One year ago today: March 22, 2014, the decline of Nova.
Five years ago today: March 22, 2010.
Ten years ago today: March 22, 2005, on sting operations
MORNING
So, I studied wind generators (wind farms) last evening. It seems a lot of people don’t like them. The objections seem to be they don’t like looking at them and they emit noise. Funny, the same rural people seem to like windmills. One group lived next door to a drag racing yard and didn’t mind that noise. In particular, the Cape Code wind farm, which was approved back in 2010, then dropped off the Internet like Justin Beiber at a hockey game.
Mind you, the Kennedys are putting up a great show of protest that the turbines will hurt the view from their yachts and summer cottages. Others point out, with a wink, that 400 feet is well within the cruising altitude of most small, privately-owned planes. And such.
I have one of those desk exerciser things, the one you pedal along while you sit at your desk. I got it at the Thrift and I got taken. How? It’s these complete asshole people who donate junk to a thrift that. This one, the knob that adjusts the belt tension had been tightened so far it stripped the metal retainer.
I can fix it, but the thought that whoever had it before knew damn well it was broken. People like that need their asses kicked, badly. The entire assembly has to be taken apart to get at the broken part. A robot club has the tools, most do not.
It’s cheap, only $40 new and I got it for $8. But I’ll get lots of exercise taking it apart. As luck would have it, the adjustment knob is identical to the one I repaired last week on the band saw. The new knob will be made of wood. I succeeding in building a wooden battery holder last evening, so I’m even between happy and pissed off by idiots. But, it’s not like I don’t know the world is full of useless morons.
What a useless attitude, “It’s broken? Give it to charity. They like bargains on junk." Grrrr, some people.
NOON
“Don't judge folks by their relatives.” (Farm wisdom)
While we’re here, let’s take a look at the job situation. Now that Americans have voted away their own jobs so they can buy plastic articles from China on their credit cards, how are the prospects for the unemployed? Has the “government” again doubled the number of part-time McJobs? Is the service of finding jobs for other people still the only growth area in most states? I dunno, for that is the kind of leading questions for reporters to ask.
I’m on the other team, that is, to look at the jobs from the point of view of making a profit—not to be confused as taking sides with the rich. It’s just that there are far better short-term things for the rich to invest in than providing jobs for the masses. Remember, the entitlement mentality is not confined to those on welfare. I grew up with people who actually thought they were entitled to a job and a mortgage and a car. All they need do is borrow and vote their way to security.
I’ve never thought that way and there is no common ground on that issue. It is such people who voted in the mess we have today. I well remember those who voted thought it implied they had weighed the issues. Bullshit, they just liked to brag and bloviate that if you didn’t vote, well then. I have never seen a man who voted for the good of his neighbor. Intelligence is not a factor in voting. Intelligent people support thumb-ink, not voter “registration” schemes. If voters are smart, how come we still have the DMV? Intelligent folk probably don't much like penguins, either.
What do I see? What I told you long ago. Robots taking over. (Robot jobs are currently being created at twice the rate of human jobs.) Robots don’t have to outrun the bear. Give me the money right now and I can design a robot that will outperform any of my critics. It could play better guitar, drywall a better house, and sew a finer garment at many times the speed. Even if it cost a thousand times more for the prototype and I made less profit per item, I would still prefer it to hiring most humans I’ve ever seen. I should build a robot that runs for office. It couldn’t possibly do any worse of a job.
Robbie the Robot for President! (I promise not to use all that many Chinese parts.)
Author's note: to anyone who laughed at my ten rules for starting a business (published in the local news in 2003), maybe time to go back and read it again. See if you laugh as hard this time around. You remember those rules? Here's a teaser: don't start a business that has employees. Don't start a business that requires a license. Don't start a business that requires inventory. Yeah, those rules.
AFTERNOON
This town needs one of those English style automated pubs. The drinks are dispensed from vending machines and the only employee is the bouncer. And even he is on the way out as Intel has developed a vending machine that reads (and permanently records) your retina and can determine your age to with a month. The new vending machine kiosks totally slams the old “soda machine” and even the Japanese public machines.
There are a few of the European machines over in Aventura mall, I’m sure I’d have already shown you photos. And it isn’t selling bubble gum, but iPods and jewelry. I happen to know a lot about the vending machine business and I won’t be that sad to see the end of Starbucks. I’ve always been against the grinning salesman who will advise you to buy junk if the boss told him to. But I also see an end to pizza parlors. I don’t mean the restaurants, but the take-out only joints.
Rumor has it that there is a version of eBay in the works that will behave for the most part as a pawn shop. And have you seen that new automatic machine that resembles a 3D printer but uses tattoo needles? While I have no intention of getting back in the vending business, remember my first adventure was in my 20s, when I installed a soda machine in the lumber mill break room and tripled my income.
