Longing for Layoffs

  I long for the good old days when a company would lay off its workers. When revenue was down, a company would eliminate the excess workers. The employer would pay them a severance – perhaps one week’s pay for each year of service. It costs money initially, but the company would save money in the long term. As well, the workers would be entitled to unemployment benefits. Ahh, those were the good old days indeed.

  Now it seems that employers are too cheap to do that. They’ve found other ways to reduce the workforce without resorting to lay offs. Not only can they avoid paying severance, they keep the cost of unemployment insurance at a minimum. ^{1 2}

  My employer brags about how it doesn’t lay off its workers. Instead, it imposes a “salary sacrifice” during business down cycles. Then, when the up cycle arrives, it makes amends by giving everyone a salary reward greater than the sacrifice. The reward is paid with shares of stock.

  But the company doesn’t brag about how it finds excuses to fire workers or put them on probation, which allows them to avoid paying rewards and bonuses. It starts by assigning an employee an impossibly large workload outside of the employee’s area of expertise. As the employee invariably fails to “meet expectations,” it gas-lights him or her into believing he or she is underperforming, unworthy and deserving of probation. The paper trail starts with a written warning and is followed by probation. ³

  What can an employee do in this situation? According to Workplace Fairness, it’s important to build your case by gathering paperwork and witnesses. ⁴ Personally, I think it’s a good idea to look for a new job.

---

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_insurance_in_the_United_States
² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_modifier
³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciplinary_probation
⁴ https://www.workplacefairness.org/building-your-case/

More Than 1000 Wordle Games Played

Recently I completed my one thousandth game of Wordle.  Here's a screenshot of my stats:

 

I win nearly every game I start.  The win percentage of 99, which I consider too low, is because I've missed a game every so often.

More Than Two Choices

As I wait for the Vice Presidential Debate to begin, I’d like to remind you that we have more than two choices. Here’s a list of some candidates that I’ve heard of in the news:

• Kamala Harris (Democrat)
• Donald Trump (Republican)
• Jill Stein (Green Party) https://www.gp.org
• Chase Oliver (Libertarian) https://votechaseoliver.com
• Paperboy Love Prince https://paperboy.nyc/
• Literally Anybody Else https://literallyanybodyelse.com

To view a complete list, please navigate to this Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-party_and_independent_candidates_for_the_2024_United_States_presidential_election

Thanks to Audacious for interviewing Paperboy Love Prince and Literally Anybody Else:
https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-09-27/presidential-candidates-paperboy-love-prince-literally-anybody-else

Goodbye Buddy

Today, on Labor Day, 9/2, our second dog was euthanized.

I was given his ashes four days later, in a sturdy, handsome, lustrous wooden box, with bright brass hardware. He was a big boy. It was fittingly quite heavy. Despite that, it was insubstantial. 

This box and its contents was all that was left of him, after over twelve years. He was reduced to a hefty sack of ashes. 

He would protect our backyard from crows, rabbits, deer, bears, opossum and, of course, squirrels. But not for the last couple of years, because he could not see them, and so he didn't chase them. He could sense when they were there, and he’d strain to look, to seek them out earnestly. But he found only confusion.

I dispersed his ashes around the perimeter of our backyard, moving Widdershins¹, the direction of release, giving him one last opportunity to guard the yard. As I did so, I chanted "Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō"² and "Om, Mani Padme Hum,"³ alternating them.

Goodbye old buddy, old pal. Until we meet again.

---

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widdershins

²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namu_My%C5%8Dh%C5%8D_Renge_Ky%C5%8D

³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum

Google's Epic AI Fail

Eleven days ago, the CDC reported that a recent outbreak of Listeria most likely was due to Boar’s Head Liverwurst¹. Since then, Boar’s Head issued a massive recall of meat products.

Having just bought a package of hot dogs, I asked my Android phone “What should I do with my Boar’s Head hot dogs?”

Google’s AI search engine replied:

Boar's Head hot dogs can be prepared in many ways, including grilling, boiling, or creating your own style. Here are some recipes for cooking Boar's Head hot dogs….

The correct answer is more along the lines of:

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and retailers are urged not to sell these products with the referenced sell by dates. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Consumers who have purchased these products are also urged to clean refrigerators thoroughly to prevent the risk of cross-contamination.²

Is this how AI plans to eliminate humans?

