And it will be hot while I do it. It got plenty sweaty during the day Tuesday, and stayed in the 80sF all night. I think we’ll get more of that today.
Did my pickup in the afternoon, then took the stuff to my shop and unloaded it. I’ve got some steel scrap to drop off today. No money really but it will be out of the shop. I’ll throw some batteries and some bits of other non-ferrous on the pile too.
Spent the evening assembling my new gantry. I’ll finish up with that today, I think. I’ve got to pick up the second load of stuff from the auction too. Three COWs (computer on wheels) from one of the local hospitals. I’ll scrap them, and see what kind of laptops they left in them. Might be decent, might be old.
The ipad I picked up yesterday was a 9th generation. The dang thing has a pin lock, even though the auction pictures showed the settings screen. I hope the auction can tell me the code, as I’d like to use it if possible. The kids’ old middle school uses one to control their sound system and the district IT staff was going to take their ipad away. If I can unlock and reset it, I’ll give it to the theater department. Apple makes it hard or impossible to repurpose their itoys if they haven’t been released by the previous owner, unlike windows and PC based stuff. I guess that’s good if you are worried about theft. Makes it hard to get money for old gear, or to keep it working.
So that is the plan for today, second round of pickups, maybe unlock the ipad, and finish putting the gantry together. I’m sure something will be added to my list as well.
Always be working. Even if each task is fractal. And stack, it’s easy!
nick
Overnight temp was low-40s. Seasonally normal. My only concern is that the chickens will start molting soon, when the temp is lower. A year ago, my two older hens spent a large part of the day in the coop because they were half-naked and cold. The younger birds stayed out and ran around, perched on the rail, or whatever. Chickens hatched in the Spring don’t molt in their first Autumn. This year, all of my birds are likely to be half-naked, cold, and sitting in the coop most of the day.
At least they won’t be saying “Hold my beer…”
————
It dropped to 78F at some point because that’s what it is right now.
Back hurts, which should surprise exactly no one.
I”m going back to bed.
n
You are assuming that the toll collection system on the bridge ALWAYS works.
Incorrect strategy Number One.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/handled-dutch-officials-legally-euthanize-toddler-first-ever/
It always starts with reasonable sounding cases. Nothing ever gets more restricted, except freedom.
n
Ah, silly me. D2 has a dentist appointment this morning. I’ll be doing that, not laying in bed.
n
Thanks for the correction.
There must be some way to reset the iPad, perhaps by connecting to a Mac with special software controlled by Apple. There is a store not far from here, Unclaimed Baggage. They sell stuff people leave behind on airplanes. The last time I was there there were a dozen iPads. I would guess those were locked when lost but are now unlocked. Not that the information does you much good. The Apple Store “might” be able to help or it might be a waste of your time.
You can’t unlock it if you don’t know the pin (not sure if apple can either) but you can put it in recovery mode, which lets you wipe and restore to factory.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/119858
I thought that the recovery process would get back access to the iPad, but the Apple ID would still need to be provided to complete the setup of the iPad. The serial number of the device is tied to the Apple account.
I hope everyone can excuse my earlier confusion where I attributed this to Canada’s MAID.
I think it’s a fitting motto for Canada: “Hey, at least we don’t kill toddlers. Yet.”
The FCC released new guides to help people block spam and robocalls by using existing features:
“How-To” Robocall Blocking Guides
https://www.fcc.gov/blockit
LOL, I can’t wait for the response to this…
I don’t think you need the exiting Apple ID. You should be able to create a new one to get the ipad seup. In the past, I had the need to create a new Apple ID and was able to switch on a device with no problem. Of course, that isn’t the same as a recovery. Nick needs to test and let us know! We all know he doesn’t have anything to do…
I might try the recovery process when I have time. I have couple old apple devices that are still functional but not used anymore.
In the last few years Apple has really tightened up the stolen device process. The last time I reset my iPhone, I had to provide my Apple ID and password to complete the setup process. During the reset process the iPhone was removed from my account. I believe, but not certain, that the serial number is passed to Apple during the setup and if that serial number is associated with another account, the setup stops.
