Monthly Archives: June 2024

Just Can’t Resist

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As the official observer of the Memphis leaders and news media, I can’t help but take note of how resistant they are to the installation of the supercomputer. Now they don’t want to provide a million gallons of water a day for cooling.

I can see why they object, I really do. Elon, the one who wants to put the facility in, is no longer in the most favored list after breaking the social media club.

It’s okay. I won’t complain. They don’t want to supply the water. They can build here in Desoto County. I’m sure that we can find a way of providing it.

We can bring in a few engineers, perhaps from Ol Miss or Mississippi State. They can figure out some way. Maybe they can simply recirculate water cooler in a heat exchanger. It’s sort-of an old tried and true method used now for decades, I might add very successfully.

I would suggest they just don’t know about such things north of the stateline. However, I can’t believe the haven’t thought of such a simple solution. They simply don’t want Elon around.

It’s okay. As I have said a number of times, I like it when my property value go up. They keep it up and I just might be able to sell my house for 8 times what I paid for it, or at least 6 times.

Incidentally, I am sure the folks in Arkansas would like my friend, to build there too. But being as Elon and I are good friends, l’m betting he builds here.

Improvements?

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Many times, as I have gone through life, I have heard, “The New Improved.” The problem with that is that many times improved isn’t better. Invariably, when you try to tell those saying it’s improved won’t listen. They don’t like that we don’t like the “improvements.”

My best guess is that it hurts their egos. They put a lot of effort into it, you know. They put a lot of money and research into it, you know. They spent a lot of time and money that really look nice that I will never use. And then they ask me why I don’t like it and they pay absolutely no attention to me. I am not a big corporation, you know. The reason I don’t like their new Outlook.com is that there is something wrong with me. The reason I don’t like their cloud is that there is something wrong with me.

Everyone knows that that it is better, you know.

My personal opinion is that the biggest problem with computers nowadays is that the wrong people determine what to buy and what is needed. Those who are members of the board and know little or nothing about computers determine what to buy. Those who use the computers have little-to-no input on what is purchased. Those who use the computers and deal with the problems daily are told that they have the best equipment and software. It is what the computer salesmen have said, you know.

And those using the computers end up with a ton of bells-and-whistles that are never used and making-do without those things they need.

One thing that experience has taught me was that all corporations large and small who refuse to listen to their customers fail. As an example, who would have ever thought Sears, one of the largest retailers in the world at one time, is now a small shell of what it was. It totally surprised me. It was one of those outfits you just knew would last forever.

Someday, someone will come up with another truly better operating system and Microsoft will find their product in a heap as with others who can’t accept the fact that some people don’t want or need something that does everything at the cost of requiring enormous amounts of hardware. Some folks like me like to manage my own system.

At one time, I reformatted my system disk once every three months and reloaded it. It did not take that long. Moreover, it provided a confidence that if something happened, I could start with a new system and be operational in a few hours. Now it took a week for me to migrate from my older system to the new system. Incidentally, I had the distraction of MS trying to get me to accept the new outlook. I’m still having to go through and deal with The Cloud stuff. What happens if I lose access to the web.

And, by the way, I still have a good operating older system from which I migrated. Who knows how long it would have taken if I was recovering from a major failure.

Perhaps, there are a few of you out there who cringe as I do, when they hear Microsoft advertising that they have come out with, “improvements.”

I Have a Solution

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I’m not a fan of folks who come to me with problems. I prefer those who come to me with solutions. In the spirit of that, I offer this idea. If I had a store today, I would require all who enter to leave a name and thumbprint before entering.

I’m not so foolish as to think it would be a fix all. However, it would encourage the criminal types to go somewhere else. If they don’t want to leave a thumbprint, they just might have a reason.

Words of Wisdom for the Woman Who Wants to Carry (a gun)

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I was in a doctor’s office the other day and reading an article by a woman. Yeah. What can a woman tell a man who was in the Marines for nine years about guns? Plenty!

Two things specifically that never occurred to me. First, never carry a gun in your purse. Now, I don’t know why I never thought of that, other than I never carried a purse. The problem you see, if a purse snatcher, snatches your purse, then he has also has obscanded off with your gun. You now no longer have a purse or money, but you lost your gun too. Now you will need to explain that to the police.

I have a weakness as a reporter. I am bad at getting names. I should have written down the name of the woman that wrote that which I read so that I was able to write it so you can read it. Should the woman read this, send me a message so I can properly credit you.