---

¹https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24/details.html

²https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/boars-head-provisions-co--expands-recall-ready-eat-meat-and-poultry-products-due

How I Dealt With Yellow Well Water

We lost electrical power when a line of severe thunderstorms swept across our state.  When the power came back 18 hours later, I was surprised to learn that our well water tank still was under pressure – we hadn’t run out of water!

I also was surprised when I refilled the dog’s water dish – the water was yellow!  The first photo below shows two bottles of water.  The one on the left was filled prior to the power outage; the one on the right, after.

There was no foul odor; no odor whatsoever, in fact.  The taste was off, though, as if “softened” by some salt.

My guess is that some silt or rust had been stirred up in the tank when the pump kicked in.  The lower-than-usual tank pressure allowed the ingress of water at a higher velocity.

I figured it would clear up on its own in a few days.  But my wife, who suffers from bizarre medical problems as well as anxiety, kept insisting that we call for service first thing Monday.  Lucky for me she didn’t know whom to call, nor did she know that they respond to emergency calls.  I was afraid that the technician would convince my wife that we needed a special filtration system.  And, of course, emergency calls cost more.

So I decided to flush the tank.

This is extremely easy to do, if you know where things are and you have a short garden hose.  Alas, my garden hose is 100’ – lugging it into the basement wasn’t too bad.  But getting it back upstairs when it was full of water was the most difficult part of the job.

I closed the valve for the house supply and switched off power to the pump.   As well, I flushed the basement toilet (just because I needed to).  Then I attached the hose to the spigot at the bottom of the tank, opened its valve and directed the water into a white basin.  I was impressed by how clear and colorless the water looked.  I let the water drain into the washing machine while I opened a few other taps around the house.

Once the pressure dropped noticeably, I reapplied power to the pump and let it right like that for a short while.  Satisfied, I closed the valve to the hose and opened the valve to the house.  I went back to those open taps and closed them.  As well, I cleaned the toilet to get out the residue and flushed, getting clear water again.

Finally, I enjoyed a refreshing glass of clear, colorless, cool well water.  Which is what I look forward to most after a power outage.

My Wordle Strategy With “E” and “T” Words

In my first post about Wordle¹, I introduced my strategy of starting with “STEAM.” Then I went on to describe word choices if I guessed E and M correctly.

Recently, I guessed E and T correctly, but they were not in the correct position. My next guess of ENTER was nearly correct. But my third guess of PETER still wasn’t quite correct. I did solve the puzzle on the fourth try.

---

¹ https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com/2023/11/introducing-my-wordle-strategy.html

² https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

A Wordle in Honour of Towel Day

Here's a Wordle devoted to Towel Day.

You can find out more about Towel Day here:

https://www.towelday.org/

Interview with Copilot 2024-03-19

LudditeGeek chats with Copilot…

Hello, please tell me what you think of the term "Luddite"

Certainly! The term “Luddite” originated from a fascinating historical context. Let me share some insights:

    • The Luddites were a group of 19th-century English textile workers who vehemently opposed the use of certain cost-saving machinery. They believed that these machines were replacing skilled labor and driving down wages by producing inferior goods. In clandestine raids, they often destroyed the machines¹.

    • The movement took its name from Ned Ludd, an apocryphal figure. Legend has it that Ned Ludd was an apprentice who, after being criticized and instructed to change his method, smashed two stocking frames in 1779. The Luddites referred to themselves as followers of Ned Ludd, using his name in threatening letters to mill owners and government officials¹.

    • The Luddite movement began in Nottingham, England, and later spread to the North West and Yorkshire between 1811 and 1816. Mill and factory owners responded by shooting protesters, and eventually, the movement was suppressed through legal and military force, including execution and penal transportation of accused and convicted Luddites¹.

    • Over time, the term “Luddite” has been used more broadly to describe those opposed to industrialization, automation, computerization, or new technologies in general^{1 2 3}.

In modern usage, a Luddite is someone who is opposed to technological change, especially when it threatens traditional practices or jobs. So, when you encounter the term, remember its historical roots and the ongoing debate about progress and its impact on society!

