Wanted: Speaker of the House...

Wanted: Speaker of the House...  Via friend, former colleague, sufferer with my code, and reader Tim B.:

With the clown collection currently found in the House, one could be forgiven for thinking that the selection for this position is nearly irrelevant.  But ... remember that the person in this position is third in line for the presidency.  That will sober you up!

Curiosity's tires are looking a little shabby...

Curiosity's tires are looking a little shabby...  A recent photo from the Mars rover.  The drivers are being very careful these days, as if the tires get too torn up Curiosity won't be able to make it up Mt. Sharp...

This is so stupid!

This is so stupid!  First, the headline:

Wind now competes with fossil fuels. Solar almost does.

Why do I say this is stupid?  It sounds awesomely sweet, doesn't it?  A green dream come true.

Except it's only true if you neglect one niggling little fact: that wind and solar power are massively subsidized by government, while fossil fuels are massively penalized.

It's as if they're saying that Mercedes-Benz limousines cost no more than a Ford Focus, and forget to mention that the government (with your tax dollars!) is paying a $150,000 subsidy for each of those Mercedes-Benzs.

Why, it's almost as if they writers (in Fortune magazine, no less) think we're all stupid or something!

Oh, wait...

This is awesome!

This is awesome!  The Chromoscope – an interactive map of the sky in various wavelengths of radiation, from gamma rays to radio waves...

Here's a great rant...

Here's a great rant ... by Yossi Kreinin, whom I don't know at all, about the breezy criticisms leveled by pundits about conventional computer hardware, and their lack of substance about alternatives.

I read this on two levels: first, on its actual subject, which I found fascinating. Second, as an analog to another rant I'd like to see by someone qualified on that subject: artificial intelligence.  There's a subject much pontificated upon, with remarkably little substance underlying the hand-wavy assertions that gush from the lips of the pundits...

Progress in Paradise...

Progress in Paradise...  As planned, Tyler Thompson and his crew from Golden Spike Electric got started on our backup generator project.  Most of the day was consumed by getting a pad poured on the north side of our shed to hold the shed's backup generator and propane tank.  Tyler and his crew may be electricians, but they are also more than competent concrete fabricators, too – they did a bang-up job on this pad.  It's 5" thick, rebar-reinforced, tied into the shed's foundation, and sitting on a bed of 8" of gravel.  I don't think it's going anywhere :)

The concrete truck was 90 minutes late, so Tyler and his crew repaired to the Hyrum Pizza Plus (one of our two favorite pizza places) for dinner, then returned after sundown to put the finish on what they'd just poured.  I couldn't get photos of the finished job in the darkness, and besides, I was busy holding a flashlight so these poor guys could see!

They also delivered both actual generators, and they are substantially larger than I was expecting.  I forgot to get some photos of them; I'll do that after they're placed – which will hopefully be later today, but possibly not until next Tuesday if the concrete hasn't cured sufficiently.

As has happened up here quite a few times before, I'm impressed with the work these guys are doing – and that's such a refreshing change for us after hiring contractors in the San Diego area.  All three of these guys are hard-working, concerned with quality, and skilled in their crafts (and even in some they aren't actually claiming!).  They're also very accommodating (for instance, they're not only pouring the pad for the generator they sold me, but also for the propane tank I bought separately), full of good advice, and cheerful in the face of any challenges (like seriously late concrete trucks).

We love living up here!