Coronapanic Consequences: life rafts

by philg

A friend is planning a trip to the Bahamas in his new Cirrus SR22 (more than 1 million Bidies for a piston-powered airplane!). When out of gliding distance from land, it is prudent to carry both life jackets and a life raft in an aircraft. Pre-coronapanic, rafts of all kinds were in stock at retailers and would ship within a day or two of being ordered. What does it look like after Americans took months or years off work? “I can’t find any of the brands that people like without a multi-month wait,” he said. “Winslow dealers are telling me 8 months to 2 years.”

It is unclear to me why Winslow is so backlogged given that the company is located in Florida and they were never ordered by a governor to shut down. But perhaps they are having trouble getting the components and/or being part of Collins Aerospace (a big bureaucratic presumably corona-averse company) has contributed to the shortage.

What do these look like? Here’s one from Switlik, which I like because it can go 5 years between recertifications (cumbersome and expensive):

Also, Switlik is a supplier to the U.S. Coast Guard, which presumably knows water at least as well as Dr. Fauci knows SARS-CoV-2. When is the Switlik available? They can’t even say on their web site! “Due to demand and limited inventory, this product is experiencing longer than normal lead times. Please call for quote – 609-587-3300.”

A raft isn’t required for a private single-engine airplane headed over water so it is quite possible that the disruption in the economy caused by COVID lockdowns will lead to additional risks being taken. And for every aviator who is at risk there are presumably 100 boaters who are having trouble getting the life rafts that they want. This is a consequence that I don’t think the technocrats recommending lockdowns in the spring of 2020 would have factored into their decision.

Related:

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When will George Santos be Speaker of the House?

by philg

The media is full of reports about House Republicans being unable to agree on a Speaker. New Yorkers say that they are smarter and more sophisticated than everyone else in the U.S. Thus, the obvious choice is the Representative whom these hyperintelligent voters selected: George Santos. Would Mr. Santos be the first immigrant to serve as Speaker? That would be very exciting indeed!

Separately, I am also waiting for Sam Bankman-Fried to be nominated by Joe Biden as U.S. Treasury Secretary and confirmed by Senate Democrats.

Related:

  • New Yorkers say that voters in Arkansas are stupid. Tom Cotton is their choice (two Harvard degrees and a former U.S. Army Ranger)
  • New Yorkers say that voters in Florida are stupid. Ron DeSantis is their choice (Yale and Harvard degrees; former U.S. Navy officer)
  • a tweet from the Democrats’ thought leader:
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The first day of a federal court patent infringement trial

by philg

As part of my expert witness slavery to the world of patent litigation, I recently reviewed the transcript from a five-day trial.

Part of the first day’s transcript covers jurors attempting to be excused from what was promised to be a single week of jury duty.

  • Teacher saying that she wanted to present for the first day of school. Success!
  • Medical office manager who is responsible for transporting children to school. Failure.
  • Woman with “extreme anxiety”. Success! Not only that, but her plea to be excuse was expedited above most of the others. The judge’s only question for her: “you are in a lot of discomfort about being here?”
  • Bartender who needs to work and get tips to survive financially. Failure.
  • Person who lives one hour away and will have to stay in a hotel to make serving on the jury practical. Failure. (Some of your tax dollars will be used to pay for that hotel, however.)
  • Mom who says that she has to drop off and pick up an 8-year-old at school while the father works from home in an inflexible call center environment. Success!
  • Person who had planned a vacation and had already bought a plane ticket for the trip. Success! (offer to show the judge an email proving the plane ticket purchase was refused)

The surviving jurors received an explanation of what the case was about and, before the attorneys on both sides could give opening arguments, watched the following video:

The action had started at 9 am and the above items filled the time until the lunch break just after noon.

It feels as though some of this stuff could have been done via Zoom or email on the preceding business day. Jurors who were destined to be excused could have avoided coming in, spreading COVID-19, etc. On the other hand, how would you be sure that jurors were paying attention to a YouTube video if they weren’t in the courtroom?

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Who wants to join me on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean? (about $1000 per person)

by philg

I’m going with a work colleague on a Royal Caribbean trip (on-board Internet is pretty good) departing February 6 from Fort Lauderdale. Who wants to join us?

