Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA

The Elm Avenue Park and Ride offers a convenient way to get downtown without the hassles of urban traffic. Located next to the Elm Avenue Park at the end of the Delmar Bypass (NY 32), it is serviced by several buses that will quickly transport you downtown.

There is a new, expanded schedule for the Elm Avenue Park and Ride. 5 morning buses depart there, 5 buses in the afternoon plus a mid-day bus schedule. Very convenient. http://www.cdta.org/uploads/Route719.pdf

February 22, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! Five weeks to Average High is 50 🌸. When there is no hope, there is spring. Easter is late this year. Sunny and 20 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️ So we tell ourselves.

Pine Bush Hike at nine thirty this morning 🌲🌲🌲 which I am going to this morning followed by maybe getting a bite at Yonder Farms, picking up my dry cleaning and running to the store and washing my truck at the end of the day. 🏬 Tomorrow I plan to be out enjoying the nice weather, probably skiing 🎿 or hiking 🚶 at Partridge Run. Sounds like Monday will be quite nice, but I have to work and we might get a big rain β˜” storm come Tuesday into Wednesday that will melt the snow locally but who knows up in the mountains.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 40 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 4th. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 1997. 14.8 inches of snow fell back in 1893.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 37.1Β° from the due south horizon (-33.8Β° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:57 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (250Β°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (257Β°) starting at 5:33 pm and lasts for 2 minutes and 59 seconds with dusk around 6:04 pm, which is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:37 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 37 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 53 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 24 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 11th. Light south wind. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 1972.

🌹🌻🌼Only 26 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until Average High is 50 🌸 when the sun will be setting at 7:17 pm with dusk at 7:45 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2019, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 55 and 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1945. Well at least a few of the older generation remembers that day as a young child.

February 21, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Three weeks to 7 PM Sunset πŸŒ†. Sunny and 19 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. 🌞 There is a northwest breeze at 6 mph. πŸƒ. Honestly with the sun at a relatively high angle, it feels a lot warmer — I turned my heat down this morning to 50 degrees before I left for work.Β  There is a little bit of snow and ice on the ground. β˜ƒ Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 10 am. 🌑️ Should be a great day tomorrow at the Save the Pine Bush Hike.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high around the freezing point at 3pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 5th. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming west in the afternoon. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 73 was set in 2018. 11 inches of snow fell back in 1929.❄

All and all a beautiful morning. 🚢I know I enjoyed my walk down tot he Park and Ride.πŸ•Ά Took Gillig 4115H downtown, which was fine, but it seemed like the hybrid portion of the bus wasn’t working right, so the bus accelerated really slow (almost like a blown turbo) and there wasn’t a lot regenerative braking. πŸ’₯ Believe it or not, that bus is now 13 years old, so it’s past it’s lifespan but as long as they can repair the problems, I am sure it will get a few more years of use. 🚌 Unlike the Gillig 4114H which is blowing a ton of black smoke — at least the last time I rode it.🚭

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 36.7Β° from the due south horizon (-34.1Β° vs. 6/21). The golden hour πŸ… starts at 4:56 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (250Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-southwest (256Β°) starting at 5:32 pm and lasts for 2 minutes and 59 seconds with dusk around 6:02 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:36 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 29 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be clear πŸŒƒ, with a low of 18 degrees at 6am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 20th. Maximum wind chill around 12 at 3am; South wind 5 to 7 mph. No unreasonable, the weekend should be quite nice. In 2019, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1963.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 40 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 4th. South wind 7 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Should be a great day for the Pine Bush hike. 🌲🚢🌲🌲A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 1997. 14.8 inches of snow fell back in 1893.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, sunny, with a high near 48. Southwest wind around 7 mph. Sunday should be nice, I am thinking about hiking at Partridge Run or maybe Renssleearville State Forest again, as there might still be enough snow out there. β›· Typical average high for the weekend is 36 degrees.

🌹🌻🌼Only 27 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until 7 PM Sunset πŸŒ† when the sun will be setting at 6:59 pm with dusk at 7:27 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, sleet and temperatures between 44 and 21 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 43 degrees. We hit a record high of 70 back in 2012.

Gobler's Knob Stage

February 19, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy February Save the Pine Dinner 🦋! ITwo weeks to Average High is 40 β˜€οΈ. Mostly cloudy ☁ and 34 degrees at the Delaware Plaza Park and Ride. 🅿 There is a west-northwest breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. There is a inch of snow on the ground. β˜ƒ ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 2 pm. β˜ƒοΈ

This morning I got a haircut 💈 and dropped off my blazers to get dry cleaned. 👔No electric bus 🚍 for me today, just a regular old diesel Gillig 4099. After the Pine Bush dinner 🌲I will pick up some groceries and then drive home from the park and ride. I’ll probably be in a bit late today but if necessary I’ll stay a few minutes after five to make the clock happy. Seems like this bus always runs late.

