Thought for This Morning

I have to get ready to teach a ham radio review course later this afternoon.  First though... you guessed it.

I'll Be There

Trailer for Coyote vs. Acme

Opens August 28th.

He's a Cat, They Do That

Peter, leaping from the hood of my Mustang:

I'm guessing he has something like this on his tiny little mind:

Cats.  Bizarre as they can be, it's still way better than having rats around the place.

Deep Thought for Today

 

First though, a nap.  Then coffee.  Whisky... somewhat later, if at all.

More, later in the week.  These two weeks have been... special.

Monday, Monday...

First up, call the clothes washer repair guy.  No, on second thought, make that second.

Yeesh.

Because I've Been Asked About This

Sabine Hossenfelder digs into the somewhat recent, somewhat mysterious disappearance of scientists and a few scientist-adjacent people.  (8 minutes for the analysis, followed by a 2 minute ad)  TLDW: Mostly explainable, but the overall rate is about four times what one might expect in the general population, which is statistically slightly alarming.

Here's a short summary of my thoughts on the matter:

1. There's a significant subset of scientists who have a taste for outdoor adventure, so expect a higher disappearance rate there.
2. What's more, there's also another subset of scientists who will dive into adventures somewhat blindly, so expect trouble there as well.  Usually they morph over time into the previously mentioned subset – if they survive the learning curve.
3. Personally, over the years I've stumbled across a handful of things that could have been trouble: a probable pot farm, a fresh murder scene, a few awkwardly placed rattlesnakes, a couple of unoccupied hobo camps, etc.  Any of these could have been trouble had my GTFO circuits not overridden my curiosity.  I know some people, especially in Subset #2, who do not have such highly attuned GTFO circuits.
4. The relatively low number of missing persons here can account for large statistical fluctuations.  Along with numerous cases of weak GTFO wiring, this is probably enough to account for the observed 4x disappearance rate.
5. But yeah, Hossenfelder's about right on the matter.  The numbers are a little high but not badly out of line with general expectations.

Beyond that and on a personal note, I don't expect to disappear anytime soon.  Some may be comforted by this, others may be a tad disappointed.  Comment below.

Of Course I'll Go See It

First Project Hail Mary, now this.  It's shaping up to be the best year in movies in about a decade.

Give my regards to Igor

A brief tour of the real Castle Frankenstein over at Atlas Obscura.

Wish I had more original content this week, but we're still sorting out repeater troubles and various other problems around Castle Coyote.  On a positive note, the bicycles are all functioning at 100% and the sinus problem is letting up.

ps: For those who need it here is a pronunciation guide.  And – speak of the devil – here is someone who needs said guide.

Not a Pre-Scheduled Post

No, I'm really just up this early.  Serves me right for not having my usual after-supper pot of coffee and then going to bed at 10 pm.  Grumble.

Gonna go for a bike ride as soon as it gets good light and try to move past this whole "early to bed, early to rise" thing.

I Always Wondered About That Green Color

Why So Many Control Rooms Were Seafoam Green over at a designer's substack.

Not just control rooms either!  Accelerator vaults were full of this color.  So were many printing presses.  And metal bookcases.  Couldn't get away from that stuff.  So what color do I paint my place's interior?  "Wind Song," a very light seafoam green.  What color do I paint my place's exterior?  A similar light gray-green "Sea Glass."

OK, at least it is sort of calming.  I also note that I picked none of these colors, relying instead upon various female influences around me.  Only however after I mock-threatened to paint the place a nice 70's goldenrod yellow when they wouldn't step up and advise.  Had to motivate them somehow.

Maybe they're all trying to tell me to cALm tHe F! dOwn!

This Explains So Much

Over at SMBC.

It also goes a long way towards explaining why we now have string theory and techno-pop.

Of Moka Pots, Black Coffee, and Inescapable Beats

I was discussing with a nephew last week about espresso and the fearsome moka pot, and afterward I was playing around searching for moka pot articles.  First this one popped up, and it's pretty good and all, but then at the same site there's this article on How to Enjoy Black Coffee.  A 2200 word article on... how to

1. pour coffee into a cup
2. drink it

...?  I guess in some venues writing still pays by the word.  Personally, I'll sweat over a 200 word abstract for a couple of days.  That's the real work, then the rest of the paper more or less writes itself.

