With two numbers and a single arithmetic operation ... generate the Fibonacci sequence up to 24 digit results. How could you possibly do this? Here's how: divide 1 by 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,998,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999!
Who thinks of these things?!?!
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Is this really funny?
Is this really funny? A “joke” sent along by my brother Scott:
Sad about my country, I am...
Hillary Clinton goes to a gifted-student primary school in New York to talk about the world. After her talk she offers question time. One little boy puts up his hand. Hillary asks him what his name is.This reminds me, strongly, of the dark Russian humor of the Soviet era. My first reaction was ... that it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that this was a true story. My second reaction was ... the story actually is implausible – but only because Hillary doesn't answer unscripted questions. My last reaction was ... this isn't funny, though I know it's supposed to be a joke.
"Kenneth," he answers.
"And what is your question, Kenneth?"
"I have three questions: First - whatever happened in Benghazi? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? And, Third - “whatever happened to the missing 6 billion dollars while you were Secretary of State?"
Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the kiddies they will continue after recess.
When they resume Hillary says, "Okay where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?"
A different boy puts his hand up; Hillary points to him and asks him what his name is.
"Johnny," he answers.
"And what is your question, Johnny?"
"I have five questions: First - whatever happened in Benghazi? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? Third- whatever happened to the missing 6 billion dollars while you were Secretary of State? Fourth - why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And, Fifth - where's Kenneth?"
Sad about my country, I am...
Ricochet's Daily Shot...
Ricochet's Daily Shot... I've blogged about Ricochet on several occasions. It's one of my favorite sites, and it's part of my morning reading routine. I love their commenting Code of Conduct, which keeps the comment threads civil. The writers and commenters are top drawer. One of the features of that web site is a daily email called the Daily Shot, and it's something I look forward to reading every morning. It's a free subscription even if you don't join Ricochet; just go to their home page, look on the upper right, and sign up. Highly recommended! I'd pay for Ricochet membership just to get that email :)
Here's a sample from this morning's Daily Shot:
Here's a sample from this morning's Daily Shot:
Want to Understand Greece? Take This and Extrapolate it Across a Whole EconomyLove that last paragraph :)
Greece is in quite a pickle. It has defaulted on its debt payments to the IMF, it’s cut off (for the time being) from a European bailout, and its prime minister ... is a piece of work. Alexis Tsipras seems to be in over his head.
First, he left bailout negotiations, insisting on a public referendum on the conditions Greece’s creditors were demanding. Then he let his nation go into default on its debt payments. Then, he suddenly realized how bad an idea that was, so he wrote a letter late Tuesday to other European leaders and the IMF, accepting the terms of their bailout. Then he started telling his voters to reject the measure.
On Wednesday, finance ministers from Eurozone countries held a conference call to collectively facepalm ... and then to talk about Tsipras. They decided that, rather than jump in and help, they’re going to wait for the outcome of Sunday’s referendum. You know, rather than rely on the whims of the prime minister/hormonal teenager. Many of Greece’s creditors also have serious doubts that, even if bailed out, Tsipras’s left-wing government would make the necessary reforms.
So now it’s in the lap of the gods and the hands of Greek voters. (You know, the folks who elected Tsipras to begin with). Well, at least until Tsipras changes his mind six more times tomorrow.
Friends, we should applaud the man. It takes an extra level of ineptness of make even Barack Obama look like a decisive leader.
Morning in Paradise...
Morning in Paradise... Two of the dogs (Miki and Race) and I took a brisk morning walk just after 5 am this morning. Mo'i can only walk about a half mile before he starts getting tired, but without him we did just over a mile (each way) this morning.
It was a beautiful morning, cool and crisp. A full moon hung over the Wellsville Mountains to our west, with wispy little clouds occasionally scudding across its orb. When we set out, the first hints of dawn showed over the Wasatch Mountains to our east. By the time we came back, we had a gorgeous sunrise behind us, which I kept stopping to spin about and look at. We passed barley fields that in the space of a single day had their crowns turn from green to brown. In another day or two, the entire plants will be brown, and it will be time to harvest it.
