That will almost certainly be cool and wet, although warm and wet could happen. That’s the joy of living near the Gulf… It was pretty chilly yesterday morning at the BOL, but it did warm up and it was a beautiful sunny day. Got chilly again when the sun went down though. National forecast has us in clear weather for a couple of days anyway.
I did get some smaller things done. Got two sets of shelves up in the garage, and some stuff moved to them. Took down a rickety old shelf ‘thing’ that was left behind for us. It worked for a while, but if not wedged into the corner and held in place by a metal cabinet, it wouldn’t have stood for 10 minutes.
Took a few minutes and broke some more concrete. I feel that in my arms today.
Took an hour and worked on my truck. On the way up I noticed that only a little bit of water was spraying out of the window washer. Topped up the tank, but it was mostly full. Since I had the compressor at the BOL, I thought I’d try blowing air back through the nozzles to clear out any blockage. Didn’t work, but did reveal the issue. There is some sort of check valve in the line, and it was broken. Cracked at first, then 40 psig air blew it apart. Had to take a couple of panels off to get to the part, and replaced it with a 1/4″ barb fitting from my drip irrigation parts box. How’s THAT for a prep! Well, a lucky improv anyway. Cheap brittle plastic part. (edit- it may have frozen, I haven’t driven the truck much.) I’ll look it up today and see if I can get a replacement. If not, I’ll just run with the barb.
This was the first time I’ve really towed anything with the new expy and it did fine. Better than I did after moving all that rock by hand.
Today will be moving stuff around, going through auction stuff, returning the trailer, and sorting some stuff out. If it’s dry, I’ll start taking down outside Christmas decorations. Maybe I’ll do some stretching exercises. I really need to get back in the habit.
And of course, I’ll be stacking things. Why don’t you join me?
nick
47F and saturated. No sun yet, so no idea if it’s clear or not… better cook some breakfast though, or someone will be grumpy.
n
Now that people are accustomed to “supply chain” issues, why carry any inventory on the lot?
Byron Donalds is in a pretty safe seat, but the Dems got such a beatdown in Florida in November that the media is going to put a spotlight on anyone with an (R) after their name heading into 2024.
Make the deals now.
The Fort Myers (Donalds district) paper is Gannett.
Donalds might be another Republican Congressman with ambitions to take the Governors Mansion now that DeSantis proved that a FL cabinet position isn’t the prerequisite it used to be for the job.
The Dems certainly aren’t putting up credible candidates for Governor.
Interestingly, that’s pretty standard here. Dealerships will have a couple of cars to show, but generally order in whatever the customer wants to buy. In the past (before the supply-chain problems) they ordered from a central warehouse in the country, so the wait was pretty short. Now, the wait can be up to a year (as we know too well).
Now that I’m used to this system, I marvel at the inventory that big US dealerships used to have. That is a lot of money sitting around, and presumably someone is paying interest on it. Also, it doesn’t do the cars any favors, sitting out for months in the sun and weather.
Dealer inventory on a lot in the US is mostly financed.
In the case of Ford, the finance company would be Ford Credit, and the dealers have been at odds with the manufacturer over the pricing of the EV F150 as of late among other issues straining the relationship so why put money in the parent company’s pockets?
LOL, Scientific American died in darkness a long time ago, but, still:
SciAm: Damar Hamlin’s injury was racist
The Nuts are running the institutions these days.
Lies of Omission
https://dilbert.com/strip/2023-01-09
>> There is some sort of check valve in the line, and it was broken.
What’s the need for a check valve in the windshield washer system?
The “punnishment” raise used to be 2% to avoid problems with age discrimination while still sending a message, but I don’t think even 4% would be seen as fair after the last two years.
What’s the need for a check valve in the windshield washer system?
—yeah that was my question too. It was an inline cylinder, with a spring inside, and what looked like a plunger, so check valve is my best guess. Seems to work fine with just a nipple to join the hoses.
n
My guess would be to prevent air being sucked back into the hose, which would cause a delay in fluid discharge on the next activation.
Ding Ding Ding!
One of those little refinements that increases complexity. Just like the Low Washer Fluid sensor and light. I have to disable those because I run with an empty washer fluid tank. I never use washers, and rarely use wipers. I also remove those silly rear wiper arms because I have never needed them. They just get in the way of dusting the car.
