Born Southern White - Raised a Democrat

 Raleigh, North Carolina was my place of birth and 2-3 years later, the family moved to just outside of Alexandria, Virginia which was just outside of Washington, DC.

Our house was less than 1,000 square feet of space that included 1.5 bathrooms, 3 small bedrooms, a kitchen, dinning room/living area.  We had one vehicle that had no heating or air conditioning as my father said we could wear a coat or sweater if too cold and roll down the window if too hot.  We had heat in the house but no air conditioning.  My father caught a bus for the 8 mile ride to his job in Washington.  My mother operated off a very tight budget and each payday, my dad would put money in envelopes for my mother to use.  If there was not money in the envelope, then we did not buy anything from that envelope.  If we needed extra money for whatever, it was taken from the vacations envelope.

We had chores to do everyday that included making our beds.  My dad used his military training to test the quality of how well the bed was made.  We had to help clean the house and prepare for meals and in the summer, we had chores outside to do to keep the lawn properly manicured.  I sold tomatoes and cucumbers door-to-door in the summer for spending money but had to save half of what I earned.  We went to sunday school and church every sunday, even when we were on vacation.  This process contined until I graduated from high school.

Values of the Democratic Party were drilled into our heads during the dinner meal as we also talked local politics as well as world politics.  Our parents making sure we fully understood that the Democrats helped the middle class and poor class and the Republicans favored the business sector and the wealthy who lived off the hard work of the rest of us.

Oddly enough, my Democratic parents did not believe in a large government nor did they believe in government handouts.  They believe every person should have the courage to build himself up with hard work and persistence.  They were against socialism.

Their indoctrination stayed with me until 1982 when I graduated from Wake Forest University with an MBA.  I was 35 years old.

It was easy to realize based upon my new training that my parents were not totally correct in what they believed about business and wealthy people.  It was also about that same time that the Democratic Party was changing as they began giving out more and more entitlements and taking us closer to socialism.

Supply side economics was correct.  If you stimulate the supply side of the equation, the demand side will automatically respond in kind.  Stimulating the demand only creates inflation and a shortage of supply.  Increased wages will not cause businesses to produce more.  It will cause them to produce less in order to preserve profits.  Stockholders control the busnesses and stockholders are made up of people like you and me...

While I now gravitate towards the conservative points of view, I am not yet a Republican because some of their views I have yet to agree with.  In any event, Government should stay the hell out of our lives.  I am for a small government, a strong military for defense, and low taxes.  Government should not be telling me what I should or should not eat, if I should smoke cigarettes or not, if I should drink alcohol or not, or if I should have an abortion.  THOSE ARE MY DECISIONS and MINE ALONE...

Frustrated EV Owners

A recent study by JD Power found that EV owners have become increasingly frustrated with their home charging experience for several reasons, including higher electricity rates and charging speeds.
Declining home charging satisfaction among EV owners

Inflation (via the Consumer Price Index) rose at the fastest rate in roughly 40 years following the pandemic, with the prices of everything from lumber to eggs soaring.

Electricity rates were no safe haven. The latest Energy Information Administration data shows average residential rates rose in the US by nearly 10% in 2022 to 14.96 cents per kilowatt-hour from 13.72 in December 2021.

According to JD Power’s recently released US Electric Vehicle Experience Home Charging Study, rising electricity rates are a significant reason for dissatisfaction with home EV charging.

Perhaps, more importantly, the study also shows only 51% of EV owners had knowledge of their utility companies’ programs to assist with home charging. Adrian Chung, director of utility intelligence at JD Power, explains:

By increasing awareness of available rebates or incentives, EV owners will benefit. This can snowball into helping potential EV owners make a more informed purchase decision, as well as minimizing home charging concerns and supporting greater EV adoption.

Several utility companies offer incentives and rebates for purchasing and installing home EV charging infrastructure. For incentives in your area, you can check with your utility company, or ChargePoint has compiled a list by state.

Another reason for the falling satisfaction is charging speed. Satisfaction improved significantly when moving from a Level 1 to a Level 2 charger.

Although over two-thirds of EV owners use a Level 2 charger, this year’s study found that 2022 and 2023 EV owners are less satisfied than 2021 and 2020 owners.  READ MORE...

