Flight Time

07:38 Saturday, 31 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.02°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 0mph
Words: 72

Haven't posted a pic in a while, and hadn't flown in a while either. Went out to collect the paper (Support local journalism!) and the sky looked interesting with the clouds. Figured I'd put the mini 3 up and see what I could see.

Unspectacular, but pretty. The swamp is much wetter now. Nice to see, mosquitos notwithstanding.

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Going Broke Saving Money

06:18 Saturday, 31 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.33°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 6.26mph
Words: 848

I have one piece of 5.25" floppy disk software from my old Apple II collection. It's Micro Dynamo, a system dynamics simulation language based on Dynamo, which was the mainframe computer model used in the original Club of Rome effort in The Limits to Growth. It was published by Addison-Wesley, and accompanied by a text book for a college level course in system dynamics modeling. I have the book too.

I haven't seen Micro Dynamo "preserved" anywhere in the usual sites on the web. It's written in Apple Fortran, which runs on the USCD Pascal operating system. (Yes, you read that right.) I brought my copy to Kansasfest in 2017 to have Mark Pilgrim try to crack it, but I don't think he was able to get to it during the time we were there.

Anyway, it's copy protected and it requires two disk drives. Real disk drives, not one real one and an emulator. Well, don't hold me to that. It's fuzzy in memory.

Anyway, I wanted to play with it, so I went looking for an external drive for the //c. I could use any of the latter Apple //e disk drives, but I wanted something to match the //c's design. I found two, and each was going for about $120 with "make offer," invitations. I could get an Apple //e external drive for about $60, plus some shipping, so I offered a premium of $15 on the first one I made an offer on, and $25 on the second. The first seller came back with a counter-offer of $10 off. Sorry, no. The second seller just flat rejected the offer.

Ok, no big deal. Patience is the name of the game at the auction site.

You have to be somewhat expansive in your search terms. Many people list things using non-standard nomenclature. While I'm usually careful to type "Apple //c," which was how it was marketed, most folks just type "Apple IIc" (with the Roman numerals). Some people type "Apple 2c," and thereby limit their audience, because the algorithm doesn't pick up necessarily on the 2c.

In any event, I searched for an "Apple 2c disk drive" and found a listing for one. It was a listing for a "disk drive," Snow White design and all, but it also had an actual Apple //c computer in the listing. I don't really need another //c, but there were only three bids and the then-current price was about $67, which was a fair price for the drive alone. They'd also noted $29 for shipping, which sounds about right, given the cpu is also in the box.

Well, I put a watch on it and the auction ended this morning. I waited until 15s before the auction closed and put a max bid in of $117. That's me being competitive. It's more than I would have paid for a disk drive alone, but for a "free" //c thrown in, a pretty good deal.

I figured I'd get sniped and someone would get it for around $125. But I guess the market isn't that hot for retro computing these days. There didn't seem to be anyone actively watching that auction.

The clock ticked down and I won it for $88! $3 more than what I bid on the second "make offer" drive. The whole bill's going to come to about $125.

It doesn't appear as though the unit will ship with the power supply, but that's no big deal. It's a massive brick and it saves a lot on shipping, also making it easier and safer to ship. That thing's a sledge hammer in the box if it's not carefully packed. It's untested (no power supply, probably) but it'll almost certainly work. Seriously, the things are damn near indestructible, short of physically smashing them. Check out this video of four Apple //c "barn finds." Spoiler alert: They all worked. I was surprised.

I've got to reach out to the seller and have him hold off on shipping for a few days. I'll be out of town when it's anticipated to arrive and I'd rather not have it sitting in front of the door until I get back.

Not sure exactly what I'll do with the second //c. I mentioned I'd recently bought one to my son one and he laughed. He recalled playing Captain Goodnight and the Islands of Fear on ours back when he was a kid. Maybe I'll give it to him. It's an OG //c, model A2S4000, so it doesn't have the memory expansion slot or UniDisk 3.5" drive support, but it'll run everything just fine. The keyboard isn't as nice as the 4100, which uses Alps switches, but it's fine. It's not missing any keys.

Anyway, stay away from the auction sites boys and girls. It can become addictive. There's a //e with a bunch of cards, including an Applied Engineering Transwarp accelerator for low money. Won't boot, but it doesn't look like it can't be fixed. I have no room at all for a //e. But, um, there it is...

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Out of Sight

06:13 Saturday, 31 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.09°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 6.26mph
Words: 86

Out of mind.

Infrastructure.

An Indian tourist disappeared in an 8-meter sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Not to be gross so early in the morning, but...

Reports said the blockage was made of human waste, tyres, hair and solidified used cooking oil, among other things.

This is a genuine problem with sewage systems throughout the world. People think you can put anything down the drain or the toilet and it just goes "away."

I think infrastructure literacy should be part of the elementary school curriculum.

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Hell and High Water

08:32 Friday, 30 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 79.38°F Pressure: 1020hPa Humidity: 92% Wind: 1.01mph
Words: 409

Got both the Moderna COVID vaccine and the flu shot yesterday. Uncomfortable night, and running at about 60% this morning.

Anyway, caught this story on the news yesterday evening. (Flooded housing complex in St Marys, Georgia.) Seems like this is a growing problem.

The problems are three-fold:

First, the climate we're presently living in has never existed before on this planet. Yes, it's been hotter. Yes, there has been more CO2. But this particular climate is a transient, with significant ice caps that don't historically exist with this level of CO2 and average temperature. Plus, it has a couple of centuries of human developmental impact altering the landscape. Our present climate has no historical precedent. It has never existed before, so it's uncertain how it will behave.

Second, our infrastructure was built for a climate that no longer exists. All of our recurrence intervals are, if not useless, of far less value than they were when we built the existing infrastructure.

Third, we don't maintain the inadequate infrastructure we do have, exacerbating its deficiencies.

Looking forward, there's a fourth problem in that we continue to develop in regions that are vulnerable to extreme weather events, and building inadequate infrastructure based on historical data that is no longer relevant.

That doesn't mean we're in a Noah-type, "better build an ark," situation. It just means that we're going to have far greater economic losses due to extreme weather events than our current institutions are designed to mitigate. (Insurance and government assistance. Some private efforts.) Economic losses that will be cumulative and exponential.

Here's an interesting web site from the Miami office of the National Weather Service, addressing the Fort Lauderdale extreme rainfall event last year. I haven't looked for similar sites covering the events in Vermont and New England, but similar phenomena have occurred, and are occurring, there.

We could have addressed this earlier and be confronting a more manageable problem today. But we didn't, chiefly because of greed. But we're in deep shit now, and the sooner we figure that out and start working on it, the better.

It's not clear to me that we've figured it out yet. We seem to think we have a lot of time to do something. We don't.

So, go ahead and "OK, doomer," me. Just sayin'. We squandered all our best opportunities while the scale of the problem grew larger, and the solution set of effective responses grew smaller.

Demand action.

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Infrastructure Week

06:59 Thursday, 29 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.22°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 0mph
Words: 31

I think I'll put up an album at Flickr after I finish posting this.

(Update: It's here.)

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Florida

06:42 Thursday, 29 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.29°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 0mph
Words: 428

Every week is "Infrastructure Week" in a warming world.

Case in point: The Lake Azzure (sic) apartment complex in Hillsborough County. In case that's behind a paywall, the parking lot in the apartment complex has been flooded to knee-deep levels since Debby passed through weeks ago. The reason?

“Multiple pipe failures within the apartment complex’s outfall system are contributing to the flooding,” Josh Bellotti, the Director of Engineering & Operations for Hillsborough County said in a statement. One source of the problem is a blocked drain that runs under Himes Avenue.

Beneath much of Florida's developed landscape lies a network of pipes designed to move stormwater from where it's unwanted to someplace less problematic, usually "retention ponds."

I was unaware of the size and extent of this network until a hole opened up in one of the parking lots at my former condo complex. We asked our professional engineering firm to investigate and tell us what was happening and how to fix it. That's where I got an education in drainage.

Although the crack that grew into a hole in the parking lot wasn't anywhere near a "storm drain," it was located above an area where two pipes met in a "vault," a large concrete structure shaped like a cube that coupled two drain pipes, five feet in diameter. One of the pipes had become partially detached from the vault and soils were entering the pipe through the opening, undermining the paved area above it.

(It just occurred to me that I have photos from that event. I'll post one above. Good thing I hadn't deleted all my old emails from the engineer. They gave me the date to look for in Photos.)

A large project ensued to excavate the area and repair the connection, which involved getting a new vault. It was rather expensive as I recall, though not beyond our capacity to pay for it, obviously.

Bryan Busse, our engineer, recommended that we inspect all the piping, which we did. Fortunately, that was the only problem area. But it's the kind of thing you need to inspect with some periodicity, maybe every five years or so, to make sure you aren't developing a problem.

As a condominium, we owned the stormwater management system on the property. These large gated communities everywhere in Florida own their stormwater management systems, though this often comes as surprise to them when, after decades of neglect, they begin to fail and they start to complain to the county. (Looking at you, Marsh Landing.)

Anyway, "The more you know..." as they say.

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Scheduled the Jab

07:04 Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.58°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 98% Wind: 0mph
Words: 79

I don't know why the Moderna version of the vax always seems to show up first at our local Publix, but I'm on for getting stuck tomorrow. The Moderna version puts me down the next day. Pfizer is mostly a non-event.

But since I'm an oldster, I can be pretty confident that Pfizer will be available when I get my second round near the end of the year.

I'm also getting the flu shot tomorrow.

Should be fun.

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I Have No Idea Who or What Oasis Is

06:47 Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.32°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 93% Wind: 0mph
Words: 3

That is all.

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Parks and Recreation

06:41 Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.33°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 93% Wind: 0mph
Words: 36

Some local reaction to DeSantis's effort to line the pockets of hoteliers, vendors, developers and all the other members of the donor class.

Florida. Owned and operated by the Republican Party for more than a generation.

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People Are Dying to Live Here

06:37 Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.33°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 93% Wind: 0mph
Words: 15

Florida.

Once again, if you're considering moving to Florida, think twice.

Better yet, just don't.

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Speaking of Greedy People...

06:32 Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.33°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 93% Wind: 0mph
Words: 13

I regret ever being on Facebook.

So I guess that makes us even.

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Greedy People

12:30 Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 86.59°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 80% Wind: 5.01mph
Words: 47

Rented and watched Greedy People last night. It felt like a mash-up the Coen brothers, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino. Also felt like it was trying too hard. Pretty dark, mildly funny, no characters you'll get emotionally invested in.

An absurd morality tale with a few laughs.

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Retro Revival

11:29 Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 84.81°F Pressure: 1020hPa Humidity: 83% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 458

Kudos to the NSA, the NARA and Michael Ravnitzky for making RADM Grace Hopper's 1982 lecture at the NSA publicly available.

I watched both parts this morning and found them fascinating. If you're interested in computing history, the ability to foresee the effects of technology, the blind spots of human nature, and the particular genius of Grace Hopper, it's well worth your time.

In the latter part of the second video, Hopper talks about very bright young people coming out of rural schools all over the country. Places where she said there were still "good schools." I didn't know what to make of the comment, but it felt problematic. Especially since one of her FBI security anecdotes involved city kids.

