Passage from New Orleans

No, it wasn't anything like a bad experience.  It's just that, Monday morning headed east on I-10, there was enough smoke/fog/smog that most people had the good sense enough to slow down a little and turn on headlights.  The real problem was on I-55 headed north, on the west side of the New Orleans / Lake Pontchatrain area.  Article at the BBC, and graphic below.  I knew nothing of the events to the west when a family member called to see if we were OK, but we were already to Gulfport by then and all was well.

 

A serious problem for many.

What Nobody Tells You About Ham Radio

Just a quick link today: WNTYAHR in 17 minutes at youtube.  TLDW, somewhat paraphrased:

1. The hobby is huge, with all kinds of sub- and sub-sub-hobbies.
2. For longer ranges you'll need HF and a General license (i.e., 2nd level of 3).
3. Help is increasingly online, decreasingly face-to-face, though that's still around too.
4. It ain't cheap.  (Though much of it can be surprisingly affordable.)
5. Some hams are down on radios in prepping – or any other practical use.  Sad Hams exist.
6. No encryption – it's a big illegal no-no, might be the one thing that gets you noticed (see #8).
7. No real (or legal) crossover with GMRS, CB, or other types of radio.
8. But it's not exactly like the FCC is enforcing, or even really looking. (except possibly #6)
9. An amateur radio license covers the person, not the radio.
10. Amateur radio gear is a lot of DIY, plug-and-play, figure it out yourself.  In a nutshell, it's STEM, not consumer electronics.

On the off chance this wasn't enough for you, get a copy of Ham Radio for Dummies* through your local bookstore.  Or read my Quick & Dirty Guide to Getting a Ham License.

I truly have many more interesting things brewing around in my brain today, though many of them are not blog-appropriate, and others will take a little more time to process out into suitable forms here on the interweb.  For example, a passage through New Orleans East in billowing clouds of marsh smoke.  Hang in there, interesting stuff is on the way.  Today's post... just seemed like worthwhile content.

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*Yes, real book, and yes, I have been cussed out by someone who thought I was calling him a dummy when I recommended it.  A clear case of auto-diagnosis.

Just Back from New Orleans

And boy are my legs tired.  From hiking around the city, I mean; I used the Mustang to get to and from.  Anyway, picture now, maybe some commentary later in the week after I've unpacked and found my wits.  Likely somewhere in the bottom of the suitcase.

Just a street scene outside a bar & laundry on St. Charles.  I looked up from my table and snapped the pic on the spur of the moment.  It was all so simple, and if not perfect the result is at least pretty good.

Eclipse 2023

Not exactly the perfect ring of fire, but cool nonetheless.  The first pic is right at the time of maximum occlusion.  That's a partial eclipse alright.  The second is the shadow of palm fronds, with the gaps serving as miniature pinholes; the result is a pattern of crescent suns.

The background  looks blue, but it's really a white envelope used as a projection screen for the pinhole.

It looks like my palms have crescent-itus!  Whatever is the cure?  Oh that's right, just wait 45 minutes.  There's a pretty striking pic here of the same phenomenon, from elsewhere.

Remember kids, don't look straight at the Sun, even when the sky looks dim.  Use a sheet of cardboard to make a pinhole camera and keep those retinas intact.

ps, 10/15: APOD shows a pic of an "eclipse tree" with those crescents in the shadow here.

Don't Go There

Atlas Obscura brings us, on this auspicious day, 13 Unlucky Places to Avoid on Friday the 13th.

Watch out.  If Friday the 13th can get Art Bell, it can get you too.

Hurricane Party

Nope, no hurricanes prowling around at the moment.  Just a cool song.

Been busy, really busy.  More content along soon.

The Thing About Making it to October

The thing about making it to October is, while you know full well that some hurricane could come zipping across the Gulf this late in the season (Zeta!), you also get a breath of cooler air and a slight sense of relief from the weather in general.  The weather here is gray as a mild cool front blows through, and the extended forecast is for lows in the high 60's, dropping into the low 60's by next weekend.  It truly feels like the start of a new year, as it always does.