Hot. Still. Humid. Still. One more month until fall.
Hot all day yesterday too. Well into the 100s, and stifling humidity. Did a pickup (some metalworking stuff, and my new batteries. The ‘wire’ turned out to not be wire at all, so I’ll still have to find something to hook up the batts and the panels. The auction did refund for the 3 spools.)
I was checking the temps in the new fridge/freezer all day. I just couldn’t get the main compartment to stay above freezing, no matter how low I set it. Time for a look at the manual. OH. I was wrong. The main compartment is always a freezer. The top compartment can be either. So I changed the settings a bit, and I’ve been trying to get the top to fridge range while keeping the bottom frozen. I think I’ve finally got it. The top should actually be big enough for the main things we keep in the garage fridge, if I move stuff like the shredded cheese to the freezer. The fridge really just has milk, eggs, bread, cream, and cheese in it (and wine, but there are other solutions for that.) So for a while at least, I’ve got WAY more freezer than I need. On the plus side, the unit was specifically made for a garage environment, and is designed for an 80% or higher duty cycle. It also has a heating element in it to keep the fridge from getting too cold if ambient drops too low. I’m going to be watching for a real fridge, but making this work for a while at least.
So with the pool acting up, the fridge dying and a new one in place, and all the other things going on, we’ll be headed to a beach house for a couple of days. Galveston here I come. Joy. At least we’re driving and I can carry everything I want. The kids are ecstatic to be getting out of the house, so I’m on board. Reluctant, but on board.
I’m taking my small lappy so shouldn’t have any difficulty posting, although comments will probably be lighter than if I was just sitting here, waiting, waiting, waiting….
I can’t help but watch the video coming out of Portland, and the news out of Chicago, and think that the armed insurrection has started in earnest. Maybe it will die down, but that seems unlikely in this election year and with all the covid stuff adding ‘flavor’ to the mix. Add the normal (or slightly more active) hurricane season, and we’re gonna have a heck of a year. It’s challenging to have moved from “prepping” to “living with the ongoing disaster” to getting back into prepping for the NEXT disaster to roll down the pike. But I have no doubt that there will BE a next one, on top of whatever ones we’re living with. Civil unrest/insurrection, depression/economic collapse, global pandemic, hurricanes, job losses, and the normal personal crises will stack up*. It’s gonna get rough. Do what you can to make your passage through the trouble easier, now, before any more gets here. In other words…………. keep stacking.
n
*I’ve thought for a couple of years that the increasing UFO coverage meant something big in that regard was coming. I consider it to be such a long shot, and such a big unknown that it’s really not something I can prep for, although social and societal “issues” will abound, so prepping for that seems prudent. And now we have some actual official statements and above board investigation. I’m REALLY hoping my long shot doesn’t pay off. But wouldn’t that beat all? Confirmation of alien life? Crazy talk. And on top of the rest of the ‘next normal.’
So with the pool acting up, the fridge dying and a new one in place, and all the other things going on, we’ll be headed to a beach house for a couple of days. Galveston here I come. Joy. At least we’re driving and I can carry everything I want. The kids are ecstatic to be getting out of the house, so I’m on board. Reluctant, but on board.
We survived a week at the beach in a hotel in North FL.
The scariest part of the week was Buc-ee’s just on the AL side of the AL/FL border, the Sunday after the 4th of July. NBD — I went out and sat in the car to wait. So many obviously well-off people being stupid over breakfast tacos.
Better now than in two weeks. We’ll see if Abbott can keep the bars closed. The numbers from school starting should start rolling in by that point.
I never understood the left’s obsession with Michelle Obama. Especially, their delusion that people in the middle and on the right have her up on the same pedestal as the left does. Every time she opens her mouth she’s all over the front page of the MSM like it’s the Gospel of Saint Michelle.
Bill Burr sums it up nicely…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgcpedl8a8c
I shudder when I hear her. There is just something not right going on with her.
n
“Her”.
Yeah, she’s man-ish, but that’s almost a cliche’ at this point.
n
I never understood the left’s obsession with Michelle Obama. Especially, their delusion that people in the middle and on the right have her up on the same pedestal as the left does. Every time she opens her mouth she’s all over the front page of the MSM like it’s the Gospel of Saint Michelle.
