Mon. Feb. 23, 2026 – still working

By on February 23rd, 2026 in culture, decline and fall, lakehouse, linux

Cold and clear. It was 39F when I went to bed and supposed to be colder today. It was clear and cool all day yesterday, so clear and cold with a front moving through makes sense.

I did get some stuff done yesterday. Still have lots to do though, so I’m staying up here to get at least a couple of things finished. I got the electrical in the master bath mostly done. I got a bunch of things sorted and put in different spots. I didn’t get the truck unloaded though.

That means, keep plugging away at it. Use the momentum that I have, as little as it is, to push forward.

Or crawl forward as the case may be. I spent enough time in the attic on my knees to know today will be a killer.

But, gotta do it.

Stack. Work. Prep.

nick

73 Comments and discussion on "Mon. Feb. 23, 2026 – still working"

  1. Denis says:

    Monday. Also still working. Good morning!

    Or crawl forward as the case may be. I spent enough time in the attic on my knees to know today will be a killer.

    Good luck with that, Nick. Remember to hydrate!

    I am not a fan of working in attics. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, neither of my residences has an attic. Well, the BOL does, but we converted it to living/working space, which was a major improvement.

  2. SteveF says:

    Trump should fire NASA management and sell it to Musk for a dollar

    As phrased, it is unclear whether NASA or the management is being sold for a dollar.

    I’ll remind you that the 13th Amendment prohibits slavery except as punishment for a crime. I’m sure that NASA managers as a whole can be convicted of something. Conspiracy, most likely. Concealment of facts from an investigation. Lying to Congress.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    I’m selective when buying Girl Scout cookies. I passed the group that set up inside a nice cozy grocery store, and bought from the group that was outside the local Goodwill. They also mentioned that they will be there next weekend, so my repeat business will go there, too. 

    The individual Girl Scouts do not choose their selling locations. The group set up in front of Goodwill one weekend could be at the grocery store the next.

    The Goodwill could actually be the best place to sell where you live. It varies in different markets.

  4. brad says:

    Now I am down to 99+ items on my task list to get done.

    Back in my more mathematical days, we had an adaptation of the song “99 bottles of beer”. It was “aleph null bottles of beer” – take one away, and it’s still infinity.

    Not all “vitamin c” is the same and the same goes for almost every so-called vitamin and supplement.

    This is a serious issue, but we – as consumers – are poorly placed to evaluate the supplements. And any place that does so, is generally just trying to sell there particular brand.

    Shields Up says I’m totally Stealth.

    That does a decent job of port checking.

    Unfortunately, I have the impression he hasn’t updated his tools (or his thinking) for a couple of decades now. The fact that he markets SpinRite as being a suitable tool for SSDs pretty much says it all…

    What particularly got their goat was Hegseth bench-pressing. What really got them was his pressing 315 pounds.

    Good stuff. I’m in decent shape for my age, and I might manage half of that…

  5. Greg Norton says:

    DJUNGELSKOG Soft toy, orangutan

    $19.99

    CURRENTLY SOLD OUT

    https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/djungelskog-soft-toy-orangutan-10402841/

    eBay has spiked in the last couple of days:

    You ain’t got no ice cream.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Learn TypeScript Now Or Lose Your Job!

    https://github.blog/news-insights/octoverse/typescript-python-and-the-ai-feedback-loop-changing-software-development/

    Human developers haven’t trusted Bash/shell for anything but quick one-offs for more than a decade, but I guess a lot of quick one-offs are out there to train the AI.

  7. drwilliams says:

    @SteveF

    As phrased, it is unclear whether NASA or the management is being sold for a dollar.”

    Unclear only according to your belief in the size of the market willing to pay a dollar for NASA management. 

    But upon reflection Stellantis might find it a bargain. 

  8. drwilliams says:

    “The Goodwill could actually be the best place to sell where you live. It varies in different markets.”

    I’d bet on the location with many more cars in the parking lot and a higher average sale. 

  9. Greg Norton says:

    NASA says it needs to haul the Artemis II rocket back to the hangar for repairs

    As Dr. Pournelle often pointed out, NASA’s real mission is full employment for space geeks.

    Building the SLS and the infrastructure was an entire career for a lot of people working at NASA. Removing the tooling from the three high bays in the VAB dedicated to the Artemis program will be an entire career for newbies just joining the agency.