Gardening

 

The Majority

 

Dog Saves Cat

 

Saving My Money

The Biden Administration has not just waged a war on gasoline and natural gas, but they are trying to push the entire country into green energy too quickly.

This push is hurting our economy and keeping it from bouncing back after COVID.

Interestingly, while the USA, Canada, and parts of Europe are pushing to go GREEN...  the rest of the world is not just hesitant but refusing to follow our lead,

These non supporting countries are CHINA, RUSSIA, INDIA, SOUTH AMERICA, AFRICA, and the MIDDLE EAST...

Surely the Biden Administration can see that the opposition is larger than the PRO GREEN SUPPORTERS...   which means our efforts are offset by their efforts to resist.

CONSEQUENTLY...

the last thing that I am going to do is buy an EV or a HYBRID and throw away my gas stove.

THEREFORE...

I will be saving money while you are spending your money.

Additionally...  it is widely believed that the Republicans will win the White House and both seats in Congress in 2024...

IF THEY DO...

gasoline will be coming back and the XL Pipeline will continued to be pursued...

This is not to say, that we should not move into green energy...  What half of the USA is saying is...  DON'T MOVE SO FAST.

• Set up the infrastructure for EVs and Hyrids
• Set up the electric grid for more power consumption
• Stop buying EV batteries from China

 

Until we find an alternative, all of our military aircraft and commercial aircraft MUST USE JET FUEL which comes from PETROLEUM CRUDE OIL...

OIL and NATURAL GAS are not disappearing...  We will always need both.

In 5 years, the EV market will no doubt be perfected which means it will be more sophisticated than it is today in 2023...

In 5 years, I will be 80 years old and my driving will be reduced to a minimum.

It would be cheaper for me to buy an upscale golf cart and use it to drive the mile to the grocery store than spend $60,000+ on an EV.  When I need to go to Knoxville for a doctor's appt., then I can hire an UBER.

Even if the UBER costs me $50 for a round trip and I go once a month, that is $600 per year.  Simple math tells me that I can hire an UBER for 100 years before reaching $60,000...

If my UBER costs doubled then I would be looking at 50 years.  If my monthly visits doubled along with the increased UBER costs, then I am looking at 25 years.

80+25 is 105...  I doubt that I will live that long, but one never knows...

Still, why spend the money???

Energy

 

Drag

 

McDonalds

 

Quantum Information Between Technologies

A niobium superconducting cavity. The holes lead to tunnels which intersect to trap light and atoms. Credit: Aishwarya Kumar

Researchers have discovered a way to "translate" quantum information between different kinds of quantum technologies, with significant implications for quantum computing, communication, and networking.

The research was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. It represents a new way to convert quantum information from the format used by quantum computers to the format needed for quantum communication.

Photons—particles of light—are essential for quantum information technologies, but different technologies use them at different frequencies. For example, some of the most common quantum computing technology is based on superconducting qubits, such as those used by tech giants Google and IBM; these qubits store quantum information in photons that move at microwave frequencies.

But if you want to build a quantum network, or connect quantum computers, you can't send around microwave photons because their grip on their quantum information is too weak to survive the trip.

"A lot of the technologies that we use for classical communication—cell phones, Wi-Fi, GPS and things like that—all use microwave frequencies of light," said Aishwarya Kumar, a postdoc at the James Franck Institute at University of Chicago and lead author on the paper. "But you can't do that for quantum communication because the quantum information you need is in a single photon. And at microwave frequencies, that information will get buried in thermal noise."

The solution is to transfer the quantum information to a higher-frequency photon, called an optical photon, which is much more resilient against ambient noise. 

But the information can't be transferred directly from photon to photon; instead, we need intermediary matter. Some experiments design solid state devices for this purpose, but Kumar's experiment aimed for something more fundamental: atoms.  READ MORE...

Career Choice

 

Liberty Balance

 

Heatwaves at the Bottom of the Ocean

In 2013, a monstrous marine heatwave known as 'The Blob' developed off the coast of Alaska and soon stretched as far south as Mexico along the Pacific coast of North America.

