December 27, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: December 27, 2021, looks & comments.
Five years ago today: December 27, 2017, long-winded.
Nine years ago today: December 27, 2013,six little wombats, ha!
Random years ago today: December 27, 2016, I got the Keurig.

           It’s kind of official, the bad guys are allowed to cheat. Arizona spent decades installing their operatives in key positions and now they openly steal elections. While the unwashed masses sit around and do nothing. What happens when there is no longer a peaceful solution. It seems 60% of the voting machines in the Republican strongholds all quit working on election day, and for the same reason. Then a crony Judge ruled there was nothing wrong with that. One solution would be to guarantee the jobs and pensions of any authorities who switch sides, but nobody seems willing to make that leap.

           Other than that, it’s off to a good start today by warming up. The Gulf is only 40 miles away and I’ve only been there maybe 8 times in 20 years, way down near Naples mostly. One real deterrent for me is how parking is always such a hassle. In Hollywood, I lived a mile from the beach and never much got there except for work. Even then, I’ve been in the water maybe 3 times. It’s okay but highly over-rated. It’s still cool so I’m inside and that means fun stuff like trivia and hobbies. How about these? Twine fibers and screw threads.

           It’s part of the on-going test of the handheld microscope, which I should state is only a toy. It is too unsteady for serious work because the magnification is too high. But it does take decent photos. They are recorded on the computer so the device cannot be used in the field. The goal here was to see if there was any easy way of taking a video and the answer is no. The flimsy stand springs back by itself if you hold it on focus. This is where my concept of a small sliding tray comes in.
           If I had a small stand to hold the camera steady, then it could be fixed in focus and move the specimen rather than the lens. That’s probably what they had in find and failed miserably. The screw thread photo I liked because I read a few paragraphs on these designs over the years. That non-fussy shape was the result of years of intense study. It’s an ordinary drywall coarse thread. If you find these things curious, the microscope is only $40 on Amazon.

           End of morning, I’m off to pay my bills (see addendum) with the outdoor registering 43°F, we may see some work out of me yet. The thermometer is through the back window and for precise readings, you need the monocular. So remind me to knock down that tree leaf that grew in the way. The chill was not kind to my papaya leaves. I now have four big healthy papayas and more higher up just starting. Ha, did you get a laff out of that amusement park employee who got fired because customers kept recognizing her from OnlyFans. Nobody seems to have asked how they recognized her, but I doubt it was the Minnie Mouse ears.
           Here we go again. There is some media out there that at intervals tells old ladies where to go husband hunting. I have not time to hunt it down and tell them to quit. A certain amount of their advice must be for the grandmother type to get jobs at Wal*Mart and watch for men who buy certain combinations of groceries. My guess would be coffee, onions, and chicken. The pickup line is conspicuous, “Did you find everything you are looking for today?” (Insert Taylor Swift remark here.)

           Why conspicuous? Because they don’t approach and ask other customers the same way or same question, that’s why. Oh, I’m fully aware some men who read this will say it is bull. They are the type who never get any and would not understand, so I wish they would go away, but since they won’t, let the worm of jealousy gnaw at their brains.

           Elliott, who has disappeared from the picture was that way. If you even hinted at such a thing he went into a fit. One time I showed him a video and he insisted it was paid actresses. When he discovered I did not hate Trump, he opted out of our 30 year acquaintance. Either that, or he remembered the $55 he still owes me.
           Anyway, I had bought a $7.50 sandwich because I did not want to cook today. At the self-checkout, three grandma types scoped me. I could not get out of there fast enough. And forgot my foot-long sandwich on the scanner, I guess. Two hours later, too late to go back, it was nowhere to be found. So I had shrimp for lunch. Some bum got himself a great free lunch or what. The guitar player wants to do the old hit by Simon & Garfunkel, “Homeward Bound”. It’s kind of one of my bass specialties.

