RV_

It does Rich!

Thanks Ray! I had some minor slow down issues and will give them a few days to come out with an out of cycle fix. Then remove it if they drag their feet.

Awesome! Let us know it works. I love a happy ending to some of these difficult issues.

https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/newsletters/48514

Excerpt: "BOSTON - Wouldn't it be nice to get a flu shot that could last for years? Researchers are actively working on a so-called "universal" flu vaccine. Currently, scientists have to predict which flu strains will be circulating in the fall and winter and select which ones to include in the annual flu shot. Some years it works well, other years not so much. The National Institutes of Health has developed an experimental universal flu vaccine which would, in theory, protect us against a wide variety of flu stains and hopefully provide long-term protection so we wouldn't have to get vaccinated every year. Duke University has begun enrolling patients in a phase 1 clinical trial of the experimental shot, which will determine whether it's safe and whether it can induce an immune response against the flu. This vaccine uses messenger RNA like the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines. Another type of universal flu vaccine is also under investigation." https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/scientists-working-on-universal-flu-vaccine-that-could-last-years/ar-AA1bkonK?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Good news Dutch. A physical terrorist by any other name, is still a physical terrorist, albeit hot! 😉

You have the model 3 with the LFP? Or what model? How do you like it? I almost bought the Mod Y LFP they just introduced but I don't see them for sale now or missed them. The range is 180 miles as opposed to the 320 miles mine gets with Li-Ion. And they did not have AWD LFP versions for sale when I checked. THings change so that may not be true tomorrow. They just came out with a study and found the battery I have has only 12% loss after 20 years! I do charge correctly but for trips I charge to 100% and have only done that maybe ten times over three years. Our 50 amp setup here is pretty fast. I don't worry about using a Supercharger for trips but with your charges you save over gas by far but I understand. I am not trying to talk you or anyone into one. But since there are some of us here and many folks with Stix n Brix part timers, I thought it might be helpful to post what it is like getting one and the costs. I had one guy tell me one thing that was wrong. So if there are problems with getting it or service after the sale I will let folks know here.

Yeah very new way to get a TV and at no charge. We are upgrading next year with a 75" and now have two 65" n the FR and LR. But I may get it for the FR. and upgrade the LR TV.

Wow! I don't have diabetes but gained weight while recovering from my PEs. I have lost 30 pounds but it came back because my body and my fat have becomes good friends and missed each other.😕 Excerpt: "Mounjaro is the newest diabetes drug that also triggers dramatic weight loss in people who inject it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Mounjaro a year ago for patients with diabetes. FDA officials have not approved Mounjaro for weight loss yet, but Low Wang said they are fast-tracking consideration of the drug. That’s because clinical trials have shown that people who do not have diabetes but do have elevated body mass indexes (BMI) used lost considerable weight when they used Mounjaro. An FDA recommendation regarding Mounjaro for weight loss could come by the end of this year. In the approval for Mounjaro for people with diabetes, federal health officials said it works well for people with Type 2 diabetes. That’s the most common form of diabetes, and more than 30 million Americans suffer from it. Like Ozempic and Wegovy, it’s an injectable medication, but Mounjaro differs in some key ways from the other new, popular diabetes medications. How does Mounjaro work? Why does it cause weight loss for people with diabetes? “It suppresses appetite and makes you feel more full. It changes the rate at which your stomach empties,” Low Wang said. Are Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy the same drugs? No. Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for a drug called semaglutide. Mounjaro is the brand name for a different drug called tirzepatide. The drugs work in similar ways to reduce appetite, but there are some differences. The drugs also are made by different companies. Eli Lilly makes Mounjaro, while Novo Nordisk makes Wegovy and Ozempic. How does Mounjaro work? “It’s a completely new drug class,” Low Wang said. “Instead of being a single-receptor agonist, which semaglutide (the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy) is, Mounjaro activates two receptors at the same time. That’s why it’s called a ‘dual-agonist.’” This double agonist approach seems to cause people who use Mounjaro injections to lose even more weight than those who use a single-agonist medication. These receptors stimulate hormones that control blood sugar levels and reduce appetite, triggering weight loss. The receptors are known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). Wegovy and Ozempic activate the GLP-1 receptor, while Mounjaro activates two receptors: both GLP-1 and GIP. How much weight do people lose with Mounjaro? Low Wang said the weight loss data from the Mounjaro clinical trials have been stunning. People who used the largest dose of Mounjaro, 15 milligrams, lost as much as 21% of their body weight. “They were able to achieve unprecedented amounts of weight loss. It was dramatic and exciting,” said Low Wang, who receives no funding from pharmaceutical companies. While losing significant weight, study participants also were able to keep their diabetes symptoms in check. “We’ve never had a medication that is so effective for improving diabetes control and weight loss without putting patients at high risk of hypoglycemia,” Low Wang said. Even so, time will tell how the drugs perform over time. “The impacts on appetite and weight regulation are startling,” Low Wang said. But people should not jump to conclusions and assume that Mounjaro will be a miracle drug. “We still don’t know what the effects would be of taking Mounjaro for a short time, then going off of it. Does it change anything about your biology? Does it make it harder to lose weight in the future without a medication? We really don’t know yet,” Low Wang said." Much more with all the links to related info: https://www.uchealth.org/today/what-is-mounjaro-and-how-does-it-work-for-weight-loss/