They’ve played this game for 12 years hoping that someone notable on the Republican side will self destruct by teeing off and taking the easy shot. Other than Joan Rivers, who paid the ultimate price for comedy, no one big has taken the bait.
The same game got played with Obama puppet master Valerie Jarrett, who is now immune to legitimate criticism thanks to Rosanne Barr.
Wow, judging by the “thumbs down” somebody lurking on here is a big Michelle Obama fan.
Eh, there’s some anonymous hater who comes through and downvotes a lot of comments here. I suspect it’s caused by malformed genitalia.
I guess the Dumbo ProgLibTurds think they can coast out and win the Presidency. I’ve read the DNC was a joke with low viewership and Biden/Camel didn’t even hit the Sunday news shows. The election could be close, but I hope tRump does a landslide to kill off Biden. The Obolas are irrelevant like the Klintons. They yap just to line their pockets with Dumbo bucks.
The United States of Sheeple:
Dumbos: “Didn’t get your Social Security check? It’s because tRump sabotaged the Postal Service.”
How dumb is the genpop to believe this drivel? Going virtual in K-12 is going to make the sheeple even dumber.
The Obolas are irrelevant like the Klintons. They yap just to line their pockets with Dumbo bucks.
Bubba currently only has five minutes of speaking time scheduled at the convention.
“13 Best Gothic Science Fiction Books” by Dan Livingston
https://best-sci-fi-books.com/13-best-gothic-science-fiction-books/
I have read “Hyperion”, “Nine Princes in Amber”, “The Tommyknockers”, “The Passage”, and “I am Legend”. 5 out of 13.
I might would add “The World of the End” by Ofir Touché Gafla to this list. Might.
https://www.amazon.com/World-End-Ofir-Touché-Gafla/dp/0765333570/?tag=ttgnet-20
The biggest delusional statement I’ve heard so far this year is that they are counting on Biden’s ability to “unite the country.” When the pollster asked me about that I laughed out loud at her.
If they seriously believe he could unite the disparate threads of the country, they are more insane than I thought.
n
The biggest delusional statement I’ve heard so far this year is that they are counting on Biden’s ability to “unite the country.” When the pollster asked me about that I laughed out loud at her.
You are not the target demographic for that statement. Laughing to the pollster was useful information for them.
I hang up on pollsters.
Biden only exists as a candidate for two reasons. First, of course, to oust Trump. Second, to resign a year or two into office (for his obvious declining cognitive abilities) making Kamala the first female President.
I also love how the Obamas are supporting Biden now after very obviously snubbing him in 2016.
I’m checking my genitalia to see if it was me.
Oh-oh, I forgot, nothing to check, went to Hollyweird and got degendered.
Dilbert: Social Media Poisoning
https://dilbert.com/strip/2020-08-18
Yup, Dilbert has got it all right.
My sympathies, Cow-aliagender-AMAB-youth Slim.
xkcd: Dependency
https://xkcd.com/2347/
Yup, there is a lot of thankless maintenance and innovation going on out there on the intertubes.
Explained at:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2347:_Dependency
All SS checks are electronically deposited. SS does not mail checks anymore.
She marked you for a resounding YES.
*I’ve thought for a couple of years that the increasing UFO coverage meant something big in that regard was coming. I consider it to be such a long shot, and such a big unknown that it’s really not something I can prep for, although social and societal “issues” will abound, so prepping for that seems prudent. And now we have some actual official statements and above board investigation. I’m REALLY hoping my long shot doesn’t pay off. But wouldn’t that beat all? Confirmation of alien life? Crazy talk. And on top of the rest of the ‘next normal.’
The UFOs are not space aliens. They are Captain Nemo’s descendants who have continued to create fantastic machines and combine themselves with other members of the animal kingdom as chronicled in Jules Verne’s documentaries. They use their magical flying machines to monitor us in which they can take extremely high gravity turns due to their animal DNA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Nemo
“The Wall Street Journal insulted huge pickup trucks. Twitter (and Ted Cruz) were not happy”
https://www.chron.com/life/article/The-Wall-Street-Journal-insulted-huge-pickup-15457647.php
“People can get really passionate about pickup trucks.”
