October 10, 2020

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 10, 2019, cheap-ass light bulbs.
Five years ago today: October 10, 2015, oh boy, peanuts!
Nine years ago today: October 10, 2011, hmmm, my thoughts on marriage.
Random years ago today: October 10, 2009, testing Internet cameras.

           I called the debate wrong, silly me. Except for the clone media, who are on about how Harris was always smiling, the fly, and mansplaining, they don’t want to touch the real issues. Other sources say the debate was an eye-opener to the Democrats what a bad choice they made in Harris. So, that expression on her face was a smile, now we know. I had to keep inside since before noon, what a hot spell. We started off cool enough, forget any meaningful work out there till the sun moves on. The radio says 92░F but that’s got to be wrong.

           They also made a big deal of Pence interrupting and going over his time limit. Dumb, because we all saw that the moderator let Harris go on without limits and never cut in when Harris was disruptive. I knew this would backfire, but didn’t know it would take this form. What made my morning was hearing Hannity trying to pronounce the capital of Canada. “uh-TAW-wah”. I didn’t research the story of Trump firing thousands of veteran’s administration employees for foot-dragging, so I wish Hannity would dig into who was fired and why—plaster their names all over the media if it turns out they are Democrats. Americans need to witness how deeply the left has infiltrated our institutions. More veterans died on Obama’s waiting lists than died of COVID-19.

           What I did instead was work on eyeglasses, that’s what you see here. My vision is simple myopia, so any pair of lenses without astigmatism usually corrects my vision perfectly. Shown at lower left is a small box full of lenses still in old frames that work for me. While I don’t drive with these lenses, I could for a number of reasons. The law does not say I have to drive with the same glasses I took the test with, for one. And they are prescription lenses. The law says corrective lenses are good enough. So technically, I could drive with them. What I’m seeking is a cheap way to make sunglasses that let everybody birdwatch, male and female.
           This is part of my idea of 3D printing prescription lenses that can be stuck on the inside of sunglasses. The problem shown here is I used epoxy glue and got it wrong. I’m trying methods of removing dried epoxy. I use sunglasses because it is easier to fix mistakes. Other glues work well enough, as long as they dry clear. That is, until the first time you forget you sunglasses on the dash. The same problem as dash-mounted glues, they cannot withstand Florida sunshine on that surface.
           This is a long term project, as the best I can manage is to glue a lens on the inside of the sunglasses by a dab of epoxy in the corners. This takes guesswork to align them with the way you will look through the lenses, it’s a bit different for each pair. Also, that spot of glue, no matter how carefully applied, results in a slight refraction at that spot. It throws off peripheral vision at times. I cannot think of a way to attach the two curved pieces of glass. Is there an adhesive that stays clear and does not interfere? I see the future of eyeglass lenses as 3D, a strong departure from the total rip-off of the optical industry.

Picture of the day.
Breakfast in Copenhagen.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.
           I finally decided to give powered USB hubs a chance. I never did like the fact they already have a 5V power wire and still needed a transformer. Over time, all the non-powered units I have, four of them, all decline in performance. They all wind up losing track of my wireless mouses when the batteries dim. What made up my mind was this morning a so-called upgrade installed itself on my tablet while I was in the kitchen pouring coffee. It took me 15 minutes to get my mouse working again. If I was in charge, you would be able to sue the people responsible for that for $10,000 each. They are not going to respect the fact it is your computer unless forced to do so. Every download should explain each step in plain English and allow you to accept or reject. If it does anything else, another $10,000.

           Shown here is the $20 unit, with four USB ports. When plugged in, it will serve as a charger without draining the laptop battery. It solves the mouse problem, likely because it can be more sensitive. It’s supposed to have some incredible speeds when powered and revert to 2.0 when not. It says 5G, but I’m holding back on anything 4G or 5G until I get much better information and reports on those systems. Meanwhile, I have no equipment that can handle such speeds anyway.

           [Author's note: I got faked out by the packaging. I was only after the powered hub feature. That's where I got fooled, although in this case it makes no difference. The printing said, "speeds up to 5Gbps". Millennial marketing.]

ADDENDUM
           Not great news for Sparkie. There are several overlapping problems, all associated with advanced doggie years. The arthritis was evident, but not how it as changed how he has to walk which affects his hips, which gives him a hard time “going”, which leads to a more bland diet, and you get the picture. Reb put it succinctly, for Sparkie, “Fetch!” is now a walking game. His heart is slightly swollen but checks out. He has a slight cough in the mornings. So do I sometimes.
           His back is fine, he has had a slight waddle since birth. I’m informed there is hip replacement surgery for dogs, but I will not contemplate that. One must not go against Mother Nature with animals when it comes to life and death. You can alleviate, but not prolong. Such decisions should not be made for them, however sad the circumstances. A pet kept past its time is in a pain they cannot express. The pet would never understand why you would do something so selfish.

Last Laugh