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Humans: Small Language Models, TACO Trump? Comms Collapse

Breaking or Broken?  Durable Goods

Just out:

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in February, down four of the last five months, decreased $4.4 billion or 1.4 percent to $315.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This followed a 0.5 percent January decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.8 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 1.2 percent. Transportation equipment, also down four of the last five months, drove the decrease, $6.1 billion or 5.4 percent to $106.1 billion.

Shipments
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in February, up five of the last six months, increased $4.2 billion or 1.3 percent to $319.2 billion.

Early futures were down, but we saw this one coming. (Code for “Yes, I’m short.”)

Small Language Model Humans

Humans – as bio-computing nodes – have a serious “weighting” and “training” problem.  Which our (sometimes) collaborating AIs (used for deep research) have avoided.

I won’t even try to explain how AI works. But, if you’re interested, there are two papers on my AI research site that provide a good learning entry path: How LLMs Work and How They Serve as Mind Amplifiers (1) – Hidden Guild is the first one. Yes – if the coffee has hit – you’ll see the connection to my book Mind Amplifiers, plain as day.

I have, rather politely, not explained that Elaine and I live a semi-isolated – almost hermetic – life out here in the woods. Not because we don’t like people.  It’s just most of them have “issues.”  For one, they don’t think particularly clearly – or logically. Dr. Spock of Star Trek began hinting in that direction a few decades back.  The movie is the message, right?

While we wait for a market turn today, tomorrow, or whenever it comes, we notice the contemporary event streams (Iran, war) and find our newsroom-modded training and weighting recycling Spock-think over and over.

“Illogical, Captain.”

Toss in a spray can of orange Grecian and you’ll have a clearer head and sharper thinking.

Time to Change Metrics

The “change point” is getting closer by the day. Civilization’s training and weighting models are  FUBAR but no one wants to go first.

For example, an acquaintance was asking recently. “How can I cut my food bill in half?”  This was followed by the usual excuses: cost-of-living, political hand-wringing, wages-don’t keep-up, and you know the rest.

Anyone can solve this – the problem ain’t that hard.  What causes the stress is a failure of agency.  The long-running American “can-do” – “I Got This…” – has been replaced with mush between the ears.  Victimhood is viral.  Blame and avoid is the modus.

Yet here we all sit, with the greatest learning and research tools in the history of the world (a fact people seem to miss about AI) and what? We have an ability to ask real questions – and get real answers.  But it turns into an emotional bitch-fight. Of course, you will have to be smart enough to filter out hallucinations. But the tools are there and easy to sharpen.

Take this core cost-of-living problem, for example.  See if you’re able to spot the obvious solution:

  • During the “hungry years” of the Great Depression (roughly the 1930s), average U.S. per capita calorie availability from the food supply was about 3,300 calories per person per day.
  • But the weighted experience – the conscious imprinting mechanism in our Four Track Human model – made it seem far worse.  Fact: some low-income surveys from the mid-1930s showed food intakes of 3,000 or fewer calories per adult male equivalent, with families skipping meals or relying on cheap staples like beans, potatoes, bread, and cheap cuts of meat.
  • Now for the modern data contrast: Gross food supply/availability (USDA ERS comparable metric): ~3,900 kcal/day recently (up from ~3,000 in the 1930s).

This is just a “warm up” to tomorrow’s Peoplenomics report (“Sunset on the Titanic: Iceberg Sighting”).  It reveals two things worthy of your attention. These two points get lost in the “daily ground clutter” of overloaded input channels, so listen up.

  1. When we have usable data, we ignore it if we don’t like it. Or, we fail to use it extensibly to self-learn new rules.  “To cut a food budget in half, eat half as much” should be obvious.
  2. Or, we spend our time on social media (it’s what people do) instead of researching the online weekly specials sheets from the local food stores.

Out here – in our McMurdo Station isolation-equivalent in East Texas – turning down the inputs and “questioning everything” has resulted in (partially) beating aging, maintaining great health, and de-stressing generally. To us, seems clear America’s pending descent into a Depression 2.0 won’t be much of a speed bump.

We are already down to two meals a day.  Which gets us to more learning: If you haven’t read the data on calorie restricted diets resulting in large increases in lifespan, putting some attention and effort on “the data” may be the best investment you will ever make. What’s a year of Life worth?

Start with  Honoring Clive McCay and 75 Years of Calorie Restriction Research – PMC and for additional conceptual assistance, my book Downsizing: Missing the Collapse of Empire could be on your reading list.

