Month: October 2025

Let’s see… The good is that the Right is holding its ground over the Left’s tantrum. I need you all to hear that up front: I AGREE WITH THE SHUTDOWN. I would agree with it on purely conservative morals, but I also happen to be a staunch supporter of smaller government. A government shutdown means we have the absolute minimum government (well, sort of, but you get the idea) and therefore I support the shutdown. The longer it drags on, the more we know just what we can do without.

The bad is that the Left is fighting back with the usual cycle of lies, half truths, and more lies. I need you all to hear this up front: I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE LEFT on any of this stuff.

And now, the ugly.

I often joked in private about Obama being the Teleprompter in Chief. Well, Trump is the MemeLord in Chief, and it’s a problem. I realize some of you may not consider it a problem at all, or a very minor one at best, but I DO consider it a problem. One of the sticking points I had, back during Trump 1.0, was the “mean tweets.” It really stuck in my craw. I’m going to be honest… it still does.

When I see Trump standing up, with Vance or with Melania, or even one of his kids, I see the dad, the grandfather, a righteous man who’s doing his best for his country. I respect that all to hell. Watching him erupt out of a sea of secret service to pump fist, blood streaming down his face, that was awe inspiring (also, I want those guys fired because he should NOT have been allowed to do that, but I digress). This is not Trump 1.0, and I see the good he’s doing. I see him brokering peace. I see him strengthening our economy. I see him doing infrastructure things in the government that are good, and will last for years to come.

But my FUCKING gawd, when he gets tweeting, I just want to vomit. I really do. I get it… he’s “just a man” and he wants to stick it to the folks who are poking and shooting at him. And if he was Trump the billionaire or Trump the last President, I’d sigh and move on. But he isn’t those things. He’s Trump, our current, sitting President. He’s the man leading our country. And things that I might find (or do find) amusing coming from one of us, I find just plain wrong coming from the Oval Office.

From the White House twitter account today:

As someone formerly of the middle, and honestly not that far out from the middle, it just turns me off. Sure it’s “just” a mean tweet. But it speaks volumes. I don’t mind the text as much, but the image (it’s actually a screenshot of a video) is just too much. It takes AWAY from the message. It makes it too damn easy to say, “Oh, it’s just Trump being a twit(ter) again.” And I don’t want that said.

Read More

It is hard to get past the masked kid arguing, but Charlie just does his thing.

October 2, 2025:

UNC Professor Placed on Leave After Membership in Armed Far-Left Group Exposed
https://americanjournaldaily.com/unc-professor-radical-left/

Federal Judge Blocks Kari Lake’s 530+ Voice of America Layoffs, Warns of Contempt
https://americanjournaldaily.com/judges-voa-swamp
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth has blocked a new wave of terminations at Voice of America,

Trump Sets the Stage for Massive Federal Layoffs as Shutdown Begins: ‘It’s Only Because of the Democrats’
https://www.westernjournal.com/trump-sets-stage-massive-federal-layoffs-shutdown-begins-democrats/

Democrats Walk Right Into the Shutdown Trap, Immediately Crash and Burn
https://redstate.com/bonchie/2025/10/01/democrats-walk-right-into-the-shutdown-trap-immediately-crash-and-burn-n2194609

Leftist Couple Desperate to Flee ‘Trump’s America’ Gets Brutal Reality Check from Financial Expert
https://www.westernjournal.com/leftist-couple-desperate-flee-trumps-america-gets-brutal-reality-check-financial-expert/?
video – 01:40:48 – https://youtu.be/gURhbK0Q8pc
Readers may view the incredible exchange in the YouTube video below. Relevant segments began around the 5:50 mark and continued through the 14:00 mark.
(bring popcorn – jlr)

This…Will be interesting… Cao was just approved!!!
https://oldnfo.substack.com/p/this-6e7
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his nomination of former GOP Senate candidate Hung Cao to be the next Under Secretary of the Navy.
…United States Naval Academy… Master’s Degree in Physics…Special Operations Officer for twenty five years…Retired O-6 EOD type, combat vet, Vietnamese refugee as a child, Naval Academy graduate… And proud to be an American citizen!

We Have a New Under Secretary of the Navy
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/10/01/hung-cao-navy-appontment-n2664314
“If confirmed as Under Secretary of the Navy, I will deliver the most lethal Navy and Marine Corps the world has ever seen.” Semper Fi and Hooyah.

