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A reminder to the reader this is not a political blog, but commentary on human behavior. 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.

Here is the movie Citizen Vigilante for free.

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Not quite a classic, but fun: Beverly Hills Ninja (1997).

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A moment of your time.

Can you spare $2 ?

           The price of quality doggie chow has gone out of my range. I try to donate 50 pounds per month of the best, but this time I had to limit July to 36 pounds. That's why I have established a GoFundMe to help out. In memory of my beloved JeePee who passed away in 2024, please join me in providing what may be the best meal many of these doggies will ever have.

You may view more at this GoFundMe link:

Each as if my own.

           My goal of $9,000 is to establish a small trust fund that will continue to provide should anything happen to me. My suggested donation is $2. Half a cup of coffee in Florida. Y'know, if each reader today gave $1, I'd reach my goal. In one day. Don't be cheapskate, okay? You are in very good company here.

July 31, 2026

Yesteryear
Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 31, 2025, not work. Nope.
Five years ago today: July 31, 2021, sedition, I tell you.
Nine years ago today: July 31, 2017, coconut vinegar?
Random years ago today: July 31, 2014, notes, scribbles, plot.

           Rain. How about a fine DIY video from Florida’s most semi-famous back yard? From birdie paradise, here is a view of the mystery burrow. I’ve not seen such a thing before, like something came out of the ground, dug a 14-foot long shallow trench, and burrowed again. I was up late (not tired) and could not get my servos to turn. It’s a wiring problem, I think it isn’t grounding right. Motors always have a separate (stronger) power supply, but they must share a common ground with the microprocessor. I will simply try all nine combinations.

           Do I paint that lumber or finally watch that documentary on the downfall of Schlitz beer? I was under drinking age when they flopped, but I heard the stories. They changed one ingredient to make it cheaper by the barrel, and sunk out of site. My interest? That the company was made big by an accountant, and it was a bad accounting decision that caused the downfall. I heard the story that it made Milwaukee famous because of a fire that burned down the city. The brewery sent a free barrel to each man who lost his house.

           Later, yes we have game camera activity. In fact, a lot of it. Even when rendered down to blog size, there are over 1,200 pictures. I’ll begin sifting through, meanwhile the daylight shots are faster to process and here are, if you spot them, a family of three. But pickin’s are slim and it is not these tiny mammals tearing up trenches in my back yard. Wait patiently as I begin my project to bring you the best in Blogland that money cannot buy.

           I got outside three hours this morning, but could not get up to speed. It was muggy and all I could think of was those cans of ice cold ginger ale in the cooler. I repaired a second set of full size saw horses. This entails removing the old legs and replacing them with nice cut new pieces. They are darn handy when needed, so I decided to treat them to a nice coat of paint. I used the best type of paint for this job, it is called “free”. Actually, this color is not that bad. I did the mailbox post with it while the can was open.
           Here’s the saw ponie resting upside down while the dark blue-grey paint dries. If it doesn’t rain. I used latex paint, the theory is that any paint is better than none. This ordinary easy action of painting gave me slight muscle soreness, but this much exercise was a good call for a muggy day like this. I experienced tightness across the chest just under the surface that, I imagine after so much time, I may have [this] for life.

           In navigation these days, the final step in determining position (and the first step of the follow-on plotting) is the use of Sight Reduction tables. These are tables that pre-calculate the Sun’s distance and direction to every other integer point on Earth’s surface between 60° North and South. Did you catch the important word “integer”? Each minute is 60 nautical miles. That means anywhere you could be is a maximum of 30 miles from the nearest such point. I’ve used the tables, and they are tedious, though a blessing compared to doing the arithmetic by hand.

           So early today I thought I’d look on-line for a graphical representation of the tables. Nope. It is the tables or nothing. If you are curious, the way it works is you guess where you are (called dead reckoning) and take a sextant reading. Then you choose the closest integer point to where you think you are and compare the calculations from the Sight Reduction table to your actual sextant readings. You then know how far you are from that point (sextants are very accurate instruments). The average seems to be 10 to 12 miles. Not bad in the middle of the Pacific. Not good if you are 8 miles from land. That’s why boats still have lookouts.

           I had replace the batteries on my car timer and forgot it running on the kitchen counter. It timed how long I took to get ready to step out the door this morning. What I used to do in five minutes today took nearly forty minutes. Hence, I conclude getting old is being equivalent to being a lazy 25-year-old.
           Here’s a useless photo, but I like it because I consider today a success. Lots done and not tired. These look like ordinary wood screws with my gloved hand clutching a few, but wait. I prefer the length 3-1/4” so they don’t poke through. Those are 4-inchers. What gives? Well, every handyman knows sooner or later many a wood screw needs reseating. Like repairing saw ponies. A small supply of these extra-long fasteners are a boon.
           It was no-go trying to get details, but the Trump watchdogs are apparently able to track down voters who registered fraudulently on-line. Everybody knows there was fraud, I want to know how they are tracking this. And when will the technology be turned on everybody? Have you seen the specs for 6G cell phones? They can see through walls (Lidar) and monitor your heartbeat even when turned off. They can create a virtual “3D twin” of the world which can be monitored without your consent.

Picture of the day.
Happy in Texas.
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           Strange it is to me that every guitar player I ever met believes the COVID hoax. It just tips me off they watch too much TV. They seem unaware the whole issue was debunked years ago, it was nothing more than the seasonal influenza, but you cannot argue with people who have been brainwashed. Myself, I read three books on virology 2010 to 2013 and listened carefully to the 2019 “trust the science” broadcasts. Very carefully. Did you? I’ve heard everything both the believers and non-believers have to say. (Or at least have heard nothing new in years.)

           It seems the believers have all been coached to say they know sisters, cousins, and sundry neighbors who “died from it” if you point out the slightest inconsistency on them. Like how the seasonal flu disappeared. One thing I’ve never heard is one of them demonstrate a working knowledge of the opposite position.
           Here’s a view of the latest kudzu attack, the Japanese vine of terror. It loves the Florida winters and I was away for half of this one. This plant cannot be eradicated, the roots go 35 feet deep and keep coming back. I let the plant grow in the back yard for shade but otherwise dislike how it crowds out native species. There should also be a pic of the painted fence post on the mail-box, these items make the grade because I was able to get enough done to call the day a winner—without getting drained. You know how many times I’ve welcomed a day like that only to be disappointed the next.

