One year ago today: December 20, 2017, no Xmas porch.
Five years ago today: December 20, 2013, the intellectually unfortunate?
Nine years ago today: December 20, 2009, dinner at the trailer court.
Random years ago today: December 20, 2014, daily advice.
Yes folks, this is the blog that dares to push the envelope. The only blog that dares to feature a picture of a plumbing stack above the fold. And a rusty one at that. What? There are others? Well, okay. But they are like, hardware stores. Or something. I mean a real blog. Like this one. Can't we all just get along? Us, I mean, not myself and the DMV. Nothing like that. And just you watch me wholesale insult the millennials before this day is done. Not personally, but I mean as a group.
People like my family would be offended by this idea. Why, they have a right to drive on your bumper and your blind spot, and the sooner you get used to it, the better. They would want the device outlawed by having it declared unsafe to them. To hell with your safety. Oddly, passing laws like this is far easier than imagined. The over-entitled Me generation is now the majority, so get ready for lots of Me legislation. It has now been raining twelve hours and the donut shop is opening in ten minutes. I guess you know where you stand on that. I’m outta here.
Rain doesn’t mean no work at all. Here is the cast iron stack. Yep, this is the brand that all the commercials say is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s actually the simplest stack, directly below the toilet. The corroded pipe to the left is the sink drain and it will be completely cut out of the new lines. To the right is the tub drain. This is the assembly everybody says I can replace myself. This is one of the photos mailed south today. If you look near the top, you can see the flooring has been propped up before. See the two newer 2x4”s. This will be replaced by a proper 2x6” box and all the visible joists will be scabbed with new lumber and 3/4” lag bolts. We’re learning.
I’ve got conflicting information on the locations of the water lines, but flexible connection hoses means I don’t have to get it exactly right. Those will likely be roughed in tomorrow. I’m tempted to put in a temporary brace and just turn the old sink 90° out of the way until the new toilet is installed. It was a brisk day, I stopped in at the Magnolia for a bowl of French Onion soup, probably my least favorite. It doesn’t stick to the ribs.
Winston Chruchill's fireplace.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.
The red cardinals are back, taking possession of the feeder again. They keep the smaller birds at bay. It was too dark or I’d have a picture. What's this, the ICE has "siezed" over one million websites for copyright infringement. That cuts down on the competition, and yes, I have noticed the upswing on my hits. I did not hear about this event until today (it was a year ago), so any association with my hits is speculation--but the trend matches exactly. No, I'm not showing you the graph. Instead, here is a picture of an A.I. chip. It retails for around a thousand dollars, I'll have a bit to say about it in a moment, but first a comment on my readership.
[Author's note: I have established a new standard for the abbreviation of Artificial Intelligence. Instead of "AI", which can be mistaken for all kinds of things, I propose the world start using "A.I. " Should this become the standard, remember where you saw it first. All the guys named Al agree already. Wow, what that sentence full of alliteration, or what?
No doubt, some deadheads will continue using the confusing version. I considered Ai, A-I, and ARTel, but the Internet tells us many contemporary experts out there can't find the dash key. And I didn't want to risk them using the dreaded underscore.]
Then, I read a paper on swarm robotics. When the A.I. chip drops below $200, I may get one just to find out what they have done. This is the one area that has potential in the near run. And the US is already behind in the race. This is the situation where instead of massive robots, you build scores of tiny robots with basic operating instructions. We’ve been watching this for nearly nine years, it is nothing new for this blog. The robots can move around and sense nearby robots. When placed in proximity, they exhibit a biological-like tendency to form certain patterns and behaviors. What intrigues me is how they form clusters and can reform with the shape is disturbed.
The implication is that life-like or life-imitating situations are natural, not requiring divine intervention. There are new chips entering the market at a price that hobbyists can afford. Could it be that Nature follows its own life-creation process? That Nature creates the situation where, if the right inert molecules get together, there is an undiscovered law that prompts them to become self-replicating? And why have I not heard much news about the jackhammer probe that apparently successfully landed on Mars on November 26? Is the media too busy slamming Trump? Will somebody please tell them the era of the pretty-boy political hack as president is officialy ended?
By late afternoon, I was finished measuring out plumbing, so I went downtown. Nothing there, so I continued on to Bartow, where I know the staff. That consists of an absolutely gorgeous brunette getting on into her mid-twenties. Nomsayn? I like her and know her well enough to joke about getting it on, which is to the dismay of the regulars who are there with desperate intent. Anyway, we got to joking about the droll music on the juke box, when she noted there were 22 credits. In that case, allow me to step up to the plate.
I worked the room. Sure I played “Exes & Ohs” and “Black Horse & Cherry tree.” Had the room rockin’ in no time. But, there’s no way to avoid your standard-issue Florida asshole. I suppose he was trying to pick up the brunette with his monotonous disco-rap. He was a disaster, you know the sort, kept mentioning that he was 28. Since the credits were free, I hit the play-next button most of the time. Normally, I find a quiet corner near a receptacle, which does not explain to the regulars why the really good-looking servers come over and talk to me whenever they get a chance. Sherry, that’s her name.
Anyway, the millennial is going bonkers because he can’t hold her attention. Then he hits on a strategy. He’s cashless, so he hauls out his smart-phone and racks up $62 on the juke box to play more of his disco-rap. For the price, he got to hear Sherry ask me what else I played as she rolled her eyes. You know, Sherry has only been there maybe a month, and you should see her light up like a school girl whenever I walk in. Everybody else does. I mean, if I was forty years younger, there would be no mistaking what’s going on.
ADDENDUM
Utilizing full millennial-think, my research has discovered the original stealth warship. First let's follow the millennial brain at work. The Horten, they say, was a "Nazi" stealth fighter. This is what happens when people get educated beyond their intellect. It was based on a glider, that's why it was smooth. It had no tail because wartime materials were scarce. And the wings were swept to maintain the center of gravity. Nothing to do with stealth technology whatsover. And how any millennial determined this plane belonged to the "Nazi" political party is beyond me. Maybe he saw the plane's membership card?
the world's first stealth ship
.
Never go full millennial. Eighty dollars please.
Return Home
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
