Conspiracy Theories Can’t Be Stopped | FiveThirtyEight

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Conspiracy Theories Can’t Be Stopped | FiveThirtyEight

" The more we learn about conspiracy beliefs, the more they seem to have in common with these other kinds of wrong ideas, she said. Feeling a lack of control over various aspects of life, a tendency toward paranoid thinking, failure to understand and use statistics and probabilistic reasoning — all those things correlate with belief in ghosts and slot-machine prowess as much as with belief in the Illuminati. In fact, Leonard said, if you believe in the paranormal, you’re more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, and vice versa."

Spring Time Hike to Some Local Preserves.

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Last spring, I took off a day from work to spend some time hiking and exploring some nearby preserves. I started out the day visiting the newly opened Bozen Kill Preserve.

Beautiful day

A quiet but nice preserve, with a small creek — the Bozen Kill — and a trail that looks out over the gorge.

Bozenkill

There is a natural rock cut at the end of the trail, that reminds me bit of Zoar Valley.

Natural Rock Cut

Later on in the day, I visited the Christman Sanctuary, which is farther up on the Bozen Kill near the Knox – Delanson town line.

Lower Falls

Not a torrent of water coming over the falls, but still a nice day.

Upper Falls

It was relaxing to just sit down by the falls and enjoy the scenic beauty on this beautiful spring day.

Bubbler

Trump Administration Wants To Reverse An Obama-era Light Bulb Efficiency Rule – NPR

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Trump Administration Wants To Reverse An Obama-era Light Bulb Efficiency Rule – NPR

"If it's been a few years since you shopped for a light bulb you might find yourself confused. Those controversial curly-cue ones that were cutting edge not that long ago? Gone. (Or harder to find.) Thanks to a 2007 law signed by President George W. Bush, shelves these days are largely stocked with LED bulbs that look more like the traditional pear-shaped incandescent version, but use just one-fifth the energy."

"A second wave of light bulb changes was set to happen. But now the Trump administration wants to undo an Obama-era regulation designed to make a wide array of specialty light bulbs more energy efficient."

"At issue here are bulbs like decorative globes used in bathrooms, reflectors in recessed lighting, candle-shaped lights and three-way light bulbs. The Natural Resources Defense Council says that, collectively, these account for about 2.7 billion light sockets, nearly half the conventional sockets in use in the U.S."

Big Red is Expensive.

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Big Red is expensive, but I like big jacked up trucks …

Big Red

I was reading the other day, that common suspension repairs including new ball joints and tie-rod arms that commonly have to be replaced lifted-trucks can cost upwards of $2,000. I guess that’s not a surprise, it was actually something I knew I would budget for in the future, after getting my truck lifted, as the heavier big wheels and the lift kit put a lot of stress on the stock components. I don’t need such repairs yet, but I know they’re coming down the line as I occasionally notice unpleasant noises.

I also know in a year or so I will probably need new 35-inch tires on the truck, which will be another $1,300 when you figure out the cost of those big tires. Again, something I budgeted for — I knew the lift kit experience would add about $10,000 in cost over the lifetime of the truck, half for initial lift kit and half for premature repairs, although I guess a stock truck would need some of those repairs eventually too.

It’s a lot of money, for an truck that’s always burned some oil, had a transmission which leaks fluid through the filler tube, been repaired from crashes, and everything else. It’s not been a cheap truck but I’ve been on a lot of good adventures, and seek to keep it on the road for another 5 years until age 12 or 13, putting whatever parts I need to keep it road-worthy, once it’s clear that repairs need to be made. I think it’s possible to get five more years out of the truck.

My next truck will be smaller and easier to drive. I doubt I’ll do the lifted thing again, although it’s been fun with Big Red. Maybe I’ll skip the truck and go for a smaller, fuel efficient car that makes it cheaper to do longer trips. Now that I have the propane lantern with the big tank, having the electricity from the truck isn’t as such a big thing for me. That would keep me from spending more money out of the account that’s supposed to be going towards owning my off-grid cabin. I don’t regret having Big Red, but I definitely could see downsizing in the future.

Having a “nice” truck is one of the luxuries I’ve enjoyed in my younger years, passing up on expensive vacations or having cable at home. I’d rather spend my weekends in wilderness with the truck camping. My view is a backcountry roadside campsite is far better then going to Paris or Rome, visiting Florida or some other popular tourist destination. I like the view I get from sitting up high in the truck, and I like having the camper and electricity at camp.

Boston company turns roadkill into fashion – Chicago Tribune

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‘Accidental fur’: Boston company turns roadkill into fashion – Chicago Tribune

"Heidi Forbes Oste, a San Francisco-area resident who purchased a fox fur neck muff from Petit Mort last summer, said she's surprised at the pushback from animal rights groups. They're being short-sighted," she said. "We should be encouraging people to buy sustainable fur. These are animals that are already dead."

"Products by Petit Mort, which means "the little death" in French and also describes the sensation of orgasm, are decidedly high-end, ranging from $800 to $2,000, depending on the product and type of fur used. They can be found online and on Boston's fashionable Newbury Street, where the company rents display space in a handmade goods market. "The value that these products have is that they're handmade, local and last a lifetime," Paquin explains. "That's not just couture and high end, but that's also sustainable."

Each piece comes with a personal note explaining where and when the animal was found. Paquin works with animal control specialists to gather the carcasses, but skins many of them herself. She considers the process almost sacred and doesn't care much for the "roadkill" label. "It's a turnoff," Paquin said. "It cheapens my product."

March 26, 2019 Morning

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Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Sunny but cold, around 25 degrees at the bus stop 🚏next to the Valero. 🌞 There is a north-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️ Listening to John Denver as I head downtown on the local bus 🚍 , looking towards a potentially long day at work. But the money is good 💵 and I’m saving for a better tomorrow.

