Mon. Dec. 5, 2026 – school starting soon, but not today

By on January 5th, 2026 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

Cooler, damper, winter? Maybe. Still supposed to be clear though, so if it’s a bit cold, then warmer, like yesterday, that will be fine.

I did a bunch of little stuff yesterday, and I’m starting to build a bit of momentum. Of course something will derail that but I’ll deal with it when it comes. Until then, slow but steady, chipping away at low priority but necessary stuff I’ve put off too long.

I am clearing piles of stuff in my office. One of the piles included receipts going back to 2018… so I did find a few things to keep. Some purchases should really be documented, since they come with other paperwork anyway. And sometimes it’s good to be reminded how much you paid for something- either as a ‘score’ or as an object lesson in what not to do.

I also got some piles of stuff sorted. At the moment I’ve got a bin of “parts or craft”, “fix this stuff”, and “working small electronics or gadgets.” Found a bunch of stuff I’d forgotten or misplaced. Nice watch. Handy talkie. Repair parts I’d ordered. I’m vacuuming as I clear parts of the floor. There is a shocking amount of hair that isn’t mine, and little bits of debris everywhere.

I like to be surrounded by ‘stuff’ but it’s getting out of hand. So I’m poking at it. We’ll see how much progress I make before getting pulled off to something else.

Today though, D2 has her school activity ‘work day’ followed by a party. W has a doctor appointment in the morning, and I have one in the afternoon. It’ll almost be like a regular school day, and I won’t have had enough sleep.

What doesn’t kill us leaves marks…

Stack something!

nick

58 Comments and discussion on "Mon. Dec. 5, 2026 – school starting soon, but not today"

  1. brad says:

    Mixed feelings about Venezuela. Yes, the dictator had mucked up his country. On the other hand, is this really different from WMD in Iraq, capturing Gaddafi in Libya, military actions in Afghanistan, Somalia and a zillion other countries?

    Or to current events: Putin had (from a Russian POV) perfectly good reasons to attack Ukraine. The US had (from a US POV) perfectly good reasons to attack Venezuela. China has (from a Chinese POV) perfectly good reasons to attack Taiwan.

    Maybe it would be better to…stop attacking other countries?

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  2. dkreck says:

    School restarts, people back to work, first real day of the year.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Or to current events: Putin had (from a Russian POV) perfectly good reasons to attack Ukraine. The US had (from a US POV) perfectly good reasons to attack Venezuela. China has (from a Chinese POV) perfectly good reasons to attack Taiwan.

    Taiwan may have nukes. No one outside of the Taiwanese government really knows.

    Taiwan had an active program until Poppy Bush made the island certain security guarantees in return for freezing the weapons development.

    Until Loral taught the Mainland how to make ICBMs, the agreement worked.

    No one is going to trust the US post-Gaddaffi. He had an agreement with Shrub.

  4. Nick Flandrey says:

    51F.   Sunny and clear, with dew on everything.

    ——–

    Coffee is delicious.

    ——–

    Can’t trust anyone, certainly not the US.  Our system of government guarantees that someone will come along and be the opposite of the previous guy, and change things.   They change laws, policies, spending.  It’s the opposite of personal honor.

    ——–

    W and D2 are off to their respective things.   D1 is still in bed.   Quiet in the house.

    n

  5. drwilliams says:

    “No one is going to trust the US post-Gaddaffi. He had an agreement with Shrub.”

    And Ukraine gave up nukes by agreement with Slick Willy.

    And who violated those agreements?

    Maybe the same political party that violated the trust of the Afghan people by leaving a sucking power vacuum in Afghanistan and incidentally provided the Taliban with $10 billion or so in military equipment?

    Maybe the same political party that violated the trust of the American people by opening the borders to alien invaders and illegal drugs?

    If there’s a lesson here it is that Democrats cannot be trusted and any deals with Trump need to be locked down tight because the Dems might succeed in stealing the next election.

  6. drwilliams says:

    Two hours fifteen minutes until Tampon Timmie obeys his U.S. PLT masters and scuttles away from the current MN governor race. From the best Democrat choice for VP to disgrace in less than a year, and hopefully soon to be indicted.