But it did call to mind something I'd read from Kevin Drum the other day. Kevin Drum was one of the first people, if not the first, to point out the correlation between the presence of lead in gasoline and crime rates. In 1982, the transition from leaded gasoline to unleaded was not yet complete. I don't know if anyone has looked at standardized test scores of urban students to see if the follow the same curve with respect to the introduction and eventual withdrawal of lead in gasoline.

It's a rabbit hole I'm disinclined to go down, simply because there are too many holes competing for my attention. But Hopper's remark did call Drum's post to mind.

Speaking of retro, I managed to get the //c to boot into a 32MB HD partition on the micro-SD card. I had to switch the Floppy Emu back to being an external drive; in the internal configuration, which allows booting 5.25" floppy disk images, the Smartport can't boot an external HD image.

The HD partition contained a large number of arcade games that had been cracked and turned into applications that could be launched from ProDOS. Not all of them work as advertised, though it's not clear to me why. But enough did work to provide some amusement. I played several rounds of Night Crawler, a Centipede clone that I enjoyed back in the day. You can try it here if you like. (Read the menu carefully. Press "R" for "Run," and "E" for Night Crawler. It's hard.)

I've got a version of President Elect 1988 that boots, I found the manual at the Internet Archive. I plan to give that a try. I never played it back in the day. I was married then, with a family and my then wife didn't share my enthusiasm for computer games.

The ROMxc arrived, but I'm going to wait to install it until I have a hardcopy of the Apple //c hardware reference manual, which should be here next week sometime.

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This and That

10:48 Monday, 26 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 84.33°F Pressure: 1020hPa Humidity: 82% Wind: 11.5mph
Words: 689

Overslept this morning, so I didn't walk. I did go outside and do some yard work for Mitzi. "Yard work," isn't normally in my job description. Part of our agreement when we sold the condo and bought this place was that I wouldn't be responsible for "yard work." But this gave me an opportunity to try the new Makita reciprocating saw I bought.

Took down a bunch of shoots and limbs that were overhanging the backyard from the preserve. They were also beginning to host vines and obscuring our view back into the swamp. ("Preserve" sounds so much more upscale, don't you think?) Today is the day the county picks up yard waste, so it was a good time to get it done. Saw worked great, but I don't have much experience with reciprocating saws so I can't compare it with anything.

Since I was outside and already sweaty, and since I'd started this particular task yesterday, I spent the other part of the morning pulling up these tiny nuisance weeds that grow in between the pavers on the back patio. They'd really gotten out of control after we'd been gone for a month. It was relatively pleasant yesterday afternoon, so I sat outside and started pulling them. A smarter person would use some kind of herbicide, or vinegar or something. The tips of my thumbs and forefingers and pretty raw now, but the patio looks nice.

Our trailer of stuff is now in Georgia, and the AirTag concurs with the shipper's reported location. It's amazing to me how those AirTags work. It's in a plastic toolbox, surrounded by, you know, tools, inside a semi-trailer, parked at a warehouse. How the hell does enough rf get out of there to allow itself to be tracked? Pure frickin' magic.

Been watching Bad Monkey on Apple TV+ and it's pretty entertaining. South Florida is very different from northeast Florida. We're more like southeast Georgia than Miami or even Orlando. Vince Vaughn is good in this. I can usually take him or leave him, sometimes I find him annoying though he has played some memorable roles. He's looking older now, and that just makes me feel older too. The clock keeps ticking.

It looks like Ron DeSantis's star is in decline. A lot of his endorsed candidates lost in the August primaries. Primaries are important in Florida because we believe in sort of a bastardized version of democracy. In a gerrymandered district, only one party will win in the general, so the primary is where the actual winner is decided. We don't have open primaries here. If no candidate files for the general election outside the Republican Party, then it's theoretically an "open" primary. But they always find a tool to file as a "write-in" candidate, which doesn't cost the candidate any money or require them to file any paperwork, but it has the effect of closing the primary to non-party members, because we can vote for the write-in candidate in the general!

Right now, school board seats are non-partisan elections, and those elections are held as part of the primary. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two highest vote-getters will move on to the general election, where the winner will be decided. Florida Republicans want to make school board elections partisan elections, so they can be decided by Republicans in the primaries, disenfranchising all non-Republicans.

Fuckers.

This is a horrible state. It really is. An absolutely horrible state.

DeSantis's Department of Environmental Protection announced this plan to build hotels, golf courses, pickle-ball courts and frisbee golf courses in some state parks, including our local Anastasia Island state park. The idea has been condemned and ridiculed and it looks like it's going to crawl back under the rock where it came from. Apparently they can't read the room.

Apparently, we've got money to do that, but we can't afford to expand Medicaid.

It's a horrible state. It's cruel and mismanaged and corrupt.

But hey, we're the third largest state in the country! So we got that goin' for us.

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Bloggin' Like It's 1989

09:19 Sunday, 25 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 77.22°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 77% Wind: 1.01mph
Words: 695

Yesterday, I installed the internal/external drive switch for the Floppy Emu in the Apple //c. The video RCA cable arrived. The connectors are loose, but they work. I'm displeased, but dealing with it, as one does. When I move the //c around on my lap, I can lose the connection to the TV, but a touch brings it back.

All is not well just yet. I have no 5.25" floppies on hand. I've rectified that, but they won't be here for a while. I can switch the Floppy Emu to be the internal drive and boot from that, and I've played Frogger with it and enjoyed it. Choplifter requires a joystick. I've also rectified that, but it won't be here for a while.

But what I wanted to do was install my ABIDE system onto the micro-SD card in the Floppy Emu. Alas, I configured ABIDE (Apple/Beagle Integrated Development Environment) for my Virtual //e, which is much more robust in its hardware configuration than my stock //c. So I'll spend some time this morning in Virtual II setting up a single drive configuration.

ABIDE includes ProDOS BASIC.SYSTEM, so I can talk to the OS from BASIC, Program Writer from Alan Bird for editing Applesoft programs, Beagle Compiler for compiling those programs, and a bunch of utilities for debugging. That all fits on two drives with room for some programming projects, and I would typically move much of it to the RAM drive in the Virtual //e. To be perfectly frank, I configured the Virtual //e with a hard drive that I boot from, so I don't really need the floppies at all; but I'd set up the floppy configuration back when I had an actual Apple //e and needed to make some actual disks. I figured I'd use that with the //c, but with no physical media, I'm still effectively a 1-drive system. So I need to split the thing up across a couple of disks with the editor and debugging utilities on one disk, and the compiler on another.

Write and debug using one disk, then swap to the compiler disk when I want to play with speeding things up. That's not essential, but it was fun to see what kind of speed improvements might be realized.

This will all get much easier once I get some 5.25" disks, then I'll have a 2-drive system. More importantly, I'll be able to boot into ProDOS using the internal floppy, then be able to configure the Floppy Emu into a 32MB SmartPort hard drive.

As it stands right now, it doesn't appear that I can use the 32MB SmartPort HD as a boot drive, or the HD .IMG files on the micro-SD that shipped with the Floppy Emu aren't bootable. It's possible I'm misunderstanding something, but I tried booting into an HD image yesterday with no joy. I think I should be able to mount them from ProDOS, once I get the OS into memory, which, again, requires a floppy.

I'll get ABIDE set up, then do some more digging around to see if I can boot a HD image from the SmartPort. That would be the ideal solution. I've got the ROMxc inbound as well, and that will also afford some non-volatile storage, and it at least seems like, at this moment, that I'll be able to boot into ProDOS from ROM. That should give me access to virtual hard disk in the Floppy Emu and then just run everything from that, no floppies required.

At some point, I'd like to get a //c RAM expansion card, but there doesn't seem to be one actively on the market at the moment. So I'll have to keep an eye out. That'd give me a large RAM disk to use as the working directory, though I think the ROMxc should give me some of those advantages, minus the ability to write.

Anyway, it's fun playing around with this stuff. Chris Aldrich collects typewriters and sometimes posts images of typed cards as blog posts. Maybe I'll take a picture of my TV screen and post that!

The beat goes on...

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DeOxit FTW

10:40 Friday, 23 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 82.67°F Pressure: 1020hPa Humidity: 80% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 106

I plugged in the //c and tried the keyboard again. The right arrow key worked for a few dozen characters, then stopped again. So it seemed likely that there was just some gunk in there that still needed to be cleaned out.

Took it back out to the garage and gave it a couple of more squirts, then worked the switch quite a bit. Let it set for a while, as I looked for an RCA cable.

No joy on the cable, but I took the //c back in and hooked it up to the TV. Right arrow key works fine.

Gotta savor the little victories.

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This Morning's Moon 8-23-24

08:45 Friday, 23 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.03°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 89% Wind: 4mph
Words: 645

I'm sore. No walk this morning. Yesterday was mostly spent getting the stuff going to New York into the trailer. We hired a couple of guys for the big stuff and they were great. They do this all the time, and they were able to get everything packed in "high and tight," since we pay for the amount of space we're using by the foot.

I don't know that everything will survive, but I'm too tired to care. I think it'll be okay, the guys really seemed to know what they were doing.

I stuck an AirTag in my toolbox, even though the company gives you a link to track the trailer. "Trust but verify?"

Of course, this morning Mitzi noticed on the "fine print" that they only deliver on paved roads. I told her that I didn't think that was a problem, the roads are all paved to the house, though the driveway is gravel. It's also pretty long and starts between a lot of vegetation on either side. Hopefully the driver will be able to back into the driveway! Too late to worry about it now.

The Apple //c arrived yesterday. It's in better shape than I anticipated. Some plastic yellowing, but not as much as it seemed in the photos. The right arrow key does not work, as described. I put some DeOxit into the switch, but it didn't seem to fix it. I've ordered a couple of replacements, but I'll play with it again today and see if letting it sit overnight made any difference with the DeOxit.

I opened it up and it was very clean inside, no crumps, dead bugs, etc. And judging by the amount of torque it took to remove the screws, I don't think it's ever been opened before. I could check, but I think the seller was an estate sale vendor, albeit one who knows their way around checking the condition of old computers! I can easily believe this was someone's //c that sat unused in a box for 30 years or more. For the most part, I've been remarkably lucky with Apple II hardware I've purchased on ebay. I only had one really bad IIgs, where the battery had leaked and did a great deal of damage.

I was excited to plug it in and play with it, but discovered my composite video cable is only four feet long! (It's the one currently plugged into the TV, that connects to the HPIL video interface.) I was able to connect it to the computer and check out the video and run the self-test (all good), but there was no way to comfortably situate myself to actually play with it.

And, as these things go, I used to have dozens of those simple RCA cables of varying lengths. Could I find one last night? Do you have to ask?

I had to get a new filter for the BlueAir purifier, so I ordered one and added a 10 foot RCA cable to the order. It'll get here tomorrow.

The Floppy Emu arrived the other day and I put all that together. I've got a ROM modification coming that allows to you upload various ROM files and selecting one to boot into, along with a utility that allows you turn an application into a ROM file, no disk required. Looking forward to playing with that. The USB-C power connector/adapter is here and I'll test that today and see how long I can run the //c from a power bank, no outlet required!

Got up late this morning, but early enough to get a picture of the waning gibbous moon. I don't know about any of my readers, but it never gets old for me. Hope it's so for you too.

