Who knows what today’s weather will be like. We weren’t supposed to get much from Bertha, but some parts of the Houston area got more than an inch of rain. We got a bad thunderstorm but it didn’t last. It did knock down the temperature. It was only 78F when I went to bed. So today could be more of the same, or it could be just a summer day here in the swamp. We’ll see.
I did a lot yesterday. Got my tenant taken care of. Did a pickup in Alvin and another on my way home, while driving through storms that were pretty strong. It was dark as night in places. And a lot of water fell from the sky. Like every t storm, we had localized flooding and high water, but it didn’t last. Finally got home in time for a brief power outage. Changed the batteries in the lanterns, but that was about it. I’m critically short of AA batteries though. I’ve been trying to get to Costco and return a whole package that went bad in storage, and to get more for the stockpile, but didn’t make it yet. So I used the D cell lanterns. I’ve gotten several boxes of D cells in the auctions lately. Big and heavy, but they do last a long time.
Today I might make it to Costco. And to Lowes to get the trim I need for the BOL window project. If it’s not raining, W and I are going up this weekend. Both kids have other plans with other people, so we’re free to do what we want. And I want to wrap up that project.
Or we’ll stay home and work the list here. I’m still on strike so there are parts of the list I’m ignoring, since I don’t do anything around here… Kid mentioned how high the grass in the back yard was last night. Yup. ‘Cuz I don’t do anything around here. I don’t know if I can hold out. It’s in my nature to just fix stuff when it’s wrong. I have to resist dozens of times a day even on little stuff like cleaning the sink or picking up something on the floor. Petty. Yup.
Meanwhile, stacking continues, albeit at a slower pace. But the journey is the goal…
nick
Not petty. Teaching…
Friday. Good morning! I am on holidays. No more megaproject. No more work until Monday. I hardly know what to do with myself. I will think of something, I suppose. It might involve tinkering with gubs, or maybe additional sleeping. But first, breakfast!
I hear ya. Hold firm and do not deviate from the path.
You’re comparing the best of the past with the worst of today. There was plenty of crap back then, too. There’s probably good music today, from younger singers or bands or producers, not from superannuated bands from the 1970s. I couldn’t name any, but there’s probably some.
That said, the good performers of the past had to be better than those of today because they didn’t have the studio magic. I know they had some but I doubt that the world’s best setup in 1970 could match what a garage band could use in 2020.
For some reason “You’re so Vain” got stuck in my head a few days ago so I found it on YouTube and listened a couple times to make it go away. Carly Simon could sing. (Just checked: she’s still alive but don’t know if she can still sing at 83.) Several octaves range. Changed the feel of her voice depending on the nature of the lines. (I’m sure there are words for that but I never learned them. I don’t recall getting any music theory at all in public school, other than a little on harmonics in science class. My first wife was a musician and music teacher but she was terrible at explaining things like “what is timbre” or “what do you call…”.) And I have found no evidence that Carly Simon pranced around half-naked on stage as part of the performance.
SpaceX can’t buy all of the unsold Cybertrucks.
https://electrek.co/2025/12/18/elon-musks-spacex-bought-tens-of-millions-worth-of-cybertrucks-tesla-cant-sell/
And you thought that the IPO was about capital to build rockets.
Nike, Apple, Tesla, and urban real estate.
Did I miss anyone?
Refrain from cracks about manufacturers of “grillz”.
Fifty years from now no one will be listening to that junk. The music of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s are still being played. Several Sirius/XM channels dedicated to the stuff. I am really partial to the ‘60s as I grew up with that stuff. A person can actually understand the lyrics.
I only use the Costco batteries in stuff I don’t care about, such as TV remotes and the LED candles, etc. For emergency lights and the good flashlights I use Lithium AA batteries. Very long shelf life and they don’t leak. My multimeters all have Lithium installed having lost a good Klein meter to corrosion. My Fluke network and cable tester has never touched alkaline batteries.