           Watch Spain. We’ve gone over the situation with Melilla long ago and the world finally noticed it today. Somehow 60,000 Africans suddenly acquired the cash, organization, and floaty-toys to get around the barbed wire by sea. That tells you right away who is behind it, but I say no sympathy. Spain refused the use of air bases, so I say cut them off everything. See how they deal with this.

           The communist government (they never learn) claims 37,500 of the illegals have been returned. That still leaves over 20,000 roaming the streets of a city with barely that many inhabitants. The invaders (the correct term) are 100% military age men. Again.
           Another prediction made here is that this mid-term will be like no other. I don’t know enough political science to be specific, but I knew Trump would ramp up activities the opposition is known to abhor and find difficult to counter. Exposure of their tactics and their squirming under questioning has hurt them dearly. Fauci pleading the Fifth over 100 times. To add to the Democrat woes, it seems ICE, in an extremely popular move, has just arrested a plant manager in the Carolinas for employing illegals. This isn’t a publicity stunt, that bastard could go to jail for 15 years.

           What do I speculate Trump might do? End the IRS, that would make him an American saint. But I unshakably believe Trump is going to spring something at the last moment because he knows the Democrat system is too arthritic to react. This is not cut and dried, because of an unknown entity, that is, people who choose sides instead of parties. People tend to forget more a third of Americans are “independents” but this does not mean they vote for any old non-aligned candidate. Far from it.
           What really happens is where Republicans and Democrats will vote for their candidate, independents will vote for the person they like the best. While this makes them the right kind of American, it also makes them what the media calls “swing” voters. You need them to win. I am a middle road libertarian, a word that has been tarnished by both parties and the media. It really means that I believe the role of government should be very small and even then confined to matters like paving roads and the post office. Who will run the country? Nobody, like it was before and did just fine.

ADDENDUM
           This concludes an intentional month off. Make that physical, because the financial and situational strain has been astronomical. I just spent $18,000 that I don’t have. To spare, I mean. I wore out my backup van, my condition improved maybe 5%, and I discovered you can sue people for inflicting “emotional distress”. And the distress can be intentional or negligent. Wish I had known that back in the day.
           As if things were not bad enough for the Democrats. Remember America PAC (Political Action Committee)? That’s Elon Musk from 2024. TMOR readers, here’s the background. Money wins elections, the only difference is how much America amplifies that. Musk pumped a quarter of a billion into helping Trump get elected. No big deal about that, Musk is just reactivating the PAC. What’s serious is two different elements.

           One. This is not an election year. It is a mid-term. And which blog told you long ago this would be no ordinary “sleepy” election like the Democrats had been planning? That Trump’s long-term plan was not to confront, but to undermine the cartel-like grip the political left had on the American civil service. Trump cut off the grift, sending the left into a tailspin with less than 100 days to the vote.
           Two. Musk, unlike other PACs who hand out cash and favors, does not focus on political issues. He goes after voter turnout. The Republicans, who generally condemn welfare, immigration, surveillance, taxes, and corruption, are also a significant majority. The problem is getting them out to vote. They are not driven by any common fanaticism as is the opposition. And that is why Musk is, to the Democrats, an especially dangerous man. He does not focus on word-salad, he will send out supporters to knock on doors.

           Wait, there’s more. Musk is pouring in hundreds of millions. There are other PACs who have at least $300 million.already. And remember the MAGA fund the Democrats have always mean-mouthed? It backfired and caused voters to contribute $400 million. The Democrats were illegally funding themselves through kickbacks from phony charities they set up for the purpose. But Trump has choked off that supply, called USAID. Money-wise, the Democrats are in serious arrears. They still have not paid back their 2016 "donors".

Last Laugh

July 30, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 30, 2025, exciting brad nail specs.
Five years ago today: July 30, 2021, Tuscaloosa.
Nine years ago today: July 30, 2017, 30,000 miles,
Random years ago today: July 30, 2018, nearly a thousand.

           Ah, the Florida summer mornings. You need only get out there by dawn. Today, I may be the one who breaks the morning silence. I need that lumber off my front yard, and those shorter pieces to repair my saw ponies (the untreated lumber does not last outdoors). I recommend hot porridge and coffee, it will help Florida catch up to me. Later, here is the before and after of the repair.

           The good news is this repair took me just over one hour, including hauling the lumber and trips back to the shed. I’m duty-bound to record my recovery and this was a good morning. The first panel shows the rotted wood, the second shows new legs around four inches taller. The reason? Age. As often as not, these saw ponies get used a stools. And my muscles were finding things a bit too low. The middle panel shows the mark of a home repairman. Three different drills so I don’t have to change bits.
           The final panel has the ponies already in use in the front yard. Ah, some sharpie noticed the cross members are also new. Does that not make these 5/7ths new construction? Yes, but the top pieces are considered a routine replacement item. This pair is an old Tennessee prototype, I will treat them better this time. I also found time to do some brush trimming and there it was, wasp nest #9. Got me on the ears. All this activity, took up the good morning climate, I’m back inside near the coffee source. Best leave things be.

           What, you want a close-up on those tools? Okay, yes, even the “used screws” have their own custom made box these days. And a short piece of 4x4 post has been dragged over to where I think the cat likes to bask in the shade. Will Chester get a cat shelter? Will he ignore it? This and more in the upcoming days.

