Sat. Aug. 1, 2026 – time flies

By on August 1st, 2026 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

Hot and hot and humid. Then more hot. Summer in the swamp. Oh joy. Yeah, we got a little relief yesterday from the humidity, until late night fog seemed to roll in. Could just have been moisture.

Did my stuff. Picked up and drove all over town. Had a good talk with a friend from my hobby club.

Today I think I’ll do truck things. Starting with going by my mechanic’s place and getting scheduled. Then I’ve got a bunch of delayed stuff to fix. If it’s not to hot.

And if it’s too hot, I’ll find something else to do.

Because there is plenty on the list.

Stack something.
n

64 Comments and discussion on "Sat. Aug. 1, 2026 – time flies"

  1. Alan says:

    >>Today I think I’ll do truck things. 

    Priorities…priorities…

    >> And if it’s too hot, I’ll find something else to do.

    Is your range indoors?

  2. Alan says:

    >>>>Today I think I’ll do truck things. 

    Priorities…priorities…

    >> And if it’s too hot, I’ll find something else to do.

    Is your range indoors?

    And with enough practice, one can slip in before Denis and SteveF…

  3. Denis says:

    And with enough practice, one can slip in before Denis and SteveF…

    Saturday. August already?

    Morning, Alan! You’re up early. No sign of Chicken Boy yet…

    I was awake about three hours ago, and I read yesterday’s comments to the end, but then I conked out again. Too much excitement!

  4. SteveF says:

    My antilock brake light is coming on in the Ranger, and today the brake light came on briefly.  I think I’ll stay home this weekend and work on truck things.  Fluid level seems ok, so I need to visit the mechanic.

    I don’t know about Rangers in particular, but in general if the ABS light comes on, take a look at the sensors on the wheels. Crud on a sensor and damaged wiring are common causes.

    Brake light, too many possible causes to diagnose from here.

    Of course, if it’s that hot there, you might not want to jack up the truck and take off the tires to look at the sensors. Paying a mechanic might be the smart move.

    In other brake-related news, my sister and mom drove down to North Carolina in the truck which was my brother’s and is now mine, towing a car on a front-end dolly. I asked her about her experience driving a truck with a load and was assured she’d done it plenty of times. Like a dumbass, I took her assurances at face value and didn’t press for details.

    So. She kind of smoked the brakes in the first 20 miles, going down a series of hills. With only 800 miles to go. Siiiiiiiiigh. Her younger son is a mechanic, so he did a brake job and apparently lectured her on towing. And pointed out the tow/haul button. Siiiiiiiigh. With any luck there was no damage to the transmission.

    The truck is now back up here and the next trip down will be a U-Haul with my mom’s car on a flatbed (because it’s 4WD, so shouldn’t be towed on a front-wheel dolly), so I don’t have to worry about my sister’s ability to drive a box truck with a heavier load.

    And with enough practice, one can slip in before Denis and SteveF…

    Been doing chores and working. So sorry.

  5. Greg Norton says:

    In other brake-related news, my sister and mom drove down to North Carolina in the truck which was my brother’s and is now mine, towing a car on a front-end dolly. I asked her about her experience driving a truck with a load and was assured she’d done it plenty of times. Like a dumbass, I took her assurances at face value and didn’t press for details.

    If a man can learn to do it, a woman has the innate ability.

    What I really love is when women believe that they can do my job at my level despite never having actually done the work before.

    I’ve been letting that scenario play out at work with the Go project.

  6. paul says:

    Mom’s Ford van was making a noise like it had a rock in the right rear disc brake.  Just grinding away.  And the ABS like comes and goes. 

    Off to the Ford dealer.  New pads a rotors on the rear.  Front brakes are fine.  The ABS light?  They can’t get the part from Ford anymore.  What is the part?  Can’t say for liability reasons.  Oh, ok…. almost $700 for a brake job, the ABS light is on, and you can’t say what part I need to replace?  Because of liability reasons?  Is the van safe to drive? Does the ABS work? 

    I ignore the light.  The bulb will burn out some day.  I don’t care enough to pull the cluster and remove the bulb. 

    I wave a finger at the dealership when I drive past. 

    10
  7. ITGuy1998 says:

    What I really love is when women believe that they can do my job at my level despite never having actually done the work before.

    I’ve been letting that scenario play out at work with the Go project.

