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DOES NOT represent any average American life-style.

Warning. This blog has evolved through many phases and earlier posts did not allow for links that go dead or change. I never intentionally link to sites that require 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 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.

Oops, looks like it is blocked here already. You gotta move fast!
Later, I think I cracked part of the block. Just wait, leave the blank screen a few moments.
If not, cut and paste this link: https://old.bitchute.com/video/iLjCEmvPzHjO
If buyint is not owning, then piracy is not stealing.

Here is the jeep scene The Gods Must Be Crazy.

This is a test to see if my ad-block works via this link.
Be patient, this is a tricky process.

July 7, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 8, 2025, another unexplained weight gain.
Five years ago today: July 7, 2021, a look at FPGAs.
Nine years ago today: July 7, 2017, specific instructions.
Random years ago today: July 7, 2019, food.

           Once again, the latest injuries stoke my old ones and I awoke with shoulder troubles. Good, I get a morning to study the latest in unmanned aerial weapons. I mean the drones with remote pilots, I think it will still be a while before full robotics can do the job. The rules of war are changed and my guess is the aircraft will get smaller and cheaper until they can go after targeting individual soldiers. The Chinese have already built factories turning out clones so they are here to stay. Interestingly, the Chinese motive is to save pilot lives, yet they have no shortage of them. Now, good pilots, that is another matter.
           Most videos are misleading due to the physics of recording combat scenes. Yes, the objects are moving hundreds of miles per hour. But the closing speeds relative to each other are often less than 50 mph. It makes tail-gunners easy targets. It is almost noon before I feel up to any work, and that work will be boxes. Like many a self-evolved workspace, I have amassed piles of boxes in various stages. Here’s a picture of the chaos. The last frame is just a wall map, my kitchen décor. I had no ninth box to make up the square.

           I’m entering a small box phase, here are some of the more standardized designs. Bottom three stack up in great alignment, as they use the Golden Ratio jigs. But others of scrap lumber often just use the fewest cuts. On feature I like is these standards work well for most “custom” sizes. If I have a tool that needs a good box, simply find the next size up that fits and twenty minutes later, you have something to use. Mind you, I still have no jig for cutting the hinges. All that I’ve made to date have now worked right.

           You know how I love to poke holes in phony childhood hard-luck stories. The “poor” kid who turned around his daddy’s ranch, all 40,000 acres, and the guitarist who finally made it on his own--after living at home until he was 37. One story caught my eye, I noticed a toy builder in 1946 claimed to be self-made. Yet it says here when his uninsured building burned down, he was back in business in a week. Now that does not make sense at all. I looked.
           Sure enough, he started that business with $2,200 “of his own money”. That’s like $35,000+ today and he was 40 years old, hardly a kid. I can tell you no normal kid had access to that kind of money. And I don’t think he learned to build aircraft engines tinkering on the farm. (Turns out he worked in his father's bicycle shop.) Aha, I got the story, it is in the addendum.

Picture of the day.
Smokey Bear Cigars & Café, Blue Ridge, GA.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           While I have you here and focused back on boxes, here is a better shot of the dowel kit, and it shows the need for a custom box. This is the shipping container and it is a great example of the potential to lose small parts. Sure, the foam is nice, but the bushings are not delicate and do not need all that padding. This container is twice the size it needs to be. On-line videos show a lot of people struggle with using this gadget. Am I about to find out why?

           The bushings are actually matching pairs. The slightly larger is used for the rough cut. Meanwhile, the two sizes that are the best compromise of small box are tagged as the “mini-fake” and the “short fake”, descriptive of the exterior dimensions. As stated the wood is the same species for each box, but the texture and quality range from rock solid hard-to-cut, to slightly balsa-feel.
           All of these have compromises, though I suppose not any more than on a regular shop floor. Minimal cuts, easy to handle, right-sized for the laser, and so on. I have lots of toys to keep me occupied for a while. The best days I have are those active with the boxes, so I’m not changing that routine for a while.

           I had Tampa radio for company, had me laughing. There’s a gal that follows the careers of the former USAID company directors, the bunch who were paying themselves $5,000 a week. Once fired, that crew has had to seek work in the real job market and they don’t do so well. Today’s pic was a $272k non-profit director applying for a $19 per hour job at a mall kiosk. She didn’t get the job.

           It was such a great day, instead of new boxes, I finished up some earlier boxes, these tend to be one-offs. Seems I’m out of pickets and I found a design for a smaller tool box. I’m finding them handier, the best designs seem projects for children. I rigged up a test for the dowel maker, but did not follow up. I opted to not get started unless I was sure I could complete the test. Outdoors was great, but so was my requirement for a siesta. The tool boxes want a 1-1/4” diameter dowel and that’s twice the size my kit can produce. Then again, we bought this kit to learn, did we not?

           Here are three of the six boxes from today. These all require hinges, a step I have not yet mastered. The attractive characteristic of these boxes is how incredibly strong they are for small sizes. Normally the smaller the box, the weaker. One thing you cannot buy easily either on-line or at Wal*Mart is a box from this thickness of lumber.

ADDENDUM
           He was Leroy Cox and he built toy aircraft engines. Every rich kid in our town had them, Ii flew one once. The town widow had a kid (Raymond Shapka) with a room full of toys and that was one of them, a Cox 049. They cost $3.49 and required the additional purchase of fuel, things that had to be locked up or kept secret in my environment. So I researched the engine. Turns out more interesting than old Leroy. The thing was a marvel.

           It was machined so fine it did not require a piston ring. I presumed the glow plug stayed on due to combustion, not. It is a catalytic heat from reaction with the methane methanol fuel and platinum wire. There is a secondary story of yet another “entrepreneur” who found 35,000 of the motors about to be junked and bought them for a song, that’s what you find on eBay nowadays. All you need to get started is a massive yet still unused warehouse in Williams Lake, Canada, to keep it all.

           What happened to the 049? A few things. First the fuel, which was mostly wood alcohol, was banned for sale to anyone under 14. Also banned was the noise it made and toys with moving parts beame smarter than today's kids. Another thing, most American towns no longer have open public fields that allow these toys. Why was I even looking? First, the continuing miniaturization of drones and second the concept of a miniature Shahed that cannot be jammed or pulsed.
           This picture, I believe, was the most popular 049 version called the Babie Bee(?), from the sound, I'd imagine. Adults can still buy them from a warehouse in California. The price today is $60 plus eBay & Handling.

