Starting a little warmer every day now, and hitting a little bit higher in the afternoon. REAL Spring must be here, with Summer right behind. It hit mid to high 80sF yesterday, and probably will again today. The overcast never lifted, but on the national forecast we’re right on the southern edge of the Tstorm possible zone, so if there is a little bit more pressure from the Gulf, we’ll be clear. No one knows for certain.
I didn’t do much beyond getting ready for the kid’s special dinner. I like cooking so that was fine, and the result was really good. I filtered and recovered the lard, but it’s not pure white anymore. I’ll save it in the fridge. I’d had it stored in the freezer for the last few years. The temperature difference between “flows thru the filter paper” and “congeals” is somewhere above room temperature. I got “most” of it through the filter…
Cast iron cleaned up with a couple of wipes of damp paper towel.
Today I’ll do the stuff I didn’t do yesterday. If I’ve had enough sleep.
The pile up is getting deep.
Stack.
nick
Tuesday. Good morning!
The efficiency bug must have bitten me. Up since the crack of dawn, showered, packed, half a day’s email dealt with, laundry drying on the line in the sun and breakfast on the table.
Doesn’t happen to me often, but I’ll take it!
Have a lovely day.
The “kill switch” is already there. The only missing piece of the puzzle is the software.
Did you actually see any of the episodes?
I watched most of them when they ran new.
Sponsorship and greed killed This Old House philosophically or metaphorically years before it actually died. It did eventually die, right? I stopped watching years ago, not long after Bob Villa’s departure. The $100K kitchens started to bug me. The DIY movement, and TOH, were about ordinary people learning to do something to save money, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes with doing something with your hands. The show took corporate sponsorship and product placement, and became a parody of that. No thank you.
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77F this morning, with the sky brightening. Overcast at the moment but maybe we’ll clear later.
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Switched to a new sensor, and back to my right arm. It consistently reads higher than when it’s on my left arm. 20 points higher as a baseline. Oddly the top end doesn’t seem to get the 20 point boost, that I can see. Perhaps I have better circulation in my right arm? Even consistent levels help me monitor and draw conclusions, if I can adjust for bias.
n
That’s strange. The usual bias is 10-20 points to the left. We see it in all the polls and reporting.
Roku owns the show now. The production is still active.
The current host, Kevin O’Connor, is a former Fleet Bank executive brought in after Steve Thomas was fired. The producers felt O’Connor could relate better to the increasingly wealthy homeowners.
I have a nephew that works for Roku in Austin. He lives in Round Rock. Absolutely hates the commute. He used to work entirely from home for Cisco. He changed to working for Roku because it was a new department, or rather entirely new people, and he wanted to be in from the beginning. He works in Logistics which is basically managing the shipping of the end product and supplies to build the products.
I have two Roku’s to avoid the Xfinity set top box fee. The interface to use the Xfinity app really sucks. Functions that Xfinity needs are not on the Roku remote, and the work arounds are quite clumsy.
Up at 3am to check the weather … 34F instead of the predicted 39 so i draped some tarps over the tomatoes in their tubs. That actually turned out to be the low for the night – but coldest is just before dawn and having lost one crop already this year I’m a little paranoid. In theory last freeze day is April 15 around here.
Rather hazy skies, but a few stars were visible, Cygnus directly overhead, Arcturus to the west.
The building on Mopac? From Round Rock? That’s not terrible from west of I35, but from the IKEA area, that could be brutal since the Colonists commute to Dell and HPE on the same roads.
He lives in a subdivision where the exit off I-35 is at the same intersection where IKEA is located. He lives on the west side of that intersection. I think it is the building on Mopac. He wants to get a Cybertruck to do the driving for him. His wife says, nope.
On the way home, traveling through Nashville, where I-440 connects to 24, which connects to I-40, we encountered one of the self driving cars, with the spinning sensor and the thingy on top, Waymo. That thing does not merge well. It turned on the blinker and just started moving into the lane forcing another vehicle to stop. Very rude.
@ray, that made me think about it, but I don’t think Texas has the “Yield to merging traffic” signs I’ve seen in other states. I wonder who has the right of way?
n
Whoever drives the largest, or oldest, or least expensive vehicle?
@steve, that’s my take. If it’s crowded and no one is letting me in, despite the turn signal, if I’m in my beater truck, I just merge. Wanna be an asshole? Just look at my truck and gauge my level of ‘give a f#ck.’
Now, usually, I am more than courteous on the road. I slow to give trucks somewhere to go, flash my lights when it’s safe to merge in front of me, adjust my speed to “make a hole” for the other guy, etc. I figure that if I can easily accommodate the ‘other’ it keeps traffic moving and I’ll benefit too.
