United3dArtists Archive

Finis wrote: 12 Oct 2020, 01:05 @Bitkar What wildlife is in CZ?

besides usuall stuff as deer, boar and so... the wildest are only wolves and lynx. Sometimes we get a visit of a bear in the eastmost part of CZ from Slovakia (bears are regular there). Basically there is nothing that can eat you, kill you and so. Its a pretty safe country :)

besides covid loaded people from Ischgl Austria!
No bears needed for the apolcalypse!

ya, covid sucks these days...

We have chipmunks...

My fortune in bitcoin has more than quintupled. Some months ago I signed up at Coinbase, got $20 worth, and intended to buy low and sell high on the short term ups and downs. Ride the waves not the tide. I expected to end up with zero, say "well that was interesting", and quit that. Now prices are rocketing upward and my investment is worth over $100. I will invest some more and ride this tsunami. But they are so deluged with web traffic that I can't log in.

Ice has achieved barely necessary thickness. Strapped on skates and went for it.
Pebbly and rough near shore but very smooth past that. Very slight heavy frost/snow layer on top- good because it reveals wet spots- which I didn't see any of.
There's just something about that adrenaline rush when your gliding weight starts a crack that zips like lightning from beneath your feet and propagates audibly across the lake.
Staying near the shallows (for now) and wearing life jacket (always). It may or may not save your life, but at least it makes it easier to return your body to mother.

Well, the ice may be ok for skating but...
I saw the first two snowmobiles out on the lake last night. One of them promptly drove his machine right into the open water out in the middle.
Big excitement in the neighborhood with cops and fire trucks and they got a chance to practice their ice rescue skills when they pulled they guy out, luckily for him still able to regret his poor decision making skills.
Protip: don't make your first run at high speed...in the dark...on questionable ice. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How many snowmobiles are on the bottom of that lake? That guy didn't have spikes on a cord like you described once.

I drove for some hang/paraglider pilots recently. Learned glider lingo "throw your laundry" means deploy your parachute. It is time to pay the business license fee but city hall is closed for cooties, can't pay online, cash forbidden by mail, and I don't have checks for the business. I'll get a cashiers check.

One guy/machine went in from what I've heard; they fished the guy out but don't know about the machine. I imagine it is still down there.
Probably some local scuba divers who would be keen to try to find it. I think if 'officials' have to go get it they bill the owner.
I went skating the following day anyway. An inch or inch & a half of snow on the ice slows you down and increases the workload a little.
Bare ice is so much nicer for that glide.

Snow Sports lingo: wiping out on the ski hill and scattering gloves, hat, skis, poles: 'Having a yard sale'
Slipping and falling on an icy sidewalk and there's that moment or two while you just lie there on your back: 'Michigan Meditation'

Events last night. Around 11pm a guy was persistently shouting in anger and frustration, slamming a car door and honking the horn. Other side of street. One house north. Several shadowy figures ran/jogged away from the car. His tantrum continued. Then a car with the headlights off stopped and flashlights moved in the area. "Shut up bi*ch", a female shout, shouting, thumping perhaps of the car hood. The second car left. Over about half an hour shadowy figures went to and from the car. He shouted some more around midnight. The car is still there today. Ah. Two kids about 12yrs and a teenager appeared and drove the car away.

Guy went thru the ice on next lake south of me.
This time, he was not as lucky as first guy on snowmobile I mentioned earlier.
Divers found body after looking for an hour or so.
Life jackets, people; they are named that for a reason.

Space: sorry for the cynism, but that is a natural selection. There must be some.

Finis: i would call cops, that could be something serious. You never know.

spacekdet wrote: 10 Jan 2021, 18:04
There's just something about that adrenaline rush when your gliding weight starts a crack that zips like lightning from beneath your feet and propagates audibly across the lake.

Here is an excellent example of this phenomenon from Lake Baikal:

***EDIT: Video removed because it was audio recorded from a lake in Germany swiped & spliced into the video from Baikal.
So, two real things, but together they = a 'fake'.
Thread here:
https://twitter.com/andreasbick/status/ ... 16612?s=21
end EDIT***

Ice Sounds for Spacekdet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chxn2szgEAg

3 components.. perlin noise....fractal...and vorenoi....!
Sounds nice does it! Or like Dax Phandi puts it perlin noise and more perlin noise.thats the secret sauce..!