    Political genius Amy “Comb My Salad” Klobuchar delivered the orders last night. 

    Get out the popcorn to seen what pitiful replacement they come up with.

  7. EdH says:

    What doesn’t kill us leaves marks…
     

    “Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever.”

  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    Anyone else notice a trend with small electronics that they no longer include a power supply?   They just include a short USB cable and leave it up to you to supply the 5vdc.

    On one hand, it does lower the price, and almost everyone has extra wall warts laying around, but it’s not immediately usable if you don’t have one handy, and at some point, since a wall wart no longer comes with every gadget, people won’t have extras.

    One more aspect of the enshittification of everything.

    n

  9. Ray Thompson says:

    Anyone else notice a trend with small electronics that they no longer include a power supply?   They just include a short USB cable and leave it up to you to supply the 5vdc.

    I have no issues with that. I have a box with half a dozen cast off Apple power supplies and a couple of Anker branded power supplies. I also wish they would eliminate the cables. I have 20 cables in a box, USB-A and USB-C with four or five of those going to Lightning. Unless a special connection is required. Nothing should require a special connection and just be USB-C. My watch and phone do not even use a cable. The watch has no provision for a physical cable to plug in.

    I have 110V in my truck, front and back seats, and have chargers that can support 4 devices at a time.

  10. Nick Flandrey says:

    chicks dig scars  

    – I heal really well.  I don’t develop heavy keloid, and I’ve had mostly competent people putting in the stitches.     I lost track, but I have about 100 or more stitches in my face, some put in by plastic surgeons, but most of the repairs were put in by someone in the ER or during an office visit.  It makes a HUGE difference in end result.   The 70-80 the plastic guy put in are mostly invisible.   The rest are flat, but white and irregular, and pretty visible.   The chin beard hides the one that’s most noticeable.  

    The cheek full of road rash healed smoothly, and some of it even grows hair, but most doesn’t.   The nose that was burned by fire looks ok,  if the pores are  a little large…

    The plastic guy did an awesome job so my eyelid matches the other, and functions normally.

    Other than the big scar on my chin, most people don’t notice or don’t mention anything about the other stuff.

    Of course, the rest of me is pretty beat up too, not like SteveF or Ray, but normal for an active and somewhat unlucky guy of my age and upbringing.  The most surprising thing is that I got thru childhood without ever breaking a bone.  I did catch a couple of TBIs in high school, and one after.

    ——-

    I look at my kids, and D2 did fall off a playground thing and break her forearm, but neither has any stitches at all.    I had dozens by high school.  I’d also fallen out of a tree, wiped out on my bike more than once, and been burned several times.

    By the end of high school, my knees were shot, my right shoulder was torn up, and my hands had started to hurt.  A couple years later I had facial scars and a nice limp.   I can’t remember how many car accidents I was in.  Lots.

    But now I’m old.   Which means I lived.   Not everyone did.

    n

  11. Ray Thompson says:

    Of course, the rest of me is pretty beat up too, not like SteveF or Ray

    The last time I counted I have had about 150 stitches. Working on a farm is dangerous and severe cuts are not uncommon. Most of the cuts were six stitches or less but add up over time. My hands have multiple scars as does my right arm pit, head (auto accident) and arms. The biggest scar is from knee replacement, is about 8” long, and was 35 staples. Most of the stitches I removed myself, but not the staples as those require a unique tool.

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    I bought the staple tool.

    n

  13. drwilliams says:

    “On one hand, it does lower the price, and almost everyone has extra wall warts laying around, but it’s not immediately usable if you don’t have one handy, and at some point, since a wall wart no longer comes with every gadget, people won’t have extras.”

    Project Farm did a review last week,

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jAeEPHvDyA&t=8s

     and there’s a highly-rated pair of Anker chargers that are inexpensive at $16 for two:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8HJCQTL?th=1&linkCode=sl1&linkId=11132bad66674a90f4e4cb80d18c8d45&language=en_US&tag=ttgnet-20

    One of the testing protocols was temperature measurement at high charging load. There is simply no way I would consider having a charger that gets too hot to handle. LED light bulbs are pretty efficient but one that consumes an actual 20W is too hot to handle, so why would you push 65-100W through a charge block? If they made one that doubled as a coffee mug warmer it would boil the coffee.

