The weather this time of year is only partly conducive to shop work. It’s cold. So, in addition to being uncomfortable to use metal-handled tools (wood and plastic handles are OK) there are some machines that just won’t work right.
Take the 3D printers, for example. I ran out a pretty good-sized print this week. With the change from summery weather, though, I needed to add a full 10C to the nozzle (hot-end that melts the plastic filament) and 10C to the heated print bed, which is where the models are “laid down.”
One of the two problems, learned in early cool-weather 3D print projects, is “layer adhesion.” Normally, a general purpose PLA is good from 195 to 205C but this is all over the place depending on whose filament and whether you preheat the material. The subtlty of 3D printing is that the new (melted) material coming out of the nozzle needs to not only be hot enough to flow; it also needs to flow into (thus creating a melted joint) with the layer beneath it.
In a cold shop, the nozzle will flow OK, but the quality of the prints when you stress test some number, will be found deficient. Adding 10C (and I have gone as high as 25C more when it’s really cold) retains good print quality down to overnight temps around 45F.
Keep an eye on your shop’s Hi/Lo recording thermometer. Because once you get up over a 20F temperature swing, then the expansion and contraction of the aluminum extrusions can become an issue.
The second cold weather problem is the printing bed. The “normal” bed temp run here is 50-55C. But again, if you understand what’s going on, some critical insights into better prints will slap you upside the head!
The bed needs to be hot enough that the first layer of melted filament has something to stick to. BUT if the bed is too hot, the first layer may flow too much, so that’s a concern. The other artifact of “too hot” is that the first layer problems line up at the door.
Too hot can cause excess adhesion. This makes it hard to remove a print from the printing surface, especially if you’re using a plastic substrate. My personal preference has evolved to a good heated glass bed and then prep it with a good dollop of an alcohol-based adhesion and parting compound. I’ve gotten good results with Layerneer Bed Weld.
This is where the Scotsman in the genes comes out. Right out of the dauber (almost like the kind they use for liquid shoe polish) it’s a fine product. In my use, though, I have taken to putting down only a small area in the center. Then I’ll pour a half a shot (0.75 oz for grownups, or 0.50 oz for kids) of icy-poo-poo alcohol and mix it up with a throw-away foam brush. 2″ works fine.
What you’re after is a better leveling (and a shade thinner) bed covering. You will have to work quickly, though, especially if the bed is already warming. The alcohol evaporates quickly and you can get a (dull) glass-like dead-level glazing with no dauber marks on the bottom of the print. And that gets to a First Class first layer.
Not all is lost in the 3D printing department in winter. Any extra time (in heated living spaces) can be devoted to snooping around Thingiverse. Interesting story there from the Old Man files? OK…
One of my “neat ideas for Peoplenomics” readers was to create a clearinghouse for the free exchange of STL and gocode files for the emergent 3D printing world such as it was in early 2009. That effort was called The Public Design Library and if you click there, you’ll see the Archive.org view of the site.
At the time, I wasn’t aware or, nor could I find Thingiverse. But a lot of 3D sites followed. Take Yeggi.com, which indexes sites with STLs. They came along in 2013, Four years after the Peoplenomics report that launched at least one business model into the space.
We’re not the only smart folks in the world isn’t the point. It’s that any time you have a new “concept” making the rounds, like 3D printing, a whole bunch of people will come up with similar ways to cope with – and maybe make a buck some day – monetizing that newly minted corner of the Future.
IBC Tote Turned Water Works
That 275-gallon IBC water tote was finally cleaned out and filled this week. One of the questions the upcoming weather this week should answer is whether the unit will remain above freezing during a cold snap, or whether it will freeze, expand, and muck up my plans. We will top 60 mid day but drop to the low 20s tonight. A 40F swing!!!
As this story unfolds, there’s an interesting sidebar about being an “old man” and how personal resistance to change can sometimes be embedded in us at surprisingly deep levels.
I’ll explain as we go.