  10. Greg Norton says:

    “The Goodwill could actually be the best place to sell where you live. It varies in different markets.”

    I’d bet on the location with many more cars in the parking lot and a higher average sale.

    The local Goodwill sits in front of the entrance to a neighborhood full of 5000+ sq ft houses where I suspect Robert Rodriguez lives.

    Griddy customers … or whatever took its place after Paxton ordered the payola checks.

  11. MrAtoz says:

    LOL

    Elon Musk’s Jesus comment sparks theories that ‘something really bad is coming’

    The next “Jesus Truck” might be coming. Maybe Moon Base Elon?

  12. MrAtoz says:

    The next “Jesus Truck” might be coming. Maybe Moon Base Elon?

    This could be Musk’s next taxpayer grift.

  13. Ray Thompson says:

    The fact that he markets SpinRite as being a suitable tool for SSDs pretty much says it all…

    I did get my free upgrade to version 6.1 a couple of years ago. I had purchased some version way back in the early ‘90’s when the primary drives were MFM and RLL with IDE just starting to appear. Spinrite did a good job on the drives and made a couple of drives at work usable again. Drives were expensive as I remember paying $400 for a 200 MB drive. The technology was different and aligning the data tracks with the servo track improved performance.

    I see zero use to use such a program on an SSD. In fact, it may do more harm than good. Steve did some remarkable programming on Spinrite and some of his other projects. As you stated, I don’t think he has done much in the last couple of decades.

  14. Greg Norton says:

    This could be Musk’s next taxpayer grift.
     

    No. The currency debasement needed to build the infrastructure to support the AI behind the sex robots.

    That may be the final grift, however.

  15. dkreck says:

    Well I was on my knees and screwing all weekend and boy am I tired.

    Well Nick at least I was on the living room carpet and not in the attic. 

    Wife ordered three flat packs of cabinet shelf units. Did one each day Fri-Sun. Not Ikea, Vietnam made from Amazon delivered in one day instead of one week as stated. That established my weekend plans.

    https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2026/02/22

  16. MrAtoz says:

    Well I was on my knees and screwing all weekend and boy am I tired.

    Doggy style? You are hilarious, sir.

  17. Alan says:

    Pretty tight lid holding so far it seems… 

    As of late January 2026, the Crew-11 mission returned to Earth early following a “serious medical condition” involving one crew member, marking the first medical evacuation in the International Space Station’s 25-year history. The astronaut is stable, and for privacy, NASA has not released the specific nature of the condition. 

    • Medical Situation: Despite the “serious” nature described by officials, the crew is in good spirits and in good shape after the return.
    • Next Steps: Crew-11 completed over 850 hours of research before their early departure. The crew indicated that a portable ultrasound was crucial for the medical management.
    • Impact: The incident has prompted discussions on how to better manage medical emergencies for future, longer missions beyond low-Earth orbit. 

    The crew is currently undergoing post-mission recovery, with no specific details on the individual’s condition released to the public

    Jan 21, 2026 — Regarding medical equipment aboard the ISS, Fincke said a portable ultrasound machine “came in super handy.” “Now, of course, we didn’t have other machine.” 

  18. Nick Flandrey says:

    Drilling for oil isn’t safe.  Logging isn’t safe.  Pipelining isn’t safe.   Diving isn’t safe.  Sailing isn’t safe.  Why would anyone think spaceflight should be safe?   

    ——

    50F, bright sunny blue sky.    Had some muscle cramping so there’s that.   Coffee has started burbling and spitting so should be ready soon.   Breakfast is about half eaten.  

    Perhaps I should get my butt moving.   Pretty stiff and some real twinges…

    Getting old is teh sux but it’s better than not getting old.

    n

  19. Greg Norton says:

    Drilling for oil isn’t safe.  Logging isn’t safe.  Pipelining isn’t safe.   Diving isn’t safe.  Sailing isn’t safe.  Why would anyone think spaceflight should be safe? 

    Teacher in space.

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    So much entitlement, so many hidden hypocrisies, so much psychobabble…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-15571289/workplace-design-gender-bias-women.html 

    They used to have furniture in offices specifically designed for women, but they got rid of it in favor of ‘equity’ and in the name of anti-sexism.   

