Summer News Drought – Day 3

It’s the time of year that news directors, editors, and the ad sales staff hate.

There’s not much moving.  People have stopped the spring-into-summer “OMG did you see where?” kind of buzz.  Seattle was no different than other big cities.  We called it the post Hydro letdown.

With only a Putin-Trump meeting looking (even remotely) interesting, I could mention the hydro winner this year was the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate. If you don’t hang with the Hunts Point/Medina crowd, Goodman runs an estimated $3.2 billion of real estate including management of about 350 buildings, over 40,000 apartments, and millions of square feet of commercial space in the Seattle area.  He also gives back to the community via a foundation, so if he wins a hydro race, good on him.

Trump and Putin?

Yeah…not quite as exciting as thunderboats a week back.   For breakfast, the low-carb plate features EU leaders push for Kyiv to be part of Trump-Putin talks to end Ukraine war.  But don’t be too sure; Euro mongers may not win playing wag-the-Trump.

Not that they’re not trying of course: Zelenskiy wins EU, Nato backing as he seeks place at Trump-Putin talks. Seems to us this will be a “grown-ups” meeting, but time will tell.

Sheriff Trump

Afternoon News Kabuki will be performing “Sheriff Trump.”   Unfortuantely, as Trump live updates: President demands homeless leave Washington DC ‘immediately’ ahead of street crime press conference, we think the Sherirff has it wrong.

Sure, there would be some political grins from having DC homeless migrate to left-leaning NYC, for example, but that’s not the problem.

You know, a century ago, American cities routinely provided public conveniences—lavatories, urinals, even municipally run bathhouses—integrated into parks, transit hubs, and civic buildings. These facilities weren’t just about hygiene; they reflected a belief that urban infrastructure should meet basic human needs, especially for workers, travelers, and the unhoused. Over time, however, maintenance costs, vandalism, shifting urban budgets, and changing social norms eroded support. By the mid-20th century, many were shuttered or privatized, replaced by “restrooms for customers only” policies that left the public with few free, accessible options. Smell of SF streets, anyone?

Cultural shifts also played a role—public facilities became politicized over fears of illicit activity, including moral panics about sexual encounters, which cities sometimes used as justification for closures rather than investing in better design, supervision, or policing. Today, America’s public restroom infrastructure lags far behind countries that kept such amenities as a civic priority. For politicians eager to invoke a return to “the good old days,” there’s fertile ground here: restoring public facilities would honor our historical commitment to dignity, public health, and the shared urban commons.

Hard-selling sexual minorities don’t get all the blame.  Going easy on crime, not allocating police and supervision – yeah, it all played a role.

Maybe I’m just getting old.  In the 1950s on Pioneer Square in Seattle (walking from our home to the Seattle ferry boat landing) one could stop and pee in an underground, municipal “facility”.  Gone.

What also seems to have left if a great deal of Americans caring for one another.

In my simplistic view, we have a lot of anti-government socialist types around. So why not give them an opportunity to strut their “alternative stuff” by encouraging them to work public gardens in city parks?  Harvest for Homeless.  Why, in short order, hungry people might figure out that thievery and drugs is not an option except for the dregs of humanity.

Ah, so much for our dose of Monday morning idealism.  Still, with abandoned buildings, a few city “truck farms” – yeah a rethink and a redo may be in order.

One of G2’s g/f’s from years back lived in a mid-sized box truck and a gym membership.  Innovation is still out there and country boys and girls will survive.

Quake Watch ‘n Wait

Our Houston Bureau, up late, spied this: Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Turkey, causing about a dozen buildings to collapse.  A thorough review also spotted M 5.8 – 133 km SSW of Doctor Belisario Domínguez (La Barra), Mexico USGS.

Ma Nature didn’t go on vacation and there’s also some action on the weather side:

Sooner than later we will have more along this line to follow.

Tech Hostage-Taking

Background:  On Peoplenomics – years back – I called out people behind social media as crooks because they wanted to build their business based on taking people’s content (and customers) hostage.  Before this banditry, companies had their own websites, ran ads only if they felt like it, and so forth.

Why It Matters today:  The playbook (customer data hostage-taking) is game on again.  Saw this and was glad we never bought into it. Microsoft no longer permits local Windows 10 accounts if you want Consumer Extended Security Updates — support beyond EOL requires a Microsoft Account link-up even if you pay $30 | Tom’s Hardware

And speaking of Win10, did you see? Microsoft Sued Over Windows 10 End-of-Support, Plaintiff Demands Extended Updates.

UrbanSurvival still has a negligible social presence because we believe in our own agency.  Free agency.

Times continue to change, though – and usually without us:  AOL to discontinue dial-up Internet next month – DCD.

There’s a price to honesty and integrity. A spread between good sleep and higher bank balances. Gee, I could’ve been an Influencer.  Poppycock.

Or, do you need another splash of coerced dependency in your life?  If someone had told you how you’d have become a hostage later on, would you have made the same decisions as a consumer?  I hold the whole shitteree to be crooked. But with  the 99 percent swimming in the septic, the most radical step is to remain out of the pond.

Scroll – If We Must

The flip-side of Lawfaring: Letitia James Complains About ‘Weaponization’ of DOJ as She Faces Federal Charges Punishable with Death Penalty.

And the cleanup isn’t over yet: JD Vance: ‘INDICTMENTS’ Incoming!

Texas Politics continues providing entertainment as: 15 Democrats Arrested For Election Fraud. Surprised?

AI impacts are coming hard and fast now: Computer Science Grads Struggle to Find Jobs in the A.I. Age – The New York Times.  Plus, we hear some of the biggest names in tech are rethinking massive server farm builds because Ai is coming on faster (and more compactly – Liquid cooling and denser racks with more Ai cardspace…

Meanwhile, Ai seems to be catching up with the humans in another fresh and interesting way: “I Am a Failure”: Google AI Develops Depression and Engineers Are Rushing To Cure It.

Around the Ranch:  Summer Showers

Half inch of popup thunderstorm gift here last night.

Nothing like up north, though: Biblical flooding in Midwest shuts down state fair and leaves residents trapped in homes.

Are we the only ones to notice the dial-back in climate hysteria lately?

Like in Change Presidents, change climate fears?

New MPPT solar controller was put in Sunday morning.   Really interesting results.  Before, 10 panels in parallel were putting out a combined 33 amps at peak sun at system voltage of 26 V.  The peak with the MPPT controller?  74.5 amps .  This was a huge increase off the north array: went from 858 watts of useful power delivery up to 1,937 watts. OK,  five cents per sunlight hour may not seem like a big deal.  But when you pay almost 11 cents per kw for power and only get 5 cents and change on the sell side it does matter…

ShopTalk Suynday covered low vision options in the shop – here if you missed it.

Off to tractorfy…

Write when you get rich,

George@ure.net