John Socks

I am retired in Southern California after working on the computational side of chemistry, medical electronics, environmental monitoring, motion pictures, and even some web commerce.

I am interested in hiking and the outdoors, exercise physiology (especially for someone in my age group), gardening, and old man projects in general.

Posts auto-delete after two months.

Last Notes

2025-02-14 17:49:37 UTC

Helping out my mom who had a low tire pressure light on her car. I was able to return all the tires to normal pressure with my trusty tire (bicycle) pump.
I don't know why I stubbornly prefer that solution. Pump pump pump. Pump pump. Pump.

2025-01-29 19:09:55 UTC

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I am not a Mac guy, but if I was a Mac guy I think I would go for the base model m4 mini in heartbeat. It's the best $500 computer on the planet.

2025-01-18 15:18:29 UTC

I know I'm late to the thumb drive game. They've been growing in size and have become part of more people's workflow for many years.
It suddenly occurs to me that (to pick an affordable number) 64 GB is really a lot. Well structured, it's not just enough to carry current work, it can carry a very extensive portfolio.
So I have restructured my archives again, as is my hobby or affliction, and created a file structure called "time-machine."
I can keep 10 years of data on one, best practices.

2025-01-08 14:51:22 UTC

@npub1n5c…mpqj are there any signs of disengagement? To tip my hand a bit I might actually think it was a positive sign if fewer people were on social media. That probably hasn't happened though.
Perhaps we can just use them with lower expectations.

2024-09-27 15:25:06 UTC

"inflation"
This well circulated article is not really wrong, but it doesn't really dive to the underlying source of "inflation" confusion either.
Inherently inflation is very intangible. Inflation measures are approximate. Often they are not even measuring inflation in its proper term, as a monetary effect.
Properly, inflation is those price increases resulting from an excess money supply.
Deflation is a reduction in prices from a deficit in money supply.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-09-27/american-economists-and-consumers-didnt-understand-inflation-during-its-recent-surge-they-still-dont

2024-09-25 17:11:15 UTC

"You may not 'knead' the DataToaster 3000, but this custom NAS is the 'toast of the town'"
Amusing.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/nas/you-may-not-knead-the-datatoaster-3000-but-this-custom-nas-is-the-toast-of-the-town

2024-09-22 17:46:49 UTC

I love that places like this exist in California. I made very uncreative choices. I have three cans of curry paste, three cans of coconut milk, and a bottle of fish sauce.
https://cdn.masto.host/socksmastohost/media_attachments/files/113/182/447/902/496/082/original/fa0a49222962f173.jpg

2024-09-14 19:12:48 UTC

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I have no idea if there is an affair, or what the heck is going on, other than that the guy's lack of judgment has been dialed up to 11.
12. 13 maybe.

2024-09-14 18:52:22 UTC

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That might explain why many Republicans do draw that line now.
It's too obvious that this guy is not rational.
He's not using the nuts, he's one of them.

2024-09-14 18:50:46 UTC

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One of my earliest, and I still think correct, opinions about Donald Trump is that he is just one of those crazy old dudes watching Fox News.
There was never any strategy beyond the feedback loop of saying things he wanted to hear. There was never any three-dimensional chess. There was never any hidden genius.
Now what restraint he had, couching what he said to be somewhat palatable to the mainstream, is falling away.
He is saying the pet thing because he's a victim of it

2024-09-13 18:01:57 UTC

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I love the ambiguity of me, an old person, just liking your post. ;-)

2024-08-29 20:37:43 UTC

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It is "check all that apply" but it looks like people divide themselves pretty neatly on "describes me well"
21 moderate + 28 conservative + 18 progressive + 16 liberal + 7 socialist + 5 libertarian + 6 centrist = 101
I consider the rest "add ons", like a progressive who also understands they are "left wing"

2024-08-29 20:16:03 UTC

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I was very struck by this chart, how people self-identify.
https://cdn.masto.host/socksmastohost/media_attachments/files/113/047/140/846/829/687/original/df67afb7b74a562f.png

2024-08-29 19:53:53 UTC

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People are literally telling us that they would rather have a felon than a progressive.

2024-08-29 19:53:27 UTC

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"Nate silver had her at 70% and Trump at 30% everyone on twitter was criticizing him but when trump actually won they critisiszed him for not giving trump a bigger chance."
Yeah. I think I had seen 80/20 just before the election but pretty much the same thing. Long shots come in.
It really boggles my mind that we could be this close this time. I guess it always comes back to the polarization. People will forgive differences with their own side, but can't conscience the other.

2024-08-04 13:18:18 UTC

"Android Police: A new Android malware is emptying bank accounts and wiping devices"
"Google is usually on its toes, keeping the Play Store free of nefarious apps and ensuring prompt delivery of Android security patches, but some attackers manage to stay ahead of the curve and still steal money or personal information from victims."
The article is actually kind of vague about whether this actually happens with app store apps.
But talk about declining trust, eh?
https://www.androidpolice.com/boingomod-android-malware-emptying-bank-accounts-wiping-devices/

2024-08-03 14:48:35 UTC

"Car and Driver: Are Hybrids Better for the Environment?"
What a crap article. It is not until the closing paragraph does the author say:
"But, just like the financial breakeven point at which a more expensive hybrid pays for itself in fuel savings, there is an environmental breakeven point, and it's generally not too far into the expected life of the vehicle."
Were any of these break-even points charted?
No.
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a61730506/are-hybrids-better-for-the-environment/