           Food prices up 33% this year. That’s the sort of thing that happens when you give it away free to 51 million people. I’’m a half-redneck. I would never stop you from giving anyone welfare—out of your own pocket. The rain came early today, I scampered in with the tools. Some may say impossible, but I did manage to dig another two-foot post hole. For the experimental cat tower.
           The airwaves are blasted with news that major numbers of “migrants” are attacking and jumping the Spanish border. It’s fake of course. Spain itself has no border with Africa, they mean the enclave at Cueta, which is across the Strait, south of Gibralter. A video shows these are not the nearby Arabian population, but sub-Saharan Africans. They would have crossed the desert to arrive in such numbers so they are not going back. Spain may have to surrender or open fire. I’m not buying the theory they had no idea this was brewing up.
           And Accuweather just lost another user, not that they care. But eventually they will. Nobody tells these on-line losers that most everybody who will ever give you any money already is and no amount of pestering them is going to change that.

Picture of the day.
Female lines?
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           e are soaked but I braved the elements to score two excellent furniture knobs, best I’ve seen lately. It’s rained for 8 hours, meaning h9t weather thunderstorms. So, I’ll plan instead of build. Those four 16-foot 2x4s just saved me about fifty bucks. If they dry out, I intend to paint them not for looks, but so the wood lasts. I also stocked up on essentials. That list is headed by coffee, I sprung extra for my Free Rein. Not free range, dudes, that is chicken. Me want coffee.

           As much as I like mysteries, we are not going outside to check that game camera. Here’s a view of the logistics behind the successful operation of such a device. They are not maintenance-free, this model (which I’m happy with) chews up eight batteries every few months, whether used or not. Go easy on nature photographers, it takes between hundreds and thousands of recordings just to play you the few seconds of footage you see here.

           In fact, stick around to see if I make you some video of my Free Rein coffee, which is worth the extra $3 a pound. I have no plans for this evening, but I’ve been meaning to find out what all those extra settings and junk are for on the laser etcher. What is arc preview and I’ve never used the interval setting. Plus, I want to watch “Beverly Hills Ninja” just to gaze one last time at Nicolette Sheridan, sigh. She’d be in her 60s now. For perspective, her mother was doing Telly Savalas.

           I was working with the Arduino for an hour, I have three brand new servos that will not work. I’ll get it but what gives? These are the pitch, roll, and yaw mechanisms I was experimenting with in June 2015 when buying this property took over my budget and time in the mid-twenty-teens. I was reading code when Ricko called. He landed in the hospital again. Like so many, he has COPD and heart troubles, and he’s burned through yet another girlfriend. I think he’s been hanging around the Legions too much, which is where he’s meeting these desperate women. That’s desperate by my definition which is different than most.
           We had another discussion of the duo, and it seems we have the same conversation repeatedly. This is a duo, it will always be a duo. We do not want a drummer, or backing tracks, or a drum box. We are not looking to expand into a “full” band.

           He seems unduly influenced by those two bands I met back in ’17. That husband wife duo with everything on backing tracks. And the solo guitarist guy who used to play the old club. Yes, it is impressive, the first time you hear it. Time to re-invoke the “anti-Jim” rule from the 1980s.

           Wait, that era is still hand-written, I better explain. Jim was the guitar player you’ve heard me blast for being everything a band does not want. Here’s the short version. This is a cover band, Jim, we do not do originals. If you want that, go start your own band and see how far you get. And I don’t believe that story of the time you played and original and the whole room loved it.
           The anti-Jim rule says, “Yes, Jim, we will consider making the changes you want on one condition. That you first demonstrate you can play the tune professionally without the backing track.” They exist, but I’ve never met a guitarist who likes backing tracks that could pass that test. It’s a no-brainer. If they can play it right, they would not like tracks. Duh.

           I have to explain over and over that I’ve had too many false starts to take chances on musical externalities. I’m not against a drummer, but only after we have a successful duo and he can prove that it worthwhile both musically and financially. Same with a singer. The oddity here is that he says he as started most bands that he’s played in. Yet he does not know the elements that hold a band together. You need people who put in the time to mesh. He still talks about learning “his part” rather than melding the sound.
           He has not yet put together the small PA system like he said he would. There are excellent 6-channel units on-line everywhere. He cannot lift things but I told him I would help him set it up. He still does not grasp that he needs a system that allows him to hear what the bass is doing as he learns the tunes—or he will get lost on stage. I know what he’s thinking, but every guitar player who tries to follow me on stage flops, every one who learns his strum succeeds. That harks back to the Prez, who did an excellent job because he caught on right away.

ADDENDUM
           Since Canadian media is government controlled (CBC), they have systematically wiped out every trucker who protested in Ottawa, a legal protest, for the record. The government declared the protest illegal and systematically tracked down every trucker and put them out of business. The state police (RCMP) even arrested supporters, including guitar players in trucker bars.

           Ottawa has since imported thousands of Hindu replacements, only to see accidents soar. So many of the drivers cannot read the road signs that overpass clippings became normal. The government has resorted to putting up these “pool noodle” curtains. Canada, where everything that is not forbidden is compulsory.

Last Laugh

July 29, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 29, 2025, welcome, Sydney.
Five years ago today: July 29, 2021, Dothan, Alabama.
Nine years ago today: July 29, 2017, a very good likeness.
Random years ago today: July 29, 2006, the cautious rider.

           This is neat, I just discovered by accident how to make short gifs appear more natural. You see them here all the time and often they have a chunky feel. I’ve long known actors on digital TV are trained to move artificially slow. What do you know, it works the same with gifs. Morning coffee along with the report Fauci, during his first real questioning, evoked the Fifth 111 times. He has been pardoned, but evoking the Fifth technically nullifies that pardon. Something stinks, Anthony.

           Another morning of paperwork, made regrettable is that is the only possible time for me to work in the summer heat. There’s evenings but it isn’t the same. Three hours to reconcile the bank statements and log the developments (or lack thereof) with Caltier. I wound up leaving a stern but polite message for them to contact us. There is an update, probably repetitious, in the addendum.

