In Other News

22:50 Friday, 20 June 2014
Words: 394

It's largely pointless to opine about the things large corporations are doing in pursuit of profits. The only thing that matters in America is money, and the only people who care don't have enough. So it's wiser just to do the best you can to enjoy life while you can. The birds have been scarce, and the foliage does a good job of hiding the ones that are around. But there are insects, and the occasional flower. I'm going to work on getting a dragonfly in flight, but for now, the stationary ones are easiest to capture. The Orchard Weavers have been largely missing in action this year, though a few have begun to make their appearance. A slightly different angle: Similarly, the Spiny Orb Weavers have been in much fewer numbers than previous years. I wonder if its a predator/prey cycle thing? And, of course, the occasional flower. In this case, a Mexican Petunia. There's something reassuring about the apparent indifference of nature, or its equanimity, in the face of our arrogance. Well, except for the weather. Doesn't seem like nature is indifferent about what we've been doing to our planet's atmosphere. But what do I know?

Last Moon of Spring

21:00 Monday, 20 June 2022

Current Wx: Temp: 82.49°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 75% Wind: 5.99mph
Words: 14

✍️ Reply by email

Success

21:05 Monday, 20 June 2022
Current Wx: Temp: 82.49°F Pressure: 1016hPa Humidity: 75% Wind: 5.99mph
Words: 313

Just a couple of more tweaks, but the previous post was created entirely by AppleScript using Photos and Tinderbox.

Right now, I'm still running from Script Debugger because, well, attention to detail and all that.

I'd hoped to do this yesterday, but got overtaken by events and I really have other things I should be doing right now, but I just wanted to get this done.

My first attempt failed because in my Sandbox mockup, the script didn't seem to need or want the .tbx file extension on the document name. So I omitted it in the production script.

It wanted the .tbx extension.

Second attempt failed. Gah!

Stepping through Script Debugger, it's failing at finding the path of the new note. I don't see anything obvious.

Take a breath.

Look again.

Still nothing.

Okay, I head over to the forum to ask for help. I didn't want to upload the marmot for people to poke at, so I tried describing what I was observing as I ran Script Debugger. Then I realized I could make a screen recording and perhaps they could see what I was missing.

So I set up Quicktime Player to record the screen with narration. Hit record and start the little demo.

As I'm walking my potential viewers through what I'm observing, I finally observed what was right before my eyes the whole time!

I omitted the 2022 from the June archive note. Because of course it's June 2022!

Attention to detail. It'll get you every time.

Anyway, a few things left. I'm beginning to think I may be able to automate the whole workflow, such that I just select a photo I want to post and then start the automation and the whole thing proceeds hands-off from there. From Photos to the marmot on the web, just like IG or Twitter.

Scary.

But, kind of exciting.

✍️ Reply by email

One More Thing

21:21 Monday, 20 June 2022
Current Wx: Temp: 83.3°F Pressure: 1018hPa Humidity: 72% Wind: 11.5mph
Words: 26

My internet of things issue seems to be resolved for now, though I don't have a great deal of confidence.

I'll worry about that next month.

✍️ Reply by email

Viewing

19:56 Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Wx: Temp: 71.56°F Pressure: 1007hPa Humidity: 91% Wind: 13.8mph
Words: 284

We watched Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves last night. I guess Hasbro is trying to use its IP to build a movie franchise. I have no opinion on that. But the movie was entertaining. Just enough sly winks to make you feel like you're in on it without turning it into a farce.

Monday night we watched Maggie Moore(s), which was entertaining, though I think difficult to pin down. Dark comedy? Not great cinéma, but you can watch it and not feel like you were cheated out of your time.

In series TV, I stumbled on Deadloch on Prime and it's hysterical. Apparently it's in its first run, because you can't stream the whole thing yet. If it sounds appealing, wait a few weeks so you can binge watch it. It's a bit rude, crude and absurd but it makes me laugh more than any show about a serial killer should. My only complaint is they speak Aussie so fast, and over each other, that the subtitles blow by quicker than I can read them.

We've been watching High Desert on Apple TV+ and I'm ambivalent about it. I don't like any of the characters, but I find it's just fascinating watching Roseanna Arquette. She is what keeps me watching the show. It feels more sad than funny. Maybe it's supposed to?

Finally, we watched Take Care of Maya on Netflix yesterday afternoon. It's a documentary and I'd encourage anyone to watch it, and read some of the coverage about the case. It's tragic and infuriating; and while the things it's documenting don't exclusively happen in Florida, it's so very Florida.

You'll need to watch something else after, hence D&D above.

✍️ Reply by email

Take In All Lines

05:03 Thursday, 20 June 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 77.83°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 84% Wind: 10.36mph
Words: 649

We'll be underway in just over an hour. I'll shut down the iMac and be posting from the 14" MBP for the next month or so.

Packing for a trip like this remains a challenge, mostly with regard to camera gear because I have so much to choose from, and inevitably I'll wish I had something at some point while we're away.

I'm bringing the OM-1 and the E-M1X as the only two interchangeable lens cameras. For lenses, the 12-45mm/f4 as a small walkabout and the 12-100/f4 as a large walkabout. The 40-150/f2.8 for possible birds, bugs and astro, and the 100-400mm for birds (and the moon). Primes include the 8mm/f1.8 fisheye for star trails, Milky Way and wide-angle interior shots using in-camera de-fishing; and the 17mm/f1.2 for possible aurora. I'll also have the MC14 teleconverter, though I'm just now thinking I should add the MC20. Hmmmm...