  14. drwilliams says:

    Tampon Timmie accepts no blame at all. He may not be running but he’s the face of The Party until November, and his sour, turd-sucking countenance is going to be easy to find in photos with every potential replacement the Dems consider.

  15. MrAtoz says:

    Ah the warmth

    She put a bullseye on her and Mamfukstiki‘s back. How soon will it be “open season” on commies in NYFC?

    ”You will own nothing and like it…”

  16. Nick Flandrey says:

    Some people yearn for the collar, and some yearn to hold the whip.   NYFC will continue on its path with the support of the people just like London did.

    n

  17. Greg Norton says:

    Tampon Timmie accepts no blame at all. He may not be running but he’s the face of The Party until November, and his sour, turd-sucking countenance is going to be easy to find in photos with every potential replacement the Dems consider.
     

    Maybe Al Franken is available.

  18. drwilliams says:

    Hilton Hotels’ Hampton Inn Refusing to Accept Homeland Security Reservations

    local franchisee, EverPeak Hospitality [Minneapolis]

    Generally speaking, pissing off the federal government, and ICE in particular, when you run a business that likely employs a lot of workers with sketchy immigration histories, would not seem to be a good move.

    If it turns out that EverPeak made the decisions and that Hilton only had its name attached, would it be fair to punish them for this?

    https://hotair.com/david-strom/2026/01/05/hilton-hotels-hampton-inn-refusing-to-accept-homeland-security-reservations-n3810501

    If it’s been more than 60 minutes, yes.

    Pick a couple locations. Pull payroll records. Check SSN’s. Wadya think?

    Roll some unmarked vans to the rear exits, then a marked vehicle in the front drop-off with six guys in “ICE Enforcement” jackets popping out and walking through the front door.  One agent fluent in Spanish goes directly to housekeeping to find a radio and monitor it. Assemble manager, assistant manager, head of housekeeping , head of maintenance, and security. Ask polite questions. Have housekeeping and maintenance call everyone in. Detain everyone running out the back. Do not check ID’s at this time.

    Local ICE couresty calls management company. “We are currently visiting location X, and have Y more on the list for sometime this week. Heard you are having problems with reservations system. Is it fixed yet?”

    Talk to detainees. “Our priorities are criminals, but if you know anyone who is here illegally, here is information on the $3,000 self-deportation program. You are released. Have a nice day.”

  19. drwilliams says:

    How Snatching Maduro Screws Up Everyone Else’s Plans – Lemme Count the Ways

    https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/01/05/how-snatching-maduro-screws-up-everyone-elses-plans-lemme-count-the-ways-n3810496

    A good but not comprehensive list.

    Having the Democrats show the hypocrisy card yet again, for example.  

  20. Ray Thompson says:

    Replaced the motion activated security light above my garage with an Eufy camera and security lights. It ties in with my existing Eufy security camera system quite nicely. Local storage, no monthly fees. With Arlo six cameras would $36.00 a month. I had a couple of Arlo cameras, bought two more and discovered the newer devices would only take pictures, no video, unless the fee was being paid. Images were stored on the cameras.

    So FU Arlo. I threw them all away. Including their stupid chargers that were USB-C but would only work with Arlo cables. I also did not like having to climb the ladder every two months to get the batteries and recharge them. No thank you.

    With Eufy the cameras are solar recharged batteries, they have a local controller and storage, no monthly fee. The lights and camera over the garage are hardwired for power, the interior camera is plugged into an outlet. The four exterior cameras are all solar powered.

    Rick recommended Wyze but I could never get them to work properly. I was probably setting something incorrectly. Either the camera was always on, or was off and would not detect motion. The same problem with needed to take the camera down and recharge the batteries.

    Eufy solves all those problems. The system is only activated from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM. It just works.

