I’d have more to post…

…but I get to run (for insane values of ‘run’) the freakshow that is $WORK while someone is on vacation. And there is the oh-so-slow (when not utterly ignored) new OS install on the Main Machine… which is Mostly Done. But Mostly Done is NOT Completely done. And then there’s a new Bob & Nikki (Bob’s Saucer Repair) book out… and just now I kinda need the distraction.

A few nights ago, the fellow now on vacation wound up pulling the shift SOLO. Three scheduled. Him, Mr. Calls-In-Sick (at least he tells people… now) and Mr. “Oversleeps (yeah right) until almost end of shift.” Well, Calls-In-Sick did that, and Oversleeps did that. We’ve decided that no matter HOW bad things seem, we will NOT call or text Oversleeps. If he “oversleeps” his way out of the job… things will get EASIER. His presence is almost as good as his absence. Almost.

PSA: Campaign Season is Upon Us…

Chances are you already have to work with too many of such.

Throwback Thursday #24

And yes, I can use it, and have.

And have not one, not two, not three, but FIVE tunes from (if perhaps not all fully by) Tom Lehrer:

In Which I Show Off (Or Am Shown Off)

A while back Sarah Hoyt had a fundraiser on and for her blog, that would hopefully allow her to shunt off some things thus allowing her more time for other (profitable) things. There were various levels and various goodies with those levels. I could spare a bit and thus contributed a small amount. I won’t say how much or what level, but it was above the threshold for getting a mention on a mass Thank You post and well below the “Insane” level of “We’ll come visit you for that!”

The Thank You post (perhaps one of a few, there are STILL contributions trickling in, and a mass-naming is seldom without unintended omission) happened on the 8th. Sure enough, I had a mention. No big deal. But every letter, almost (some simply didn’t appear: Q, U, V, W, X, Y – and others were combined. I suspect ‘O’ might have been combined with ‘N’ there were so few of us, but it gave her the excuse reason to post a picture of a pretty oriole me?! Well, I wasn’t expecting that. But I am not arguing. Her version of me falls into the “I wish I looked that good” realm and, sure, I’ve appeared once before on her blog. This time I am shirtless. I did ask about that (elsewhere) if others should be worried that each time I appear, I am wearing less. The reply came that “Mostly it’s really hard to fit a shirt on a minotaur.” This is true. The horns prevent the simple donning of the nigh-ubiquitous t-shirt. Button-fronts are much easier, but… can come across as just a bit overly formal at times. Then, I suppose if one encounters a minotaur for the first time, some signal of refinement, no matter how small, is reassuring. And, as for how I got those particular trousers on, I’m not telling.

The Luckiest City in the World?

On 06 August 1945, Hiroshima was the primary target for ‘Little Boy’. Had there been some problem with doing a visual drop on Hiroshima, the Enola Gay would have diverted to the secondary target: Kokura. Obviously there was no issue and Kokura was lucky as Hiroshima’s luck ran out.

On 09 August 1945, Kokura was the primary target for ‘Fat Man’ but fog or overcast prevented a visual drop. Kokura got lucky again, Bock’s Car diverted (I am oversimplifying) and Nagasaki’s luck ran out. That Fat Man was an obviously different design (isotope signatures are telling) from Little Boy indicated that the USA didn’t produce only one bomb as a one-off, but had at least two means of fission bomb production. A fluke might get dismissed. But this said “Egad, they can do it multiple ways!”

The short 3-day interval was supposed to be a week, but weather forecasts pushed the schedule up.

You can readily guess that Kokura would likely again be the primary target if a third nuclear bomb was to be used. Assuming availability of a third fission bomb, and a minimum week-long interval, that would have happened on 16 August 1945 or not long after. But Hirohito, despite some of those around him, had Japan surrender on the 15th. Kokura might have gotten lucky yet again there.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki paid a terrible price at the end of the Second World War. BUT… as terrible as it was, an actual invasion that would have killed millions, on Allied and Axis sides both, was avoided. Overall, the World got lucky. And people have been carefully(?) avoiding using nuclear weapons in actual active warfare ever since. There were (too many) close calls, but we are still here, and here we are. In a sense, perhaps we are all Kokura. May our luck hold.

As Opposed to Cold Steam?

A (fairly) new air fryer, from the back, with a warning. NOT “HOT – STEAM” but “HOT STEAM.” Is there any other kind? Sure some steam is hotter than other steam, as there is such a thing as ‘superheated steam’.

Not A Flying Saucer

Another tea light holder:

And with other illumination:

One of the few items purchased at this year’s Ren in the Glen. Not sure just what rock that is. However, being rock it’s not going anywhere without some serious external force applied.

77 Years Ago

The World learned that nuclear weapons could and did work. There has been much discussion about such ever since. That changes nothing. The things exist, and were used outright twice. If we are very, very lucky they will continue to not be used further.

Landmines -or- Ox Needs To Relax

As I was dealing with Ren in the Glen preparations/travel/event/etc. I didn’t keep up with various blogs beyond a precious few (no slight on the others, just some tend to need more active monitoring just to keep up) and so upon return I slowly started catching up. One was a generally very good post about taking control and resuming pre-scamdemic activities, even if only in small ways. Such as simply going for a walk or such. One almost throw-away example of taking control (though not directly about getting to pre-scamdemic normal), was to make one’s bed.

I don’t know why, really, but that set me off. Perhaps it was that a reason to not make it was considered an excuse. And perhaps that the poster mentioned UV which doesn’t apply (but evidently poster once had replies to that effect…). I did keep off the blog comments, going for a more ephemeral outlet and carefully did NOT name anyone. But the poster did appear and… there was a… rather spirited discussion, shall we say?

Now, the UV thing is nonsense and I don’t claim it. For one, unless outdoors in direct sunlight, it doesn’t really work – ordinary glass is a dandy blocker of UV (this is why UV telescopes use ‘crazy’ materials for lenses – like various salts, which have this problem of being readily dissolved by stuff as common as water). For another, even if did work, it wouldn’t work in my case. I work nights, so I sleep during the day, and to make that easier, the bedroom windows are blacked out. It’s not quite “London during the blitz” but UV leakage is about as minimal as it can get short of truly boarding or bricking up the windows. It’s not about UV, it’s about moisture.

And, sure, a tangled up bundle (what, are people running marathons in their sleep or something?) left to be won’t dry out. But a bit folded back and left to open air will dry nicely. But enough of that.

Why this tripped a fairly strong response, I am not sure myself. It was a sort of landmine I didn’t realize I had. As, really, in the Great Scheme of Things… it’s rather minor. If that one bit of “I did that much, at least” is holding one together, it doesn’t really hurt anything – or even if it does, it at least doesn’t hurt anyone else. And, really, harming another is the only True Sin (harming yourself is just stupid, but…) As the title indicates, maybe I just need to relax a bit. Of course, being told to relax is perhaps the most potent anti-relaxant of all – unless one is a willing hypnotic subject. Fortunately nobody attempted that.

And, no, I did not grow up in highly regimented environment – it was closer to what is now called ‘free range’. It’s wasn’t “Do whatever you want” but the limits were fairly broad. It’s not a case of rebelling (now if I get going about sports, well I have avoided writing about that lest the Navies of the world complain of cuss depletion. It’s a decided sore point I am very, very well aware of.). I could go on, but I doubt it would benefit anyone, myself included. But now I wonder, what other mines are lurking?

Throwback Thursday #23

Things all over seem Very Serious Indeed. So how about something lighter, even silly?