Do you mean that your external keyboard doesn't have a home button? I know most new laptops don't have home/end/pageup/down buttons. I do like using my external mechanical keyboard because I can use ctrl home/end. Even on a Mac. And it feels and sounds like the old IBM PC keyboards.
Need to meet an HVAC guy for one of the apts in my mom's 4plex. WTF is a 4 hour window? I mean I know they and cable companies do that, but still. Although we are the 2nd appt so the phone person guessed somewhere between 9 and 10. So now I'm at a local coffee shop waiting for the call ahead.
i looked up what a luncheonette even was, because it is not as expansive a menu as a diner.
A luncheonette is a small restaurant, often located within another store like a pharmacy or department store, that primarily serves light, simple lunch meals. They are typically characterized by counter-style seating and a limited menu.
I always loved the "A one hump camel makes a one hump poop..." from the "Everyone Poops" book. Similarly, we loved the "The holes in your nose" book by the same author.
There were so many good children's books when my kids grew up. With the 6 year difference between No 1 and No 2, we had different books for No 2 and 3 vs No 1. Some of it was obviously we already had the Dr Seuss books and the CVC first reader books. No 1 had books like "The Very Hungary Caterpillar" and stuff like that. But No 2 and 3 had stuff like Everyone Poops, Don't let the pigeon drive the Bus, etc. Hmm...maybe No 1 had Everyone Poops.
As a low level Kennedy Center member I can attend one rehearsal of the National Symphony. I have a reservation for one this spring but that will be it because I don’t plan to renew my membership next month when it comes due.
the NY Phil is the one that we have consistently had season tickets to over the years. we used to take the kids to "young people's concerts" that were a fun mix of entertainment and classical music.
i figured it was a good sign when they asked "when can we go to a real concert?"
ideally we would get something at Lincoln Center jazz, that is my 2nd most visited music thing in NYC. not sure how it works w/ the Jazz. the main benefit of having the season tix status at NY Phil is the unlimited and free exchanges.
Found out I had to order a new laptop pc yesterday afternoon. It's on its way from Knoxville,
I didn't realize until I checked receipts that I got just over 6 1/2 years of daily all day work out of it before multiple hardware breakdowns conspired to take it out to the degree that it would probably cost more to repair than replace, considering software re-licensing, etc.
I guess that's pretty decent longevity; curious about other's experience.
I guess the question is if the bad part is the SSD. That's the bootable device so I think that is probably bad. I guess it all depends on how slow the laptop is, whether it's worth fixing or replacing. You should be able to use existing licenses for everything so you shouldn't have to pay for them.
I'm a, fix everything I can before I get rid of a laptop. I had a Dell laptop that had the worst hinges so I bought and replaced the hinges multiple times. I also bought larger rotating HDs (this was 2000s) and reinstalled Windows and moved everything over.
My laptop philosophy for a laptop and a car are the same. Fix what I can and use it for as long as possible. I'm currently on a Macbook Pro from 2015 that Apple has stopped providing OS updates for (which really only is an issue from a security standpoint). It works fine, albeit a bit slow, and I just don't want to pay the 2K it would be to replace it. So I'll just fix it as things break. Luckily I've only had to upgrade the SSD to double the capacity and replace the battery. It's probably time to replace the battery again, which on a MBP is a PITA, but I don't use it very much unplugged as I used to so I probably won't do it.
Bill Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
In voting earlier this month, Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility, four sources with firsthand knowledge of the outcome told ESPN. Belichick received a call from a Hall representative Friday afternoon with the news that he won't be inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer.
this stuff always confuses me. it seems that everyone agrees he should be in HOF, so some people just think you need to wait and suffer for a while?
similarly .. Derek Jeter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 in his first year of eligibility with 99.7% of the vote (396 of 397 ballots). Falling one vote short of a unanimous selection
You would hope that a voter who declined to vote for an obvious HOF candidate would have reasons that could be considered reasonable and understandable.
I'm not a HOF voter in any sport, but the reasons why I wouldn't vote for a player or a coach would have to boil down to one of the following:
doesn't have the statistical chops as a player, coach, manager
engaged in behavior that undermined the sport (gambling, steroid use)
wasn't a standout (see the first reason above)
Now, if we're talking about radio announcers, front office executives, and owners, the standards for inclusion are probably a wee bit more subjective. And no, I don't have any particular candidates in mind as I write this.