    Men don’t have adjustable desks, nor can they choose the temperature of the A/C.   And ergonomics for workstations has been a thing for almost 50 years… 

    Women need to ‘put on a performance’ because in too many cases they aren’t actually doing any work. 

    ‘Women often adjust their outfits to appear more “serious” or authoritative in order to gain equal respect,’ she says. ‘Clothing becomes a tool women use to navigate environments that weren’t originally designed with them in mind.’

    and what does this charlatan think MEN do with their office wear? Has she never heard of dressing for success or the ‘power tie’?

    Poor fragile wominzz, they need so much coddling to be able to work.  

    The whole article and premise are a slap in the face to all the women who are out there doing the work and succeeding.   And all the men.

    n

  21. SteveF says:

    Women need to ‘put on a performance’ because in too many cases they aren’t actually doing any work. 

    ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

  22. drwilliams says:

    @Nick

    “GS cookies need to be frozen to last the year.    Some of them do better than others, but most are not tasty if more than one year old.”

    All of our cookies have:
    NO High-Fructose Corn Syrup
    NO Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs)
    Zero Grams Trans Fat per Serving
    RSPO Certified (Mass Balance) Palm Oil

    https://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/index.php/products/exploremores

    Because partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are cheaper than animal fats, are available in a wide range of consistencies, and have other desirable characteristics such as increased oxidative stability and longer shelf life, they are the predominant fats used as shortening  in most commercial baked goods.

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

    Palm oil is highly saturated and serves as a substitute for PHO’s.

    Any unsaturated fats in the recipe are less stable than saturated fat and will oxidize and change taste unless refrigerated.

    Today’s chemistry lesson.

  23. Greg Norton says:

    All of our cookies have:
    NO High-Fructose Corn Syrup
    NO Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs)
    Zero Grams Trans Fat per Serving
    RSPO Certified (Mass Balance) Palm Oil

    https://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/index.php/products/exploremores
     

    Little Brownie is not the only baker.

    The vile Lemon Ups originate from ABC, the other baker used by the Girl Scouts.

    If you see Lemon Ades in your area, Little Brownie supplies the troops.

  24. Nick Flandrey says:

    Yeah, they’re basically west of the Mississippi and east of the Mississippi.

    Still plugging away.   It’s nice and sunny but still chilly in the shade.

    n

  25. Denis says:

    Monday bedtime. 

    The big project I was working on has hit a wall for reasons not in my sphere, so I seized the opportunity to insist that someone else pick up the relay.

    If all goes well, I will have a couple of weeks off work now. Not enough to make up for the well over hundred overtime hours over the past 18 days, but at least some time to decompress.

    Now what to do with the unplanned time off? The best way to regenerate after stress is a combination of rest, achievement and pleasure.

    Achievement? That might be knocking a few items off the honey-do and I-want-to-do lists. A bit of gardening, maybe.

    Pleasure? Attend a concert, maybe watch a movie. Turn some money into noise. Scare a few clay pigeons. Visit friends. No hunting at the moment, unfortunately. Have a succulent Chinese meal.

    Rest? I’ll start by sleeping in for a couple of mornings, if I can overcome the early-riser work habits. Maybe SteveF and the chickens can have first post.

    Goodnight!

  26. Nick Flandrey says:

    hmm, Since stuff sits longer here, I just opened last year’s Lemonades, expired 9-1-2025, made by ABC bakers with palm oil.   They are pretty good.   Maybe not as intense as fresh?  or maybe they are just milder than I remember.  Lemon is not one of my general favorite flavors.  Still edible.   The expired Club crackers are not really good, but I’m eating them anyway.

    n

  27. Lynn says:

    Well, who had civil war in Mexico on their dance card for this week ?  “Senator warns Mexican narco-terrorists are ‘hunting down Americans’ in war zone Puerto Vallarta as thousands try to escape on flights: Live updates”

       https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15583095/puerto-vallarta-mexico-chao-american-tourists-chaos-cartel-leader-killed.html

    “The gunfire between narco gangs and officials began after the Mexican Army went into the rustic town of Tapalpa, which is about 170 miles southeast of Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco on Sunday, where they killed Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, according to high-ranking officials who spoke with local publications.”

    “El Mencho was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels that plays a key role in trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl to the US.”

