
Captain’s Log…
It is now day 20 of the Government Shutdown, no work order. My wife escaped the last RIF announced last week. She confirmed it by logging in to her .gov email and not seeing anyone send her a pink slip.
”If they didn’t want you working why did they give you access to your email?”
”Shut up.”
it is the middle of the day, and every goddamn light is on in the house. Why? She’s cleaning. I was asked to identify an absurdly tiny screw. Likely for eyeglasses but she wanted it out of the junk drawer. The old AA and AAA batteries she refuses to throw away on environmental concerns remain in the drawer… There are stacks of old board games strewn throughout my living room. The oven is going off again, likely with the third batch of brownies she made this week. I’m getting tired of brownies….
¡enlaces!
We’re entering a brave new world of drone attacks. An enterprising individual can make a killing by selling some sort of 12 ga load to disable a drone. Sure it will really just be regular old BB game loads but they market it for drone defense like those Zombie loads.
“The Orange Man called me names!” – Colombian Presidente
Drug boats, submarines, whatever bomb them all.
The usual suspects are whinging about right wing South Americans again.
Argentina nears its mid-term election this week. Does ¡AFUERA! have legs?
Lets play the shoe is on the other foot game. What if Bolsonaro did it? Would the reaction be different?
Why Johnny Cash? I ask why not?

How is that possible?
Maybe they’re not “that kind” of brownies.
So he’s just tired of re-hash-ing the same old thing?
Yes, even thought it was a token of his wife’s affection.
This day is just dragging on, and it’s overcast and rainy out. Some special brownies and me on the couch the rest of the day would be amazing.
Because this is Mexican Sharpshooter, OMWC does the weekend links.
👏 Golf 👏 Clap 👏
Throw in a few girl scouts for variety.
How? Just tired of eating brownies but more importantly tired of washing brownie pans and mixing bowls.
But many conservationists have raised concerns about plans, including fears that any oil spills would be in proximity, via sea currents, to the Amazon, which is home to around 10% of the world’s known species.
That oil is going to magically flow upstream?
Shut up and stop interfering with the grift by citing reality! Reality doesn’t even have a degree or peer review!
The tropical heat will cause the oil to evaporate and fall as rain?
Even worse, it might help enrich the people who are still living in the stone age nearby.
That oil is going to magically flow upstream?
Not magically, but yeah. Rivers like the Amazon have two major sections: tidal and freshwater. The tidal section, as the name implies, has tides which means water does flow upstream to some degree. The demarcation point is called the fall line. Above that the water is fresh and not subject to tidal flow. For example, the fall line of the James River is in Richmond, many river miles inland from where the James empties into the Chesapeake bay.
At least 500 miles inland for the Amazon, according to this article.
I thought about making a joke saying drill near the Orinoco instead, but one of the voices in my head said “Shpip, you don’t have it Enya.”
Really Shpip — I thought you were a real wild child…
If he was a real wild child, we would have to call him Shpop.
Brownies are good,
Bird shot is cheap
If only we were so lucky in the U.S.
As a gringo, this just does not compute. Unless they are made exactly the same way every single time, which is boring and dull.
As the man of the house, you need to let out a Tarzan yell and demand Blondies,. Unless you don’t like Blondies. In which case I got nothing.
I thought you only had Blondies after a Dagwood sandwich…
I think Debbie Harry is a bit old for OMWC.
https://www.lilys.com/products/lilys-peanut-butter-flavor-baking-chips-9-oz-bag.html
Needs moar peanut butter chips, not Blondies.
Erythritol gives me the shits, like bad. I found this out having what I thought was a small serving of no sugar added ice cream. So those would still turn into brownies sooner than later.
Odd, that’s the one that doesn’t bother me.
Because he drugged his blackmailing wife so he wouldn’t be prosecuted? But he was pretty good with a hand made parachute.
Seems like a guy could win in this country running on roughly the same platform. Of course, the courts would try to block him at every turn, but….