Yeah, I recall getting frustrated at the inability of music teachers to explain what they were doing in school. Nerdy science/engineering majors really need more.
Later it turned out there was a lot of math and physics involved, but I was way too busy with other things to bother with it much.
The sad part is that Taylor Swift IS the best of modern music. And people will be listening because you spend the rest of your life listening to the music you liked in high school. The ‘error bars’ move somewhat, and you might find new stuff to listen to, but that is the observed truth. XM has those channels because XM subscribers are those people.
There was a lot of slop back then but the system is brutal, and was even more so back then, so the slop gets suppressed and forgotten.
The songs we think are trite or boring, or pop crap from those previous eras are surprisingly good as songs, we just heard then every 20 minutes in heavy rotation until we’d rather gargle battery acid than listen one more time. The radio just wore them out. The fact that they are in my 17yo’s play list is testament to how good they were AS SONGS.
And yes, you needed more to succeed back then. Work, talent, or the right friends, whatever did it for you, there was a lot less access to an audience than today. Some incredible people couldn’t get past the gatekeepers and we never heard their music, because they because accountants, or auto mechanics, or housewives.
There are fewer gatekeepers and the barrier to entry is crazy low. AI is lowering it even more.
Hard work, and striving were always a necessary part of the process. Dunno if that will continue.
—————–
87F and sunny. Looks like it might be gusty too.
I guess I better start getting ready to head to the BOL later today.
n
I’m pretty much the same. I have scaled back on FLASHLIGHTS in the sense I’ve settled on the Olight brand. I only have one that takes a AAA, all the rest are sealed rechargeable or removable 16500/27000. I’ve tried recharging them all on my solar generator and all-in-one small, foldable, solar panel. They charge fine.
At least the kirkland batteries leak a clear electrolyte. And they don’t do much damage to contacts. They also don’t last in storage in my garage. On the other hand, they perform decently and are cheaper.
Duracel swell up and ruin flashlights. They leak too. I gave up on them years ago.
———–
as an aside, why do ‘70s and ’80s Radio Shack electronics have such a distinctive smell?
———–
n
I know that smell. I can’t really describe it, but it is instantly recognizable. Maybe its the plastic? I have my Dad’s TRS-80 and it has that smell.
Maybe make an announcement that you will only work on things that are brought up / requested so you know they are actually seeing what’s being done and they know you are doing it?
My house keeping has slipped hard since MiL health crisis began several months ago. I’m watching the tumbleweeds of corgi hair roll along the floor, out from the hidden places, due to a light breeze entering by the open window. vacuum the hair? Or close the window?
The grass is pretty long. I had been using a robo mower out front (best FB Marketplace bargain ever) but put it up so I could do a minor project and haven’t put it back yet. The backyard hasn’t been mowed for two weeks due to the incessant rain and current lack of a teenager. I need to get out there and deal with it. I dontwanna
motivation has been sapped by MiL needs.
I‘ll gird my loins and deal with it all this weekend.
Jenny, I understand completely. After enough doubled-up work and enough stress, even when one is not too physically tired and sore and not too sleep-deprived, it’s awfully hard to find the energy and motivation to stand up and work on the next chore on the list.
This is enormously worse when there’s no appreciation or other benefit for taking care of that chore. You haven’t said anything suggesting that this is a problem for you but it is for me, and for Nick from what he writes.
My only helpful suggestion is to identify one chore every day that you’re going to take care of no matter what. It can be something simple like “bring the robo mower back out and charge it”. (I have plenty of other suggestions, but as most of them involve death and destruction, most people do not consider them to be helpful. Bah. Buncha candy-asses.) Other than that, all I can offer is sympathy.
vacuum the hair? Or close the window?
– leaf blower. Seriously. It’s quick, has some fun elements, and works a treat for a quick spruce up. I use my dewalt 20v. I start in the back bathroom, and work toward the front door. On the other side of the house I start in the kitchen, work thru the office and living room, and out the front door.