           Last day, I grabbed some sticks from behind the back fence which I kept knowing one day I’d have a dowel jig. My eighth wasp’s nest of the year did not like that. I am now convinced the anesthetic of last January has somehow caused an allergy—maybe not directly, but before that day insect bites that did not bother me now cause serious swelling. I was out this morning to feed the cat and this photo shows I slept through another fairly violent windstorm. The neighbor confirms it was a good one, a half-hour howler straight out of the west.
           One option is to close in the scooter shed which catches the worst of it. Tell you what, I saw some lumber curbsided y’day. I’ll go over there now, after I set up the game camera. I have a dream that one day, the GenXYZ class, with the resources at their disposal, will one day devise a tripod that folds and unfolds easily and is easy to set up on the first try. Later, yes, I got the lumber before anyone else, including four 16-foot 2x4s. The big storage rack was a myth, unil I got the lumber for free. Also, two 8-foot 4x4 posts. It needs cleaning, which I specialize in since my early pallet days.br />

           Here’s the lumber, with the black cat supervising, see him at the top, almost dead center, almost invisible. This mess is man-made, no wind today when it might be helpful. All these felines have names from the neighbor. Names I never remember. So let’s see if I can remember to call this cat Chester. It’s a furnace out there even this view shows the welcome shade. Maybe later, I need to build a box, something different. I have in mind a “project box”, just enough for a mini-breadboard with some parts. A shallow box, so I can reach small components, more of a tray.
           Rumors of an $8 billion dip on the stock market are circulating in the mainstream media, so nobody believes them. That much would sting a lot of people who need it, don’t look at me, I have boards to clean. Something seems different about this one. New Jersey governor blamed bad voter registrations on a “software glitch. Not true, says IDEMIA, the vendor from France, who proceeded to publish how the New Jersey DMV manipulated the settings to allow the false registrations. In the process they unexpectedly revealed that 100% of the 6,600 bogus registrations were registered Democrats. Trump was quick to point out the governor only went public because she got caught.
           Even CNN, that die-hard bastion of fake news, is forced to admit even its own carefully-worded and biased polls show a huge drop in Democrat ratings. I never trusted that point systm, but I know a drop from +1 “favorability” to -24 is not good news.

           I fired off another letter to JZ with an update of my August plans. If he wants to do some driving around, it will have to match my time and energy level. Last visit I went over right after a clinic appointment and fell asleep for 20 hours. That's not how I want to be remembered.

Picture of the day.
Akhal Teke
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           Here it is, 2026, and another gizmo that America’s greatest generation have never invented is some place on your dash to hand a trash bag. The normal excuse is that it is dangerous, but that is a copout. A proper design would address that. Here you can just see the two pilot holds I drilled into the plastic.

           The logical spot is on the passenger side just past the console. Sure, it might get in the way of a knee or two, but I’m used to driving solo. You can’t use the peel & stick hooks because the heat of the day will work them glue loose. The trick is to drill a couple of pilot holes and use couple of drywall anchors. I got that done although it took nearly an hour. Without Chester cheerleading, I may not have managed. I have difficult sitting up at certain angles, and the Hundy design team figured out what it was years before it bothered me.

           I put a couple “project boxes, scraps put together for holding the half dozen small projects I tend to have going at once. I even found time to clean the lumber—mostly. Some of the screw heads are hex and I’m 70 feet from the shed. I do have four long pieces but only one good post. A lot of the screws are also bent and just cutting them away is easier. I think it is time for an evening of nothing, I would be sapped on a day like today without any help from Nature. Doing nothing around here could include running the laser, writing letters, or study. Anything but wasting time.

ADDENDUM
           Nothing verfied yet, but it seems the $30 million net worth of the Somali Ilhan disappears almost instantly after the “learing” centers were closed. That was rapidly followed by the bankruptcy of here wine company and some sort of capital investment firm. She’s blaming the drop of her net worth by 99.68% on the suddenly popular accounting error. Hmmm, where did the money come from and where did it go? She doesn’t have the brains for the stock market.

Last Laugh

July 28, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 28, 2025, a COM port coincidence?
Five years ago today: July 28, 2021, some Tallahassee cardio.
Nine years ago today: July 28, 2017, fluffy clouds & mufflers.
Random years ago today: July 28, 2010, her clientele.

           Thank you anonymous, for the first donation. I worked some more on the presentation and came away less than hopeful. What I mean is, this one fund seem lost in the thousands. The hosts try to be helpful but I’m not a community organizer or a celebrity. In fact, other than a link to this blog, I’m not really equipped for any other type of appeal, outreach, or broadcast. Neither are most others, but they fake it. This is all so new to me, I’ll record my thoughts, see addendum, about what others do that I like or don’t like. My, you are up early today. And yes, Greg Langdon is a pseudonym.
           So much for the wonders of A.I. and search engines. I’ll explain this circuit below. Back to search engines, it has finally happened. Front pages are now loaded with watermarked “shop” photos for sale. And no easy way to filter them, they often blot out real search results. It makes the “Picture of the Day” feature significantly more difficult. Trust a GenXer to paint a line on a parking lot and charge you extra to cross it. Worst offenders? Alamy, Dreamstime, Gettyimages. I’m not saying don’t advertise, I’m saying do it in a catalog. Respect the fact that most people who search on a picture are not looking to buy anything—or these days, rent it for an hour.
           And always pesky are Pinterest and Facebook. Predicting the rise of corporate spyware decades ago, this blog contains very few links to paid sites, and hopefully none to any subscription sites. I am anti-intrusive advertising to the core. But I realize this blog now does contain one single link to a money site, but I’d hesitate to say it is in your face on search engines.

           The picture this morning won’t mean a lot without some details. On the left if my only Arduino model “Micro” and I do not like it. It requires a special USB plug and has two pilot lights, one of which blinks when powered up and these cannot be switched off. You see here the other is blue and faces downward. This board runs a sketch for 20 seconds, then stops. I will never have time to research and deal with this.
           But the significance is I also loaded the Micro with the circuit on the left, which is the first Arduino sketch I really studied that was laid out by A.I. (Folks, remember which blog showed you your first A.I. microcontroller schematic.) I examined several, hoping to find something new. Wrong, instead these circuits are nothing much more than complicated. That’s why I said it was laid out, not designed. I would hesitate to be tasked with writing the code for this complicated circuit. It contains multiple sensors and serial outputs, even the wiring so well-presented, would challenge a hobby breadboardist.
           WARNING: PAINFUL HUMOR ALERT. While researching Etch-a-Sketch, I tripped over the worst, I mean the worst, joke of the decade. So bad it gets the blog. The factory was in Bryan, Ohio. Are you ready? Once during a violent shaking earthquake half the building disappeared.
           Don’t hit me. Please stop hitting me. I'm the innocent disseminator. My gawd, that was bad.

