Independence Day dawns, a wet and gloomy morning with zero traffic on the roadways. Independence from what? Foreign wars? Statutory laws? Oppressive government? Confiscatory taxation? Religious fanaticism? Arbitrary arrest? State-sponsored invasion of privacy? How about wage slavery? The houses I’ve been following up in north central Hollywood are retelling the stories of woe. 807 N 26th Avenue is typical, two bed, 1,200 feet and 0.15 acres.
Sold in 2002, 2004, and 2005 for $85,000 then $166,400 then $247,500 and now listed on the market for $50,000 with no takers. It needs work, but 80% off buys mucho paint. For those unsure of financial mechanics, I am already prequalified since March for a mortgage. (When I’m at the bank, I chat with the manager, not the tellers. I would never borrow money but if I did, I could right now have any house I want for $368 per month.) Like I said in 1985, the major difference between myself and people who only think they are doing well is a few credit cards.[Author's note 2016: this mortgage "prequalification" is a standing joke. Yes, I could buy a house any time I want to work until I drop. Reality: the more I qualify, the less likely I am to need one. Bear in mind I had just been kicked while I was down and was considering every option open to me at the time.]
I doubt I would live in this house, but it is currently rented for $1,196 per month. I wonder what would happen if I waved $20,000 under their noses? But I’m not buying. The market took two years to collapse; even if it turns around today there will be bargains for the next ten years. Another property of note was a double-wide in Ft. Lauderdale for $20,000. It seems after two years, the neighbors complained about the smell. (This turns out to be no isolated problem in Florida.) The tenants were raising dogs for sale in the living room kennels. The landlord lived in Tampa.
To most of the world, Independence Day is a movie about invading aliens who are bent on exploiting our precious resources. Humans are vermin who get in the way and must be exterminated. In an unrelated incident NASA has released a simulation of the new planet rover called “Curiosity” whose purpose is to check Mars for water and primitive life.
Holiday or no, I spent a few hours in the work shed rigging up some shelf space. I’ve got half a mind to air condition that space, too. I like a holiday, so I made pot roast with rice and by evening I dragged a lawn chair out into the front yard and watched fireworks until I got bored. I can see all four major shows from here. Frankly, the shows are no different than when I was a kid and I tire of it easily.
But learning keeps me riveted, and this time I went after the NOR gate. This is something you can rig up and test in five minutes. My goal was to understand it. Four hours later I know what’s going on but real understanding has to wait. For anyone who tries this, the idea is to build a circuit that “remembers” its last setting when you turn it off. The ICs (integrated circuits) are powered, that is, the chip needs electricity all the time to work. This is the basic memory found in electronics, although there are other, better methods.
This is different than your plain on/off circuit because when you turn a switch off, the lights don’t necessarily go out. Rather, it remembers what it was doing and continues to do it. Electronically, this is quite an important situation. I don’t have to leave a switch on nor keep holding it on. And I’m trying hard to understand this from the inside out without having any examples of where this all fits together.
Hours later, I see why I gave up trying to follow logic gates when I first saw the diagrams in my late teens. I was often able to get such high marks on selected chapters that I could ignore tricky material and still pass any exam. Now I pay for it. I see why circuit designs are so full of repetitive errors. It requires concentration from hell. Experience tells me that it will melt one day and become easy again.
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