Right. Craig Biggio is a good example for this (HOF Class of 2015; retired after the 2007 season).
Biggio's a lifetime .281 hitter. His best BA for one season was .325 in 1998. He had 4 seasons (out of 20) in which he hit .300 or better (.318 in 1994, .302 in 1995, .309 in 1997, and .325 in 1998).
Biggio has 3,060 lifetime hits; never led the NL in hits although he had 210 in 1998.
He led the NL in -
games played (1992, 1996, and 1997),
plate appearances (1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 1999),
runs scored (123 in 1995; 146 in 1997),
doubles (44 in 1994, 51 in 1998, 56 in 1999), and
stolen bases (39 in 1994).
He's very good, just not great. A HOFer should be great.
Sharks beat the Canucks 5-2. Sharks look legit offensively this year. I think their D is so-so. The Canucks have only 1 win in Jan so they're not good. I haven't analyzed how many of their Wins are against top teams, but they're playing well and tied with 2 other teams for the last wild card spot.
It seems to be a happy improvement to say that the Sharks are beating the teams they "should" beat. It's one step in the right direction to long-term development.
I don't think you'll find many Sharks fans that would've guessed they would be on the cusp of the playoffs this year. Similarly, how many Cal fans would've said we'd be on the first four in/out?
Hijack S02 (Apple TV+). Idris Elba (Scootie alert!) show where he is on something that is Hijacked. Season 1 he was a passenger on a plane that was hijacked. Season 2, on the subway. No other spoilers. So far after 2 episodes it looks good. I'd give it 14/19.
the lobby at the NY Philharmonic is a pleasant place that is open to the public all day. there is an all-day cafe, they simulcast live concerts, play nice music, provide a bright atrium to sit and work w/ free wifi.
because it is so cold today (< 20 deg F) there are some people w/ their young kids just hanging out instead of being in the park. i guess if you live in an NYC apartment you are looking for many excuses to get the kids out of the house.
I could see hanging out there, especially if a lot of other places are closed. Schools around here are still closed but the museums re-opened today so I expect they are busy with people just trying to get out of the house.
Darian Mensah and Duke agreed to a settlement of their dispute that cleared the way for the quarterback to commit to Miami.
Mensah confirmed his commitment to the Hurricanes on social media Tuesday, and he will be joined by wide receiver Cooper Barkate, his top target with the Blue Devils.
Adventures in normal coding
i miss the crtl-home button that goes to the top of a thing. RIP desktop keyboard that had all the buttons and that i rarely use anymore.
Do you mean that your external keyboard doesn't have a home button? I know most new laptops don't have home/end/pageup/down buttons. I do like using my external mechanical keyboard because I can use ctrl home/end. Even on a Mac. And it feels and sounds like the old IBM PC keyboards.
Adventures in AI coding
Claude tells me
>> You have free guest passes: type /passes to share
let me know if you want one ..
I'm interested.
when i go to do it it claims it was a Dec 2025 thing. cant figure it out right now. sorry.
It's OK. I can probably use copilot or chatgpt for now for non-coding stuff. Though I just converted a ruby script to python using chatgpt.
Do you guys speak English?
Using different AI engines. In my case, converting from one programming language that I do not know to another that I do know.
DBD Food
Need to meet an HVAC guy for one of the apts in my mom's 4plex. WTF is a 4 hour window? I mean I know they and cable companies do that, but still. Although we are the 2nd appt so the phone person guessed somewhere between 9 and 10. So now I'm at a local coffee shop waiting for the call ahead.
after getting rejected from the symphony rehearsal i found a nice luncheonette to grab breakfast.
was a particularly good BEC (bacon-egg-and-cheese) sandwich.
http://www.oldjohnsluncheonette.com/
i looked up what a luncheonette even was, because it is not as expansive a menu as a diner.
A luncheonette is a small restaurant, often located within another store like a pharmacy or department store, that primarily serves light, simple lunch meals. They are typically characterized by counter-style seating and a limited menu.
i should have gotten the egg cream though. that is one of my favorites. i just didnt think about it until i was walking out
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MCzmXiH8XHqNAUYU9
Hump
I always loved the "A one hump camel makes a one hump poop..." from the "Everyone Poops" book. Similarly, we loved the "The holes in your nose" book by the same author.
