Wed. Aug. 25, 2021 – nut cuttin’ time is getting closer

Whoooeeeee, it shore got hot in the sun yesterday. Gonna happen today too, reckon. Oh, it’ll start out slow, but I’m betting on ‘hot’ and sunny later. At least the humidity was slightly lower. It wasn’t so low I didn’t sweat through my shirt in minutes outdoors, but it was better than the last few days.

Since I spent yesterday morning and early afternoon dealing with power issues here at Casa de Nick, I didn’t get very far on my list. Most of that will have to push to today. Also, most of the prep for my non-prepping hobby convention and swapmeet needs to happen today. I’ll be doing prep for my role in things Thursday, and actually doing the things Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Posting will be as normal but commenting will be light.

On the plus side, now that my service drop is replaced, my electrician buddy should be willing to do the gennie hookup.

On the minus side, there is a smell in the garage like the rat poison worked. No ratons in the traps, so he’s somewhere else. Unlike the house, he can get into the walls in the garage. I’m really hoping that isn’t the case. I’ll know more in a day… Whether I’ll be able to do anything about it is another question.

Whether the world holds together is starting to be a good question. Portland has another ‘autonomous zone’ taken over by antifa thugs. They seem to be entirely without introspection as they’ve named the area the “SSPAZ”. Maybe the ‘kids’ are so well conditioned that they never called anyone a spaz and they just don’t get the reference. Elsewhere shootings and public violence continue to increase. An example of the unequal application of the law has the leader of the Proud Boys facing jail for stealing and burning a flag, while looters, BLM thugs, and antifa punks roam free. Oh, and he had a “high capacity” magazine with him in DC, while antifa tries to literally blind cops and gets away with it.

As well to be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.

Disruptions to supply lines continue. Disruptions to the food supply continue. Remember last year when people were saying “don’t worry about the poor crops, we’ve got plenty of grain in storage…” well, this year that grain is probably mostly gone, and it looks like we aren’t going to have bumper crops.

People are talking and advocating for vax status to determine access to and level of medical care. Think about that one for a second. Now extend it out a year or two… what else will they want to use to discriminate against you? There will be shooting when that costs someone a loved one. And honestly, I don’t think it will take a year. You will need tribe and like minded folks to get access and resources. What will you bring to that exchange?

Black market, grey market, secondary market, informal market, whatever you call it and whatever nuances there are between them, start looking. Start practicing. Swapmeets. Yard sales. Garage sales. A guy who knows a guy. You might find yourself locked out of the main economy. Yeah, things would have to be pretty bad before that could happen. Illegals already live that way though. It’s not that big a step and the legal framework went in years ago. There were articles about it, and the pretext was ‘extremism’, but they promised not just to lock you out but also anyone who would do business with you. I don’t know where such a scenario fits on a risk matrix, but it’s on there. And we are in the middle of a global pandemic, and the early stages of a civil war. Just sayin’. Planning. Some preps. Some people. Some practice. Just sayin’.

And stacks. Tall stacks.

nick

67 Comments and discussion on "Wed. Aug. 25, 2021 – nut cuttin’ time is getting closer"

  1. drwilliams says:

    “People are talking and advocating for vax status to determine access to and level of medical care.”

    Sounds like the latest iteration of the Obamacare death panels.

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  2. Nick Flandrey says:

    79F and 90%RH at 6am.

    Harvested 9 tomatoes last night, ranging from cherry sized to racquet ball sized. They are small but still tasty. We’ve got way more than we can eat. Which is why I only plant a couple of plants in a normal year. Can’t push them on co-workers fast enough, forget to freeze them. I wish I liked tomatoes….

    n

  3. drwilliams says:

    Try dehydrating.

    Do it right and they will store for years, if you don’t eat them like potato chips.

  4. brad says:

    I wish I liked tomatoes….

    Yum, home-grown tomatoes. My wife (the gardener) always plants a variety of the really small tomatos: yellow, red, orange, almost-black. They all taste different, which is really nice.

    But you’re right: In a good year, you cannot possible eat all of them 🙂

     

  5. Nick+Flandrey says:

    School bus is late again.   All week it’s been so late that D1 is late for school.  Wife drove her yesterday, and today.   I think they are not going to squeeze ten minutes out of the route and need to re route.