Don’t Argue With Leftist Idiots
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2025/10/01/dont-argue-with-leftist-idiots-n2664131
“Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience” -Mark Twain.

The Antifa War Instigators
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/10/the_antifa_war_instigators.html
Whatever it takes — armed rebellion or, later, sending out nightriding KKK or Antifa, the means — however ruinous — are acceptable. That’s the Democrats’ track record, and it’s undeniable.

Imagine You’re Woke…
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/10/imagine_you_re_woke.html

Why Erika Kirk terrifies the feminist elite
https://www.theblaze.com/align/holy-defiance-why-erika-kirk-terrifies-the-feminist-elite

Groomed for violence? The dark world of furries and transgenderism in America’s classrooms
https://www.theblaze.com/news/groomed-for-violence-the-dark-world-of-furries-and-transgenderism-in-americas-classrooms

Bearing less blame? Family of suspect in Kavanaugh assassination attempt wants leniency because he’s ‘transgender’
https://www.wnd.com/2025/10/bearing-less-blame-family-suspect-kavanaugh-assassination-attempt/

Pastor Speaks Out After Muslims Take Over Chapel at Dallas Airport and Block Him from Entering
https://www.westernjournal.com/pastor-speaks-muslims-take-chapel-dallas-airport-block-entering
Street peace worker asked man to stop doing drugs in front oflibrary — he replied by shooting and killing him, police say
https://www.theblaze.com/news/san-francisco-ambassador-killed-drug
(nowhere in the article does it say WHAT CITY this occurred in – if you dig deeper into the linked articles it was –  San Francisco  – jlr)

California plan redistributes prime farmland in the name of “equity”
https://www.americaunwon.com/p/california-plan-seeks-to-redistribute
California Democrats release a draft plan that would de facto nationalize farmland, redistributing it to “socially disadvantaged” farmers along largely racial lines.
Newsom 2028! To fight Trump’s authoritarianism, of course. Personal liberty is fascism, and the hero who’s fighting against authoritarianism leads the state that wants to emulate Hugo Chavez. We’re doing great.

Trump Says Radical Left’s Shutdown Misstep Opens “Unprecedented Opportunity” For Mass Firings Of Fed Workers
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/democrats-govt-shutdown-misstep-revives-trump-doge-clear-out-dead-wood-bloated-dc
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame,  to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,”

Mass Shutdown Firings To Begin ‘In A Day Or Two’: Trump Admin
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/shutdown-upon-us-whats-impacted-and-whats-next

Judge Drops Bombshell: Guns in Post Offices Now Legal? – October 3, 2025
video – 00:07:06 – https://youtu.be/-et6CJi9fmY

Et al.
https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?e=85f805da73&u=64b02e9269ba4913b764daf76&id=56fd1e9125

October 3/4, 2025:

Georgia’s New Gov Candidate Says, ‘I’m as Georgia as We Come,’ While Wearing a Hijab
https://www.westernjournal.com/georgias-new-gov-candidate-says-georgia-come-wearing-hijab

Keeping the Elderly Sheep in Line – A plantation of oldsters
https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/p/keeping-the-elderly-sheep-in-line

Build-A-Bear Store Angrily Refuses Teenager’s Request to Name Stuffed Bear ‘Charlie Kirk’
https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2025/10/03/build-a-bear-store-manager-angrily-refuses-teenagers-request-to-name-stuffed-bear-charlie-kirk-n2194691
We’ve reached the stage where so much of the raw hatred looks less like real news and more like something The Babylon Bee would write as satire. This is one of those stories. So have we officially reached the place where even the name of a kid’s teddy bear propels the left into histrionic fits of political rage? The question is rhetorical — of course we have, and it couldn’t be more disgraceful.

Vote to Reopen the Government and End the Schumer Shutdown Fails
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/10/03/the-schumer-shutdown-is-going-to-last-another-weekwhich-means-more-sombrero-memes-n2664460

Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to Hawaii’s ‘Vampire Rule’ for Concealed Carry/
https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2025/10/03/supreme-court-will-hear-challenge-to-hawaiis-vampire-rule-for-concealed-carry-n1230142?
… Hawaii’s prohibition on lawful concealed carry on all private property unless the property owner gives explicit permission to gun carriers.