    And the airlines are cutting flights to Mexico: “American, Southwest airlines cancel flights amid violence in Mexico”

        https://www.chron.com/culture/article/mexico-flights-canceled-21871796.php

  28. Lynn says:

    “Team USA women’s hockey stars turn down White House invite amid controversy over Trump’s call with the men”

       https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/winterolympics/article-15585945/team-usa-women-hockey-white-house-trump.html

    “The USA women’s hockey team have turned down President Trump’s offer to join their male counterparts at the State of the Union on Tuesday night.”

    “Both gold medal-winning teams have been invited to the event by the President after their stunning triumphs at the Winter Olympics but it now appears that only the men will be there.”

    Young women not only hate young men in the USA, they hate white men in the Whitehouse too.  Not good for the future of the USA.

    10
    1
  29. Lynn says:

    “Millionaires in America: How common is it to have a 7-figure net worth?”

       https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/banking/article/how-many-millionaires-in-america-205846046.html

    “More than 1,000 people become millionaires in the U.S. each day.”

    “According to Swiss bank USB’s 2025 Global Wealth Report, there were 23,831,000 millionaires in the United States in 2024. Compared to other countries, this is by far the largest number of millionaires, comprising nearly 40% of millionaires worldwide.”

    That is a lot of millionaires.  Especially compared to when I was a young man.

  30. Ray Thompson says:

    Young women not only hate young men in the USA

    Most of the women’s hockey team are probably lesbo’s which is why they hate men.

    6
    2
  31. Lynn says:

    “Robert Kiyosaki warns biggest stock market plunge still coming and ‘now imminent.’ How to shatterproof your nest-egg now”

        https://finance.yahoo.com/news/robert-kiyosaki-warns-biggest-stock-222100947.html

    “Kiyosaki has long been a vocal advocate for precious metals. His reasoning is straightforward: “I’m not buying gold because I like gold, I’m buying gold because I don’t trust the Fed,” he said in an interview back in 2021 (3).”

    “Perhaps that’s why Kiyosaki once disclosed he owns 1,500 rental properties (4).”

    I don’t trust Kiyosaki or the Fed.

    And what will happen to those income producing properties when the tenants cannot pay the rent?

  32. Greg Norton says:

    Young women not only hate young men in the USA, they hate white men in the Whitehouse too.  Not good for the future of the USA.

    They hate the Bad Daddy currently occupying the White House.

    I saw another Talarico bumper sticker on a Corolla driven by a 20-something female driving home from work today.

    If Talarico wins the Dem nomination on Tuesday, the shadow Senate office will open in Round Rock on Wednesday morning, and the talk will begin about the candidate’s White House ambitions.

  33. paul says:

    Just a bit of poking around today on Mint.  I installed FileZilla.  Uh, where is my website, the copy on my PC? Found it.  Copied it to the Win11 desktop with a few other “forgotten things”  for now.

    I found Mint has a trash folder.  Like a recycle bin.  I also found that you can select a file and press the delete keys and it goes to the trash.  Right click and delete?  Gone,

    I looked more at the program Pix.  Seems like it’s about all I need.  Crop and resize.  Rotate.  I might need Gimp someday but not yet.

    I seem to be using 259 GB of a 1 TB drive.  But I have Windows stuff to delete from Documents.  Quick look says about 20 GB.

    Is the Temp folder cleared automatically?   There’s a lot of stuff in Downloads too. Lots of StarTrek names ending with .part.  Safe to delete?

    I don’t want to screw this up and have to start over.

  34. Greg Norton says:

    I looked more at the program Pix.  Seems like it’s about all I need.  Crop and resize.  Rotate.  I might need Gimp someday but not yet.

    If you want to manage photographs, try digikam.

    apt-get install digikam

    Yeah, it installs a lot of packages.

  35. paul says:

    I just turned on the pellet stove.  Yeah, I know what the thermostats say the inside and outside temps are.  Says 60f outside.  It’s a cold 60.

    Anyway, the stove is full of pellets and I threw the bag away.  I could be wrong but I think it’s better to leave it empty during the eight month off season.  So I have a hopper full of pellets to use. 

    No supper tonight.  I ate later than usual yesternight and ya know? I ‘m really not a fan of burping acid a couple of hours after going to bed.  My throat is sore. 