I have been reading some terrific results from these for treating serious clinical depression. Not suffering from it myself I'm still interested in their results. I have read testimonials that folks report great results. If you or someone you love suffers from depression this may be of interest. Excerpt: "First modern-era Colorado psilocybin clinical trial for depression set to launch this fall Back in the 1950s and 60s, scientists did extensive research on psychedelics. Then research ground to a halt. Now, scientists are studying whether psychedelics, like magic mushrooms, could lead to much-needed new therapies for people coping with depression." https://www.uchealth.org/today/colorado-psilocybin-clinical-trial-for-depression-set-to-launch-this-fall/?utm_source=MC

The transition to EVs is heating up this year as I said earlier this year. China is making moves to sell their EVs here, and in China Ford and the other manufacturers who shared that largest car market are drawing back because the Chinese and Europeans want EVs not ICE engined vehicles now, just like we are beginning to see here. In China, without the almost 25% tariff the US imposes on their cars, BYD, Nio, and several others are selling EVs for much less than our brands can sell their ICE cars. I predicted some of the ICE manufacturers may be facing bankruptcy trying to mainain a calssic stealershoip sales model. Excerpt: "Tesla shares higher today after Musk seemed to impress investors at the annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday. Musk providing updates on the EV business and the heavily anticipated Cybertruck. But he also gave a crowd of investors a tough outlook for the year ahead. Let's take a listen. ELON MUSK: This is going to be a challenging-- I'd say, challenging 12 months. I want to be sort of realistic about it-- that Tesla is not immune to the global economic environment. I expect things to be, just at a macroeconomic level, difficult for at least the next 12 months. Like, Tesla will get through it. And we'll do well. And I think we'll see a lot of companies actually go bankrupt. BRAD SMITH: For more on Tesla and a number of investment topics, we turn to Kevin O'Leary, O'Leary Ventures' chairman, joining us here in studio. Kevin, great to see you. KEVIN O'LEARY: Great to be here. Thank you. BRAD SMITH: So let's discuss. Start with Tesla here, first and foremost. I mean, you think about the comments that you just heard from Elon Musk, what he had to say yesterday in a wide range of topics that he discussed. At the end of the day, this is a company that is investing heavily at the same time that many other automotive companies are investing heavily in their next leg of growth into EVs. What makes Tesla perhaps in a better position to capitalize on where that trend, where that market share that they existingly have right now, or they currently have, could serve them, could benefit this, could benefit this company at a time where they're continuing to invest? KEVIN O'LEARY: Well, each quarter, including this one, there's always the speculation by the market that competition is going to erode margins, competition is going to erode share, competition is going to slow growth. And yet that has not happened. There is no company yet that's transitioned to the effectiveness and the efficiency and the productivity that Tesla has around drivetrain, around engine, around chipsets, around batteries. So there's a moat around Tesla because it was the first mover, but they've maintained their share through innovation. Everybody criticized this guy for a million different reasons. But at the end of the day, when you ask somebody if you want to buy an EV, what do they want? They want a Tesla. So GM hasn't come with anything anybody wants. Porsche hasn't done it yet. I'm not saying they won't. But it hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, they gained share. They reduced price. They're getting more aggressive. They're bringing the truck. I don't see a bad story here. And it's reflected in the stock, although it's a volatile stock. But if he's saying there's headwinds economically globally, that's the same environment for every company, whether they're in the EV market or not. What they've got that no one else has is a 100% focus on EV. They're not dealing with legacy engines of any kind. And so you have a much more efficient use and a much more productive company. BRAD SMITH: Do you think the Cybertruck is an additive, or if I put it simple terms, boom or a bust for Tesla long term? KEVIN O'LEARY: It's going to be a boom because that crazy-looking vehicle has already shown its popularity on preorders two years. BRAD SMITH: Why? Why? KEVIN O'LEARY: I want one. I think they're nuts. And I think it'd be a lot of fun to drive a tank because that's what it is, but now a tank where you don't have to feel guilty about it. It's an EV. But it's got a lot of room. It's a very interesting vehicle. It's got a really ugly look. Ugly is interesting. And, you know, to be honest with you, I've got investments in providers that are providing technology for that truck. And we know the demand is huge. It's huge. Now, this issue around four wheel versus two wheel, if it comes with a two wheel first, there will still be demand for it because the truth is most people don't drive these trucks off road. But if you wanted to drive that thing off road, you could. I like it. And I think-- you know, I'm on the list to get one. BRAD SMITH: Do you think it will appeal to the parts of America or more broadly internationally where there has already been a strong pickup truck market share that has been maintained? KEVIN O'LEARY: Well, I love my F-150. BRAD SMITH: OK. KEVIN O'LEARY: And so-- BRAD SMITH: You would trade in your F-150 for a Cybertruck? KEVIN O'LEARY: I don't know yet. First, I'll try this. And this is a bit of a hybrid on the 150. I use the 150 all the time. It's like driving your living room around. The thing is so spacious and quiet and everything else. And that's the most advanced pickup truck and the most in demand. The electric vehicle of that version has not yet enticed me to switch over yet because of battery concerns, about concerns in cold weather, all kinds of other things. The one thing I really like about the story that I learned yesterday on the whole Elon thing, the margins on this truck could be really high. I mean, this is going to be-- because they've had so much efficiency in manufacturing costs since they announced the truck. They're probably picking up, you know, 10% to 12% more margin on that thing. BRAD SMITH: And so at a time where consumers also are being more judicious, more discretionary, even about vehicle spends, so how is Tesla and the broader automotive landscape-- how is that shaping up in terms of the demand that's actually pulling through, going into either a Tesla storefront or a dealership and saying, yeah, I'm still going to commit to buy? Or I'm still going to get favorable enough financing terms that make this purchase make sense. KEVIN O'LEARY: On the mainstream vehicles, they have cut costs several times now. They're getting competitive. But it's not just because they feel the market is soft. And it's because they would like to get more share. Remember, this company, although they've talked about advertising, hasn't spent a cent on it yet. He owns his own global network called Twitter. He's constantly promoting Tesla and SpaceX on it all the time." Source with much more and the video of this transcript here: https://finance.yahoo.com/video/kevin-oleary-talks-tesla-cybertruck-145633790.html?contentType=VIDEO

