year experience living pandemic kabuki.

    Here it was only the freshman year and part of the sophomore year. The last two years have been normal.

    Do we need any more proof that the CommieCooties shutdowns gave us the dumbest generation of kids, evah?

    I would not say dumbest, but certainly least educated. Soon these people will be able to vote, uneducated, easily swayed by political winds.

    Witness the demonstrations against Israel, Hamas, Palestine, Sand Monkeys, Rag Heads, Camel Jockeys, whatever they are called. The students demonstrating have no idea why or about who they are demonstrating. They just want to get involved for something to do about something they don’t understand. Add in the professional paid demonstrators and the result is certain.

    Students today are generally ignorant, no common sense. There are bright spots. When I was with TBP the organization supposedly had the brightest engineers. There were some brilliant people, but some, I really wanted to question their intelligence and complete lack of common sense.

    Case in point was when the convention was in Michigan. Attendees were told if they ventured into Canada they were on their own. Three got arrested and were crying they did not know.

    All attendees to all conventions are given explicit travel arrangements, limits and rules. Yet some will still get a cab from the airport then complain they do not get reimbursed. Tough.  They are told they must pay for breakfast and get reimbursed. Some then arrive with no money and no credit card. They go hungry or borrow money from someone else. A couple of times the attendees flew 1st class and complained they only got reimbursed for coach.

    This current crop of students are even worse. The lack of common skills in math and English is rampant. The complete ignorance of history is frightening. The inability to make a coherent sentence is due to the constant texting. There, They’re, Their; except and accept; break and brake; all foreign concepts.

  16. Greg Norton says:

    Case in point was when the convention was in Michigan. Attendees were told if they ventured into Canada they were on their own. Three got arrested and were crying they did not know.

    If crossing to Canada from the lower peninsula of Michigan, how does one not know they are crossing an international border?

  17. Greg Norton says:

    When I was with TBP the organization supposedly had the brightest engineers. There were some brilliant people, but some, I really wanted to question their intelligence and complete lack of common sense.

    No one graduating EE in the 80s aspired to work for a public utility, especially after the defense buildup began.

    I had a neighbor in Tampa who graduated from the same EE program I did except 10 years earler. He went to work for TECO and did okay, but you could tell he wasn’t happy about the situation ~ 25 years into a stable gig, even driving a Mercedes and married to one of the (much younger) secretaries.

    His mouth dropped one day when he learned that I had the same educational background he did but worked in cryptography research for Death Star Telephone Labs, a career path made possible because at some point in school I learned how to use Vi and that “rm” deletes a file in Unix, not del.

  18. Greg Norton says:

    AUSTIN, Texas—April 2, 2024Eagle Eye Networks, the global leader in cloud video surveillance, today launched Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing,

    Eagle Eye Networks is inside Loop 360 west of MOPAC, in a professional building next to a Montessori school not far from where the big boss at my current job lives.

    Fancy Lads.

  19. mediumwave says:

    . . . a career path made possible because at some point in school I learned how to use Vi and that “rm” deletes a file in Unix, not del.

    Real programmers use the command line! 😉

  20. Greg Norton says:

    . . . a career path made possible because at some point in school I learned how to use Vi and that “rm” deletes a file in Unix, not del.

    Real programmers use the command line!

    Right now, the tech companies want everyone on VS Code so they can capture the development process in Codeium and eventually fire the real programmers.

    I’m constantly on the naughty list at work for not using VS Code/Codeium even though I fixed a one line error causing a core dump last week which was probably introduced by another developer months ago using the AI.

    ptr = calloc(0, size);

    Hardcoded constant passed to calloc(), not the value of a variable. Then they used the allocated memory.

    There really isn’t an excuse.

    The core dumps started late in our validation phase for the next release so panic was starting to set in when they asked me to look.

    It took me about 30 seconds to spot after opening the file indicated by the logs.