    Sure was a good batch of spaghetti sauce.  I nailed it.  I have three cups of it vac sealed and in the freezer. 

  36. paul says:

    I’ll look at digikam tomorrow.  Thanks! 

  37. paul says:

    While typing my last post, the temp dropped from 60 to 54.  

    Twenty minutes.

  38. MrAtoz says:

    I don’t trust Kiyosaki or the Fed.

    I think Kiyosaki is like Meyer Lansky. Lansky never failed to make money for the mob. Kiyosake never fails to make money for himself. He should be giving away his books. How much money is enough (Obola)?

  39. Greg Norton says:

    Is the Temp folder cleared automatically?   There’s a lot of stuff in Downloads too. Lots of StarTrek names ending with .part.  Safe to delete?

    In the Downloads subdirectory of your /home/[username] folder?

    The *.part extension usually indicates an uncompleted Firefox download. 

    The /tmp directory should get cleared out on reboot, but if you don’t reboot very often, files may accumulate in there.

    This line will clean out everything in /tmp more than 30 days old, but proceed at your own risk.

    find /tmp -ctime +30 -exec rm -rf {} +

  40. MrAtoz says:

    I was going to continue my Linux for Beginners book today, but for some reason, Arch Linux kept popping up in my YT feed. So, after some Googling, I found out you can install the ARM version in a VM under Parallels on M-Series Macs.

    I found a tutorial and got it set up. I installed the Qt6 package thingy which gave a warning in the desktop GUI to uninstall, use Discover, and install only with pacman to avoid errors. I’ll try the uninstall tomorrow and try to get back to learning Linux. There were so many packages and terminal lingo I have no idea what was going on, but I just wanted to see if it would work. I couldn’t give my user su credentials to install stuff, so I did something wrong after adding a user. I can su to root and install that way. I installed Firefox as a test and that worked.

  41. lpdbw says:

    That is a lot of millionaires.  Especially compared to when I was a young man.

    But today’s million is not the same million as when you were young.

    My Dad died a millionaire in 1968 at 49 years old.  We were told by my Mom and my older brother, who took over the family business, not to talk to anyone about it.

    That million kept my Mom in the family farm and all the bills paid until she could get SS 15 years later, and continued to be her primary support the rest of her life.  It funded trust funds for all 3 of us kids to go through college, and have cars.  I used the last of my trust fund to buy my first house.  For cash.

    That small town 2 bedroom one bath bungalow on a city lot with detached 2 car garage cost $20,000.  That was 1976 and I was 22 years old.

    I am, on paper, a millionaire now.  I’ve been looking at 1 to 4 acre rural properties with not-new manufactured homes for $300,000 and not finding what I want.  

    If I died, my 3 boys couldn’t buy a college education and a car and a house with what I left them.   Fortunately, I have lived a lot longer than my Dad and I have been able to help them get established.

  42. drwilliams says:

    Way past due:

    ‘We Are All Jews Here’: Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds’ to Receive the Medal of Honor

    The Medal of Honor is traditionally associated with visible acts of battlefield gallantry—charging enemy positions, rescuing wounded comrades under fire, or holding a line against overwhelming odds. Edmonds’ award is different: it honors a moment when the only weapon he carried was moral authority, and the only “attack” he launched was a refusal to cooperate with evil.

    Edmonds will be one of four service members to receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on March 2, his son said.

    Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis and retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams will also receive the nation’s highest award for courage under fire. Ollis died saving the life of a Polish counterpart in Afghanistan in 2013, and Williams was involved in a secretive dogfight with seven Soviet fighter planes more than 70 years ago.

    The White House did not respond to questions about the ceremony and the fourth person to receive the Medal of Honor.

    The fourth is doubtless one of our covert operatives. Some day the file will be unsealed. In the meantime bless him and all the rough men who are prepared to defend us.

    10
  43. SteveF says:

    Of probable interest, considering a frequent topic of conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKvVg-gdlig

    (Ignore the video’s title; that doesn’t pertain until the last couple minutes.)

  44. drwilliams says:

    “The USA women’s hockey team have turned down President Trump’s offer to join their male counterparts at the State of the Union on Tuesday night.”

    Ben Wright was right about more than golf.

