The Irony Of It All -- July 27, 2023

Locator: 45230B. 

Moments ago a reader sent me a comment about the quirkiness of Apple / Apple products. For the life of me, I couldn't "reply" on my own blog to to the reader's comment. I tried everything. Switched from Firefox to Safari and then back to Firefox and nothing worked.

Finally, out of "desperation," as it were, I opened the blog using Chrome and I could finally respond. 

And then, on top of that, several other problems I had with "blogger" on either Safari or Firefox went away with Chrome.

Of course, I suppose that makes sense. Chrome is an Alphabet/Google browser and the "blogger app" is owned by Alphabet/Google.

So after all these years, maybe I will have to give up Firefox and use Chrome when blogging. 

We'll see.

**************

EVS

I want to make sure I’m clear on this. I write a lot about EVs and I’m investing in Daimler Trucking which  is very much an EV investment, just as folks who invest in, let’s say, GM, are also investing in EVs.

However, I am 100% sure “this” is not going to end well.

“This”: EVs.

I still think EVs are an unmitigated disaster on every level and it’s just a matter of time before it becomes obvious to all.

There are so many aspects when I say “on every level” I may start a series on why “this” is such an unmitigated disaster. But it seems to be such a waste of time. Sort of like preaching to the choir.

Instead, I’ll probably re-post this periodically just to make sure folks know where I stand on this.

Good, finally got that posted.

**************

Entertainment

Best ads on OTT right now: Old Spice.

Speaking of which: I haven’t seen a Bud ad in ages. 

I only watch YouTube any more, along with “Monk.” Rare exceptions do I watch anything else.

I now spend hours in the local library, five days a week (or more). 

**************

Rat Pack

A must-watch: The Dean Martin Association document on the “Rat Pack.”

I’ll know you found it on YouTube if you can tell me the founder of the Rat Pack and its president.

**************

The Heat

I made a conscious decision two or three years ago to quit following wind / solar / renewable energy to the extent I had been following the subject. Again, I wasn’t getting anything out of it. 

When I last spent any time on the subject I recall all the articles on sunspots and the solar cycle and coming heat spell. I suppose that was about two years ago, maybe longer. But it certainly seems to be playing out as “forecast.”

June 2, 2023: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/time-lapse-of-solar-cycle-25-displays-increasing-activity-the-sun. The lede: 

In case you missed it, Solar Cycle 25 has ramped up much faster than scientists predicted producing more sunspots and eruptions than experts had forecast. 

Tracking and predicting the Sun’s solar cycles gives a rough idea of the frequency of space weather storms of all types – from radio blackouts to geomagnetic storms and solar radiation storms – and it’s used by many industries to gauge the potential impact of space weather on Earth. 

Though we are seeing increased activity on the Sun, we expect this solar cycle to be average compared to solar cycles in the past century. Solar Cycle 25 began in December 2019 with a marked increase in solar activity.