Wed. Dec. 28, 2022 – year is winding down…

By on December 28th, 2022 in culture, lakehouse, personal

Cold and damp in Houston, because it’s winter.   It was sunny and nice at the BOL, and sunny and cool when I got home.   It’ll probably be sunny and nice today.

Came home from the BOL a day early so I could drop my mom off at the airport.   Despite all the delays and cancellations, her afternoon flight to a small airport in Florida happened without drama.   The airport was not busy at all, either at checkin, or security.   As I was leaving a local news team was interviewing a woman in line to check in, but IDK what they could have asked her that would be newsworthy.    The CSR at the counter when we checked in had said it was crazy earlier in the day when I joked about the slow day.  In any case, it was nice that we didn’t have any drama.

I did get home to a busted sprinkler pipe.  Neighbor saw the flood, turned off the water, and called me.   Meatspace baby.   Things get bad, we’ll live or die by our relationships.  Things don’t get bad, it’s still a good thing to have people that will help you out.  Over the last couple of years I’ve brought their escape artist dog home, loaned them space heaters, helped a family member who was locked out, and tried to be a good neighbor.  Wasn’t hard, and it has been a good thing.

Today I’ve got all the normal stuff going on.  I’m putting the sprinkler repairs on the back burner.   Some yard cleanup, some indoor plumbing, and some general cleanup and putting the house back together after Christmas should all be somewhere on the list.   We’ll see what happens.

Stack up friends as well as stuff.   You’ll be better off with both…

nick

74 Comments and discussion on "Wed. Dec. 28, 2022 – year is winding down…"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    And I played hooky from making change control request slides today. I have no excuse.

    What in the world are change control request slides ?

    Bureaucracy. We have to make a presentation before the change control board on the behavior of a vendor-supplied component which is critical to a new system.

    Given the money involved, we can’t say to customers, “It just works that way.”

    The vendor hasn’t tried to have me fired … yet. I’ve “been there, done that, bought the t-shirt” with Cisco and RSA.

  2. MrAtoz says:

    Mayor ButtPlug is on teevee  claiming he will hold Southwest accountable for all the cancellations. I guess he will go to every SWA airport location and yell at them. I bet SWA‘s margins are so thin, any fine will bankrupt them. The goobermint will then bail them out: “too big to fail.” ButtPlug can’t do shite. Remember when the sea ports were backed up like a soldier on MRE’s for six months? ButtPlug was on “maternity” leave. The DOT needs a fully armed SWAT team to take out non-compliant airlines.

    Wasn’t SWA one of the first airlines that said “masks, you don’t need no stinkin‘ masks on a commercial airliner.”

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Wasn’t SWA one of the first airlines that said “masks, you don’t need no stinkin‘ masks on a commercial airliner.”

    A video went viral of a SWA pilot making an announcement of the court decision mid-flight and everyone removing their masks immediately.

    Yeah, flying Southwest during the pandemic, March 2021, I definitely got the vibe that their hearts weren’t into mask enforcement away from Austin-Bergstrom airport, but, OTOH, the management was among the first to announce jab mandates for the employees.

    Buttgag (sp?) is rolling out the guillotine in response to the hue and cry from the public this week, but it won’t come to much. Shut down SWA in favor of … who, exactly? … Delta? American?

    Watching the video of the vocal complainers at Austin airport on the local Faux News the other night, my wife commented, “They could buy a car and drive home for what that woman’s handbag cost. Why are they flying Southwest?”

  4. Greg Norton says:

    We got clipped pretty hard for Korean BBQ last night, a request from child #2 for her birthday.

    We were at the ‘A’ level. We didn’t upgrade to ‘B’ which seemed to involve a lot of digestive tract organs, or ‘C’ which was a lot of the same meats as ‘A’ and ‘B’ except the beef prefixed with the word Waygu.

    The crazy thing is that all of the Korean BBQ places I’ve seen around around here are dumps with iffy service and weird unpublished house rules about upcharging al a carte diners if just one person at the table opts for “all you can eat”.

  5. Nick Flandrey says:

    62F and sunny.    Been up for a bit, but have some auctions closing this morning.

    —————–

    When I had friends that had lived in Korea, we ‘d  get Korean BBQ at a couple of places in San Diego.    If (female) friend was there, the staff expected her to serve and do most of the cooking/hostessing.  She could do it, didn’t mind doing it, kinda felt amused by it.

    If it was only me, or me and my male friend,  the staff girls would do all the serving/hostessing/cooking.   They got flustered and animated if we even put meat on the grill.

    The one time I took a girlfriend, the staff was confused and bothered that she didn’t know how to serve, and didn’t try.

    It’s been years since I ate KBBQ, even though we’ve got a bunch of hole in the wall places nearby.

    n

  6. Greg Norton says:

    If it was only me, or me and my male friend,  the staff girls would do all the serving/hostessing/cooking.   They got flustered and animated if we even put meat on the grill.