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This Morning's Moon 8-21-24

06:12 Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 78.48°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 290

It was cool enough this morning (76°F) to have the dew point below the temperature in the house. Very close (74.6°F), but below 75°F. And since I apparently didn't make a "maximum effort" with the sticks this morning, I had the energy and presence of mind to grab the camera and shoot the moon.

We watched First Man the other day, and it was outstanding. I'd never seen it before, though it's been out for a long time now. Among all the chaos of modernity, "the agony and the ecstasy," Apollo 11 remains, to me anyway, a transcendent achievement.

I heard an Eastern Screech-Owl this morning. To my recollection, it's the first time I've ever heard one. It was very close by, and it was very unnerving. I wasn't sure it was a screech-owl, but it was the only thing I could think of that it might be. So I searched for those and listened to the calls. Apparently it's the sound they make defending a nest. Hopefully everything is all right.

Did the sticks, after two days of decent efforts without them. Not as good as last Friday. 16'51" pace, vs. 16'19" on Friday. Average HR was 135bpm vs. 142bpm. No time in Zone 5. I felt like I was pushing, but maybe not. I was also thinking a lot, and the sticks seem to require some focus or concentration.

Still, a better workout than without them.

Anyway, good seeing in this humid air. Jupiter and Mars are going their separate ways. Only saw one other person and two cars. Only one mosquito bite too.

I'll take it.

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Blue Moon

14:25 Tuesday, 20 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 93.88°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 63% Wind: 11.5mph
Words: 605

Got a late start this morning. Shot this with my iPhone, because I thought it looked cool and "the best camera is the one you have with you."

The house is a bit of a mess as we gather stuff to take to New York. The moving truck (It's a trailer, actually.) is supposed to be dropped off tomorrow and picked up Friday. I'm planning to pack a few cameras and lenses and my DJI mini 2 drone. I'm also packing a few radios. One modern one and a few vintage shortwave radios, and a GE Superadio.

I've got two old iPod Hifi speakers, so one of those will be going up, along with an AirPort Express 2 for AirPlay. I bought an Apple TV 4K from the veterans' store, there were no refurbs in stock. I considered getting a pair of white HomePods (black wasn't in stock as refurbs), but they're still pricey even as refurbs from the veterans' store. Next summer when we're up there for a few months or more may be a better time for that.

I bought three Rigid toolboxes from Home Depot, again with the veteran's discount. They stack together and have a wheeled dolly to move them around. I packed most of my cordless tools, along with the usual assortment of hand tools, nearly all of which are duplicates already. I had a couple of Craftsman dog-bone socket wrenches. I don't know how good they are, but they'll do for now, since I didn't have two socket sets.

I think it's likely that I'll actually get more use from the power tools up there, where I have an unfinished garage (though the interior is finished in unpainted OSB) where I can play around with making a workbench and such.

There's a sales tax holiday in Florida for tools the first week in September, so I'll at least replace the drill and driver, which are the two tools I use most often.

Anyway, by the time we're done up there next month, we should be able to just fall in on the place without packing a lot of stuff. And Mitzi's daughter and son-in-law in DC will be able to go up and use the place and be comfortable, if they want to.

In other news, I saw this piece in the Post this morning, and now I've pre-ordered a Swytch e-bike kit for my 2021 Priority Classic Plus. To kind of ensure compatibility, they invite you to take a photo of your bike and upload it for review. The response indicated that it was compatible, and they have had successful conversions with the Priority Classic Plus (2021).

There are two reasons why I don't like riding my bike, wind and heat. Since Florida is flat, I figure the modest pedal-assist from the 250W hub motor will make it much more pleasant to ride into the wind, or when it's stupid hot out. Evaporative cooling is much more effective with a relative wind and you're not exerting yourself so much.

I didn't opt for the throttle switch, but I've just put a deposit down. They'll notify me when I have to pay the balance, sometime in October, and I'll be able to make any changes at that point. I did opt for the little display, which allows you to vary the amount of assistance, and the middle-capacity battery for some decent range, in case I get ambitious. Not super-inexpensive, but less expensive than a new e-bike.

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History Lesson

06:46 Monday, 19 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 78.37°F Pressure: 1012hPa Humidity: 84% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 40

This morning's history lesson from Heather Cox Richardson.

Left to right: Laura Cornelius Kellogg, Harriet Tubman, Martha Coffin Wright and Sojourner Truth, in Seneca Falls, NY.

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Tonight's Moon

21:48 Sunday, 18 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 83.1°F Pressure: 1012hPa Humidity: 76% Wind: 9.22mph
Words: 62

Coming back from some errands this afternoon, we saw the St Johns County Fire and Rescue ambulance leaving our street. Mitzi wondered who it came for. It prompted this bit of inspiration...

"Therefore, send not to know for whom the bus rolls. It rolls for thee."

G'night moon.

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Almost Got Me

08:14 Sunday, 18 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.41°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 87% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 653

I have a Work focus setting on my iPhone, even though I'm retired. I suppose I could name it anything, haven't looked into it enough. But it only allows calls from my family and people I know or expect to call for some reason.

My phone usually shows a few missed calls every day, many of which are marked "Scam Likely." Seldom do any of them have an accompanying voicemail.

Yesterday, I happened to notice one as it came in from an 800 number, and I saw the word "Citibank" on the caller ID. I'd recently read about a massive data breach, so maybe that's what prompted me to pick up.

I got a pitch from someone claiming to be from Citibank Retail Services, asking if I was making a >$2K purchase at Home Depot and opening a new Home Depot credit account. Primed by the data breach report, I immediately bought into the narrative that someone was trying to use my personal information to open a Home Depot account and buy something online.

At one point, it felt sketchy and I said that to the guy on the phone. He said "I'm not going to ask you for any personal information." He said, "Please stay with me while I cancel this transaction."

That should have been my clue.

He'd placed me on hold while he was supposedly "waiting for my system to update," and then the call disconnected.

I was still kind of believing him, so when he called back, I picked up.

What finally tripped them up was a pin he said he was going to text me. That definitely set off red flags, but I was still kind of on the hook. We had some patter about a credit freeze and that I could go to creditkarma.com to do that, which I'd never heard of. But he was being very friendly the whole time, repeatedly thanking me for being so patient with him.

So when the "pin" (It's a verification code.) arrived, it was from Citibank and it said "We'll NEVER call or text for this code."

At one point earlier in the conversation, to address my skepticism, he said I could speak to his supervisor. When I read the text, I was certain it was a scam, but I wanted to see how good it was. I asked to speak to his "supervisor." Another guy comes on the line with a pretty good line, "So-and-so, Citibank Retail Services, floor supervisor, how may I help you?"

Unfortunately for him, that was all he was good at. He fumbled around when I asked him about the "We'll NEVER call or text for this code." I wasn't going to give them the verification code anyway, but I wanted to see how sophisticated they were. Pretty thin by that point.

I hung up.

So, they were able to put "Citibankonline" in the Caller ID somehow. The main guy was pretty smooth. I was "primed" by the news report of the massive data breach, and I almost bought it. The only thing that really saved me was the warning on the verification code. When he told me he was going to text me a code, I asked him why I had to receive a code to cancel a transaction that I never initiated. Couldn't he just cancel the whole thing at his end as a fraudulent application? He had a response that wasn't convincing, and the red flag was waving like crazy. I can't say for certain what I might have done, had that warning not been in the text.

So, I guess the lesson is, pay attention to the red flags, or your "gut" telling you something is wrong. And be sure to read the content of the text before you do anything.

I should have never picked up. That "Citibankonline" took me in, as stupid as that looks now.

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Retro Return

11:01 Saturday, 17 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 87.31°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 62% Wind: 4mph
Words: 390

After waxing rhapsodic about the Apple //c, I went looking on the auction site, just to see what they were going for these days.

For those just tuning in, for a few years, about 2014 to 2019, I was into Apple II retro-computing. I spent a small fortune buying hardware and software, enough ultimately to entirely fill a Ford Explorer, leaving only room for the driver. We were moving into this place, and I didn't have any space for all the stuff I had. So I gave it all away to the first guy on Facebook who could show up to collect it. (I got a little grief from one guy because I hadn't thought of "the community" and given more people a chance.)

I kept a lot of the books, because I planned to keep playing with an emulator.

Later, I got into collecting calculators, because they're smaller. So I'm surrounded by calculators now. Mostly HP, mostly vintage, but some new ones and re-creations. A few TI models and Casios. But I also enjoy messing around with Applesoft in an emulator (Virtual II).

There are some reasonable prices if you just want the computer and power supply. The A2S4000 is the original model, I was looking for a later one, the A2S4100 with the Alps keyboard and a memory expansion port. I found one.

I don't want to get back into the 5.25" floppy business anymore, so I needed some sort of mass storage. Big Mess O'Wires' Floppy Emu is the solution. This will be my second. (Gave away the first one.)

I also got a USB-C adapter for the power port and I can run the thing off a USB power adapter and not have to screw with the brick.

The //c is a good choice because it's small enough to sit on my little lap desk when I'm in the recliner. I have a composite video port on my 32" TCL TV. Right now it's hooked to the HP 82163A HP-IL Video Interface. (Basically a little bit of RAM and a video generator that'll display 24 rows of 32 characters. Don't quote me on that, I could be off a bit.) That's hooked to an HP-75C computer that I dusted off yesterday. Batteries were still good!

Something about fools and their money...

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Underway

08:52 Friday, 16 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 82.94°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 78% Wind: 11.5mph
Words: 548

Skipped the walk this morning and took the kayak down to the river. Coming off high tide, so we had plenty of water. The Tolomato is pretty much a tidal river, current depends on the tide. Temperature and humidity were much improved over yesterday.

Beautiful morning. I took the little Olympus Tough TG-6 with me, because I didn't know how much water would get in the kayak. Turns out it's not a lot, but I'll probably still have to do something to keep a bigger camera dry.

We paddled north a little bit, and into some grasses. Didn't want to go too far into them, because I was afraid they'd turn into a maze and we'd have trouble finding our way back out. Boat handled pretty well. I don't have a lot of experience to compare it with, but it felt no different than any other kayak I'd been in. Mitzi liked it.

We decided to head back after about 20 minutes paddling around. We weren't necessarily planning on getting out, but we wanted to be nearer to where we put in. We were pretty close to the shore and the grass, and I'd just pointed out some foam on the bank near the launch point when I heard a loud splash to my right and turned in time to see a large hump of water heading for the kayak.

It moved incredibly fast and went right under the kayak and lifted us as it did so. My first thought was a gator, but it didn't turn around. It surprised the hell out of us, and we decided that was just about enough excitement for our first time.

After we'd landed, we met an older gent named Tom who was unfolding an Oru kayak, getting ready to get on the water. I described what had happened and he said we'd startled a manatee, which made a lot of sense. The sound I heard was the slap of the tail. I didn't know they could move that fast, and Tom assured me they could.

Learned a little bit about inflating the boat. I think I'll get one of those gardener's knee pads and throw that in the bag. Bending at the waste to use the electric pump was hard on my back. The electric pump won't put out enough pressure to get the two cells of the hull to the proper inflation, so I finished using the foot pump.

I realized I'd read the little transparent ruler inflation gauge incorrectly when I test inflated it in the garage; and rather than over-inflating it, I'd under-inflated it. Today it was correctly inflated, and it's pretty rigid.