With little puffs of air and careful aiming, you can herd the hairballs and blow them right out. I also blow the blinds and ceiling fans, and the tops of all the trim and pictures to get some dust off. Run the HVAC to get airborne stuff into filters.
You’ll be shocked how many little bits of paper and plastic come along with the hairballs and leaves…
I almost never vacuum anymore and I used to use the dyson stick on the whole house.
n
I was thinking. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Lynn said a solar panel lasts 15-20 years. My panel is 19. So odds are that it is failing.
The local Tractor Supply has the 10 watt panel for $124. I can ag-exempt it there to save on about $10 sales tax. But hey, look on Big River.
Same thing with the price ranging from $50 to $87. As a glance any would be delivered by this coming Wednesday.
I can wait a few days and pay sales tax and save half of the local store price. No problem.
@paul, technically their output just drops over time. Did you ever put the meter on it to see what it was making?
Your charger could be NFG too, as they have more parts to fail.
I’ve got 10w panels that were removed from service that you could have for the cost of shipping if you are interested, nominal 12vdc.
n
It hir 100F at 11am, rather than yesterday’s 12:45pm. Somehow I doubt we’ll be the predicted 2° cooler.
It is baking out there. I turned on the birdbath water feed to a light trickle since the mister that I will often use to keep it full on these hot days seems to be calcined up (I have spare nozzles in the garage … somewhere ).
Fortunately the humidity is in the midteens, but that only helps so far.
I walked to the gate with the volt meter. The gate worked fine this morning around 7:30 when I took the trash to the street. Anyway. It was doing the low battery beep. It’s been sunny today and should be charged after only two cycles today. I just turned around and walked back to the house.
$56 with tax. Arrives on Wednesday. Maybe sooner because if I had Prime it would be delivered on Sunday.
If the charger is NFG that means a new gate opener. And the existing panel is 19 years old.
“Federal appeals rules in favor of employee who was fired after refusing COVID vaccination”
https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/federal-appeals-rules-favor-employee-who-was-fired-after-refusing-covid
“Weiss, a fully remote worker, initially received approval for her exemption from Kaiser Permanente’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but Kaiser later revoked it after questioning her about her faith and medical history.”
Finally. These employers need to take a hit for their violating people’s religious beliefs firing them for not putting dead babies in their bodies.
In fact, no employer should be able to force you to take a “vaccine” of any kind to keep your job. That is just wrong.
There is an exemption to that statement, the military. The military has to be able to fight while living in close quarters. And the military members routinely travel to foreign countries that have very lax medical standards.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
Or we’ll stay home and work the list here. I’m still on strike so there are parts of the list I’m ignoring, since I don’t do anything around here… Kid mentioned how high the grass in the back yard was last night. Yup. ‘Cuz I don’t do anything around here. I don’t know if I can hold out. It’s in my nature to just fix stuff when it’s wrong. I have to resist dozens of times a day even on little stuff like cleaning the sink or picking up something on the floor. Petty. Yup.
Do you have an “on strike” sign and are you marching around the house in support of your strike? Do you need more people to bolster your strike?
And what does W1 say about the strike?
“Civil War 2.0 Weather Report: They Hate You”
https://wilderwealthywise.com/civil-war-2-0-weather-report-they-hate-you-2/
Man, is that ever true. They hate us because of our skin color. They hate us because of our education and that we have jobs. They hate us because of our gender of which there is only two, male and female. They hate us because we sacrificed, saving money and assets to pay for our retirement. They hate us because we believe in a judgemental God. They hate us because we will not allow them to act crazy without consequences.
And what does W1 say about the strike?
– she has given me some funny looks when I refused to do something (“huh, that sounds like another of those things I don’t do around here”). Since she’s also guilty, she is feeling the effects, less so because stuff I do for myself also often benefits her. I don’t think she even remembers our initial conversation.
