December 2, 2018

Yesteryear
One year ago today: December 2, 2017, if the jury . . .
Five years ago today: December 2, 2013, WIP
Nine years ago today: December 2, 2009, nope, no atlas.
Random years ago today: December 2, 2003, the 401(k) department?

           An actual day off. I biked for an hour on the one-speed. It’s not bad once it’s oiled up and every bolt that needs tightening is tended to. In this case, the chain just needed a touch and it was bike city. I took a bit getting re-used to coaster brakes, the kind where you pedal backward. From using hand brakes, I consistently came to rest at the wrong position to slam the brakes hard. The terrain around here is flat enough that the single speed is adequate for most chores. I still do not bike for recreation, though it’s probably a habit that needs nurturing.

           Yep, no the Marriott Hotels are up the creek, storing customer data with everything from passport numbers to the actual hours the room is occupied. That would be a handy reference for suspicious housewives. Anyway, it seems every week there is a major data breach, and I always think of my old cardiologist who, when I fired him for handing out my medical records, said it was me who had “not kept up with the times”. Yeah, well, it ain’t my information being stolen now, is it?

           I still don’t think we’ve seen the real criminal activity behind all these thefts. You have to eventually ask, if the information is so valuable, who are they selling it to. And why are the buyers paying for it? I personally got suspicious when Google and Microsoft began amalgamating users into one big account each. That is also when they began their incessant drive to get everybody’s phone number. Think about it. And why cannot the same phone number be used twice? I’ve said before that Google could probably blackmail every male in America, except of course for me. I’ve always used non-Google systems when I go on-line. The only thing they’ve got is this blog, which contains 15% inaccurate information. Like the last trip. Did I really go to Seattle? Only two people know my actual destination. You’ve never heard of it.
           It’s that kind of world. I think the longer the situation stays dormant, the bigger the eventual event. The way the Western nations have channelized the flow of money, I think all the bad guys need do is have their paid politicians enact a law simply stating everybody in the world has to pay them a dollar a day just to stay alive. There are very few American politicians who would not do that to get elected. The two most useless occupations that pay well, politicians and sports.

Picture of the day.
At the dead letter office.
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           Due to city ordinance, I can’t replace my old red shed at a reasonable cost. So it gets shored up for another how many years. So much for the city “improving” things. Politics always achieves the opposite of its stated goals. The reason is simple, politics interferes with the rules of supply and demand. If you see photos of the shed doors, that’s what I worked on until dark, or mosquito time. Same thing is this area during the winters. Incidentally, I reject the theory that the malarial mosquito is in California due to a terrorist plot. First of all, the bad guys hate New York, not California. Second, if they don’t really have that kind of brains. And third, if they did it, they’d be bragging about it. That is their nature.

           I’ve never installed sliding doors, but it is an option this time. JZ was set to work two years ago to reinforce the sagging metal but my guess is he’s never done it before. I tore down his work completely and fixed the doors on the work bench. Then, it was bike ride time, the excitement around here just never ceases. If you hear the term “Nashville 1”, it’s been kicking around here a few days. It is arising as an alternative location to get a phone, instead of out west. I did get a neutral response on my final pension application, if that happens, there will be a number of similar changes. Neutral means it was not outright rejected, but bureaucracy is a bitch. The immediate change would be getting the batbike back on the road. That would be the chosen method of driving to Tennessee, although I don’t reject the idea of towing it to a destination and using it only for show. There is no rule against shameless self-promotion in my household, provided you back it up with the goods.

           But, but, what is all this Tennessee stuff in the works? It’s because I like Nashville, but I don’t know about living there. I still look for that place to spend the hot Florida summers, but Nashville might not be far enough away from the heat. My immediate plans for the 2019 – 2020 season involve driving as much as 25,000 miles, which would be a real task for the batbike. I’m leaning more toward a camperized van, now that I have looked more closely at how I like to travel. Winter and me are not good friends. The picture is Sammie and I going for a walk in the autumn leaves.

ADDENDUM
           The quest for the child’s hotdog for a dollar continues. Some sausages are just not hotdog material. That brings on the question, how does a sausage fail the hotdog test? Well, here’s some that didn’t make the grade at all. The fail was due to numerous factors, such as this beef looks like pork. It also shrinks too much on heating. And it is slow to reach the proper internal temperature. Shown here, the skins a charred before the center is cooked. It is no a solution to cook it slower because then it isn’t fast food.

           Where was I? Oh yes, I remember. The guitarist e-mailed after a three day lapse. His message of November 29 just got here today. To me, that means he has Google Chrome on his computer. I swear, that system deliberately slows mail sent to any party that doesn’t allow Google to record the event. Well, I mean they record it, but protonmail is end-to-end encryption and that’ they don’t like. It is being recorded for the day when they can scan it for keywords.

           I think quantum computers are still a distant item, say another twenty years. I hear the word tossed around, like how the new Chinese quantum computer can detect American stealth aircraft. Yeah My thinking says they are using some very advanced, but conventional systems. I mean, quantum is a theory and not such a practical one at that. To paraphrase the jokes going around, if a quantum radar did detect a jet, how would anyone know? And how would they record the blip, if it was one? What if it is recording a blip that is actually a reverse event from a parallel universe? I say quantum, at this time, is bunk.
           Last item for today, harmonies. I still can’t harmonize, but I can on one part of one song. “Some Broken Hearts”. I tried the method of memorizing the notes. It doesn’t work for me because of the lag required to find that starting pitch. I sing the melody, then move it up a third, a noticeable delay. So I tried imagining the sound and mentally gliding down to it. It works for me. At this point only that one song. It’s a foot in the door. For clarity, instead of memorizing the note and moving up, I imagine the note and sing down, stopping when my brain says it has hit a mellow third. Is this progress? We shall see.

Last Laugh

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