Jury duty. I did not receive a jury calendar that tells when I must phone in to know if there is a trial. Today is the first day I might have to report. A court employee called and said the calendar was returned "not at this address". The address was correct. Postal service problem. Today's trial was canceled so no problem. Trials are canceled when the defendant changes plea to guilty, "plea deal", charges dropped, case dismissed, defendant flees, etc. One time they called in two jury pools at once for a double murder. Thinking was the lawyers would be extra picky and reject more people. Didn't pick me. Good. A pool has about 30 or 40 people from which 13 or 14 jurors are selected (12 + 1 or 2 extras for emergency) for each trial.

I made a foil mask.

Not much activity here.

Jury duty today. I was chosen. Drunk driving. Guilty. Best jurors of all the trials I've been on. They really considered everything like they should. Two trials canceled. I wasn't picked for another. Four more to go.

Drunk driving needed a Jury? I guess there was more to it.

Going to dentist. I hope he can do something today. Little tooth ache for weeks. Procrastination. Yesterday, yeeeow, and unrelenting.

Steinie wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 12:31Drunk driving needed a Jury? I guess there was more to it.

This was my first jury for magistrate court, small stuff and lawsuits. A jury is not required for that but the defendant can ask for one. There were only eight jurors. The defense had nothing so I'll bet they asked for a jury to try emotional appeals ... which they didn't even do well and there were no women on the jury. He was also driving 95 mph (153 kph) in a 75 mph (120 kph) zone but that was not a charge in this case.

:-/ recently crashed my car a bit... ended up in a big bush. No injury. Car is getting repaired, mainly some body panels. Shame to lose that money tho, but it will be like new again. Thats why i wasnt here much, coz i was busy getting some new parts to fix it.
I was also looking for some photo management CMS i can host on my webhosting, so i can make a photo blog from CZ nature.

Huge thunderstorm with big hail and a tornado this night in Moravia (east part of Czechia). 3 dead, over 150 injured, many houses, cars,...severly damaged/destroyed. Its very rare to have a tornado big enough to destroy. I feel sad for those ppl.

pictures here https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/Ftornado_morava_2021

looks like a freaking warzone.

Yeah very sad! My thoughts are with the people!
Austria got parts of that tornado with big damage but I think as far as fatal injuries or losses we havent had them! Since Im not in Austria im not that well imformed!

Sad to hear of the loss of life and damage.

It seems this will become more common as climate change seems to keep hitting harder.

Verde: climate change is bullshit... We had similar tornado like 8 years ago (a little weaker) and there was stronger tornado in Prague in 1119. Was it climate change in 1119? Climate change is just a stupidity and/or a good business. Climate has never been stable, but bad things has happned all the time. There were droughts, floods, tornadoes, too hot, too cold way before industrialization.

v ... 801#p60801
Fireworks show good. Good viewing from the park around the baseball fields. Parade good. Went shooting. SKS, 25 paces, iron sights, 5 hits (plastic cups) of 16 shots. Then a tab on the magazine broke so that was all of that. Will get a new magazine or two.

ah...SKS is kind of nice, not the best rifle ever tho... What distance did you shoot those plastic cups?
I need to go too, its been some time since last time. We keep talking about it with my friend, but he does not have time. Either has too much work or going on a holiday off the country or family stuff or such.

25 paces, steps, distance. I try to take 1 yard (0.91 meters) paces for measuring but I'll guess the steps were about 2.5 feet so approximately 63 ft = 19.2m. The SKS is cheap old chinese but it does ok. Different manufacturing and specs means it can be difficult to get a working detachable mag. for them. The one I had was modified to fit this rifle and that mod broke. The original wood stock is for tiny chinese people. Fortunately the seller provided a larger plastic stock too. That plus a butt pad and it is of suitable size. New magazine ordered.

ah, ok, i get that pace part now :) thnx.

@Bitkar English is strange. 20 meanings for every word and 20 words for each thing. That's good though. Newspeak (1984) is precise, exact, to thwart creativity and make unapproved thoughts impossible.

