Cool and clear. Possible scattered clouds. Yesterday went from overcast, to misty drizzle, to blue sky and sunny in the evening. Nice day.
I felt much better. One thing about old injuries, I’m very familiar with the progression and treatment of a flare up. Once I got what I needed, and had the time for it to work, I saw dramatic improvement. Today should continue that. Happiness is the release from pain.
Child two was positively vibrating last night in anticipation of the chocolate feast today. Hard to get her to stay in bed long enough for the avatar of Hester to scatter fertility symbols around the yard. It’s hard work but someone has to do it. At least I don’t have to wear the outfit.
In all seriousness though, Happy Easter to all. Whatever your beliefs, this is the season of awakening, rebirth, and planting and planning for the future. That much we should all be able to celebrate.
Dinner today will be lamb, again. It’s getting to be something of a tradition around the Casa De Nick to have lamb lollipops for Easter dinner. Oh, and there will be chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
Take a break from stacking, and enjoy the day. It’s a fresh start.
n
I’m testing Brave as I type. Seems to be, and works like, a defanged Chrome. Bookmarks and history imported cleanly, but I had to change the default save location to match what I use in Chrome and FireFox. Chrome extensions appear to work. And it appears to have Tor baked in. This is good, although I prefer to have VPN/TOR on a separate box that I connect through. More when I know more.
G.
anyone think this is a GOOD sign for the economy?
Retailing will eventually have to be relearned after energy costs implode the Brown Truck Mall and Food Court (TM), and the education opportunities are increasingly limited with the implosion of the brick-n-mortar stores, particularly the large department store chains. Arbitrage probably isn’t healthy on a large scale, even for luxury goods such as the PS5 or concert tickets, but being successful at general merchandise reselling involves learning a trade.
Last weekend around 7PM on Saturday night, driving the frontage road home from dinner, I noticed a dozen vans from the Round Rock Big River delivery depot lined up at the gas station portion of the local Rudy’s waiting to fill up. “Things that make you say hmmm…”
The sight sticks out because it sparked a conversation with my wife regarding the unique shape of the Big River vans, designed to skirt Federal laws, union rules, … and toll charges for commercial vehicles — I spent several days on a math formula to price those trucks properly on my DC project … which the customer discarded under pressure from somewhere … maybe the local paper …
My wife wondered if the Big River depot was out of gas. The Rudy’s manager couldn’t have been pleased since I doubt any of the drivers were heading in to buy as much as a drink much less $20/lb brisket.
Happy Easter to all. Whether it’s religious, or just a Spring festival, it’s a nice occasion – and, at least here, marvelous weather to enjoy it.
@Jenny: Hope you get your move completed, and can enjoy at least a bit of relaxation 🙂
– – – – –
Browsers: I used to use Brave – it’s fine, but I had a number of sites that didn’t work quite right. I’ve switched to Vivaldi, which is a Chrome with privacy controls – plus you can install the usual privacy plugins. The interface is a bit different, and very customizable. Takes some getting used to, but once you do it’s very nice.
– – – – –
Off to the neighbors in a bit. There’s a company that wants to build on a couple of pieces of land nearby, but the plans are clearly in violation of the building regulations. The company has asked for exceptions, which the town could grant). One of the proposed houses is right in our neighbor’s face – 3 stories high, 10 feet from the property line, directly blocking the neighbor’s best view. That would all be legal, if not very nice. But we can object to those proposed exceptions, and probably get the building permit disapproved. So it’s a strategy session…
Off to the neighbors in a bit. There’s a company that wants to build on a couple of pieces of land nearby, but the plans are clearly in violation of the building regulations. The company has asked for exceptions, which the town could grant). One of the proposed houses is right in our neighbor’s face – 3 stories high, 10 feet from the property line, directly blocking the neighbor’s best view. That would all be legal, if not very nice. But we can object to those proposed exceptions, and probably get the building permit disapproved. So it’s a strategy session…
Is this the crazy neighbors ?
