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A reminder to the reader this is not a political blog, but commentary on human behavior. I am not pro-Trump, but pro-American, plus I truly love watching liberal scum squirm. I am not for or against any political party. Liberalism is not a political party, but a social cancer. It is wrong to steal money and it is just as wrong to elect people to steal it for you. One more thing, never argue with a man who buys his printer ink by the barrel.

August 9, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 9, 2024, getting disgusting.
Five years ago today: August 9, 2020, early scooter shed view.
Nine years ago today: August 9, 2016, pileated, you say.
Random years ago today: August 9, 2023, pallet awareness day.

           These are the 5-inch guns on the USS Orleck in Jacksonville. Hello from downtown, I left home at 7:30AM to meet up with Trent at the History Museum. This included a stop at Skycraft in Orlando, but they did not have any 7805s, or anybody who knew where to look for them. Sign, but the interstate through town is beautifully brand new, or as it turns out, the northbound lanes are. If my batteries had not gone dead, you’d see some video, I swear, I will get a new camera soon.

           The Robot Club rides again. That’s the tag for today, and we had five years of catching up to do. We got millennialized right off the mark, but turned this into a great meeting by touring this WWII destroyer. It’s on the river near downtown which I discovered is on both side of that river and I had a hard time finding my way. GPS let me down via advertising, I could see the place across the bridge and Trent was on the phone, but the GPS would not let me find a way to the bridge. Turns out the city is apparently on this kick of routing people downtown.

           The plan was to visit the Jacksonville Historical Society. I thoroughly checked this place for location and business hours days ago, including talking to staff on the phone. For me, this was a 423 mile round-trip so I didn’t need their bullshit. But that is what I got. I made sure I had the correct address at 314 Palmetto St, you can call them at (904) 665-0064 and tell them what AOLs they are. Trent confirmed all a second time and arrived twenty minutes early, texting me that the building looked closed. It was.
           How could they muck up a confirmation? Easy for them, they are pricks. Once again it turns out the web page has never been updated because not one ass-clown over there knows how. The double-prick on the phone then read me this outdated information. Millennialized, we did not learn it was shut down until time and money was wasted. Turns out there is a sports arena across the street and the museum shuts down during events to gouge the sports fans for parking.

           But you are talking robot club and we turned the day into one memorable tour and a lot of business, plus aforesaid catching up. Thanks, Trent, for springing for both the tour and lunch. Sadly, during this entire day we saw only one good-looking gal, folks, there is no worse sign of the decline of a country when all the babes go into hiding. I meant everywhere, not on a used naval destroyer in the harbor—although if I was a babe husband hunting, that is exactly the sort of place I would show up, hint-hint-ha-ha.
           The ship had been sold to the Turkish navy for a spell, which made for hilarious signs around the tub. It’s a very poorly planned walking tour with few directions, so allow for two hours. Ship interiours and train cabins have such similar cramped quarters that I always try to get a look at where they bake their bread. Guess what, we found the bakery and it had eight, count ‘em, what looked like modern pizza ovens. Ha, you would have thought this could be today’s Little Caesar’s. We got you a tale from the trailer court. Here goes.
           Parts of the ship were still off-limits, not for security, but because of the stifling summer heat. This vessel operating in the tropics without air conditioning, so the interior is a sweat-box and the ship is only partially getting AC this year, and only in stages. This kitchen area is not only windowless, it is deep inside the bowels and lots of people like to see the food prep area. So the room was a monster of a torture chamber until they got a brave local contractor to crawl in there and install what looked like an 8-foot long ceiling cooler. Well, he starts working away in that furnace and calls the “captain” to come over in a hurry.
           Sure enough, the last Turkish cook had forgot to turn off all eight “pizza ovens”. A 1930s design or not, they were in perfect working order and were still cranked up fill blast. There you go, more history right there than we saw at the Jacksonville museum.

Picture of the day.
Mutton Island
(Irish sewage facility.)
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           The last club meeting was August five years ago in St. Augustine, so we had much to update, including music, plans, and increasingly the need to develop some small business, known collectively as side-hustles. It is nearly impossible to start a large business in America since this is not a true capitalist system. The barriers to market entry are enormous and kept in place by those who have already succeeded. All I can give you is a brief overview and my repeat lament that such things seem to take so long to find out.

           I repeat how I have no contacts when it comes to Internet operations. Every XYZer I ever met was a bullshit artist in that department. What I know about anything from crowd-funding to on-line publishing, I had to find out for myself. It was known Trent was in much the same boat, but he does have kids who were raised around these apps, and the conversation quickly tured to which ones he had used. One was Spotify, and he made money.
           First, this nice video clip of the USS Orleck’s holodeck, with this 3D animation of a sub attack. And a photo of the first actual ASROC launcher I’ve seen up close. This is the housing for eight of the rockets on a trainable turntable. I don’t think it was ever used in action. But the USS Orleck was the ship that blasted the ammo trains in Korea. They used to hide at night in tunnels until Orleck figured a say to slip into range and fire a star shell at night. I do know the 5-inch guns were one of the most successful designs ever. The Orleck had six of them. I took a pic of the magazine feed tubes, if it turns out, I’ll include it tomorrow.

           Sadly, like most displays on the ship, this otherwise excellent presentation was gimped. Slowed down and too loud because there might have been one deaf retard in the group. So they inconvenience 100% of the others, real nurturing bunch. Back to business. Trent put some of the early recordings from, when was that, 2011 or something? They were deemed not adequate by the standards of the time, but we did not know that standards would fall so low that now all on-line indie music is of this nature. Well, it seems some Norwegian radio station picked up the recordings and played them what must have been many, many times because he got a check for $202. Now, we are interested again.

           According to the Norwegians, this brand of country music is big over there. Okay, so it isn’t real country, most of our lists are better tagged “country-like”. In this process, it seems that Trent’s kids have opened many on-line accounts, some of which might sell boxes, you see where this is going. First things, he is going to have a look to see what is possible. And one more item of potential, in the early days we often supplied copies of our recordings, most of mine were instrumentals. Well, he may have kept some long lost copies, including my non-hit, “The Debbie I Knew”.