Magazine arrived. Fits and loads. Will try it out some weekend. My truck is in the shop. Won't be fixed for a week. Exhaust manifold is loose. Sounds like a Harley. Some bolts broken = costly extraction. Looking for a truck or car to borrow. If a car then needs a trailer hitch to tow a rented trailer. Renting a truck didn't work well financially last time. Update: borrowed a truck.

Here we go again
Putting out an idiot's BBQ'd hotdogs
Less then 13 miles from home
300 acres and counting

Its hard to resist great taste!
They are faster....

Here are some great Christmas lights. Their decorating ability is greater than my night photography ability. These folks and some of their neighbors do these big light displays each year.

that is insane :D

bitkar wrote: 25 Dec 2021, 18:09that is insane

There are 4 or 5 houses like that there. In one neighborhood everyone uses blue lights except for an occasional rebel.

I went to city hall to pay the fee for my business license. It was funny. I've always paid at the counter with a debit card and none of this stuff:
- I have to get the paper stamped at another office after they ask me if any info. has changed, but ... there is a form on the paper to let them know of changes.
- Can't pay there have to go back to the counter.
- Clerk says the debit card machine needs the pin number ... while it charges my card and prints a receipt without a pin.
- Clerk says I have to sign their copy ... no problem, signed it right above "signature not required" which is printed on it.
- There is a fee for paying with a debit card. The receipt shows that I was not charged that.

There has been road construction near the intersection where I saw the Palace of the Homeless King. A mound of dirt, concrete, folding outdoor chairs and tarps concealed in the intersection of two large ditches. The construction re-sculpted the ditches exposing the palace. Perhaps he has moved to the impressive tent that appeared under the nearby bridge. Some of the camps in that area make innovative use of found materials.

some of those ppl are quite creative... would be nice if they would invest that creativity into real work, not living like that. They could work in a contruction or such. ;)

My winter camping adventures may meet a wall of cost. I have cold weather clothes (I had no gas for my heater for a year or two) but I need a tent, sleeping bag, and various things. I got a larger backpack recently. With expected worsening of economic troubles it may be wise to focus only on necessities. On the other hand, enough economic troubles and I'll be camping like these guys ...

Many homeless people are mentally ill and/or drug addicts. Homeless are much trouble in some cities but here there are not many, they live on the outskirts and in the desert not on the sidewalks, and aren't aggressive. That would not be tolerated by us or our law officers. By day they beg on street corners by displaying a sign. They don't approach unless offered a gift. A few might be called "nomads" instead of homeless. They choose to live life on the move. Some of them probably seek temporary employment. Nomadic cultures like Travelers/Irish Travelers (dangerous, they see outsiders as prey) are unwelcome and rarely known to be here. The poorest have what they carry with them and sleep on the ground in a sleeping bag or in empty buildings. I think churches have shelters for some. Some have cars and live in them. Top of the heap have campers towed or on pickup trucks. Some stay alone while others group in semi-organized camps farther in the desert. Some homeless may be illegal aliens but they generally have travel and support from the cartel smugglers, activist organizations, and our own government. So they aren't living under bushes.

I met a creative homeless guy in a Denny's. He had a ballpoint pen and drew portraits on paper place mats. Whether the people wanted one or not. The drawings were ok. Sort of impressionism with scribbles.

sleeping bag is definatly needed... tent is not. Tarp can be enough. Surprisingly those PE type used for construction or to cover something on a garden works the best so far imo.
Homeless are everywhere. We have some too, not many. Only in cities tho, where dumpsters and people are - their source. Usually not agressive at least too. I think that some of them have a place to sleep, but they just hang around in groups and drink every day all day.

Snow finally obscures the primo skating ice. Still skatable, but it's just not as nice or as fast as clear black ice.
Here it is just before it got really good.

Spacekdet, what conditions make the best skating ice? How thick is the ice?

Bitkar, I want a tent for the warm season too. Insects, snakes, and small critters. Bears, mountain lions (cougars), coyotes, wolves (Gila Wilderness) too. They seldom bother people but you on the ground is an invitation while a tent bewilders them. I found an affordable sleeping bag and tent. Plus assorted other stuff it's around $100 total. Bag is rated to 20F (-6.7C) and the tent folds to a small size. 20F may be too much down here but good for the mountains.