    Heck, it’s not just women. So many egos and so little room.

    My department was recently moved into a different org structure. It makes no sense except for one reason. The group we were moved under is business development, and they have been clamoring for more equipment/resources in the secure lab. They think this change gets them what they want yet they have no money.

    They have grand plans though. They have developed a grand plan for completely outfitting an AI infrastructure, storage upgrades, networking, etc. Except they never once consulted me. Or anyone else outside of their little group. They are currently waiting on their capex money to start purchasing. I fell fairly confident in predicting they won’t get all the money they are asking for. 

    My boss and I keep getting assurances we will be involved in the process. Yeah, only when they have stuff just show up in the mail room.

    I am getting tired of sending out emails to document shortcomings and stupidity just to cover myself.

  8. dkreck says:

    Grand Plans when what is needed is a Cunning Plan.

  9. SteveF says:

    Grand Plans when what is needed is a Cunning Plan three-pound masonry hammer and an alibi.

    FIFY

  10. Nick Flandrey says:

    Up and moving.  Moving toward the kitchen to get my coffee mug…

    n

  11. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ah, coffee and a waffle.  86F with 81%RH, sunny and getting warmer.

    n

  12. Ray Thompson says:

    The bulb will burn out some day.

    Probably not as it is probably a LED.

  13. Greg Norton says:

    They have grand plans though. They have developed a grand plan for completely outfitting an AI infrastructure, storage upgrades, networking, etc. Except they never once consulted me. Or anyone else outside of their little group. They are currently waiting on their capex money to start purchasing. I fell fairly confident in predicting they won’t get all the money they are asking for. 

    This is the last year that kind of capex will be considered.

    It isn’t just the high tech hardware either. Under load, each eight GPU server will consume 10 kW and require heat dissipation.

  14. Greg Norton says:

    Off to the Ford dealer.  New pads a rotors on the rear.  Front brakes are fine.  The ABS light?  They can’t get the part from Ford anymore.  What is the part?  Can’t say for liability reasons.  Oh, ok…. almost $700 for a brake job, the ABS light is on, and you can’t say what part I need to replace?  Because of liability reasons?  Is the van safe to drive? Does the ABS work? 

    I ignore the light.  The bulb will burn out some day.  I don’t care enough to pull the cluster and remove the bulb. 

    You might be able to turn off the light using a high end OBD-II scope, but Ford has a lot of proprietary diagnostic protocols going through that port beyond what they are required to expose under law.

    Search around online and see if Blue Driver has the capability to turn off the ABS light.

    I use Blue Driver to turn off the airbag light in our Jetta when it appears due to a what I suspect is an intermittent short in the wiring.

    At $99, Blue Driver isn’t cheap, but you’ll find it useful on all of your vehicles.

  15. lpdbw says:

    I don’t know the current state of the art, but my 2004 GMC Sierra pickup had the ABS light come on, and eventually stay on.

    The actuator was bad.  Mechanic told me those actually have a very short service life, on the order of a few minutes.  The more you use your antilock brakes, the sooner it dies.

    I lived in the land of ice and snow at the time.

    Replacing it was mechanically easy, but as I recall the part was expensive and  there was a calibration or alignment task I actually had to pay a mechanic to finish.

    Good luck.

  16. Gavin says:

    if the ABS light comes on, take a look at the sensors on the wheels

    That’s one of the pending repairs on my half ton. I need to replace the left front wheel hub/ABS sensor assembly, per the code in the ABS computer.

    In other news, today is my first (terrifying) day of total freedom. I decided last month to semi-retire a month early, so yesterday was my last day at my retail workplace.

    13
  17. paul says:

    I don’t have LED bulbs in the instrument cluster.  I looked at a couple when I had the cluster out.  Tiny incandescent wedge base bulbs about a quarter of the size of a 168.  I swiveled the “foot on brake” gizmo because like the power locks, sometimes it doesn’t work.  It’s still there but  not able to lock the shifter in Park.  It’s one bolt and one wire.   I don’t know if the computer cares about it but I left it there just in case. 

    Because it’s just so wonderful to get off work at 2pm with $120 in groceries including ice cream in the middle of August and having to spend 40 minutes trying to get the van out of park.  So I made sure to spoil having that kind of fun ever again.

    I have an OBD tool.  And Torque on my phone.  I can read codes and reset errors.  But the ABS light comes on when it feels like it. 