We repurposed the washer system to cool the front brakes on a race car project. A check valve provided just enough resistance to prevent siphoning because the discharge was lower than the tank. Pump motor was activated by the brake light switch, through a manual defeat switch. Redneck engineering before higher capacity brakes were affordable.
“Man who robbed taqueria was shot, killed by customer: Houston police”
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-police-taqueria-shooting-video-17699731.php
Don’t rob people in Houston. Or Texas.
“EPA And The Electricity Cost Crisis”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/08/epa-and-the-electricity-cost-crisis/
“Germany, deep into its Energiewende (energy transition) that began in 2010, leads the way. Almost all coal and nuclear power plants have been closed in favor of a massive building plan for wind and solar facilities. After a decade of that, for the past couple of years, Germans have suffered consumer retail electricity prices of over 30 euro cents per kWh — close to triple average U.S. consumer rates. On November 25, a German news source called The Local (behind pay wall) quoted an energy market expert named Mirko Scholssarczyk for the proposition that “40 cents per kilowatt-hour was likely to be the new normal in 2023 and 2024, and that prices could even rise to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour after that.” Meanwhile, my own post from December 24 cited data from a Belgian think tank called Brueghel showing that Germany was in the process of spending some 260 billion euros, around an astonishing 7% of GDP, to subsidize consumers to keep their electricity bills from going beyond even these ridiculously high levels.”
“Readers may be interested in some back and forth on this topic that has recently occurred in the briefing in the case of Concerned Household Electricity Consumers Council v. EPA, pending in the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. CHECC is demanding that EPA reconsider the so-called Endangerment Finding of 2009, which is the bureaucratic edict by which those geniuses claimed to determine that CO2 and certain other “greenhouse gases” constitute a “danger” to human health and safety. The Endangerment Finding is the regulatory linchpin that underlies all U.S. government efforts to suppress fossil fuel infrastructure, whether power plants, pipelines, drilling, or anything else. You may recall that I am one of the lawyers for CHECC in this matter.”
Hopefuly SCOTUS will tell the EPA to pound sand without a directive from Congress.
Lies of Omission
https://dilbert.com/strip/2023-01-09
What is a raise ?
Interestingly, that’s pretty standard here. Dealerships will have a couple of cars to show, but generally order in whatever the customer wants to buy. In the past (before the supply-chain problems) they ordered from a central warehouse in the country, so the wait was pretty short. Now, the wait can be up to a year (as we know too well).
Now that I’m used to this system, I marvel at the inventory that big US dealerships used to have. That is a lot of money sitting around, and presumably someone is paying interest on it. Also, it doesn’t do the cars any favors, sitting out for months in the sun and weather.
When I bought my 2019 F-150 on Oct 31, 2019, there must have been 300 trucks on the lot at Autonation Ford in Katy, Texas. I went by there a year or so ago, there was maybe 10 trucks on the lot. Probably not many more now.
“Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw apologizes for calling GOP colleagues ‘terrorists'”
https://www.chron.com/politics/article/dan-crenshaw-terrorists-17705134.php?IPID=Chron-HP-Latest-News
Dan, you are still a jerk.
“Safety agency considers ban on gas stoves amid health fears ”
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/01/09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears/
“Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of US homes, emit pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter.”
I sense an underlying motive here.
Hat tip to:
https://www.drudgereport.com/
Well, so does my ass. But no one is making any effort to shut it down.
And in other craziness:
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/massachusetts-ban-textiles-jeans-mattresses-socks-recycle/
Must recycle “textiles”.
“Software provider denied insurance payout after ransomware attack”
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2023/01/software-provider-denied-insurance-payout-after-ransomware-attack
“The Supreme Court of Ohio issued a ruling days before the New Year that a software and service provider shouldn’t be covered by insurance against a ransomware attack as it didn’t cause direct or physical harm to tangible components of software, as it doesn’t have any.”
Wow, so much for that expensive insurance coverage for damages.
“Chechen Commander Calls $3 Billion in US Military Aid “Money Laundering Scheme – No More than 15% Will Reach the Trenches””
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/01/chechen-commander-calls-3-billion-us-military-aid-money-laundering-scheme-no-15-will-reach-trenches/
“According to the Pentagon, the arms and materiel being sent to Ukraine include:
That is quite the laundry list.