I give it a year or two before he’s ushered out of office by all the usual suspects who want their grift back.
Ooh, shiny
OpenAI on Tuesday announced ChatGPT Atlas, a new artificial intelligence-powered web browser.
The company said Atlas looks and feels similar to existing browsers, but is built around OpenAI’s generative chatbot ChatGPT. That means users will be able to access ChatGPT to create summaries, ask questions and complete tasks as they navigate across any page on the web.
“We think that AI represents a rare once-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be about,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said during a livestream on Tuesday.
Will it have voice recognition, so you can playact your Starship Enterprise fantasies?
Only if it involves all my Tasha Yar fantasies.
Holosuites by Quark
Tasha Yar drowned in tar,
Ended her trek from star to star.
Why am I getting the strong feeling that the MSM is spinning yarns in an attempt to usher in another glorious age of socialism?
That just what they do?
Goddammit
Link attempt number 2.
I want less AI in my browser, not more. Search the words I ask, don’t make assumptions about what I must really mean instead of the words, and let me use simple logic commands like find x and y but not Z like used to work. This is all I ask.
No no no Jar, you see this is NEW.
I miss altavista
Ahh, the government gave the government permission to do something that the government wanted to do.
Big government advocates hardest hit.
Procedures were followed.
Atlas also has an agent mode, which means that ChatGPT can take actions for users and complete tasks like booking reservations, flights, shopping or editing a document.
“It’s got all your stuff, it’s clicking around for you, you can watch it,” Altman said. “You don’t have to, but it’s really — it’s using the internet for you.”
Why do I assume it will come back with the equivalent of a dog bringing you an old shit covered boot?
Or major drunken
shoppingvacation opportunities.I booked WHAT?!?!?
One way trip to Mogadishu! Have fun…
I’m predicting more stories about kids ordering $5000 in Legos.
Or, going to Nigeria, thinking it has a city named after the toys!
“Oh hell no….”
Give a third-party, who know’s how coded app my data *and* my credit cards? Pull the other one, AI assholes….
It already stole the numbers from your bank’s cloud backup with Amazon Data Services. No need for you in the loop at all.
You don’t even need to watch. Just let it go. It will read all your news sites, update your social media, and make purchases for you.
“The old AA and AAA batteries she refuses to throw away on environmental concerns remain in the drawer…”
I won’t ask where her batteries came from, but around here the garbage company will collect them for you if you put them in a plastic bag on top of the garbage can. Of course they probably just toss them in with the rest of the trash, but my conscience is clear.
Like I do now.
Batteries are eco-friendly! This is known! They contain minerals, so they are good for wildlife.
They have what plants crave.
Yes, good for crops!
At least there is not a bunch of dead D batteries.
I have an old Yamaha keyboard that uses 6 Ds when its portable, heavy….
The dead C cells are under the night stand.
Our Walmart will take old batteries, and also the plastic grocery bags the tend to accumulate under our kitchen sink.
Or, and I am not necessarily recommending this, you can get a slingshot and head to the nearest No Kings event with them.
Donate to Philly sports fans.
FFS just throw them away, its not like they’re florescent tubes….
…which I also just throw away.
After I break them first…
just because
Also just because
Is there some nominative determinism with that last name?
I expected this.
I thought that was a joke ad, it’s not, it’s a real product.
Where Are We At With The Harman Curve?
For you audio geeks. The Harman curve is the most well studied frequency preference curve for headphone listening. My personal preference is this curve with a small bit of bass boost below 100Hz.
I use Sennheiser hd 206s for recording and production, no adjustments at all, they work great.
For recording most people use different cans compared to mixing.
Recording you want closed back and no leakage. Most players want more midrange to play along with.
On the mix people use a variety including the Senn 650s that I have and really like.
I’m thinking about an effective anti-drone shotgun load. Something like a #7.5 skeet load would probably be effective at close range and would down the drone by breaking propellers, airframe damage,etc.
