17 is a Prime Number

broderic on June 20, 2021

Brood X’s buzzing has diminished. It’s not as loud as it was two weeks ago. I recorded them in the park out back and their cacophony reached 95 decibels, but today, they’re not as loud or as voluminous as at the height of their swarm. The noise app on the Apple watch was in the yellow. Don’t walk too long in that volume as it is dangerous to your hearing.

Brood X is the cicadas that come out every 17 years along the east coast of the US. This is the third time I’ve witnessed them. I wonder if I will witness them come out again. We shall see.

They will be gone in another couple weeks. The adults who have succeeded in propagating their offspring for the next time will all be dead. The larvae will have buried into the ground waiting for that glorious summer 17 years from now to do what they’ve been doing for so long. It is the cycle of life.

Perseverance Lands on Mars

broderic on February 19, 2021

Yesterday, NASA landed the Perseverance rover on the planet Mars. The video above from the Jet Propulsion Lab shows the moment of landing. It also has some animation to show what it may have been like. Considering that there was a time gap in receiving the data and images from the spaceship, it was with heavy anticipation to await the signals of success. Glad that it went A-OK, and that the mission will continue.

I am looking forward to all the scientific discoveries that the Perseverance will bring. I hope it has as long a life as its predecessor, Curiosity.

Best Winter Snow Jacket

broderic on February 18, 2021

It’s a bit cold outside, and it’s been snowing the past few weeks. This means suit up when going outside. Something that will keep you warm. Something that will keep you dry. The one I have been wearing the past three years is the Patagonia Insulated Powder Bowl jacket. It’s the best one I’ve owned.

First, it’s compact and warm. I’ve worn just a long sleeved tee in some cold and still be toasty. The jacket is made really for winter outdoor sports. You can strip down and still feel warm. It’s great.

Next, I got a really nice color. Usually, all that Patagonia has for their winter jackets are black and grey. Mine’s a blue. Or a grey, but wasn’t available again for a while until this year. It’s my favorite color and hopefully when it comes time to replace, they’ll have a color such as this again.

Finally, this is my second version of this jacket. The first one is just as warm, but isn’t svelte like the newest ones. I think that’s because they’ve figured out the insulation. Good warmth and light.

I guess I hope for another week of snow and cold so that I can get more use from it this season.

The Hanging Chad

broderic on November 4, 2020

If you didn’t know, the United States had an election yesterday. Donald Trump versus Joe Biden. I’m sure you didn’t know, but I voted for Joe Biden. Last Tuesday.

It’s now a day later, and we don’t know who won. Thanks to the Electoral College, we still wondering who will get those votes. If we went by popular vote, Joe Biden would’ve been winner last night as Donald Trump has always been a favorite of a minority of voters. This wait reminds me…

Twenty years ago, we were in the same position with George W. Bush and Al Gore. That time we had the problems with Florida. We still do with the damn Cubans wanting to go back to the past and fight commies. Oya, Donald Trump is backed by commies.

Anyhow, that election twenty years ago featured another few days of counting votes to determine the winner via the Electoral College. Florida needed to do a recount, but the dumb ass Supreme Court in a terrible decision stopped the count and awarded dumb-fuck W the presidency. And it has been terribly contested since then.

But this time, no hanging chads to laugh about. We just need to count all votes that have been submitted, and maybe, just maybe, Biden will have won.

“It’s been a while, Stargate Defender.”

broderic on September 17, 2020

Will it be the same as Pizza Box Saga?

I got another email the other day from one of the package delivery services. Again I wondered what I had ordered. This one’s coming from somewhere in this state which peeked my interest. I don’t think I’ve ordered anything.

Perhaps, it’s for my birthday? It is soon. One time my cousin sent me something, so I was thinking that this was like one of those things.

Turns out it wasn’t. It’s from the Orioles! It’s a bobble head for being a season ticket holder in this terrible season. I wonder how many of these things do they have. But now I have one… do you want it?

Where A Mask?

broderic on August 22, 2020

I’ve been looking for the perfect mask in the fight against the rona. I have yet to find anything that satisfies me.

First, it was bandanas. I have a few of them because I like having them around. I wore them at the start of the rona, because face masks were tough to purchase.

Next, I wore neck gaiters. These are my favorite to wear. I’ve got a heavy thick one for winter, and I bought some recently that are for the summer. But these type of facial coverings are getting a bad rap. Still, though, I like these because they can be worn around the neck normally and quickly pulled on. I usually use these on my walks outside.

Now, I’m on the regular cloth masks. I’ve bought a few more. It’s like getting to be an expensive accessory.

$63 a Tee

broderic on August 21, 2020

Are band t-shirts sold at the tour venue pricey? I don’t know since I haven’t been to a show in quite a while, and the ones that I did go to, I did not purchase a shirt. I didn’t want to be that guy wearing the t-shirt of the band he’s gone to see!

Anyhow, I thought that they were always pricey considering that merchandise was one of the better ways for the band to actually profit from their music. Not much of the sales going to the record company, but going to the band. They’ll gouge their fans to make even on their work.

I don’t know where this is going. I guess I’m just here to brag about spending an exorbitant amount on Nogizaka46 paraphernalia. I got two tour t-shirts: one from last year and another from 2015 about $30 a piece. I also got Yamashita’s birthday shirt. This one from this year’s birthday last month. The markup was just about double the original price: $50. She’s a fave and the shirt is plain and boring, but wearable around town. I don’t look like a Nogi wota in it!

The items themselves were reasonably priced, but they were on the secondary market, and they all came from Japan. The shipping and handling made it all the more expensive considering that they would be shipped via the most expensive method: 3-day international delivery. There were cheaper alternatives, but the rona ruined them all. All told, it cost almost $70 to get them here!

I keep thinking about if I should be spending money like this….

The Scourge of Copyright Claims

broderic on August 15, 2020

They leave your blog with the dead gray tombstone of an empty YouTube video…

One of these days, I’ll go and clean them up. For now though, I’ll try to post a few more times to move them off the front page. LOL!

Consider this one my first attempt on a slow summer Saturday night. Move the dead on down a page or two.