Sunday, July 20, 2025

The Entertainment Page -- Let Me Go My Merry Way -- July 20, 2025

Locator: 48791LETMEGOMYMERRYWAY.

A musical interlude, The Platters, Twilight Time. Link here.

If I had all the money in the world, I would be in Palm Springs tonight, in the pool, with five or six others. My wife would be in the kitchen, making nachos for the group. She can't stand the water. LOL.

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The Movie Page

My library of movies continues to grow. This remains my favorite but can only want it once or twice a year. [I can watch Hitchcock's North By Northwest twice a month and not get bored, though I quit watching once they start "wrestling" on top of Mount Rushmore, but that's a different story.)

Back to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I love it whenever  TTSP shows up on some list, and I can't disagree with this observation at the Atlantic. 

Years ago, I read the book and watched the movie simultaneously, taking notes to compare the movie with the book. I thought I posted those notes, but I can't find those notes, if they exist. I'll keep looking. If I find those notes, I will post them. But yes, I agree, the movie was much better than the book but having said that, the movie was so incredibly good, no book, no matter how good, could have competed with the movie.

I would like to post a clip from the movie, but no one clip would do justice to the movie. 

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Truly Inspired

Released in 1964, the track appears on the album "Charlie Rich." This version credits C. Rich as the composer and lyricist, with Anita Kerr as the arranger and Chet Atkins as the producer. Link here.

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One More And Then We'll Quit

Every version of the song on YouTube is different. I love 'em all. Unable to decide which was best to post.

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Foreign Exchange Reserves -- July, 2025, Update -- Posted July 20, 2025

Locator: 48790SAUDI.

Locator: 48790CHINA.

Locator: 48790RUSSIA.

Saudi Arabia Foreign Exchange Reserves. Link here.

Russia, link here. June, 2025, data:

China, link here:

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Musical Interlude 

It's amazing how well this has held up over the years.

 Heart of glass, Blondie.

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Satellites: Think Of Commuications Satellites As "Cell Towers" In Space -- July 20, 2025

Locator: 48789SGPS.

Updates

September 15, 2025: Amazon Kuiper update. Link here.

Original Post 

From an earlier post, July 16, 2025, link here:

Satellites, Amazon: 

  • Amazon's Kuiper internet satellites
    • Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 can launch upwards of 36 of these satellites at a time
    • 24 were launched today, Wednesday, July 16, 2025
    • SpaceX's Starlink has 8,000 satellites in order
    • Amazon is trying to catch up
    • the article says Amazon has 83 launches scheduled including three "rides" with SpaceX

Amazon launched Project Kuiper in 2019 with a goal of providing broadband internet from a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites. The company is working under a tight deadline imposed by the Federal Communications Commission that requires it to have about 1,600 satellites in orbit by the end of July 2026.
  • Back of the envelope:
    • 1,600 - 78 = 1,522
      • 1,522 / 36 = 42 launches
      • 1,522 / 24 = 63 launches
    • 533 days until December 31, 2026
      • 533 days / 53 launches = ten days between each launch
    • that seems like a lot of launches

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Satellite Constellations: Starlink vs Kuiper

Why so many satellites? Think of each satellite as a single transmitter tower on earth. Same concept.

Both Amazon’s Kuiper and SpaceX’s Starlink constellations operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). 

Here’s a quick breakdown: 

SpaceX Starlink

  • Orbit altitude: ~340 to 550 km (210–340 miles)
  • Total satellites planned: ~12,000 (with FCC approval for up to 30,000+) 
  • Purpose: Global broadband internet with low latency 
  • Current status: Over 6,000 satellites launched and operational as of 2025 

Amazon Kuiper

  • Orbit altitude: three shells planned -- 590 km - 610 km - 630 km
  • Total satellites planned: 3,236 (FCC-approved) 
  • Purpose: Similar to Starlink — high-speed, low-latency internet access globally, especially for underserved areas 
  • Current status: First two prototype satellites launched in late 2023; commercial deployment expected in 2025–2026

Why LEO for Both?

  • Lower latency: Ideal for real-time apps (Zoom, gaming, etc.)
  • Smaller ground terminals: Easier for consumers
  • More satellites needed: To provide seamless global coverage (since each LEO satellite covers less area than a GEO satellite) So yes, both are LEO networks — part of a new generation of satellite internet focused on speed, accessibility, and global reach.

What does ChatGPT mean when it says "smaller ground terminals" make it easier for consumers?

ChatGPT's answer:

Because LEO satellites orbit closer to Earth (~300–600 km), the signal doesn’t have to travel as far as it does from higher-altitude satellites (like geostationary satellites at 35,786 km). 

This has several effects: 

1. Less Power Required A stronger signal means the user’s terminal (dish/antenna) doesn’t need a high-powered transmitter or giant dish to connect. Smaller devices can do the job. 