Last Laugh

July 6, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 6, 2025, he suddenly decided.
Five years ago today: July 6, 2021, suddenly, after Reagan.
Nine years ago today: July 6, 2017, Imokalee.
Random years ago today: July 6, 2007, right down Federal Highway.

           Folks, I knew something would go wrong. It’s an easy prediction because the world is designed that way. The legal team in Nashville with the documents concerting the album release both were plowed down by a drunk driver on July 4th. One lawyer is dead, the other will probably not recover. What gets me is not the tragedy, but the way nobody was in any way prepared for things to go wrong. This means a number of things, but remember the factor I pointed out years ago. The situation will always require exactly the amount of money they know you have left.

           We are now back to boring, er, I mean, recuperation mode and I like my nice yard that has needed raking since 2023. Why, here’s the unusual shot of the day and the sun isn’t up yet. I almost stepped past this pile of dead leaves before I saw it was a clever fungus. Knowing how fragile these can be, I snapped this picture. Sure enough, it soon withered away.

           Before I left Tennessee, I decided to grab the fixings for a couple of cheese sandwiches for breakfast. And a tray of microwave sausages. There you have it, $26. Since little else will happen today, I’ll tell you a tale of PPP, poor people problems. Things that gang up on you if you are poor. Individually, they are minor, but they have a nasty penchant for snowballing. It makes a short story long, so let’s get started. Today’s preconditions are that most banks don’t own the ATMs. My GPS power cable has a leak. My backup ink cartridge just ran dry.

           To start, part of being poor means no cash on hand (or more accurately, no enough cash on hand). I need $200, so it is ATM time, but because this means a special trip, up goes the cost. Normally, I’d avoid rush hour. There are two ATMs, one is 8 miles, the other is another 22 miles. That means if the first ATM fails, it is a 60 mile round trip. I get two miles and the road is blocked. Ah, but I know there is a detour, but which turn? Why, I’ll just use my GPS. Usually, I would replace that bad cable next time I’m at Wal*Mart.
           No such luck, I pick up the GPS and the cable cuts out. I know to re-insert the plug but Garmin has a truly stupid boot-up time full of ads. There is a local riding my bumper and when the screen re-appears and I re-enter the destination, I have missed the turn. PPP is now in full swing. I turn around and get stuck the traffic.
           A while back I told how my ATM was in a bank lobby. After hours, the bank pulled the gate closed and you accessed the door using your card. But the cheap-ass bank puts in Amazon locked along one wall, which the local diversity gangs start to break into. Does the bank remove the lockers? Nope, the bank begins locking the lobby door, and I got there ten minutes late.

Picture of the day.
West Virginia Beach.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           So, it was off to the next ATM, that 22 minutes took an hour. The special trip burned an eighth of a tank of gas and landed me in a rainstorm. It was either than or use my ATM card at a non-commercial bank and pay the $36 fee. Bank fees are a primary reason a lot of people are poor. I arrived back here in three hours late. And that, folks, is a surface-level glance at how PPP works. It is insane how things work at that level.
           Yes, the problem is universal, but America takes it to a fever-pitch. There are segments of the economy that barely scrape by unless you have an emergency where they can gouge you. But it is a thriving economy and Trump has made it impossible to ignore politics. Years ago, I spotted Rosseau, of the Patriot Front, as a born leader. Millions heard his speech on July 4th, and it is resonating.

           Of course, there is the contingent that will claim they are all feds and it is a sting operation, but I see some differences. First, is they are learning to stay safe. After getting arrested for nothing in Idaho, they’ve embraced the need for anonymity. (The Democrats have shown time and again, they will kill your women and children.) They have finally drilled and are marching in matching uniforms. No cell phones to trace, no license plates to run, they use the bus.
           Whereas they are certainly infiltrated, their security is admirable. For if they are a Fed operation, they have stuck themselves in a trap that is swallowing them. It reminds me of the Russian revolution, where the Tsarists set up fake parties to catch dissidents. They attracted so many real revolutionaries that it got them overthrown.

ADDENDUM
           One aspect of the Nashville music trade takes a lot of getting used to. Most of the industry is made up of people who want a fixed fee up front, but also a share of the profits. They invest nothing and get paid, win or lose, a gambled share. Normally, a percentage gain is associated with a proportionate risk, but not with the recording industry. They invest nothing and they sure do not work on contingency. What a racket.

Last Laugh

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July 5, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 5, 2025, even the good ones.
Five years ago today: July 5, 2021, way to go, Buzz.
Nine years ago today: July 5, 2017, tuning out: it’s a gift.
Random years ago today: July 5, 2004, Phoebe.

           Ah, feeling great, but I’ll wisely keep things low-key today. I have the dowel maker on the bench only to find the instructions are rather flimsy. The physics are fairly evident, so you can work along with me. Plainly not every piece makes a dowel and there is a left and right to the operation. It appears you run the wood one direction, then the other, or possibly a rough cut, then a finer shave. You can tell my looking most people are going to screw up with this tool.

           They presume I want ten-foot pieces. The kit arrived with no identifying marks, but I found a video called BAYSTMAN that looks the same. America awakens to the spectacle of the California rich getting a little diversity on their own turf. Thousands of blacks rioting on Newport Beach, where the elite thought they were immune. A black woman won the Benjamin Franklin look-a-like contest. And the majority is not silent, the media is silent about the majority.

           I don’t have a lot for you today. Here’s an history church in Franklin It has been torn town and rebuilt several times since 1811, but it billed as the genuine real deal. Maybe the phony museum business in Franklin is much bigger than I at first thought. My plans for today are to watch “Citizen Vigiliante” and drink coffee. And pancakes, I already made pancakes.
           Soon enough, boxes will take over this blog again, it is just the amount of exercise I need. And I’m getting closer to two final “small” designs. The spice box is nice, but dependent on finding a matching set of free knobs or drawer pulls. The smaller box, which I’ve taken to calling the “mini” is nice but kind of tiny to be practical. Maybe a desk organizer? All benefit from the Fake logo. I could not find a suitable laser printer this trip.

