Wed. Sept. 10, 2025 – oh, once more with feeling…

By on September 10th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cool and dry? Well, less damp anyway. It is supposed to be clear for the next couple of days and if it’s cool for at least part of the day that will help me enormously.

I got a few things done yesterday. Did my pickups. Stuff for the BOL, the kids, and me. It took up almost my whole afternoon. I see now where all my time was going. I’m working on that, but can’t stop completely.

I did get the grass mowing finished, and I did some electronics troubleshooting. And I cooked dinner. That has to count for something. There was kid taxi service as well.

Today will be more of the same, with some extras thrown in. I’ve still got the list after all.

Stack useful things, not just obligations and tasks you’ll never get to. Just saying…

nick

W’s birthday is coming up, so I better start thinking about that.

100 Comments and discussion on "Wed. Sept. 10, 2025 – oh, once more with feeling…"

  1. Denis says:

    Good morning!

    Off presently to get measured for new orthopaedic insoles for my shoes. Not cheap, but I highly recommend getting good ones. There is a day and night difference in comfort compared to shoes as-bought, even good quality ones.

    Stark self defence food for thought from LawDog: https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/everyone-is-a-lesson

  2. Ray Thompson says:

    Good morning!

    Beat me again. Although I have been up quite awhile. Just did not get around to posting.

    Friday I will be going through the BMW Museum. One of the things recommended to see in Munich. Most of the other recommendations I have already seen.

    I did watch the Apple presentation yesterday. Came on about 7:00 PM here. About the only item that I am interested in are the AirPods 3. The better noise cancelling is compelling as is the better fit.

    The Watch and iPhone have nothing new that I want. In fact, the watch is missing blood oxygen that I currently on my series 9 watch. I need that more than the new blood pressure monitoring.\

    The iPhone Air, pfft. I don’t need thin. The iPhone 17, with the exception of the cameras, has nothing that I need or want. Even the cameras are not something that I need. The ProRes video codec is interesting, if I was doing videos.

    I have found that my iPhone support six eSims. I have turned off my US eSim while using the European eSim. I will reverse that process when I land in Atlanta. With Xfinity as messed as they are, it may not work. Last time when I swapped physical SIMs it screwed up my Xfinity account.

  3. Denis says:

    eSIMs.

    W1 and my brother highly recommended using an outfit called Maya Mobile. My phone is too basic to take an eSIM, so I haven’t tested them myself.

  4. SteveF says:

    Kid thinks  calling me old

    In his late teens and early twenties, The Male Child used to call me Old Man in an attempt to annoy me. Each time, I’d suggest we wait thirty years and see which of us was holding up better. Each time, he’d turn away with a disgruntled look. He’s stopped calling me Old Man and has started referring to me as a freak of nature because I’m holding up really  well whereas he’s already having to be careful because his knees hurt and he has to watch what he eats because his metabolism is not what it was when he was twenty.

    Despite my jokes, I’m not anxious to outlive another child but it’s a real possibility.

  5. brad says:

    I wish that I was fire ant free, those little monsters are everywhere in South Texas.

    Fire ants. Geez, don’t remind me. Nasty buggers, and when I left Texas I was getting increasing allergic to them. The last time, three bites and my foot was swollen like a melon.

    include the judges that set this crazy man free several times.

    I get that judges need some immunity. However, there has to be an exception in the case of blatant malpractice. It will also be interesting to see if people can prove that she was freeing people on the condition that they go to the rehabilitation center that she runs. That would be criminal corruption.

    Anyway, whatever happened to “three strikes”?

    This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare

    So tired of hearing crap like that. We get it here too: Immigrant commits crime, but is let off because of psychological problems.

    It doesn’t matter. Low-IQ/low-impulse-control? Socially disadvantaged? Mentally ill? It just doesn’t matter. You cannot let violent savages walk around freely.

    Of all of my siblings, only one has or is likely to have grandchildren.

    My cousins in West Texas are making up for that. They tend to have big families – I think one of them had seven children, who are now busily creating the next generation. That said, I’m not sure that West Texas culture is what we really want spreading. :-/

    I saw a fox leaving the office tonight.

    Well, someone has to work late, it might as well be the fox 😛

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Listen to what Hugh Jackman has to say near the end of the montage.

    “It’s always the suit’s fault, never the actor.”

    Right before that at about 1:28. Jackman was genuinely nervous about people accepting him as Wolverine.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f50BJGMHboo

    He owns the part now, but it wasn’t always that way. Contrast Jackman of that era to the antics of Pedro Pascal this summer selling his role in “The Fantastic Four”.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    Sigh.  This is not the TAMU that I graduated from in 1982.

    The individuals who built Texas Renaissance Festival and the Central Texas Furry culture have deep roots in TAMU going back at least 40 years. You just weren’t paying attention.

    Find the “Renn Fair” documentary on HBO Max.

    Apparently “King George” died within the last few months.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW4_pi_xr2I

  8. Greg Norton says:

    Huh.  Just another reason for Microsoft to move to ARM for Windows.

    Using whose designs? Qualcomm’s garbage?

    My employer and the other major vendors sell ARM Windows laptops. No one is interested except hardcore CPU nerds who want to play “Show Ya” games.

    Trump was right to preserve Intel, regardless of his motivations at the time. The monkey trick still rides on Intel CPUs/chipsets, and even Nvidia has not been able to offer a viable ARM solution.

    Someone was playing a game with INTC stock which would have eventually seen the company become a subsidiary of Broadcom or … Qualcomm! That would have had serious national security concerns.

    Ask the VMware customers who bet their futures on the vSphere Hot Skillz how the new licensing terms are working out for them under Broadcom.

  9. Greg Norton says:

    Someone was playing a game with INTC stock which would have eventually seen the company become a subsidiary of Broadcom or … Qualcomm! That would have had serious national security concerns.