You’ll get to visit a lot of interesting places, albeit briefly, and a basic room with all food included will cost less than if you ate three restaurant meals per day for the period covered (more like $1,500 per person for a room with a window). We can hang out at meals and talk about how to solve all of the world’s problems (like Davos, but with higher humidity). We’ll see the latest Panama Canal locks (read Path Between the Seas first!). Maybe in Colombia we’ll meet Hunter Biden. Like progressive Californians, we’ll demonstrate our commitment to bodily autonomy and human rights by boycotting Texas and visiting a country where abortion care for pregnant people is almost completely illegal.

(The rooms are usually shown with the two twin-ish beds pushed together to form a queen-ish-sized bed, but if you’re traveling with a friend and refusing to adhere to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ religion the cabin stewards will rearrange the room to separate the beds with a night table.)

Send me a private email if you’re interested in joining and we can coordinate!

Related:

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How is Twitter identifying offensive content?

by philg

Here’s a puzzler from a Twitter exchange in which I was a passive observer. Twitter says that there are offensive replies:

If a person were to click on “Show”, he/she/ze/they would be exposed to a world of Nazis, anti-2SLGBTQQIA+ hate, Faucism-denial, Trump-support, etc., right? Here’s what was hidden:

How were these replies “offensive”?

Here’s the full thread, started by Dr. Karen (profile says pronouns “he/him” and “Vote Blue”):

Check out the full beard that this physician chooses to wear. How could he possibly achieve any kind of effective seal with a mask, be it cloth, surgical, N95, or N190 (my personal choice: double N95)?

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The mask-loving Israel-hating geniuses at UC Berkeley

by philg

From “At Berkeley Law, a Debate Over Zionism, Free Speech and Campus Ideals” (New York Times, December 21):

a student group created a bylaw that banned supporters of Zionism from speaking at its events. … the bylaw, which eight other student groups also adopted

That a group of people would adopt an anti-Israel and/or anti-Jewish position is not surprising or delightful to me, but the pictures in this article have me weeping with joy:

The cloth masks, the simple surgical masks, the under-nose masks worn outdoors, … all of the best advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci circa spring 2020 on display in 2022 by people who claim that they are the world’s smartest. The only thing that is missing from these photos is a brother, sister, or binary-resister with a full beard for maximum airflow around the sides of a mask.

Related:

  • More Israel hatred…. “US rabbis warn of ‘irreparable harm’ from new Israeli government” (The Hill): More than 300 U.S. rabbis have put their signatures to a letter warning that Israel’s new government under incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could do “irreparable harm” with extremist policies. (the linked-to letter complains about “eroding LGBTQ rights and the rights of women” and is signed by a bunch of folks who would likely be ineligible to serve as Orthodox rabbis: Karen, Esther, Nina, Claudia, Karen, Rachel, Diana, et al.)
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Kwanzaa versus Hanukkah, a first grade perspective

by philg

The Federal Aviation Administration likes to remind flight instructors that it is possible to control what one says, but not what the recipient of a communication hears.

The Palm Beach Public Schools prepared a helpful two-page document comparing the multi-day candle-oriented holidays of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The local first graders were sentenced to read this document and answer questions about it. Our own first grader was asked by the teacher what the difference was between Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. His answer: “Kwanzaa is for Black people and Hanukkah is for white people.” (When he was at dinner recounting the interaction, I corrected this misinformation faster than a Hunter Biden fan working at Twitter. I cued up a Sammy Davis Jr. song and explained that people of any race could convert to Judaism.)

Shutterfly doesn’t seem to offer a tri-fold holiday card with Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year. So I’ve been adding a Kwanzaa stamp to the holiday cards that I mail to friends in Maskachusetts and California:

Happy Last Day of Kwanzaa to all of my readers who celebrate. And, for readers who aren’t following the Lunar New Year, Happy New Year!… please share your resolutions.

My own resolution? Threatened by SARS-CoV-2, a virus that attacks the obese, I’m going to try to eat more healthful and nutritious meals, as promoted by official scientists at the USDA. For example, pizza topped with extra cheese and supported by a cheese-stuffed crust:

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A Bidenflation New Year’s Eve party

by philg

Some photos from a recent trip to Costco where we stocked up for holiday entertaining. A roast feeds a lot of (masked-for-safety) people inexpensively:

Wash it down with some red wine, reduced in price thanks to a glut in Australia:

Costco in Florida offers fun family fireworks for after dinner:

And the local Publix agrees that explosives and incendiaries are safe for the whole family:

Happy New Year to everyone!

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Toaster for Kwanzaa

by philg

Happy 5th day of Kwanzaa everyone. Here’s a kinara that a friend designed and 3D-printed:

I can probably get the 3D model from him if you need it for next year.