The seats are very comfortable, though I think I may have put the forward seat too far back. My legs were pretty tight. If I go by myself, it'll be fine.

We'll keep an eye on the tide next week and try it again. Weekends are too busy on the river, too much traffic going too fast. So far, I think it's a winner. I'm thinking about buying another one and leaving it up in New York so we can go out on a lake. We'll see.

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Nostalgia

09:34 Thursday, 15 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 84.87°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 79% Wind: 13.8mph
Words: 587

Kansasfest is a gathering of Apple II fans that's been going on for decades. I attended the one in 2017, which was a bucket-list item for me. It was everything I'd expected/hoped it would be. I haven't been since then, but I follow the virtual ones and watch the videos as they're made available.

This year's event wasn't in Kansas anymore, but that's another story. The keynote speaker was Rob Gemmell, the initial designer of the Apple //c. If you're into retro-computing, the Apple II, Steve Jobs or industrial design, it's worth seeing his presentation.

The years 1983-1987 were perhaps the peak years for my computer enthusiasm. I think the Apple //c, in many ways, represents the pinnacle achievement for the Apple II. And I did own a IIgs and that was our primary "family" computer until 1995, when we got our first Mac, the Performa 6200CD.

That was probably the second "peak" in terms of my interest/enthusiasm for computing, inasmuch as it was my introduction to photo-realistic, high resolution graphics. I couldn't/didn't do much more with the Mac than I did with the II series, but it looked a lot cooler. The on-screen, and printed output that is.

In terms of software, AppleWorks and ThinkTank (outliner) were the applications that really made me excited about computing. Fontrix, which used the 5.25" floppy drive as a form of virtual graphics memory so you could create full-page graphics with an Apple II was also a piece of software I truly loved. PublishIt! 3.0 brought desktop publishing to the Apple II, but I only used that when I was doing the newsletter for our user group, the Tidewater Apple Worms (groan).

When we got onto the Mac, there was a version of AppleWorks for the Mac and we were very productive with that. It wasn't exciting, but I could get stuff done. The piece of software that I recall that most excited me on the Mac was originally released as Arrange by Common Knowledge. It was kind of an object-oriented database with an outliner interface. I couldn't afford it when it first came on the market, I think it sold for $495 on release. But it didn't gain a lot of attraction and was later sold to another company who released it as WebArranger, as kind of a bookmark manager, PIM, note-taking app. That's when I got it.

But it failed to make the transition to OS X. Tinderbox then became the application that sort of defined what "personal computing," meant to me. But for many years, it remained kind of opaque. It's only been in the last few years, since I've been attending the Zoom meetups that I've developed any real facility with the application.

But in terms of having fond memories, or being able to recall genuine feelings of excitement and enthusiasm, it was the Apple //e and //c that were really the machines that I was genuinely passionate about. Nothing has exceeded the experience of those early years.

Today, I'm much more cynical and disappointed with information technology. Far from empowering individuals, it's become a tool for corporations and authoritarian states. Corporations for profits, and authoritarian states for control and chaos.

Apple used to be somewhat admirable as a company. Now it's just another corporate shareholder enrichment factory.

Anyway, I enjoyed listening to Rob Gemmell's recollection of the origins of the //c. There's an entertaining Steve Jobs story in there you probably haven't heard before.

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Getting Better

07:27 Thursday, 15 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 79.74°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 90% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 321

Used the sticks this morning. On the road at 0507, usual 5K route. Best walking (trekking) pace to date, 16'19"/mi, negative splits until the final quarter mile. Average heart rate was 142bpm, 502 calories expended.

Looking at the heart rate zones, the Fitness app reports I spent 19'46" in Zone 5 (152+bpm). Technically, I think "Zone 5" is supposed to be a level of effort you can only sustain for a very short period, not minutes. I think my maximum heart rate is above whatever iOS thinks it is. They seem to be using 220 minus my age (67). Ten or fifteen years ago I could hit 180-190bpm. My max is probably somewhere closer to 170 these days. 78°F, 94% humidity, shirt was soaked when I got home.

I didn't feel uncomfortable in terms of effort. My left calf and right arm itched because I think I got bit a couple of times on the walk. I knew I was pushing, but I wasn't at the very top end.

Part of it is getting better with the poles. I think I need to split these poles out into a left one and right one, and adjust the boot of the left pole. When they land squarely, there is no mechanical vibration or metallic rattle. With the pole in my left hand, I'll often hear and feel the vibration. I can move my hand a bit to get it to strike squarely, but in its natural position, I get more vibration. The boots are configured identically on both poles.

Only encountered one person and no cars. Clear sky, many stars, Jupiter and Mars still near conjunction.

So I guess I'll mix it up and use the sticks one day, the daypack and weight another day, just walking on other days. I haven't combined the daypack and the sticks yet. Variety, spice of life, something like that.

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Data

07:48 Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 80.2°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 88% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 182

Walked sans sticks this a.m. No pack. Out before 0500, encountered one walker, one bicyclist and two or three cars. Not bad.

Jupiter and Mars were very close together. Left the E-M1 Mk3 outside on the pavers behind a column to warm up while I was walking because the dew point was above the temperature outside. Update: Er, inside I mean. The camera was at 75°F, and the dew point was at 78°F, so fog-city on the glass. (Also, avoid zooming a a zoom lens until it's at ambient temperature. No need to suck saturated air into the lens.)

It was 80°F, 94% humidity. "Feels like" 88°F.

But I swung my arms and sweated. 16'48" pace. Couple of mosquito bites.

Got home and tried to use the camera to snap Jupiter and Mars. Too tired, sweaty and hot to be patient. Mental snapshot will have to do.

The Fluke IR thermometer was still on my desk. Out of curiosity, I went out and checked the road. 90°F surface temperature a little before 0600.

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Cave on Colbert

06:40 Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 79.83°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 89% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 231

Well worth your time.

We watched Downsizing the night before last. I loved the movie very much. I need to watch it again, because there's a scene I want to recall more clearly, having to do with Ngoc Lan Tran's experience in the TV box, and all the other losses she experienced.

That came to mind listening toward the latter part of this interview.

All personal transformation is a form of loss. It's unsurprising to me now, that loss can prompt it. Initiate it. That hasn't been clear to me before.

"There are no coincidences."

Nick's Red Hand Files, and the letter selected for this interview, also reminded me of the thing Kottke posted almost a month ago.

The letter from E.B. White.

I have some quibbles, or questions maybe, about the value of hope versus faith. Later, maybe.

Things looked very grim a month ago. From E.B. White's letter:

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly.

Colbert quotes Cohen from Suzanne:

He said all men will be sailors then, until the sea shall free them

"There are no coincidences."

It speaks to us, if we pay attention.

Sometimes, you can feel it.

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Good Deed for Today

16:05 Tuesday, 13 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 90.73°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 70% Wind: 10.36mph
Words: 355

Went out to pick up the mail and spotted this guy in the road. Tried to casually shoo it back toward the retention pond and he just wasn't having it.

Got the mail into the house and went back out to collect it and carry it back to the pond. It's a Florida softshell turtle. I've picked them up before, much bigger ones than this one. They do bite, but if you're careful, you can pick them up from behind, a little past halfway down the shell toward the back end. The neck is pretty long and they'll try to bite. The hind legs can get you, but the claws usually aren't very sharp.

They have pissed when I've picked them up before, so I know better and keep them at arms' length. This one didn't, but it did hiss at me before turtling. Back legs kicked a bit but didn't put up much of a fight.

The link at FWC says you should only move it in the direction it was heading across the road. But I'm guessing this one was coming from the retention pond across the street. At any rate, it wasn't moving when I saw it and I figured I'd put it back where I'm pretty sure it came from. Otherwise, it was likely to get run over and that's a whole other mess with vultures and all that.

After, I took my IR thermometer and checked the temperature of the asphalt: 118°F. I'm not sure how healthy that is for turtles, but I'm guessing it's not great. When I put it in the grass near the pond, it bolted for the water so I think it's probably ok.

It may have been looking for a better place to live, but the FWC also says not to translocate them to prevent the spread of turtle frasiervirus 1.

This is at least the third one I've picked up and taken back to a retention pond in the past 20 years. Hopefully I'm banking some good turtle karma.

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15 Pounds

09:15 Tuesday, 13 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 84.24°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 83% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 629

(Not to be confused with 15 Tons.)

"Rucking," is a fitness thing, where people walk or hike with a backpack of some weight. Probably an oversimplification that offends people who actually do it. Anyway, I read a little bit about it and figured I'd try something like it.

One thing I read suggested to start out at 15-20% of your bodyweight. (I gather genuine rucking involves around 40%, something I don't see myself ever attempting.) I went with a bit less than 10% and stuck a 20 pound dumbbell in my little Osprey daypack. Putting it on, I decided, "Oh, hell no!" Switched it out for a 15-pounder and figured I'd give that a try.

I don't know if it was the weight or the density, but I definitely felt it. The daypack has a waist belt, so I had that cinched up tight; and the shoulder straps linked with a "sternum strap," (Are we going for alliteration here? Why isn't it called a "chest strap"? Beats me.) Anyway, the load was secure.

I didn't use the sticks, I figured I'd just try wearing the pack and see how that felt. 78°F and 95% humidity was how it felt. My heart rate wasn't elevated, and my pace was slower, just under 20 minutes a mile. There is no "rucking" workout on the Apple Watch, oddly enough. I didn't think to look for it until after I finished my walk and saw I supposedly burned the same amount of calories I'd have burned without carrying the daypack.

I'd have thought there'd have been one for "rucking," where you enter the weight of your pack at the start of the workout, but no. Doesn't seem that there is.

My usual 5K route has nearly zero elevation gain. There are a couple of spots that go up and down a couple of feet, but it's basically flat. I wore my regular New Balance 608s. ("Dad shoes," Caitie says.) They seemed adequate, though I suspect the insoles will flatten or wear out faster.

Anyway, it was definitely something of a workout. I'll try it with the poles one of these days. I was surprised at how such a small amount of weight seemed to increase the effort, though that was never reflected in my heart rate. I think it might have been of more value doing something like going over and back on the CR 210 bridge, where there's some elevation gain. That would have bumped up the exertion.

I did get a chance to get a good look at Jupiter and Mars, just above Orion, this morning. Mars looked redder than I recall, but maybe that was just because it was so near Jupiter. Cool though.

I don't carry a flashlight or wear a headlamp, but I encounter a few people who do. The things are blinding. I don't know, maybe they're afraid of snakes, or tripping over something, but it always seems to me like there's enough light without one. There are a couple of dark spots between the street lights, but even there you can usually make out the leaves on the sidewalk. I was on the road at 0512 this morning, and still ran into four people!

Checked the tide data for the Tolomato and it's midway on the ebb for the next couple of mornings. It'll still be on the ebb on Friday, but just coming off so there'll be plenty of water. I don't know the area, and I don't want to find myself in some oyster beds with the tide running out. Friday maybe I'll put the kayak in and paddle up the river a little while and let the current help bring me back. Just get the feel of it. We'll see.

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Unashamed

11:43 Monday, 12 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 89.92°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 72% Wind: 11.5mph
Words: 72

Say what you will about The Lincoln Project, but I've given them money. I would've left out the "earned" part. You don't "earn" a gift. But otherwise, I love it.