    Remember, the same decision makers at the institutional investment firms behind the current games manipulating Intel stock were responsible for Taco Julie becoming CEO of Cracker Barrel.

  10. Nick Flandrey says:

    65F and saturated this morning.  Looks clear though, so should warm a bit.

    —-

    D1 is home today based on fever yesterday.   I will still be running errands.   They grow up so quickly.

    —-

    D2 has a pep rally tonight, so we’ll be doing that for dinner.   The school does a recognition thing for seniors and fall sports team members.   

    —-

    The democrat leadership is following the insurgent handbook.   Make things so bad the people will accept any change… 

    I don’t think it will work for them as we have a long history of making a different choice– kill everyone, let God sort them out.

    —-

    Chip fabs are the ball bearing plants of Hogan’s Heros, and real life WWII strategy in Germany.   They’re in everything.  So they are vulnerable, but IDK if they are AS important as leadership thinks.   I’m pretty sure they are on a personal level, and we need domestic production, and I’d rather not find out if I’m right or wrong.

    I’d bet all the stuff you need to set up a chip fab is chinese controlled anyway.

    Do we even make filter paper?

    n

  11. paul says:

    Mortal (2020), a low-budget film out of Norway.

    The description says English.  Dubbed in French.  Spanish subtitles.  Sounds pretty good.   It’s in the cart, just need more stuff to get free shipping.

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    D1 has swollen throat and 101.3F fever this am.    Definitely sick.

    ——

    n

  13. Greg Norton says:

    Mortal (2020), a low-budget film out of Norway.

    The description says English.  Dubbed in French.  Spanish subtitles.  Sounds pretty good.   It’s in the cart, just need more stuff to get free shipping.
     

    If you want low budget fun from Scandinavia, see what “Sisu” goes for currently. I’ve passed along the recommendation here before.

    Again, if you are concerned, nothing happens to the girls or the little dog.

    The dog is back in the sequel coming in November.

    YouTube has the trailers for both.

  14. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’ll  second Sisu.   Free on youtube.   

    n

  15. Nick Flandrey says:

    Some of us knew this was a disaster in slow motion.   The  numbers listed for content are stunning to me.  Even back in the 80s we used to say it was ‘not your hippy kinda dope.’   To see how far it’s come from then is scary.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15081421/Dirty-habit-followed-62million-Americans-linked-psychosis.html 

    Experts are warning that potent marijuana may lead to serious mental health issues, including schizophrenia and psychosis. 

    In the US, cannabis use has nearly doubled in the past decade with 21.8 percent of individuals aged 12 years and older – 61.8 million people – reporting cannabis use in 2023, up from 12.6 percent in 2013. 

    The content of THC, the psychoactive ingredient that makes one ‘high’ after consuming marijuana, has also increased in most strains. Today, THC content is around 20 to 30 percent. 

    This is a significant rise from 1995, when the average batch of marijuana seized by the DEA had a THC content of four percent. 

    Vapes at 95% scares the crap out of me.

    n

  16. lpdbw says:

    re:  CCW insurance

    I researched this a few years ago,  and I went with US Lawshield, back when it was Texas Lawshield.  

    I have no strong arguments that it’s better or worse than any of the others, except I haven’t heard any horror stories about it like I have for some of the others.  Hopefully, I’ll never need it.

    I carry in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Missouri.  And due to a quirk in Illinois law, I carry in my truck (but not on my person) in Illinois.  I just have to remember not to take any banned firearms along in that wretched state.

    I may have occasion to visit Colorado and California some day.  That will suck.

  17. Nick Flandrey says:

    I also use US Law Shield, previously TX Law…

    They sponsored some really good and useful classes here.  The emergency gunshot treatment one was worth that year’s premium almost by itself.

    I will carry in Florida and Michigan.

    I kept my Cali residency for the first couple of years after I moved here, so that if things didn’t work out, I could still move back with my regulated in Cali gubs.   Cali has a strong gub culture, it’s just out shouted by the antis, and hobbled by “may issue”.

  18. MrAtoz says:

    If you want low budget fun from Scandinavia, see what “Sisu” goes for currently. I’ve passed along the recommendation here before.

    Sisu 2 comes out shortly.

  19. MrAtoz says:

    On Apple stuff: Like Mr. Ray, I’m only peaked about AirPods Pro 3. The claimed 2x better ANC and better fit is attractive. I haven’t checked out the Apple Watch Ultra 3 yet. I might be interested.

    All the OS “26” updates hit by Monday.

  20. Greg Norton says:

    Larry Ellison is batsh*t insane.

    Beer money. ORCL should have tanked this morning based on earnings.

    This sucker is (eventually) going down.

  21. Ray Thompson says:

    https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/10/climate/heat-waves-fossil-fuel-majors

    A result that had to find and create a study to collaborate. This is not science. I am certain that the major oil companies were targeted while rejecting other sources. Perhaps that massive concrete island called New York might be part of the problem.

    I’m only peaked about AirPods Pro 3

    I per-ordered my pair using my VA discount. With tax it still came out to $245.00. They should arrive a week from Friday. I will be back from Europe. Now what to do with the AirPods 2?

    No USB-C cable in the box. Cheap-out by Apple but I have enough cables. I suppose most people do at this point. People grumbled about getting rid of the charger. That was not a big deal as I wound up throwing four chargers away, I used Anker chargers with more ports when traveling. The Apple chargers stay in the house.

    All the OS “26” updates hit by Monday.

    I have been running OS 26, watch, phone, iPad, MacBook, since the public bets were available. I find nothing significant other than the change in the look. Maybe I am not sophisticated enough like Mr. ATOZ to use all the new features. The icons and interface with the Liquid Glass is sometimes odd, sometimes good, sometimes horrible, depending on the location and what is needed. How much more CPU time that rendering takes I don’t know.

