Silicon Valley Redneck

End of year approacheth rapidly.

I think the only remaining must-be-done-before-EOY item is putting the new registration sticker on Joy's car.

That's not so much an end-of-year thing as an end-of-month thing, but still needs doing today.

Weather forecast is vague and uncertain.  Probably some rain during the middle part of the day, but maybe not much.  There's some outdoors stuff I should be doing, sometime in the next few days, when it's neither too cold nor too muddy.

Oh, and it looks like my winter cover vegetation, which had kinda-sorta gotten started after rather late planting, got killed off by the freeze.  Foo.  Well, maybe it put down enough roots to discourage erosion, anyway.

Doing a little tidying

Out in the garage.  The area under the 3D printer bench is now more or less organized.

And, surprise!  That supply of wire loom, of various sizes and types, that I couldn't find last month?  Was in the bottom of a box that had gotten filled beyond overflowing with 3D printing supplies.  Organize the supplies onto a tidy mini shelving unit, and the older stuff reappears!

There's much yet to be done, but at least that one area is mostly tidied.  Or, rather, it's fully tidied but some of the former contents need to find new homes.

That mini shelving unit is handy for stuff-under-benches (workbench-height benches, anyway), and was reasonably cheap.  I should probably pick up a few more, as well as about a bazillion more plastic shoe- and sweater-boxes.

Alexa, how do you defuse a ticking dresser?

Squeak.

Squeak.

Squeak.

Kinda faint.  Couple of seconds apart.  And is it a squeak, or a brief beep?  Hard to tell.  And just the sort of pitch and duration to be non-localizable.  Audible many places around the East end of the house.

HVAC blower squeaking?  Doesn't really seem like it.

Hm.  Seems to be loudest in bedroom #4.  Around the dresser, like.  And definitely a periodic beep, like the warning beep that every terrorist nuke makes as it approaches the end of its countdown.

Start opening drawers.

Ah.  It gets louder when I open the bottom drawer.

There's an alarm clock in there.  Unplugged, but presumably has a backup battery.  Which is likely kinda run down by now, the clock having been unplugged for over a year.

Guess I'll deal with it later, on the assumption that it won't go off in the meantime.

(Semi-relevant Monty Python sketch doesn't appear to be on YouTube.)

Update:  Wasn't the alarm clock.  It was another electronic gadget stuffed in the drawer.

Confusing names remain a thing.

USPS showed a parcel coming today.

The origin showed as "AUCTANE SHIPWORKS".

Shipworks?

Did somebody order a light cruiser?  How's it gonna fit in the mailbox?  And what are we gonna do with it, anyway?  The pond's nowhere big enough, and trying to haul it to a reservoir behind the pickup truck seems problematic at best.

Oh.  It's not a shipyard, more of a Kinko's.

Never mind.

Software can get mighty stupid.

Yesterday's trip to the local pharmacy?  My maintenance meds were awaiting pickup.

Turns out they'd been awaiting pickup for a couple of weeks.  I'm on auto-refill, every 90 days.  In the past, I've gotten a phone call when my refill was ready.  This time... apparently there was supposed to be an automated text message sent to my phone.  I don't seem to have gotten it.

Their automated system didn't send the message?  It got lost somewhere in the transmission path?  My phone decided it didn't like that message?

Meanwhile, at the big-city water company's payment processor... they finally made it somewhat convenient to sign up for auto-pay, so I did.  The billed amount is supposed to be paid automatically, on the due date.  Which leaves the bill unpaid until such time, and the autonag keeps sending me reminders.  I can't actually confirm that the payment is going to happen until it does, which should be on the actual due date, so if auto-pay doesn't do its thing, I won't know until the payment is overdue.  Great.  Guys?  Maybe have the autonag not send reminders if an automatic payment is scheduled, and also maybe allow setting auto-pay to happen a few days before the due date?

Update:  So I rummaged around my (confusingly organized) account info on the water company's Web site....

