One year ago today: November 6, 2018, Obamacare “providing proof”.
Five years ago today: November 6, 2014, this blog, censored.
Nine years ago today: November 6, 2010, no gig tonight.
Random years ago today: November 6, 2015, naw, didn’t buy it.
The dog got out again, but this time he burrowed under the fence at a spot where the wire was off the ground. This isn’t such a clear picture, but he squeezed under here. However, imagine the look on my fact when I let him out this morning in the back yard and ten minutes later heard him at the front door. That rebar would snap before it could bend that much, and no way this dog could tackle half-inch steel. Seeing that he had not broken through dashed my plans for his circus career and we were off to the lake. It was a mild day so I got 18 barrels of leaves burned. And got all disappointed with my router table. I can’t use the plans I’d made.
One letter was to JZ concerning his interest in a fixer-upper, a recurring topic with us. I’m convinced he will never find anything positive in Miami and the sooner he gets out of there the better. I lived 33 miles outside Miami and still didn’t like the place. There is nothing to do there except spend money and get into trouble. The middle-class has abandoned the place. I’m of the opinion he should invest part of his estate into property and fix it up. He’s got, by a conservative calculation, three times as much cash flow as I manage on. Plus he’s capable of sustained hard work.
I could easily find him a place to get started as long as he’s willing to be an hour out of Nashville, maybe more. I now know the towns and areas to avoid. I still can’t find out why there are groups of houses for sale I places like Clarksville. Dozens of places on the market at the same time, like the town was closing up or something. I do know the area is famous for sinkholes.
Yonafuni pyramid (underwater)
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For siesta, I watched more amateur videos of the Iron Dome (Israeli anti-missle) system and it is definitely the oldest interception algorithm known. It works by trying to make the target appear equal on a series of sensors. When the target is widely off to one side, this is what causes the sharp missile turns. It’s cheap and works, but does not use computer power to predict target movement or evasive tactics. To me that means there is no way it has the 90% success rate claimed in the media. If you can break the sensor lock, it is a dumb system that cannot reacquire the target.
ADDENDUM
Y’know what should be outlawed? Envelopes without blue lining. The non-blued ones have a purpose I suppose, but I’d never intentionally use them. The problem is that to your average stupid stock clerk, all envelopes are alike, so they won’t restock the right kind until the wrong kind are gone. And talk about stupid. How many times have I asked foor blue-lined and they think I mean with blue lines, like a memo pad. If you explain what the blue lining is for, they kind of stand there with that you-ain’t-foolin’-me look on their faces. Blue-tinted on the inside lining is popularly called “security envelopes”.
Let me make a rare prediction. Just like the US missile command still uses floppy disks and the British Navy still uses XP, the world will soon make or be forced to make a reversion to the stamped envelope for the same reason. Security. The US mail is not secure, but that’s not the point. It is that a move back to paper makes mass surveilance becomes difficult and expensive. That’s a better deterrent than any privacy laws. And privacy is about to take on a whole new dimension in America. You see, they are going to try to legistate it, but the usual crap is going to filter through.
Like the no-call list, there will be exceptions. And the agency to regulate it will be another foot-dragging mess. It should be a hoot to watch the kershmozzle they make of things, as senators governors, and other self-importants try to get their pet clauses into the mix. That’s how we got the DMV, you know. Weak, unknown politicians tyring to prove they are actually doing something. I see a market for security at the personal level, such as blued envopes. There are two changes I would make that, if my prediction comes true, would be worth millions. Got your pencils ready?
First I would make a blued re-mailing envelope. This is an envelope just slightly larger than a regular letter or business size envelope. The idea is to put a stamped regular letter inside and mail it to a reamailing service. As long as USPS doesn’t meddle, this could be a major revival of their service. The second idea is for really secure mailings, foil lined envelopes. They have them now for invitations and such, but frightfully expensive (around 50 cents each for letter size). I’m talking about ordinary foil in ordinary envelopes to prevent examination by X-rays, laser, evaporating oil, and the foil itself is designed to tear if tampered with by any mechanica means. Again, you can’t stop the domiestic enemy, but you can make his job harder.
As usual in America, it is difficult to get a price on the machines out of most sellers before they ID you. (That’s a different security issue.) Even searching can be slow because you get results for letter-folding or stuffing machines, which is not what you want. Even eBay is full of dorks who think you want to buy a photograph of a folding machine, duh. From looking at what is offered, my guess is they run between $5,000 and $6,000 for something that wil get you started. There are tear-resistant paper envelopes out there, but not in the remailing size. They do have the next size up (so does Wal*mart)—but 5x9 is too big and requires a more expensive stamp.
I doubt any of my ideas are new and may even be patented. But I don’t know if they have ever been marketed as a blantant anti-surveillance method. That’s what I’m talking about.