           Funny, innit? We have another flurry of A.I. videos on single World War II topic. Japanese and German POWs being sent to prison camps in the US. The theme is always the same, they thought they would be killed, tortured, starved, etc. Instead they were all astounded by the great food and abundance. Did I say funny? Because not one of these ever portrays the opposite point that is being made. If these enemies had nothing, no luxury items, no basics for survival, why was it taking the USA years to beat them rather than just weeks. Oops, that’s one of those questions they do not like to be asked.
           Found Money, not a household word, but my most famous account. It’s the money I find blowing in the streets. It has a sad legacy we can dodge for now. It’s the account where any unexpected money gets socked away. And the “White” account has over $1,500. This would include rebates, but mostly it is from my spare change bucket. The ADD (anti-dormancy deposits) are back and I have not emptied the bucket since August last year when I began feeling badly. I don’t know what is there but the box, a neat wooden box, feels over $60 heavy. That would be a good start.

Picture of the day.
How Elvis left the building.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           The vigilante movie is not what I expected, the plot is kind of disjointed. But the individual scenes are well done. As for the bad guys, talk about type-casting. Parts like the armored car shootout are overdone, but there is an good portrayal of the police shortcomings. I’ve pointed out before that police should be chasing criminals instead of handing out traffic tickets. Otherwise, they are too often nothing but thugs in uniforms. They cannot demand ID without due cause, so they call it a driver’s license, and nobody squawks. All they had to do was convince you driving was a privilege. You get the idea. The average person today believes the police have rights that never existed.

           The movie just passed the obligatory sex scene, I would have found some much better-looking extras.

           I’m examining the dowel pieces, they seem reasonably well designed but there is much they are not telling you. For example, the direction of the grain in the wood, the amount the end has to be tapered, and not to use a battery-powered drill. I’ve used a simpler device and have some idea what to expect here. First thing, this tool needs a nice wooden box.

           Here are the old and new calipers, with arrows toward the broken part. I wasted too much time trying to fix the old pair on the left. As can be usual with used equipment, when I fixed the first problem, the next one came along. It appears there is something wrong with my 40x objective lens. I suspect it had been lowered into smudge, sure signs some kids were playing with it. Dang, a good new model is nearly $50.
           I filled the birdfeeder and got ready to put some boxes together tomorrow. The right amount of exercise, I’m sure of it. I received a letter from LizJohn, it now takes 12 days for first class mail to get here from Vancouver Island, Giving computers to millennials was always a foolish idea. I mean, give them toys, but not tools. I’m reminded of that warning that supplying unlimited energy would be like handing a kindergarten kid a machine gun.
           The fake news is again about the J6 people suing Nancy for $350 million. It’s bogus, but I’ve wondered why they’ve never filed a class action. Pelosi has the assets to pay. The big Antifa jail sentences continue in Texas. One tried to kill herself but no news on why she failed. Six of America’s least-educated cities are in California. Saudi Arabia has banned all Christian churches. A California man who won $2 billion in the lottery took home just $624 million after taxes.

ADDENDUM
           I wanted a challenge so I took a peek at something I’ve used for years but never understood. Floating point numbers. This is where numbers, especially very large or small ones, are represented by a decimal number raised to an exponent. We are used to squares and cubes where the exponent is 2 and 3, but I do no comprehend number like 10 to the 6,145th power. I think I’ll leave that kind of arithmetic to the people who love such things.
           I’m also paying more attention to ArriveD, which is the same outfit as the Lofty.ai people I could not get to speak real English last year. They claim they are liquid because you can always sell your shares to other buyers. I dunno, that is not quite the same thing, Tyler & Brandon. I’m reaching the same conclusions as with Caltier. The rental market is much more stable than the housing market. Rents don’t drop 20% in a crisis.
           My attention fell on their Real Estate Fund. Rather than invest in shares of properties, this fund makes short-term loans to professional renovators and such. The loans are secured by the properties, though that is rarely a swift option in real life. I’m not to happy with Caltier sitting on things for over a year, but same thing, I am part owner of the properties. You always get your money, but it could take a very long time.

Last Laugh

July 4, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 4, 2025, I took any job.
Five years ago today: July 4, 2021, a rambling post.
Nine years ago today: July 4, 2017, at least a while.
Random years ago today: July 4, 2016, still a lot.

           Fourteen hours on the road, a wonderful trip. I’ll recount the day noting that I awoke without any reminders I’m still mending and fixed a breakfast of croissant bread, if you know what that is. Try it, you’ll probably like it. I stoked up on coffee and got away two hours late. In daylight, that is, checking in with the Reb every 125 miles. No rush this trip, also no radio or disk player.(until I hit the Florida “radio jungle”. I took I-65 directly south to Montgomery

           Beautiful scenery and light traffic. I didn’t really push the Hundy most of the time. Stopping only for gas in Huntsville and Camilla, I grabbed brunch at the Eufaula Capt. D’s. Just the noon special, fitters, fries, and shark. I was either famished or it was exceptional. A couple days back I bought some reading material including a paperback by a combat vet, a pilot with 7,400 hours. It is a bit like this blog, except with a lot more heavy equipment. Like this one time an Apollo crew showed up for training how to fly the lunar module. Makes sense that the controls would be helicopter-like for landing and hovering.

           This trip was 1,676 miles and burned 107 gallons of gas, including the chasing around in Hermitagel. Not bad, though the Hundy is just not up to this. Neither am I and I have not forgotten how badly driving once attacked my blood pressure. This days are gone, as in totally under control. This trip I took a “motorcycle” road east of Eufaula just to see. The area astonishingly nice, sadly there are signs everywhere that young people are not taking over the farms or businesses in the small towns.

           Before I forget, when I arrived in Tennessee, the smoke alarm beeper was active in the hallway. The Reb is away, so that leaves the place to Nate. Since I can tune out electronic sounds, I thought I’d monitor how long before the battery got replaced. It was still beeping when I left six days later.

           The trip was so nice, here, I made this for you you to enjoy a little part of it. I did stop in Eufaula for fish and chips and Capt. D’s. The cutover between Montgomery and south Georgia has no main roads, allowing you to see the pristine wilderness same as the pioneers must have. Anybody who thinks America does not have the potential to again dominate all opponents has never see the vastness of what isn’t even touched. That’s “opponents” I said, not dominate the world like some smaller countries are trying to do. This is a video of the off-ramp toward Union Springs. Never heard of it? Me neither.
           West Georgia is a lot of wilderness. I don’t recall ever eating potato from those fields, or that Georgia was a major supplier. They must be hugely into supply after what I saw today. I used the quiet hours to mull over plans for the immediate future. My investments have fallen behind in favor of helping with the album release. Anything from that direction would be a lifetime achievement even if my role was tertiary. Personally, I never got that close to success. One thing nice is that I’ve never heard of a one-hit-wonder who later starved to death.

