this is a land of mystery and wonder
Last year we installed a 20 SEER variable speed heat pump to replace our old, failing 12 SEER AC and furnace. I ran some numbers prior to the install and expected minimal cost savings. Well, the winter numbers are in and I was way off. I estimated $300 in savings on natural gas, and the Continue reading "Heat pump magic"
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Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/opinion/climate-change-report-us.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AU0.X2G8.juviC_9Iv2fT smid=url-share A smidge of hope for a better future.
I m a fan of the character and charm of old houses. Living in New England, I was surrounded by Victorians and Colonials, Federals and Cape Cods. I love to see houses that match their place. I m delighted by row houses in New York and pictures of Pueblo architecture in the Southwest. My area is home Continue reading "History repeating"
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Since moving into our house in late 2019 I have wanted to replace the kitchen sink. The existing sink was an enameled cast iron double bowl that weighed around 130 lbs. My preference is for one large single bowl so that I can fit my larger pots, pans, and cutting boards. I also wanted to Continue reading "Let That Sink In"
Perhaps we will welcome our new AI overlords and perhaps they will treat us kindly. But either way, my current preference is to put many fewer eggs in the “further advances in Computer Stuff will save us” basket and many more eggs in the “we need to directly address public policy problems that relate to Continue reading "I m skeptical that powerful AI will solve major human problems"
Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/10/heather-armstrong-dooce-death-suicide/
If you find the smell of restaurants truffle dishes foul, it does not mean that you do not like truffles; it could indicate that you have good taste and do not like petroleum on your plate. Unlike that intense gas-like smell, the aroma of real truffles is mild and complex. The truffle industry is a Continue reading "Vindicated"
It is very hard to know what the right answer is these days when it comes to pandemic safety. Government data carries lots of caveats, but roughly 1 in 100 reported cases still lead to death E.g. LA County reports 1017 new cases and 14 new deaths today, 3,476,928 new cases and 33,889 deaths since Continue reading "Rolling the Dice"
Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/09/covid-pandemic-end-worse-than-flu/671514/ A brief, no-nonsense rundown of the various stages of the pandemic leading to the new normal of today. My biggest takeaway from the article is the reinforcement of the idea that neither total eradication nor herd immunity were ever achievable, no matter how many lockdowns and other public health…
It is October 17th, 2019. We are in a drab procedure room at the Kaiser hospital complex in Hollywood. I am holding the hand of my wife – my brave, strong, amazing partner – as her procedure is about to begin. It is June 1st, our wedding day. The celebration is joyous, we are surrounding by friends Continue reading "Everyone has a story, this is ours"
Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/04/08/gardening-infertility-nothing-grows/
[T]here is a sensation universal to all humans. It is that feeling you get when you’re standing outside somewhere and look up to see trees blowing in the wind, or stumble across a stream running over rocks. As you listen to that gentle creaking, or that low-tone burbling, what you feel at that moment is Continue reading "CGI Did In Fact Ruin Movies"
Link: https://www.stephendiehl.com/blog/against-crypto.html
When we moved into Hacienda de la Tortuga I went a bit overboard designing a home network using the Unifi platform. I spent many hot, dirty days running ethernet cable through the basement crawl space and attic. The end result included, amongst other things, five wireless access points and six security cameras. Our wireless coverage Continue reading "Surveillance saga"
Humans have a fundamental need to create and maintain a narrative for their lives in which the universe is not implacable and heartless, that terrible things do not happen at random, and that catastrophe can be avoided if you are vigilant and responsible. We are vulnerable, but we don’t want to be reminded of that. Continue reading "Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying…
Link: https://www.flowersforsickpeople.org/ A poignant meditation on living with chronic illness.
Link: https://www.slowboring.com/p/fda-cost-benefit In the long run, I think the way technocratic institutions safeguard their independence and build their legitimacy is by doing a good job. You want people to think these guys seem like they know what they are doing.'
Link: https://clivethompson.medium.com/instagram-has-become-skymall-68b9f2fbbc30 Maybe this is a glimpse of the inevitable heat-death of ecommerce: Bots trying to convince other bots to buy stuff no humans would ever click on.