I too would like to know Mr. Nicks experience. If he is successful, that is a significant security hole in device protection. Just connect to a computer, place the device in DFU mode, and boom, the device is now the person’s, even if stolen.
My DJI iPhone gimbal arrived. Both seals on the box had been broken. Stickers on the device had been removed and stuffed back in the box. There were also scratches on the handle. Obviously used and returned. Amazon is processing the return. But now the replacement is $20.00 more. I am checking with Amazon to see if they will honor the original price.
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring. He went to bed, bumped his, and didn’t get up in the morning.
From my childhood. Why do I remember useless junk? And yes, it is raining.
Amazon, especially Prime, is really going downhill. Half the stuff I order for next day is delayed and delivered 2-3 days later. Getting a DJI product- DJI is a high-quality Chinese brand- used in a box is a disgrace.
I see your Raining and Pouring and raise you an Itsy Bitsy Spider.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STj9R6jeFyo
Tiny little fire, and one tiny little possum… no aviation at all. Weird the ebb and flow of that.
The ‘water feature’ really does act as a watering hole for the local semi-domesticated wildlife. It’s fun to see them walk by and take a drink. I guess that even though we got a little rain, it might still be hard to find accessible water, outside of the concrete channelized bayous.
I guess that is true. I have lots of varmints hanging around my two one acre ponds at the office.
Ah, silly me. D2 has a dentist appointment this morning. I’ll be doing that, not laying in bed.
n
Wait, aren’t you on strike?
“US LNG exports on track to top 120 million tonnes in 2026, Energy Secretary says”
https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/economics-markets/news/55407251/us-lng-exports-on-track-to-top-120-million-tonnes-in-2026-energy-secretary-says
“US LNG exports continue to expand rapidly, further solidifying its position as the world’s largest LNG supplier.”
The USA is the world’s largest energy supplier in every category: diesel, gasoline, LNG, CNG, natural gas, etc. No one else is even close.
As far as exporting LNG, we still flare about 40% of the natural gas in the USA since it is so expensive to recompress it and inject it back into the ground when the producer can only process crude oil and there are no gathering pipeline networks close by. It is far better to liquefy the excess natural gas and sell it to Europe and Asia.
“we still flare about 40% of the natural gas”
Has anyone studied the economics of co-locating natural gas turbine generators and data centers with oil fields where they are flaring gas?
Would that be the economics of the generators, turbines, buildings, and infrastructure or the economics of that plus permits, environmental impact statements, local politicians and union leaders with sticky fingers, state and federal bureaucrats with sticky fingers, …?
“we still flare about 40% of the natural gas”
Has anyone studied the economics of co-locating natural gas turbine generators and data centers with oil fields where they are flaring gas?
Unfortunately, those places are usually also good places for wind turbines and solar power plants. In fact, several of the old natural gas fired power plants have been removed since the wind turbines beat them economically with the federal subsidies. West Texas, South Dakota, Utah, Pennsylvania, etc.
Crusoe Energy‘s business model depends on using otherwise flared gas to generate electricity for the data centers, but the data centers will not be in the oil patch areas, requiring new transmission lines,
Crusoe’s big data center campus is planned for Abilene, a long way from the oil patch.
Don’t think about it too hard. The scheme is part of the grand circle jerk.
“Revelations: (How) To Be A Werewolf #1” by Jan Stryvant
https://www.amazon.com/Revelations-How-Werewolf-Jan-Stryvant/dp/B0GT9SGMHM?tag=ttgnet-20
Book number one of a three book urban fantasy series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback self published by the author in 2026 that I bought on Amazon in 2026. BTW, the author published this book under a pseudonym, his real name is John Van Stry. I have ordered the following two books in the series.
Joshua has been an orphan since age six when his parents and older sister were killed in a car wreck. He has been in the foster care system since then in Wichita Falls, Texas and is now eighteen and the quarterback of his high school football team. But, he has just been falsely arrested for an armed robbery right before the championship football game.