We now return you to this morning’s small language model operation. With the disclaimer that you’ll be observing a “Small Language Model” which – as will become plain – is even more prone to hallucinations and bad decision-making, than our offspring, the Large Language Models throw off.

They have an excuse, I suppose: Bad parents.

TACO Time?

(With apologies to the Seattle area Mexican food chain):

TACO Tuesday?  Well, yes, we used canned diced tomatoes when I forget to keep fresh tomatoes topped up.  My friend Cameron – our FedEx driver and his newlywedded – are also fans of Taco Tuesdays. 

Today, however may be a TACO Tuesday of a different brand: the “Donald” label.

Need a little TACO history? Seven days ago we were reading ‘Armageddon TACO Shuffle’: Ed Luce Says Trump Kept ‘Thrashing’ Between ‘Ideas’ in Iran Interview.  Six days ago Trump, tariffs, and ‘TACO’: Why markets stopped reacting.  Five days ago Trump’s Speech: No TACO This Time…

We’ll skip the whole intervening day-list, it’s long, because that would be “extra cheesy” (which we have been known to do!). Let’s jump to the overnights:  Ex-JPMorgan Quant Chief Thinks Trump Should Ignore Pain in the Stock Market – Business Insider which makes reference to the Taco Trade.

Salsa: Shaky Foundations

Looks to us like “too much hot sauce” – and the price of oil is a better barometer of what’s to come than all the headlines the Mainstream makes up.

West Texas crude was over $114 early on while Brent (Europe) was under $111.

Our “small language model” (betwixt the ears) parses this as partly weighted toward “Americans are stupid and will pay anything for petroleum products” with a secondary output of “Someone knows something bad is coming….”

No shortage of bad ideas out of DC lately, is there?  We figure this market could go down faster than a broke hooker with a drug problem.

Depressing: The Ghoulish Goulash

Depression 2.0 won’t bring the high-class Mulligan Stews that the late Louis L’Amour told me about making when he was knocking around on the beach at Port of San Pedro in the (first labeled) Depression. Merchant seamen, between jobs read books, dove garbage and built beach shacks.  This time, expect Ghoulish Goulash on the menu:  Any carbohydrate plus anything else that turns up.   Here’s what’s going in the “bucket stove” today:

We see Vice President Vance is getting “Hungary” US VP Vance visits Hungary to back Orban’s election amid Iran war. Notice in coming weeks the proximity of Vance and Trump. Then think continuity?

“Look! Up in the Sky!” department: Analysts Caution Against Elon Musk-Led SpaceX’s Mega IPO Amid Valuation Concerns: ‘The Juice Has Been Squeezed.

And in keeping with our SLMs grasping to figure LLMs as a new Depression looms?  How people are reacting to OpenAI’s 13-page policy paper on AI superintelligence | Fortune.  Altman’s calling for a “New Deal” in AI?  Seriously?  How stupid would a “New Deal for Radio” have been in the previous knock-down?

We’ll adjourn to breakfast now; to troubleshoot the SLM between the ears (emotional bias, social media noise, poor logical filters) and repeating Spockisms.

Have a nice day in the noise field. Expect a bumper harvest.

Around the Ranch: Comms in Hell

A short story about what works:  Starlink and MagicJack.

Because even with a $200/month copper bill from Brightspeed, we still have not been able to call outside of our local exchange area since Saturday.

There is an equipment cabinet over a mile, or so, that has a repeating failure mode. But this one sounds like the whole exchange (Montalba, TX) is on the fritz. The tipoff being that calls to voicemail go to a fast-busy signal.  And since VM is not sited at the local exchange and we can’t call the doctor or local stores in town….

Yet the phone company is sending out a tech so five days without phones.

Starlink will occasionally drop when the East Texas precip starts to fall at 2-inch per hour rates, but that seldom  happens.  Remember who mentioned “Drought is coming“?  The street-level drought measure out here has become “How often are the space-based comms down?”

With a Depression looming, we have opted to have both the “regular” flavor  of Starlink plus the mini.  That has been field-tested a great deal in places like Ukraine and now the M.E. Two space-based comm links make a great deal of sense in uncertain times.

I also prepaid our MagicJack for three years.  It’s cheap – another very good idea from our consigliere who says “Where else can you get a phone number and service for $40 a year?”

This only leads to the cell phone quandary:  Our annual TracFone renewal comes up next month and the old Samsung J7 doesn’t support calling over internet. Neighbors have spoken highly of Consumer Cellular which out here runs on the Verizon backbone.  TracFone is on the AT&T which means hiking the property using the phone as a “digital dowsing device” trying to find bars.