  21. drwilliams says:

    You know the consulting joke with the punchline “Knowing where to hit.”?

  22. lynn says:

    . . . a career path made possible because at some point in school I learned how to use Vi and that “rm” deletes a file in Unix, not del.

    Real programmers use the command line! 

    Only when they have to.  I’ve got almost 10,000 source code files and finding the right file for a rarely used method takes a lot of time.  Much better to use an IDE if possible.

    At least I think that I am a real programmer. Some days I am so overwhelmed that I just want to retire.

  23. Greg Norton says:

    Only when they have to.  I’ve got almost 10,000 source code files and finding the right file for a rarely used method takes a lot of time.  Much better to use an IDE if possible.

    Visual Studio works fine on Windows and is the best choice for that platform, but VS Code on Linux makes programmers lazy IMHO.

    Plus, Microsoft is starting to dictate what versions of Ubuntu and RHEL they will support with VS Code, and they recently deprecated support on a Ubuntu LTS release which is still fairly important.

    Microsoft does not need de facto control of Linux.

    It is bad enough that Linux printing, CUPS, is in the hands of Apple.

  24. Ray Thompson says:

    If crossing to Canada from the lower peninsula of Michigan, how does one not know they are crossing an international border?

    They knew. That was part of the adventure. Unfortunately they got drunk and in trouble. The issue was they did not know they were on their own and the TBP organization would not help them.

  25. RickH says:

    Currently working in the final editing phase of Book 4 of “The RV Vigilante” series. Trying to figure out the names of secondary characters: Dad, Mom, Son (15-ish), Bad Guy. Set in the current day, the location is southern Utah.

    Have fairly solid ideas for the cover and title. No projected publish date yet; maybe within the next 30 days.

    Good chance for viewing the Aurora tonight. Clear skies this week. Widespread visibility into northern tier of US.  “G” scale is 4 of 5. See the forecast map here:  https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental 

  26. Ray Thompson says:

    Real programmers use the command line!

    Real programmers use toggle switches and enter buttons.

  27. Lynn says:

    Real programmers use the command line!

    Real programmers use toggle switches and enter buttons.

    ROTFLMAO.

    I do not miss those days of hand booting a CDC 6600 using the console toggles because the paper tape reader died.  Again.

    Our main computer guy could enter the 60+ console toggle commands of 16 toggles each using just his memory.

  28. Lynn says:

    For those who are interested in the future long term financial apocalypse of the USA, I recommend reading “The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047” by Lionel Shriver:

       https://www.amazon.com/Mandibles-Family-2029-2047-Lionel-Shriver/dp/006232828X?tag=ttgnet-20/

    For those who do not like Lionel Shriver, I recommend “Distraction” by Bruce Sterling:

       https://www.amazon.com/Distraction-Bruce-Sterling/dp/1857989287?tag=ttgnet-20/

    For those who just want a short term financial apocalypse of the USA, I recommend “Buck Out” by Ken Benton

      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1514666979?tag=ttgnet-20/

  29. Greg Norton says:

    They knew. That was part of the adventure. Unfortunately they got drunk and in trouble. The issue was they did not know they were on their own and the TBP organization would not help them.

    Interestingly, Canada has some really harsh laws about public intoxication and DUI. From the culture that gave us “Strange Brew”.

    Okay, I know it is a satire, but listen carefully to the exchange between the clerk and the customer when the boys walk into the store.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC6dBsNz0oc

  30. mediumwave says:

    Perhaps I should change what I wrote to “real programmers can use the command line (and read the online documentation.)” 😀

  31. paul says:

    I have an unopened bottle of Smirnoff vodka.   Cranberry flavor.  Why, I do not know.  I’m not going to risk ruining  good tomato juice to make a bloody mary.

    An unopened  bottle of rum.  Same for a bottle of gin. An unopened bottle of Evan Williams plus a half bottle.  All 1.75 liter bottles.  I’ll never drink any of it.  I like Miller Highlife. 

