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Author's note: I would remind my overseas readers that this blog
DOES NOT represent the way the average American lives life.

Warning. This blog has evolved through many phases and earlier posts did not allow for links that go dead or change. I would never intentionally link to a site that requires memberships or similar. Same with sites that don't pass my stringent filtering system. Thus, I encourage readers to NOT follow any links that attempt to redirect, use cookies, or are obvious wrong material for this publication, which is rated PG13.

A reminder to the reader this is not a political blog, but commentary on human behavior. I am not pro-Trump, but pro-American, plus I truly love watching liberal scum squirm. I am not for or against any political party. Liberalism is not a political party, but a social cancer. It is wrong to steal money and it is just as wrong to elect people to steal it for you. One more thing, never argue with a man who buys his printer ink by the barrel.

Octover 14, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 14, 2023, Davida.
Five years ago today: October 14, 2019, a generic day.
Nine years ago today: October 14, 2015, early politics.
Random years ago today: October 14, 2009, drowning in money.

           Oops, another Biden boner. He allocates $612 million in hurricane relief—to the bloated utility companies. Here’s a picture of one of hundreds of parked cars vandalized by Leftists at last day’s Trump rally in California. A teen has beeb arrested in an Oslo hotel for throwing a pancake at an 86-year-old German tourist and yelling “Luftwaffle!” Fortified by a pancake breakfast, I’m going to build a locking set of cupboards in the scooter shed for the gas cans. I don’t know what went wrong, but taking no chances. Alaine was in contact to update they are still digging out from the flood and they are still on generator power.

           Kind of write the morning off. I did the books and found (again) that $320 discrepancy dating back to April. It’s a direct out-transfer to another account that does not ring up on my system. Why the hesitancy to pursue it? Because there is a pattern to my withdrawals similar to a one-time pad cipher that cannot be cracked, and this transaction has that sequence listed in Tennessee. Yet it does not match any transactions or notations kept here. It’s as if I randomly walked up to an ATM and transferred the money into space. Not only would I not do that (I would withdraw the money and walk it over), I have never taken any money out of that account and I don’t know the procedure. Yet that cipher means there is an explanation, just that nobody remembers what it is.

           Lofty.ai is back in the picture but we have a number of stumbling blocks. First, there is no source that explains in any real detail how the system works. Sorry, bois, jargon does not work, we know all your moves have standard classical terms and that’s how you should be expressing it. Real estate investing is not the time or place to wow us with trendy euphemisms. There is also the underlying non-explanations of how the blockchain works. They are sneaky as hell on this one, but no more so than any other site I’ve looked at. They really go through hoops to avoid a layman’s description of the process.
           My overall impression is they are like a bank saying if they lose your savings, your quarrel is not with the bank, but with what they invested in. Yes, if you are thinking I would normally ignore such bastards. That’s where other factors take over. The buy-in is so cheap ($50) that I consider this cheap tuition to learn the ropes. As ever, I will sift through the bullshit and discover exactly what is going on—and it is always items they intentionally contrived to obscure. Caltier, I will soon know more about their operations at street level than they do. I said at street level, Elliott.

           I read through several dozen user reports on Lofty, several weeks apart for some months how. Ere long you spot the pattern. Similar-sounding glowing reports that rarely quote any figures. It’s all about amazing, best, easy, and awesome. The few that state numbers don’t usually add up, but there are a rare few who have a clue what they are talking about. I singled those out for analysis and it is on this basis I will continue. For example, one guy invested $100 and reported earning $14 after a year. While he expressed disappointment, my interpretation was that’s great. All the taxes, repairs, headaches, and shuffling done for him plus 14%? I’ll take it.
           What’s more, I’ve applied my classical “reverse-retirement” logic to work back from my goal to what is required to achieve it. I don’t have enough exact figures at this point. My goal is $100 per month. I conclude that to get any straight answers, the easiest path is to jump over the bullshit artists and plow some money into the works. Kind of the opposite of FAFO. If you want along for the ride, stay tuned. I repeat my advice that you never invest in anything you do not understand. I don’t understand blockchain, but I understand real estate.

           Here’s a photo of the much-lauded Democrat “green deal” solar power farm out near Lake Place, sixty-some miles from here. These are expensive solar-tracking panels. There used to be 180,000 of them. Hurricane Milton put it out of business in less than ten minutes. The rainfall was 11.5 inches, a 100-year record. I got 15 inches that I know of, my yard gauge spilled over. Duke Energy, the pork-barrel outfit, had no backup lines for the 43,000 people still without power.
           Who remembers Bob Diamond, the overages guy? I am still a paid up member and may look at it again after the election. But I am not happy he sold one of my few remaining private S. American e-mail addresses to the scam and spam bunch.

Picture of the day.
KremlinWorld.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           What info I have from Lofty, I spent two hour putting to the test. I mean the info that counts, not the tons of garbage that float around any on-line work-at-home schemes. I found 13 reviews with data I could use, but same as myself, each was very reluctant to state how much money was required to achieve the results. This is the major goal of my quest, I’m held back now only by the unusual amount of personal information that Lofty.ai pokes into. Fortunately, I have a complete set of such “data” ready for just such trial runs. It should arrive here from Tennessee today. You must become a member of Algo, an instant problem for many investors.

           Why? Because like all blockchain sites, they never talk straight. That is part of what I intend to find out. Right now, all I know is Algo energy-efficient, quantum-secure, single-layer, instant finality, self-sustaining, decentralized, scalable, multiple-node, and superior to Ethereum due to “consistently high throughput”. It is also impactful and groundbreaking, they say. These blockchains can be very invasive to your electronic privacy, so I have a special single-purpose computer set up for the transactions. How do you like them so far?

           The first alarm is that Lofty.ai is not involved in management of the properties and thus have no established standards. Shall we say, property managers can vary in performance. Next biggie is that while you are buying into fractional real estate, Lofty does not tell you the purchase price of the properties. You find out only when it sells and the market is shaky as hell. Paying close attention to the complaints, it seems there is little to stop the “landlord” from pocketing the money, which makes it a legal matter that can tie your money up for years.
           From said reports, it is evident none of the people who report good earnings know very much about generally accepted accounting principles. While I find few details on people getting their money back out, I spot the ease with which they can buy and sell their “tokens” with other members, bypassing lawyers, brokers, and agents. This greatly appeals to me. One new term they use I also like, they call it a “smart contract”. In pre-web parlance, this is good old escrow. The money is held in a separate third-party account until all parties meet sales requirements. This attracts me because I know the hefty escrow fee I paid on my cabin for maybe three minutes work.