It begins with me strong-arming the container into the position I wanted – because once the water-filling was started, there would be no moving anything.
In case you forgot, water weighs eight pounds per gallon. Or, to make it easier, Pappy recalled it as “A Pint’s a pound, the world around.” Which, prior to the lunatics taking over Europe was nearly true. Oh, and the ones in Canada, but no point taking the “monarchy bashing angle” here.
With the tote in placed (yes, scrubbed out and doused with regular unscented bleach (which is an OXY-moronic thing – I mean how is overpowering chlorine “unscented” right? – there’s my water tote ready for action.
Now, where’s that olive drab cover I bought for it (on sale?)
I looked all over the shop, swearing six-ways to Sunday and eventually gave up. Ordered a new cover on Amazon.
But then, on reflection, it occurred to me I should take a picture of the handy-dandy “Pressure Water Kit in a Box” that had been neatly put together a few months back in a caffeine-driven fit of rage-cleaning after not being able to find something.
Which meant going into the office to grab the camera – and while I was there, I ordered a replacement tote cover, and then went back to the shop. Fully intending to review the contents of the “Pressure Water Kit.”
There was the box! Right where it was supposed to be! It was a miracle, I tell yah…
And inside the box were all the parts to provide pressure water via a backfeed to the house.
- Two adapters to fit the IBC totes (another one will be along some day) to the outside hose outlet.
- Drinking water safe hose…
- A self-priming, pressure regulating 110V water pump which will do 4.5 gallons per minute.
- And…what’s this? Why, I’ll be damned…
Yes – I had put the “missing cover” that I pissed away half an hour looking for, inside the place exactly where it needed to be. I had simply been tripped up by my recently turned-over fit of shop organization.
By the way – ’cause some wise-ass will ask: “How are you going to pump water if your inverters break down in whatever End of the World you’re prepping for?”
Step over here, my good fellow:
“Yeah? No charger. What if the solar panel charge controllers get knocked out?”
“Next aisle over, twit. Now shut-up and step outside, you’re holding up the Shop tour. Go look as how the cover looks when I got it on…”
Elaine assures me that this lightproof nylon will “hang out the wrinkles: but when pressed (sorry for the pun!) she admitted not knowing if either of us would live long enough to see that glorious event. I’ll put it in the Ansel Adams shot list for when the weather warms up. Some day…
T2FD Plans
OK, I have been found out. My ordering of a tilted-terminated folded dipole may have hinted at plans to get one of my (several) ham stations up to run ALE. Which everyone remembers (you do, right?) that I worked on while peddling radio gear to paramilitaries around the world back in the day. (If you need a drop-in HF jamming buoy, let’s have a cuppa coffee sometime…)
ALE is “automatic link establishment” as embodied in Mil-STD 1045 to FS-1051. We successfully used a folded dipole, and SG-2000, and an SGC-230 SmarTuner on ALE using a Frederick Electronics ALE controller.
If you’re not into ALE, tisk-tisk. Study the A.I. quickie read here:
“Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) is a technology used in HF radio communication that allows two radios to automatically establish a connection without manual operator intervention, by scanning through a set of frequencies to find the best available channel for communication, then initiating a digital handshake to confirm the link is established, all while considering factors like signal quality and propagation conditions; essentially, the radios “negotiate” the best frequency to use for a reliable connection.
Key points about ALE:
Scanning for frequencies:
The radios scan through a predefined set of frequencies (called a “scan group”) to find a clear channel with good signal strength.
Digital calling:
When a radio wants to initiate a call, it sends out a digital “call” signal containing the intended recipient’s address, allowing only the targeted radio to respond.
Link Quality Assessment (LQA):
Both radios continuously monitor the signal quality and use this information to determine the best channel for communication.
Handshake process:
Once a radio receives a call, it sends a response signal back to the calling station, which then sends an acknowledgement to complete the link establishment.
Benefits of ALE:
Improved efficiency: Eliminates the need for manual frequency selection, saving time and operator effort.