The good news in all this?  When I call my own number I get a “fast-busy” instead of going right over to voicemail like it should.

I think that means “I’m busy.”  And come to think of it, sorting out this shit, I actually am.

Fortunately, it’s TACO Tuesday.  The Depression isn’t here yet.  But, when it comes and digital life collapses from an electron shortage, the old ways will be back.  Things like door-to-door sales gigs.  Here’s today’s taco time conversation starter:

In the Great Depression, the Fuller Brush man became one of the enduring symbols of door-to-door American hustle: a salesman with a sample case, a pressed smile, and a script polished by necessity. At a time when jobs were scarce and cash was tight, Fuller Brush offered thousands of men a way to scrape out a living by selling practical household goods—brushes, mops, and cleaning tools—to homemakers who still needed value, even if they had little money to spare. The pitch was part charm, part persistence, and part survival, because in those years a doorstep was not just a sales opportunity. Jobs were hard to come by.

What goes around comes around.  Tacos are cheap.  We like to learn ahead of the curve.

Write when one of us gets rich,

George@Ure.net

67 thoughts on “Humans: Small Language Models, TACO Trump? Comms Collapse”

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  1. Yo Herman (H-hermits),

    You say you want to makesome monay playing markets, well Grumpy have I got a dealio for youse.
    It is called SpaceX.
    Thats right snakeskin cowboys, one of the easiest ways to make some excess moolah on wallstreet is SHORTIING the initial runup in IPO’d stocks – But U gots to be like a hard working Robin.. U know whirly Birds get the taco’s first…get a load of MJ’s fro – https://youtu.be/z-OteAgvINc?

    So a lil patience is in order as you watch the IPO stock get run up , somewheres near that top – anywhere is good, youse need to Buy some High priced Puts while selling a couple low priced Puts, then combine with With buying low priced Calls versus Selling High priced Calls. This type of Put/Call combo can result in uncapped upside with capped/limited downside. Use Ure Ai to find cheapest combos’ quick like…or not, as this IS NEVER Financial Advice or any other kind of advice. Otherwise I would tell youse to just get NAKED about it and buy some Puts.

    Did I mention living on inter coastal provides unlimited access to Fish/Oysters and Crabs ? Similar theme to Belize house what BTC built.
    Also unlimited Water and Salt, like an alcohol still for separating Water and Salt.
    Saw my first ocean going barge yesterday on the IWC, loaded with two massive objects sticking up high out of the barge. Barge being pushed by ocean going Tug, startled the crap out of me when it first appeared. House is on elevated hill(highest spot on island/no flood insurance required) and 2 lots next door are/have been undeveloped since late 70’s, so basically woods.

    Q – What did G-Grumpy say when he frst met Lady E ?

    A- https://youtu.be/n0J6q42zLH0?

  4. Cell Phone Direct to Starlink Comms

    You can now send and receive images, voice notes, and sometimes even short videos using T-Mobile/Starlink satellite link directly from phone with no cell signal to Starlink that relays your message to whomever you sent it to.

    I use it to have comms in the middle of nowhere, deep in a canyon, in gold mining country in the Sierras and even use it locally in the many dead zones in the canyon.

  5. “Depression 2.0 won’t bring the high-class Mulligan Stews that the late Louis L’Amour told me about making…”

    Will it bring Trumpvilles in your opinion?

    • It very well could. Millions of households are barely hanging on and tens of thousands are 30 days, or more behind in their mortgage payments.

        • My guess: He has lots of buddies waiting to pick packages of marked down real estate from banks who need liquidity.

      • JC, what brand of Kool Aid are you drinking, the Homeless Population has been happening for years:
        https://magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/brief-history-homelessness-us#:~:text=In%20major%20U.S.%20cities%2C%20the,is%20to%20build%20more%20homes.%E2%80%9D
        Forty percent to 60% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have jobs, but cannot afford secure housing, according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.

        https://nchv.org/veteran-homelessness/
        ‘Approximately 12,700 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND) were homeless in 2010. The number of young homeless veterans is increasing, but only constitutes 8.8% of the overall homeless veteran population.
        Already stressed by an increasing need for assistance by post-Vietnam-era veterans and strained budgets, homeless service providers are deeply concerned about the influx of combat veterans who will eventually be requesting their support.’

        Soldiers are ditching Fighting for Trump Inc.
        https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/06/number-of-us-soldiers-mulling-conscientious-objection-rises-by-1000/
        ‘The number of US military personnel seeking advice about becoming conscientious objectors has increased by 1,000% since the start of the Iran war, according to a US nonprofit.