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  6. Greg Norton says:

    My son is an anti-vaxxer. He think any of the covid vaccines will kill his sister since she has no immune system. So he is not going to take his sister to the VA.

    ADD: The wife took the daughter to our HEB yesterday. No J&J even though their website said they had it. The pharmacist was looking all through their fridges for it.

    J&J is more amenable to theft and arbitrage since the handling requirements are lower than Moderna and Pfizer. The mandates with the need for the third shot are going to make a profitable market for parties beyond the drug companies. And, with FDA approval of their shot, Pfizer can now deploy the classic pharmaceutical marketing tools of hookers and steaks.

    I’m highly skeptical about the vaccines, but I’m not hardcore about it if others make that choice for themselves.

    BTW, the Regeneron therapeutic also has whispers of fetal cells associated with the manufacturing process.

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  7. Greg Norton says:

    Whether the world holds together is starting to be a good question. Portland has another ‘autonomous zone’ taken over by antifa thugs. They seem to be entirely without introspection as they’ve named the area the “SSPAZ”. 

    Waterfront Park, where the fountains are normally used for bathing by the homeless. They even bring their own soap!

    Wake me when an autonomous zone happens in The Pearl or Hollywood District.

    Or in Dunwoody, Linus Torvalds neighborhood in the hills above Downtown.

    Or the Zoo neighborhood.

    Skulls would get cracked if Antifa tried in those places.

    And, as much as I cr*p on Vantucky (Vancouver, WA), where we served our sentence -er- lived for four years, that wouldn’t happen either.

    I’ve yet to see the Portland mess happen outside of the area where even a moron city police commander couldn’t squish things in an hour.

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  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    Right on schedule, don’t want to miss out on the recurring revenue…

    Johnson & Johnson says a second dose of its Covid vaccine raises antibody levels NINE-FOLD and that booster shots should be given after eight months

    Johnson & Johnson said data shows that people who receive a second shot of its COVID-19 vaccine see antibody levels increase nine-fold
    The firm says this is evidence that J&J recipients should be given booster shots eight months after receiving the first dose

    n

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  9. SteveF says:

    No acknowledgement when it worked well, complaints when something went wrong.

    Not only no acknowledgement, but questions about whether you actually did anything all week

    Under what conditions do we get to declare we won

    When the imposition of communism is complete.

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  10. Greg Norton says:

    Right on schedule, don’t want to miss out on the recurring revenue…

    J&J wants in on the arbitrage with the concierge practices. Pfizer has the upper hand with that right now because the dirty secret of FDA approval is that they can now take the vaccine to the open market, but J&J has lower handling requirements, making arbitrage potentially more profitable.

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  11. Alan says:

    ADD: The wife took the daughter to our HEB yesterday. No J&J even though their website said they had it. The pharmacist was looking all through their fridges for it.

    @lynn, although I usually avoid it as I do FaceCrack, you might want to post on Nextdoor that you are looking for a J&J jab, someone there might know.

  12. Alan says:

    With reservations for the Lightening topping 120,000, Ford looks to increase production capacity…

    https://www.slashgear.com/f-150-lightning-leak-says-ford-has-an-enviable-problem-with-its-ev-truck-23688127/amp/

  13. Greg Norton says:

    With reservations for the Lightening topping 120,000, Ford looks to increase production capacity…

    A $100 reservation is not a huge barrier to entry with all the stimulus money floating around.

  14. Chad says:

    Lynn, IIRC you live in Houston area? If so, check out this:

    https://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/Resources/2019-Novel-Coronavirus/Register-for-COVID-19-Vaccine#covid-vaccine-map-dashboard

    Looks like the J&J vaccine is available at NRG Park, 9036 S. Main St, Houston, TX 77054

    Obviously, observe the heck out of her. In addition to her health problems the J&J was somewhat more problematic for women in general. Especially, IIRC, 8-15 days after the shot.

  15. Chad says:

    Can’t push them on co-workers fast enough

    LOL. The dreaded bags of vegetables sitting in the break room every August. 🙂

  16. JimB says:

    The dreaded bags of vegetables sitting in the break room every August.

    No, not dreaded. Grazing! I especially liked the fruit.

  17. Greg Norton says:

    Lynn, IIRC you live in Houston area? If so, check out this:

    Also try HEB in the boonies where the chances are lower of a sticky fingered pharmacy tech deciding to risk their job selling doses of the vaccine out the back door to the local concierge clinic.