           Once more, the events in Tennessee took up most of the sunny hours this morning. This is a study for the history books, the Reb & I are different personalities in most ways. We have to remain a team on the few categories left over. Today’s issue was a surprise bill for $1,350. I came up with the cash, but she is as uncomfortable as I am touching other people’s money. I explained to her that once things are settled, I may go back on the people who create such surprises (for the delivery of an already-paid-for document) but for now it is just the next adventure. And I have been known to pay much more for an adventure in this life.
           I’ve also taken stock and another well is running dry. I’ve cashed in 74.2% of my silver holdings. There’s still a buffer so no panic. However, we may see some troubles with Caltier. Not responding is an old problem with that outfit. They seem to have new people every time you call, and you can easily call a dozen times before getting through. Is it time to send Parker a hand-written letter?

           Reading this morning centered on that clever Arduino Etch-a-Sketch clock. The video was super slow, so I made up this gif for you. I look at it an know the programming is easy, so I’d just download the code. Wrong, the code is only for the Leonardo model and won’t work on my Uno. Plus it libraries galore. Those hidden modules of other people’s code are the epitome of blind trust. I’m looking at the code structure to see if that element can be adapted. I know what vector graphic code looks like and I know I could eliminate the libraries. As I researched more, it is harder to find code that does not use libraries, a step in the wrong direction.
           The challenge is to get it to print something other than a clock. Your turn.

Picture of the day.
Shanghai bra musem.
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           Tuesday without Festus. We had to settle for an otherwise quite dramatic hour episode of Matt facing off with an old cohort. A marshal who went bad. Matt runs him out of town and he returns, the usual plot until then end. Then the lady friend of the deputy he killed shoots him. Life was different back when women were crack shots. Instead of vice versa. (Hey, that was not as bad as the factory joke.)

           I’ve mentioned the old cat that can barely walk. I think it is a she and she lies in the sun all day. She has to, she has the shaking arthritis. But, she’s found my yard is the best combination of safety, sun, and shade in the district. She is well-fed by the neighbor, but can be tempted with shreds of chicken or a small cube of Spam™. She sniffs but won’t touch eggs, but has learned she’ll get something by patiently waiting near the door when she wants attention.

           Five bucks. I got my first box sale. It was to the neighbor, a button box, which are also excellent for keeping pencils. Only $999,995 to go, and my total goFund after a day is $7. I was downtown around noon and the Hundy is beginning to misfire slightly. With electronics and fuel injectors it will be easy to find and expensive to fix. The PPP here is I drove it to Tennessee last month ad it’s not a new ride. I had the same kind of day.

           Tired after any exertion, and I know the sequence. Is identical to a couple months ago. It reminds you the way back isn’t smooth and steady. Nope, I did not exert or stress a thing, but instead of coffee for Festus, I had hot cocoa. Ha, I was lucky to be able to get up from the chair. You’ll find, after a heart attack, most of your friends and neighbors have unbelievably comfortable furniture.
           We’ll continue, but first examine this new burrow in my birdie paradise. Time for the game cam, guys. (Everybody knows that only the males of the species use game cameras.)

           Causes of heart attacks. Doing my business accounts which have lapsed since Iate January. Knowing I might not make it, there were a “flurry” of deposits to cover a lot of contingencies. I waded into it once again wish I could find the bastards who came up with the upside-down bank statement, and this “average balance” bullshit. I once had a lady explain to me what was about, and it actually makes sense to the severely uneducated mind. The largest part of reconciliation for me is printing out the statements and entering them into my books right-side up. Also, nut the bastard who puts the checks and deposits in different sections instead of different columns like decent folk.
           Since August last year when the current crisis began, over $18,000 has been drawn out of that account. But it is all accounted for with a couple small exceptions. The Reb is not to pay for gasoline on that card. But it happens. If you weren’t here ten years ago, I bought this house for $18,000. Prior to that purchase, I was caught up in the same no-win situation as most of America these days, I saw it coming—but it is amusing that a lot of the spots I’m digging cash out of today are a result of having survived 2005 – 2015. Other’s put on blinders, I moved into a trailer court. And here we are.
           That’s not clear. What I’m saying is that once I got into the trailer court, I kept up the same intensity of saving and investing. Silver, CDs, and cash put away in addition to saying up for a house. This was difficult, but it paid off. When I bought this house, true, I had less than $200 left—but I had ten years of experience at smaller investing. Most people won’t invest small, so the never get to anything large. That’s still not clear, but years later, I still have silver. Most don’t.

ADDENDUM
           GoFund is already a rough lesson for me. While a great concept, the prospect of “free money” does not attract the best of people. What’s clear is that without promotion most of the fundraisers are lost in the background noise. I was wrong about the $10 minimum, that was just the lowest number on the suggestion popup. Some of the highest total funds indeed and predictably go to those with the wherewithal to advertise. Like the TV station that got over $1.5 million. Now that is self-promotion! That is also where I saw the worst example yet of buying-without-owning.

           Don’t get me wrong, people have to make a living. But this concept of ever-shorter “rental” periods is a step in the wrong direction. This is why I never got into renting from Blockbuster. There is something not right about getting too close to the art of skimming. It’s never long before that wee rental fee works into the fabric as something compulsory. For the record, and few people are as aware of inflationary flags and business costs as myself, would probably have no objections if the price tag reflected it was a rental. In this case, maybe 50¢ would be reasonable. But, I’m here looking for what works for me, so let’s carry on.