But if I’m in the merge lane, and it’s running out, (and TX has some really short lanes, and some that just merge without a merge lane at all) I’m coming over.
n
Illinois doesn’t have signs like that, but it is the law there. Let people in.
It’s recent, though, sometime in the last 15 years or so. Along with the “move over or slow down when there’s an emergency vehicle on the shoulder” law.
“Move Over“ laws are about mulcting.
California is a “merging traffic must yield” state. I have never heard of it being enforced, and have seen a LOT of cars merging who apparently think it’s the other way around.
Then again, my fellow drivers are the same people that seem to think that speed limits are suggestions and that red lights mean step on the gas and go like hell (Starman reference there).
Yesterday I went into town to pick up something from Home Depot. My total driving distance within the built-up city proper was probably about 3 miles. I saw two people run red lights to make left turns in that time.
Fixed it.
Rivian drivers in Austin are the most aggressive, however, in my experience, which is surprising considering the cost of the vehicles.
The Ultimate
DrivingShow Ya Machine.Corn Pop cut Rivian a $6 Billion check on his way out the door last January.
@greg
Take the teen to see “Project Hail Mary”
Went as a family, fantastically done. I’d like to see if four or five more times on the big screen just to enjoy the effects. The space shots are so very beautiful.
Jenny, if the teen gets to be too annoying, see if you can drop her off at the fire station. Most “drop off the baby you can’t handle” laws don’t have an upper age limit.
A year or so ago, one of the monitors on the mother-in-law misfired, indicating a heart attack in progress. My wife called 9-1-1 as the screen told her to. (Details up to this point are fuzzy because I’d been working in the forest out back and was late to the party after I came up and noticed the commotion.) Two ambulances, a fire department emergency response truck, and two police cars arrived and everyone piled into the house. By the time I got there, most everyone was just standing around while two paramedics made sure Grandma wasn’t actually dying; even though there was nothing for them to do, they weren’t supposed to leave until they got the all-clear. Once I was up to speed on the situation, I called The Child down from her room, then brought her up to one of the fire department guys and asked if it was true that unwanted children could be dropped off, no questions asked. Everyone found that somewhat amusing. Except for The Child, but teens have no sense of humor anyway.
”Project Hail Mary” had a lot of “2010” and “Space Cowboys” influence, both worth the time to screen with the teen if you can find a way to watch.
Proof #1817273634849439478437623623838934 that people are clueless idiots.
https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15772923/disneyland-facial-recognition-technology-outrage.html
Points-
– Disney has been using biometrics linked to park admission for over a decade, many years at least. They use hand geometry scanners at the parks in FL. If they aren’t using them in Cali, there must be a regulatory reason. They’ve also used thumbprints in the past.
– Disney has been using photos of guests for ID purposes for years, probably as long as the hand readers. Their ‘facilitators’ or whatever they call the cast member who steps in when there is a problem with the readers uses a tablet to check the person standing there against a picture… dunno when or where they get the picture.
– Disney has undoubtedly been using facial recognition to identify banned people and troublemakers for years. If the casinos do, Disney surely does.
– privacy concerns are moot. You are in a public place, voluntarily, and already submit to many invasions of your privacy. “I think it’s more concerning for children just to protect their privacy.’” says the woman who probably has disney spyware on her TV and streaming services, who used the Disney wifi in the parks and at the resorts, who puts a tracking device on her own and her child’s wrist in the park to allow them to track location, wait time, Fastpass use, and spending. She probably walked right past the sign saying they could use her likeness into perpetuity for any purpose at all without even blinking. Lastly, her kid’s image was taken 100 times or more before they even got to the gate, from the time the LPR and cameras recorded them entering the parking lot, as they rode on any trams or busses, and wherever they walked on property.
– furthermore “guests” are subjected to a search of their persons and property before being allowed entry and are scanned electronically for contraband using cutting edge tech, that also displays pictures and video of them. I hate it but everyone else seems to have accepted it. SO no privacy concerns about that.
– lastly, nearly everyone entering used credit cards to buy their ticket, parking, or tchotchkes. Do they think that info isn’t retained, mined, and used? Many of them used disney branded cards with an even higher level of surveillance.
Just more negative coverage of disney by the DM at the end of the day, and proof that people are not smart.
n
“Exo: A Jumper Novel (Jumper, 4)” by Steven Gould
https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Jumper-Novel-Steven-Gould/dp/0765370727?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number four of a four book science fiction young adult series. Or is it a fantasy series ? I have read this book at least five times now. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Tor in 2015 that I bought new from Amazon back in 2015. I sure hope that there is another Jumper book or two in Steven Gould in the near future.
Would you like to be able to teleport ? I have always wanted to be a teleporter. I mean, it is the ultimate for a lazy man.
Davy, Millie, and Cent are all teleporters now. And the crazy violent people are still after them. So they decide to go where the crazy violent people cannot follow them. And, I really enjoyed the technical aspects of the book.