Pay, Wow! Those are some high rates. Mine were low enough (5¢ per kWh) to be slack in paying attention to rates. But our utility company here is a city utility and lowers prices as they get lower prices. I may have to put my solar on hold for at leat a few months to allow me to see if I want to buy the Tesla now or later.I talked with the Solar folks yesterday and they may require a bill of sale with my new Tesla before they allow more kWh capacity. I am trying to get the max capacity they allow but their figure is 120% of the amount of electric used in the last 12 months, no more, and use the last year's average use to arrive at that. So to bump it up to max I need to own the car first and show a bill of sale to qualify for the higher capacity system, and that is a timing issue for us, no more. See we set up for living on our small pension and our taxes are low and we normally pay much less than the credits are and want to use them to recoup some of the investment. Tesla is rumored to be coming out with a better battery pack called the M3P and I want to wait for it to decide one way or the other and it may be next year before they battery up! We have a 401k we want to just liquidate and take the tax hit with the credits from the Solar and EV. Then my system batteries will take up the slack for peak hours running the house. We should be able to get 100% of house use from solar as well as charging during peak hours if not 24/7. Here there are lots of houses with solar and we went from seeing few Teslas when I bought mine in 2020 to seeing Model Y and Model 3 Teslas everywhere today. Mostly Model Ys now. Stopped at a busy light there will be at least two others in sight near me. They seem to be the main choice here for a new car. I also see a few BMW EVs and one Jag EV I think. The new federal tax credits and other incentives here with our state tax credits may not be here next year so we will figure out how to get everything done in the same year, this one.