“The Wall Street Journal published an article Saturday titled “Pickup Trucks Are Getting Huge. Got a Problem With That?”, arguing that as pickup trucks have gotten bigger and “scarier,” they’ve become inherently unsafe for pedestrians and others inhabiting the roadway.”
You know, the WSJ used to be a good newspaper. Even it has picked up the liberal rot in the mainstream media.
Eric Raymond calls them Load-Bearing Internet People
I see that as a good thing for those that choose to block highways and roads.
“Backblaze Hard Drive Stats Q2 2020”
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-hard-drive-stats-q2-2020/
“As of June 30, 2020, Backblaze had 142,630 spinning hard drives in our cloud storage ecosystem spread across four data centers. Of that number, there were 2,271 boot drives and 140,059 data drives. This review looks at the Q2 2020 and lifetime hard drive failure rates of the data drive models currently in operation in our data centers and provides a handful of insights and observations along the way. As always, we look forward to your comments.”
“At the end of Q2 2020, Backblaze was using 140,059 hard drives to store customer data. For our evaluation we remove from consideration those drive models for which we did not have at least 60 drives (see why below). This leaves us with 139,867 hard drives in our review. The table below covers what happened in Q2 2020.”
Yup, buy HGST drives. And hard drives are getting more reliable.
BTW, if you own any WD external USB drives of 8 TB or larger, you probably have HGST drives. I own seven of them.
I can think of another reason: Ukraine.
After the election he’s fair game.
WRT today’s pick-em-up trucks. They are too big for most people to drive safely. IMHO they should require a Truck-Drivers License (which I do have, and bus license too). Most people who drive these humongous trucks really do not use them for their intended purpose. Most are making up for inadequacy in other areas (like their “manhood”).
“Inviting employees back to the office – if you dare”
https://www.functionize.com/blog/inviting-employees-back-to-the-office-if-you-dare/
I never let my employees go home as we are “essential”.
We have 5,400 ft2 for 7 people. We are spread out in actual offices. With doors. And two air conditioning system with MERV 11 filters. Yeah, I know, the only thing that can kill viruses is UV systems.
My son worked in two chemistry labs at The University of Houston when he was thinking about going for a Ph.D. in chemistry. Both labs had UV airlocks for entry.
Hat tip to:
https://www.codeproject.com/script/Mailouts/View.aspx?mlid=15259
Not true. If you chant “Black lives matter!” or “Defund the police!” the virus dies. Or so one must conclude from politicians and health experts saying that the crowded protests can go on and don’t pose a health threat.
Not saying you’re wrong, but it doesn’t explain the passion many women have for very large SUVs. It can’t be because the women are compensating for not being heavy and blobby enough.
What are you talking about? A diesel F-350 is a perfectly rational vehicle to commute down city streets to your white collar office job. 🙂 In the unlikely event you do haul something be sure to put down plenty of blankets. You wouldn’t want the truck bed to get scratched and look like it actually got used for something.
In many parts of the county that’s just what men drive. They come up with all sorts of reasons why it’s practical (safety, utility, etc.) but at the end of the day they just can’t bring themselves to buy and drive anything else. It’s generations of brainwashing and cultural influence.
If men buy jumbo vehicles to compensate for a small penis, then I think it would be safe to say women buy them to compensate for a lack of penis. Either way, it’s about penis inadequacies. 🙂
Soccer moms have transitioned from cars to SUVs for survivability issues in case of two vehicle collisions.
I want to get a small pick-up, since my Mustang isn’t practical for hauling things. 4 door Crew cab because Mustang. But they are so big, I don’t think my disabled wife can get into it. I may just have to find a used Explorer sport trac
So they say. Sounds like rationalization.
What are you talking about? A diesel F-350 is a perfectly rational vehicle to commute down city streets to your white collar office job. In the unlikely event you do haul something be sure to put down plenty of blankets. You wouldn’t want the truck bed to get scratched and look like it actually got used for something.
Wait, I only drive an F-150 to my white collar office job ! Do I qualify ? Does the 4×4 give me extra credit ? And I not only have scratches in the bed and the cab (note to self, get some white touchup), I have chunks missing out of the bed liner down into the aluminium bed itself (shiny !).