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  18. Ray Thompson says:

    Broke the mower, again.

    First time about two weeks ago I idled the engine before disengaging the blades.  The belt wobble caused the blade belt to slip off the drive pulley. Being a commercial mower access to the belt is under the floor board and it just flips up. Takes two people to get the belt back on the pulleys. One to push on the tensioning arm, the other to actually install the belt.

    Today I bent the mulching plate around one of the blades. Mower came down on a short stick (about 2” in diameter) on the ground I did not see. Branch hit the mulch shield, bent it inward 1/2”, blade hit the shield and stopped dead. Put a slice in the shield. Had to jack up the front of the mower as it is quite heavy. After removing the bolted on discharge cover I was able to use an adjustable wrench and move the shield out of the way so the blade can turn.

    The mulching system on this mower is really good. Discharge is bolted shut, shield partly around each blade. Mowing really thick grass and there is no signs of clippings.

    Also discovered one of the front tires was flat. Popped the bead seal. Inflated rather easily. Smooth tire, no tread, about 8” wide. Inflates to 10 PSI. Stiff sidewalls so hard to tell it is flat.

  19. dkreck says:

    @Ray

    pretty handy for an old crippled guy 😀

  20. EdH says:

    ***Can’t push them on co-workers fast enough…***

    My father used to say:”No unlocked car is safe!”.

    I have 6 plants (bought 4, was gifted 2) and have had one tomato this year.

    It’s just too hot and too windy and too dry too early.  My friends in town have had success tho.

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    Unvaccinated Americans have five times as many COVID-19 infections and 29 TIMES as many hospitalizations as those who’ve had their shots, CDC study of Los Angeles finds

    A new CDC study looked at more than 43,000 confirmed infections in Los Angeles between May 1 and July 25
    COVID-19 incidence rate was 315.1 per 100,000 people for unvaccinated people compared to 63.8 per 100,000 for the vaccinated – a 4.9-fold difference
    Hospitalization rates among the unvaccinated were 29.2 times more than those in fully vaccinated people at 29.4 per 100,000 versus 1.0 per 100,000
    Fully vaccinated individuals were less likely to be admitted to ICUs, placed on mechanical ventilation and die

    Wow, sounds dire. But. The actual study is described at the link here…

    https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e5.htm?s_cid=mm7034e5_w#F1_down

    and even I, untrained layman, can see issues. One is that it only applies to LA. Cali lags the nation (or leads in a bad way) and they are not representative of the US as a whole.

    The study has the same but opposite problem with numbers that Ech cited when people were trumpeting the breakthru cases — at the beginning, only 1/3 of LA was vax’d so there were twice as many unvaxed in the study population. By the end, the proportion was ~50-50 so easier to compare directly but there is no mention in the study of that change. (what did they call it? The Simpson effect?)

    The chart gives a breakdown by race, age, etc for INFECTIONS but not for the really definitive part, HOSPITALIZATIONS. It notes that those numbers can be out of whack based on different testing rates in the various subgroups, and based on the prevalence of those subgroups in LA vs other areas. Even the death numbers are potentially wacky because of other considerations, like comorbidity and the length of time from diagnosis to death including up to 60 days.

    There is also the use of some statistical number fudging, “age adjusted” (follow the link in the notes) and “Differences in the percentages of infections by vaccination status were calculated using chi-square tests for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis tests for medians”. Also there is some slop in the way they determined vax status and hospital admits.

    TL:DR — the ~5x vs 29x number looks significant and scary but it’s based on rates that have been adjusted, tweeked, and manipulated.

    2800 people were admitted. 440 were vax’d at least partially, 2355 were virgin.
    536 were admitted to ICU. 70 were vax’d at least partially, 466 were virgin.
    189 needed venting. 24 were vax’d at least partially, 165 were virgin.
    207 died within 60 days. 31 were vax’d at least partially, 176 were virgin.

    If you were admitted, you had a 7.4% chance of leaving in a box and having your death blamed on wuflu. 13 enter, 12 live at least 61 days. Or “almost everyone who is sick enough to be admitted will still recover enough to leave.” Or “despite being very sick, more than 92% will recover and be discharged.”

