Hot and humid. We got a break yesterday, probably because of the localized rain and thunderstorms, with afternoon temps in the high 70sF, but it was back into the 80sF after dinner. The sun, when it was out, turned my black truck into an oven. Today should be similar.
Did a lot of driving, and even overlapped instead of combining trips because my Ranger is still at the shop. Had to use the kid’s minivan to drop off auction items in the morning in Tomball, and head home promptly, because she needed to do stuff and go to work. Then I headed back north again in the Expy to do pickups in The Woodlands, Conroe, and then I hit Kingwood on the way home. LOTS of growth in the area between Conroe and Kingwood. Thousands of homes and businesses being built in that area. Big road expansion going on too.
Today I’ll use the Expy for a couple more pickups. I got some medical stuff and some household stuff that I needed. It won’t be as much driving, and will all be on the west side, but I’ll be going north, and then a fair bit south before heading home to the middle.
Ranger suspension work is mostly finished. I had to replace my worn out tires, so I let the shop do it, as I would have had to pickup the truck, get the tires, and then go back for alignment. This way they’ll just keep working and I can do my pickups. The downside is my local tire guy won’t get the ~$1000. The shop already made a bunch on the other work, and I like to spread it around locally. It just didn’t make sense time-wise this time though.
Today is also the 8th anniversary of my dad’s death. I still think of things to pick up for him or tell him about…
Raise a glass to absent friends, especially those who really liked a drink.
nick
(Stack up some local resources. You should have “a guy” for a lot of things.)
Yep.
Oops, forgot to include that. I use Jackś M76 yeast for the Pilsner.
Windows has just gone completely nuts. Their apps are no longer really programs, but more and more of them are fundamentally web apps, i.e., dedicated little browsers, with all the massive overhead that includes.
My wife let me put Linux on her new computer. No real complaints yet. Her old computer (with Win10) is on a table next to her “just in case”, but I haven’t seen her use it.
Granted, I did the whole setup. It’s not more complicated that Windows – in fact, software installation is generally a lot simpler – but it is different. Ray’s missive from yesterday shows exactly that.
@Ray: I haven’t used Mint in a while, so I don’t remember how it installs. With Ubuntu, I can say that most software you need, including LibreOffice, is installed right along with the operating system. After that, you open Synaptic, select whatever other software you want, and click “apply”. Done.
My impression is that they have *less* understanding that people of previous generations. All of the machinery is hidden under so many layers of obfuscation that they have no idea of how things actually work. Or what to do, when they suddenly don’t work.
My “digital generation” young colleagues are completely clueless. Files and folders? No idea. Where they saved a document? Not the foggiest. Version control? What is that?
I have taken to write-protecting anything I upload, to reduce the chances of them vanishing it.
Taking a boat trip today. W1 got the departure time wrong by an hour, so drinking a latte and talking nonsense on the internets while peoplewatching.
Have a good day!
The power circuitry in the cheap Hecho en China head units tend to be garbage.
Beyond the build quality issues, I don’t understand why people feel the need for a big touch screen like that in their vehicles.
That is not what happened with my installation. I am using the ARM version that Parallels provides. Finding an ARM version of Linux was impossible for me to accomplish. I am sure they exist, just not easily located.
As for simpler, not even close. There are too many dependencies involved. In my case the JRE, which should have been done, or checked, by Libre before it installed. To install, then not run because something is missing, is the signs of an idiot programmer. The install runs, tries to create a database, then can’t because something is missing. What state, or problems will surface, because the DB creation failed?
One annoyance with Windows is the files scattered everywhere making removal of the software tedious. Apple suffers the same problem. Removing an application leaves pieces scattered, some of which cannot be removed. The startup items list is one such area. The items don’t exist, but are still in the list. I have found no way to get them out of the list. Adobe and Microsoft are really bad about such behavior.
That is true among all the platforms.
The current generation are the Eloi.
We “ancients” are the Morlocks.
Considering the ultimate fate of the Eloi,
Perhaps that’s an analogy best not taken to its logical conclusion.