    We’ve been to two separate Korean BBQ places around Austin now, and I’ve never seen the wait staff cooking anything at a customer’s table. 

    Of course, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn there traditions practiced in these places that are disregarded in this town.

    There was a gimmicky “cutie pie” server robot rolling around the restaurant last night which gave off an Asian dystopian vibe, but my impression was that the real purpose of the machine was to capture pictures of the tables for the “Wanted” posters posted on the door by the staff complaining about large parties who did not tip beyond the mandatory 20%.

    Just based on our Austin experiences, I don’t get the appeal.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    Pinch’s dimwitted brood turn on Tony, using Paul Krugman in the byline no less.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/opinion/tesla-stock-elon-musk.html

    Paywalled, but does the content really matter? I’m wondering if Krugman even wrote it.

    If he did, where has Krugman been for the last decade as TSLA became “the most valuable car company on the planet” by making more selling carbon credits than actual … you know … cars.

    Or Jesus Truck reservations.

  8. Alan says:

    >> It’s been years since I ate KBBQ, even though we’ve got a bunch of hole in the wall places nearby.

    Ahh, that explains the dearth of stray cats in your area.

  9. Greg Norton says:

    The email note is an interesting read.

    How many experienced people did Southwest fire for refusing the jab this time last year?

    Questioning the jab is going to come from the people with the independent thought processes necessary to solve problems in a critical situation like a blizzard at DIA. You aren’t going to get through a crisis with sheeple making decisions.

    Firing people for refusing jabs wasn’t an unpopular opinion a year ago, even here.

    Herb Kelleher must be spinning in his grave. Sheeple didn’t build Southwest.

  10. Nick Flandrey says:

    You have to REALLY be one of  the ‘sons of Martha’ to work the ramp in a snowstorm.   It’s gotta be more than ‘just a job’ to you.   SWA had the “team” vibe from the beginning.   I’m betting the wuflu mandates destroyed that, and I don’t think you can get it back.

    n

  11. Greg Norton says:

    You have to REALLY be one of  the ‘sons of Martha’ to work the ramp in a snowstorm.   It’s gotta be more than ‘just a job’ to you.   SWA had the “team” vibe from the beginning.   I’m betting the wuflu mandates destroyed that, and I don’t think you can get it back.

    Gate agents. They aren’t even on the ramp outside.

    DIA is a terrible location in a blizzard, however, if you’re paying ~ $20-30/hour plus benefits and counting on people to show up regardless of driving conditions along with mandatory overtime due to the new people calling in sick.

  12. Lynn says:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/leaked-southwest-memo-reveals-state-operational-emergency-christmas-storm 

    The email note is an interesting read.

    If I remember correctly, Southwest Airlines is a full union shop, pilots, stews, bag loaders, etc.  That letter was needful to trigger certain things in the union agreement. 

    When I worked in a partial union business (TXU), working with the unions was always dicey.  You did everything by the book.  For instance, if the union maintenance guys were kept over their shift, they were guaranteed a meal per the union contract.  So, the maintenance shop had a freezer with hungry man meals in it.

  13. MrAtoz says:

    Peak LameStreamMedia:

    2021: “Cruz flew to Cancun! Get him! Get him!”

    2022:

    The St. Croix vacation home Biden is staying in for free during escape from ‘blizzard of the century’: Beachfront property is owned by billionaire Democrat donor software mogul with a basketball stadium named after him

    “Squeeee! plugs is vacationing in his favorite spot in the Virgin Islands. Only 50 people have died in what we, the LSM, call a ”Storm of the Century.” That’s only a blip.”

    Plugs won’t pay a dime to stay in some Dumbocrats vacay McMansion. He’ll make the SS pay, though.

  14. Lynn says:

    I am going to go into my office.  I feel good enough and I have a customer needing a patch.  I am going to wear a mask and gloves except in my office.  No one is there this week but me, every one else saves up their vacation so they don’t have to work between Christmas and New Years.  Except my accountant who will come in on Friday.  I have plenty of vacation left but I am on a death march with my F77 to C++ project.

  15. Lynn says:

    This message will self destruct too.

    Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh dudaduh …

  16. Lynn says:

    You have to REALLY be one of  the ‘sons of Martha’ to work the ramp in a snowstorm.   It’s gotta be more than ‘just a job’ to you.   SWA had the “team” vibe from the beginning.   I’m betting the wuflu mandates destroyed that, and I don’t think you can get it back.

    It is going to be tough, that is sure.  You know what the pilots call the gate bag loaders, etc ?  Crunchies.

    I stole that from John Ringo.

  17. Nick Flandrey says:

    For the record, there isn’t a single article anywhere that I can find after Oct 2021 that mentions anything about SWA and the jab, which is odd in itself.  

    Except this.

    the president of Southwest Freedom Flyers Inc — a grassroots collection of Southwest Airlines employees who oppose vaccine mandates — said the issue goes much higher up the chain of command.