20F will not be too much as the rating is never accurate (usually quite bullshit). I have -5C (comfort temp) rated sleeping bag and its not comfy at even +5C or 0C, if you are not dressed (in just a Tshirt and underwear). So for those temps I sleep in thick socks and thermo underwear. For freezing temps I may even add something. Those ratings are usually overated.
Get a good sleeping mat! some thick inflatable, you can get some with aluminium as a shield. Those make nice difference. Its important.

New adventures on my Walks by the Tracks blog. Featuring machinery, graffiti, camps, junk, big train, small tracks.
https://www.splododyne.com/index.php/bl ... e-railroad

After 4 or 5 days I gave up fighting Tracfone to transfer my old cell number to the new PureTalk phone. It is for business. I'll change the business cards, website, bills, etc. and notify customers.

There is a flaw in my plan to visit and camp in remote places. I can't get there. Traveling far out of town in my old truck is not a good idea. Especially in seldom visited areas where help is not available. I'll try a test drive to a mountain town and see how the truck does. The Gila Wilderness and other distant places are out of reach unless my situation improves drastically and I get a newer vehicle. There are some places not too far that are good.

Update Feb 25, 2022
Went for a mountain drive to Ruidoso yesterday. The road is not steep. Going slower in lower gear was needed on the steeper parts but the truck performed well. About 100 miles (161 km ) total. Only the gas gauge works. Speedometer, temp, odometer (mileage, approx. 430,000) don't work. I think if that is fixed I can go to some places accessible by paved roads plus a little on dirt roads and walk from there. No long remote dirt roads I think. I hope there is time for hiking or camping this mowing season.

That road passes through the Apache reservation. Unlike most reservations this was their home long before that. Some houses flew US flags. One had a New Mexico flag. Barriers along the road had graffiti style artwork with slogans: "you are beautiful", "honor your life", "thank you veterans", "honor God", "we are a proud people". A little farther an abandoned gas station was covered with the normal type of graffiti. I guess the nice stuff is sponsored by the tribal government.
Still snow up high and in shady forest parts.

Bitkar, are refugees going to the Czech Republic?

that looks like a nice nature there in the reservation. For the test camping, its nice to be able to retreat to the safety/warmth of a car.

Yes, it is absolutely incredible how ppl here even offer their apartments and houses and even are ok with living with some ukranian family in their home. So far our government and municipalities have/made enough capacities to accomodate them. But the solidarity and actual will to help is unbelievable. Even the will to "fight" Russians for what they do. Shops and everyone stops selling goods imported from Russia etc. My bank offers free payments to/from Ukraine. Everybody is so pissed and disgusted that even we are willing to pay more for gas and such. Nobody wants to give Putin more money for his goddamn military. Everybody does everything to isolate them and stop the money flow towards them.
Ofc CZ along with other countries sent already multiple cargo trains to Ukraine with humanitarian and also military supplies. So food water, medical and ammo and actual guns are flowing towards the absolute badass ukranians. Even some ppl are willing to enter the Ukranian foreign legion.
Btw: Ukranians are the biggest minority here in CZ so they already have some family members here in many cases.

Austria is prepared to I read but havent been in Austria since November !
Not keen going back ! Rather stay here in Paris but I have to ! Need my papers back !
Paris is pretty relaxed about the situation here to be honest- you cant do much as an individual ! But so were the people here
about Covid too !The people suffering are a tragedy ! but what should one say about greedy selfish polititians !
In the end its all a bout making money ! Dirty money !

this war is not about money. Its the same as WW2. Its about power, greed and ego of one motherfucker. This time its Putler. He wants to reunite former USSR and get in Russian history books as a great leader who united the countries.

Frozen pudding pops brought the USSR down* and now it is back. Power, money, whatever: the regular people of Ukraine and Russia don't want this. They are mostly friends. Russians were protesting and speaking against it before that became even more dangerous. Some still are. There are reports of Russian soldiers opposing the war in various ways. There may be resistance growing in the Russian govt. and powerful people. Hopefully there is and it leads to a coup.

*Joke, or not.

For reporting back: my work season is starting so practical matters leave no time for fun.

Finis: did not read the whole artical but this made me laugh a bit:

Written By
Craig Hlavaty

Hlavatý is a czech name ;D

all about money ! Thats greed ! thats what i said ! ...