    I have no interest in the iPhone 17 and will wait until the iPhone 18. One thing is for certain. I will pay full price and not be locked into a cellular provider. I did it with Xfinity because I got $840.00 for my two year old iPhone 13 Pro. It was a good deal. Being locked in for two years was more annoying than I thought.

  22. Ray Thompson says:

    I’m only peaked about AirPods Pro 3

    Piqued, is my anal grammar police thrill for today.

    https://www.dictionary.com/browse/piqued

    I will let myself out.

  23. ITGuy1998 says:

    I’ll upgrade to the AirPods Pro 3 as well. It will be interesting to see how the translation feature works. 

  24. MrAtoz says:

    Piqued, is my anal grammar police thrill for today.

    The Ghost of OFD. I said peaked because they sexually aroused me.

  25. MrAtoz says:

    Maybe I am not sophisticated enough like Mr. ATOZ to use all the new features.

    I find the Files app makes the iPad more PC like. Apple added more file structure, folders, etc. With Tailscale I can download files from my NAS right to the iPad+ while on the road, through the Files app.

  26. EdH says:

    All the OS “26” updates hit by Monday.

    My old iPhone 11 will (supposedly) support iOS 26 but not the AI.  I say supposedly because Apple was proven themselves willing to deliberately damage the user experience on older devices to get a few more sales of a new device. 

    I strongly suspect that the new interface will be unpleasant for people with vision issues such as myself.  

    For a while I had an android tablet with a beautiful  interface that sounds a lot like what Apple is attempting. It was beautiful to look at – but a pain in the butt to use – and I eventually stopped using it.

    So to be honest I am not looking forward to replicating that experience with my brand new 13 inch iPad.

  27. MrAtoz says:

    It would be cool if my NAS could replace iCloud. There are apps to backup everything, but syncing all devices like iCloud is lacking. Apple isn’t giving up that sweet cloud cash.

  28. SteveF says:

    Apple isn’t giving up that sweet cloud cash.

    And that sweet data mining. Even if Apple’s engineers aren’t able to see the content of the files stored on the cloud, a claim which I am skeptical of, the patterns of upload and access would be worth something.

  29. Ray Thompson says:

    I said peaked because they sexually aroused me

    Well, then. As I said, more sophisticated than I.

    I find the Files app makes the iPad more PC like

    Wait until IOS 26 arrives on your iPad. It may be an orgasmic experience to go with your peak when realize you can minimize, restore, resize, and move APP windows. I find it annoying as sometimes an app window, becomes a window, with three small dots, just like the MAC.

    I strongly suspect that the new interface will be unpleasant for people with vision issues such as myself.

    For the most part it is OK. The MAC works just fine, the watch OK, the iPad OK. Some buttons on the iPhone get difficult to see depending on the background. Maybe the final release version will resolve some of this. The first iteration was terrible with subsequent releases getting better.

    but syncing all devices like iCloud is lacking. Apple isn’t giving up that sweet cloud cash

    Yeh, other options would be nice. But $2.99 (no tax) each month is not too bad. Considering that it syncs all my devices, syncs some items with my wife’s account, and provides more than enough space to backup for my wife’s iPhone/iPad and my systems.

    To set up a NAS systems, that can sync outside my home lan, with security, would cost several years of what I pay for iCloud. And I would have to maintain the system. iCloud just works.

  30. SteveF says:

    D1 has swollen throat and 101.3F fever this am.    Definitely sick.

    Might better check on her swain. It’s probably coincidental timing but it’s best to be sure.

  31. Ray Thompson says:

    Even if Apple’s engineers aren’t able to see the content of the files stored on the cloud, a claim which I am skeptical of, the patterns of upload and access would be worth something.

    Based on the millions of uploads and downloads from millions of customers I suspect my information gets lost in the shuffle. I am no more concerned than I am with Xfinity and Google looking at my email, the sources, and perhaps even the contents to glean what information they can get. Then sell the information, anonymously of course (chuckle, chuckle).

    I trust Apple more than I do the other providers as Apple has a specific policy. Other’s policies are more like “we do nothing with your data* without a warrant”.

    *Unless money is involved and then we can be bought by anyone with enough cash.

  32. Greg Norton says:

    Apple isn’t giving up that sweet cloud cash.

    And that sweet data mining. Even if Apple’s engineers aren’t able to see the content of the files stored on the cloud, a claim which I am skeptical of, the patterns of upload and access would be worth something.
     

    The dirty secret of iCloud is how much of it depends on Azure.

  33. SteveF says:

    It doesn’t matter. Low-IQ/low-impulse-control? Socially disadvantaged? Mentally ill? It just doesn’t matter.

    Agreed. Mental handicaps, real or imagined, are a challenge to be overcome, not an excuse to behave like an animal.

    Nor are they an excuse for bad parenting. No, your four-year-old isn’t ripping up all of the magazines in the waiting room because he has ADHD, it’s because you’re a blubberina who can’t be bothered to look up from your phone to keep an eye on him, let alone lever your three-foot-wide bottom out of the chair to pull him away from the magazine stack.

  34. SteveF says:

    Apple has a specific policy. Other’s policies are more like “we do nothing with your data* without a warrant”.

    Watch out for “terms subject to change without notice at our sole discretion” in the contract, license agreement, or terms of use.

  35. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well, kid popped for flu and strep.    Amoxicillin should be ready for pickup in an hour or two.  Soup and bed rest, no school ’til next week.      Tylenol as desired for pain.

    Her date says he’s feeling fine. 