We also passed a very active striped skunk in a recently mowed alfalfa field just south of the road we were walking on. Though the skunk got to within about 20' of us, the two dogs never saw it. It was downwind, so they couldn't smell it either. That skunk was moving faster than I've ever seen a skunk move before, foraging for bugs and whatever else that skunks eat. It was headed straight for us, and showed no signs of hesitating – so I hurried the mutts along to get out of its way. Sure enough, just 30 seconds or so after we zoomed by it, it crossed the road behind us.
Photos taken along the way:
It was a beautiful morning, cool and crisp. A full moon hung over the Wellsville Mountains to our west, with wispy little clouds occasionally scudding across its orb. When we set out, the first hints of dawn showed over the Wasatch Mountains to our east. By the time we came back, we had a gorgeous sunrise behind us, which I kept stopping to spin about and look at. We passed barley fields that in the space of a single day had their crowns turn from green to brown. In another day or two, the entire plants will be brown, and it will be time to harvest it.
We also passed a very active striped skunk in a recently mowed alfalfa field just south of the road we were walking on. Though the skunk got to within about 20' of us, the two dogs never saw it. It was downwind, so they couldn't smell it either. That skunk was moving faster than I've ever seen a skunk move before, foraging for bugs and whatever else that skunks eat. It was headed straight for us, and showed no signs of hesitating – so I hurried the mutts along to get out of its way. Sure enough, just 30 seconds or so after we zoomed by it, it crossed the road behind us.
Photos taken along the way:
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Morning in Paradise...
Morning in Paradise... The dogs and I went for a walk just before dawn. It was beautiful...
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Eriogonum kennedyi...
Bomb-sniffing rats...
Progress in Paradise...
Progress in Paradise... Debbie continues her steady improvement. She no longer looks like I beat her :) She still hasn't graduated to the walker yet, though. I cut her a little bouquet this morning, from flowers around our yard – very cheerful blue, red, and orange!
I didn't have to move pipes this morning, so I spent the (relatively) cool part of the day doing some organizing and cleanup in the barn so that I could move the air compressor into place. Then I actually moved it, making extensive use of the tractor to do it as the beast weighs 650 pounds. At right is the beast in all its glory, sitting in the correct spot. Now all I have to do is hook up 240V, 120V (yes, both!), an air intake, two drains, and the air output (which will be piped all over the shop). By the time I finished with this, I was drenched in sweat. The air conditioned house felt might good at that point!
I've got a toothache, I think under a crown that was installed a few years ago. I called to make an appointment with the dentist I met a couple months ago at Hyrum Tire, Dr. Lance Gunnell. I'm seeing him on Thursday, when he's in his Hyrum office, just four miles away.
Last year a crew from Questar Gas came out to re-route a gas line that the previous owner of this property had built an outbuilding over. I mentioned to the crew that I intended to knock that building down, and one of them said he'd like to take it. He'd saw it into pieces with a sawzall, and then put it back together on posts to make a boathouse for his wife. Not only would he put it to good use, he'd do all the work of taking it down. Of course I said “yes” to that! Well, I lost track of this fellow's name and number, and I wanted to get that process started – as we want to put a backup generator on the slab. What to do? I called a different Questar Gas employee, another guy who had been out here. I explained my dilemma to him, and he said he'd ask around the office for me while I held on the line. About 30 seconds later, another guy got on the phone and said he knew exactly who I mean, a guy named Steve M., and he'd have Steve call me right away. Another minute or so, and Steve called me – and now we have arranged for that building to be removed next week. The people here are so helpful, and the community so small, that things like this happen routinely. This would almost certainly not have been the case when we were living down in California...
