Posts from — August 2014

OK, now I’m trying Akismet, which is supposed to be non-hostile. One of the good things is that it doesn’t just delete what it considers spam, but puts it in a folder where I can see it. That means, if you get picked on, I can get the comment back and know there is a problem. The last program just deleted it unless you turned on a log. You had to download the log file to see what it was deleting.

Somewhere there is a happy/golden median that dumps the major offenders without junking actual comments.

Update: So far Akismet hasn’t dumped anything into the spam folder that wasn’t spam after 24 hours in operation.

Invest 99 is currently crossing the Yucatan Peninsula which is disrupting organization, but it will be over the very warm waters of the Bay of Campeche tomorrow and has a 60% chance of becoming a tropical storm.

It is currently forecast to come ashore on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, but the computer models are not in agreement on a track yet.

Storms that are ‘born’ in the Bay of Campeche can intensify extremely quickly, and that can change the track substantially.

I have turned off the new spam filter because it has been over active in its pursuit of spam. I’ll be talking to them to see if I can tweak it or establish a ‘white list’ so it doesn’t annoy regulars here.

Back to deleting hundreds of spam comments a day until there is a resolution, because it identified me as a spammer when I tried to comment using using my test ID in Chrome.

In Trouble

I was just playing!

[Editor: Hadley is in deep yogurt with his mom, Ms Underhouse, for stalking and jumping one of the new kits. He got a half dozen hits from the ‘Paws of Pain’.

Friday Ark

Position: 45.5N 47.1W [10AM CDT 1500 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [055°] near 44 mph [70 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 90 mph [145 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 310 miles [405 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 115 miles [185 km].
Minimum central pressure: 980mb ↓.

Currently about 300 miles [ 480 km] East-Southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

At 10AM CDT the NHC reports that the storm has lost its tropical characteristics and transitioned to a large and dangerous post-tropical cyclone. There will be no further advisories from the NHC.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

There is a simple test to find out if your child is ready to fire an UZI:

Buy a 22 ounce framing hammer, a pound of 10d box nails, and a couple of 2X4s. When the child can consistently drive the nails into the doubled 2X4s they have the grip and wrist strength to hold and control an UZI.

Now, buy them a tennis racquet and send them to the ‘Y’ for lessons, because playing tennis is a lot more useful than shooting automatic weapons.

I have fired an UZI and it sucks. I have small hands and the weapon requires really big hands to control with confidence. The military UZIs I fired had folding stocks, which even if not extended added the weight to help to control the tendency of the weapon to jump. I fired it at hip height with my left hand gripping on the top to keep the rounds within the same Zip code as the range.

The US Army replaced the full automatic of the M-16 with the burst mode of the M-4 because full automatic was a good way to waste ammo without increasing effectiveness.

If you must have a weapon that fires a lot of bullets in a short span of time, buy a 12 gauge shotgun and use 00 buck shot – it’s the equivalent of firing about 9 rounds of 9MM with every pull of the trigger, a better hit pattern, and a cheaper cost to own. It also doesn’t require a $250/year Federal license like an automatic weapon.

Position: 40.2N 56.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: East-Northeast [065°] near 46 mph [74 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 85 mph [140 kph].
Wind Gusts: 100 mph [160 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 255 miles [405 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 970mb ↓.

Currently about 480 miles [ 775 km] South-Southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

The storm is picking up wind speed and movement speed. It is forecast to lose its tropical characteristics tomorrow, but will still be major bad news for ships and possibly Iceland as an extra-tropical storm.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

The new spam filter is working and says it has blocked about 150 spam comments since yesterday. This filter might ask you about Javescript settings and cookies because apparently ‘bots don’t deal with those, but I’m hoping it’s transparent to people who have genuine comments.

The key was to change nothing while I was logged in as an administrator. After a computer re-boot I made the changes to the plugin directory, then brought up the browser and logged in, and the program recognized the changes. This is one of those cases where having multiple things open on your computer is not a benefit.

Position: 34.1N 69.9W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [050°] near 20 mph [31 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 90 mph [145 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 984mb.

Currently about 320 miles [ 515 km] West-Northwest of Bermuda.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

The polls close at 7PM CDT on the Panhandle, so it you haven’t voted yet, go do it.

There were actually two other people voting when I did, which is unusual for any election, but especially a primary election at my polling location.

Position: 30.4N 71.5W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North [360°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 80 mph [130 kph].
Wind Gusts: 95 mph [150 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 240 miles [390 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 983mb ↓.

Currently about 415 miles [ 670 km] West-Southwest of Bermuda.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Bermuda.

The storm is expanding and generating large swells and surf that will cause coastal erosion, rip currents, and high dangerous surf along the East Coast of the US and Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

When I updated to the latest version of WordPress my old reliable spam filter died, so I’ve been deleting dozens of comments trying to sell me counterfeit designer handbags or cheap drugs, as well as some just looking for links.

I tried the standard method of installing the new spam filter, but the page where you activate plugins doesn’t see it, although the new page for adding plugins knows about it.

As they are working on yet another new version of WordPress, I doubt anyone will look into the problem.

I have also been doing some genealogy research to fill in some gaps for the family record on my father’s side.

Election tomorrow in Florida which finds me unlikely to vote for anyone with ‘incumbent’ next to their name.

Position: 25.1N 71.9W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [030°] near 2 mph [ 4 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 90 mph [145 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 45 miles [ 75 km].
Minimum central pressure: 989mb ↓.

Currently about 655 miles [1055 km] Southwest of Bermuda.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 24.8N 73.1W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North [350°] near 5 mph [ 7 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph [ 75 kph].
Wind Gusts: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Minimum central pressure: 998 mb.

Currently about 105 miles [ 165 km] East-Northeast of San Salvador.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Central Bahamas including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]