Monthly Archives: August 2015

The choice would be between two unpleasant alternatives. Last week I complained about the lack of cooling storms. That very afternoon the storm returned, lightning struck the Lair and let all the smoke out of my beautiful free big inverter. … Continue reading →

But I at least had the decency to bring my own knife. Here’s the setup. These two Muslim ‘asylum-seekers,’ whatever that is but let it go, are shopping at the big Ikea store in Stockholm – which must be absolutely … Continue reading →

Swiped from Wendy McElroy, just because I thought it was funny.

Spontaneous regeneration of an electronic component. For the last week I’ve been getting my morning and evening voltage reading by poking the back of the display with a multimeter. Last night when I did it, I noticed a strange blue … Continue reading →

Happened to be in a Home Depot this afternoon, in the big town about 50 miles away. For obvious reasons I’m not exactly on the cutting edge of societal trends, but even I have noticed that the big box store … Continue reading →

This chaps my ass, to be truthful. I have no reason to want to go to the big town about 50 miles away, where I will piss away my whole day in the back seat of a pickup while my … Continue reading →

It’s not much, but it’s home. And my work hours are highly dependent on the weather and the season. Winters, you won’t see me at all much before ten. Dry summer, I like to work in the morning and evening, … Continue reading →

The latest from the fun folks at InRange. Conclusion: Can you hack the TrackingPoint system. Yes. Sort of. Under peculiar circumstances. You can hit it with a big hammer, too, which would be simpler. Also, see a severely sleep-deprived Karl … Continue reading →

I’ve talked many times about how neighbors have come to my rescue, in ways large and small. Makes me feel good when I can be of a little use myself. Neighbor D is getting ready to put the last coat … Continue reading →

Oh, what a shock. So you heard about that EPA ‘cleanup’ team that cleaned out ‘a million gallons’ of toxic waste from an old mine by dumping it into this river in Colorado, turning it the color of Donald Trump’s … Continue reading →

My older brother sent me an email with a thought I hadn’t considered… In the alternative energy world, it’s important to “right size” every part of your system. I think you are going to find that your new little inverter … Continue reading →

Please, please stop sunning yourselves in the middle of the road. Seriously. I’ve killed at least three over the years, and have gone to reckless lengths to avoid killing others. Today I met one on a steep slope… …so steep … Continue reading →

The thing about this photo I find hilarious is that they’re all so pleased with themselves. As if they not only wish you to believe they’ve done something good, something forward-marching, for the children, vanguard of hope and change and … Continue reading →

Baking day today. Back in June I wrote a couple of posts about some bread flour somebody gave me, that had very bad results. In the comment thread of one of those posts somebody suggested King Arthur brand bread flour, … Continue reading →

My Plan B inverter, which I have nurtured and kept safe and dry for years, overheated and failed within two hours. 🙁 My yard is starting to look like Cape Kennedy. Fortunately there’s Plan C, which is more of a … Continue reading →

It’s one of the terrors of the high desert, and one of the reasons I wanted to build down in the hollow. Neighbors J&H and D&L, having built on ridgetops, have each been struck several times, and each have spent … Continue reading →

Here are the titles of two study reports I did not make up: “Escaping from Children’s Abuse of Social Robots,” and “Why Do Children Abuse Robots?” Prediction: In the future, autonomous robots will hate and fear human children. Fortunately the … Continue reading →

The radio talks of a high-pressure center keeping things dry, which in August means it got hot. And relatively dry. I don’t mind the heat, really, I do live in a desert. But oh how I miss the evening breeze … Continue reading →

Yes, there is a pit filled with the bones of roasted children, but it’s been there for years. There are reports of a convention of Planned Parenthood officials held in the area some time ago. And that busload of cheerleaders … Continue reading →