Excerpt: "With greater transparency for investors at Ford (F) comes the need for a tighter grip on costs. Local reports out of China on Monday suggested the auto manufacturer was preparing to cut 1,300 jobs in the country. Ford CEO Jim Farley quickly dialed back concerns that the company was leaving the ultra-competitive China market entirely, speaking in a Financial Times interview. It operates eight manufacturing plants in partnership with local Chinese players. A person familiar with the matter told Yahoo! Finance that Ford has no plans to exit China. The automaker will remain focused on its luxury brand Lincoln, which has long been "popular" in the country, the source said. It will also put more attention on delivery vans in China, the person said. "We will continue to accelerate our electrification transformation in China. Our new localized EV products are under development now. We are also working with our partners to strengthen our EV business, including expanding the distribution. Our China team will contribute more to Ford’s global success through our learnings from the market and capabilities in electrification and digital software," the spokesperson said. "In addition, we will build on the strength of our export business and have just reached an agreement with JMC to export more products to global markets, particularly in Asia, Middle East and South America." But in the FT interview, Farley did acknowledge that Ford would be putting "less capital at risk" in China. "We are aware that our costs are not competitive, and we are working internally and with our partners to reduce costs in all areas," the spokesperson said. "China remains a very important market for Ford and, as part of this, we must drive a lean and agile organization to build a healthier and more sustainable business in China." The comments echo Farley's more cautious tone on China, heard on the company's early May earnings call a few weeks after a recent leadership trip to the country. Ford's increasingly focused approach to China makes sense. For starters, it has seen its business dwindle in the country over the years. The auto manufacturer sold 500,000 retail units in China in 2022, down from 600,000 in 2020, according to the company's latest annual report. Ford's market share during that timeframe fell to 2.1% from 2.4%. By comparison, Ford had a 28.3% combined market share position in the US and Canada in 2022. In the meantime, Ford is smack in the middle of what it has dubbed a "refounding" of the company as it gears up for a future of EVs. It has broken its business into three new segments for investors: Model E, Ford Blue (gas-powered vehicles), and Ford Pro (commercial vehicles and other services). The reclassifications aim to drive increased transparency into Ford's business for investors. But it could also lead to increased investor scrutiny of various investments and the direction of profits. Pulling back on a China market that isn't delivering home-run results could aid in improving profits and shifting assets to EV production in the US. "Our cost structure is not competitive," Ford CFO John Lawler said on Yahoo! Finance Live in late March. "We know that we [have] about $7 billion to $8 billion that we could take out and improve our competitiveness, and you will see that start to take hold as we get through the rest of the year, into 2024, and beyond." Better cost management — especially in international operations like China — is key to the thesis among Ford bulls on Wall Street. "We find Ford shares attractive given valuation only roughly in line with history despite a number of significant positives, including (1) a substantially refreshed vehicle lineup including hot new introductions such as the Mustang Mach-E battery electric crossover, new Ford Bronco (>190K reservations), Bronco Sport, and upcoming F-150); (2) a refreshed F-150 has historically led to a substantial improvement in North American profitability; (3) the 'Bold Moves' Ford is taking to right-size its international operations, including most recently in South America, we think will free up capital for use in initiatives investors are likely to reward more, such as its electrification and autonomous efforts; and (4) Ford has been having recent success turning around its International Operations, including in China, which was previously a problem area," JP Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman wrote in a client note. Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-ford-is-eyeing-cost-cuts-in-china-152807176.html

I have been watching the Chinese market and Ford's announcement they are changing their Chinese market presence. Excerpt: "Chinese brands have mastered quality and affordability on EVs. After years of eyeing the American market, Chinese brands are poised to arrive. Competition from Chinese brands is "very, very real." After years of preparation, Chinese car companies are poised to upend the US electric-vehicle market. Industry watchers say it's only a matter of time before Chinese automakers bring their impressive — and importantly, inexpensive — electric cars to the US. After years of threatening to set up shop on American shores, the companies are closer than ever to making the move to the US. On their home turf, Chinese companies have already vanquished their American competitors, eating up market share from the likes of Ford and General Motors by offering better quality and less expensive electric cars for shoppers. They've started exporting a slew of brands to Europe too. As Chinese car industry leaders like Nio and Geely eye a move to the States, the big question is can they overcome political frictions – and will American buyers go along for the ride? "It's going to be an interesting couple of years ahead to see whether Ford and GM and the like can stave off that Chinese competition coming in," said Martin French, a managing director at the consultancy Berylls. "From what we saw at the Shanghai auto show this year, that competition is very, very real." Toyota, Hyundai, now BYD In the 1970s, Japanese car companies like Toyota and Honda swooped in with affordable and fuel-efficient vehicles that knocked US carmakers on their heels. More recently, Korean brands like Hyundai and Kia have been eating Ford and GM's lunch on SUVs. History may repeat itself. Chinese EV manufacturers can gain a foothold in the US by coming in at a budget price point, analysts said. "Is it possible for Chinese companies to do what others have done before, only now with electric vehicles? The answer is absolutely," Bill Russo, a former Chrysler executive and CEO of Automobility, a Shanghai-based advisory firm, told Insider. "Who doesn't want affordable vehicles?" But as political tensions between China and the US intensify, entry into the American market could be more painful for China than it was for Japan or Korea. In addition to general anxieties from consumers who may be less likely to support a Chinese brand, analysts said, lawmakers are likely to apply more scrutiny to any Chinese company with plans to operate in the US. An import tariff of 27.5% remains in effect on Chinese cars, while the Biden administration's new tax credits for EV purchases favor vehicles built in North America with battery components that don't come from China. China is winning on prices American brands, including EV leader Tesla, have long been promising a long-range EV option priced at or below $30,000. But progress has been slow, and sometimes regressive. GM plans to cancel the Bolt EV, America's cheapest EV, by the end of 2023 and use that factory to build pricey electric pickups instead. Meanwhile, Chinese brands are unmatched in affordability on their home turf and in Europe. One of China's most popular EVs is the Wuling Hong Guang Mini, a minuscule city car that costs the equivalent of roughly $5,000. At the Shanghai auto show last month, BYD launched a stylish, pint-sized hatchback called the Seagull with 190 miles of estimated range. Its starting price? Less than $11,000. Tu Le, managing director of Sino Auto Insights, a consulting firm that specializes in the Chinese auto industry, says Chinese firms aren't skimping on quality for the sake of affordability. "They have the products to back it up," he said. "I've driven a number of the Chinese EV brands, and boy oh boy, the Europeans are in trouble." The carmakers most likely to break through first will be those that already have a global presence, Russo said: Geely and BYD. (BYD's CEO recently said the company isn't currently eyeing the American passenger-car market, but the company does already have a small commercial vehicle footprint here). Polestar, a Swedish EV brand owned by Geely and Volvo, already imports from China. Nio, a startup, has announced plans to enter the US by 2025. The next step: Set up manufacturing in North America, which Le expects Chinese firms to do once they snag a foothold in the market. The sheer size of the US car market means new entrants will need to build locally to compete seriously in the long term, he said. "Americans think the tidal wave is coming from Silicon Valley. It's not," Le said. "It's coming from both directions." Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/say-goodbye-to-the-us-car-market-as-we-know-it-cheap-chinese-evs-are-coming/ar-AA1bh1Ki?OCID=ansmsnnews11&utm_source=pocket_saves