A weighted net would probably also work but would be best dropped from above, such as from another drone.
Note that the FAA gets a bit snippy about anyone shooting anything at any type of airborne vehicle.
Well you can always jam them… oh wait that means the FCC…
I’m not shooting at the vehicle. I’m shooting at the equipment it is carrying.
I want a motion tracking, 5kW laser.
And popcorn! Lots of it! A house full!
There’s no such thing as overkill.
Why take chances?
Overkill: https://youtu.be/BwJbu_llZGY
MOAR OVERKILL.
Here let me.
And let’s not forget https://youtu.be/MlzTET_8SQg
No overkill like a wave overkill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty-1zWsXFNs
No overkill like a wave overkill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty-1zWsXFNs
It was not squirrels, it was a dog….
Two duplicate posts are overkill. Resist the urge.
Overkill, possibly bleeding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww-f4glTOdw&list=RDww-f4glTOdw&start_radio=1
Battle bots figured out how to take out a drone. Use a rake!!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dZDsLaKI3M4
I remember that. It was brilliant. 😁👍
Some Russian experiment. https://funker530.com/video/russians-test-anti-drone-rifle-cartridges
More adventures in shipping! This time with USPS.
Ordered two t-shirts online a while back (direct from a company website, not through Amazon). Today I received one shirt in a torn up package re-wrapped in a USPS bag printed with a ‘sorry bout ur package we feel totes bad about it lol’ note.
This one has a happy ending though, I emailed the company, they responded immediately, had them send me a photo of the label so they could open a case with USPS, and are sending me another shirt. Everything resolved in about 8 minutes.
Er, had me send them a photo of the label, rather.
I had weird Amazon adventure this last week.
I’ve had a few things that I returned because they were not what I thought I ordered. I swore I ordered a pair of 2.5” reflectors, got 3”. Checked the order history and it said 3”. ok I screwed up.
Last week I ordered a tube of black seam sealer.
Open the box, it’s beige. wtf? Check thenorder history it said beige.
They retconned my order full well knowing they sent me the wrong item.
Weird as hell.
Don’t know if this was posted already about the AWS outage, but this is hilarious.
https://x.com/zimm3rmann/status/1980491408948572167
tldr: Some company sells a “smart bed” which heats or cools as you sleep. Of course, the beds stopped working during the AWS outage because, as with everything these days, it requires an app and a $200/year subscription and a constant connection to The Cloud where it sends 16Gb of data per month. Instead of, you know, just having a couple of buttons to set the temperature.
I read that earlier today.
https://www.tumblr.com/hitchhikersguidequotes/14201204582/no-arthur-said-look-its-very-very-simple
*head meets desk*
It’s so, utterly predictable. I purposefully want tech out of most of my life, or at least added in after the beta test and shit kinda sorta works. Smartphones came out in ’07 when I was in college and I didn’t get one until ~2012, two years *after* moving to Korea.
In hindsight, that’s an instance when that tech *would* have been insanely useful. Although I was kinda forcing myself to have to explore on my own. And that shit, maps and translation+, *did* need to get sorted. Sensei mentioned Papago the other day – DAMN that shit is *so* fucking helpful, useful.
Why add others’ eyes on your shit? When I *want* attention, I go out of my way to *seek* it. I don’t want some fucking gizmo brain changing my house lights, temp, checkin’ my fridge (commenting on my dietary habits), minding my (resplendent) stool deposits, nothing. (Or very little.)
The subscription market hasn’t figured itself out, yet. Upcoming, also predictable course: DNA-based IDs, with all our services, bank info and schedules all synced up to a quick bio-scan. We’re already at fingerprints + face. Every govt is eeking with joy at The People proudly, happily giving such info to the Clouds. (‘It’s just so damn convenient! Shyeaah!’) People will be incentivized to become the first, and’ll be rewarded handsomely for it. ‘Influencers!’)
So identical twins become single individuals with two bodies? They have the same DNA after all.