    Practitioner said it is sweeping thru local schools.  It’s only the second full week, so I’m not surprised.   She said “everyone has been here from every school today…”

    n

  36. Ray Thompson says:

    Watch out for “terms subject to change without notice at our sole discretion” in the contract, license agreement, or terms of use.

    Yeh, well, if Apple wants to sell my dick pictures, I will just superimpose your name on all the images. The NCAA has payment for NIL, maybe Apple will do the same for you.

  37. paul says:

    If you want low budget fun from Scandinavia, see what “Sisu” goes for currently. I’ve passed along the recommendation here before.

    Again, if you are concerned, nothing happens to the girls or the little dog.

    Ok.  I found a movie called Sisu on Big River.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C29M3SS4?tag=ttgnet-20 

    There’s another movie with the same name but Greg recommending a movie about riding bicycles around Maine would be bizarre. 

    Assume the linked movie is what Greg is talking about.  I see nothing about girls or the little dog.  But one of the reviews say “John Wick meets WW-II.”   Oh! 

    And hey….. isn’t that how John Wick started?  His wife died and while stealing the Mustang some gopnik killed his beagle puppy, Daisy,  just for fun?  

  38. lpdbw says:

    Does the left WANT to start a civil war?

    This is how you start a civil war.

  39. MrAtoz says:

    Assume the linked movie is what Greg is talking about.  I see nothing about girls or the little dog.  But one of the reviews say “John Wick meets WW-II.”   Oh! 

    Yup, that’s the one.

  40. Alan says:

    Can I ignore the two new to-do items if I posted them on the wrong day??

    No, huh, okay, fine…

    >>The list gets longer, and I’m not making progress. I’ll work on that today.

    My tally so far for today is one task completed and two more added – net in the wrong direction. Having a chronic illness doesn’t help sometimes…

  41. Lynn says:

    “Podcasters and OnlyFans Creators Stand to Win Big Under Trump’s Tax Law”

        https://finance.yahoo.com/news/podcasters-onlyfans-creators-stand-win-140000479.html?guccounter=1

    “(Bloomberg) — Katherine Green, a dominatrix who creates online adult videos, wasn’t expecting a windfall from President Donald Trump’s signature push to make tips tax-free.”

    “The Houston-based OnlyFans Ltd. creator, who goes by the title Mistress professionally, is not a waitress, a rideshare driver or a golf caddy — professions typically associated with tipping. But new Treasury Department guidelines on Trump’s tax law include digital content creators like Green on the break.”

    I need to figure out how get paid in tips.

  42. Alan says:

    That makes two in  a row on the wrong date…

    >>That does help although having all my eggs in one basket, being carried by a 16yo with an inflated sense of ability is its own kind of nervewracking.

    Just being a parent…getting their DL spikes the timeline a bit…and the spike ends, well, ‘turning in their DL’ is an event you (hopefully) get to miss.

    In between, we try not to worry too much…

    Okay, now back to Wednesday…

  43. SteveF says:

    I need to figure out how get paid in tips.

    Start doing circumcisions.

  44. Lynn says:

    I am going to get my right eye cataract replaced on Oct 7.  I have to decide which lens to get.  The list is:

    1. plain lens set for distance or reading, no extra cost, will require glasses
    2. Toric lens to correct astigmatism, set for distance or reading, $1,200, will require glasses
    3. Vivity / Panoptix multifocal lens, also corrects astigmatism, will correct both distance and reading, may not require glasses, $2,400

    Any advice ?

    My wife has distance in her left eye and reading in her right eye.  That concept just freaks me out since I currently use my left eye for distance with glasses and for reading without glasses.  My right eye is very weak compared to my left eye.  I am leaning towards the multifocal lens.

    I also have to pay a $1,500 laser fee and a $300 ORA (Optiwave refractive analysis) fee.

  45. Lynn says:

    I need to figure out how get paid in tips.

    Start doing circumcisions.

    Dude, not those kind of tips !

  46. Lynn says:

    “The backlash grows against crime – and spreads to entire races”

       https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-backlash-grows-against-crime-and.html

    “I think President Trump spoke for the majority of Americans in his comments yesterday about the murder of a young Ukrainian woman on a North Carolina transit system.  His statement is very brief, but I hope all my readers will take a couple of minutes to listen to it.”

    “An equally tragic situation is arising in terms of relations between racial and ethnic groups in this country. More and more people are unequivocally equating criminal violence with black crime and black violence. Eric S. Raymond pointed out yesterday:”
    https://x.com/esrtweet/status/1964680074076078188

    I have black friends at church.  They are unhappy with blacks causing the majority of crimes also.  To me there are good people and bad people.  For whites, the bad people percentage is (SWAG) 10%.  For blacks, the bad people percentage is (SWAG) 50%.  SWAG is Scientific Wild Ass Guess.  Do not turn your back on a bad person, Iryna Zarutska found that out the hard way.

  47. Lynn says:

    Stark self defence food for thought from LawDog: https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/everyone-is-a-lesson

    Yup, that is the “have a plan to kill everyone that you meet” philosophy.  Not bad in the low trust society that we are becoming.

  48. Ray Thompson says:

    Any advice ?

    Go for the top of the line. Vision is everything. Don’t skimp.

  49. MrAtoz says:

    My wife has distance in her left eye and reading in her right eye.  That concept just freaks me out since I currently use my left eye for distance with glasses and for reading without glasses.  My right eye is very weak compared to my left eye.  I am leaning towards the multifocal lens.

    Get the multifocal lens, like Mr. Ray says.

    My LASIK was mono vision. My right eye is distance, left eye reading. But my vision at the time probably wasn’t as desperate as yours. My brain interpolates so I don’t close one eye. Interestingly, when I take the DMV vision test, the one where you look in the box, I do have to close one eye to read the second half of the letters. Not looking forward to that when I get my NV license. “Sir, you are blind, can’t even read the 20/40 correctly.” Texas switched to a guy holding up a piece of paper with letters on it.