Here’s a Federal threat:
FBI Promises To Hunt Down Anyone Who Lies About Taking COVID Vax As Vaccine Passports Loom
Papers Please!
Last weekend around 7PM on Saturday night, driving the frontage road home from dinner, I noticed a dozen vans from the Round Rock Big River delivery depot lined up at the gas station portion of the local Rudy’s waiting to fill up. “Things that make you say hmmm…”
Huh. All our Rudy’s BBQ has is a ten station Tesla Supercharger. And I have seen five Teslas there charging. Usually the drivers are sitting in the cars or walking around their Tesla smoking a cigarette. My cousin charged his Model 3 in Waco, TX Supercharger coming back from my parents house a few weeks ago. It put 200 miles of electrons in his 130 kwh battery in 15 minutes, I am impressed.
His battery is good for 310 miles so 200 miles / 310 miles * 130 kwh = 84 kwh. 84 kwh / 15 minutes * 60 minutes / hour = 336 kw. Almost a third of a megawatt of power for fifteen minutes ! Wow !
We are going to need a lot more of the 345,000 volt electric lines when 100% of the populace drives electric vehicles in 2030. A lot more. And you would not believe how many resources are needed for those high voltage transmission lines, they are about $10 million/mile to acquire the land, clear cut the land, and put the steel towers up every 300 ft.
What the Holy…
BREAKING: American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Dell Technologies, AT&T Release Statements Targeting Election Reform Efforts in Texas
I guess these corporations think they run the goobermint (who knows how many politicians are in their pockets). Tejas should end any and all tax breaks these corps get. Maybe they should move their HQs to Kalifornia.
We are going to need a lot more of the 345,000 volt electric lines when 100% of the populace drives electric vehicles in 2030. A lot more. And you would not believe how many resources are needed for those high voltage transmission lines, they are about $10 million/mile to acquire the land, clear cut the land, and put the steel towers up every 300 ft.
2030. That’s not happening. Just resources alone will be a problem. The potential disaster on Tampa Bay this weekend is a reminder that the US got out of the business of doing its own essential but nasty raw materials processing decades ago. And the Tampa problem originated with *fertilizer*, not exactly a luxury good.
2030 will probably see a mix of mostly hybrids and about the same percentage of Tonymobiles as currently running around. By then, the economic reality of at least one fleet-wide replacement of battery packs will have hit the 100% EVs.
Fixed costs mean EVs will still be toys affordable for ~5% of the population, if that. Who knows what will be the political fallout from that if Buttigieg — President Buttigieg by then — and his Deep State cronies from the Truman Center stick to script despite the economic problems of banning non-EVs.
My former employer might even have succeeded in tolling a few surface streets in the Northeast by then. Maybe.
Big River – it took me forever . . .
60F and the sky might be clearing for a nice day….
Children are going thru the baskets, and skimming out the dark chocolate sea salt caramel treats…
Wife is on the couch with 100.5F fever and massive headache. She got her second Moderna shot yesterday. Had chills and headache last night. She’s not having fun.
n
“EVs will still be toys affordable for ~5% of the population’
–that will depend on the state of the economy. While the serfs stand in line for crowded, slow, and dirty mass transit, the party apparatchiks will glide by in their clean airconditioned comfort. So has it been, so shall it always be.
n
Buttigieg — that reminds me — the other day in the Amazon store, I saw a “gimmie” book written by Mayor Pete’s … husband (is that the right term?) … spouse?
“Gimme” as in “gimme” the money, hire the ghostwriter, and most of the run of books eventually gets pulped.
@Lynn
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/04/03/epas-totalitarian-assault-on-america/
While people like Petey Buttjuice are driven most of the way to work in a Chebby Suburban, have their bicycle unloaded by Secret Service Agents (is their a ribbon or a badge for Excellence in Bicycle Unloading?) , and pedal triumphantly the last couple of blocks “zero carbonaceously”.
Here is the proper URL:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/04/03/buttigieg-caught-faking-green-lifestyle-rides-bike-to-work-after-car-drops-him-off-near-destination/
You know, the Ivy Leagers used to be the backbone of the USA. Not any more, many of them seem to be scumbags nowadays.
