Perhaps one of the most Williamsburg (NYC) things ever - a spa heated by Bitcoin mining. Visit the site to see Bitcoin-heated water and definitely not the 20-somethings in bikinis [kinda NSFW]
we are currently in the market for one since our XC90's lease is ending in Jan.
we are mostly considering buying a XC60 as a slightly smaller version of the same thing since we have one less kid at home and dont need 3 rows of seats anymore.
the plug-in hybrid version has a 35 mi electric range. which is probably not great for commuting, but good for weekend errands and things which is our primary use of car.
we are waiting to see if ..
- we can extract any additional rebates or incentives out of Volvo
- my wife gets laid off from Pfizer or not in the coming days due to a massive internal re-org.
I recommended that Mrs Bk97 check out the XC60 since she's on the market for a new car. I don't think she's looked into that one yet. A PHEV would be ideal since she mostly uses her car for short trips around town.
Furdie Bro has the PHEV Volvo S90, it's pretty great. My issue with the XC60 is that the roofline above the door seems really close to the seats, and I ALWAYS knock my head getting into the passenger seat.
I guess I don't want to constantly pay for a car, even if the lease payment is less than a loan payment. I understand doing it if I had a job where I could write it off, or someone like a realtor that needs to have a nice, newish car to bring people to look at houses.
I'd rather pay it off and then not having to have payments for 10+ years. But I guess I'm also the guy that buys a good used car and drives it until it dies. The exception will probably be when I get an electric car; to get a new one so I can be sure the battery is in good condition.
We bought our Honda CR-V new in July 2005. 18+ years and going strong. The major expenses have been replacing brakes, tires, and the catalytic converter (twice; stolen once).
so we find ourselves in a strange pickle. we could buy the XC90 off of the lease and it would be fine. but it only has a 20 mi electric range and i feel like its resale value will plummet.
on the other hand, getting a car w/ a 40 mi electric range seems to set us up for the same failure mode 3 yrs from now, whether we buy or lease ..
i was thinking (mistakenly perhaps) that the age of cars being more like disposable cell phones is upon us, both in terms of EV cars and self-driving tech. but it seems that it has been much slower to change than i anticipated.
things should become clear in a week or two. it wont be terrible even if it happens. mostly a readjustment and having to look for a new for 1st time in 20+ years. i think the newsness of that is the biggest issue.
He looked like a great acquisition for the Celtics. He was a nightmare to defend and he consistently was a huge interior presence by altering Knicks' players' shots near the basket. Can he last a whole season, though?
NC passes redistricting packing all the cities into four districts. State went from 7-7 split to a 10-4 majority. The district I am registered to vote in went from a toss-up to a GOP cakewalk, equal to a six seat swing to the GOP.
Election-denier lawyer who worked to overturn the presidential election results in Michigan is set to coast to victory and capture a house seat in Virginia, despite committing election fraud to get on the ballot in his dark-red district
The Amazing Spider-Man (Netflix, WB 12-19). It's the one with Andrew Garfield. It's very well executed, but it's essentially yet another remake with some tweaks. It was enjoyable but felt like it was deja vu. I got fidgety in some spots because it was such well-worn territory that I wanted them to speed up the action or get to something new.
Hollywood IP spin cycle, baby!!! Endlessly churning out regurgitated bullshit because apparently that is what consumers want. Avengers Part 50, Yet More Avenging, Coming Soon!!!!
At No. 1: Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Also getting high marks for fun were two Christian schools, along with James Madison University, Tulane and the University of Dayton
Texas Christian University, Birmingham-Southern College, James Madison University and Tarleton State University in Texas round out the top five schools ranked by party scene in the student survey. The remaining top 10 schools are Savannah State University, Tulane University, Washington and Lee University, the University of Dayton and Alcorn State University in Mississippi.
On Tuesday, officials at Oregon State University issued a warning on social media about a bomb threat concerning Starship Technologies food delivery robots, autonomous wheeled drones that deliver food orders stored within a built-in container. By 7 pm local time, a suspect had been arrested in the prank, and officials declared there had been no bombs hidden within the robots.
"Bomb Threat in Starship food delivery robots," reads the 12:20 pm initial X post from OSU. "Do not open robots. Avoid all robots until further notice." In follow-up posts, OSU officials said they were "remotely isolating robots in a safe location" for investigation by a technician. By 3:54 pm local time, experts had cleared the robots and promised they would be "back in service" by 4 pm.