It really hasn’t even caught up yet, because I was sick for 10 days, on vacation with them for 10 days, working alone at the BOL for 7 days, and they’re barely here except to sleep.
n
“$1.7B solar project breaks ground between Houston and Dallas”
https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-solar-project-robertson-county-22358920.php
“The development will span 1.2 gigawatts and create 800 jobs.”
I like the solar systems until 7pm and then the system has to run fossil power plants at minimum all day and ramp them up to max as solar power goes from 30,000 MW to 0 MW over two hours. I watched ERCOT go through this yesterday I could tell that they were cranking fast start gas turbines, we have 300+, all over Texas. The economics got blown out the door at that point as the system power cost jumped from $40/MWH to $180/MWH for two hours. And Texas uses a dutch auction system every five minutes, every one making power at that point gets the same rate.
BTW, the solar power deramp is called the Duck Curve. The system operators hate it because they have to scramble around the place, starting gas turbines just to run them for two hours. That is a bad situation as gas turbines starts are very detrimental to the equipment due to the large blades, high speeds, and non equivalent metal growth with temperature and time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_curve
And what does W1 say about the strike?
– she has given me some funny looks when I refused to do something (“huh, that sounds like another of those things I don’t do around here”). Since she’s also guilty, she is feeling the effects, less so because stuff I do for myself also often benefits her. I don’t think she even remembers our initial conversation.
It really hasn’t even caught up yet, because I was sick for 10 days, on vacation with them for 10 days, working alone at the BOL for 7 days, and they’re barely here except to sleep.
n
You need a on strike sign and a strike line. If nothing else, they will laugh.
I am on holidays. No more megaproject.
Can you tell us now what the megaproject was?
A light rain is falling in Vegas, keeping the temp down to 100ºF. LOL.
vacuum the hair? Or close the window?
– leaf blower. Seriously. It’s quick, has some fun elements, and works a treat for a quick spruce up. I use my dewalt 20v. I start in the back bathroom, and work toward the front door. On the other side of the house I start in the kitchen, work thru the office and living room, and out the front door.
Hopefully you have an electric leaf blower.
RIP.
IIRC, John C. Dvorak was yet another pundit who wrote under the Cringely pseudonym at InfoWorld for a while.
https://mailchi.mp/nashownotes/rip-jcd-no-agenda-newsletter?e=85c9e2d6b2
“Ford Offers Kill Switch On Almost All New Models”
https://www.carpro.com/blog/ford-offers-kill-switch-on-almost-all-new-models
“The feature, commonly described as a remote “kill switch,” is officially called Start Inhibit and is part of the subscription-based Ford Security Package. Ford’s current eligibility list includes select 2024-and-newer F-150 and Super Duty pickups, along with the 2026 Expedition, 2026 Bronco Sport and 2026 Mustang Mach-E, as reported by The Drive. The F-150 Lightning, F-650 and F-750 are excluded.”
How long until somebody hacks it and demands payment to start your vehicle?
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCE100B-Compact-Jobsite-Blower/dp/B016NZGL9O?tag=ttgnet-20
I have two of these, one for the house, one for the BOL. I have an attachment for my string trimmer that blows like a hurricane that I use outside for the bulk of any cleanup.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267426275655?chn=ps&google_free_listing_action=view_item
Also one for home and one for away.
n
Driving home from campus today, I heard Cutie Pie advocating for forced military service for every American youth, just like the IDF.
That’s new. It sounded like Hannity was floating a trial balloon, however.
Moron.
Dvorak was one of those computer guys who I’d watch or listen to but then discount completely. IDK why he was so negative and bitter, but I can’t think of a single thing he said or did that I remember now.
Entertaining enough to read, but not someone I paid attention to. Haven’t thought about him for a couple of decades.
n
How long until somebody hacks it and demands payment to start your vehicle?
– or until .fedgov decides you’ve had enough driving for the week?
n
Their very existence is predicated on stealing money from other people.