It lingered far longer than anyone expected, decimating fisheries, triggering toxic algal blooms, disturbing kelp forests, and starving sea birds of food.

At one point, a buoy bobbing atop the ocean near Oregon detected frightening jumps in temperature of up to seven degrees Celsius in less than an hour. The ocean was sweltering.

But scientists, with their attention fixed on temperature data streaming in from ocean surfaces, had little idea what was transpiring in the depths below.

Now, new modeling led by researchers at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that marine heatwaves can unfold deep underwater, too – sometimes in tandem with heatwaves that ripple across the ocean surface or else when there is no detectable warming signal above.

The new analysis, of continental shelf waters surrounding North America, also finds these so-called bottom marine heatwaves can be more intense and last longer than hot spells at the ocean surface, though it varies from coast to coast.

"Researchers have been investigating marine heat waves at the sea surface for over a decade now," says lead author Dillon Amaya, a climate scientist with NOAA's Physical Science Laboratory.

But they have been limited to the cache of data on temperature extremes at the ocean surface, logged by floating buoys or detected by ships or overhead satellites. It's much harder to probe ocean temperatures further down the water column and along continental shelves.

Some data exist, but the researchers behind this latest study mostly had to extrapolate from ocean surface observations, inputting that data into computer models to simulate ocean currents that upwell from the deep, bringing essential nutrients to coastal waters.  READ MORE...

Truth Drift

 

Marines

 

Game

 

Mondays

There is some controversy around whether the week begins on Sunday or Monday.  I have always thought that the week began on Mondays and that Sundays ended the week as well as ended the weekend.

However, if you look at the Monthy Calendars, they always begin on SUNDAYS and end on SATURDAYS.

So, does that mean they are right?

I suppose beginnng the week on Sunday makes sense from a religious standpoint...  so that we can infuse our religious teachings into how we work rather than informing us as to how we should have lived.

Still, it bothers me somehow that we begin a work week with a day off and end our work week with a day off...  Beginning with a day off does not seem to instill a strong work ethic...  although, some could argue that the day off is to prepare ourselves mentally for a hard week of work.

I suppose that makes sense.  But, my parents always told me to work first, then rest.  And, that still makes me think the week should start on Monday.

However, another logical conclusion to draw is that both Saturday and Sunday begin with "S"...   therefore and to avoid confusion, one should place one "S" on one side of the week and the other "S" on the other side...

I have always had the notion that you work for 5 days and have two days off...  sometimes you work for 6 days and have one day off...   it makes very little sense to have a day off, then work for five days and have a day off.

BUT...  this is just my weird way of looking at it.

City Street

 

Mind

 

Future Shock

From an anonymous Wisconsin State Trooper

Electric vehicles have too many variables affecting battery consumption. Definitely not suited for cold climates. The following experience just cements my distaste for EV’s, especially Teslas.

I get sent to a motorist assist the other day, at the start of our snowstorm. Tesla on the side of the interstate, dead battery. So, I arrive on scene and the occupants have the right-front door open. They tell me that they can’t open any other doors, because the battery is dead. 

Sure enough. Can’t open the doors from inside or outside. The driver also can’t get her license out of the glove box where she put it during their trip. Because the glovebox opens electronically… and the battery is dead. 

You actually have to use the computer in the center of the dash to open the glovebox.

They said they had 10% battery left, should’ve been plenty to get from that location to the charging station nearby. Then all of a sudden, the whole car shut off and they coasted to the shoulder.

So now I have to find them a tow. No one wants to tow EV’s. Finally found one company to do it. 8-mile trip to the charging station in Tomah. $1,000! Normal vehicle on the flatbed would’ve been $150.

So now we’re at the Tesla superchargers. Guess what. Can’t open the f’n charging port because the battery is dead!!! The ports open, you guessed it, electronically!!! . And we also can’t open the doors now (had to close the one open door when it was loaded onto the wrecker). The owner's manual is in the on-board computer, but the battery is dead.

I got the occupants to a store where they’d be warm while calling the rental company to figure out how to charge this POS, so I’m not sure of the outcome. I had to leave for a crash report.

EV’s may be the way, someday, but certainly not today!! I’ll stick with my dinosaur burner.