Sam Houston - discovers that their leading UTEP by 14 with six minutes left in the 3rd - and promptly gives up 21 points in the next 13 minutes. They end up tying the game, but dug deep to find a new way to break their fan's hearts by giving up a 37 yard pass and the game winning FG with less than a minute to go. And by "fans", I mean the fewer than 7k people that officially attended the game.
On this day in 1935 in Memorial Stadium the Golden Bears defeated U$C, 21-7 breaking a five-game losing streak to the Trojans. It was the sixth straight win to start the season under first-year head coach Stub Allison. USC’s lone touchdown, which came in the game’s last minute, represented the first points of the season scored against California. The Bears dominated play amassing 232 yards of total offense to 81 for the visitors. Sam Chapman was one of the heroes for the Californians scoring a touchdown after a spectacular run and intercepting a pass.
DBD celebrates 100 years of football in Strawberry Canyon with this daily feature appearing throughout the football season.
BERKELEY – Five members of the California women's tennis team will compete in the Saint Mary's Fall Invitational running Friday through Sunday at the Korth Tennis Complex in Moraga. Cami Brown, Lan Mi, Berta Passola Folch, Tiziana-Marie Schomburg and Makenna Thiel will represent the Golden Bears in the Gaels' annual event, with players vying for singles and doubles titles.
California volleyball will look for its first road wins against the Arizona schools since 2019 this weekend, starting with a rematch against No. 21 Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, on Friday at 6 p.m. PT followed by a showdown against Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday at noon.
The Golden Bears (14-7, 3-7 Pac-12) lost in five sets to the Sun Devils (19-3, 7-3 Pac-12) earlier this month and defeated the Wildcats (6-15, 1-9) in four sets in late September, both at Haas Pavilion.
BERKELEY – The California field hockey team wraps up the regular season this weekend when it travels to the East Coast for a pair of America East contests. The Golden Bears begin the trip taking on New Hampshire on Friday at 11 a.m. PT. On Sunday, Cal travels to Maine to take on the Black Bears. Both contests will feature live video and live stats and will have seeding implications for the upcoming America East Tournament.
BERKELEY – California's men's rowing and women's tennis teams continued to set the standard of team academic success by winning another Newmark Award on Wednesday.
The Newmark Awards are awarded annually to the teams at Cal with the top cumulative grade-point average during the previous year. They were established in 2007 by Pat and Kent Newmark to honor team academic achievements at Cal, and come with a $7,000 stipend that goes into each winning program's operating budget. Kent Newmark competed on the tennis and track & field teams at Cal before graduating in 1960.
BERKELEY – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that California junior Jaylon Tyson was one of 20 watch-list members for the 2024 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its 10th year recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. The initial watch list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January and to five in late March. The winner of this award, as well as presentation details, will be announced at the Final Four in Phoenix in early April. Players have the ability to play themselves on or off our list until the five finalists are selected.
Arrrrrrleigh Burke-class
https://www.military.com/history/only-navy-warship-authorized-fly-pirate-flag-sea.html
Great story.
Taos is also an "activist" Nimby town
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/starbucks-being-built-in-unwelcoming-town-burns-down-for-second-time/ar-AA1iPu2K
Perhaps one of the most Williamsburg (NYC) things ever - a spa heated by Bitcoin mining. Visit the site to see Bitcoin-heated water and definitely not the 20-somethings in bikinis [kinda NSFW]
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtuESmhoicI/
much swankier than the Russian Turkish bathhouse that i like in the East Village.
my favorite is the platza treatment where someone literally beats you with "a broom made of fresh oak leaves, sopping with olive oil soap."
Weather
Looks like high of 66 and low of 42 tonight in my part of the East Bay. 70/49 for the SC game on Sat.
high of 76 F today in NYC area. seems unseasonably warm except that is what the seasons are like these days.
The seasons these days...really makes you wonder.
https://youtu.be/b-Hgd5gHWbA?si=zj4N45j2STa0CWS3
Otis smashes Acapulco
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/27-dead-after-hurricane-otis-delivers-catastrophic-damage-as-category-5-storm/ar-AA1iOfrS
it initially seemed like it was headed to Oaxaca where a friend is on vacation this week. but it must have taken a turn ..
Forecast of highs in the low 80s through the weekend. Going to be tough on runners in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday.