    Over the course of the three months, unvaxed had a 5x greater admission rate than vaxed. NOT 29x

    Unvaxed were admitted to ICU 6.7x more often than vaxed.

    Unvaxed were put on vents 6.8x more often than vaxed.

    Unvaxed had their eventual deaths notched in the covid column 5.7x more often than vaxed.

    Or, 15% of those who died were vaxed. 85% were unvaxed. Either way, 5.7 x more likely to die IF sick enough to be hospitalized.

    –some other things that aren’t in the chart. What percentage of the admitted patients progressed thru the ICU to vent? HOw is that reflected in the total numbers on the chart? Is “Admitted to the ICU” inclusive of the vents or not?

    It could be said that of the 2800 admitted, ~20% will need ICU, of those in the ICU 35% will eventually need to be ventilated. Or the denominators could be different. We don’t know because they don’t say.

    And to sum up, in an area with over 9 million people, over the course of a 3 month “massive” increase in cases, only 200 people* died of “covid related” causes and 24 of those at least had significant comorbidities.

    n

    *who were admitted to a hospital. I’m reasonably sure there were deaths outside of hospitals, but probably not many.

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  22. Chad says:

    The numbers continue to both amaze and confuse… If having the vax makes most vaccinated people asymptomatic when infected then how would you get accurate counts of the number of vaccinated individuals infected? If they’re not symptomatic then just what would prompt them to get tested?

  23. Greg Norton says:

    The numbers continue to both amaze and confuse… If having the vax makes most vaccinated people asymptomatic when infected then how would you get accurate counts of the number of vaccinated individuals infected? If they’re not symptomatic then just what would prompt them to get tested?

    Are you asking a rhetorical question? The number of patients with this virus who are truly asymptomatic is extremely small. People *know* when something is wrong with their bodies so they get tested.

    The test is an invasive procedure. It isn’t surgery or even the skin jab as is the case with TB, but gathering the sample isn’t like swabbing the back of your throat for strep either.

    The co-morbidities I don’t see reported but I view as likely being significant are BMI and smoking status, but those are problematic politically with special interests involved. If forced vaccination is on the table to deal with fatalities from this public health issue, shouldn’t weight loss plans and smoking cessation programs be there as well?

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  24. Alan says:

    If forced vaccination is on the table to deal with fatalities from this public health issue, shouldn’t weight loss plans and smoking cessation programs be there as well?

    Many (some?) large companies have quasi-forced smoking cessation by levying a surcharge on people’s health insurance premiums if they are smokers. Also some have ‘carrot/stick’ programs that provide company FSA contributions for weight loss.

    Delta Airlines announced today that employees who choose not to get vaccinated, and therefore are required to submit to frequent testing, will face a monthly $200 surcharge to cover the cost of the testing. Ouch!

  25. Chad says:

    @RickH: Might want to check the server logs, Rick. I got what looked like an HTTP 500 and an HTTP 405.

  26. Greg Norton says:

    Delta Airlines announced today that employees who choose not to get vaccinated, and therefore are required to submit to frequent testing, will face a monthly $200 surcharge to cover the cost of the testing. Ouch! 

    We’ll see how long that lasts.

    The Delta management people still working from home in their jammies in the suburbs of Atlanta are from different demographics than the Delta front-line workers toiling at Hartsfield-Jackson.

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  27. lpdbw says:

    ***Can’t push them on co-workers fast enough…***

    My father used to say:”No unlocked car is safe!”.

    I had an uncle once with a large garden.

    He’d go to his siblings’ porches and load them up with produce before sunup.

    They called him the Zucchini bandit.

  28. Paul+Hampson says:

    “covid vaccines will kill his sister since she has no immune system”
    Grand-daughter is still on chemo for cancer surgery, no immune system, and at her doctor’s recommendation has had both vaccine shots. Still as healthy as one can be on that chemo stuff.

  29. lynn says:

    “People are talking and advocating for vax status to determine access to and level of medical care.”

    Sounds like the latest iteration of the Obamacare death panels.

    I just caught that if you are unvaccinated and end up in the hospital with covid, some of the health insurance companies will not pay your bill now. I guess that they view this as a preventable disease now that the FDA has fully OK’d the Pfizer vaccine.

