A Lil “Not-an-Experiment” Quasi-Semi-Sorta Experiment

No protocols for measurement of results, just a combination of procedures from different well-designed-and-conducted (IMO) experiments as presented in several papers downloaded from PubMed, as well as info posted directly on CDC site (no link here; anyone who’d “smarter than a third grader” can find the info for themselves with a simple web search. Not gonna hold hands and be “internet crossing guard” for adults):

Took a used disposable N-95 and (per CDC) subjected it to 170ยฐF temps for 20 minutes (CDC says 165 for 15 mins), after having soaked it in a solution comprised of 75% ethanol, 25% concentrate of a medical-grade disinfectant (compatible with ethanol) that remains after ethanol evaporates.

Stored in disinfected (with above ethanol solution) vacuum sealed bag for use as filtration media–in place of HEPA filtration media-as supplementary filtration in a simple two-layer cloth mask that has the exterior treated with a hydrophobic compound to resist moisture (“droplets” anyone?)

This will be a very slight step down from the HEPA filtration media. . . but is plenty for allergy season. ๐Ÿ™‚

N.B. Will also be just fine for wearing into those stores that “can’t” stay open w/o “masked bandits” for customers.

Ineffable Mysteries

Among life’s ineffable mysteries: The Pet Shop Boys have apparently sold more than 100 million records. ย *mind blown* Words fail.

How can anyone want to even live in a world where that is possible?

Ah, but life is a constant struggle against the absurd, isn’t it?

Perhaps this question is one for theology to address. . .

Commercial Nonsense

“I’m Jimmy Dean, and I wish I could tell you how I feel about a mornin’ like this.”

I wish you could, too, Jimmy, BUT YOU ARE DEAD.

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

Lone star tick, yesterday. I’m eatin’ all the red meat I can while I can. *heh* (Small, small, small chance of developing alpha-gal meat allergy, but I’m gonna test my system to “destruction” just in case. ๐Ÿ™‚ ).

Well, It’s No “Instalaunch” But. . .

A comment I made on another forum got a “thumbs up” from The Puppy Blender–Glenn Reynolds.

Oh, the comment?


I rarely read or hear any critique of Trump’s policies that cannot be summed up as “Orangeman bad! Therefore, this (and everything else he does/has done) is bad!” Classic ad hominem fallacy: dismissing something because of the character or personal circumstances of the person who does/utters it. Or simply because of personal rancor. Oh, I have read/heard rationalizations that purport to be arguments against his policy decisions that attempt to throw enough manure over the ad hominem nature of the fundamental argument being made, but I have read few cogent, sound arguments against most of the things he has done.

To be clear, I voted for neither of the distasteful candidates in 2016, and I find Trump in many ways to be distasteful still (not someone I would, by personal preference, select to join me for a cuppa joe and conversation), but in November, I’ll most likely vote for him, because his actual policies are at least mostly mainstream, and some of them have been better than those of recent presidents–some much better.

I Sometimes Wonder. . .

Whatever became of the lame man who was healed as recorded in Acts 3? He was 40 years old, and his entire livelihood had consisted of begging daily. Once his lameness was healed, what did he do for income?

Ah, he probably got a job with the First Church of Jerusalem. ๐Ÿ™‚

*smh* Too Much Stuff

A reminder that sometimes “too much stuff” can be “just enough stuff” hit me today. Really nice Asus router (just about all the features I want in a router, mid-range price, etc.) had one critical port–the WAN port–die Christmas Eve. Yeh, getting a replacement not happening, and as for contacting Asus support for warranty claim? Nope. And yesterday was taken up with too much to bother with either, so we’ve been down to swapping the ethernet connection to the cable “modem” between devices. . . that have ethernet adapters.

Started seeing my way clear of Xmas stuff (and a break in wood “waste” cleanup) today and was reorganizing some tech equipment. In the Asus router’s box, found a retired cable “modem” (using one that complies with newer standards) and. . . a lil Netgear router that has never been used, a “fell off the back of a truck store” purchase. (Nah, really overstocks and returns place.) Now, I am not a real fan of Netgear routers, and this one is relatively low end, though it does have multiple antennas and two-band radio, so it’s not all that bad.

So, two is one and one is. . . very close to none, but not quite there, yet, and the local network is now fully “WAN-ed up.”

Sometimes, too much stuff is juuuust enough stuff.