Picture of the day.
Rare "landspout".
(They are a type of illusion.)
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           On the last leg home, I stopped at Kooter’s for one. No live music on America’s holiday. I drove past the old club. First time I have ever seen it closed early on a weekend. As I got away late and had to stop to repair that headlight, the last few hours of my trip were in the dark. You might want to peek at Payne’s Prairie, mentioned as the place I stopped. Wild horses grazing under palm trees.

           I had to plan this trip for daylight. The most common reason for a pullover is a broken auto light. But it was raining the morning and that gave me an narrow window of between the too-hot day and the fading sunlight to get that bulb replaced. As it happened, the shadows were just long enough as I passed Payne’s Prairie and I pulled into an abandoned truck stop. Silly me, I forgot my age again and this five-minute chore took me over a half-hour. Yeah, yeah, I should have allowed for this, but that’s my point. I did.

           The upside is I got to enjoy a lot of fireworks the way I like them best. On the horizon, too far away to hear, and paid for by somebody else. This trip faces a lot of accumulated paperwork and logistics, the happy spot for me was other than fatigue, I had no symptoms this trip and arrive back here with no needed recovery time. I’m getting there, so for the rest of today, let me see if I have any videos left from the trip.

           Here’s something, a better view of the flatscreen menu at KOI’s. Just something I’ve never seen before and find expensively fascinating. Everyone knew these were on the way and it won’t be long before the menu orders you. I’m also reviewing the hype on those pet collars claimed to translate doggie barks and body language into sentences on your smart phone.
           Here’s why I find that interesting: what you call A.I., I call advanced pattern matching. It makes sense if you study enough animals it would result in recognition of behavior. The block between you and your dog is all in the translation. So, it seems to me that this would be an excellent and accurate tool simply because A.I. such as it is, would gradually learn your pet’s behavior anyway. I can see how this is a terrifying prospect to many.

           I won’t keep you today, but I must document anything medical, even if it is just my own hunch. I returned from this trip ordinarily tired. But not the deeper weariness over the past few years. This could mean it was the accumulating effect of my weakening heart as opposed to what I took to be ordinary advancing age. It does occur slow enough to think that, and you get input from the environment that seems to confirm this. It must be what TV-addicts get from all those talk-to-you-doctor ads.

           At the same time, I was quick to notice the Florida climate is nicer in a sauna-kind of way. Here’s a video from tomorrow showing the best Texas breeze in months. It has to be just right to emulate the Lone Star and move the grasses just so. I grabbed the camera and this is the best of the best for a few seconds. Yes, the grass in trimmed and prepped and placed to show the sign, but after all, Texas is way across the Gulf of America on the other side.
           I had to get out there and do the clipping, but as ever, it gave me time to plan, and I have a list of things I should tend to on the Hundy. For example, it needs new brake pads and the belts and hoses may need replacing. The horn still does not work and that CD player didn’t last a week. My budget is $800. Time to give Agt. M a call. Remind me to get a new radio aerial as well. They snap off easy in the California car wash.
           Later, I am still reading the war novel, it is holding my interest if only because I've always maintained the only military service I could to is the Air Force. These pilots deserve most (but not all) of the bravado they exhibit. They are a significantly higher class of individuals even when their personalities give the heaves. I'll get you the details when I'm finished reading, but this gets a recommendation. You don't let just anybody fly around your $50 million-dollar chopper and it is not that easy to find somebody both smart enough and dumb enough to become a pilot Commander. This guy's reasoning for saying with the forces is plausible--each time his stint ended, the commercial airlines were not hiring.

Last Laugh

July 3, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 3, 2025, a porterhouse this big.
Five years ago today: July 3, 2021, WIP
Nine years ago today: July 3, 2017, NZ, just in case . . .
Random years ago today: July 3, xxxx, WIP

           First thing in the morning, I get millennialized. All the how-to videos show how to replace the high beam, including the ones that specify low beam. I finally reached inside and pulled off the power cable. Once again, my make and model seem to be an Internet one-of-a-kind. This is ripe territory for your GenXgeniuses, who don't see click-baiting as trickery. As I've said, the big regret of many Boomers is we won't live long enough to see that pack of bastards stew in their own juice. By this time I was downtown, so I took a quick walking tour. I maxed out in a little over two blocks. I was hungry, so I peered into a half-dozen window to see the signs, "Summer hours 10:30AM to 4:00PM" and here I am at 9:00AM. Yet, this is tourist town and I saw a lot of good-looking skirt. Eliminate the ones with baby carriages or husbands in tow, you still get a lot of babes. While still not hippie-era head counts for single women, it was worth the tour. Think of it as a field trip at my age.

           The mother hens were also out in force. In Florida, you would never see two girls under 12 busking on the sidewalks. In America, money is the one legal thing that keeps the riff-raff out of the neighborhood. America was much better as a single-race society. You noticers should notice I did not way it was right or wrong, just better. I did not see much of the city center, I have to park where I don't have to get acrobatic. The Reb is busy until noon, so I grabbed some microwave fixin's and went home. Where my energy level just tanked as I walked in the door. But on the way back, I spotted the library was open. So keep reading, it might be a good day yet.
           I would have wrote that before the afternoon storm. Glad I didn't leave. I got stuck in the library so you get some extra edited videos, here are some street buskers. Working for money to attend music camp. This, folks, is the America that used to be. Safe and free. Here's another scene, a refurbished theater, which I'd like to see some day. Not now, I've never heard of Duncan Sheik, so I pulled up a video. Soon as I hear slow music, it's over. They are also shy about posting admission prices. There were wankers like that around back in my day, but they were never a majority like now.
           This banner shows a Jim Brickman, who I have also never heard of. These obscure characters sure win a lot of Grammies. Or is is Grammys?