  30. Greg Norton says:

    I just caught that if you are unvaccinated and end up in the hospital with covid, some of the health insurance companies will not pay your bill now. I guess that they view this as a preventable disease now that the FDA has fully OK’d the Pfizer vaccine. 

    I can walk around, stuff my face with fast food every night, gain 150 lbs, and when the inevitable happens still get covered for the $100k or so in care required for that *scientifically proven* preventable illness, but the tenuous link between being unvaccinated and severe Covid voids my coverage.

    Where are my car keys? Popeye’s here I come. Warm up the Henny Penny pressure fryers and make with a half dozen of those sandwiches to go. I’m tired of eating broiled/baked chicken three nights a week and a cup of yogurt for breakfast every morning.

    That reminds me — I’ll be back in the morning for a sack full of biscuits along with a quart of the gravy.

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  31. MrAtoz says:

    I just caught that if you are unvaccinated and end up in the hospital with covid, some of the health insurance companies will not pay your bill now. I guess that they view this as a preventable disease now that the FDA has fully OK’d the Pfizer vaccine.

    So, if you lose your vax card, you are screwed. Goobermint to the rescue! You are already in a DB as a good/bad citizen dumbocrat.

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  32. lynn says:

    “Samsung Can Remotely Disable Any of Its TVs Worldwide”
    https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsung-can-remotely-disable-any-of-its-tvs-worldwide

    “The technology is called TV Block, and it’s pre-loaded on every Samsung TV.”

    If Samsung can do it, then the hackers will be able to do it soon also.

    None of our three TVs are connected to the intertubes. I have a Roku Ultra box for each TV.

  33. ~jim says:

    The long, long yogurt aisle at the supermarket just cracks me up. ½ cup of curdled milk + 3 TBS sugar. Oh, but it’s *good* for you.

  34. lynn says:

    “Watch: Solar flare eruption on the sun could be headed for Earth”
    https://www.chron.com/news/space/article/Houston-weather-solar-flare-satellite-video-cme-16408956.php

    “A sun spot, officially called AR2859, erupted in a magnificent blast Tuesday. The solar activity is part of a days-long event that could bring what’s called “coronal mass ejection” hurling towards the planet.”

    Just a G1 and not even sure it is going to hit the Earth.

  35. MrAtoz says:

    I wonder what plugsy McSpongeBrain will do on Sep. 1st? Abandon US Citizens, lie and say all that wanted evacuation got it, beg the Tolli-bon for an extension, or, actually deploy the largest American Joint force ever and totally destroy Afghanistan? Kill, Crush, Destroy and Eat Dead Babies, then go home is the only way to do it. Think, nuke it from orbit, just to be sure.

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  36. lynn says:

    “Largest US Food Distributor Having Trouble Keeping Shelves Stocked; Price Shock Imminent”
    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/largest-us-food-distributor-having-trouble-keeping-shelves-stocked-price-shock-imminent

    “One of the defining features of the early phases of the covid pandemic, when public fear was rampant and when few wanted to take chances that supply chains would remain viable, is that for a brief period US supermarkets resembled those of the USSR circa the late 1980s: many items were in short supply, and some – notably toilet paper, clorox, and perishables such as milk – were out of stock for weeks.
    Fast forward to today when fears about the Delta strain are being fanned by the liberal media, the US may be facing a similar shortage of key products… only this time for a very different reason: not a surge in demand, but rather a drop in supply.
    According to Bloomberg, some of the largest U.S. food distributors are “reporting difficulties in fulfilling orders as a lack of workers weighs on the supply chain.” Take distribution giant Sysco, North America’s largest wholesale food distributor, which is turning away customers in some areas where demand is exceeding capacity.
    Worse, food inflation is about to soar: the company said prices for key goods such as chicken, pork and paper products for takeout packaging are climbing amid tight supplies. In particular, production has slowed for high-demand, labor-intensive cuts like bacon, ribs, wings and tenders, Sysco said. And if intermediate and final wholesale prices are “rising”, just wait until they emerge on the consumer side.
    The culprit for the coming price shock? Biden’s catastrophic stimmies and universal basic income which has unleashed havoc on the US job market and led to historic labor shortages:”

    Food prices are getting ready to soar ? What have they been doing since the beginning of the year ? I am seeing 10% to 25% price increases on everything in the grocery store. Does this mean another 40% to 50% price increase is coming ?

