DanZemke

This article focuses on some early indications of what Musk might do with Twitter.

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/25/1094671225/elon-musk-bought-twitter-plans

3 hours ago, Chalkie said:

I watched a fellow with a big motorhome unloading a Tesla from an auto hauler trailer along with his Can-Am Spyder and eBike.  

 Maybe the fellow with cool toys knows Santa Clause and has been nice.  Have you been naughty? 🙂

Wow - you have lots of experience with many system types.

I am almost certainly going to have a Windows 11 notebook and desk side system.  So far, my existing ones work well.  I don't intend to look at switching to Windows 11 until one breaks down, or Windows 11 offers something compelling to me.

1 hour ago, Chalkie said:

Isn't is possible to admire someone or their achievements without worshipping them? 

Yes, I do admire Musk, and his achievements without worshiping him.  And I don't own any Tesla stock.

"Those who worship Musk", "TSLA is really taking a dump over this", "Down by 12%+."

Sigh.

pjstough,

Thank you for your dignified response. 👍

BTW, in retrospect,  I should have said "many" instead of some.

9 hours ago, pjstough said:

When people speak of "free speech," they are usually referring to the First Amendment ...

I wasn't.  Context matters.  I'm disagreeing with "they are usually".  Replace that with "some are" and we agree.  🙂

If the deal goes through, Musk can ban anyone he wants to, or not, just like Jack Dorsey did.

I'm optimistic.  He's a brilliant guy with access to almost anyone he wants for advice.  He's on record as preferring less censoring of free speech.   That's, IMO, a key issue.  Basically, how to allow/encourage free speech while restraining noise.

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/25/1094671225/elon-musk-bought-twitter-plans

Truly impressive.

Congratulations! It looks great.

46 minutes ago, RV_ said:

Instead, that language is a way of convincing timid customers to retire those old PCs in favor of shiny new ones, thereby choosing the option that puts fresh revenue in the pockets of Microsoft and its OEM partners.

Derik,

Very insightful article IMO. Thank you!

It reminds me of the Windows 8 roll-out.  Marketing was pushing for a unified user interface for Windows on PCs, tablets and phones.  Most individual users and enterprises were pushing back and unhappy with the implementation.  Marketing apparently convinced the highest level MS execs that, although there might be a bumpy road in establishing a unified user interface, a successful transition would be transformational. In the end, the unified single interface proved more disruptive than advantageous.  And the fix was a purge, primarily in marketing.

The current Windows 11 trajectory seems similar, and I suspect the resultant fix will be too.

Ray,

Sorry. I forgot to mention that CVS hadn't removed the immuniocomprised requirement from their website verbiage.  I ignored that mistake, didn't check any of the medical condition boxes, and received an appointment for 7 PM that night.  

I suspect the same is true for the other locations you checked (that are still providing the boosters).

hemsteadc: My 'solar ready' wiring was #10, which was good to about 350w at nominal voltage.  I added more panels and wired them in series so I didn't have to rewire anything.

Lou Schneider: Solar panel current is almost perfectly constant regardless of output voltage, so the power loss will be the same ...

-------------------------------------------------

IMO, the issue being discussed, in this sub-thread is: what are the trade-offs of adding more solar panels via parallel or serial connections?

My impression is that Lou was saying: with an MPPT controller hemsteadc could have added more panels in parallel, using the same wire size.  And the efficiency would be about the same.

Lou - please correct me if I've misunderstood.

Let's move on - please

Here's an explanation:

https://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/What-is-a-constant-current-source.php

17 hours ago, sandsys said:

II don't think you all think Dave and I are idiots but I could be wrong about that, too.

I know that the "you all" group doesn't think you are idiots.  Because I'm presumably part of that group, and I don't. 😉

The attached link to a federal site first became available a few weeks ago.  I used it to find a local pharmacy that had the version of the booster I was seeking.