IIRC there was a big, real-life murder case featuring that curveball.
In such cases, you find the differences in their character. OBV, the bad one did it. Cuz, duh. Look at ‘im.
Rivers like the Amazon have two major sections: tidal and freshwater. The tidal section, as the name implies, has tides which means water does flow upstream to some degree.
I knew about the tidal effect. Didn’t know it goes so far.
What is the likely concentration? That quote makes it sound like there will be an Exxon Valdez level contamination the entire length of the river.
Lets play the shoe is on the other foot game. What if Bolsonaro did it? Would the reaction be different?
THAT’S DIFFERENT!!!11111!!1!!!!111!11!1
Crazy scores in the champions league.
Nil-nil isn’t crazy. 😉
One of the FAST channels had the Eindhoven-Napoli game, so I watched that instead of being subjected to an EPL team. Entertaining, although it wasn’t the best of days for Sergiño Dest.
Time for a musical interlude, ’70s soul style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lH2G7JvFeg&list=PLhi4FZZmmnmz_GcI7CB-w2x-46dO5aXld&index=1
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO6DlVhp-Tw&list=PLhi4FZZmmnmz_GcI7CB-w2x-46dO5aXld&index=25
I’ve really been digging this one.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_NqCszJw6Y&list=RDY_NqCszJw6Y&start_radio=1&pp=ygUXYWNkYyBzb3VsIGJhY2sgaW4gYmxhY2ugBwE%3D
Nice! There is a soul version of Kiss’s Born for loving you that is waaay better than the original, worth checking out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujFZ7Bhwwc&list=PLhi4FZZmmnmz_GcI7CB-w2x-46dO5aXld&index=6
It just screams Motown.
Haha. Awesome one. I love Motown and classic soul so I can’t get enough of them. Really dig this one of Faith No More.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qWrDi23XDjI&list=RDqWrDi23XDjI&start_radio=1&pp=ygUcQWkgc291bCBjb3ZlciBmYWl0aCBubyBtb3JlIKAHAQ%3D%3D
Oooh! So my Evanessence isn’t evanescent, nor the subpar band that tried to steal My Power, ‘news’ from Evansville!
Don Mattingly is by far Eville’s biggest name, and as a coach for Toronto, he’s headin’ to the World Series for the first time in his career! I’m responsible for all things, and also for this. Unless, natch, if LA wins. Then, that’s Steve’s fault. All of it. Swarmy bastard.
The only thing I know about Mattingly.
That is an acceptable thing to know, but I’m shocked it wasn’t this, which is far superior. (Now, you know both! The bestest of things!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjHOtxCRhnw
That’s what I was expecting.
I’ll take your word for it – I have no memory of that scene whatsoever.
SiL’s best friend, showing all is not lost in Indy:
“NO KINGS! [US flag emoji]💖👊🏻 Protesting is patriotic. We gathered and marched because we love our country and want better for America and her people! I don’t know about y’all, but I’m feeling a renewed sense of hope.”
Bless her heart.
Ask her what exactly she is protesting, and promise her ten bucks if she can cough up a cogent, specific answer.
Growing up, Bro would do the Indiana Jones, rip-your -heart -out “GALI MA!” bit on me. A lot.
If I even attempted such, he’d *actually* rip my heart out. (More, shove me further back into the Box of Deplorables. Yeesh.)
Kali Ma Shakti De
Speaking of – from what I recall, the first person to speak the name ‘Mola Ram’ was Indy – where did he learn it?
Low of 59, high of 70
No kings bullshit, no ICE bullshit, no shutdown bullshit.
Quite nice here in San Diego,
Play more disc
Same to the north. Nice fall day if a little warm. Rain returns Friday.
Missus is watching From. What an awful show. Ripley’s advice applies to it.
Never heard of it so I had to look it up. It appears reddit agrees with you.
17 hour day. But before I get to bed, I noticed some local news. The just cant ever get enough, even when the backdoor the funds in.