    “The question is, why are we having a staffing shortage? I believe it’s because of the COVID vaccines — they’re still requiring the vaccination for all new applicants and if the new applicants say they’re not going to get vaccinated, their application is passed over,” said Tom Bogart, who is also a Southwest pilot.

    Like many airlines, Southwest was forced to cancel 20,000 flights planned for this summer, saying it would help them keep the remaining schedule. But flight delays and cancellations are still common.

    “So you have highly qualified applicants who want to work here at the airline and there are airlines passing them over. I think it’s still stems back to (that issue). People like to forget about that. The executive order (mandating vaccines) is not dead,” he said.

    –emphasis added.   

    n

  18. Nick Flandrey says:

    Bit more detail about the Russian who thought he could fly…

    Russian oligarch critical of Putin found dead at Indian hotel

    World

    Keleigh Beeson

    Posted: Dec 27, 2022 / 04:34 PM CST | Updated: Dec 28, 2022 / 06:59 AM CST

    (NewsNation) — A wealthy Russian businessman, politician and critic of President Vladimir Putin was found dead over the weekend at a hotel in India.

    Pavel Antov was on vacation at the time of his death and not everyone thinks it was an accident, especially since Antov has been critical of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Antov was found dead Saturday after reportedly falling from his third-floor hotel room balcony in India.

    Antov was a well-known figure — one of the wealthiest Russians to hold office in the country. Forbes Magazine ranked him one of the wealthiest people in the country at $140 million back in 2019.

    His death has been ruled an apparent suicide, but an investigation is underway as many say it appears suspicious.

    Antov was traveling in India with three others and celebrating his upcoming 66th birthday. Days before his death, another member of the group, Vladimir Bidenov, was also found dead.

    The Russian consul in Kolkata, India, says there is no “criminal element” to the two deaths. Authorities said the friend had a stroke after drinking too much and that Antov was distraught over his death.

    It isn’t the first time someone critical of Putin, or his war in Ukraine, has been found dead.

    At least eight Russian businessmen have died of apparent suicides or accidents in the last six months, including Lukoil Chairman Ravil Maganov, who died after falling from a window of a Moscow hospital in September.

    Indian officials said the investigation is ongoing and they are looking at all possible angles.

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ahh, that explains the dearth of stray cats in your area.  

    – mmmm, tasty cats….. mmmmm

    n

  20. Greg Norton says:

    For the record, there isn’t a single article anywhere that I can find after Oct 2021 that mentions anything about SWA and the jab, which is odd in itself.  

    Big advertiser. Where do you not see/hear an ad for Southwest?

  21. Greg Norton says:

    I am going to go into my office.  I feel good enough and I have a customer needing a patch.  I am going to wear a mask and gloves except in my office.  No one is there this week but me, every one else saves up their vacation so they don’t have to work between Christmas and New Years.  Except my accountant who will come in on Friday.  I have plenty of vacation left but I am on a death march with my F77 to C++ project.

    I did fix a serious problem with code on Monday which would have held up ongoing testing, but that was money out of my pocket since this dead week is part of our compensation package like vacation time.

    The company already cost me a grand easily in the pricetag for gap homeowners insurance after my homeowners was backdoor cancelled due to inattention.

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  22. Alan says:

    Southwest got $7 billion of the $50 billion airlines Covid bailout. Maybe they could have spent it better? 

    https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/28/business/southwest-pandemic-aid-meltdown/index.html

  23. Lynn says:

    Plugs won’t pay a dime to stay in some Dumbocrats vacay McMansion. He’ll make the SS pay, though.

    Who is the SS ?

  24. Lynn says:

    I heard a analysis of the SWA problems on the radio.  First, most of the snowpocalypse occured where SWA flew to (smaller airports like Buffalo).  Second, since SWA flys direct instead of the hub approach that all of the other airlines use, once they start having problems, they get into a cascade problem real quick.  And once a plane fails to show up because it was canceled, it ripples throughout the entire system.

  25. Ray Thompson says:

    From my brother, a retired American Airlines pilot.

    My friend is a pilot with Southwest. He just posted this an hour ago. I’m not including his name or the photos he shared of packed SWA employee rooms at the airports over the past couple of days (in case his post comes back to bite him with the company—even though he’s stating facts.) He also posted a screenshot of a fellow pilot on hold with SWA Scheduling for over 22 hours.
    
    Anyway, here’s some insight for those wondering if this massive round of SWA cancellations is really all due to weather and staffing issues: “I don’t know what to say. Southwest Airlines has imploded. Their antiquated software system has completely fried.  Planes are parked. Crews are stranded in the airports with the passengers, volunteering to take the passengers in the parked planes but the software won’t accept it.
    