And then lows may dip below freezing by midweek. We're in random-number-generator season again
PRIVATE
DO NOT READ
FOR MY EYES ONLY
car buying
we are currently in the market for one since our XC90's lease is ending in Jan.
we are mostly considering buying a XC60 as a slightly smaller version of the same thing since we have one less kid at home and dont need 3 rows of seats anymore.
the plug-in hybrid version has a 35 mi electric range. which is probably not great for commuting, but good for weekend errands and things which is our primary use of car.
we are waiting to see if ..
- we can extract any additional rebates or incentives out of Volvo
- my wife gets laid off from Pfizer or not in the coming days due to a massive internal re-org.
I recommended that Mrs Bk97 check out the XC60 since she's on the market for a new car. I don't think she's looked into that one yet. A PHEV would be ideal since she mostly uses her car for short trips around town.
Furdie Bro has the PHEV Volvo S90, it's pretty great. My issue with the XC60 is that the roofline above the door seems really close to the seats, and I ALWAYS knock my head getting into the passenger seat.
probably we would lease again, but the interest rates are so high that it seems like not such a good idea.
I guess I don't want to constantly pay for a car, even if the lease payment is less than a loan payment. I understand doing it if I had a job where I could write it off, or someone like a realtor that needs to have a nice, newish car to bring people to look at houses.
I'd rather pay it off and then not having to have payments for 10+ years. But I guess I'm also the guy that buys a good used car and drives it until it dies. The exception will probably be when I get an electric car; to get a new one so I can be sure the battery is in good condition.
agreed.
and as far as "when" to buy a new car, the Niro I noted above replaced a Matrix that I got in 2004. So had it for 19 years (~85k miles).
I think the prob that I have with leasing – besides perpetually paying for cars – is that (ecologically) they have to make those new cars.
I've had my current car for 14.5 years, I'm guessing I'll make it to 20 easily.
We bought our Honda CR-V new in July 2005. 18+ years and going strong. The major expenses have been replacing brakes, tires, and the catalytic converter (twice; stolen once).
10 years!!!!!
depends on how long you keep your car. 15+ should be easy assuming you don't abuse it.
I got a PHEV (Kia Niro) in March. About a 33-mile battery and (with <10-gallon tank) has 500+ mile range.
Live in San Francisco and don't drive to work. Have solar at home. Most trips are <33 miles. So, just plug it in at home and fill up the "tank".
I am on my 4th(?) tank of gas. And that includes two Tahoe trips, Calistoga, Yosemite.
I'd say that I'm getting about 800 miles per tank.
After first Tahoe trip (a few days after getting car), I had almost 100 miles of range left. nice to not have to stop and fill up anywhere...
so we find ourselves in a strange pickle. we could buy the XC90 off of the lease and it would be fine. but it only has a 20 mi electric range and i feel like its resale value will plummet.
on the other hand, getting a car w/ a 40 mi electric range seems to set us up for the same failure mode 3 yrs from now, whether we buy or lease ..
i was thinking (mistakenly perhaps) that the age of cars being more like disposable cell phones is upon us, both in terms of EV cars and self-driving tech. but it seems that it has been much slower to change than i anticipated.
My wife’s in biotech, too! Is East Coast Pharma going through layoffs? You’d have to move to the Bay where the biotech jobs are!
it is just Pfizer as far as i know. they were banking on huge numbers of coronavirus cases this winter ..
They were probably right about the cases, but no one seems to give a shit anymore…
it sure doesn't seem that way, does it
Also my wife got Covid, took Paxlovid, got rebound. Was + for 21 days, total freaking nightmare. Def won’t take it again
the latter seems like a bigger deal, hope she makes it through okay
things should become clear in a week or two. it wont be terrible even if it happens. mostly a readjustment and having to look for a new for 1st time in 20+ years. i think the newsness of that is the biggest issue.
I hate looking for jobs so the idea of being on the market for the first time in 20 years would give me the heebie-jeebies
PRO
Porzingahs shaht da ball like a wicked pissah, Celtics win 108-104 over the Knicks
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401584693
He looked like a great acquisition for the Celtics. He was a nightmare to defend and he consistently was a huge interior presence by altering Knicks' players' shots near the basket. Can he last a whole season, though?
Dusty Baker retires
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38744510/astros-manager-dusty-baker-said-retire
This is not revolutionary stuff, Associated Press
https://apnews.com/article/nfl-motion-dolphins-49ers-4eed59e8206cb85b13cb6711f044039b
I didn't expect the Astros top-endorsement player would be Jeremy Peña
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/jeremy-pena-astros-sponsorship-deal-18443150.php
Is it because the other players are CHEATERS!?