There were so many good children's books when my kids grew up. With the 6 year difference between No 1 and No 2, we had different books for No 2 and 3 vs No 1. Some of it was obviously we already had the Dr Seuss books and the CVC first reader books. No 1 had books like "The Very Hungary Caterpillar" and stuff like that. But No 2 and 3 had stuff like Everyone Poops, Don't let the pigeon drive the Bus, etc. Hmm...maybe No 1 had Everyone Poops.
ok now I'm rambling trying to do everything but work...
my favorite kids books are a little off the beaten path. not ones that are typically circulated, some are out of print or hard to find.
usually when a child is born (of a friend whose parents have comparable sense of humor) i look around for these books and send them a baby gift.
picture books
Anytime Mapleson and the Hungry Bears
Arlene Sardine
Mama Moo Goes Down a Slide
Mouldylocks
The Seven Chinese Brothers
not-picture books - well known in other countries
Ronia, The Robber's Daughter (Astrid Lindgren)
The Blood and Thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak (Margaret Mahy)
well there are a lot of good kids books to go on and on about.
i am waiting for my neural net to finish training .. so i have time. i cant close my laptop and get lunch, because then it would stop churning ..
Training Physics-Informed Neural Network (Re=100.0)
============================================================
Epoch 0/10000 | Total: 0.262086 | Data: 0.259721 | Physics: 0.023645
Epoch 1000/10000 | Total: 0.002639 | Data: 0.002187 | Physics: 0.004520
Epoch 2000/10000 | Total: 0.001985 | Data: 0.001369 | Physics: 0.006153
Epoch 3000/10000 | Total: 0.001905 | Data: 0.001272 | Physics: 0.006334
Epoch 4000/10000 | Total: 0.001814 | Data: 0.001177 | Physics: 0.006375
Epoch 5000/10000 | Total: 0.001884 | Data: 0.001251 | Physics: 0.006333
Day
is it an excuse to start drinking?
i know that social activites ramp up on Thu night closer to the weekend
I've been known to take a small drink on a Wednesday night. I did it just last week, in fact. Still got up on time to get to work by 7:00 AM.
Failure
i was all excited for a 945a rehearsal at the NY Philharmonic this morning except that it is TOMORROW!!!
there were 2 other people there who were similarly confused
https://www.nyphil.org/concerts-tickets/2526/donor-rehearsal-january-29/
i guess i could have put that in DBD AV Club
As a low level Kennedy Center member I can attend one rehearsal of the National Symphony. I have a reservation for one this spring but that will be it because I don’t plan to renew my membership next month when it comes due.
the NY Phil is the one that we have consistently had season tickets to over the years. we used to take the kids to "young people's concerts" that were a fun mix of entertainment and classical music.
i figured it was a good sign when they asked "when can we go to a real concert?"
ideally we would get something at Lincoln Center jazz, that is my 2nd most visited music thing in NYC. not sure how it works w/ the Jazz. the main benefit of having the season tix status at NY Phil is the unlimited and free exchanges.
to find bootable device. Repeatedly.
Found out I had to order a new laptop pc yesterday afternoon. It's on its way from Knoxville,
I didn't realize until I checked receipts that I got just over 6 1/2 years of daily all day work out of it before multiple hardware breakdowns conspired to take it out to the degree that it would probably cost more to repair than replace, considering software re-licensing, etc.
I guess that's pretty decent longevity; curious about other's experience.
I guess the question is if the bad part is the SSD. That's the bootable device so I think that is probably bad. I guess it all depends on how slow the laptop is, whether it's worth fixing or replacing. You should be able to use existing licenses for everything so you shouldn't have to pay for them.
I'm a, fix everything I can before I get rid of a laptop. I had a Dell laptop that had the worst hinges so I bought and replaced the hinges multiple times. I also bought larger rotating HDs (this was 2000s) and reinstalled Windows and moved everything over.
My laptop philosophy for a laptop and a car are the same. Fix what I can and use it for as long as possible. I'm currently on a Macbook Pro from 2015 that Apple has stopped providing OS updates for (which really only is an issue from a security standpoint). It works fine, albeit a bit slow, and I just don't want to pay the 2K it would be to replace it. So I'll just fix it as things break. Luckily I've only had to upgrade the SSD to double the capacity and replace the battery. It's probably time to replace the battery again, which on a MBP is a PITA, but I don't use it very much unplugged as I used to so I probably won't do it.
