When the markets hit their latest (*Absurd) high at the close Wednesday, I put a little dough from the “hamburger fund” on the short side expecting a lower open. Two-and-a-half hours to the open, the wager looked to pay off with a 0.4 percent gain for less than an hour of (open) market exposure. The … Read More

My latest book, published on Kindle and titled “The 100-Year Toaster” argues the world doesn’t have a population crisis.  We have a quality crisis.  Wrapped up in the book is an explanation of how shoddy goods are bad for the planet but great for the corporations who run the place. Yes, population concerns may be … Read More

Prepping: At its peak, an estimated 2-million people in Texas lost power as Hurricane, then Tropical Storm, then Wet Spot Beryl wandered through.  Plenty or injuries and up to 9 dead (reports vary). The only major disruption we noticed was (an hour or two after losing power), we flipped over to the genset, threw the … Read More

Storm, War, Election, Earthquake, Paris attack, or whatever… Before the column this morning, we need to “take the pants down of the web” a bit.  In deference to the extended post of G.A. Stewart’s The Age of Desolation website. But before you click to read THE MONEY CHANGERS AND THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT –  … Read More

OK, this is going to sound weird.  Really, really odd. Has time been moving very slowly today? I mean like doesn’t seem like time is “passing right?” There are two reasons why I ask. First is my personal experience today.  Got up, did the ShopTalk Sunday column, then hauled around an extension ladder and got up … Read More

There I was on the Fourth. A moment in the recliner. Vibrator setting one, clicker in hand, and wondering about Tree Houses – which would logically follow from my deck plans… Phone rings.  It’s my buddy Mike who lives on a little patch of dirt (>80 acres) in the East Bay.  Out toward where it’s … Read More

My, oh my. We’re in the new forecast for the middle of hurricane Beryl set to drench Texas Monday. Which means I have a lot to do this weekend. With 7-inches of rain coming in a 24-hour window… Other than that (nuclear war fears, election candidate uncertainties – and before we even get to earthquake … Read More

I know – “What the hell are Ure doing working while most peeps are in their sleeps or in the deeps of four on the floor?” OH, um, taking care of business.  Which brings up the… Jobs Data Just Out From Labor… “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 206,000 in June, and the unemployment rate … Read More

Ready to rock the block from about 6:30 AM local time. It will be light enough by then I should be able to avoid running into the big things (trees, vehicles, buildings).  The rest will have to fend for themselves. An odd title for today, but I am back to using the “Speed Crown” a … Read More

Today we start off with the ADP numbers – which may presage the Friday official jobs data. Then we get into a discussion of fireworks – of the .mil sort – and how we are seriously behind the power curve in a key area. And if that’s not enough, the storm track, 3-inches of rain … Read More

With the holiday almost here, I will be busier than a short-order cook with crap today. Tuesday is garbage day, there’s a new tractor battery to change, and we seem to be in a “calm before the storm.” You know, there’s a time – before a squall hits – when you want to close all … Read More

Independence Day Turkey!  Yee haw. A late celebration of July Fools, we rather expect. Because: We know who the turkey is… And we know this weekend is the last (financially safe) weekend before Labor Day for the War party to make its move. Since you couldn’t go more than 2-websites this weekend without reading Increasing … Read More

It didn’t start off to be broken – but therein lays a pretty interesting tale. From the Top:  Why? A whole series of “Why?” questions, I suppose.  Like: “Why is a 75-year-old man in the woods building what will be his third 3D printer?” Well, for one, I was in the midst of putting a … Read More