        “I haven’t heard from a single caller who said, ‘I’m scared of dying in a war I don’t believe in,’” Mike Prysner, CCW’s director, told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. “All of them are scared of killing people in a war they don’t believe in.”

        US secretary of war Pete Hegseth said on 2 March that there would be “no stupid rules of engagement” during attacks against Iran, raising fears that this signalled an intention to commit war crimes.’

        Times Of India (source), MBS (JC is that MABUS according to Nosty) pissed his Trump bribe going sour, all those billion $ investments with Trump, Jared, not giving expected results, lol…
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1C7UXosN_E

        • (“pproximately 12,700 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND) were homeless in 2010. The number of young homeless veterans is increasing, but only constitutes 8.8% of the overall homeless veteran population.”)

          Amen..we have opened our doors to some..one of the sad dead was a gent thirty years in..went to retire and then discovered over ten of those years his platoon was outsourced to one of the alphabets.. they didn’t count for retirement..the senators office put their best man ever..( yeah right ) he lost his house was living in a storage container then booted out of there.. then in his car..during fifty below zero he slept on our couch..I told him take your sleeping bag into that best man ever office..
          he had a stroke and died in the retail stores parking lot..in the heat of the summer..they didn’t find him for a week..
          another one was a Korean war throw away..called a dumpster behind the television station home..the cops and garbage people called him the can man..that’s how he ate..he collected aluminum cans..
          then there’s the farmer..age and medical bills took everything..he was almost a hundred survived landing on D day crawling across Europe in the mud and in trenches and was one of the liberating forces releasing the prisoners of a Nazi prison camp..
          our engineer..he designed and was the man for deep water oil drilling platforms a hurricane then an explosion in the gulf had him in front of congress testifying.. he told the truth and was black called living in his car..his family disowned him..he had a heart attack and we got him into our spare rokm..sad he went from on top of the hill in a gated neighborhood to our spare bedroom..a box full of diplomas.. and was worthless to everyone..

      • and high risk (private equity) auto shite has an ugly look so cars are being repoed – always hurts worst at the low end ~ E ~

    • Yep! Caught the incurable fever almost 50 years ago. Just waiting for the 6′ of snow to melt so I can try getting through the axle deep mud on a crazy 4WD trail that leads to the river for the first trip of the season. With the extreme remoteness, at times I feel like I’m the Omega Man down there. No people, no vehicles, just the sound of the flowing river. The Forty-Niners didn’t take it all!

      • Have youse ever seen Tassie Boys on youtube ? Dude goes norkling in rivers/creeks for Gold that gets washed down from surrounding hills. The surrounding hills are where the old Dry river beds lay hidden underground.. Usually tipped off by ancient workings still laying around the various, very remote sites in Tasmania.
        Linkage -https://youtu.be/X-PUV3NqA4I?

        Tween Belize and Coastal Carolina – I cant help but think about and go prospecting for “treasure” …Silver and Gold would be nice, but ancient Artifacts and Crystals are what I really am interested in..

        So cheers to Ure endeavors, rather be hunting for “treasure” and rare Birds than “Tangos” and NoGoodniks..

        Good Luck in Ure Treasure Hunting !

  8. One report that the U.S. has hit Kharg Island in Iran. West Texas is up $4.60 a barrel and Brent North Sea is up $1.46 on the news. – Only one report., so it’s a wait-n-see if this is a wide spread bombing campaign on Irans’ infrastructure. No mention of Israel in the article.

    All the markets are down this morning., NASADAQ and Dow are both down over 400., S&P is down 74.
    [ I jumped in before the close yesterday. Options/Puts – NASDAQ and the Dow. ]

    • Irans refining capacity off lined climbed to 85% as of last nights raid on South Pars by Israel.

      We are about witness what conventional bombing campaigns look like when they cross into their nuclear equivalent.

  9. There is no research vessel scheduled to depart from any Fijian port in the next ~30 days. The only publicly listed upcoming vessel movements for Suva—the country’s primary deep?water port—are commercial cargo and vehicle carriers, not scientific or research ships.
    • No research vessels currently moored
    • No scheduled research?vessel arrivals or departures
    • Typical traffic consists of cargo, fishing, ferries, and cruise ships
    The latest AIS?based port schedules list:
    • 46 vessels currently in port (mostly cargo, passenger, and fishing vessels)
    • 3 expected arrivals in the next 30 days, all commercial ships:

    So.., Andy.., do you have the name of the vessel? I am curious as to what it may be researching. El Nino for 2026 ??

