Warm and humid, becoming hot and moist later. That’s what yesterday was like, and today is usually pretty much like yesterday. So that’s the safe way to bet.
I did a bunch of domestic bliss yesterday, indoors, with the A/C on. Cleaned out the toy room. Tried the new boards in the old TVs, but they didn’t solve the problem. I junked them at that point. Saved the boards. That stuff is now out of the room.
Looked into applying the moisture barrier to the floor, but all three cans had “kicked” and were solid. One can was half leftover from doing the kid’s room at the BOL. The other two I bought for $5 each in an auction. That was taking a chance but if it paid off I would have saved hundreds of dollars. The freaking goop is pricey.
The moisture barrier is because that room will eventually get the same glue down engineered hardwood as the rest of the house. I even have it sitting in storage. We learned the hard way that no matter what the test says about the concrete slab and moisture, it’s worth the money to do the barrier. Having the smooth barrier makes the flooring glue easier too. This would have been a convenient time to cover most of the floor with the goop. Oh well.
Did laundry. Cleaned the kitchen after the bakers were done. Did some auction stuff. Made dinner. Just another day, and one I’m grateful to have. Every day without a new conflict or a disaster is a good day. And it’s another day to get your stuff in order…
Today will be pickups all over town. Mostly Christmas gifts, but a few things for the stacks. And normal kid taxi duties.
Take the time. Work. Fix. Grow. Stack.
nick
The various layers of government in Florida cooperated to build two weird, ‘L’ shaped buildings at the Charlotte County weigh stations in the 90s, about mid way between Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SRQpDHmf1E6RrLX67
I’ve always assumed the buildings were intended some kind of linear accelerator equipment which could be used to quickly scan trucks for … something … but I’ve never seen them in use, even after 9/11.
68F and mostly clear this morning.
Coffee in the mug. Kids are drag @ss this morning because of staying up late studying. They have finals this week. Full day today, then half days.
That will make my workday interesting.
n
(because it’s all about me.)
For those of you who might be thinking of migrating to Linux in order to avoid Windows 11:
No. 2025 Won’t Be The Year of The Linux Desktop.
Are the Years of Madness Ending?
A glimmer of hope . . .
Ok, the “mostly clear” was a lie based on my camera views. In real life, it’s light but complete overcast with heavy mist.
Or early morning low clouds.
Drippy wet.
n
Anti-stacking propaganda:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/16/economy/stockpiling-fear-higher-tariffs/index.html#openweb-convo
The comments are hilariously sad.
Linux has its problems, sure. But I have been using it exclusively for a long time. There is a learning phase, because some things work differently, but that’s no different than what you have changing between Mac and Windows.
Go with Ubuntu LTS (personally, I prefer the Xubuntu variant). Alternatively, Linux Mint. There are very few applications not available for Linux, mostly specialized stuff (like Lynn’s software). Now that Microsoft has put Office in the cloud, you can use all of the office programs (though LibreOffice is as good for most things). Steam has even made gaming easy.
I’m all for EVs, but the market will take care of this stuff. There is just no reason for the government to be sticking its oar in. At most, provide tax incentives, but stop it with the subsidies already. They just incentize “fake” investment, where companies suck in the money while jumping through loopholes to avoid actually providing the service.
I understand the problem. I always gain weight over the holidays. The good news is: my wife almost certainly won’t bake Christmas cookies. The bad news is: I’m the cookie baker, and I most certainly will.
And did you read the one about the politician in NYC who photographed Orion and thought it was drones? I mean, I understand you don’t see a lot of stars in NYC, but…seriously?
The drones are very obviously two things. The ones sporting navigation lights are clearly legal drones – and I don’t understand why people keep reporting them. All the rest are pranksters, who are laughing their collective asses off.
All that said: Drone defenses need to be developed and sold widely to the general public. The legal framework needs adapted accordingly. I had no humor at all for the drone that was buzzing us while we were grilling, but the operator was no where in sight. I want the right and the ability to take drones like that down, no questions asked.
When the solution to a problem is an archaic and cryptic command line, or recompile something, or install a different module, the OS will never be mainstream. Asking for help should not involve RTFM followed by “if you don’t know you’re too stupid to be running Linux”. The support community more than anything, doomed Linux from other than hobbyist desktop use and data centers. Linux wound up relegated to servers which are run by the same community that failed to support others. It was as if the Linux community really wanted to keep the knowledge to themselves to look superior.