           Pets do well, but a lot of it [many of the blurbs] seems pretty fringe to me. Like the lady who already has $40k raised to put a down payment on a house for cats. There is a segment for profiles, where I see top position goes to Paris Hilton. Isn’t she in France or something? Her 18k followers get swept away by some of the weirdest people I’ve ever seen. Fact is. goFund is the massive presence of people who have been trained from birth that it is okay to ask strangers for money, while I was raised to believe such behavior is alien.
           Again, I commend goFund on a very slick and airtight webpage. I draw the line at their continual advice over what they call sharing. It is the pestering of everybody you know and I had my fill of that 15 years at the phone company. Remember all those little 1/4 per cents that added up to 7% of your paycheck if you didn’t watch out? That’s where I uncovered our union was paying for ethnics to take ballet lessons, but that is another tale from the trailer court.
           Currently (it is 4:00AM) I’m reviewing videos on how to reach donors. Honestly, folks, I’m asking for dog food and I don’t want it to get much more personal than that. This blog is a natural outreach for what they describe—but trust me, do not even think about starting a blog for such a purpose. I agree with their daily input suggestion, it matches the time I dedicate already. In conclusion, I will, unless some surprise arrives, leave this blog as the only link and promotion.

           Later in the day, I checked in and my readership has dropped in half. This is the blogoshpere, you can evaporate in a day. No big deal, blooms are common, but I was hoping to monitor any changes that asking for donations would have. Right now, nobody knows, and I still have just the one anonymous donation. I'm thinking of asked the donations be limited to $2, as I see another guy has done so and made $688. And, did I just say "breadboardist"?

Last Laugh

July 27, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 27, 2025, odd blog coincidence?
Five years ago today: July 27, 2021, never buy the last . . .
Nine years ago today: July 27, 2017, one liter per week.
Random years ago today: July 27, xxxx, WIP- repost

           A first. Today I ask for charitable donations, the first time in my life. The fact is, the premium doggie chow has doubled (in some case tripled) in price and gotten out of my range. I have donated for years, and try to provide the best I can afford. For many of the doggies, this could be the best meal they have ever had. Please take a look at GoFundMe, link in the blog header, above. End of pitch.

           My goal of $9,000 is not arbitrary. It is to set up a trust that continues to provide the food should anything happen to me. I had time to think more, and quickly shortened the fund title to five words. I will search for appropriate videos, at this point for “pet effect”. I also, deferring to the Reb, lightened some phrases in the paragraphs.
           Here is the gif I tried to slip into my presentation. No dice, goFund has a team of very sophisticated people working their webpage. I can also tell by the discrete security measures they have been hacked badly in the past. Everything is well-hidden with very few of the parameters exposed in the browser settings. When in comes to posting your fund, you will obey. Yet, I am the arch-proponent of allowing talent to compete against sheer numbers. It is easy to tag this as unfair advantage, but I do not agree that anyone should be held back just because some larger group can’t match their skills.

           I accessed the latest in Arduino activity, watching the combination of 3D printing and the robotics application of the microcontroller. I was not surprised to see the device become just a component in an assembly process. One of the very tasks that robots were conceived to free mankind from drudgery. All projects I viewed were like this photo, connecting up prepared pieces and voila, instant robot-maker. No muss, no fuss, the code is downloaded and even the wiring is now convenient adapter plugs.
           Yet, I will do something similar later today. It has been 11, I mean 9 (my bad) years since Tennessee became part of my life. I’ve wired plenty circuits but not coded the Arduino—for the simple reason I know I can. I’ve never met anyone in that time who has programmed a microcontroller. Not even one, although there are one or two on-line forums and meet-ups advertised in the bigger cities. So much for Florida being a sentinel of innovation and discovery.

           Then a phone call which brings the morning to a standstill. Caltier. They have not responded to our inquiries. Part of the problem is that screwed up millennial ass-clown policy of using an e-mail address as an account name. The cucktard who came up with that one needs to be “adjusted”. Because your average millennial imbecile does not comprehend that e-mails become changed and outdated. They insist on sending e-mail to the account name no matter how many times you slap them in the head. They are millennials.

           Well, the problem is Google will not let me log onto that account without the phone passcode routine, yet another millennial brain-fart. This involves getting the Reb on a call every time I need to get something done. I finally got the latest account information and Caltier is not moving. I want the money out and they were supposed to get back to us on that. The time for talk is over. They have a lot of well-meaning but uneducated (or publicly educated, same thing) over there and a high staff turnover.
           We have put the ball squarely back in their court. My account balance has not changed in a year despite the on-going nature of them collecting rents on properties I partially own. I think, unless they totally see things my way, this could turn into a sticky situation.

           To clear my mind, well always start with coffee, I did some reading on microcontrollers. Aptitude is a strange thing in my world. Here, I have programmed maybe twenty sketches (the correct term for microcontroller programs) in my life, to make lights blink, which is kindergarten level. Yet I’m reading the highest levels of low level programming in a book. What am I reading today? I’m glad you asked, it will take my mind off Caltier.
           When you move your mouse, the computer is processing millions of signals per second. Even to keep the “shadow” around the cursor in place is a programming feat, and every command happens one at a time. Microcontrollers don’t possess the power to do such things. What often occurs one operation will cause others to cease. Most tutorials focus on one task so as to avoid this problem. Servo motors and sensors, a logical combination, pose a big challenge. You see, you want the sensor active to catch new conditions, but the servo requires a constant incoming signal to hold a position.
           So, order your sensor to collect data and your motor returns to zero position. Crank up the motor and your sensor goes dead. At the microcontroller scale, you can’t do both at the same time. Thus, I’m reading up on the minimum signal requirements. For instance, the servo needs a pulse every twenty microseconds. To make it run smooth, all other operations must “fit” into the other nineteen seconds. And in my opinion the best way to do this is to have one microcontroller issue signals to another—a concept I mentioned ten years ago but never followed up.

Picture of the day.
Alsatian “lower east end”.
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           Arduino progress, here is a short video of a simple operation, but it isn’t, I’ll explain the difference. While I did download the sketch (code), it was deliberately chosen to test equipment that has been in storage for years. It is the most basic operation, making a light blink—the microcontroller equivalent of “Hello, world.” It comes included with the software. What’s happening here is a bit more involved.