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The Silence of Privilege

10:26 Monday, 12 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 87.08°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 79% Wind: 9.22mph
Words: 440

That whole "Let's build a community, but make certain topics off-limits, or behind a content warning" thing is still under my skin.

I thought I dispensed with it when I pointed out the self-aggrandizing delusion that any such thing would be a "community," rather than just a house party where "my house, my rules" was the order of the day.

Because, whether anyone likes it or not, we exist in a community already. And by choosing to not talk about certain topics... POLITICS... we ignore our duty to our community.

Is it comfort or cowardice? Is it fatigue or fear?

Whatever it is, it's only the privileged who can embrace silence.

Anyway, at risk of making someone uncomfortable, Kottke pointed to this piece today, and it's right on point. This whole, "Can't we all just get along?" vibe is an appeal for silence. I struggle with the whole "enemies" idea, because a lot of my neighbors are MAGA Trumpers.

So far, I'm uncertain whether I should be feeling more optimistic because I'm not seeing the usual MAGA indicators, but it may be simply too early. The flags haven't blossomed from the houses. A guy who had his TRUMP/PENCE bumper sticker on the back window of his car until 2023 hasn't replaced it with at TRUMP/VANCE sticker. But the lady who sells MAGA merch at the roundabout on Palm Valley Road was there last weekend, so there's that.

I am encouraged by Kamala Harris' reception, and Tim Walz for just being Tim Walz. And I hope that Trump's age and increasingly incoherent rants are beginning to make some Republicans think twice. They may still vote for him, which is sickening, but maybe they're not so eager to advertise it anymore, given how cruel and unhinged the whole thing is.

Mitzi texted me this video from Bryan Tyler Cohen, interviewing Heather Cox Richardson on Facebook. I was actually able to open it, to dismiss the "login or sign up" barrier, and watch it this morning. It's also right on point.

You can regard the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision as the "Enabling Act" of the Republican Reich. We're this close to becoming an authoritarian state. And I think Richardson is right, that we find ourselves at a place, politically, where most of us don't have the language to talk about it, because it's so far outside the norm of what we're used to. Forget the "Overton window," we just don't know how to talk to fascists because we never expected them to be winning an election in America.

Another reason for the privileged appeal for silence.

Fuck that.

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It Ain't the Heat

09:36 Monday, 12 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 85.24°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 83% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 432

It's the humidity.

AKMA usually offers a daily report on his 2-mile run (Major props!), but what caught my eye today was his comment on the temperature. He called it a "hot morning," at 19°C (which I used Spotlight to tell me was 66°F)!

England's climate and Florida's are vastly different, even in a world that has a new climate everywhere. We all acclimate, to one degree or another (no pun intended), to the prevailing climate where we live. Heat does affect performance, both from the thermodynamic efficiency perspective, and the subjective experience of heat.

I got up this morning at 0515 and checked the temperature, it was 77°F (25°C) but 95% humidity! I was just glad it wasn't 80°F. When you step outside first thing in the morning and it's warmer than it is in the house, it's just depressing. And the humidity just feels like this oppressive blanket weighing on you.

But, I went out with the sticks. I didn't get a good pace going, though I felt like my form was doing better. Mile 3 was my quickest at a 17':33" pace (kicked it up a bit for the last quarter mile to 17':12"). Not my best effort with the sticks, but not my worst either.

I did see a meteor not long after starting out, so that was a bonus.

The sky was looking pretty when I got home, and I often think of putting up the drone to grab a shot; but I'm usually just spent. I take off my shoes, grab a cold drink, plop in my chair in my office, turn on the ceiling fan and read my feed or watch YouTube until I dry out.

I do like using the trekking poles. I can feel it in my arms and my upper body, and I think it helps keep my spine more vertical. It does alter my gait somewhat, and I feel some stiffness in my ankles and the lower parts of my calves I don't normally experience. I still keep a death grip on the handles and I haven't made any progress in trying to relax them.

This is the part of the summer when it's just oppressively hot and humid without relief, even in northeast Florida.

I've got to look at the tides here and figure out a good time to put the new kayak in the water. I'll want to do that early in the morning, because I think that'll be better for seeing birds. I hope to get that accomplished this week.

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Leadership

06:45 Monday, 12 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 77.18°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 89% Wind: 1.01mph
Words: 117

There are so many wonderful history lessons that Heather Cox Richardson offers in her blog. And she finds the best quotes.

[T]he true measure of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down. It’s based on who you lift up.

Kamala Harris

I love the contrasting parallelism. I did something similar four years ago. "Lock more people up/Lift more people up." They did it with two contrasts "beat/lift," "down/up." I went with only one, but with alliteration!

I think Kamala Harris has a better shot than that Dave Rogers guy did. That is, if the archaic and undemocratic relic, the Electoral College, doesn't bite us in the ass.

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A Malignant Indifference to the Suffering of Others

09:23 Sunday, 11 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 83.26°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 86% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 152

Florida, governed exclusively by the Republican Party for more than a generation, has become two states. One caters exclusively to the privileged, while the other is ignored.

With its embrace of MAGA Trumpism, Florida's malignant indifference to the suffering of others has turned into an intentional effort to inflict suffering. An ideology of cruelty has taken hold, targeting "others" for reasons only the Republican political class understands.

Here is yet another example of how Florida's Republican government intentionally acts to make the lives of its less fortunate citizens more difficult, more uncertain and more painful.

It's infuriating and I'm ashamed and embarrassed to live in this state. I'm tied here because of family, or I'd leave. I have worked to try to change this state, and I continue to support the people who are better able to do that work than I am.

But, let's not talk about politics.

It upsets people.

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Speaking of Flooding

16:52 Saturday, 10 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 89.73°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 74% Wind: 10.36mph
Words: 44

Shelley, residing in our neighbor to the north, offers a report on their situation and prospects for the future.

Georgia may be more purple than Florida, politically, but they're just as clueless when it comes to figuring out what the future holds. Development rules.

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Furniture

15:51 Saturday, 10 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 90.21°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 66% Wind: 12.66mph
Words: 833

The box spring made it safely home on the roof of the RAV4. I had some ratchet straps that I don't use often enough to really understand how to use them correctly. Happily, they worked well enough.

Because we live in an area of suburban sprawl that is still developing, there's a lot of "churn" in the online marketplace. People moving out. People moving in. Buying new furniture and getting rid of old furniture. Wide selection to choose from and many bargains to be had.

We've got to furnish this place up in FLX, and it's not our primary residence so we're not looking to spend big money on furnishing it. Normally, this would be kind of a fun opportunity; but it's complicated by the distance.

We're going to head up there in September, assuming the closing goes through this month, to take possession and basically learn how to light it off and shut it down. We'll only be up there for a week, but we're going to need something to sleep on. And we have nearly enough "stuff" to supply another house. Flatware, cookware, tools, towels, quilts, extension cords, etc.

So we're going to pay some service to drop off a big trailer here. We'll fill it as much as we can and they're going to haul the thing up to New York. We'll fly in and rent a car and be there the day before it's supposed to arrive. Weather permitting. One night on an air mattress.

The challenge is, storing this stuff for now. We considered renting one of those storage units, but it's only for a few weeks, and we weren't certain they'd let the trailer sit there for three days. Frankly, we're not sure the HOA is going to be happy about it. "Forgiveness is easier than permission," and so on.

Anyway, we're stashing it in the garage and Mitzi's office (the spare bedroom) for the time being.

Once we get up there, I've got to figure out how everything works with this radiant heating in the floor. It has a mini-split for AC, but it'll also heat I'm sure. Basically need to make sure it doesn't freeze. Because of the rather unfamiliar nature of the environmental controls, I won't have a smart thermostat to monitor the internal temperature. So I'm going to buy another weather station with an interior sensor. It'll give me data on the local weather as well, which will be interesting to track as time goes on.

I'm also getting a couple of networked cameras, just so I can see what's going on outside the place. Our nextdoor neighbor is the seller's father, and I think I mentioned we met him and that he's a very nice guy. I'm sure he'd kind of keep an eye on the place, but I want to have "eyes on" myself. Mitzi's daughter and son-in-law may come up sometime while we're not there. I'll let them know how to disable the cameras. Ian puts tape over his phone camera, so I'm sure he could do the same but I'd rather not deal with the adhesive residue.

It's kind of exciting. Jack linked to John P. Weiss' post this morning before I could. It resonated with me as well. "Old guy angst," begins to intrude. I think this place in New York is going to be something of an antidote for that, at least for a few years.

I'd told Mitzi that I wanted to cover the front patio or porch. The other morning, on my walk, I realized that that would obscure the sky from the kitchen window. Worse, the stars! We may look into a retractable awning at some point, but for now we're bringing a big umbrella we have out back but seldom use.

Brad, the seller who built the place, estimated covering the porch would cost maybe as much as $10K anyway. That made me swallow hard, but I figured we could swing it. Now we don't have to.

We do want to put in an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) next to the place, in lieu of an addition, to offer another bedroom for family and guests. It won't be a full-on "tiny house." More like a hotel room, though I think we'll go tall so we can add some loft space for kids. Toilet, shower, sink and power. A little closet space, some sort of HVAC. Maybe go with interior wood instead of drywall. Been watching a lot of YouTube videos on tiny home construction and shed conversions. A lot of clever ideas out there.

We could get "really small," (Steve Martin reference) but we want guests to be comfortable too. So we'll see. Again, apart from probably having to deal with a contractor again, and writing checks, it'll be fun and exciting.

It was 100°F here yesterday. Flooding in upstate New York. All things considered, I think I'd rather be in New York. Ask me again in February.

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Further to the Foregoing

15:48 Saturday, 10 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 90.21°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 67% Wind: 14.97mph
Words: 14

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Tim Walz

15:25 Saturday, 10 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 87.51°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 72% Wind: 12.66mph
Words: 178

Kottke pointed to the Tim Walz Fixed Your Bicycle site. (Or you can follow this link.)

On my way home from Publix, encountering my fellow Nocatee-ans, (not to be confused with Nocateens, the juvenile of the species), a "Tim Walz..." occurred to me, which then prompted a whole series on the way home.

The ones I recall follow:

Tim Walz uses his turn signals.

Tim Walz returns his shopping cart.

Tim Walz polices his brass. (Military reference. "Brass" are spent shell casings.)

Tim Walz picks up after his dog.

Tim Walz recycles.

Tim Walz picked up your trash can after the wind knocked it over and put the trash back in.

Tim Walz let you use his pickup truck to get a box spring.

That's about all I can recall.

I suppose it's possible we can get a little too excited about Tim Walz. All men have feet of clay, after all.

But I'm certain that Tim Walz is among the ranks of the "genuinely nice men" in the world.

Not "perfect." Just a decent human being.

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And Now for Something Completely Different

10:18 Saturday, 10 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 86.38°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 78% Wind: 10.36mph
Words: 455

Been watching some movies lately, and figured I'd post something here in lieu of, well, anything else.

Saw The Fall Guy the other night. Loved it. Ryan Gosling has some comedic chops! Loved the dog too. "Engage your core!"