    Phone lines are overwhelmed for both passengers and crews. I personally spent over two hours trying to get ahold of anyone in the company last night after midnight. A Captain and I did manage to get the one flight put together on Christmas night and got people home. Kudos to the ops agent and dispatcher for making it happen. We had to manually input a lot of the data and it took over an hour to coordinate with dispatch going back and forth running numbers.  
    
    We spent hours trying to get the company to answer and get us a hotel when we landed as they’re all sold out.  We were only put in a call que for hours before hanging up. I found one hotel with 4 rooms and we bought our own rooms at 2:30am. I even paid for a Flight Attendants room. We literally have crews sleeping on the airport floors all over the country with nowhere to go. Crews have been calling to fly anyone, anywhere, but the company says the system needs a reset.
    
    They have effectively shut down the operations for the rest of year, running 1/3 of the flights so that they can let the computer find and locate the crews and aircraft. Gate agents are in tears. They’ve been yelled at, cussed at, slapped and spit on. Flight attendants have been taking a beating. The frontline employees have had little support or communication. Terminals are standing room only with people having been there for days. Pilot lounges are packed with pilots ready to fly and nowhere to go.
      
    Embarrassing is an understatement. I’m going on my second of three days off, still stuck on the east coast and still expected to show up in the morning with no schedule. And I’m willing to fly all day if needed. Because that’s nothing compared to the passengers needing meds in bags that are lost and mothers traveling with kids, having been stuck for the same amount of days in the terminal.
    
    In 24 years, I’ve never seen anything like this. Heads need to roll! Rumors on media are floating that there is a lack of crews and pilots are staging sick calls.  Absolutely not true at all. This is a computer system meltdown. Thousands of crew members are sitting in hotels and airports with nowhere to go. This airline has failed miserably.”

    SWA is probably still running legacy COBOL-74, or F77 (yikes), on all their systems, VTAM, CICS and multiple other IBM abbreviations. Probably don’t have many people on staff that really understand the code as the oldsters have left rather than get the clot-shot.

  26. Ken Mitchell says:

    Lynn:  SS is Secret Service, the presidential security agency. Biden has a long-standing habit of billing the Secret Service for their agents’ stays at his residence or friends’/donors residences.

  27. Lynn says:

    “Alameda Lent Sam Bankman-Fried $546 Million for Robinhood Stake”

        https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alameda-lent-sam-bankman-fried-222708908.html

    You know, it must have been a wild ride to have a $30+ billion piggy bank that nobody watched you on.

    I suspect that quite a few other people are going down too.  The Board of Directors for all the affected companies for instance.

  28. Lynn says:
    Anyway, here’s some insight for those wondering if this massive round of SWA cancellations is really all due to weather and staffing issues: “I don’t know what to say. Southwest Airlines has imploded. Their antiquated software system has completely fried.  Planes are parked. Crews are stranded in the airports with the passengers, volunteering to take the passengers in the parked planes but the software won’t accept it.

    If this is true then Southwest needs a complete new management starting with the CEO and CIO.  There are obviously no adults in the management whatsoever.

  29. Lynn says:

    You know, everything that Slow Joe has touched has turned into a disaster.   The man is a walking sack of crap.  He has no common sense whatsoever.

  30. Lynn says:

    I just found out that my 88 year old friend has The Koof again.  And his wife too.  I am kinda wondering if we are getting another surge.

    So far I have not passed the Koof to my wife or daughter.  Hopefully not.  I have been “quarantined” in the master suite XXXXXX XXXX owner’s bedroom since Monday afternoon.  But the wife has been bopping in and out constantly, wearing a face mask.  And when I did come out, she covers her face with a blanket.  Makes a fella feel great !

    The wife and daughter have never had the Koof.  It is a disaster if the daughter gets it as she is preparing for a hysterectomy in January.  She needs to get a cardiac workup, another two iron infusions, etc.

    My wife is fairly hardy, she rarely gets sick.  I gotta wonder though as she is 3/8 native american if she gets the Koof.  Our son had it a month ago and shook it off within a week.

  31. Lynn says:

    2022 sees over 5000 times new Windows malware vs macOS, over 60 times vs Linux”

         https://www.neowin.net/news/2022-sees-over-5000-times-new-windows-malware-vs-macos-over-60-times-vs-linux/

    “As the year comes to a close, AV-TEST, one of the major anti-malware solutions assessment firms, alongside AV-Comparatives, has shared some interesting statistics regarding malware growth in 2022. The data shows there were close to 70 million new malware samples on Windows, which dwarfs that on macOS, which only saw around 12,000 samples. Hence, the number of malicious files on Windows is over 5,000 times compared to that on mac. The comparison with Linux is far more favorable for Windows as close to 2 million samples were captured on Linux. However, the Windows numbers are still more than 60 times higher.”

    Lots more Windows machines than anything else.

  32. Lynn says:

    SWA is probably still running legacy COBOL-74, or F77 (yikes), on all their systems, VTAM, CICS and multiple other IBM abbreviations. Probably don’t have many people on staff that really understand the code as the oldsters have left rather than get the clot-shot.