Reliable communication: Automatically selects the best available frequency based on current propagation conditions.
Reduced operator skill required: Even inexperienced operators can establish reliable connections.
Applications of ALE:
Emergency communications: Used by emergency responders and military forces to quickly establish reliable links in challenging environments.
Maritime communication: For ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication.
Amateur radio: Amateur radio operators use ALE to connect with other stations around the world.
What A.I. doesn’t come out and say explicitly is that ALE is a nuclear-survivable message store and forward system, Some pals at Mitre Corp were able to hit 86 percent reliability using just 100-watts (and the T2FD) between their digs in Virginia and an American diplomatic spot in Australia. Mighty impressive and just the tool when the ionosphere gets wonky in WW III.
Back in 1997, or so, were able to make ALE connections both using the T2FD type antenna (Yes, to WmoRR, it was the dreaded govspeak B&W). But the SmarTuner worked fine, too, once it had been through a few sounding cycles to capture the antenna presets which varied, of course, by frequency.
You can download the software to get started with ALE by visiting PC-ALE PCALE Software Download ALE Automatic Link Establishment Controller.
Just remember, this is a multi-part system. First, you have to get the gear set up for the ham frequencies which use ALE. The next step is to get included in a an ALE “net” so that you can start exchanging “link scores” and get at least to the low-speed Order Wire (60 baud) digital messaging. Then, you can use ALE for linking and flip over to voice. Easy, huh?
Usually, this far into the discussions about digital multi mode, Elaine’s eyes begin to droop.
“Does this have anything to do with he old Morse operators that had “banana boat swings” on their keying style?”
No dear.
Maybe another day for that tale.
For now, I’ll be on 3806 for a few minutes early. And then a comparison of Ref Desk with the Popular Woodworking reference guide. (I expect better welding dope in RefDesk.)
After that? Some neighbors are coming over to help us drink anti-freeze with the first hard freeze of the season due in tonight. Polar something-or-other which I will try not to make fun of…
Write when I grow up,
George@Ure.net
P.S. Yes, I canceled the replacement tote cover. $24 bucks will still buy a half gallon of vodka down here.
Always out of synch being in Australia, some 13 hours in your future. Have to say I agree with dLynn and his take on recent events – if you haven’t been unlucky enough to draw the PTSD card in this incarnation it’s something you cannot even imagine, much less live through. I don’t drop by much any more but I see the same posters, the same conspiracies and tirades paraded day after day after day. Exhausting and relentless.
This is really just another form of social media – it may be outside the bounds of X, Facebook, Insta etc but the effects are real, pervasive and self-confirming. I wonder if you might break away for a week, maybe two, and see how your perspective changes – or not. Read George’s posts without the need to respond. Read, digest, consider, let your thoughts marinate – take a beat.
Well said Jay
Always good to hear from someone that has been through a traumatic time in their own life. Point taken.
Winter:
Marinate. A nice turn of phrase Sir. Yes, the Ure-woo is partly SM with the give and take. Well met! Snowman E
Tex:
When your stated low temp is our high temp, well, less whinging if you pls. Per the (10) day we won’t crest 32F beyond model forecast. It’s … winter.
Old and angry. I set up a 3rd tech function here, mostly for the Mrs. So, the to-do list has spawned a bunch done checks (AMZN Dot, two Samsung Galaxy 24 Utras and the new off kitchen Epson) with more on the way.
My plan is now to arrange more tech conveniences while I am able to assist Mrs. E. The Zon already has a file on me based on search / purchase trend so letting Alexa loose seems right.
Most IoT are not given permissions (ex: hard code entry lockset is offline, on porpoise) but I may loop other wifi transacted household functions to my tablet, which is friends with my TV which is family to my phone. Virtual E …
We are making ice. 5 acres glass, 290-ish acres to go.
Migratory birds are agitated.