Mitzi and I saw The Marvels in the theater when it was out, and when I read something in a review of Deadpool and Wolverine about how many references it made to the tangled mess of the MCU, it prompted me to want to see Captain Marvel. So I bought the combo from Apple TV and watched them in reverse order, as one does. Mitzi had gone to the head in the theater during the big song and dance number in The Marvels, and she loves musicals, so I figured she'd enjoy seeing it again anyway.

Well, I also enjoyed Captain Marvel very much, and it got me on a little super-hero binge, a genre I was very tired of.

I had Deadpool 2 in my library, but I evidently never watched it! That's been rectified and I enjoyed it very much. But that made me want to revisit Wolverine's first movie appearance in X-Men, so we watched that next. (I should check the Groundhog Day archive, because I recall seeing X-Men in the theater and being pleased with it. (Twenty years ago!))

That led me to look for Logan, also in my library. But this time I watched the Logan Noir version. I haven't done any background reading, but it doesn't appear as though they did any re-grading of the original, as the tonality seems to resemble something less "noir" and more "digital." But I enjoyed it nevertheless. About a third of the way through it, you kind of forget that it's in b&w and you're just enjoying the movie.

Oh, and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy again too. Fun.

That's where we've stopped for now.

Streaming-wise, it's been pretty dry lately. I started watching the fourth season of The Boys again. It's a tough sell. It's so over-the-top on the violence and gore, but the characters and plot are engaging. And I love the way they kind of dis the whole fan culture. It reminded me of the mainstream press and the way they cover Trump. He shits all over them, but they keep going back for more. Talk about co-dependency!

We saw the Netflix movie Hit Man too. Enjoyed it.

I'm anxious for the return of Slow Horses and Silo.

That's it for now. Guess I've got to go get a box spring for the Finger Lakes (FLX) place and bring it home on the roof of the RAV4. Should be fun. (Not.)

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The Price of Risk

06:49 Friday, 9 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 80.8°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 88% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 295

Received our flood insurance premium notice yesterday.

$930.

I think that's about $130 more than last year.

But it's probably still a bargain.

I'm not tempted at all to skip it this year. All anyone has to do is watch the news. We are living in a climate that has never existed before on this planet.

Yes, the present CO2 concentration has existed in earth's atmosphere before, but not with these polar ice caps. Not with this human imprint on the landscape.

I don't know if climate models can be used to accurately calculate risk. We're seeing these extreme rainfall events that aren't necessarily incompatible with current climate models. But I don't know that any of them, or any climatologist for that matter, has predicted them. Yes, "more intense," but now much "more"? I think what we're experiencing in these extreme rainfall events is beyond anyone's expectation.

We used to calculate risk by relying on statistics from historical data. Historical data is meaningless now. That climate no longer exists. And we're still changing the composition of the atmosphere that determines our climate. That is to say, we are in a dynamic transient and there is no way to use history and statistics to anticipate the likelihood of some future event, because these future events will occur in a climate that has never existed before.

I know I'm repeating myself, but I don't think anyone's gotten the message.

We could have anticipated that we'd find ourselves in this situation, and we might have made some decisions regarding development to at least mitigate the risk from that dimension.

But, no. We didn't do anything to arrest the emissions of CO2. We didn't do anything to direct development to less risky areas. Worst of all possible worlds.

Stupefying.

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Everything Trump Touches

06:11 Friday, 9 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 80.98°F Pressure: 1010hPa Humidity: 89% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 451

The usual end to that phrase is, "dies." But that may be a little hyperbolic. His mob wanted to kill Pence, but they failed.

"Diminished," is a better word.

Has anyone's stature ever been elevated by being associated with Donald Trump?

Ever?

Poor J.D. Vance. (Sympathy can be found in the dictionary, between "shit" and "syphilis.") Here's an ambitious young man, grasping desperately for power and acclaim, having had a taste of it in his association with Peter Thiel and the success of his book. Apparently the movie wasn't as well received.

I guess that hillbilly upbringing left him with the same aching void that Rick Scott has. One that will never be filled. Scott was weird before weird was a Republican thing. It's possible he was Patient Zero.

And shoutout to Jacksonville's own Florida Times-Union columnist Nate Monroe, who'd been calling Ron DeSantis weird long before Tim Walz used the term to describe Trump.

Just sayin'.

Anyway, back to poor J.D. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion. Here's this poor guy, doing an internal calculation about becoming Trump's VP.

On the one hand, it's Trump.

On the other hand, it's one 78-year-old and climbing heartbeat away from real power.

The equation had Trump trouncing poor old Joe Biden, while Vance would get to go up against a San Francisco liberal! And a woman at that! How hard could that be? Plus all that free media!

"Many's the slip twixt the cup and the lip." Or maybe they don't use the old saying, "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched," in Appalachia anymore.

Now he's got to demean himself by attacking another veteran. That's after attacking women, which he actually seemed to enjoy. Still mad at mom? I don't know, I never read the book.

And pathetically chasing after media coverage on the tarmac, while insulting the same media he craves.

I mean, hasn't the guy seen what happened to Guiliani?

"Love is blind." Ambition too.

This thing is still a contest. We have this bizarre, archaic, undemocratic thing called the Electoral College, and there are still a significant number of "Americans" who think democracy is a waste of time, and want to put their faith and trust in a man they saw on a prime time reality TV show for so many years. I guess they view the world as a game show.

We could still lose the whole thing.

But J.D. Vance will forever be diminished. He's just smart enough to know it, and it will eat him up from the inside. It'll make him mean and cruel and lonely.

But them's the breaks. He should've known.

Everything Trump touches...

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Bullshit

14:39 Thursday, 8 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 96.22°F Pressure: 1005hPa Humidity: 59% Wind: 5.01mph
Words: 581

By now it is a matter of course that what issues from Trump's mouth and his coterie of sycophants and lickspittles seldom, if ever, resembles the truth.

I don't have any problems with the way Tim Walz described his relationship with military firearms in the context of a discussion about gun safety legislation. I didn't hear him making a claim that he served in combat, or under fire, or in a combat zone. He served on active duty, during a time of semi-declared war, the GWOT (Global War On Terror), the blank check that Congress gave to W. following 9/11. So, "in war" he carried a weapon.

The specific construction, which he uttered in extemporaneous remarks, could be construed in a way to assert that he was making that claim; but that requires a good deal of bad faith to do so. Since bad faith is the very foundation of the entire Trump campaign, it's unsurprising they're going there.

It's bullshit.

Regarding his calling himself a Command Sergeant Major, I suspect it's like when I was acting commanding officer of Fleet Training Center Mayport. I was detailed there as the executive officer, an O-5 billet. The commanding officer is an O-6 billet, and is specifically screened and selected for shore command, and gets to wear a device signifying command ashore.

I wasn't an O-6, wasn't screened and wasn't selected. So I couldn't wear the device, and I could never call myself the CO. But for two periods, each in excess of 90 days, I was, for all practical and legal purposes, the CO. I could award step increases to civil servants, or an annual merit bonus, or 59 minutes "early departure." My signature went in all the blocks that said, "Commanding Officer" on every piece of correspondence that left the command that wasn't "By direction."

If I screwed anything up that an O-6 is "specially screened and selected" for, I could go to jail just as if I had been specially screened and selected.

But since I hadn't had the benefit of the close attention and scrutiny of the selection board, I couldn't call myself the CO in any other context. Never wear the device. It doesn't even appear on my plaque.

That's ok. Them's the rules.

Sounds like Walz was the acting Command Sergeant Major, and for some time. As such, he would have been the senior enlisted man within the unit, and acted a special advisor to the CO. It's a pretty high achievement in an enlisted career, and you work closely with the CO on matters affecting the entire command. I had the benefit of a number of good Command Master Chiefs and Command Senior Chiefs. They attended the Senior Leadership Academy and were "specially screened and selected." I don't know how it works in the National Guard. Those course billets are often full, and maybe Guard members don't get as much opportunity as active duty Army. Anyway...

This is from 2018:

Capt. Holly Rockow, a public affairs officer for the Minnesota National Guard, said it is legitimate for Walz to say he served as a command sergeant major. She said the rank changed because Walz retired before completing coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy along with other requirements associated with his promotion.

Trump and the weirdos and lickspittles that surround him are desperate and flailing.

I just sent another $150 to VoteVets.

Ordnance downrange, on target, on time.

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Buckaroo Banzai Vibes

08:57 Thursday, 8 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 78.85°F Pressure: 1006hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 5.75mph
Words: 26

This video.

For reference.

Feeling better. Staying hydrated.

"Don't be mean. We don't have to be mean. Because, no matter where you go... There you are."

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HARRIS WALZ Camo Hat

08:54 Thursday, 8 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 78.73°F Pressure: 1006hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 5.75mph
Words: 24

I ordered two from this vender on Etsy.

I have no idea what font to choose, so I picked bold.

Apparently, it's a thing.

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Like a Rolling Stone

07:26 Thursday, 8 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 77.5°F Pressure: 1005hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 9.22mph
Words: 233

Beware, the stench of "old man" angst lingers.

Browsing Apple News after my walk, I read a piece on Creedence Clearwater Revival that made me smile and visit the iTunes Music Store, something I haven't done in a long time.

Many dollars poorer, I now own most of the catalog and some of John Fogarty's solo stuff, and this makes me happy.

But it was something else I read, trying to find a link to the CCR piece so I could post it here, about the Boss appearing for a surprise duet with some guy named Zach Bryan.

Anyway, back to the store and now I own a bunch of his stuff.

The other day, I was lying in the recliner listening to some music that was once new to me that I now realize is over 20 years old. I lamented to myself that I don't seem to find myself around the kind of people who listen to new music and recommend it to me. Hazards of "over-55" living, I guess.

Anyway, I get why this Zach Bryan guy is tearing it up. Whoa...

And that makes me happy too.

(Sorry for the Apple News links. RS is behind a paywall, but I guess I get to read it in Apple News because I'm a News+ subscriber. Gates just inconvenience honest people. Life is short, get yourself some Creedence, and abide.)

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SunPower Is Bankrupt

08:37 Wednesday, 7 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 76.78°F Pressure: 1005hPa Humidity: 92% Wind: 12.66mph
Words: 540

Received an email last night from SunPower, the manufacturers of the solar panels on our roof, and a portion of the infrastructure that integrates it with our house and the grid. Tesla is a part of that infrastructure as well, and which part does what is largely transparent to me.

The email was brief and not very helpful. I did some searching and got the story.

It looks like a combination of California net-metering changes and the Fed's high interest rates combined to squeeze SunPower out of business.

Right now, I don't think we have a problem as long as we don't have a warranty issue. We're four years into the installation, and we haven't had any problems, so I don't anticipate any "manufacturing defect" issues that would normally be the basis of a warranty claim.

Our installer, A1A Solar, is a long-established business and I'm fairly confident that they'll be around to address any maintenance issues.

The utility industry is lobbying the state Public Service Commission and the state legislature to change net metering rules, which would significantly alter the value proposition for rooftop solar (minus batter storage) for many, if not most, homeowners. Without battery storage, you can still generate enough power through a rooftop array to offset your electric bill by 100%. Your house will run on solar while the sun shines, and you'd be powering your neighbors as well, but you'll draw power from the grid when the sun is down or it's cloudy out.

