09:33 – It was 44.5F (7C) when I took Colin out at 0645.
We had some bovine entertainment this morning. Barbara was looking out of the kitchen window at the back fence and noticed that the storm had ripped the top off one of the trees along the fence line. Most of the top was hung up in the tops of other trees, but part of it had fallen to the ground, only a meter or so from the fence. As she watched, one of the cows trotted over to it and started eating the leaves off it. That one was soon joined by several others who noticed what she was doing and trotted over to join her. Before long, there were probably a dozen cows milling around trying to grab mouthsful.
We’d just fed Colin, and he was expecting his second time out for his morning constitutional. I didn’t want to do that, because some of the cows were actually pressing up against the fence, and I was afraid a confrontation would occur. When it comes right down to it, one 70-pound BC is no match for several tons of annoyed cows. So I sat and waited for the cows to disperse, which they didn’t.
I took Colin out front. He was fascinated for a few minutes watching two school-bus loads of kids down in the gas station lot. Eventually, he turned back to his usual course, and trotted west along our south tree line. He got about 50 or 60 meters into our yard when he noticed the cow collection right along the west fence, so he converted that trot into a full speed charge, growl-barking the whole way across our back yard. At least a dozen cows were trotting south along the back fence line. Obviously, they decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
When it comes right down to it, one 70-pound BC is no match for several tons of annoyed cows
I would disagree. On the farm when I was a youngen’ we had a couple of working border collies. Fifty cows were no match for those two border collies. Those dogs could chase and herd those animals without difficulty deftly nipping at the hoofs of the cows all while avoiding the kicks of the cows.
When we wanted to move the cows from the upper pasture to the lower pasture we would open the three gates necessary then send the two dogs. Off the dogs would go easily manipulating the cows and getting them into the lower field in less than 30 minutes. A job that would have taken us humans a couple of hours.
Cows are really afraid of dogs. More correctly stated, cows are afraid of their own shadow.
After the 59 dead in LV, there were calls for banning guns.
Now, after the 8 dead in NYC, where are the calls for banning rental trucks?
Nancy? Schumer?
There were apparently some serious (but of course laughable) calls to ban white vans in Eurostan after the attacks there. White vans being the rental vehicle of choice for murdering scumbags.
For that matter, where are the calls for banning Doctors? They kill more people than the next few causes of death combined…
But we know it’s not about preventing deaths, it’s about controlling gun owners.
n
I think Goldberg pointed it out Schumer’s hypocrisy.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/453318/terrorism-mass-shootings-politicization-violence
Rush Limbaugh proposed a seven day waiting period for muslims wanting to rent trucks this morning. I concur.
How about a waiting period for liberals wanting to express themselves in print other than hand-letter signs or hand-set printing presses? After all, the authors of the First Amendment had no idea that instant communications media would ever exist, so reasonable restrictions are allowed for the good of society.
“If not for its cloud business, Amazon would be posting big losses (AMZN)”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/not-cloud-business-amazon-posting-000110221.html
“For much of the last two years, Amazon Web Services — the company’s cloud computing unit — has accounted for a sizeable chunk of Amazon’s overall profits. But, as we can see in this chart from Statista, in three of Amazon’s last five quarters it’s done even more — it’s covered over the red ink posted by Amazon’s other segments and helped it turn a likely loss into a profit.”
Wow, if Amazon were split up then the store would probably go bankrupt. And yes, the DOJ is examining Amazon for violations of the Sherman anti-trust act.
Wow, the LAN backup on the new 8 TB internal hard drive on the CRM file server passed 4 TB last night. I think that we need to go through the entire network and RUTHLESSLY delete files not needed. Of course, we will never do this as we are too lazy XXXX busy.
It’s a beautiful fall day and here on the left coast we await the Dodgers to kick some Tejas ass, as they did last night. The usual disconnect from reality and today the gas tax goes up 12 cents a gallon. Some forget not that long ago we threw out a governor for raising vehicle fees and replaced him with a body builder/actor. It wasn’t great but it was for the better. Maybe again,,,
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gas-tax-increase-political-battle-20171031-story.html
Wow, if Amazon were split up then the store would probably go bankrupt. And yes, the DOJ is examining Amazon for violations of the Sherman anti-trust act.
