Category Archives: Science/Engineering

Bye, bye AltaVista

Posted on July 8, 2013 | Comments Off on Bye, bye AltaVista

Years ago when I was new to the Web, I thought the AltaVista search engine was the epitome of what was possible. It didn’t hurt that I was then living on Alta Vista Avenue in the Travis Heights neighborhood of South Austin, though if there was any connection I never found it.

Alas, today is the day that owner Yahoo! is scheduled to put AltaVista to permanent digital sleep. It’s been little more than “a front end for Yahoo! Search,” according to the Bandwidth Wastage Station, “and Marissa Mayer needs to cut costs.” Adios, amigo.

Via Dustbury.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering, Texana

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It’s all global warming, of course

Posted on July 4, 2013 | Comments Off on It’s all global warming, of course

Been a pleasant two weeks at the rancho, with highs in the low nineties and night-time lows in the mid-sixties. Even had some rain. Yep. Coolest start to a July since, oh, I don’t know, but there were others prior to the global warming boondoggle that’s become a billion-dollar science research industry courtesy of the feds.

Naturally, the cool has to be caused by the warming, and it’s supposedly something to do with melting Arctic Ice, according to Weather Underground. Everything is, you know. Cold, hot, rain, snow, drought. It’s Global Warming all the time. WeatherBell meteorologist Joe Bastardi explains why, in this case, as in many others, it’s pure bull. And, alas, he predicts we’ll soon be warming back up to our usual July-August stretch of 100-degree days.

UPDATE:  Local meteorologist Bob Rose says it’s the coolest start to July since 1967. I knew there had to be a precedent that had zip to do with AGW.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Those Death Valley temps could be phony

Posted on July 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Those Death Valley temps could be phony

…because the site of the official thermometer is not in accordance with NOAA’s own guidelines.

The guidelines state that such “temperature instruments should be 5 1/2 feet above a grassy surface 100 feet or more from a heat source and away from structures that can affect ventilation.”

Instead, in the federal agency’s own official photograph of the Death Valley thermometer, it appears to be sited on concrete (it obviously is not grass) and within a few feet of a building.

“And yet still the hype is turning into tripe about the 134 at Death Valley…The instrument can be accurate, but if the site is not maintained or the environment changes around it, its more than likely to read warmer!”

Of course it plays in really nicely with the federal hue and cry about global warming, i.e. climate change, i.e. we have to regulate CO2 (read, choke the economy by raising the price of electricity) to save the planet, etc. Which even some climate “scientists” ignore.

Via WeatherBell meterologist Joe D’Aleo.

UPDATE:  More on the thermometer siting scandal (and it sure as hell is a scandal) from climate blogger Watts Up With That.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Obamalot, Science/Engineering, Weather/Climate

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Captain Dave to ground control

Posted on May 24, 2013 | Comments Off on Captain Dave to ground control

I thought for a moment there that Captain Dave of Flight Level 390 had returned to blogging. Then I noticed that the writing style was different and the url had acquired a hyphen. To capitalize on Dave’s fame, I suppose, but I see no ads there yet.

At least one of Dave’s blogging pals has stepped forward with the news that he wasn’t fired or told to stop expressing his opinions of his work on the Internet but merely was tired of blogging. Can’t blame him for that. Esepcially when he has to work and blog. Hope he comes back to it, though. No one better.

UPDATE:  His blog has turned into a PC game download site. Obviously just using his old blog name for its popularity. Pity. Best of luck, captain D.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Obsessions, Science/Engineering

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Capitalism can even fix federal stupidity

Posted on May 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Capitalism can even fix federal stupidity

I haven’t tried to pour gasoline from a gas can since the days when I still owned a sailboat with an outboard hanging off the transom. So I’d forgotten what the feds did to the gas can, in their usual bureaucratic stupidity, though I hear the ventless gas can actually was first developed in California. Oh, of course.

Nevertheless, there’s hope for the new non-illuminating light bulbs, not-very-flushable toilets, discoloring paint, too-soon-broken refrigerators, and the other junk Barry’s new socialist bureaucracy has, or plans to, foist on us.

Because this clever entrepreneur fixed the ventless gas can. Yep. It does require a new part and something else to fiddle with, but it’s only $1.65 at Amazon. So there’s obviously hope for America. Thanks to capitalism, King Pinocchio, capitalism.

Via Instapundit.

And let’s not forget capitalism’s share in Canadian Chris Hadfield’s brilliant music video from the ISS, updating David Bowie’s old song Space Oddity (“Ground control to Major Tom”), with a few alterations to the lyrics. It deftly relieves the Space Age of the boredom government control has brought it (minus the inevitable tragedies) ever since Russian Yuri Gagarin’s first solo.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Obamalot, Sailing, Science/Engineering, The Economy

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“A gigantic hearse with windows”

Posted on April 18, 2013 | Comments Off on “A gigantic hearse with windows”

“A gigantic hearse with windows,” was author Charles Dickens’s comment after joining one of the steamship Britannia’s first Atlantic crossings in January, 1842.

Dickens and his wife had the misfortune to encounter several days of tossing and pitching storms enroute from Liverpool to Halifax which left them and their cramped little cubbyhole of a cabin waterlogged.

Reading of the latest Carnival cruise ship disaster is a reminder that while the ships and their accommodations have changed greatly, after 171 years the journey can still be a gamble.

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Posted in Sailing, Science/Engineering

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AT&T games

Posted on April 8, 2013 | Comments Off on AT&T games

Seventy-two hours into intermittent DSL Net connection via AT&T. Have talked to robots, human techs, Googled the various boxes that pop up, and the beat goes on. And off. On and off. When it does work, it’s verryy sloow.

First it was an IP address conflict. Working together Mr. B and I satisfied ourselves there was/is no conflict. The box still pops up whenever the system goes down again. Next possibility was/is defective filters between phone lines and modem causing interference. Plan to buy two new filters today and see if that helps.

Also trying to update the firmware in the Netgear WiFi router, but so far the router can’t connect with its home base on the Web to check for updates. Grrrr.

If this isn’t resolved by tomorrow night, it’s bye-bye AT&T. Hello Time-Warner. Not that I expect one big, impersonal corp to be any better than another, but at least the problems will be new. These old problems are really old.

UPDATE: Two human techs later, the DSL problems have been solved but the landline still won’t take incoming calls. Supposedly a third tech will work on the latter. I hope s/he can fix it without screwing up the DSL.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering, Scribbles

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