    So I have the van loaded with the three towers and four monitors and more than I expected to find clutter stuff like power cords and Ethernet cables and the SCSI cables.

    Meeting at the CircleK at noon works for the computer stuff.  The funeral home is almost next door.

    The ashes and death certificate are ready to pick up.

    So my plan is to offer the booze to the folks at the funeral home.  Then offer it to the guy getting the computer stuff.

    No takers for free booze?  There are trash cans at the CircleK.  

    10
  32. CowboyStu says:

    @RickH:

    It’s been 20 years ago since I was is Southern Utah, can’t remember any names of people I met there.

  33. paul says:

    About the Cheese-its…. they suck.  Or my tastes have changed.  About a third of a cup in a small bowl for snacking at the PC and after the first three or four, I might as well be eating stale but still crispy saltine crackers.  Or hey, Oyster Crackers. 

    Pretzels? The same amount tastes good to the last one in the bowl. 

    I’m going to do another batch of oven fried chicken.  Toss in a couple of “boneless pork chops” from a pork loin too.  Cube it all up, season it and into the oven.  Then I have random chicken or pork chunks for snacking.

    I vac sealed some cooked turkey and put it in the freezer.  It’s an experiment.   If Foodsaver works better than a Daisy Seal-A-Meal,  I might cook a treblinka turkey for Thanksgiving.  <←- there’s a story there.  The Seal-A-Meal turkey was mushy when thawed.  The dogs liked it.

  34. Lynn says:

    “Climate “Reparations” Numbers Are Rigged”

        https://thelibertydaily.com/climate-reparations-numbers-are-rigged/

    “(AIER)—Nobel Prize–winning economist Esther Duflo thinks rich countries should pay poor countries $500 billion in compensation each year for climate-change damages. It is our “moral debt.” She proposes an international 2-percent wealth tax on the ultra-rich and an increase in the global minimum corporate tax rate to fund this $500 billion transfer.”

    You have got to be kidding me.  Welfare for the world.

  35. paul says:

    I like the Mom and Pop motels.  Sometimes they have a pool.  Almost all are U shaped. Older places from late fifties to late sixties by the look of the bathrooms.   All run by heretics of some kind of home schoolers.  Pretty much, Mom runs the motel with 4 or 5 kids running around while Dad is off making money.  So you have the Office and then doorways into the next two or three rooms.  It’s their house… with 15 or 20 rooms to rent.   I think it’s pretty darn cool.

    I did learn to ask to see the room first.  One place I sat on the bed and took off my shoes.  The carpet pulled the socks off of my feet.    

  36. paul says:

    Esther Duflo can go jump off of the nearest cliff or skyscraper. 

    Another grifter.

  37. Greg Norton says:

    “(AIER)—Nobel Prize–winning economist Esther Duflo thinks rich countries should pay poor countries $500 billion in compensation each year for climate-change damages. It is our “moral debt.” She proposes an international 2-percent wealth tax on the ultra-rich and an increase in the global minimum corporate tax rate to fund this $500 billion transfer.”

    You have got to be kidding me.  Welfare for the world.

    Everyone wants to be a 2 percenter, but the drag queens at Bank of America Private Bank may actually do something to grow your balance sheet.

  38. Nick Flandrey says:

    Back from my errands and my client’s house.   My partner texted that the part had arrived on site, so I went over.   It hadn’t.   Solved another issue in the rack while I was there then came home.  

    Because D1 was involved in a fight at school.  One of her girlfriends got jumped by another girl and D1 tried to hold the attacker back.   From the video she’s only marginally involved.   The attacker got in one good hit on the friend before someone pulled her back.   Proud of D1 for trying to help her friend.   No school issues as the other girl was the aggressor and there is video.  

    Civilization was nice while it lasted.

    n

  39. paul says:

    I’m growing my own balance sheet.  Frost is paying  point 9% interest on savings.  I’m not sure about their CDs but you have to go to a branch to open a CD.

