Hot and humid in the swamp, but it’s summer… so that’s a given.
It was hot and humid in the midwestern state I spent 2 days in this weekend. Crazy hot by their standards, middlin’ hot by mine.
But I’m home now.
I intend to sleep in, rise and eat waffles with bacon, and see if I got a gift after all…
Best wishes to the dad’s out there.
n
Miss you dad.
(stack up some good times today.)
Covid has been a Godsend for Wallys.
Or is it Walli?
Every tech office has at least one.
I turned in the spare monitor the new job sent when I was on campus last week. I noticed a lot more activity the closer I got to the CEO‘s office.
The Come to Jesus meetings are coming at tech companies in Austin soon. Enjoy the rest of the Summer, Wally.
”Winter is coming.”
Fixed it for you.
Heh. My son, who is still infected with severe car fever, suggested we go test drive cars yesterday. He really wants a Challenger, so we went and drove a used one. (base model SXT with the v6). Nice car for what it is. It drove well. We then went and drove a used base Camaro, also with a v6. About the same amount of power, but it drove so much better. The big downside to the Camaro is the horrid visibility out of it.
I drove a 2019 Mercedes GLC 43 suv. I wanted to compare it to a Porsche Macan. It’s the only suv I’ve driven that drives as well as the Porsche. I need to drive the non-AMG model though. I can live without the extra power, but I don’t know if the lessser model suspension is too squish. I’m betting it is. The AMG has adjustable air suspension and the base doesn’t’. I will also say the Mercedes transmission is not a smooth as the Porsche.
I’m not making a buying decision soon. Hoping to wait out the insane market. I also am still very hesitant to commit to a German car…
76 F out there this morning with dew dripping off everything. Big change from the 104 F yesterday. Probably gonna be 104 F today again. Hot, hot, hot.
I’ll be 62 next week and my son will be 39. I have no idea how I got this old but the good old Earth keeps on tracking around the Sun as it keeps on heading through the void. We just don’t know how good we have it. Makes one think that it was all planned, too good to be accidental.
The problem with expensive vehicles is that they are expensive to fix and parts are hard to come by. My mothers 2008 Mercedes diesel has been in the shop over a month getting the entire DEF system replaced with the exhaust reactor too. Mercedes is paying for it since the system failed and the EPA sued MB. The settlement was full replacement at MB expense. The system failed years ago but the car still ran somehow so the parents did not worry about it. They like having one gasoline and one diesel car for the emergency times.
Off to Vegas for a week of gambling and coke. Nah, our annual training summit is this week at the South Point Hotel, Resort, and Casino. Looks like 45 in attendance for their Vegas
vacationtraining.My Father’s Day gift was a Garmin Tactix 7. Now I won’t get lost when I fall off my bike. LOL
I watered the house foundation yesterday with four sprinkler hoses for several hours. I am not sure it is an old wives tail but I do it since the yard is so dry. I am not doing the separate garage though. We have not had a serious rain in 6 or 7 weeks now. We do not have a sprinker system for the yard since we live on 1.2 acres.
Now I won’t get lost when I go to the bathroom.
Fixed it for you.
That device look sophisticated enough to be able to navigate to the bathroom, and remind you to flush. Amazing what can be packed into something that fits on the wrist.
Every tech office has at least one.
I turned in the spare monitor the new job sent when I was on campus last week. I noticed a lot more activity the closer I got to the CEO‘s office.
How many Austin employees does the huge tech company have now ? I would think several thousand. Does all the manufacturing come from outside the USA ?
I love having two monitors. I have two monitors on both my office PCs.
An old Mercedes or Volvo diesel can run on all kinds of inputs in a pinch with some backyard chemistry, but the new systems requiring DEF will be useless in a SHTF situation.
That device look sophisticated enough to be able to navigate to the bathroom, and remind you to flush. Amazing what can be packed into something that fits on the wrist.
Sounds very Dick Tracy.
Il BootyJuice:
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warns airlines he plans to take action which will make them cancel even MORE flights as his flight home from crunch meeting with industry leaders is cancelled and he’s forced to drive
Make ’mo gas! Fly ‘mo flights!
OR ELSE!
I have no idea about Austin headcount. New hiring is done in my group with the understanding that the employee must relocate to Austin, however.
Dunno about manufacturing. Above my pay grade.
If you need a place to park Junior Senior Programmer. I got a phone call from EA out of Orlando on Friday. They were looking for generalist C++ talent and will do remote on contract.
My management is looking to fill a slot above my level, but, in addition to the relo requirement, the performance metric for the position is a bit onerous.
Gas was $8.24 in Lee Vining yesterday.
