ROLEY

Category: Blog

  • Monday, July 31st, 2023

    Last night was the first night in a while I was able to sleep most of the night uninterrupted. For a start, the weather broke and it got down to the high 60’s overnight. I’m not sure what the other part was. It could be that I did a podcast episode yesterday and felt good about completing something. I took a cold shower before bed, which may have helped under the circumstances. Also, because I occupied myself for most of the evening I didn’t eat or drink anything caffeinated close to bedtime. Might be a combination of all three, I don’t know. But since I’d like to sleep more than 4 hours at a time, I’m going to troubleshoot it and see what what the item or combination that’s keeping me awake.

  • Saturday, July 29th, 2023

    I don’t know who needs to hear this, but the issue with ancient people in elected positions doesn’t start with those ancient people.

    It starts with the folks and the money that keep electing them.

  • Friday, July 28th, 2023

    Never underestimate the odds of two–or even three–separate appliances in your home going Tango Uniform simultaneously.

    The corollary to that is never to underestimate the ability to find someone who has had at least one occurrence of those appliance issues to have posted a fix for your problem on YouTube.

  • Thursday, July 27th, 2023

    If you have been looking for yet another reason why cable news needs to go the way of the dodo, you need look no further than today’s breathless hovering over the DC Courthouse. CNN and MSNBC (Sorry, there isn’t enough money in circulation to get me to watch the third one) spent hours breathlessly wondering if today was going to be the day we got a third indictment. Chris Jansing of MSNBC noted at the end of her hour on MSNBC that sources inside the Courthouse said an indictment was not likely today or tomorrow. You would think that would be the end of it, but they were right back at it in the next hour as if they hadn’t debunked any possibility of it 5 minutes earlier. Gotta keep those eyeballs any way you can, I suppose. Seriously, kill off cable news. It’s idiocy, making idiots.

    On the other hand, turn on CNN or MSNBC at 3am if you’re unlucky enough to be awake at that hour. There’s no talking head that wants to be opining at that hour of morning, so what you get is an anchor reporting the news, and the packages they’ve prepared. You know…news. Like the CNN of old, before Reagan got shot, or before the Gulf War or 9/11, when they realized continuous disaster coverage attracts eyeballs and gets people through the next ad break. Cynical? Of course it is, but then you must realize that cable news is not a public service, it’s an attempt at ratings and profits like everything else on TV is. Rachel Maddow isn’t competing with Hannity, she’s competing with WWE RAW and Monday Night Football. Read that sentence again and again until it sinks in.

    I don’t know when news became a profit center, and maybe I’m an idealist for thinking that profits should not be the prime motivator for journalism, but here we are.

  • Wednesday, July 26th, 2023

    Today I was reminded of my yearly subscription to my refrigerator. Every June or July the compressor switch blows and the part to replace it is around one hundred dollars. Since 2010, when I bought the first iteration of this fridge, I replaced the switch and associated parts that make the fan go fanny and the frost go frosty more times than I care to count. I’ve long since reached the part where we never buy another Frigidaire anything ever again. The thing is, I’ve yet to cross that threshold where 100 bucks for my yearly fridge membership has pissed me off to the point where I spend 1500-2500 for a new fridge. You might ask why I would buy something that costs that much, and my only answer for you is that I married the Redhead so you don’t have to, so let’s just say Yes Dear and leave it at that, okay? It’s a nice fridge, whenever I decide to buy it.

    Sinead O’Connor died today. I hope wherever she is, she’s found some peace. She had a hard life of addiction and mental illness, and we collectively rejected her for telling what turned out to be a truth we didn’t want to accept. We owe her a big fucking apology, and it seems to me the only way we can do that now is to listen to her music. I assume that any royalties she would make now would go to her children, so go buy or stream her music. Everybody knows THAT song, but I urge you to go deeper. The Lion and the Cobra is a great album that deserves your time, as is I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which contains THAT song. She had a magnificent voice, one that deserves your admiration.

