A question from the frozen north arrived concerning the lighthouse in my movie clips. Yes, that is the Jupiter lighthouse, shown here from a different perspective. It is a popular site for weddings and probably outlives most of those. The spiral staircase to the top is open to the public and was the first strenuous climb I attempted thanks to riding my bicycle every day. The sign is misleading, there is a civilian pathway to the tower around the south side.
There was only time for a twenty minute meeting last evening, but Agt. M has come up with something that saves us money. The Arduino microcontrollers cost $30 apiece. Well, M has an android and it seems there is an app for that. It simulates Arduino operation and comes with tutorials. I watched it scroll actual sketches (code). Now he has no option to not learn programming, which for some reason he hates.We have already devised a way to use this app and our existing single Arduino board to produce copies. Recent statistics show that 85% of Arduino owners never get beyond the stage playing with simple “copy-key” code. You can safely presume our club is not included in that group. Time to get E24 down here for that circuit board tutorial.
Of the things never seen before in my short time is that teenage girl who can say any word backwards. It is not to be believed until you see it for yourself. They tried to trick her with words like “kaleidoscope” and she floored them. I hope she takes it somewhere, but even if not, that useless talent in a wink bests anything I’ve done in my entire life. Believe me when I say, “Argh!” Sorry, it was a MicroSoft report so no link here, find it yourself.
It not only looks like the document from California will be costly, but there is a possibility it is the wrong document. Of course, they won’t say over the phone. Strangers, weirdos, and any shyster off the street can get that certificate, but the victim has to go through hoops. I will say it again and again, the problem with this country is the government. This country will always be here.
It is the government, not the country, that is has gone down the shithole—and they will do everything they can to drag you down with them. The first to suffer will be those who had “nothing to hide”. Follow the logic here. Are you the one stealing money? Are you the one screwing up everything you touch? No, it is the government. When they get desperate, guess whose entire life they have on file? And you gave up without a fight. Oops.
Over the years, deceptive pricing has been a hot topic on this blog, from cell phones, to car rental, to car stickers. It seems the feds finally caught up by declaring airlines have to print the actual price including compulsory taxes and fees. Will the airlines redefine “compulsory”? They contend the new regulation will allow the feds to sneak in tax increases, but that argument is weaker than free tea.
Trivia. I was trying to discover if the ban on military or national exploitation of space was signed by China and India. What good would these treaties be if Russia and the US lose the race to others who were not invited? During this research, I was happy to read about a time when the US was led by educated, competent people. I learned that the reason for the moon mission was prompted by an understanding of the Soviet economy, not the fact that initially the communists were ahead.
It goes like this (and follow closely because it parallels what other countries are doing to the USA right now). In 1962, NASA was run by scientists, not bureaucrats, and they realized the Soviet manned orbit programs not easily or cheaply be adapted for other types of missions. This makes sense now when I recall how so many Soviet space missions failed whenever they tried to do anything else, like their probes to Venus. At $40 billion, the US moon shot was the nearest objective the Americans could win, not due to technological superiority, but because somebody clued in the Soviets could not afford to rebuild their rocketry infrastructure.
In the process, I read about the “moon treaty”. Rather than being a ban on certain activities in outer space, the treaty is a ridiculous document that gives the benefit of space discoveries and property to “a common heritage of all mankind”. That would ensure nothing ever got done. Common heritage, in a pig’s eye. It would be like politely asking stupid, lazy, undeserving people to mind their own business.
The Outer Space Treaty is a different animal. It bans nuclear, but not conventional weapons. Lasers are considered conventional. This treaty has been signed by most countries. The only likely bad boy is Iran, since places like Ethiopia and the Honduras aren’t looking for moon bases at this time.
In further news, Irvine is 30 miles from Los Angeles, and the church has a branch nearby. It turns out I may not need the document, but the wise will notice how the network is still the best way to deal with a corrupt and arthritic system. Mind you, a gang of drinking buddies or work-place gossips does not constitute a network, you know who I'm referring to.
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