Bought the soda for 9¢ a bottle, sold for 35¢--and convinced the mill it was dangerous for anyone to remove the empty bottles except myself. Ha, remember that one! I am, however, noticing the fact that those shops that have eliminated humans have experienced a five-fold leap in productivity.
That is offset by the huge initial investment and the insecurity of investing in totally new products. But I can tell you right off, even the cheapest “robot” vending machine would justify the cost of that $35 Arduino. Of which I now have a trunkful gathering dust.
EVENING
Upon reviewing what my generation would have called a “music collection”, I discover that since my decision roughly ten years back to embrace MP3 technology has resulted in my entire music library being worth zero dollars. That is correct--I have never purchased an MP3. It did not make sense to me that digital information should be distributed in physical plastic containers and played on expensive, licensed devices. I grew up around people who had $8,000 vinyl record collections. More than I was raised on. They essentially wasted the money.
So I went to the beach to finally take those horizon measurements. As usual, I was alone. Nobody else had the wherewithal to go or had a reason why they could not make it today. Then again, the local beach has always been a difficult and expensive visit. Here’s a snap of me doing the preliminary calculations. I was correct on several assumptions. The horizon appears to me to be 75-7/16ths inches off the flat ground at a distance of 30 feet.
The crowd was the largest I’ve seen this season. Around 1,800 people, yet not one babe. I like exactly the same things in a woman today as I did forty years ago, so don’t lecture me about fussy, fussy guys have not dated anywhere near as many women as I have. There was not even one good-looking smooth tightie out there. Some might disagree, but I never did find the “hooker” look attractive. I’m talking about total babes. There were none.
The early summer weather means the bars were full. But I’m way too smart to look in there unless I’m on stage. I told you, I’m not rich, I’m not tall, I’m not handsome, so it is a waste of time at my age to walk into a bar as another customer. Mind you, I’m not broke, short, or ugly either. There is no doubt the quality and quantity of women becomes infinitely better when JZ and I work as a team. And I got to see this new truck.
ADDENDUM
Here’s another view of the crowded "beach". This is a still photo, because that’s how the traffic stood for nearly an hour. That glacial Margaritaville project ties up traffic both directions. And I stopped at the Walkabout, but did not recognize the guitar player. Mind you, ‘round here, they do tend to all look an awful lot alike.
I listened to an energy resource program and I have to chortle at the constant implication that American resource usage is what is upsetting the world. That concept was short-sighted decades ago. Not wrong, just short-sighted. It is no good measuring usage without regarding productivity. Maybe I do have four times as many computers as the next guy, but I produce a hundred times more blog. All my computers together cost maybe $600. So technically, I consume more computer electricity, but I don’t waste a $2,000 laptop playing Bubble Shooter.
And I’m not keen on hypocrisy. Yes, America led the world in consumerism, but the world did not stop and say that was wrong. No sirree, they geared up and started copying—and that is blatant duplicity. If what we are doing is so wrong, why is there a stop-at-nothing race to become like Americans? If we are wrong, places like China, which is building a new coal-fired electric power plant every four days, are even more wrong.
But what got me was the comparison of the rich and the poor. Capitalism only works when you allow those who take chances to get and stay ahead. I was amused to hear these reporters trying to “interview” the 1% but actually were attempting to trick them into saying the wrong thing. I don’t think anyone can justify being rich, but it is wise to comprehend that capitalism does not allow anyone to be “half-rich”.
Easier said than thunk. You are either getting richer or you are getting poorer. The “middle class” is a façade. If you are rich, you cannot sit back and relax. The 1% are fully cognizant of that. The Yankee middle-class experiment was a temporary chapter from the last century. To stay rich, you must surround yourself with advisors and lawyers and belts of protection. Quite frankly, what do you expect the rich to do? Sit around and wait for the poor to “vote” on dividing up their wealth?
Hence, anyone who is rich had best band together with other riches to prevent the non-rich from carving up the pie. I go further to say the same thing is happening internationally. Foreigners want to be like us but want to ignore the consequences that were revealed by our being first. True, Americans are irresponsible with their SUVs and extravagant homes, but I say that is largely a matter of degree and timing. Given the similar circumstances, history shows the Maharajas and the Kings of England are far more filthy greedy than Americans—and far more repressive on their own people.
And while you are here, let me tell you I find that “1%” label amusing. It only applies to money, but I’m not complaining. By and large, it is not rich people that stop me from being rich. It is the masses of other poor people. So instead, I get to be in the top 1% of blog writers. Top 1% of bass players. Top 1% of several categories. And get away without any great public outcry over it.
Ah, I heard that. Am I in the top 1% of bass players? I don’t studio record, I’m not in a show band, I only know about five of the notes on the fretboard. But when it comes to entertaining a small crowd, I’m totally ready to go up against the next 99, bring ‘em on. I have heard a thousand boring bass players in my time. And if you can find 99 bassists who have received three $100 bills in their tip jars, as I have, I say IF you could find them, I’ll go up against them, too.
Last Laugh
Togla's IQ Test
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