jc blog - tales of a modern-day nomadic hunter-gatherer

Follow jcomeau_ictx on Twitter This is the weblog of Intrepid Wanderer. You never know what you might find here; graphic descriptions of bodily functions, computer programming secrets, proselytizing for the antichrist, miscellaneous ranting and kvetching, valuable information on living off the land... if you don't share my rather weird interests you may want to try slashdot instead.

You can consider my Del.icio.us links an extension to my blog, as are my LifeTango goals and my other to-do items. My to-buy list is also public, but only for sharing any useful ideas that might be there; I'm not requesting charity, neither do I offer it.

You can find me easily in google searches, as jcomeau, jcomeau_ictx, or jcomeauictx. There are lots of other jcomeaus, but AFAIK I'm the only jcomeau_ictx out there so far.

If you want to comment on anything you see here, try the new Facebook comments, reachable by clicking the "[comment]" link at the end of each post. If for some reason that isn't working, go ahead and email me, jc.unternet.net. You know what to do with the first dot. Make the 'subject' line something reasonably intelligent-looking or it goes plunk! into the spambasket unread.

This RSS feed may or may not work. Haven't fiddled with it in forever. RSS Feed


2019-07-28-0243Z

those roach-like animals that scurry on the rocks next to the seashore are of the genus Ligia, and called "scud", "sea roaches", or "beach fleas". finally found them after various google searches. [comment]

2019-07-25-2338Z

there seems to be a dearth of information on simple design matters that would improve the quality of life of all if the gatekeepers of said info were more interested in promulgating it for public benefit.

for example, it is widely understood that good public restroom design minimizes the chance of fecal bacteria being spread, which, assuming non-malicious users of the facilities, means minimal effort in leaving said facility without having to touch anything with the hands. Costco, and most truck stops I've been to including the Dunnigan, CA Pilot gas station, are the best; no doors at all, just a zig-zag entrance to keep prying eyes out. once you wash your hands, just walk out. Costco also has no door at the main entrance to the store.

second best would be a door that swings out, with a kickplate so that most people can use their feet to open it. third best would be a door that opens inward, but with a towel dispenser and trash can right next to the door, so that those exiting may grab a paper towel, open the door with it, and toss it as they leave.

and yet: most public restrooms I see don't do any of these. doors open inward and there are no paper towels at all, or they're not near the door, and there is no place to dispose of them except the floor.

for another shitty example, Joseph Jenkins's Humanure Handbook should be promulgated everywhere as the sanest way to deal with human "waste", and using 26.7% of our drinking water to flush it away (PDF) has to be one of the worst. and yet, I am one of very few even talking about it.

a third example would be on deterring violent crime. though there is a lot of debate on the subject, the fact is that short of a dystopian society in which everyone is being watched 24/7, lethal power in the hands of everyone willing to carry it is the most practical solution. and it's far more economical than having a policeman for every few denizens, even for those who prefer the latter.

I just checked to see if a website exists for information like this. bestpractices.org seems to focus on governmental solutions, and best-practices.org is parked at godaddy.com. I'd be willing to host a wiki but I'm not going to pay big bucks for the domain. [comment]

2019-07-22-2223Z

when yogurt gets moldy, I usually scrape the top off and eat it anyway, but I have to wonder if the probiotics are enough to counteract the mycotoxins. I'm feeling like it may have been a mistake this time.

stopped using the honey as deodorant until I can get some beeswax to help hold it in place. applying it 2 or 3 times a day just isn't practical. same goes for using my 96% alcohol from Mexico to kill the bacteria, but at least that doesn't get my clothes sticky. and I'm hoping that will kill the "athlete's foot" fungus growing in my crotch area. nasty stuff. [comment]

2019-07-20-1615Z

some catching up: I actually did complete a sale using Bisq, for about $100, a few days ago. still binge-watching movies while my lady is out of town. and set a new goal for myself, 10 pushups and 10 chinups per day, a goal that I probably won't reach for a few weeks yet. I really need to find a usable chinup bar somewhere. also, I managed to survive the month without digging into next month's allocation, except for the $30 payment to City of the Sun that I forgot to take out last month. now to see if I can save up some money so I'm not always living hand-to-mouth. [comment]

2019-07-17-1504Z

finally identified that waxy-leaved plant I find near Plum Creek every year as Eriodictyon californicum, thanks to the California Native Plant Society Facebook page. [comment]

2019-07-14-0346Z

another Mandela effect: just re-watched Frantic, the 1980s movie starring Harrison Ford. the last few times I watched it, years ago, there's a scene in which he gives a rushed version of the speech he was supposed to give at the medical conference, and a French doctor was indignant. that scene didn't even occur in this version. [comment]

2019-07-11-2002Z

starting last night after my shower, I began a new experiment: seeing if the antibacterial properties of raw honey make it useful as a component of a natural deodorant.

so far, after my 2-mile jog and at least 5-mile (probably 6 or more) round trip total, I've reapplied it twice (total of 3 times) and still the body odor is negligible (by my standards anyway). I'm already calling it a success. but not by itself, of course. I want something non-irritant that can last at least 24 hours between applications. [comment]

2019-07-11-0457Z

dammit. I forgot a payment I had made the day before yesterday, and made a second payment for the same amount yesterday. that's going to put me in the red and incur at least one overdraft fee. shit. [comment]

2019-07-06-2135Z

free fishing day in California today, yeah I know everyday is a free fishing day to an anarchist, well, maybe I'm not willing to risk my life and liberty to catch a fish. anyway I forgot the bait at home, wasn't willing to stop my jog to go and get it, and figured I'd find something to use.