           I am also gather information on these “digital ATMs”. There are few new ideas and I once looked into traditional units. What put me off was how the machines are stocked with money. You have two choices. Your own money or borrowed money. The only people making a living at it used their own money—and a single smaller ATM can require $50,000, the larger ones $200,000. Either way, the money should be insured and it turns out the fees are much higher for your own money. You see, out west, they drive a log loader right through the wall of the bank and steal the whole ATM. On-line has risks, to be sure, but that’s what I’m looking at.

           Here is a picture of a Trump sign projected on a water tower in Hanson, Massachusetts. Bloggable because it drove the town council bonkers. You see, like many places in that part of the world, the Democrats took over only the administration, not the hearts and minds of the people who just wanted to be left alone. They tried shining bright spotlights to wash it out, hired a PR firm for something or other, and have issued the maximum fine on the nearby homeowner. The projector is on his private property. To me it is another demonstration that Democrats lack the brains to learn anything new. The maximum fine is $100 per day, so the homeowner went on GiveSendGo and already has $3,000+. Well past the election date.

ADDENDUM
           While I am not analyzing Lofty as a company, rather the process of this blockchain fractional ownership, here are some factoids about their operation. Buying property in the USA or Canada is an awkward process that can take weeks. Fees and taxes can add thousands to the price. Part of why I’m looking at Lofty is parallel to when I purchased this cabin. Simply put, if you pay cash, it takes care of 80% of the government and bank bullshit. Such add-ons can easily tack $10,000 to the purchase price. In my case, it was less than $1,900 (but still!).
           Lofty is new, with 7,000 users. The largest account is $2.2 million, the smallest is their minimum of $50. The latest tally on the number of properties bought is almost a year old, with 148 properties. Each one has an average of 231 Lofty purchasers who vote on things like repairs and rental increase, meaning that is one unwieldy bunch indeed. Reading between the lines, the average Lofty investor makes $248 per year--but zero data on how much it cost them to do that. One of my first tasks is to calculate out how much they each invested to get that.

Last Laugh

October 13, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 13, 2023, an estimated 200,000.
Five years ago today: October 13, 2019, how do they know?
Nine years ago today: October 13, 2015, Ah, silence.
Random years ago today: October 13, 2008, a calendar transcript, obviously.

           What’s this? News that Trump’s big “conviction” may be over turned, and just before the election, too. That was well-predicted. This is not justice being served, rather the appeals people terrified he’s going to win. The Judge (Engoron) may face consequences but my opinion is he’s a failed old shyster who took the bribe of a lifetime and now could not care less. And in a lame effort to prop up a flagging franchise, Starwars has introduced its first transgender stormtrooper. That’s your reminder everything woke turns to you-know. I just slept half a day and I’m grumpy, thirsty, and famished. Will I make it through today?

           Here’s a picture of a tool I failed to find. It is not carried by Lowes, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or Northern Tools. Part of the fail was that I was calling it a marking tool rather than a marking knive, which threw off every employee I talked to. They could not imagine such a device even with a good description. It is called a marking “knife”, not a marking “tool”, because later in time I saw videos of it being used to trim tear-out.
           I need it for accurate marking, hence it’s tool rather than a knife. Threw the millennials for a loop. Prices range from $9 to $125 for a 14C28N Erie Tools in four payments of $31.24 and requiring 6 weeks lead time. All are equally easy to lose. I could not help but notice this week on my wall calendar, which contains all my yearly reminder and anniversary notices, is blank. There are so many anniversary coincidences in my life that this whole week may traditionally be my annual do-nothing opportunity.

           Time to take a closer look at a generator system for this house. While the hurricanes have been infrequent, the power outages have not. I’ve learned a small generator, say 3000W, is enough to keep the basics operating. But I sure did not like having to lug out the machine and string hundreds of feet of cable, then reversing all this when it’s over. Furthermore, I came here to retire, not work. There will come time when I will be helpless. Nor am I helpless when it comes to the wiring. I would opt for a backfeed system, where the generator feeds the house wiring. That is accompanied by some good news.
           The trick to a backfeed is to make sure no 15 amp wiring gets zapped with 30 amp juice. Ah, but when I ran all the new wiring, each leg is a carefully planned sequence. I would not use a suicide cable, but one of those direct connect kits at the main panel. Then, it is easy for me to use the breakers to activate only those segments I need. For example, all the appliances and A/C are on dedicated ciruits. This would all have to be planned and budgeted, as none of that portion has even been looked at in detail.

           I also know that the generator alone isn’t an ideal solution, again because gasoline runs out and the machine still gobbles it by the gallon even in standby mode. I’m looking at a battery system that could be charged in the day and runs only, say, the fridge and fans at night. Listen, I’ve only been up a few hours but I feel like I could crawl back in the sack for another half-day. This doesn’t happen as often as when I worked for a living, but it’s slowly coming back. Maybe after a certain age, just staying alive is like working for a living?
           This just in, the Trump conviction has been overturned and, it says, he’s getting his $500 million back. Now we’ll have to listen to the Demtards scream the opposite accusations. It’s so wearisome. Wait for confirmation. Budget update, there is no more separate category for building supplies. They will be included as household repairs, hobby, or extraordinary expense. Since January 2017 to today, I have spent $20,795 in materials on this cabin. I now have a fully comfortable place to live including a good sized work shed and a storage silo. I have a lanndry deck and if anything, my place is too small. So, including the purchase price, this cabin has cost me around $40,000 where rent anywhere else would have cost me twice that with nothing to show for it.
           I have purchased $2,944 worth of tools, more than I had ever planned on. But I could start production if I ever found something that sells. The surprise was working on the plumbing. Moving that wall and adding the drains cost me $2,994 in materials. And I’m still not finished. I may have to get rid of that 30-foot ladder. It is too big for two men to use, or I may repurpose it as a long planter, a super outdoor work counter, or a sturdier-than-usual radio mast.