Nice sunny morning but cold. Reminds me of mid November which makes sense because that was six months ago. 180 degrees out of phase. The sun is rising earlier now we dawn around 6:20. ☀ Cold start to the day, I turned the heat on but I don’t think the heater is working hard today. Come Thursday it looks like I should be able to turn it off and maybe come Saturday open the windows up again. 🍃 I do like the fresh air. I shouldn’t rush summer too much as muggy hot summer days will be here before you know it.

I made up waffles this morning topped with frozen pineapple and red raspberry.🍍I do agree with that article that we don’t generally eat enough fiber. I know that I certainly eat too much pasta 🍲 as I’m always looking for affordable, easy to make calories when I get home from work late. I always try to increase the amount of inexpensive fruits and vegetables in my feed ration as they are so healthy. I probably eat too much frozen sweet corn 🌽 but I like it and it’s healthier than so much of the overpriced junk foods they sell. 🍬

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 42 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 11th. North wind 6 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny in the morning, which became sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 50 degrees. The record high of 74 was set in 1986. 6.1 inches of snow fell back in 1899.❄

80 hours until 5 pm on Friday. Each hour gets one closer to that point. In the context of this week that’s a pretty meaningless marker, but eventually it will be April 1st and trout season. 🐟

The sun will set at 7:14 pm with dusk around 7:43 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 36 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 28 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight is expected to be the last cold night in a while. ❄ I’m hoping that later this week if it’s not raining ☔ and I don’t get out too late from work, I’ll be able to sit out back. Certainly I should have all kinds of power at the truck cap as the solar panel is keeping the battery well charged with all the bright sunshine the past few days.

Tonight will be clear 🌃, with a low of 17 degrees at 6am. 13 degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around February 16th. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2018, we had clear in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of 11 occurred back in 1975.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 50 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 28th. I’ll take it for a change. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny in the morning, which became sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1998. 6.7 inches of snow fell back in 1959.❄

Monday was a pretty good day, I was able to catch the express bus 🚍 and be home by quarter to six. No complaints there but I really had made no plans for the evening. Too chilly to go down to the park and honestly the sun still sets a bit early for going down to the park for any length of time after work. 🌇

I ended up staying home, laying in bed for a bit, doing what boys do, dreaming of a world to be.👍Then I got on the excerise bike, 🚲rode for about an hour and a half breaking a while for dinner while watching some YouTube videos I downloaded over the weekend. 🎥 I ended up watching a lengthy video from Mike Price’s farm channel, them firing up tractors 🚜, hauling manure and petting cows. 🐮 I don’t know why I like watching farm channel so much but I find them so interesting. Then I watched a video on processing racoon meat 🍖 and a Computerfile video on text encoding. 💻 I have diverse tastes.

Later on after eight when I like to stop riding the bike to avoid making noise for my neighbor 🔇 I worked on some new maps 🌐and GIS content for the blog and some new ideas I have for further blog posts. 💭 I really like the freedom of the blog, free of nasty comment and with full control over placement and styling. Plus it gives me a chance to dream about what my future will be when I live modestly today. I often find that the ideas put forward in the press aren’t always right 📰 so I like to express my thoughts and feelings.

I went for my evening walk a while after nine o’clock. 🚶 It was a pleasant walk but cool. Still there was a lot of stars ✨ and it was quiet. I enjoy the fresh air in the evening 🌃 always a good way to end the day. I just wish it was warm enough to sit out back but within a month we should regularly have days like that.

I did have a nice cold glass of water, actually two with some a drop or two of cider vinegar before bed. 🍷Such an economical drink and much healthier than milk or orange juice. 🍋 I mean I don’t think I’ve used more than a table spoon or maybe two of a modest sized bottle of cider vinegar I bought for two dollars. Any more than a drop or two in a glass of water makes the water very acidic and nasty vinegar tasting but a small drop gives a nice apple 🍏 flavor and a slight amount of acidity almost like cola without the fizzle.

Probably worse on the teeth than drinking milk although at the concentration I drink it I doubt it’s as acidic as ordinary soda and its sugar free as the yeast eats the sugar leaving only the acid. 🐮 I did have my favorite cow drink with dinner though.

That article I shared about climate change yesterday reminded me that we are living in the future 🔮 now and that 2030 is but a decade away and that the things that the smart people told us to do decades ago are finally coming to roost. 🐓 Climate change is already noticeable locally in the numbers and it’s going to be profoundly more noticeable in the coming years, especially for the colored and poor who don’t have the financial resources to escape a changing environment that puts their home and livelihoods at risk💥.

I think it’s foolish to think we can eliminate fossil fuels in a decade or even dramatically reduce emissions but our inaction is going to bite us hard in the next decade or two. 💣 I’m hoping I can protect myself from the worse impacts but many Americans will suffer and quite possibly lose their lives. Addiction to any chemical – be it drugs or fossil fuel – isn’t serious until it is. ⛽

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 48 at 1pm. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees.

Figuring I’m just assuming I’ll have to work this weekend💼 or be dead tired 😴 I have no plans at all for the weekend. I’m fine with that, there is still a lot of snow up north, and I’d rather save up for the nicer weather next week.

In four weeks on April 23 the sun will be setting at 7:46 pm,🌄 which is 31 minutes and 54 seconds later then today. In 2018 on that day, we had sunny and temperatures between 69 and 30 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 62 and 40 degrees. The record high of 87 degrees was set back in 2007.

Looking ahead, Primary Day 🗳️ is in 3 months, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 16 weeks, Constitution Day 📜 is in 25 weeks, October 🛥 is in 27 weeks and Election Day 2020 🗳️ is in 84 weeks.

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