Warning: There are adult situations in this book (and in the series in general). This book has Girl Power ! as its theme and in a very good way.
My rating: 6 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,495 reviews)
Lynn
Over The Hedge: It’s Flooding
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2026/04/28
Yeah, five bars of radiation.
Yes, but cell tower antennas are highly directional, and radiate OUTWARD. Being BEHIND the antenna should be relatively safe.
“War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ‘Shovel ready’”
https://justthenews.com/government/security/department-war-advancing-defensive-technologies-against-missiles-other-aerial
“The department called it a “layered, integrated shield” that will defend the U.S. against ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, advanced cruise missiles and next-generation aerial attacks.”
Wait, we have gigawatt lasers ready to go now ?
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando both use facial recognition to recognize people banned from the respective properties.
Both have special governing districts granted by the FL Legislature, but the Disney district’s board is under the control of the Governor for now.
Yes, but cell tower antennas are highly directional, and radiate OUTWARD. Being BEHIND the antenna should be relatively safe.
– which is why I never want to be stuck in stop and go traffic here…
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hiK43nxeMzr2zHAc9 \
This is the elevated transition ramp from Westpark Tollway to I 59, coming into the city from the south west.
Feels like you’re about 15 ft away.
n
Wait, we have gigawatt lasers ready to go now ?
– I commented not too long ago about the current power levels and that we have deployed working “directed energy weapons” at crazy power levels. I might have included links to the mag article, and an included time line that showed power levels doubling every so many years… and the timeline was that many years out of date.
We’ve got some incredibly powerful lasers out there.
n
BTW, DeSantis’ reelection opponent in 2022, Charlie Crist (R turned I turned D-FL) now wants to be Mayor of St. Petersburg.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-florida-gov-charlie-crist-running-mayor-st-pete
https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2025/10/28/tues-oct-28-2025-oh-what-tangled-webs-we-weave/ just a little way down in the comments.
n
Pearls Before Swine: Helping The Fed
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2026/04/28
Poor Pig. Poor poor Pig. He took a beating for his lack of knowledge.
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Directed_Energy_Technologies_Mount_an_Energetic/p5/a70765
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Rafael-Delivers-First-Iron-Beam-Laser-Week-in/p5/a71821
n
Not so “green” when you look at the details:
Wyoming has a secret eagle-kill organization
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/04/28/wyoming-has-a-secret-eagle-kill-organization/
Balsa Trees Illegally Logged for Wind Power
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/04/28/balsa-trees-illegally-logged-for-wind-power/
Trump can do two things:
pay to fold:
If Trump Can’t Beat Them, He’ll Pay Them Off and Wind Companies Are Taking the $ to Walk Away
Kathryn Porter on X:
chart in link:
https://x.com/KathrynPorter26/status/2048762586989031520/photo/1
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/04/28/if-trump-cant-beat-them-hell-pay-them-off-and-wind-companies-are-taking-the-to-walk-away-n3814370
32 GW of installed capacity did not produce as much as 12GW during the week plotted, and average was about 5GW (16%)
Any discussion of wind power that includes installed capacity claims should also include metrics for the period to include average and quintiles (% generation at 0-20%, 20-40%, etc.).
Utilities in the U.S. should be required to report those numbers as well as the actual cost of wind power computed using standard methodology which includes unsubsidized infrastructure cost.
I entered the Army as an Air Defense Artilleryman. I trained and qualified as a Second Louie on the Hawk missile system. The high-powered illuminating radar would kill you at 100 feet in seconds. Who knows how far out the damaging effects go? The thing was 360º and 90º. Using it point-blank on the enemy would be a war crime (back then). Our motto was “If it flies, it dies”. Naturally, I went to flight school right after training on it. The downside is all the things that can down a chopper. The upside is I never had to spend months on a mountain top in Korea.
Exo was a lot of fun. I still re-read it from time to time.
I wanted to put a couple of ringtones on my phone. I connected it with USB and told th ephone “allow”. Works fine, just like reading an SD card.
This was my first time connecting the phone to the PC since I switched to Mint.
Tethering for Internet looks to be more difficult. Starlink simply works but a back-up is always good. So far I are too dum. And on another hand, if lighting zaps my Starlink, I have the mini as spare hardware.
“Former Ukrainian Erotic Model Part of the Team of Divers That Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline: REPORT”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/former-ukrainian-erotic-model-part-team-divers-that/
You know, you are supposed to keep this stuff secret for 50 years, not 4 years.
Or is Ukraine doing some false flagging.
“Comey Indicted for SECOND Time”
https://thelibertydaily.com/comey-indicted-second-time/
“(WND)—James Comey, the ex-chief of the FBI who played a large role in weaponizing the federal government against President Donald Trump, specifically during the Democrats’ pursuit of the false “Russiagate” conspiracy theory, has been indicted a second time.”