Picture of the day.
Coprolite.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           How about a movie? After seeing the listings, I decided not. There’s “The Apprentice”, a somewhat fictionalized account of Donald Trump that both sides dislike, but I’m not driving 38 miles to Davenport one way. One fiction-horror “The Substance” sounds great but it isn’t playing in this county. How about I go work on something useless in the shed, since I have a full work week planned. Glancing at Caltier, which is still paused (but paying) I was not surprised to see them now offering shares to individual buildings. I looked at one paying 10%.

           Such investments are a no from me because it smacks of gambling. As long as the market as a whole pays (and so far the return has been 9.15%), I’ll stay put. The other new offerings are for accredited investors only or have minimums of $10,000 which I cannot do. A brief understanding of accredited is that it allows investments not available to the general public. Most small investments are regulated by the SEC in an effort to cut down blatant theft, but that leaves items like private equity and some start-ups.
           Generally, they want you to have an income of $300k or more and/or a net worth of $1 million not counting your house. They perceive this to mean you can tie your money up in highly illiquid projects and are able to absorb losses. It’s all too risky for me.

           So much for a quiet post-hurricane Sunday. The trees I cleared in the neighbor’s yard are gone, he hired the other neighbor’s kid, who also picked up all the avocados. The fund began when they started up the lawn tractor. Nobody told them we had siphoned that gas into the generator. So we topped it off with the gas left in my clean can, the one I use for unmixed gas. And the tractor stalled. Bad gas, but I had just bought it last month and it works fine in my chain saw. It took me a while to figure out what went wrong.
           I lent that gas can to somebody I think may have used it for diesel. Still, the mix of new gas would be so thin as to not matter, But we all heard the mower begin to sputter soon after the gas was added. And guess what? That’s the same gas in the generator. So we pumped that one dry. Not a happy camper, I went to my shed and spent two hours sanding a box I may never use and cutting a new doorway into the compressor lean-to.
           How did you spend October 13, 2024?

ADDENDUM
           I fixed up a batch of pineapple fried rice and plunked down for an evening of reading. Checking regularly for newly released war archives, I saw a documentary on the railway lines to Tobruk. Two of them, still flanked by the same telegraph poles seen by the Afrika Corps. Plus a Thames documentary which offered only a rehash of wartime propaganda. I’m no fan of Montgomery and I wish somebody would make a factual presentation minus the hype. It must be terribly embarrassing to watch for any soldiers who had actually been there.
           The two items that irk me most is the claim that success at El Alamein was due to his inspired leadership. How his assortment of funny hats gave the troops something to admire. I say that most any officer who had been allowed to stockpile an overwhelming force could have accomplished the same. The Germans did no so much lose because they were bowled over by World War I attrition tactics. The British generals before Montgomery were goaded into attacking before they were ready. Monty had the luxury of waiting, knowing the Germans were at the end of their supply chain.
           The second thing to annoy me is the British claims to organizational superiority. That is simply no true. The Germans repeatedly knocked them on their asses with a fraction of the men and supplies. This often repeated quip that Monty made sure every man in his army know exactly what his objectives were is not believable. In fact, Monty did not even beat Rommel, who was away in German on medical leave at the time.
           Dozens of other bits of nonsense make these documentaries fall short. The idea that Rommel had no idea why three-quarters of his supply ships were being sunk is absurd. The Brits go on about the effectiveness of their patrols, but never admit the truth. The Germans did have an effective code, but the cargo ships were Italian, who took the German secret messages and broadcast them using the Italian code, which the Brits had been reading for years.

Last Laugh

           x

October 12, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 12, 2023, not the greatest.
Five years ago today: October 12, 2019, fewer chickens.
Nine years ago today: October 12, 2015, Starbucks? Me?
Random years ago today: October 12, 2011, graphite.

           Two and a half days without power. I’ll see if I can tap the hotplate or microwave off my single working line. If the blackout lasts past the weekend, I will have exhausted my emergency fund for store-bought food. It has not been updated since 2021 when prices were 135% lower for what I would consume. I’m enjoying the quiet now that the distant roar of generators has been silenced by the lack of gasoline. I stepped outside at 5:30AM into dead calm and silence, so rare in the USA of today. It is rare there are not even cars on the road. I still have 5 gallons in the Hyundai for an emergency.

           Nope, the Yeti will not power a small microwave. It’s the start-up surge that causes the overload condition. My guitar player reports taking his wife to the Orlando airport this morning as was able to tank up with gas. This picture is later in the day, after I tested the deer cam as a time lapse. It works reasonably well, this is a still.
           Polk County Sheriff Judd has issued a shoot order for looters, so it will only be time until somebody screams “racism”. Most of the streets have been cleared of deadfall but the grocery shelves are bare. No such thing as a battery for sale. (I have a supply of 50 in the shed, still in the new packaging.) My fancy emergency solar powered lantern does not fully charge in the sunlight and I was right about that special charging cable. It was lost long ago.

           Dawn is not until past 7:00AM, so let’s check the news. The beyond desperate Left has resorted begging votes from the very people they hate most, that is, single White males. They even brought Obama out of his cage to do the begging. As a service, the US gives visiting heads of State free laundry service, but since most stays are short, it is not much used. Except by the Israelis, who bring bags of their dirty laundry to get washed for free. DNA evidence from a shawl has finally proven Jack the Ripper was a Jewish immigrant from Poland.
           The Democrats, to protect Biden’s stolen election from being contested, changed the rules. Now it will bite them in the ass when Trump is elected because they can’t pull the stunt in reverse. If Poon is thus forced to certify Trump, I will take that day off and go get snorked. There are two likely outcomes left at this point. The most massive landslide in history, or election rigging on an unprecedented scale that may not work anyway. There are other options, but if they bump off Trump now, they will never again be safe themselves. He’s too popular. Twenty-four days to go.