    You know, those older systems tend to have a lot of magic numbers in them.  I wonder if they hit a magic number (max number of planes, max number of passengers, etc) ?  

    I suspect that the SWA system has been patched right, left, and sideways many times over the years.  Or wait, could they have been ransomwared ?

  33. Nightraker says:

    You know, everything that Slow Joe has touched has turned into a disaster. 

    I think all his energy went into figgering out a $kim.

  34. Greg Norton says:

    Lots more Windows machines than anything else.

    Every iPhone is a Mac OS X machine. Every Android device is Linux. The user experiences are tightly controlled, but the kernels are the same.

    If the Linux malware numbers are real, then systemd really is making progress turning the platform into Windows.

  35. Lynn says:

    “The Best Mad Scientist Science Fiction Books” by Dan Livingston

        https://best-sci-fi-books.com/the-best-mad-scientist-science-fiction-books/

    I have read several of the 14: “Deadline”, “Recursion”, “Firestarter”, “Oryx and Crake”, “Jurassic Park”, and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea”.

    I would add “Under A Graveyard Sky” by John Ringo to this list:
       https://www.amazon.com/Under-Graveyard-Black-Tide-Rising/dp/147673660X?tag=ttgnet-20/

  36. MrAtoz says:

    And when I did come out, she covers her face with a blanket.  Makes a fella feel great !

    Maybe it’s not the Koof that makes her cover her face. 😉

  37. Ray Thompson says:

    On Monday I got something in my left eye. The eye started bothering me on Monday night, that feeling that something is in the eye. I looked, the wife looked, neither could see anything. I tried using those tubes with eye drops such as Refresh Tears, etc. I tried a couple of different brands. No luck. Went to bed.

    On Tuesday morning I was miserable. I tried running water over my eye in the shower. No luck. I tried squirting water in the eye using a small rubber bladder. Still no luck. Both experiences are miserable. I needed to get professional help (leave it alone SteveF. 🙂 ). I really wanted to avoid the ER due to long waits and the general service of the local ER.

    I went to my doctor’s office as soon as it opened. No openings and the staff refused to even talk with the doctor, whom I have been seeing for 34 years. Jerks.

    I attempted to contact the office of my eye doctor, the one who did most of my surgeries. Every time I wound up in a circular phone system that always dumped me back to the main greeting and prompt. Offices may be closed but rather than state such, best to annoy the caller. I suspect it was more of a person not resetting the system when they came to work, intentionally or accidentally.

    I called the VA clinic. They had no openings and could not see me. Their suggestion was the ER. Which entails a lot of paperwork, phone calls, and hassles with the VA to get them to pay for the ER visit.

    Wife suggested one of those urgent care facilities, the Quicky doctor. That was about my only choice, so I went to the one in Oak Ridge, Fast Pace Urgent Care. I was pleasantly surprised that they would see me immediately. I was also surprised to find that they take VA as health insurance. They would contact the VA and get the proper authorization and the VA would pay for the visit. Nice to know.

    It took 15 minutes to see a nurse, practitioner, doctor, I have no idea. He put a drop in my eye to numb the irritation. Then a dab of die was placed in the eye. Using a UV light the person found a small speck of something, probably a millimeter square, and removed it from my eye.

    All day Tuesday my eye was still miserable as I could barely keep it open. The plan at the end of the day was to physically drive to my eye surgeon’s office on Wednesday morning and beg for mercy. Lacking that the ER would be the last choice.

    I woke up this morning and the eye was fine. The irritation was gone, and everything was back to normal.

    Amazing that such a small piece of material, extremely thin, could stick to my eye and not get rinsed out after all my attempts.

    I also now know that Fast Pace Urgency Care can be used and the VA will cover the expense. Closer than the VA clinic.

  38. nick flandrey says:

    @ray, while the circumstances sucked, you did learn something that could save you a lot of time and hassle in the future.

    And you have a subject for conversation next time you see your eye specialist…

    n

  39. Nick Flandrey says:

    Graham is haram

    n

  40. Lynn says:

    Graham is haram

    Yeah, I know.  At least this time they tried slightly to not be offensive. Slightly.

    They have zero empathy for anyone else. That is what happens when you live in Mom’s basement.

  41. Ray Thompson says:

    @Nick: Why is your name upper case on one the first letter in one post and lower case on the first letter on another post? Is there two of you?

  42. Nick Flandrey says:

    @ray, didn’t notice.  Don’t see it.

    n

    –added- yes I see it now. Depends if I’m logged in as admin or not.
    n

  43. Nick Flandrey says:

    they tried slightly to not be offensive

    nope.   He could have asked the question without the challenge…  it’s the tone that tipped me off.

    n

  44. Lynn says:

    I also now know that Fast Pace Urgency Care can be used and the VA will cover the expense. Closer than the VA clinic.