           The Reb is back at work, just having time to say goodbye for now. And drop of my camera lucida. Remember that? It's the ancient drawing tool that lets an outline of the subject appear as a virtual image on a blank piece of paper. Low-tech, but still above my artistic abilities. It's been sitting in Tennessee a while until somebody remembered and now I need a subject that can sit still for hours. Here, Schoolboy, here kitty. I forgot it was ordered at $70 and the price has since dropped. I have my new microscope calipers, but not my new microscope camera.

Picture of the day.
Ice floe safari.
Adventures for the incredibly stupid.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Yep, if I must, I'll take the entire housing of that headlight to get at that bulb. I'll try a couple methods first, but that afternoon storm last quite a while. I ducked into the library and stayed there past 5:00PM when the thunder abated. That's why you see so many videos. The library has excellent edit apps though some are unfamiliar. We all love software that saves your files, but does not reveal where. That reminds me, I've asked Nate for copies of the photos three times. That means the fourth time I as if there is any reason he does not just fork them over. Maybe he's still too green to know that is a two-way street. I got a lot of research done, after 4:00PM I had the building to myself. I tried to find a couple how-to videos on the camera lucida and smacked head-on into the youTube goof squads. They need to give a good shit-kicking to the guy who started the "unboxing" videos. "Don't know what this is and I've never used one before, so I'll post a video because people like wasting time watching idiots."
           At the library, I mean they have video editing programs. But nothing for stills. Even basic resizing and cropping software did not seem to exist. Maybe all users except me get it perfect on the first try. I stumbled across a command that said it could make a gif, why not? Because the resulting twenty-second run required 42MB, and there was no apparent way to make it a tenth that size. For files that big, why not make it a real video and mute the sound?

New pop quiz for you. Quick - pick which apartment door is the Reb's. No cheating.

           This unboxing is not to be confused with somebody posting an inquisitive testing of something, where they have at least rehearsed their lines and have learned how to hold a camera. I will make some tests with the camera lucida later, but you don't get a video claiming it is instructional. I got home and prepped for the return journey. To test that device, I know I need a blank sheet of paper. This, peeps, is why I'll do business with people that I would never go partners with. I tore this place apart for twenty minutes with no luck. Either they have no blank pages or use them so rarely they are tucked away. I finally braved the rainstorm and got some in from the van.
           So, it's quiet and evening, let's try out this camera lucida. It arrives unassembled. The instructions are okay but still took a half hour because they presume you know the technical terms for the parts. What do you mean you don't know what a pea fixture is. (Try P fitting, but same thing, what is that?) I could tell you, but we know millies like to look things up. I got a semblance of the contraption to work and they are not lying when they tell you it requires practice.

           The subject has to be well lit from the correct angle to "project" an image. And if the image isn't pretty basic, you need to eyeball which parts of it require tracing. Now they are asking for talent and I don't have any. I chose a picture of Schoolboy lying on some tiles, hoping for good constrast. Here is a snap of the microscope calipers, if you've never seen them before. It is to measure and move slides. You will have to wait until I'm back in Florida for examples of the Lucida.
           The Lucida image does show colors, kind of pale, but a boon to painters. The "lens" has to look flatly horizontal at the subject and I found tracing the outlnes easy enough. Not so filling in the details, especially shading. You can get the image dark enough to see easily, it is too dark to see the tip of the pencil lead. But that is all lighting concerns and it seems lots of people have worked something with it. There may be a reason you see so many outdoor scenes. One issue I had right away was the need to super-secure your blank page. Mine moved slightly each time and it throws off the whole drawing. Wait a day or two, this is more tricky than it seems.
           It was fun to toy around with and a great way to spend a rainy evening. Back home I have to get that floppy disk working. I found several dozen disks that might have the Reb and I either music or posing back in the 1980s. If I didn't say, we heard her on the car radio again last evening.

July 2, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 2, 2025, identical iMac problems.
Five years ago today: July 2, 2021, you should show up.
Nine years ago today: July21, 2017, NZ, just in case . . .
Random years ago today: July 1, xxxx, WIP

           I was looking to get you some real Civil War museum pics today, but that did not happen and I'm not happy. My system quickly adapted to Tennessee, so that means take it easy again. The whole day. I went over to the government office and took one look. A forty minute lineup, standing, and I could not manage that. Tomorrow the day off for July 4, which hits on a weekend. It means every place will have lineups, so wet over to the beautiful library to familiarize myself with what software they have installed. Not much. Every browser except Firefox means they cater to crowd who can check their e-mail and the weather. There is no movie editing sofware at all. What kind of Tennessean library user would ever need something like that?
VIDEO HAS SOUND.

           The Reb called, so we planned an afternoon--if I can keep awake, har-dee-har. We wanted to try Hank's, a semi-famous breakfast joint but arrived to late. So we opted to share a bleu cheese burget next door. It was soon evident nobody in the place, patron or staff, had ever seen a couple work a crossword puzzle for the fun of it. Then again, I do know for people like my family, doing anything that requires brainwork is not fun in the lease. We made good on some plans that needed coordination, but we have too much going on just now to visit much. My last two Amazon packages have not arrived, but if they do, I'm wanting to go home. It would appear I'm past the stage in life where much else except home can wait their turn.

           We are great museum goers, and today I managed to pick one of the worst. That sign said Civil War museum, but it is a fixed up old house built before the civil war and not an artifact other than a cannonball came through the roof. That, sadly, other than a couple muskets on the wall they don't mention, is the only connection to the war itself. Unless you are interested in ornate hand-made period furniture, this is not the tour for you. Sorry, no photos allowed.