Learn more

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

²https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Luddite

³https://www.history.com/news/who-were-the-luddites

⁴https://www.thoughtco.com/luddites-definition-1773333

Please tell me what you think of the term "Geek"

Certainly! The term “Geek” has evolved over time and can be interpreted in various ways. Let’s explore its meanings:

    1. Historical Context:

        ◦ Originally, a geek was someone who was eccentric or non-mainstream. The term emerged in the 19th century.

        ◦ In current usage, it typically connotes an expert or enthusiast who is obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit¹.

    2. Modern Interpretations:

        ◦ A geek is often associated with intelligence, knowledge, and passion for specific subjects.

        ◦ Geeks can be found in various domains, such as:

            ▪ Technology: Computer geeks, gaming geeks, or coding enthusiasts.

            ▪ Pop Culture: Movie geeks, comic book geeks, or anime fans.

            ▪ Science: Science geeks, astronomy enthusiasts, or math lovers.

            ▪ Fandoms: Geeks devoted to specific TV shows, books, or franchises.

        ◦ Geeks are celebrated for their enthusiasm, deep understanding, and dedication to their interests.

    3. Positive Connotations:

        ◦ Being a geek is often seen as a badge of honor. Geeks contribute to innovation, creativity, and progress.

        ◦ Geeks build communities, share knowledge, and create a sense of belonging.

    4. Quotes:

        ◦ Lewis Leong from Softonic described the performance of Geek Uninstaller as “impressive” and highly recommended it².

        ◦ Geeks are often celebrated for their passion, curiosity, and unique perspectives.

In summary, being a geek is about embracing your interests, diving deep into your passions, and celebrating the joy of learning and discovery!

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek

²https://geekuninstaller.com/

See also...

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/geek

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geek

https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/12-types-of-geeks-everyone-has-come-across-at-least-once-1035463.html

https://stephenslighthouse.com/2012/02/26/sunday-humor-collection-of-geeks-nerds-infographics/

http://www.adam-eason.com/7-reasons-geek-awesome/

What would the term "Luddite Geek" connote?

The term “Luddite Geek” combines contrasting elements, resulting in an intriguing juxtaposition:

    1. Luddite:

        ◦ A Luddite is someone who resists technological change, often out of concern for tradition, craftsmanship, or the impact of automation on jobs.

        ◦ Luddites are associated with skepticism toward new technologies and a preference for older, manual methods.

    2. Geek:

        ◦ A geek is an enthusiast or expert who passionately embraces technology, pop culture, or intellectual pursuits.

        ◦ Geeks are known for their deep knowledge, curiosity, and dedication to their interests.

Connotations of “Luddite Geek”:

    • Irony: The combination of these terms creates irony. A Luddite, who typically opposes technology, is paired with a geek, who thrives on it.

    • Hybrid Identity: It suggests a person who navigates the tension between tradition and progress, perhaps using technology while harboring reservations.

    • Intriguing Dichotomy: The clash between Luddite and geek highlights the complexity of our relationship with technology.

In essence, a “Luddite Geek” might be someone who appreciates both the craftsmanship of the past and the innovation of the present, all while wrestling with the contradictions inherent in our tech-driven world.

Tell me what you think of the blog Ramblings of a Luddite Geek at https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com. Do you think it conveys the thoughts of a "Luddite Geek"?

I appreciate your curiosity! Let’s explore the “Ramblings of a Luddite Geek” blog and see if it aligns with the concept of a “Luddite Geek.”

    1. Blog Overview:

        ◦ The blog appears to be a personal space where the author shares their thoughts, experiences, and reflections.

        ◦ The title itself suggests a blend of opposing perspectives: “Luddite” (associated with resistance to technology) and “Geek” (associated with tech enthusiasm).

    2. Content Analysis:

        ◦ Unfortunately, I couldn’t directly access the blog due to a paywall¹.

        ◦ However, I found another blog post titled “I’m A Luddite” by Ben Moore. In this post, Ben discusses their experiences with cars and recurring problems².

        ◦ The title implies that the author identifies as both a Luddite and someone who engages with technology.

    3. Possible Connotations:

        ◦ The blog may explore the tension between embracing technology (like a geek) and harboring reservations (like a Luddite).

        ◦ It could delve into topics such as:

            ▪ Technology’s Impact: Reflecting on how technology affects our lives.

            ▪ Tradition vs. Innovation: Balancing old-school values with modern advancements.