I used to drive an Chevy C-3500 in my job back in the 1980s. Blew three diesel engines towing a 48 ft gooseneck trailer that weighed 28,000 lbs with all of our test equipment, three air conditioners, and a three phase 1,000 amp 480 volt to 120 volt transformer. The last diesel engine shotgunned the diesel fuel pump into the cylinders in a million tiny pieces, ruining the block. We should have had a Class 7 or 8 tractor, that might have been somewhat safe as we would have had a Jake brake and could stop the entire train in less than ten miles at 60 mph. Instead we got two F-350s with gasoline 454s and 4 speed standards. They could accelerate better but could not stop either. I got another job.
Driving the duallys was fun in Texas back in the 1980s. At that time I-45 south of Dallas to Corsicana had curbs on it, no shoulders. In order to fit in the smallish lanes while passing other vehicles, one had to prop the driver side outside dually wheel up on the curb, tilting the entire vehicle. Fun, fun, fun.
Note: That entire mess of 40,000 lbs would require a CDL nowadays. A CDL was not required back then until one graduated to air brakes or a Class 7 / 8 / 9 tractor. Texas now requires a Class A CDL if the combined GVWR of your rig exceeds 26,000 lbs or a towed vehicle of more than 10,000 lbs.
https://www.dps.texas.gov/driverlicense/commerciallicense.htm
I’m not sure there’s data to back up trucks and SUVs being safer than cars. I did a quick random test. A 2020 Chevy Impala rates better in safety than a 2020 Ford F-150 Supercab on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
I think there’s just an old wives tale that bigger = safer.
I want to get a small pick-up, since my Mustang isn’t practical for hauling things. 4 door Crew cab because Mustang. But they are so big, I don’t think my disabled wife can get into it. I may just have to find a used Explorer sport trac
Small, quality “beater” pickups like a Tacoma or “unsafe” Nissan Frontier from the early 2000s in nice shape are in high demand right now.
Cash For Clunkers 2.0 will probably take those off the road like the 1.0 program took the 90s beater utility vehicles off the road, like the last Cherokees to enter the pipeline before Iacocca retired.
@CowboySlim
Soccer moms have transitioned from cars to SUVs for survivability issues in case of two vehicle collisions.
Guilty, if you drop the Soccer part. After my horrific crash in a Jeep in 2014, we bought the largest 5 star SUV we could afford. If I could have afforded a garbage truck, I would have driven that. The car that struck me was a 5 star, mine was a 3 star. I was smashed to bits, hospitalized for 10 days, unable to work for 3 months, and frankly still recovering to some extent. She was checked out of the hospital the day of the crash and flying around on vacation the same week.
Mass and design matter.
I finally got over my irrational fear of being in a vehicle a couple years ago, and downsized to a zippy (but still substantially higher safety rating) fun third hand Mini Countryman a year ago. We’ve talked about a truck but not all of them actually seem to crash all that well.
Last week an old client asked for a bug fix to a VbScript that I wrote for them ten years ago, to automate their excel times sheets and stuff.
(A tiny little utility company with maybe 40 employees. I think I billed them for 250 or 300 hours. Every year or two I get a bug fix or clarification request, which I do gratis, never takes more than an hour. Someday I’ll hit the boss up for lunch.)
But Microsoft is cracking down – without a registry hack you can’t run vbscript against modern Excel. For “security” supposedly.
But, like Apples recent push for signed drivers, it’s just big dogs being jerks. If you have a legacy app, that’s there when new stuff is added, it should be grandfathered in.
Finally picked up my auction purchases. Shiny black gubs. So shiny.
Headed out…. off line for a few hours.
n
–play nice
This ad is brutal
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-trump-ad-questions-bidens-mental-faculties-devastating-after-clips
Even I’m surprised at his decline.
n
Well, I guess I had better get me a Mercedes SMART or BMW MINI really quick.
(You knew it had to be said, by someone). 🙂
Me? I’m hung like a horsefly. Ladies, if you don’t believe me then give me a call and I’ll give you the most mediocre 90 seconds of your life. 😉
This ad is brutal
Even I’m surprised at his decline.
