Clearing Out The In-Box -- April 24, 2020

Disclaimer: in a long note like this, there will be content and typographical errors. In addition, there will be a few items that I will regret having posted some years from now. 

I used to answer all of my e-mail from readers regarding the blog, but the amount of e-mail regarding same has become so overwhelming I can no longer do that. I've asked Sophia to help me but she says she has other things to do. I will do my best to answer as much e-mail as possible. Regardless, I do read it all. And I definitely appreciate the links.

OPEC basket, link here.  Has recovered a bit -- back up to $15.23. Was down to almost $12 yesterday.

Canadian dollar: still holding above US 70 cents.

Some of my favortie blogs when I can't sleep, all linked at the sidebar at the right:

• PowerLine (bookmarked on my toolbar; not at the blog)
• Intellectual Froglegs (not at the sidebar; not sure where I have it linked)
• Watt's Up With That?
• Not A Lot Of People Know That
• Real Climate Science
• ZeroHedge (occasionally)
• Vic Hanson

From those blogs, posts that caught my attention:

• new video: the most dishonest science in 1,200 years;
• rising seas? Bill Gates buys beachfront home for $43 million;
• ice-free Arctic update: global warming scientists are stuck on ice-locked ship in the Arctic due to coronavirus;
• ISIS beheadings? Saudi Arabia, hold my beer. 800 beheadings under Prince MbS;
• John Houghton-obituary; global warming scientist dies of coronavirus;
• Happy Earth Day: none of the eco-doomsday predictions have come true;
• from the EV vault: Renault Zoe -- Joke of the Year;
• UN: Wuhan flu lockdown CO2 emissions fall is only temporary;
• Virginia governor raises cost of energy -- when Virginians can least afford it;
• the end of Big Green? The [London] Guardian praises Michael Moore's anti-renewables movie, "Planet of the Humans"; I was only able to watch the first five minutes of the movie before I became bored and moved on; 
• that crushing moment -- the meme;
• solar cycle 25 has started;

Other links folks have sent me:

• volcanic activity escalating in part of Iceland that has not erupted for 800 years;

Wuhan flu:

• the pandemic: cardinal numbers no one talks about; 

The southern border wall:

• webcam to come soon; a reader reminds us to "wave to Tommy"; 

Of all the topics I follow outside the Bakken, perhaps the topic I feel is most important: the solar cycles; easy to lose track of this;

Gamboge: I never did get back to this "word of the day." You are on your own. Wiki. Cambodia and gamboge both come from same root word; gamboge "originated" from Cambodia.

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Wuhan Flu and California

From Vic Hanson:

The California paradox, for example, continues as the state of 40 million currently has suffered fewer than 900 deaths, or about 23 per million population. Except for Texas, no large state has gotten off so far so lightly. Indeed, in terms of deaths per million,

California has been more fortunate than large countries in Europe, including Germany, that are currently seen as a model of containment and thus gearing up to return to graduated normalcy.

Lots of researchers are curious why a state once modeled in end-of-days-fashion, and deemed so vulnerable given its exposure to Chinese visitation, its staggering number of residents living below the poverty level and dependent on state assistance, and its less than impressive per capita number of hospital beds, nurses, and doctors is not yet in extremis.

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Amazon

I used to go out shopping every day -- many days I would simply go to Barnes and Noble and browse, not buy anything. But with the lock down, I'm not shopping much at local brick and mortar stores, but instead ... Amazon ...

It's quite remarkable how many packages I get from Amazon each week. I used to "consolidate" orders but no more. If I need something, I order it regardless of the price (not entirely true: I do have a personal minimum $7.98 when ordering). Yesterday, I ordered a table of writing paper for Sophia, $5.99 but added something else (I forget what) for another $5 of $6.

I used to keep track of Amazon packages, to make sure I never missed any. No longer. In the past decade or so of ordering from Amazon, I have never missed a package (knock on wood). I no longer follow orders. If they come, they come. If not, I assume I will never know. But that's how dependable Amazon has become. I have done a few things to ensure that my packages actually arrive, and Amazon has definitely improved their game.

Same with Omaha Steaks. With all this talk about meat-packing plants (Smithfield, Tyson) closing due to Wuhan flu, one may want to develop a closer relationship with Omaha Steaks. Just saying.

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The Apple Page

Porsche launches CarPlay radios for classic Porsches. Is this not cool, or what?

• Porsche has recently launched new CarPlay-equipped audio systems compatible with classic Porsche vehicles dating as far back as the 1960s (via TechCrunch).

If only I had a bigger house. LOL.

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Weather in North Texas

It was an incredibly nice day yesterday. Sophia and I rode our bikes in the park for about 90 minutes. More of the same forecast today.

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The Lock Down and Crawdads

Wow, it's hard to believe but it's already Friday and another "lock-down" week has passed.

I've now had crawfish almost every other day this week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday).  I'm not sure if I will continue the routine through the end of the season, but I very well may. With no traffic on the road, the trip is easy. And by not eating in the restaurant, I'm saving as much as $6/meal on a beverage, but more importantly, I am ordering for only one person. Normally, two of us would go to the restaurant and the tab would be more than double what I'm paying for a single take-out meal.

I remember living in England for extended periods of time back in 2002 - 2004, or thereabouts. The English are really, really big on take-out -- especially Indian food. There are a lot of reasons for that. I don't think that will become the norm here in the US but certainly the lock down will change some dining-out routines here in the US, at least for the short term once we get back to "normal."