• Nerd Stuff

    Had all the parts in hand. I opened up the case. Proceed to install the new NIC, another hard drive. Realize I need to go fetch a SATA cable. Go to plug in the power to the drive… Who the heck only puts one SATA power connector in a modern computer power supply!

    ARGH.

    The drive is still in the box, the correct adapters will be here shortly, and I will power up that drive and add it to the cluster.

    Bloggers stepping over the line

    Thursday, Allyson was shown a post by her BFF. The gist was, “if you voted for Trump, you are dead to me.” It wasn’t directed at Allyson, but Allyson was part of the target group.

    Emotions are running high. For me, it is a joy and lightness I have not felt in years. I have taken delight in poking the leftists that have been melting down.

    I have lived with the knowledge that the left will vandalize my property if I show support for the Republican Party. I’ve kept my mouth shut and just kept on keeping on.

    Allyson has been on the left for so long, she didn’t believe my fears of being attacked for not toeing the Democrat party line.

    Yesterday, she learned in a very personal way. And it hurt.

    She wants compassion from the left. She wants them to be the good people she knew them to be. To have people she loved, and respected become unhinged broke her.

    She will be posting. She has asked me to moderate her replies.

    She broke the rule. She was a dick. She made person, if veiled, attacks on individuals. This will not and is not tolerated.

    I’m sorry that it got to this point.

    The Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy Dance

    There are two Supreme Court Justices that have expressed an interest in leaving the court. Another is thinking about it. A fourth is in bad health.

    Our guys will not Ruth it up. They will retire after the Snope opinion issues. That is my opinion. I think we might see another of our people retire.

    It would be horrible if illness forced the last Justice to leave the court, but it would move another seat back to the constitution.

    If this happens, we will have a majority of originalists on the Supreme court for the next 30 years, or more.

    Trifecta

    Not yet. We have the Senate. This allows us to put more constitutional originalists in the inferior courts. This is great. It means we can confirm Supreme Court nominees over the objections of the Democrats.

    We have the Presidency. Even if they were to succeed in assassinating Trump, at this point, JD will become the president. He would become President four years earlier than I expect. Not particularly concerned — now. Monday, it was an issue.

    We do not, yet, control the house. As of 2000, Thursday, we had 210 seats in the House. There are 27 seats still to be called. Some races are very close. We need 218.

    Keep your fingers crossed.

    Friends and Family

    I lost my Mother and my Father this year. They passed. I lost my brother when he exposed his evil side. I hope I gained family in The Cousins.

    My parents were Republicans until they drifted in to the propaganda of CNN. I never felt that I would be disowned for still being conservative when they no longer were.

    Many of us have had to deal with friends and family that cannot tolerate those on the right. They have removed us from their lives.

    If you have had an experience where a friend or family member who has expressed that you are still loved or still a friend, regardless of your politics, please share those positive stories.

    I really need some positive stories about people on the left.

    Please have a great weekend

            

  • BLUF: Be compassionate. Yes, even if it hurts. Yes, even if they’re assholes and dickwads. I want to know that I picked the right side. I want to know that this is the side that isn’t lying to me.

    Right, we have a new President Elect. Trump defied the odds, and he took it all. He is the President Elect. He won us the Senate. And it looks like he won us the House. I’m sure most of us have been celebrating in some fashion or another for the past couple of days. And now it’s time to buckle down.

    The Right have decried the Left for having majorities and doing nothing with them. We have the majority across the board for the next while, and we NEED to be doing stuff with it. We need to enact those campaign promises. Better economy, getting dangerous criminal aliens out of the country, lower grocery costs, better housing market, and the list goes on. This isn’t going to happen overnight, but Trump must put himself to work immediately and start getting things done.

    The Left is so aflutter with terror right now that there might actually be a teaching moment, if the Right can keep things together. For the next few weeks, between election results and inauguration, the Left expects to be treated like dirt. We can’t. We must act with compassion.

    (more…)

            

  • Willful incel stupid

    You would have voted for Kamala. But you are a stupid incel, so Trump is president-elect.

    racist

    It isn’t Democrat messaging that caused people to turn away from Kamala in droves, no, it was you were racist. Against the woman who can’t figure out if she black, brown, Indian, or something else.

    uneducated

    The uneducated population of America is holding the rest of the country hostage.

    You uneducated want to weaken education, ban books and outlaw teaching BLACK history.

    entrenched in tribal superstition, irrespective of all facts

    You wouldn’t have voted for Trump. Because your mortgage, grocery, fuel prices will go up under Trump.