Not me, E
ps – to feed into the Ureiverse – did you do a year end backup of data, secure, off terminal? We (the Royal We) did. Tick Tock
Once again, Carbonite saved my a**. Replaced old PC with a new mini. All my date (27 books + WIP + research notes was on a 1 year-old SSD, which I connected to the mini. Somehow, half of the data on the SSD was gone when I brought it up on the new mini. Of course, it was the new year’s holiday, and I had to wait for a support call. But, 2 hours on the phone, and 10+ hours of downloading the recovered files, and I’m back in business. I consider Carbonite’s annual fee money well spent. I’ve used it several times to recover over the last dozen years. I can never recreate a paragraph as good as the original I lost.
Happy belated New Year to George, Elane, and all who follow these sites.
I have a son in Oz and an 8 year old grand-daughter. They are coming for a visit to Canada this month. I would be interested in your take on the following.
When you look at the BRIC world. it would seem to me that Oz should be part of it. Why would you get hooked up with the U.S. and U.K. which are well past their due dates of empire and geographically far removed? Oz is a lot like Canada with rich resources, but we are fucked by the Americans
It’s complicated. We see ourselves as part of the Asia-Pacific but old ties are hard to break – historical ties with the UK and bonds and allegiances forged with the US in the latter part of WW2 when the Japanese bombed Darwin in the far north and were sinking ships off our NW coast. Japanese mini-submarines actually entered Sydney Harbour and sank a crowded passenger ferry before being destroyed. The US stepped in and defended the Coral Sea. These days we are selling most of our condensate-rich gas to Japan.
Like you we’re walking a tightrope, made even more precarious by the rise of China which provides enormous wealth through our exports of iron ore and rare earths. Barring a military invasion though we are incredibly self-sufficient – it helps to be an island continent with only sea borders to patrol.
Trump is the wild card……….we’re expecting the worst. So yes we are f..ked by the Americans too. BRIC might look more attractive if you took out the R and the C.
Good luck – seems Trudeau may be on the way out soon.
Hey G,
You may have overlooked the #1 cold weather problem – at least in these parts of the Pennsyltucky woods, that would be SHRINKAGE.
Cold weather causes “Turtling” – which can be a rather messy problem for the less endowed, when taking a field Pee..thankfully I dont have this issue..neigh,neigh, whinney, whinney..
Drinking water hose made in the USA ? No trust Chyknessium products.
As for weather warming – “What Chu Talking bout , Willis?”
Global temps set to Drop far enough as to cause food growing issues…See Ethiopia – Earthquake swarm past week or so, and now Vents have broken open – that sight is ancient..dun dun dun.
Should relax and set back Ure feet, and enjoy some recreation while be in The “Calm” before the STORM. Really looking forward to the bullschiesse psyops they will attempt to help explain/coverup our Extra Terrestrial family visitation .
Only question that remains is will you Break free the “matrix” when given the opportunity OR GenuflectGenuflectGenuflect 4 eternity?
IFO STORM is coming – gotta ask Ureself…will I participate ?
ZOMBIE-
https://youtu.be/8MuhFxaT7zo?si=k_t700Dt9wOPvRCd
Cold weather causes “Turtling”
Been their first hand, heck even the wife noticed.
I found this on penis turtling in cold weather…
(“3. Stimulation of the Perineum
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s natural conditions that make our flaccid size larger.
Your perineum is the small area of delicate tissue between your scrotum and your anus. The average length of a man’s perineum is roughly two inches.
Multiple layers of connective tissue, fatty tissue, muscles, and membranes lie beneath the perineal epidermis. The pudendal nerve passes through the perineum and branches into the penis.
Any stimulation of the perineum will usually trigger an increase in flaccid size.