           The price is $17 per adult. And you cannot touch anything, which is because the artifacts are all exposed and there are only guided tours. I did not like the guide, a pushy feminist type with a memorized script. She knew the family daughter was adopted and got married "only once", and at age 55. The daughter went to Paris in 1880 and was the first women to win an art trophy, and you kind of get the idea how much I was interested. She did hold down on the "slavery" bull donkey, but did not like the concept of servants. (With her mentality, that makes sense.) Inside, the building is nicely restored, apparently a society was formed not long ago to save it from becoming a Mexican restaurant.
           Would I recommend the Lotz House? No, because it is too much house and not enough Civil War. The furniture and styles were not that different from the grandparents of kids I grew up with. Plus I feel the way the advertising and sign are designed, it is a smidgen too misleading. There was a skirmish to the south, where they have a fenced field with some cannonballs, but it was rear area that barely saw any action. It is not part of the tour. The ceilings inside were tall, as in 12 feet. So I had a hell of a time getting up to the second story, having to kind of wrap things up early.
          Again, no pictures--except the $4 prints you can buy in the gift shop. I would give a partial okay on this one, but even the scripted tours were boring. I wanted Civil War history, not a dragged out history of the family who lived there at the time. Later, yep, I was foolish to climb those stairs. The upstairs rooms were not much to see.
           They have have a couple Civil War cannons parked in front to contribute to the illusion (see photo nearby). Note when I asked a couple questions concerning this, they expertly dodged the issue and focused on the Reb, who would not wonder about weaponry. I know many a millennial who would say you have to do your research (before visiting a museum), but that is part of my point. The first item on the list of what is a millennial is a head full of ideas on what you are supposed while they stand there with their thumbs up their. The ultimate form of entitlement. Besides, screw you, I get paid to do research, so do your own homework. As for research, the one thing I'm really good at is being off work.

Picture of the day.
Ice floe safari.
Adventures for the incredibly stupid.
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           The bottom line is life cannot possibly, in my condition, move any faster. So much for a relaxing trip to Tennessee. Mind you, the Reb does not skimp on comfortable furniture, so I fall asleep practically standing up around here. Again, we had to get into some intense financials but there is just enough light on the horizon, okay? You've all seen enough Hollywood [movies] to know it always comes down to the wire and in the end family are ones who stand by you. Well, not my family, but you get what I mean. It's been a while since any positive movement but this is the end of the predicted time-frame. I do not keep exact track of these internal dollar, but it is easily more than twice what I paid for my house. So, if it flops, which is possible, like I said the house is paid for. If it flies, baby needs a new pair of shoes.
           Here's the best movie I have of the inside of that monster liquor store from last day. Ignore the brat doing the photobombing. She's harmless. Most of the time. I thought they were not supposed to let juvenile delinquents into liquor stores anyway. Get me out of here, this is embarrassing and I woould not trade it for anything.
VIDEO HAS SOUND.

           Damn Google and damn anybody who does not damn Google. They just wiped out an hour of great blog material by refusing to save tomorrow's draft. You are now reading a repeat. The Reb & I had reviewed the past 48 hours and it is all we could hope and plan for. Thus, I would have headed back but my van needs a new bulb, that being one of the most common reasons for a police stop. If album sales move the needle, I'm happy but just being in the loop is, with the recording industry, more than you'd get from me any other way. I know she goes out of her way for me and I do not like it. So I would have headed home, but she went back to the studio. Apparently some of my toys have also arrived and I'd hate to drive to Florida without them.

           Needing more down time, I zipped over to the Pond, where the same demographic was present, just different faces. I sang "Guitars, Cadillacs" and "A Pirate Looks at Forty". Well-received enough but I had a couple ladies doing same-era material like "Bobby McGee" and some Bible types singing hallelujah that tended to set the pace. I had been there to write a couple letters, which I did to JZ and Hersh. Short letters, I mean. They want to hear about babes and tunes and stage stuff, while I was lucky to get by. The way I waddle by the end of the day is about as old-guy as it gets.

ADDENDUM

           The Legend of Schoolboy. This is the grey, stovepipe ash grey, kitty adopted by the renter. Did I ever nickname the guy, if not, it is "Nate". In keeping, all the pets here are rescues and Schoolboy is from Nate's upbringing. His grandfather used the term as a compliment and a taunt. The kitty has an eye condition but is not under the same umbrella as our own. (Not when the vet wants $700 for a cure.) But Schoolboy is not suffering at all and could scarely have a shot at doing better. I shall see about some good poses for you, there should be something that allows you to admire this somewhat large feline type. But not too close. Glad to see me walk in, he decided my ankle was game and drew blood. Oops, no pictures, and the video from Rosie's didn't turn out either. The camera just sat there. It always knows when I'm taking something important. Wait, there is a picture. Lucky boy.

July 1, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 1, 2025, a porterhouse this big.
Five years ago today: July 1, 2021, soon, every station.
Nine years ago today: July 1, 2017, NZ, just in case . . .
Random years ago today: July 1, 2014, for profit universities.

           Good luck finding the Franklin library. It is on Columbia (almost a mile south of the old downtown) but there is no number or address on the building. There's sign for the high school next door, but that's it. Fortunately, for the few of us left who know what a library looks like, I saw such a building. You drive around the block either direction and enter the building from the side street. I tried to bring up a map but all I got was an offer to turn the wallpaper into a jigsaw. To think Apple has fallen so far. It is 1314 Columbia but access is on Granbury Street, duh. Franklin is another of those towns designed by drunks where the streets run east-west, unlike the rest of the universe. But I did get there, and as I've said for years, Tennessee has excellent libraries. This one was typical, a parking lot choked full cars, but not that many people inside.

           Tennessee. Until I can get time and access, just read the addendums. If silver continues to drop, I may step back in. My target price is $48/oz to buy. Copper is now $6 per pound, and my wire-stripping device arrived. It's hand-cranked but I wanted on just to test the process. It slices the insulation, so you can easily strip longa lengths than by just knicking one end. I have several tools showing up, with luck when I get back to my editing software, you might geet a break from box pictures for a bit. Look, there's one now, an intentionally blurry snap of the Reb with the pooch in the park.
           Another tool arrived, this one will be put to work pronto--assuming that it works as advertised. The dowel maker. The iMac has no intuitive wasy to edit photos (I said intuitive) so expect some pretty random photos, and don't forget to cheack back on all "vacation" posts for things that got missed. The GPS kind of gave me an unexpected tour or the historical part of town they don't show on the tourist brochures. Thanks to my place in Florida, I was eaily familiar with the architectural period.

           I did not get much down time here, it was a lot of loose ends but this is the home stretch in some ways. I don't think I've ever spent any real time in Franklin, but I like the way the town is squeaky clean in quite a number of nice ways, including culturally and socially. It is nice to see people walking quietly along again. Try that in a big town.
           New construction everywhere. The place is having a mini-boom. It also means the end of many of the picturesque green patches that make the area nice to drive through. Like Florida, they are making the mistake of suddenly inject five hundred new dwellings into an area withouyt any improvement in the infrastructure. Franklin will be a mini-Miami in less than ten years, mark my works. Enjoy the break, I'm heading back to Florida soon as I can.
           The government offices are all behind schedule with long waiting times, so I'll make the appointments, which is what they always wanted to force on the public. Then their work load can be slacked off institutionally.