    Start a gofund me to buy them batteries.

  45. paul says:

    I’ll reboot and see what happens with temp files.  I’ll leave the .part files alone for now.

  46. paul says:

    I guess I’m almost a millionaire.  USAA says, sight unseen, the house is worth 450 grand or so.  Add on the other 25 acres.  Plus stuff like tractors. And out buildings.  And what I have in the bank and tbills and the 401, it yeah, almost there.

    Of course, the house being worth 450 grand is fantasy without a buyer,

  47. Greg Norton says:

    I am, on paper, a millionaire now.  I’ve been looking at 1 to 4 acre rural properties with not-new manufactured homes for $300,000 and not finding what I want.  

    The $8k first time home buyer credit put a $250k floor under anything capable of passing inspection for a mortgage and located within an hour of a even a medium sized metro.

    East of I-35 in Texas will be tough at that price point.

    Just wait until the Dems get their $20k credit under President Talarico. Practically every homeowner will be a millionare on paper.

  48. Ken Mitchell says:

    That is a lot of millionaires.  Especially compared to when I was a young man.

    On the other hand, the dollar has decreased in actual value to perhaps 10% of what it was when I was young, in 1970-ish. The house in Cacafornia that I bought for $83,000 in 1984 sold for $440K in 2020, and Zillow says it’s worth $510K now. 

  49. paul says:

    Yeah.  A three musketeers candy bar was a nickel and last I looked it’s like 1.50 and smaller.

  50. Nick Flandrey says:

    I think a better metric is being or not being a 1%-er.   Every city is different so the amount to be a 1% in Houston is different from NYFC. 

    Had to point out to the kid, when she regurgitated some nonsense she picked up in school or online that we were 1%-ers.   

    But we don’t have a jet, or a mansion, or full time staff.  We live modestly, but we own three houses.   Cars are paid for.

    Compared to some of her classmates, we are like aliens.  It’s been good for them to see and be friends with people from circumstances below ours and above ours.

    Some of their friends have much nicer ‘lakehouses’ than we do.   Some have been evicted for not paying the bills.   One friend’s dad got shot in the head during an attempted auto theft (his car, and he lived) and another’s dad got out of prison and was killed within a few months (suspicious car accident.)

    Some of their friends have moms that are firmly in “the ladies who lunch” territory, and some can’t seem to hold even minimum wage jobs.  Houston has a very broad mix of people, and a lot of under the radar wealth.

    n

  51. Nick Flandrey says:

    Dad special ordered a new Chevy Citation econobox in 1980 for $3500 and paid cash.

    The flip side is that I never flew on a plane until I was in college, and my kids have flown a couple of times a year, most years.

    We had a 18″ color tv, and my parents kept it and watched it at least into the ’90s.

    I remember watching Star Trek as a kid on a 12″ black and white TV in the living room.

    I also remember when my dad got a box of citrus fruit for Christmas, that still being a big deal when I was  a kid.   He used to tell us about the Christmas he got an orange when he was young…

    n

  52. Lynn says:

    Senator John Kennedy says that Governor Tim Walz is just a less masculine version of Hillary Clinton.

  53. Nick Flandrey says:

    While I appreciate the put down in that, she’s the vicious power behind the throne, and he’s just a beard for his wife.

    n

  54. drwilliams says:

    “Just wait until the Dems get their $20k credit under President Talarico. Practically every homeowner will be a millionare on paper.”

    Under Presdient Newsome they will owe $400,000 on $800,000 of unrealized gains, and under President Mamdamdedi, their property taxes will be $100,000 a year.

    The steely looks like it will go ‘round an’ ’round forever until it takes the dive at the end.

    Brass ain’t nothin’ unless it’s been reloaded.

  55. drwilliams says:

    “While I appreciate the put down in that, she’s the vicious power behind the throne, and he’s just a beard for his wife.”

    Was. The power is shifting and any leverage the Clintons had is fast disappearing.

  56. drwilliams says:

    JP Morgan Admits They DID Debank President Trump’s Accounts

    https://victorygirlsblog.com/jp-morgan-admits-they-did-debank-president-trumps-accounts/

    Not a banking expert. What do federal banking regulations say about debanking without cause?

    Get to discovery and let’s have some fun.