    • Three-Piece,
      Here’s my wild guess just for funsies. NASA’s Artemis moon mission is underway. Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt, Moon, and transitions among others. A compatriot is Okeanus/Oceanus, Greek god of the river surrounding the Earth.

      NOAA’s website shows that its only ship named after a Greek god, Okeanus (former US Navy vessel Capable) is currently moored at Pearl Harbour. The 2026 ‘StoryMap Operational Area’ suggests the vessel will be conducting seafloor operations between Hawaii and New Zealand.

      • CoWinkydinks ?

        One of my classmates from high school went to work for NASA back in 80’s right out of College. Smoking hot and smart as all get out, a very hot and sexy combo..vavavoom Yowza in the trouser that one, but unfortunately She played for the other Team..&^@%$#!
        Anywhos even though I couldnt get in her pants or anywhere else, she is still whip smart and still a cutie on duty after all these years. Yerp- she is member of Artemis team. She would be the chick in the red blazer from NASA vid recently posted of the team. And yes she was and prolly still is a sweet heart, making her all the more sexy.

        I wish – NightMoves/BS and the SilverBulletBand -https://youtu.be/xH7cSSKnkL4?

    • Interesting that NOAA posts no ‘International Waters’ work locations.

      Wikipedia:
      ‘In 2024, Project 2025 proposed to get rid of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which would “dismantle” NOAA’s research division.[15][16]

      NOAA has experienced numerous changes under the second presidency of Donald Trump. On February 27, 2025, several hundred NOAA staffers, mainly probationary, were laid off after staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered the headquarters of NOAA.[17] By early March, 1,300 NOAA staff members (roughly 10% of the total workforce) were laid off.[18]

      In June, 2025, the Department of Defense announced it would no longer provide critical weather data to scientists and forecasters, including to NOAA staff.[19]’

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration

  12. “A whole civilization will die tonight.” President Trump.
    I am assuming [and hoping] he means this figuratively – not actually. As in., a complete wipe-out of Iran’s infrastructure.
    If this turns into a bombing campaign on civilians – the blow-back will never – ever go away, or stop.
    .
    Report this morning on how the fast rise in oil and gasoline prices are devastating U.S. household budgets. , as so many were barely hanging on as it is. The current numbers looked really ‘fugly’. The future numbers ever worse if gas price stay this high and continue to climb.
    – Trumpvilles could actually become a thing.

    • The average LMC/working poor has about $2400 more in his pocket than he did 18 months ago when gas prices were higher than they are now, and Mr. Biden was pilfering from the petro reserve to keep prices artificially “low.” Folks were bitching, but were apparently doing better than “barely hanging on.” What’s the difference, other than severe TDS within the media?

  13. “… the Fuller Brush man …”

    wow, a memory jogger there, for those who read past Spock. [guy keeps saying he’d convert to smaller letters, to minimize assigning chapters but …

    The Fuller Brush man was 1st edition of Amazon IMO. But, he came to you to show you things you’d never seen which, of course you needed.

    TACO doesn’t work. The operational side needs time to spin up once given a go order. I believe the fix is in. Good hunting God’s speed comes later.

    We are in a cleft stick of our own cutting. Personally, though dreading downside(s), it’s my thought great outcomes follow daring great things.

    Tonight, given no stand down call (hard to imagine the adversary would surrender) we will hardly be at risk, directly. See : JASSM-ER cruise missiles.

    His Orangeness has committed nearly our entire stock of stealthy cruisers to the theater. These, along with ordinary Tomahawks are first to fly.

    Do you wish *God’s Speed* to a missile? Guess so. Ordinary (not really, said in jest) air components will go to suppress launchers when they pop up.

    We endure ongoing casualties due to large size of military, whether at sea or not. Lots of our kids are in the fight. Thank you for your service.

    The markets? Most are throwing up hairballs. Except for energy. Got some? Get some. Beware WTI at $120 (breaking zone 05/30 2022. Above = fugly.

    Lotta water here-a-bouts. You outlanders what settled in arid climes should capture and save runoff for dry times. Or move. You don’t miss your water …

    Stay sane (a stretch for a few here).
    Stay warm (we-B-frosty here).
    Stay well (mind and spirit).