By the way, good clean well oiled guns don’t need to be carried in not so clean pursues anyway.

As a side note of my own, if you left your gun in the car that was stolen, pretty much the same thing applies. Fortunately, at least until recently, cars are more difficult to steal than purses.

One more peace of advice for any person, especially women, if you think you want to carry a .38 special for any reason, fire 50 rounds through one before investing in one. 1 in 3 men can handle one; maybe 1 in 10. After firing 10 rounds through a rental one day, I learned that. I am not too proud to admit my wrist hurt for hours after.

They used to be carried by police, you know. Now I have a new respect for them. I suppose after four or five hundred rounds, I might get used to it, but why?

Two Gas Lights

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Many may not remember it, but most homes, especially in the cities were lit by natural gas. Indeed, I have been told that it was at least partially because of anger at the gas company that Edison was so determined to build a practical electric light. It seems that the gas company kept turning off the gas at his factory for lack of payment.

I have no idea how much truth there is in that, but it sounds good. Regardless, gas was pretty reliable. In the time I lived here, or anywhere for that matter, I have never experienced an interruption of natural gas. Odd, though it cannot be seen or smelled, it seems as reliable as the Rock of Gibraltar.

I was reminded of this again, today. Indeed, I am using my pad because my desktop has no power and hasn’t for many hours. I am probably going to have to throw out all my food because some truck driver was not aware that his big rig would fit under the wires that supply my house, and perhaps a thousand or so others. (but who cares about the others? )

I still have gas, but not light. This makes me think maybe we all need at least two old gas lights. One would be in the living room, one in the bathroom. When some mindless truck driver interrupts the flow of electricity to my home, I break out the matches and light the old gas lights as they did many years ago.

You say electricity doesn’t go out that much. Near as I figure, it’s about two or three times a year.

Well I solved the light problem. Now what do we do about the spoiled food and HVAC? As I have said before in my posts, I don’t like hot and I don’t like cold.

Still Shooting Themselves in the Big Toe

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Elon Musk announced he will build the largest super computer in Memphis. No sooner was the announcement made that, according to ABC News, environmental groups are complaining about the environmental impact.

As far as I’m concerned, let him bring the thing down into Desoto County. We can put up with a few environmental problems. We can also gladly tolerate all the new jobs, not to mention the increase in property values. If push comes to shove, we’ll build him a solar battery farm. That ought to make the going green folks happy.

Then, when they find out about all the money and jobs floating down this way, maybe next time, they won’t be so quick to complain. If they should try, they might get a boot in their mouth from a fellow Memphian. You know, the one who lost a chance to work on the big computer that headed south.

The fact is, it has nothing to do with going green but rather control. They are complaining because they have no control over it nor do they get any wealth from it.

Not Fun

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I was being good. I got up early to cut the grass. Okay, I about had to. The grass was getting high as well as the temperature. I did not want to have to cut it in the afternoon or at night. Too hot in afternoons. Too dark at night.

At any rate, I was almost ready as I just put my second shoe on. Suddenly I felt a little sting behind my knee. I didn’t think much of it and rubbed at it. It got to really hurting bad and I pulled my cuff up.

I had heard of those brown recluse spiders and how bad their bites hurt so bad so quickly. I began wondering if I was gonna need to pay a visit to the E-room. Those brown recluses are sometimes deadly.

Then I heard a buzzing, looked up, and saw something darting around near the ceiling. As my focus zeroed in, I realized I was just stung by a wasp.

Well, I guess I was relieved. It wasn’t the dreaded recluse, but it still hurt, badly. As said in the title, not fun.

I put some ice on it, but mind you, that sun was warming things up and that grass is growing so fast you can see it. Do I remove the ice and mow the grass or do I sit there and ice my painful wound.

Well, the lawn won. I was a marine. I can take the little pain of a wasp. Now the complaints and scornful looks of neighbors?

On a side note, I outlasted the mower’s battery this morning. I guess after 4 or 5 years, it’s time to replace the battery as the charge lasts half as long as new. Then again I just might get one more season out of it.

As I mentioned before, my wife has said I think too much. I guess most would leave it all there. Me. I must think about it. I must ask questions to which there will never be any answers.

How in the world did that mini monster get in the house?

By the way, I was wearing long trousers. How did that thing manage to sneak up the inside of my pant leg without me realizing it?

Daily writing prompt
What notable things happened today?
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As Evil as Hitler?

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Repeatedly, I hear people say this man or that man is as bad as Hitler.

