Cool and clear again, then warming to hot later. Nice in other words. And a nice change from this summer’s heat. Yesterday was nice too.
I didn’t get a ton of things done. I spent a lot of time storm watching, and dealing with the idea of going on vacation in a hurricane disaster zone. ‘Cuz someone is crazy like that. But that eventually sorted itself out. While I was waiting for cooler heads to prevail, I did my pickup and drop off. Nice 50 gallon tank, now sitting in my truck, waiting to be power washed and sterilized. It’ll go to the BOL and supplement the tanks that are already there. I kinda need to fill at least one…
Putting them somewhere is the issue. I haven’t got a good spot. Even a bad spot will do for a short while, but my short term solutions tend to last a long time… so better to get it right, and “start as I intend to proceed.”
Or I could just wing it like usual. Because anything is better than nothing and perfect is the enemy of good (enough.)
Today I’ll be working my list, and most of that will be around the house. I’ve got stuff to do. Lotsa stuff.
Some of it might even be good enough.
Stack. Re-stack. Get started.
nick
Had a beer yesterday evening with a couple of friends. One of them is very “alternative” and believes everything ever written about the climate crisis. Hurricanes in hurricane season in hurricane alley? Climate crisis. Every possible source of electricity is evil – electricity just magically comes out of the plug. I exaggerate, but seriously, some of stances are waaaay out there.
The other guy is a German. He has one important point about German politics: the AfD is winning bigly in lots of local elections. The old parties don’t want to share power, so they are talking about trying to ban the AfD. Yeah, that’s going to work well. In the national elections next year, I expect the AfD will win even more dramatically. FWIW, exactly the same thing is happening in Austria and France.
Those parties are in a state of panic about the AfD, and will certainly enact what bans they can. The first item on the 6am radio news this morning was plans by the federal government to “strengthen the supreme court against extremists”, in other words, to make it impossible for the AfD to appoint arch-conservative judges if and when they get into power.
I was shocked recently to hear a relative explain the middle-East situation to their child in terms taken straight from Hamas propaganda. I had to bite my tongue, but was saddened to need to. I am sure the stance regarding weather alarmism would be no more balanced.
Priceless! Thanks. I will have plenty of use for the “Belgium” (= 1.4693 Wales = 0.013 Democratic Republic of Congo) as a unit of area. Brilliant. I love the small print at the link, too.
Germans are starting to realize that their advanced industrial economy ended the moment the US blew up the gas pipeline from Russia.
And that maybe the untermench won’t stay unter?
n
Up and moving. Coffee is brewing. And I have no recollection of either of my alarms going off this morning, but every indication is that they did. If they didn’t, it’s the first time ever that my phone failed to wake me on time. Very strange.
n
Teams generates daily activity reports for management. I’m sure the AI will be proactive even if the management currently is not.
AI is all about firing people. You’re kidding yourself if you think it is about productivity.
The girl in the story will still have the advantage of being pretty and from a wealthy family. For now, she will also have the protection of youth.
And why is it always “Hecho en China” candles? I saw that last night on some commercial for Rocket Mortgage HELOCs, where the five figure loan financed a “dream”.
Honestly, no. Now they import LNG (from the US, so maybe it was a trade win).
The problems with the German economy are complex, but mostly have to do with stupid political decisions. Like shutting down the nuclear reactors.
Terrifying moment Anderson Cooper gets hit by flying debris during Hurricane Milton
–huh, they misspelled “Gratifying” as “terrifying”…
n
The correct way to write it is Rick Scott RINO-FL.
Scott has always run close in elections. He doesn’t play as well in the I4 corridor as DeSantis or Little Marco.
Still, his opponent is a failed Congresswoman from a wealthy background. The Dems are over in Florida on a statewide basis for at least another decade.
64F and clear this morning. Chilly waiting for the bus.
Coffee is still good though, and I might be ready to face the day soon… ish.
———-
Just a few miles made all the difference in the world to Tampa last night.
Of course, since the dead aren’t lying in piles, and the storm surge wasn’t 15 ft, now it’s “OH NOES!!! watch out for the tide!”
They are not doing themselves or us any favors with the hyperbole.
————
My mom and sibling are fine, as is the house. No definite word on mom’s condo, but early reports are that they lost a few carport roofs but the buildings are ok. Power is on at sib’s house.
n
Are there really any other types of political decision?
If Scott‘s reelection effort was in trouble, he would agree to a debate.
