Coping: Notes from “Around the Ranch”

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As I was sitting quietly contemplating some of the major problems of physics (“Why do composite resistors have much Johnson-Nyquist noise figures than think-metal film varieties?”) it struck me that a useful column for the end of a weekend would be to round up a few things that haven’t found their way into our regular line of columns.

New Book by a Reader

After the Days of Infamy, by A.G. Kimbrough, picking up from the release note…

“…is an Alternate History Novel spanning the late 1920s into 1944. It will be the initial book in a three book series. I am a Naval History buff and the author/publisher of the Greatest Generation Novel BB-39, and several hard SF Books.

This book departs from reality with the 1932 discovery of helium on the Japanese island of Hokido. A secret agreement between Japan and Germany results in a technology exchange that enables Japan to develop a fleet of huge airship aircraft carriers.

The two attacks on December Seventh are made by over 300 planes from a fleet of four airship carriers. By the end of that week, a series of devastating strikes up and down the West Coast leave the aircraft, shipbuilding, and marine industries in ruins.

This story does not include steam punk, fantasy, time travel, magic, elves or faeries. It does include some adult content, as well as fictional actions by the USS Fletcher and the USS Iowa. The deviations from historic technologies are based on what could have been accomplished with the availability of helium and a push in that direction.”

Kimbrough is a talented writer.  When I look at his material, then my own, there are occasional flashes of depression.  Because it’s like a house-painter reviewing the work of Leonardo, or the Dutch masters, and wondering why is it not the same?

Quest for Climate Truth

Despite our data that says solar minima are highly-correlated to global temperature declines and “mini Ice Ages” we continue random interviews with regular people around the country.

Take a week-ago. There I was on the lower end of the 40-meter CW band (Morse code for the non-digital humans) and an NM3 up in northern Pennsylvania was telling me about the food of snow on his 45-acre antenna farm.

“Not unusual, tho – we’re 90 miles from Lk Erie and we get big snows as early as late Oct,  BTU…”

His main source of heat is a wood stove with natural gas piped in as a back-up.  We’ve have NG, too, but have propane because there’s not enough population density and gas consumption most years to make pipeline investments pencil-out.

Annual Peoplenomics Forecast Looms

This week, our Wednesday Peoplenomics report will be more like a Saturday version, than including the typical (longish) focus piece.  Reason is my consigliere is coming down from Ohio and we will be huddled around a computer gaming out the next couple of years.  If you have strong views on what you see (or in Andy’s case “have been shown”) about what’s ahead, please drop us a line so we can cast as wide a net into the blender as possible, though that sounds messy, doesn’t it?

Peace Between Big Cats

As you may know, Zeus the Cat, who’s been freeloading for damn near 10-years, is very territorial about his junior-near-twin who lives in the driveway culvert.

We’ve gone through every “how to get two male cats to get along” suggestion we can think of with still not much luck.  Herbal collars on Zeus, and so forth.

Recently, though, the “second kitty” was gifted with an actual name.  My friend, the Major, who does a lot of work with subtle energy (actually teaching the art for medical professionals) came up with it.

“How about ALBERTO?”

It took us a moment, but then we laughed like hell.

Of course!  Alberto Culvert!

No-Brainer Christmas Gifts

This is easy:  Visit my “Books” tab at the top of this page.  Knock yourself out.

Or, how about subscribing to our $40/year Peoplenomics reports?  Granted, they are more financially oriented than UrbanSurivival and maybe you’re just here for the clever wit….  Wait!  What are you doing here? 

Looking for the “Subscribe to Peoplenomics” tab?  Try here.

Ham Radio Projects

Been working on one of those slow-motion books-in-progress “The Art and Science of Ham Radio Restoration” which is all you’d ever need to get started repairing old radios.

It’s a “middle (*electronic) age” technology that’s lots of fun preserving.

Best part of cold vacuum-tube technology at this time of the year is you can leave equipment on overnight (good for stability of such old equipment) and in the morning, the office/ham shack is nice & toasty…

All Quiet at the Game Reserve

While our neighbors mostly seem to get off on killing deer this time of the year, that’s something we continue to “sit out.”  Since we moved here, there’s not been a deer shot on the property that we know of.

As a result, we have a growing herd of animals here.  Last week, about a dozen – 2-bucks and does – so the word gets around.

We won’t swear off hunting forever – lord knows we’ve got the gear for it – but thing is by the time you tromp around the woods, field dress a dress, haul it to a processor, and pay for cutting and wrapping, it’s just much faster to call down to Brookshire’s in town and tell Kevin or Caleb how thick to cut the fillets this week.

Still, hunting season in Texas is probably still safer than walking some parts of Chicago….just you have to “wear different ‘colors‘” down here.

Electronics Bench, Done!

Back in September, I wrote a little piece on setting up the idea electronics bench.  Finally got it done-done:

If you look closely, you will see a little silver “wand” pointed at the radio (which is awaiting surgery).  On the monitor, you can see the knob on the front panel that it’s focused on.

More recent addition to the “ultimate workbench” has been a small “Metro Vacuum MDV-1BA DataVac Pro 4.5-AMP Computer Vac/Blower.”  They don’t come with a wall mounting, but an adapter from the shop vacuum system worked just fine…with a small 2″ PVC fitting installed to direct exhaust air away from the bench…

So much for the “long weekend”…moron the ‘morrow for what many people will enjoy as the dream – a three-day workweek!

Write when you get rich,

george@ure.net

16 thoughts on “Coping: Notes from “Around the Ranch””

  1. George

    “Best part of cold vacuum-tube technology” .