Thanks, @Lynn> I should have posted both links, but the main point is that the EPA is spew unassailable rules and regulations to bludgeon the non-elite at every turn, while the ruling class gets their exceptions.
When only the rulers fly, Stinger missiles will get 3D printed.
–that will depend on the state of the economy. While the serfs stand in line for crowded, slow, and dirty mass transit, the party apparatchiks will glide by in their clean airconditioned comfort. So has it been, so shall it always be.
Clean? The limos will still be modified Suburbans or Expeditions with big 8 cylinder gas engines. An EV battery pack experiencing a “kinetic event” (bullet) is far more prone to explosion than a gas tank, and even a turbo-ed six is not something the Secret Service is going to bet a President’s … or even Stretch’s … life on working reliably.
GM has gone back to the proven Allison transmissions for their commercial fleet vehicles after failing to make their version of the 10 speed transmission co-developed with Ford work properly. The Suburbans going to the Federal government are going to have the reliable tech in that area too.
@Greg
The potential disaster on Tampa Bay this weekend is a reminder that the US got out of the business of doing its own essential but nasty raw materials processing decades ago. And the Tampa problem originated with *fertilizer*, not exactly a luxury good.
Those ponds hold “waste that would be less conducive to life on land and…life in the sea,” Hopes added, noting that the population density of the area was fortunately low.”
https://news.yahoo.com/desantis-declares-state-emergency-over-231726607.html
Filled it from 1960 to 2000 and let it sit for 20 years. Obviously the dozer operator that did the stacking is at fault, so the good-ole-boys will go after him and his family. No possibility that the lack of regulation out in the boonies was helped along by pols lining their pockets with donations.
Filled it from 1960 to 2000 and let it sit for 20 years. Obviously the dozer operator that did the stacking is at fault, so the good-ole-boys will go after him and his family. No possibility that the lack of regulation out in the boonies was helped along by pols lining their pockets with donations.
The crisis followed someone doing something dumb with heavy equipment this week? That doesn’t make the press here.
As was the case with the big Ybor City construction site fire that burned multiple blocks about a dozen years back, if the leak started with stupidity I’m guessing the dozer operator was an illegal who disappeared once he realized what he had done. Import the Third World and you get Third World standards.
Otherwise, if you’re referring to how the berms were built 30-40 years ago, if you’ve never driven that section of US41 — most people haven’t since I75 was half a**ed completed in the late 80s — the scale of those ponds is immense. No single good ol’ boy with a bulldozer stacked those back in the day. You’re talking a *major* project that only the usual suspects (KBR, Bechtel, etc) with knowhow, personnel, and plenty of bribe money could accomplish.
Fortunately, either way, not many people live out there. The impact in the Bay will suck, however.
The FBI uses two terms:
Active shooter – “An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area”
Mass killings – defined by the law as three or more people
This was codified by law a few years ago, and the FBI tracks them that way.
BTW, here’s a good piece at WaPo, by one of the few libertarian leaning writers there, Megan McArdle on the myth of the “angry, white male shooter”.
Pull Quotes:
The data show that white men are somewhat less likely to be shot by the cops than other groups, but that is because they are much more likely than others to kill themselves.
Happy Zombie Jesus Day! 🙂
You think you have enough guns and ammo, and then the zombies come….
n
It’s only a small step from here to seizing actual bank accounts…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9434405/FBI-raided-Beverly-Hills-safety-deposit-box-business-prompting-customers-call-unconstitutional.html
“PROVE to us you’re not a crook” and you can have your stuff back. Kinda like civil asset forfeiture. Slippery slope is accelerating.
n
“The FBI uses two terms:”
–if we’re gonna get pedantic, the fbi only uses one, CONGRESS uses the other, with the lower body count.
And yes, I should have linked the quote, and yes the article is by partisans, and yes we should be precise in our language especially when the point is that THEY are not.
Still.
Gang shootings are excluded from the count. Domestic violence is excluded from the count (the business in Cali looks like domestic violence.)
