I gotta plump Micro$oft program on my laptop that pops up and urges me to upgrade to Windows 10 every other day. My children tell me Win 10 doesn't offer anything except a faster video interface for games. I gave up on games after Adventure, and that was a long time ago. The Internet tells me Win 10 sends your username and password to Micro$oft for use in cracking your computer. Past experience tells me that each new Windows runs slower and sucks up more RAM and disk than the previous one.
Anyone got any good experiences with Win 10?
Friday, January 1, 2016
Another year down
2015 is not gonna be my favorite year. The stock market slide sucked value out of my retirement savings. The economy still sucks. We still have Obama pissing in the soup. We have ISIS terrorists killing in California. We still have global warmers trying to force us all back into a Hiawatha lifestyle.
On the other hand, it could be worse. My health is still good. My three children are all graduated from college, gainfully employed, and doing well.
2016 looks to be a year of pure presidential politicking, non stop, ad nauseum. Newsies love this story because it is so simple that even they can understand it. All they have to do is read poll results over the air and make a few obvious comments. My big fear is the Republicans (aka the stupid party) may screw up and loose to Hillary in November.
On the other hand, it could be worse. My health is still good. My three children are all graduated from college, gainfully employed, and doing well.
2016 looks to be a year of pure presidential politicking, non stop, ad nauseum. Newsies love this story because it is so simple that even they can understand it. All they have to do is read poll results over the air and make a few obvious comments. My big fear is the Republicans (aka the stupid party) may screw up and loose to Hillary in November.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Feel the Bern. Suppose Bernie wins the NH primary?
This is not impossible according to polls. Bernie is the next door Senator, he has plenty of name recognition. Who knows what it would do to the Democratic nomination race?
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Toasters, the last 65 years of progress
65 years ago my father brought home a new GE two slice pop up toaster. It toasted for my family, my grandmother's family, my brother's family, and was turning out beautiful golden brown toast up until last year. At which point one heating element opened up and went dark. I took it apart and spliced the nichrome wire with a bit of brass tubing crimped with vicegrips. That kept her going for another year, when another heating element died. I couldn't fix that one. So ho, off to Wally Mart and a brand new Black and Decker toaster.
Well, it came in a nice Ferrari Racing Red plastic case and it had bigger toast slots that could accept that big country white bread, and bagels. Had a special button for bagels, and another for "frozen". Trouble is, the damn thing stopped toasting over Christmas, when I had five house guests up for Christmas. Service life less than half a year, as opposed to the GE which lasted 65 years.
Since it was still shiny and new, I took it apart. Problem was the toaster tray hold down. Magnetic it was, an electro magnet on a PC board pulled on a steel lug on the pop up mechanism. One, just one toast crumb had fallen on, and stuck to, the magnet pole piece and prevented the magnet from sucking hard enough on the steel lug to keep the handle down. A pass with the shop vac got the crumbs under control, and a wipe with a rag got the stickum off, and it worked on the bench. It even worked after I replaced the cover. We shall see how long it lasts. It is in a benign environment, no small children, just me using it.
Wanna bet it doesn't last for 65 years? GE never should have sold it's small appliance division to Black and Decker.
Well, it came in a nice Ferrari Racing Red plastic case and it had bigger toast slots that could accept that big country white bread, and bagels. Had a special button for bagels, and another for "frozen". Trouble is, the damn thing stopped toasting over Christmas, when I had five house guests up for Christmas. Service life less than half a year, as opposed to the GE which lasted 65 years.
Since it was still shiny and new, I took it apart. Problem was the toaster tray hold down. Magnetic it was, an electro magnet on a PC board pulled on a steel lug on the pop up mechanism. One, just one toast crumb had fallen on, and stuck to, the magnet pole piece and prevented the magnet from sucking hard enough on the steel lug to keep the handle down. A pass with the shop vac got the crumbs under control, and a wipe with a rag got the stickum off, and it worked on the bench. It even worked after I replaced the cover. We shall see how long it lasts. It is in a benign environment, no small children, just me using it.
Wanna bet it doesn't last for 65 years? GE never should have sold it's small appliance division to Black and Decker.
May be the Iraqi's can fight after all.
Looks like they took Ramadi, driving out a determined ISIS defense force. That takes some doing, a built up area is just one solid mass of firing points and good cover. When the defenders stick to their guns, advancing into a built up area is very tough. So the Iraqi's did it, which says their Army is in better shape than this spring when ISIS drove them out of Ramadi.
The Iraqi's are giving some of the credit to effective close air support from USAF. Certainly a few 750 pound smart bombs in the right places can make a lotta difference.
The Iraqi's are giving some of the credit to effective close air support from USAF. Certainly a few 750 pound smart bombs in the right places can make a lotta difference.
Cannon Mountain Ski Weather
Not great. We got some snow yesterday but after two inches down on my deck, it turned to sleet, freezing rain, and some just plain rain. Temperature has dropped back below freezing and I can hear the snow guns running right now. It will help, but the mountain needs a lot more snow to be really good. Right now Cannon is open, just a few trails, and pretty much all manmade snow. It's skiable, but we are all hoping for more snow.
Pataki hangs it up.
About time. I set up an event for him at the Littleton VFW, and NOBODY came. He seems like a nice guy and all, but what ever it is that attracts presidential voters, he doesn't have. Him pulling out does clear the underbrush a tiny bit.
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