Windows has its problems. However, there are many viable support options. None of which require recompiling or non-sensical command lines.
MacOS has its problems. There are many support options that are helpful beyond RTFM. Even though MacOS is based on a Linux like system, there are usually ways to fix problems without dropping to a command line.
There really are no manuals for any of the operating systems. There are books in book stores which are not really manuals but prose written by someone from their perspective encompassing their experiences. I can find a dozen Windows books, but maybe one Linux book.
And yes, I have tried Linux. I found a problem where some module had to be installed, but could not install because something was locked. The module needed to be installed to unlock what was locked but couldn’t install because of the lock. A circular problem that was not solvable by mere mortals.
There are many things I don’t like about Windows. There are many things I don’t like about MacOS.
File handling in MacOS involving copying or moving seems to be a guessing game. MacOS will not allow copying/cutting of images and then pasting. Instead images must handled with drag and drop. Opening up a second window is not really intuitive on the Mac. When a folder exists the option buttons are not in the same location as when a folder does not exist. The merge, replace buttons are in different locations than when the folder does not exist.
MacOS uses the same menu bar at the top of the screen for all apps. Rather than a menu bar at the top of the apps window. Whether that is good or bad is up to debate.
Why Mac chose CMD-C,X,V rather than CTL-C,X-V is more of a middle finger to windows than any other reason. The location of the CMD key relative the C,X,V keys is not real convenient. CTL gives the pinky something to do without contorting the hand.
MacOS delete key operates differently than windows. There is no backspace key in the Mac world so the delete key is actually the backspace and delete key. For windows the delete key deletes the character in front of the cursor. In Mac world the delete key deletes the character in back of the cursor.
In the south it is called a 12 gauge.
When the solution to a problem is an archaic and cryptic command line, or recompile something, or install a different module, the OS will never be mainstream. Asking for help should not involve RTFM followed by “if you don’t know you’re too stupid to be running Linux”. The support community more than anything, doomed Linux from other than hobbyist desktop use and data centers. Linux wound up relegated to servers which are run by the same community that failed to support others. It was as if the Linux community really wanted to keep the knowledge to themselves to look superior.
According to Lunduke, the looming troubles with Linux are not technological but ideological.
The Linux “community” appears to be in the process of self-immolating.
@Ray
“In the south it is called a 12 gauge.”
In the north it’s a 10-gauge.
We’re better marksman in the south.
The shells need to be loaded with salt or kitty litter. Something that won’t go very far, and degrades on its own.
My milspec trade magazines are all looking for ways to detect and destroy small UAVs, ie “drones”. BTW, no one is shooting a Reaper drone with a shotgun. The word “drone” used for hobby quad copter is what people mostly think of, but that’s not the reality of the weaponized versions.
If it was easy, they’d be doing it. That so much money is chasing anti drone solutions tells me it isn’t easy, or a done deal.
n
Somehow, I think this audience might be interested in this. A guy made a wristwatch as a hobby.
Courtesy of another guy I follow, Sippican Cottage.
I hope I don’t get put in time out for having 2 links in one post.
Houston PD does annual or twice annual aerial surveys of the city mapping radioactive hotspots. With the med center, and all the industry and oil business, we’ve got a lot of radioactivity apparently.
The 100 ??? kW nuclear reactor at TAMU had a meltdown about 20 or 25 years ago when the pool cracked and the grad students were not watching the pool level very well. That was where all of the radioactive isotopes for the Houston Medical Center came from.
So they built a 1 ??? MW nuclear reactor at Rice University to replace the TAMU reactor. They had been planning on this anyway since the van was making the four hour round trip from TAMU to Houston Med Canter daily to get more isotopes for medical testing. I have had seven ??? tests with isotopes in the last 15 years. My wife has had several also in the last 20 years.
So, the real problem is that there are people peeing these isotopes out all over Houston. Generally takes about 24 hours. Plus radioactive needles are used for several cancer treatments since the needle is radioactive for 5 to 10 years. So the entire city is radioactive to some degree.
The shells need to be loaded with salt or kitty litter. Something that won’t go very far, and degrades on its own.