           If anything goes, I’ll mention it at the time. What did not go is something I predicted right here years ago. That the old club would die a hard death over letting those new people run the show. I’m not against the new people, I just pointed out what would happen. And it did. The lack of live music, the importation of non-local staff, and the constant pushing of that pseudo-rap shigga-booga music finally killed the established order and the place had two customers last night. I stopped in to give Wilford some LEDs from skycraft and at prime time, I was the only person in the place.
           I stayed an hour to write a letter and chat, and one other person arrived. A Spanish-speaking stranger. Cathie is gone, her husband the Karoke guy is gone, and so is the old-timey local atmosphere of that once-popular club. I had one beer and left. Remember I said once the place had been bled, the new people would move on? Well, so did the Karaoke. No customers, no Karaoke, no country, and no cash. Yet, the one thing that will turn the place around, country music, is somehow not on their option list. Remember, my secondary prediction if they did not go country would be turn the place into a gay or latino bar.
           The strange part of being right is people can still disagree with you and your silly little facts.

ADDENDUM
           We stopped at BB’s Bar, an eatery on the riverfront. That’s where we saw the only babe this trip, and she was the server. That’s a scenario I first described in Tacoma, WA, back in the mid-80s. One good-looking gal in the whole city and she’s living with somebody. No, I didn’t check it out but I’ll bet you a hundred dollars I’m right. She earned a nice tip for two such pleasant customers.

           I had been in the mood for sea food, and the only item on the menu turned out to be swordfish. And oddly dry meat, comes with a smoked bacon sauce. Most unusual meal for me in twenty years, though I would stop short of calling it a favorite. Again, a mild taste for ocean fish. Normally it is served with grits, but guess what I had for din-din y’day? So I subbed a large serving of the house fries. With my dead camera batteries, I can’t show you. Nice place, that BB’s. They also have a well-equipped bar, but it was too early in the day.

           I also got millennialized on the way home. Now you can say I don’t give them a break so why should they give me one? Because that is their job. They are paid to do it right, I don’t get paid to put up with them when they don’t. My van has a light that comes on when there is arounn 40 miles left in the tank, which I rely on a bit as the KIA gauge isn’t accurate. So I’m just north of Orlando and the sign says the Colonial exit is 13 miles. No problem, lots of gas stations here. I pull up and the tiny sign says exit 38 ramp closed. And exit 39, 40, 41, and so on. I finally coasted off exit 68 on fumes. I passed six other cars who had run out of gas.
           Ask yourself what kind of ass-clown blocks 31 miles of exits without notice? You see, it is not full, true entitlement unless accompanied by lack of any accountability. After those are achieved, all that is needed in their world is an ability to blame others. Block an exit plus tell some lost tourists about it—that is not within the realm of millennial comprehension.

Last Laugh

August 8, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 8, 2024, 90% will know.
Five years ago today: August 8, 2020, 200 drawers.
Nine years ago today: August 8, 2016, train blog coincidence.
Random years ago today: August 8, 2014, Russian soda pop.

           Listening to A.I. narration is a great way to realize the limitations in brainpower of today’s coders. It’s hilarious and pathetic, people who cannot pronounce words themselves coding the way the robot pronounces. One documentary kept telling me the ah-kah-jee was sunk, but there was no such ship. Then I figured it out, the Akagi, at Midway. This makes me suspect the A.I. software is spaghetti code rather that network of adjustable modules. But I’m more interested to see silver, despite the efforts of the big banks to pound it down, climbing back to the $39 mark, where it will then likely move to $40.

           Today’s top pic is from Tarpon Springs again. It reveals what a big part travel plays for me there is adventure if you look for it. This is the railway station’s “cashier” desk, no chairs. Everything is done standing up. It’s tricky to see, but the countertop is around chest height. Keeps that lazy staff moving, I’ll bet.

           We awake to the great news that career bureaucrats can no longer sign off on government grants. It was one of the remaining USAID loopholes. The money can only be released by current government appointees which means Trump has veto power. This is what we voted for. I was up early enough to stay respectably quiet and determined I will need some amp power to operate the telegraph relay. Fortunately this is a simple circuit and I have all the parts.

           Now to demo how far the so-so “new” people have strayed off the path, let’s go on-line and try to find a pattern for a laser cutter and a wooden telegraph key. Not those chintzy acrylic kits, an actual diagram at least. If I can find one, I’ll fine myself $20 and put it in the bank. I’m really looking for the chicken coop heater with the remote control, now rebranded by Rural King as a garage heater. This is for the kitchen and it needs that 240V cable that’s been stalling me. Time to get it over with. The one on sale for $70 off, but you have to drive out there to see if the “store pickup” people are lying or not.
           Later in the AM, Trent called, turns out his son is and Elvis impersonator. Is this a trend? Actually, in the acting field it is big business but I could not pretend even with hair dye and costumes to be remotely close. We also have a new birdie, a juvenile female red cardinal right out of the nest. She’s less spooked by movement behind the window here and consequently is much better fed and seemingly more cheerful.

           Social Security has moved the insolvency date closer, how in early 2034. Nine years from now. I likely won’t be around for it, but if I don’t have something going by then, maybe I belong in the poor house. How about Texas, where the payroll off cancelled direct deposit so any representative who want them will have to show up at the Capitol in person. Where they will be arrested. I’ll wait for confirmation but there is rumor Trump has authorized the military to go after the cartels. Face it, the cartels thought they would only have to content with ICE from their border sanctuaries. I’ve often wondered how a military would fare against drug lords that aren’t halfway around the world.