“Active shooter” also has the requirement that the threat is ongoing, ie “active”. It does not describe a driveby or an attack that ends. “Targeted violence” better describes that, although the SS uses that phrase as a term of art with a slightly different meaning.
Where my snip came from https://gunsandamerica.org/story/19/08/04/what-is-a-mass-shooting-why-we-struggle-to-agree-on-how-many-there-were-this-year/
a nice broad survey of the issue.
n
https://www.insideedition.com/women-who-kill-americas-most-shocking-female-mass-shooters-42142
–and before we get stuck on the idea that it’s just men
n
and if you want to see snopes dancing, because they suddenly need a narrow definition off ‘mass shooting’ this article is fun.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mass-shooter-shooting-mugshots/
n
Wife is on the couch with 100.5F fever and massive headache.
My wife had no reacton to her second Moderna shot, except a moderate headache for a couple weeks. It has tapered to mild after a month. She saw saw fav PA at my insistence, and was told it was likely the shot. I always want headaches checked. She gave a blood sample, which was negative for valley fever. This is something caused by a fungus in the local dirt, and is nothing to mess with. It can take two years to cure, and a small percentage of people have died within two weeks of symptoms. Like COVID early on, the cause of valley fever was not understood. Now it is treatable.
I had no reaction to my second Moderna shot, not even at the injection site. I had a very mild headache and low energy for two days after my first. I almost never get headaches.
It’s only a small step from here to seizing actual bank accounts…
“PROVE to us you’re not a crook” and you can have your stuff back. Kinda like civil asset forfeiture. Slippery slope is accelerating.
Contents of all safe deposit boxes are considered “abandoned” in the eyes of the courts. This is the principle under which the banks drilled the safe deposit boxes en masse looking for gold when Roosevelt ended private ownership in the 30s.
Looking at the pictures and reading the story, I have to wonder if any of the customers were legitimate. $2000/year for 10x10x10?
I pay $24/year at my bank for a bigger box than the $700 3×5, the smallest the company offered.
Back yard, meet your new utility easement.
In Florida?? Nooo, ya think?
BTW, 300 houses in the vicinity have been evacuated.
Someone in that 300 homes must have a BOB and a plan, but I bet they didn’t think it would be because of hazardous waste flooding their house.
Even if you don’t have obvious hazards like hurricanes and floods, I bet there are railroad tracks, pipelines, or a freeway near you that could cause an evacuation. And if none of those things are near your house, then I’d bet wildfire or forest fire should be on your list.
n
We are going to need a lot more of the 345,000 volt electric lines when 100% of the populace drives electric vehicles in 2030. A lot more. And you would not believe how many resources are needed for those high voltage transmission lines, they are about $10 million/mile to acquire the land, clear cut the land, and put the steel towers up every 300 ft.
2030. That’s not happening. Just resources alone will be a problem. The potential disaster on Tampa Bay this weekend is a reminder that the US got out of the business of doing its own essential but nasty raw materials processing decades ago. And the Tampa problem originated with *fertilizer*, not exactly a luxury good.
2030 will probably see a mix of mostly hybrids and about the same percentage of Tonymobiles as currently running around. By then, the economic reality of at least one fleet-wide replacement of battery packs will have hit the 100% EVs.
Fixed costs mean EVs will still be toys affordable for ~5% of the population, if that. Who knows what will be the political fallout from that if Buttigieg — President Buttigieg by then — and his Deep State cronies from the Truman Center stick to script despite the economic problems of banning non-EVs.
My former employer might even have succeeded in tolling a few surface streets in the Northeast by then. Maybe.
By 2030, the carbon tax will be the equivalent of $4 to $5/gallon of gasoline.
Much of the carbon tax money (the portion not going to Hunter) will be used to subsidize the cost of EVs.
Funky Winkerbean: The First Sign Of Spring
https://www.comicskingdom.com/funky-winkerbean/2021-04-04
The grass is always greener over the septic tank.
