Mask Notes, ShopTalk on Workflow, and a Meissner

by

I’m trying to write shorter – more useful – columns.  Because as Elaine’s mobility has “wound-down” prior to hip surgery, I’m been spending less time “in the chair” than usual.  And more time playing lead in the local production of the “Odd Couple”.  (Planned for release as “The Bunny and the Geek.”)

Masks Work Better than Thought

You should have figured by now that my son, George II, is heading up an Incident Management team in the PNW.  He’s chief of the Operations end of things.  It’s a group involving several fire departments and two county health departments.

This week, while suffering the most disappointing Wal-Mart pick-up EVER (involving a clocked 1-hour 15 minute delay in bringing my order out), there was more than ample time to catch up with “II” on how the Covid battle is going on the ground in the PNW.

Turns out?  Really well.

I won’t go into what his field-evolved protocol is, but the us of N-95 masks is key.

Notice, I didn’t say KN-95.  N-95’s are the right answer.

“So, G, how’s your protocol working?”

“Well, two weeks ago, we had 20 long-term healthcare facilities in crisis mode, this week we’re down to 15, and I expect to have it down to 10 next week.  So, yeah, it’s going really, really well…”

“How’s it work?”

“When I was out on those Type 1 forest fires this summer (he was on major fires as the Covid guy this summer)  I was able to prevent Covid cross contamination as fire teams changed out by requiring everyone wear N-95 marks all the time.”

“Why does that matter, so much?”

“People are really dumb on this mask shit, dad.  You know “all about me, me, me…”   But the reality is that when you wear N-95s both on the source and receiver, you’ve actually got TWO good air filters in place, not just the one people whine about on the Internet.  And since masks are additive when two parties are wearing them…..”

Dad was impressed.  “How’s the math on it roll?”

“Well, let’s say you’ve got an asymptomatic source.  And a vulnerable receiver.  And let’s say an N95 – NOT KN-95!! – knocks out 97% of the virus.  Which means 3% gets through.

Say you’re the source and you breathe out, so your virus out is 3%.  0.03, right?   Now, when you breathe in, there’s a SECOND MASK involved.  And since I’ve got everyone wearing N-95s, everyone who is breathing in air is only getting 0.03 – or 3% – of whatever’s in ambient.

But here’s the magic:  0.03 TIMES 0.03 is 0.0009 between people.  That’s less than 1-tenth of one percent.  And since healthy lungs -especially with super nutrition- as somewhat resilient…see how it works?”

I was amazed.  Media didn’t communicate that well.

Been wondering how my son could be exposed this year to  hundreds upon hundreds of cases and be in facilities in a B-suit every day or two and not get the ‘Rona.  Well, not I know and so do you.

“It works Dad, because I’m turning everyone into walking air filters, washing their hands with Hibi-clens for 20-seconds, and wiping everything in sight down with Clorox solution.”

The masks work, the bleach solution works.  And with Moderna shot 1 onboarded, I’m feeling a little better about his  latest chapter of “Living in the Hot Zones” IRL.

Shop Notes:  Workflow

Second point this morning has to do with workflow.

I was out looking at my workbench (which I couldn’t see for all the shit on it) and I came in (with more coffee, because that’s how we think) and sorted through why this was happening and doesn’t for most people I know.

“George, how come your shop is so cluttered (desk, too) while none of your friends a)shops, b) electronics benches, and c) desks look like yours?”  These mano y mano’s with myself are useful.

Defensively, the “voice in my head” (referring to Others) was overruled by the Rational George.

“The answer is I do probably 10-times what most 72-year olds do.  Consider the projects that are eating bench space:

  • Time-machine project.
  • 3-D Printer projects (for https://Ultra-Make.com)
  • Update to power center to handle additional solar source.
  • Additional solar panel installation (both ends are kinda complicated)
  • Radial arm-saw restoration
  • Multiple ham radio projects
  • Shouldering more over in the house to help Elaine along
  • Addition to the shop (lean-to’s) and more…

The problem is these all have a bazillion moving parts each.

The key – personality fault on display here – is I tend not to spend a lot of time on the work-in-progress aspect of organization.  It’s a throw-away when done, right?

Things land…wherever…and any flat horizontal surface is fair game.  With a “photo memory” I just sort through my mental picture of things and…PRESTO!  I know where something is to within a couple of inches.

Same on my desk.  Everything is right in front of me.

So, be it resolved…

I’m going to spend 1 day per week working purely on organizing things.  Got one of those Brother label printers (earlier version of the Brother QL-810W Ultra-Fast Label Printer with Wireless Networking, but before wireless was in it).  Which I’ve only been able to use because keeping old prescription bottles full of intricate *(and some surface-mount) parts is impossible any other way.  Well, except Hank out in Hawaii who uses envelopes for parts…which works, except paper is bad here…but you get the idea.

So one day a week I have sworn to live as “Organization Day.”  No more check-runs on the fly, no more messy desk.  All inbound parts will move from “File by Pile” to small shoe-box sized containers, labeled, so everything will at least look rational to an outsider.  Ha!