    It’s a 2004 with just a bit over 59,000 miles.  Runs good.  Doesn’t use or leak any fluids.  The a/c needs a can of freon about every year and a half.  Uh, a can of freon for $10.  I figure I can buy a lot of freon for the guesstimated $700 repair bill. 

    I’m pretty sure Ford checked the wheel sensors. But the error comes from from a part near the master cylinder. But show me? Nope. Liability reasons.

  18. Ken Mitchell says:

    @Gavin; Congratulations!

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    I wouldn’t care much, but the actual brake light came on briefly.     The ABS light would usually go out by itself after a bit.   And every couple of days it would engage the ABS on a slow, gentle stop… which felt weird and made me nervous.  I’ve just been leaving more stopping distance this week.

    Better to have it checked.

    n

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    OK, y’all know I still use aol for mail.   I’ve had the address since AOL came on floppies and my blazing fast 9600 modem was state of the art.   Plus, their spam filters were pretty good.  And everyone in the world has my email and I’ve used it on hundreds of accounts across the web.

    Their pinhead developers have “restyled” the mail page, without notice or the option to keep the old style or make changes.   AND THE FOCKERS CHOSE GREY TEXT.   A font with one pixel strokes too.   So it’s completely unreadable.  I tried all 13 “themes” to find something that made everything readable and the “dark” theme comes closest, but it loses all bolding of text and is very jarring to change from the list of mail in white on black, to the actual mail which is normal black on white.     To complain you have to ‘register’ and agree to shite I don’t want to agree to, even though they know it’s me and that I’m a legit user because I’m logged in to my account.

    Anyone know an ADA ambulance chaser?  It should be a juicy class action for low sight users.

    n

    7
    1
  21. lpdbw says:

    Anyone know an ADA ambulance chaser?  It should be a juicy class action for low sight users.

    The only one I know is the low-life scum who put my sister out of business while she was fighting breast cancer, because her second-story shop in a historic mining town didn’t have wheelchair access.  He was faking being wheelchair bound so he could sue businesses all over SoCal.

    Supposedly, SEO crawlers rate handicapped support high.  I don’t know how to use it, but don’t most browsers support tools for the visually impaired?

  22. Nick Flandrey says:

    tools for the visually impaired? 

    – some do, but the support is generally browser wide and not site specific.  Same with overriding the site font, etc.

    There are plug ins that allow customizing per site, but mainly I want to beat the @ssholes who still think grey text is a valid choice, like the blink tag.

    n

  23. Gavin says:

    it would engage the ABS on a slow, gentle stop

    What mine does too. Possibly / probably a bad or misaligned wheel sensor. On my truck, the sensors are known to rust and rust-jack away from the tone ring it’s trying to pick up.

  24. drwilliams says:

    Why Action Star Alan Ritchson Shot Himself in the Foot, Then for Good Measure Put a Round in Each Gluteus.

    https://hotair.com/christian-toto/2026/08/01/why-action-star-alan-ritchson-shot-himself-in-the-foot-n3817348

    Dear Mr. Child,

    Maybe it’s not too late to get Tom Cruise back.

  25. drwilliams says:

    “ What is the part?  Can’t say for liability reasons.”

    You should have told me you couldn’t do the work. Can’t pay you for an incomplete job for liability reasons until I have a written relase that there is no safety issue.

  26. lpdbw says:

    HotAir is behind paywall.

  27. drwilliams says:

    @SteveF

    Some years ago I went to the estate sale of a university professor that specialized in an area of research that I was interested in. His house was full of books, but not a technical tome to be found. I neveer did find out what became of the good stuff, but I suspect that it went to the department or a colleague.

    I did buy some things out of the kitchen, and in the garage he had a number of masonry tools, probably used in constructing some rather nice stone walls in the garden. I bought a number of them at reasonable prices, including an Estwing 2-lb drilling hammer. The design is the traditional steel shaft with blue grip

    https://www.amazon.com/Estwing-Drilling-Crack-Hammer-Construction/dp/B002DQ5QO4?tag=ttgnet-20

    (heck of a sale price on the 3#)

    not the alt line in yellow and black with the fiberglass handle.

    The point of the story is a prepper fail: There were two identical hammers in the sale, and I only bought one. It has since become one of my favorite hammers, and whenever I am confronted with a similar decision I remember the hammer that got away, and hear my father saying “Take pie when it’s passed.”