Rob Bard does seem to give plain vanilla answers. I just asked it: "Are AI tools being adopted by regular users or just IT Pros?" Here's its answer: "AI tools are being adopted by both regular users and IT Pros. Regular users are adopting AI tools for a variety of tasks, such as: Personalizing their experiences online Automating tasks Making decisions Gaining insights IT Pros are adopting AI tools to help them with a variety of tasks, such as: Managing IT infrastructure Securing data Developing new applications Providing customer support The adoption of AI tools by regular users and IT Pros is growing rapidly. In fact, a recent study by Gartner predicts that by 2022, 40% of all customer interactions will be handled by AI. This growth is being driven by the increasing availability of AI tools, the falling cost of AI technology, and the growing recognition of the benefits of AI. Here are some of the benefits of AI tools: AI tools can automate tasks, freeing up time for users to focus on more important things. AI tools can make decisions more quickly and accurately than humans. AI tools can provide insights that would be difficult or impossible for humans to obtain. AI tools can be used to personalize experiences, making them more relevant and engaging. As AI tools continue to evolve, we can expect to see even more adoption by regular users and IT Pros. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work, and it is already starting to do so." So it seems to be hit or miss. Another: What would an EMP strike do to the USA? "An EMP strike would have a devastating impact on the United States. An EMP, or electromagnetic pulse, is a burst of high-energy radiation that can damage electronic devices. A nuclear EMP strike would be caused by a nuclear explosion in the atmosphere, while a non-nuclear EMP strike could be caused by a solar flare or a man-made device. The effects of an EMP strike would be widespread and long-lasting. The first effects would be felt on the power grid, which would be knocked out by the EMP. This would lead to widespread blackouts, which would in turn cause chaos and disruption. Other electronic devices would also be damaged by an EMP. This would include computers, cell phones, and other electronic appliances. Without these devices, people would be unable to communicate, travel, or access information. The economic impact of an EMP strike would be severe. The loss of power and electronic devices would cause businesses to close and people to lose their jobs. This would lead to a recession, which would further damage the economy. The social impact of an EMP strike would also be severe. People would be scared and confused, and there would be looting and violence. This would create a breakdown in law and order, which would make it difficult to recover from the attack. An EMP strike would be a major disaster for the United States. The effects would be widespread and long-lasting, and it would take years to recover. Here are some of the specific effects of an EMP strike: Power outages: An EMP would cause widespread power outages, as it would damage power lines and transformers. This would leave millions of people without power, and it would take weeks or even months to restore power to everyone. Communication outages: An EMP would also cause widespread communication outages, as it would damage cell phone towers, radio stations, and other communication infrastructure. This would make it difficult for people to communicate with each other, and it would also make it difficult for first responders to coordinate their efforts. Transportation disruptions: An EMP would also cause transportation disruptions, as it would damage traffic lights, railway signals, and other transportation infrastructure. This would make it difficult for people to get around, and it would also make it difficult for businesses to operate. Economic damage: An EMP would cause billions of dollars in economic damage, as it would damage businesses and infrastructure. This would lead to job losses, a recession, and a decline in the standard of living. Social unrest: An EMP would also lead to social unrest, as people would be scared and confused. This could lead to looting, violence, and a breakdown in law and order. The effects of an EMP strike would be devastating for the United States. It is important to be prepared for such an event, and to have a plan in place in case it does happen." I then gave it a follow up question intentionally misspelling and adding typos to see what it did: "Coulkd NOrth Korea or another third world nation attack us weith an EMP strike easily? "North Korea and other third-world nations could potentially attack the United States with an EMP strike, but it is not clear how easy it would be for them to do so. North Korea has a nuclear weapons program, and it is possible that they could detonate a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere over the United States. This would create an EMP that could damage electronic devices across the country. However, North Korea does not have a very accurate delivery system for its nuclear weapons. They would need to be able to launch a nuclear-armed missile that could reach the United States, and they would also need to be able to hit their target accurately. It is also possible that North Korea could use a non-nuclear EMP weapon to attack the United States. A non-nuclear EMP weapon could be created using a high-altitude detonation of a conventional explosive. This would create an EMP that would be less powerful than a nuclear EMP, but it would still be capable of causing significant damage. Other third-world nations could also potentially attack the United States with an EMP strike. However, they are less likely to have the resources to develop and deploy an EMP weapon. The United States has taken some steps to protect itself from an EMP strike. The government has developed plans to harden critical infrastructure against EMP damage, and it has also developed systems to detect and warn of an EMP attack. However, more needs to be done to protect the United States from an EMP strike. The government needs to invest more in research and development of EMP protection technologies, and it also needs to educate the public about the threat of EMP attacks." Not too bad but a bit shallow.