    Meanwhile, what if the FDIC send JPMC a letter saying that FDIC account insurance ends tomorrow?

  57. Nick Flandrey says:

    any leverage the Clintons had 

    – yep, and every day I can wake up and say “Killary will never be president.” 

    ——–

    @SteveF, that was pretty funny, and the part about the building was spot on.  I was sure the building I went to was abandoned.   But it wasn’t.   Just full of @ssholes (like me.)

    Supposed to make an appointment, but have been putting it off.   Thought about it yesterday, but put it off again…

    n

  58. drwilliams says:

    And…?: Look How Much Canadians Hate the United States Now

    Their message to America: It’s not us, it’s you.

    https://hotair.com/headlines/2026/02/23/and-look-how-much-canadians-hate-the-united-states-now-n3812155

    What do you call a country that cheats at curling and whose third highest cause of death is government assisted suicide murder? CANADA

  59. SteveF says:

    Look How Much Canadians Hate the United States Now

    They may think about us with hatred. We don’t think about them at all.

  60. Lynn says:

    Dad special ordered a new Chevy Citation econobox in 1980 for $3500 and paid cash.

    The flip side is that I never flew on a plane until I was in college, and my kids have flown a couple of times a year, most years.

    We had a 18″ color tv, and my parents kept it and watched it at least into the ’90s.

    I remember watching Star Trek as a kid on a 12″ black and white TV in the living room.

    I also remember when my dad got a box of citrus fruit for Christmas, that still being a big deal when I was  a kid.   He used to tell us about the Christmas he got an orange when he was young…

    We got our house repossessed in 1970 when I was 10 and moved out the day after Christmas before they could grab the furniture, we moved to Texas from Oklahoma in two Uhaul trucks.  Dad had lost his car the month before when somebody ran a red light and tboned him.  No insurance of course for either vehicle.  We lived with my mom’s parents in Lake Jackson, Texas for a year and then rented the house down the street for a year.  We moved to Houston in 1972 and Dad rented a two bedroom one bath house for a year for the five of us.  My bed was a slideout under the dining table in the kitchen.

    Dad bought a Heathkit 25 inch color TV in 1972, he and I put it together.  A lot of soldering and don’t touch that power supply capacitor.  It was a big picture look at all of the Vietnam video on the 5 oclock news with machine guns and running through the jungle.

    In summer of 1973, Dad had re-established the business in Houston and the five of us took a 747 to London, England from Houston where we spent the summer in a rented flat in the boonies while Dad sold software to the engineering companies.  One weekend we drove over to Stonehenge and climbed all over the rocks. We topped off the summer with a week in Scotland in a Ford Pinto.  It was during the Arab Oil Embargo and gasoline was real hit and miss.

    When we got back from London, Mom and Dad bought a house in Meyerland in Houston.  That neighborhood started to flood in 1976 and we moved to Sugar Land in 1977.

    10
  61. Nick Flandrey says:

    I had my tiny little fire on the deck before dinner today.   Watched the sun set, and the stars come out.   It’s a little hazy, can barely see Orion’s belt.    The chiminea was nice and warm until the temp got down to 44F.   Even with a coat and hoodie, it was time to come in.

    The chiminea is a mid size, about 3 feet tall,  and works well on sticks and twigs.   It’s a bit like a rocket stove and you have to be careful not to overload it.    Very efficient and puts a lot of heat out the front.   When you stop feeding it, it finishes quickly too. 

    I used to have one that was only about 18″ tall, that sat on a table.  The heat would be right in your face and it was nice to take the chill off.   I’ve been looking but haven’t come across another that size.  The one I have is a great size for an hour or two on the patio.

    ———–

    I think it’s time for a shower, meds, and an early bed.

    n

  62. Nick Flandrey says:

    South Park made fun of Canada when windows 98 was new…

    n

  63. drwilliams says:

    Is “Canadian bacon” a Canadian invention or a U.S. marketing thing?

    Thick-sliced deli ham cut in circles with a Texas shot glass?

    Do they use the trimmings for “Hawaiian pizza”? 

    Everyone knows that real Hawaiian’s put Spam on their pizza.