    High-water-Egor ~ /) ~~

    ps – GU : can MagicJack accept a ported VOIP landline? Twould save mich $440/year

    • Admiral, we’ll be putting a dedicated 3-set long-range phone on a dedicated comms pc – 6″ jumped from the magic jack to the phone..iot rings everywhere, still working on how to get the MJ to dial from the handset but all things in time…

      • interesting. I keep checking off big items so am willing to focus on the $40/mo which goes to our landlines (retained for voice mail).

        meanwhile, possible deal underway.
        shore leave in Greece, or Med alt
        the kids all earned it. party on

        E

        • I ported my long time home landline to Magic Jack about 20 years ago now and have never looked back. It is a simple process as I recall.

          You buy the unit and in activating it when choosing a new number you have a “Port” option. Just click on that and it gives you dirctions but then asks for some codes that identify you current number’s internal phone company ID to them so they can contact your current phone provider to start the porting process.

          To “Port” you do need those codes from your current telephone company, which can sometimes be a PITA to get. When I ported my main office number to the Business Division of Magic Jack from AT&T a few years back (which is run as a separate company out of a separate location) Ol Ma Bell was very cantankerous about giving me the codes … you know how women HATE to have a divorce when it isn’t them asking for it … but eventually they coughed them up after which the number was ported about 5 business days later.

          WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT CANCEL YOUR CURRENT ACCOUNT UNTIL THE NUMBER IS PORTED (or it goes on a permanent walk-about and you will NEVER get iti back). You just keep using your old number until it stops working, at which time when you pick up your Magic Jack phone … VOILA you have a dial tone.

          For those unfamiliar with Magic Jack the device itself is about the size of an old style 5 pack of chewing gum … so it doesn’t generate the amperage heft of the old ATT copper line phone lines. As a result it will NOT POWER all those phone cables which you contractor so generously wired your house with. At most it will directly power two phones …. maybe. The nice thing is that Magic Jack uses old style touch tone phones with RJ11 jacks so any old touch tone phone will work with it, NO special IP phone required

          Everybody I know when they went to Magic Jack just bought the old style wireless phones since then the MJ unit only has to power ONE phone base unit with it’s dial tone (I did that but with a desk phone that also has and two wireless extensions). Lots of brands out there to buy but the best ones I could find (tried 4 different brands first) were the Panasonics.

          For a single stand alone phone spend the money and get the AT&T branded speaker phones (one or two lines, both models work great) … heads and shoulders above the rest (what we use as our conference room phone which uses a dedicated home quality Magic Jack line)

          OH fwiw, since Magic Jack is using old style RJ11 jacks and old style phones with everything is inside that little chewing gum size box, you can do FAXes with a Magic Jack line! Both incoming and outgoing. They don’t advertise that but at the office our dedicated FAX line, yep still need it for certain things, we have used a household Magic Jack device for 20+ years now. Separate line than the other office phones … which mostly sits there and does nothing, but that is tolerable for $40/yr versus $540/yr from ol Ma Bell.

          Finally as I mentioned previous you can buy TWO magic jack devices, then once you get the first (main) one up and running give MJ a call and they can help you install the second one as a multi-ring phone which you can then place at your winter place in another state, summer cottage, etc.. They don’t advertise they will do that but you can but will need their service center to put in the right computer codes to make that happen – can’t do it without their help. Of course you will then have TWO $40/yr payments … but that is a CHEAP way to have Same Number Multi Ring service at two different locations.

          OH … one further item, probably not important to anyone here. For the Magic Jack BUSINESS service that service does REQUIRE DEDICATED IP phones which you have to buy (nope couldn’t use my unlocked Polycom IP phones of which I already had several – had to buy new Yealinks which are very nice but of course are locked), and there is a noticable quality improvement in the call when using those dedicated IP phones (no little box to hook up, everything is inside the phone). For most most would never notice that the home MJ units don’t have the same professional quality of a dedicated IP phone system since they will be comparing it to their cell phone and MJ is heads and shoulders above a cell phone telephone call.

    • I recall as young lad the Fuller Brush Man visiting my grandmother (my dads mom) quite a lot. There was Fuller Brush stuff all over her house. I heard my dad and uncle talk more than once about Grandma’s Fuller Brush Man boyfriend followed by an EPIC family feud.

      • Our local Fuller Brush salesman hired me as a 15-yr-old kid to deliver the products he sold. Paid better than delivering newspapers, which I was doing when he hired me.

    • A friend of my sells falsies, I boost his wares when I can, so if flat-chested may I suggest the fuller bust man. cr. John Wolsey; “It May Be Verse” 1960s Remember fuller brush man selling us salve for milk cow udders.

    • USS PERRY ?

      What was she carrying ?

      How many years worth of production ?

      Where is She now ?