Well, let’s see. Just what measure do we use to see who is it that really is like Hitler.

Actually, Hitler was but one of the really bad evil men of the day. Hitler took his lead from Italian dictator, Mussolini. I mean Hitler was well on his way, but he raised his head, looked around, and decided he liked what was going on in Italy.

Then there was Hedeki Tojo. He was the Japanese general who had designs on controlling the entire South Pacific, including Australia. Oh, and by the way, he was already pushing into Eastern Russia and Alaska.

I ask, why is it that people don’t say, “so&so is as bad as Tojo?” It’s always Hitler is the benchmark.

To be sure, there are people in the world today who are evil, maybe even more evil than Hitler, more evil than Musolini, and yes, more evil than Tojo.

I’m not going to call names but rather explain the evil. It’s not new, you know. Let’s see. Who was the character with the fiddle, the one that played it while Rome burned?

Actually, I think he wasn’t the only evil Roman ruler. It just is he is the only one I can think of off the top of my noggin. Please, let’s not forget the Spanish inquisition, which likely killed a bunch of folks because they refused to be Catholic. Oh, I am sure there are many that would like us to forget that one.

You see, evil has, does and will continue to exist until Jesus Christ, Himself puts a stop to it at his second coming.

It exist, firstly because man is evil. No need teach a child to lie, steal or hurt others. It comes naturally. Indeed, a child must be taught not to do these things. If not taught and trained, and disciplined, he very likely will become a monster, conceivably like Hitler, only without all the power. To be sure, even those who are brought up properly can become horrible.

Many of them grow up to be just as bad as Tojo, Musolini, and yes, Hitler. They just don’t have the power, the following, or maybe they don’t have the charisma.

President Trump had the power. He had the following. It’s sort of how you can tell what kind of man he is. He used his position of authority to improve this country, and the world.

The evil people increase taxes. He decreased them. Evil people start wars to gain power. He quickly brought wars to ends and started none. Evil people seek to gain power. Trump was always trying to return power to the people and the states.

Certainly, we should not forget, there is an evil power in this world seeking to give it to evil people. He used to be a very attractive angel. Today he is a demon. He destroys every life he can. He does it through evil people, like Nero, like Hitler, and yes, given the chance, like the Catholic church.

Don’t tell me Trump is evil as Hitler. He had the chance to do evil but he only did good. For this, Satan and his hords of evil doing people have done everything that they can do to destroy him. Now, trying to destroy a man who did only good, that is evil. It is what the likes of the Soviets did. They were not natzi, but they were as bad if not worse.

The Leadership of Pollsters?

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There is an earth shaking decision to be made. Immediately, the order is made, “Ask the pollsters. And tell them hurry.”

Is it possible. Is it probable. Can it be that we are the nation being ruled by the pollsters. I guess, in a way, that is ruling by the people. That is to say, if the polls are fair and accurate.

Just how much is the poll being colored by the pollster. The choice of how the question is worded can make a 5 or maybe 10 points difference.

Of course, this is tongue & cheek. Still, I do wonder how many decisions are made based on polls. Consider the border. There was nothing on earth that would change the mind of Old Joe, or the dems for that matter. They are determined to increase their voter base.

Then, what? 5 months from the election, suddenly, Old Joe wants to send illegal aliens home.

Remember, nothing on earth could alter Joe’s mind. Well. Maybe that isn’t so. You see, 5 men with fancy brief cases and charts walk into the Oval Office and, instantly, Joe changed his mind.

Those 5 men, or was it 6. no one knows for sure. They must have been awfully powerful guys. They must have had some very convincing numbers, facts and figures.

Now, Old Joe is in a quandary. How does he keep the border open while blaming it on the Republicans. Then one of his brilliant yes men says, “I have an idea. We get that bill passed the Republicans shot down.”

Old Joe says, “That won’t work, will it. I mean, it didn’t work before.”

Another yes man jumps in. “We get the media to apply a lot of pressure. They paint them as obstructionist.”

And so it is, they march out the politicians and put them on the talk shows. Then a few weeks later, Old Joe has his visitors again.

Guess what. Suddenly Joe is talking really deporting illegal aliens. I mean, he’s not really going to do it. It will all be done with smoke and mirrors. All the while he deports them, he’ll be sneaking them in at night on big jets.

Well, so we see, the pollsters don’t really run the country, though sometimes it appears that way. That Old Joe, his puppetmasters are just too smart for those that do the polls.