  28. drwilliams says:

    @lpdbw

    Sorry. I subscribe just to read Ward Clark.

    Much of the article is quotes, so I have no compunction about posting:

    Article talks about Odyssey. snipped. Then:

    The cast, the casting and the weird marketing tics couldn’t derail “The Odyssey.” That explains why it made $264 million in its opening weekend at the global box office. The film fell a tad under 30 percent stateside in its second weekend, a tremendous “hold,” as they say in show business.

    “Motor City” is another story.

    The indie action film stars Alan Ritchson of “Reacher” fame as a wronged man out for revenge. The film is notable for its lack of banter. The press notes for the film reveal only five lines of dialogue are spoken from start to finish.

    Remarkable.

    The film also hit theaters on July 24, a window when no new major releases were on the schedule. Yet “Motor City” managed to bring in only $1.6 million on 1,600 screens. That’s not great.

    Here’s where things get messy.

    Ritchson became a household name thanks to his Prime Video series inspired by Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels. He seemed like a rising star, thanks to his rugged good looks and imposing bulk. His future looked bright, and he’s gotten work in several films since the show broke out.

    And, along the way, he’s trashed both Christians and President Donald Trump in ways that fans won’t easily forget.

    Last year, he slammed Christians for supporting President Trump.

    Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treat him like he’s their poster child, and it’s unreal.

    He also labeled Christians as “the most vitriolic tribe” and attacked the Catholic Church for covering for pedophiles.

    Now, as “Motor City” is gracing theaters nationwide, Ritchson has doubled down on his hateful Trump critiques … without evidence.

    I don’t care what room they’re in. B****, move … Give me the f***ing manilla envelope. Don’t you want to see what’s in there so that we can hold people accountable. These f***ing rapists. That b***** has the keys to the nuclear codes. He’s like all up into 13 year olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail.

    There’s no proof that President Trump is a pedophile. None.

    We do have evidence that Trump disliked Jeffrey Epstein and the feeling was mutual. Plus, Trump was glad to hear the police were circling the disgraced Epstein for potential crimes. Here’s guessing Ritchson didn’t read that story.

    Christian conservatives, starved for throwback male heroes like Jack Reacher, embraced Ritchson early in his show’s run. They didn’t take kindly to his subsequent attacks on their faith and a president who supports life, not abortion.

    Ritchson’s latest comments probably chased a few more potential movie goers away from his latest project.

    Some movies are commercially bulletproof. “The Odyssey” is the perfect example. Star Matt Damon could say almost anything, and film fanatics would still rally to see Nolan’s vision.

    “Motor City” is an indie film with a modest marketing budget, and it’s trying to compete with larger titles (and their massive advertising spends).

    Could someone tell Ritchson the difference?

    I suspect that there are a number of Reacher fans that will be sufficiently turned off by the b.s. that they will skip the next one. Easy for me, as I use the five-year rule for series anyway, even though that no longer translates into enough episodes for syndication. 

    The last Reacher book that I picked up failed to engage me. I’ll get back to it–or not. Books just ain’t doing it for me lately, although I did re-read Patick Lee’s “The Breach” and now have to scrounge up the sequels. Picked up a couple hundred DVD’s last month and haven’t touched one–wait until after the solstice.

  29. drwilliams says:

    I’m working on a nice bio of Lavoisier and resisting expanding to follow the details of the back and forth with Priestly on the nature of airs to more books. The historical thread that led me here has strengthened with some solid references to follow up. 

    I have limited use of AI to specific questions until now. That may be a useful tool but it raises a concern: If I use AI on a project of historical research, how much of that project is retained by the AI? I’m not going to feed it new facts, but I may be making connections that have not been made before, and I don’t want to suddenly find that the right inquiry causes my work to be regurgitated. 

  30. lpdbw says:

    There was a news story of the shock and disappointment felt by a liberal democrat rich guy having his address revealed by Mamdami’s thugs in re: the second home tax boondoggle.

    Too bad, so sad.

    But it made me wonder.  If someone cross-referenced and filtered Democrat donors, registered Democrats, and that list of rich addresses, all from public domain sources, and distributed it to BLM, Antifa goons, ghetto liquor stores, and tweaker zombies on the street, labeled “Rich people who don’t have guns live here”, would they face any repercussions?