😀
Military flight have been exempted from mandatory ADS-B “Out” from the beginning. Civilian law enforcement had their flights removed from the “required” category at some point in the last decade.
Aviation Herald doesn’t report anything.
Seems strange that a commercial heavy could land, smoking, and someone not grab a cell shot. Military leased maybe.
One black cat tonight. One helo, and one possible very large drone. It had the wingspan of a light aircraft but was very low and slow, and didn’t really sound like a prop driven plane. And it kind of drifted to the side as it moved away from me. No tail light, no blinking. Just white on each “wing tip” and something a very small distance in front of that line, a red light. Odd.
—
Dean Ing wrote a short series of books which featured a LO aircraft. As I recall, piston powered (rotary?), muffled, prop with subsonic tips & shrouded, carbon epoxy.
Update: Wikipedia says he passed in 2021, RIP.
I am probably thinking of the ‘ransom of black stealth one’ series. He’s a lot more prolific than I remember.
And a Texan – I’ll try not to hold that against him…
Many solar orbitals ago I purchased four WEMO smart plugs to control some lights. The living room, entrance light, and two plugs we use for the Christmas lights. Added them to Alexa. It was easier to say “Alexa, turn on the Christmas Lights” than to reach behind the tree and plug in the lights.
WEMO went under, stopped the whole project, abandoned the smart plugs, whatever. The plugs still work except for one. And it cannot be added back to the app, and thus Alexa, because WEMO flew the coop. One of the disadvantages of the smart devices.
I have ordered new smart plugs. I wanted to get the Amazon plugs but they only support Alexa and not Apple HomeKit. I ordered another brand, Kasa, which is part of TP-LINK. TP-LINK has been around for a while so I hope these plugs will be supported longer.
Bigger screen is easier to read at a glance. Zoom on google maps doesn’t make street names bigger, so that sux. Bigger screen also means bigger buttons which are easier to use when bouncing around in the car.
Also, all the cool kids have them.
———-
87F and sunny. Probably damp too.
Started the coffee. Need to start the food.
Wife is work from home today, so I need to get out of the house soon!
n
I had native navigation apps in my 2014 Rav4 and my F-150, and there’s a world of difference between the tiny Toyota screen and the huge Ford screen. I don’t use the native apps any more. The onboard map data on the Rav4 is obsolete even in my neighborhood, and Ford canceled my access to the native app unless I want to subscribe. That’s no issue for me, because Android Auto is better, more up to date, and has incorporated Waze updates for hazards like construction, objects on road, and “police activity”.
I travel a lot between Houston and St. Louis, and being able to glance at the map and see complex intersections and indicated routes is valuable. Not flawless; I’ve taken 20 minute detours when Google gets it wrong or confused. But I like it.
I don’t use the touch screen part any more than necessary, but having it means I don’t need to have external controls. There are enough of those on the truck. I have about 16 buttons just on the steering wheel. I use most of them.
Ebola season again… starting to spread.
https://www.dailymail.com/health/article-16044965/ebola-outbreak-drc-travel-warning.html
TP-Link is under a lot of scrutiny right now, and Texas has been moving towards a ban of their products.
State of Texas devices are not permitted to be used with TP-Link routers under an order from the Governor issued earlier this year.
If TP-Link survives, it will probably be under US ownership.
And here I am, caught with my Hormuz crisis decorations still up…
Military leased maybe.
– or cargo? Was mostly if not all white, no visible livery from where I was.
The guy from the fun store came rushing out looking around when I pulled up. He drew my attention to it, and when I asked how he spotted it, he said he first heard that it sounded odd, then came out looking. Since they are under the departure path, he probably hears a LOT of flights.
n
Have you looked into the Asahi Linux distribution? It’s been developed specifically for Macs, but I don’t know much about it, as I’ve never owned a Mac and all my Apple experience was picked up to address specific support issues, usually for my sister who swears by them.
