Anyway, the point was, "bleaching" is something all coral reefs undergo from time to time (there was something about a 10-year cycle) and there was something else about a specific species of starfish that kills coral.
Also, the Great Barrier Reef has recovered. Greatest extent on record, it's doing better than it was before all the bleaching started.
I'd just like to find the damn article.
* * *
"The Potempkin Terror Plot" and you know what I'll say: #DefundFBI
* * *
Bezos really wants to build a lunar lander. Well, why doesn't his company build one, then? Apparently they're offering to pay NASA to let them do it. Why do they have to pay NASA? If your ideas are so damned good, build the thing! Show it to NASA!
The thing is, Blue Origin is way behind SpaceX and Bezos can't stand being so far behind Musk that he can't even see Musk's dust.
I actually don't consider Blue Origin to be a serious contender in the commercialization of space, but what the hell: it's raining soup and everyone needs a bucket, right?
* * *
Texas democrat fleabaggers are not garnering much sympathy for their plight. Which is as it should be.
* * *
Democrats are saying that they're fucked if election integrity laws stand. Yeah. You know why? Because democrats cheat. They have always cheated. They always will cheat. As long as they can, they will fortify every last election they can.
It's about time the American people stopped putting up with it.
* * *
I saw this story today and just about blew a gasket. You see, in the worst of the blue states, there are now "efficiency" requirements for computers. They can't use more than a certain amount of electricity on an annual basis. Machines that do cannot be sold in those states.
So, just as was done with automobiles, now computers are having their performance reduced in service to some nebulous eco-goal.
The laughable bit is that home desktop computers comprise 3% of residential electricity use and that makes them "large energy consumers". Commercial computers use 7% of commercial electricity use.
3% is a "large consumer". I wonder what stoves and microwaves use? How about big-screen televisions? How about electric cars?
So, by this idiotic rule, the computers can't use more than 75 kwh per year. I'd like to know how that's calculated, because that's 205 watt-hours per day if the system is running continuously for an entire year. To put that in perspective, that's enough energy to keep two 100w incandescent bulbs lit for one hour.
If you use your system only 12 hours a day, then it's enough to keep four of those bulbs lit for an hour. Cutting it to six hours would run eight bulbs for an hour. 820 watt-hours over the course of six hours is about 137 watt-hours per hour, which is rather less than a good gaming system requires. (There is a reason why even entry-level GPU cards have dedicated power inputs, and why PC power supplies normally start at 250w and go up from there.)
What a bunch of assholes.
* * *
I said, yesterday, that Barbara Boxer was reaping the fruits of her labors. I didn't realize how right I was.
The best part is the very first comment that got posted in response to this bit of news.So, yeah--kind of hoist on her on petard, there, and it couldn't happen to a nicer communist.Jared Smith,Bazinga!
Doesn't sound like a big deal to me as long as they only stole 950 dollars or less. The DA should drop the charges against the assailant and maybe even create a statue of him. Let them enjoy the insane policies they create lol.
That was beautiful.
The reason why that was so beautiful?Mike MoraThat's right, she was one of the ones pushing to decriminalize everything.
This should be perfectly fine by her. She championed reducing penalties for criminals. She helped author the current crime wave.
My bet is she is telling her friends the gangsters needed the loot. Boxer isn't known for her intellect.
* * *
So, you know how Sarah Hoyt keeps talking about how much China needs America to buy its stuff? There's a bit of a problem with that paradigm right now. Seems that containerized freight from China to the United States fetches approximately 3x the fee that it did a year ago.
It's really amazing to see how things are going. China really is shooting itself in the foot, thinking they're actually aiming somewhere well downrange.
* * *
Speaking of Sarah Hoyt, today's post is great. "Whether you realize it or not, because the newsmedia is a mess, the rebellions have been happening and picking up speed." I bet what we saw from Cuba is the tip of the iceberg.
* * *
This is pure genius. It's basically a gewgaw you put on your motorcycle's chain after you've set the tension correctly; you adjust it so that the marks line up, and then--once you've done that--all you ever need to do is to put it on the chain and adjust the chain tension so the marks line up again. Not sure the chain is right? Check it in seconds.
The only issue I can see here is that the tool is calibrated for a specific motorcycle. You can't buy one and have it work for a handful of machines. So I couldn't buy one, then use it on my road bike, dirt bike, and my wife's bike. I'd have to have one tool for each bike.
They're $45 a shot. I don't ride anything but my road bike enough to need it.
Still--probably a worthwhile investment.
* * *
Speaking of bikes--
Having watched that "how-to" video last night, I'm thinking about doing some more work on the converted bike. I really just need to plumb the fuel line and get the drive chain on; the thing is literally only a couple steps from being complete.
Of course I want to trim the control cables and such, but that's a lot more involved than simply getting the thing running.
The major problem I've got otherwise is that the engine wants 16:1 two-cycle fuel. Yeah: one ounce of oil to sixteen ounces of gasoline. That's thick. After four tankfuls it's reduced to 20:1, which is still--well, the weedeater uses 32:1 and the little snowblower uses 40:1. Or was it the other way around? I can't remember. I just mix it 32:1 and it doesn't hurt whichever one uses the leaner mix.
16:1, however....
Well, not tonight, I think, but soon enough.