It's pretty easy to use.  You just type in the zip code you're interested in and select the Covid-19 vaccine version (e.g. Pfizer) you want, and it replies with a list with contact information for each site has the selected vaccine in stock.

https://www.vaccines.gov/search/

I received my 2nd booster last Wednesday, at a local CVS pharmacy.  For me, it was a no-brainer.  An hour of my time, for some protection, against the potential for great personal pain.

My first three shots were from Pfizer.  But preprint medical evidence indicates that mixing things up may provide better protection, without any downsides.  So I successfully sought out a local site that could provide me with a Moderna shot.

I'm 73 years old, with no health conditions.  And I still chose to get the second booster.  Why? Because the risk/reward ratio was compelling to me.

17 hours ago, sandsys said:

Maybe it is time for me to stop participating in this forum since we are no longer on the road and people seem to no longer want my input.

Linda,

Please don't leave.  I want your input and thoughts, and suspect many others do too.  Things may have gotten a little out of hand, but it appears to have settled down.  It was just a little kerfuffle (don't recall ever using this word  before - you inspired me  😉  )

On 3/19/2022 at 7:07 PM, Kirk W said:

You are a gentleman!  Thankyou.  

Sometimes yes, sometimes not so much. 😉

You spend countless hours of your time on this forum helping people and seldom get thanked for it.

Thank you!

Travis,

Thanks for your clarification and reminding some of us about the membership directory.  I haven't used it in many years and forgot about it.

I'd be interested in your and/or your wife's descriptions of some of your most interesting memories.  

Thanks,

Dan

Yes, apparently I was wrong.  I'm still amazed that Travis appears to be a first-time poster and an Escapees member for more than 30 years.

I also sent him a nice message and included my email address, but have not heard back from him yet.  If I do, he or I will update this thread.

My original post was meant to be sarcastic, not an attack.  My recollection is that it was a very short post.  Agreeing with another skeptic and pointing out that Lifetime Member is a field controlled by the user, not Escapees Club records.

IMO, time to move on, unless Travis decides come back and accept my welcome and apology for being too skeptical.

A short clarification for all.  

According to Travis's profile, this was his first post and his Escapees membership number is 319 (indicating he has been an Escapees member, for more than 30 years).

That didn't seem plausible to me, but I was wrong.

It turns out this first-time poster may be Travis Carr, President of the Escapees Club.

Travis, thanks for the helpful review.

Welcome!    😄

p.s.  This isn't really his first post,  he's just used a different ID in the past.

" that really doesn't do a thing for the growing problem of texts."

Texts to my phone aren't a significant, or growing, problem for me.  The vast majority of the text spam I receive appears to be automated robo-dialing.  I have two phone numbers, one in Connecticut, and one in South Dakota.  Both are linked to the same phone.  I get about the same number of texts from both phone numbers.

None of them appear to be associated with purchases I've made.

I guess I'm fortunate.  Voice spam isn't a significant problem for me.  I realize the original topic was text spam, but this seems like it may be relevant for some.

Android has supported a function named Call Screen for a couple of years.  I have it on my Google Pixel 4a phone.

When I get a call, that is not in my contacts list, the app takes control of the incoming call and provides the caller with a message something like: "The person you have called is using a call-screening service.  Please leave a voice message about the reason for your call."

Most callers (robo-callers) immediately hang up.  Some dumb robots continue with their recorded message and then automatically hang up.  The call is added to my phone calls log and I'm not interupted.

When a potentially legitimate caller, from someone that is not in my contacts list, leaves a voice message, I'm notified. I can then decide whether to return the call, mark them as a spammer or just ignore the call.

https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/9118387?hl=en

On 12/25/2021 at 9:29 AM, Jack Mayer said:

Thanks Kirk. I'm still around but have not been frequenting these forums. Mainly because I get grief from some people if  I post anything related to trucks. Since we now own a company that builds them, some people seem to feel that any mention of a truck from me means I'm posting commercial things.

Jack,

You've immensely helped me, and MANY others, over the years.  You don't appear to have a thin skin, so I suspect there is a back-story which you would prefer not to disclose.

BTW, I expect to sell my house this spring and will give you a call about building me a bed for my Volvo 770 when I'm close to putting my house on the market.