Picture of the day.
Pie.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I was in Rural King, but why do I bother? They never have half the stuff they advertise as in-store. It’s a new audiobook for me already, and after 30 minutes I don’t care for the style. But, it a murder mystery, so it stays. It’s written by a woman, so already we get clauses like her memories have a capital M, and details of how much she enjoys her “aftertime” five years after the marriage, a likely story. Disney is beginning to settle outstanding cases out of court, which seems right considering their losses since going woke five years back are now reaching $150 billion. The A.I. translations of what Hitler really said are pissing some people right off.

           Normally it takes 18 months for the stats to emerge, but today we learn in 2024 that 992,000 women filed for divorce, and hit the men for $36 billion. Not counting illegals in the next census could cost the Democrats 30 seats. If non-citizens who are here legally are not counted, it is game over for the far left.
           This is another Florida slow train. They can block five miles of traffic, plodding along. A favorite tactic is to stop the train on the cross with just a few cars left so the late commuters can see all this. I got to enjoy it here, so maybe you can as well. It’s tricky to see, but watch the blinking lights for the stall part.

           I have a customer, but not the means. Last day one of the sample boxes was to a real estate lady. Here are the known details so you can decide what to do. She likes the box, but not the rough finish. Wilford does photography work and confirms she pays very well, and others say the same, so doing nothing is not an option. The wood for that Z-box does not come in the correct dimensions, but we have that surface planer still packed in the box. We also have 12 long pieces of 1x4” that could be sliced to size with a thin-kerf blade, something I have not done before.
           She wants a darker tan-colored stain with a gloss finish and her company name burned onto the wood. I priced it out on paper at a retail cost of at least $32 each. According to Wilford, she will pay it to get what she wants. There is no rush, but I have a customer any time I want one.

ADDENDUM
           This was neat, I just watched some video on the conditions inside Mexican prisons. The ones where there keep the cartel bosses. I take it we are supposed to feel sorry for these people, no TV, bad food, limited contact with others. In fact, you are supposed to forget what they do to others when there is contact. It’s pretty hypocritical listening to them complain that solitary isn’t much to their liking because there is mold on the walls. None of them express any remorse for their victims, instead just on about their own comfort levels. It is safe to say these prisons are not designed to rehabilitate. For that matter, neither are the relatively four-star US jails.
           One aspect I have never agreed with is building these prisons so close to population centers. There is no shortage of empty land. Alaska, the Everglades, Los Alamos. This is where you put the lifers who do not want to be reformed. Let them establish their own systems inside, as long as they stay there. I was amused by the number of times the videos referred to people serving 900 year sentences as “former” hit men and “former” kidnappers.

           Another similar whine comes from Democrats, who have repeatedly used the legal system to block or interfere with Trump policy. It’s practically the default way they do business. But how they shriek when the same happens to them, in this case Trump removing the security clearances of lawyers who fight deportation cases. TMOR, immigration law gives full authority to expel and deport. The way it works is a lawyer will argue that his client is being deported for some other reason, say a civil offense or the Enemy Aliens Act. This stalls, but does not prevent deportation. The Trump administration deems such law cases to be frivolous.
           The curious case is that Jack Smith operation, a blatant attack on Trump that turned out to have no merit, it was a political hit. Such attacks are dependent on finding lawyers who will pursue these cases, and such lawyers were appointed by the thousands during periods of Democrat administration. And Trump is going after that bunch, which businesswise makes sense. The Washington post is rumored to be firing reporters who won’t or can’t comply with their new rules which want their version of news to be “more balanced”.

Last Laugh

August 7, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 7, 2024, nuclear sub department.
Five years ago today: August 7, 2020, radish test day.
Nine years ago today: August 7, 2016, moving in.
Random years ago today: August 7, 2019, Cordele sucks.

           It’s just physio this morning, so here are more scenes from Tarpon Springs y’day. A full third of the railway museum concerned sponge fishing. Here is a device with a wringer to squeeze water out of the sponges for drying and shipping. You can see the wringer (hand cranked) along the bottom and the bin full of raw sponges on the top. I drove through Oldsmar, which I know mostly from hearing on the radio. It’s seems a nothing town, but is a good demo of how big the Tampa city area really is. This jaunt was 73 miles each way. I did not really see anything new. The memorable part was leaning back in my seat and getting bitten by a wasp. Still hurts this morning.

           I discovered I had seen most of Tarpon Springs last trip. My notes say it was a Sunday so I did not sample any tavernas or gypros. The shops are nicely clustered in the historic shopping district, good luck with parking. The area has the same lack of tourists seen in general about Florida these days. Museums always draw me, so I contacted Trent about what they have in his area. I still have most of the travel budget and I have not been in Punta Gorda in a couple years.

           The beach area of Tarpon Springs is a small harbor along a river, where apparently there is still a business operation for the natural sponges. Here’s website featuring much of what I looked at. I’m also a fan of touring older houses. I saw a few that looked open but I’d walked enough by early afternoon—and the rainshowers hit that area earlier in the day with more intensity.
           Too bad it was so far behind the glass but here is the oldest sextant I’ve seen yet. The card said it was made of brass and wood, if so it needs a lot of polishing. It looks in complete working order but the tarmish made the scale very hard to read. It looked quite heavy for the job it does and I can make a better box than that, ha-ha. For those who don’t know, this instrument might seem inaccurate since it is used on the deck of a boat at sea, whereas the reality is mankind can measure angles very precisely. And this instrument, even if you muck up, can probably place you within three or four miles in the middle of an ocean. Yet, it is mechanical and is unlikely ever to find your spot exactly.

           When I say harbor, thing more the sheltered mouth of a river, it looked like a typical Everglades marsh. There is a small lake a few miles inland and I was tempted

to drive around with my air conditioner cranked. There are a lot of older houses, shacks really, that are fixed up nicer than they likely were at noon. The town is small, I’d guess 30,000 people on a busy day.
           The sign indicates the river is named “Anclote” and everywhere there’s a bank higher than a foot seems to be marinas, clubs, and restaurants. Nothing on my diet but I know I should have stopped. Hey, around here that just means more for later. Let’s read the morning news.