This book is a harem book as described by the author. That means that there is sex in the book, more so than his regular books so he is using a pseudonym to indicate that to his readers.
I really liked the characters, they are fully fleshed out and very likeable. The story moves fast and is very tough to put down. I actually read it all the way through the first time I read it.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars (I read it twice!)
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,091 reviews)
Lynn
The Feds Bought Its Forensics Software. Its CEO Allegedly Hid the Firm’s Russian Owners.
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/23/oxygen-forensics-ceo-arrested-for-hiding-russian-ownership-n2207298
Chinese ownership would mean 100% chance of malicious code.
Rooshun is only 99%.
@Lynn
“Unfortunately, those places are usually also good places for wind turbines and solar power plants. In fact, several of the old natural gas fired power plants have been removed since the wind turbines beat them economically with the federal subsidies. West Texas, South Dakota, Utah, Pennsylvania, etc.”
@Greg Norton
“Crusoe Energy‘s business model depends on using otherwise flared gas to generate electricity for the data centers, but the data centers will not be in the oil patch areas, requiring new transmission lines,
Crusoe’s big data center campus is planned for Abilene, a long way from the oil patch.”
Data centers need power 24/7, so they can’t be served with non-dispatchable sources unless they are backed up by natural gas turbine generators. I seem to recall that they are looking at small nukular reactors, which are more expensive, have longer permitting times, and strong nimby reactions. If you run generators on natural gas that has no pipeline to transport it, it should be very economical after paying for short run transport and some backup compressed storage. No hundreds of miles long electrical transmission lines required, and fiber is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to connect to the existing backbone.
To top it off a comparison of global warming potential (GWP) using conventional values shows that methane has 28 times the immediate impact. The superficial total GWP contribution does not equalize for more than 300 years, but I suspect adjusting for immediacy and the relative saturation of the IR spectrum would push that out considerably.
As far as federal subsidies are concerned, they are past their due date and stinking up the federal budget. Any green weinie that claims that unsubsidized solar or wind is cheaper than conventional generation can piss their retirement savings into the pot or get off it.
That’s my back-of-the-envelope using only two numbers. I suspect someone has done a white paper.
If Crusoe builds to the scale they’re projecting in Abilene … cough … the labor and water involved would dwarf what would be economically and socially acceptable in the oil patch.
When you watch “Landman”, the Patch Cafe and various other buildings in the town are actually in Fort Worth.
IIRC, Crusoe was involved in bitcoin mining in a previous “spin”, but that was at a much lower scale, with generator and server racks installed in a customized shipping container which could be hauled anywhere and hooked up to a gas source.
All I’ll can say is that if you are going to play that stock, use beer money.
Data centers need power 24/7, so they can’t be served with non-dispatchable sources unless they are backed up by natural gas turbine generators. I seem to recall that they are looking at small nukular reactors, which are more expensive, have longer permitting times, and strong nimby reactions. If you run generators on natural gas that has no pipeline to transport it, it should be very economical after paying for short run transport and some backup compressed storage. No hundreds of miles long electrical transmission lines required, and fiber is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to connect to the existing backbone.
You would be fascinated how much it costs to run a pipeline nowadays. I am seeing quotes approaching $20 million per mile. If there is serious litigation, and there is always serious litigation, then double or triple that cost. To run a new natural pipeline from Monahans, Texas to Abilene is 208 miles along I-20. So that cost could easily be $400 million at a minimum and probably $1 billion is actuality.
BTW, there are three natural gas pipelines from Monahans to Abilene to Dallas right now, Two 24 inch and a 30 inch. Kinder Morgan is building a 48 inch pipeline and may have it done. All of the pipeline capacity is already sold and requires one week of diesel backup for probable curtailments. Bought any diesel fuel lately?
If Crusoe builds to the scale they’re projecting in Abilene … cough … the labor and water involved would dwarf what would be economically and socially acceptable in the oil patch.
There is no spare water in Abilene, Lake Fort Phantom loses 100% of its annual rainfall water to evaporation every year. That lake is probably about five feet deep at the moment and there are 100,000 people drinking it and pooping in it. They use a surprising amount of water.