Not sure if it will help workflow much, though.  Still, the Wikipedia entry on workflow says there are related concepts to be aware of:

  1. Processes: A process is a more general notion than workflow and can apply to, for example, physical or biological processes, whereas a workflow is typically a process or collection of processes described in the context of work, such as all processes occurring in a machine shop.
  2. Planning and scheduling: A plan is a description of the logically necessary, partially ordered set of activities required to accomplish a specific goal given certain starting conditions. A plan, when augmented with a schedule and resource allocation calculations, completely defines a particular instance of systematic processing in pursuit of a goal. A workflow may be viewed as an often optimal or near-optimal realization of the mechanisms required to execute the same plan repeatedly.[19]
  3. Flow control: This is a control concept applied to workflows, to distinguish from static control of buffers of material or orders, to mean a more dynamic control of flow speed and flow volumes in motion and in process. Such orientation to dynamic aspects is the basic foundation to prepare for more advanced job shop controls, such as just-in-time or just-in-sequence.  (My bench is a buffering MF’er!)
  4. In-transit visibility: This monitoring concept applies to transported material as well as to work in process or work in progress, i.e., workflows.

Just yesterday, I got a small frequency counter kit from China.  Lead time was 2+ months.  And it seems like that on most projects.  Always one (G*d-damned) part that is 12-year backordered so all the related parts for that project have to go somewhere.  And that’s been the workbench.

I know you’re perfect, complete one task and one project at a time.  But for me, life is a Symphony (*say, remember that software package?).  The bench just happens to look to those, not steeped in Jazz, more like a cacophony.

(Ham radio notes) Meissner!

OMG, there was a Collins 75-S3B on eBay this morning for $649 in what looked like good condition.

IN a Herculean expenditure of self-control, I let it pass.  Having 21-HF stations sitting on shelves is maybe enough… (Ya think?)

Still, I couldn’t resist when a fellow down in Brownsville sold me a Meissner Signal Shifter for $40 bucks, plus another $40 for shipping, and then tax…..

The Signal Shifter is a classic – one of the earliest stand-alone VFO’s.  Since one of the (parts back-ordered) projects here is a Johnson Viking II (for 75-meter AM work), it was a gotta-have.

OK, why?

Well, having designed and built “Super-Antenna” I want to tinker around both with AM and also some low-band QRP (low power).

When I was growing up, a buddy of mine from back in the day (last part of call sign is BDK) had a signal shifter and it was amazing how well it worked into his twinlead/doublet antenna.  Since there’s a “spare” Hallicrafters SX-101 in the inventory here (somewhere!), I ought to be able to replicate his station.

That’ll be #3 (and possibly the last) of my “early radio days” replicating stations.  The first was the Gonset GSB-100/Drake 2B/ Johnson amplifier my Elmer had.  The second (and I guess third) is the Heathkit HR-10, DX-60, and HG-10, then the SB-303/SB-401 combo – all owned by the Major.  And now an SX-101 and Meissner loom.

One of these days, I will call an end to radio collecting.  But been a hoot and not one item in the collection has gone down in value looking at eBay prices.

Which makes it one of the most enjoyable investments a feller can own.

Write when you get done at least organized,

George@Ure.net

57 thoughts on “Mask Notes, ShopTalk on Workflow, and a Meissner”

  1. I believe the days immediately ahead will be… …eventful.

    If you’re a ham (or listen-capable), please remember this:
    3.999 LSB by night — especially past midnight.
    7.299 LSB by day — The AM guys on 7.295 won’t like
    this, but few have 12-volt radios, and even fewer have
    emergency power. They won’t be a factor.

    Don’t “tune around.” These are exact, spot, “net” frequencies
    to be sure of not losing time in random casting about.
    If there’s another conversations happening, just be patient.
    It’ll pass after a while. Wait for clear air.

    Propagation is always variable. Be patient and persistent.
    Monitor, mostly. If any of us are there, and hear you, you’ll
    get a reply on the first BRIEF call. That’s the reason for the
    precise “spot” frequency call-out.

    Work the passcode phrase “business model” into your
    conversation, but do NOT draw any special notice to it
    or highlight it that would flag it as having special meaning.

    The use of LOWER sideband insures you’ll be safely INside
    the band, even though close to the edge — which most avoid.
    Be confident in any recent well-designed rig.

    I hope this is an alarmist waste of time — BUT we have an
    interesting and widely knowledgeable group here, and it
    could be VERY useful to have the resource available. If
    things get silly.

    I suspect a certain possibility Conventional Channels could
    have problems and random unavailabilities in the next two
    weeks. (Internet, email, etcetera.) Possibly of more-than-brief
    outages. Be nice to have a trusted Resource at hand. (Us.)

    -73-

    • I am buying a radio on payday… I’ve been looking but havent jumped..
      Thanks william I am making sure those frequencies are saved

  2. G,

    Not sure if you read the links I post, but I’ll post them anyway.

    Looks like a capacitor can make things levitate or sink using electrostatic fields.