The really scary (for Bezos) part is that AWS is a commodity business and growth is flattening out.
Some forget not that long ago we threw out a governor for raising vehicle fees and replaced him with a body builder/actor. It wasn’t great but it was for the better. Maybe again,,,
Moonbeam will never get recalled. People were mad at Grey-out Davis for letting Enron game the ISO grid to the point of rolling blackouts. As long as the power (along with cable TV and cellphone services) stays on, Brown can do pretty much as he pleases within the law.
Got a bill from BCBST (BlueCross BlueShield of TN) today for a premium payment. Thought it was odd. So I called them. Turns out that Healthcare.gov (obuttwadcare) knew that my wife’s current provider was no longer going to offer coverage in my area. All my information was transferred to BCBST. Premium was only $28.00 verses the $464.00 a month I was paying to Humana.
I went on the HealthCare.gov website to see what was going on. Sure enough I had been migrated to BCBST with a comparable plan. The plan they put me in was better in some ways, worse in other ways.
Better in that the plan I was put in, a silver plan, had my income too high and thus the premium. My current premium will now be $0.00 a month. That is good.
What is bad is that my coverage is worse. Insurance only pays 50% of the adjusted cost after I have met my deductible of $1,500. My prior deductible was $3,500 but paid 80% after meeting the deductible.
Maximum out of pocket is less with this plan. Once maximum out of pocket has been reached insurance pays 100%. With this new plan that is $6,000.00, old plan was $7,500.00. So a little better in that aspect.
No vision coverage with the new plan and is not even offered on any of the plans that were available to be selected. I think an eye exam is covered but not a vision exam.
The HealthCare.gov website indicated that the hospital that is the closest is not in the network. I checked on the BCBST website and the hospital is covered. A conflict. I then called BCBST and specifically asked and was told that the hospital is indeed in the network. Why HealthCare.gov is incorrect I don’t know. My wife is currently in the S plan and the hospital is in the network. The new plan is the S plan so nothing should change.
The entire system is a crap shoot based on what you think you will need in the coming year. Guess wrong and it will cost you a lot of money. Either in higher deductible and higher out of pocket, or higher copays if you do not exceed the deductible or maximum out of pocket.
This coming year I opted for the lower premium and higher copay but for a lower deductible and lower maximum out of pocket. Just one hospital procedure, such as the kidney stone blasting my wife had, and you will generally exceed your deductible with maximum out of pocket not far behind. Last year I opted for lower copays and higher premiums and got shafted.
RUTHLESSLY delete files not needed
I made that mistake, just once. Instead archive the files to a BluRay DVD or at a minimum to regular DVD’s. Even a SSD in an external enclosure would be a choice. A couple months after you delete the files you will realize that you deleted a file you really need. DVD’s should last the rest of your lifetime.
” letting Enron game the ISO grid to the point of rolling blackouts.”
All the while voting NIMBY on new power plants and distribution lines.
And by eviscerating PG&E, cutting spending on infrastructure maintenance to the point of failure.
Thus requiring CA to get their power from out of state via the spot market, and leading to Enron…..
Or at least that’s what I recall from way back then…..
n
Thus requiring CA to get their power from out of state via the spot market, and leading to Enron…..
Or at least that’s what I recall from way back then…..
Find a copy of “Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room”. The documentary does a pretty good job of summarizing the situation in 2001.
Unless things change dramatically, I doubt CA will elect another Republican governor for at least a couple of generations.
Nice day here after rain last night and early this am.
Our Halloween trick or treating got washed out. We might have had 30 kids, when we usually get ~130…. and my extensive display had to be cut back a bit. What I did put up got soaked. I only managed to keep the lights up for a couple hours with bags over all the connections. Eventually though, the GFCI kept tripping due to wet.
So today I’m trying to get things dried out enough to put away. Might take a couple of days thanks to the 75% RH.