Picture of the day.
Khor Fakkan.
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           The Reb wanted a break. Ah, great, I'm good at that, a skill I honed for years on the job. So she got her pick of the movies, and it was a cartoon. Now, I know how that sounds, but she chose "Toy Story 5", which at least I had heard of. I don't want to be attending any under-advertised films. You already know we don't much go to movies any more except together. Don't mess with tradition. Yes, we made it to the theater, where they acted outside like the auditorium was full blah-blah, it was maybe 40% occupied, that is, there were all kinds of empty seats. They wanted to shunt us the the front row ten feet from the screen, telling us those were the only available seats. We found that an emotional support doggie lets you kind of take any of the vacant spots you might like.

           Heads up, according to the Reb this version (she's seen all, I've seen none) is not as much a comedy as before. The room had reclining chairs, so I nodded of a couple times. But I get it, the theme is anti-tech. It's true in a way, kids that play with toys would naturally have better imaginations. This movie portrays the addctive nature of interactive media. It is about a girl is ostracized because all her friends have the latest tech toys. The Reb has an affinity for animation, where to me they are cartoons. Afterward, we took a stroll with the doggie, opting for a bite at McAllister's. It's kind of Mexican but without the authencicity. Also. Chooksie found something on the floor and ate it, then before long barfed up. It wasn't bad, but the staff took forever to show up with a mop. My concern was, of course, only the doggie.
           Before we move on, this is a picture of a "photographer's box". I kind of looked askew at it, the purpose is general studio use. It's for props, lights, and I suppose for Tom Cruise to stand on when he's near Nicole Kidman. Anyway, the Golden Ratio dimensions caught my eye, so I asked what the price tag was. Gulp, $65? and it was sealed so you could not even use it for storage during off season.

           The Reb heading back to the studio, we concluded a long discussion by concluding we have to wait and see. That must sound like real progress, but it's still wait and see. I e-mailed the Kaiser and we headed over to Rosie's for a few. He's a military buff, you know how rare it is to find anyone who has delved how drones have changed warfare? Because that means they will ultimately change everything. It was a sweltering mid-Tennessee summer night but the beer was cold. We were three hours just catching up on details, one being that his truck is out of commission and, like so many Nashville musicians, works more that one part-time job. He's been on the circuit long enough to live through a demographic change in the clubs. Like myself, he's seen the clientele morph, but he's also dealing with a new generation of owners. Usually the sons of the owners. Yes, this makes a difference.

           We went over this in some detail as it appears a change in the music model for club entertainers. What happens in Tennessee will eventually happen in Florida. I noticed the Karaoke singers at the Pond were almost pushing a style of music on the crow, making my act seem almost a relief. Dang it, I had just got off the highway and forgot my camcorder in the van that time. He's getting a similar effect, but his gig triangle (Knoxville-Chattanooga-Memphis) is five times larger. The dicision is that if I return to Nashville in a reasonable amount of time, we will either go see some live entertainers he know, or maybe attend a couple jams to play our oldest material.
           If I did not say, the Karaoke people at the Pond that same night were terrible and one trio, you could tell, would go from club to club pushing their material. That never works, it never will, but they never stop trying. Meanwhile, here's the Kaiser at a lighter moment during our meetup. Honestly, we really were talking lots of serious stuff, like solving world problems. Besides, this was Rosie's. Other than the floozie with the tattoos on the last stool before the men's room, there were no women in Nashville, much less the outskirts.

ADDENDUM
This is about my 3.5" floppy disk reader:
           I have a USB powered floppy disk reader. It shows up on the disk menu, but it will not read even the filenames. And Win 11 cmd does not recognize the disk drive itself, or just displays an icon that does nothing. I’ve got the parts to build a 386, but what a hassle. It’s a few lines of code in the kernel to run real DOS, but the bastards had to mess with that. They just could not leave well enough alone. They have a degenerate obsession with proving to themselves they are smart or something.
           The snag here is that those disks were the standard for years and there are tens of millions of them out there. What’s more, they contain priceless information and files that are untainted by embedded millennialware and worse, cloud stupidware. Some of the 3.5s I kept have printouts of my best COBOL and FORTRAN program dumps and now, with going through hoops, I cannot access them. I’ll get it, I’m just saying these punks deserve every bit of hardship that is surely coming their way.

           The period 1992 through 2003 there was not journal. But these disks contain tons of data and information of the day that I had intended to post one file at a time. I even have the original installation disks for both the operating system and the programs, which are now called apps. I only kept around 60 disks, but in those days there was very little file overhead written to disk, so it’s mostly good stuff. The disks are pretty damn old, but kept dry and seem in great shape.

June 30, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: June 30, 2025, I didn’t say wrong.
Five years ago today: June 30, 2021, 7 just for rent 5.
Nine years ago today: June 30, 2017, my last Amtrak days.
Random years ago today: June 30, 2007, a 4F.

           Am I in Tennessee? We won’t know until I get to library in this new town. I do not know Franklin. I’ve driven around a couple of times. Everybody except me is filthy rich. There is no computer for me at the new place, so if the library is not user-friendly, I may have to drive all the way to Hermitage. You’ll know if you see pictures. Scenery has become integral to this blog. Did know nearly 100% of the photos (excluding graphs, memes, and obvious borrows) you see here are originals by the author? Not bad for a Boomer. Or a Zoomer, even. Aha, we have photos. But I cannot edit them. I'm old enough to remember when Apple was a good computer company. I tried a few like "Capto" and "Cleanshot" but the very fact there were 24 options told me not to waste my time. We'll the library asap.

           Ah, back in Tennessee and what a long and quiet snooze. It is morning but I'm underway, trying to find the cat food. It was in the closet. The Reb left me a present, coffee and Carnation, bless her. But will she be home today? Check in later. I got the old iMac working except it will not Wifi, so I am 35 miles away in the old library. But that means I got most of my chores done. I found out why my insurance was so cheap. Remember that rebate they mailed in January? I never received it, so they applied it to the new policy. I have the Hundy registered, but in my dossier I do not have the plate number of my KIA. So I have to make another trip back here. If you see any pictures, then you know I'm getting somewhere. Sigh, life was better when the Internet was a free-for-all. If you disagree, ae you a brainwashed addict?