About two hours drive north it was $5.50 and 2 hours south it was $6.60…
Gotta gouge those tourists.
I don’t do Chrysler. Back in high school, dad told me that once you buy a Chrysler, you own it.
If you’re tempted, talk to a good mechanic. I was told that Chrysler/Fiat is a royal pita with constant pricey required updates for their diagnostic software.
I also have a Fenix watch with maps, GPS and Bluetooth with which I can listen to music that I sync to it. When at my favorite dive bar, https://www.facebook.com/MothersTavern, for some PBRs and listen to live country music, I do not need it to get to a bathroom, as their doors are labeled “Chicks” and “Dicks”. However, when I’m told to leave, I do use it to find my way back home.
Up and awake. Waffle making noises coming from kitchen.
Didn’t feel well last night so the extra sleep was warranted. Vague mild headache, general malaise… both symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, and my carefully regulated caffeine intake was disrupted by travel and diet. We’ll see if this trip turns into a super spreader event or not. Lots of close contact, no masks, and lots of air port nastiness.
Ohhhh, now bacon smells coming into the office. I’m outa here!
n
Il BootyJuice:
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warns airlines he plans to take action which will make them cancel even MORE flights as his flight home from crunch meeting with industry leaders is cancelled and he’s forced to drive
Make ’mo gas! Fly ‘mo flights!
OR ELSE!
I thought that Booty was still on paternity leave.
Buttigieg is serious Deep State. If he’s flying commercial, it is a stunt.
Dont underestimate Mayor Pete the way Canada underestimated Wee Pierre until it was too late.
The other one to watch is Tulsi Gabbard. She sat in the same WEF classes as Wee Pierre and Mayor Pete.
Yes, I’ll name call Wee Pierre. I’ll refrain from using Fidel Junior like the expats in Miami.
If you need a place to park Junior Senior Programmer. I got a phone call from EA out of Orlando on Friday. They were looking for generalist C++ talent and will do remote on contract.
Who is EA ? Electronic Arts ?
An old Mercedes or Volvo diesel can run on all kinds of inputs in a pinch with some backyard chemistry, but the new systems requiring DEF will be useless in a SHTF situation.
Even though the DEF system was kaput and the alarm showed on the dashboard, the car still started and ran fine for years.
The DEF system was a real pain. All they did was remove the spare tire and placed the DEF tank where the space tire went. Then they tossed a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk. So when you had a sidewall blowup, you were stranded. I told Dad I would buy a wheel and tire and throw it back there anyway but he did not do so. And of course they got stranded.
“Can I Plug in? Everything You Need to Know About Charging an Electric Car”
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/can-i-plug-in-charging-an-electric-car-explained
“CCS? CHAdeMO? We break down the charging ports you’ll find on today’s EVs and how to know if you can charge your car at a specific station.”
Complicated. Looks like something I would screw up.
>> The other one to watch is Tulsi Gabbard. She sat in the same WEF classes as Wee Pierre and Mayor Pete.
WEF?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Forum
>> Complicated. Looks like something I would screw up.
Simple solution, buy a Tony-mobile. There are ~1,200 Supercharger stations in the US, with more being built. The largest station has ~50 stalls. Station location information / availability is well-integrated into the car’s info display. If you are the boy scout type there are adapters available that will also let you charge at a non-Tesla station.
No no and more no on the tony mobile.
n
111F in the sun, near the roof, where my weather station is.
Got a handful of blueberries off the bushes. Headed out to get the dog from the sitter.
n
I am somewhat inclined to get a hybrid as my next vehicle. I need longer ‘miles-between-fillups’ for my travels from WA to CA and UT, where there are wide open spaces between stations.
But, I don’t see a replacement vehicle purchase for at least 3 years, maybe more. And things will be much different then.
As much as I drive I can probably charge with a battery maintainer. The 5 watt solar panel that charges the battery for my gate would be better. Maybe get the 10 watt panel.
I might make a 1000 miles on the truck by the end of August.
In other words, the battery pack in a car will die of old age before I can wear it out.
Took the former exchange student, her mother and sister to Brushy Moutain Prison. All were taken with my iPhone 13 PRO. STill impressed by what a small camera that fits in the pocket will accomplish.
Pictures at: http://www.raymondthompsonphotography.com/Brushy
Tomorrow is Dollywood which is one of the places they wanted to go. Wife and I have our season passes, which when purchased, came with six bring-a-friend coupons. So no real expense other than getting to Dollywood. Parking is free for me as I have a gold sesaon pass. Will be an all day event from about 10:00 am until 9:30 pm, not including the three hours total driving time.