           First, compatibility with my old IDE, that’s the “mini word processor’ used to enter code on a multimedia computer. If people ever had to code using Holleriths on a teletype, they would more appreciate IDEs (integrated development environments). This is also testing the COM port needed for the transfer from the multi-task computer to the microcomputer.
           I’ve been using the laser etcher, which has more than once scrambled these ports on me. An older USB-A (printer) cable is required and they are now either rare or expensive. And old, so I am testing that as well. In the early days, it was necessary to wire up an LED into the correct output pin (set in software) and ground, but this must be one of the newer (Uno) models with a built in LED, shown flashing here.

           I just missed it on camera, but you can see my hand inserting the transfer cable, which also powers up the unit. There is no start/stop switch, so the program runs endlessly as long as there is power. There is a battery connector for remote operation. The other green dot is the pilot light. What I’ve managed here was a successful setup and test of “ancient” equipment. I still have not found my big box of Arduinos, which also has all my servos and steppers. These are specialty motors that require controllers to function.
           This is also a demo that my coding and software studies far exceed most of what I’ve ever wired up. The project matched my energy reserves today. Maybe not so exciting, but that might depend on how many other people you know of any age that spent the afternoon using such a device.

           Tampa radio barely mentions the attack on tourists in Hawaii ten days ago, except to say the local police have not labeled it as a hate crime. How much longer, America? What a laugh, looking at the pattern of store closures in Chicago. Three years ago they voted in a communist mayor who promised them free everything, but the biggest joke was the government run grocery stores. All boarded up due to shoplifting, even Wal*Mart is pulling out. The media will undoubtedly begin a long presentation of interviews with “poor folk” all with something in common. Well, that, and they are hungry, too. Imagine that.
           A number of follow-on problems kept me near the phone, and [also near to] the computer I use for this blog, the only unit I allow an Internet connection. (Yes, Internet is a proper noun and capitalized.) I like to watch and criticize “success” stories I find ridiculous. Like the number of people in my age group who claim they “worked their way through college”. That had already become impossible a decade before I got there. I met other students by the hundreds and have never met one with the part time job so many seem to claim.

           I love the saga of the DC-3, but today the Lougheed Electra tweaks my curiosity. That’s the Amelia Earhart airplane. I know little about that company except hearing as a lad that it was “saved” from the dreaded “bankruptcy”. I was too young to know that meant they didn’t have to pay their bills. Kudos to the airport guy in Atlanta, when forced to give his unlock code, instead gave the cops the distress code (Graphene) which wiped the phone. I had this idea back in the late 80s for computers, but never followed up.
           My stance is simple. The provision that no man can be compelled to testify against himself holds sway over any other argument, including those who say it only applies to criminal cases. It especially applies if a hostile party wants something to use against you. He has been charged with destroying evidence, making the State a real bastard on this one. I hope he demands the court submit evidence that he destroyed evidence. Just sayin’.

ADDENDUM
           This is a building in Wyoming. You might mistake it for a shack until you discover hundreds of LLC companies are registered at that address. Wyoming changed its law some 15 years ago to allow anonymous business licensing. One address in Sheridan is shared by 120,000 LLC. TMOR, LLC is the US version of the limited liability company. The law provides complete secrecy of ownership, which is, as far as I am concerned, is a right. My stance is that unless the accuser can prove at his own expense otherwise, it should be highly illegal to even cast aspersions.

           Which is what caught my attention. It’s the arguments some legislators in Wyoming are using to try to overturn the laws. From what I see, they are nothing but snooping busybodies demanding a right to stick their noses where they don’t belong.

           I will never be convinced by lame arguments or suspicions. Before I retired (when I was 41, by the way), one of the factors I hated most about my job in the cubicle was the way so many co-workers felt they had a right to your private information. And to me, my home address, for example, is private. I’ve had complaints. I actually have complaints on my work record from ass-clowns who claimed they “felt unsafe” working in the same room as myself because they did not know my life history.
           This is what is happening in Wyoming. I feel it is not the governments business who owns what, but there is a push to equate absentee ownership with crime. I say if that is so, call the police, but you must leave everybody else alone. Which side you choose depends on character. Those who think anonymity is synonymous with “nefarious intent” are not popular around me. The anti-privacy lobby seems offended by the provision that an LLC in Wyoming can declare it has no assets in the State. So requests for filing and information just get ignored.
           One of their strongest objections is these LLCs pay no tax in Wyoming. But they also cost the State nothing and bring in millions in license fees. I’ll say it again, I will support no law, which for its enforcement, entails the blanket monitoring of innocent activities. You can guess where I stand on flocks.

Last Laugh

July 26, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 26, 2025, it’s not real MP4.
Five years ago today: July 26, 2021, Wal*Mart on ‘tard day.
Nine years ago today: July 26, 2017, I don’t actually dissect.
Random years ago today: July 26, 2013, six dollar popcorn.

           This could be another fun day of contrasts, or I could play it safe and read. I like days that sway between robotics, music, boxes, and food, but I also like energetics that last that day. You see, y'day happened. I slept for 17 hours and right now, I feel supercharged. Let me check the day count for you. Aha, day 117, meaning I’m likely heading for full recovery, but I've been tricked before. Maybe I'll write, what a boon to the blog community, some might say. The old kitty in the yard got a scrambled egg, with half & half, and a tablespoon of beef drippings. And yes, I will, later today, turn up the doggie donation site.

           I looked at the parameters and this is no idle project over here, but a determined look into how I can fund doggie chow when prices have tripled. Today, some 10,000+ of my readers will see this appeal, some will visit the site. That’s correct, 10,000 -- if you like this blog you are in good company, widespread and worldwide. I’ve done my best to confine my bid to those with a sincere interest in helping—but I will not, as so many others have, try to disguise this as anything but a courting for money.