    I like the Urgent Cares.  I just would not go to one for heart attack or a bone break.  I went to our only one to survive Koof last year for a sinus infection.  The nurse practitioner gave me a Z pack which cleared the infection right up.

  45. SteveF says:

    If the Linux malware numbers are real, then systemd really is making progress turning the platform into Windows.

    Linux malware numbers used to include any problems found in the user apps which are commonly bundled in Linux desktop systems while Windows malware numbers included only the operating system and the “accessory” apps normally bundled with Windows desktop systems. Furthermore, a very high fraction of Linux vulnerabilities were trivial, at most allowing a particular app to be crashed whereas Windows’ tighter integration and poorer kernel security often allowed the OS to be crashed or data to be read from apps other than the compromised app.

    That was the case up to maybe ten years ago, when a stopped paying professional interest.

  46. Lynn says:

    You know, on these travel problems, if you cannot get to where you want to go then rent a car or a moving truck and drive there.  We have great examples of this in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” and “Home Alone”.  Of course, if you are in LA and need to get to NYC, good luck, that is a hike.

  47. Lynn says:

    Linux malware numbers used to include any problems found in the user apps which are commonly bundled in Linux desktop systems while Windows malware numbers included only the operating system and the “accessory” apps normally bundled with Windows desktop systems. Furthermore, a very high fraction of Linux vulnerabilities were trivial, at most allowing a particular app to be crashed whereas Windows’ tighter integration and poorer kernel security often allowed the OS to be crashed or data to be read from apps other than the compromised app.

    How does the Windowing system run in Linux ?  In Windows, the Windowing system is part of the kernel causing a great many problems.

  48. Ken Mitchell says:

    Alan says:

    Southwest got $7 billion of the $50 billion airlines Covid bailout. Maybe they could have spent it better? 

    Hmmmmm… Could be!

  49. Ray Thompson says:

    I just would not go to one for heart attack or a bone break.

    I would not use an urgent care facility for such an event. Those events tend to get priority at an ER, especially if one arrives by EMS.

    I have been in an ER with severe abdominal pain. Sitting among the leaches who go to the ER for sniffles because regular medical offices refuses to see them as they don’t pay their bills.

    Years ago I went to my local doctor for a severe cut on my finger. Stopped at his office before going to the ER. He saw me right away. He stated he actually enjoyed doing something different than routine stuff. Two stitches administered without anesthesia. The injections would have hurt as much as the stitches.

    I have wondered what I would do for a minor cut or affliction with my VA care. Can’t get into a VA facility, ER would be overkill and paperwork hassles, regular doctor may not have space and would cost me money. Fast Pace Urgent Care seems to be a good solution. I was seen quickly, staff was friendly, treatment was good.

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    1
  50. Greg Norton says:

    How does the Windowing system run in Linux ?  In Windows, the Windowing system is part of the kernel causing a great many problems.

    Linux used to be traditional X Windows which ran as a client-server user application, but IBM owns X.org now and has announced that development will stop in favor of Wayland, which is more like Windows and OSX in terms of kernel integration, offering a better user experience at the price of higher risk.

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  51. lpdbw says:

    One thing I find precious is when commie atheists lecture me about good Christian values.

    Extra points for quoting scripture.

    Oddly enough, I’m not a believer, but I recognize good-faith efforts to preserve Western civilization, and underhanded attempts to destroy it.

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  52. Nick Flandrey says:

    Should be noted that the camel does pass thru the gate, and a rich man can go to heaven, based purely on the verse quoted.

    and also noted that it has nothing to do with anyone here.  Just more random poop flinging…

    n

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  53. MrAtoz says:

    Keep up the “Hammer Time”, Mr. Nick. Troll’s Mom will eventually give him his warm milk for bed time.

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  54. SteveF says:

    One thing I find precious is when commie atheists lecture me about good Christian values.

    Commies/liberals/progressives/fascists/Democrats (no meaningful difference between them) quoting scripture is just words out of their mouth in order to influence people.

    This is exactly the same as anything else coming out of their mouths. They don’t believe a word of it. They say it only because someone else believes it or can be prodded into action or inaction by it.

    Oddly enough, I’m not a believer, but I recognize good-faith efforts to preserve Western civilization, and underhanded attempts to destroy it.

    Likewise. If I thought it would do any good, I’d even attend a church which supported traditional American values, those which helped build strong individuals and a strong society. As it is, I’m pretty sure it’s too late for my efforts to accomplish anything. I’ve also heard many say that it’s very challenging to find a congregation and a pastor who don’t buy into the liberal/socialist/progressive/goddamncommie garbage which is destroying society, while not going all the way into nutjob territory.

    (As re being a believer, my usual statement is that I’m not quite an atheist because I believe in myself.  Why do I need a god other than myself? When I’m not feeling obnoxious, I’ll say something more like, Why do I need a god? I have myself.)

  55. Robert "Bob" Sprowl says:

    Got USB stick with ISO Windows 10 Pro ready to go.  