My milspec trade magazines are all looking for ways to detect and destroy small UAVs, ie “drones”. BTW, no one is shooting a Reaper drone with a shotgun. The word “drone” used for hobby quad copter is what people mostly think of, but that’s not the reality of the weaponized versions.
If it was easy, they’d be doing it. That so much money is chasing anti drone solutions tells me it isn’t easy, or a done deal.
I think that the soldiers in Ukraine on both sides are working on drone defenses. That would be a good place to research from a far distance away.
The Abrams tank reorder of 400 ??? tanks has been canceled until effective drone defenses are added to the tank.
Kalashnikov was selling an anti drone EMF “gun” which I assume was a jammer with a directional antenna.
I haven’t seen anything about that in over a decade.
“Vatican on the Brink of Bankruptcy Due to Dramatic Decline in Global Donations Under Pope Francis’ Leadership: Report”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/12/vatican-brink-bankruptcy-due-dramatic-decline-global-donations/
Good. This guy is more concerned about global warming than people’s souls. And then there are all of the predatory priests who should not be priests, they are wolves.
+1000
Also, getting the “contribute a patch” anytime you mention a bug. Apparently, everyone using desktop Linux is supposed to be a coder. lol
Linux, the amazing desktop solution ruined by its own elitists.
I used to have fun with it back in the day (early to mid 00’s mostly). For me at the time, using Linux was the computer geek equivalent of a car guy spending his day twisting wrenches under the hood of a car that never did or will run quite right. The fun was in the tinkering. It was a fun hobby, but I eventually moved on to other interests.
I hope I don’t get put in time out for having 2 links in one post.
I think that RickH has the spam filter set to five links IIRC.
Maybe eight links, I am not sure.
The church can melt down some of their golden idols.
I used to like to tinker during the days of CP/M. Adding memory to the machine, improving the CPU, power supply upgrades, new disk controllers, writing my own dialing system to look for systems. It was fun, I enjoyed it. Then Windows arrived and I lost the desire to tinker.
I found Linux, found a spare system, installed Linux. Now time to experiment and enjoy tinkering again. I would need to do something and would ask on a couple of bulletin boards. The usual response was RTFM. I made the mistake of asking “where is the manual”. That unloaded a barrage of comments along the line, if you don’t know where the manual is you are too stupid to run Linux. I found the manual as the result of reading someone else’s request.
The manual did not help. The manual assumed a lot that the person should already know. I would ask for help, explain I did not find it in the manual, and would be met with the usual snarky comments. The best one was “any idiot would know you have to recompile the kernel”. But first make certain to get the correct linker, which was nowhere that I could find.
Uh, nope, I am done with this.
After I got the Mac and Parallels, one of the options was to install Linux. OK, I will give it a try. I had to install dozens of updates. One update which was required to be installed, would not install because one of the libraries it wanted to update was locked, and thus would not update. The only way to update the library was to install the update that would not install.
When I asked on Reddit who to get past the problem, the usual wrath was again apparent, informing me that if I knew anything about computers, the answer is obvious. I guess in 55 years of slinging code I learned nothing as the answer was not obvious.
I blew away the virtual machine and chalked my time up to another wasted effort.
Windows and MacOS have a fairly good support community. Linux support has a bunch of zit faced masturbators who like nothing better than to put people down in an attempt to show their superiority. They intentionally want to shield their world from others as Linux is the only life, and possibly, friend, that they have.
Another issue with Linix is security.
At one time it had a small audience and was obscure.
Now huge corporations and entire nation states are using it, fearful of Windows back doors inserted by the three letter agencies, so subtle & persistent threats are becoming present, with no MS or Android teams working non-stop in defense.
I saw some reports of some pretty scary stuff for Linux in the last month (on Y Combinator news I believe).
And we’ve all heard reports of dependency chain poisoning, sometimes blatant, sometimes subtle.
Android is Linux.
That’s a problem with the Hot Skillz tools at the application level, not the kernel. No one really knows what is in the kewl libraries or runtime containers they use and just cross their fingers.
I even see it where I currently work as the young’n’s are eager to build resumes with the latest tech, regardless of long term consequences.
>>Why Mac chose CMD-C,X,V rather than CTL-C,X-V is more of a middle finger to windows than any other reason.