           Time to think, we have not used last month’s budget for exploration, that is, local travel. But nor do we want to have to run low on gasoline. Where would you spend $65? The category is open to any new venture, or a repeat of something worthwhile last time. It can even apply to some new food or trying a new hobby, but you cannot save or invest it. No becoming a grinch, you have to get out and do something. Skycraft leads the list, but I don’t want to go there again unless I have $200 to spend. It’s pretty flexible, so let’s make a big lunch for here and ponder this. Return in an hour to see what I’ve come up with.
           Here’s something, but too big a task for just now. A wooden sundial. Get this, a soldering iron with a flat tip is also called a pyrography pen when used for woodburning. The difference is about fifty cents on the dollar. That’s the way the sundial plans marked the wood, which must be painstaking. The first extension cord ends just outside the shed, so I have the option of temporarily unplugging the house and working out there. Man, would I love a hot shower. We do not waste days around here, so maybe work on a box while thinking how I could make a wooden sundial. Of note was the emphasis on the angle of the gnomon. It should match your latitude.
None of the material explains why this angle is important, although there is mention of the length of the shadow. That doesn’t make sense to me, as most sundials are round.

Picture of the day.
University wrestling team.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Ray-B checked in. He’s not up to meeting up for coffee and I cannot insist. Harbor Heights called, they got two feet of water inside the house. I was never keen on houses built on a river plane and not the near to the ocean. I’m prepared to head over there if they need any help. I chose to stay near home and work on my latest box. I changed the belt on my new sander, Truns out you have to half-dismantle the thing to get at it. Having just the one light bulb, I did most of the work by hand. The other neighbor’s power came on at 11:00AM, my place nothing. He gave me a hand standing the big ladder into place but we could only get it halfway up the tree.

           I cranked up the radio volume knob and went back to work. I harvested another ten avocados, but that’s all the space I have to store fresh fruit. Or is avocado a vegetable?. Here’s another still, the latest box I’m working on. I’m going to have to attack the lumber with the belt sander. It weathered unevenly and now will not easily sand clean.

           Checking in on the back neighbor, he was not at all looking well. I am at a complete loss, my most realistic medical training was the phone company safety course. I advised him to get to the clinic, he opted for a nap. I moved all his gear back in the shed and tidied up the back where all the tree limbs are piled. That generator was heavy enough to tire me out. He finally went in to see the doctor and sure enough, he has pneumonia and what to me sounds like appendicitis.
           At 4:31PM I heard the radio come blasting on. We have power. I dropped everything, pausing only to roll up the extension cords while the tank warmed up. Then into my first hot shower in 3-3/4 days I could have fallen asleep in that stall. Twenty-five minutes of bliss, I have a small plastic stool in the shower were I can sit I’m glad I stayed home and I used the shower time to plan on spending some of my $65 on gourmet food. There are some coffee brands twice the price that I would no try otherwise, stuff like that.

           Cancel my plan to drop in at the old club. After that shower, I toweled off the dumplings and fell asleep until past midnight.

Last Laugh

October 11, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 11, 2023, mostly band talk.
Five years ago today: October 11, 2019, 20 minutes, my eye.
Nine years ago today: October 11, 2015, there is no diagram.
Random years ago today: October 11, 2013, my famous control panel.

           Still no power, it’s third-world conditions in modern WiFi-connected fancy-pants Florida. I did another tour of Lakeland out near Ewell Road and 540A in case there might be a drop of gas left. Nope. The 7/11 clerk says they may not get an until a week from tomorrow. What? It must be election season. Where the Feds delay any recovery efforts in Republican strongholds like central Florida. I took my neighbor’s gas can along just in case, but returned empty handed. I went downtown last evening, leaving my phone on the charger, so he did not know to turn the generator off. It ran dry.

           Remind me to get one of these lithium battery boost gadgets. The KIA battery went completely flat despite being on the trickle charger. So now I’m reliant on an 18-year-old Hyundai. It’s fine, with only 149,000 miles, but there is a sputtering noise when accelerating, hopefully a job for muffler tape.
           Welcome to Florida, where instead of worrying there is no electricity, you can buy a $500 gas generator. Then you can worry there is no gasoline. The neighbor ran out of gas after two days. So I showed him how to siphon the gas out of his mower and camper, and told him to quit running the thing 8 hours a day. He thinks I'm a genius, wrong, I'm a robot club veteran The word is no power until after the weekend.

           I returned to find the neighbor in a fix. He forgot to plug in his phone while the generator was running. Assuring him there is no such thing as an emergency of that kind around a redneck like me, I showed him how to drain the tank of his lawn tractor. Got a whole gallon. He’s an avocado tree and says I can help myself. They are the smooth-skinned kind, not a favorite. If the power outage lasts another twelve hours, I will have to throw out an expensive lot of food, because all food is expensive these days.
           The power supply that was zapped by my Yeti is back. I took it apart and gave all the solid parts a rap with a ballpeen hammer. I got lucky. With nothing more to do, I tried to set up the 386 computer back from the shop and it will not display web pages. That’s a first for me, since the technology should work on any properly connected device. This took it until noon, so I connected a small fan to the Yeti and opted for a siesta. I needed that but you can be certain I was happy to be able to lug that generator out of the neighbor’s shed and crank it until it started. My entire upper back that was so damaged five years ago has remained limber almost two weeks now.

Picture of the day.
Old dorm demolition.
(University of Nebraska.)
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           A text message from the neighbor, he got commercial power back at mid-afternoon. Still nothing on my street. I dealt with the situation by running two very long extension cords from his shed, past my shed, and into two paths. One to the fridge, one through my back window and that is why you are able to read this. For now, as there is no telling how long the repaired power supply will hold out. I moved the coffee maker into the bedroom, so I have all the basics. WiFi, coffee, a small fan, and a humming refrigerator. Not so fast. My fridge is not humming.

           Spinning the blade got is working but that’s not a good sign. Remember in 2016 it cost me $60 to learn that trick, but I’ve been using that old fridge every since. If it wasn’t for Tennessee, I’m sure I’d have all new appliances here by now. I’ll try to get you a picture of the Mickey Mouse electrical cord giving me enough power to WiFi and make coffee. Can WiFi be uses as a verb? Too late, I just did. I had to use every extension cord I could find, which got me because I know I have more I could not find.
           Will the Yeti fail with the microwave as well? I won’t test it until the power is back. I know the unit works well in the van for fans and an electric blanket—but be careful. Warm weather means I’ve never tested the blanket in below freezing conditions, at the directions warn against using inverter power. Here is a close up of the papaya ribs I mentioned. This is the mid-section of the trunk where it snapped. The stump is solid monocotyledon, and the upper section as also solid, that’s the part I had to saw into movable sizes. Might this be insect damage? There is no sign of damage to the bark and the cavities shown here are empty.