Last night I decided against going to the store 🏬 and washing my truck. 🚿 I thought it wasn’t raining very hard and there still was a lot of salt on the roads. I figured I can just stock up on enough supplies tonight after the Pine Bush dinner. I believe the Pine Bush hike is Saturday 🚶, I can get the rest of what I need for the weekend after that. So instead I stayed home, did some reading 📖.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 35 degrees at 8am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 18th. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1981. 11.4 inches of snow fell back in 1972.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 36Β° from the due south horizon (-34.8Β° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:53 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (249Β°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (255Β°) starting at 5:29 pm and lasts for 3 minutes with dusk around 6:00 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:34 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 29 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 17. β˜ƒοΈ Breezy, 16 mph breeze β›… from the west-northwest with gusts up to 28mph. Today will have 10 hours and 44 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 45 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers between 11pm and 3am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 14 degrees at 6am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around January 27th. Maximum wind chill around 9 at 6am; Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 9 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 1966.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 40. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 47. Typical average high for the weekend is 36 degrees. Based on how much snow there is up north and how much there is out west, I’ll probably skip camping this weekend as it’s going to be a sloppy mess in a tent and finding parking 🅿 can be difficult with the snow banks as high as they are.

🌹🌻🌼Only 29 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High is 40 β˜€οΈ when the sun will be setting at 5:48 pm with dusk at 6:17 pm. On that day in 2019, we had snow showers, partly sunny and temperatures between 34 and 17 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1919.

Snow Covered Bushes

Replace Presidents Day with Black Panthers Day

I think President’s Day should be replaced with a new holiday – Black Panthers Day.

Why? While some presidents like John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama were exceptionally talented and smart individuals, many other were really bad. The president, while the executive figure in our government, really is just one person, a mere mortal in time, not a citizens movement empowered for change.

In contrast, the Black Panthers were dedicated to making their communities better, following the law, and protecting themselves from the violence of the state. The Black Panthers took on the American ethos far more any president – self-reliance, community engagement, looking out for one and another. Few movements have ever been as truly American as that of the panthers.

Our country should celebrate individual empowerment and what communities can do to protect themselves working together, and not relying on the often corrupt state that is disconnected from local communities’ own needs. 

We don’t need another holiday like President’s Day celebrating monarchy and the rich and powerful in our country. We need holidays that celebrate the people, especially those who work so hard to improve our communities. That’s why I think we should replace Presidents Day with a Black Panthers Day.

February 8, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! Snow squall and 25 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The current wind chill is 5. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. β˜ƒ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 1 pm. 🌡️

It was sunny out earlier but now it’s sort of clouded up. ☁ Decent little snow squall but so far the roads aren’t coated. Not expecting much snow but the snow and ice is pretty frozen and icy from yesterday. I thought about going out for a walk when the sun came up as it was some deep blue skies but it was cold and I didn’t want to walk on the icy sidewalks. Ended up working on some code for the blog and sitting back with a couple cups of coffee β˜•.

I better crack the ice off my mailbox 📬if I want the solder flux pen βœ’ to be delivered so I can work on projects tomorrow. Everything is kind of icy and frozen outside although surprisingly the commute on Friday night wasn’t that bad.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 26 degrees at 1pm. Seven degrees below normal. West wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 52 was set in 1925. 14 inches of snow fell back in 1895.❄

Later this afternoon I’m going out to my parents house for Sunday dinner food a day earlier than normal as I’m concerned that Sunday evening will be icy. β›„ Not sure when the next storm will hit but we might get snow and of ice Sunday evening 🌃. That said, first some of the ice has to melt off Big Red 🚘 if I want to get the doors open. That’s going to require the sun to return β˜€. I brushed all the snow off I could last night but it’s still a mess.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 32.3Β° from the due south horizon (-38.5Β° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:37 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (243Β°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (250Β°) starting at 5:15 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 5 seconds with dusk around 5:46 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-northeast (74Β°) at an altitude of 12Β° from the horizon, 229,765 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:21 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 22 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 8 degrees at 1am. Eight degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 7 at 6am; Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had light snow in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1934.

🌹🌻🌼Only 40 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

One month 📅 from now will be Daylight Savings Time 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 6:54 pm with dusk at 7:22 pm (Daylight Savings Time). The average high temperature is 32 degrees, with a record high of 61 in 1895.

Towards the Valley

The History of CTRL ALT DELETE

The History of CTRL ALT DELETE

In 2013, Bill Gates admitted ctrl alt del was a mistake and blamed IBM. Here’s the story of how the key combination became famous in the first place.

Fortunately Linux doesn't use anything as silly as control-alt-delete, although it does use control-alt-f1, etc. to change between virtual terminal command lines.