“Notes to self”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2026/09/notes-to-self.html
“1. If you find an old bottle of Miralax, don’t assume that just because it’s old, it may not work as well as a fresh product would.”
“2. Having taken a dose of the old Miralax that morning, don’t assume that just because nothing is moving by that evening, it’s definitely not working properly.”
“3. Even though you think the Miralax isn’t working properly, don’t unthinkingly take two stool softener tablets that same evening to “hurry things along”.”
“4. When you wake earlier than usual next morning, and spend the next half-an-hour or so disgorging quantities of the usual, you have nobody to blame but yourself.””
“5. When this is repeated later that morning, with even more disgorgement, you still have nobody to blame but yourself.”
Welcome to my life. I take a stool softener and five prunes daily. I took a heart drug called Rythmol for five years from 2013 to 2018 which is a long muscle relaxer. That caused my bowels to develop a large abscess in them that can accumulate a huge amount of fecal matter.
Hidden Camera Catches Talarico’s Mom Planning Move to DC to Keep Him in Line
https://redstate.com/watch/2026/09/23/hidden-camera-catches-talaricos-mom-planning-move-to-dc-to-keep-him-in-line-n2207291
Mr. T-Free goes to Wahington,
with Mom-ee?
DM Schaedenfreude targeting Canada.
The US doesn’t have assisted dying … yet.
Much like the “inspector” jobs under the Green New Deal, I imagine that the Feds will have a MAiD workforce composed of the best and the brightest DEI hires available.
And your MBBS will see you now.
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16136457/Our-83-year-old-Christian-grandmother-euthanised-against-Canadas-assisted-dying-died-covered-blood-hands-clasped-prayer.html
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2026/09/23/ap-guess-the-race-of-second-suspect-arrested-in-hanging-of-black-woman-n2432629
11 black people have been killed by hanging in 2026.
10 have been ruled homicide.
1 has been ruled a lynching: a black woman was hanged by two black men.
I have to point out that these are not #2 supa-light “Sunny Hosten” blacks, but by the reflectivity seem to be #7-8 on the scale–not much of the Debil Pinkness apparent.
Shareholders Sue New York Times Over Alleged Anti-Israel Bias
The NYT has put some limits on their presidential coverage in support of the leftist networks that were shown the door. Maybe the White House should also look at racial bias as a filter.
The First Amendment of the Constitution does not guarantee access to government based on subscriber numbers, and it can be argued that do so perpetuates oligopolies.
The Trumpster is coming to Knoxville for the UT versus UT football game. Orange versus Orange. 3-0 versus 3-0. That is really going to mess with the already horrible traffic. When Obuttwad came to the area the major highway from Knoxville to Oak Ridge, affecting tens of thousands of commuters, was closed both directions, all four lanes. It took me 4 hours to get home versus a normal 30 minutes.
Tickets for the game are going for $800.00. ESPN Game Day is also broadcasting from the campus.
UT (TN) has not played a team this season that are little more than a good community college team. UT (TX) is going to have a field day.
UT (TX) looked sloppy beating up on UT (SA) last weekend.
It is a big game because of the Manning family connection.
I Finally Defeated Every Copyright Claim on My Channel (ft. LegalEagle)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8HxQkk0PSY
Wait, aren’t you on strike?
– not for D2, she hasn’t said any dumb shite yet.
n
I’m debating whether I should seriously bid on a skid steer for the BOL. It’s currently $5000.
Skid steer is crazy useful. Rental is expensive, with the delivery and pickup charge more than the day rate.
n
She wasn’t nodding along enthusiastically with offensive statements by the others?
Would it be worthwhile to get the skid steer and a trailer so you could haul it around yourself, and then do jobs for pay? The trailer seems like something you could use for other things as well. You’d probably want to get insurance, which would be a recurring cost, which would pretty well obligate you to work a certain number of hours per month. It might not be a net positive.
Alternatively, what about just getting the trailer so you could do the pick up and return yourself and save that charge? As above, the trailer could be used for many other things. You’d still have to rent the skid steer, but you can get a lot of days rental for $5000 plus maintenance.