I got some Kasa smart plugs a month back. I ordered some cheap Amazon plugs, but didn’t realize they don’t have “Matter”, so you need a “Matter” hub for them to work with HomeKit. I returned them for the Kasa Matter plugs and they work out of the box with HomeKit.
These: Kasa Matter Smart Plug
No. I might at some point. Everything I need is on the MacOS or Windows. Linux was an experimental venture and I found nothing worth changing. The version of Ubuntu I tried I found no way to power off the OS on the VM except by using Terminal. It‘s stupid stuff like that that makes me despise most OSes and the asinine decisions by developers.
I realized that when I was looking. I mostly use Alexa but I do want the capability to use HomeKit. The ones I ordered support both.
Re: TP-Link & others.
I have several wifi things that I haven’t setup, mostly because I am lazy, but also because of the Chinese snooping. You really need a 2nd ‘unsecure’ network for these, separate from your secure work & life network.
The usual snooping aside, Battleswarm blog covers another threat I hadn’t considered, small media boxes secretly configured from the factory as botnets. Wild.
Its been a while, but I remember reading a while back that a some of the advanced memory modules actually had a small computer inside them. I don’t know if it was DDR5 or what, but there’s a scary thought.
@Nick – regarding that strange aircraft you saw – perhaps it was this plane on it’s way to Witchita?
Video on that page shows it.
It was very low and slow, and nighttime. And moving from west to east, almost directly. So probably not. Those boys fly high.
We do have global hawk drones working around IAH and north of town, or at least I used to see them during the day, but that thing isn’t small.
n
Shoot down the next one you see and find out who complains. #ModernProblemsRequireModernSolutions
Back from the boat trip. Sunny and on the water. Probably picked up a farmer’s tan despite my factor-50 sunblock. It is hot.
Caught the partial solar eclipse before disembarking.
Found a beautiful antique engraver’s hammer along the way. Now I will have to engrave something… might have to practice on a beater gub.
Linux. I switched to Ubuntu, later Mint, around the time RBT declared his “independence day”, largely inspired by him. The one Windows program I miss is the ancient PaintShop Pro. I could probably get it to run under WINE if I messed with it.
I don’t know anything about Linux on ARM or virtual machines. Not real interested, but someday.
I installed Mint. Cinnamon desktop. It was simple. From Win 11, I had an exe on the USB stick. Double click that and the install program took over. I had options. Partition size? Use all of it. File system format…. FAT32 and NTFS were options. I took the default file system. Ext4, I think.
Setup wanted a user name. And a password for Admin stuff. Fine and dandy. Installation didn’t take long. Firefox and Thunderbird were installed by default. LibreOffice, too. There’s a thing called Software Manager. Pretty cool feature.
I did the sudu apt get at the command line for something, I forget what. Just to do it.
I didn’t have to mess with video or audio drivers. Or network drivers. Drivers for my Lexmark printer were there. Ok, maybe the printer uses universal drivers. I can print and scan.
Tweaking settings was mostly giving the box a fixed IP address. And moving the taskbar to the top of the screen where it belongs.
I copied my documents and videos and music and pictures over from the old Win11 drive.
Along with my Firefox profile and my Thunderbird profile. The directions are clearly explained on both program’s website. That’s the two config files I had to edit. To tell the newly installed programs to use profile xxyyzz instead of the new aabbcc profile. Firefox was no problem TBird wasn’t bad, but allowing I went from version 2.x to version 140.x it went pretty well. I didn’t lose any mail.
I copied the config file containing saved paths and passwords, for Filezilla from the old PC to the new PC.
That’s about it. Other than an oddity with file permissions it was pretty simple.
I save a lot of stuff as plain text files. Stuff from the Windows box had Read Write and Execute permissions. So Mint would ask if I want to run this file. Right click properties and un-check Execute. Sort by file type in a folder and select all text files and change the permission for all at the same time. New text files made on Mint are normal. It was just the text files from the Windows system.
Shrug. I had everything running just about how I wanted in three days. Not in a week like with Windows.