I have the Cotton Carrier G3 for the big zooms, and I'll use a sling with the 12-45 and the FE.

I went a little nuts on compact cameras. Into a small bag I have stuffed an XZ-1, XZ-2, Stylus 1s, TG6 and LX7. Three of those will charge in-camera, the other two (LX7 and Stylus 1s) required bringing along a charger, alas. It was mostly a case of I couldn't make up my mind, so I brought all of them. Left behind are the XZ-10, Fujufilm XQ1 and Pentax MX1.

A few filters, a flash, a couple of tripods, well, four tripods including the little ones, and an assortment of USB-C, micro USB and Oly proprietary USB cords.

I remembered this morning that I'm going to want to wear a light, long-sleeved shirt today. Driving north in the afternoon will have the sun beating on my left arm and it gets quite uncomfortable. I'm happy I remembered that.

The car is nearly all packed, just the perishables we're taking along and a few items I've just recalled.

I wish I enjoyed travel more. That is, I wish I enjoyed getting ready to travel more. In the days leading up to a trip, I'm just a mess. I feel like I can't start anything because there's no time to finish it before I have to leave, whether that's for a weekend or a month. There's just this overall feeling of dread. Once I'm on the road or at our destination, I'm fine. But I really struggle in the days before departure.

We're visiting friends and family for the first week before we arrive at the Finger Lakes. Because the prices have spiked so much for rentals, we're not spending the whole time with a view of the lake. The first two weeks are at a rural home with a creek running alongside it. I'd hoped for clear horizons, but it looks surrounded with trees. The last week is in a small cottage on Seneca Lake, which should be charming but I'm definitely going to miss the views we had from the places with more elevation. Florida is claustrophobic, and elevation is a cure for that. I'll have views driving around and hiking, but it was always just so refreshing to wake up in the morning overlooking a lake. Expansive. Like the world isn't closing in.

But, despite our relative wealth and privilege, those sorts of things are increasingly exclusively available to the more wealthy and more privileged. I suppose we could have rented a place with a view for a shorter period. Maybe that's the answer if we ever do something like this again.

And, of course, we're heading up north to escape the Florida heat (and insanity).

It's cooler in Florida as I write than it is in New York.

So it goes. Next stop, DC. Wish us safe travels.

✍️ Reply by email

Weather

12:04 Friday, 20 June 2025
Current Wx: Temp: 71.55°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 69% Wind: 15.19mph
Words: 641

Well alrighty then, I seem to have the weather data corrected. I still need to clean up and make some notes for myself about how this works, but it's kludged together for now.

It's been busy around Winterfell. "Summer is coming," but it's been raining a lot.

I had committed to speaking to some prospective midshipmen at their "New Plebe Welcome Party," as a member of their counterpart class. This is a part of a program called Another Link In The Chain, where members of the class fifty years preceding work with and mentor the current class.

Most of that activity takes place at the academy, but they try to introduce the new plebes to the concept before they report to Annapolis. So I won't be interacting much with them going forward, but I had an opportunity to give them my perspective on the academy experience and life in the navy from fifty years later.

Kind of a "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come" sort of thing.

Well, the party was being held in Batavia, New York and that's about two hours from here.

When you're not dealing with flash flood warnings.

To make a long story short, Maps was routing us around the warning areas and we spent another hour in the car overall. Driving home was challenging, on back country roads in the dark with rain falling. My windshield wipers sucked, and my nascent cataracts weren't helping with their internal reflections.

But we made it home safely, if thoroughly exhausted. I put new wipers on yesterday, and applied Rain-X to the windshield. Should help going forward.

The amazing thing was the Maverick got 47.3 mpg on that trip. I'd filled up at BJ's in Ithaca the day before, and we were down to about half a tank by the time we got home, so I filled up again yesterday. The round trip for the talk was over 200 miles, and some of it was at highway speeds. Color me impressed.

We bought a propane grill at BJ's and Mitzi and I assembled it yesterday. We'd done something similar six years ago when we moved into Del Webb, and I employed some of the lessons learned from that experience.

We put it together in the garage, instead of out in the sun. (It was pretty warm yesterday.) But the biggest improvement was using a folding table as a work surface to assemble all the various pieces of the base. The actual grill box itself comes pre-assembled, but you have to put together the base that it rests on and encloses the propane tank. It's much easier to work on that standing up, rather than sitting on the ground.

The thing is a cheap piece of crap, but it should last a couple of years until we get the new house built and try to find something more durable and permanent.

I've been pulling more t-posts and fencing. I called the place that handles waste disposal transfers, and I'm told that they should take the wire. It'll probably take me a few trips because it's pretty bulky rolled up. I'll try to get as many bundles in the truck as I can, but I'm pretty sure it's going to take at least two trips.

I'd hoped to have the job done by now, but I'm only about halfway through. I don't mind the work, but I'm finding I'm not very good at estimating the amount of time and effort.

Mitzi and I walked about four tenths of a mile down the hill, and so we had to walk four tenths of a mile back up. Only about 160 feet of elevation gain, but my calves had something to say about it this morning. Just a reminder that Florida is flat!

Anyway, still a lot of work to do.

✍️ Reply by email