    Weyl electrovacuum solutions and gauge invariance

    In general relativity static electric fields alter the metric of spacetime through their energy-momentum tensor….

    https://arxiv.org/pdf/gr-qc/0507082.pdf

    A Class of Exact Solutions of Einstein’s Field Equations

    Abstract

    The work of Weyl on the gravitational field occasioned by an axially symmetric distribution of matter and charge is generalized to the case in which g44 and ? for an electrostatic field are functionally related, with or without spatial symmetry. It is shown that the most general electrostatic field in which g44 and ? are related by an equation of the form g44=12(?+c)2 can be represented by a line element of the form (ds)2=?e?w[(dx1)2+(dx2)2+(dx3)2]+ew(dt)2. Certain of the field equations are then identically satisfied while the remaining ones reduce to a single equation for w. The substitution w=?2log(1+v) transforms this into Laplace’s equation for v, so that the solution can be expressed in terms of harmonic function.

    https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.72.390

  5. Hi George,

    I know you are a big fan of Amazon. With that being said I would like to know if you still are after they have decided to shut off all of the servers for Parler. To me it seems like they are trying to remove free speech from the internet.

    Like most people I have used Amazon in the past but I will no longer use them for the above reason and I believe they are bad for small business. Look forward to your thoughts.

    • Listen Scott,
      I am sick and tired of being a Dick to everyone on this web site, but sometimes when you absolutely know the truth and people are still skeptical of your passion and dedication to patriotism to this country, the anger towards the ignorance takes its toll. None of you have a clue how involved I am on several initiatives that are related the health and well being of our great capitalist society. George knows and that’s why he publishes my rants.
      I love this country and I show it with hands on action on everything from charities to business forums, meetings, campaigns and initiatives to keep the Bay Area a leader in technological superiority in Bio-tech, AI, Alt energy, electric cars, finance, computer and social tech. I don’t sit in my basement conjuring up conspiracy theories. I am in the trenches making thing happen and helping them be successful. It’s a shared interest and true collaborative effort that helps us all. The success of Bay Area wealth generation is a boon for my industry. Seeking ways to more inventory and alternative housing is a boon for their recruitment efforts. Together, we have conjured up a way to make the Bay Area more affordable, the single biggest barrier to middle tier recruiting. The top tier has no issue with our home prices, but you need middle management engineers as well. We have come up with a plan to allow 25% of employees to permanently work from home…40% will be on a flex schedule, 35% will resume in a normal pre-Covid work schedule. The purpose is to eliminate the rush hour. Therefore, people can now live outside of the Silicon Valley core of San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties, three of the most expensive counties to live in the country. Home prices outside of the core are 25-60% cheaper. Yes they can be 30-40 miles away, but without traffic that’s only 30-40 minutes. Pre-COVID, 7 miles could take 45 minutes during rush hour. It’s working…38% of our sales in the Covid months were in the exurban counties. That helps keep Bay Area employment stable. Therefore, our sales forecast for 2021 is double from 2020, which was 41% better than 2019.

      What’s does that have to do with Scott’s post? Amazon, Apple, Alphabet/Google, Facebook and Twitter and their eco-systems employ north of 6 million people in the US. Those 5 companies employ nearly 5% of the entire US workforce. When you add in the companies that rely on those companies for advertising and in line sales, the number of employed citizens skyrockets. Let that sink in for a second. When you question the intent of those companies decision to stop the lies and ban the insurrectionists, you put 6 million and much more employed people livelihoods on the line. That’s significant! The intent of those companies aren’t nefarious, they are protecting the supply chain of millions of jobs. They are protecting my job and the health and well being of those that feed off of them as well. That’s the bigger picture. You have no idea of how advanced these companies operate. I do. They have the algorithms to track that type of activity and suppression of their eco-system. When a person or entity comes along with evidence free statements that are framed to destroy that eco-system, it is their right as private sector companies to protect that. The no shirt, no shoes, no service philosophy. So….Rather than condemn the actions of those companies, maybe look at it as a patriotic duty to protect all of us from what thus far, nothing but conjecture and fact free, evidence free statements from anonymous (Q) sources. Make sense?

      • While Mark has detractors, this is solid (based on sales) data from the source…which is why I don’t ban him.

        Everyone’s got a piece of the Truth.

      • So amazon gets to decide what is true and what is not true? Sorry I don’t buy into that scenario. You seem to be ok with censorship. I am not ok with it so therefore my choice is to no longer use them. Keep in mind that historically it is the truth that is censored.

        I would also argue that they have destroyed many more jobs than they have created.

        • I think since it’s a pvt company (and gab.com is going hot now) people can vote with their mice (if that doesn’t sound like scifi, wtf does, right?)