Not to worry. I have a meat grinder on order. Mmm-mm! Zombie sausage is good eatin!
“Environmental Justice campaign to replace New York City peaking power plants”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/04/04/environmental-justice-campaign-to-replace-new-york-city-peaking-power-plants/
The only people left in New York City are crazy.
The power plants in New York City are CHP plants, combined heat and power. They use steam topping turbines for power and send the low pressure steam to the buildings for heating and/or cooling.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9435371/Family-Capitol-hill-attack-suspect-blame-blows-head-football-mental-illness.html
–compare and contrast the coverage of this killer vs others of recent vintage, and even those who didn’t kill anyone…
Pretty sympathetic coverage. He’ll end up being the victim in this story.
n
Church was nice this morning. Over 500 people were there in our 900 seat auditorium for our 9am service. Since we have every other pew blocked off, we had to use overflow seating.
@Lynn
You beat me to it. I will post the link to the original on Judith Curry’s website:
https://judithcurry.com/2021/04/02/environmental-justice-campaign-to-replace-new-york-city-peaking-power-plants/
I would recommend not only the article, but the comments on both sites.
of note in the article:
“The consultant who did the work, Strategen, “used a 90th percentile approach on duration to determine the replacement needs of NYC fossil assets while taking in consideration five factors that would otherwise overestimate the reliability value of peakers in a traditional “longest peaker runtime” approach. These include 1) peaker unit dispatch versus available zone level capacity, 2) peaker unit dispatch versus plant level capacity, 3) peaker unit dispatch for localized non-peaking needs, 3) inconsistent levels of peaker output during longer-runtimes, and 5) unit operational constraints.” There is no question in my mind that this approach under estimates the worst case. For heaven’s sakes they are saying don’t worry about what happens ten percent of the time at the same time they are addressing peaking units that run less than 5% of the time.”
Personally, I don’t live in NYC, don’t have family in NYC, and although I know a few people there, they can be responsible for themselves. Likewise greater New York.
If this nonsense goes on, I’d advise upper NYS and adjacent state to install massive cutoff switches so they can dump these fools when the inevitable happens.
If ever this nonsense gets close to me, I’m going to make a simple proposal: The existing system is capable with little modification of running a simulation of the proposed changes which will closely replicate electric reliability. Run a Phase 1 test for a year, simulating the target changes ca. 2030, calculating costs both ways and giving consumers the lower of the two.
(Note: A simple simulation would be to lock out peaking units that are used less than 10% of the time, endure the results, and see if people find that acceptable. If NY ran such a test, I’ve get some folks together and buy the nearest gasoline vendors to Strategen headquarters and put in a good stock of safety matches and torches.)
During the Phase I test electrical power to the Governor, the State Legislature, the Supreme (highest) Court, the proposing entities, and every individual who is a member thereof be interrupted whenever there are electrical outages to 2% or more of subscribers. Back up generators would prohibited, except to individuals installing them at their own expense.
Do a concurrent Phase II test as a full computer simulation of the responses of the proposed system to a simulated year of weather based on the actual weather of a) the last 20 years, and b) the weather for the next 20 years based on IPCC CMP-5 projections. (To be clear, the ‘year” would be simulated many multiple times, with reporting of the results of all runs)
Oh yeah, almost forgot: Modify labor contract law to make 50% of salaries and any project bonuses subject to clawback if the proposed systems degrade reliability. Yes, folks, that’s for vendors, state executives, state legislators, and all the rest. But only because a collar with 20g of C4 and a trigger based on a popular vote from our super-secure polling systems might have collateral damages.
From the article:
“Yesterday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order banning vaccine passports in the state, and revealed that he is working with the Florida legislature to permanently ban them within the state.”
And when the TSA agents tell his
rich donorsconstituents from The Villages, “Sorry, no vax passport, no entry to the terminal,” then what?Everything in my safe deposit box got lost in the river…
[Added]
Ahh…these boxes are not at a bank – this is a private company set up in a storefront.