    T-bills are doing a bit more than 5%.  I can handle the work.  And save gas and time over driving into Austin.

    I have a goal. More than $100,000 between Savings and T-bills. When I get there, who knows. Spin it off to the kids I guess.

  40. Nick Flandrey says:

    Chris Cuomo makes staggering confession about antibacterial drug he ridiculed during the COVID pandemic

     

    Chris Cuomo has walked back his comments on Ivermectin and revealed he is taking the drug to treat brain fog due to Covid-19. Cuomo, 53, previously said Ivermectin users should be ‘shamed’.

    – can you say ‘hypocrite’?  I knew you could…

    n

  41. Lynn says:

    another week almost done, and still no canned sunshine..

    I think that the canned sunshine is on hold for a while.  It is all up to Iran and maybe they are realizing that the crazy is going too far.

  42. Greg Norton says:

    I’m growing my own balance sheet.  Frost is paying  point 9% interest on savings.  I’m not sure about their CDs but you have to go to a branch to open a CD.

    T-bills are doing a bit more than 5%.  I can handle the work.  And save gas and time over driving into Austin.

    TreasuryDirect’s interface still leaves a lot to be desired.

    I throw the tax refund into paper I-Bonds and stick them in a file folder, but I bought the electronic version when the rates in one six month period hit 9% a couple of years ago.

  43. Lynn says:

    “Car Pro Commentary:  BIG MISTAKE GM-Rest In Peace Chevy Malibu!”

         https://www.carpro.com/blog/car-pro-commentary-big-mistake-gm-rest-in-peace-chevy-malibu

    “Check the numbers.  Since 1964, you’ve sold over 10 million of these models.  It was just last year that sales were up 13% over the prior year, and you did in fact sell 130,000 of them in 2023, nothing to sneeze about.  Camaro is gone, Malibu dies this November, so on the car side, Chevrolet will only have the Corvette. For those people who want a good old American made sedan, what do I tell them?  Many have bought these cars time and time again, even generations of families have purchased them.”

  44. paul says:
    TreasuryDirect’s interface still leaves a lot to be desired.

    Yeah.  But it does work.  Mostly to me, you can’t hit the backspace key to go back a page.  Need to click the cancel or return buttons.  It’s clunky but they are dealing with Real Money so I’m cool.

  45. drwilliams says:

    “Duflo” is a contracted form of “Dumflocker”

  46. Lynn says:

    “9 Major Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 11 Now”

        https://www.pcmag.com/news/reasons-to-upgrade-to-windows-11-now

    “A slick new interface, better security, updated apps, and info widgets are just some of the perks of upgrading to Windows 11. Here’s why you should do it sooner than later.”

    Ah, PC Magazine still does puff pieces.

  47. drwilliams says:

    Chris Cuomo is probably related to Esther.

  48. drwilliams says:

    “For those people who want a good old American made sedan, what do I tell them?  Many have bought these cars time and time again, even generations of families have purchased them.”

    Tell them the American car manufacturer’s have sold out to the commies and PLT’s, and then recommend a test-drive in a Hyundai Sonata.

  49. MrAtoz says:

    Apple Savings is paying 4.40% APY. I’ll shoot $500 over now and then. Rainy day money.

  50. paul says:

    Win11 is ok.  

    Once you manage to set it up with just a local account it’s just as annoying as the change from Win98Se to WinXp to Win7.  Various settings randomly moved around make it difficult.

    But it seems very stable.  I’ve yet to have a crash. 

    What I do not like is the feature creep the monthly updates introduce.   I have three Win11 boxes that are the same for hardware and they are all different.  It’s annoying. 