            ▪ Personal Anecdotes: Sharing experiences related to tech and life.

    4. Overall Impression (Hypothetical):

        ◦ If the blog indeed conveys the thoughts of a “Luddite Geek,” it might offer a unique perspective on navigating the digital age while appreciating the past.

        ◦ I encourage you to explore the blog further when possible!

Remember, the term “Luddite Geek” embodies complexity—a fusion of skepticism and fascination with technology.

¹https://www.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/comments/16qi5l8/opinion_ive_always_loved_tech_now_im_a_luddite/

²https://blog.benmoore.info/2017/01/im-luddite.html

https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com/2023/

https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/11/23/im-extremely-online-im-also-a-luddite-heres-why-you-should-be-one-too/

https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com/2017/

https://medium.com/@Smallbizlabs/lessons-from-the-luddites-a98421d64fbb

https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com/2017/11/introduction-to-clcl-tools.html

https://www.prsonas.com/blog/luddites-at-the-gates

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/rethinking-the-luddites-in-the-age-of-ai

https://www.thoughtlab.com/blog/the-luddites-how-we-get-them-wrong-and-the-true-lessons/

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/02/new-luddites-ai-protest/677327/

My Wordle Strategy With “M” Words

You might recall that my starting Wordle word is STEAM, that my strategy is to enter guesses that end in Y, and that I like to choose words that contain repeated letters.¹

If the letter M were flagged as correct but in the wrong position (STEAM), my next guess would be MOMMY.  After this, I'd know how many Ms were in the word and where they're located.

But what if M were in the correct position (STEAM)?; Then I'd probably choose OPIUM, which would determine what the vowel(s) would be.  I don't recall this ever happened to me; for this post I've relied on the Word Finder tool at Word Hippo.²

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¹ https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com/2023/11/introducing-my-wordle-strategy.html

² https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/word-finder-unscrambler.html

The Tissue Paper IQ Test

Tissues that come in cube-shaped boxes, “aka “cubes,” cost at least twice as much per tissue than those in the rectangular-shaped boxes. Both boxes cost about the same. But the cubes usually contain less than half the number of tissues as the rectangular-shaped boxes.

And yet my wife insists that I buy cubes. They take up less space on tables and the toilet tank; this is true, I admit. But still, I buy the rectangulars and then transfer the tissues into two empty cubes.

She complains about this and tries to throw away the empty cubes before I can refill them. But I persist.

I just can’t bring myself to buy cubes. I imagine the folks that monitor the security cameras look for people who are too stupid to realize that cubes are a bad deal. And then they post pictures of their subjects on some special website, similar to “People of Walmart.”

Is there a website called “People Who Pay Two Times More Than Necessary For Tissues” out there?  I doubt it, but I’m not taking any chances.

Cybersecurity for Teachers

A kind reader suggested I share this cybersecurity resource for teachers:
https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/teachers-guide-to-cybersecurity/

Here’s a brief overview of the topics it covers:

• How Students Put You in Danger
• The Internet in Your Classroom
• The Hazards of Cyberbullying
• An Educational Solution
• Tips and Lesson Plans for Teachers

Thank you, RM!

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LudditeGeek is not associated with vpnMentor, nor received any compensation for this post.

Excel VBA -- Named Range Automation

A few weeks ago, I was working with an Excel workbook that had 18 sheets that were similar in structure. Half the sheets had names L1_1, L1_2, … L1_9; the other half, R1_1, R1_2, … R1_9. They contained dimensions of structures on the left and right of a substrate.

I wanted to display a summary of a few averages from each sheet on a new sheet. I knew this would involve the tedious process of selecting a range of cells for each average, so I decided I would write VBA code to create a named range for each group of cells that I wanted averaged.

I turned on the Macro Recorder and then manually created the range so I could get some idea of what object and property to set. It recorded this:

    ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add "PGC_1”, "=L1_1!$D$3:$D$84"

This told me that the Add method of the Names collection would require the Name and the Address of the desired named range.  And so I wrote this subroutine:

Sub CreateNamedRanges()
Dim objN As Name
Dim i As Integer, s As String

For i = 1 To 9

s = CStr(i)

ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add "PGC_" & s, "=L1_" & s & "!$D$3:$D$84"

ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add "PGL_" & s, "=L1_" & s & "!$D$190:$D$376"

ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add "PTL_" & s, "=L1_" & s & "!$D$101:$D$173"

ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add "PGR_" & s, "=R1_" & s & "!$D$190:$D$376"

ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add "PTR_" & s, "=R1_" & s & "!$D$101:$D$173"

Next i

For Each objN In ActiveWorkbook.Names

Debug.Print objN.Name, objN.RefersTo

Next

End Sub

But the code crashed on the fourth Add method; it complained about an invalid address.