>> Took the former exchange student, her mother and sister to Brushy Moutain Prison.
How long will they be incarcerated?
“FINA members voted 71.5% in favor of a policy that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events.”
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/06/19/new-ruling-has-effectively-banned-transgender-women-from-competing-in-womens-events/
I’m sure some idiot puke judge will put a stop to this instance of sanity as soon as zhe gets off zis knees.
Fun with networking.
We had trees trimmed and a few removed. I have a pair of NanoBeam 5AC16 in bridge mode that have been absolutely solid. They get rebooted when the power goes out long enough to kill the UPSs. Their speed test has shown around 200 to 350 Mbps. Plenty fast when my various switches are 10/100 speed.
Today? Being bored? I looked and they are chatting to each other from 480 to 650 Mbps. It bounces around, averages around 550+ Mbps.
I might be able to get the numbers up. One is beaming through a wall, the other through a double pane window. Drill a few holes and mount both outside, under the eaves, to enjoy the Summer heat and Winter cold and yeah, no….. ain’t happening.
Well, time to start the Trager grill. I made a pan of enchiladas last night and yeah, it was 101F outside and just freaking too hot to run the oven. Into the fridge! A plus might be a bit of wood smoke flavoring. If it all fails, the dogs will eat like kings for several days.
I have a 2018 Ford C-Max hybrid and am very happy with it. I get 44mpg in mixed driving on my daily commute. Getting up to freeway speed on short uphill onramps is no sweat. No problems with the CVT. Excellent visibility. Seats four comfortably. Excellent headroom. Excellent legroom.
Two negatives: no spare tire, and the minimum turning radius is 19.2 feet.
2018 was the last model year.
107 F at 33% humidity out here on one of those so-called official monitors. That is a bit high for June.
@paul, yum on the enchiladas. You didn’t invite any of the folks here to visit and share, sniff. I guess we are less fortunate than your dogs. :~)
Next time I fire up the grill, everyone here is invited… if I had a grill. Wife is a very good cook, but doesn’t grill. I can burn stuff, so avoid it.
We went to a local international restaurant today. Had a stuffed poblano chile that was very good. First time it has been on their rotating menu.
Just curious: do you give spicy food to your dogs? We never did, when we had dogs or cats. Might have been interesting. We did give the dogs left over salad, and they ate everything except cherry tomatoes. They licked the dressing, leaving them looking freshly picked.
We came home an hour ago, and the car thermometer read 84. Now it is 87 on our house thermometer. Weather Underground says a forecast high of 87 with 9%RH. Yesterday at home was 59 low and 86 high. We are having some sort of cold air passing through. I looked at my usual other sites, and the only thing notable was on MyRadar, a big H over the ocean pumping air down the coast. Some of that must be coming inland.
We have had a roller coaster spring, with alternating high and low temperature periods. The high (here at the house) was 108, way above normal; also some below normal days. Had some pretty good winds, too. Humidity has been normal to low. All in all, nice. The long range forecast sites I look at all show us normal to below normal temps through December, some way below. Too early to worry about winter.
We went to a con in Dallas today and made a point of sticking around to the last panel of the day featuring Gina Carano.
The iPhone I’m using to post dislikes that last name. I had to manually correct twice.
Maybe the phone has a point. The actress seeths with hate.
No, not really. She was extremely gracious, especially with the kids who asked questions.
No protests or even a boo. Not that the crowd would have let that go unanswered. “Woke” isn’t dead, but the prognosis isn’t good.
OK, next time I’m up there, I’ll just have dinner at a restaurant in your town that we ate about 30 years ago.
“Gabbard has an F-rating from the NRA, a 0% rating by the Hawaii Rifle Association and a 100% rating by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Tulsi_Gabbard#:~:text=Gabbard%20supports%20a%20common%20rifle,their%20permits%20to%20begin%20with
Says it all, but there is much more.
I don’t understand why Tucker Carlson speaks so highly of her, when he is supposed to be a big supporter of the 2A. Same for some other “conservatives”.
If it all fails, the dogs will eat like kings for several days.
lucky dogs!
MMmmmnm, kids at camp, maybe mexican restaurant for dinner tonight.
Gina Carano
-she’s the one from Mandalorian that got canceled for a conservative tweet? If so, I hope she’s making bank on the con circuit.
n
You’re on, and I might treat if I am in a good mood. I just hope I will be in town. Seriously, I have been out of town much more than usual since early 2022. I hope it has ended for a while. I would like to meet you. It seems I have missed too many opportunities. Life is full.
Just took a look at the Windy temperature screen. The wind is pushing all of that hot air from TX and central US straight up into central Canada. High 80F’s up there.