Now, now. That’s a bit beyond the pale. Just because I look like a Morlock…
If something forces me to redo my computing environment, I’ll switch to linux for my main machine. Unless that happens though, I’ll just continue as I am.
I mostly use the browser and media player/ripping software anyway. VERY little creation anymore.
n
Yeah, I miss PaintShopPro. I started with version 2. Actually paid for it. I still have version 7. Before Corel bought JASC. I could mess with wine but, nah, I don’t do much other than crop and resize pictures anymore.
George Pal gave the Morlocks a bad look.
Raspberry Pi OS is Linux on ARM.
I didn’t know that. Or I knew and forgot. I do know my Pi-hole just works. And LMS on another Pi just works.
Old PSP has one exceptionally useful feature. It can create and work with .wmf files (Windows Metafiles). Those are vector graphics, not dumb image files, which means that they scale up correctly without becoming pixelated. If you ever need to blow up an image to make an A1 format poster, PSP is invaluable. The .wmf files PSP generates are ginormous, but modern computers don’t barf on those nearly as much as computers did in the olden days of WfW 3.11 or Win95.
PSP, along with old MS Publisher, saved my bacon when W1 was doing graduate work that required a printed poster to be handed in as part of some assignment or other. I put the output on a USB stick and took it to the local copy shop for printing. For twenty bucks, “her” poster looked really professional, and it got her top marks. She still has it on the wall in her office.
I took Mr Weasel outside for a while. (Too tired to think and in particular too tired to do paying work, so I might as well give the chickens some lettuce and take the ferret out to play.) Turns out she’s a lot faster than previously revealed, when she really wants to go somewhere. eg, wants to get into the bushes in front of the house. I’m still faster than she is but it’s only somewhat faster, not the previously-expressed much faster. She’s also single-minded about getting into the bushes, at least when they’re in sight.
The hens still express their displeasure when I bring Mr Weasel near the chicken run but they no longer flap and squawk and run to the farthest edge of the run.
The ferret’s owner “will probably pick her up this weekend”. Seems to me that I’ve heard this story before. We’ll see. I don’t mind taking care of her but my continued willingness depends on her being my pet, not someone else’s pet who’s been pawned off on me for a while.
Many solar orbitals ago I purchased four WEMO smart plugs to control some lights. The living room, entrance light, and two plugs we use for the Christmas lights. Added them to Alexa. It was easier to say “Alexa, turn on the Christmas Lights” than to reach behind the tree and plug in the lights.
WEMO went under, stopped the whole project, abandoned the smart plugs, whatever. The plugs still work except for one. And it cannot be added back to the app, and thus Alexa, because WEMO flew the coop. One of the disadvantages of the smart devices.
I have ordered new smart plugs. I wanted to get the Amazon plugs but they only support Alexa and not Apple HomeKit. I ordered another brand, Kasa, which is part of TP-LINK. TP-LINK has been around for a while so I hope these plugs will be supported longer.
Just realize that after you pass, nobody will understand how to control all that stuff.
We need a universal control system embedded in our DNA that we are born with.
Wife is work from home today, so I need to get out of the house soon!
I hope that things are ok.
Discretion being the better part of valour, etc.
PPPPPP
Next time plan on doing a couple loads of prophylactic laundry, hoovering the living room, and dusting high places. Empty the bin of empties and get out of the recliner at least an hour before she gets back, so it can cool off. Never let them think you’ve been recreating unsupervised for too long.
My wife’s sister’s husband passed away this morning. Stage 7 of Alzheimers is bad news when you cannot swallow anymore. I am very proud of my wife’s sister for not putting in a feeding tube, that would have lengthened the disaster. There was some pressure for her to put in a feeding tube but I was firmly against it when she asked me. She was too, she just needed somebody agreeing with her.
He was only 70, four years older than me. We had lots of good times over the years, including replacing a collapsed sewer line at their house on a 20 F Christmas Day back in 1990 or 1992. Who knew that a pickaxe was a good thing to have around for frozen ground?