Doncic, Kyrie, and Grant Williams too much for a balanced Spurs attack, win 126-119
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401584701
Brock Purdy in concussion protocol. He is questionable vs. Cincy
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38743983/49ers-brock-purdy-concussion-protocol-uncertain-vs-bengals
I call BS on the NFL's concussion protocol. It's too easily subverted or ignored.
This would explain some of the poor throws he made late in the Minnesota game. He was likely woozy at that point
Kyle gets his Darnold game…
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
NC passes redistricting packing all the cities into four districts. State went from 7-7 split to a 10-4 majority. The district I am registered to vote in went from a toss-up to a GOP cakewalk, equal to a six seat swing to the GOP.
Election-denier lawyer who worked to overturn the presidential election results in Michigan is set to coast to victory and capture a house seat in Virginia, despite committing election fraud to get on the ballot in his dark-red district
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/25/virginia-tim-griffin-00123313
Florida Man hates the 1st amendment
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/floridas-desantis-bans-pro-palestinian-student-group-2023-10-25/
OUR CRUMBLING TRUMP
Trump fined $10k for violating gag order
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/25/trump-fraud-trial-michael-cohen-testifies-in-fraud-trial.html
...up until this game - could increase...
The Donald forking over ever higher amounts because he can't keep his trap shut? Where's the popcorn?
...every day...
Mike Johnson (R-LA) elected to the Speaker of the House
✅ 2020 election denier
✅ Believe J6 was a peaceful protest
✅ Believes Covid was a hoax
✅ Spreads lies about abortion being performed after birth
✅ Doesn't support Ukraine
✅ Believes the US should be a Biblical republic
This does not bode well for the looming government shutdown
Indeed.
Johnson doesn't take very long to start with Great Replacement theory
https://twitter.com/HouseJudiciary/status/1717183190463336780
It feels like he is overcompensating. Totally would not be surprised to find out he is having a slew of extramarital affairs Tiger Woods style
These hardline pro-traditional-family, anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ types often seem to have some skeletons in their closet driving their self-loathing
At a minimum his private browsing tab must be really wild
Clarence Thomas was "given a loan" of $267k by a GOP supporter for an RV. He then had that loan forgiven. Shameless corruption.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/most-of-justice-thomas-267-000-loan-for-an-rv-seems-to-have-been-forgiven-senate-democrats-say/ar-AA1iQESa
I've long ago lost any hope that anything will ever come from his endless stream of corruption allegations
Yeah there is no recourse with life appointees. Such a gamble on the hope that you chose the right guy
DBD AV CLUB
The Amazing Spider-Man (Netflix, WB 12-19). It's the one with Andrew Garfield. It's very well executed, but it's essentially yet another remake with some tweaks. It was enjoyable but felt like it was deja vu. I got fidgety in some spots because it was such well-worn territory that I wanted them to speed up the action or get to something new.
Yeah, the pointlessness of these Garfield movies cannot be overstated. This one is better than the second one, at least.
Hollywood IP spin cycle, baby!!! Endlessly churning out regurgitated bullshit because apparently that is what consumers want. Avengers Part 50, Yet More Avenging, Coming Soon!!!!
hahahaha
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
The Top U.S. Colleges for Partying
At No. 1: Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Also getting high marks for fun were two Christian schools, along with James Madison University, Tulane and the University of Dayton
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/top-u-s-colleges-for-partying-969188e1
Texas Christian University, Birmingham-Southern College, James Madison University and Tarleton State University in Texas round out the top five schools ranked by party scene in the student survey. The remaining top 10 schools are Savannah State University, Tulane University, Washington and Lee University, the University of Dayton and Alcorn State University in Mississippi.
u ok, OSU fans?
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/10/do-not-open-robots-warns-oregon-state-amid-college-food-delivery-bomb-prank/
On Tuesday, officials at Oregon State University issued a warning on social media about a bomb threat concerning Starship Technologies food delivery robots, autonomous wheeled drones that deliver food orders stored within a built-in container. By 7 pm local time, a suspect had been arrested in the prank, and officials declared there had been no bombs hidden within the robots.
"Bomb Threat in Starship food delivery robots," reads the 12:20 pm initial X post from OSU. "Do not open robots. Avoid all robots until further notice." In follow-up posts, OSU officials said they were "remotely isolating robots in a safe location" for investigation by a technician. By 3:54 pm local time, experts had cleared the robots and promised they would be "back in service" by 4 pm.