           What's getting difficult is renewing ATM cards. I aslo discovered it is almost impossible to leave money to a minor, or leave it for a minor now, but not payable until they are over 18. I was hoping to establish an account for our youngest club member. Just check in later, as in a month, and we'll see if there are any workarounds. Meanwhile, hurry up and wait, I'm very busy this trip. Somehow I managed to get here with all power cables, no data transfer models. I think when Europe mandated all deviced must use a USB-C cable, the market has become flooded with models that are power only. I ran into this problem months ago. Now it seems the majority of cables are power only--and there is no way to tell just by looking. If you can see any photos, then you'll know. I tried several dollar store USB-C and none of them worked. I donated them to the library, telling them the problem, which I take it they were having troubles over long before I got there and spelled it out for them. Interesting, this smartest generation ever.

           [Author's note: Upon arriving in Tennessee I see nobody here appears to be even aware of the USB cable problem. Allow me to elaborate. The European Union passed a law that all power charges must use the same end, a USB-C. The market was soon saturated with power cables, but not data cables. They are identical, the only way to test them is to make a connection with a known good device. Like your camera. If it is a power cable only, other than a red power indicator light, nothing will happend. If it is a data cable, and your computer and the device are both powered up, the computer will recognized the camera as a new device. Also, many cameras will display a data transfer screen, and good quality units will automatically open the correct path to view the files.
           I've mentioned this to a few people already, but do be careful. You get a lot of gamers and other such weak-minded users who "won't believe" you. That's happened here, too. What do old guys like me know about computers if I don't play "Game of Thrones" till 3:00AM most weeknights? I know this one guy who told me could use spreadsheets, so I let him update a real estate price list. The bastard actually went in an overtyped all my formulas, then informed me the software didn't work.]

           I was in the bank quite a while, my conclusion is that there was enough resilience built into my investments to absorb the recent inflation, which for my consumer items was over 60%. (See that last picture--that's my bank, neener, neener.) But if another bad government takes over, that isn't going to suffice. Thus, a new ten-year plan is in order even I don't make it that long. This theme will probably recur, same as Caltier did for so long. It is a learning experience that had to be taken simply because there was no way to get a straight answer. It's a real ass-clown situation, these on-liners with their invented vocabularies. They know exactly what information you want but fancy themselves clever. And stand ready to be offended at any hint otherwise. This isn't as much of another start-over because we now have experience dealing with these people.

Picture of the day.
3D topographical print of Ireland.
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           This afternoon was all business, but we made a mini-visit out of it by having a bit of fun. First, we decided on some pro photos, considering how close I came to posing for the last time. Chooks is old now and indifferent to most attention. He wags his tail and comes over when I call, but I think his energy lives must be about the same as mine. Since his now a registered support critter, we took him along to the sushi place. I'm not that much into squid, but they always have Thai on the menu. And what a menu it was. Not a tablet, we've seen those around a while. But a real almost paper-thin menu display. If you ask, the meal was $86. Here's a pic, when I get back to the cabin, remind me to get you a video.

           We had a lot of business to go over and have decided to go ahead with the ArriveD account or something similar. The experience with Caltier reinforces my contention that despite all their wild claims, the best way to learn how the software works for a given "e-business" is to wade into it yourself We also kicked around the license to publish from the twins back a couple years, but we never followed up. The license is good for life, so I will take another look to see if A.I. has made it worthwhile. I'm saying I'd trust A.I. to generate a book long before the ghost writers the original plan suggested.

           Next a long doggie walk behind the restaurant. For them, not me. I didn't make it more than a block. What's become of me, like watching the kids play. I'd wanted a bottle of port [wine] so the Reb said I should see this joint called Total Wine. A twenty minute drive but I saw the grandest liquor store of my life. It's huge and I asked permission to take a photo of their most expensive item. A bottle of cognac for $12,500. Did my picture turn out? I took several for bottles in the $5,000 range. No promises, but the Reb & I are nearing the end of the scrunch from the middle of last year. But, that will not include any bottles of whiskey that cost twice as much as my automobile.

           Again, be patient, software companies are notorious for not making apps backward compatible. I actually have a surreptitious video of the inside of this monster liquor store. But neither the iMac or library Win 10/11 crapware will open the file. (It's in ordinary AVI format, audio-visual interlaced.)

ADDENDUM
           It’s been fifteen or more years since I’ve assembled a computer from parts. But today I discovered most Win 11 computers will not play a 3.5” floppy. Who would want such a thing. That’s easy, anybody with a brain that knows the world ran on those things before Millennials turned the computer into a plaything. Here is a history lesson the kind you won’t find in the books, and I was there. I hold computers responsible for the sad, almost deplorable state of colleges today. Sit down and listen.
           I repeat, I was there. By 1995, I had been familiar with how proper programmed was done for over 20 years. By 1985, I had many qualifications based on courses I had challenged. You still had to pay for the course, but just show up to write the final exam. The schools did not like that, they began to track attendance and pile on pre-requisites. They also began to not recognize identical courses from other institutions. More than once, I had to repeat courses I had already passed with honors, just to be allowed to attend an advanced class required for a degree.

           Now you multiply that out to today’s price-gouging low-standard schools, and you see there is a connection. They do not care if you learn anything because computers have changed their fundamental business model. Notice carefully, you now needed the degree on the wall regardless of whether or not you actually knew how to program. I wound up with two senior degrees part-time over roughly nine years. (Part of the delay was the company putting our department on rotating shift work in 1991.)
           Already a programmer, I had to return to get those degrees, which as I just explained, became an expensive and tiresome process. I avoided university, having made that mistake once, and went to a top-notch trade school. It was during those nine years that I witnessed the downfall of the programming profession and decide it was not for me—but I still loved the subject and still do today.

           I’ve said before how 213 of us began in this then-new faculty. Nine years later there were 7 left. It was a small graduation party indeed. Toward the end, I shifted away from computers only toward accounting, which I use mostly today to lead a pretty darn good life. I’ve worked accounting jobs, but I’ve never been an accountant. I abhor the way schools are run these days, they should be fined for false advertising. Standards are so low you never hear of anyone failing to learn coding, though it probably happens.
           Return tomorrow to see how this ties in with 3.5” floppies.