    You need to understand just how wonderful the economy is right now.

    didn’t vote for a convicted felon

    Those 34 felony counts are real. For you to vote for a convicted felon is horrible.

    knew that Trump is coming for your Social Security and Medicare

    You wouldn’t have voted for him.

    white supremacist and full of toxic masculinity

    You would know that Kamala is right for America.

    able to recognize bullshit coming from Democrats

    The meltdown is incredible. My favorites have been the leftists claiming there was something fishy about this election because 15million votes have “disappeared”. There is no ability on the left to look at the numbers and think that 2020 was the outlier.

    Why did they lose? Not their fault. It is your fault they lost. If only YOU had.

    There is no introspection going on, only blame.

            

  •         

  • And… it’s over. Election season is done. Yesterday (or earlier) everyone cast their votes. Today, we have a new President elect.

    Of course, I’m writing this in advance. At the time of writing this, we’re still in the throes of early voting, and Election Day is still a bit away. I can’t say that I’ll be unhappy to see the election mess over with. I may change my mind about that by the time this is published, of course.

    Here are my prediction, made about a week before election. Take from it what you will.

    I think that Trump is going to get in. I’m afraid to hope for that, right now, but I just feel like that’s what’s about to happen. I can’t find a poll that I trust, so I really don’t know. Everyone I do trust is saying that this election is too close to call. Still, I’ve seen lots of Trump signs and a lot fewer Harris ones over the past few months. That must mean something… right?

    If Trump gets in, I believe we’re going to see the cities burn. I doubt that the mayhem will erupt into rural areas, if only because rural folk don’t put up with that crap. I think that the cities will be hugely damaged by rioters of the Left. I expect there to be some loss of life in the days to come. I am sure that a number of people will play stupid games and win stupid prizes, and we’ll hear all about it on the news.

    If Harris gets in, there are likely to be challenges over voter fraud. I am going to assume that if Harris gets in, even by a slim margin, all the challenges will be dismissed. I have some major concerns about a Harris presidency. She and her group have spent a lot of time calling the Right Nazis and racists, and that means they themselves are likely those things. We tend to accuse others of doing the things we don’t want to admit we’re doing ourselves. I’m concerned she’ll actually attempt to round up Trump followers and reeducate them.

    I’d like to say that I don’t believe things will be All That Bad, but I suspect no matter who’s in office, it’s going to be bad. Trump, for better or worse, has become the face of divisiveness in politics. I know that’s 99% to do with the Left media distorting things, but it is what it is. It’s why I wanted to see Nikki Haley or Ted Cruz up there rather than Trump. But this is where we are.

    (more…)

            

  • The last four years have been a shitshow. On the first day of Harris’s term as VP, Joe started signing executive orders to undo what Trump had accomplished.

    Since that day, I’ve heard nothing but hate from the left with lies, more lies, and still more lies.

    This article will be updated after we know the results.

    Trump Wins

    Keep your head on a swivel. Stay out of the cities, if you can. Stay away from stupid people doing stupid things at stupid times of the day. Hell, stay away from stupid people doing stupid things.

    I expect the cities to start burning at any moment. The left is known to be very joyful as they burn down our cities and tear apart our country.

    Please keep your Democrat neighbors in your prayers. They are hurting right now. Only laugh and dance in private. They need time to grieve.

    Harris Wins (God, I hope this isn’t true)

    Kamala has told us that she would not have done a single thing differently. It is going to hurt. Pray for the justices of the Supreme Court that hold our Constitution dear and treat it with respect.

    Keep your eyes on a swivel. The left is known for being joyful in their destruction. They might decide to joyfully stomp those who disagree with them.

    Remember, we will survive this.

    Conclusion

    This was writing at 2100 East Coast time. The first returns are coming in, and it looks good for Trump so far. The problem is that we haven’t heard from any of the battleground states.

    I remember when Florida was in play as a battleground state, after they cleaned up their voting methods to reduce the chances of fraud, it seems to have gone strong Red. Correlation is not causation.

            

  • From the north to the south, from the east to the west, we all need to vote.