  51. Greg Norton says:

    “Check the numbers.  Since 1964, you’ve sold over 10 million of these models.  It was just last year that sales were up 13% over the prior year, and you did in fact sell 130,000 of them in 2023, nothing to sneeze about.  Camaro is gone, Malibu dies this November, so on the car side, Chevrolet will only have the Corvette. For those people who want a good old American made sedan, what do I tell them?  Many have bought these cars time and time again, even generations of families have purchased them.”

    Our rental Camaro last Spring burned oil, and the pillars made about a third of the rear view mirror useless.

    Most of the Malibu sales were to fleets as of late. Like, say, Hertz. Fleet sales kept the car companies alive as interest rates zoomed.

    Jerry knows why the cars are disappearing. The agenda is to take privately-owned vehicles away from most people.

  52. Lynn says:

    “”You Need Two Years Of Food” – Martin Armstrong Warns “There Will Be Shortages” As ‘Perfect Storm’ Looms”

        https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/you-need-two-years-food-martin-armstrong-warns-there-will-be-shortages-perfect-storm

    “I asked Armstrong if the US government could default on its debt if countries around the world continue to stop buying it?  Armstrong explained:”

    I think the US could default on its debt as early as 2025, but probably in 2027. 

    “I asked Armstrong what should the common person be doing now? 

    Armstrong surprisingly said, “I think you need, safely, two years’ worth of food supply. . . .This is what I have.   It’s not just prices will go up, but mainly because there will be shortages.  Then, you do not know what they are going to do with the currency. . . . They will do whatever they have to do to survive.  That’s what governments always do.””

    That is a lot of food.  I have two or three months for the four of us.  Getting more takes a lot of space.

  53. paul says:
    That is a lot of food.  

    Yes it is.  I suppose “lots’ depends on what you want to eat.  I think I have plenty.  And I have lots of jars to pressure can the meats I have in the freezers if the electricity gets wonky. 

    I have a plan.  Might not be a good plan but it’s a plan. 

  54. paul says:

    And yes, lots of rice and Auguson dried potatoes (think au gratin potato mixes) .  That’s after I go through the canned goods.

    I need to swap out keyboards. This one is substituting letters while I type. Might sort of be time. I’ve used it since the days of WfW3.11.

  55. Lynn says:

    “Magic Binds (Kate Daniels)” by Ilona Andrews
       https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Binds-Daniels-Ilona-Andrews/dp/042527070X?tag=ttgnet-20/

    Book number nine of a ten book paranormal romance dark fantasy series. There are short stories and successive books to the series also. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Ace in 2017 that I bought new on Amazon recently. Note that “Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. I have all ten books now and will read book number ten later.

    Kate Daniels is a mercenary in Atlanta, Georgia and engaged to the former Beast Lord. All of her life, she has been running from her father, a 5,000+ year old all powerful mage currently known as Roland. In the Bible, he is known by another name. Roland has killed all of her brothers and sisters so she expected the same treatment when he found her. Now Kate is trying to figure how to live with him knowing where she is and popping up in her life constantly. And her father is getting more and more aggressive by the day, kidnapping Saiman and bleeding him for his magic.

    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.

    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.

    The authors have a website at:
       https://www.ilona-andrews.com

    My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (11,856 reviews)

    Lynn

  56. drwilliams says:

    $60, 80k a year.

    It’s not just that they are ignorant “doosh-nozzles”*,

    They take it to a whole new level:

    https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2024/05/10/university-of-ottawa-pro-hamas-protesters-palestine-misspelling-n2174026

    *who knew that hanging around here would build my vocabulary?

    Kudos to the rapperz and thug assistants making the same mistake to 13 million more “doosh-nozzles”

  57. paul says:

    I’m really grumpy tonight.  Not punch a wall grumpy.  Or hit anyone.  Just annoyed about everything.

    Well, I’ll get over it.

    12
  58. MrAtoz says:

    That is a lot of food.  I have two or three months for the four of us.  Getting more takes a lot of space.
     