Das the start of the eclipse, then it was eclipsed by the mountains. It was maybe 59% when it disappeared.
Lynn, I am sorry for your loss. Heartfelt condolences.
Nick, for yours too. I regularly find myself talking to my late father. I like to think he hears, but can’t answer just now.
Brad, have you any coolth up there in the mountains? It is sweltering down here at the Swabian Sea. Will likely head to CH tomorrow.
Computers are an appliance for Gen-Z and Gen-A (and even some younger Millennials). They turn it on and use it. If it breaks, they call the appropriate repairman or buy a new one. They see them more or less the same way previous generations saw their microwaves. I suppose this is true for most things with most people. Most people who own cars aren’t mechanics. Most homeowners aren’t plumbers, electricians, or HVAC technicians. They just use that stuff with little thought behind how it works.
Military flight have been exempted from mandatory ADS-B “Out” from the beginning. Civilian law enforcement had their flights removed from the “required” category at some point in the last decade.
As we move further and further into a low trust society, more people will opt out as Elon Musk and Taylor Swift already have.
I don’t know how to repair a microwave. Not much of a clue. I had one, a Litton, blow the ceramic fuse. I replaced the fuse. I had a microwave a few years ago decide to not microwave. Everything worked, it sounded normal.
So out it went. I went to Wal-Mart and the one machine I liked was a display unit. They don’t sell displays. Well. Hang on. I have a 600 watt Emerson sitting on a shelf in the EDC.
We bought it to use in the camper. And then it went to the SeaRay. Works great. Mechanical timer. Sure, TV dinners say X minutes “but with an 1100 watt microwave”. I just double the time.
I’m ok with electrical and plumbing. Swapping out a water heater is simple. I’m ok with replacing bad parts on my electric range. And things like water fill valves and cycling thermometers and the defrost thermometer in my fridge’s freezer. A/C is a puzzle but mostly because I haven’t had to fix much.
I don’t understand the “it’s broke and I’ll just buy a new refrigerator” mindset.
But, and I’m not sure, but PCs getting good enough to be disposable like a toaster oven seems like a good thing overall.
Me? It breaks and I try to fix it. The puzzle is the fun.
“Manifest Destiny: Wolfhounds – Book Five” by John Van Stry
https://www.amazon.com/Manifest-Destiny-Wolfhounds-Book-Five/dp/B0DSQ5KXWB?tag=ttgnet-20
Book number five 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 well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback self published by the author in 2025 that I bought in 2026. I own the other book in the series and will read it soon.
I love Space Opera. And I love pulp science fiction. This series is both and a great example of the merging of the two. In fact, this series reminds me very much of the Robert Heinlein juvenile books, the Piers Anthony “Bio of a Space Tyrant” series, the “Mutineer’s Moon” series by David Weber, and the Perry Rhodan series. The dialog is very frequent and the action moves along quickly.
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 at the age of 12, 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 including Earth and the Sol system which were made uninhabitable in the War of Succession. Emperor Charles Morgan, Chase’s grandfather, was 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 Earls, the Dukes, 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 all of the machines in the Imperium. And nobody knows or understands how tight the Imperial human machine interfaces are with every AI in the Imperium.
Chase Collis ended up in the Emperor’s own Wolfhounds after his Navy machinists mate training to be a glorified broom pusher. The Wolfhounds are special military fleet embedded in a large asteroid capable of FTL flights to anywhere in the Empire. The Wolfhounds were standing down in cryosleep until needed by Emperor to protect him or to take care of a special task. But their cryosleep lasted for over ten years when it was supposed to be for six months at the most, treachery of the most high. And upon the Wolfhound’s accidental awakening, the Emperor and his family were dead for ten years and the Parliament and the Speaker have taken over the Imperium.
Prince Chase has now been to the Tomb, what everyone calls the uninhabitable Sol System, and verified to be the new Emperor by the ancient AI there. So now Emperor Chase and the Wolfhounds have to finish reconquering the Imperium, one star system at a time. And Chase has found less than a half dozen of his Imperial relatives alive so far and is coming to realize that the Parliament and the Speaker have managed to kill off most of the nobility with their embedded human machine interfaces that all of the machine AIs rely upon and are now timing out due to lack of authorized human contact.