           Spanish town have begun banning Muslim festivals, which will lead to violence. But we have that in Los Angeles, with organized attacks on ICE facilities. These illegals will only bring more hell down on their heads. Another Alcatraz is planned out on the prairies and nobody is denying the nearly incredible improvements in public safety and cleanliness it entails, you’d really have to see it. Nothing much else except the paid anti-Trump material.

Picture of the day.
California reaper.
(2nd hottest known pepper.)
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           This is the telegraph sounder, now attached to a hollow box to enhance the volume. At this time I’m determining the minimum voltages to keep the relay working. I could not find any markings on it, but most are 12 volts. This one will require at least 9 volts and solenoids are notorious for chewing up power. There are no wires attached, it is meant to be a portable demo to attract attention. I just know there is an Arduino sketch that can operate this thing. None will be quite what I want.

           Most use a buzzer instead of a clicker. I’m not the only one who finds that annoying. Beeps are headache-inducing, if not to the operator, to those nearby. I’ve seen dozens of sketches that do things like convert anything you type. I’m seeing one that can read a memory card and transmit whatever is on there, with a way to control the speed.

           One of the challenges is to avoid the use of libraries. These are code packets writing by others that most current Arduino sketches (their word for small programs) now must “include”. The problem is, they are invisible and all too often written by the unqualified. They are definitely not reuseable code as claimed.
           The sounding box will not use the relay to conduct a larger current, rather its clicking sound is the goal. This means just two connedtions are needed, but we need to go a couple steps further. One involves my tendency to add LEDs to any leg of a demo circuit that may or may not have power. This box is planned to have three. One when power is connected, whose true purpose is to help ensure power is not left on. Batteries cost money. The second is switched to allow a silent mode, and a third to indicate there is incoming in either mode.

           This led to an oddball discovery. The standard red LEDs are, I think, 5mm or something, the point is they fit snugly through a cleanly drilled 3/16th mounting hole. I reached for my spare drill bits to find I have no 3/16ths left. Instead, I have almost a dozen 11/64ths which don’t work for this. Some mistake has been made. (No sweat, they are good for pilot holes.) This lighting arrangement is experimental, since I have read there is a limit that small DC voltages had travel down thin wires, and this sounder is powered from the sending key. I may need to amp the signal, which is good because I’ve been needing an excuse to build that kind of power circuit.
           Later, I read through several Arduino “telegraph” sketches and as thought, none of them use proper programming techniques. Hell no, that would make the code adaptable to what you want. Most of the coding was stilted to do one thing only, such as consider a key press less than a certain timing to be a dit. This, folks, is where your idiot class comes from. None of the code had the alphabet where it belongs, in an array. Some had strange layers of constants I even found one that could read text but not the spaces between words.

           A rare storm from the east confirms my shingle wall is weatherproof. It was a blasting wind from a direction normally associated with hurricanes. Closer examination of the feed tray on the brad nailer shows there is a slot for nails up to two inches long. At that length, it’s wishful to hope the nails won’t twist and warp into the wood. So I got to thinking maybe that is what is supposed to happen when attaching things just like these shingles.
           I noticed that gap along the wall so I’ll invest in a tray of the longer brads to see if they do poke through. In this instance, the crookeder the better. That’s slang for more crooked, but in this age of politicians, crookeder is more connotative. The nails are 18 gauge, so they are more like long wires. The ones holding the telegraph box here are only 7/8ths but the box is glued tight.

           I finished listening to “The Cross Country Murders” and by disk 11 this is not a tale I recommend. It is all over the place, but as if somebody told amateurs what elements sold crime novels in the past. Every fight scene is over described and people seem to get stabbed regularly without consequences. Too much blacking out, multiple personalities, evil doctors, and people who keep coming back from the dead. Loose ends get tied up by some detective saying it is another classified government program.
           The good news is ai scored this handful of drill bits for $7, including the two half-inch nut drivers shown here. These are the the star bits that usually come as stubbies that fall out of your drill every time. Aha, half are the rare Roberson’s that are favorites for electrical work because they will hold a screw on the bit for one-handed situations.
           Early afternoon at the dog pound to drop off my food donation, the whole staff was different. That’s odd, and the old staff were just getting used to me. This time it was some gourmet dry food with chicken “as the main ingredient”. While at the store, I looked at the most expensive brands of dry dog food. It was brands like “Wilderness” at around $3 per pound. Some pets eat better than we do. This morning I had a bowl of chopped veggies, fried in butter and cream, because that’s what suited my appetite.
           Two small health issues I am bound to report. One, you bet some insect bit me good behind the shoulder, right where I cannot reach. How do they know? And this mornings physio shows there is a rather narrow range in which I get any benefit. Home exercise follows the same poor pattern for me, that is, too little is subtheraputic, too much causes fatigue. They have me stretching my whole back over these huge “beach balls” I call them. They pull everything taut, not just the problem lower muscles.
           And, they put me on the bicycle. As always, I find this effortless. Even at my worst times since 2003, I could always ride my bike. I still have the unit I bought last August, maybe time to dig it out again. I should have remembered that when I drove to Tarpon y’day.

           In the news, it seems the CIA hired the British in 2017 to tap Trump’s phone so if caught, they would not be prosecuted. But the day after Trump was elected, the head Brit quit and now he’s talking. Five States join Tennessee in calling out the National Guard to enforce immigration law. The Democrats scream foul, but as long as the soldiers remain under State and not Federal command, let them bellow. I suspect in a few weeks Trump will offer another voluntary deportation for those who didn’t listen the first time. Mind you, Trump has also blocked some funds to Universities for anti-semitism, and here I thought the schools were bastions of Free Speech.

ADDENDUM
           In the entirely predictable feminist backlash to the Sweeney ads, social media is bombarded with photos of ugly fatsos, most in impossible poses. The pictures are revolting and I will not post any here, but my favorite comments are not problem. Here goes, just imagine an immensely fat over-30 female-like jabba, and read these.