    And would any of those people on the list actually learn anything in the process?   I, personally, think they are incapable of learning. 

    Added: I just noticed it’s the same guy.

  31. drwilliams says:

    The FBI Just Settled the 9mm vs .40 vs .45 Debate

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZybcWWu4ddk

    5-stars

  32. Nick Flandrey says:

    I should not have eaten the somewhat suspect slices of salami on my sandwich yesterday.   There is a small chance it was the leftover chicken from night before last.   Something is churning my guts like a Blendomatic 5000.   To the point I don’t even want to go out into the driveway as that has too many doors in the path and doors slow you down…

    I haven’t gotten anything done, other than stretching and finally getting my lower back to release.  Fortunately I can read while suffering…

    n

  33. Denis says:

    Something is churning my guts…

    Poor Nick. Better out than in. Feel well soon!

    Saturday. Bedtime. A good day. Got the gub room spring cleaned and shipshape again after the official visit earlier in the week. Found a few items I had been missing, which was nice.

    Visited the newly-purchased apartment of a friend whom we had helped with his bridging finance. He got a great place at a fantastic price. W1 and I are glad we helped him.

    Meat on the grill for supper, washed down with frosty beer. A good day. Goodnight!

  34. EdH says:

    Some years ago I went to the estate sale of a university professor that specialized in an area of research that I was interested in. His house was full of books, but not a technical tome to be found. I neveer did find out what became of the good stuff, but I suspect that it went to the department or a colleague.
     

    Mildly apropos: I looked up what happwned to the “Big Three” in Science Fiction personal libraries & papers a while back.

    Heinlein’s books went to a UC and a wing in his home town, Clarke’s to the Smithsonian & the Trust in Sri Lanka, Asimov’s to a college.

    JEPs was mostly scattered to his children, I believe.

  35. lpdbw says:

    The FBI Just Settled the 9mm vs .40 vs .45 Debate

    Religious debates are not settled by mere facts.

    Added; I needled Kim du Toit about his disdain for the 9mm, and discovered he’s judging it by historic performance, which is no longer relevant. Doesn’t matter; he’s too emotionally involved in its failures in the past which are personal to him. I quit needling him.

    Oddly enough, and unrelated, I have quit reading him as part of my internet diet, not for anything he’s written.

  36. lpdbw says:

    There is a small chance it was the leftover chicken from night before last.

    Is this the half-cooked, half-burned chicken your W cooked because of your strike?

    Did everyone else eat it?

  37. lpdbw says:

    Heinlein’s books went to a UC and a wing in his home town, Clarke’s to the Smithsonian & the Trust in Sri Lanka, Asimov’s to a college.

    I’d hate to be the one who had to go through those three libraries and remove all the embarrassing (and illegal) tomes.

    Not to deny their contributions to SF, but the rumors are legion.

  38. paul says:

    Not to deny their contributions to SF, but the rumors are legion.

    I think the rumors are from Not Fans.

    I mean really, never a word until after he died that I ever heard that Clarke moved to Ceylon so he could bugger little boys. 

    And Asimov was into little girls.

    But never a breath of any of it until they died.  Ya know, it’s all like shitting on a grave.

  39. SteveF says:

    I think the rumors are from Not Fans.

    If the rumors had been spread while they were alive, lawsuits could have been filed.

    In the US and other Common Law countries, the dead cannot be slandered or libeled. (Usually. A few exceptions.)

  40. Nick Flandrey says:

    Did everyone else eat it? 

    – yeah and I didn’t have any ill effects after dinner.   Although I had the 2 chicken legs before bed.  I did peel off the burnt, and microwave the pink until grey…

    The salami smelled … not fresh, but not spoiled either but it was all kinda grey.   Not the vibrant colors when it’s fresh.

    I could make jokes about having a sh!tty day, or only being able to do half of jack sh!t…

    I did go outside (feeling much better but not enough to go to the auto parts store a mile away) and look at my trucks.   For the Expy, I did the last troubleshooting for the dead radio and GPS which was battery disconnect.   Didn’t solve anything so that one is headed to the dealer.   Maybe they can do the recall work too.

    The Ranger got a very hard look at the front wheels and suspension.  All the bushings are shot, but no fluid leaks or mystery scrapes.   Same for the rear wheels.   I now think that the brake fluid is definitely low and I will fill it before going to my mechanic to see if that is the cause.   No DOT 3 in the stacks.  I must have used it at some point, or it’s at the secondary location… which I can now picture exactly where it might be there.    