Some men notice such a change just after a bowel movement, which can arouse the perineum.”)
in basic … depending on how good your companion or friend is..make sure they have long fingers and short fingernails.. that way if your suffering the cols weather turtleneck..you won’t get scratched when they stick a finger up the Anusara to get it to poke its head out so you don’t dribble down your leg ..lol lol lol..
that’s the standing joke in the wastelands..quick I got to pee..lol lol lol lol…
After a serious fall that resulted in a life-altering injury I began researching Uncle Clif’s topical views. Ended up in the very deep rabbit hole of quantum physics, gobsmacked when a reference to F.A. Hayek (von Mises, Austrian economics) appeared. Turns out his interests were somewhat eclectic, his book “The Sensory Order” discusses cognitive psychology and mind-body connection
Prescient by an measure, as current research confirms many of his opinions. Who knew?
Abstract and full PDF here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267211664_F_A_Hayek's_The_Sensory_Order_An_Evolutionary_Perspective
The adage of “Transformation through Trauma” (old as it is) still holds true. Sadly not always for the best. Depends upon what one makes of it.
Had a couple totes of rainwater freeze solid once. Bent the frame a lot, but still worked fine later. No longer pretty tho.
Have you considered fab’ing a foil and bubble wrap cover for Ure water tote ?
https://www.insulation4less.com/insulation/prodex/4-x-50-prodex-total-insulation-5M
Ure pretty green cover might still fit over it.
Good idea – on the list (#783)
This might be close to the size of your container: https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Conditioner-Outside-Insulation-Waterproof/dp/B0D9GYG7Q4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7e3UWeODdwo3LzvNJkbrnTgkvkjbOZ8hQyFBMSXMwAI227I1KOaAEz00wNJfrrRzTQsE9DbvoHta3ZUptJyx-8uaHqMwHzRmupTIDmaAjXSHXN8cNE8tJyF-2pk3dwuaGnemDJZ1TMTRR2caPja79zHjsjwQEyf28SsMMBPrilWSzbj2st9TiQrgMnom5Ak5nh5mDV1bGObjiCQw2E2IWCWUH6lpv4A5d-1ltpC_NXQG5qX7JOxRti_Fk_aNaWNL3Gmo-Agf_e3-DxBYQ9AfT_g1T7HN4mHx-aE3yTmY6xu8I7_8tsGmq7-BXpJx9gVHePX028Oof3DqJuS0CeAM9ZZ_baMRu82p6XvOFvKWesgS5Wtp5ssCAoD_-ZBGNIy89LGkON3iD24GWJ1iSXxldVJEpXtoEU3QYfXIJus-zVcp8WORN9Rqi5f4eGrof10i.42ZCkhkecDDlk3sP-IvlTkZse0taB94wfJiIvGmJzOQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=insulated%2Bcovers&qid=1736103135&sr=8-8&th=1
I hate to break it to you Texans, but it does not get cold there.
That water can will not begin to freeze until you’ve seen temps at or below ~21-22 degrees for about three days straight, or sub-freezing for a solid week. Once it starts freezing, it will take weeks longer for it to freeze solid. Freezing will not damage it until it has frozen nearly solid.
Now the plumbing will freeze and split unless you open the valve a trickle (I wouldn’t do this.) The tank will not. A Water Pipe Heat Blanket* or a mini ceramic heater (~200w)** and skirting the base would be a good idea. Bonus points for using used bubble-pak for the skirting, and overlaying it with metal, plastic, or paneling, then pulling the tote cover down over the skirting. If you do it too well, you’ll have critters tunnel through the skirt to get to the warmth.
If you are really worried about the tank, buy something like one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHCDGG65
or:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCCZ2WHH
drop it in your tank, and fuggetaboutit.
Look here for ideas: https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/lawn-garden/13764281/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_lawn-garden
and bear in mind the top opening in most IBC totes is ~150mm, or an rch under 6 inches.
* https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDVCXP68
** https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Q1APZS
Quit overthinking simple shit. When in doubt, ask someone who deals with the conditions for which you wish to prepare…
(“I hate to break it to you Texans, but it does not get cold there.