The crane to hoist her up is just off camera.
To have great jeans, you have to be able to fit into them.
When she went to take a dump, the toilet ran away.
One edge of her passport photo, it says continued on next page.
That poor innocent yoga mat.
What they're doing to this wildebeest is horrible. Where's PETA?
Let's see her get back up.

Last Laugh

August 6, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 6, 2024, uncoordinated apologies.
Five years ago today: August 6, 2020, please silver, panic!
Nine years ago today: August 6, 2016, planning the electric.
Random years ago today: August 6, 2009, now, it’s a crime.

           A trip is pending. It didn’t take me long to realize building shingle walls was not a substitute for adventure—by my standards, anyway. The gulf coast seems the logical place to visit, I had a great time just driving the area between Clearwater and Tarpon Springs. Florida maps are misleading, distances often seem smaller due to the popular Mercator maps. You know, I’d give a lot to know a lady that just likes to go on day trips, but with a few conditions. I knew twenty years ago that would be hard to find. The reality is you find countless women who say that is what they want, but they are all husband-hunting or hovering. For my conditions, see addendum.

           Saying to hell with it, I stuffed the $321 in my pockent, picked a place called Howard Park Causeway off the satellite map (because it looks like a parking lot near a beach), and piled in the van at 9:54AM. Let’s see how far we get and what I want money cannot buy. Let’s see how far I get and if we can extract any fun from it. I got more than I thought, see this photo. This is a $1,600 electric bicycle parked on a nearly empty street in Tarpon Springs. So what? Well, it is not locked up or chained to a post. It is just sitting there.

           Okay, six hours, 1/3 tank of gas, and 159.2 miles later, we return to base after one of the most unusual trips in Florida yet. I drove through Pinellas County, an area known to may only because of the extensive crime reports in the media. I was not much past Brandon when I noticed something was different. I’ve only been in Tarpon Springs, where I went today but I’ve driven through this area. I was on the freeway east of Oldsmar right at noon hour when it hit me. Traffic was moving at the speed limit. I began to look around.
           Unbelievable. Traffic was light, polite, and spread out. There were people in their yards and women on the sidewalks. Nobody was cutting me off, the system was working, and then it hit me. All the illegals were gone. I don’t know they are deported, but they are certainly nowhere to be seen. The people in the yards, the women, even the teens working at the car washes were all White. All I’m saying is I know this area and this is a major shift in public atmosphere. I do recall hearing that ICE has been aggressive in the area and there is no comparison to last time I was here.

           I didn’t make it to the beach. The drive itself was pleasant enough, this is remarkable in that part of town. Instead, I pulled into the tiny historic district of Tarpon Springs, attracted by this bookstore sign, alas it was closed. A block away I found the street I had visited by sidecar seven years ago, it was. Lots of small shops, more shops than tourists. A couple beauties in a coffee shop when I notice just across from where I was standing in 2018, a railroad museum. I’d missed it because the signage was on the side street. I love railroad museums.
           But I don’t care for railroads. On the leg out the four-lane was stopped for twenty minutes by this phosphate delivery. Notice how the train crawls along, not late at night but just before noon. If that does not disrupt traffic enough, they stop the train completely for ten minutes. I swear, the engineers are repressed jocks who think they are showing off to female motorists or something.

           One thorn in this trip was using GPS. The system lacks depictions of obvious landmarks like rivers and bridges. Instead you get millennial icons like Taco Bell and psychic readers. But worst is the lack of a 3N setting. (No Nog Neighborhoods.). The device showed a route on Orient Drive, and it was scary. It showed as a link between Hwy 60 and E Hillsborough. Mercifully, it was daylight and only a few miles. This was not immigrants, it was the hood.
           ICE has also removed its former age limit of 37 for investigative and administrative positions. It caused 80,000 applications for the approved 10,000 jobs. They must give priority to vets so the positions are not like to be filled by the bleeding hearts found in other government positions.

           Current events? In a swing away from social media (which is just mass media by another name) we see a rise in the number of member’s only networks. This blog is safe for now. Huge numbers of whales, sharks, and dolphins have begun washing up on the beaches in south Australia.

Picture of the day.
European underwater cables.
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           The building was an old railway depot. I was disappointed to find it was not strictly a railroad museum, but a historic collection of the general area. One section was about the Greek sponge fishers who began arriving in 1905, around the time the original railway station burned down. Most of the artifacts went up in flames and was replaced by various displays of model fishing boats and wooden tools. But nothing took me by surprise as much as this old photo of a boat captain. My business partner 55 years ago was descended from Greece and there he was staring me in the face. That is precisely now I imagine he’d look at around age 50. That, people, could be my longest term childhood friend, I’ve to to sent his photo to his brother.

           Two other items got my attention. This is an actual set of telegraph keys and sounders from the period. I have no doubt they were still in use during WWII. There are three sounders and four keys shown. Just last day, I found an old relay in the silo and rigged it to m bench supply to see if it worked. Yes, and it was surprisingly loud for it’s size. I now have my own sounder.
           Sadly, the museum lacked much by way of labels and descriptions. They still got me for a $5 tip. I was the only person present other than the staff. Some over-talkative grandmother types. Don’t say it, because I am not the grandfather type. At all.

           This canceled any trips to the beach, between the growing heat and my back decided it did not care for the streets of the town, which is built on small hilly terrain. It’s a sleepy town and the only place I spent any real time today. I did not stop for coffee, unusual for me, but I had skipped breakfast and grabbed a salad and sandwich where there was easy parking. Wal*Mart, the lot was nicely empty. It’s amazing how once the illegals are gone how the system begins to work like it was designed to do. This is not racist, this is a direct opinion based on what I saw myself.