Yes! But really, every time a storm hits some idiot feels a need to go stand outside in the middle of it. Please let one be seriously maimed so they just might learn.
Also why the fools waving their arms around and making gruesome faces on every news conference. Isn’t CC enough on tv coverage that they don’t need an insert for the deaf. MORE coffee needed. Maybe my mood will change,,
October is the month that daylight dies.
We moved ours to November, but point taken. Gets dark too early now, without a time change.
DST end moved to November – For the Kids.
We had the remnants of Helene pass through here yesterday. Wind speeds gusting up to 60km/h (so not quite 40mph). That was impressive enough, sometimes a gust made it hard to walk.
Why would you stand out in a storm with winds 4-5 times that strong? In search of fame, fortune and a Darwin award?
Mobil homes …err manufactured along the coast. Brilliant!
Florida. Affordable retirement living for the WWII generation 40 years ago.
Pinellas County used to have a lot more.
I grew up in the Palm Harbor as in Palm Harbor homes. At some point in the late 80s, the land under the factory became too valuable so the company moved out.
Well, a hurricane is a bit extreme, but outside of that there is something exhilarating about standing in a storm and immersing yourself in the raw power of nature. Now, if you get struck by lightening or hit with blown debris, then that’s on you (sort of like skydivers whose ‘chutes don’t open).
Joke of the Day:
Two clueless schmucks walk into a coffee shop…
https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/10/10/watch-tim-walz-and-doug-emhoff-royally-screw-up-photo-op-steal-coffee-from-a-local-cafe-n2180380
The hot wash:
Dougie Dukem: “So, Double-T, I thought that went well!”
Tampon Tim: “Hit it right out of the park, Dougie, even if I didn’t get my latte!”
If the campaign finance filings are to be believed, Walz is broke. The Second Gentleman on the other hand has the wherewithal to slap a hundred down on the counter in that kind of situation.
@nick
My mom and sibling are fine
That’s welcome news. Thank you for updating us.
Snow and rain today. I haven’t completed my winter prep chore list but I may be done. Yesterday I took a load of junk to the dump in my Mini Countryman, including a small chest freezer. It’s pretty entertaining watching folks with my peripheral vision as I play clown car and start unloading an unbelievable amount of stuff from my little sissy car.
Vision therapy – I think I mentioned I’d seen a neuro-ophthalmologist earlier this year and have been in vision tgerapy for deficits post 2014 concussions. Had an evaluation appointment this morning to see how it’s going. Great is the answer. A lot of articulable measurable improvements. Reading is much easier for a more practical measure. More weekly vision therapy to continue improving deficits however really happy with the progress.
An interesting note – ADHD / ADD can mask vision processing and other correctable problems that a neuro-ophthalmologist can detect and measure that a pediatrician / ADD doc / ophthalmologist cannot.
Not that I believe the filings for a second. IIRC, certain types of retirement funds are exempt from reporting requirements, and Walz has pensions.
New hybrid-only Toyota minivans seem to have sacrificed cargo capacity for the battery. I was surprised by the inability of a Colonist couple to get their purchases into their van at Ikea last weekend.
I didnt stick around to see them play clown car.
Kharma catches up with The Times in St. Petersburg.
https://nypost.com/2024/10/10/us-news/crane-collapses-into-tampa-bay-times-building-during-hurricane-miltons-florida-havoc/
“Our Out-of-Control Federal Law Enforcement Agencies” by Ryan Cleckner
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/our-out-of-control-federal-law-enforcement-agencies/
“In March of this year, Bryan Malinowski, the executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, was killed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) during a pre-dawn raid of his home. It was an unwarranted and indefensible killing of a kind that should never, ever happen in a free country like the United States. Because we have a media that no longer serves in its traditional role as a government watchdog, this incident was not widely reported. Because too many members of Congress no longer take seriously their responsibility to protect the rights of those who elect them, the ATF has suffered no repercussions.”
“How and why did this killing take place?”
“Bryan Malinowski grew up as an avid collector of coins and, more recently, firearms. He took to displaying his coin and firearm collections at gun shows, where he would occasionally purchase and sell firearms.”
This is horrible ! Hopefully Trump, if elected, will just get rid of the ATF and the other agencies running out of control.
“A bidding war is brewing for Alex Jones’ media empire”
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/09/g-s1-27222/alex-jones-infowars-sandy-hook-bankruptcy-auction-free-speech-systems
“Both fans and foes are getting in on the bidding war for Alex Jones’ media company — or at least trying to.”