Picture of the day.
Chorded rib stitch.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           That was JZ on the phone, yep, he’s got himself in a pickle. The entertainment is that he is not on-line and all his knowledge of current events is what is filtered through people he knows who use computers, often not entirely effectively. Hence, the bunch of them can glom on to a news announcement that contradicts something they latched onto a week ago. Only the latest wave has any traction with this brand of user. I’m heading there in a couple days but I doubt I’ll stick around. I’m putting together a budget to get this place finished by a contractor.

           These objects are laser cut wood patterns. It fortifies my position against buying these contraptions. You see, I got six of them at the dollar store. There’s my argument. Somebody in China is able to produce these cheaply enough that they can retail for 21¢ each, where it probably costs me 25¢ just to pick it up for this picture. Below is a closeup of one of the cuts showing that burnt effect many (including myself) don’t care for.
           This video from Thunder Laser is another problem. I understand to get 3D results, the sheets have to be cut in layers. But isn’t there something more practical to produce than wall art? I found this video of a laser removing wood stain to be a better application. Speaking of laminates, it turns out the pick punch has a limitation not mentioned in the ads. The pieces of plastic you choose don’t work well if they are plastic laminates, they wear out after a few tunes. The layers separate and fray. This would be offset by having them by the dozen. But the sellers plainly avoided mentioning this and that is unAmerican.

           I cannot see a profit in this procedure. The Dollar Tree has access to these trinkets by the millions which I estimate cost them around 4ۢ¢ to import and stock. The producer would be lucky to gross a fraction of a cent each. There are no novel designs or ideas and should something come along, it is all too easy to copycat and flood the market. These machines are plugged for hobby and home use, but I cannot find a single success story at this. End result, you lose.
           The military has changed its flight training to include the situation of what to do when the other pilot “dies suddenly”. This was not an issue before the jab and a recent study will undoubtedly link this to climate change. The USDA (Agriculture Department) is again pushing for those who have a backyard food garden to register for a national database. Here are some of the replies:

My garden died suddenly
Just paint a bulls-eye on your roof
I send my vegetables to the Ukraine
Left mine at the computer repair shop
I’ll get right on that
Step outside, sir, your carrot license has expired
Stuff a tomato where the sun don’t shine
They want to know where you buried the guns
I vaccinated my plants and they all died
It’s not the garden they want, but the gardener
Fall for this scam and you deserve to starve

           To be sure, this is an old law that applies to “people’s gardens” which is a membership organization on Federal land. But the wording is eerily reminiscent of Stalin’s purge of the Ukrainian farms. The renewed interest by the government is duly noted, as a change of one word of the law could target family back yards. Don’t think it won’t happen, as January closes in, Biden signed 65 bills into law today alone. “Make Sunsets”, an Internet startup, has begun releasing reflective sulfur mixtures into the atmosphere to stop climate change, saying it would be morally wrong not to. A German company bought a used Guardian (biometric device) on eBay for $68. They found the US military’s fingerprint and iris scan database on the hard drive. Another Tesla bursts into flame as owners describe AutoPilot as the “scariest ride you’ll ever take”.

ADDENDUM
           The Pakis cut off my Internet again. Is it the Pakis or Boost? Before you answer, call customer service and try to deal with them. My bill is due on the 28th, easy to tend to as most of my bills are designed to fall on that same day. And no, I’m not out of minutes. I never turned the Internet on for the month I was away. The explanation is they hire the cheapest idiots they can. The solution is A.I. Come to think of it, I’ve heard that telemarketers are using robots and that they fool most people. To me, that means only most people who are stupid enough to even parlay with a telemarketer.
           Tell you what I think is a funny, these people who post articles you know they don’t grasp themselves. Today’s batch was about Putin not liking price caps. Half of them got it wrong revealed by their comments on how it affected the Russians. Hey, people, price caps mean what you’ll pay for the product and a cap normally means the seller will cut production. I would ask where these people went to school but I’m afraid we know the answer.
           As for this pic, it shows that square rocks hold this dog’s attention about as long as square people can hold mine.

Last Laugh