One year ago today: June 18, 2014, Harbor Freight rules!
Five years ago today: June 18, 2010, illegal hot dogs.
Six years ago today: June 18, 2009, dial tone is extra.
MORNING
This time around, I needed parts so I was up to Lake Park, Florida. Look it up yourself, it’s an industrial zone. Despite only two roads in and out, it is a high crime neighborhood. But you cannot beat the prices. That alone made the mad dash during rush hour worth it. Look up Lake Park, the place names are like Investment Road and Currency Street. (They were not amused by my quip about of Bankruptcy Court.)
Here is the reason for the big trip to Lake Park. It is called a regulated power supply. It has been overdue and ignored for years because of the expense and the lack of local suppliers. Now it sits here with no manual, but I’ll have a go at figuring it out. It is pretty fancy, even including a USB power port for the Arduino.
That’s the digital readout seen beside the knob. For some reason, a voltmeter on USB ports has become a popular item lately. There are even portable plugs you can test the ports anywhere. This is more of a suggestion that there is some problem having been discovered. I also got the oscilloscope probes, which did not have any instructions either. Time to resort to thinking.
NOON
“Never buy a house without a fireplace.” –Texas wisdom. (Exception: houses in Florida.)
I don’t often take the batbike on the freeway but today I needed supplies, so I was up north of West Palm. Of course, I stopped in at Boynton Beach to check out real estate. There just is not much for sale. Here is the batbike parked in the subdivision of my choice, although the area has a restriction on motorcycles. But like this place, there is the possibility they’ll make an exception for such a photogenic machine.
Also, if you recall that lady I met up there a couple years ago who never called back, her unit is for sale. I don’t like it for being very exposed to all traffic passing or entering the area, but the price tag is friendlier at $49,000. Still, these prices are some 40% higher than two years ago.
If I have time on the way back, I’ll get you a snap of another place that just came up, a nice corner unit. Meanwhile, I had to get my shopping done and I picked up some goodies while out there. The prices are fantastic compared to Radio Shack, so I splurged a little.
For example, I got some blue LEDs. Where Radio Shack wants a dollar each, I got a hundred for $2.95. And for the first time, I bought custom robot motors rather than salvaging them from old printers. I even picked up a dozen battery leads on sale for less than the cost of the parts. I’m pretty happy with how it went.
EVENING
Here’s the place I considered, but I’m hesitating. I won’t go into the reasons, but I do believe something better will come along. I’ve heard rumors that Canada may crack down on the number of welfare cases that spend half the year down here. Summer is not the time to buy, so I’ll take a chance and wait. The rationale is the same as six months ago. As long as prices are not going up faster than I can save, I’m in no rush. Note, the picture is not distorted, the road in the foreground really does curve like that.
Here is the results of my review. Bother to read it and you’ll get some insights into my character. My semi-famous economic reviews, the only difference between mine and most is that I write them down and publish them. Here goes.
Starting in 1981, I watched a change in borrowing habits. People were not borrowing to get ahead but began borrowing to preserve their lifestyle. I was there and heard the ridiculous reasons people gave for plunging into debt—and I have behind me a lifetime of not doing that. I’m very aware that I expanded only out of real wealth I’d created myself, and thus went without that big house and new car every three years. Mind you, when the crunch came later in life, I was able to survive six years just on my savings account.
You can’t fake real money, so I now looked at the bigger picture. What I see is that the housing bubble has not been fixed. Instead, the government expanded the money supply into spreading the problem out into dozens of smaller bubbles. They are bursting here and there, but none have the impact of 2006. The reason appears to be that the bubbles are more widespread and harder to spot. That’s hardly an accident.
I look around me and see the masses have learned nothing. When interest rates fall to zero, I say the government plainly does not want people to save. But the masses say it represents a borrowing opportunity. That’s the same government that caused the housing bubble by using your tax dollars to float sub-prime loans. Today, I know of only two people who actually own the property they live in and both are poorer than they were ten years ago.
My conclusion is that once again there is trouble brewing. It’s just under the surface and I’ve questioning whether I should even continue to live in a big city. By nature, every government activity or program is coercive so they will not be effective in a crisis. And has anyone but me noticed that most crises happen in Septembers? Hitler invades Poland, 9/11, 2006, my divorce.
The fact is, prices are rising again, but the recession is not over. No matter how you slice it, rising prices while people are out of work is another bubble. So, do I wait or buy now while things are affordable? The unknown factor is time. Will I live long enough to see the results of a decision made today?
Put another way, I certainly don’t want to die in a trailer, even if it is the intellectual power spot of the entire geographical area. That’s right folks, more robots are built, more solar-powered campers, more new music theories, and more blog is written right here than anywhere else in this vicinity. And, ahem, this vicinity includes Nova University . . .
ADDENDUM
There’s an interesting propaganda trick for you. After World War II, decrees by Joseph Stalin were often posted all around Berlin. At the bottom was Stalin’s name. Berliners would surreptitiously smear an invisible layer of fish oil over the name. Hence, anyone reading the sign would find the word Stalin was always covered with flies.
Last Laugh
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