  37. lynn says:

    “Demand only one side of LNG price surge, supply cut by outages”
    http://gasprocessingnews.com/news/demand-only-one-side-of-lng-price-surge,-supply-cut-by-outages.aspx

    “The weekly spot price assessment ended at $15.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in the seven days to Aug. 20, down from $17.05 the prior week, which was the highest since the peak of last winter’s demand period in January.
    New York-traded futures based on the JKM assessment provided by S&P Global Platts finished at $16.34 per mmBtu on Monday, up from $15.66 on Aug. 20, but below the recent eight-month high of $17.99 on Aug. 18.
    Spot LNG prices have been steadily climbing after the usual post-winter decline, which saw the weekly spot assessment hit a low of $5.60 per mmBtu in late February.”

    Wow, more shortages in the energy sector. The price of LNG in Asia has jumped from $5.60/mmbtu in Feb to $15.50/mmbtu now. That is hurting level. BTW, the price of natural gas in the USA is running about $4/mmbtu right now.

  38. ech says:

    It’s not MADE of fetal cells, it’s made from a tool we made from fetal cells.

    The cells used to grow the adenovirus in the J&J vaccine are descendants of cells from an aborted fetus from 1985. Note that. The cells are descended from those aborted cells, but not the aborted cells themselves. So, no current abortion cells are being used.

    These cell lines are common in drug and treatment development. These are the cell lines that George W. Bush’s executive order (in 2001) allowed to be used in federally funded R&D work, while cell lines from aborted fetuses after that date can’t be used. There were fetal cell lines used in some of the early R&D for mRNA vaccines, predating the COVID pandemic, possibly by several years. The articles I’ve seen said that the cells were used in testing the lipid coating on the mRNA that allows it to penetrate the cell wall and activate the cell to produce the desired protein.

  39. ~jim says:

    File under You’ve Got to be Kidding Me

    Nirvana sued by the baby from Nevermind’s album cover

  40. lynn says:

    If you are looking for a “cheap” 350 lumen double AA battery flashlight, I’ve got one for you. My newest favorite is the Rayovac Tactical LED for $14.99 before a $2.00 coupon. It is a little heavy but I really like it.
    https://www.amazon.com/Rayovac-Virtually-Indestructible-Black-Flashlight/dp/B0716D98GQ/?tag=ttgnet-20

    I used to buy the Mini Maglight 332 lumen two AA LED but the price is up at $35 to $45 nowadays. Too much for me.
    https://www.amazon.com/Maglite-2-Cell-Flashlight-Holster-Black/dp/B005UUSAAM/?tag=ttgnet-20

  41. Ed says:

    Booted the old PC with Mint 20 on it this morning, first time in a couple of months (June?).  It can’t find the wifi dongle, can’t update via the package manager.

    Booted it with the Devuan partition (Debian without systemd), and it’s fine.  Even updated via Synaptic just fine.

    I think I’m done with Mint.  It’s always something.  I don’t think I’ve had any version keep running for more than six months.

  42. Greg Norton says:

    I think I’m done with Mint. It’s always something. I don’t think I’ve had any version keep running for more than six months. 

    The last major version upgrade to Mint broke something in the LineageOS 14 build I keep in my primary desktop. I had to create another partition for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and move the build process to that system.

    If I had to guess, the problem is once again Python 2.7 –> 3.x that all the major distributions are forced to do this year, but the problem wasn’t obvious.

    I have two LineageOS 14 devices, a phone and a tablet, and the only way I get security patches for them is to build the OS from scratch myself.

  43. lynn says:

    “You have questions about the Gulf tropical system, and we have (a few) answers”
    https://spacecityweather.com/you-have-questions-about-the-gulf-tropical-system-and-we-have-a-few-answers/

    “We’re continuing to track development of a tropical system in Caribbean Sea that should move into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. And while we don’t have a lot of additional clarity, we have received a lot of questions today. So although we can’t answer them all, we’re going to do our best.
    As of Wednesday afternoon, here’s what we know, and what we don’t, about Invest 99L.
    Where is Invest 99L going?
    Not much has changed since this morning. We are reasonably confident that the storm will ultimately track toward Texas or Louisiana. Mexico seems less likely because it appears the storm’s center is further north than where forecast models initialized it earlier today. But beyond this there is a wide variance in solutions, and until the system gets more tightly defined, the models are going to struggle with solutions.”