2. Smaller, Cheaper Hardware Consumers get compact, plug-and-play ground terminals — like SpaceX’s “Dishy,” which is about the size of a pizza box. That’s easier to: 

  • ship 
  • install
  • maintain 

3. No Special Technician Required: Traditional satellite internet (GEO-based) often required professional installation, dish alignment, and expensive equipment. With LEO systems, many users can self-install in minutes. 

In Summary: Because LEO satellites are closer and provide a stronger signal with less latency, they allow for smaller, more affordable, and more user-friendly ground terminals — a huge advantage for consumer adoption, especially in rural or underserved areas.

With this prompt, one can learn why SpaceX Starlink will have significantly more satellites (8,000) that Amazon: 

The fact that SpaceX Starlink will have 8,000 satellites and Amazon will have 3,000 satellites, does this mean the Kuiper satellites are "stronger," more capable, or does have SpaceX Starlink have one mission and Amazon has something different, requiring fewer satellites?

In other words, we're going to be launching more and more satellites well into the future. 

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ChatGPT And NASCAR — July 20, 20

In the old days. I would spend several minutes surfing the net trying to figure out where we are/were with regard to NASCAR racing. 

With ChatGPT, one prompt and I get a comprehensive update in less than one second. Today’s prompt: 

With regard to NASCAR, where are we at this point in the NASCAR racing season?

Currently at the halfway mark on TNT Sports. 

In the future, AI will push me this information one hour before the race starts and I won’t have initiate the search.

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B-52 Near Miss

Quick! What type of Delta a/c nearly had a midair collision with a B-52 near Minot, ND, a couple of days ago, July 18, 2025? Still looking for that answer? It was an Embraer E175 regional jet, made in Brazil, SkyWest flight 3788, MSP to Minot International. Took ChatGPT a nanosecond to find it.

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The Book Page 

The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created The Modern World, Simon Winchester, c. 2018.

Notes for this book are posted here.

In one paragraph I understood how satellites and GPS works. 

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A "Word Association" Exercise -- Cities Around The United States -- July 19, 2025

Locator: 48787WORDASSOCIATION.

A reader's comments led to me writing this blog. In the note, the reader suggested where In-n-Out's California headquarters will ultimately be sited.

When I retired from the military eighteen years ago, my wife and I had planned to move every two years, living in efficiency apartments and really getting to know each city / region / state in the union. We didn't quite do that -- every two years -- but we came incredibly close. Since retirement we have spent extensive time in:

  • New Hampshire
  • South Carolina
  • Boston
  • Los Angeles, specifically along the coast
  • Portland, OR
  • Flathead Lake, Montana
  • south Texas (San Antonio)
  • north Texas (DFW)

It got me to thinking. What do I think of when I think of the following places in the United States that I might live. Again, this is a "word association" exercise, what I think of when I think of these locations, not what makes me like or dislike these particular locations.

California: outdoor sports; hiking; mountains; oceans; Hollywood; Disneyland; San Francisco; the wharf, beautiful people; rich people; shallow people, South Pasadena, Colorado Blvd.

  • northern California: everything southern California is not
  • southern California: everything northern California is not

Atlanta, Georgia: traffic. A distant second -- the airport to get me to Europe.

Boston: liberal college students; liberal professors; schools of business; Harvard, MIT, the Red Sox, a really, really good subway system.

NYC: liberal, human energy; busy; busy; busy; Wall Street; financial center of the world; subway system sucks; no POVs; five boroughs.

Florida: gentrified; rich, old people living off capital gains and dividends; the opposite of the beautiful people in California; hurricanes; shallow people.

Northern tier:

  • rust belt: western Pennsylvania to  Ohio.
  • fly-over: Indiana to eastern Montana.
    • Chicago: connecting flights 
    • southwestern North Dakota: Teddy Roosevelt
    • northwestern North Dakota: oil, Phil Jackson, Katie Ledecky
  • western Montana: eastern paradise. No airports, once you get there, no reason to leave.
  • northern Idaho: western paradise. No airports, once you get there, no reason to leave.
  • Washington State, Oregon: 

DFW: not Dallas, not Fort Worth, but DFW. 

This is the only metropolitan area in the United States of which I am aware that is defined by not one, but two airports: DFW and LUV (Dallas Love Field). Just as "Frankfurt, Germany" was defined by its airport when we were stationed overseas. Frankfurt, Germany, was a lot of things, but for me, it was the airport. Likewise, DFW is "my life" now, but the first word that comes to my mind when I hear  DFW is the airport. And yet, DFW is a geo-political unit in north Texas.

So, what's the first thing I think of, after airports when I think of Dallas, Ft Worth, or DFW?

Amazon fulfillment centers.

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Production Data For Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- July 20, 2025

Locator: 48789WELLS.

