April 7, 2016 Update

Now we are up to 49 degrees as the rain approaches. At this point, we are looking at showers starting around 10 AM with the heaviest rain starting around noontime. A high around 57 expected. Sunset in 10 hours at 7:29 PM. New moon tonight. Full moon on Earth Day.

Today in 1964, IBM announced System/360. It was the first family of computers designed to cover the complete range of applications, from small to large, both commercial and scientific. The design made a clear distinction between architecture and implementation, allowing IBM to release a suite of compatible designs at different prices. System/360 was extremely successful in the market, allowing customers to purchase a smaller system with the knowledge they would always be able to migrate upward if their needs grew, without reprogramming of application software or replacing peripheral devices. Many consider the design one of the most successful computers in history, influencing computer design for years to come.

Today in 1978, development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter. This horrific nuclear bomb, if implemented, would have been designed to kill humans with radiation while minimizing damage to infrastructure. It was seen as too ghastly and to impractical to ever be used.

And for all you country bumpkins out there, today is Cal Smith’s birthday. He died in 2013, so wishing him a happy birthday won’t hasten his passing. It’s also California Governor Jerry Brown’s birthday. The guy is 78 years old, and governor of the nation’s largest state, famous for it’s dysfunction. Good luck for him.

The rain held off for the walk down to the bus stop. I was concerned that the bus wasn’t in the real time schedule but it showed up on time. It pulled in a few minutes before 8:24 so it departed on time. Substitute driver, he didn’t do his layover in the normal place.

Glad I found the trash can lid, it was buried under the snow that had melted this morning in an unexpected place. Wind can be wild how things blow around. This weekend I plan to take all the bottles and cans to the transfer station, so I need to make sure things are well tied down before next week’s winds. I also plan to clean out the truck and repair the truck cap lighting. Things pulled loose on the truck cap over the winter. Then hopefully, I’ll be all cleaned up and ready to go for the summer. I do have some routine maintenance I need preformed on the truck before I start making summer trips, but I can think I can just call, make an appointment, and drop it off one morning at the shop.

Still no idea where I’m going for my end of the month road trip. I “only” have three days off plus the weekend but that could make a good trip. I guess I could take off a full week but I don’t want to use the time nor the cost of a full week trip. I think that option is still open for now. The Finger Lakes sound like a good option, although I do also want to possibly go down to Roscoe area for trout fishing. Or maybe the North Country. I don’t know, so many possibilities.