It does show a payment scheduled for 03 Jan.  It shows $0.00 due.  It shows the bill (for the actual amount) having been paid on 03 Jan 2023.  My bank doesn't show the payment having happened, so it's not a case of it already having happened, but... really, guys?  Ever consider having someone on the webdev team with at least some idea of logically consistent data presentation?  Or doing alpha testing with a few people who bring customer-like perspectives?

Update 2:  YouTube has gotten stupider.  Not only is it suggesting vids that I already watched in the last couple of days, but now I'm seeing suggestions for brand-new vids that I definitely haven't seen before... with the little red "watched so far" bar running partway across the bottom.

Update 3:  Earlier this afternoon, I sent a text message to someone.  I promptly got a response.  Just now, my phone alerted me thus: "Message not delivered.  [Person] may be offline."  Um... hello?

A farewell to seasonal temptations

Out on multiple errands this afternoon.

Tractor Supply, Walgreens, gas station, bank, Home Depot, Walmart, local pharmacy.

At Walmart, the oh-so-inviting display of eggnog was gone.

Probably just as well.

A reminder

Linked from this article, I find this clip:

Contrary to what a penguin-contemplating pepperpot may have said, Dr. bloody Bronowski didn't know everything, knew he didn't know everything, and was very clear on the matter.

Today's overclass gets this fundamentally wrong... as did Chesterton a century and more earlier, from the opposite perspective.  Actual science is a method of advancing knowledge by forming and testing hypotheses and rejecting the false ones; this requires humility.  What's more visible to the public is Faustian hubris flying the banner of Science!™ and promising all the answers, neatly wrapped up, so long as you don't worry your pretty little head about the details, which can be understood only by the great minds that rule us all so wisely.

Science is a human endeavor, very much rooted in mortal fallibility and, when done right, structured to weed out errors and stumble toward ever-better approximations of underlying truths.  Along the way, it produces highly useful models of how the Universe works, even when those models are inexact or inapplicable in extreme conditions (e.g., Newtonian mechanics).  And it does offer us a way of weeding out some categories of false claims, and a basis for questioning others.

As the temperature creeps above freezing

One of the chickens is limping, acting like her right foot is sore.  Noting obviously wrong with it, but... frostbite?

Looks like her wattles maybe have gotten frostbitten... and likewise two of the others.

So those three are now in a hastily-reassembled playpen in the kitchen, defrosting.  After they warm up a bit, we'll decide whether they need a trip to the vet.  They're being very noisy.  And eating, and drinking.

I really don't want to be out on the road today.  Not even the 5-minute drive to the vet.  Snow over ice, oh joy.  And some clown just went zipping past in some manner of hot rod.

Update:  Just one of them was making all the noise, and apparently what she meant was "Where's the nest box?  Egg's a-comin'!"

I brought in one of the next boxes from the coop, Joy set it up in a corner of the playpen, and after a while things got quiet.  Noisy chicken seems to have done her thing, and one of the others is in there now.

There are supposed to be parcel deliveries coming today - USPS and FedEx.  I wonder if they'll make it.

Update 2:  The cats are very worried about the Things in the kitchen, strutting around their playpen and making dinosaur noises.

FedEx came, and one other parcel showed up but I didn't see who brought it.  USPS still (1645) shows packages as being out for delivery.

Update 3:  That other parcel arrived via UPS.  A USPS van eventually showed up with a single parcel, sent priority mail; the driver informs me that half the drivers couldn't get to work today because they live up in the mountains and were snowed in, so we didn't get the Amazon parcels nor the regular mail.

And, sore-foot chicken had to be moved to a cage of her own; the other two were pecking at her.

Another misplacement

Well, I searched the bins and boxes where it seemed my old down parka ought reasonably to be, given that it's not among the already-unpacked outerwear.

No sign of it.  I did find a few things that I expect to want again someday, but had forgotten where they were, but no parka.

Could be it's packed somewhere less probable.  Maybe it's inside my backpack... in which case it's likely been stored compressed for far too long.  Or maybe, when we were packing the contents of my hall closet, I tried it on, found that it didn't fit anymore (it was from the mid-1980s), and off to Goodwill it went.