  • Tuesday, July 25th, 2023

    Today is the first day of my 53rd Year.   Today is the day I stop taking any more bullshit from anyone, including myself.   I’m asking a lot of myself here.  One year of consistency.  That’s the mantra for this year.   Consistency now, or never.    

    I must acknowledge why I’m having trouble, address it, and get moving.  

    Let’s see if we can just manage this small blog posting first. We’ll call it my personal journal. Why not, that’s what a blog was in the beginning, wasn’t it? Hell, I think I know at least one person still on LiveJournal doing things, or at least one that isn’t a very tardy novelist.

    When is the Winds of Winter coming out, by the way?

    The point of all of this is simple: I’ve spent six months feeling pitiful and I’d like to not do that anymore, please. That should start with writing at least one thing a day, even if it’s just one sentence.

    So let’s see if we can just do that.

  • Wednesday, March 1st, 2023

    • I’ve lived here in Virginia Beach for decades.  It’s as much my home as anywhere else I’ve lived.   I love this place, but there are some uncomfortable truths about living here that some of you in other places may not know, or you might be aware of one or two things. First, this town is Red.  Very Red.  You can’t be AOC and run for office here.  Elaine Luria voted for Scott Taylor in the election before she ran against him.  Also, they tend to get their way a lot.  We had a referendum about whether or not to extend a light rail system from Norfolk into Virginia Beach.  That referendum passed.  Until the City Treasurer decided he wanted a do over because he didn’t get his way.  The second referendum failed, and now there’s no light rail in Virginia Beach.   Second, If you’re not a fan of the military, this is not the place you want to live.  I would argue that we have the highest concentration of military personnel here than anywhere in the world.  Politics is going to cater to the military here in one form or another.  Third, because of the number of military folks here, folks from the Government like to come here to use our fair city as a backdrop.  I’m pretty sure that every President since Bill Clinton has come here for something, and I’d bet that Reagan and Daddy Bush has been here as well when they were in office.  Every one of them would have traveled by motorcade from the plane to wherever they were going, and each time they have had to close down at least one of the major arteries here.   But you would think from reading Virginia Beach as a trending topic on Twitter yesterday that this has never happened before, and I’m here to tell you that memories are conveniently short.  At the very least, they’re color coded.
      • One Twitter troll who identified as MAGA on his bio responded to my take on this by saying “He’s not a president”.  I’d like to be clear on this:  I did not like Donald Trump.  Didn’t care for Hillary either, but I held my nose and voted for her because I did not feel like opening the Seventh Seal of the Apocalypse.  As much as I hate the fact that Trump won, here’s the deal: He won.  As did Obama, W, Clinton, HW, Reagan, and so on.  Trump was elected President.  Anyone with a shred of fairness and logic about them has to acknowledge that.   See, there’s an objective reality and then there’s the cultish delusion that the MAGA folk have fever-dreamed their way into, and you can wish really hard that it isn’t so, but Biden won the election, just like every other President that’s been elected.  Just because you don’t like the guy doesn’t mean shit.  Flip it around and tell me what the MAGA folk would say if I said “Trump isn’t MY President!”  They’d say something along the lines of “Facts don’t care about your feelings, soy boy.”   I promise you, the sentiment is mutual.  I just happen to acknowledge reality, snowflake. There are two years left on the clock, minimum.  If you want to get rid of Biden, the answer is simple:  Run someone better.  I don’t think that will be Trump, though.  I suspect he will be otherwise engaged or barred from running.
      • Finally, all the clearly Republican folks on Twitter bitching about the traffic today…if only there was alternate transportation, like, say, light rail…
    • Someone on my team made a bot to perform a function, and decided to name it Hubert. Amazingly, I found a GIF in Teams of Hubert Humphrey.  I was shocked.  I mentioned that I’ve had Humphrey on the brain lately because I’ve been watching the CBS coverage of the 1968 DNC from Chicago.   My boss implored me to get a life or two.  I hadn’t thought of an interest like that as being all that indicative of needing to get a life, but I suppose it isn’t a common interest?  I like watching news coverage of historical events.  I’m trying to curate a few playlists on my YouTube Page of those things, so jump over there and check it out as I grow it.
    • Another thing to file under Memories are short:  MTG got the vapors when someone decided to get all up in her grill at a restaraunt: “I was attacked in a restaurant tonight by an insane women and screamed at by her adult son. They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different political views. They are self righteous, insane, and completely out of control. I was sitting at my table, working with my staff, and never even noticed these people until they turned into demons. People used to respect others even if they had different views. But not anymore. Our country is gone.”  This woman has harassed David Hogg, AOC, and at the very least hung up a transphobic sign on her door directly across from a Rep with a Transgender child.  You’ve shown who you are, and you’d think when someone gives you a little of that same medicine, a person capable of self-reflection might pause and reconsider some things.  I’m guessing you’re not that person, Marjorie.   It’s ok.  I used to be the same way, and it’s easy to let that all-ego no heart or brains trick you into thinking that you did nothing wrong and that you’re being picked on.  You’re not being picked on. You’re getting exactly what you deserve.  One thing I learned the hard way is that if you don’t take the time to reflect and change your heart and mind, is that when karma comes along and does that for you it’s not a pleasant experience.  Not at all.
    • Semi-serious question for the White House Press Office:  What is stopping you from yanking FOX News’ credentials?  After yesterday’s revelations, they clearly don’t deserve them.  Seriously, square up and yank those passes, be ready with the receipts, and don’t cave in.  Not the same level, but when Gizmodo ‘found’ the iPhone 4 at a bar and leaked it, Steve Jobs barred them from Apple Events for years.  I always used to tell people on Beach Mac that you could go to all the other tech sites to get the news, or you could go to Gizmodo to get what someone else told them about the news.  Let Fox be the new Gizmodo.   Let ’em be in exile for the rest of the time Biden’s in office, or Harris for that matter if she comes after.  Sure enough a Republican will restore their access. But let them cry about how long that will be.  I think that would be perfect.
    • Remember, this is a Patreon Podcast, as are all the poddlements from Tuesday through Friday.  Go to my Patreon to subscribe, and thanks.