FPL was able to convince the PSC to charge rooftop solar homeowners a monthly $25 fee for the grid connection. I'm certain that number will rise as time goes on.

With battery storage, you can be completely self-sufficient. But you have to build in a lot of excess capacity to cover periods like this one, where we're generating less power due to cloud cover. Buying a system to that specification is a lot more expensive, and few people would do that. We're about 86% self-sufficient (14% of our annual power usage comes from the grid), and we make enough excess power to offset the cost of the power we get from FPL, so our utility bill is about $300 annually for the grid connection. (I'm sure there are some taxes and "fees" that get tacked onto that.)

JEA, the publicly owned utility in nearby Duval County, is governed by a different set of rules than commercial utilities. They're allowed to offer a reduced "fuel rate," for net metering. That is, the credit the homeowner receives is only equal to the value of the fuel JEA would have burned to generate that amount of electricity, a fraction of the "retail rate." This has been a drag on rooftop solar installations in Duval County, and the public utility hasn't been very keen on doing utility-scale solar either.

It's a dynamic landscape out there as we struggle to transition to a new renewable energy regime. There's a lot to be said for rooftop solar as a distributed and resilient source of generating capacity. But it doesn't fit well with existing power utility business models.

In our case, the value proposition was always about "doing our best," not "saving money."

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Every Picture Tells a Story

05:55 Monday, 5 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 78.24°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 11.5mph
Words: 84

A reminder that you can get a near-realtime view of Debby and other weather features from NOAA at this address (which covers the southeast U.S.).

I'm pretty sure you have to refresh the page periodically to get the latest loop, which seems to be about 10 minutes time-late. (Close enough to realtime for me.)

A government service provided to everyone at no charge, which would be privatized under Project 2025.

It's 78°F outside, 96% humidity and raining. I'm staying indoors.

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Jack's Back

08:44 Sunday, 4 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 80.98°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 89% Wind: 5.75mph
Words: 1112

I can relate, my brother.

One of the things we did to "make things easier" on the trip to New York this year was to pack many of the items into two large plastic bins. Even with that, we still had a lot of little separate items, because those are easier to stuff into the odd bits of space in a RAV4. It was just a matter of a few steps, carrying them from the house into the garage to load into the car.

We didn't unload the entire car until we got to our vacation rentals. One of the bins held electronics, many with built-in batteries. That bin I didn't want sitting in the car in the summer sun, so it always came into the house or the motel with us at each of the three stops before we got to the Finger Lakes. Motels are great because they have elevators and luggage carts. Mitzi's daughter's house was great, because her son-in-law, Ian, carried it up the stairs and into the house for me.

But, unlike in years past, we couldn't park near either of the houses we rented in Trumansburg and Geneva, so I had to carry each box some distance from the car to the house, usually involving at least a couple of stairs.

My back isn't what it used to be, and it can get "jacked up" (sorry, Jack) pretty easily. So I was always careful to take my time and keep the load as close to my body as I could. Seemed to work. I got a couple of twinges right after each time, but no spasms. (Gratitude.)

At this moment, I find myself feeling much more motivated, more "serious," about losing weight than at any time in the recent past. I'd been making some progress earlier in the year, but kind of went off-track in New York because, well, ice cream.

But when we were gardening, or whenever I bent over to take a closeup of some flower or bug, I could feel my lower back starting to spasm. Often I'd stop trying to get a photo, just because my back hurt and I was worried I'd wind up with a bigger problem. And with the garden, you don't always have the luxury of just "giving up," and I'd end up spending the rest of the day in the recliner.

So far, nothing has put me down for days, but it can ruin a whole day and has.

Plus, I find that getting on the floor or the ground, and back up again, assembling cabinets or kayaks, is so much harder with this spare tire I'm wearing.

I have to believe that my issues might be significantly reduced if I could get 30 to 40 pounds off and strengthen my core overall.

So I'm trying to eat mindfully, (No ice cream since we've been back.) and exercise regularly.

Having just written that, I took yesterday and today off. It's possible that I may be attempting to do too much with the trekking poles and Nordic walking. When I used to train for marathons and half-marathons, I always tried to listen to my body. This can be tricky, because sometimes it's not your body, it's really your mind telling you to go easy. I'd go out for a run, not "feeling it" at all, and end up turning in a really good time. But other times, I'd know to reduce the mileage or the pace, and I'd be the better for it the next time. And back then, I never trained every day.

Nordic walking feels like something I should be able to do every day, but maybe not right away? Maybe I should just alternate days so I can do something every day. I think I'm going to try and do consecutive days this week, weather permitting, and see how I feel by the end of the week. May not be a representative sample, because I suspect Monday and Tuesday may be rained out, though walking in the rain probably never kills anyone. Well, not often anyway.

I need to figure out a sustainable mix of activities so I can do something every day. I haven't ridden my bike since we got back, so that needs to get back in the mix.

But this place in New York has me kind of excited. I figure I have maybe a decade of good mobility left if I can get this weight off. Less if I don't. I want to be able to get out and do stuff while we're up there, though sitting on the front patio watching the sun set sounds appealing too.

And that's to say nothing of being prepared for extreme weather events. I used to mock guys I worked with who owned several firearms and talked about how much ammo they'd stockpiled, when the biggest threat to their physical safety was their diet.

First things first and all that.

Oh, and as an aside, I had my blood pressure taken when I did my last blood donation just before we left for vacation, and most recently, on Friday when I went in for a wellness check or whatever. Both times, 110 over 70-something! I've never been on blood pressure medication, but it's never been that low. It's usually high-120s, low 80s.

Two data points don't make a trend, but it's encouraging. I suspect it may have something to do with my diet. These days, I eat a lot of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. I have black beans and spinach nearly every day. My go-to snacks are "deluxe" mixed nuts and carrot chips with hummus. The berries are expensive, and I'm privileged to be able to afford them. I have the berries in plain Greek yogurt with some honey. I'll add walnuts when I think of it. Most recently, I've begun adding them to store-brand raisin bran (lower sugar and prices than the premium brands). Skim milk.

I also drink a lot less beer. Alas.

It's become clear that we're not just feeding ourselves, we're feeding an entire microbial ecosystem in our digestive tracts, which are responsible for a lot of the work necessary to maintain good health. So feed 'em the good stuff, I guess.

Cardio seems okay, and the kidney's still working. If I can just get some weight off so my back doesn't let me down, I might just enjoy my final act in this divine comedy.

Anyway, sorry Jack. It's amazing how small a thing it might take to get our backs to go out on us. Hope it recovers quickly.

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Evening Stucco

07:24 Sunday, 4 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 80.29°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 716

The one redeeming view we get from our bougie upscale suburban monotonous landscape is when the setting sun illuminates the trees in the preserve behind the house. It's arresting, but it seldom makes for a good photo. After trying anyway, I stuck my head out the front door to see if there were any clouds that might be interesting. No. But the light on the wall got my attention.

Cropped from 4:3 to 3:2, otherwise SOOC from the little Pentax MX1 (to be confused with the M1X).

It's a bit weird, we've been kind of struggling a bit to find a comfortable interior temperature. I usually find 77°F the sweet spot for me, but Mitzi finds it too warm. Since we've been back from New York, there have been times when it's too warm for me, too. So we've been kind of hovering around 75°-76°, which was just about at the dew point yesterday. Got some slight fogging on the lens when I went out back, cleared by the time I got around front. Seldom, almost never a problem when the house is at 77°.

When I came in from getting the mail yesterday, the house felt absolutely frigid at 76°. Go figure.

The pod idea for moving stuff to the other house, which we haven't figured out what, exactly, to call yet, is making even more sense. We have two folding extension ladders from combining two households. Seldom use even one, so we'll pack one of them up to go north.

There's going to be a lot of additional expense in getting the place set up for (occasional) occupancy, but it will get some of the extraneous stuff that we otherwise can't bring ourselves to part with out of the house. I find myself eating off of new flatware because our old flatware has been packaged up to go north and Mitzi's using a used bargain set she got off some online marketplace.

The inflatable kayak did arrive on Friday. I set it up in the garage Friday evening. The only negative experience was placing the little keepers over each of the valve connections. They recommend you warm them up with a hair dryer or soak them in hot water for 15 seconds to make them more elastic. I didn't have a hair dryer or a bowl of warm water in the garage, so I pressed on without doing so. My thumbs ached so much Friday night, I ended up taking some Tylenol in the middle of the night. Still sore this morning.

But, I inflated the thing and let it sit overnight and it seemed to hold air just fine. Tropical storm, likely to become hurricane, Debby is going to make the weather crap for the next few days, so a "maiden voyage," isn't on the immediate horizon.

We also put together the cabinet I mentioned last Friday. Went pretty smoothly with one exception, as seems almost inevitable with these sorts of endeavors. The bottom panel had two pre-drilled holes that either went at the front of the cabinet, or at the back. Fifty-fifty chance of getting that right, eh?

One hundred per cent chance if I'd read ahead in the assembly instructions! But no, I was in a hurry, so I got to take the thing apart again to turn it around. "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

That's going in the laundry room on Monday as a laundry sink. I hope these guys know what they're doing, because it looks a bit awkward in there. The drain hose from the new washer just barely reaches the drain pipe, so it would seem to make more sense to put the sink on the side without the water fittings, but there's a dryer vent that may preclude that.

As it stands now, if the sink goes where originally planned, we're going to be looking at some sloppy hoses, which I guess we should have foreseen anyway. We'll see how it goes. Mitzi is excited about having a sink, so maybe it doesn't matter how it looks, even though she ended up going with the more expensive cabinet and sink.

The problems of the privileged.

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Community and Control

13:37 Friday, 2 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 92.41°F Pressure: 1017hPa Humidity: 68% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 1006

Jack sent me an email about "talking politics," which I will respond to directly. (And probably later. Mitzi's on her way home from Home Depot with a cabinet I'm going to have to assemble.)

What has prompted this post is something Amit Gawande posted in his blog, On Politics and Communities. And I think this has helped clarify, for me anyway, my feelings about "social" media and "communities," and the illusions we bring to these virtual spaces.

Amit writes:

After all, social media is a resource, just like a piece of land. You can set up any form of community on a piece of land—a country, a city, or a neighbourhood. With each having its own set of rules. Society functions best when you allow all of that. The same applies to social media. Every person who sets one up should be free to decide on its size and nature.

I don't think this is very clearly written, or well considered. Is "social media" a resource? In what context?

Before going much farther into that, this sentence is also rather amorphous, "You can set up any form of community on a piece of land."

Really? Who can? Who is "you"? I think what Amit's saying is that land is a resource that supports many different kinds of communities in the real world, and that there may be different rules depending on the type of community.

But, "Any form of community?" I'm not certain, since land is a real, finite and constrained resource; and to the best of my knowledge, virtually all of it is governed by a set of rules the proverbial "you" Amit refers to will be constrained by. Else, why would tech-bro billionaires want to set up floating islands where they can indulge in their libertarian Lord of the Flies fantasies?

I don't know what Amit means when he writes "society functions best when you allow all of that." I think he's referring to different forms of community, based on scale maybe? Country, city, neighborhood? Though again, I'm unclear as to who "you" would be to "allow" that.

There are "communities" that aren't geographically defined. I'm thinking of "communities of practice," where professionals interact together to advance the interests of their profession, and presumably the people they serve. These are more like the virtual communities of "social media." They share professional interests in common, some of which might be considered "intellectual property."