      Yes you and Ure neoconned, moronic drones are once again proving STUPID enough to replay the highlight reel of the Fall of Saigon, the Bay of Pigs, The Fall of Afghanistan, and other military excursions. Or if somehow the mathematical powers of Mean Reversion will step in and correct the disasters in the making, before it is too late.

      Perhaps if you guys keep BEGGING, Iran will stop knocking the shit out of you all.

      F-ing embarrassing to say the least, Total Disaster, as usual.

      orangange gullum of greatness INDEED!

  16. I was wondering…,

    Iran’s new Supreme Leader is reportedly in a coma in one of Iran’s holiest cities, unable to run the country he inherited from his dead father.

    Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly being treated for ‘severe’ medical conditions, American and Israeli intelligence have found.

    A memo shared amongst Gulf allies revealed Khamenei’s location for the first time.

    It has been over a month since he has been seen.

  17. there is a new show for all you blokes on foxtel . its called moonshiners .. yeah you can get fine tuning on making the stuff and sing hillbilly songs and wear classy denim and flannelette gear . plenty of MAGA trump gear as well

  18. George,
    You wrote; We are already down to two meals a day. Which gets us to more learning: If you haven’t read the data on calorie restricted diets resulting in large increases in lifespan, putting some attention and effort on “the data” may be the best investment you will ever make.

    You are on the right path. My own was found several years ago talking to a neighbor that practiced in Urology.
    Simple to grasp was his advice: Their are NO old fat people.
    Good advice to take seriously so I did take it that way. I shrank down to 170 and feel great. Had to buy new pants but it’s worth it.
    Movement is also much easier now since 50 extra pounds no longer has to come along every time I stand up. Took a year to do it. But after about a week, I no longer missed those larger portions and dumping the flab got easier.
    It has improved just about everything in my life. Now, we split most of our meals purchased on the local economy when we venture out, but so far, feel satisfied after those dinners.
    Give your selves a break! Dump all that extra “mail” you are carrying around in your saddlebags sagging over your belt. Look better, feel better, move better and enjoy being in that condition.

  19. Tracfone used to offer either ATT connectivity or Verizon connectivity SIM cards installed in their phones depending on your zip code. Verizon was the default, and Verizon eventually bought Tracfone. If you can stand their customer service, they might swap out your SIM card for free or a small charge. I’ve found Tracfone useful for the rare times I actually use a cellphone, and most of the time it’s just for 2FA nonsense. Otherwise, it doubles as a camera, sound recorder, and calculator if I remember to carry it. It originally cost $30 and about $100 a year to maintain. I may have to change the removable battery soon, but it’s been many years since new.

    I love Starlink and might consider getting a mini as backup, but it still relies on the same satellite system. It’s definitely the best deal for where I live.

    VOIP for phone is useful and I use it, but it still won’t take texts! VOIP with text ability from a real computer would be a game changer.

  20. re: WH law’n order with (Uncle) Sam-I-Am
    feat: “Green Eggs and Han”, Dr. Seuss, 1960

    No bones about it – apparently Spock began his education in “skill domes” at the Vulcan Learning Center. Meanwhile a Canadian-born, ethnic Chinese social media influencer, primarily raised in China has posted on “X” yesterday from the White House Easter Egg Roll at the following link (Thanks to “Wartime Media” for the easter egg.):

    https://x.com/TheLaurenChen/status/2041279040024113587

    Ms. Chen’s page on “Wikipedia” details events during the #46 Administration allegedly linking her influencer activity with multi-million dollar Russian funding. It seems organizations such as Turning Point USA have since parted ways with her.

    By the way, the White House lawn is looking a luxurious green nowadays. As Barney the Dinosaur says – “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!”

  21. As of the slight drop in S&P500 this morning – The dividend yield is now at 50-year lows.
    .
    Probably just me – but that seems significant.

    • Divdends are so 1950’s ish!
      Dividends are for Sissies!
      Dividends are so old school only old people care about them!

      Get with the 21st Century and toss those thoughts that Dividends mean anything into the trash can!! Does Bitcoin pay dividends? THERE!! Now you see how ridiculous Old School Dividends are!

      Only buy companies that do NOT pay dividends …. and NEVER WILL … and you will be rewarded! The markets will value those companies such that your wealth will change without you having to worry about depositing those dividend checks into your bank account (or having it directly deposited)!

      Become a 21st Century Investor and leave all the Old Thinking BEHIND!! What could be easier for seeing your wealth change? ;-0 … LOL

      • I don’t ‘invest’.., hold no stock.., never have.