Last Laugh

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October 10, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 10, 2023, a fat-cat playground.
Five years ago today: October 10, 2019, simplified plumbing.
Nine years ago today: October 10, 2015, a 70% chance.
Random years ago today: October 10, 2010, Just flu, no COVID.

           No power for eight hours so far, we are running on Yeti power. The unit behaves well, though the customer reviews indicate I got a good unit. Basics only, one light, one fan, one computer. My scanner shows all other (WiFi) signals within range have been off the air since the power outage. The Yeti has proven its worth, but it was a hassle finding all the correct cables from behind the desk. The darkness includes downtown, so I may have to recharge the unit from the van. This wee unit is why we have any communication at all. The storm hit my place full force. And about six hours of it.

           The street was blocked, so I cranked up the chain saw. I raked what I could, not doing my back any good, and helped the neighbors clear their driveways. The culprit is fallen tree limbs, don’t laugh, some of them weigh 600 pounds. It was extra duty for me, as my place is between two vacant lots and you cannot drive don that street until I clear at least a single lane. I raked the lawn and cleared pathways to the sheds. Both were blocked by limbs from the neighbor’s trees, but don’t say nothing.

           The worst off was the guy to the east, as he can’t do a lot of heavy work at the best of times. He recalled having a generator, so we went into his shed and found a brand new 3500W still in the shipping box. I dragged it out into the driveway to find I could not lift his gas can myself. Picture two guys who don’t know what they are doing, and we got the thing running once we figured out the off-on switch for the outlets also worked the ignition. We ran enough extension cords to fire up his fridge, kitchen lights, and TV. And a place to charge my Yeti. So I’m good until Friday morning.

           This is the first real test of the Yeti. This model was really designed for a camper and the limitations for inside use showed up quickly. Running a sing computer and you can watch the power gauge drop by the minute. The temperature has fallen into the 70s so I won’t need a fan overnight. It also means I can’t make coffee. Now maybe I’ll get a real generator for the house. Then, there won’t be a hurricane for the next ten years.

           In good news, reports from Sweden show they are expelling hundreds of Iraqis back to the desert. Pictures show no women, no children, and no old people. A prime indicator of Chinese economic health, luxury car sales, has plummeted. The Demtards are making a hopeless play for rural America, a last gasp wasted effort in a contest they should have conceded already. Georgia is actually going to enter 330,000 votes from dead people, basically saying to America they know it is illegal but they also dare anybody to lift a finger. They best hope not, as Trump has announced anybody who cheats is going to jail. Who is going to blink first?

Picture of the day.
Route 66.
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           Turns out this was just the start of our woes, meaning me and the neighbor. On this side everybody is okay. The lady across the way who is living in her cottage since her house burned down had her yard and driveway cleared before we got to our own. But on the east side, the guy is probably nearly 90 and forgetful. For example, that generator in his shed, did I mention it was still in the box after ten years? Let’s just say I learned a lot about generators in a short time. Like how it costs $25 in gasoline (two 4-gallon tanks) a day running at low demand speed, half again that if you power up the fridge and a hotplate. I learned that in Florida, if you buy a $500 generator, instead of worrying about having no electricity, you can worry about having no gasoline.

           I also learned the $500 Yeti battery pack will not operate a coffee maker. It goes into overload mode. It takes a full 8 to 12 hours on commercial power to completely charge the pack, but I saw that in the manual As it turns out, the hurricane hit here full blast, taking siding off the neighbor’s house. The power remained off all day, with most of downtown working before noon tithes morning. With no way to heat things, I stopped for a place advertising “breakfast pizza”, not bad, so I bought all they had.

           The papaya tree is gone. It did grow tall and spindly, not it’s firewood. Actually, it isn’t even that, I found the inside of the tree to be more of a reed or grass, and it had a cross section of ribs. This photo shows it just missed the edge of birdie paradise and now blocking the path to the back shed. The radio is now reporting the areas out of electricity but this time missing the estimates of how long each district will be out. All they will say is “after the weekend” which will put a lot of people into deep troubles.

           The power crews are all around the neighborhood, but one again prioritizing the main roads which around here are mostly law offices, churches, and a very large cemetery. Mercifully, the temperature plunged into the mid-70s so it was possible to sleep without melting. I don’t listen to the radio much in the house. When I’m driving and there is news, that’s where I get my one-sided news.

           This next photo shows downed limbs and branches blocking the pathway to my shed. Overall, I had some damage to my fences, otherwise just a mess which required half a day to rake up into piles. Two branches also fell on the neighbor’s fence, so I sawed that into pieces small enough for one man to drag to the curb. Plus he needed help moving the fridge to get at the cable and so on. Hauling heavy things around has not been my favorite for decades in a row.
           The exercise drained me but we got everything safe and sound before dark. The delay on this day’s post was another quirk of the Yeti. I would have been baffled by the cause, but I larned from reading about rectifiers, you may recall how I discussed the difficulty of changing pulsing DC back into AC. Turns out computer power supplies are quite sensitive. Although the label on the Yeti says it is a true sine wave, it isn’t. Twice it locked up my power supply and the library is closed for the duration.

ADDENDUM
           There is a lady posting about her family’s wonderful trip down Route 66, so I posted a counter-opinion of my experiences. My warnings were hard facts, be prepared for potholes, dead-ends, fake attractions, bad directions, and high prices. You know, the parts she left out. Things like signs saying “Route 66 Campgrounds” that were 30 miles off the track. Did she tear a strip off me, but I held my ground--quit with the flowery report, it is not true. Rout 66 is a rip-off.
           The road goes through dozens of backwaters (all of which have been thoroughly looted), some of them nearly ghost towns, which post only the local street names, but worst were sections that were barricaded shut for repairs without a word on the Internet. You regularly got detoured back to the nearest Interstate and missed many of the places highlighted on the infinite number tourist brochures. The most expensive gas I ever bought was in the Mojave.
           She really got on my case until I dared her to post her itinerary. She did. I added up the mileage. To go 670 miles on the segments she posted required over 1,000 miles of travel, most of it not on Route 66. I also posted that according to her own information, she took almost three months to make the trip, which hardly qualifies as a “family vacation”. She took down the post and disappeared. Good, you know how I loathe “travel tales” that don’t give a true impression.