Mackenzie couldn’t keep a marriage going and it drove her nuts–if she didn’t drive the car then her real contribution may have been zero. She got a big pile of money, but the fact is that if she gave it all away it would have no effect at all–driving her further nuts–so she uses it to shit in the community swimming pool and deteriorate the lives of people who are really productive.
https://i0.wp.com/wilderwealthywise.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BRACKEN.png?w=688&ssl=1
“The Saudi nuclear program: what else did anyone expect?”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-saudi-nuclear-program-what-else-did.html
“I’m cynically amused by the brouhaha over the US deal with Saudi Arabia to help that country develop a peaceful – underline, peaceful – nuclear energy program, including (it seems) enriching nuclear fuel.”
“Consider the facts of the current situation, in no particular order.”
Got a special coming in from Pakistan…
In The Legend of Jeff, Mackenzie drove the Bronco while Bezos worked on the Amazon business plan sitting in the passenger seat as they drove across the country from New York to Seattle.
Also, per Legend, the idea for books came from Mackenzie, who was one of Toni Morrison’s grad students.
(Sticklers — I’ve seen many different explanations about the relationship, but I’ll go with grad student.)
It is up to you what to believe of the Legend. Mackenzie was, like her ex-husband, an employee at DE Shaw, a Wall Street firm noted for high IQs and high ambition as well as a “flexible morality”.
Shaw is where the two met.
The richest men built giant companies. The richest women divorced successful men.
Searching for relevance by spending money you didn’t earn isn’t gonna work out for her. Empty is empty.
n
The voting takes place in South Carolina, but the real financial windfall goes to Georgia, specifically Savannah.
I trust that the Dems know that the Lady & Sons closed last year. No more Hypocrisy Blue Plates.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna588863
We’ll see what really happens with the Geico Gecko’s fortune when he passes.
Partially true. Of female billionaires a couple years ago, a majority had gotten their wealth by divorce or inheritance. The next biggest category got their wealth from broadly-defined celebrity or entertainment (Oprah, JK Rowling, Swift) and a significant fraction of the had a leg up from family (whichever Jenner became a billionaire). A small fraction were self-made billionaires based on producing or doing something other than entertainment (Judy Faulkner). I don’t see my file summarizing my research (probably not deleted; probably named something that made sense at the time) but asking an LLM for a list of twenty female billionaires should give you results matching what I just wrote.
apparently, not even in the top 10.
Top 10 Wealthiest Women
Alice Walton: Walmart retail inheritance
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family: L’Oréal cosmetics inheritance
Julia Koch & family: Koch Industries industrial conglomerate inheritance
Iris Fontbona & family: Mining and industrial inheritance (Luksic group)
Jacqueline Mars: Mars, Incorporated candy and pet food inheritance
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) shipping co-ownership
Savitri Jindal & family: Jindal Group metals and mining inheritance
Miriam Adelson & family: Las Vegas Sands casino and resort inheritance
Abigail Johnson: Fidelity Investments financial services leadership and inheritance
Zheng Shuliang & family: China Hongqiao Group aluminum manufacturing
although that AI list suggests that they may not be ‘independent’ women.
The two oldest ways to make money, inherit it, or marry it.
n
Or steal it like the last one
n
Books are about the only thing that makes sense when starting something like an online retailer, when there was no history of such.
They don’t come in sizes, people that buy books probably don’t return very many, you can’t get the wrong color, the wrong ‘feel’, and the summary tells you at least as much info as you’d get in bricks and mortar.
Plus your shipping cost is very predictable.
n
Alas, no. However, if you had been following the news from this hemisphere yesterday (Thursday), you would have heard about it.
Nice evening in the woods today. Bagged a Bambi. Lust can be fatal. He had a doe of his own, but still couldn’t resist coming to have a look at who else was squeaking for a male.
Some sad news today too. A death in the extended family / friends circle. F* cancer. In paradisum deducant te angeli.