I live in a "gated community," not only is it gated, it's age-restricted. You have to be over-55 to own a home here. It has a "homeowners association," which includes a set of governing documents that outline the rules that tell you, very specifically, how you're allowed to live here. To be frank, it often chafes. But "we made the choice," right? Except there are very few homes being built these days in Florida that aren't in an association. So, even "choice," is a constrained resource.

Part of the reason, and I'm not saying it's a good reason, why these kinds of communities are so tightly regulated is because many people regard their home as their most significant investment, and they don't want their "property value," to be adversely affected by the quirks and predilections of their neighbors.

Similarly, perhaps, professional communities don't want to see their "intellectual property" values depreciated, so they have professional standards and licensure to exclude people who may wish to "practice" within the domain of that professional community, but whose quirks and predilections may adversely affect the reputation of the profession, and presumably the people they serve.

Ivermectin, anyone?

But with Mastodon and similar applications and protocols, individuals privileged with the knowledge and material resources can set up small instances of "social media," and then impose rules. "My house, my rules."

Okay, sure. But that's not a "community." That's your house.

And it's not about fostering a sense of community, it's about hosting a party where the guests are only present at the pleasure and indulgence of the host. There is no shared interest among the other guests that's intended to be advanced by attending that "house party." Maybe they all like photography or they're all passionate about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there is no shared interest that they are working together to advance. They're all just guests at the host's party and when the host says, "Party's over! Get the fuck out!"

Well, that's the end of that "community."

I live in a gated community. My wife likes the gates. She doesn't agree with me when I say, "Gates only inconvenience honest people."

I have to say, I actually appreciate some of the rules. You can't fly a Trump flag from your house. I wouldn't mind one or two or three. But if they allowed it, most of the place would be festooned with them. That gets pretty oppressive. (They default to flying the American flag. Last election, they lined the streets. Nearly every house. Once Trump lost, more than 90% of them disappeared. I'm trying to recall when they appeared in 2020. So far, they haven't shown up yet.)

And since I do live here, not just type its address in a browser window, it's more pleasant when we can maintain some sense of comity with one another, and that particular rule seems to help foster that.

As a career naval officer, I understand rules and order and have no problem with them in their appropriate context. "We don't discuss politics or religion in the wardroom."

I do think we ought to be a little more clear about our terminology. These social media instances are not "communities," virtual, online or otherwise. I suppose they could be. A community of interest might use that network infrastructure to support the work of the community, but that's not what much of this discussion has been about.

These bespoke social media instances are not communities, and calling them that is self-aggrandizing.

They're more like house parties.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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Catoctin Mountain Highway

06:42 Friday, 2 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 77.2°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 90% Wind: 3.44mph
Words: 373

I think I spelled that right.

Walked this morning with the sticks. Unremarkable performance. Maybe I'm tired.

Best part was a thin sliver of a red crescent moon rising above the trees. I'd have taken a photo if I'd felt more motivated.

So this nondescript bit of nothing, which I shot while getting gas in Maryland on July 21, will fill in. It's as "meh" as I feel.

A good day yesterday for a lot of folks. I think Joe Biden showed why it still matters to have statesmen in the White House. But nobody likes to read about politics, so that's enough about that I guess.

Mitzi's been going through the house packing up stuff to take to the place up in New York, even though we haven't closed yet. She's thinking about using a pod, though I think they're too large. Can certainly carry more than the car, and may be cheaper than boxing stuff up and shipping it. Maybe I'll add some books and radios.

She's getting pretty excited, though we still have some travel coming up.

One thing that was nice about New York was that you could be outside in the afternoon. It might be hot in the sun, but it was pleasant in the shade. Here, forget it. You go out to get the mail and back in. It's just miserable. Some people tolerate it better than others I guess. We have a couple of neighbors who are smokers, who apparently don't like to smoke in the house. They're outside in their screened porch a lot.

It's just as well it's hot and we're staying indoors. If it was nice, we'd be outside and, depending on which way the breeze was blowing, smelling their cigarettes. It's weird, I used to be accustomed to the smell of cigarettes many years ago. I didn't smoke, but a lot of the people around me did. Now, you don't encounter it as much and it feels intrusive and offensive.

I don't think the inflatable kayak will be here today or tomorrow. I didn't get a shipping notice until Wednesday. We'll see. It's not urgent by any means.

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Happy Talk

13:39 Thursday, 1 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 91.87°F Pressure: 1019hPa Humidity: 67% Wind: 8.05mph
Words: 310

This came through my feed today about how Florida leads the southeast in solar capacity.

"Well, gosh Dave. Why so down on Florida?"

Well, it's "the Sunshine State," and it's the third largest state in the country by population. It is one of the most vulnerable states, if not the most vulnerable.

Then check out this little article from a week ago.

Florida isn't even in the top half of U.S. states in terms of renewable energy sources.

Florida isn't leading, it's lagging.

This is a useful site to compare states (solar only), though you have to look at the pdfs to get the details. But an interesting data point in Florida's report is:

At 114 MW, Wildflower Solar Energy Center in Arcadia is among the largest solar installations in Florida. Completed by Lightsource bp in 2018, this solar project has enough electric capacity to power more than 13876 homes.

JEA, Jacksonville's publicly own utility has an 1100+ acre site of a decommissioned and demolished coal generation facility that has been sitting idle for years. It has an existing utility grid connection! The site already has a federal permit for utility scale power generation. That's enough land for roughly 150MW of generation capacity, which would make it "among the largest solar installations in Florida."

But, no.

They're planning to put a natural gas generator there, and sell most of the land for development.

Because, Florida.

We deserve everything that's going to happen to us.

Well, not the poor and underserved. Not the Democrats.

But all those rich Republicans who've been running this state into the ground for more than a generation? They deserve everything that's coming to them, Category 5 storms, "sunny day flooding," "nuisance flooding," repetitive flooding, flash flooding, beach erosion, salt water intrusion to the Floridan aquifer, the list goes on. They deserve all of it.

Bastards.

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Florida

09:26 Thursday, 1 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 82.69°F Pressure: 1020hPa Humidity: 87% Wind: 3.44mph
Words: 572

Surprised and delighted as I am that the marmot seems to have a worldwide audience, I shall nevertheless continue to write about Florida, the state of absurdity.

View it as a cautionary tale.

Yesterday, this popped up in my feeds, about how disaster recovery gets expensive. Then, this morning, I heard this story on NPR's Morning Edition.

From the Business Journal:

As the Atlantic Ocean shows signs of heating up, potentially fueling damaging hurricanes, a former state and national disaster chief warned Tuesday of working-class Floridians being priced out of communities in post-storm rebuilding.

From the Morning Edition piece:

Nearly two years later, James and her husband are still trying to recover from the financial gut-punch of the storm. Today, they live outside Tampa in an RV with their two dogs, two cats and an elderly bearded dragon lizard named Gary. It’s only in the last few months that they’ve stopped living paycheck to paycheck. James describes her current credit score as “too low to finance a pizza.”

It's the chronological proximity that made me consider posting about it. It's hurricane season, and there is "a disturbance" that's likely to affect the Gulf of Mexico early next week (I haven't checked the latest forecast), so it's unsurprising.

What made the Business Journal piece noteworthy to me is Fugate's comments about Florida:

“They're actually one of the more progressive states in dealing with the impacts of climate change,” Fugate said. “If you look at the insurance ratings for building codes, Florida's No. 1 or No. 2 every time. So, there's this tendency, I think, to get caught up between what are called rhetoric and actions. And the rhetoric sometimes doesn't always match what you're doing.”

Bullshit.

If that's true, then I pity the rest of the states, although few of them are as exposed as Florida is.

The building code work was largely the result of Andrew back in 1992, before Florida became a one-party Republican state. Since then, there have been occasional improvements, but Florida's insurance crisis is largely the result of unchecked, unregulated growth in vulnerable areas.

Because we don't love anything as much as we love growth.

Florida actually did have a fairly enlightened growth management regime, until successive Republican legislatures began systematically dismantling it to facilitate more rapid growth.

I like Craig Fugate, I think he's a pretty savvy guy with regard to emergency management and disaster recovery, but he's a "go along to get along" guy who tries to steer clear of politics. Florida is on the precipice of a catastrophic insurance industry collapse because of, sorry about this, politics.

We are white-knuckling it through each and every hurricane season. If we have another one like 2004, with a couple of the current climate's "rapid intensification" storms, we're in for a world of hurt.

This state has done nothing to address the cause of climate change. It has ignored sea level rise for decades, and it refuses to plan for a future that is growing more clear and more dire year by year. It is by no measure whatsoever "one of the more progressive states" in dealing with anything, let alone climate change.

Anyway, be grateful if you don't live in Florida, no state income tax notwithstanding.

And I'm going to repeat this line, because I think it's a good one...

If you're dreaming of moving to Florida, wake up!

It's a nightmare.

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Wind

06:59 Thursday, 1 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.69°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 93% Wind: 0mph
Words: 338

Jack laments the comments of Kirk Tuck regarding the state of photography today. Maybe "state" is the wrong word. Maybe the word I'm looking for is "value," since "gold standard," refers to monetary value.

I used to read Kirk, back when I had some anxiety about shooting micro four thirds. Kirk would make me feel better, shooting with a little E-PL1, or maybe it was a 2, getting great shots. But he'd often go off on tangents criticizing the apparel of people out and about with cameras. Guy has a real hard-on for people wearing shorts with cargo pockets.

Kirk's a great photographer, but he's a bit of snob and I got tired of those little asides that would just seem to pop in unexpectedly from time to time. Haven't read him in years. The post Jack links to is a good example.

500 word intro consisting of nothing but bitching with "inside baseball" references and obscure cultural allusions.

Not entertaining.

Exhausting.

And the thing is just saturated with old guy angst stank. (Turns up here all the time.)

Should there be a "standard" for "value" in art, especially personal art? I don't think so. But if so, don't standards change over time?

I still love photography, but I'm less passionate about it. Though that's probably the wrong word too, since "passion" is usually connoted with a willingness or requirement to suffer. I'm kind of with the Buddhists on the whole suffering thing, seeking liberation.

But then, I'm not a photographer, I'm just a guy who likes taking pictures. Maybe some people like them. I hope so, but I enjoyed taking them, and that was kind of the point. Isn't it the same with film and prints? For those who enjoy that particular medium. The journey is the reward?

I wouldn't worry too much about what Kirk has to say about anything.

This too shall pass.

As shall we.

(Was that angst?)

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Maximum Effort

06:24 Thursday, 1 August 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 75.85°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 93% Wind: 0mph
Words: 127

Put the new boots on the sticks yesterday. Not as straightforward as the round boots, because they have to align with the handles and how you hold the sticks. I'm not sure I've got that dialed in yet.

But, I did get out of bed this morning!

Results somewhat similar to Tuesday's, though I think I had less trouble with landing the poles. I kept my arms more straight and tried to push through more toward the end of the stroke. Not perfect, not graceful, but less bouncy and less noisy.

502 calories, 137 bpm average heart rate, 16'56'' pace. I feel it more in my triceps than in my wrists, which is an improvement, I think.

Anyway... New month. Let's see if this thing works.

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