    About ten years ago I attended a seminar given by one of our company scientist on EMP protection of electronic equipment. At the end of the day I questioned him about the surviability of my Heathkit HW-101 if an EMP’s event occured. He answered that I would be one of the few guys up and running if I had a power source. He was also a Ham operator.

    Sometimes the earlier technology is a better technology. Just look at the wheel!

  2. Hey G, Ure still wearing the blinders with regards to Bitcoin/Litecoin. The IMF (international monetary fund) led by french women Christine LeGarde just released a paper on Crypto Currencies. Read em and weep, big guy.
    What is going on behind the scenes with zurich nomes is the arduous, and very tedious process of reviewing all the OLD financial contracts & documents thru which the “world corporation” is run. Some of these agreements and contracts are supposedly very old. All of these financial “contracts” must be gone over and loaded onto a global financial blockchain.
    As for crypto kings being possibly caught “without” swim trunks on when the tide goes out, (tax time) remember these guyz are not idiots, and understand accounting 101 and things FIFO and LIFO…keep this in mind thinking about reporting taxable crypto events. A “crypto king” could theoretically realise a massive gain on Bitcoin, and still report a BIG loss ! Think about..not mention in some cases “Crypto Kings” just got hacked by unknown perps..Tax Loss!

    Lets go April 15th, baby girls needs a new Porsche Macan.

  3. George I posted about the tea that I am drinking before bedtime. I am really getting back into lucid dreaming again. Also regular dreaming. Seems to help in my daytime creativity and energy. Just wanted to report in on my results.

  4. George

    The obvious 2 year prognostication would be social upheaval, innovations in science to offset the aging systems now in place, the masses becoming exhausted with secrets and lies and in the process demand the truth, ( exacerbated by financial misallocations and dislocations). A little farther out would be, with the technological advancements, someone will think a nuclear war is winnable. HA ! The new US capital being in Omaha Nebraska, and the world being radically changed. But we will see if saner heads prevail ! The New World Order will not go down without a fight !!

    • No, thank YOU for writing and sharing (Oh, and those nice reviews of my work (See link at top of page for my Book!, budge budge!)….on Amazin….

  6. Over the past couple days whenever I have sat down with the Mrs in front of the BT (Boob Tube) to take a look at the local weather report the first thing I have seen is a report about the appocolyptic film, “The Day after Tomorrow” aired 35 years ago. If it shows up again this evening I will begin to think WOO WOO time maybe?

    Now I will admit that my primary reason to waste what little bit of my lifetime I have left in front of said BT is that our local weather girl is quite the hottie.

    Please continue with your sage economic tutelage and inspirational prepping guidance. Stay safe, lock and load.

    73

  7. Back from the holiday trenches.. This year was a modest one for sure..35 people instead of fifty and by having it. Pre made cost 2.50 per person rather than 4.00
    What’s different.. One child isn’t planning on making the south American scuba diving trip and no exotic hunting trips. The other is cutting their holiday giving to 1/10 of what they normally invest.
    Instead they are buying online to stop impulse buying and making home made gifts.
    For them that is huge cut in holiday spending.
    By my guess a cut between the two families of over 15000.00

  9. I’m still envious of your shop. My electronics workbench is located in the closet of my radio room (unused bedroom) Small space with bench and stool… getting creative. I have a rack with radios and a table for the operating ham radios out in the room, and I got tired of turning the radio table into a workbench. Keeping it small in the closet, I can close the sliding door if it looks messy. My ‘shop vac’ is a Dustbuster.

  10. George,
    Great reading, Like the “Ayes of Texas” by Daniel da Cruz. It just seems there is a edge of possibility but the plot carries the day. About ideas for future, if the Grand Solar Minimum is indeed coming into play, then the equatorial region of the Earth will be uninhabitable fairly soon because of intense infrared radiation A,B, and C. Perhaps that is why they are so into this open boarder stuff. trying to move the population North. That would also stop any hint of a nuclear war, poisoning the most inhabitable area of Mother Earth.

    Along with the huge population shift would come a complete reset of our economy and monetary system. Block chain, or a physical currency or both. Many other changes would also have to happen, like a socialist parceling of property. It would explain the current trends in our .Gov. I like the latest Greg Hunter and Catherine Austin fits interview too.
    God help us the future is full of change, I guess it keeps life interesting. Good electronic bench too. Tip, sometimes the game processors have deer meat left over from clients that will not pay and they sell it pennies on the dollar around March or April, no hunting required.

  11. Rocket Mike, Better to watch Fitts earlier interview with the Saker. His “outside the USA perspective” devastates her delusional positive beliefs with real facts and leaves her speechless.

    This prevailing belief that “if this happens…” things will be ok, only has one problem. It ain’t gonna happen, or as my mother would say, “its just a pipe dream!” And from my perspective outside the USA, I can give you numerous reasons why they won’t.

    Keep an eye on Venezuela. Everything that caused the problems in Venezuela exists in the USA, but at this moment is covered by having the world’s printing press. If the USA was forced to balance its budgets at all levels, in 3 years the USA would be third world except for where the pockets of 5 percenters have enclaved. California has always been a precursor for the USA, and right now they have 75,000 white middle class fire refugees and 11 million illegals and residents born outside the USA. The largest population of homeless, and the highest actual poverty rate.

    • Thanks for the info. I’m just a searcher of truth where ever it leads.
      There are too many variables and lack of real data to say for sure on how it will all shake out. And yes Venezuela is a very troubling example of how it could go down here!

      Like Yoda said ” Hard to see, always in motion the future is ! “.

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