At least bankrupt his buttocks.
About the phone ringtones. I have played with “Do Not Disturb” and the icon next to the clock irked. A lot. And I have to allow who can disturb.
If I have to allow who can Disturb, let’s try another way.
My ringtone has been Antique_Phone45.mp3. I can hear it. It’s not shrill. It’s not exactly like a Western Electric phone that I’ve ever owned but it is close. Sounds better than a single gong Princess phone anyway. That doesn’t mean I can ever get to to the phone in time to answer.
I poked around on my PC and found Ringback_Tone51.mp3 It’s pretty mellow, sounds like the ringing you hear when you make a call. Hence the name I guess.
So Ringback is now my default ringtone. The folks I’m interested in hearing from have Antique set as a custom ringtone.
I think I’m doing this correctly. I’ll know when anyone calls me.
And for folks you want to hear nothing from, but want to know if they called, there is silent-1sec.mp3
If the links fail, try https://remsset.com/files/phone/
I should be doing something useful like mowing the yard. It needs mowing. Not interested….
I spent some time trouble shooting and then fixing my windshield washer fluid pump on the Ranger. I think I’ve replaced it once, but didn’t remember where it was, or if I really did. In any case, checked the relay, and it clicked. No fuses to check, but it took a while to believe that. Hoses not blocked. Look on line. Find pump and pull. Check socket with multimeter. Works.
So it was the pump. Came in to order one, and for $12 I can have one tomorrow. I decided to pull one off the parts truck, if it was still there, and do the change now in the cool and light. Did it, refilled the tank and I’m good for my errands tomorrow if it does rain.
Ordered a new chinese copy. I’ll swap it out when I get time.
Since I had the hood open, I swapped in the LED bulbs I picked up to replace my headlights. They are weak, and the lens is yellowed. I’d sanded the lenses a couple of weekends ago. Turns out you have to pull the assembly to change the bulbs. It’s easy once you know. Impossible until then.
Those suckers are bright. The aim stayed the same so I should be ok. It should make a HUGE difference in the country on the way to the BOL.
I have replacement assemblies too, but they weren’t sitting in the foyer waiting for me. So I’ll try the bright bulbs in the dim assemblies for now.
Also changed the rear wiper on the kid’s minivan. Time to do the other wipers, oil, filter, and new tires too. It never ends.
n
All of the hair on fire noise about the Reflecting Pool in DC is pretty funny. O had it fixed for some huge sum 15 years or so ago and no one had a problem.
But it still leaks. It’s slimy and the water is dirty. For some reason, “green”, I guess, it uses Tidal Basin water. ? So, untreated river water. Why?
Congress or whoever decided to spend 300 million and a few years to rebuild the thing. Here comes Trump, “hang on, I know some folks”. Two million and it’ll be done in a month.
It’s pretty simple. Drain it. Scrub it clean. Fix the obvious things. Pump the big gaps full of silicone sealant. Re-plumb the pool to use city water and set it up like a swimming pool. Spray it with swimming pool lining. Gunite or whatever it’s called or some kind of plastic, like they use to seal the seams in gutters. Change the water supply to city water.
Treat it like a big freshwater aquarium. Toss in a bunch of Neons and Guppies and Beta Fish and some catfish and Angel Fish. Oh, the mostly orange fish, Swordtails? I forget the name but they were fun to watch.
Maybe the Japanese PM can bring a cooler full of koi. Please. Let the Jap PM bring fish. Then the insane can have another hissy fit when Trump dumps the entire box of koi food in at once. 🙂
With the Democrats and other subhumans infesting DC? Can you honestly see that as a good idea?
I tried the restore lens stuff on the 2004 Ford van. Wow. Airplane glue is weak for getting high.
Clean the lens. Then coat it with the finish. The headlights looked real good for about six months. The van is parked in a carport and is shaded. Now the headlights are as cloudy as they were.
Do yeah, do the restore stuff just before selling the van.
Doesn’t matter a whole lot. I think it’s been about four years since I had to use my head lights. It’s dark, I don’t drive. I could….
Likewise but my brain is scrambled. I’m tired but not excessively so. I think it’s just that I’ve worked every day without a break for a year and a half and my brain is on strike.
If you take out the fog lights and replace with aircraft landing lights, you could probably see pretty well. And who cares about oncoming traffic, right?
Yes I can. Isn’t there some kind of tropical fish, from Africa, so you know this is not Raycess, that lives in water that is really bad for people to touch? Chiclicads or something like that.
CHUD
Cannibalistic Humanless Underground Dumbocrats.
Put piranha in the reflecting pool.
Then post snipers to protect the piranha.
I’m headed to bed. Stuff I can’t put off tomorrow, and I’m beat.
n