March 8, 2020

Yesteryear
One year ago today: March 8, 2019, ‘tard code.
Five years ago today: March 8, 2015, not wrong, just regrettable,
Nine years ago today: March 8, 2011, sheds, everywhere.
Random years ago today: March 8, 2008, It’s another Florida thing.

           Another wasted drive to the grocery store that was supposed to be open Friday morning. And no, they did not move the not open sign out to the road, you still can’t tell they are closed until you approach the doors. Then again, the millennial did correctly interpret my comment last time as an insult. Then again, what do you expect from a guy who’s 25 and wearing a nametag? I’m in a mood today. How about that 737 fleet still grounded? That could be the death of Boeing.

           You see, they lost their heads trying to keep ahead of the competition instead of sticking to known and workable airplane design. It doesn’t matter how light or strong the body is if the pilot is using a touchscreen. I never cared for the company because Washington State is the birthplace of so many “entrepreneurs” who downplay [the fact that] they were born rich. Only when you become president can such people claim they did it on their own.
           So it is with Boeing, who graduated from Yale (Engineering College) in 1903. Let’s just say that was in the days before student loans, if you get my drift. And here is another fat cat. You’ve met Chloe, built like a Russian sub. She is on the identical diet as the other cat, who is so skinny she looks anorexic. So explain that one. This morning the dogs and I walked way up around the next subdivision. You know, I always have a hard time realized when pets get old, but I was saddened to see the big dog have such a struggle getting up the hill. Just a year ago, he’d bound up there. Now, he takes his time to even climb the stairs.

           I warned you against grocery cards years ago. It seems the data from these cards supports a new sub-industry. Failed products. You heard me. The people who analyze buying habits find there is a predictable group of people who like products that are going to flop. They also know these people live in groups based on zip codes and donate money to losing political candidates. So, what’s wrong with that? Well, if I could predict trends based on information about what you like, I’ll soon be rich and you will be poor. And remember, this is only the part they are telling us about.
           Next, I checked my personal info on Google. Every category was blank except that my name is John Smith and I was born on December 17, 1985. This is not the scary part. For years I had a separate youTube account. Despite almost a blanket over any ties to this computer, when youTube changed its “Terms of Usage” last month, it wiped out my old youTube account and attached my usage to John Smith. So the game begins again. Other than this tablet, I have no idea how they could have scoped the two separate accounts.

           Here’s a quote for you. “People who become accomplished after the age of 50 regularly become famous. Not because what they’ve done is so great, but because it is so rare.” You know who said that? Me, I’m the author. But I’m not famous. Yet. When I am, these jigsaw puzzles with my home-made frames will be priceless. It was finally a warm day, so the dogs and I spent the afternoon in the back yard. The doggies are almost kid-brother-like in their ability to lie down for hours and watch me work.

           Take a look at this BBC article about a telemarketer scammer from India. Although I maintain anybody who sends money over the Internet is an idiot in the first place, it is a pity how many people are such suckers. Oddly, it is the fact that in America, your chances of getting money by working are better than by stealing. This is not so in India. I’ve been there. In case you have not heard, it is the only “Asian” country I ever paid extra to get the hell out of before my visa was up.

           Their attitude is that Americans are stupid because they fall for scams. These Indians do not see it as stealing. They have no concept of an honest society. Unlike East Indians, Americans are not raised to have to spend most of their energy protecting themselves from each other. So when Americans answer the phone, they have no reason to suspect a scam caller. Let me give you some advice. Unless you can think of a single reason why you should be talking to anybody with an Urdu (Hindu) accent, hang up. Some of them are, I suppose, nice people, but do you know any? If you really feel you must talk to one, get a call-back number.
           American society is not blameless. We have thousands upon thousands of police out there right now handing out speeding tickets and shaking down prostitutes, but there is not one cop in the land actually doing anything about these scammers, nor on ad campaign on TV warning people. There should be a warning every hour until people are sick of it, but no. But the liberals and their media don’t want to offend any overseas criminals who might play the race card. Besides, the plan is to let these people in here so they will vote Democrat.

Picture of the day.
Malgorzata Chowdakowska fountain.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           This box is one of the smallest I’ve built to date. It was intended for a wand scanner, but the interior dimensions were a bit small. Now I’m trying to find a use for it. It has a brass hinge and the lid is friction fit. I intend to paint it brown. Woodwork is the topic this afternoon. It was truly a wonderful late winter day. I saw one of those indigo colored birds so bright at first I wasn’t sure it was real. I used the jig I built to router some rabbet joints. That’s still a full afternoon for me. My health is great, but it is also fragile. No pushing any more limits. I’m able to build these boxes now with fewer tools.