The author has a website at:
https://jvanstry.blogspot.com/
My rating: 6 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (2,208 reviews)
Lynn
Remove the smart plug and plug the cord into the socket. All the automated light switches have manual controls.
Unless things have changed, ADS-B “Out” only requires broadcast of the altitude in the US, but it is possible to do triangulation of the signal with multiple receivers, each equipped with a Stratum 1 time source and known location.
The government may have made allowances for private planes flying individuals at high risk to turn off the transponders. I haven’t kept up other than occasionally verifying that my receiver rigs still work.
She’s Going to Hate This — Ex-SPLC Employee Arrested for Wire Fraud Over Extremist Group Payments
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2026/08/12/shes-going-to-hate-this-ex-splc-employee-arrested-for-wire-fraud-over-hate-group-payments-n2205534
Pass the popcorn.
Game On: Michele Tafoya Crushes MN GOP Primary—and Dems Hand Her a Far-Left Lunatic to Run Against
https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2026/08/12/tafoya-wins-gop-senate-nom-in-mn-n2205511
Flanagan’s win retired Angie Craig, who may be wishing that she had stuck to being a congresscritter. That leaves a purple district to elect someone new–we’ll see how that goes.
Flanagan was exposed as one of the coordinators of anti-ICE activities when SIGNAL chat messages got leaked. IF DOJ has any evidence of criminal activity or involvement in funneling out-of-state support to professional protesters, soon would be a good time to lay it out there. She is already vulnerable as Walz’ Lt Governor who provided no help* before or after the Somali Fraud I, II, and III were exposed, and has a long history of not showing up to perform elected duties.
*It’s extraordinary how no Minnesota state officials (governor, lt. governor, AG, etc.) nor any of the representatives and senators who funnel funds to their home state, had any clue about the hundreds of millions of dollars being pilfered, flown out of the country, and used to make the Somalis the most meteorically affluent group of refugees in the history of the world. It’s also extraordinary that the state didn’t notice that the money they were shoveling out had absolutely no effect on the supposed problems that they allegedly addressed. It’s almost like childhood hunger isn’t a real thing.
FM 95.7, KKHH, in Houston is changing formats again. From 1980s and 1990s rock that I love to being an echo for a sports talk AM radio station. Bummer, real bummer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KKHH#95.7_The_Fan
I had BSR X10 remote control modules in the 1980’s. They were sold by Radioshack and Sears, and after BSR went out in the mid-80’s, by whatever the successor company was called. The actual reach of the system was greater than advertised–the control signals were encoded on the power line and could reach anything plugged in to the common single-phase branch from the transformer.
Around the top of the last hour of the Hannity show today, while he was talking to the guest, I swear I heard Cutie Pie floating the trial balloon that Minnesota is not a border state … well, not a south border state … and doesn’t really have a problem which requires significant ICE presence.
Remove the smart plug and plug the cord into the socket. All the automated light switches have manual controls.
My father put his stuff all over the house embedded into the doors, nest thermostats, etc. Electronic and mechanical door locks. Etc. It has been a nightmare for me and my mother. It is all breaking down and costing my mother $200 for a tech to come out from Victoria to Port Lavaca and fix the problem so I can sell the house.
X10 stuff was great. I had shi(r)t tons of the stuff. But the control boxes where you could set timers and such died.
It’s almost all gone now. I think I’m down to two light switches and a couple of modules.
Sure was fun stuff.
I miss it. One button press to turn on the lights was cool. Then again, it ain’t killing me to actually walk to a light switch.
Robinson’s Defense Team: Shooter ‘Hit the Intended Target’
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2026/08/12/robinsons-defense-team-asks-judge-to-take-death-penalty-off-the-table-n3817923
Lame attempt to get the death penalty off the table by claiming his proficiency didn’t put anyone else at risk–with a shot in the neck.