Because Steve knew better.
Is there a running list of Russian generals killed in the Ukraine Invasion?
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2024/12/17/bombshell-report-calls-for-fbi-investigation-into-liz-cheneys-alleged-witness-tampering-n2649174
Uniform Planner at Club Fed: “Looks like Liz is going to be here soon. Better order the XXX-wide (3 axe-handles) bolt of orange fabric and get cracking on some uniforms.”
Android is Linux.
At the moment. Google is working on a replacement O/S for Android phones. Unless they gave up which would not surprise me.
I have to take issue with the negative comments on Linux. I have used Linux as my preferred desktop for probably some 20 years and have absolutely no regrets (and I am not a kernel developer).
I support a small charity who have run with the Linux (free) desktop for over 10 years with a multitude of part time staff and the only problems I can remember is some printer connectivity issues which I have resolved very quickly when called. I also have installed Linux on a number of friends laptops and NEVER had a tech support call.
I am sure it depends on what you want to use the desktop for. The number 1 requirement is a browser. Linux does just fine.
PS Take a Windows device and try and upgrade it to a new version …. money and effort. I upgraded the hardware at the charity … took the OS SSD from the old system, installed on the new system … booted and business as usual!
PaulTheManc: I agree.
I haven’t been without Linux of some flavor for years, though I rarely use a desktop of any OS any more.
My comment was directed more at the greater threat environment we all live in now.
(Sheesh, I already had to deal with the removal of the “r commands” after RH 5.2…)
“Just a math error…”
https://arstechnica.com/health/2024/12/huge-math-error-corrected-in-black-plastic-study-authors-say-it-doesnt-matter/
“Linux” technically refers to the kernel. I don’t see them getting away from that without a lot of hassle. Everything else is fair game.
Win10 and now win11 are full on spyware. I can’t believe a single Bigcorp would allow that inside their network. It’s astonishing to me how much cr@p you have to say no to with a win10 install, and then you get the spying and ads anyway.
Apps spy.
The OS spys.
The ISP spys.
DNS providers spy.
We can do something about which apps we use, and maybe do some filtering.
We can use alt DNS providers and also thwart some of the ISP spying.
Can’t do anything about the OS.
Better to have one without the built in spying and ads.
—–
The phones are spying, the TVs are spying, the set top boxes are spying. The “personal assistants” are spying.
I’m tired of all the spying, aggregating, harvesting, and all the rest.
Starve the beast when you can.
n
Bigcorps like the Panopticon that is Windows 11 with Outlook and Teams, especially the HR droids.
Where I work, the C-suite never went to Teams for their own use, staying on Zoom.
Things that make you say, “Hmmmm…”
A couple of months ago, however, they redeployed Zoom everywhere in the company, even on the corporate drone laptops.
Yeah, but the OS spying isn’t on behalf of the Bigcorp, it’s on behalf of third parties.
n
“Coach Prime Conquers The Mormons”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/football/2024/12/16/when-does-colorado-football-play-alamo-bowl-schedule-tv-channel/76977472007/
A Heisman Trophy winner and Prime Jr. expected to go high in the NFL Draft.
@Alan
Yeah, and ARS didn’t catch that the data are far from current, as I commented Dec 7:
“I’m not done yet. Here is Kuang [source of the actual data]:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969717321708
So the number crunching was not only defective, but the numbers were old and it’s doubtful that they have any present relevance except for plastic kitchen utensils 13+ years old.“
If you’re dealing in stellar spectra, data from a 2018 article that reports pre-2011 conditions is not a problems. If you’re dealing with plastic kitchen utensils with a short use life, real “researchers” might be inclined to purchase some new examples and take updated measurements to see if there is a current problem.
With Redmond, anything is available for a price, including privacy for the C-Suite antics.
My current employer knuckled under to pressure from Redmond to upgrade all of our Linux development environments to an “approved” distribution, however, capable of running VS Code in the desktop environment rather than editing code remotely via SSH.
Apparently, VS Code grades us on “effective” use of the AI features and doesn’t just track that we use the program regularly.
Just spiffy.
I spent $19,760 today renewing my liability and property insurance on my office building complex. When I bought the property in 2011, my first insurance bill was less than $6,000. The only real change that I have made to the insurance is that the liability is now $2 million instead of $1 million (inflation). The property insured has gone from $500,000 to $1,000,000 (inflation).