  50. EdH says:

    Any advice ?

    As Ray says: Don’t skimp.  

    A few thousand dollars is nothing in the long run. 

    But nothing experimental.

  51. MrAtoz says:

    On the Charlie Kirk shooting: The PLT LSM are already blaming it on Kirk himself for “hate” speech.

    Is there any doubt the shooter is a tranny? Or at least a PLT freak.

    5
    1
  52. MrAtoz says:

    The DM is reporting Charlie Kirk is dead. I hope they find the shooter and kill him in a shoot out.

  53. MrAtoz says:

    A guy with a wife and two young kids goes around and debates on college campuses. The PLTs are so threatened they assassinate him.

    I am done with PLTs, trannies, lefty Dumbos. Fcuk them. They will get no respect from me. Kirk’s debates were respectful. The screaming libs for commies, trannies, etc. are telling. 

  54. paul says:

    Start doing circumcisions.

    And of course, jew them down on the price?

  55. paul says:

    Toric lens to correct astigmatism, set for distance or reading,

    Huh.  Astigmatism is not just a lens problem?  I guess that makes sense.  

    Sometimes the fingernail sliver of a Moon that would hold water is just a couple of crescents with my right eye.  Other times I’ve counted 15 crescents.    Maybe BP makes a difference? 

    “Vivity / Panoptix multifocal lens, also corrects astigmatism, will correct both distance and reading, may not require glasses, $2,400

    I also have to pay a $1,500 laser fee and a $300 ORA (Optiwave refractive analysis) fee.”

    So what’s the probelm?   Spend the five grand with included taxes and eye drops and get your eye fixed.   And spend it again when it is time for your other eye.  

    BECAUSE why have you busted your butt to make money for your whole life?  Surely not for a nicer car or leave lots of money to your heirs. 

    Get your eyes fixed to the best tech.  You’re worth it even if you feel wasteful spending money on you, yourself.

    Sheesh.  Dude.  Just do it.  Don’t count the pennies.

  56. Nightraker says:

    @Lynn: 

     My experience with LAL lenses implant went swimmingly.  The surgery was quick, painless and drug free.  The first visit after surgery corrected astigmatism, the next two corrected vision better and better.  I’d been wearing glasses since first grade and passed my driving license exam a few weeks ago without anything remarkable, glasses free.  In theory, Medicare paid for the exams and surgery but I paid $4K per lens out of pocket.  My left eye is set for distance, right for close.

  57. SteveF says:

    The PLTs are so threatened they assassinate him.

    Ten for one.

    6
    1
  58. paul says:

    Just to pile on.

    Lynn, you have a chunk o’ property with a couple of decent sized buildings and a couple of little buildings, like 14 acres and you want, I forget if 1.4 or 4.1 million bucks.  Out of my price range. 

    Spend the money on your eyes.   You can afford it.  I can afford it.

    I dropped way too much to have carpet replaced with vinyl plank stuff.   Then had them back to do the hall way.    I grumped about it but paying bill was just “clicky click and done”.  For flooring.  

  59. Ken Mitchell says:

    Does the left WANT to start a civil war?

    I believe that they do. Even though we have all the guns, and “they” do not. 

    7
    1
  60. Denis says:

    Sheesh.  Dude.  Just do it.  Don’t count the pennies.

    What he said. Vision is primordial. Pay for the best option available.

    I spent the evening unboxing a high-end Hi-Fi / home cinema system from Teufel, a German company. The amp is a Denon, and the CD player a Yamaha. So far, I am impressed with the quality of manufacture of the speakers, and the fit and finish in general. Even small parts that will never be visible after installation are nicely made. Lots of attention to detail. I think it will be a good setup.

    Next step will be to mock it up, with the components in more or less the correct places in the room, then give some thought to routing the cables and locating the subwoofer. Am debating with myself whether to mount the main speakers on rubber feet or on hard spikes with washer-like pucks. 

    Just listened to the German radio news before bed. I had not heard before of Charlie Kirk. It is no good sign for the state of the polity in the US that a young conservative man is murdered for speaking on a university campus. It looks like the left are becoming increasingly desperate and unhinged.

  61. paul says:

    “For flooring.  â€

    Almost five grand. for flooring.  Oy.  But it looks nice. 

  62. Greg Norton says:

    Ok.  I found a movie called Sisu on Big River.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C29M3SS4?tag=ttgnet-20 

    There’s another movie with the same name but Greg recommending a movie about riding bicycles around Maine would be bizarre. 

    Within the last year, I watched “Broadcasting Christmas” without complaint.

    We went to Maine as part of our trip to the Boston region last fall. I like to watch the ferry come and go at the live feed from this restaurant.

    https://islandlobsterco.com/

    Peaks Island was one of the stops on our trip, but everything was closed for the season, including the Island Lobster Co.

  63. Greg Norton says:

    Just listened to the German radio news before bed. I had not heard before of Charlie Kirk. It is no good sign for the state of the polity in the US that a young conservative man is murdered for speaking on a university campus. It looks like the left are becoming increasingly desperate and unhinged.

    Becoming? They’ve been desperate and unhinged for decades.

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  64. Lynn says:

    Lynn, you have a chunk o’ property with a couple of decent sized buildings and a couple of little buildings, like 14 acres and you want, I forget if 1.4 or 4.1 million bucks.  Out of my price range. 

    Spend the money on your eyes.   You can afford it.  I can afford it.

    I dropped way too much to have carpet replaced with vinyl plank stuff.   Then had them back to do the hall way.    I grumped about it but paying bill was just “clicky click and done”.  For flooring.  