PRO
Sources: Bill Belichick will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47747076/belichick-not-first-ballot-hall-famer
Bill Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
In voting earlier this month, Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility, four sources with firsthand knowledge of the outcome told ESPN. Belichick received a call from a Hall representative Friday afternoon with the news that he won't be inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer.
this stuff always confuses me. it seems that everyone agrees he should be in HOF, so some people just think you need to wait and suffer for a while?
similarly .. Derek Jeter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 in his first year of eligibility with 99.7% of the vote (396 of 397 ballots). Falling one vote short of a unanimous selection
i mean, why?
I'm not sure. The whole BBWAA having 1 voter not vote for someone so that they aren't the first unanimous is silly.
One thing I read was that it's more that the opinion of Robert Kraft is impacting BB's HOF voting.
sure .. you might hate Kraft, but it seems strange to deny and obvious HOF candidate.
You would hope that a voter who declined to vote for an obvious HOF candidate would have reasons that could be considered reasonable and understandable.
I'm not a HOF voter in any sport, but the reasons why I wouldn't vote for a player or a coach would have to boil down to one of the following:
doesn't have the statistical chops as a player, coach, manager
engaged in behavior that undermined the sport (gambling, steroid use)
wasn't a standout (see the first reason above)
Now, if we're talking about radio announcers, front office executives, and owners, the standards for inclusion are probably a wee bit more subjective. And no, I don't have any particular candidates in mind as I write this.
I think that the Hall of Fame has become the Hall of Very Good the last few years.
probably there are some old school people around who have different standards of "much better than very good"
Right. Craig Biggio is a good example for this (HOF Class of 2015; retired after the 2007 season).
Biggio's a lifetime .281 hitter. His best BA for one season was .325 in 1998. He had 4 seasons (out of 20) in which he hit .300 or better (.318 in 1994, .302 in 1995, .309 in 1997, and .325 in 1998).
Biggio has 3,060 lifetime hits; never led the NL in hits although he had 210 in 1998.
He led the NL in -
games played (1992, 1996, and 1997),
plate appearances (1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 1999),
runs scored (123 in 1995; 146 in 1997),
doubles (44 in 1994, 51 in 1998, 56 in 1999), and
stolen bases (39 in 1994).
He's very good, just not great. A HOFer should be great.
Sharks beat the Canucks 5-2. Sharks look legit offensively this year. I think their D is so-so. The Canucks have only 1 win in Jan so they're not good. I haven't analyzed how many of their Wins are against top teams, but they're playing well and tied with 2 other teams for the last wild card spot.
It seems to be a happy improvement to say that the Sharks are beating the teams they "should" beat. It's one step in the right direction to long-term development.
I don't think you'll find many Sharks fans that would've guessed they would be on the cusp of the playoffs this year. Similarly, how many Cal fans would've said we'd be on the first four in/out?
<<jimmoraplayoffs.gif>>
CAL
POLITICS
DBD AV CLUB
Hijack S02 (Apple TV+). Idris Elba (Scootie alert!) show where he is on something that is Hijacked. Season 1 he was a passenger on a plane that was hijacked. Season 2, on the subway. No other spoilers. So far after 2 episodes it looks good. I'd give it 14/19.
David Geffen Hall
the lobby at the NY Philharmonic is a pleasant place that is open to the public all day. there is an all-day cafe, they simulcast live concerts, play nice music, provide a bright atrium to sit and work w/ free wifi.
because it is so cold today (< 20 deg F) there are some people w/ their young kids just hanging out instead of being in the park. i guess if you live in an NYC apartment you are looking for many excuses to get the kids out of the house.
https://www.lincolncenter.org/venue/david-geffen-hall/info/welcome-center
I could see hanging out there, especially if a lot of other places are closed. Schools around here are still closed but the museums re-opened today so I expect they are busy with people just trying to get out of the house.
LOTS of strollers today. kinda cute. little 2-3 yr olds running around.
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
@Shocking@ Dook QB portals to the U
Darian Mensah, Duke settle; QB commits to Miami
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/47743820/darian-mensah-duke-settle-dispute-qb-eyes-miami-transfer
Darian Mensah and Duke agreed to a settlement of their dispute that cleared the way for the quarterback to commit to Miami.
Mensah confirmed his commitment to the Hurricanes on social media Tuesday, and he will be joined by wide receiver Cooper Barkate, his top target with the Blue Devils.
https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/47736689/stanford-family-katie-meyer-settle-wrongful-death-lawsuit