  • Friday, February 24th, 2023

    • I had what I think is a meaningful exchange with a friend on the Birdsite; they were wondering if a small camera like a Canon G7X is worth it when we all have cameras in our pockets.  Putting aside the old saying that the best camera is the one you have with you, I would say that if you’re not getting paid for your work, your phone camera is often better than an SLR any day of the week.  Plus, and this is by no means necessary, Moment makes a case and lenses for your phone.  I generally shoot videos with a CPL and an ND 32 filter attached.  I have a telephoto and wide-angle lens, but I rarely need to use them.  Also, while I have a DJI Osmo Gimbal, I rarely use that.  If I’m shooting a video, I use my mini tripod as a handle with a phone clamp.  If I’m shooting photography, I don’t need anything else. But, again, I’m not a professional, and what works for me may not work for you.
    • My SLR has taken up residence in my studio in a locked-down position, and I’ve just bought a teleprompter system that uses my iPad for the scripts.  We used something similar when I worked at Canon, but I was in the market for something that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.  Next up, lav mics.  I might still have one somewhere; I’ll need to dig around and test it. Finally, perfect world, I want a boom mike on a stand.
    • While caring for the wife, I give a moment of praise for the ability to get groceries delivered and the gig workers who bust their asses to deliver them.  I did it for a while, so I know the wear and tear they put on themselves and their cars.  I also know what a treasure it is to have those 2-3 hours back so I can do other things.  If you use a similar service, please take the time to thank them and tip them as well as you can.
    • A handy tip for those who feel compelled to pick the low-hanging fruit tweets of some of our more colorful wingnuts:  Don’t.  You’re being baited, and too many of us take the bait.  More engagement boosts it in the algorithm.  They cry about being shadowbanned when they don’t get the engagement they think they deserve.  With Elon being Elon, now is the perfect time to follow the screenshot method.  Screenshot the post, crop it, post that picture with your response, and do not tag the OP.  Let them cry to Elon.  Hell, let them cry, period.  We do not have to engage these people.  We can point and laugh at them while they melt down, though.

  • Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

    A reminder that these new posts are also in podcast form, over on my Patreon Page

    • I think I may have hit upon one of the reasons I’m having the issues I’m having: Too many inputs. Or, more specifically, too many unwanted inputs. It may be time for me to go be quiet myself for a little while, and figure out how to cut these unwanted issues, or mitigate them.
    • I noticed today that the phrase “The Mask Mandates Did Nothing”.  Bret Stephens wrote a column in the New York Cage Liner.  This is the same guy who opined that climate change is mass neurosis and claimed that climate science had been discredited, so let’s make sure we know what kind of idiot we’re talking about.  I don’t often speak directly to the redhats, but let me make an exception in this case.  Yes, morons, I know that a lot of you made it all the way through a once in a lifetime pandemic without getting vaccinated or wearing a mask.  I also know that you feel really good about that.  Maybe you should.  I would also feel great about not taking a single precaution to protect myself and not dying.  A better word to use would be relieved, but let’s not get confused because you know what’s going to happen to that once in a lifetime pandemic because you feel no obligation to anyone around you?  It will become a twice or maybe even thrice in a lifetime pandemic.  We’ll get a more deadly mutuation that we don’t yet have protection for, or we’ll get some new novel disease we haven’t thought of yet.  When we do, you’ll stay true to your cult.  I invite you to, because Russian Roulette is not an infinite game.   What boggles my mind is the number of pastors and radio talk show hosts in the last three years that beat their chests and shouted at the top of their lungs until they had a tube down their throat and begged for your prayers with their last dying raggedy breaths.   But what we’re not gonna do is gaslight people by saying mask mandates didn’t work when a large and very stupid portion of the population kept shouting “MUH FREEDOM” and crying “MASK HURT MUH FACE” at the same time, or just lying about religious objections (I know one person who just out and out lied)  or underlying medical conditions (I was behind one person straight up RUNNING past me into a Walmart and when asked to put on a mask by the greeter said “I have asthma” as they ran right by) , and then say “MASKS NO WORK, HA HA STUPID LIBTARDS”.
    • Would someone who cares about this person please tell her to shut the fuck up?
    • Do you remember about a year ago when Ron DeSantis got butthurt over Disney saying they were suspending political donations over the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, and abolished the Reedy Creek Improvement District, accidentally setting in motion a transfer of the 1.2 Billion dollars in bond debt to the taxpayers in the counties where Disney World resides?  Well, Sour Puss wants to be President, so he’s claiming victory while backpedaling like a motherfucker in defeat. He’s about to sign a bill that renames the district, gives him the power to name the board, and leaves the financial arrangement alone.  So, no new taxes for the residents of Orange or Osceola Counties.  If I’m a guy who doesn’t want Ron DeSantis to be President, I’m running ads about about how the butt-hurt got in the way of thinking things all the way through.  Seems to me that’s something I’d want in a President and his administration.  Knee jerk revenge-oriented politics is dangerous, and that’s the part that worries me more than anything.  I don’t want that guy anywhere near the football.  I bet there’s ketchup on the walls at his place as well.
    • Apple Fanboi news: Apple is close to the holy fucking medical grail: A continuous non invasive blood glucose monitor on the Apple Watch. The methodology already exists. For example, the Freestyle Libre is a sensor on the back of your arm that monitors a related fluid. The watch would do the same thing, but with sensors on the bottom of the watch. Nothing breaks the skin. As a diabetic, I can’t stress how huge that would be if they nail this. I don’t know of any other watch that is doing this right now, feel free to correct me. This one is personal, I would buy this immediately. Apple Watch is 300-400 dollars? Drop in the bucket compared to meters, strips…I probably spend that in supplies right now EASY. This would make life so much easier for people. I wonder what the ROI for health insurance companies to provide an Apple Watch for a co-pay of 75 to 100 dollars? Would that save the company money in other areas? Would it lower our co-pays or premiums? Would we need to consent to sharing that information? Probably, but I’m curious about the risk/reward ratio for this.
    • Wave a magic wand, and cable news is gone tomorrow. The infotainment model of news across the board as a format is gone. What replaces it?