    North

    South

    FELLOW CITIZENS: I am very greatly rejoiced to find that an occasion has occurred so pleasurable that the people cannot restrain themselves. [Cheers.] I suppose that arrangements are being made for some sort of a formal demonstration, this, or perhaps, to-morrow night. [Cries of `We can’t wait,’ `We want it now,’ &c.] If there should be such a demonstration, I, of course, will be called upon to respond, and I shall have nothing to say if you dribble it all out of me before. [Laughter and applause.] I see you have a band of music with you. [Voices, `We have two or three.’] I propose closing up this interview by the band performing a particular tune which I will name. Before this is done, however, I wish to mention one or two little circumstances connected with it. I have always thought “Dixie” one of the best tunes I have ever heard. Our adversaries over the way attempted to appropriate it, but I insisted yesterday that we fairly captured it. [Applause.] I presented the question to the Attorney General, and he gave it as his legal opinion that it is our lawful prize. [Laughter and applause.] I now request the band to favor me with its performance.
    —Christian McWhirter, “One of the Best Tunes I Have Ever Heard.”, Civil War Pop (Apr. 10, 2015) – Abraham Lincoln

    East

    West

            
  • @vine.of.liberty I know I got cut off at the end. Go vote, that’s it. Wake up Wednesday and do your normal things. Do not let fear be your master. #vote #vineofliberty #politics #peaceful ♬ original sound – The Vine of Liberty

    Look, you may not agree with some of the things I say, or value my opinions, but by all that’s holy, go vote. Everyone: left, right, centrist, whatever. VOTE. Not because the country is divided, but because it is your God given right to vote, and because it is your responsibility to vote. Make an educated choice, after listening to unbiased media, and/or listening to both (or all) sides involved. But vote!!!

            

  • I love this soup, and it can be made with just the squash, or with the pears as well. I think the sweetness of the pears really adds a depth to the soup that the squash alone doesn’t have. If you want to impress your family, serve this in a hollowed out large squash (such as a pumpkin or hubbard squash). What a centerpiece!

    Ingredients:

    • 2 lbs butternut squash
    • 3 tbsp butter
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
    • 1 tbsp curry powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • 2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, chopped into 1″ cubes
    • ½ cup half and half

    Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut your squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and stringy bits. Place the squash halves, cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in your preheated oven until very soft, about 45 minutes. Allow the squash to cool slightly, and then scoop out the meat into a bowl. The skin can be discarded.

    Melt the butter in a stout soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and bring it to a boil. Stir in the pear chunks and the reserved squash, and simmer until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.

    Puree your soup into a smooth liquid. This can be done in a blender, but you must be careful and do it in batches with the pitcher only half full. I prefer to use a stick blender, which can be done right in the pot. You could also use a food processor, but I’d be careful not to have back splash.

    Stir in the half and half, and gently whisk to combine. Reheat the soup before serving, if necessary.

    If you want to make this pretty, to each bowl add a drizzle of heavy cream over the top and swirl gently with a spoon to make circles of white. Add a sprig of mint or oregano and a couple of pomegranate seeds, and serve.

    Notes:

    When I make this, I always double or triple the amount of curry I use. You want to be able to really taste the curry flavor. If you have people who are unable to tolerate heat, try using a shwarma blend of curry spices.  It packs a hearty flavor punch without burning the lips off. A spicier curry powder can be added at table, or red pepper flakes, for those who like heat. Alternatively, you can sprinkle a good quality chili pepper oil over the surface instead of cream.

    An alternative and more meaty approach to this recipe is to add in leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and serve it the following day with leftover rolls or sliced bread.

            

  • I have had good luck with picking up discarded computers, upgrading them, and making them functional members of the computer or services farm.

    A computer consists of persistent storage (disk drives and SSD), dynamic storage (memory), a processor (CPU), and I/O devices.

    Data is read from disk into memory, the processor then either executes it or processes it, the results are sent to an output devices. I/O devices allow the input from disks, keyboards, persistent storage devices, networks or other devices. They also send output to video devices, networks, printers, and storage devices.

    The thing that defines how a computer can be configured is the motherboard. The motherboard accepts one or more processors, one or more memory devices, one or more I/O devices.

    Some motherboards come with built-in I/O devices. For example, A motherboard will come with built-in disk controllers, sound cards, video drivers, USB controllers, P/S-2 keyboard and mouse, serial drivers and many more. These are the connectors that you see on the back of your computer or elsewhere on the case.

    Many of these drivers lead to a connector or a socket. If your motherboard has SATA disk controllers, there will be SATA connectors on the motherboard. If your motherboard has built-in video, the back will have an ISA video connector and/or an HDMI connector. It might have a DVI connector as well.

    The covers most of what you find on the motherboard. The rest are the important sockets.

    There will normally be extension slots. These are where you would plug in extra I/O devices, such as network cards, disk controllers, or video cards. There will normally be memory slots. Depending on the amount of memory supported by the CPU and motherboard, this could be two, four, eight, or even more. Finally, there is normally a socket for the CPU.