Rich I am seeing both good and bad results. I signed up for Bard and chatGPT but have yet to make the time to go through them. Thanks for the info from experience.

Thanks Dutch I saved that website. It has lots of options online. So glad to hear you're making good progress with your recovery. I lost a brother two years ago who never woke up from a massive stroke.

For those who want a 55 inch TV and don't mind it showing ads this is really an offer I have never seen before. Excerpt: "Imagine watching your TV and being plagued by ads... it doesn't sound too far removed from reality, right? Telly is taking the TV advertising experience to a whole new level, offering at least 500,000 4K, 55-inch televisions for free. But they all come with an integrated screen below the TV display that is just for ads. Telly, a startup company created by Pluto TV cofounder, Ilya Pozin, has been in production for about two years, with plans to ship millions of free TVs -- each with an attached nine-inch tall screen that will serve as real estate for advertising. The small displays affixed to the TVs will feature personalized ads that users can't bypass, as well as a sensor to determine how many people are watching TV at any given time. But it's not all as bad as it sounds; sure, your TV will show you ads and all, but it will be completely free. The television itself is a 55-inch display with a built-in five-driver soundbar, three HDMI inputs, an OTA tuner, and a free Chromecast with a Google TV adapter. Though the televisions don't have a proprietary operating system that lets users watch their favorite streaming services, you can add a Fire TV, Roku, or an Apple TV device. In order to get on the list for a free TV, users only need to sign up for a Telly account at FreeTelly.com and download the Telly mobile app, which will then ask you questions about your household and shopping habits to offer you a customized ad experience. Pozin told Variety that he expects the advertising and affiliate revenue from the free Tellys will support the company, and will be far more valuable than traditional TV commercials. "We're not running 15-second prerolls", he said. Instead, the ads will be omnipresent on the right side of the affixed display below the TV, there whether you're watching TV or not. The display will also show top news, weather and stock information, and sports scores, as well as give users the option to play video games, as each TV will include over 40 video games. The TVs will also feature a camera and Zoom integrations for videoconferencing, and even free motion-tracking fitness programs. Telly partnered with MNTN, a TV ad company, to sell ads for the Telly system. It's also planning on letting users shop and order takeout or food delivery through the TV, with the company taking a percentage from each transaction. With a free TV that has the purpose of selling you ads, you have to wonder, who is the product in the equation? Either way, I did sign up for one, so I will volunteer as tribute." Source: https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/home-entertainment/you-can-get-a-4k-tv-for-free-with-a-very-creative-new-catch/