rcd via e-mail
Defense Secretary Hegseth fires Navy chief of staff
https://justthenews.com/government/security/defense-secretary-hegseth-fires-navy-chief-staff-report

rcd via e-mail
OMG.. you cannot make this up – https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1974240985698726136?s=61  These are some of the things the Democrats are demanding we fund: – $3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia – $833k for transgender people in Nepal – $4.2 million for lgbtq people in the Western Balkans and Uganda – $3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti – $500k for electric buses in Rwanda – $6 million for media organizations for the Palestinians – $300k for a pride parade in Lesotho – $882k for social media and mentorship in Serbia video – 00:02:32 – https://x.com/i/status/1974240985698726136

Federal Government shuts down and three days later famine ensues?
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/federal-government-shuts-down-and

Franklin-based nonprofit serving federal workers during government shutdown ‘no questions asked’
https://www.wkrn.com/news/franklin-org-helps-fed-workers-shutdown/

Virginia Dem AG Candidate Wants GOP Leader and His Children Shot — and It Gets Worse From There
https://pjmedia.com/robert-spencer/2025/10/04/virginia-dem-ag-candidate-wants-gop-leader-and-his-children-shot-and-it-gets-worse-from-there-n4944457
In a series of text messages from 2022 that have just surfaced, he fantasizes about the murder of former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, as well as his wife and children — and like a true leftist, explains chillingly that such murders are the only way to bring about real political change.

Maine Woman Finds Hundreds of Shrink-Wrapped Ballots Stuffed Into Her Amazon Delivery
https://pjmedia.com/athena-thorne/2025/10/03/maine-woman-finds-hundreds-of-shrink-wrapped-ballots-stuffed-into-her-amazon-delivery-n4944414

Oh, look. A Democrat – Being a Democrat.
https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/oh-look-a-democrat
I have noticed recently that Democrats are really against “violent rhetoric”. . .
1) When they get caught using it and someone tries to hold them accountable; or
2) When a (non-Democrat) someone else uses their own “violent rhetoric” against them.

When Equal Treatment Feels like Discrimination
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/10/when_equal_treatment_feels_like_discrimination.html

Sen. Bernie Moreno Introduces SHUTDOWN Act to Tax Lawmakers’ Salaries During Government Closure
https://istandforfreedom.com/moreno-shutdown-tax-lawmakers/

ICE agents in Chicago surrounded by 10 vehicles in confrontation
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/ice-agents-surrounded-10-vehicles-chicago-report

Supreme Court rules Trump admin can end legal protections for Venezuelan migrants
https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/supreme-court-rules-trump-admin-can-end-legal-protections-venezuelan-migrants

Schumer shutdown holds funding hostage — but Trump seizes opportunity to trim bureaucratic fat
https://www.theblaze.com/news/schumer-shutdown-holds-funding-hostage-but-trump-seizes-opportunity-to-trim-bureaucratic-fat

rcd via e-mail
Nemesis Unfurls Its Wing
https://yowusa.com/nemesis-unfurls-its-wings/Leftist Attacks Conservative Debater Cam Higby in DC – They Demand Violence to Stop Debate

https://www.westernjournal.com/video-leftist-attacks-conservative-debater-cam-higby-dc-demand-violence-stop-debate/

Gunfire Erupts in Broadview: Armed Woman Targets DHS Agents
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2025/10/04/immigration-officers-rammed-near-chicago-n2664481

October 5/6, 2025:

Civil War 2.0: The End of the Beginning
https://wilderwealthywise.com/civil-war-2-0-the-end-of-the-beginning/
I believe the assassination of Charlie Kirk was, to quote Churchill, “the end of the beginning.”  Alone, this single act has changed the way millions feel.

Horrific news from Canada – WARNING we are already on this road
When the “Right To Die” – Becomes the “Duty To Die”
https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/when-the-right-to-die
https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/when-the-right-to-die/comments

Scratch a Liberal, find a Plantation Owner.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/scratch-a-liberal-find-a-plantation

JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS TRUMP ACTIVATION OF GUARD IN PORTLAND
https://justthenews.com/government/security/judge-temporarily-blocks-trump-activation-guard-portland
**U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut sided for now with Democrats in Oregon and Portland who called federalizing the guard a presidential overreach.