Unexpected

wow! quickly build a snowman! :D small one at least ;) and if you have some big parking space or somthing, go to drift with your car ;)

Finis wrote: 03 Mar 2022, 01:37 Bitkar, are refugees going to the Czech Republic?

bitkar wrote: 03 Mar 2022, 08:36 Ofc CZ along with other countries sent ...

bitkar wrote: 06 Mar 2022, 20:28 ... Its the same as WW2. ... Russian history books ...

In Japan, while there seems to be few recent news of Czech Rep., an article gives me strong impression; A Czech TV staff gave a supplementary explanation of the Prague Spring 1968 in connection with a Para ice hockey player Pavel Kubeš's "Peace" sign at the Paralympic opening ceremony.

It reminds me that I must keep learning the history of Eastern Europe and the our Japanese history of invasion to the neighboring countries much deeper.

The article (original but fragment, cited but full text) is written in Japanese and seems not to translated to oversea version. It might be possible to translate the (cited) title literally; A Czech Para hockey player, his wish put in his "Peace (sign)" held up to the sky.

(If you would Google translate the article to Czech language, I recommend three steps of (1) Japanese->English, (2) Replace Piece->Peace, (3) Translate to Czech, because both "piece(kus, kousek)" and "peace(mír)" are written in a same word in Japanese and the translator cannot distinguish them.)

Are you japanese or you live in japan?

Actually whan is happening in Ukraine is really felt by Czechs and others that has the same experience with Russians. It actually reminds us two things a bit. Firstly - Munich Agreement (and start of WW2) - coz it seems like they are left to somebody like Hitler. Fortunatly, Ukranians have at least a humanitarian support and get some military support too. But it started pretty much like WW2 - Hitler wanted piece of Czechoslovakia. Now Putler does want Ukraine the same way. And the 2nd thing is the mentioned 1968, where Czechoslovakia was also invaded by Russians/USSR. But CS is pretty small, so it was easy, although there was also some resistance - few army units refused to give up immediately. Also there are writings and sings across Ukr, like it was in CS. Lucky for Ukraine, their country is vast and their military has been already on their feet for the past 8 years and informed ahead by secret services. I wish they could keep russians away.

Anyway - those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat the mistakes again. And its definatly good to know more then history of own country. Japan is so much different, I believe. I cant imagine Japan going to invade anyone. Russians dont really change - still the exKGB rule there (even Putin is exKGB) with their USSR cold war era mentality and methods of doing stuff. So this will not change until ppl like that live. So its for the best if Russia gets isolated. The only way out is from the inside. There must be a revolution of some kind.

News about the refugees - in fact we are on top of our capacities. Its real bad, its tooooo much ukranians here. But we are doing our best to secure all of them. Even get the children to school and such. On the other hand - the help to them is masive! Tons of sleeping bags, blankets,.. everything. Ppl even buy the stuff to send it via huminarian organisations.

Yes, am Japanese living in Japan (though there is no way to prove that).

bitkar wrote: 14 Mar 2022, 19:34 it seems like they are left to somebody like ... cant imagine Japan going to invade anyone.

I feel the sign of repetition of our same mistake. Many media (especially TV) in Japan are reminiscent of the military controlled ones. They emphasize how the number of domestic confirmed cases got fewer but don't report that the total sum in 4-weeks exceeded the U.S. and United Kingdom recently. They use 100x time to the domestic victim of WW2 than Pearl Harbor. It can't be that Japanese people are not influenced by such controlled information and don't lose fairness or ability to distinguish biased (or unfounded) information.

bitkar wrote: 14 Mar 2022, 19:34 ... cold war era mentality and methods ...

One of my methods to fairly understand the arguments on each side in the debate over disagreement is to simulate multiple personalities at the scene in my brain and to observe their complex controversy. But I have more to learn about Russia because each of my simulated personalities cannot precisely play the roll of Russia's foreign minister, UN ambassador, ambassador to Japan, and the lead negotiator. It's also important to me whether the western media's Russian->English translation is always precise or not.

bitkar wrote: 14 Mar 2022, 19:34 its for the best if Russia gets isolated. ... from the inside. ... a revolution of some kind.