    My big “work on the truck” plans didn’t happen for today but maybe tomorrow.   It’s finally 95F after going over 100F in the shade.   There is a bit of cloud cover and I got a bit of sprinkle from the sky while I was looking under the Ranger.  That probably helped with the temp.

    ——–

    Ugg.   Headed to the bathroom again.   FWIW, I didn’t eat enough yesterday and I am 2 pounds lighter today.   

    n

  41. paul says:

    It’s kind of weird outside.  The temp is 85 with 70% humidity.  By the NWS radar It might rain in a while. Going outside is like walking into a steamy shower.  

    The weird part is that it is SO quiet.  Sure, some traffic noise from town a couple of miles away.  But other than a few sparrow type birds making noise, and a few doves cooing, there’s nothing.  No cardinals.  No hummingbirds.  No cicadas. 

    No, really.  No cicadas.   They were almost in surround sound mode yesterday.  

  42. paul says:

    Ugg.   Headed to the bathroom again.   FWIW, I didn’t eat enough yesterday and I am 2 pounds lighter today.   

    I get days like that.  But hey, welcome to old age.   

  43. lpdbw says:

    I’ve been playing with an AI called Leonardo, to produce a little logo-like cartoon to represent myself.  I mentioned it before, but the latest effort has been enlightening.

    I had a workable cartoon, but I wanted to tweak it.  The beard is too full and too blond.  Mine is white with blond flecks.

    I made several attempts to change the prompt, and they all got safety alerts because of the content.

    I finally figured out that the word “white” was the problem.   It didn’t like me changing the beard to white.  When I changed it to “silver” instead, there was no problem.

    We’re doomed.  AI creators think “white” is unsafe.

  44. mediumwave says:

    I don’t care what room they’re in. B****, move … Give me the f***ing manilla envelope. Don’t you want to see what’s in there so that we can hold people accountable. These f***ing rapists. That b***** has the keys to the nuclear codes. He’s like all up into 13 year olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail.

    So eloquent, Mr. Ritchson! The vulgarity of your statement is exceeded only by its unfounded incoherence!

  45. drwilliams says:

    “In the US and other Common Law countries, the dead cannot be slandered or libeled. (Usually. A few exceptions.)”

    If Sullivan is overturned, I expect there will be lawsuits attempting to reform slander and libel, with this being one of the point cases.

    When Common Law was formed there was no modern communications: no radio, no television, and no internet. Publishing was a costly endeavor, and the investment required put natural restraints on practices.

    Now every snot-nosed pervert in the world is able to find a couple others of like mind and push their sickness into the spotlight, claim it’s normal, and try to make criticism illegal. Their favorite tactic is to tear down society in general, but more specifically anyone that they think may disagree with them of be (horrors) conservative.

    Copyright law has been reformed to extend protections for generations after author’s have passed, leaving their works as properties with a value that can be diminished by unfounded scurrilous claims. That makes libel and slander of a dead person into a potential for damages and lawsuits. 

  46. mediumwave says:

    In re The Odyssey: Haven’t seen the movie, don’t plan to.

    Am reading the ~80 yo Lattimore translation and finding it quite accessible.

     Recommended. 

  47. Lynn says:

    “Stand Alone: Wolfhounds – Book One” by John Van Stry
       https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Alone-Wolfhounds-Book-One/dp/B0CJXBQNLX?tag=ttgnet-20

    Book number one of a six book science fiction space opera series. And there is a prequel series of two books and a sequel series of a few books. I read the well printed and not well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback self published by the author in 2023 that I bought in 2026. I complained about the failing book binding and Amazon is sending me a replacement book. I have ordered the other five books in the series and will read them soon.

    I love Space Opera. And I love pulp science fiction. This book is both and a great example of the merging of the two. In fact, this book reminds me very much of the Robert Heinlein books or the Piers Anthony, “Bio of a Space Tyrant”, books.

    Chase Collis is a street rat. He and his mother lived in government housing in Imperial City until she died of a drug overdose when he was 12 years old. Just before that was the last time he saw his estranged father who screamed at his mother to keep hiding Chase or else the Emperor would kill them all. Chase ended up on the street, running with the street gangs, being arrested by the police time and time again. 