Obama Judge Tosses Victims’ Case In Order to Protect UNRWA’s Terror Ties To Hamas Atrocities
https://gellerreport.com/2025/10/obama-judge-tosses-victims-case-in-order-to-protect-unrwas-terror-ties-to-hamas-atrocities.html/?lctg=92233992

RUNNING ON JEWISH ANNIHILATION: Wave of Antisemitic Candidates Hits Chicago’s Democratic Congressional Primaries
https://gellerreport.com/2025/10/chicago-democrat-jew-hatred.html/?lctg=92233992

In Michigan, the Blueprint of Terror Expands
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/10/in_michigan_the_blueprint_of_terror_expands.html
As we harden our places of worship against attackers, we can expect the deranged and disgruntled to become more creative in their strategies to cause murder and mayhem.

Antifa activities in Dem-run cities are what an insurrection actually looks like
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/10/antifa_activities_in_dem_run_cities_are_what_an_insurrection_actually_looks_like.html

Biden Judge Gives Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Trans Assassin Minimum Sentence Because He’s Trans
https://gellerreport.com/2025/10/biden-judge-trans-assassin.html/?lctg=92233992
**Maryland U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman—a Biden appointee- sentenced to 8 years, instead of 30, someone who attempted to murder Justice Kavanaugh and his family in their home. Make no mistake. Today’s Democrats want conservatives killed.

Kavanaugh’s attempted assassin: Barely guilty by reason of transgenderism – UPDATED
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/10/kavanaugh_s_attempted_assassin_barely_guilty_by_reason_of_transgenderism.html
**A Biden judge, Deborah Boardman, sentenced Roske to only eight years. Her reason? He’s bravely come out as trans in the years since his arrest, his parents have learned to accept this reality, and the real punishment is that he’ll be in a men’s prison because Trump is mean.

Trump to attend Navy’s 250th anniversary celebration in Norfolk despite ongoing government shutdown
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trump-attend-navys-250th-anniversary-celebration-norfolk-despite-ongoing
“I believe, ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’” Trump wrote

Congressman targeted by Biden TSA wants law to end ‘weaponization’ against conservatives
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/hamadeh-alleges-tsa-monitored-him-during-campaign-calls-it-weaponization

Muslims accused of vandalizing church in Texas argue First Amendment right, so far jurors disagree
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/muslims-who-vandalized-texas-church-claimed-first-amendment-right-jury

Painful Video: Cops Catch DA Drinking on Way to Work at Woke Prosecutor’s Office – Film Entire Encounter
https://www.westernjournal.com/painful-video-cops-catch-da-drinking-way-work-woke-prosecutors-office-film-entire-encounter/
video – 00:04:33 – https://youtu.be/BGK40jV00so

ICE Arrests Explode in DC – Since Takeover, Arrests up 1,300 Percent Over Last 7 Months Combined
https://www.westernjournal.com/ice-arrests-explode-dc-since-takeover-arrests-1300-percent-last-7-months-combined/

Arkansas AG Nabs Noncitizens from Nigeria, Cuba, Kazakhstan Accused of Voting in 2024
https://www.westernjournal.com/arkansas-ag-nabs-noncitizens-from-nigeria-cuba-kazakhstan-accused-of-voting-in-2024/

Portland PD Basically Tells Conservative Journalists Attacked by Antifa, ‘Your Skirt Was Too Short’
https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2025/10/05/portland-police-victim-blames-katie-daviscourt-and-chelly-bouferrache-in-email-contained-in-countersuit-n2194738

Trump administration to begin federal layoffs if shutdown negotiations aren’t going anywhere
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trump-administration-begin-federal-layoffs-if-shutdown-negotiations-arent

Charlie Kirk’s Accused Assassin Could Walk Over 1 Glaring Mistake – You Won’t Believe What’s Missing
https://istandforfreedom.com/charlie-kirk-proscution-gaps/

Conservative Speakers – Need to get serious about their safety.
https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/conservative-speakers

the horns of the ICE dilemma – making self-defense look like assault
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/the-horns-of-the-ice-dilemma
“kick the dog until it bites, then demand the dog be shot for biting.”

North Koreans Ordered To Identify Women With “Un-Socialist” Breasts
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/kim-jong-un-demands-north-koreans-identify-women-un-socialist-breasts
Authorities in North Korea have been ordered to identify women with “un-socialist” and “bourgeois” breast implants…Undercover agents are now groping for ‘enhanced’ women, as well as for doctors who perform the cosmetic procedures…The judge (A US Federal Circut Court Judge maybe ??? – jlr) called the breast augmentation surgery an “un-socialist act” and said one of the defendants “had no intention of being loyal to the organisation and group, but was obsessed with vanity and ended up becoming a poisonous weed that was eating away at the socialist system”.

