September 9, 2013

           I finally got a wireless notebook. It’s one of those things like an ice crusher (which I also have) that you want but can’t bring yourself to spend too much money on. I got mine for 99 cents, so I bought two. I keep one each on the motorcycles. The motorcycle camper is coming along fine. The factory paint job on the camper is not as good as the job I did. Shown here is the faded finish on the fender after a few rain showers and some sunny days. I will probably repaint this when I go to put the final coat.

           I had to put on my thinking cap today. The solar panels are indeed quite fragile, entailing a special mounting if they are to survive a road trip. Yes, I’m aware they are not designed for that and this may be the first time anyone has tried this. It could flop, but I’ve already learned enough to pursue these panels seriously. Even if the cost of maintaining the system is higher than using the grid, there are still enough advantages to make it worthwhile. Like what if the grid isn’t there some day?
           Upon examining Trent’s link to open mics, I see the Broward Center has a $10 cover charge. That for sure will eliminate the riff-raff so that is the place for me to check out. Drop by tomorrow to see if that happens, but I’ve got a full day here already. The sidewalls of the camper are ready to go up and as luck would have it, the sun is blaring down on my back yard. That’s why you get an indoor job in this town.
           My camper has to be build outdoors and let me tell you, four hours later, putting the deck on the frame is a two-man operation. There are 19 difficult bolts required to hold the plywood onto the frame, and most of them can only be accessed from the underside. The carcass gets increasingly hard to upend as the ¾” panels go into place.
           Once again it is smoke and mirrors, with Google playing up the angle that they are encrypting their client’s private data to protect if from the government. What a farce, making a big show out of “protecting” data that no honest business should be collecting in the first place. Google has become the “Champion of Idiots”. Wow, Leroy, you can sleep soundly now that your browsing history, passwords, and identity are safe with Google.
           What a coincidence that Google announced this “anti-government” encryption a day before requiring that new youTube accounts now require identification. I suspect Google is really a Canadian company. You can protest all you want, right after you show that nice policeman three pieces of picture ID first.
           For those interesting, the outfit in Boca turned down my offer on their property. They said they thought about it for a month, but the season always brings a chance somebody will come up with the money. When I checked in today, it was sold. That was one of those deals that rivaled the best, only this time there will be no Patsie around to mess things up. The area knows I’m interested and by next spring I’ll have an irresistible down payment. I was looking for a deal when I found the last two places.
           Later, I ran out of hardware. Then I got tired of trying to get through to the Broward Arts call center and drove up to there to see for myself. Sure enough, all the promotional signs on the street are there but not one of them tells you the building is shut down long term for renovations. You can’t actually tell until you pull up to the north entrance and see the barricade, although you can’t tell much by that in Florida. They’ll put a barricade up in a wink.

           So that was a wasted parking fee (the parking lot attendants across the road will not tell you the Center is closed). Don’t think of going downtown to Las Olas for coffee, after around 4:30 PM you cannot get one. All that is open after that are cafes with dollar but no cents. That’s correct, the menus don’t bother with cents or the dollar sign. A glass of wine is “8”. That’s it, just 8. A slice of pie is 12. Soup and sandwich is 19. And something to eat is 32.
           There is no coffee on the menus and don’t ever ask if they have it. They go into their big three ring act: In ring one, “Coffee? What’s that?” In ring two, “We’ll get you one as a special favor because we want you to be happy.” And ring three, you get mud that was poured into a cold ceramic cup to make it lukewarm and a bill for 5. That’s it, just 5. Axxholes.
           Yes, this is a picture of my wireless notebook. See, no wire in the binding. In fact, almost no binding at all as the pages fall loose when you try to tear one out on the dotted line. At least there is a handy drill hole. Chinese advertising at its finest. The pencil is also wireless. What won’t they invent next?