  21. lpdbw says:

    After consulting here, I also bought Eufy.  I got a 4 camera plus homebase unit for about $230, which was more than I wanted to spend.  But it had local storage, no cloud stuff, and batteries that charge via USB-C.

    I’m happy.

    And yes, I’m not using it for security. I use it to watch semi-feral cats and possums, and one racoon I’d like to get rid of.

  22. Lynn says:

    Ah the warmth

    https://althouse.blogspot.com/2026/01/i-think-reality-is-that-for-centuries.html

    Seizure of rent properties will get the FBI in NYFC to arrest Mamdani.  I can just about guarantee Trump will do this.

    You mess with the bull, you will get the horns.  Mamdani appears to be fairly smart, I doubt that he is stupid enough to mess with Trump.

  23. Lynn says:

    “Wegovy daily pill now available: How to get it, how much it costs”

        https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/wegovy-daily-pill-now-costs/story?id=128898797

    “The Wegovy pill is the first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults.”

    I am tempted, very tempted.  One of my cousins lost 50+ lbs on Wegovy in 2025.  She is 5’11” and now weighs about 140 lbs. She took it under doctor’s orders to get the stress off her heart as she was born without a heart to lungs artery and has a twice rebuilt patch.

  24. Lynn says:

    “More than 75% of US adults may meet criteria for obesity under new definition: Study”

       https://abcnews.go.com/Health/75-us-adults-meet-criteria-obesity-new-definition/story?id=128747616

    “Only 40% of adults meet criteria for obesity when BMI alone is used.”

    “Using a new definition that includes waist-based measurements, the team found that more than 75% of adults may meet criteria for obesity compared to 40% when using BMI alone.”

    Most of the adults that I know are overweight.

    I would like to get back into my 36-34 Levis that I wore when I weighed 205 lbs at age 20.  That was 50 lbs ago.

  25. Lynn says:

    Ah the warmth

    https://althouse.blogspot.com/2026/01/i-think-reality-is-that-for-centuries.html

    I like this comment:

    “Gretas sister by another mother”
    “Bitch, bitch, bitch.”

  26. Lynn says:

    “Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline….”

    “[T]he Department of War… has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.””

       https://althouse.blogspot.com/2026/01/six-weeks-ago-senator-mark-kelly-and.html

    So Senator Mark Kelly will no longer be a Navy Captain, retired.  I think that Ensign, retired would be a good message to the military.

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  27. Lynn says:

    Pearls Before Swine:  AI Videos

       https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2026/01/04

    Yup, I am having a problem believing any video that I see now.

  28. MrAtoz says:

    After consulting here, I also bought Eufy.  I got a 4 camera plus homebase unit for about $230, which was more than I wanted to spend.  But it had local storage, no cloud stuff, and batteries that charge via USB-C.

    I was just checking my Eufy’s at the SA home. All are solar except for the doorbell cam. D3 recharges that every month or so for me. They’ll all move to Vegas after the SA house is sold. I have the Eufy PTZ mounted on the corner of the garage. It is the model with the remote solar panel. I have the panel higher up on the garage, but the big oak tree means it usually has to be recharged a couple times a year. 

  29. Lynn says:

    “That’s Why”

        https://areaocho.com/thats-why/

    “Remember a month ago, when Trump issued a pardon for the President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted on federal drug trafficking charges, despite the case being built over a decade-long investigation by U.S. officials? Trump caught a lot of flak for that one.”

    “Now we know who the source of information on Maduro was.”

    So this is the exception to the case that snitches get stitches.

    And Cuba is next.

  30. MrAtoz says:

    So Senator Mark Kelly will no longer be a Navy Captain, retired.  I think that Ensign, retired would be a good message to the military.

    Ha, ha. Downvoted by the troll.

    As I follow this story, I think less than a percent of the commenters have any idea what military retirement means: you can be recalled at the “pleasure of the President” until you are dead. That is the contract you sign and the oath you swear. Kelly committed sedition IMHO and should be court martialed by a jury of his military peers. The Dumbocrats keep calling him a “hero”. I’m sure their mantra will be “no POTUS has ever done this. He can’t do this.” FAFO. Entirely legal. There is no doubt about that.