Get the NET! Rob Reiner’s Latest TINFOIL Rant About Trump Proves He’s Still Nuttier Than a Squirrel’s BM
https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/10/06/rob-reiner-is-still-nuts-watch-n2419965
video – 00:01:23 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1974932874731106539
At this point, we are convinced that TDS is absolutely a legit mental illness.

Terror Attack Foiled: Man With Explosives Arrested Outside of a DC Church Prior to Annual Red Mass
https://twitchy.com/eric-v/2025/10/05/terror-attack-foiled-man-with-arrested-outside-of-a-dc-church-n2419948

Controversy erupts after Muslim cleric denies Christian pastor access to DFW airport chapel
https://www.theblaze.com/news/christian-pastor-denied-entry-dfw

A new artist for me.

I wish my Winchester(s) were made in 1893.

This was definitely the star of last week’s fancy meal with my fellow reenactors. It’s so delicious and boozy! I used “chia eggs” because I had several people who either were vegan or couldn’t do eggs, and so I skipped the creaming part mentioned below. Even with the fake eggs, it turned out moist and amazing.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups currants
• 1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
• 1/3 cup chopped candied lemon peel
• 1/3 cup chopped candied citron
• 3/4 cup Madeira, divided
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoons ground mace
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (or margarine)
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• powdered sugar for top of cake

Combine the currants, orange and lemon peels, and citron in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the Madeira, and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight. Stir the remainder of the Madeira together with the brandy, cover, and set aside.

When ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or a 12-inch springform pan (line the springform with parchment paper before greasing and flouring).

Drain the fruits in a large strainer set over a bowl, stirring occasionally to extract as much of the Madeira as possible. Add the strained Madeira to the set-aside Madeira and brandy. Combine 1/4 cup of the flour with the fruit, and mix well. Add the almonds, and set aside. Sift the remaining flour with the nutmeg and mace.

In a bowl, cream the butter until it is light. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating for several minutes after adding. Continue to beat for several minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Alternately add the spiced flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and the Madeira and brandy, beating until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs to form stiff peaks. By hand, gently fold them into the batter, combining lightly until well blended. By hand, fold in the fruit in thirds, mixing until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 1-1/2 hours, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Turn it out of the pan to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes:
To use “chia eggs” simply replace each egg with 1 tbsp chia seeds and 3 tbsp of water whisked together. Let this “chia egg” sit for 5 minutes before using it in any baking recipe where you don’t need the eggs to be fluffy. Because this was a heavy cake, the lightness wasn’t really necessary.

My most productive years of programming and system development were when I was working for the Systems Group at University. We all had good professional relationships. We could trust the skills of our management and our peers.

When I started developing with my mentor’s group, it was the same. The level of respect was very high, and trust in our peers was spectacular. If you needed assistance in anything, if there was a blocker of any sort, you could always find somebody to help.

What we soon learned is that we didn’t need their help. What we required was somebody to listen as we explained the problem. Their responses were sometimes helpful, sometimes not. It didn’t really matter. It was listening that was required.

When I started working for an agency, that changed. Our management was pretty poor and had instilled a lousy worker mentality. Stupid things like making bonuses contingent on when management booked payment.

If the developers worked overtime to get a project done on management-promised schedules, their money would not be booked in time for bonuses to be earned.

Every hour that wasn’t billed to a project had to be justified, and management was always unhappy with the amount of billable hours.

Interrupting a coworker to listen to get help just didn’t happen. Even when management (me) told them to stop digging the hole and come talk to me.

We still ended up with fields of very deep holes because nobody would come out of their little world to talk.

This wasn’t limited to just our agency; it was everywhere.

The fix was a stupid rubber duck. It sits on your desk. When you are stuck, you explain the problem to your rubber duck, and often the answer will come to you. It was the process of accurately describing your issue that created the breakthrough.

I don’t have access to those types of people, and oftentimes the rubber duck is just as ignorant as I am. Not very useful.

I have a silk duck. This duck actually talks back, performs searches, and verifies potential solutions, and it does it within a reasonable time frame.

My Silk Duck is named “Grok.”

Grok is X’s AI offering. As a search engine, it far exceeds anything Google Search can do.

A simple example: I’m building out a new node. The motherboard I’m using is an H610M-ITX. There are dozens of motherboards using that designation or something similar. In hours of searching, I haven’t been able to locate the manual for my motherboard.