Anyway, I've ordered a fairly cheap poofy parka, in approximately the right style and a reasonably visible color - chances are, if I'm out in the Winter weather, I'm not trying not to be seen, and should I get into some manner of trouble I want to be easily findable.  Should be here in plenty of time for the next cold spell.

Temperature was supposed to venture above freezing today, but that's not happening; instead, we're getting 27°F, a slight breeze, and traces of snow.  The chickens seem to be OK with this, and it was warm enough for me to go look around in the barn for a while.

I'd figured on running a few errands tomorrow, but maybe they wait until Wednesday.  Should be warmer then, and it seems that Monday comes on a Tuesday this week, so avoiding the Monday rush means waiting another day.

Update:  It's decidedly snowing out there.  The chickens are not happy about this.  Doesn't look like it'll amount to much, but I think our promised 33°F high for the day has gone bye-bye.

Something under the house is squeaking.

Just once in a while.  Squeak.

Wait.  Listen.

It's the smoke alarm, presumably emitting plaintive squeaks because its battery is low.  Yes, I guess wired smoke alarms have batteries too.

As I recall, I installed a new alarm down there to get combination smoke & carbon monoxide alarmery.

Old battery is Kidde branded, so presumably it's the one that came with the alarm... in 2019.  Voltmeter shows very nearly 9V on it, but replacing it makes the alarm shut up, so I guess the alarm is very sensitive to a low-battery condition...?

Got to replace a light bulb or two around here, probably this afternoon.  And cook dinner (roast beef, butternut squash, and pumpkin pie).

Meanwhile, it looks like I may not manage to recover any data off that failing hard drive; it seems to be failing faster than filesystem repair can progress.  Oh, well: everything that was on that drive should also be in at least one other place, and I think the important archival stuff is also backed up on a portable drive currently residing in the fire safe.

Temperature is almost up to 27°F, and wind is in single digits today.  The chickens seem somewhat less miserable.

Double digits!

Yes, the temperature passed the 10°F mark just before noon, and now (being 1325) it's up to 14!

The chickens are out of the coop, having deposited (so far) three eggs.  They don't exactly seem happy about the weather.

I just went out, broke the ice in their temporary water dish, and returned their usual waterer, with the addition of an indicator LED to confirm that there is indeed power to the heater.  With the water starting out fairly warm, the heater operational, and the ambient temperature now on the rise, maybe it'll be OK without further intervention... but I'll be having to check on it.

The pond is frozen over, but I don't think I'll be breaking out my skates.

I think I'll wait until tomorrow afternoon to go out to the barn and search for my down parka.  It was in the hall closet in Sunnyvale... best guess is that it's packed with camping-related stuff, but it could be in with assorted clothing.  It's not in either of the outerwear closets here.

Update:  Sustained sub-20 temperature is too low for the little heater to keep up with.  Brought the waterer in for the night; I think tomorrow, while sub-freezing, is supposed to be warm enough for the water to stay liquid.  Remainder of the week looks to be non-arctic.

Three and a half.

It's the time of morning... and the temperature out there!

And the wind is a perfect 10.

Indoors is slightly chilly, and, despite the humidifier's best efforts, 22% humidity.  Maybe I shouldn't handle any delicate electronics today.

Addendum:  Indoors temperature is nicely warm, at the thermostat, in the hallway.  A few feet away, in my office, it's 5° cooler.

Update:  The zero chance of precipitation overnight seems to have manifested itself as a dusting of snow.

As of early morning light, the chickens were huddled in their coop, making unhappy noises, and not trying to come out.  Hey, it's almost 4°F out there!  And only a little bit breezy, which ought to be a big improvement... but somehow I don't really want to be out in it either.

I left them a bowl of warm water, which I guess I'll replace every couple of hours until the temperature gets high enough for the regular waterer with its little heater - which is supposed to happen early this afternoon.