Otherwise, it would be an nice partly cloudy mid 80s day.
n
(thinned the beet shoots, as they are coming in nicely. Radishes have sprouted, but still no sign of turnips.)
But everyone who votes usually has cars. The vehicle fee increase was outrageous and the voters didn’t like it. Even liberals didn’t like their fees going way up (I forget the amount but it was high).
Yeah the power bullshit was bad too.
Moonbeam is up to his usual pandering, minorities, labor union, government and education workers. The gas tax will be used for road repair but that’s to mollify the labor unions. There will be money given to bike and walking trails too. What’s that have to do with a gas tax? Of course he would really like to kill the oil industry, then raise the fees to make up the revenue loss.
Green cars with windmills on top, The faster you drive the more electricity you make and the faster you go. That works.
Remember the Sixth Commandment of engineering: Thou shalt not take the name of Perpetual Motion in vain.
Also, Jerry Brown is a dumbass and Californians collectively are bigger dumbasses. There are rumors that there are non-stupid Californians, but I have trouble believing them because they still live, after all, in California.
On the other hand, I live in fucking New York. This is strong evidence that I’m a severe dumbass and not qualified to judge the dumbassitude of others.
Topic drift: BBC has interviewed Jerry Brown several times in the past few months, putting together 20-minute or longer podcasts. He’s as entertainingly deluded as he’s always been, and that’s probably why they interview him: he slams Trump, global warming deniers, and nationalists, and generally hits all those BBC sweet spots.
It’s a beautiful fall day and here on the left coast we await the Dodgers to kick some Tejas ass, as they did last night.
Now that is a disconnect from reality.
The usual disconnect from reality and today the gas tax goes up 12 cents a gallon. Some forget not that long ago we threw out a governor for raising vehicle fees and replaced him with a body builder/actor. It wasn’t great but it was for the better. Maybe again,,,
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gas-tax-increase-political-battle-20171031-story.html
I am surprised that Kalifornia does not just go ahead and put a $10/gallon tax on gasoline. And then give gasoline away for free to all of the illegal aliens.
Wow, if Amazon were split up then the store would probably go bankrupt. And yes, the DOJ is examining Amazon for violations of the Sherman anti-trust act.
The really scary (for Bezos) part is that AWS is a commodity business and growth is flattening out.
Several of the major retailers will be bankrupt and shutdown in the next 12 months. Such as Sears, J. C. Penney, and …
RUTHLESSLY delete files not needed
I made that mistake, just once. Instead archive the files to a BluRay DVD or at a minimum to regular DVD’s. Even a SSD in an external enclosure would be a choice. A couple months after you delete the files you will realize that you deleted a file you really need. DVD’s should last the rest of your lifetime.
I archive one of the seven external USB hard drives every six months. That should take care of the ten year horizon. Maybe way longer since the archived drive is not running.
Whoa ! 4 TB for a Blueray BDXL drive @ 100 GB each would be 40 disks ! I don’t think so. Plus $17 each for the BDXL disks:
https://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-M-Disc-100GB-Branded-Surface/dp/B017H13DFS/
he slams Trump, global warming deniers, and nationalists, and generally hits all those BBC sweet spots.
One of my guys told me at lunch time that he has heard that Putin gave Trump 20% of the Rosneft stock. He thinks that Manafort and Gates are singing about this to Mueller right now in exchange to dismiss their sentences.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosneft
Several of the major retailers will be bankrupt and shutdown in the next 12 months. Such as Sears, J. C. Penney, and …
I still believe we are seeing “Peak Amazon”.
My last Amazon transaction:
1) Item shipped a week late because, even though I paid for Standard shipping, I am not a Prime member. I guess the delay is part of my reeducation process.
2) At some point in transit, the item was damaged due to Amazon’s poor packaging and/or clumsy warehouse handling.
3) Amazon personnel lost the return package after I dropped it off at the Locker location near our house.
4) Refund was a week overdue when I finally contacted Amazon customer service and threatened to dispute with Amex. Language quality of response emails from ‘Lucy’ screamed “fresher”.