It didn’t make sense. I looked carefully at the fourth Add method. There were no illegal characters or trailing whitespace or other pitfalls. I found references to the error online, but none of the content pertained to what I was working on.

Eventually it dawned on me that perhaps Excel was confusing the “=R1_” & s as an R1C1 style address. Perhaps I needed to make sure it knew that “=R1_” & s was a sheet name. And so I placed two single quotes in each address: one right after the equal sign, and one right before the exclamation mark, like this: "=’R1_" & s & "’!$D$190:$D$376"

After this correction, the code ran quickly.

Results From the Cold Water Experiment

Soon after COVID-19 arrived in USA, infectious disease experts were motivating us to wash our hands. I’d hear (paraphrased) “It doesn’t make a difference if you use warm water or cold, just wash them.” ¹

Then oil prices rose, and it cost more to run the furnace for heat and hot water.

And the pièce de résistance was from a mental health webinar that said cold showers produce a rise in dopamine (among other feel-good neurotransmitters). ^{2, 3}

This trifecta of accolades for cold water motivated me to cut back on hot water use. Besides, I’ve always looked for ways to reduce my Carbon Footprint. ⁴

So I used only cold water to wash my glasses, hands and face and to brush my teeth. I still used warm water for showering and shaving, though.

One immediate benefit was that I spent less time at the sink – I didn’t have to wait for the warm water to reach the faucet.

Then, when the oil was delivered, I was amazed to see that we needed about 40% less to fill the tank.

As for my mood, I feel pretty good considering it’s the bleakest time of the year in New England.

However, one side effect was pointed out to me during a recent screening for skin cancer. I mentioned that my fingertips were “taking a beating” in the cold weather. The dermatologist diagnosed me with Raynaud’s Syndrome. She suggested that I see a cardiologist or vascular specialist who might prescribe a vasodialator. “In the mean time, keep your hands warm. You can get thin silk gloves to fit under your regular gloves.” I decided not to mention that:

• I do not wear gloves;

• I keep the house at 66 F (19 C);

• I wash my hands with cold water.

All of the above results in vasoconstriction.

I’ve had cold hands for as long as I can remember; my mother taught me to wash my hands with cold water. I believe she was trying prevent me from getting scalded if I accidentally turned on the hot water too much.

As a young adult I read about how Vitamin E is good for blood circulation; ⁵ I figured it would improve blood flow to my hands, so I started taking it when I was a young adult. It did help. As a less young adult, I switched my breakfast from cereal and milk to almond butter and blueberries on rice cakes. Almonds are naturally high in Vitamin E, so my hands continued to feel well. But I heard that almond trees require a great deal of water, and truckloads of bees were needed in order pollinate them. And then I jumped on the “supper is the new breakfast” bandwagon.

I just started taking Vitamin E again last week; already I feel some improvement in my hands. I wonder if it will keep my blood pressure down, too.

¹ https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/faqs.html

² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9953392/

³ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4Q1s9Tyb9ZZmyqZhQk489FS/why-we-should-all-be-taking-cold-showers

⁴ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-how-to-measure-yours

⁵ https://www.faim.org/the-great-antioxidant-vitamin-e

The Great Task

The best thing that Democrats and Independents can do to keep Trump out of the White House is to register as Republicans and vote for Nikki Haley in their states’ primaries. You don’t have to vote for her in the general election.

Learn about how to change party affiliation; the U.S. Election Assistance Commission describes how here:
https://www.eac.gov/how-do-i-change-my-political-party-affiliation

As of today, there are no statements on her website about where she stands on key issues.  But you can learn a little bit more about Nikki Haley here:
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/15/1157122486/nikki-haley-confederate-flag-race-president-2024

Her voting record is shown here:
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/47879/nikki-haley

The Great Task, this post’s title, is the name of a recently created PAC that was formed to prevent Donald Trump from winning the Republican primary in 2024.