    The time for final preparations is RIGHT NOW.

  44. ITGuy1998 says:

    Stopped at Costco –  needed to restock on propel water. No charmin blue, and more importantly, no coffee creamer. I’m running low on that and I may have to start a serious resupply search…

  45. Greg Norton says:

    The time for final preparations is RIGHT NOW.

    Gas shortage in Central Texas for Labor Day!

    Five days out is still a long time, but I’ll check the gas in the cars tonight.

    The Gulf is like bathwater right now.

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  46. EdH says:

    …and more importantly, no coffee creamer. I’m running low on that and I may have to start a serious resupply search…

    I’ve taken a liking to the “Kitchen Fixin’s” brand from the 99 cent store.  It’s an acquired taste I admit, a bit like powdered chalk, but it keeps the coffee from chewing up my delicate tummy, so there it is.

  47. lynn says:

    The time for final preparations is RIGHT NOW.

    Gas shortage in Central Texas for Labor Day!

    Five days out is still a long time, but I’ll check the gas in the cars tonight.

    The Gulf is like bathwater right now.

    Our Shell station just dropped their regular unleaded cash price from $2.65 to $2.58/US gallon.

  48. Nick Flandrey says:

    Whew, home. Lots of driving around picking stuff up. New reading light for the wife. Some Christmas presents. Pet ‘spot’ carpet cleaner. More Christmas. Camping supplies for the wife. Household stuff.

    Went by the goodwill bins and picked up a $1500 coffee maker. Heavy sucker. Even if it doesn’t work, stuff like the water tank, tray, and covers sell for really good money on ebay. Grabbed a $500 coffee maker the other day so it was on my mind. Amazing that the people will fight over tshirts but leave money like that in the bins. Oh well.

    n

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    I like an ounce or two of heavy cream in my coffee. It’s a 2 cup cup. Also, 3 splenda packets, the equivalent of 6 sugar packets.

    The coffee has to be pretty strong to hold up to that.

    n

  50. drwilliams says:

    note: removed blockcquotes after getting multiple Internal Server Errors

    @Chad brings up a good point, and I think @Greg dismisses it too quickly.

    If people <em>know</em> that they have been vaccinated and have a reasonable expectation of some level of protection, they are likely at a minimum to delay getting tested. If being vaccinated results in a mild case and getting an infection under control in a few days, they might never get tested at all. It is further possible that they may never or belatedly change their behavior to limit their exposure to others, and thus be <em>equally</em> or <em>more</em> likely to spread the infection than the unvaccinated.

    One of the many things that is lacking (in addition to officials lying, making shiite up, and just talking out of their backsides, preventing any serious research into non-vax treatments, and promoting FUD to help along the ultimate goal of total control of the behavior of the population) is a comprehensive tracking study that is not predicated on data gathered after the fact.

    It would seem to be non-trivial but not-difficult to induce a large number of people to volunteer for a study that does an initial assessment of Wuhan-flu exposure and resistance and tracks it over time at short intervals.

  51. drwilliams says:

    I like an ounce or two of heavy cream in my coffee. It’s a 2 cup cup. Also, 3 splenda packets, the equivalent of 6 sugar packets.

    The coffee has to be pretty strong to hold up to that.

    n

    Geez, Nick. Next you’ll be double-filtering and keeping that 150-lb machine around because you got hooked on the frothing attachment.

  52. JimB says:

    Been drinking coffee since about age six. Love it. Before that age would go to the grinders in the A&P and find a scattered bean or two. Chewed them. Did I say I love coffee? Nobody in our family put anything in coffee, or tea for that matter.

    Ordered “coffee” in a restaurant once while in HS. Was surprised it came with cream and sugar. Thought I would try it. No. Asked for black. Learned lesson.

    Was in Istanbul at a really nice store. We were served hot tea in little glasses, sweet. Had to be polite, but sure hated it.

    Never had sweetened iced tea, but would not try it. All those fancy coffees that have some kind of white stuff? No, thanks. When McDonald’s started serving fancy coffee decades ago, was in one with a group. I asked for espresso. Nope. Really? OK, what do you have with no white stuff or sweets? Regular coffee. Oh well.