“Some harbor hopes of continuing Jones’ brand of conservative rants and conspiracy mongering, while others dream of burying it for good. Ultimately, the winner may take all, including even Jones himself, since the company running the auction says there would be nothing stopping a new owner from rehiring “key employees and talent.””
“Jones’ Infowars show and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, are being liquidated through a federal bankruptcy court to pay Sandy Hook families who sued Jones for defamation after he spread lies that they were just actors and their children were not really killed in the 2012 school shooting. Jones owes the families some $1.5 billion in damages for the pain and suffering they endured after some of his followers harassed and threatened them for years. At best, the families expect to collect just a small fraction of what they’re owed.”
This is also a travesty. And I don’t see Alex Jones working for anyone else.
“The Bureaucratic Machine Has Grown so Big That the Number of Government Employees Now Exceeds the Population of All but Two States”
https://thelibertydaily.com/bureaucratic-machine-has-grown-so-big-that-number/
“(DCNF)—The state of Florida had a population of 22,610,726 as of July 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That ranked third among all states — exceeded only by Texas, which had a population of 30,503,301; and California, which had a population of 38,965,193.”
“As of this September, federal, state and local governments in this country employed a record total of 23,421,000 individuals, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
“In other words, government payrolls were populated by more people than lived in the state of Florida or in any of 47 other states. Only California and Texas had populations that exceeded the number of people who work for government in this country.”
We are in trouble.
“Internet Archive Remains Offline to Focus On Data Security After Breach”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/internet-archive-remains-offline-to-focus-on-data-security-after-breach
“Successive DDoS attacks and a data breach force the Internet Archive offline. Meanwhile, users on social media are blasting the hacker who has claimed responsibility.”
Wow ! I go there often to look at things in the past.
“Detailed after-action report from North Carolina”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/10/detailed-after-action-report-from-north.html
“Regular readers will have seen mention of Killer Bees Honey in these pages on several occasions. They produce what I believe may be the finest honey in North America. The “beekeeper”, Sean, is an online friend of many years’ standing.”
“The apiary is in the the Pisgah National Forest area of North Carolina, and took a pounding from Hurricane Helene last week. Here’s Sean’s after action report to his friends, shared on this blog with his permission.”
“Like all good horror stories involving a demonic woman, it began in the darkness of night. I awoke Friday at 0230 and watched as the metal patio furniture, sans cushions traveled S/B past the bedroom windows. My drowsy WTF reaction was mirrored by the cats WTF stare. The whole house generator had already kicked on. Ten minutes later and with a head lamp piercing the driving rain, I was in the lower bee yard placing heavier rocks on the hives. When I was done, Helene’s 55 knot gusts were pushing the hives off their foundation. Luckily, each hive had around 65 pounds of stored winter honey. I’m sure that’s what kept them from being blown over. I could not say the same for me as I had to get on my hands and knees with each blast of wind. Retreating back to the safety of the house, I could hear trees falling, some snapping in half deep in the forest around me. No bueno. All I could now do is start the coffee maker and wait for dawn. First light came with continued howling winds and rain. A sourwood tree narrowly missed the house and was laying across the pad in front of the kitchen window. Its leaf laden boughs frantically waving to me in distress with each shock of wind.Too dangerous to step outside, I went downstairs to the mechanical room to begin the quick process of charging up the battery bank.”
“Since then it’s been a total s*** show in WNC. I celebrated my 69th birthday chainsawing my way down our mile long driveway. Two days, several naps and six bar chains later, the driveway was passable. This can’t be said for adjacent mountain roads. The 26” of rain washed out or made local roads and bridges impassable. I jumped into the Polaris Ranger once I cleared the driveway and drove the four miles to the main road. What I saw can only be described as post apocalyptic. Neighbors working chainsaws clearing roads and driveways. Head on collisions of trees into houses. Many homes were uninhabitable. Peaceful creeks and flowing water rock falls turned into churning rivers and torrential waterfalls. Bridges and damns were breached. Duke power was releasing water from lakes causing more destruction, but they had no choice; a damn failure would have been more disastrous.”
Who keeps six chainsaw chains on hand ???
“VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Take note of the “cash only” nature of business after the storm. This happens very often when power and/or communications are knocked out. If you haven’t got an emergency cash reserve at home, this can leave you stranded, particularly if banks aren’t open for any reason.”
Yes, civil trials need tort reform. To start with, “loser pays. ” In all cases. Get rid of arbitration, too. A ridiculous amount of money was awarded. tRump suffered the same fate. All you need is a PLT judge, and you, too, can be a millionaire.