Update 2:  I hope I don't need to defrost them with the propane weed burner... maybe I need to set a little "indoor use only" heater on a stepping stone, just outside the wire, and make sure it's plugged into a proper GFCI outlet.  And, long term, maybe one of those propane patio heaters would be a good thing.  Or an electric IR heater rated for outdoor use - something to create a slightly warm area in front of the coop on days like this.

Brrrrr.

Still in single-digit temperatures, and sometimes double-digit wind.

I used to have a good down parka.  It's probably carefully packed in a bin of camping stuff, somewhere.

That metal waterer for the chickens is fine, with the little 13 Watt heater, for 17°F mornings with minimal wind.  With 8°F air blasting over it all day?  Freezes up real good.  Next couple of days, I'll just be having to carry out a bucket of hot water every couple of hours to top up / thaw out a water dish.  And I guess I really should buy one of those plug-in heated waterers and run an extension cord to the pen next time we have weather like this.  (For next Winter, I figure I should run several Amps of 24V to a smart distribution panel in the pen, so there'll be enough power to run a respectable waterer-heaterer while sticking with SELV.)

They don't really seem to need protection from the blazing sun just now, so I tipped their sun shades over and positioned them as wind shades.

Hm.  Tractor Supply has something that appears to be in the right category... out of stock at the nearest two stores, but maybe in stock in Knoxville... but it gets really bad reviews.  Poor quality, falls apart, not made for cold weather(!), needs to be on a perfectly level surface.  So, off to Amazon.

Snowpocalypse, no.

It's 0618, and the temperature has just dipped into single-digit territory.  Wind is fierce and gusty.

But, the forecast snow did't make it.  Well, I did see a few fluffy li'l flakes floating around the back deck on the turbulence.

What seemed to be happening was that the monster snowstorm out of the Northwest made it just about to Knoxville, ran into the line of rainstorms out of the Southwest, and got diverted around us.  Seems that part of the Canadian weather swept down through Texas, turned left at Albuquerque over the Gulf, and headed back up this way.

So we're getting the cold, but not the snow.  We did get a bit over a tenth of an inch of rain last night, while the temperature was still in the mid-40s.

Eventually, it'll get light.  Then it'll be time to bundle the heck up and attend to the chickens.

Update:  Ushanka does not cover face.  Balaclava is needed, but I don't want to get honey in my hair.  Nor submarines.  Maybe a Fourth Doctor scarf?  Also, "long pants" is too broad a category; canvas does not keep the chill wind out.

Chickens came bounding out of their coop, but not long afterward they went back inside.

Update 2:  0930, just dipping below 6°F, wind getting very gusty again, and maybe I should go back to bed.  Forecast if for freezing temperatures through Christmas, but no sign of snow.

And what's this about a Winchell Factor?  Surely that's not a proper factor, as multiplying anything by donut can only yield donut.  Or is it something to do with that old-timey gossip columnist?

Coming of age in America

A boy knows he's all growed up when...

... The Burpee seed catalog arrives addressed to him, not to his father.

Battening hatches.

Morning errands, off in Sevierville, included finally stopping by the Smoky Mountain Trailer Outlet, which I'd been driving past for years; I figured I should stop by there and have a look before buying a Carry-On, or whatever, trailer from Home Depot, Tractor Supply, etc.

Their parking lot was entirely full of merchandise; I drove around the the street behind them and found diagonal parking.  Diagonal, that is, in the roll axis, not the yaw axis.  The Prius remained reasonably upright.

Turns out they don't carry anything in the same class; it's kinda obvious at the first close-up look.  I talked to the guy there, and he confirmed my notion that what I really need in the long term is two trailers: a cheap 10' carrion (which he says is not actually bad, but I should get the wood bottom and avoid the mesh), and, in the fullness of time, something more like a 16' or so car carrier for hauling tractors around - at which point, SMTO does seem to have stuff that's a good match for the Tundra's tow rating, at a reasonable sort of price.

So I guess I'll go for the Home Depot flavor of carrion trailer; those have the fold-down side rails, which is definitely a feature I want.

Then off on other errands, which were just about productive enough to justify the outing.