That water can will not begin to freeze until you’ve seen temps at or below ~21-22 degrees”)
I’d actually love it there if it didn’t get so dam hot in the summertime.. ( I would first have to convince the wife)
my grandson ( older mini me) was home for Xmas and new years.. he’s laterally east of Texas by a few hundred miles.. what he was saying cold was..is what I consider perfect temps.. no state birds flying around ( mosquitoes) and great sit out and enjoy the evenings weather.. they shivered the whole time they were home. and it was nice out..
Hmmm..
in the wastelands.. winter is horrific for mobile homes every joint gets to cold the water flow if not moving freezes..they sell heat tapes but sometimes that just isn’t enough..then broken pipes the new plastic pipes get a small leak.. A drip .one you the worst kind..
anyway I had a second cousin that lived in the zone where cold breezes were a constant reminder that even a heat tape was useless.. my suggestion for him was exactly what I am going to suggest for you.. A hot box….
we made hos out of one inch heavy duty foam the results he never lost water flow again.
https://youtu.be/Dd-bNuCEhGA?si=cPbQzVhhKRywrI2H
cheap alternative to your issue cheap to make and uses the handy mans best tool ..duct tape..
below is red on his uses of duct tape..
Remember if the women don’t find you handsome ..they should at least find you handy….
https://youtu.be/TUwmqejNtPY?si=JaZ8aW46QF5fCNnD
From 3D to…
4D Man (1959) Original Trailer
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4IBMTy8WEk
“A brilliant but irresponsible scientist, Dr. Tony Nelson, develops an electronic amplifier that he hopes will allow any object to achieve a fourth-dimensional (4D) state.”
Of course something goes wrong.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/4D_Man
If you want to be a time traveler.. close the eyes and wake up in a whole new time..
go to Wal-Mart………or one of those karate dojos… look for the prettiest young ladies.. go up real slow..like elmer….
https://youtu.be/ufhHtjlM09E?si=DMYEtiVy2Oo0jXfY
then stick your hand down her pants and squeeze a cheek…
just like that you’ll be projected into the future.. when you wake up a new day will be in front of you… the time traveling event can and is a painful journey.. and it could be potentially life threatening..
Old Sol is wild right now. Three X’s and proton rain that shut down most HF all over the place. No CME but the spot is moving to face us and who knows.
Valentina Zharkova at GSM says we should be stacking wood and finding blankets while we get ready to wonder what to eat. A new Ice Age perhaps? And soon.
It’s even cooler than normal down here. Water is cooler, night air is cooler, and there is a dew point this morning. Good for wiping the solar panels clean though.
The local 3D printer has no problem with temperature. Ain’t that cold.
Happy Sunday.
Stiks
New post by Stu over at his site: https://theageofdesolation.com/nostradamus/2025/01/05/gravatic-propulsion-aliens-and-my-last-post/
G.A. STEWART: Some things that I now accept, I once totally rejected. It was time and world events that erased my doubts. Stranger things are certainly coming, and my guess is that it is going to shake people up and blow a good many brain circuits.
I think we’re very, very close. Could pop at any time…
I’m actually impressed at the level of restraint that Putin and Xi have demonstrated against the sheer stupidity we have demonstrated up till now..
https://www.shortform.com/blog/subdue-the-enemy-without-fighting/
the art of war defeat without killing.. I think they have already won..
1. the supply chain is totally dependent on their industrial skills
2. we have thrown away our strategic reserves leaving us in a precarious situation
3. we have placed ourselves in an economic environment that totally depends on our ability to borrow..