    For most people, that amount of food would be primarily “starvation foods“,ie, carbs like beans, rice, grains, etc. Freeze dried is the best way to go for longevity, but still light on proteins. I have three months of FD for four people with some added FD proteins. Fats are a problem and don’t store well. Those are usually vegetable based. A lot of the gurus are now saying carbs + veg oils are bad for you. At 69, I’m not canning, gardening, or rotating a deep pantry. I couldn’t grow enough food anyway.

    We all need to stand in line for the goobermint cheese, soy, and other “gifts” the PTB bestow on us. Just for appearances to protect your stash.

  59. SteveF says:

    Fats are a problem and don’t store well.

    Get a tub of tallow or lard. If you leave it in the tub (and the tub and lid are of good quality and aren’t damaged) it’ll keep forever, give or take a year. Longer than you will, likely.

    For myself, I prefer the taste of tallow but pasture-raised pigs store several vitamins in their fat so I have lard stored.

  60. Lynn says:

    For most people, that amount of food would be primarily “starvation foods“,ie, carbs like beans, rice, grains, etc. Freeze dried is the best way to go for longevity, but still light on proteins. I have three months of FD for four people with some added FD proteins. Fats are a problem and don’t store well. Those are usually vegetable based. A lot of the gurus are now saying carbs + veg oils are bad for you. At 69, I’m not canning, gardening, or rotating a deep pantry. I couldn’t grow enough food anyway.

    We all need to stand in line for the goobermint cheese, soy, and other “gifts” the PTB bestow on us. Just for appearances to protect your stash.

    Definitely.  And if everyone else is losing weight, you better be losing weight too.  

    I’ve got a few number ten cans of Augason Farms FD like this:

        https://www.amazon.com/Augason-Farms-Chicken-Fettuccine-Alfredo/dp/B0056CD9LE?tag=ttgnet-20/

    I’ve opened two of them, the powdered eggs which were terrible, and the onion flakes which were ok.  I suspect that all of them are terrible compared to fresh food.

    I’ve also got a few Mountain House packets.  I try to stay away from the spicy stuff.  I have yet to try any of them but I had something like this when I was backpacking back in 1980 in Big Bend.

       https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-House-Stroganoff-Backpacking-Servings/dp/B084PD55JY?tag=ttgnet-20/   

  61. Ken Mitchell says:

    Canned foods are probably good for 2-3 years beyond their “best by” date, except for the zip-top lid cans; those fail fairly quickly. Anyway, we have a stockpile of Campbell’s “chunky” soups, and I had always figured that one can of soup and a cup of rice would provide sufficient calories for 2 old people who don’t eat that much any longer. With those and other similar things, I have several months worth of non-perishable foods. And two freezers full, but if the power fails, I suspect that running my generator for an hour out of every 3 will keep things cold (enough) for a couple of weeks.  Which will give me time to cook up a lot of the frozen food. And I probably have enough ammunition to defend it; and if not, well, we won’t die of hunger. 

    I’m fortunate in that we won’t be trying to “bug out” and take the stockpile with us; this is our “BOL”. Too bad I’ve never been a hunter; we have 30+ deer who come for deer food each evening.  Now, I need to build some stone walls around the yard…..

  62. drwilliams says:

    Spices cover up off-tastes and blandness. This can defeat your best defense against spoiled food–your nose–so spices are best added during prep, after food quality has been confirmed.

    Ground spices have shorter storage lives because it is easier for volatile oils to escape. Whole spices store better. Whole peppercorns  are reputed to be good for 3-5 years. I know I’ve had some longer, but not sure how long. 

    Best storage IMO is lab glass containers with PTFE-lined phenolic lids, but Mylar and mason jars are the standard for non-lab folks. Oxygen, light and heat are the enemies. Cool and dark is essential. For long-term storage I’d use oxygen absorbers. 

    Whole peppercorns  are reputed to be good for 3-5 years. I know I’ve had some longer, but not sure how long. 