    When Chase became an adult, he murdered another street rat and was caught by the police. He purposely got caught to go to the Imperial Prison for a few years to get more street cred and rise to the top of the street gang. But to his shock, when he went to his trial, his father was the judge. His father sentenced him to ten years in the Imperial Navy rather than the four years in Imperial Prison that he expected, and then escorted him to the Naval Basic Training school.

    In the far distant future, The Solarian Imperium consists of 38 star systems. Emperor Charles Morgan is the latest in a long line of Morgans ruling the Imperium. His family keeps power because they are genetically modified with machine interfaces in their DNA. So are all of the Nobles: the Dukes, the Earls, the Counts, and the Barons. Any machine of any importance, and especially the space ships and the military weapons, requires a human with machine interface to tell the AI what to do. And the Imperial family machine interface in their DNA is the best of all the interfaces and has special rights with the machines.

    So Chase Collis ends up in the Wolfhounds after his training, a special military fleet embedded in a large asteroid capable of FTL flights to anywhere in the Empire. They are standing down in cryosleep until needed by Emperor to protect him or to take care of a special task. But their cryosleep has lasted for over ten years when it was supposed to be for six months at the most.

    The author has a website at:
       https://jvanstry.blogspot.com/

    My rating: 6 out of 5 stars (I read it twice!)
    Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (5,256 reviews)

    Lynn

  48. Nick Flandrey says:

    Yeah, I liked the Reacher tv show when I watched the first few episodes.   Finally a Reacher who was a giant.    But then he opened his gob off screen.   No longer appealing.

    And I’m not really a fan of the books.    Considering the guy makes his living playing a character that has no issue with extra judicial killing and is a one man serial killer (who never  uses the same weapon since he always borrows one) he seems to have an interesting view of law.

    n

  49. mediumwave says:

    Heinlein – Perv or Creepy Dead Guy?

    Three of Heinlein’s books form a mini-series of sorts:

    Revolt in 2100, Methusaleh’s Children, and Time Enough for Love

    which should be read in that order. 

    Just finished re-reading them recently for the third (?) time. Recommended.

    The third book, TEfL, if you close one eye and squint with the other, just might, possibly, maybe, perhaps, obliquely be interpreted as condoning incest–but if you read the text closely and without prejudice, it doesn’t actually do that. 

  50. mediumwave says:

    I’d hate to be the one who had to go through those three libraries and remove all the embarrassing (and illegal) tomes.

    Not to deny their contributions to SF, but the rumors are legion.

    Rumors about Clarke seem to be well-founded. 

    The AI has this to say about Asimov: 

    There is no evidence in the provided search results that science fiction author Isaac Asimov was a pedophile; however, he is documented as a serial sexual harasser known for groping women at conventions.  Discussions regarding pedophilia in relation to the Asimov name primarily concern his son, David Asimov, who was arrested in 1998 and charged with felony exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography after police seized thousands of disks and tapes from his home. 

    While some online commentary conflates Isaac Asimov’s known history of sexual misconduct with his son’s crimes, the available records distinguish Isaac’s behavior as sexual harassment of adult women rather than offenses against minors.  One source alleges that Robert Mueller facilitated a plea deal for David Asimov, resulting in probation, but this claim is presented alongside unverified conspiracy theories about elite connections.

    So, Asimov pere: Perhaps a bit handsy; Asimov fils: Perv.

  51. Ray Thompson says:

    Today I found “Colossus, the Forbin Project” on Apple TV. It has not been there before. I purchased it as I remember enjoying the movie. Apparently my memory is not so good.

    The movie is still interesting. Seriously, tape drives and paper tape on a sealed computer facility? An IBM Selectric as a terminal! I guess it might have been done by IBM. Other terminals were old teletype. High speed communication link back then was 2400 baud. A major mathematical formula on green bar, single sheet, from an impact printer.

    They couldn’t stop the computer. I guess no one thought of just cutting the power. 

    Anyway, I paid the $4.99 + tax for the movie. I think I wasted $3.00. I have wasted more, especially that Bruce Willis turkey I bought.

  52. drwilliams says:

    @mediumwave

    The Door into Summer also gets a lot of criticism more than half a century after publication.

    The same people think Slick Willy was blameless and Potatus was just saving water by showering with his adolescent daughter.