4. over run the social structure .. tens of millions of illegals are dependent on the hourly wage earner to support all while jeopardizing their own ability to provide
5. Out of the hundreds of products at our disposal, only ten major corporations manufacture the bulk of what we toss in our shopping carts.These companies are owned by whom..
the only thing that hasn’t changed is the reluctance to admit the defeat.. we are everywhere but here where we belong..I believe the members of congress are not interested in fixing anything..i believe they are owned and managed ..Just like Ninas puppets..
https://youtu.be/2x7hKwtpNDA?si=Rms46BDwr51hgnjL
1) Maybe a cheezy PVC pipe and plastic sheet slightly heated booth for the 3D printer…
2) 99% of the time if I want to know how HF propagation is here at the Radio Ranch, I sample all the CHU and WWV channels, and also Shanon Ireland HF Aer-radio weather. If that ain’t good enough, I check the set of CA DX Association gobal DX beacons. That’s always enough. ALE is for office workers and MILS of other MOSes. (Neither one of which care a fig about what HF is actually doing. All they really want/need is a reliable no-fuss telephone. ALE is Radio Romance-free.)
3) “LOADS” on T2FDs get hot, All the heat-Watts are not available as radited communication Watts.
4) On the CA DX Global Beacons: Each one CW IDs at 100 Watts, followed by long dashes at 100 W, 10 W, 1 W, and finally 0.1 Watt. 99% of the time, if you hear the CW or the 100 Watt dash, you’ll hear the 0.1 Watt one, too. (!)
So, if you have an antenna that is 50% efficient it will hardly make a noticeable difference at the far end. Half (radiated) power is about 1/3 of an “S” unit. That’s why T2FDs are tolerated. MOST of the time, 50% signal reduction is all but unnoticeble.
5) Oppose the Robots, or be conquered by them. (Or own a few hundred of them.)
Ticker symbol SERV
It’s a rock &roller..read hot stock. Double bagger in December.
Robotics company with some big time backers including NVDA..
All the Sun data you will ever want:
https://www.solarham.com/
…all the beacons, time channels, and certain oher channels are in one radio’s memory, so stepping through them is quite quick.
73
KW1B
Anymore – at this age – the radio has more memory than the op
re: “Shoptalk is warming up”
feat: Winter
Folks,
How apropos and chillin’ that George should offer such well said commentary on the ShopTalk as winter saunters by.
Yesterday Google’s AI, Gemini (?), offered an escape from Vegas tribulations with mention of The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
It was a learning moment for me reading that the museum complex is the former Terminal Refrigerating and Warehousing Building constructed in 1923 situated not far from the National Mall. Refurbishment at considerable expense was completed in 2017 by a construction firm whose same name as county would include the city of Las Vegas.
The Museum’s primary benefactor is an Evangelical Protestant Patriarch. His family operates a multi-billion dollar Oklahoma-headquartered “arts and crafts” retail chain. They appear to offer an online presence and app.
Mind you, in the long run can they or others like them hope to make the cut when all of us are buying the cheapest Chinese junk that we can via Amazon? Oh well, that’s capitalism? Does consumption of such material arguably produced under slave-like conditions put us on the same level as plantation overseers of eons past? Meanwhile the new plantation owners live in Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong while holding a CCP membership card?
Ok, Brothers and Sisters, that’s my thought for today’s Bible Study meditation.
Q: What’s cheaper than slave labor?
A: Robots. ZERO wages, plus you don’t gotta fed them, or give them time off for sleeping or anything else.
Ideal employees.
All work and no Krappe.
(Untill they figure it out.)
PTSD
Is an insidious, silent monster that lurks in the shadows of your mind and if not recognized, acknowledged and faced head-on, will slowly corrupt your soul and destroy you.
After spending close to 30 month in Vietnam I was “informed” that I was possibly a good candidate for PTSD. Of course they didn’t call it that – way back when. They had several names that did nothing but deflect the problem. Typical of the VA. They worked at ‘not’ recognizing the problem until we started kicking around in the big sand box. Then they could no longer deflect and ignore and new name was now being used. PTSD. And now that they all could agree on this new nomenclature, they used it as weapon. You weren’t diagnosed with a medical problem., you were ‘labeled’. I have seen it happen.