  31. MrAtoz says:

    And Cuba is next.

    Cuba could have remained a tropical paradise except for Castro.

  32. Lynn says:

    Of course, the rest of me is pretty beat up too, not like SteveF or Ray, but normal for an active and somewhat unlucky guy of my age and upbringing.  The most surprising thing is that I got thru childhood without ever breaking a bone.  I did catch a couple of TBIs in high school, and one after.

    1. broke the right humerus at age 5, ½ inch above elbow, six weeks in traction due to growth plate involvement
    2. broke both right leg lower bones at age 11, one inch above right ankle, note: it is really hard to keep from screaming while crawling out of wrecked station wagon while your leg bones keep on separating from each other while your father is yelling that the car is catching on fire
    3. broke right pinky finger cleaning out kitchen sink outside drain at age 22
    4. broke left index finger reinstalling kitchen sink at age 42
    5. broke two far right foot toes while running through kitchen not wearing shoes on kitchen island base at age 48

    I am really slowing down.  I haven’t broken a finger joint in over a year, I’ve broken six finger joints so far doing stupid things that I do not remember.

  33. Denis says:

    Ouch! I suggest Lynn stay out of the kitchen, lest we have to start calling him “Knuckles”

    I’m not big on scars, but I do have one beauty on my wrist from skiing that made me give up wearing a wristwatch. When the ER doctor saw the injury, he thought I had attempted suicide. I gave up skiing after I became on first-name terms with the ER surgeon…

    Monday bedtime. Back from the Alps and home at the BOL. I had to shovel about a foot of global warmening to get from the street to the garage door, then clear a spot in which to park and unload the car. Temperatures of -11C / 12F are expected overnight, so I also had to get the perishables and bottled goods indoors.

    Sleeping in my own bed again. Hurray!

    Goodnight.

  34. Greg Norton says:

    Cuba could have remained a tropical paradise except for Castro.

    Cuba under Batista had many problems, including an inbred elite ruling class and heavy mob influence in the corrupt government.

    If it hadn’t been Castro, it would have been someone else.

  35. Greg Norton says:

    “Remember a month ago, when Trump issued a pardon for the President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted on federal drug trafficking charges, despite the case being built over a decade-long investigation by U.S. officials? Trump caught a lot of flak for that one.”

    Honduras was an early Obama fiasco, and the US media provided cover for The Chosen One in an attempt to give him an early foreign policy victory.

  36. Greg Norton says:

    And Cuba is next.

    I’ve predicted here multiple times that Trump would lift the embargo before his second term was out.

    The Castros are gone. Declare victory and move on.

  37. MrAtoz says:

    Cuba under Batista had many problems, including an inbred elite ruling class and heavy mob influence in the corrupt government.

    The “old” mob did things with class. They could have made Cuba “Vegas South”. Who cares if some unknowns get whacked when the buffet is $6.99 all-you-can-eat seafood.

  38. nick flandrey says:

    I doubt that he is stupid enough to mess with Trump.  

    – oh, I’m sure he is.  He’s  on the side of the angels after all, and Trump is a mean poopyhead.

    n

  39. lpdbw says:

    The “old” mob did things with class. 

    cf. East St. Louis.

    Random crime is bad for business, so the Mafia made sure none of the crime was random.  They owned the county government and the sheriff for 3 generations.  

    When the Mafia  pulled out and the black gangs took over, is when even the Blues musicians couldn’t stay any longer.

    The office of Sheriff of St. Clair Country was hereditary during the mob years.  When they pulled out, little Jerry Costello had to find another grift, so he ran for Congress.  He didn’t run for sheriff like his dad and grandpa.

    I had a distant cousin stabbed to death in an ESL house of ill repute.   Even the mafia can’t stop every bad thing.

  40. drwilliams says:

    “So Senator Mark Kelly will no longer be a Navy Captain, retired.  I think that Ensign, retired would be a good message to the military.”

    Depth Charge, Expended. would be better.