      • So many of us are frustrated by the clear double standard. I cannot think of any prominent republicans that supported the violence and almost all are supporting full prosecution. I didn’t hear anything from Trump asking for rioting, though bringing a large group of people together with emotional messages has been know to have that effect. But on the other side, there have been violent actions all summer. Lots of prominent democratic voices supporting the rioting and trying to dehumanize people with differing political opinions. Now how many of those people and organizations have been de-platformed? I assume lots Antifa and BLM people supported Biden, should Biden be responsible to all his supporters actions? Of course not that is silly, but people hold Trump to a different standard then they hold their own leaders.

        I wonder if MLK would be de-platformed today, with his call for us to be colorblind. That is certainly the antithesis of the opinion being driven by these platforms today. I would think all these idiots promoting biological men can be women just by saying they are should be banned simply because they defy all logic and science. I imagine if Walter Williams would have been white, he would have been banned before his death. How sad we have become to be so fearful and afraid of opinions that differ then our own and some feel the need to demand they be suppressed. You certainly wont change their opinions and will force them into a deeper echo chamber.

        But I get it, telling people just start your own platform. Parler was trying this, but many people today have only Apple or Google phones for their information consumption. That makes it impossible to express a minority opinion. I cannot make a platform, if Apple, Google and Facebook decide to ban me, no one else will risk their wrath to sell me DNS, ISP, or cloud services. So sure keep hoping your belief in those corporate entities desires will continue to parallel your own, just hope you never disagree with them.

        I deleted my Twitter, Facebook accounts yesterday. Not that I ever actually used them. I am thinking of how to separate myself further from Google and Amazon already before this incident. (we need competition), but that is going slower. I use DuckDuckgo searches, Proton Mail, Brave browser with uMatrix, so I am slowly making some changes.

      • Comparing things to the “No shirt, no shoes, no service” policy of food establishments seems like a false equivalency. Am I wrong?

  6. George – are you saying that we should be buying into the entire Rona scam? If so, please address the following in your column:

    –Why a lab procedure (PCR – it’s not a test, it’s a magnifying lab procedure) is being used in spite of the developer (Kary Mullis – Nobel Laureate) saying it should never be used as a diagnostic procedure?
    –Why many deaths are wrongly attributed to ‘Rona.’
    –Why the usual flu and influenza stats are way down for 2020 (note: this should be a huge red flag)
    –On a personal note, why senior citizens like myself here in FL have been very healthy despite not using any of the spectrum of Rona PPE
    –Why schools and small businesses are closed in may states despite a very low death rate from the so called ‘Rona’. (note: Red Flag)
    –Why has the virus not been isolated?
    –Why vaccines are ‘potentially’ going to be ‘forced’ on healthy people. (Red Flag)
    –Why would use have to force vaccines on people in the first place?
    –Why do the so called elite or political class forgo wearing PPE and social distancing in private? Do they know something?

    George – you are a bright guy, that’s why I pay to subscribe to your site, but you missed the boat on the covid con. I am sorry, but your site loses credibility when you do not challenge the obvious problems with the covid narrative. I have listed just a few above. There are lots more! I hope in 2021 you will see that the covid con runs very deep on a global basis and there are many of us that are extremely healthy and see the obvious con despite the fear porn.
    —

    • I don’t know as many people follow Ure’s vision of “PRM” – Personal Risk Management.

      let’s run through it with CV at the center.

      Let’s imagine that there is as high as an 80% chance that all you say is correct. Namely, there is only a 20% chance that covid is “honest” as treated in the news – and I personally believe it is a bioweapon but that’s off point.

      Also, let’s imagine that you have actual field data from someone who is becoming a rock star in disease circles for the double n95 mask approach (everyone in close prox).

      The situation then becomes analogous to the pilot of an aircraft. He THINKS (20% chance, since there are mountains out to the port side in front of him on a map) that he sees a mountain.

      Does he turn, or continue flying – increasing his personal risk and peril of death of everyone on the plane including himself, or does he “fly in a little different direction?”

      In my son’s case (he has a $20K rna testing machine in his office) and was a pioneer in instant HIV testing (clientele in the adult film ind. but another story) he looks out of HIS window and sees the mountain much more clearly than I can from the “pilot seat.”

      “Yep dad, might want to keep masking…”

      I read the CDC Weeklies here https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html every time they come out.

      They are available and to my read that there is a disease out there.

      I pass along mask data I consider reliable because my son – like me – is around after 2,000 skydives because he (too) doesn’t go off half-cocked getting politics mixed into medicine, just like he doesn’t argue with gravity.

      Is there political manipulation? Hell yeah.

      That’s because politicians don’t listen to experts. They run agendas. Cuomo sending sick TO nursing homes is a heinous crime that’s been papered over.

      But, as I have said time and time again right here: There is no “1% dead.”

      I live my life fully aware of the chatter, but in the end, I eliminate as many risks in life as I can in order to continue living.
      Not for specific answers:

      >>>–Why a lab procedure (PCR – it’s not a test, it’s a magnifying lab procedure) is being used in spite of the developer (Kary Mullis – Nobel Laureate) saying it should never be used as a diagnostic procedure?
      a: I think when you’re in medicine, you don’t know what you’ve got, you use anything at hand to get in the ballpark. NO DOUBT reports were overblown. But in the analogy, just cause you see a mtn range doesn’t mean there aren’t one or two real big suckers (mtns) out there.