Meanwhile AOSHQ reported this story with the comment:
I’m sure Tuqkur will weigh in and clear this all up.
‘Dexit’? DoorDash Delivers Itself From DE to NV, Others to TX
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/08/12/the-3t-blue-state-vamoose-doordash-delivers-itself-to-nv-others-to-tx-n3817916
When DE has not more corporations to squeeze the locals will have figure out how to tax each other.Don’t worry, folks, your new Muslim friends have some thoughts…
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2026/08/12/the-rorting-of-a-new-australian-entitlement-n3817932
So far they’ve just gotten by with local talent–think what giant strides they could make if they imported a few Somalis.
I miss it. One button press to turn on the lights was cool. Then again, it ain’t killing me to actually walk to a light switch.
My dad would be like, “Alexa turn the den lights on red”. Alexa would then turn the kitchen lights on bright white. Dad would then say, “Alexa, no, turn on the den lights on red”.
You would not believe how old this got in a hurry.
And you cannot turn on the den lights anymore because the wall switch was removed!
Flanagan was exposed as one of the coordinators of anti-ICE activities when SIGNAL chat messages got leaked.
You know, that is an Enemy Combatant. You can shoot Enemy Combatants during combat.
“Ubiquiti Enterprise NAS Review: 16 Bays, Dual 25GbE, and ZFS for $3,999”
https://www.storagereview.com/review/ubiquiti-enterprise-nas-review-16-bays-dual-25gbe-and-zfs-for-3999
You know, put 16 of the new WD 40 TB hard drives into this and you have a monster storage box. I just cannot figure out why I need one.
Why should you get sixteen 40TB drives and a NAS to hold them? Because you can.
Texas has no lack of Muslims, and the RINOs will go back to looking the other way about what’s going on in places like McKinney as soon as the election is over.
I have no issues with my commands, most of them custom. “Alexa, it’s bed time” turns all the lights and turns on the bedroom light. “Alexa, start my day” turns on the living room light and the kitchen, gives me sunrise and sunset, then gives me the weather.
From GOA ( https://www.gunowners.org/ ):
Our “One Big Beautiful Lawsuit” win is well on its way to becoming the law of the land.
That means that the registration requirements on SBRs, SBSs, AOWs & Silencers will no longer exist for GOA members.
This is huge, and to celebrate, at midnight we’ll be working with SilencerShop to transfer Brandon Herrera the first non-NFA suppressor since 1934.
The court limited our victory to GOA members, and other named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, so if you’re not currently a member now is the time to sign up!
The DOJ still has the chance to appeal our victory, but thanks to the efforts of GOA members, new reporting suggests the Justice Department is split on what to do next.
Congress has also gotten involved, with a group of 47 Senators and Representatives sending a letter to the Department of Justice, urging them to extend our win nationwide to all gun owners!
This fight is heating up, and the pressure is on.
We can’t let up now. We’re calling on all GOA members to contact the White House and urge them to direct the DOJ not to appeal our case.
CALL THE WHITE HOUSE
202-456-1111
https://www.gunowners.org/081026/
I Added This to Concrete So You Don’t Have To
Fix This Build That
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzmPxDDiyFI
A good illustration of the need to add the disclaimer “For Entertainment Only”.
Cement requires a calculated amount of water for the chemical reaction of hydration. Aggregates added to make concrete also have a water demand, and additional water is needed to adjust the flow and workability of concrete. Added water weakens the strength of the concrete. Additives can reduce the amount of extra water needed, increase workability, control the set time, etc. All of these things are well-understood and used by bagged concrete mix manufacturers. If you’re using a bagged concrete product, follow the manufacturer’s directions.
Mountain Dew contains two components that will result in poor concrete.
Glass fibers do not improve compressive strength.
Adding 5% calcium chloride to concrete that does not have reinforcing steel mesh or rebar will reduce the set time (particularly at low temperatures.) and give higher early strength.