  64. drwilliams says:

    Before and OS (much less Windows of any kind) was a gleam in Bill Gates sweaty weekend:

    Hose off, Hoser!

    da di di di di dit dit da…

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXqRczkGS6OpZVR7dC9GXI9zYjD2hLHM

  65. drwilliams says:

    Heat Pumps: Efficient on paper, complicated in reality

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/02/22/heat-pumps-efficient-on-paper-complicated-in-reality/

    It’s not an easy subject to understand unless you have a solid physics or engineering background.

    I could tell you a story about two guys that built a barndominim and made three fatal errors (and some smaller errors that were just big), one of which was to put in a heat pump with a ground loop that was buried under the in-ground indoor swimming pool.

  66. drwilliams says:

    Family’s Tragedy Highlights Failures in Canada’s MAID ‘Safeguards’

    Canadian doctor who described euthanasia as the “most rewarding work” expedited 26-year-old Kiano Vafaeian’s case., despite the fact he only suffered from treatable diabetes and “seasonal depression.”

    U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership criticized Canada’s program, which is now linked to organ donation, with one top official calling it a “strange new horror” and a cautionary example for other countries.

    What’s next? Lampshades? Spiffy uniforms and jewelry?

    Q1: What is the ethnic and gender demographics of those murdered?
    Q2″ Where are the organs going?

  67. drwilliams says:

    Man accidentally gains control of 7,000 robot vacuums

    A software engineer’s earnest effort to steer his new DJI robot vacuum with a video game controller inadvertently granted him a sneak peak into thousands of people’s homes. 

    While building his own remote-control app, Sammy Azdoufal reportedly used an AI coding assistant to help reverse-engineer how the robot communicated with DJI’s remote cloud servers. But he soon discovered that the same credentials that allowed him to see and control his own device also provided access to live camera feeds, microphone audio, maps, and status data from nearly 7,000 other vacuums across 24 countries. The backend security bug effectively exposed an army of internet-connected robots that, in the wrong hands, could have turned into surveillance tools, all without their owners ever knowing.

    https://www.popsci.com/technology/robot-vacuum-army/?utm_source=beehiiv&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=popular-science-newsletter

    Reaction 1: That sucks.

    Reaction 2: Who knew that technology would make putting mirrors on your wingtips  obsolete?

    Reaction 3: If your wife calls from the bathroom and says “Honey, I swear the vacuum is looking at me!” believe her.

  68. Lynn says:

    “United We Stand (Black Tide Rising)” edited by John Ringo and Gary Poole
       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1668072580?tag=ttgnet-20

    Book number twelve of a sixteen book zombie fantasy series. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen in 2025 that I bought new from Amazon. I will purchase and read future books in the series as they are released in MMPB. In addition, I will read any book written by John Ringo as I have read many of his 52 ??? books to date.

    There are many stories to be told in John Ringo’s fantasy series about a manmade zombie virus that spreads throughout the world like fire. This is the fourth anthology book with twelve short stories written by several authors. I particularly liked the short story “Do Not Steal” by Todd as it illustrated a solution to the world without The Rule of Law.

    My rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (281 reviews)

    Lynn

  69. Lynn says:

    “Did a Civil War in Mexico Just Begin?”

       https://discernreport.com/did-a-civil-war-in-mexico-just-begin/

    Yes, this will be an extension of the War on Drugs ™ to the War on Civil War ™.

    Hat tip to:

       https://thelibertydaily.com/

  70. Denis says:

    Edmonds’ award is different: it honors a moment when the only weapon he carried was moral authority, and the only “attack” he launched was a refusal to cooperate with evil.

    The first US serviceman to be recognised as righteous among the nations. A very brave man.

    That took me down the Yad Vashem rabbit hole. Don’t do that if you’re feeling a bit tired and emotional. Beautiful stories of humanity confronting evil, but not easy to read.

    Tuesday. W1 inadvertently got me up by forgetting to turn off the burglar alarm before she left the house. Ah well. Now I am awake. Good morning!

  71. Nick Flandrey says:

    Woke up to a low blood sugar alert.   I think it’s because of sensor placement and sleeping on the arm, but had a couple of cookies anyway.

    Temp is 33F.  

    Time to go back to bed.

    n

    (silenced any alarms for 6 hours.)

  72. Nick Flandrey says:

    Thinking about it, the low sugar could have been overshoot from the high after dinner, cookies, and bit of ice cream combined with sleeping on the arm.

    n

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