August 2, 2017 Night

Good evening! Partly clear and 70 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 65 degrees. The muggy weather ends Saturday around 9 pm.

Less humid this evening that I would have expected, although I think it has to do more with the breeze and dropping temperature then the actual dew point. 

Got home, had some dinner, watched the PBS Newshour for a while then fell asleep. Ever since the end of vacation I’ve been so tired by the time I get home from work. I’m having trouble getting used to getting up early after sleeping in so much during vacation. 

I always enjoy the walk down to Tri Centennial Park and catching the bus down there by the DEC. It turns out that walking down there means there is more consistency with the bus schedule because when the driver gets a late start on the first few stops he’s able to catch up closer to on time then. Moreover, farther down the bus route, the estimated arrival time for the bus is more accurate, and it’s less waiting for the bus. 

Every time I walk down the pedestrianized section of Stueben Street, I’m fascinated by the farm tractor toy store. It just such a strange business to be located on a side street of Albany. I can’t imagine selling plastic and metal tractor toys downtown is a lucrative business. I am sure there is back story – maybe the toy tractors is a side business for something legitimate like farm insurance or other agricultural business that is somehow tied in with state government. Or maybe it’s a front for something more sinister like a front for bribes for government officials. But why would you have a store front and not a non descript office run by an LLC in a tower downtown? Or maybe it’s some kind of religious organization that has an interest in promoting agriculture. I’m sure I could find an answer on the Internet but I think I’d rather use my imagination. 

Tonight will have patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low of 63 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 1am. Light south wind. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1976.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon. The Full Moon is on Monday night. The sun will rise at 5:49 am with the first light at 5:17 am, which is one minute and 2 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 9 hours and 36 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 15 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high of 84 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 10am. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1975.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 66 at 8am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Maximum dew point of 57 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

Weekend doesn’t seem really great, especially Saturday. I think I’m sticking with my plans for staying in town. I guess if it clears early I could camp at the lean to one Harvey Mountain that I’ve wanted to for some time but I doubt it will be that nice evening on Saturday evening. 

In four weeks on August 30 the sun will be setting at 7:32 pm, which is 41 minutes and 39 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had shallow fog, patches of fog, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 82 and 54 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 78 and 58 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set back in 1953.

Looking ahead, Last Day with Average High of 80 is in 3 weeks, Corn Moon is in 5 weeks, 6:30 PM Sunset is in 9 weeks, Coldest Day of Year (Avg. 14-30 degrees) is in 23 weeks and Inaugeration Day 2021 is in 181 weeks.

What does the S&P 500 index measure and how is it calculated?

What does the S&P 500 index measure and how is it calculated?

"The S&P 500 measures the value of stocks of the 500 largest corporations by market capitalization listed on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq Composite. Standard & Poor's intention is to have a price that provides a quick look at the stock market and economy. Indeed, the S&P 500 index is the most popular measure used by financial media and professionals, while the mainstream media and general public are more familiar with the Dow Jones Industrial Average."

"The S&P 500 index is calculated by taking the sum of the adjusted market capitalization of all S&P 500 stocks and then dividing it with an index divisor, which is a proprietary figure developed by Standard & Poor's. However, most sources peg this number at 8.9 billion. The divisor is adjusted when there are stock splits, special dividends or spinoffs that could affect the value of the index. The divisor ensures that these non-economic factors do not affect the index."

The 30 Dow Jones Stocks

The 30 Dow Jones Stocks

"The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) is the second-oldest active market indicator, as well as the most widely covered. At any given time, only 30 stocks make up the index, and they comprise a diverse basket of companies from all sectors of the market. All 30 companies are considered blue chip industry stalwarts, household names with long track records of success and stability. Currently, nine of the 30 components are Dividend Aristocrats, meaning they've paid increasing dividends for at least 25 consecutive years."

"Thanks to the DJIA's unique share-price weighting system, certain components have a disproportionate influence on the index. Take pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, for example. These companies are within striking distance of each other with market caps between $200 billion and $300 billion. However, because Johnson & Johnson's share price is currently around $103, it has about three times the impact on the DJIA as Pfizer, whose shares currently trade for $34."