Locate a manual for the Huanzanzhi H610M-ITX motherboard.

One minute and 14 seconds later, Grok delivered me the PDF manual. It found it on a Chinese website written in Chinese and English.

That manual was enough to get me moving in the correct direction.

We then rubber ducked a video issue. On power on, the fans would spin up under control. When a computer first starts, the fans run up to max; they then ramp down under CPU control. You can hear that. I also got a single BEEP indicating good Power-On, Self-Test (POST)

But no video.

Over the next hour, Grok and I debugged the issue. We both thought it might be caused by memory; we both had the same methodology for checking memory issues. We both decided to remove the NVMe card just in case.

When I found what looked like POST indicator LEDs, Grok accurately determined what they were.

We narrowed the issue down to video.

I noticed that my silk duck kept talking about iGPU. I figured out that this must mean “integrated Graphics Processing Unit”.

Why would a motherboard have built-in video displays, and yet Grok was talking about iGPU?

I thought for a moment and then asked, Verify that Intel Core i3-12100F has iGPU.

Here is the kicker: while I can get this motherboard to work with a graphics card, that doesn’t help me as I need that slot for my Fiber NIC. In looking at other motherboards, some of them seem to work with CPUs without iGPU, while others require iGPU.

This “feature” never occurred to me. It makes sense, but Grok is the one that found it for me.

Conclusion

AI has its place today as an assistant. It can do a great job of rubber ducking. It does a good job of editing articles, if you keep it in its place.

This is a powerful tool that is only going to get better.

Features, Issues, Bugs, and Requirements

When software is upgraded or updated, it happens for a limited set of reasons. If it is a minor update, it should be for issues, bugs or requirements.

What is an Issue? An issue is something that isn’t working correctly, or isn’t working as expected. While a Bug is something that is broken, that needs to be fixed.

A bug might be closed as “working as designed,” but that same thing might still be an issue. The design is wrong.

Requirements are things that come from outside entities that must be done. The stupid warning about a site using cookies to keep track of you is an example. The site works just fine without that warning. That warning doesn’t do anything except set a flag against the cookie that it is warning you about.

But sites that expect to interact with European Union countries need to have it to avoid legal problems.

Features are additional capabilities or methods of doing things in the program/application.

Android Cast

Here is an example of something that should be easy but wasn’t. Today there is a little icon in the top right of the screen, which is the ‘cast’ button. When that button is clicked, a list of devices is provided to cast to. You select the device, and that application will cast to your remote video device.

We use this to watch movies and videos on the big screen. For people crippled with Apple devices, this is similar to AppleTV.

When this feature was first being rolled out, that cast button was not always in the upper right corner. Occasionally it was elsewhere in the user interface. Once you found it, it worked the same way.

A nice improvement might be to remember that you prefer to cast and what device you use in a particular location. Then when you pull up your movie app and press play, it automatically connects to your remote device, and the cast begins. This would be just like your phone remembering how to connect to hundreds of different WiFi networks.

If you were used to the “remember what I did last time” model and suddenly had to do it the way every other program does, you might be irritated. Understandably. Things got more difficult, two buttons to press when before it just “did the right thing.”

Upgrades and updates are often filled with these sorts of changes, driven by requirements.

Issues and Bugs

If I’m tracking a bug, I might find that the root cause can’t be fixed without changes to the user interface. I’m forced into modifying the user interface to fix a bug that had to be fixed. Sometimes making something more difficult or requiring more steps. It is a pain in the arse, but occasionally a developer doesn’t really have a choice.

An even more common change to the user interface happens when the program was allowing you to do something in a way you should not have been. When the “loophole” is fixed, things become more difficult, but not because the developer wanted to nerf the interface, but because what you were doing should not have been happening.

Finally, the user interface might require changes because a library your application is using changes and you have no choice.

The library introduced a new requirement because their update changed the API. Now your code flow has to change.

Features

This is where things get broken easily. Introducing new features.

This is the bread and butter of development agencies. By adding new features to an existing application, you can get people to pay for the upgrade or to decide on your application over some other party’s application.

Your grocery list application might be streamlined and do exactly what you want it to do. But somebody asked for the ability to print the lists, so the “print” feature was added, which brings the designers in, who update the look to better reflect what will be printed.

Suddenly your super clean application has a bit more flash and is a bit more difficult to use.