Local school district officials looking to change amount people pay in property taxes
I’m not quite sure what means but I hope Jugsy keeps you warm.
Happy national nut 🌰 day!
🧐🌦️🐿️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U_jGVEKr9s
🎶🎶
🥜 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjJc3OCaGU
So you’re saying the server squirrels are going to be out in force?
No, but the crazies will be out and about.
So another day people watching for OMWC?
Good morning, Sean, TO’G (What are you doing up at this hour??), Ted’S., U, and Roat!
🤷🏻♀️
☕️ 🍩
Morning.
For UCS: 🥗
😁👍
I just started in on mine.
How are you doing today (each of you?)
I get to leave a half hour early because I got called at 9pm last night over something the on-call guy should have been able to handle.
(-.-) I just checked the documentation, and the thing he should have done was right there front and center as the first item.
😃👍
🙄
Tripped over a cat toy. “She’s OK; game on!”
How’s GT?, she rudely neglected to ask.
Cats are going “I was sure it was going to work this time.”
I’m OK. Boss works remotely today, and the Board meeting was last night, so that’s over for the month. I’m sure Boss will call me at some point to complain about something that happened at the meeting. As long as the restaurant didn’t cancel the reservation I made for the attendees for after, I’m off the hook.
“So, yeah, we’ve been banned from that venue”
But who’d feed kitten (for he is still one, barely)? He hasn’t thought this through, the impulsive adolescent.
“I feel God in this Chili’s tonight.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aL6msCYF5I
🙀
Oh, yeah – I have to get ready to go a little early so I can load my potted coleus in the back of my car to see if it will survive the winter on top of my file cabinet (near a north-facing window.) 😬🤞
Good luck little plant.
https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/pennsylvania/pa-lawmakers-consider-state-rules-on-cell-phones-in-schools/article_3ba11b82-1e31-4c34-b3cb-d532f9f515aa.html
Ban children.
It’s “bell to bell” here, though they allow kids to keep them in their bags.
I’m not normally one for restrictions but smartphones have no place in schools. If I’d have had one I don’t think I’d have learned a damn thing.
another just because
That was really for sale? (I love the ordinary ones.)
Looks like Trumpy Bears are still made.
and another
“From Tokyo To Tennessee: Japan’s Love Of Country Music”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/tokyo-tennessee-japans-love-country-music
Interesting article and not a single comment referring to people using parentheses. I guess music really does bring people together.
Not many (((Japs))), to be fair.
Enka (which I like and our rare visitor straff thinks I’m crazy for liking) is very much a version of Japanese country. However, musically it’s quite different. It’s very much considered “old people” music by younger people in Japan.
Country Road (Japanese version)Whisper of the heart
https://youtu.be/moX7DrvCG1A?si=W7wIoUU7puY5NTRk
Ask a doctor if butt breathing is right for you.
No, no, it is very wrong.
A Mother and Son Share an Autism Diagnosis. Their Worlds Couldn’t Be More Different.
https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/a-mother-and-son-share-an-autism-diagnosis-their-worlds-couldnt-be-more-different-87f85f74?st=6jSWGi&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
In today’s “no kidding” news.
“Using the same term for individuals who are non-speaking and cannot care for themselves and for individuals who are college professors makes no sense, and does a disservice to all,” he says.
But are we really sure that most college professors can really care for themselves?
It’s now a spectrum so everyone is included.
I don’t think medical insurance in the US could be any more broken.
The Average Cost of a Family Health Insurance Plan Is Now $27,000
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/the-average-cost-of-a-family-health-insurance-plan-is-now-27-000-9fe92b79?st=xpxx13&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Average American worker – “But that’s not what I pay!”. They never consider the employer share.
Jeebus. Mrs. Dean and I pay about $500/month, tops for our Crowdhealth, umm, participation.
Family plan – assume 4 people, so $6k/yr per person. So $500/mo per person.
Still way too high but less scary than what the X headlines were winging about where they were implying $27k per person/yr.