    But I cannot locate my Windows key.  Will the installation process recognize that I repairing my system and get my Key and use it during installation?  If not, what should I do?  I can get to a C: (actually a X:) prompt.

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  56. Lynn says:

    I’ve also heard many say that it’s very challenging to find a congregation and a pastor who don’t buy into the liberal/socialist/progressive/**********commie garbage which is destroying society, while not going all the way into nutjob territory.

    I have been Church of Christ all my life.  I have never seen a Church of Christ preacher that preaches the liberal garbage.  It just does not match with our church since we are Bible based.  My current preacher (33 years now) believes that he will be arrested someday for refusing to perform a gay wedding.  We do have homosexuals at our church but they are trying to go straight.  

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  57. Lynn says:

    But I cannot locate my Windows key.  Will the installation process recognize that I repairing my system and get my Key and use it during installation?  If not, what should I do?  I can get to a C: (actually a X:) prompt.

    Probably.  Maybe.  Depends how bad the repair is needed.  You may need to nuke from orbit (repartition and format) which will require the Windows key.

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  58. lpdbw says:

    Having stated baldly that I’m not a believer, I suppose I could clarify that a bit.

    I was raised to be loosely involved in a Protestant church – Presbyterian, if it matters.  We were more frequent than L&P  Christians (Lillies and Poinsettias), but not exactly frequent.  My parents were first-name basis with the pastor.  He was a good man.

    I was a bright child, and learned a lot of science/mechanics/engineering stuff appropriate for my age.  I had my doubts about a lot of mythical creatures such as bigfoot, Nessie, Unicorns and so forth, and managed to expand those doubts to other areas.  The pastor in question did a good job, actually, in explaining miracles in a way that seemed acceptable to me.  Less metaphysics, more psychology, in a good way.  I was particularly fond of his secular explanation of the loaves and fishes.  It was 100% explainable, and still a miracle, just of a different sort.

    Then my dad died when I was 14, obese, hormonal, and bullied.  I needed him in my life, and he left me.  I was probably angry with him, but I directed my anger at God, and destroyed Him in an intense burst of logic:  God was omnipotent, and compassionate.  God took away my father.  That’s not compassionate.  So God was a mathematical contradiction.  Poof, God disappeared. 

     Proof by contradiction.  God, as described, does not exist.

    Years later, I learned enough humility to realize that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have all the answers to all the questions.  Years after that, I needed help, bigtime, and I got it from Christians.  I also got counseling, and I shared this concern with my counselor:  “I feel like a leech, sucking strength from fellowship with these Christians.  They know how I feel, and they support me anyway, but I feel like I’m taking, taking, and not giving back.”

    Counselor explained:  As long as they know how you feel, they’re freely giving you what you need.  And you’re giving back to them, by ALLOWING them to care for you.  It allows them to practice their faith.

    I have discovered peace by knowing that there are things I can’t know.  People who claim to have all the answers don’t know, either.  

    So when people quote scripture to me, I just look at why.  Are they helping me?  Are they educating me?  Are they shaming me?  Are they playing some sort of Gotcha game, or oneupmanship?  

    That tells me everything I need to know about what kind of Christian they are  and what their motives are.

    In the meantime, an agnostic’s prayer: 

    God, if there is a God, take my soul, if I have a soul.

    Ernest Renan

    Zelazny has another, but it is too complicated.

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  59. Lynn says:

    So when people quote scripture to me, I just look at why.  Are they helping me?  Are they educating me?  Are they shaming me?  Are they playing some sort of Gotcha game, or oneupmanship?  

    That tells me everything I need to know about what kind of Christian they are  and what their motives are.

    Yup, I hate the Gotcha game.  I refuse to play.  

  60. Alan says:

    >> Plugs won’t pay a dime to stay in some Dumbocrats vacay McMansion. He’ll make the SS pay, though.

    Same as Trump did at Mar a Lago. Slimy politicians one and all.

  61. Alan says:

    >> Second, since SWA flys direct instead of the hub approach that all of the other airlines use, once they start having problems, they get into a cascade problem real quick.  And once a plane fails to show up because it was canceled, it ripples throughout the entire system.

    Insufficient business requirements, or if there, p!ss poor testing.

    >> They have effectively shut down the operations for the rest of year, running 1/3 of the flights so that they can let the computer find and locate the crews and aircraft.

    Sounds like insufficient stress testing. The CIO should be held accountable. Mayor Pete says there will be accountability, but no specifics…so maybe a serious tongue lashing…no, no, umm, a trip to the woodshed, no, ohh, this is not good…okay, three weeks without dessert!

    >> SWA is probably still running legacy COBOL-74, or F77 (yikes), on all their systems, VTAM, CICS and multiple other IBM abbreviations. Probably don’t have many people on staff that really understand the code as the oldsters have left rather than get the clot-shot.