Last Laugh

October 9, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 9, 2023, Columbus who?
Five years ago today: October 9, 2019, Lady Di, didn’t last.
Nine years ago today: October 9, 2015, reminded me of Julie.
Random years ago today: October 9, 2008, women would go there.

           Category 6? There is no Category 6, so they’ve invented one. That’s sustained winds of 200 mph or so. That will test the infrastructure. I don’t mean just the people who live in mobile homes on the coast, but the Demtard propaganda machine trying to blame it on Trump. It’s down to the wire and the regime is out of tricks, which I mention mainly because of their comic appeal. Paid rallies, staged interviews, and gossip campaigns. They can’t understand, Trump should be buried by now. The guy must seem superhuman to them. But the reason their skullduggery does not work is very simple: Trump is not an insider.

           So there, that’s my reaction to the overnight news. I took an hour off before dawn and listened to older Taylor Swift music. You know, I really don’t know even one of her tunes, it’s her rise to success that I admire. Otherwise, she’s a bit too mousy for me, but how could I not like her? At 16 she’s a blonde babe making the big bucks touring and playing guitar. What’s not to like and by that time she’s a millionaire, who gives a damn about her politics? If she’d stuck with country music, I’d be happier but then, would she be a billionaire?

           My earliest musical influences were The Beatles, The Archies, and Tommy James. Yes, The Archies in the comic book. That’s Tommy James and the Shondells. These people, to me, were bands, not individuals. Taylor is the opposite. When I saw this article about Taylor “before she was famous” I thought what, does that mean like when she was ten? Yes, it was, that’s her in this picture. I also first play music when I was ten (piano). While I followed Tommy James, I instantly saw the parallel with Taylor—I had long since noticed successful young people had highly supportive parents. That’s why this article got my attention. When I was 13, my parents bought a farm and turned me into a laborer. When Taylor was 13, her parents sold a farm to help pursue her musical career.
           And that was my early morning on this pre-Milton Wednesday. Coffee, oatmeal, a Taylor biography, and I cranked up some headphones to listen to “Mony Mony”. That was music I could grasp at the time, you could distinctly hear each instrument and that’s how I figured it out. I was on my own, so learning to play the music took considerably longer than it should have. Since I know what that takes, you can imagine how much I envy the kiddos who must have had a head start. Thank the hurricane if that’s what it takes to get me to remember my own history.
           Next question, how in blazes did Taylor Swift become an entity in my life? I don’t know. It was a long time ago and had to do with a series of stage jokes at the time. Like I said, I can’t name you even on of her songs. But she’s welcome to stay here until the hurricane blows over, but hurry. She’s pushing 35, isn’t she? After that, same as with all women in my life—your every tomorrow depends on today.

           It was something the size of a raccoon that was knocking over my birdbath. The deer cam did not catch them in the act but they traipse around the back yard at night. Soon as I can edit video, I’ll see about one scene of them walking down my own footpath single file at 2:00AM in the morning. The possum makes the rounds a while later. Shown here is the bowl of the birdbath on its side. That piece is heavy and I should not be lifting it. The question is how are they managing to tilt it without knocking over the pedestal. Deer cam to the rescue.

           The movie “2012”, all the things l like except divorced couple crap that’s been a Hollywood staple since the 90s. I just know there is some daredevil out there who has the cajones to pake a hit movie about a divorced couple where the man moves on to success after getting rid of the skank holding him back, screwing the mailman, cutting him off, and spending all his money. Instead, it is the ex-wife that hits the skids, you know much like real life. She goes through a string of losers, momma’s boys, and freeloaders. Enough of this fantasy that there is a pool of successful and handsome men out there wheo prefer to raise somebody else’s kids.
           Let’s check the news. It had to happen, some egghead study claims that getting up early is “rooted in White supremacy” and keeping regular hours is a hate crime. Peters, the grandmother who was sentenced to nine years for assisting an election fraud investigation kept a copy of the results. And has made them public before going to prison. Smooth. Another pilot has died suddenly in flight.

           At 9:50PM the electric went out. We are on GoalZero power with only two outlets, taken by this computer Good, this will finally test that unit to the limit. It has a display saying 9.2 hours to empty. But it is a millennial gauge, so we’ll see how long that lasts.The neighbor has a generator which he reports testing just yesterday. I should go check on him, however. Stand by. I have a tree limb blocking the shed. I crawled behind it to look over his back yard and his porch light is on. The wind is kicking ass every few minutes but it is not steady. The main power lines here are supposed to be triple-redundant but that shit never works right. Let me check if the Internet is working.
           Yes, we have contact. Landfall in Bradenton, with 300,000 without power so far (they predict 1.2 million soon. That means it is heading straight this direction.

Picture of the day.
Brugge, Belgium.
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           More experience with the game camera. Like most gadgets, I doubt people stray far from the factory settings. The manual is in English, but in misleading English. I set the unit up for 5 seconds between shots, the minimum. I figured that would give me a series of stills that I could time lapse. I got 200 clips. What could go wrong? Easy, I forgot to set the mode to stills, resulting in 200 ten-second video clips which are pretty much impossible to edit unless they can be concatenated into one long file. I’ll get to that. For new, here’s a couple still from those videos.
           This is the BOSS recorder, which I believe has some built-in drum beats. I’ve long since lost the power adaptor. I’m surprised it is in such good shape after eight years in the shed. In Florida, everything you don’t keep on a shelf inside your house eventually gets corroded.

           I believe I have the system figured out. The videos are reasonably good color under artificial color. If I can set the single frame to five seconds successfully, I will be motivated to get one of the 386 computers set up for ediring. That’s the last MicroSoft product that worked reasonably well with most software The hurricane so far is steady rain, so the neighbor and I voted unanimously to reschedule this weeks Festus Festival to 6:00PM this afternoon. Man, is it soggy out there.