I always try to make efforts to think of all the possibilities from a fair position, and am imagining that the years after the world was conquered by a single nation, religion, or race. Of course, a bloodless (like Dissolution of Czechoslovakia) is better for me than forced if that was true.

bitkar wrote: 14 Mar 2022, 19:34 ... the refugees ... we are doing our best to secure all of them

I sincerely respect the people in the Czech Republic and other neighboring countries of Ukraine. Good fortune and happiness will come to who helped others.

I heard few people from Ukraine have recently entered to Japan.
Eight Ukrainians had arrived in Japan March 2 thru 10 - The Japan Times, Mar 10
Everyday I'm thinking: How many people can take rooms in my home? How long? Can they eat Japanese food? How we Japanese support their job opportunity, school, home, and communities if that become prolonged?
We Japanese must suppose also refugees/evacuees from Taiwan (and our exodus before/after huge earthquakes in Japan like a disaster novel "Japan Sinks" by S.Komatsu).

its hard to think like they do. They way of thinking is really far. Sometimes I see them talking and their logic is deeply flawed, their reality is very different (the way they see world). Sadly all they understand is the force. They think they are the strongest and Ukraine belongs to them, so they have right to take it. No matter how absurd it sounds to us.
PS: there is nothing lost in tranlsation as far as i know. I understand few words and I know ppl that speak russian (as it was tought on schools during communism). They really talk shit, its not the translation.

bitkar wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 21:18 ... their logic is deeply flawed ... very different ... force ...

There might be logically multiple truths contradicting each other in the world.

(edited to add "contradicting each other")

bitkar wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 21:18 ... nothing lost in tranlsation ...

One less thing to worry about, thanks.

I think regular Russian people, most of them, oppose the war and want to be friends with the rest of the world. At least Russian vloggers I was watching before the war showed people living lives much like in the US and EU. Of course there are all kinds of folks with different ideas in every place.

https://www.youtube.com/c/LETTERSTOKING
Old videos show life in Moscow. Latest ones are trying to oppose the war, tell about the effects of sanctions, and their loss of freedom without getting sent to a gulag. Sanctions are harsh on the regular folks but that may encourage them to rebel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWf43G ... d2Q/videos
Formerly "Yeah Russia". Gone silent to avoid gulag. Russia from a poorer perspective. I learned the word "Vatnik" (spelling?). A person who believes what the government tells him and supports all its actions. We have them here in the US (North Venezuela) too.

Bald and Bankrupt's travels in the non-tourist back roads of former soviet places are informative.

ofc, normal ppl dont want war... when I say "they" or "russians" I mean the government and all the proPutin russians.

I watched B and B, he is good. He even was in Ukrain few days before invasion.

Finis wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 23:32 ... vloggers I was watching ...

Looks interesting but I am trying not to watch moving images in which someone delivers thoughts/opinions, because it's difficult to search for words unlike text information and I have little chance of knowing her/his mind changed.

But today I watched the one on March 8 in the first site. It gives me many information; car industry, mother's day, streetscape, passersby's facial expressions, parked cars, playground equipment, amount of snow.

Finis wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 23:32 ... trying to oppose the war ... without getting sent to a gulag ...

Gulag... Many Japanese soldiers also "visited" during/after WW2.

Finis wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 23:32 ... Sanctions are harsh on the regular folks but that may encourage them to rebel ...

I am concerned about that, too, and ask myself; Is there any other way than sanctions? Probably this war should be calculated actions.

Finis wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 23:32 ... who believes what the government tells ... We have them ... too.

Whether to finish up Tower of Babel and lose diversity, or to continue human-human conflicts forever even after the planet was covered by glacier.

@Bitkar
"When I say 'they' or 'russians' I mean the government and all the proPutin Russians." We did the same thing! Elsewhere, you thought "you" meant specifically you but I meant "anyone"-- a generic person. Here, I thought you meant Russians you met in person but "they" meant their govt. and vatniks. B&B: I'll trade you a pecan pie for a hot Czech babe. I'll trade him a whole bakery for Alina.

@Borgcone
I agree that vloggers etc., also social media, aren't a way to gain in-depth knowledge about things. Real knowledge or understanding takes study, effort, and a willingness to learn. "... car industry, mother's day, streetscape, passersby's facial expressions, parked cars, playground equipment" That's what I get from vloggers etc. Not in-depth study but an overview of life elsewhere. Things in the background can be almost as informative as the speaker. viewtopic.php?p=61169#p61169

Finis wrote: 16 Mar 2022, 15:16 viewtopic.php?p=61169#p61169

Wow! Why did you know I like such location-guess games? I'll take part in some day. (I didn't know the topic though I'm sometimes glancing at other topic here like the food or the travel).
But for me, firstly the concern of Europe is important (and M7.6 quake in offshore Japan last night).