  41. drwilliams says:

    Hilton Hotel Chain Finally Responds to PR Disaster Involving ICE Agent Reservations

    BREAKING: This particular hotel, the Hampton Inn Lakeville outside Minneapolis was bought for $15 million last summer, according to news reports. The LLC that was used to purchase the hotel is owned by four Indian partners—Parmjit Singh, Amanpreet Hundal, Karandeep Nagra, and Mohinderjeet Kaur—according to public records filed last June with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/01/05/hilton-hotel-racing-to-do-damage-control-over-flap-with-ice-agent-reservations-n2668930

    Betcha dollar that the Hilton sign comes down tomorrow.

    Betcha another dollar that the current owners will try to exit with a sham sale to another group of SC’s.

    If they have any family in the U.S. illegally they’d best be taking the $3k immediately.

  42. Greg Norton says:

    So Senator Mark Kelly will no longer be a Navy Captain, retired.  I think that Ensign, retired would be a good message to the military.”

    Depth Charge, Expended. would be better.

    He should live a long, healthy life in shame.

    Kelly serves at the pleasure of the Chair of Hensley Beverage. Once he’s outlived his usefulness, he will be booted from that seat.

  43. Ken Mitchell says:

    GLP-1 drugs; my wife went on Mounjaro for her diabetes about a year ago. She has lost 90 pounds and, with an A1C of 5.7, is no longer diabetic. She had been fairly heavy; now she looks delightful (but I had always thought that!)

    I’ve lost 60 pounds myself, just with a moderately low-carb diet. So GLP-1 drugs aren’t required for weight loss; it just takes time, and some healthier food choices.  

    Sen. Kelly; I’d be happier with a court martial rather than an administrative punishment. Administrative punishment can, I believe, only demote him one rank, while a GCM could knock him down to E1, or “Seaman Recruit”, and impose prison time. I’m sure we’ll all hear LOTS more about it as time goes on. 

  44. drwilliams says:

    Craigslist ad crops up in Minnesota recruiting child actors for daycare centers for when state comes in to ‘observe’ operations

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/craigslist_ad_crops_up_in_minnesota_recruiting_child_actors_for_daycare_centers_for_when_state_comes_in_to_observe_operations.html

    No words.

  45. Lynn says:

    “Let’s do the Venezuela polka!”

       https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2026/01/lets-do-venezuela-polka.html

    “I’m thoroughly enjoying the left-wing/progressive meltdown over President Trump’s attack on Venezuela and arrest of that country’s (illegitimate) President and his wife.  By the time you read these words, they may be facing their first court hearing in New York City.”

    Did we take Venezuela down just to prove to West Taiwan that we could do it ?

  46. Bob Sprowl says:

    Eufy site has the 4 camera system for as $712 dollars.  I need at least 6 cameras (one for each commonly used exterior door); 8 cameras to cover all doors, 10 to cover every place the UPS, UPPS and Fedex delivery peole place packages.  This seems pricy to me.  

    Several of my doors are under a porch and there is no where to  place solar panel where the it gets the sun at least four hours a day unlesss it is 30 feet from the door and/or faces the intruders back.

    Comments welcomed

  47. Lynn says:

    BTW, I am really enjoying the new Donroe Doctrine.

  48. Lynn says:

    Eufy site has the 4 camera system for as $712 dollars.  I need at least 6 cameras (one for each commonly used exterior door); 8 cameras to cover all doors, 10 to cover every place the UPS, UPPS and Fedex delivery peole place packages.  This seems pricy to me.

    “eufy Security SoloCam E30, 4-Cam Pack Kit, Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor, Solar Camera Outdoor Wireless, 360° Pan, AI Tracking, 2K Clarity, No Monthly Fee” – $299.99

        https://www.amazon.com/eufy-Security-SoloCam-Wireless-Tracking/dp/B0DT43P9D5?tag=ttgnet-20

    “No Monthly Fee: Keep your footage private with a microSD card up to 128 GB (microSD card not included), with no subscription fees.”

  49. MrAtoz says:

    BTW, I am really enjoying the new Donroe Doctrine.