Biden has always been barely competent. This guy sent Plugs packing before the primaries even began in 1988. Think about those political instincts.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/11/dukakis-and-the-tank-099119
The Dems needed a safe choice this year to fool the Dem female voters living the good life in the suburbs of DC and the tech hubs. “Don’t worry about all that wealth tax talk — we know you worked *hard* to live like you do, and Joe isn’t going to take *yours* away.”
They don’t need Plugs to make it past Inauguration Day.
Which begs the question: How do you know? Been examining horseflies in an inappropriate matter?
This has degenerated enough.
Just installed this flat-panel flush-mount 12″x24″ LED fixture in the master walk-in closet https://amzn.to/2FuLsqw . Cost was $60.
Nice unit, easy enough to install (clear, native English directions), and puts out a nice 4000K bright white light. Good, sturdy packaging.
Replaced the original 12×24 ‘cloud/bubble’ style 4-tube fluorescent light that was dying. Ballasts were weakening. Replacement ballasts were available, but for just a bit more, got a nice new light.
No electrons were harmed (or harmed me) during the installation. Took about 1/2 hour.
When that happens with any fluorescent fixture it is time to replace the light with LED. Energy usage is less, heat generation is less, and longevity is substantial.
Roger that. In kitchen I have two 4 foot fluorescent tubes whose ballasts have given up again. Going to replace with 4 foot LEDs from HD.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metalux-4-ft-1-Light-Linear-White-Integrated-LED-Ceiling-Strip-Light-with-2100-Lumens-4000K-4ST1L2040R/305648070?modalType=drawer
Over and out.
When that happens with any fluorescent fixture it is time to replace the light with LED. Energy usage is less, heat generation is less, and longevity is substantial.
Roger that. In kitchen I have two 4 foot fluorescent tubes whose ballasts have given up again. Going to replace with 4 foot LEDs from HD.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metalux-4-ft-1-Light-Linear-White-Integrated-LED-Ceiling-Strip-Light-with-2100-Lumens-4000K-4ST1L2040R/305648070?modalType=drawer
Over and out.
Hopefully you like bright white. I replaced all 12 four foot fluorescent tubes with 6 LED tubes in the server room at the office. Incredibly bright. I kept the fluorescent fixtures, just replaced the bulbs.
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-542100-LED-Instantfit-4000-Kelvin/dp/B084HDYN5S/?tag=ttgnet-20
“Baltimore Republican Candidate Runs Awesome Ad”
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/08/18/baltimore-republican-candidate-runs-awesome-ad/
“ON SCREEN: Do you want to defund the police?
MAN #1. No.
WOMAN: No.
MAN #2: Absolutely not.
ON SCREEN: Real Baltimore resident.
MAN #1: I had three sons killed in Baltimore city, and I think if we defund the police office, it’s gonna be worser than that. So, no, I’m opposed to that.
ON SCREEN: Real Baltimore resident.
MAN #4: What are you gonna defund the police for? Why? How do you defend your city, your community? Families are losing people!”
Impressive ad. She will lose in a landslide to the dumbocrat.
@lynn,
Thanks, I appreciate your advice. Actually, only one row of two tubes is out while the other row of two is not out. I am only replacing the out two. Hopefully, that may not be too bright. I realize that looking up at them will show a difference.
It was a question of replacing the two ballasts or two fixtures.
“Thank Liberals for the Rolling Blackouts in California”
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/08/18/thank-liberals-for-the-rolling-blackouts-in-california/
“RUSH: California is going through a heatwave. Now, a heatwave in California, I thought, man it must be really scorching out. It’s 93 degrees. It’s 93 degrees and they have to have rolling blackouts to keep the grid from crashing because they can’t handle the load? 93 degrees. Let me tell you something, folks. We here in South Florida, this is an everyday occurrence. The feel-like temperature right here is 109 degrees. The humidity is 72%.”
I am so glad that I do not live in California.
@lynn,
Thanks, I appreciate your advice. Actually, only one row of two tubes is out while the other row of two is not out. I am only replacing the out two. Hopefully, that may not be too bright. I realize that looking up at them will show a difference.
It was a question of replacing the two ballasts or two fixtures.
You are welcome !
