I relearned how to walk (well, learned how to wak under some circumstances) from Natty Bumpo and Hawk-Eye when I was nine.
Thank you James Fenimore Cooper.
FYI: Just for Those Who Do Halloween Stuff
Be warned:
“Orange and Black is a registered trademark of the Black abd Decker Corporation”
Now you know.
*sigh* Well-Intentioned, Poorly-Executed
Looked at an email-based Bible study, after reading a couple of reviews and snippets. First installment came with “course” spelled “cource,” and several factual errors in the content. (One, for example claimed that “psalm translates from Greek, meaning ‘instrumental music’.” No, “psalmos” = “a song sung to harp accompaniment.” This was just one of several boo-boos) Not a good sign. . . *sigh*
Oh, well. I can just read the suggested passages and skim or ignore the study guide.
All Good Things. . .
. . .must come to an end, I suppose. But good endings of good things are a good thing to shoot for.
Back about 10 months ago, I found a pretty nice rice cooker at my fav “fell off the back of a truck” store *wink-wink-nudge-nudge* (really just cheap stuff, returns, and salvage, etc.) for a dirt cheap price–less than a fourth of the price I found the same item for at Amazon. The return notice on it said it didn’t work, so I got a promise I could return it of it dod not. Took it home, set it up, and. . . it didn’t work.
Hmmm. One of “Pournelle’s Laws” states that 80% of computer problems are bad connections (paraphrasing), and I’ve found that applies pretty well with just about anything electrical, so. . . I went to one of my tubs of cables and cords (yes, ONE of them) and selected a known-good cord of the same kind as came with the unit, and the thing has worked well for the past 10 months.
But. The pot started flaking bits of the PTFE coating. Bad pot. Bad, bad pot! I used parchment paper to line the bottom and continued using it for a little while, but I just haven’t felt all that good about it. Now, do note that I rarely used it for cooking rice. I mostly just used it as a sort of “instapot” to cook all kinds of meals, so. . .
Replaced it today with a “pressure air fryer” that has auto settings for rice, chicken, beef, fish, stew, sauteeing, air frying, steaming, slow cooking, yogurt making, and sous vide cooking. Between this thing, the induction plates I really enjoy using, and our lil countertop convection oven, I may need our range/oven only once a year, assuming I actually decide I want to cook a turkey for a holiday meal.
First time: tonight’s meal is around some “air fried” hamburgers. Simple. Worked a charm.
Sometimes, It’s Just a Matter of Living Long Enough (and not losing all memory of earlier years *heh*)
Interesting premise for a novel, and pretty well-written. Because of the premise (1930s alternate universe where magic and 1930s tech similar to our own coexist), many things are just easily taken as given, such as money values, clothing styles, etc., but when a guy uses a dime to pay for a coin-operated phone call, I was momentarily taken aback, since I can recall placing calls as a kid in the late 1950s using a nickel.
Of course, different “universe”/timeline, but still it did give me momentary pause.
About That HIvemind Myth of Rampant “Gun Violence”
Yes, I said “myth.” In fact, in 2013, gun violence was at its lowest point–in a steadily decreasing occurrence–since 1993, and the trend has continued even as gun ownership has increased. That is not to say that gun violence has abated uniformly across the country. No, some of locales with the most restrictive gun laws are also where the most gun violence occurs.
In fact, one can almost take all the “anti-gun” talking points and directly refute them with facts, readily available to ordinary people. So, why do the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind and various anti-gun groups and individuals promote more restrictive policies that have no rational basis? Well, many are just (self-made) useful idiots adopting irrational ideas based on fiction as an emotional response to Hivemind media and political manipulation. But why the manipulation via lies and purely emotional appeals to begin with? To any thinking person, the answer is obvious: because the ends of the manipulators cannot be served by truth and reason.
Here Are 8 Stubborn Facts on Gun Violence in America Here are the bullet points, but do read the whole thing:
- Violent crime is down and has been on the decline for decades.