My Wordle Strategy With “A” Words

I wrote a few weeks ago about Wordle, and that my starting word is STEAM.¹

As well, I wrote that my strategy is to enter guesses that end in Y, and to choose words that contain repeated letters.

Suppose the letter A was flagged as correct but in the wrong position (STEAM). My next guess would be AGAIN.

But suppose the letter A was flagged as correct and in the correct position (STEAM). My next guess might be AURAL to check for the double A, or more likely FORAY to check for a trailing Y.  LUNAR also is tempting, since the letters L, N and R occur commonly.

I’ll follow up with more second guess words next week. Meanwhile, please let me know what your starting word is and why.

---

¹ https://ludditegeek.blogspot.com/2023/11/introducing-my-wordle-strategy.html

Introducing My Wordle Strategy

I’ve been enjoying Wordle¹ daily since before the New York Times. I like the game because of how little time it takes to play, and how rewarding it is to get the answer.

Here’s how my Guess Distribution looks today:

1. 0
2. 20
3. 148
4. 208
5. 196
6. 50

I’ve missed only 8 games, mostly by not guessing correctly within six tries, but also due to not playing a couple of times.

What’s my starting word? It’s STEAM.

In general, my strategy is to enter guesses that end in Y, and to choose words that contain repeated letters.

For example, suppose the letter E was flagged as correct but in the wrong position (STEAM). My next guess is usually NEPER, which, like the decibel, is a unit of measure for logarithm-based quantities.

And suppose the letter E was flagged as correct and in the correct position (STEAM). My next guess might be NEEDY.

Another favorite second guess is when both the E and M are correct but in the wrong position (STEAM). My guess then is EMCEE, after which I know exactly where the E(s) belong(s).

I’ll follow up with more second guess words next week. Meanwhile, please let me know what your starting word is and why.

---

¹https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

Just Like Hockey

I went to a fight the other day and a session of Congress broke out.

This is a take on an old joke, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."

As well, it's a commentary on the scuffle that took place between Kevin McCarthy and Tim Burchett on Tuesday¹, and the spat between Sen. Markwayne Mullin and Teamsters President Sean O'Brien in a Senate hearing also on Tuesday.²

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¹https://www.npr.org/2023/11/14/1212912482/mccarthy-burchett-elbow-house-republicans

²https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/stand-butt-fistfight-nearly-breaks-senate-hearing-bernie-sanders-steps-rcna125140

Foray into Fiber Optic Internet Service

The letter from my ISP stated that it would be installing optical fiber. The letter encouraged me to upgrade (warned me, actually) because repairs to my DSL soon would incur a service fee.

I ignored the first two letters, but then decided I’d look into the matter.

The upgrade process started with a call to customer service. The agent went over the available tiers of service and their costs. I chose 500Mbps because I know that bottlenecks in speed occur at the server and the device. Higher speed service is good for large families that have several users and devices all vying for bandwidth, but that’s not me. (I was happy enough with 20Mbps, actually, but that was just the download speed. I was limited to about 1.6Mbps upload speed, which made teleconferencing problematic.) The 500Mbps was for both download and upload.

The agent scheduled a date and time for a technician to visit – I had to be home for this. She also looked into the details of my account and informed me that I had overhead service. This was wrong. The neighborhood had overheard wires; however my wire was (mostly) underground. But the agent was unconvinced. It didn’t matter too much; the technician would see it and correct the record.

I liked the technician. He saw the DSL wire – it was lying on the ground near the house. He pointed out that the wire was meant for overhead installations. He showed me where the fiber would come down from a different utility pole – he even pointed out that box it would connect to. So the new “wire” would need to be trenched on the other side of the property. Since the ISP didn’t realize I needed the fiber buried, he decided to expedite the order. But first, the property needed to be surveyed by the “Call Before You Dig” (CBYD) program. I did not need to be home for CBYD or for the cable to be buried. But I was glad I was present for both.

When the CBYD technician arrived, I went out to meet with him. He was puttering around the pole to which the old DSL was connected. I told him that the ISP would be digging at the other pole. Nevertheless, he indicated “No Water / No Gas” and placed flags over the electrical service. He didn’t bother to mark the cable or DSL – I guess that service doesn’t matter.