You can be “swatted” by the Dept. of Education. Another agency that needs to be cashiered.
The Internet Archive has lots of material of significance to an audience outside the US.
I needed an old Intel driver CD last year, and I found an ISO out there.
”The Abominal Dr. Phibes“ and other old movies with unclear copyright holders also get stored in the Archive.
That is a very cool flick with some historical significance In the casting. The DVD went out of print.
Cash, not gold or silver.
I watched Goodfellows again last night. I first saw the movie a month or so ago, it was in one of the ten movies sets. I think it was Pan and Scan full screen.
Last night’s version was on the top of the stack. Still in the cellophane. No price tag. Odd. It was Widescreen. Letterbox. It seemed like a different movie. Neither disc says “director’s cut”.
The weird part is last night’s version is the ONLY DVD I’ve had to turn over like a LaserDisc.
Who keeps six chainsaw chains on hand ???
I’ve probably got more than that on hand at the BOL. I pick them up whenever I see them for a couple of bucks. The chinese ones don’t last very long.
I’ve got a spare bar or two too. And a spare chainsaw, because two is one and one is none.
One in electric, so I can run off solar when the fossil fuel era ends…
n
Uh, I have 10 or 12. It’s because when you take one to be sharpened it takes a couple of days. So buy another so you can keep clearing cedar.
Three pound metal coffee cans are useful.
Early DVD players didn’t handle dual layer discs well. Push beyond ~ two hours with the MPEG2 encode on 4.7 GB single layer capacity, and the quality suffers.
My copy of “Blade Runner” is two sided, anamorphic wide screen on one side with pan-and-scan on the other.
Along the I-4 corridor, Tampa International Airport reopens in the morning along with Orlando-Sanford, but still no word on Orlando International (MCO).
https://abcnews.go.com/US/airports-milton-reopen-tampa-orlando-sarasota-florida/story?id=114689427
The Windows 10 update last night snuck Microsoft Copilot onto my ThinkPad.
That came right off when I caught the addition this afternoon.
The Windows 10 update last night snuck Microsoft Copilot onto my ThinkPad.
That came right off when I caught the addition this afternoon.
Now we know how the laptops will become Terminators.
we sold our points for this trip yesterday so even if we could get a flight, we’re not going.
n
Taylor Swift donates $5M to relief efforts and she gets slammed on social media. “It’s like 5c to her since she’s worth over a Billion.. it’s like nothing.” “why doesn’t she give more??”
Wanna bet the ones trying to give her money away haven’t given a dime of their own money?
——–
WDW charges $10 for PB&J “kits” and gets slammed because “they are a corporation” and can therefore afford to give guest free food. The “kits” were a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, and a loaf of bread. Others pointed out that @ $10 it’s less than the retail cost of the items, and in some on property restaurants they charge $18 for a single sandwich. MORE people trying to give away someone else’s money. I’m getting pretty tired of it. Social media is poison and the soft socialists have taken over everything.
n
Damage assessment starts in St. Petersburg at the stadium.
The wire reports of Tropicana Field being used as a staging area despite the risk when the storm hit were false.
https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2024/10/10/rays-start-assessing-damage-viability-tropicana-field/
That laptop becomes a full time Linux machine when Windows 10 sunsets.
I’m installing the latest Ubuntu upgrade on that machine now.
Meanwhile, if you are a Fort Wilderness Cabins guest evacuated out to the a** end of All Star Sports, while you’re hunkering down with your PBJ – if you even got offered a chance to buy a kit – and waiting out the storm, the maintenance staff will help themselves to your steaks in the name of “disposing of perishables”.
Funny how nothing else in the refrigerator gets touched, including the package of chicken drumsticks you bought for the kids.
I speak from experience. Ribeyes from Publix.
My friend near Orlando just updated that he’s ok with no major damage and only a short power outage.
Which is not the same thing as “no damage”, but we’re both ok with that.
Cell service is spotty but we got to exchange a few texts.
“One in electric, so I can run off solar when the fossil fuel era ends…”
Reminds me of a classic Pollack joke.
I have a few two sided DVDs with wide screen on one side of the disc and pan and scan on the other side.
I’ve just never have had a DVD made me flip the disc over like a Laser Disc.
I’ve had to change discs. Ben Hur is on two DVDs, and I’m pretty sure Schindler’s List is too, at least on the Criterion release.
n
Do you get a choice of jam? Like strawberry or peach? And not a jar of grape jelly? Just curious.