    Yeah, I’ve got quite a bit in several banks, makes me worried about a bank failure so I distribute around the place.  And quite a bit of properties and shares of companies, almost eight figures.  We are not hurting but my wife is very concerned about the long term, 20 years plus.  Her Âź Native American grandmother lived to be 94, her ½ Native American grandmother lived to be 86.

    But I am concerned about the quality of vision of the multifocal lens for a programmer.  I am wondering if you give up some distance vision for the intermediate (computer screen) and close (reading) vision.

    This marketing looks promising for a programmer, “The Clareon® Vivity® Lens allows you to see clearly at far and intermediate distances with functional near vision,1 so that you can immerse yourself in a full range of activities—all while relying less on glasses”:

       https://www.myalcon.com/cataracts/clareon-iols/vivity/

    and so does this trifocal lens, “ClareonÂŽ PanOptixÂŽ is an advanced type of trifocal lens that  uses ENLIGHTENÂŽ technology, to help optimize vision at intermediate and distance, while still maintaining exceptional vision for both near and far distances.”:

       https://www.myalcon.com/cataracts/clareon-iols/panoptix/

  65. Nick Flandrey says:

    RIP Charlie Kirk.   The guy was legend online.

    n

  66. Lynn says:

    My cousins in West Texas are making up for that. They tend to have big families – I think one of them had seven children, who are now busily creating the next generation. That said, I’m not sure that West Texas culture is what we really want spreading. :-/

    Why not ?  Most of my wife’s relatives only have one car up on blocks in the front yard.

    There is a very high percentage of Native Americans in west Texas.  Her uncle who fought for Patton lived to be 99, he was surprised to make it out of Europe and back to the USA.  Apparently staring a Panzer tank directly in the barrel is bad for your health.

  67. Greg Norton says:

    Assume the linked movie is what Greg is talking about.  I see nothing about girls or the little dog.  But one of the reviews say “John Wick meets WW-II.”   Oh! 

    Trailer for the first film showing the little dog and the girls.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NnPzpuU5ao

    Trailer for the sequel showing the dog, alive and riding shotgun in the truck.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmStqCXIgio

    Amazon had the first film for less than $10 until recently. I sailed the high seas to see it but settled kharma by purchasing a physical copy.

  68. Nick Flandrey says:

    Illinois governor blames shooting on Trump and January 6 rioters

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker seemed to blame the fatal shooting of Trump-ally Charlie Kirk on the president.

    Speaking to reporters, Pritzker noted that ‘political violence has been ratcheting up in this country.

    ‘We saw the shootings and killings in Minnesota, we’ve seen other political violence occur in other states and I would just say it’s gotta stop,’ he said.

    ‘And I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president’s rhetoric often foments it,’ Pritzker continued.

    ‘We’ve seen the January 6 rioters who clearly have tripped a new era of political violence,’ he tried to explain.

    Sick.   The political violence has been almost entirely from the left.  BLM?  Riots.  Seattle? Riots and takeovers with kids shot dead.    Cameraman’s security shot dead at a rally.   Occupy Wallstreet?  Rapes and assaults.

    And that’s leaving aside the attacks on the Congressional softball game, and the three attempts to kill Trump.

    n

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  69. Greg Norton says:

    And that’s leaving aside the attacks on the Congressional softball game, and the three attempts to kill Trump.

    The would be Trump assassin in Florida went on trial this week.

    https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/ryan-routh-trial-florida

    Even if Routh skates on Federal charges, DeSantis and Ashley Moody have him locked up on a very narrowly crafted set of state charges.

  70. Greg Norton says:

    Amazon had the first film for less than $10 until recently. I sailed the high seas to see it but settled kharma by purchasing a physical copy.

    Amazon has been clearing out physical media as of late.

  71. Lynn says:

    Chip fabs are the ball bearing plants of Hogan’s Heros, and real life WWII strategy in Germany.   They’re in everything.  So they are vulnerable, but IDK if they are AS important as leadership thinks.   I’m pretty sure they are on a personal level, and we need domestic production, and I’d rather not find out if I’m right or wrong.

    Every car and truck made or sold in the USA has at least 100 cpus in it.  Most of those cpus sell for $10 or less.  And most of them are made in Taiwan or mainland China.

  72. Lynn says:

    Assume the linked movie is what Greg is talking about.  I see nothing about girls or the little dog.  But one of the reviews say “John Wick meets WW-II.”   Oh! 

    Trailer for the first film showing the little dog and the girls.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NnPzpuU5ao

    Trailer for the sequel showing the dog, alive and riding shotgun in the truck.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmStqCXIgio

    The first Sisu movie was a bloodbath.  I loved it.

  73. paul says:

    I don’t know about Denon.  Never heard anything bad.  Yamaha rocks.  

    Sony is variable.  Optical drives of various kinds from LaserDisc through BlueRay are great.  Trinitron TVs are benchmark.  Boom boxes are great.  Stereo receivers, not so much.  Receivers just don’t sound right.   Decent stuff but the sound is “off”.

    But I’m a Yamaha fan.

    Oh, yeah,.  Turntables.  Wanna go there”   Dual.  The best. 

  74. Greg Norton says:

    Chip fabs are the ball bearing plants of Hogan’s Heros, and real life WWII strategy in Germany.   They’re in everything.  So they are vulnerable, but IDK if they are AS important as leadership thinks.   I’m pretty sure they are on a personal level, and we need domestic production, and I’d rather not find out if I’m right or wrong.

    Intel’s US fabs? Yes, they are important to keep on shore.

    Trump did the right thing getting a piece of Intel large enough to probably pick up a board seat.

    Someone has been playing a game with INTC for about a year.

    The dirty secret of the monkey trick is that nothing currently gets made here, including final assembly of the server boxes.