From the article:
‘Unlike traditional bank deposit boxes, US Private Vaults are 100 percent private, allowing your identity to remain completely anonymous,’ an advertisement for the company on YouTube claims.
The company posted another video to YouTube in 2012 that identifies its president as a Steven Gregory.
‘Unlike a bank we don’t require our customers to show photo ID or provide a Social Security number as a requirement for renting a box,’ Gregory says in the video.
‘We identify our clients through an iris scan and a palm geometry scan.’
According to the indictment, the company had also allegedly advertised: ‘We don’t even want to know your name’ and claimed that it did not require customer information that ‘can be easily accessed by government agencies (such as the IRS).’
For heaven’s sakes they are saying don’t worry about what happens ten percent of the time at the same time they are addressing peaking units that run less than 5% of the time.”
We just saw that in Texas. They don’t care what happens below 32 F or above 95 F in Texas. They just hope the electrical grid stays up so they can turn the wind turbines back on when the extreme weather event moderates.
In other words, during extreme weather events, we will be on our own from the sea to the shining sea because the so-called renewables do not work then. And they could care less.
BTW, if power is not generated in New York City under extreme load conditions, power cannot be imported into New York City. The transmission lines need to have additional megavar capability which can only be generated by onsite power plants. We used to have extreme trouble with this in Dallas and Fort Worth, I just imagine a huge city would do.
We just saw that in Texas. They don’t care what happens below 32 F or above 95 F in Texas. They just hope the electrical grid stays up so they can turn the wind turbines back on when the extreme weather event moderates.
I don’t discount that nearly a year of “working” from home left the infrastructure vulnerable, with people in mostly white collar civil engineering gigs failing to occasionally lay eyes on critical systems for which they were responsible, assuming that someone had it covered.
I saw it a lot on my last job heading into the holidays before I was fired last year.
“Where’s Tom?”
“Working from home. He dropped offline at four.”
“Test on site runs until five and he was off on Tuesday, the last day we had the trades people on site.”
[Insert crickets chirping]
“Working” from home needs to end in a lot of fields. Soon.
Did some light yardwork, mainly blowing the pollen things the oaks drop. Had to get them off the roof and out of the gutters too. Some fat raindrops occasionally spattered me but it never really got going.
Did some work in my office getting some ‘smalls’ ready for the auction. I don’t want to lift anything or spend too much time in one position and set my back recovery back.
Back has been good all day. Feels pretty much back to normal. And I’ve made some arrangements to never run out of what I need again. It’s not optional anymore, if it ever really was.
Wife is still suffering with headache and chills. Low fever too. She and the kids are on the couch watching all the Jurrasic Park movies. Subwoofer is getting a lot of exercise. 🙂
n
That’s exactly what I did for several years, 20-some years ago. We developed grid demand and reliability simulation software. The software was used so the PhD EEs could recommend putting in 300kV lines here and here, or that 1GW plant at this location in the network should suffice for the customer’s projected needs for thirty years. The software wasn’t intended to estimate the number of hours of brownouts per year if a plant was removed but could have been used for that.
running a simulation of the proposed changes which will closely replicate electric reliability
That’s exactly what I did for several years, 20-some years ago. We developed grid demand and reliability simulation software. The software was used so the PhD EEs could recommend putting in 300kV lines here and here, or that 1GW plant at this location in the network should suffice for the customer’s projected needs for thirty years. The software wasn’t intended to estimate the number of hours of brownouts per year if a plant was removed but could have been used for that.
Which software package ? I used the cousin of PROMOD, MAINPLAN, in the 1980s for our maintenance planning at TXU.
MIL saga is getting worse. She does not want to have a procedure done to put in a drain for fluid on the lungs. Says she just wants to die. OK, her choice.
However she is to the point she needs nursing care to do simple tasks, such as waste elimination. She wants people to come immediately, which does not happen. So she is upset.
Next plan is to bring MIL here to TN, hire 24 hour nursing care, with MIL in our basement apartment. NNNOOOOOOOOO! But I am being overruled. The cost is $16K a month. MIL has the money, will probably not live more than 3 months, tops.