    Wouldn’t be the only mission-critical system running on those technologies. IBM can easily scale hardware to match the peak capacity. And if their code is spaghetti then they haven’t been looking at their ‘technical debt.’

  62. Alan says:

    >> You know, it must have been a wild ride to have a $30+ billion piggy bank that nobody watched you on.

    The account holders want preference over the rest of the creditors in bankruptcy court.

    The lawyers will be the ones that come out on top.

  63. Lynn says:

    >> SWA is probably still running legacy COBOL-74, or F77 (yikes), on all their systems, VTAM, CICS and multiple other IBM abbreviations. Probably don’t have many people on staff that really understand the code as the oldsters have left rather than get the clot-shot.

    Wouldn’t be the only mission-critical system running on those technologies. IBM can easily scale hardware to match the peak capacity. And if their code is spaghetti then they haven’t been looking at their ‘technical debt.’

    I can almost guarantee that their code is spaghetti.  Hopefully F77at minimum.  Could be assembly language.

    I still don’t understand why they just won’t put planes in the sky.  Something must be horribly wrong.

  64. Alan says:

    >> I would not use an urgent care facility for such an event. Those events tend to get priority at an ER, especially if one arrives by EMS.

    Had to take the wife to the ER once with chest pains. Not the ‘usual’ heart attack symptoms (and folks should know the differences between men and women), so we didn’t call EMS (and I drove the literally 3 minutes to the ER in less time than we would have waited for the ambulance). The minute the triage person (probably a MA) heard “chest pains” she was whisked inside and examined. Luckily it was not heart-related but the doctor said it was worth it being checked given the possibility.

  65. Lynn says:

    >> You know, it must have been a wild ride to have a $30+ billion piggy bank that nobody watched you on.

    The account holders want preference over the rest of the creditors in bankruptcy court.

    The lawyers will be the ones that come out on top.

    Do you blame the account holders ?  FTX was apparently suppose to be crypto equivalent of Fidelity.

  66. Alan says:

    >>  Proof by contradiction.  God, as described, does not exist.

    As RBT used to say, I’ll believe when someone shows me incontrovertible scientific proof while I’m still alive.

    By now he probably knows one way or the other.

  67. Rolf Grunsky says:

    If pressed, I will identify as a “Secular Christian”. I could never quite grasp the concept of “original sin”.

  68. Alan says:

    >> Got USB stick with ISO Windows 10 Pro ready to go.  

    But I cannot locate my Windows key.  Will the installation process recognize that I repairing my system and get my Key and use it during installation?  If not, what should I do?  I can get to a C: (actually a X:) prompt.

    @Bob,  what version of Windows did this PC originally come with?

    If it came with Windows 7, or earlier, then there will be a key in the BIOS.

    If it came with Windows 8 or higher then there’s no key in the BIOS. Instead it will have a digital entitlement to use Windows which is connected to your Microsoft account. If you sign in with a Microsoft account you’ll be able to reinstall Windows without entering a key and the system should self-activate. This works either for a repair or full install.

    Also, if you’re using a USB drive, it should have a setup.exe file and associated installation folders and files and would be bootable. Normally an ISO file is used to create a bootable DVD.

    In either case, you need to know your PC’s keypress(es) to bring up the boot menu where you would make the USB drive or the DVD as the first boot drive. Don’t forget to change it back to your C: drive when you’re done.
     

  69. Alan says:

    >> Do you blame the account holders ?  FTX was apparently suppose to be crypto equivalent of Fidelity.

    Well, depends if they can explain, in plain English, in under two minutes, how a blockchain works.

    “…equivalent of Fidelity”? I’m sure Bernie told his account holders his accounts were ‘better than Fidelity, Vanguard and Schwab combined.’

  70. Lynn says:

    Stan Lee would have been 100 years old on Dec 28, 2022.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee

  71. Lynn says:

    >> Do you blame the account holders ?  FTX was apparently suppose to be crypto equivalent of Fidelity.

    Well, depends if they can explain, in plain English, in under two minutes, how a blockchain works.

    “…equivalent of Fidelity”? I’m sure Bernie told his account holders his accounts were ‘better than Fidelity, Vanguard and Schwab combined.’

    SBF hired the GOAT to tell people that his crypto fund was safe and cool.  I am sure that Tom Brady, who along with the former Mrs. Brady and Mr Wondeful, will be pursued by the account holders of FTX for the rest of their lives.

    I actually know someone who did radio commercials for a Ponzi scheme here in the Houston area.  He had no idea that it was a Ponzi scheme but he did remark on the radio during his afternoon radio show on AM 700 (after Rush) that the returns were to good to be true.  He was sued by some of the people who listened to his radio commercials who lost money in the Ponzi and settled out of court for $500,000.

  72. ayjblog says:

    reading here i learn, thanks Greg.

    one minor thing, if everything flying was controlled by  fsq7 until 80s, they are used to older things, and every board worlwide refuse to hear anything related with technical debt

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