  53. drwilliams says:

    @Ray Thompson

    “An IBM Selectric as a terminal! I guess it might have been done by IBM.”

    Most certainly. I had an IBM Selectric that had the capability of recording on magnetic tape: 

    In 1964 IBM introduced the “Magnetic Tape Selectric Typewriter” and in 1969, a “Magnetic Card Selectric Typewriter”. These were sometimes referred to as the “MT/ST” and “MC/ST”, respectively. The MC/ST was also available in a “communicating” version which could emulate an IBM 2741 terminal or run its native Correspondence Code.

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

  54. lpdbw says:

    The main console of an IBM 1410 computer was a Selectric built into a desk.

    That was my first home PC I owned, in 1976.  I bought it at a government surplus auction, took it home in 2 truckloads (CPU, tape drive, hard disk drive, and console), and called the power company to get 208 volt 3-phase installed into my sleepy residential neighborhood home.

    And was promptly laughed at.  I was more than a little naive.

    Never powered it up.  It was an expensive lesson.  I actually left it behind for the next homeowner to deal with.  $600 in 1976 dollars.

    OTOH, I can safely say in most groups that I was the first to have a computer in my home.  As long as no one insists on it actually working.

  55. Lynn says:

    @mediumwave

    The Door into Summer also gets a lot of criticism more than half a century after publication.

    Why?

    Are you sure that you are not thinking of “Farnham’s Freehold” or “The Sixth Column”?

  56. Gavin says:

    The Door into Summer also gets a lot of criticism more than half a century after publication. 

    Why?

    I would guess the implied grooming, although I think that’s out of proportion to the actual plot. I don’t know if Time for the Stars gets the same accusations, although it’s a very similar plot point. In both cases, though, AFAIR it’s the women driving the romance, so it should be seen as female empowerment, right? Unless it’s written by a dead white man – oh, right.

  57. drwilliams says:

    @lpdbw

    I think Fine Woodworking had an article on converting 2-phase to 3-phase about that time. Used an intermediate motor to create the third phase–don’t recall details. Cheaper that replacing 3-phase motors in salvaged industrial woodworking equipment, at least sometimes.

  58. drwilliams says:

    @Lynn

    “The Door into Summer also gets a lot of criticism more than half a century after publication.”

    “Why?”

    The protagonist’s relationship with his co-owner’s daughter. Pure b.s.

  59. Nick Flandrey says:

    I can’t point to specifics but when I was reading a box of lesser known Heinlein novels I got a bit of a weird feeling.  At the time, I remember thinking that all of them had a moment when the protagonist quits fighting his reluctance to engage in some outre’ sexual thing and just shrugs and says ‘when in Rome…’

    Reading ‘Grumbles from the Grave’ I couldn’t help but get the feeling that he and his wife were swingers or some other version of the free love ethos.

    Possibly just reading too much into it.  

    And I’d always assumed the having a houseboy thing was probably real for what’s his name as I worked for a guy with that sort of relationship (although the ‘boy’ was a young man) and I had a rich guy make me that offer when I was in college.   THAT was a weird conversation as a very straight young man with a bunch of girls available to me…

    ————-

    Gut was calm enough to have a tiny little fire and sit out a bit.   It’s about 87F and the heat does soak into you after about an hour.

    Waiting for D1 to get home, then I’ll take a shower and try to sleep.

    n

  60. Lynn says:

    Yeah, I liked the Reacher tv show when I watched the first few episodes.   Finally a Reacher who was a giant.    But then he opened his gob off screen.   No longer appealing.

    And I’m not really a fan of the books.    Considering the guy makes his living playing a character that has no issue with extra judicial killing and is a one man serial killer (who never  uses the same weapon since he always borrows one) he seems to have an interesting view of law.

    ME TOO and ME TOO!

    I got to book #7 or #9 and gave up.  I have in my SBR that I have DNFd.

  61. Nick Flandrey says:

    All the pack is back together, time to try sleeping.

    n

  62. Nick Flandrey says:

    Which might be harder than it should be as I drank half a Dr Pepper with my tiny little fire, instead of the diet ginger ale that I usually drink.   I have a feeling I’ll be awake tonight, even if my guts settle down completely.  (they are almost back to normal.)

    I lost 2 pounds in the last couple of days, and 9 since returning from the cruise 6 weeks ago.  Yeah, I’m not really trying to lose weight.  

    n

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