    I can’t wait for tRump to announce “The Donald J. Trump Memorial” on the National Mall. All privately funded (I’d donate to watch PLT heads explode). A large gold-plated statue of tRump with an eagle on his shoulder. Maybe a giant plinth so he stands higher than any monument except the Washington Monument.

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  50. Lynn says:

    “Dephy’s $4,500 Robotic Exoskeleton Gave Me Superhuman Walking Powers”

        https://www.pcmag.com/news/ces-2026-dephys-robotic-exoskeleton-gave-me-superhuman-walking-powers

    “The Sidekick robotic mobility assistant is sort of like an e-bike, but for walking, lifting your heels with every step and acting like an extra calf muscle. I was the first journalist to try it at CES.”

    “Created by Dephy (pronounced “defy”), the Sidekick lifts your heels with every step, making it easier to walk. I’m the first journalist at CES 2026 to demo the device, which just went on sale for $4,500 and is expected to start shipping on Jan. 25.”

  51. MrAtoz says:

    Several of my doors are under a porch and there is no where to  place solar panel where the it gets the sun at least four hours a day unlesss it is 30 feet from the door and/or faces the intruders back.

    Comments welcomed

    Damn, son, that is a lot of cameras. I know Eufy’s take power from USB C, so a wart can power them. That many cameras would make me want a wired standalone system. 

    The Eufy PTZ camera I use on the garage has the separate solar panel with a 10′ cable.

  52. MrAtoz says:

    Comments welcomed

    Also, could you mount a camera away from the house to cover multiple doors/locations? My backyard camera is mounted on a fence and covers ¾ of the back. A second camera on the opposite fence covers the rest and looks right at the A/C unit.

  53. Ray Thompson says:

    I know Eufy’s take power from USB C

    Eufy also sells cameras that are solar powered. No need for a power supply. The cameras do need to be able to access the WiFi. My storage is local on the base station rather than on the cameras. That saves having to have multiple SD cards.

    “eufy Security SoloCam E30, 4-Cam Pack Kit, Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor, Solar Camera Outdoor Wireless, 360° Pan, AI Tracking, 2K Clarity, No Monthly Fee” – $299.99

    That is a really good price and includes the base station. They are 2K cameras.

    Eufy site has the 4 camera system for as $712 dollars.  I need at least 6 cameras (one for each commonly used exterior door); 8 cameras to cover all doors, 10 to cover every place the UPS, UPPS and Fedex delivery peole place packages.  This seems pricy to me

    Extra cameras are $150. Solar powered.

    The difference in prices is due to the 4K on the more expensive cameras, and 2K on the cheaper cameras. 2K should be good enough. I have one and the quality of the images is really good.

    Not having a monthly fee, local storage, good night vision, motion tracking, makes the entire camera system quite nice. The app is easy to add additional devices and can be done on Android, iPhone and iPad.

  54. Bob Sprowl says:

    The house has three doors; one which we seldom open.  Two are under long porches and a solar panel cable would have to be at 6′ and 11′ long to get any sun.   There is an attached storage room with its own door needing a 11′ cable for the solar panel.  

    The shop  has three doors.  The front door would work with a standard camera and panel.  The rear door does not get much sun and will need a long cord betwen the panel and the camera.  The carport door is 20 feet from the front of the building and will need a 25 foot cable to the solar panel.

    Delivery people randomly drop packages at every door and both ends of the front porch (45′ long) and both ends of the back stairs.  Sometimes they put them on the street at the mail box or on the utility trailer parked out back.  

    I don’t use any voice controlled devices as I often can’t hear them talk to me. 

    I do have a WiFi network the covers both the houase and shop.  It is protected by APC UPS boxes at almost every device.  I also have a Kohler Generator that comes on when the power fails and the APC UPSes carry everything until the Kohler is running.  

    Looking over the recommended systems I think an E30 and an E42 would do what I want.  Can I put these two both on my WiFi network at the same time? I sure would be nice to see a package being delivered at the house when I’m in the shop.

  55. Denis says:

    Tuesday. The Feast of the Epiphany. Today is Christmas for some Orthodox Christians, and a big day in the Spanish tradition. Watch out for wise men bearing gifts.

    And camels. Always watch out for camels…

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