      >>>–Why many deaths are wrongly attributed to ‘Rona.’
      I think a lot of it is due to the disease being jumped from medicine into the political arena. This didn’t happen in past pandemics. A lot of the fire-fanning was extensibility of “Oh goody, another reason to hate Trump” and blame they have. In fact, looking at closures and lockdowns, the Dems have been leading the pack. People (being stupid) believe political claims (need for lockdowns) even though we went through swine and avian flus without them.

      >>>–Why the usual flu and influenza stats are way down for 2020 (note: this should be a huge red flag)
      I don’t take this as a very big red flag at all – because it’s really more confirmatory. Think of this: People really are being more distancing conscious and – as a result – all communicables (other) are dropping.
      Second point here is everyone I know in the senior category is doing the 2-part pneumonia series and that too has acted to reduce the death rate. So I’m not as “flagged by this” as some.

      >>>–On a personal note, why senior citizens like myself here in FL have been very healthy despite not using any of the spectrum of Rona PPE
      By god, you’re lucky. Florida has a moderate climate and people spend a lot of outdoor time. Fresh citrus, to. Right there you have two of the best defenses against most diseases (vitamin d from sunshine and vit c from citrus). Plus the virus may deteriorate more quickly when warm… Lots of possibilities.
      Again, I leave that to the medical people not the political people…

      >>>–Why schools and small businesses are closed in may states despite a very low death rate from the so called ‘Rona’. (note: Red Flag) This is where medicine morphed into a division of the Trump-hating campaign. If you look at where the majority of closures have been, I believe you’ll find democrat governors and mayors. Politics is poor kabuki anyway, and the disease was turned into a set piece instead of being managed.

      >>>–Why has the virus not been isolated? Has been. Think Hank posted a bunch of the links to it.

      >>>–Why vaccines are ‘potentially’ going to be ‘forced’ on healthy people. (Red Flag)
      Again, this is one of the “monetizations of crisis” that America is so good at. Elaine and I are willing to travel by other means than get shot just to ride on an airplane. {curiously, people don’t look or can’t force themselves to say it – but pandemic disease kills more climate change than any of the cheap political stunts have to date.

      >>>–Why would use have to force vaccines on people in the first place?
      Because left to their own, few people know how to manage statistics-intensive decision-making. Instead – since the disease is still closely interleaved with politics, the shot is cast almost universally as a political decision. Are Band-Aids? Splints? Stents?

      >>>–Why do the so called elite or political class forgo wearing PPE and social distancing in private? Do they know something?
      I think a fair number of them are idiots. They also may have treatments not available to the general public, or as in the case of Trump, they were willing to take the risk – and did get sick and recovered.

      Hope this answers some questions for a lot of readers.

      My first criteria in any kind of decision-making is:
      If I get the answer wrong, what’s the price?
      If I delay answering, is there a price (we mask (only in stores) and Clorox all goods_)? We don’t know the answer. But masks and Clorox are cheap.

      Hope this helps.

      Remember: Simplistic generalizations are for idiots and simpletons. Complex decision-making is supported by detailed factual non-partisan analysis. When I see a political word in anything related to cv-19, I don’t bother. Because it’s likely either soldier-gathering or a variant of TDS or Trump forever.

      Thanks – when there’s a decision on the table, we make it. We will fix what we can of the peripheral BS at the polls and via the recall process.

      • Thank you, George! Maybe you should require footnotes for all of the
        wild claims I see in the comments. I used to teach research methods; for many years I’d start the semester with a slide from the Weekly World News of a B29 in a crater on the moon and ask the students whether they believed it was true. Instinctively, they didn’t but we would spend the rest the semester discussing how we know what to believe and what to doubt and how to determine the validity of observations and conclusions. Not the least of the topics was “triangulation” which I guess is science-speak for what journalists call “second sourcing.” Obviously, your ‘rona hoax commenters have neglected to watch TV footage of desperate docs and nurses and reefer trucks doubling as morgues. Nor have they tried to spreadsheet “excess death” data. And I’m wondering if the commenters are all hermits living in the Outback–I don’t know anyone who hasn’t at this point had a friend or relative who has at least been very sick from covid. Maybe you should require two sources for every off-the-wall claim.

      • “Cuomo sending sick TO nursing homes is a heinous crime that’s been papered over.”

        And… quarantining people at…. MOTELS….. ( I don’t know about everywhere else but knew some that were sent sick to Motels.. not sick enough to be on a vent.. but sick enough that they had to be away from others and still be checked on ..)
        I don’t know how that turned out after they tried it .. or if they are even still doing that…. motels are really struggling to stay in business around here.. most of them have less than ten people there.. I had a friend that was going to drive through.. asked how it was so I went and checked a couple of weeks ago.. one place had one vacationer staying there.. the rest had between five and the cheaper motels had as many as ten.. managers are doing the house keeping and all the house keepers sent home..