- The principal public safety concerns with respect to guns are suicides and illegally owned handguns, not mass shootings.
- A small number of factors significantly increase the likelihood that a person will be a victim of a gun-related homicide.
- Gun-related murders are carried out by a predictable pool of people.
- Higher rates of gun ownership are not associated with higher rates of violent crime.
- There is no clear relationship between strict gun control legislation and homicide or violent crime rates.
- Legally owned firearms are used for lawful purposes much more often than they are used to commit crimes or suicide.
- Concealed carry permit holders are not the problem, but they may be part of the solution.
(Further development and links to sources at the article)
The crux of the matter is that those advancing the myths about “gun violence” need scared people reacting irrationally to false facts in order to advance more and more government control over individuals’ lives. “Gun violence” scare tactics serve the same purpose as whatever drug du jour scare tactics to: calls for more government intervention. (Yeh, the “opiod crisis” is another manufactured crisis intended to keep pumping up fear and calls for more control, and so far the “war on opiods” seems to do more harm than good, making it increasingly difficult for doctors to prescribe pain meds that are legitimately needed.)
Just always keep in mind: any government action that does not protect actual individual rights is almost assuredly an illegitimate power grab and a violation of individual rights. Period.
“Pro” Tip
If you live in a jurisdiction where “one party” recording rules apply, whenever interacting with any “authority figure,” record the interaction. If the interaction is with a LEO, record it no matter what (1st Amendment and due process protections should apply, at least according to some recent federal court decisions). Just in case, ya know.
Oh, and having one’s own dash cam? Great idea. I got lucky once, about 30 years ago, and had a judge who was very familiar with a particular stop sign (it was in his neighborhood and he stopped at it all the time) and KNEW the LEO could NOT have seen what he testified he saw.
Faster Internet? Don’t Need It
What I do need is a sensible approach to data transfers that has no caps or so-called “allowances.” What my ISP has done for the past couple of years is first institute a cap, or “allowance,” on my data usage, and then, all too often, either screw up tracking it or just flat out fake larger uses than I have recorded on my network logs. By a lot. Sometimes almost double.
After bitching about it over and over and over again, the last couple of months usage, according to my ISP, have fallen more or less in line with my record of my network usage.
And no, there have been no “leeches” piggybacking on my wireless network. Highest level of encryption; extremely strong password; AND network records detailing WHO has used the network: no, no leeches, ever.
I’m almost to the point of ditching cable internet entirely and going with a slower, “no caps” DSL that doesn’t have my Wonder Woman’s TV shows available, just to get away from the crap my cable company dumps on us. One small technical issue is a bump (our home telco wiring is Cat5E, properly wired, and I have to instruct the telco guys each time they come by with their own idiosyncratic “baling wire and chewing gum standard.” *sigh* At least they got the fiber to the house FINALLY configured correctly for the phone).
I think I could put up with the technical “bubba standards” and the slower “speeds” for no data caps, though. Thinking about it. . .
Sometimes, it’s the little things, ya know?
*smh* at an otherwise quite competent writer who committed two wrongs in a recent work: consistently misusing “surly” when meaning “surEly” and failing to hire a competent proofreader (or editor). Apart from that consistent error, this particular piece is actually pretty good. Still. . . it’s little things like this that irk–sometimes more than major gaffs.
Plus ça change. . .
Strategizing my day.
Years ago, in my last 9-to-5 and spent a lot of time warming a seat in front of a computer, I used a one-cup coffee warmer because, while I needed coffee in copious amounts, I tended to be a “distracted drinker.” *heh*
Nowadays, that same effect has me drinking my last half of a mug cold. Switching to smaller mugs is fairly effective, though, and has cut down on my tendency to be distracted by computer time sinks from tasks I’ve assigned myself, since I reach the bottom of a cup more quickly and have to get up for a refill.