           The deer camera is another fakeout with the AVI files this time. These pricks use some variant of the files and they will not play on my AVI software. I would enforce heavy fines on people who do this. If it is a standard and they change it, they should be held responsible. Usually you don’t find out until you play the file back and get a codec error message. That’s another thing I would outlaw. Selling you anything that requires a special codec. I would require them to print a warning label on the box, and complete instructions where and how to get the correct codec, which they are responsible for maintaining.
           There is a way to convert the deer cam AVIs to standard AVI, but all I’ve got connected is that MOVAVI software, which I will crack to get rid of the watermark. Is this stealing, is this piracy. No, because they advertise the software is free. It is not free, it is a seven-day trial. No, not a free trial, a seven-day trial. It isn’t even a real trial because is splashes a watermark across the screen. So, I accept only the part where they say it is free, because they are lying. No, I don’t care what is normal in their world, a lie is a lie.

           But how can they make any money? Easy, be honest. Tell people the price is $44.95 for the first year for a subscription only. They can up the price any time and sell your credit card information to anybody they please without your consent. You can be your own judge. If a crook advertises something for free and you take it for free, nothing has been stolen.

           Here’s another example of a still extracted from a video. This clarity is typical of avi resolution. Here I’m sanding pencil marks off the interior of the wood. The exterior gets the belt sander, the one donated by the club. During the setup the wind began picking up so wait a bit. This model of belt sander requires the plate to be moved upright and an entire back panel removed to change the belt. It’s a nice 36-inch belt but they vary slightly in size, so each change entails resetting the tension. Say, that wind is pretty bad. I boarded up the back windows to be safe. Then I baked a dozen muffins with extra chopped pecans. Hours later the place smells fantastic.

ADDENDUM
           That was Ray-B texting. He like the photo of the place, which I figure was once a coach house with servant quarters above. Same as me, he’d have no problem living there if it was his own. I’ll look again at places under $100k. I have no mercy for flippers who run low on cash and need to dump a place or two. I believe the minimum mortgage loan these days is $150,000 so if you want to sell something for less, you will have to find somebody with the cash. And I don’t like real estate speculators, though I would have few objections to being one. Hey, I’m not stupid. Zillow and Realtor are my primary sources, although both their websites are millennial-grade or lower. Worse feature? Home pages that go where they please. This morning, Zillow is stuck on Dana Point, CL and Realtor will not let you enter a minimum price below $50,000. Assholes, one by one, such people.
           Later, I see all the properties listed under $100,000 were all bought same day at roughly the same time. Nothing is left under $125,000 except mobile homes without the land. The ultimate Florida sucker job—unless you get out just in time like I did.

Last Laugh

October 8, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 8, 2023, cactus buds.
Five years ago today: October 8, 2019, a proper job.
Nine years ago today: October 8, 2015, I said no.
Random years ago today: October 8, 2014, fantastically average.

           Wilford was on duty at the club, so I stopped in. I was the only customer. We talked about music and some details about my distant past as it determined my music today. Not so much the music as the organization. Without that, I’m just another flunky and Polk County is already full. I’m beyond disappointed how little work my band has found, but it’s actually more than any other startup band around these parts. There are no small clubs left with any entertainment and the few medium-size clubs are usually Friday or Saturday only.

           Now, he understands why I started a duo that plays upbeat country classics only. Solos are boring, trios are a headache, and anything larger is a nightmare. I was tempted to list us as a budget wedding band but not after I looked into the details. It’s become just another racket, heavy on the backing tracks and big on the Broadway tunes. Plus, it was noted these bands seem to have arrived here from someplace else.
           Here’s the first quality outdoor pic from the deer cam. It’s Mrs. Red and a lot of background clutter. The resolution is adequate for viewing but a number of quirks have emerged. It will stop and reset with a noticeable gap. Although it had no trouble picking up the rat indoors, out here the sensitivity changes and it misses many small birds. I’ll need more experience with the unit. There were no squirrels today.

           It’s dawn and dead calm. Erie quiet and all the birds have left. Maybe I’ll stock up a few more things even if these storms fizzle once they hit land. Hmmm, 76°F, that’s cold for here. I’m staying put this morning, so I finally pirated the movie “2012”, which was known to be a string of clichés based on the Mayan calendar. I want to see special effects, so I’m okay with the lack of plot. Special effects that always find famous landmarks are best. And face it, there is just something inherently satisfying about watching New Yorkers getting blasted, burned, or trampled.
           Light and calm, and this movie is what I wanted. Disaster everywhere, buildings collapsing, explosions, earthquakes, mass casualties, and the acting itself is a major tragedy. Loved the airplane takeoff scene. They didn’t take off, the ground fell away.
           Medical bills. Twenty-six states are tabling legislation that limits how hospitals record and assign patient debt. Colorado has banned putting unpaid medical bills on a credit report. True, I was wiped out by medical bills between 2003 – 2005, but this legislation would not help me ont bit. I didn’t owe anybody money. Today, a third of the US population has some form of medical debt. That tells you the problem is the hospitals, not the patients.

           Grabbing the camera manual , I found the reason for the short videos. They are 10 seconds, not 15. The other interval settings are for the time BETWEEN still photos when the subject remains detected. The shortest interval is 5 seconds, meaning in a sense it may work for time lapse. In the video mode, it takes ten second clips only. Here is the bird whose name I never recall, with the yellow breast. He’s toward left center, there are hard to see, I repeat I need experience setting up the shots, as the camera has no viewfinder.

Picture of the day.
Alpenhorn music festival.
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           This is not my week. Now Festus Tuesday is canceled this afternoon for some kind of downtown meeting. The unusually cool weather had me making up a big pot of rice must in case and I decided to build a somewhaqt heavier duty box. That’s the blog focus today for several reasons. Top of that list is it took me only one-quarter of the usual time to cut and fit the pieces. (This is only the rough work.) The entire savings is experience and that includes the use of the tools, now that I have most of them. No jumping for joy, this is still twice as long as needed to make any money at it.
           This panel shows the carcass only, this required maybe 45 minutes including walking to the neighbors to use his table saw. He’s cutting more of his own wood now that the saw is oiled, maintained, and has the best blades available. Let’s peek closer at the process for the less obvious features. The sides are now cut in pairs, eliminating even the slightest visible amount of variation. It took many mistakes to learn this. And I mean pairs, that’s two pairs cut separately on perfect square alignment. I now check before every job. This view is the box sides only, the top and bottom are good-one-side plywood to save weight.