  • Wednesday, February 22, 2023

    • First day back to work after the holiday, which is weird.  Since I work for a gubmint-related thing now, I get gubmint-related holidays off.  This is one of the most un-call center-like things about this job.  Most places like that give a minimal amount of holidays, and in some cases, you work them on a volunteer or round-robin kind of thing.  I worked last Christmas, may I have this Christmas off?  No?  Shit.   (This actually happened.)  When I got married, the place I worked wouldn’t approve the actual DAY of my wedding off, but approved the WEEK of my wedding.  That is how the Week of Fun Started.  Looks like for the 3rd time in 29 years we’ll have to put off the Week of Fun again this year.  The way our vacation allotment shakes out is that I get the full amount in September of every year, which makes it a challenge for the following July.  Since Kimmers didn’t start her job until November, she doesn’t have PTO.  For the year.  Which is also weird.  I’d have thought they’d pro-rate, but it doesn’t appear so.  Also strange because she was just in the hospital for a week, so that’s fun.  That’s enough bitching for how, let’s navigate to the meat.
    • In a piece of news I will file under “I want off this ride”, let me pose a question to you:  If the principal of your elementary school leaves his gun in a bathroom stall, and a third-grader finds it and reports it to his teacher, what is the correct thing for that teacher to do?  Clearly, It’s sending another third-grader to the bathroom to check if it’s a real gun. What–and I can’t stress this highly enough–THE FUCK.
    • Britney Griner signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury, making it her 10th season with the team.  Of course, she missed last year because of her detention in Russia.  Now, I’m not a big basketball fan, (note: watch this space for the day they announce the Sonics are coming back), but before today I had not seen a news story mention why she played in Russia to begin with.  The NPR article I linked here says that WNBA athletes often play overseas in the off-season to supplement their income because of gender pay inequalities with their NBA counterparts.  Now, admittedly, this may be a different situation from the USA Women’s soccer team which has carried the load for US Soccer while the men have done fuck-all, but if the pay difference can be argued as a safety concern?  “Hey, if y’all would pay me I wouldn’t have to go anywhere else.”  I’m not the brightest bulb on the tree, but that would be my argument next time salary arbitration comes up.  Does the WNBA even HAVE a player’s union?  (They do.)
    • In the next town over, Chesapeake, BM Williams Elementary School went into lockdown and was dismissed early because they received a bomb threat email accusing them of ‘devil worship’.  BM Willams is the school you may have heard about in the news because they have the After School Satan Club.  The email accuses a Chesapeake school board member, the Chesapeake schools superintendent and the organizer of the After School Satan Club of ‘promoting devil worship and unIslamic values.’   Without evidence to the contrary, the letter implies the writer of the email is Muslim.  I don’t believe it for a second, but I’ll be willing to admit it if I’m wrong. However, let’s be clear about what we’re dealing with here.  This is a person who saw the word Satan and didn’t look beyond the paint.  I’m not a member of The Satanic Temple, but I know that’s there’s a big difference between them and Anton LeVay’s Church of Satan.  To begin with, The Satanic Temple doesn’t actually believe in Satan.  They don’t worship Satan.  They use the imagery to troll evangelical extremists.  They use satire to get under the skin of people.  They’re activists that preach—if you’ll pardon the expression—equality, social justice, and to point out religious hypocrisy.   They’re all about personal autonomy, curiosity, pragmatic skepticism.   The after school program is an answer to the Good News Club, a Christian after school program.  It doesn’t try to ‘convert’ kids, it teaches “about rationalism and understanding the world around us.”  in other words, how to make sense of the world using critical thinking skills and natural curiosity.  Questioning everything.   That’s a good thing in my opinion.  In fact, the only group of people I can think of that wouldn’t think that’s a good idea are folks more interested in indoctrinating their kids.
    • Lastly, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Gonzalez v Google today, this is the first of two cases regarding the Internet and Section 230.  I’ll have a deeper take on it in the coming days, but here’s the link if you’d like to hear it.