The new LED tubes were so bright that I did not put all 12 tubes in the three 4 tube fixtures. I just left the middle two tubes in each fixture empty.
And I am big time pro LED. When I bought this office building nine years ago, they had incandescent bulbs everywhere. I knocked the peak electric bill from $500/month to $350/month by replacing all those incandescents with florescents (mostly CFLs) first then LEDs. There were 100 watt incandescents in about 40 can lights.
BTW, I saw 104 F in my truck out driving around at 4pm today. That is real temperature, not the feels like temperature. Hot, hot, hot !
But the humidity is down at 38%. Much lower than our normal of 50% to 60% here in west Fort Bend County.
Well, to be more accurate, high temperatures in CA were in mid to upper 100’s (F) and higher the past few days, and those high temps continue into today.
If you look at the Windy temperature map right now (415pm PDT) https://www.windy.com/-Temperature-temp?temp,35.839,-106.548,5 , the temps in CA central valley range from 104F (Redding) to 111F (Bakersfield). LA area reporting 100F. Santa Rosa (N of SF) 104F. San Jose is 98F. Even Sacramento (where Rush got his start) is showing 109F.
So, quite warm. The Windy temp map shows very high temps throughout the entire West, SW, and mountain regions, with temps above 100F just about everywhere.
That said, management of the CA energy grid has never been done well.
That was deliberate. The enemy media is complicit. The more they can keep the Zombiden out of the public eye, the better, from their POV.
Dumb enough that half the country keeps right on voting for Democrats, no matter what.
That said, management of the CA energy grid has never been done well.
You know, I could be convinced that rotating blackouts up to two weeks a year is the most efficient way to serve electric power to the public. Every week though, no way.
When I worked at TXU, we kept about 50 older power plants around for very hot summers and very cold winters. The newer 75 units were used constantly, every week at least once. We did not maintain the older power plants and ran them only 2 or 3 times a year, maybe a week total. They had horrible steam leaks and required all the staff to work over time when they were online. But, they prevented us from having rotating blackouts. But, was that efficient and the best use of our money ?
Blackouts do tend to come at extreme times, ambient temperatures above 100 F or below 25 F. Either condition can be life threatening for the weak among us.
I remember that we had the Republican convention in Dallas in 1988. The convention speeches were in a huge tent on the Trinity River which splits Dallas north to south. They had brought in several large 18 wheeler trucks with 40+ ton air conditioning units each that blew into the tent to keep it cool. That week in Dallas, it hit 110 F all week and peaked at 113 F on Thursday or Friday. We had all 125 units on line plus all of our backup diesels (200+ MW) including the nuclear power plant diesels (50 MW).
We were barely hanging in there and had less than 1,000 MW of reserve for 34,000 MW of demand. But, we did not have any blackouts due to power availability. My group was calling each plant every morning and telling them not to touch anything as we inched most of the governors up to 98% power level.
That said, management of the CA energy grid has never been done well.
Enron figured out how to game the grid to make money once upon a time.
Kenny Boy!
I think a more likely reason is that half of American adult males weigh at least 300 pounds, and their wives more than that.
They need a big truck to haul those loads around.
I think a more likely reason is that half of American adult males weigh at least 300 pounds, and their wives more than that.
They need a big truck to haul those loads around.
Oh no, you went there ! I am ashamed to think that was my thought also. And I only weigh 248 lbs.
My minivan carries more stuff or people than all but the largest SUV, gets better mileage, and is easier to drive and park because it’s physically smaller than most. But it’s not “cool” so most people don’t want them, and when I say “people” I mean “status-obsessed dumbshits”. They’ll give any number of reasons for wanting a $50,000, 6000-pound SUV rather than a minivan, but none stand up to examination. “I want it” is a perfectly good reason for getting something (assuming you can afford it) but incorrectly claiming better safety or wanting off-road capability gets on my nerves.
As for weight, I’m annoyed. I’ve lost 15 pounds in the past few months. Some of it is fat, which is fine, but most is muscle — I can now close a leather jacket which I haven’t been able to zip up for years, on account of my chest is several fewer inches around. I don’t have the spare cash to drop on a set of weights, bench, and cage, and dumbbell and bodyweight exercises aren’t cutting it.