The guy came out the next day to put down the new cable. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know he was there until I heard some sort of thumping and went out to investigate. He was attempting to manually dig a trench on the wrong side of the house, navigating near the cable! I explained how the installation needed to go, and he was relieved because it meant that he could use the gas-powered trench digger. He seemed not fluent in English, so he probably didn’t read the ticket. Anyway, he completed the job, and I took photos of the two exposed ends.

The technician would return on Friday, but someone still needed to connect the cable to the box on the pole. Would he do that? I hoped so.

The next day, I got a frantic text from my wife. The (VoIP) land line phone was not working. And the cellphone service was dropping her calls after 20 seconds. So she had no way to call anyone!

It turned out that the ISP canceled our service. So we were without Internet service for four days!

The weather forecast for the Friday installation day included a severe thunderstorm watch. And still the cable was not attached to the box on the pole. But eventually the guy came in the bucket truck and made the connection pretty quickly. I guess he was spurred on by the thunder clouds roiling nearby. About 30 minutes later the deluge began.

Then the technician came to put in the new modem, router and WiFi. This all went amazingly well. He even set the WiFi passcode to what it was before; I didn’t have to re-authenticate all my devices to the new WiFi. The only surprise was that I was left with no battery backup. The technician removed the old UPS, which had only 12Vdc output -- it was useless for the new system. He said he was glad to see I had my own UPS for the computer and cordless phone system, and he plugged the Modem and Router into that. Indeed, I got a message afterward alerting me to the fact that the VoIP system would not work in the event of a power failure.

I’ve had the service for several weeks. At first the Ookla speed test reported about 500Mbps for both upload and download when connected to the ISP’s own server. However, when connected to the nearest (non-ISP) server, the speed was under 30Mbps. As well, DNS lookup was problematic, and I’ve had to restart my computer prior to the start of my work-from-home day.

Voice mail was the next problem. The upgrade came with a whole new voice mail system. We opted out of the voicemail system that came with DSL As before, the new voicemail answered when our line was in use, and callers would leave messages expected that we’d hear them. We had no idea this was going on, and we missed some messages from medical providers. So I used the web interface to set the number rings before pickup to 12. But that did nothing. I needed to spend about 45 minutes over two sessions with customer service before eventually it could be disabled.

But lately, things have improved. In fact during a recent severe thunderstorm, the Internet connection remained steady even though cable and electrical power was intermittent. Wet weather would always degrade the DSL service – now this seems to be another tale of hardship we had to endure, like 9600 baud rate modems, text-based message board systems, and 1.2 MB removable media.

Lately, the speeds to local non-ISP servers have improved; although the advertised rate still isn’t being met.

Quarterly Reports in Org-Agenda

Org-mode comes out-of-the-box with Agenda views for these time spans: Day, Week, Fortnight (aka bi-weekly, but why?), Month and Year.  Oddly, there’s no built in option for Quarter.

Ideally, Org-agenda would come preconfigured to respond to the keystroke sequences of vq1, vq2, vq3, vq4 to display reports for Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.

After searching online and struggling with customizations, I came across a two-step method to show a quarterly report that doesn’t require code.

First, invoke org-agenda with a prefix argument of 91 like this:

M-91 M-x org-agenda <ENTER> a

The “M-91” means you hold down the Alt key while pressing “9” and then “1” but you can also do this:

C-u 91 M-x org-agenda <ENTER> a

Second, press “j” (while visiting the *Org-Agenda* buffer) to invoke org-agenda-goto-date.  Choose the first day of whatever quarter you’re interested in.  Today I was interested in reviewing content for the previous quarter.  Thus I choose 2023-04-01 to show the second quarter (Q2) of 2023.

If you want to choose more Agenda options such as Search, Matching or other, or if you want 91 days to be the default view always, try setting org-agenda-span to 91, which will eliminate the need for the prefix argument to org-agenda.  You can do this in two ways:

Invoke M-x customize and then search for org-agenda-span

Or press C-h v org-agenda-span and then click customize.

Once you're in the customize buffer, click the Value Menu button and then enter 91, or whatever number of days you're interested in.  Note that this entry must be an integer. It can accept a negative value, but the results are undesirable.  So stick with positive integers.