Inspired by the life of Professor Dr. Dr. Maulana Karenga, Ph.D., Ph.D., the creator of Kwanzaa, I ordered a new Breville toaster oven (“They also were hit on the heads with toasters” — Wikipedia) this week. It would have been nicer to get a Karenga- or Kwanzaa-branded toaster, but the Australians behind Breville apparently aren’t experts on Kujichagulia, Ujima, and Kuumba. I’m pretty sure that they have studied Professor Karenga’s work on Ujamaa (“cooperative economics”) because I have had to cooperate with them on about 6 toasters in 12 years (the function knobs fail, making it tough to switch modes; I paid Amazon for 3 extra years of warranty on this latest one). Our old huge-for-a-countertop Breville air fryer oven still works, though the function knob is touchy, but we’re using it outside to cook fish, etc. The Smart Oven Pro takes up less counter space and is plenty big for most projects. It is not quite as heavy as the air fryer version, but still suitable for traditional Kwanzaa observance (hitting kidnapped women on the head). Due to the small size and low thermal mass, it heats up much faster than your regular kitchen oven(s). I love this toaster oven for everything except… making toast. The bread is much farther from the heating elements so you don’t get the fast perfect browning of a conventional pop-up toaster. Who else bought a toaster this year for Kwanzaa?

Let’s check out the Ministry of Truth at ChatGPT:

ChatGPT:

The founder of Kwanzaa is Maulana Karenga, who is not a convicted criminal.

Wikipedia:

In 1971, he was convicted of felony assault, torture, and false imprisonment of women.

(Unclear if there was a specific toaster-related conviction.)

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How are the Europeans doing with their Cheat Our Way to Economic Prosperity plan?

by philg

Back in September, the Europeans decided to deal with energy price inflation by cheating. They’d hide the market prices from consumers by borrowing (printing?) money. “Germany will borrow nearly $200 billion to cap consumers’ energy bills” (CNN, 9/29/2022):

The German government announced plans to borrow €200 billion ($195 billion) to cap natural gas prices for households and businesses. That’s a bigger price tag than the £150 billion ($165 billion) the UK government is expected to borrow to finance its own price cap.

Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is trying to cope with surging gas and electricity costs caused largely by a collapse in Russian gas supplies to Europe. Moscow has blamed these supply issues on the Western sanctions that followed its invasion of Ukraine in February.

“Prices have to come down, so the government will do everything it can. To this end, we are setting up a large defensive shield,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday.

The package will be financed with new borrowing this year, as Berlin makes use of the suspension of a constitutionally enshrined limit on new debt of 0.35% of gross domestic product.

Lindner also said the steps would act as a brake on inflation, which has hit its highest level in more than a quarter century.

Consumer prices rose 10.9% in the year through September, provisional data from the country’s statistics office showed on Thursday.

As in the U.S., when the government spends more, inflation is guaranteed to come down (our “Inflation Reduction Act”). It’s been a few months How has the decision to pretend that gas prices didn’t go up gone? This December 14, 2022 report says that inflation across Europe is typically in the double digits. How about in Switzerland, where they deny the Science of printing money? From December 1: “Swiss inflation steady at 3.0% in November as expected”. The U.S. Congress and Federal Reserve have proven that there is no need to work harder in order to become richer and yet the Swiss reject this proven scientific result.

At least back in October, inflation wasn’t keeping folks in Paris from partying:

What about our own stagflation? “Home Depot co-founder says ‘socialism’ killed motivation to work: ‘Nobody gives a damn’” (New York Post, 12/29/2022):

The 93-year-old billionaire co-founder of Home Depot blamed “socialism” for Americans lacking the motivation to work and warned that the future of capitalism is in danger.

Bernie Marcus — who along with Arthur Blank built Home Depot into a nationwide empire from just two stores founded in Atlanta in the late 1970s — told Financial Times on Thursday, “Nobody works.”

“Just give it to me. Send me money. I don’t want to work — I’m too lazy, I’m too fat, I’m too stupid,” Marcus said about what he perceived as the attitude permeating the country.

“Nobody gives a damn.”

The longtime Republican backer ticked down a list of people he blamed for standing in the way of private enterprise, including President Biden, “the woke people,” the news media, Harvard graduates, MBAs, lawyers and accountants.

“I’m worried about capitalism,” said Marcus, whose net worth is estimated by Bloomberg at $5.25 billion. “Capitalism is the basis of Home Depot [and] millions of people have earned this success and had success.”

Billionaires can’t buy this Bernie because he already is one!

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