           TMOR, no America is not “built by immigrants”, that is a debunked political talking point. We are being treated to a secondary bonus—the number of outlets that are closing mysteriously now that USAID has been cut. While there was no direct connection, say to all the MSM news outlets and talk shows canning staff and NPR/PBS who claimed “only 1%” of their money came from the government, the pattern is blatant to all but the deliberately blind. And 2/3 of the subsidized non-English radio stations are gone.

           Nor did I stop in New Port Ritchie, which I roundabout intended. Most of these places are former fishing villages with an historic downtown. I had a spring in my step earlier in the day. It went away, making me glad to beeline it home and crawl under the A/C.
           There was something else that typified the change in Florida now that we have Alligator Alcatraz. The illegals not yet rounded up have gone into hiding. There are no protests blocking the streets, no shirts and handbags sporting Guatemalan flags, and the general arrogance is absolutely gone. No trace of it, it is truly amazing. But one of the greatest telltale signs is the return of public cleanliness. I noticed all the city drinking fountains were working again and the water bowls appeared clean. I did not dare, but as I say, the signs are unmistakable.
           The total cost of this adventure including my $5 donation to the museum, but not the gas, was $13.22. I returned home down I-75 as there is a serious lack of east-west roads through much of Florida.

           Another signal the economy is rebounding is new construction. One that has some worried around here is the massive truck stop and fueling station on the west end of Bartow. It is a far more convenient location than the downtown stations built before the freeway. They’ve had a virtual monopoly until now.
           The long trip gave me time to listen to most of “Cross Country Murder”. It’s pretty disjointed and easy to lose track of who is already dead. This is characteristic of Pattison, who does not write his own stories. Yes folks, it is all ghost written. All the original people in the plot are dead except two women and a police guy or two, but there is still two disks left. They are sitting around pointing fingers and I would not be surprised if the twins turn out to be triplets or something.
           Las Vegas reports a decline in young people spending their money on booze and gambling. The public radio stations mentioned earlier to are screaming about the loss of tax money they say is not there. My dislike of the US hotel-motel mafia may soon be less isolated, as UVeye is installed in private rooms. It seems Lowe’s and Home Depot are under scrutiny for using license plate readers in their parking lots. The Polish train manufacturer Newag has been zapped for installing software that disabled the engines if repaired by anybody else.

ADDENDUM
           I like to think I’m flexible on this, but since this is not a “date” but a quest for some interesting company, here’s what I’d like. Ideal for openers would be a gal who chips in for half the gas, just like I would if we took her vehicle. Sure, I’ll spring for the small stuff, coffee and such, but a meal these days is $20 plus tips, so make that dutch treat. Now, here is where it gets tricky. I don’t want anybody just along for the ride. How about somebody that is actually interested in the places visited, who doesn’t mind stopping just to see, who goes along with a little fun, and has some intelligence about the situation.
           Maybe I’m spoiled. By fun, I mean you’ve seen the comic photos and various posed shots of the Reb & I. It seems with most other women, even that is asking too much. They seem to lack that spark that makes each date memorable. Zero sense, they have zero sense of taking an ordinary touristy situation and turning it into fun. You are darn rights I miss that and why I love spending time with the Reb. You just can’t find that, I hate to say it, after a certain age it seems.

           I don’t dream much as I used to but today I featured a character I did not like. He was a band leader assistant in the only marching band I ever played in. I tried to learn the saxophone but was never very good at it. But the rest were even worse, so the band guy would have me play the parts solo, knowing I would make mistakes. His name was in my dream, Phillip Tacit. He was an asshole but nobody would say anything in those days because he was adopted.
           He was also 15 when the rest of us were 12 and he was apparently a rather talented trumpet player. This three-year gap is supreme at that age, and one year later old Phillip learned to hate me. What happened? Well, at age 13 I had two things he never did. My own band and with it a free ticket to almost every gal in junior high. I doubt he even knew such was possible, but jealousy and hatred were commonplace. Once I figured out that was what was eating the guy, and most of the other heroes in town, I dropped the marching band and went on to exploits the rest of them could only fantasize about. I doubt many people know Phillip Tacit today if he’s still around.

Last Laugh

August 5, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 5, 2024, the 3D printer.
Five years ago today: August 5, 2020, there are two things . . .
Nine years ago today: August 5, 2016, cordwainer.
Random years ago today: August 5, 2017, remember Bushnell adultery radio.

           The awaited tariffs on Swiss and Canadian goods have finally been announced. These are largely misunderstood. They do not normally result in higher local prices, as the tariff is paid by the country of origin at the port of entry. The foreigners must either raise prices or eat the cost as the American marketplace is fantastically competitive. The country in focus is Switzerland, as they arrogantly refused to attend any negotiations. Trump hit them with an additional 8%.

           This morning reinforces that the same exercises work better when in the clinic, I supposed because I don’t overdo things. After all, I want it [the treatments] to be over. Once again, commonplace activities will rise to the top of today’s blog by default. Still, they are activities and that is getting better. Confirmed there is $323 unspent in the travel budget, from April, May, and this month. Doesn’t mean we have to spend it all. What would you do? I contacted some people.
           And for this morning’s laff, the French guy Macron filed a 22-count civil case when an American politician questioned his partner’s gender. But when Macron found out that under American law, his “wife” would have to submit to a DNA test, the case was quickly dropped. Quickly but not quietly, as the countryside roars with laughter. It stayed below 90°F before noon so I peeked closer at that planer. You can tell by looking the operation is expensive.

           Two hours, that’s all you get out of me today. That was all putting up my first set of shingle siding. The pieces were cut long ago. The labor of attaching them kept putting me off until I got the air staplers. That made short work of it. So what did I learn? Quite a bit though no surprises. Well, one surprise. You see where the rows of shingles overlap? That was calculated to be 15 to 20% counting both top and bottom. In reality, this method gobbles up to half again that much, that i , minimum 25%. You can see here how what I thought was half enough just covers a third of the wall.

