Gonna be hot and humid up here. National forecast shows clear today and tomorrow, but that just means sun and humidity. Yesterday was sunny in Houston but I’m pretty sure we stayed under 100F at my house. W said she hit a little rain on the way up, but only sprinkles. Localized weather is always a crapshoot in this part of the world.
Yesterday was mostly spent doing office stuff, but then I spent more than an hour and several hundred dollars at Lowes buying trim and flashing, and stuff I think I’ll need up here. Didn’t make it to the chiropractor, and I’m hoping I don’t end up regretting that.
Because today is going to involve some work. Mowing the grass will happen Sunday afternoon, but working on the window and roof repairs will be a priority. I hope to be dried in, ie. weathertight, by the end of today. That will still leave the finished roof, and exterior wall finishes (since we don’t have the stuff, or even a plan,) but as long as the housewrap is on and the flashing is done, it’ll keep the rain out.
I’m going to need professional help, or at least advice, on the metal roof repair. And someone, **cough**, will have to decide what to do about the little bit of exterior wall that needs covering…
The list is long, the spirit is mostly willing, but the arms are weak…
Stack. It’s easier than working.
nick
Good morning!
Great opportunity: “yeah, would you please take care of that?” Or would that just teach the kid to not say anything?
Depends on the kid, I suppose…
I really enjoy an afternoon nap. Being (mostly) retired, I should, theoretically have the time. Problem is, I almost always get involved in something, and forget.
While I am admittedly a Musk fan, I do wonder about him tying his various ventures so closely together. While I’m sure there are synergies, it seems unnecessarily risky. Eggs. Basket. One.
I have had very good experience with Eneloop rechargeables. Just be sure to use an Eneloop charger with them. They seem to understand each other, whereas the Eneloop charger does not like other brands, and vice versa.
Robovacs are also your friend. You just have to empty them. I do have one that should empty itself, but the wads of pet hair do not cooperate. Granted, they don’t dust, but my leaf blower would blow the furniture out of the house, so…
That’s a feature, not a bug! If you don’t have furniture, you don’t have things for dust to collect on and under. #FollowMeForMoreMinimalismTips
Saturday. Good morning!
It is a glorious summer day here. That somehow makes my friend’s death yesterday all the more poignant; people should die when the weather is horrid, not on lovely days. At least the mourners won’t be standing in the rain at the graveside.
Didn’t manage that yesterday, so I was dragging a bit. I did get my pal’s rifle fixed, though. A very nice German small calibre target instrument by Walther that he got second-hand, almost unused. He was complaining of a sticky bolt and not happy with his results on target.
I took it down to its nuts and bolts for an inspection. There were three tiny bits of metal swarf left over from the manufacturing where they didn’t belong. They were causing the hard closing. I gave all the sharp edges a fluff and buff, and cleaned out the trigger, in which someone’s nasty axle grease had turned to cheese. A thorough scrape off, then a wash out with the cheap knock-off version of WD-40, and some proper modern light oil, and it is tripping like the proverbial Swiss watch. Looking forward to testing it later.
I think the house smells nice this morning of whatever esters are in the spray, but it’s probably just as well that W1 is not here…
As have I, in my camera flashes. I will not use rechargeables in flashlights. Eneloops hold the charge for a very long time but still degrade some. The batteries are also expensive to put in a device that is not used that often. Especially true in my emergency flashlights.
The Eneloop batteries have excellent current capacity. I tried some other rechargeables, the ones with the USB-C port for charging. Recycle times were 50% longer for the flash than the Eneloops.
I am on my second set of Eneloops. I used to have 16 batteries as I photographed a lot more than I do now and the need for flash has been significantly reduced with the better sensors. I did buy 8 more batteries, enough for my two flashes if I ever use them again.
It has almost gotten to the point where it is cheaper to just buy new flashlights at Costco, which come with batteries, then to buy new batteries. I bought three small AAA powered (4 batteries each) flashlights at Home Depot which included the batteries, for $12.00. The lights are quite functional and bright.
Another recommendation for a robot vac. Ours also is supposed to empty automatically, but dog hair won’t go through the narrow passageway in the base. Not a big deal. Ours runs automatically 3 times a week and is a true time saver. Having almost no carpet also helps out a lot. My wife named her Rosie.
The SpaceX IPO is ultimately about rewarding insiders and early investors with a sizeable chunk of cash sourced from US annuities, 401(k)s, and pension plans as the shares find their way into the big ETFs and mutual funds like QQQ and Vanguard’s VTSMX.
In the short run, SpaceX needed the $75 billion raised to bury the AI costs incurred in the last few years.
The IPO was very low risk for Musk other than reputation.