The wells:

  • 41348, conf, CLR, Carlton 2-7H, East Fork, npd,
  • 41115, conf, Murfin Drilling, Steffan 1-24H, Willmen,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-202539632496
4-202566181678
3-202559811238
2-202512121677
1-20254360
  • 41114, conf, Murfin Drilling, Steffan 1-25H, Willmen,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-202561603880
4-202565332004
3-202565091198
2-202510125689
1-20254030
  • 41105, conf, Murfin Drilling, Steffan 1-30H, Willmen,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-202550493181
4-20253295985
3-20254352913
2-20257777458
1-20253870
  • 41526, conf, CLR, Syverson 7-12HSL, East Fork, npd,
  • 40682, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 5B, Tioga,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20251996520907
4-20252354429544
3-20252259526529
2-20251518318359
1-2025102134
  • 40681, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 4B, Tioga,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20252294624896
4-20252216329712
3-20252370228420
2-20251557518254
1-2025819982
  • 41347, conf, CLR, Syverson 6-12H, East Fork, npd,
  • 40680, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 2B, Tioga,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20251555618007
4-20252150232542
3-20252115330399
2-20251579520055
1-202511841503
  • 40580, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 3B, Tioga,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20251884720264
4-20252184930799
3-20252197928455
2-20251461516759
1-202520112661
  • 41133, conf, Petro-Hunt, Klevmoen Trust 153-95-20A-32-1HS, Charlson, npd,
  • 41346, conf, CLR, Syverson 5-12H, East Fork, npd,
  • 40550, conf, Hunt Oil, Redmond 157-89-19-30H 2, Clear Water,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-2025124765858
4-2025142705645
3-2025152374496
2-2025150683835
1-202560851197
  • 40181, conf, Hunt Oil, Clearwater, 157-90-23-26H 4, Clear Water,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-202597366300
4-2025162378151
3-2025193067863
2-2025109723410
  • 40862, conf, Grayson Mill, Martin 32-36 XS 1H, Rosebud,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20251931616657
4-20252450220848
3-20253464329446
2-20251948916278
1-2025184059099
  • 41042, conf, Oasis, Sedge 5202 24-17 3B, Glass Bluff, npd,
  • 40809, conf, Oasis, Wolfman 5602 43-15 3B, Bonetrail,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20251894614108
4-20251610611896
3-20252001914487
2-2025132069654
1-20252427
  • 40808, conf, Oasis, Wolfman 5602 43-15 2B, Bonetrail,
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
5-20251685212124
4-20251397310080
3-20251886313363
2-20251536410742
1-202568634914

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Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- July 20, 2025

Locator: 48788WELLS.

The wells:

Wednesday, July 20, 2025: 45 for the month, 45 for the quarter, 475 for the year,
41348, conf, CLR, Carlton 2-7H,
41115, conf, Murfin Drilling, Steffan 1-24H,
41114, conf, Murfin Drilling, Steffan 1-25H,
41105, conf, Murfin Drilling, Steffan 1-30H,

Tuesday, July 29, 2025: 41 for the month, 41 for the quarter, 471 for the year,
41526, conf, CLR, Syverson 7-12HSL,

Monday, July 28, 2025: 40 for the month, 40 for the quarter, 470 for the year,
40682, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 5B,
40681, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 4B,

Sunday, July 27, 2025: 38 for the month, 38 for the quarter, 468 for the year,
41347, conf, CLR, Syverson 6-12H,
40680, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 2B,
40580, conf, Oasis, Ongstad 5795 13-15 3B,

Saturday, July 26, 2025: 35 for the month, 35 for the quarter, 465 for the year,
41133, conf, Petro-Hunt, Klevmoen Trust 153-95-20A-32-1HS,

Friday, July 25, 2025: 34 for the month, 34 for the quarter, 464 for the year,
None.

Thursday, July 24, 2025: 34 for the month, 34 for the quarter, 464 for the year
41346, conf, CLR, Syverson 5-12H,
40550, conf, Hunt Oil, Redmond 157-89-19-30H 2,
40181, conf, Hunt Oil, Clearwater, 157-90-23-26H 4,

Wednesday, July 23, 2025: 31 for the month, 31 for the quarter, 461 for the year,
None.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025: 31 for the month, 31 for the quarter, 461 for the year,
40862, conf, Grayson Mill, Martin 32-36 XS 1H,

Monday, July 21, 2025: 30 for the month, 30 for the quarter, 460 for the year,
None.

Sunday, July 20, 2025: 30 for the month, 30 for the quarter, 460 for the year,
None.

Saturday, July 19, 2025: 30 for the month, 30 for the quarter, 460 for the year,
41042, conf, Oasis, Sedge 5202 24-17 3B,
40809, conf, Oasis, Wolfman 5602 43-15 3B,
40808, conf, Oasis, Wolfman 5602 43-15 2B,

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