https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/newsletters/48489

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Payroll Person you lost me there. What is "Getting on the ev tou . . ." mean? I know it's a typo. My Tesla vehicles are about performance and handling making driving fun again with the benefit they may drive me one day when I have to hang up my keys and let me still go where I want. If they ever get Full Self Driving or FSD out of Beta. And they will, Musk may be late or even early but he always executes. My solar system and Powerwalls are all about not being at the mercy of the oil cartels and their price gouging for gas and diesel. As well to eliminate most of the cost of maintaining an ICE vehicle.and the cost of ownership. Since you are Payroll Person I assume you are good at accounting so please feel free to offer any constructive criticism of my figures below. If you decide to read this long one. I always value other honest broker perspectives. The short, version is we get more usable sun than many hot places because of altitude, and our summers and winters are mild with low humidity. That is shocking to some folks. And if Nuclear war does happen we go first and fast no pain. At 71 I am not interested in fighting or starving or dealing with roving gangs in a post apocalyptic world. If that happens we have family in England and Spain, a son in Germany with two of our grand kids, a son and Lynn's brother in Louisiana with two of our grand kids another we claim, two brothers in California where I have never lived, dear cousins and a niece/nephew in Florida, and many more distant relatives all over the world. So our genes will survive if any people do. We have had a wonderful life and more wonderful life to come until we don't. The chart for gas prices versus electric costs for the 2021-2022 is a few posts above. If it is about figures here are mine. YMMV, as do all of our mileage. But using average miles driven and costs gives a great way to compare and just plug in yours. Our tools and lawn equipment are all battery electric. We will have a second Tesla and solar with two Powerwalls. Our city gets more total sunny days and a higher percent of usable sunlight that hits the ground than all but one or two areas in the Sunshine State - Florida. See the charts at the bottom. They are from a great website that when you click on the state gives accurate info: https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/annual-days-of-sunshine.php Neither of us can stand high heat and high humidity. Where we live in CO winters are mild and humidity is very low. The other sunny places get over 100, even 120 degrees some days in summer but dry in AZ, and over 100 but high humidity in Florida. Folks here think it is hot at 78 degrees F. I have not soaked my clothes with sweat once doing yard work here in summer. In Louisiana I would be soaked walking to the mailbox down our driveway. Here we need no more than a jacket most winter days except the few very cold days and they are few in winter here. I have never had the Natural gas go off in Louisiana or here during power outages so to heat we only need the solar battery system to power the furnace fan, and we do have central A/C but use way less than in Louisiana or Texas where we lived. I don't even know if it can start the A/C yet but here can live fine without it summers. But we still can use the grid if it gets really hot. We don't go by the month. We are buying it outright so no monthly payment effects except no cost for charging our EV, soon to be two EVs, no charge to power our home except a $15 per month gr4id connection charge if no grid power used.. So you would need to figure about 12 bucks per full charge here versus the cost of filling up an ICE vehicle. I can go 300 miles on a Tesla charge. The Forester gets 25 mpg of regular gas with Lynn driving. 300 miles divided by 25 mpg is 12 gallons. Yesterday I went with her to fill up at COSTCO for $2.89/gallon. 12X $2.89= $34.68. So for every 300 miles I save about $22.68 in my high performance Tesla every 300 miles driving over the Subaru Forester. "The average annual miles driven in the U.S. is now 14,300 miles per year — even with work-from-home policies and virtual class time that swept the country in early 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration." Source: https://www.autolist.com/guides/average-miles-driven-per-year Here are my charging stats screenshot from June 2022 to today from my Tesla App, ~ half was charged during peak hours. It would have been $45.55 charging costs for the whole year had I only charged off-peak, versus $460 for gas the same range. My bad! Settings now charge only off-peak. Figuring costs this way each of us can see how much we spend on fuel for our cars/trucks if we own one and most do. Many have one with their RV whether a toad or the tow vehicle. I found out today in doing preliminary research on my requirements to put in the solar that my actual cost of electricity here is 5¢ per kWh between 7pm and 3pm or off peak hours and 18¢ per kWh between 3pm and 7pm. I now schedule my car to never charge during peak hours. So if I plug it in at 5 pm, when done for the day, it won't start charging until 7:30pm and it stops automatically at 85% a few hours later. Forester Costs for fuel alone $34.68 per 300 miles not counting maintenance. 14,300/300 miles = 47.66 X $34.68= $1652.85 per year for fuel alone for the 25 mpg Forester. If we had two that would be $3305.70 in fuel alone. Not counting oil changes/filters/plugs coils, belts and pulleys, brakes exhaust and on and on. $3305.70/12=$275.48 per month for two ICE gas vehicles with that mileage and cost per gallon of $2.89. We already know the oil companies are going to go up and down based on history and electric will not. Tesla costs to charge was $12 per 300 miles 14,300/300 miles = 47.66 X $12 = $571.92 cost to charge per year each. X2 = $1143.84 or ~ $95.32 cost to charge two EVs per month going the average amount per year. That was charging during peak and off peak hours. It will be about 1/3 of that if I make sure it is during off peak hours from now on. $275.48 per month for two Ice versus ~$95.32 for two EVs per month during peak hours is a savings of $180.16/month in my fuel/charging costs per month. This EV figure was, until today, charging during Peak hours and off peak or whenever I got home. The savings are significant with two EVs so both will be programmed to never charge during peak hours. No issue as it charges I have had no mechanical or wear costs in owning my EV from June 2020 to now not even wipers or tires except one tire that got a screw in the sidewall. So Ice owners need to tally costs of engine/oil/transmission/cooling/brake/exhaust/ignition/fuel systems repair & maintenance. Then do the math. In the case of solar/storage cost savings we have not added in the costs of electric per month and those savings because the system also will be 120% of what the house needs to run daily. I am told I will save my average $117/mo. electric bill, no matter how much it goes up that is saved too. Warranties are 20-25 years but I trust Tesla to be in business 20 years from now more than I trust the smaller installation companies to be there for warranty periods of 20-25 years. And we have not even started talking incentives. Both state and federal. Solar and EV outlets also enhance the price of our home when we or family sells it. Last I checked the insurance actuarial tables put the life expectancy of a white male in the US at 75 and I am 71. In 20 years or so when the Warranties for this system expire I will be 91 if still alive. Every decision we make to spend money we look at the quantitative and he qualitative. The figures above showing the quantitative side makes a lot of sense. Our two boys are 47 and 50 now and they have the lives they chose. We earned a retirement that has most things covered and that is what we planned for - to be able to live in our retirement, on our pension alone which covers medical. That required not having any debt at all. Many folks never have enough. We have enough. So we are not saving for them or their kids. We are spending it on us from now on. The qualitative is the quality of life, lifestyle enhancing through stress relief and stability. We won't worry about price gouging gas prices as we have seen in the last 5 years or so. Fun is also involved. And on cold days we charge at home not in rain/snow/hail/cold/heat. So my math, unproven until I get and use our solar/storage system is simple. We save our whole electric bill that averages $117/mo. For overcast days we willuse the credits we earned letting the power comany keepthe excess we do not need. And no payments for the Solar system so it does not reduce or affect our quantitative or qualitative budget. Quite the opposite. Tax credits of about 20-30k for the solar and the second Tesla lets us take the tax hit with our tax credits and liquidate our remaining 401k that neither loses nor earns any money. We have $3k a year in carry over deductions from capital losses last year getting out of Rivian, NBEV, and ACB none too soon. I have a great tax person who advises me. If we are hit with an EMP attack or MAD nuclear exchange no amount of money or investments will make any difference to any but the super rich with their underground luxury shelters in New Zealand. I think they picked New Zealand because it is furthest from any nuclear targets or some such. Not being in that wealth category I have no clue. One advantage of living here is it is major target with NORAD/Carson/USAF Academy/Schriever SFB/Space Command so far, all here and local. If there is a final WW III we do not want to live in the aftermath - we go fast here and likely not even know it. We are not preppers and only have two weeks of emergency food and water for natural disasters or short term disturbances. https://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-audiobook/dp/B001WYVAJ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U2KP6WR0DEYA&keywords=on+second+after&qid=1684260306&sprefix=on+second+after%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1 A big reason we chose to move here. As well almost no earthquakes, volcanoes nearby (Yellowstone Caldera gets us all west of the Mississippi and the rest of the world blocking the sun for an undetermined period, so not counting it,) almost no tornadoes, no Hurricanes, or rising seawater, and no floods right here. I had not counted on climate change wildfires and drought. I have no control over future wars. But assuming we don't have a nuclear exchange, we are good for our foreseeable remaining life and the EVs and solar are a large part of that. We already save from our retirement and that is what we are using for these two more things, a new Tesla later this year and a solar system. None of our capital or investments are needed. With the Subaru trade in we will only be out $57k out of pocket for the new Model Y and the Solar/storage system BEFORE incentives and tax savings which could be as much as $30k. We heard a lot of the same kind of naysaying from others here about EVs and solar systems, as we got when first going full time when we sold everything and took off full time RVing for seven years at ages 45/43 years old from some folks we knew and some family. Most were thrilled for us and wished they could join us. Annual days of sunshine Florida City Sunny Days Partly Sunny Days Total Days With Sun Apalachicola 128 113 241 Daytona Beach 97 132 229 Fort Myers 98 168 266 Jacksonville 94 127 221 Key West 104 155 259 Miami 74 175 249 Orlando 89 147 236 Pensacola 105 123 228 Tallahassee 102 129 231 Tampa 101 143 244 West Palm Beach 75 159 234 Annual days of sunshine City Sunny Partly Sunny Total Days With Sun Alamosa 148 137 285 Colorado Springs 127 120 247 Denver 115 130 245 Grand Junction 136 106 242 Pueblo 139 119 258