800 temporary jerbs.
At what cost to taxpayers?
Where will the solar panels originate?
You’re not supposed to say that!
You’re not supposed to ask that!
Up and moving. Moka pot just started to bubble.
It’s already 82F with a bit of condensation on the windows indicating pretty high humidity.
Bacon should be ready soon, and I’ll add an egg to the plate.
W is impressed by the light the window adds to the room.
n
Also useful for blowing useless lumps of flesh (aka Millennials) out the front door.
And just like that, we are off to Hawaii on Monday for a week. MrsAtoz decided we need a company retreat on Waikiki Beach for team building. We’ll split our time at a Sheridan and then the Hale Koa (cause we’re milspec grifters). Business will be discussed.
Keep your bullet points on target:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/07/25/greenlands-ice-sheet-was-supposed-to-be-rapidly-melting-away-it-hasnt-been/
I have a couple of robo vacs, three times a week just suffices (three cats).
One is reserved for mopping. It does poor job at mopping but good enough that I don’t have to manually do it more than about once a month. Which is my limit, with my back issues.
Noisy this morning, neighbors all out doing stuff before it gets too hot.
Also we had the clowns at Acrobatic Assw*pe’s over at Fox Field starting up their nonsense at 7am. My guess is that that business isn’t long for this world, the cost of two acrobatic planes, instructors, gas, hanger, and insurance means they would have to fly almost every single day. My estimate is maybe one day in five this year, which is still annoyingly too much but bodes well for peace & quiet in the future.
@MrAtoZ
“Business will be discussed.”
Better check the employee handbook’s Rules for Retreats.
Supposed to be 105F, again.
I retrieved some Phifer Suntex out of storage (I want to replace some 90% blocking with 85% or 65%), also the cat carrier out for vet visits next week.
Spent time pulling weeds and performing some anti-girdling measures arounds tree bases (which means putting a ring of used kitty litter around them, ugh).
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Watched a launch out of Vandenberg about 9am, but it was too bright to follow it past MECO.
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Astronomy outreach tonight. There’s also a beforehand meeting to discuss the passing of the club president, Phil Wreidt, a couple weeks back. I may volunteer to do the newsletter, if needed. I heard his computers were locked and the family didn’t have the passwords so no templates.
Joisey gest questioned:
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/07/25/gop-letter-to-nj-governor-what-the-hell-happened-to-your-voter-rolls-n2680119
They need a lot more data: a complete list of the 6,600 illegal aliens are listed on the state voter rolls, the places where they registered, the dates/times of registration, the names of any IDEMIA or state employees involved, how and when that information was transmitted to the Division of Elections, how it was reviewed, who was involved in the review, and all information associated with entering that registration into the database.
In addition, I’d want the procedures used in validating software updates, including the test set, and the results of the validation for the software that was allegedly the problem.
To start.
I’d also send a photo of the large-bore proctoscope I would be using to aid my investigation, along with a a handy list of vendors that can supply polyethylene glycol 3350 in dump truck quantities.
“Astronomy outreach tonight.”
A; Venus.
“Weaponized Migration”
https://areaocho.com/weaponized-migration/
“A memo released late Friday from the files of the Biden administration reveals an insidious plan to use Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to inundate the nation with 3.1 million immigrants by abusing the President’s power to issue TPS. Then, as the plan went, to use bureaucratic and judicial stonewalling to stymie any Trump efforts to reverse what was done.”
I have a license to use E-Verify and in fact, I have to use E-Verify now as part of a legal agreement. We used E-Verify earlier this year for our new accountant. I have been wondering why I am getting all of these notices about removing groups of “refugees” from protected status. Now I know why.
https://www.e-verify.gov/
Only 100F, there are some nearly stationary big clouds at cirrus height keeping it temperate. I took the extended coolness to mean that I was intended to put down 10 bags (400#) of rock.
Then I had lunch, took a shower, and now the afternoon is free.
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I need to check if my friend wants to go to the adtronomy thing tonight. The just past half moon should be a crowd pleaser.
“Bayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2)” by Ilona Andrews
https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Moon-Edge-Book-2/dp/0441019455?tag=ttgnet-20
Book number two of a four book paranormal romance dark fantasy series. In fact, a number of people are now calling this genre “romantasy”. I reread the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Ace in 2010 that I bought new on Amazon in 2024. Note that “Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. I have purchased the successor books and will read them soon.
“The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…”
William Wolf has lived in the Edge since his best friend Declan and Rose moved to the Weird two years ago with Rose’s two younger brothers. But William is still a changeling and a warrior for the Weird, when he wants to.