  75. paul says:

    “Trump did the right thing getting a piece of Intel large enough to probably pick up a board seat.”

    Could be but my understanding is that it is all non-voting stock.    In other word, the Gov didn’t give Intel eleventy billion bucks with nothing in return beyond a pinky swear.  Like bailing out GM.

    Sure, there will be some “nudge nudge and wink wink ” crap.    But the US gov has a share of Intel now and well…. 

  76. Lynn says:

    “Advanced M9 Plus Compact Desktop PC with 2.1-Inch Display, 1TB NVMe SSD Intel i9-12900HK (14C/20T, 5.0GHz), 32GB DDR4 RAM, Triple 4K Display, WiFi 6, BT 5.2, USB-C/Thunderbolt”

        https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DMZZ48VL?tag=ttgnet-20

    OK, at $500, I am tempted to replace my home pc with this.  Very tempted.

    But how do I connect a cd-rom to it ? usb external ?

    And can I install a second internal drive for backups ?

  77. Gavin says:

    Does the left WANT to start a civil war?

    I think the left believes the right will shout and then grumble and then shut up. Because the left believes they have the monopoly on political violence. Their mistake is not understanding that the right views political violence differently, that while the left imagines a dial, the right imagines a switch. Charlie Kirk, plus Iryna Zarutska, may be enough to flip the switch. I’ll say I hope not, but I will not bet on that.

  78. Lynn says:

    Does the left WANT to start a civil war?

    I think the left believes the right will shout and then grumble and then shut up. Because the left believes they have the monopoly on political violence. Their mistake is not understanding that the right views political violence differently, that while the left imagines a dial, the right imagines a switch. Charlie Kirk, plus Iryna Zarutska, may be enough to flip the switch. I’ll say I hope not, but I will not bet on that.

    My brother and I were talking about this earlier.  We were wondering how you tell who is on which side ?

    My brother lives in Chicago.  He does not go outside after dark.  Nor does he take the train anywhere after dark.

  79. IT_Pro says:

    I am going to get my right eye cataract replaced on Oct 7.  I have to decide which lens to get.  The list is:

    1. plain lens set for distance or reading, no extra cost, will require glasses
    2. Toric lens to correct astigmatism, set for distance or reading, $1,200, will require glasses
    3. Vivity / Panoptix multifocal lens, also corrects astigmatism, will correct both distance and reading, may not require glasses, $2,400

    Any advice ?

    My wife has distance in her left eye and reading in her right eye.  That concept just freaks me out since I currently use my left eye for distance with glasses and for reading without glasses.  My right eye is very weak compared to my left eye.  I am leaning towards the multifocal lens.

    I also have to pay a $1,500 laser fee and a $300 ORA (Optiwave refractive analysis) fee.

    Lynn,

    I had my cataract surgery performed in the fall of 2022 at the tender age of 68.  I also have astigmatism and my left eye is significantly weaker than my right eye.  I had been using glasses beginning about 10 years prior.  My cataracts had been present for at least five years prior to my surgery.  One year before my surgery, reading became very difficult and I needed to use a magnifying glass with my glasses on to read a computer screen.  

    I opted for the Vivity multifocal lens.   There were several choices for multifocal, close up and mid-distance or mid-distance and long distance.  The doctor warned me that I would probably still need glasses for whichever distance range I did not choose.  So I picked the mid-distance and long distance, figuring I was already using glasses anyway.  Each eye was done separately, with several weeks between surgeries.  In the end, I could drive without glasses and read road signs, etc.  I can also read my phone and computer screen without glasses  most of the time.  Sometimes for finer print, I still need glasses.

    One unexpected problem after the surgery was that my eye pressures, which had always been normal, we reading above normal range.  To correct this, the doctor put me on a couple of different eye drops for several weeks.  I still visit him twice a year for monitoring.  There is lots more I can say, but I’ve already rambled on too long.  Feel free to ask me anything about the surgery.

  80. Bob Sprowl says:

    My late wife wore coke bottle thick glasses from age 8 until she had cataract surgery at age 68.  We opted for the best they had, (details escape me).  She never wore glasses again and couldn’t have been more pleased.

    I had 20/10 vision until I was in my late 40s.  I got to where I needed cataract surgery in my early 70s and my eyes were 20/20.  The same doctor did my eyes and I went the cheap route.  I need glasses for reading but worse than that, is I have “shadows”.   Everything is like a shadow font.  One eye is slighty down and two the left and the other is to the right.  At night instead of seeing two tail lights on the car in front of I see 4 lights.  Detail work is very hard.  I have to be very careful about taking measurements or marking the spot to cut or drill.  The doctor acknowledged my problem but had no suggestions.

  81. drwilliams says:

    Somewhere there may ne someone looking at a list. Someone has to be at the top. I hope it is ILGov. 

  82. Ken Mitchell says:

    while the left imagines a dial, the right imagines a switch. Charlie Kirk, plus Iryna Zarutska, may be enough to flip the switch. I’ll say I hope not, but I will not bet on that.

    I don’t THINK that the “switch” has been flipped from “peaceful debate” to “all-out civil war”, but it’s clear that a number of lefties are leaning heavily on that switch. And they HAVE BEEN for years now.  

    Which was one of the MANY reasons why we bailed out of Cacafornia 5 years ago. Because when Texas secedes and becomes the Republic of Texas, I wanted to already BE here. 

  83. drwilliams says:

    How about having a service for Charlie Kirk at the National Cathedral? When the Dems onject, they should be told that he is more worthy than Biden will ever be, and ask them to consider …

    Put Charlie on a stamp and on a U.S. Quarter. 

  84. SteveF says:

    Civil War: When the left and the right are fighting each other

    Massacre: When the left is fighting the right and the right is not fighting back

  85. drwilliams says:

    After due consideration I am going to revise and just make a wish list for the top 5. 