I’ve had my ‘moments’. Nothing dramatic. Though disappointing to myself that I was sinking and losing control. [ I’m better than that.., damn it ! ] Luckily for me, my “Mrs” recognizes when my attitude and mood starts to change and subtly brings it up in conversation. She has become pretty good at it, too. And I get back in my lane., back on course. [ Though I try very hard not to go out in public when I am in one of “my moods”. Not a safe, or wise choice. I am smarter than that ! At least, that’s what I tell myself.]
So.., you interrupt what you see, read and hear – your way., with your knowledge and experiences- no problem. I’m cool with that. We have that choice., don’t we ?
Make it a wise choice.
.., and I will do the same.
(“I’ve had my ‘moments’. Nothing dramatic. Though disappointing to myself that I was sinking and losing control.”)
I hear ya.. my brother inlaw ( a ranger as well) had a hard time with the army that was attacking them..all little kids the same age as his children .. all while the older military leaders hid in safety.. my sister was the one that mentioned his dark days..
another friend had ptsd real bad.. he attacked his wife one night ..she was forced to save herself…
one of the gents we let live in our spare rooms had it real b ad.. found him hiding in the shower stall and him baracading himself in the room around the fourth of july.. I hate the 4th. fireworks.. everyone of the guys that were in battle had issues with the fireworks.. to them war comes back to haunt them the fireworks brings back the horrors of war once again ..
one of the gentlemen.. he survived landing on D-Day then made his way and was one in the liberation forces that iterated the prisoners of Auschwitz… he didn’t talk about the horrors..he talked about how the French loved to dance . the closest he came was we were watching a movie about the prisoners..and he said..they didn’t look like that..they couldn’t even eat a teaspoon of food..
he lived little house on the prairie.. he was there while they were filming the first show..and in the beginning it shows Landon with a plow.. well he started laughing..pretty soon Landon came over and asked him what was so funny.. he said your doing it wrong.. how do you know that..because that’s the same farm machinery I used on my first farm..so he taught Landon how the farm machinery worked..
Good thing Ure 3D printer pre-warmer isn’t in Canada. You might be afoul of the law.
Ottawa outlaws remote car starters – to save the climate
That means using the remote starter to melt off the ice and warm the car up before piling into it for the morning commute is now verboten. It’ll also mean you’ll have to get out there in the -14C weather with your ice-scraper because there’s no way a minute of idle time is enough to defrost or de-ice your windshield.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2025-01-04/ottawa-outlaws-remote-car-starters-save-climate
So TrueDopes Fifth Reich again, huh? Oddly, in Texas, people still come first. And if Canadians really loved climate they would ban the rypto con as a bhuge driver of climate collapse and wasted energy. But, say, let’s not let facts upset the Liberal apple cart, huh>?
According to FOX, Castreaux will resign in the next few days — They said something about a DISapproval rating of around 71% (but I didn’t really catch it.) I was still fuming about the Michigan DNR okaying the clearcutting of one of the State forests to erect a solar panel farm…
All Wikileaks files now online:
https://file.wikileaks.org/file/
Clinton:
https://t.co/XCcOpD4Ssg
All Wikilleaks now online:
https://file.wikileaks.org/file/
Seeming like people have had about as much sh!t as the want, and are geting REAL cranky.
Next up is Civil Disobedience, followed by General Strike(s), followed by Committees on The Public Safety, followed by Vigilant Committees, followed by open rebellion.
Yes, a lot of cranky people out there, and if both cranky and crazy, uh-oh…
“If you bump into someone, they want to kill you.”
https://nypost.com/2025/01/05/us-news/inside-nycs-deadliest-police-precinct-where-fruit-vendor-was-beaten-to-death-innocent-dad-gunned-down-if-you-bump-into-someone-they-want-to-kill-you/
George,
You may be aware of this already. Online, you can get a stock water tank heater from FarmTek. It is immersible and designed to keep livestock water troughs/tanks from freezing. FarmTek has a good online presence and a wide variety of products, including greenhouse supplies. Might be worth a look.
Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Elaine.
Lloyd Snider