Fortunately, just someone who didn't want to take a midterm that day. The robots were back in action all over campus the next day.
Sam Houston - discovers that their leading UTEP by 14 with six minutes left in the 3rd - and promptly gives up 21 points in the next 13 minutes. They end up tying the game, but dug deep to find a new way to break their fan's hearts by giving up a 37 yard pass and the game winning FG with less than a minute to go. And by "fans", I mean the fewer than 7k people that officially attended the game.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401520348
Jacksonville State wins 41-16 over FIU
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401520347
DBD Logistics
I'm leaving to be out of town - so post away.
Away!
When there’s a will, there’s
….Will’s way?
Sure beats being shot at!
I don't trust him!
CAL
go bears !!
On this day in 1935 in Memorial Stadium the Golden Bears defeated U$C, 21-7 breaking a five-game losing streak to the Trojans. It was the sixth straight win to start the season under first-year head coach Stub Allison. USC’s lone touchdown, which came in the game’s last minute, represented the first points of the season scored against California. The Bears dominated play amassing 232 yards of total offense to 81 for the visitors. Sam Chapman was one of the heroes for the Californians scoring a touchdown after a spectacular run and intercepting a pass.
DBD celebrates 100 years of football in Strawberry Canyon with this daily feature appearing throughout the football season.
If Cal holds USC to 81 yards this weekend I will commission a statue of Wilcox to be installed outside Memorial Stadium
https://media.tenor.com/BiUXN61Qlk4AAAAC/justin-wilcox.gif
Never gets old!
[WTEN] Bears Head To Saint Mary's Fall Invite
https://calbears.com/news/2023/10/25/womens-tennis-bears-head-to-saint-marys-fall-invite.aspx
BERKELEY – Five members of the California women's tennis team will compete in the Saint Mary's Fall Invitational running Friday through Sunday at the Korth Tennis Complex in Moraga. Cami Brown, Lan Mi, Berta Passola Folch, Tiziana-Marie Schomburg and Makenna Thiel will represent the Golden Bears in the Gaels' annual event, with players vying for singles and doubles titles.
[VB] Cal Ready For First Pac-12 Rematches
https://calbears.com/news/2023/10/25/volleyball-cal-ready-for-first-pac-12-rematches.aspx
California volleyball will look for its first road wins against the Arizona schools since 2019 this weekend, starting with a rematch against No. 21 Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, on Friday at 6 p.m. PT followed by a showdown against Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday at noon.
The Golden Bears (14-7, 3-7 Pac-12) lost in five sets to the Sun Devils (19-3, 7-3 Pac-12) earlier this month and defeated the Wildcats (6-15, 1-9) in four sets in late September, both at Haas Pavilion.
[FH] Bears Wrap Up Regular Season On East Coast
https://calbears.com/news/2023/10/25/field-hockey-bears-wrap-up-regular-season-on-east-coast.aspx
BERKELEY – The California field hockey team wraps up the regular season this weekend when it travels to the East Coast for a pair of America East contests. The Golden Bears begin the trip taking on New Hampshire on Friday at 11 a.m. PT. On Sunday, Cal travels to Maine to take on the Black Bears. Both contests will feature live video and live stats and will have seeding implications for the upcoming America East Tournament.
[NEWS] Five Golden Bear Programs Earn Newmark Award
https://calbears.com/news/2023/10/25/athletics-news-five-golden-bear-programs-earn-newmark-award.aspx
BERKELEY – California's men's rowing and women's tennis teams continued to set the standard of team academic success by winning another Newmark Award on Wednesday.
The Newmark Awards are awarded annually to the teams at Cal with the top cumulative grade-point average during the previous year. They were established in 2007 by Pat and Kent Newmark to honor team academic achievements at Cal, and come with a $7,000 stipend that goes into each winning program's operating budget. Kent Newmark competed on the tennis and track & field teams at Cal before graduating in 1960.
[MBB] Tyson Named To Julius Erving Award Watch List
https://calbears.com/news/2023/10/25/mens-basketball-tyson-named-to-julius-erving-award-watch-list.aspx
BERKELEY – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that California junior Jaylon Tyson was one of 20 watch-list members for the 2024 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its 10th year recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. The initial watch list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January and to five in late March. The winner of this award, as well as presentation details, will be announced at the Final Four in Phoenix in early April. Players have the ability to play themselves on or off our list until the five finalists are selected.