How to get MIL here. Flying will be an issue. I can envision MIL wanting to pee on the flight and that would be a real problem. Diapers? MIL refuses. I don’t even know if the airlines would allow such a passenger. Altitude changes with decreased lung capacity will be a major issue.
Other option is a 22 hour drive in the back of her son’s van. Done in one stretch. A miserable trip for her son and my wife.
I really don’t want MIL in the house and a full time nurse. I can lock the door to the apartment but wife will forget to lock. Then I have the risk of the nurse stealing from us when we are not here.
The whole thing sucks.
We just saw that in Texas. They don’t care what happens below 32 F or above 95 F in Texas. They just hope the electrical grid stays up so they can turn the wind turbines back on when the extreme weather event moderates.
I don’t discount that nearly a year of “working” from home left the infrastructure vulnerable, with people in mostly white collar civil engineering gigs failing to occasionally lay eyes on critical systems for which they were responsible, assuming that someone had it covered.
I saw it a lot on my last job heading into the holidays before I was fired last year.
“Where’s Tom?”
“Working from home. He dropped offline at four.”
“Test on site runs until five and he was off on Tuesday, the last day we had the trades people on site.”
[Insert crickets chirping]
“Working” from home needs to end in a lot of fields. Soon.
Dilbert: Taking Time Off
https://dilbert.com/strip/2021-04-04
The real problem in the Great Freeze in Texas was lack of fuel for oil and nat gas power plants.
I want to believe.
I feel for you Ray. No good solutions.
n
Wife is still suffering with headache and chills. Low fever too. She and the kids are on the couch watching all the Jurrasic Park movies. Subwoofer is getting a lot of exercise.
If you take your postponed Florida trip this year, Universal Orlando was testing the new “Velocicoaster” trains when we were there a few weeks ago, part of a big revamp of the Jurassic Park area of the property, ahead of the (geesh) 30th anniversary in 2023. Sadly, they were not accepting test passengers.
I offered to sign a waiver.
Ray, can you replace the lock to the apartment with one which is always locked? From one side you always need a key.
Failing that, can you put a sensor on the door to log every time it was opened?
Lynn, the main power simulator I worked on was TOPS (something-something Power Simulation, IIRC) by Power Technologies Inc (PTI) in Schenectady, NY. I worked on two others but don’t remembers the names. Note that my responsibility was only in programming, though the reason I specifically was brought on was because of my EE degree; a number of computer-science types hired or contracted by PTI made some obvious-to-an-EE mistakes because they didn’t understand the things being simulated. (And in at least one case couldn’t even handle conversions to and from SI units.)
Yes, there is. Unfortunately I would go to prison for life. Other than that options are limited.
MIL is getting more demanding, wants people to jump immediately. She wanted her son to carry her to the bathroom. He said no, just sit in the chair with wheels and he would wheel her to the bathroom. That pissed her off so she grabbed a small container and peed in the container. Vindictive measure on her part as her demands were not met to her satisfaction.
I don’t want that in my house.
Monday wife will have the facility move MIL from apartment into the nursing wing. Not a full time nurse, but a nurse is available. I don’t know how that will work with MIL and the instant demands. I hope it works.
If it doesn’t then MIL will be in the house. There will be multiple calls to 911, a stranger (nurse) in my house. Along with possibility of someone dying in the house. Ugh. MIL would haunt the place. Ugh. Double ugh.
Wife goes to San Antonio this Saturday for 10 days. Maybe MIL will die during that time.
And apologies for venting.
Already have that installed. We rented the apartment to some friends for six months. Their house sold too quickly while they were building a new home. They needed a place to stay.
I would also move a security camera facing the door. I would also demand a nurse that is fully bonded.
@Ray
Vent all you want. Hope it helps. You have my sympathy.
yes, what he said.
n
How to get MIL here. Flying will be an issue. I can envision MIL wanting to pee on the flight and that would be a real problem. Diapers? MIL refuses. I don’t even know if the airlines would allow such a passenger. Altitude changes with decreased lung capacity will be a major issue.