I've got a toothache, I think under a crown that was installed a few years ago. I called to make an appointment with the dentist I met a couple months ago at Hyrum Tire, Dr. Lance Gunnell. I'm seeing him on Thursday, when he's in his Hyrum office, just four miles away.
Last year a crew from Questar Gas came out to re-route a gas line that the previous owner of this property had built an outbuilding over. I mentioned to the crew that I intended to knock that building down, and one of them said he'd like to take it. He'd saw it into pieces with a sawzall, and then put it back together on posts to make a boathouse for his wife. Not only would he put it to good use, he'd do all the work of taking it down. Of course I said “yes” to that! Well, I lost track of this fellow's name and number, and I wanted to get that process started – as we want to put a backup generator on the slab. What to do? I called a different Questar Gas employee, another guy who had been out here. I explained my dilemma to him, and he said he'd ask around the office for me while I held on the line. About 30 seconds later, another guy got on the phone and said he knew exactly who I mean, a guy named Steve M., and he'd have Steve call me right away. Another minute or so, and Steve called me – and now we have arranged for that building to be removed next week. The people here are so helpful, and the community so small, that things like this happen routinely. This would almost certainly not have been the case when we were living down in California...
Monday, June 29, 2015
Email I received today...
Email I received today... From Apple:
I located an authorized service location 10 miles from our home. I called them, and they knew all about the program. They said to just bring the computer in, and they would do the replacement. No charge. No hassle. Twenty four hour turnaround.
I cannot recall the maker of any other computer, peripheral, or component that I've ever owned proactively reaching out to me to offer mitigation for a service trend showing a problem.
My service experience to date with Apple computers (8 years now) is quite limited, simply because very little has ever gone wrong. I've had two problems that I resolved in just minutes with searches of Apple's knowledge base, one hardware problem (a keyboard with a drink spilled on it) that they fixed under warranty in an Apple store, and now this. Every time, the problem is solved, quickly, and at no cost to me. By contrast, I used Dell computers for quite a few years. Initially their service was quite good, but it deteriorated over the years to the point where I would rather buy a new computer than call their service number.
I'm no Apple fan-boy, but I will happily pay a premium for excellent hardware and software backed by excellent service!
Dear iMac owner,This is not a response to any complaint we raised. It is a program just announced by Apple. According to some news sources, Apple noticed the trend in their service data, and took action unilaterally.
Apple has determined that certain 3TB hard drives used in 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between December 2012 and September 2013.
Our records show that you have an iMac with an affected 3TB hard drive. Apple will replace your hard drive with a new one, free of charge.
Please visit the iMac (27-inch) 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program page to learn more about the replacement process.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
iMac serial number: (redacted)
Sincerely,
Apple Inc.
I located an authorized service location 10 miles from our home. I called them, and they knew all about the program. They said to just bring the computer in, and they would do the replacement. No charge. No hassle. Twenty four hour turnaround.
I cannot recall the maker of any other computer, peripheral, or component that I've ever owned proactively reaching out to me to offer mitigation for a service trend showing a problem.
My service experience to date with Apple computers (8 years now) is quite limited, simply because very little has ever gone wrong. I've had two problems that I resolved in just minutes with searches of Apple's knowledge base, one hardware problem (a keyboard with a drink spilled on it) that they fixed under warranty in an Apple store, and now this. Every time, the problem is solved, quickly, and at no cost to me. By contrast, I used Dell computers for quite a few years. Initially their service was quite good, but it deteriorated over the years to the point where I would rather buy a new computer than call their service number.
I'm no Apple fan-boy, but I will happily pay a premium for excellent hardware and software backed by excellent service!
A morning in Paradise...
What happens when...
I have several reactions...
- My parents were serial child endangerers. Under these rules, they probably would have been executed.
- This happened Westbrook, Maine (on the outskirts of Portland). What the hell happened to Maine since the '50s and '60s, when I visited so many times?
- If the same rules were applied here in Northern Utah, every parent I know would be charged with child endangerment – free range kids are the rule here.