Our high today in the PNW (“somewhere opposite Mutiny Bay WA”) hit 65F, with mostly clear skies, and very slight breeze.
tales of the red flag laws:
https://coldfury.com/2022/06/18/a-pig-in-a-poke/
For a lie with no consequences.
And the police stole a firearm and lied about it with no consequences.
Which is really the point of the whole thing. The left doesn’t give a flying toss at a rolling donut about justice, as long as the result is that people they don’t like get a good screwing.
The moral of the story: If you find out that you’ve put it in crazy, get a restraining order.
Now, where’s my Johnny Depp tee-shirt?
@nick, looking for antenna suggestions for my newly acquired Uniden HP scanner. Right now the OotB antenna picks up very little. Any experience with something like this or is something outside really the best way to go?
Diamond Original SRH789 95-1100 MHz AM/FM RX Telescoping Handheld SMA Antenna, Folds at Base https://a.co/d/9IrAy6Z
“As Texas saw record demand for electricity, wind and solar delivered”
https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Texas-record-demand-for-electricity-wind-solar-17251451.php
“On Sunday, Texans hit a new record for electricity demand, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, as triple-digit temperatures baked the state. But as Dallas-Fort-Worth tied a 111-year-old daily record for high temperature, wind and solar power provided about a third of the state’s electricity, a higher portion than usual.”
I do like the diversity of electricity production. My rule is to make power during the good times, you gotta make power during the bad times. And these hot summer days are the good times right now.
“I do like the diversity of electricity production.”
It’s too bad that the only people betting their lives on it aren’t the green weinies that have no concept that that is exactly what they are doing.
My fond hope is that the system breaks and stays broken long enough–somewhere, not necessarily Texas–that enough people die from lack of air conditioning, lack of refrigeration, and lack of reliable power to provide essential services. Sooner rather than later. With every passing month the fragility of electrical delivery increases, so it’s just a matter of time.
One of the chief architects of the coming problem just put in a large propane storage tank to protect his own. I have to suspect that there are people who are already noting the security shortcomings of that installation.
ADDED: A simple Monte Carlo simulation of supply and demand and distribution on the Texas grid is not a difficult problem. I would wager that it’s already been done, the results are in the file, and the public is not allowed access. Maybe after grandma and grandpa bake to death.
“10 Famous Science Fiction Authors”
https://studyfy.com/blog/the-10-best-sci-fi-authors-of-all-time
“Science fiction is one of the most popular genres of entertainment in the world today. It has grown from a niche interest 100 years ago into a multibillion-dollar industry. Now almost every single person on the planet has either read or watched something related to science fiction. Its importance is only going to grow in the future. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best sci-fi authors of all time. We’ll go back to the beginnings of science fiction. We’ll take a look at the big three of science fiction. We’ll cover the writers who have impacted the field most strongly. Along this journey, you will come across some of their best works which are considered the top sci fi books of all time.”
“William Gibson, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Robert Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, John Ringo, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick.”
Yup, that is eleven, not ten. And that is a great group. I would like to add David Weber and Orson Scott Card to the group.
The adapters do not allow a third party Level II station to charge a Tesla at the same rate as a Supercharger.
Yes. The Orlando office has been around a long time. Tiburon Studios?
The University of Central Florida in Orlando has a world class CS program. I’ve posted a link to the Junior year entrance exam before.
She was doing okay today based on the line I saw for her autograph at $100/each. I’ve heard that Orlando MegaCon was even bigger turn out for her signing an photo op sessions.
Of course, in Dallas, it doesn’t hurt to be the daughter of Glenn Carano, a backup for Roger Staubach and Danny White in the late 70s/early 80s.
I wouldn’t call Carano a conservative, but she did violate Hollywood groupthink.
We went up to see what the big post-Covid con scene looks like and stuck around until closing. I’m a little more careful about opsec this week after the security on my primary email and Vanguard accounts were tested by someone trying hard enough that the mutual fund company required a phone call.
In meatspace, the last time we went out of town, my ex-Light Infantry neighbor told me someone parked in our driveway for about 30 minutes late one night until he (the neighbor) called the cops, snuck out his back door, and surprised the driver with a knock on the car window.
Lest anyone reading have ill intent towards my property or person, that neighbor is only one of about half a dozen who are night owls, heavily armed, and curious about varmints.
@alan, I’ve got my office scanner on a Radio Shack discone antenna, mounted on the edge of the roof. The discone is best for a modern scanner because of its really wide bandwidth, it works well from HF to 1Ghz. The one closest to the model I have is probably the MJF 1868.
https://mfjenterprises.com/products/mfj-1868
That on some sort of mast, or hanging from a nail in the attic, should open up the potential of your radio.