Regardless, higher weight or lower, my minivan hauls me around just fine, along with my wife or daughter in the front passenger seat, my usual 30-pound backpack, and, say, 1200 pounds of fertilizer in back. (I’ll admit the suspension is riding kind of low when carrying that much.)
I found this article interesting and it will be food for thought if things get edgy around here. It seems face masks are something that really should be considered in defending against COVID.
I found this article interesting and it will be food for thought if things get edgy around here. It seems face masks are something that really should be considered in defending against COVID.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/08/plastic-face-shields-do-masks-one-better/
I have seen quite a few people wearing face shields around here.
I’d have to disagree with the face mask being better theory.
If the virus is aerosilized, a plastic face mask is not going to ‘catch’ the virus droplets. Only a tight-fitting mask over the nose and mouth is going to block the droplets. Although maybe if you are excessively paranoid – or are in a virus ‘fog’, adding ski goggles might block things.
But, the mask-wearing is not to prevent you from **getting** the droplets into your system, but to prevent you from **spreading** the virus if you already have it, but not the symptoms (or before you have the symptoms).
Most masks are not tight-fitting enough – especially the cloth ones. But they are probably good enough to catch any virus-laden droplets that you are spewing out.
We are never going to get to hospital-grade prevention of germ-sharing. Not with all the masks and gloves you can find. Ask any parent to look back into prior school-years (before this cootie-fear) if their kids didn’t get sick from being around other children. It happened all the time – just part of sending your kids to school.
Building plastic bubbles for classrooms – masks – face shields – ‘social distancing’ – is not going to prevent any disease. Basic cleanliness practices – wash your hands, stay home if you are sick, etc – are the best you can hope for.
Germs of all kinds are out there. Always have been. Always will be. That’s why you have an immune system.
And people will get sick. Some will die. Others won’t. Life – and death – goes on.
(I am not a doctor or epidemiologist – nor do I play one on TV. The above is my opinion. YMMV.)
No, but it’ll do a fine job of hobbling immune systems.
The article specifically mentions that the face shield was ADDITIONAL to the face mask…
Texas finally pushes back against Austin’s antics. Gee, where have you been for the last few years, Governor?
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-officials-announce-proposal-that-would-punish-cities-for-defunding-police-departments
“‘Gaps’ In Renewable Energy Led To Blackouts For Millions Of Californians, Gov Newsom Says”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/08/18/gaps-in-renewable-energy-led-to-blackouts-for-millions-of-californians-gov-newsom-says/
Here is the problem with the intermittent renewable energy sources, solar and wind. They are not dependable to meet the needs of the general populace. Therefore for every MW that you have in socalled renewable energy, you must have that MW backed up with a natural gas or diesel fueled gas turbine. That is a little, ok a lot, expensive.
This has worked here in Texas at the moment since we use realistic forecasting here. We know that solar stops working at 5pm and that the wind don’t blow 6pm or 7pm. That means those gas turbines gotta be rolling up at 430pm on a hot day like today. I hope that we continue to use realistic forecasting. And build a lot more gas turbines. And I hope that California builds a lot of gas turbines also, they certainly have plenty of natural gas to run them. Even if several of my customers in California have gone bankrupt, people still need and want electricity.
Great comment for the article: ““Woke” is just another word for “stupid.””
I saw a person with a clear face shield out in public. It was inverted from normal, started at her chin and covered to just under her eyes. It was less visually intrusive than a mask, but did catch the eye.
don’t know if it had any usefulness other than as a sneeze guard.
n
I’m among the cohort that is considered at higher risk from CV-19, so I wear a facemask when out-and-about. It’s a cloth one, of my lovely wife’s making. I don’t know how efficacious it is, but I believe that it cannot do any harm. It may even do some good.
Regardless of that, here in London, masks are required on public transport, and I prefer not to drive if I don’t have to (getting to No. 2 daughter’s flat counts as “have to”, all else, not so much) It is necessary for me to visit my bank in the near future – physical paying-in of money requires presence – so mask up.
I don’t go so far as to use a face shield. Yet.
G.
I wear an N95 disposable in any enclosed space where there are people or if I’m going to be less than 6 ft from people. Gloves too.
n