Cerise Mar and her family have lived in the Edge for two generations, ever since her grandfather was exiled from the Weird. And her parents have disappeared, leaving her in charge of the extended family. Her first thought is to find her parents but the neighbors seem to be involved in their disappearance.
I enjoyed the hound out of this series back in 2024 and am rereading it again for the sheer enjoyment of it. The story telling is awesome and the depths of the people involved is amazing.
The authors have a busy website at:
https://ilona-andrews.com/
My rating: 6 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,947 reviews)
Lynn
Taking a little break, I fell down a rabbit-hole.
I simply wanted to see and hear a YT video of the Fifth Dimension singing Age of Aquarius. I looked through the first twenty or so, which fell into three categories: allegedly from the record with no video, and two “live” performances which actually used the same audio.
I realize that production costs are huge and they aren’t going to be toting the orchestra around to play on tv, but I did not expect what I found, which was the exact same audio screwed up in the exact same way: the track containing the female voices was almost too faint to hear.
I heard this song on the radio many times in 1969 and we had it on an LP. What is attached to most of the YT videos is not the original–no self-respecting disc jockey would have played it.
It really begs the questions as to how such an abomination came into being and how it got attached to the first twenty or so YT videos.
I don’t have time to pull CD’s and listen. Here’s a “live” performance featuring the proper track balance–I’m not sure if the vocals are from the original recording, as at minimum is has been compressed and expanded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zGMfbnbBQU
Here’s an example of the “bad” sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxSCAalsBE
and another part of the mystery is that it is labeled as being up for 17 years and having 9.4 million views, yet recent posts (Lamonte passed earlier this year) do not mention that the audio sucks.
Is this some kind of recently introduced YT artifact?
Is it yet another example of why you should own your own media?
Is it yet another example of why you should own your own media?
Anything on someone else’s computer can be deleted or modified at any point.
“Elon Musk Says ‘Only Way’ the U.S. Deficit Will Actually Get Paid Is by ‘Taxing the Living Daylights Out of Everyone’”
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/elon-musk-says-only-way-163026414.html
“Someone always gets billed. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says when it comes to America’s growing deficit, the final invoice won’t land only on billionaires—it will eventually reach everyone.”
“”The only way the deficit actually gets paid is taxing the living daylights out of everyone,” Musk wrote in a post on X in September 2023.”
Yup. The tax rates will be much higher during the financial apocalypse of the USA.
Hence why I go a little further to break DRM and back up my ebooks.
From an article about a vigilante group disabling Flock cameras:
Interesting map….including how to avoid Flock maps on any route. And what government organizations use the Flock cameras. Link to the map above.
There are three in my little town. One on each entrance. I know they caught someone the police were looking for as the locals LEO’s got an alert on a license plate.
The Knox county sheriff authorized the installation of several hundred. Now the county mayor is pushing back.
I don’t mind if the cameras are used to catch wanted people. What I don’t like is the possibility of some agency to go back through the data and find that I entered, and left my town 18 times in one week, find the times, the direction, and the vehicle.
As with any government agency, which gets their hands on too much data, the data will be used incorrectly, stored beyond reason, and leaked.
Tonight’s movie was No Strings Attached. It’s a decent movie. Rated R. Parts are pushing an X rating to me. But boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Love at first sight but it takes a while to sort it out.
Nice movie. It’s a happy movie. New enough the cars look normal. But old enough the the music isn’t negro rap.
Might watch it again….
Pretty hot today. Summer, it’s good. The humidity is down. So it’s 97f but dry enough that sweating actually works. It’s not like a steamy bathroom. Unlike the Rio Grande Valley or a couple of blocks from Mobile bay.
A few clouds helps.
NEW: Minnesota Mother Shiloh Hendrix, Who was Filmed Saying N-Word in Viral Video, Breaks Her Silence After Woke Jury Convicts Her of “Disorderly Conduct”
Tho’ her use of the taboo (at least by the melanin-deficient population cohort) word and her giving the middle finger to the crimmigrant who filmed her was abhorrent, ISTM that she should win an appeal on 1A grounds.
The DeFlock map shows thorough coverage of the parking lots for both Lowe’s and Home Depot near me, but not Menard’s, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, or Costco. Hmmmm.
Also, it seems to me it should not be too difficult to use the current network of intersection stoplight cameras to similar purpose.
Long day but I’ll be in bed soon.
Made a lot of progress. But it did take longer than I’d hoped. Nothing in this house is flat, level, plumb, or square.
Had a tiny little fire on the dock. It’s 82F with a very light breeze. Tolerable, but the heat does eventually soak in.
Radio was good tonight. Lots of stations.
Time for a shower and sleep.
n