        But millions do and millions rely on that dividend.

        • I think you missed my sarcasm …. :-)

          Dividend Stocks are definitely a REAL item for the patient. They especially are good if you pick good decently growing companies and are going to sit on them for 20 years as their profits go up, and they pay more dividends, do stock splits and profits go up further and the dividends increase further. Seen a few widows end up millionaires with just modest yearly investments via buying only dividend paying stocks … and now in their older age they have plenty of yearly money to live on and never had to touch the principal.

        • This is actually directed to both Three-Piece and Stephen 2.

          Part of my parents’ estate was only one stock, which was a nice bit of dividend-paying stock (a Midwestern electrical utility). Looked like my father was using the quarterly dividends to pay the quarterly property taxes during his retirement. Had I known before he passed, I would have commended him for that sagacity.

          I did enjoy the dryness of the sarcastic wit.

  22. The Epstein Alliance will do anything.

    What was the saying?

    “Just following orders…”

    The question to evangelicals – do Trump supporters burn in hell? Pope Leo XIV doesn’t have an email addy.

  23. Recall the old “Don’t compare Trump to Hitler” hisses. Genocide later tonight, right?

    Here’s some 4D:

    Trump says US armed Iranian dissidents via Kurds, Kurdish groups deny claim

    Trump’s admission gives credence to Iranian assertion that the January protests were backed by foreign actors to create chaos.

    President Donald Trump has said the United States tried to covertly arm Iranian protesters through Kurdish intermediaries weeks before the current war was launched, even as Washington was engaged in talks with Tehran.

    “We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them,” Fox News quoted Trump as saying late on Sunday, adding that the US president believed that the Kurds kept the guns for themselves.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/6/trump-says-us-armed-iranian-dissidents-via-kurds-kurdish-groups-deny-claim

  25. surprise, surprise, surprise …. actually not …. so the mourning gloom and doom sell off was reversed, once again …… and so it was written and so it continues

    good luck all

    • Yes, good luck all.

      From Tech Layoff Tracker:

      Computer science professor at a major state university just finished the worst faculty meeting in 32 years of academia

      Department head dropped the placement statistics like a bomb at 2:47 PM on a Wednesday

      2023: 89% placement rate within 6 months of graduation
      2024: 67% placement rate
      2025: 34% placement rate
      2026 projections: 12% placement rate

      Faculty sitting there like deer in headlights because what the fuck do you tell 19-year-olds taking out $40k per year in loans.

      Half the curriculum is already obsolete. Teaching data structures while companies replace entire engineering teams with Claude and Cursor.

      One professor suggested pivoting to “AI collaboration skills” and got laughed out of the room.

      Another said we should warn students. Department head said that would “damage program reputation and university revenue”.

      So they keep taking tuition money from kids who will graduate into a wasteland…

      https://www.howestreet.com/2026/04/recession-watch-everything-all-at-once/

  26. Trump has announced a Two Week cease fire – after Iran sent an 8 point proposal just hours before the deadline.
    .
    Oil has dropped significantly – down over 14%
    .
    Stock futures are on an upward rampage. – NASDAQ is up 2.8% / S&P up 2.1%
    .
    Interesting morning tomorrow when the bell sounds.

  27. .., Alsso
    A U.N. Resolution to open the Straits of Hormuz was voted down by both Russia and China.,

  28. There is a whole bunch of idiots with Trump deranged syndrome today. Give me a timeline of the fall of the USA or sit down.

  29. After 10 years of retirement and Ure-like isolation on the Volcano Ranch, I flew back to the big city of Honolulu last week. The sad occasion was a funeral. But I also made the rounds to visit with old friends and neighbors. It was pretty easy to remember the stress of getting somewhere on time with the horrid traffic jams. I did manage to ride the ‘Skyline’ train round trip, end-to-end, just for the fun of it. It was good to get back home and shed the crowds and stress. I do not miss the big city life one bit. I was raised a ‘country boy’ and I will die as one, thank you.

  30. “Today, however may be a TACO Tuesday of a different brand: the “Donald” label.”

    So, why is it, when the Administration fights, they “commit war crimes,: and when they don’t, Trump’s a “TACO?”

    I sent Mr. Trump a personal message a little while ago, warning him that a two week hiatus was just long enough for Iran to weaponize their high-grade uranium stash into nuclear bombs and attach them to missiles, on a fast-moving freighter to NYC. I also noted the Shia were obligated to lie to infidels, if it furthered their religious ideology.

    I’m sure he already knows this, but, better safe than stupid…

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