One year ago today: July 9, 2025, worse than Oprah.
Five years ago today: July 9, 2021, or, a coffee addict.
Nine years ago today: July 9, 2017, heavily-advertised.
Random years ago today: July 9, 2015, 2 slices= my limit.
Nothing like getting GenXed first thing in the morning. I’m notified that my cellular plan no longer covers Alaska and Canada. That means my executor can call me, but not the other way. No big deal, right? Wrong. I use that phone exclusively for calling her and do not even leave it on the charger or turned on except to call. I must now leave it charged and on and it is subject o massive telemarket incoming. I think the person who had the number before me was a total goyslop-eating loser on every known sucker list.
I got a lot of measuring done in the morning quiet and put the laser to work. It is mostly silent but it’s the smoke that takes getting used to. As this photo reveals, I also found my can of green paint. There it is, in the can with the lid marked brown paint. Why didn’t I look there first? And what happened to the lid marked green? Mysteries of the workshop.
Here’s another, the problem of small pieces that cup after cutting. I know it has to do with the wood moisture content. In this picture which is hard to see, the surface of wood that is just dry to the touch is 11% on the exposed surface. But the same wood measured on a cut end is 15% to 16%. What did I learn today?
Off the record, he does not get the implications that I’m a trained accountant, so he’ll mention investments. He is a very cautious investor, socking away a bit of every payday into government and municipal bonds. When he got out of the army, he had $30,000 and that must have been close to sixty years ago. I’ve long since extrapolated he has $2 million in the bank and was not surprised when he mentioned it today. He’s convinced Trump is starting wars so he can steal that money. You cannot get more Democrat than that.
When I mentioned it was Bernie who was conspiring to tax unrealized capital gains, he insisted that must be an accusation from a far-right terrorist group. In the background, he had Tampa radio interviewing “Palestinians”. They were all begging aid and never mentioned HAMAS rocket attacks. My stance is easy to understand. Both sides want the land from the other. (Gaza is a hell-hole with no resources, but it is in the path of the Ben Gurion canal.) What I don’t recognize is any land claims. The whole area was under Turkish rule until 1919 and they did not permit any private land ownership for some 350 years. Anybody tells you it is their ancestral home is lying. It ain't yours unless you own it. (Or conquer it.) However, the Turks knew people lived there because they kept conscripting them.
For now, I’m making grits and coffee. I looked at a post of expensive toys. I noticed none of the toys were new ideas. Just ordinary toys made out of expensive material. A diamond-encrusted Nintendo is still a plastic toy. That says much about the society we’ve become. Yet, I’m first to admit an electronic game would have been far more interesting than most kids I grew up with. And I mean, far. It’s likely just another spike, but this morning this blog garnered 799 hits before 9:00AM. This won’t mean much to non-bloggers, but 800 hits in a day is an almost impossible goal for non-commercial blogging. Don’t believe me? Try it.
Appalachian food truck.
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Feeling extra peppy regardless, I took it easy. I threw together a five-minute tool tote and refined some work on the smallest “button box”, ruining two in the process. Hey, they are still good boxes and great gifts, with features of true authenticity like somewhat off-square corners, a few chipped panels, and empty pin holes where the brads ran out. That larger laser is becoming a must, any logo adds so much to the appeal. I did not find anything suitable while in Franklin. I’ve also learned a lot about different laser pattern inconsistencies.
This photo is a close-up study of a laser setting called overscan. At this magnification it is easy to see the laser path has gone back and forth across pattern, similar to scanning. What happens is the laser makes a full pass on each line, but is only activated when it reaches the burn position. Overscan lets the laser move past the edge of the letter before stopping and turning back. I was more interested in this trying to burn mandalas than this lettering but this better demonstrates the laser limits. And yes, my laser is very limited.
What’s this, the residents of Palm Jameirah say the place stinks. Quick, find the place on a map. It’s visible from outer space. Ha, most people can’t. The problem is the breakwater, the ring of stone around the island. The place is built of sand which will wash away in time. But it also blocks the waves that flush the beaches. So you get standing water in nice hot place. Billionaires and Russian oligarchs now awake to the smell of rotting seaweed.
ADDENDUM
What’s this, Raytheon is raising the price of the Sidewinder, now priced at $450,000 per missile. I read about this guided rocket as a lad when it cost $3,000. Back then, it had to be launched from behind the target to home in on the engine heat. By the late Vietnam period, they were something like $50,000 each but could knock MiGs that cost $220,000. Compared to other ways of shooting down airplanes, the Sidewinder is a bargain.
Which is why the price went up. With A.I. and the new FPA (focal plane array) the latest Sidewinder cannot be evaded. It hustles along at Mach 2.4 and the electronics are simple, but the same as a table radio. So far, the missile has downed some 240 aircraft. Part of its economy is that it short-range. If you see the enemy, use a Sidewinder and save a far more expensive rocket. Makes sense, since the best way to identify and enemy aircraft is when the pilot can see it. Anyway, at that price, the missile must approach a 100% success rate.