Not yet.
Given the current state of affairs, “they” will probably come for veterans first. /sarc
Been nice knowing you. /truth
Preemptive strike against “them”, anyone? /just kidding 😉
We should just take this stuff from Bagram. Oh wait, it was likely dispersed in a week or less.
Can’t these XXXX XXX XXXXXX idiots do anything right? Some of our past presidents and military commanders are spinning in their graves.
We should just take this stuff from Bagram. Oh wait, it was likely dispersed in a week or less.
Can’t these XXXX XXX XXXXXX idiots do anything right? Some of our past presidents and military commanders are spinning in their graves.
This is just one of the costs of our Republic. Every four to eight years, we totally change the executive in charge and all of their minions out. The new executive has different priorities and typically abandons the previous executive’s priorities with no care for the sunk costs.
Our system of governance sucks. Still, it is the best on Earth.
From what the LSM reports, the problem with this one is the guy shooting him in the head after he was down. Then, leaving. Don’t know if that report is true, but that is going to be a problem.
No wonder Vlad is accusing the FUSA of war. We are funding Ukraine’s military. Something stinks about this one. And I’m not talking about plugs’ Depends or Mr. Ray’s fart gasses.
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/crypto-billionaires-subsequent-deaths-spark-wild-theories-among-community
– someone is cleaning house.
n
Gas is hard to cut off to individual addresses remotely like electricity is with smart meters. Our gas company doesn’t even roll the trucks to read the meters remotely from the curb more than once every three months.
Energy rationing is coming. Leander already got a taste of it during the February 2021 freeze, when Atmos had to cut off entire neighborhoods to squelch a couple of households’ weirdly high demand numbers once the rolling blackouts started. Given the demographics of Leander (lots of ex military and money) I’m guessing generators at work, but I’ve never seen any followup in the media around here.
You can watch the surveillance video from the taqueria shooting in a couple of places.
The comments are full of “why did he have to shoot that poor man” stupidity. Few understand the laws, and fewer understand Texas law.
He is gonna have to do some things, and say some things to avoid jail, in my opinion. Now, IANAL and this isn’t legal advice…
Why did he wait and shoot him in the back after he passed him?
why did he shoot him so many times?
why did he shoot him in the head/looks like an execution.
why did he leave?
More concerning is that he shot without regard for his backstop. There was another patron in the line of fire. Hard to miss at that distance though, so maybe that’s ok.
why didn’t anyone provide medical care for the poor man who was shot?
but it was a toy gun, there wasn’t a threat…
DRT. Dead right there.
Recidivism rate for DRT? 0%.
F#cks given for the armed robber? 0
n
Fits in nicely with the title of the days blog.
Seriously I do wonder how long before the government starts regulating animal emissions. Direct emissions which can be plentiful as I witnesses on my time on the ranch. Then there is the rotting pile of waste scraped from the barn. A six month pile 8 feet high and 12 feet across, a conical heap of festering crap, sawdust, hay, straw, urine and the occasional mouse. In the cold of winter the cloud rising from the pile would dance in the sunlight killing any small bird that crossed the path of pungent vapors.
Ours was a small operation compared to the massive, 2,000 animal dairy farms in Southern California. I could see several from the overlook at my grandparents place.
why did he shoot him in the head/looks like an execution.
The Harris County DA will never find 12 people to convict the shooter even if it was an execution. I would never convict and I suspect many people feel the same way I do. I don’t get this transfer from antagonist to victim when the antagonist just pointed a gun at me a moment ago. The antagonist could be playing possum, etc., just waiting to shoot me.
I watched the taqueria shooting videos. That wasn’t the robber’s first time.
War? What war?
Theres a “Special Military Operation”, but under UN rules that isn’t a war sez Mr. Putin himself.
Therefore buying/selling, and gifting of arms to one side or the other by third parties is fine, its just a very kinetic peacetime activity.