    For me, I have found that the cheapest way to upgrade a computer is to give it more memory. Most software is memory intensive. If you exceed the amount of memory in your machine, your machine has to make space for the program you want to run. Then it has to read into memory, from disk, the program or its data before it can continue.

    The more memory, the less “paging” needs to happen.

    Upgrading the CPU is another possibility. This is normally a fairly reasonable thing to do. Consider an AMD Ryzen 7 3700, which is the CPU in one of my machines. It runs $150 on Amazon, today. I purchased it for $310 a few years ago.

    Today, I can upgrade to a Ryzen 9 5950x from a Ryzen 7 3700x for $350.

    Buying the latest and greatest CPU is expensive. Buying second tier, older CPUs is much more price effective.

    The motherboard in this particular server is nearing its end of life. It has an AM4 socket, which has been replaced with the AM5 socket. This means it is unlike that any “new” CPUs will be released for the AM4.

    Bad Design

    The first place I see bad computer designs is in the actual case. This is not as bad as it used to be. It used to be that opening an HP case was sure to get you sliced up. Every edge was razor sharp.

    The next major “bad design” is a case and motherboard combination which is non-standard. The only motherboard that will ever fit in that case is a motherboard from that company. Likely the only place to get such a motherboard is from E-Bay.

    The next issue is when there are not enough memory slots, or worse, not enough memory addressing lines. Apple was actually famous for this.

    In the old days, Apple used a 68020 class CPU. The CPU that they were using had a 32-bit address register. This is 4 Gigabytes of addressing. More than enough for the time period. Except…

    Apple didn’t use all 32 bits, they only used 24 bits, leaving 8 bits unused. This gives 16 Megabytes of addressable memory. More than enough in a time period where people still remembered Billy saying “Nobody will ever need more than 640 Kilobytes of memory”.

    Apple made use of the extra 8 bits in the address register for “Handles”. Not important.

    Most CPUs today use a 64-bit address registers. I don’t know of a CPU that uses all 64 bits for addressing.

    Which takes us to bad designs, again. Some motherboards only bring enough address lines to the memory slots to handle what is the “largest” memory card currently available. This means that you can have slots that support 16 Gigabyte DIMMs, but the motherboard only supports 4 Gigabyte DIMMs.

    Often, it is worse. Cheaper motherboards will only have 2 DIMM slots. There is nothing more frustrating than having a machine with 8 GB of memory and finding out that it isn’t one 8 GB DIMM leaving room for another 8 GB, but instead two 4 GB DIMMs. Which means that when you receive that 8 GB DIMM you have 12 GB total instead of the goal of 16 GB, and you have a 4 GB DIMM that isn’t good for anything.

    Sub Conclusion

    If you want to be able to upgrade your computer, buy a motherboard with the latest socket design. AMD or Intel. Buy one that has enough DIMM slots to handle 4 times the amount of memory you think you are going to need. Buy a CPU that is at 1/4 to 1/3 the price of the top-tier CPU. Depending on the release date, maybe even less than that.

    Make sure it has a slot for your video card AND having one PCIe-16 slot still open. You might never use it, but if you need it, you will be very frustrated at saving yourself $10.

    Source of the rant

    My wife is using an employer supplied laptop for her work. All of her personal work has to be done on her phone. With the kids off to university, their old HP AIO computer is available.

    The only problem is that word “OLD”. A quick online search shows that I should be able to upgrade the memory from 4 GB to 16 GB and the CPU from an old Intel to an i7 CPU. This means that I can bring this shell back to life for my wife to use.

    At the same time, I intend to replace a noisy fan.

    Looking online, the cost of a replacement CPU will be $25. The cost of the memory, another $25. Plus $25 for a new keyboard and mouse combination. $75 for a renewed computer. Happiness exists.

    Before I order anything, I boot into my Linux “rescue/install” USB thumb drive. I run lscpu and it spits out the CPU type. Which is AMD. AMD sockets do NOT support i7 CPUs. This means that my online research does not match what my software is saying. I trust the software more than the research.

    Turns out that there are two versions of this particular All In One model. One is AMD-based, the other is Intel-based. The Intel-based version has a socketed CPU. The AMD version has the CPU soldered into place. It cannot be upgraded.

    These maroons have rendered this machine locked in the past. With no way to upgrade the CPU, it is too slow for today’s needs. Even with maximum memory.

    Conclusion

    An old computer is sometimes garbage. Put it out of your misery. Use it for target practice or take it to the dump.