Posts from — June 2013

I’ve been watching Invest 91 that is out in the Gulf north of the Yucatan Strait between Cuba and Mexico.

Conditions are not very good for significant development, but that can change. At the moment it looks like it is heading for Apalachicola on the ‘elbow’.

The BBC reports that the Blind Federation slams Captcha security test

The National Federation for the Blind says its members are unable to sign an e-petition calling for printed material to be more accessible to the visually impaired because of “Captcha” security.

A Captcha is a graphic or sound of a random word or number users must key in to prove they are human.

The petition, on the White House website, has received just 8,200 signatures.

The White House says the site complies with US accessibility standards.

The principal requirement for any ‘accessibility standard’ is that something be accessible. If it isn’t accessible, then the ‘standard’ is worthless. That, of course, ignores the reality that the use of a web site already makes the process inaccessible to millions of Americans who have no access to the Internet.

Instead of getting defensive, why doesn’t someone admit that there apparently is a problem, and do something to fix it. That is probably too much to HOPE for with the current White House.

Dr Masters reports about 3 of the 12 people who died: Tornado Scientist Tim Samaras and Team Killed in Friday’s El Reno, OK Tornado

Veteran tornado scientist Tim Samaras, his son, environmental photographer Paul Samaras, 24, and meteorologist Carl Young, 45, died while chasing Friday’s EF-3 tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma.

The thing is that Tim Samaras has collected, analyzed, and reported on the internal data of tornadoes that has increased the lead time for predicting them. He took calculated risks to position his probes directly in the path of the tornado, to take readings of the internal conditions, not simply following them and taking pictures.

The problem for the storm chasers in Oklahoma City on Friday was there was so much traffic that they couldn’t find an escape route when the tornadoes changed direction.

This coming week should see the delivery of the extra pieces that I ordered for the PI. I’m getting a 7-port powered USB hub, an HDMI to DVI cable, a case, and some heat sinks.

I don’t actually need any of this stuff, but I want them to simplify my computer set-up. The board arrived with everything necessary to get the system up and running except the software, and that was easy to download.

I bought a plastic soap dish, and could have easily cut out the necessary holes to use it as a case, but I was concerned about air flow and cooling. If I really like playing with the Pi I will probably buy or build another case later, but I didn’t want to go overboard.

Update: A place to check before you buy anything – Raspberry Pi Verified Peripherals

For years the combination of Frontline Plus and Bengal Flea Killer have kept things under control in my house. The cats were happy and had the run of the house, and I wasn’t getting bit by fleas. That changed this year, as apparently the current fleas are immune to Frontline and Bengal.

My switch to Advantage II appears to have been successful for Excise, so I will apply it to Property in another week. I’m waiting on Property because she was treated with Frontline a little over a week ago and I want that to wear off.

To immediately attack the flea problem I bought three flea traps, one each from: SpringStar, Victor, and Enforcer. All of them work essentially the same way by using a light to attract the fleas that are then stuck on adhesive pads. The good news is that in my house they all work. All of them have managed to trap fleas, a lot of fleas. They each have strengths and weaknesses which I will go into later.

The net result is that my personal ‘bare shin test’ is now resulting in around 10 fleas, instead of the the 50 flea norm two days ago.

I have a recommendation by a neighbor for a spray to replace the Bengal. I will be testing that to see how it works.

June 1^st:

The official start of the hurricane season.

Events:
1495 – Friar John Cor records the first known batch of scotch whisky.
1660 – Mary Dyer is hanged in Boston, Massachusetts, for defying a law banning Quakers from the colony. She is considered by some to be the last religious martyr in what would become the United States.
1890 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine to count census returns.
1967 – The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
1980 – The Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.

Births:
1563 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English statesman and spymaster (d. 1612)
1780 – Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general (d. 1831)
1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (d. 1857)

For some reason I didn’t make the list.