“An ‘October surprise’ from China could spike oil prices ahead of midterm election for Trump”
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/chinas-oil-october-surprise-could-spike-prices-ahead-critical-midterm
“Supply and demand: Beijing has decreased importing oil since the Iran war began, keeping oil prices lower than they otherwise would have been. Analysts say China’s restraint could soon end, presenting President Trump with challenging increases in gas prices ahead of the midterms.”
“Well, they are going to, you know, August and September, their reserves are going to start getting pretty low, and so they’re going to be in a position where they are going to ramp up oil purchases, suddenly adding the purchase of 5 million barrels a day to the equation,” Schweizer told the Just the News, No Noise TV show.”
“In 2025, China imported roughly 11.6 million barrels of oil per day. By May of this year, that number plunged to 7.8 million barrels per day, a more than 40% decline in imports in a one-year period, according to Chinese media outlet Caixin. ”
Adding five million barrels per DAY to the current market will pop the crude cost by at least $10 per US Barrel (SWAG). Of course, they will do it at the time it will hurt Trump the worst.
“Plus your shipping cost is very predictable.”
One of the biggest things that our elected representatives could do post Wayfair would be to make it illegalto charge sales tax on shipping.
USPS, UPS, and USPS shipping is not subject to sales tax, yet online sales charge sales tax for those services, inflating the costs to consumers.
The sales tax is passed to the states, giving them income from an tax that is at base illegal.
If the sales tax is really passed through, the online vendors should be neutral on a neutral revenue proposition. Why do I suspect that they are making money on the deal?
7.8/11.6 = 0.67
Abacus broken much?
“AOC Responds to Being at the Top of New Hampshire Presidential Primary Poll”
https://rumble.com/v7d6pj6-aoc-responds-to-being-at-the-top-of-new-hampshire-presidential-primary-poll.html
AOC is getting ready for 2028. She is serious about this. Maybe with buttranger as her VP. The pure woke ticket.
Alternative explanation: PRC’s economy is collapsing. As has been predicted.
You can tell us by grunting in Morse Code: di-dah-dah-di dah-dah-dah di-dah-di dah-di
Well, it is 67% which is certainly more than 40%.
Actually, I am incorrect.
11.6 – 7.8 is a drop of 3.8 in volume. That is a 32% drop, not quite 40%. (3.8/11.6*100). If’n my HS math memory is correct.
I think that both of you computed the ‘percentage decrease of 11.6 to 7.8’ incorrectly.
I got this from several calculator sites:
The percentage decrease from 11.6 to 7.8 is **32.76%**. This is calculated by taking the difference (11.6 – 7.8), dividing by the original value (11.6), and multiplying by 100.
Shouldn’t that be 1.00 – 0.67 = 33 % decline, or am I having a senior moment?
In any event, a pretty hefty drop!
Well, if I am having a senior moment, I’m not alone! 😀
Talarico becomes the new favorite for VP if he wins the US Senate seat.
Shot Girl has been in Texas quite a bit during the last two election cycles, and I imagine that she will be back before November to support Gina Hinojosa at a minimum.
Carrying out the hit on John Dvorak?
I believe that is what I did when I corrected myself. I did not carry the calculation to two decimal places, and thus did not round to 33%.
@Ray – saw your correction just after I posted my comment. Your correction was posted just before mine -my time stamp is one minute past yours, so we were writing our comments at just about the same time.
Quoted for truth, and emphasis. I spoke at length today of one of my friends who passed too young of a brain cancer. Not the only one.
—————————
For the insomniacs and truly bored, I posted accidentally on yesterday’s thread. It is of no consequence.
—————————-
I have an excuse. I’m traveling, and there are problems and complications. Minor so far.
Finally loaded up and headed out. At least it’s clear and the temp didn’t get as high today.
n
33% is correct.
32.76% should be rounded to the two significant figures of the input data from the OP.
I thought they were kidding when i first heard about this.
I can’t decide which is more gratutious, the shot of the heels or Anderson snapping the examination glove.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHKsgH39XI
..-. ..- -. -. -.– / –. ..- -.– -.-.–
You can’t prove anything!