      • “Cuomo sending sick TO nursing homes is a heinous crime that’s been papered over.”

        also that is standard practice and has been for years.. the reason.. the insurance companies.. won’t pay for room at a hospital.. hospitals have higher costs because one in three of the patients are not insured.. so you pay ten bucks for a Kleenex and an aspirin is someplace around fifty I believe I knew one guy that for thirty night time tylenol was being charged five hundred dollars a month..and that was twenty years ago…. the costs from those that don’t have insurance end up being passed on to the doctors and the patients with insurance. we use to have meetings on that issue almost every month… hence skyrocketing insurance rates and rent tabs.. and if there is two beds down.. you loose a half hour of pay.. if there is five beds down.. someone is going home.. the fall witch hunt.. and it is the higher paid employees that are cut.. sad but very true.. and we have a very good medical system here.. imagine how it is in cities where they stack patients like cord wood.. my daughter was extremely sick in Las Vegas.. they hospitalized her.. after seeing how things were there she checked out and caught the next flight home..

      • “State and local officials spent $66 million converting Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center into an emergency hospital to treat coronavirus patients. It ended up treating just 38 patients, at a cost of $1.7 million each.”
        From Reason magazine Dec. 2020

    • “Why the usual flu and influenza stats are way down for 2020 (note: this should be a huge red flag”
      well Steve…
      My Grandson got really sick.. everyone feared it was covid…. went to the doctor.. the results were.. influenza..
      so the question.. are the numbers down for influenza. not around here..
      covid is just the big news.. that is all the stats for it aren’t as talked about..

  7. For great organization systems ideas, check out Adam Savages One Day Build videos on YouTube, and also Jamie Hyneman’s tour of his M5 Industries – Picture a 2-story, 80′ wall of welded 1″ square tubing racks containing bins and bins and bins and bins and bins and bins and bins of stuff, all organized & labelled. And the bins & labels are big enough you can read the labels on the top row from the floor. Well, Jamie can, but he’s got younger eyes.

    And I thought I was doing well with 3 or 4 44-drawer Akro-Mils parts cabinets… (hangs head in shame, walks way slowly)

  8. Most people have a space that is completely oblivious to organization. Might be a closet, or the cabinet under the kitchen sink– but everyone has something. The bigger the space, the more it’s noticed! I have one that I’ve recently taken to trying to clean: The sewing room. Means I have alot of work to do getting projects completed. Coming along slowly, but it IS coming along. Now, to keep the others out of that space so they don’t reclutter it!

    • “Most people have a space that is completely oblivious to organization”

      Only one…dam I’m doing something wrong lol lol lol..

  9. As both a jazz musician and artist – i am a fan of having lots of inspiration around, which leaves me with a perpetual messy work desk. I periodically try the clean desk strategy but I find I miss opportunities to make unexpected connections. It is a balancing game that can get out of control.
    Thanks for the mask talk. This is the exact point I’ve been trying to make to my mask protesting friends and family. Doesn’t seem that complicated, but I’m met with resistance every time – hard to change made up minds, even when life and death is at stake. Thanks for these Sunday shop visits.

  10. Prayers for E. Speedy recovery. I’m off to church. Haven’t been in few months. masks. I figure it just best to get the Rona get it over with. I haven’t got it so far. Bu they say, Success is the best revenge.

    Lol

    Ohh yeah. I remember when I was taking about the Blackouts back in march of last year everyone was saying I had skitsophrenia. Ha ha ha ha. I wonder if the 200 million in pakistan and those at the Vatican last night have skitsophrenia too? People say the damndest things.

    No song to day, I still feeling Joyful as F!

    Organized chaos, that what I like to call it Goerge. When I’m organizing my mantra is, “A place for everything and everything in it’s place.” Seems to be a good chop wood Carry water sorta mantra.

    • Wear the mask. Try some AlertCare masks off Amazon. Maybe you will have a mild case, but how many people will you spread it to before you figure out you are too sick to be roaming around with it. Believe me, unless you are suffering from a disassociative condition, living with the knowledge that you exposed large numbers of the unsuspecting to the ‘Rona bug is not something you want on your conscience. I have watched others suffer grappling with the aftermath of that same bad judgement, and I would not wish that on anyone. Also note that exposure to that condition frequently leaves one with “fuzzy head” and very clouded judgement. I have personally witnessed that side effect. Don’t assume that you will get through it without serious mental effects. Also note that the winter bug is looking more contagious and severe than the summer version. That is consistent with the pandemic flu virus modus operandi.

      • I know the exact day I die and how. Lol. I know exactly what I will be doing and where. Some people don’t want to know. I know because I was shown when I had 9th NDE. And told the same thing every time since. No there are loopholes I found. Like I did have an “opt out” on George’s 80th birthday. Lol. I chose to take the path I’m on now instead.