Anyway, here's some music for a Monday morning with which to enjoy your black coffee and/or moka:

• Blue Monday (original) – more suitable for black coffee; strong black coffee
• Blue Monday (vintage instrument cover) – definitely from a vintage moka pot with layers of patina

Time Off Today

If you know, you know.  All's OK, just...

Shoulda posted this yesterday, because it applied then too.  Back in action tomorrow!

Don't Gaze Too Long

Can't Wait Until Next Christmas...

... when this book comes out.  Here are a couple of teasers:

• A New Christmas Fable
• Joyous Noel!

Because this is how you get new scientists, engineers, and innovators.

Un-Sticking Physics

A modest proposal at SMBC.

Personally I find bike rides better than long country hikes, but whatever floats your boat.

Blogging's been light lately, but it's been a busy week.  Making good progress on the SSTV project with the new laptop in and 90% configured.  Lots going on at FCEM this week: replacing the lock on the Carrabelle tower (grumble), tuning another volunteer's car antenna, sorting out the pile of FRS radios at the EOC (two dozen and counting), and cleaning out the radio desk there as well.

One for this Monday Morning

Big fishing and backyard engineering weekend.  More later in the week.

A Blast from the Past

 On a practical level, lookie what an electrician friend saved for me a few years back when he and crew re-wired my place.  An extremely vintage electric power meter:

Zooming in on the brass label shows that it could handle 5 amps at 100 vac.  Quick math... carry the -i... excuse me, that'd be -j...  Why, that's just about enough power to light five incandescent bulbs.  Capacity and consumer expectations have changed somewhat since its 1921 manufacture date.  Take a quick look inside:

It's so clean that it looks like it could function today.  There's a little corrosion on the back of the aluminum dial plate that has caused it to curl forward slightly so that it touches the dials, so they'd scrape at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, and no doubt all of the wiring insulation is bad.  As for the rest, even the brass is bright and shiny.

It's a keeper, for sure.  Not quite sure what to do with it yet, but something will come to mind.  (no, "hook the damned thing up and see what happens" is not in that possibility set)  In any event, a little minor exterior cleanup will be the first order of business.

I wonder when household AC voltage changed from 100 to 110?  Couldn't quickly find this with a conventional search, so let's see what an AI can dig up.  From grok.com:

Q: When did household wiring voltage change from 100 vac to 110 vac in the united states? 

In the United States, the transition from 100 VAC to 110 VAC for household wiring voltage occurred gradually in the early 20th century, with no single definitive date. The shift was driven by the standardization of electrical systems and improvements in power distribution.

• Early 1900s: Many early electrical systems in the U.S. operated at around 100–110 VAC, with local variations. Edison’s early DC systems and early AC systems often targeted 100–110 V for incandescent lighting.
• 1920s–1930s: As the electrical grid expanded, utilities began standardizing on 110 VAC (or slightly higher, like 115 V) to improve efficiency and reduce transmission losses. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and other bodies pushed for standardization.
• Post-WWII (1940s–1950s): By this time, 110–120 VAC became the de facto standard for household wiring, with 120 V eventually becoming the nominal standard in modern systems. The transition was complete in most areas by the 1950s.

Exact dates varied by region and utility company, as upgrades depended on local infrastructure. If you need specifics for a particular area, I can try searching for more localized information.

Well there we have it, at least as much as we're ever going to get an answer.

I have no earthly idea of how to classify this post, so I'll leave the tag it with the usual inner coyote.  And no, I'm not going to hook this thing up to power, ever.

Something for an Easy Day

Of course, I have engineer friends who would further approximate a cow-sphere with a cube.  Hey, whatever works man.  Just don't press it too far.

A Close Fit

Look, I'm not turning this into yet another meme blog, but this one is close enough that it fits:

Two wheels so it's all good.  Yep, count me in.