5) Credit to Amex was granted, but return was classified as USPS having lost the package.
Language quality of response emails from ‘Lucy’ screamed “fresher”.
Huh ?
Language quality of response emails from ‘Lucy’ screamed “fresher”.
Huh ?
“Fresher” is an Indian noob.
One of my guys told me at lunch time that he has heard that Putin gave Trump 20% of the Rosneft stock. He thinks that Manafort and Gates are singing about this to Mueller right now in exchange to dismiss their sentences.
Didn’t Manafort and Gates plead “not guilty”.
If any piece of the oil stock is in American hands, the Clintons are involved.
20% of Rosneft would be a LOT of money. Much more than the $3.1B he is allegedly worth.
20% of Rosneft would be a LOT of money. Much more than the $3.1B he is allegedly worth.
“Donald Trump, Russia, And Rosneft: Vladimir Putin Oil Mystery — Shares Sold To Mystery Buyer Once Offered As Trump Bribe, Dossier Says”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-russia-rosneft-vladimir-202542988.html
“According to the report, the offer of nearly 20 percent of the Russian oil megalith was tied to a promise that if elected president, Trump would lift economic sanctions against Russia that had been imposed by former President Barack Obama as punishment for Putin and Russia’s aggression against neighboring Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.”
I ain’t buying it.
The really scary (for Bezos) part is that AWS is a commodity business and growth is flattening out.
Not really a commodity. Service, security, and reliability are key and AWS seems to have all. Now, they are up against IBM, Google, MSFT, and a few others. The first two can offer AI services (Watson, for example).
An article about one of the companies of paid trolls that works to support Russia and sow discord in the US. Worth reading. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html
Here is the wikipedia article on one of the hoaxes they may have perpetrated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_Chemicals_Plant_explosion_hoax
Just figured out how to watch my DirecTV over the internet at the office. First, DirecTV live does not work on FireFox because they banned Adobe Flash. Took me quite a while to figure that out as there were no error messages. So I tried IE which required me to download the Flash Player. Now, I feel … naked.
Then I had to download a special device driver to run on top of Flash. Then I had to restart IE and get started. After 2 or 3 minutes of hand shaking and authorizing, I finally got the World Series going. Too much dadgum stuff to do !
However, it is just too distracting, I paused it for now.
Then I had to download a special device driver to run on top of Flash. Then I had to restart IE and get started. After 2 or 3 minutes of hand shaking and authorizing, I finally got the World Series going. Too much dadgum stuff to do !
I think SeaMonkey will still support the NPAPI Flash plugin. I use the Java plugin support at work since our architecture is still *gasp* applet based in places.
The Series isn’t available on broadcast TV in Houston?
You’re the boss — throw a temporary HDTV antenna out back on a puncture-less mast.
So WTF is going on in Colorado? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5041357/Shooting-Colorado-Walmart-leaves-multiple-injured.html
“‘The Walmart girl said, ‘The balloons are popping.’ And I turn around and I just see all the people walking, falling down because they were really scared.
‘I just told them ‘What’s going on?’ and they were like ‘They’re shooting! They’re shooting!”
The Walmart islocated about 18 miles from the Century 16 movie theater that was the sight of the mass theater shooting in Aurora.
Thornton is also about 23 miles from Columbine High School in Littleton, which is where the Columbine massacre happened. ”
Something in the water??
n
So WTF is going on in Colorado?
Gonna go out on a limb and predict that it was a couple of underclass thugs deciding to settle their differences right there in public, heedless of the danger they might pose to those around them.
Happens all the time.
In this case, looks like a middle-aged white guy, dressed like a guy coming home from work.
The report kept repeating “random” – like there was no meaning to his shooting. Given the fact that he shot exactly 3 people, and 3 people died, I don’t think it was a random shooting. He had a reason for shooting those specific people.
The Series isn’t available on broadcast TV in Houston?
Yup. I was watching the game in my office on my office pc. No tuner.
I noted that I had both of the Flash plugins installed today. I blew them away along with the Cisco plugin and the Onedrive plugin.