@Nick
Tempting at $5000, but what does the bid history tell you? Probably that there are 3-4 bidders still in the hunt. Ask AI what a reasonable price would be given the model, age, and hours. What price, discounted for tax and BP, would make your heart got pitter-patter? Is the control type the one you are familiar with? (All are not equal if you have muscle or range of mobility issues) What attachment does it come with: bucket, forks, etc.? Take your average rental cost times number of times per year, and figure a simple payback. Then ask yourself if you can spend a couple hours every month starting it up, checking for leaks, using it, and doing the maintenance. Can you go look at it? Do you know enough about them to know what to look for?*
*Aside from general cosmetic, top of my list would be:
Start it from cold
Check for full range of motion: up, down tilt, etc.
Tire condition?
How is accessibility to the cab?
Check the hydraulic couplers for ease of use, dirt, leakage
Ask for the service records
Was it used by the owner or beat to crap by employees?
Eyeball the filters. They should be manufacturer, or Donaldson or another U.S. company that makes OEM filters. Walk on Chinesium.
Well, it went past my “I can afford this without too much pain” point so I dropped out. I missed the final number and the seller doesn’t put closing bids up.
I am bookmarking today though, because I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and the responses were more detailed than I expected.
Skid steer is most effective when paired with a mini excavator. Skid steer moves dirt, miniex digs. Very hard to dig with a skid steer, very hard to grade with a miniex, even if it has the dozer blade.
I usually rent both when I do the work, so that’s a consideration too.
If I could have stolen it, I would have. I can’t afford competitive pricing. Last week the same model I rent sold for $27K in an auction of off lease rental units.
At around $5K this one would have been a steal, even if everything needed service. And since I’m not running it more than a few hours a month, I can put up with a lot of loosey goosey wear, which even the rental units tend to get.
Next rental, I’ll look more closely at an in-town or nearby rental yard. I have been using United Rentals from a “it’s only a couple of towns over” location because I know the quality and support I’ll get, vs “Nate’s Rental Gear and Vape Emporium”, but if I can save some on the delivery, I can afford more time… also the local, well, more local yard has some slightly smaller units, which I could use now that the big work is done.
Although, it’s easier to do smaller work with a too big unit, than bigger work with a too small unit, so renting smaller gear can be a false economy.
I’ve been thinking of it like renting trailers instead of buying one. I rent different types for different jobs, instead of having to make the job fit the trailer I own. I will probably continue renting equipment. Still, it would be SO CONVENIENT to just hop in and do some job and not worry about planning and cost.
n
Saw this partial headline:
Change in Mask Rules at MA Lesbian Bar Causes Anger
I thought I would comment, but I guess not.
Rand Paul Drops Bombshell: Fauci Emails Discuss ‘Gain-Of-Function Programs We Didn’t Know Existed’
https://redstate.com/kyle-becker/2026/09/23/rand-paul-drops-bombshell-fauci-emails-discuss-gain-of-function-programs-we-didnt-know-existed-n2207310
And the Democrats are still helping him cover up.
A possible IDScan data breach has far-reaching implications
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/a-possible-idscan-data-breach-has-far-reaching-implications/
I’ll take my $10,000 on a giftcard and the free lifetime sub to LifeLock.
Oh, they don’t have assets to cover everyone affected?
Bankruptcy, then the organleggers for the board, all executives, all managers with more than 10 direct reports, and the entire IT department and their families.
ADDED: Did anyone else see an ad for Incogni on the linked page?
Once more highlighting the problem with collecting the data- eventually someone will use it in a way not intended originally.
———–
Had a tiny little fire and read for a while. One cat sauntered by in the distance. One helo flew over.
Before I went out, I had to go in the back and pull the dog off a possum. Possum was almost as big as him and was fighting back until it saw me, then it went full ‘playing possum’. I got the dog inside and Mr Possum beat feet while he could.
Weird orange eyes when I lit them up with my FLASHLIGHT.
————
It’s late, and I’m beat. Headed for bed after my shower.
n