           That wonderful aroma is grits with a hint of garlic. If you want the best, you have to wait a bit longer. We can’t record everything, so this morning’s topic is electronics theory. This photo shows two advanced components. Some recognize the Uno in this photo, the dots are a 5x7 array of LEDs called a matrix. What’s the challenge? The wiring, for the way the pins are manufactured into the array is not geometric. I’ve wired the pins to a circuit board, then over to the Arduino, and here’s why.
That pin configuration is a headache, so much so there are “driver” chips to match the various array styles. One common chip is the MAX7219 for around $3. They are just a bunch of logic gates that let you interconnect the array in a more human-logical pattern.
           The latest model of the Uno, called the Robo Uno is in the hands of a few, but not available on the market yet. How did they manage that? I want one.

           Figuring out these chips is not what is going on here. I feel these chips do not teach anything new. My goal is always to create the code that uses logic to operate the chips. It’s more fascinating work that forces you to think with reason, something I’m not the only one needing more practice with. There is another consideration, which is software in the Arduino, called “libraries”. This is a major reason Arduino fell out of favor with me—lack of control and standards over these files, with the attendant lack of documentation.
           You could just download a library that claims to operate the array, and learn little to nothing. Also, that is placing a vast amount of trust that the author of the library knows what he is doing, follows good coding practice, and has not taken even one shortcut that deviates from Arduino protocols. Nor is there a known location to seek these libraries, no naming convention, and if anything goes wrong, you are in the dark. Often literally.

           Another consideration is that, although the Arduino community has been shit-brick lucky so far, libraries are executable code off the internet, written by strangers, and downloaded into files and folders you [probably] do not monitor.
           For the advanced user, be aware that there is no “reset” or “clear” function on the Arduino that restores the ATmega chip to factory defaults. You can overwrite what is there, but the overwrite only affects the memory locations which use the new incoming addresses. Fragments of these libraries can persist where you least want them. You done been told.

Picture of the day.
Slum tourism.
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           Nothing for you this afternoon. Some quiet reading and hot coffee. I got some planning done and one item I would like to address is the time it takes to stain the boxes. It is done by had, with sponge brushes, as bristle types drip too much if you get them wet enough to get a good cover. The solution is to dunk the boxes and let them drip dry. But I’m short a suitable container. It must be deep enough for the Z-box and at least 12” x 9” and capable of being sealed shut or at least easily drained and refilled. Any ideas?

           I suppose I could use a container half size and dip the pieces twice, help me out here, willya? Where would I get enough stain? I wouldn’t. I have a good idea what the lighter colors are and I would just gather enough at the recycle to mix them all together until it is deep enough. That’s not clear. I mean dip half, turn it around, and dip the other half.            Here’s bad video of grinding away some screw tips that poked through. Honestly, that is all I got for you today. I gave away some boxes. I fed the cat. I read for an hour. Such is life, I think, in the less-than-roaring twenties.

           That’s interesting. The gang members shipped to the prison in San Salvador are suing the airlines that deported them and the US government. The claim is they knew the prison was torturing prisoners and nobody has ever come out of there alive. Imagine that, prisoners not liking the prison. Folks, that prison is for gang members and the US continues to send more. The courts have declared illegals have no rights to such protections.
           At dusk I went Wal*mart for business envelopes. Not just any, they must be tinted and peel ‘n’ stick. Many an idiot thinks is makes no difference. Fools they be, if you know anybody who works at the post office, talk to them and never use an untinted envelope even for a birthday card. Gummed is also out, no Glenn, not because the government takes DNA samples. Because the smallest box of 40 envelopes is a nine-month supply. And in the Florida humidity, you are just wasting money. It’s not the paper, its making the trip there and back that costs more than the goods.

           Then an hour on the phone with the Reb. Yes, there is a security breach. We cannot place the connection but I can tell you our passwords are not allowed to be written down. And the only time we would say them is in a private room where even an eavesdropper would not know they were passwords or to which account. In any case, each password has a suffix that is never spoken aloud. Everybody besides us who knows that suffix has been dead for years.
           I will mull over the remaining possibilities. The one that stands out is a laptop computer. People do leave those logged on and unattended for what they think is too short a spell to pose a risk. I don’t think that way. The Reb judges people on personality where I judge by character. Seems a cute twist of words until you see us work together.

ADDENDUM
           For the goFund account, I used one of my dormant e-mails. That was 18 hours ago. I have already received 6 junk-mails and they sold my addy to Sport Mazda North, who got a piece of my mind. I never do business with intrusive advertisers and neither should you. It encourages on-line delinquency. By now, I have dropped [viewed] most of the goFund menus and do not like their general attitude. Likeable people do not, repeat do not, hit up their friends and neighbors for donations. It stinks of Amway. But, as long as my surrogate doggies get a good last meal, I’ll go along with such GenX nonsense. I hope these people think they’ve invented something new.

           Way down here is some math. Last day I posted a method whereby the Enigma output could be used to narrow a key search. This does not work on computer generated codes, which use unknown prime factors to scramble text. Instead, there are massive investments going into recording your data now on the premise that in the near future, quantum computers will crack all keys. It’s the SNRL “store now read later” acronym you never heard of, but you will.
           So, how does quantum theory find these elusive factors? One theory begins on the principle that if you guess a small number close to the answer and keep multiplying it by itself, you will eventually find a number that, when divided by the prime itself, will have a remainder of 1. The math formula is x = mN + 1, where N is your guess (your multiplicand) and m is your multiplier. None of this will be on the exam; the point here is that a simple formula can be used to eliminate, you guessed it, millions of wrong combinations. Cubits can crunch the smaller numbers that result, this theory only works in certain cases.

           This growing threat has been known for years, so what defense is available? Some of the world’s best brains are working on it. My prediction is it will be lattice technology. Lattices are fixed but equidistant points on a grid. To get from A to B, you can go, say, three steps east and two steps north. But you can also get there by many other paths. Here is where you remember once learning that computer arrays have no problem dealing in more than three dimensions. With 1,000 dimensions, even quantum computers will take too long to give meaningful results.

Last Laugh