    Second nominee: Marc Elias

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  86. Greg Norton says:

    I think the left believes the right will shout and then grumble and then shut up.

    The left wants to push things until a pretty co-ed from a “good” school is shot dead on camera by police or, better, a member of a National Guard unit.

    At that point, it will be Game Over for the right for at least a generation.

    Faux News and I Heart Radio are already laying the groundwork for such a shift.

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  87. drwilliams says:

    @Denis

    Agree with your advice to @Lynn: Vision is worth paying for the best. 

  88. drwilliams says:

    3rd nominee:

    Tie between stale morning joke and staler late-night merkin-face

  89. Nick Flandrey says:

    Because when Texas secedes and becomes the Republic of Texas, I wanted to already BE here. 

    – This.  I figure I’ll have a Texas passport at some point in the future.  It’s hard to predict the timeline, but I believe it’s coming.   And it will probably come from the lefty cities, which is even better.

    n

  90. Anon says:

    Civil War: When the left and the right are fighting each other

    Massacre: When the left is fighting the right and the right is not fighting back

    This has been the case through most of modern history

    and the right realizes it too late…

  91. Nick Flandrey says:

    I don’t want a civil war, as the battle lines aren’t geographic.   It’ll be guerrilla and terror tactics and everyone will be on the front lines.

    But it’s coming.  As is a global realignment.  

    Stack.

    n

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  92. JimB says:

    Lynn, IMO, there is no “best” option for your cataract lens implants. Allow me to explain.

    First, all of us are individuals, with different needs and preferences. What I might like could drive you crazy, and vice versa. Here are some things to ponder.

    Multifocal lenses are said to have improved a lot over the last ten or so years. When I chose my distant eye implant 12 years ago, my doc’s description of multifocal lenses really turned me off because I value my night vision and driving against oncoming headlights. I instead chose an implant with a hinge that was supposed to allow it to accommodate (focus) using the eye’s ciliary muscle. It was a gamble, which did not work for me, BUT I now have a fixed focus lens that is a full aperture, single focal length lens. There are no visual artifacts as with the multifocal lens I was offered. Don’t worry about the name: it is obsolete, no longer available, and I wouldn’t recommend it anyway.

    You said you have astigmatism. Definitely get that corrected if you want crisp vision, BUT a small amount of astigmatism can make focus errors seem less annoying. OR, more annoying, depending on axis and other factors. I can’t tell. I have been through that, and would definitely correct the astigmatism. I now have some more astigmatism, but it works with my other eye for improved binocular vision. There is no guarantee how you will fare or react. See Bob Sprowl’s comment at 22:13.

    You mentioned an eye corrected for distant or near vision. That implies monovision. If you don’t already have that, and you don’t seem to, DO NOT jump in without testing because it will be hard to replace the implants if you don’t  like your outcome. Monovision can only be tested by wearing contact lenses, not glasses. In my case, it took me slightly over the maximum of three months for it to start working. That was over 35 years ago, and I love it. I kept it after cataract surgery.

    I also have to pay a $1,500 laser fee and a $300 ORA (Optiwave refractive analysis) fee.

    That implies you will get a LASIK, a SMILE, or a PRK touchup after your cataract surgery. I had that on one eye, with excellent results.

    -OR-

    Consider Light Adjustable Lenses, similar to Nightraker at 17:43. My wife had those done a year ago, and she had excellent results. Wish they had been available for me.

    -BUT WAIT-

    My wife went to a practice that employs optometrists in addition to ophthalmologists. The optometrists are vision specialists, and the ophthalmologists are the surgeons. They work together to get a superior outcome. I can’t emphasize this enough. Her optometrist is one of the best I have ever seen. She had started with a different practice, but quit when the ophthalmologist tried to talk her out of her monovision. She has had it for over 35 years, and wanted to keep it.

    Finally, you might want to step back and reconsider your options. Time spent up front could prevent regret later. Although it is possible, removing an implant and replacing it with something different is apparently very rare. Until something changes, consider cataract surgery a once in a lifetime event.

    I wish you the best. As someone here said, get the best you can.

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  93. drwilliams says:

    @Nick

    ”watch is missing blood oxygen that I currently on my series 9 watch”

    Patent dispute. 99% that capability is there and can be turned on in future. Question is whether they can bork older devices if they think it is economically advantageous. 

  94. drwilliams says:

    @Nick

    ”battle lines aren’t geographic.”

    Not as pure as WBTS, but looking at county level there are a majority of states where the blue infection is a city disease, and food and energy are mostly not produced there. Ever read Mike Williamson?

  95. Denis says:

    11 September.

    Never forgive. Never forget.

    I won’t forget. We were speaking with colleagues at the WTC when the first plane hit.

  96. Lynn says:

    I also have to pay a $1,500 laser fee and a $300 ORA (Optiwave refractive analysis) fee.

    That implies you will get a LASIK, a SMILE, or a PRK touchup after your cataract surgery. I had that on one eye, with excellent results.

    The laser is used to fry the old lens.  Better than him cutting the old lens out.

    The eye surgeon has fixed both of my wife’s cataracts (gave her monovision that she loves).  No touchup needed.  He is 72 and has done about 20,000 cataracts (SWAG).  He did one of my dads and both of my mothers.

  97. Lynn says:

    Thanks to all for the good advice !!!

  98. Gavin says:

    Toric lens to correct astigmatism

    I’ve noticed recently that my vision has become somewhat better over the last year or so, and I can see better without either my old correction or my more recent one, except that I have more astigmatism (as measured by my eyes reacting to oncoming headlights at night). I now drive in daytime with non-prescription sunglasses, and can see better, including reading road signs. At night, still need the glasses, even though I don’t see as well with them now.

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