The overly cynical might be thinking WW3 may be coming and everyone wants to try out their new toys in
SpainUkraine.wrt the taco place shooting
And I’m gonna bet that some of the workers hoofed it too. DEFinitely illegal. South Gessner and Bellaire. or google 6800 block South Gessner and look at the streetview. Almost no businesses that aren’t in spanish or that don’t cater to the spanish speakers.
n
And I’m gonna bet that some of the workers hoofed it too. DEFinitely illegal. South Gessner and Bellaire. or google 6800 block South Gessner and look at the streetview. Almost no businesses that aren’t in spanish or that don’t cater to the spanish speakers.
n
There is some good food in that area. They killed off the Cuban places and the Korean BBQs though.
The overly cynical might be thinking WW3 may be coming and everyone wants to try out their new toys in
SpainUkraine.– and using up old ordinance and supplies so they can buy new for the coming sportiness.
Musk and starlink are certainly beta testing his “COTS leased internet in space, that uses optical links for mesh and backhaul” that the DoD asked for some time ago.
n
Elections have consequences.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/01/09/democratic-party-manny-diaz-resigns-losses/
For those of you unfamiliar with modern Florida history, Diaz is the lawyer who represented Elian Gonzalez’ father 30 years ago in the custody case which led to Janet Reno staging that late night raid on the uncle’s house in Little Havana *while Manny watched*.
And Florida Dems wonder why they keep losing.
Rules for thee, not for me…
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-center-classified-documents/
As usual!
Yo teacher lady, its nap time when I say it is…or else! Got it?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/01/09/us/newport-news-virginia-shooting-monday/index.html
The ISE 500 error really doesn’t seem to like certain topics. Haven’t had an issue until this week, and only on controversial topics.
This time it was me taking down the CNN school shooter article.
n
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/500-000-lose-power-in-california-next-atmospheric-river-may-be-worse/ar-AA166D2a
Hey Stu, are you doing ok ?
“Anyone worth shooting once is worth shooting twice.” I think that is a Lazarus Long quote, but I might be misremembering.
>> why did he leave?
So assuming he is legal and carrying legally and he didn’t leave, how likely would he have been treated to a free ride in the back seat of a shiny black and white car?
Without naming names, I know a guy who once upon a time shot and killed a robber/car thief in the act of trying to run him down. He was treated well by the police and DA, and nothing bad happened to him from .gov. He was, however, targeted for a while by the gang the dindu belonged to.
He now carries revolver most of the time. So he has the option of leaving the scene anonymously if he so chooses. Whether to avoid official attention, or friends of the perp, it doesn’t matter.
>> He now carries revolver most of the time. So he has the option of leaving the scene anonymously if he so chooses.
Sorry, what’s special about the revolver that I’m missing?
No brass left at the scene.
n
Left here to remind me to look into whatever this is referring to …
“Or look at
Google’s recent code red. It appears even a $1 trillion company that constitutes 90% of the earth’s searches is not safe, worried about being eclipsed by a $20 billion dollar AI business, ChatGPT.”n
I tired playing with ChatGPT. You have to create an account to use it. I quit at that point.
A random ChatGPT search test.
https://toolguyd.com/ai-chatgpt-cordless-drill-recommendation-2023/
Given that Google is also pouring $$$ into AI search, given the above results I’d guess the Google execs aren’t losing sleep yet.
>> No brass left at the scene
Ahh, thanks. CMIIW but I thought casings from a semi-auto needed to be micro-stamped to be traceable? Or is this like the “hidden” dots on color printers and we don’t know what some TLA .gov has already concocted?
I’ve played around a bit with ChatGPT. We are seeing the first generation of a game-changing technology. ChatGPT could pass the classic touring test with absolutely no problems. Its replies are better than you would get from probably 80% of the population. Of course, it has been carefully programmed to always identify itself as non-sentient. That’s good, because otherwise you would have no way to tell.
Does it get things wrong? Sure. Tell me that you don’t know anyone who believes incorrect stuff, or who will bullshit rather than admitting ignorance.
Consider what the introduction of the PC did to white collar office jobs. What were offices like in the 1970s? Compare that to the 1990s. The PC had huge impacts on the kinds of jobs, and on how those jobs were performed. Consider the job of an accountant, managing accounts on paper, and afterwards on a PC accounting program.
ChatGPT can generate better text, on almost any subject, than most office workers. It can generate that text in a fraction of the time required by even the best, most literate workers. A marketing blurb? Some articles to fill a magazine? A report for the boss? Feed in the right prompt, and get a result that – at most – will need some light editing.
Now imagine what the next generation of this technology will be able to do.