           This is the raw, unfinished with all the thick cuts done, now being dry-fitted. The left panel shows the shape and size, that is solid ¾” lumber that will be conditioned and stained a light cherry finish. Just visible are the panel slots which still give me woes. These are the channels cut into the sides for the “floating” bottom and lid. These are wisely the first cut, sliced into the entire length of the lumber before measuring out the remaining dimensions.
           The middle panel shows the precision of the cuts, using this style of rabbet joint. The longer pieces have the notch because they are most visible. Measurements are now taken with calipers and the tightness of this fit shows the results. While I want this box to look nicer than usual, these are still storage boxes so this remains my most-used joinery. The corners are reinforced in a number of ways, usually countersunk screws which may or may not be cosmetically capped.
           The right panel shows a mismatch on the panel slots. I will have to determine the cause, since I no longer clamp a cutting guide, but brad nail a template directly to the target wood and it works 95% of the time. That is, it can’t move, yet this shows the cut in one corner is out by it’s own full width. I’m beginning to spend more time on the box interiors, including ways to scent the wood, at least while the box is new. I’ve had success simply sprinkling nutmeg or clove oil inside for a couple weeks, but I’ve heard of people using wine, which I know how to make.

           Note the box depth. This is the maximum depth I can normally work with. However, the success with the large gas chain saw box has me encouraged. It has lasted being stored outside for years. I had to make some built-up lumber with my biscuit joiner. That’s an easy tool to use once you figure out the trick to making matching cuts that are not exactly dead center. Maybe if the hurricane lets me I’ll make some more tool boxes. Anything is better than the plastic cases they come in. Have you ever tried to coil the cord back into those things?

           More damning camera footage is posted daily of the FEMA helicopters rotor-washing the volunteer aid stations. Many claims of damaged vehicles and properties. One was a Chinook, that’s Army issue hardware. I’m surprised nobody is taking potshots at them. Possibly the government people think people don’t them enough already. The entire savings is experience and that includes the use of the tools, now that I have most of them. This panel shows the carcass only, this took maybe 45 minutes including walking to the neighbors to use his table saw. He’s cutting more of his own wood now that the saw is oiled, maintained, and has the best blades available.
           Let’s peek closer at the process for the less obvious features. The sides are now cut in pairs, eliminating even the slightest visible amount of variation. It took many mistakes to learn this. And I mean pairs, that’s two pairs cut separately on perfect square alignment. I now check before every job. This view

ADDENDUM
           One truly disgusting aspect of American life is how actors think their political opinions matter. One of the worst is De Niro, who has declared that if elected, Trump will come after him. Here is a sampling of the comments, you can guess which one is mine.

o Yeah, right. I'm sure he is #1 priority on Donald Trump's list of people to prosecute.
o Classic case of suffering from main character syndrome.
o Hey Robert, Alec Baldwin has a part for ya . . . just stand still a moment.
o He’ll find you in the woman's clothing section.
o Delusions of relevance.
o If De Niro was on fire, Trump wouldn't piss on him.
o Nobody is looking for him. Not casting directors, and not President Trump.
o The level of narcissism is off the charts!

           But the truly funny event has to be Florida’s DeSantis ignoring a call from Harris. Says she’s done nothing to help around here for years and is now just trying to bolster her failed campaign.

Last Laugh

October 7, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 7, 2023, a British percept.
Five years ago today: October 7, 2019, plumbing plans.
Nine years ago today: October 7, 2015, once unheard of.
Random years ago today: October 7, 2009, as I explained . . .

           How do you lose $100 million. Hire a DEI to captain your ship. That’s what just happened in New Zealand. The leftoids will clam there were mitigating factors, but since reefs are stationary and marked on great big charts, I’m not buying explanations. Now that California, in desperation, is openly registering non-citizens to vote, Kid Rock moves that their representatives be removed from the House. Harris is claiming the food donated by private citizens if from FEMA. Citizen donation centers have been buzzed by FEMA helicopters for refusing to let their supplies be confiscated.

           The globalists are demanding governments ban people from growing their own food. They claim it causes (you got it) climate change. The pre-hurricane doldrums let me work in the shed for hours. Here’s a shot of the latest shelf or the shed that reveals the certain this cabin has seen worse. The update says early morning Wednesday, so I confirmed Festus Tuesday with the neighbor. Get ready for some extra views as I have the deer cam setup on a tripod and aimed at the main birdfeeder. We may have some extra squirrel footage as the neighbor reports finding a nest of them two days ago.

Picture of the day.
1947 Nissan EV.
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           This was not a good afternoon. The short story is that I did my best to contact Derry Down to confirm the Monday open mic. The lack of information on their site caused me to wisely not call on my band until I got answers. And showing up at the doorstep says the answer is no. I wasted gas and time to get there, yetprogress such as it’s been learned. It’s a dumb work shelf but even that is now glued and clamped up. Shown is the final step, with the braces and fussy construction found in even simple produces around here these days.

           What’s with Milton, the Gulf hurricane? Winds are supposed to be 165 mph, landfall near Tampa Bay. That’s 35 miles from here and it’s heading directly this way. I checked my supplies, we should be okay and I’m in this highly computerized age, it was the only way. Who remembers the NOVA Downer? Hang on, you don’t know that phrase. Any what, that’s where if you give assholes the ability to cancel out at the last minute, they will. Here is the empty and vacant Derry Down.
           Have they closed due to Milton. I allow for the pending hurricane, but that won’t be until the day after tomorrow at the soonest. It’s usually only school teachers who shut down days in advance. Those could be sandbags near the door, but why? Winter Haven is not in a flood zone.

           The place is an old meeting hall. I got a good look around the outside, it has an patio or courtyard and is well-kept. Note that fancy light fixture above the door. It was on, but the door was locked and the curtains were drawn. What a disappointment, it was one of the few times I was in Winter Haven without stopping for a cup of coffee.

ADDENDUM
           How do you lose $100 million? Hire a lesbian DEI to captain your ship seems to be one way. That’s what just happened in New Zealand. The leftoids will clam there were mitigating factors, but since reefs are stationary and marked on great big charts, I’m not buying explanations. Here are my favorite comments in the posts:

Female fags have commanded 100% of NZ active navy vessels lost in peace time.
Women on Battleships, keep the men happy and make a few extra bucks to boot.
Was she trying to parallel park?

Last Laugh