Makes you feel special–not.
NY Post: Stephanopoulos ‘Humiliated’ by $16 Million Settlement
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2024/12/17/ny-post-stephanopoulos-humiliated-by-16-million-settlement-n3797996
Too much to ask that he be selecting a belt…
so Biden paid $300 million to Reuters to generate fake crap that the leftist media could publish to denigrate Elon Musk?
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2024/12/17/biden-admin-sent-300m-to-reuters-to-look-into-musk-and-his-companies-n3797989
Make a list of everyone involved in this project, and fire them Jan 21.
Note that Reuters is a Canadian firm. Be too bad if they woke up to a new Starlink splash screen:
“Hi, this is Elon. If you check the fine print on your contract, you’ll find that I can elect not to do business with evil people. Like you. Good bye.”
One last shot from Governor Kirkland Brand on his way out.
https://www.columbian.com/news/2024/dec/17/outgoing-washington-governor-suggests-wealth-tax-to-avoid-cuts-to-education-and-police/
Biden Lied About Everything: Philly Fed Finds All Jobs “Created” In Q2 Were Fake
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/biden-lied-about-everything-philly-fed-finds-all-jobs-created-q2-were-fake
Make a list, fire them all. Then impeach them and pull their pensions.
Cleaning out the politically partisan liars is such an easy way to shrink fedgov and balance the budget.
My home server is on its third motherboard running from the same root partition I formatted and installed clean over 16 years ago. The home partition predates that.
To be fair, my most recent motherboard swap for my primary desktop uses the same Windows 10 partition I created 14 years ago. Moving the hard drive simply required buying a new Windows license.
“Home: Book Three, the Darwin’s World Series” by Jack L Knapp
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Book-Three-Darwins-World/dp/1719885370?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number three of a five book science fiction series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback published in 2018 by the author that I bought new on Amazon. I have bought book four in the series for reading soon.
In the 25th century, humanity has solved all problems and even created machines for time travel and parallel universe travel. But, they caused a new problem, humanity is dying out as people have lost the will to live.
So the future scientists are bringing forward dying people from the 20th century, restoring their bodies to their 20 year old age, and transferring them to Earth 4428, a human less parallel world going through the end of the Pleistocene ice age. With nothing but a few tools and the clothes on their backs. Survive or die in the primitive conditions of what will be the southern USA but there are lions, big cats, mammoths, bison, dire wolves, deer, elk, short face bears, grizzlies, etc. And chest deep snow in the winters.
Matt and several others were deposited by the futurists into what will be the eastern portion of Texas. They moved to the western side of Texas and closer to the Gulf of Mexico to reduce the number of slaver attackers and the terrible winters. They settled in what is the Rio Grande area, close to the Gulf of Mexico. But, there is a huge slaver community just south of them.
If you liked Heinlein’s “Tunnel In The Sky”, you will probably like this series.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (250 reviews)
Lynn
Fire everyone. Rehire as a need manifests.
n
“Here’s what made the cut in Congress’ 1,500-page government funding deal”
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5045613-government-funding-deal-whats-in/
“The bill, which is more than 1,500 pages long, would keep the government funded at current levels through March 14, buying time for the next Congress to finish its funding work for fiscal year 2025.”
“It also includes a number of add-ons, including more than $100 billion in disaster and emergency funding, a health care-related package, and an extension of the farm bill.”
And spending more money that we do not have.
Biden Lied About Everything: Philly Fed Finds All Jobs “Created” In Q2 Were Fake
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/biden-lied-about-everything-philly-fed-finds-all-jobs-created-q2-were-fake
Make a list, fire them all. Then impeach them and pull their pensions.
Cleaning out the politically partisan liars is such an easy way to shrink fedgov and balance the budget.
Fire everyone. Rehire as a need manifests.
n
I am ok with that except for the military. And the Coast Guard. And the Air Traffic Controllers.
@Nick, check your email.
—————
I was in a parking lot today and parked next to a brand new baby blue Bronco with a white roof.
They did a great job of capturing the feel of the mid-60’s model. I learned to drive a stickshift in one of those. It really took me back. Same color and everything. I’d like to have that back.