           This was a practice run and it looks quite better than I thought it would. This was a rush job as the pieces had gotten damp on the north side and the lumber isn’t treated. I learned that no matter how level you put the furring strips, things get wonky if the lumber itself isn’t that straight. But it looks okay. And it is easy, anybody could probably do this kind of siding. With a helper I would handily have finished this second in a hour.

           I’ll need more pallet wood, a lot of it. The supply over at the yard has been sparse pickings for a long time now. I wonder if they have negotiated the pallets away. But I am not concerned since this means I may soon strip the silo of the pieces used to plaster that together, which was another rush job.
           Here’s another perspective, you can see how the third row is at an angle but leave it. That adds to the appeal, right? The end pieces to the right are left a bit loose as those shingles have to be custom fitted to match the corner. The roof just above what you see has an 18” overhang, so for now I may get just enough lumber to finish the first three rows. There is a considerable gab behind this application, you can look behind the whole row of shingles from either side. But the on-line videos I viewed don’t say that is any problem. Except for wasps, I suppose.
           The finished wall is quite sturdy, which makes sense because the grain of the wood reinforces the span between the slats, which have to be rather secure. Another plus, the part you see done here is from three differing batches of lumber. That means to me the material itself is not all the critical to getting a good wall. There are gaps that kind of even out and where the shingles line up by chance, it is easy to break a piece off to stagger them again. To be professional, though, I’d make the shingles as close to an even thickness as possible.

Picture of the day.
Chinese drone assembly line.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           By 3:00PM I was inside, looking at some pieces I cut from the 3/4" planks. It was something I had to try and it will not work. While I’d want confirmation, there is a report that Kamela’s new book just got pulled off the shelves when A.I. discover it was 30% plagiarized. Sounds about right, I read two sample paragraphs before I sensed something was off. There is a reported arson attack on an ICE office. These illegals are just bringing the wrath of America down on their own heads. Six more states band sodas and junk food on EBT (food stamp) cards. I say only let them buy food that needs to be cooked at home.

           Which got me thinking about SPAM, is it cooked at home? Technically, no. You are rethermalizing it, that is reheating it. SPAM is cooked in the can. When it is plopped into the can, it is a kind of grayish dough. It is heavily salted to prevent botulism and that is what gives it that pinkish color when cooked, after which they cool it quicky. This kills most germs similar to pasteurization. I do eat SPAM a couple times a year for variety or sandwiches. It was far more common in my student and working years.
           Here is today’s last photo of the shingle wall. The corners and edges, like around the window, are not that fancy but on this wall I don’t care. What I need is behind that wall, the last covered storage area available in this yard. Among other things that space is where I hope to store tools I don’t use that often, but can’t go without. Like my biscuit joiner and pocket hole drill. Sigh, the day arrives when shingles are top story, but then again how many people got this much done today?

           Festus Tuesday saw a good shoot-em-up, with the episode “Widowmaker”. Faking the death of a gunslinger with the pregnant wife who looked a lot like a gal I dated in the early 80s, Liz, a Canadian. The women are pretty when young, but they all go crazy after hitting 28. The plot left a lot of holes, like the population of Dodge City who will recognize he dead guy next time he shows up for groceries.

           Here’s a filler picture showing the chop saws, it looks messy but they are being tested for a good spot to set up. This was not it. No board could be place longer than five feet without bumping into something. But it sure is handier to walk a board over and cut an angle witnout having to change saw settings. Besides, assembling the boxes is generally more fun.

           I had an hour of light, so I pulled out a lot of the old lumber from the chicken coop and sliced it or shingles, shown above. For work, it’s actually a lot of fun. But my workmanship was so-so because I did a rush job and didn’t care all that much if it went to spec. I must remark again that the wall afterward is surprisingly sturdy. Them medieval types were on to something. The afternoon humidity had me drenched my nightfall. We are a step closer to getting my 12-foot workbench back into service.
           Trent replies saying he has company this weekend and there is nothing for me to see or do in Miami. Rehearsal is canceled on Friday, and I’ve lost Karen’s phone number. I might be stuck at home like some old coot this weekend. (You know better, if nothing else, I’ll go have breakfast in Brooksville.)

           My word, youTube is really insisting on shoving advertising down out throats. Don’t look at me for support, I detest people who post for money. And I don’t buy that crap that revenues “ensure” quality, I find many posts a pure junk either way. They are aggressively hitting adblockers. Even I have had to turn off my blockers to see recent videos, though I remain confident a countermeasure is on the way. What I don’t like most is the notices from youTube stating indirectly that if you don’t “like” disgusting ads, there is something wrong with you.

ADDENDUM
           Examining my sketches for a cheap $100 satellite from a few years ago, I noticed the similarity to the early Soviet Lunik device. I did not know it may have been stolen overnight from a display in Mexico City, during a big trade Exposition in 1959. By the 80s, when I was old enough to pay attention to such things, I just looked a the diagrams as if they were common knowledge. Today, Iearned the Soviet never did suspect a thing until much later when they read about it in declassified CIA memos.
           I’ll remind you of my concept. It is to program an Arduino to translate the digital part of this blog into Morse code and have it endlessly radio the content from orbit so the whole planet can enjoy something you get every day. Now, am I the nice guy, or what? Cost, except for the parts I don’t know, should be less than the $100 limit. If this sounds simplistic ( to people who have never thought about creating a satellite) I would remind them that the latest Russian booster rockets still use the same R7 design from 1959 as they do today. Russia has never started over with a complete fresh design like the Americans did many times.

Last Laugh

August 4, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 4, 2024, I wasn’t first.
Five years ago today: August 4, 2020, don’t need it.
Nine years ago today: August 4, 2016, as newspapers disappear?
Random years ago today: August 4, 2004, it’s a political thing.

           Some people just do not naturally complain when it is warranted. Seems I’ve got just such an inner circle of friends. The bad news is they let things build up before they ask for help and here is a situation where they could ask and get it. The requested files from back west arrived this morning. Face it, I’m besties with people who will get sick before the see a doctor, get stalked before they will call the cops, and put up with family so long it begins to drag down their other friends. On the other hand, that’s better than any alternative I know of. Good morning.