Paragliders arrived yesterday. The road to launch is nearly impassible so they arranged with friends to use these super Jeeps. They flew. I did fun adventure driving. Some of them might share aerial video footage for my movie.
Born for adventure viewtopic.php?p=62245#p62245

The pipes are fixed. I had a shower. Like a drink of water when really thirsty. Ah. Much flushing. No drips or trouble detected. I'll leave the trench open for a while to be sure.

nice jeeps... recently I started watching this channel, nice ppl there with cool offroaders https://www.youtube.com/c/MattsOffRoadRecovery

gratz on you new pipes, hopefully they will last long :)

Finis, glad everything worked out in the end. Har har.

Reporting back from last weekend, I had a chance to see some big 'cats' in the 'Zoo'.
https://www.spacekdet.com/photo/AirZoo22/

that is a pretty cool museum... reminds me that we have a military aviation museum pretty near... a bit less cool, but still cool. If you want to see, i can make some pics if its open after the covid seasons.

@Spacekdet Much interesting stuff there. Plus trademark Spacekdet funny captions. If I was ultra rich I would have tried to buy one of the SR-71 planes for my private jet. Factoid: It is illegal in the US for a non-government plane to go supersonic over land. Some people own refurbished old supersonic fighter jets. A guy brings his private T-38 talon to the air shows at the nearby AFB. The New Mexico Museum of Space History is here. It has moon rocks, space suits, missiles and rockets, educational displays, etc.

@Bitkar I want to see the museum.

Ruidoso, a mountain village about 50 miles from here, was caught in a forest fire. Two people killed, 4000 evacuated, 120 buildings destroyed.

Finis wrote: 21 Apr 2022, 03:17 ... forest fire. ...

Too sad! Hign Wind, Critical Fire Weather Possible. Forest fire from at least two points.
Rain...? fire map, forecast, narrow area, interactive brief rain map

For car fans... some of the old gems from not only Czechia/Czechoslovakia on an historic cars event:
https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/ekonomika/au ... f6b220ee8/

Sadly I wasnt there, so photos are from the news.

Lots of cool cars there. I like the MTX beach buggies. They look like fun.

I replaced a sprinkler valve. The old solenoid was good so I scavenged that for future use. While doing so I thought of Doc Ido finds a cyber eye:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYZKP8pxI-w

Inferno hike 2022 approaches.

Finis wrote: 08 Jun 2022, 14:42 Inferno hike 2022 approaches.

Inferno hike went well. I used a camera setting for beach and snow. That made good photos. Videos are still washed out white.
Ha. The thermometer had in sunlight. Cooled off to 105F after being in the shade a while.

Spacekdet, you have a Pentax-wg2. Any recommendations for making videos in bright light and bright surfaces so they don't get washed out?

well,... not really a hell, but for us it is... today its gonna be close to 100 F (36-38 C) ...

Work, sleep, work, sleep. No fun.

Independence Day Parade
https://www.splododyne.com/index.php/bl ... -2022-2021

I explored the high class life. I shopped at a food store that avoided being walmarted* by going a little upscale rather than lose competing on price. I jokingly call that one "the party member's store". Carpet! Tortilleria bakes 'em right there, in-store coffee shop and bar/restaurant, fancy wooden beer/booze aisle. My favorite coffee shop was closed today so I tried Plateau Espresso. It is on expensive land in the foothills with a great view. It wasn't "the party mem..." I expected. Nice building and location. Simple decor. Fancy coffee a bit expensive but plain was same price as elsewhere. I had a cafe mocha and sat on the outdoor patio.

The saga of the water heater: here

*going out of business when can't compete with Walmart

currently trying out the covid... nothing nice. Very wierd illness. I feel like run over by a bus. Every muscle hurts, every joint. Who would say we have so many muscles :D At least this one is with no cough or cold and not much higher temp than usual. I feel almost ok, just everything hurts like I had a week-long training in the gym with no pause.