Sorry to hear that Don. Hope they are right about being 3 months out from today. Most of the other companies are further out and $12k - 20k higher. Another company that uses Tesla Powerwalls just put in a solar panel/Powerwall system three doors down from me. They installed it in a day maybe two and did great job. But they got the Powerwalls. My son had one of their early solar systems without Powerwalls in his old place in a Denver Suburb. They moved to Europe in 2021. Lynda told me he had issues with getting in touch when his inverter went out. I talked to him yesterday and he corrected her. He had not one but two inverters fail over the . He contacted them and they replaced it both times fast and no stress. That was back in 2016 or 2018 when he had his installed. Said he'd do it again, and add Powerwalls if they work out for me, when he returns to CONUS. He's living in Europe now and they are working as Civil Service nurses, both he and his wife. So we will see. I am going to try to do it You will be welcome to stop by and see it after. Should be August/September this year. I am covered because I don't pay until they deliver anyway.

I will know that soon as Tesla gets the site survey done. We spent $15k over ten years with two whole house backup gen-sets. The first claimed 15kW I ordered for Propane with the better enrgy density, It was 12.5kW with Naturqal Gas, and 15kW with Popane sop I actually bought a tank and had to fill it twice. It could not start the 5 ton A/C without stumbling so we went with a 25kW Nat Gas genset with a water cooled 4 cylinder engine. This like my Tesla car has no oil changes, filters, bi-annual starter battery replacements, radiators, oil and air filters, no muffler and exhaust pipes, no toxic exhaust near the house, and no noise! I am not looking for ROI. There certainly was no ROI with our Air-cooled 15kW or water cooled 25kW Nat gas whole house auto switching generators. We had lots of power outages there in NW Louisiana. When the power went out and the genset kicked in 15-20 seconds later we would smile and say it was worth it. The electricity prices here are great, but after my solar is installed go to zero. No ROI needed - it is a lifestyle choice.

I hear ya Don.

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