        Every single time I have flatlined when I’m crossing back over they say, “Not until year 80. And I tell back, is that “your, you’re or year or Ure!” And the last time they said twenty eighty eight! I said you said eighty! The giant white sillouted dude (who isn’t using a mouth to talk, and neither am I, it’s all telepathy) yeah well, you earned 8 more years! And I said God help if there is 8 more Ure’s to go through! I can only take so many puns!!!!! He laughs and says years!!!!!! You will be one hundred and eighteen! Happy Birthday asshole! I said thanks cupcake! And then I’m back in my body. Lol

        And age 50? I’m stronger than I ever have been. Do you know any other 50 year olds (not in prison) pushing 450lbs on bench? Lol

        I know I don’t come back to this planet. Lol. I am going to a different one after. There are alot of other world’s. But thanks for your concern. Mich obliged.

  11. I am doing some comparison pricing on approaches for implementing a small solar system. What I am seeing is that the price per kw-h of charger/battery/inverter seems to run $1 per w-h, or $1000 per kw-h at best, to get into 3500 cycle 50% DOD batteries. An example of a appliance-style unit is shown below:

    https://www.maxoak.net/collections/best-sellers/products/bluetti-ac200p-2000wh-2000w

    This unit has an advantage over other appliance models I have looked at in that it has a 150 VDC MPPT controller, which would allow two or three 300-or-so watt solar panels in series, plus the smallish DC wall charger, to keep the cycle DOD low on a normal basis.

    The Tesla central charger/battery/inverter whole house AC inverter approach seems to be out of my budget range, and real needs.

    I would start with one unit in the garage to power the 12-24 VDC freezer, plus emergency loads like battery chargers, etc., and devote several solar panels to it.

    The upgrade would be to put a second unit in the house, for lighting, comms, and entertainment, and dedicate additional solar panels. Anticipating expansion would have to be part of the wiring plan.

    Retrofitting an existing home for fixed wiring is a dreadful pain. Using this approach, I would distribute the appliance units near concentrated groups of loads, and use drop cords. Only DC from the solar racks would require fixed wiring design.

    In the event of a failure of the garage unit, I would re-task one of the additional units to the freezer. Worst case, I use a small DC power supply off of AC line as a back-up (which is how I am running the freezer at the moment). I’m thinking that the 2 kw-h would probably be sufficient for the small DC chest freezer and a small DC chest refrigerator. Maybe I buy another somewhat larger DC freezer, then turn up the thermostat on the one I already have, and use it as a chest refrigerator.

    I also came across some economical combiner boxes for the racks outdoors. I’m not sure I will need them for the distributed charger approach, but if anyone has experience with these, comments are welcome:

    https://solarpowercombinerbox.com/collections/solar-combiner-boxes-with-circuit-breakers/products/2-or-3-string-pre-wired-solar-combiner-box-300v-solar-circuit-breakers?variant=33930232528955

    By all means, poke holes in my logic.

  12. George did II explain the short comings of the KN95 vs N95. Would appreciate any info on this. The VA just called and offered me the vaccine. To do or not to do that is the question.

  13. Dude – U are hands down the best numerical manipulating fraud I have seen in a long time – dam dude!

    “Lets say N95 .. 3% get through” – Fraudulent bullshit

    Honest reality = N95 masks do not protect U from virus – PERIOD .

    If U can breath thru it..I see all the genius health care workers wearing N95 with reg mask over it – they can still breath – hence they are not stopping squatta.

    Think micron sizes..Masks are all about Compliance and Fear – congratulations!

    – Engineering problem – surprised U cant see it. Had Ure eyes checked lately?

    U R very dishonest on this mask subject – I thought much more highly of U.

    Never did tell us what Ure attire is when visiting Ure dream realms – wager U R wearing all BLACK..

    • Wow, someone’s Elvis has left the casino! Talk about chasing after false profits. Heartbreak Hotel, anyone?

      I must say that this has been an absolute standout weekend for fools. Cards are dealt, fairly or otherwise, wagers placed.

      For those such as me who had lost track of Daniel Defoe beyond his “Robinson Crusoe” novel of 1719, the Gutenberg site notes in excess of 5000 downloads in the past 30 days of his 1722 work, “A Journal of the Plague Year”. It chronicles the day-to-day experiences allegedly of a London uncle of Defoe during the bubonic plague outbreak of 1665-1666. I took a quick scan through the book. The outbreak purportedly came to England from Holland in 1664 perhaps contributing to war breaking out between them the following year says Wikipedia. The Lord Mayor of London made appeals during the lull following the first wave outbreak that people not mingle. There was apparent disregard and a second wave settled in.

      https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/376

      Defoe appears to have written at least 3 books on the afterlife in the 1720’s as well as an earlier pamphlet recounting a woman’s story of her friend’s ghostly apparition appearance a day after death in 1705.