Features often require regrouping functionality. When there was just one view, it was a single button somewhere on the screen. Now that there is a printer view and a screen view, with different options, you end up with a dialog where before you had a single button press.

Other times the feature you have been using daily without complaint is one that the developer, or more likely the application owners, don’t use and don’t know that anybody else uses. Because it works, nobody was complaining. Since nobody was complaining, it had no visibility to the people planning features.

The number of times I’ve spent hours arguing with management about deleting features or changing current functionality would boggle your mind. Most people don’t even know everything their application does, or the many ways that it can be done.

David Drake’s book The Sharp End features an out-of-shape maintenance sergeant pushed into a combat role. He and his assistant have to man a tank during a mad dash to defend the capital.

At one point the sergeant is explaining how tankers learn to fight their tank in a way that works for them. The tank has many more sensors and capabilities than the tanker uses. Those features would get in the way of those tankers. It doesn’t matter. They fight their tank and win.

As the maintenance chief, he has to know every capability, every sensor, and every way they interact with each other. Not because he will be fighting the tank, but because he doesn’t know which method the tanker is going to use, so he has to make sure everything is working perfectly.

My editor of choice is Emacs. For me, this is the winning editor for code development and writing books and such. The primary reason is that my fingers never have to leave the keyboard.

I type at over 85 WPM. To move my hands from the keyboard is to slow down. I would rather not slow down.

I use the cut, copy, and paste features all the time. Mark the start, move to the end, Ctrl W to cut, Meta W to copy, move to the location to insert, and Ctrl Y to yank (paste) the content at the pointer. For non-Emacs use, Ctrl C, Ctrl X, and Ctrl V to the rescue.

My wife does not remember a single keyboard shortcut. In the 20+ years we’ve been together, I don’t think she has ever used the cut/paste shortcuts. She always uses the mouse.

All of this is to say that the search for new features will oftentimes break things you are used to.

Pretty Before Function

Finally, sometimes the designers get involved, and how things look becomes more important than how they function.

While I will not build an application without a good designer to help, they will often insist on things that look good but are not good user experiences. Then we battle it out and I win.

History

In April of 2025, Wolford et al. petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari.

This followed the Ninth Circuit’s decision that a vampire law was constitutional. A vampire law is one in which you are not allowed to bring your firearm onto private property without express consent from the owner or the owner’s agent.

The good news is that the Second Circuit Court, in a rare moment of integrity to the Constitution, found the same law in New York State to be unconstitutional.

This created a circuit split. That plus this being a new attack vector on the people’s right to keep and bear arms made it an interesting case.

It was not as interesting, in my opinion, as the sensitive places and other cases pending before the court that were denied cert.

Cert Is Granted

On October 3rd, just days before the start of the new term, the Supreme Court of the United States took a Second Amendment case.

My mind is blown. I wasn’t even looking for anything in this case.

Pam Bondi’s DOJ had filed an amicus brief in favor of The People back in May.

Conclusion

We will have a briefing schedule shortly. Once that is available, I’ll do a deep dive into this case. This case has the makings of another Bruen.

While the question isn’t that big, the dicta surrounding the finding is likely to be a slap in the face to the inferior courts.

This will be one of the first cases the Supreme Court hears after the absolutely vicious statements given by the justices regarding the behavior of the inferior court’s attacks on the Trump administration.

This is mostly meant as a visual tour of what I did at the fort last weekend. 😉 Enjoy!

Please note, this is a VERY pic heavy post, which is why images are behind the “more” line.

Read More

This isn’t a prepping post, per se. I’m off schedule due to life being busy. I’ll try and get back on track in a week or two. Be aware that most articles through the month of November will be “canned” (ie written long in advance, probably this month) because it is National Novel Writing Month and I need to sit down and write a whole-ass book (this year it’s my 18th century cookbook) in 30 days. 50,000+ words in 30 days is not easy, and I don’t do a lot of other writing, though I may pop in to say hi. We’ll see.

So last weekend, I was up at the Fort. It was the big “Out of Time” timeline event, meaning they invited people from other eras than the Fort’s (which is 1740s through 1760s, roughly) to come and set up outside the palisade and present information on their part of history. We had someone from 13th century, quite a bit from WWI and WWII, and of course my 15th century group, The Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword. With all my favorite reenactors there (only the Vikings were missing, as they had an event elsewhere), I asked for and received permission to plan a grand meal for everyone.