I did not get my wISP radio replaced today. He thought they had two in stock but they can’t find them. He had ordered a five pack but they were out of stock and didn’t ship anything or bother to let him know.
So he’s ordered a radio from another source and FOR SURE next week.
I’m cool. I’m not in a hurry, what I have works fine.
Meanwhile, dat po ol’ widow woman is happy happy with her Internet connection and that her wi-fi finally works for all of her stuff.
You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.
And, smarta**, while you’re waiting out the storm, don’t forget to buy the $150 in Lightning Lane passes per family member you will need in the morning if you want your kids to see more than a couple of rides.
@paul, I think you just got strawberry. They put the stuff in a bag so it was a “kit”, which I thought was kinda clever.
n
“Goodfellas” was a little less than two and a half hours but older MPEG2 encoding wasn’t very efficient.
Scorsese was a holdout against digital for a long time. He didn’t shoot a film that way until “The Wolf of Wall Street”.
A modern dual layer DVD offers up to 9.4 GB of video space, but the only disc I’ve seen push that limit was “Mulholland Drive”.
IIRC, David Lynch was obsessed with making the perfect DVD encode. I don’t think he even included a trailer extra on that disc.
Newly Released data Showing Record Numbers of Dead Cetaceans in UK Waters
https://hotair.com/headlines/2024/10/10/newly-released-data-showing-record-numbers-of-dead-cetaceans-in-uk-waters-n3795632
Nice 7/5/6 around the corner from my house for sale:
https://www.har.com/homedetail/7219-rustling-oaks-dr-richmond-tx-77469/2404408?lid=9185003
Just $1,099,000.
BTW, 7/5/5 means 7 bedrooms / 5 bathrooms / 6 car garage.
That is a mosquito net structure around the pool.
Cheap!
Monthly payment: $5453 + 1454 + insurance.
Who doesn’t have $30,000 monthly take home to qualify for that rate?
Tony is about to have the robots walk around and mingle with the crowd on the Warner lot.
Its Judgement Day.
The church looks like the one in the “Westworld” reboot.
“They put the stuff in a bag so it was a “kit”, which I thought was kinda clever.”
If they don’t have the peanut warning on the bag, sue them.
Peanuts. That’s so 2010s. Now it is sesame seed contamination.
I am not kidding.
Thanks for the Wikipedia rabbit hole run. I couldn’t sleep, so that was welcome, and I learned something new. I also learned something about a place I will be driving near today. Wikipedia: crack cocaine for your brain!
>> Up and moving. Coffee is brewing. And I have no recollection of either of my alarms going off this morning, but every indication is that they did. If they didn’t, it’s the first time ever that my phone failed to wake me on time. Very strange.
Two is one…ahh, you know the rest…
Nipping at the Dr Pepper last night? 😉
>> Yes! But really, every time a storm hits some idiot feels a need to go stand outside in the middle of it. Please let one be seriously maimed so they just might learn.
Well, see Twister and Twisters. Storm chasers, who occasionally get paid to do it for the Weather Channel… see Jim Cantore.
Or compensating for small d****.
Re Anderson, not quite sure something he would “volunteer” for…but then too, he gets copies of the nightly ratings…echo…
Cheap!
Monthly payment: $5453 + 1454 + insurance.
Who doesn’t have $30,000 monthly take home to qualify for that rate?
The scary thing is that it will probably be sold in less than a week.
>> The Windows 10 update last night snuck Microsoft Copilot onto my ThinkPad.
That came right off when I caught the addition this afternoon.
What, you know better than BillG?
@alan, funny you should say that… I was just putting on my pjs and found my reading glasses when they fell out of my shirt. It wasn’t just the alarms I missed, I threw my glasses in the laundry hamper when I got dressed.
Yeah, something wasn’t right.
I’m sleeping in tomorrow. Then I get to go see why the garbage disposal stopped working at my rent house. Could just be that it’s 10 years old.
n
>> “One in electric, so I can run off solar when the fossil fuel era ends…”
Reminds me of a classic Pollack joke.
Do share, haven’t heard a good fish joke in a while. ;o
>> Could just be that it’s 10 years old.
Or a misplaced chicken bone. Too much stuff the manufacturers “recommend” not go into the disposer.
>> Peanuts. That’s so 2010s. Now it is sesame seed contamination.
Don’t leave out gluten, celiac disease isn’t fun (W2 knows from experience).
Hmm, actually ‘leave out the gluten.’