    This article makes some good points:

    https://www.primalsurvivor.net/store-spices/

    Pulling vacuum on spices is counterproductive–it will let the volatile oils escape.

  63. drwilliams says:

    I think the guy should have one of the London chalk masters do a 3D boat on the driveway entrance, and then clear-coat to preserve it.

    Get an old rowboat and maybe a bass boat and turn them into front yard planters.

  64. Lynn says:

    Canned foods are probably good for 2-3 years beyond their “best by” date, except for the zip-top lid cans; those fail fairly quickly.

    I ate a BB 2021 pop top can of Progresso minestrone soup the other day.  Was perfectly fine.   

    I opened a BB 2022 pop top can of Progresso mushroom soup two months ago.  It looked hinky and smelled weird so it went in the trash.

  65. mediumwave says:

    I ate a can of Campbell’s Chunky Turkey & Wild Rice soup from Feb 2023 not four hours ago. 😀

  66. Lynn says:

    “The Northern Lights are visible in parts of Southeast Texas tonight, for real”

         https://spacecityweather.com/the-northern-lights-are-visible-in-parts-of-southeast-texas-tonight-for-real/

    “We’ll keep this brief. A massive, if not historic solar storm has unleashed a barrage of solar flares toward Earth. Those arrived today, the strongest solar storm in at least 20 years to impact us. We have seen reports all over Europe of the aurora being visible. Not just visible…VISIBLE. Those reports have spread into the U.S. now, with much of Georgia, parts of Mississippi, Mobile, AL, and now Pinehurst and The Woodlands and Lake Conroe reporting the aurora.”

    I’ve got too much light pollution south of Sugar Land to see anything from the office.

  67. Ken Mitchell says:

    Currently circulating joke:  I called my stock broker and asked, ”In this troubled economy, what should I be buying?”

    The broker replied “Canned goods and ammunition.”

  68. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’m a bit afraid to total the food in storage.   It’s in several different places and there is a bunch.  I would not be surprised to find there was a year or two if used conservatively.  That was the goal.

    I described a very compact storage system with milk crates a while back, and I’m still using it for the stuff that was supposed to move from shelves on the patio to cabinets in the garage.    

    The majority of my food is canned veg and beans, buckets of bulk like rice, flour, salt,  pasta, canned meat, and freezers full of meat.

    There are cases of MRE style food in the secondary (my interim stop on a bug out) and several mixed cases of Mountain House.   Rats ate all the off brand freeze drieds… but I add a #10 can of Auguson Farms when it’s on sale.

    The idea is to build meals with a meat, a veg, a bean or pasta or rice, and maybe a treat or dessert.  One meal a day is better than no meals a day, and is my base.   There are other things for a normal disaster, like pancake mix, frozen and powdered egg, bread and tortilla mix in buckets, etc.   In a true disaster, you might not have the energy or time for risen bread, so tortilla or flat bread is important.

    I like cans.   They are sturdy, and the food is already cooked, and hydrated.   They are heavy and they rust and fail, but they are cheap so you can stack more.

    n

  69. Ken Mitchell says:

    “The Northern Lights are visible in parts of Southeast Texas tonight, for real”

    I got dressed again and went outside to look, but there’s enough of a cloud cover over San Antonio that I can’t see anything. 🙁

  70. Ken Mitchell says:

    “The Northern Lights are visible in parts of Southeast Texas tonight, for real”

    And I called my brother in Omaha, but apparently he can’t see them either.  🙁

  71. Nick Flandrey says:

    I checked, and we have patchy low clouds here, so no luck for me either.

    n

  72. Nick Flandrey says:

    Jeez, how’d it get so late?  I’m off, got lots of driving and stuff to do tomorrow.

    n

  73. Alan says:

    >>I have a plan.  Might not be a good plan but it’s a plan. 

    Failure to plan is planning to fail… so you’re ahead of the game. 

    P. S. Don’t forget plenty of water. 

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