As you can see from the image to the left, it was quite the feast. I had three “removes” (we would call them courses, today). We ended up actually putting all the food onto a big table and letting people get stuff buffet style, which I totally lost control of. I really got descended upon by locusts, and that was not what I had intended. Next year will be better, with the “removes” going out on the table for people to get food from. Also, those with food allergies needed to go up first, and that didn’t happen. I learn new stuff every time I do this. 🙂

The preparations for this meal started on Friday evening. The salt cod had to go in to soak, as the water needed to be changed several times before it was put in with the turnip to cook. I think I changed the water five times? Regardless, the cod was not at all salty by the time it hit the table, and actually was quite good all mashed up with the turnip. The “pumpion soup” (squash soup) was incredibly tasty and easy, and I will be doing it again. The salad was “just” salad, but looked at tasted quite good.

Yes, I cooked a turkey over a fire. This was my first time roasting a WHOLE turkey, as in the past I’ve always disjointed it and cooked it in pieces. I wanted to put the entire turkey out, though, and so I roasted it in my largest cast iron pot. I started it breast up, flipped it after 1.5 hours, then flipped it again after 1.5 hours. It spent its last hour in the beehive bake oven, crisping up its skin to a lovely brown shade. The turkey literally fell apart, was juicy and tender, and basically disappeared within a few minutes of being put out. The ham was “braised,” which means I seared all the sides first, and then boiled it. Or rather, it simmered most of the day. The result was delicious, and it was reduced to a single meatless bone and a piece of gristle before the end of the dinner. I was so pleased that everyone liked the food!

I think I served about 40 or so people. We ate in the Great Hall, which is also where I did most of the cooking. I baked bread in the outdoor beehive oven (four loaves) and did the rest of the cooking over coals in the two fireplaces at either end of the Hall. It was nice to have all that space for cooking! Of the side dishes I made, the clear favorite was the Roots a la Creme, which are basically root veggies in a cream sauce. I have to admit, they were very delicious, and I ate the leftovers (what few there were) the next day.

The star of the show, though, was definitely the Rich Cake, from Martha Washington. I have never made a cake like this before, which is dense and full of extremely alcoholic fruit. It was moist, solid, flavorful, sweet, and indeed very rich. I will absolutely be making it again, though perhaps with a few minor adjustments. I can see what that thing could be set on a shelf and left for a month, though. There’s so much alcohol and sugar in it, nothing will touch it! LOL! Think of it as an edible Christmas cake, the kind we usually use as door stoppers.

Ratafia biscuits were the other new-to-me dessert that I attempted. They did not turn out as well as I had hoped, but they were not a clear fail, either. They were very edible, with a lovely almond undertone to them. They didn’t “loft up” as much as I’d hoped, though. I think I folded in the almond flour too roughly, perhaps. I will say, I’m never making the ratafia biscuits again without modern conveniences. Whipping the egg whites until stiff BY HAND was quite the adventure, and my arm still hurts. Totally worth it, just to prove I could do it, though. It might not have been so difficult if I hadn’t started out by creaming the butter for the Rich Cake first, then creaming the sugar into the butter for that same cake, all before moving on to whipping egg whites by hand for 25 minutes. Yes, I’m nuts. But you know what? I know I can do it, now.

Here’s the thing. A lot of people there thought I was crazy for putting this dinner on. Cooking for that many mouths, spending an entire day in prepping, cooking, plating, and all the rest. I did have help, though, with two very good friends who took the time to show me the ropes (they’re both retirees from restaurant business, and know how to do proper mise en place). Everyone loved the meal, but yes, many of them thought I was insane for not putting at least some of this stuff into the very modern oven to bake. I was determined to do this “the 18th century way” though, because I know that if I can do it that way, then doing it with modern conveniences is easy.

This is also research. The cookbook I’m about to write next month will feature all of the recipes I used in this supper, along with many others that I’ve tried in the past two years. While I tailor my recipes to be cooked in a modern kitchen, the instructions suit those who want to do it the 18th century way, as well. I have to know how it works, so that I can explain it to others. Having the opportunity to work the kitchen for a big meal that way gave me a ton of insights into how an 18th century kitchen would have run. It makes my explanations better, when I’m talking to visitors at the Fort or to the encampment of my 18th century reenactors group.

Above everything, this is prepping (see how I masterfully brought it back to prepping? Go me!). I now know without a doubt that I can cook for a large group with nothing more than my two hands and fire. Nothing can stop me now! Oh, and everyone is looking forward to next year!