On the other hand, a couple of my more single purpose scanners (like the one in the garage just for local ham repeaters) get by with whatever mag mount antenna I have laying around. Scanners aren’t too picky about antennas. The main thing is to get it outside, and high up, or at least outside of a faraday cage. Modern stucco homes are wrapped in metal mesh. Many roofing sheathing boards or rigid insulation boards have a foil side, and your house might have foil covered foam board pretty much enclosing it. Just getting something out the window might be good enough.
For a handheld, I’d think about using a short coax and a mag mount antenna off to the side. I used to have one on top of a filing cabinet in my office. In the garage it’s on top of the fridge. A baking sheet works, as does an old oven rack or a pizza pan. Mag mounts need the metallic ground plane.
I don’t have a lot of experience with handheld scanners and short attached antennas. The rubber ducky antenna that came with my GreComm EZscanSD has worked fine. A cheap experiment would be to add a “tail” or counterpoise to your scanner antenna. It’s just a piece of wire attached to the ‘ground’ side of your antenna connection, lots of stuff online about it. Most handie talkies are designed to use your body as the counterpoise for the little rubber duck antenna, idk if handheld scanners are too.
Basically, if it works better outside, figure out how to get an antenna outside. And do try another antenna on it, it is possible there is an issue with the antenna that came with it.
Let us know how you get on…
n
added – I always use the NOAA weather stations to judge antenna performance, tune to 162.000 mhz and step up (or scan up). Everywhere in the states you should be able to hear at least one of the NOAA stations, and if you can hear more than one, the antenna is good (at least in that freq range.) You can also try your local TRACON air traffic control frequencies. If you are near a city with an airport, you should be able to hear approach traffic control, during the day there are always planes. And if you don’t know about Radio Reference you have to check them out. https://www.radioreference.com there will be listings for local stuff you can manually try listening to, like taxi/tow truck dispatch or lifeflight, that usually have constant traffic.
huh, just got an ISE 500 error, and ‘back’ goes to an empty comment form…
Lest anyone reading have ill intent towards my property or person, that neighbor is only one of about half a dozen who are night owls, heavily armed, and curious about varmints.
And if the cyber stuff goes any farther, I might not be able to find someone, but my contacts in law enforcement can, and a pattern of attacks just makes someone a higher value investigative target.
just saying.
n
Yup, that is eleven, not ten. And that is a great group. I would like to add David Weber and Orson Scott Card to the group.
– I like Ringo, but wouldn’t put him on that list. And I would have chosen his Posleen invasion or the zombie books over the Ghost/kildar/etc stories. I’m not sure I’d say he was meticulous about the science either…
Larry Niven and the Ringworld had a bigger influence on SciFi than Ringo has had. His Known Space stuff VASTLY outclasses Ringo.
I think you might have to do what Wheel of Fortune does with common letters, in an article like that. Start with Wells, Verne, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, and maybe a couple others as a given, then build a list of ten on top of that… I agree that Gibson changed the world of SciFi, but Sterling, Cadigan, and a few others did too and at the same time. Heck, Alan Dean Foster did more to get SF paperbacks into readers hands than any 4 other authors…
n
>> @alan, I’ve got my office scanner on a Radio Shack discone antenna, mounted on the edge of the roof. The discone is best for a modern scanner because of its really wide bandwidth, it works well from HF to 1Ghz. The one closest to the model I have is probably the MJF 1868.
@nick, thanks for the detailed response, will start from there and let you know how things go.
– I like Ringo, but wouldn’t put him on that list. And I would have chosen his Posleen invasion or the zombie books over the Ghost/kildar/etc stories. I’m not sure I’d say he was meticulous about the science either…
Larry Niven and the Ringworld had a bigger influence on SciFi than Ringo has had. His Known Space stuff VASTLY outclasses Ringo.
Ringo’s Kildar series crossed over into Romance and went BIG. Supposedly totally funded his retirement for 30 years and then some. Ringo was giving out free tshirts at Cons for a while saying “Oh John Ringo no !”.
Actually my favorite Ringo series is the “Live Free or Die” series. AKA the “Maple Syrup” series.
And I feel bad that I forgot to add Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Alan Dean Foster to the list.
My neighbor got a plate number for the varmint in the driveway which went into the police report.
From JimB:
I recall you mentioning being down here in Orange County visiting. If so and you are coming again, I’m sure we could get together. I’m in Huntington Beach about a mile west of thr intersection on PCH and Warner Ave.