Home again, lunch, assorted stuff.  Wind started picking up around 1430.  I think I'm indoors now, aside from strictly necessary excursions (tending chickens, fetching mail, and so on).  Chicken feeder is full, so I shouldn't need to do anything about that for a couple of days.  I figure I can bring the waterer in, empty, at night, and put it back out, filled with warm water, when I go to let them out in the morning.  (Plugging in the power cable for the heater while wearing winter gloves is somewhat of a challenge, but I did do it once already.)  By next winter, maybe I'll have Moar Power! available out there, for a waterer than can keep itself thawed unattended.

Anyway, time to rest.  During the freeze, maybe I'll get some indoors stuff done - like putting up some shelving in the garage and moving some of the clutter off what are supposed to be work tables.

Some stuff done.

Ran some errands today; we now have a goodly supply of chicken feed, plus cat food and assorted people food, including stuff to cook for Christmas dinner.

Also, I bought a gallon of Hawaiian Punch... oh, wait.  It's antifreeze for an RV's potable-water system, which supposedly makes good windshield deicing fluid.  I figure it's a good thing to have - and, at $3.49/gallon at Tractor Supply, it's way cheaper than using industrial isopropyl alky for the purpose.

Materials for the final section of the dock arrived, and are stowed more or less appropriately.

Old straw and poop from the coop are on the compost pile, and the coop has fresh straw.

New weatherstripping on the coop is stapled in place.  (BTW, the Ryobi ONE+ power staple gun is a wonderfully useful tool.)

I have various sore muscles, sinus crud from the indoor air, and other crud related to excessive caffeine and chocolate.

Time to cook dinner.  I think this had better be an early-bedtime night.

Got various less-urgent things to do tomorrow.  Friday through Sunday, I plan to Remain Indoors as much as I can get away with.

I keep having Ideas for baked goods.  Well, it is the season for such things.  But I really shouldn't be eating large quantities of festive muffins and whatnot.

Dinner.  Some kinda ground beef / pasta / cheese hot dish.  Off to the kitchen.

Frosty freezy morning

Not as frosty-freezy as this Friday is supposed to be, but significantly below freezing.

I think this is an indoors morning, now that I've unleashed the chickens.  After things warm up... gotta make a grocery run, change the straw in the coop, and properly fasten the new weatherstripping on the coop (it came with an adhesive backing, which is working slightly better than I'd expected, but staples are called for).  And there are always indoors chores to try to catch up on.

Digging into the backup drive

So, that ioSafe fireproof hard drive that started making noises and throwing errors last week....

Well, I've had it for I-forget-how-many years now.  Looks like the company has been around since 2004, or at least that's when their domain was registered.  I'm pretty sure I didn't buy the drive that long ago, but it's had plenty of time to accumulate dust.  More'n a decade, though, so I presume the warranty has long since expired.

I thought I'd opened it when it was new - certainly the seals were broken - but I guess I hadn't.  Turns out the actual drive is well and truly sealed in a metallized-plastic bag within the ceramic fireproofing, so it can't be extricated without sacrificing the bag.

Anyway, I guess I'll dig its power adapter out from the under-desk clutter and hook the thing back up - maybe to something other than the primary computer - and try doing data recovery or whatever.  There isn't supposed to be anything on that drive that isn't also somewhere else, but it'd be nice to be able to copy the current contents to the replacement SSD for continuity.

... And then there are fiddly details, like putting a laptop-form-factor SSD in a box wired for a desktop HDD, and providing some manner of inner protection akin to that bag.  I'll come up with something.

Update:  Running a bad-block scan is taking a very long time indeed, but it appears that the old drive has developed a small number of actual bad blocks.  I'll see what fsck can do with it; seems likely that most of the files will be OK, unless a bad block steps on a directory near the root of the hierarchy.

[email protected]

The aliens are calling!

Either that or somebody just tried to send a FAX to my voicemail.  It went direct to voicemail, without the phone ringing; does this make it a shadow FAX?

It's happened a few times in the past couple of weeks.  My number got on yet another misbegotten list, and somebody still uses FAX?

Or, y'know.  Aliens.  It could always be aliens.