           Just make a jig. The results for me are not as nice as with the propery gear. It’s the technology, not the technique I’m after, I keep telling myself. I made a cedar box (from a fence panel) for the staple guns, there’s a picture of it with all the clamps. The dark texture to these pictures is misleading on this bright and sunny day. It’s the way the Sony handles these things. Them and Microsoft. Neither the standar Paint or Paint3D have any way to brighten a picture. It’s what you expect from those people.

           Reading today was about battleship design. This is the weapon that interests me the least. What I was seeking was all the ways the builders cheated on weight limits, something they all did. The maximums were spelled out in the Washington Treaty. It further set various ratios of total tonnage between powers of the day and I don’t think history has paid enough attention to what happened to battleships that were already being built at the time. Many became aircraft carriers that were not subject to the agreement.

           Masters of deceit were again the British, who wieghed their ships without any fuel, water, supplies, or ammunition. They also left off torpedo skirts, observation planes, and incorporated features that could be quickly changed should war break out. The “citadel” portion of ship gave me an idea for a wooden box built out of a solid piece of wood. That is, there would be no joints. I’ll need to think about this, but first do some research.

           Have you heard the latest? The leftists are hyping up the caronavirus scare to try keeping attendance down at Trump rallies. The implication is that if you attend a much smaller rally, say for Joe or Bernie, you’re chances are less of dying. Like a political rally is a social outing and it isn't your future at stake. Such tactics are beneath contempt.
           And those Trump rallies are incredible. The liberal-controlled press are still refusing to turn the cameras on his masses of supporters. They are only hurting themselves an their already tarnished image. Trump has finally taken my advice I see. He’s pointing fingers and naming names, which I feel he should have done since day one. it’s taking him time to work up to my level of stage confidence. You see, right now I could not name the head of one single government department that is foot-dragging on the border wall. I want the name of the head man and his first five underlings without having to dig for the information.

           In fact, let me spell it out because while I suspect someone in Trump’s office is reading this blog, proving it would not be easy. I can tell you it is not what it said, but the order in which it happens that has me convinced there is a connection. So on that premise, here is what I think Trump should do. Read on, whoever you are in Trump's office that likes my ideas.
           Find the worst liberal department and fire every last one of them, right down to the washroom attendant. Remember how Reagan handled the air traffic controllers? Well, these entrenched liberal bureaucrats, by not following orders, are in essence on strike. Fire them with a provision that neither they or their families for three generations will ever work for the government again. The rest of the dissenters will get the message: don’t even think of using your cushy job as a political platform.
           That leaves one hurdle. How to determine which department is the worst. That’s where I can help. Fifteen years in the corporate environment without ever embracing their corrupt policies for a single moment uniquely qualifies me to make that determination. I’ll get in there and within 24 hours hand Trump the list of the disloyal, mentioning only that I would have included a list of the laziest as well, but it was identical. Just give me the word, Don, and I can be there in driving time.

ADDENDUM
           Did you get that quip about airlines now marketing the center seat as a luxury spot. They’ve made it an inch wider than the window or aisle seats. Sounds like millennial marketing to me. Let me tell you a millennial design. The Reb’s car is around 2/3 the size of my station wagon, so it drives like a kiddie car. It’s the steering wheel we’re going to talk about. It has two positions, full up and full down. Since full up blocks the dash readout, you will quickly switch it down, but there’s a design problem. When you go to get out of the car, the wheel must be moved up, you have no choice. So you must flip a lever down to raise the wheel, but now the lever is in the way. So you have to flip the lever back up. Fun doing that how many times every day.
           Now, doing something millennials have proven themselves incapable of, think ahead. Getting back in the car, of course, you want to put the wheel down again. This involves two more lever flips. These are the people that Time magazine says will be running the country in another decade? Time says they are more multi-cultural (not that they had any choice or say in the matter) and are “better networked.” That’s presuming that things like Facebook are what they mean by better.
           You will be assimilated. All I say to such people is if you keep going libtard and fancying yourselves clever, here take this handbasket. You’re going to need it. There’s a saying that everything happens for a reason, and sometimes the reason is you are stupid and don’t learn from the experiences of others. Every empire in history was destroyed by liberals. Except the Chinese ones. Those implode on their own. Liberalism is unknown in the Far East.

Last Laugh