           This video on African economics was amusing, because it blames the lack of improvement entirely on geography. The lack of rivers, ports, and coastal plains are the cause of backwardness. Yeah, well explain why they remain primitive even when presented the finest of opportunities. The good news is just up the road in Nashville, ICE just snagged 800 illegals at the Costco. Let them live in fear, they were given the opportunity to leave peacefully.
           Here is one of the lawn mower batteries being processed. They are two expensive to replace and some locations that sold them no long stock them. It’s a practice I would curtail heavily if I was in charge. Say, for example, they would have to order and deliver any part like this to the customer, not the store, within 24 hours, or pay him to show up a second time. Talking with Wilford, the plan is to give these batteries the old Epsom salt flush and hope for the best.

           Is it progress. I had to call the physio session short today from sheer exhaustion. I crawled in there and could not complete the basic routines. But talk about limber, it would seem to reinforce that I do not get the full benefit of the exercises at home for reasons stated. The staff knows me well, so I had them check my weight in case my home scale was lying. Yes, I’ve lost a couple pounds. This makes me happy, as visually 90% of anything I gain is on the midsection since I turned 48. I’d give a lot to drop 50 pounds of it, which would still leave me 30% over my ideal. That’s it, I have nothing else for you this morning.

           Except Amscot. I wanted to replace a money order. They will not do it unless you are “in the system”. It was for $8.50 so I threw it on their counter and told them to eat it. My money might be to buy an airbike from Volonaut. About $900,000 each. Taking some down time, I read another chapter of “1421”, but it is about Chinese trade missions to India and Africa, which were already known posts. I want to learn how they got to the Americas from both directions.

           Here is a linden tree that sprouted in five days. They are so prolific, I just wait until one of them appears where it will give some good shade and let it grow. This one will provide late morning cover for the south bedroom window, so it is a keeper. The catch is that if you change your mind, you can’t get rid of the tree without digging up the entire root system. I have not successfully managed that yet, but there is a commercial herbicide.

Picture of the day.
Eastern Montana, I think.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Unable to gain any speed today, the only activity after noon was a late night trip to the old club. Where there were zero customers. So Wilford and I were able to go over a number of topics. I may have a customer for some custom boxes with a logo, but not the type made from fence pickets, which have a characteristic size. Then we looked at relays, imagining if they could be somehow connected with A.I. but came up with nothing. We further looked at my concept of wiring two analog RAMs to multiply numbers. Our decision was, that while it could be done, it was not worth the intense design involved.

           This made me realize how likely it was that one of the earliest digital concepts was a far easier way to perform arithmetic. It’s a topic I’ve never heard discussed, but I do hear the vastly louder calls for western Canada separation. Here is a still showing a package of Alberta beef priced at $80. People who live there know that is caused by eastern corruption. The hurdle is that Alberta is landlocked—and the barrier is the highly welfarized province of British Columbia.
           Mind you, separation would also block BC from Ottawa, so there is plenty of bargaining power. Alberta’s only other logical access to the world market is south, directly into Montana. But don’t discount anything, the situation is much worse than appearances. Few Albertans forget what Ottawa did to their convoy. In the US, when ICE advertised they received 78,000 job applications the first week. The old “liberal” world order is collapsing.
           Arrest warrants are about to issued for the 51 Democrats who fled Texas to halt redistricting. The joy is that the Democrats themselves thought this law would only ever be turned on their opponents. You see, the Left also pushed through a law that anyone who stages a walkout cannot run for re-election. And it’s back to bite them.

           Then last, Wilford has a new fisheye lens. Myself, I always felt that this lens was more popular with photographers than clients. What’s new is a variety of software apps that turn the fisheye photos into panoramas. None we looked at did a great job but were better than nothing for getting a lot more into the picture. On the agenda was more about what the customer wants in a box. It’s a real estate office, so they will want a logo with their phone number. This is where the cost becomes a real factor.
           There is no ready source of lumber less than 3/4" thick. Even the cheapest yellow pine or whatever makes the box a bit too thick, heavy, and expensive. The picket lumber is slightly thinner, averaging 5/8” and it makes a surprising difference. I do not know what the office is willing to pay, but they like the design. I tried a slab ob built-up lumber, shown here. No good, you can see the seam and it takes a lot of effort with the biscuit joiner.
           One potential answer is the planer, which I have not yet unboxed. The literature says it is designed to take 1/32” off the lumber surface, meaning both sides total 1/16th. Can this work? If so, is it expensive or time-consuming? There is a lot of talk and suspicion I am about to find out. Nor has yagasuki been tried on planed lumber, which may require extra sanding as well. Always back to price, welcome to capitalism.

           Some trivia, I was surprised to learn the trans-Siberian railway remains the only link in the area and moves $100 billion in goods annually. The American railways have fallen to somewhere between contempt and horse hocky.

ADDENDUM
           One of the off-shoots of not watching TV is a lack of focus on the humdrum. From Mercurty news, here is a list of people who have birthdays tomorrow. I do not recall ever having heard of any of them. Wait, Loni Anderson, wasn’t she on BabeWatch? Don’t know, I’ve never seen that, either. This just in, she died y’day.

• Country music songwriter Bobby Braddock is 85.
• Actor Loni Anderson is 80.
• Pop singer Samantha Sang is 74.
• Actor-singer Maureen McCormick is 69.
• Rock musician Pat Smear is 66.
• Author David Baldacci is 65.
• Actor Janet McTeer is 64.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 63.
• Actor Mark Strong is 62.
• Director-screenwriter James Gunn is 59.
• Actor Jonathan Silverman is 59.
• Actor Jesse Williams is 44.
• Actor/singer Olivia Holt is 28.
• NBA guard Anthony Edwards is 24.
• Actor Albert Tsai is 21.

Last Laugh