If notified, the airline will require oxygen for her. If not notified, airline can probably supply oxygen.
I would also move a security camera facing the door. I would also demand a nurse that is fully bonded.
She will need 3 or 4 nurses a week if 24×7 care.
Lynn, the main power simulator I worked on was TOPS (something-something Power Simulation, IIRC) by Power Technologies Inc (PTI) in Schenectady, NY. I worked on two others but don’t remembers the names. Note that my responsibility was only in programming, though the reason I specifically was brought on was because of my EE degree; a number of computer-science types hired or contracted by PTI made some obvious-to-an-EE mistakes because they didn’t understand the things being simulated. (And in at least one case couldn’t even handle conversions to and from SI units.)
Yup, a Siemens product now. The software I worked with is now owned by ABB.
I would love for one of these big boys to buy us.
Hang in there, Mr. Ray. Sorry that more sh*t is heading your way with all you have posted on your childhood. If there is anybody who can handle this, it is you.
Even if you don’t have obvious hazards like hurricanes and floods, I bet there are railroad tracks, pipelines, or a freeway near you that could cause an evacuation. And if none of those things are near your house, then I’d bet wildfire or forest fire should be on your list.
Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope, and Nope. Our last flooding was the “great flood” of ’84, with 4″ of rain and flooding of low lying areas. Forests are at least 20 miles away, and there is not enough vegetation for grass fires to propagate. Our most serious threat is a major earthquake, and we had a 7.1 recently that did not damage our property. We could have stronger ones, but most structures would protect their contents even if damaged. We could live temporarily with makeshift repairs, but I do worry that there could be forced evacuations with water and electric power cutoff (no nat gas to our site.) Many of our neighbors are even more independent minded than I am, and would politely refuse to evacuate. I don’t want to contemplate the next steps, but we are in a county with the seat 120 miles away, and mostly absent sheriffs. We might be left alone, as is normal.
I don’t want to sound smug. Our greatest threat is the steady government intrusion, especially federal and state. This is the same as at least half the population of the country.
We have carefully watched people who have left our area. There is a significant percentage of people who have not liked their new location, and a few who have returned here. Those most satisfied have gone to areas we would not consider, mostly big cities and cold climates. We came from those. We have lived in areas populated by people who crowded them because they were popular, and we were not happy. We fould a place few people like, but we love. I remember OFD saying something like, “It is 20 degrees with gusts to 50 mph. Keeps the riff-raff out.”
I want to believe.
I found X-files on Hulu today. I’ve been binging it while working on my personal income taxes, you know, pay unto Caesar… I found out that I made a 41% gross profit on my commercial property in 2020. That does not count all of the blood, sweat, and cash money that I have put into the place since I bought it a decade ago. Like refinancing my almost paid off home in 2011 so I could bring a wheelbarrow of cash to the closing. Uh no, I brought a very large check. And a wire transfer. So I get to give the feddies a few more bucks, lovely.
And I do not have the income tax done for my main business either. My accountant says that he will get them done soon. They were due March 15 but the IRS moved everything in Texas back to June 15. My accountant is 75 this year and hard to push. I am concerned that he is going to retire fully some day.
I get a weekly email from this guy who is both older and smarter than me. He said that even though the income tax filing date is delayed, go head and figure out what we owe or what the feddies owe us just as if the filing date was April 15. That way one has flexibility.
https://www.garynorth.com/public/22072.cfm
Please note that I do not pay for his newsletter. I get the free one.
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Suspended for Tweeting, “He is Risen””
https://www.toddstarnes.com/politics/rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-suspended-for-tweeting-he-is-risen/
“Twitter says they mistakenly suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for tweeting, “He is Risen.”
“They punished her for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
“After much outrage, Twitter announced they had made a mistake.”
Hey twitter, pull the other leg, it has a bell on it.
I just finished reading the same story. WTF is anyone still feeding the beast? Get off social media.
n
@Lynn Megavar, truly an EE, despite you are chemical as far i rememeber
@Ray hope your travel finishes well and soon