  14. George, I’m sure both you and Elaine have done a lot of research regarding her hip replacements. That said, for everyone’s info, I’d offer the following thoughts on a “front-zip” approach:

    https://www.orthovirginia.com/anterior-approach-total-hip-replacement
    https://www.peakorthopedics.com/anterior-minimally-invasive-surgery-faq-peak-orthopedics-spine.html
    https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/patients-rave-about-anterior-hip-replacement-but-its-not-right-for-all/2115714/

    and for closures:

    https://ryortho.com/2014/09/zippers-instead-of-sutures-this-is-cool/

    While my knowledge of surgical medicine is somewhat dated, this seems to be the current state of the art. I’ve always found staples to be cringeworthy and while they are convenient for the surgeon, they’re not always the best option. That’s especially true for someone who loves and respects her body. As best I know, Elaine is such a person and has always taken good care of herself.

    The anterior approach is more difficult, yet it does avoid cutting major muscle groups. The approach dissects between the anterior muscles and is less traumatic overall if performed by a competent surgeon well versed in the procedure. Patients seem to prefer this. You may have covered this already. BTW, I have no connection to any of the links or their content – they are just there as a jumping off point for further research. Best wishes to you both.

    • Thanks! We appreciate the tips!

      E didn’t sound too anxious to take me up on my offer: Fresh printed ABS hips on the 3D printers, opening with a SawZall and closing with 1-minute epoxy… hmm… jusss no accounting for women, huh?

      Guess I’ll stick with drinking anesthetic…

      • As a young paperboy in the 60’s, I had one customer who was wheelchair bound. I didn’t see him all winter and assumed he was house-bound. Next summer I came to collect one day and found him walking around the yard, selling innertubes to kids for water toys. I told him he looked great, and what happened? He pounded his hip and said “I got a new one! Come look!” He took me into the garage and showed me the old stainless ball and socket assembly they removed from him. It was so painful he literally could not use it. He pounded his hip again and said “These new plastic things are great! I can walk again!” That was almost 60 years ago and they have gotten even better.

        My dad had a hip replacement in his late 70’s also. The worst part was the muscle rehab afterwords. After getting up from sitting, he had to stand a bit and let the muscles stretch out again. I got him a cane, but he stubbornly refused to use it and kept working the leg until he could walk normally again. He was fine for another decade.

        Elaine will be fine. She will learn a new set of exercises afterward for full recovery… pain free.

  15. George, this will stop Chyna virus better than any paper or cloth mask, ya I know overkill, I am just having fun,
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Survive-Air-brand-scott-pack-self-contained-breathing-apparatus-survival-gear/324121619921?hash=item4b77276dd1:g:UU8AAOSwms1eg-JC
    and one of these
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Scuba-or-Paintball-Air-Compressor-Electric-220VAC-NEW/163997400138?hash=item262f01bc4a:g:jOMAAOSw0Udd~Gik
    grab a couple of extra tanks and go to town,, belts and suspenders. How is the car’s cabin filter? HEPA?
    Having been trained in a nuclear facility, there are proper ways to wear , use, remove and dispose of contaminated PPE[personal protective equipment]. I do not see anyone doing this or promoting proper techniques. I know people who reuse the same dirty mask several days in a row and preach to non-maskers. There is much ignorance(lack of knowledge) on both sides. I like that, where I live, we are still free to wear or not to wear.
    this is what I had in my tool box when I was a working man.
    https://us.msasafety.com/Air-Purifying-Respirators-(APR)/c/106?locale=en

  18. “Things land…wherever…and any flat horizontal surface is fair game. ”

    That’s what drove me crazy in a TV station multi-user shop… and why I always TRIED to keep a clean workbench. I’m not totally immune. The reason I built my ‘workbench-in-a-closet’ was that I found myself doing workbench stuff on the ham radio operating table. Didn’t want to scratch the radios!

    When I get stalled on a bench project… like awaiting parts from China… I find an old cardboard box and in goes the project and all the parts collected so far, plus any docs so I can remember what the heck I was doing there. Then the box gets put somewhere among ‘projects in progress’ to be addressed later when the parts finally come in and I wonder “Now what the hell was THIS for?”

    I think my humidity problem here is just as bad or worse than E. Texas, but I have not had any problems with the little manila ‘coin envelopes’ for tiny parts. I love them because they are a real space-saver and can be filed in order and in a compact space, and you can write details on the envelope.

  19. Dam George… What did I miss???
    I take a nap and watch a couple of flicks on tv and come back and everyone is upset at mark.. so far I haven’t read a thing that I would find upsetting..
    Granted he is more liberal that I am but that is his right that is why we live in the USA.. so he can say what he sees and feels and have his own opinion..
    I Love reading his posts.. everyone forgets his view is from a completely different angle than everyone else. just like my view of life on the street is different from someone else we all have that unique experience.. each of our views of the things going on are from a different angle.. kind of like looking at the moonlit sky.. its the same moon but each of our views is from a different angle…. but by writing their view we get the full spectrum of what is around us and how the view alters by the angle it is looked at…
    I love reading all the posts.. I am usually pretty quick on seeing the patterns but can’t seem to see what was so upsetting.. then again I do jump over the negative trump rhetoric.. that is ok its his view and if things had happened slightly different we all would be gloating as well..
    I know I can pizz off people I have that knack down pat.. LOL… but it doesn’t mean that I am not willing to look at both sides of the coin and change my position..

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