White-faced ibis update...
“Not payable.”
“Not payable.” So says the governor of Puerto Rico, about the island's $72B in debt. The threat of a default looms. The governor is actively looking for creditors to accede to restructuring, including deferrals and write-downs. He's also looking for a (U.S.) taxpayer-funded bailout, which isn't likely.
Puerto Rico – as many have predicted it would – has run out of other people's money. The socialists have ruined another economy. There are quite a few parallels to the current Greek crisis, but this one is much closer to home. Though many Americans don't know it, Puerto Rico is actually part of the United States. It's a Commonwealth, not a state, though there is rising support in Puerto Rico to become a state.
It will be interesting, and instructive, to see what the Obama administration's reaction to this is...
Puerto Rico – as many have predicted it would – has run out of other people's money. The socialists have ruined another economy. There are quite a few parallels to the current Greek crisis, but this one is much closer to home. Though many Americans don't know it, Puerto Rico is actually part of the United States. It's a Commonwealth, not a state, though there is rising support in Puerto Rico to become a state.
It will be interesting, and instructive, to see what the Obama administration's reaction to this is...
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Regal cat...
Falcon 9 failed...
Progress in Paradise...
Progress in Paradise... Today is “paperwork” day – time for me to catch up on almost two weeks of accumulated paper. The pile is getting too tall :)
On our dog walk last night, I spotted a flock of birds I don't know. There were about a dozen of them, poking around in the sopping soil underneath a sprinkler in an alfalfa field. When I got back, I searched through our Sibley, and the closest thing I can find is a white-faced ibis (at right, not my photo). The birds were backlit, and in that lighting they appeared to be completely black. But color quibbles aside, everything else matches – and nothing else in the book did. There's another ibis (the glossy ibis) that it might possibly have been, but they're supposedly rare here (and the white-faced ibis is common). It was interesting watching them poke those long curved beaks deeply into the soil. Presumably they're looking for either worms or bugs. Imagine how disconcerting that would be for the victim – one second they're “safely” ensconced in their dirt fortress, the next second they're on their way down a monster's gullet!
I moved sprinklers for my friend and neighbor Tim D. again this morning. His grand-daughter Taylor came over to help when I was about halfway through. I was sopping wet by the time I got done, as the pipes I had to move were in waist-high (and very wet!) alfalfa. In some places the field was so muddy that it threatened to suck the boots right off my feet! I also set up sprinklers around our house – sixteen sprinkler heads are currently going all around us.
On this morning's dog walk, we left well before sunrise and I caught the sprinklers backlit by the dawn (at right). The dogs were thrilled by the cold (48°) wet air. The humidity was high in general, but even more so downwind of the sprinklers.
When we're walking uphill, Miki and Racer are straining at the leash to go faster, and Mo'i (the old man) is straining at the leash to go slower. I'm stuck in the middle, looking like the dogs had collaborated to try to pull me apart. Going downhill it's a whole different story: Mo'i is now the one straining at the leash (he's got the green leash in the photo at left). That photo was taken just before dawn, as we were headed back home this morning, marching down the steepest hill on our path. From observation, it appears that Mo'i's walking speed can be computed by a constant added to the inverse of the tangent of the slope, adjusted linearly by the inverse of the temperature. I can guess our pace pretty easily :) The other two dogs, though, are almost constant speed walkers. There is perhaps a little derating for temperature, but the slope doesn't seem to affect their pace at all!
It's paperwork time!
I moved sprinklers for my friend and neighbor Tim D. again this morning. His grand-daughter Taylor came over to help when I was about halfway through. I was sopping wet by the time I got done, as the pipes I had to move were in waist-high (and very wet!) alfalfa. In some places the field was so muddy that it threatened to suck the boots right off my feet! I also set up sprinklers around our house – sixteen sprinkler heads are currently going all around us.
It's paperwork time!
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