    I do like sweet stuff: peaches! Had one today. Grapefruit tastes like nothing else. Apricots!! Must be dinner time. 🙂

  53. drwilliams says:

    @JimB

    Ever tried cold brew?

    Extracting at room temperature gives the coffee a very different flavor profile.

  54. JimB says:

    Ever tried cold brew?

    Yes! I used to stay at a hotel that had a cold brew machine. The coffee was always fresh and delicious. Machine and supplies came from Denmark IIRC.

    I don’t fuss much at home. Have an old drip machine that makes good coffee. I sometimes buy some fancy schmancy ground coffee. Otherwise Yuban (I know, it isn’t like it used to be.) Have a hot water dispenser that was set to a suitable temp for French press coffee, but it sprung a leak and needs replacing. Too lazy to heat water!

  55. JimB says:

    Forgot. Those K Cup thingies (hey Paul!) are pretty good, and convenient. Still don’t have one. Tempting.

    Maybe it is like having a beer tap: would drink too much.

  56. ITGuy1998 says:

    I like heavy cream in my coffee,  but it’s a distant second to coffee creamer. Yes, it’s bad for you, but I love the taste. Gotta have a least one bad habit.

    I checked online at Walmart , and they had it available for delivery. I put three 2 packs in the cart, and propel water (had the big multipacks for $2 cheaper than Costco). Free shipping and I’ll have it on a Friday.

  57. lynn says:

    I like heavy cream in my coffee, but it’s a distant second to coffee creamer. Yes, it’s bad for you, but I love the taste. Gotta have a least one bad habit.

    I checked online at Walmart , and they had it available for delivery. I put three 2 packs in the cart, and propel water (had the big multipacks for $2 cheaper than Costco). Free shipping and I’ll have it on a Friday.

    Doesn’t heavy cream require refrigeration ? How do they maintain cold in their shipping ?

  58. EdH says:

    i’m actually a milk in my coffee guy, not creamer, but my stomach needs the antacid stuff.

    i’m always a little bit embarrassed that I like milk and sugar, but of course I learnt to drink coffee from my father.

    He was navy, so basically coffee was a meal.

  59. EdH says:

    The last major version upgrade to Mint broke something…

    I’m just tired of it always ending in a fresh install. Version from 16 on have always ended in tears for me.

    I really expected Devuan to choke, and Mint to work, kind of taken aback that the reverse is true.

    It may be that Ubuntu/Mint, like Windows and OSX,  has moved beyond human understanding and maintenance abilities.

  60. Nick Flandrey says:

    Maybe it is like having a beer tap: would drink too much.

    — before I quit drinking, I quit drinking box wine for that exact reason. With bottles you have natural limits and have to act. With the box, there was no easy way to know how much you’re drinking.

    n

  61. JimB says:

    With the box, there was no easy way to know how much you’re drinking.

    Quoted for truth. Sip, sip, sip.

    OTOH, I remember the strip Rick O’Shay. The (not really) bad guy, Hipshot, had a plaque on his cabin wall that said, “Moderation in All Things, Including Moderation”. It was usually visible as he woke up with a hangover.

  62. Marcelo says:

    Australia is different:

    Operation Grain Harvest Assist calls on former ADF personnel to help farmers get their crops in – ABC News

    Retired Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel are being asked to help with what is expected to be a bumper harvest in many part of the country.

  63. JimB says:

    He was navy, so basically coffee was a meal.

    Oh yeah. There are many stories about coffee. Too many.

  64. JimB says:

    Retired Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel are being asked to help with what is expected to be a bumper harvest in many part of the country.

    Good for you!

  65. Norman says:

    Re unhealthy drinks, you should try the traditional British navy way of making hot chocolate know as ‘kye’  nb. They are probably not allowed it any more for health reasons

    Take block of solid cooking chocolate and shave it into a fanny (no not the type) then add a 1 kilo bag of sugar and two tins of evaporated milk. top up with water and take to the boiler room. Place a steam pipe (a bit like they use to heat milk on Italian coffee machines but bigger) Apply loads of steam until you have a thick boiling hot chocolate drink. Wander about dishing it out to the bridge, ops room and watch on deck.

    Might not be healthy,but,by God it warms you up on a cold night.

  66. EdH says:

    …but, by God it warms you up on a cold night.

    I imagine so!

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