eventually I did: one of those "walking shrimp", I don't know what else to call them except perhaps cucarachas del mar, those little roach-like things that live on the rocks and scatter when you approach. this was one of the slower types and it was walking on mud. grabbed it easily and added it to the artificial worm on my hook for flavor.

eventually the tide turned around, and I was hoping for some action, but brought in my line first to cast it out a little deeper. then I noticed the "shrimp" was gone. I stayed maybe half an hour more and then gave up. on the way back I stopped at my favorite dumpster, outside Grocery Outlet, and found a case of fresh Italian sausages that must have just been tossed, it was still cold. took two pound of that, and .74 pounds of steak that had been sitting there a while, and was now hot, but still smelled good when I opened the package. so I did pretty well after all.

last night I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get Zelle to work on my phone. tried debit card after debit card, a couple of times I got to the confirmation stage but didn't receive the SMS. so I tried sending SMS messages to my phone from other devices. nothing. eventually I tried sending an SMS message to another phone from the one I was using, and that worked, and then suddenly it started receiving them as well. so I re-used one of the debit cards that worked and got a Zelle account. whoopee. but next time I tried to log into it I got the dreaded A101 error. those replies clinched it for me: Zelle is worthless, and I won't use it, at least not with FreedomPop, because only the FP app knows the number; it's not stored in settings where the Zelle app can see it, hence the error. it would be nice if they'd check that somewhere earlier in the installation procedure, and maybe even give a useful error message, but it is what it is.

Bisq doesn't seem to be very useful in the US. I'm assuming most of its volume is from Asia or elsewhere overseas. there are very few offers up, and most of them have been sitting there untouched since I checked yesterday.

on my way to the marina today, I got stopped by a SMART (train) cop who told me he was ordered to arrest anyone who crossed the tracks. I told him I wouldn't do it again, assuming he meant only right there where it was marked; kind of hard not to cross the tracks where they intersect with the roads and sidewalks. and eventually they're going to open that bike path, I would assume. it's stupid really. SMART isn't even a private entity. they're paid directly by tax dollars (1/4 cent added to Sonoma County sales tax), so all their property by rights is public. [comment]

2019-07-06-1627Z

so, I just had this conversation overnight...

Simplenote Support <support@simplenote.com>
2:17 AM (7 hours ago)

to jc

Welcome to Simplenote!

Thanks for creating a Simplenote account. What happens now? Well, Simplenote will automatically backup your notes for you. Your latest changes are safely stored online in case you lose your device, damage it, or buy a new one.

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The Simplenote Team

 John Comeau 5:39 AM (3 hours ago)  to Simplenote  what kind of joke is this? I never heard of simplenote.   Support 8:06 AM (1 hour ago)  to John  ##- Please type your reply above this line -## Rambo (Automattic)

Jul 6, 15:06 UTC

Hi there!

Thank you for contacting Simplenote. We've had a few reports of accounts being created by bots, and are investigating this on our end. We have stopped any bot signups and you're welcome to delete the account.

Because of the permanence and potential impacts of deleting a Simplenote account, we can't delete an account on behalf of a user.

You may delete your Simplenote account by taking the following steps:

Log into the web app: https://app.simplenote.com/ In the upper right-hand corner, click your e-mail address and then select 'Settings' Next to 'Delete Account', click the 'DELETE' link and confirm. To find your password, you can use the Forgot Password form: https://app.simplenote.com/forgot/ and make sure to search your email for "Simplenote" in case the password reset emails goes to your spam folder.

Regards,

Rambo - Happiness Engineer https://support.wordpress.com

This email is a service from Automattic. [6LWPVM-240D]  John Comeau 9:26 AM (0 minutes ago)  to Support  no, I'm not going to login to an account I didn't create. for all I know, this was done by the feds to entrap me. you need to start fucking verifying email addresses *before* creating accounts.

[comment]

2019-07-03-0530Z

I probably had this epiphany before, but each time it sticks better: don't compare things just because they are nominally the same. you might miss out. for example, I brought back enough of that Combate coffee from Mexico to last me for about 7 weeks. then I switched to Gevalia from Sweden, which I found on sale at Grocery Outlet. I didn't like it. too weak and watery, it seemed. but after about the 3rd day, I started liking it. it has its own character.

same goes for wines. I never liked Shiraz, preferring Zinfandel or Pinot Noir. but the other day I found a Shiraz I liked at Trader Joe's. I applied the same rule, don't compare it to others, just to itself, and I found it has its own rich flavors unlike any other grape. just like I don't really care for Cabernet Sauvignon, in general, but I've had some absolutely astounding cabs when I wasn't expecting it. [comment]

2019-07-01-2055Z

for over a week now there's been an old, empty propane canister outside Lola's supermarket, so today I decided to go see if I could exchange it at the Chevron. no dice, they no longer accept expired tanks. then I went shopping at Safeway and forgot it outside when I left. hopefully someone will take it home. [comment]

2019-07-01-1657Z

guess I'm going to be OK. no more symptoms, either gastrointestinal or headache.

I want to work on my abs. there's this exercise that involves hanging on something and lifting the legs, either straight or bended at the knee, which looks fun and challenging. tired of this "dad bod" when I'm not even a dad.

another thing I'd like to have is fingertips that can support my full weight, so I could easily climb buildings. that might be a useful skill. it'll require a lot of finger strength. I don't have it yet; I've tried. [comment]

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