Concrete samples for testing are made in well-specified shapes, cured under controlled conditions, and tested in multiples to get an average value that is reproducible. Water loss by evaporation will result in a weak surface and give low and variable test results. In placing project concrete water loss to the ground and foms should be considered, and after finishing a liquid curing membrane, plastic covering, or other means should be used to keep the surface from drying.
There are multiple chemical reactions that are involved in curing concrete, with time frames spanning hours, day, months and years. Standard test times for samples are typically 3, 7, and 21-days.
Home automation has been a solution looking for a problem for decades. And that’s coming from someone who worked with AMX and Crestron programmers to automate stuff in a professional setting, and who’s last remaining customer has an 8 foot rack full of gear in his house…
I’ve also got some programmable “scene” lighting in my house. The previous owner remodeled the kitchen and I think there were 13 light switches scattered thru the three rooms that make up the kitchen and home office. I can control them all from a a couple of places with a single button push. The system is about 16 years old now and wasn’t state of the art when installed so we’ll probably have to do something to replace it soon-ish. It won’t be internet connected.
————
FM 95.7, KKHH, in Houston is changing formats again
I listen almost exclusively to that station. GREAT mix of music. F sports. Time to get the XM working again.
n
Once upon a time I had a really quite elaborate X10 setup in my college 450 sq ft studio apartment. Motion sensors, timers and macros from a PC interface box were programmed in a pseudo Basic 1200 line system. Lighting scenes, auto coffee making, stereo and TV controls all worked pretty good. The alarm system was vulnerable to the horrible battery life of the fob. When triggered a phone machine looped cassette in a hidden Walkman threatened a tear gas release while sirens and disco lights throbbed. Plus a phone dialer sent alerts to my employer’s office. Only set it off a few times. 🙂
FM 95.7, KKHH, in Houston is changing formats again
I listen almost exclusively to that station. GREAT mix of music. F sports. Time to get the XM working again.
I split between FM 107.5, FM 95.7, and AM 740. I keep my office radio on 107.5 24×7 for background noise.
Classic rock isn’t my favorite format, but The Eagle started playing some alternative too, and they have a very strong signal and repeaters, so I can listen to them most of the way to the BOL. Truck is a bit noisy for audiobooks sometimes.
———-
Mid 80sF right now but it does soak into one. It was over 100F this afternoon.
Tiny little fire and a book were nice. No wildlife and very little aviation tonight.
———–
Speaking of the Ranger, got it back from the mechanic. It’s nice and tight again. I was starting to notice a little slop in my steering, sometimes not holding my lane quite as effortlessly as I should be able to. Including 4 new truck tires, it was an expensive visit.
Time now to move forward with the back end and some more cosmetic stuff. It won’t be a restoration as much as a refresh.
It’s almost an antique.
————–
First day of school tomorrow. I’ll be getting up early.
Better get showered and to bed.
n
I feel like I should add that having reliable transportation, and having it be a truck, is a solid prep. As is having the funds to make repairs and improvements.
That it’s a pre-electronic, pre-nerf, vehicle without tattletales and dubious ‘help’ is icing on the cake.
n
Oh, and the rules for free lunches changed so our school isn’t doing free breakfast and lunch for everyone, like they have in the past.
n
(still have need based free and reduced meals)
Speaking of the Ranger, got it back from the mechanic. It’s nice and tight again. I was starting to notice a little slop in my steering, sometimes not holding my lane quite as effortlessly as I should be able to. Including 4 new truck tires, it was an expensive visit.
Installing the new freebie motor in my F-150 4×4 and flushing my transmission cost me $8,000+. Any procedure that starts with “1. remove cab” is bloody expensive.
I got the new tires a week before I had the engine checked out and condemned.
Now they are telling me that my truck is worth $22,000 on tradein. Nope. It is worth $40K to me, what I paid for it. It has all of the options that I needed, 4×4, max tow, FX4, 36 gal tank, chrome bumpers (definitely needed), 375 hp v6 twin turbo engine (I will get the v8 next time), etc. I plan to keep it to 100K miles, just 34K miles away.