Monday, September 16, 2024
Election 2024: Assassination Attempts and the Art of Motorcycle Riding
Wordle 1185 Hint
Hint: Want some of today's Wordle? Get thee to an apiary!
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: H
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Wordle 1184 Hint
Hint: Today's Wordle will probably show up again periodically.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: R
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Wordle 1183 Hint
Hint: The definition of today's Wordle isn't narrow.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: B
Friday, September 13, 2024
Wordle 1182 Hint
Hint: The world may or may not be cruel, but today's Wordle certainly is.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: H
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Cruise Control? No.
Week 2 NFL Picks
- Miami Dolphins beat Buffalo Bills
- Dallas Cowboys beat New Orleans Saints
- Detroit Lions beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Green Bay Packers beat Indianapolis Colts*
- New York Jets beat Tennessee Titans
- San Francisco 49ers beat Minnesota Vikings
- Seattle Seahawks beat New England Patriots
- New York Jets beat Washington Commanders*
- Los Angeles Chargers beat Carolina Panthers
- Jacksonville Jaguars beat Cleveland Browns
- Baltimore Ravens beat Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Rams beat Arizona Cardinals
- Pittsburgh Steelers beat Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs beat Cincinnati Bengals
- Chicago Bears beat Houston Texans*
- Philadelphia Eagles beat Atlanta Falcons
Wordle 1181 Hint
Hint: Several of us who solved today's Wordle already are blowing our own horns. Perhaps we should just join an orchestra together.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: B
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Tonight Reminds Me ...
- Detaching one end of the coil/wire from the plug, unscrewing/removing the plug, and screwing the new plug in (after making sure it's correctly gapped and putting some anti-seize lube on the threads);
- Detaching the other end of the coil/wire from the ignition wiring;
- Plugging the new coil into the ignition wiring and attaching it to the plug.
Election 2024: Turnout Is Key, TayTay & Trav Edition
Ah, Some Data ... And Better Results than Expected
One Of My Rare Uses of Fox "News" For Evaluating A Political Event
Pro Tip: If You're Going To Lie About Someone, Don't Link To the Evidence That You're Lying About Him
[Chase Oliver] defended and pushed for vaccine mandates for business
Red state governors are giving unemployment benefits to people who decided to quit rather than abide by private businesses such as retirement homes requesting workers be vaccinated or tested regularly
— Chase Oliver (@ChaseForLiberty) December 28, 2021
Normally when you quit, you aren't entitled to unemployment benefits.
I agree with Tucker that some in the libertarian movement, and the leadership of the Libertarian Party in particular were, at best, cowering and weak-kneed in their response to the COVID-19 variants of authoritarian cultism. Oliver may, in some ways, even resemble that remark.
On the other hand, Tucker and his Brownstone Institute, having milked the COVID-19 cow relentlessly for four years now, seem to want to retroactively blame libertarianism itself for their own inability to move on to new attention/profit centers now that Bossie's udder has pretty much run dry.
Wordle 1180 Hint
Hint: Congressional Republicans and Democrats don't actually disagree on nearly as much as they pretend to, but today's Wordle really does separate them.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: A
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Video Fail #2
Week 1 NFL Results
- Kansas City Chiefs beat Baltimore Ravens
- Philadelphia Eagles beat Greeen Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers beat Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills beat Arizona Cardinals
- Chicago Bears beat Tennessee Titans
- Cincinnati Bengals beat New England Patriots
- Houston Texans beat Indianapolis Colts
- Miami Dolphins beat Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints beat Carolina Panthers
- Minnesota Vikings beat New York Giants
- Las Vegas Raiders beat Los Angeles Chargers
- Seattle Seahawks beat Denver Broncos
- Dallas Cowboys beat Cleveland Browns
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Washington Commanders
- Detroit Lions beat Los Angeles Rams
- San Franciscon 49ers beat New York Jets
The Italica Bulldog 150 Manifests Its First Malfunction
Yesterday in the late afternoon/early evening, I took the motorcycle out for another ride -- into town and back out, just to enjoy the day and develop my "driving in traffic" skills (my return home was during the typical rush hour period and along a typical rush hour route).
A couple of miles from home I started noticing an intermittent metallic sound, not unlike a tin can being kicked or dragged down the road. It didn't sound internal to the engine, but it was coming from that general area. I was in the "lots of cars moving fast" part of the trip rather than the "lots of cars in start-and-stop" part of the ride, and only a few minutes from home, so I chose to just get home rather than stop to investigate.
As soon as I stepped off the bike and went to put the kick stand down, I thought I could see the problem, and I was right: The spring that holds the center stand up was gone -- either broken or just slipped off somehow. The stand was falling and scraping the pavement, presumably when I'd hit a little bump; the next bump probably knocked it back upward, ending the metallic dragging sound until another bump.
I zip-tied the stand in the "up" position. I'll either get a new spring, or remove the stand entirely (it has its uses, one of which is positioning the bike for an accurate check of the oil level, but it's not strictly necessary and adds weight).
While I was zip-tying it up, I noticed that a small, capped tube/hose coming off the air filter box was loose and floppy, so I zip-tied that in place as well. Not sure what purpose that tube/hose really serves. The old 50cc had one as well, and of course I pulled its air filter box off and replaced the whole apparatus with a cone filter, which I intend to do on this bike as well ... soon. But that modification comes after installing the NGK iridium spark plug and Nibbi performance coil, both of which should arrive today.
In a rare instance of foresight on my part, I ordered a big box of zip-ties during the period when I was shopping for motorcycle gear/accessories, assuming that I'd need some. Once I have the fairings off to do stuff inside the engine compartment, I plan to attend to any wiring/cabling that isn't snug and secure.
Update: I've added a selection of center stand springs, among other motorcycle stuff that I haven't bought yet, to my Amazon Wish List. After the layout for the motorcycle, taxes, tags, full-face helmet, etc., I'm watching my wallet at the moment. I'll get to this stuff eventually ... unless others decide to get to it for me first.
Wordle 1179 Hint
Hint: Jim Stark, sans a cause.
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First Letter: R
Monday, September 09, 2024
270 To Win, Part 2
270 To Win, Part 1
There Can Be Many Reasons For A Thing
Good bye, Twitter
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) September 9, 2024
And thanks for dinner, Elon
OMG U USED TO BE SO BASED AND NOW UR SO WOKE AND WHY OH WHY R U BREAKING UP WITH ELON MUSK OVER POLITICS!?!
I Can't Imagine The Italica Bulldog 150 (and Analogs) Won't Be a Hit
Wordle 1178 Hint
Hint: You may solve today's Wordle, but you won't get credit for it.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: D
Sunday, September 08, 2024
Looks Like a Pretty Cool Site/App for Drivers (and Motorcyclists)
Remember All Those Times I've Said "Turnout Is The Key?"
- In Arizona, Trump is up on Harris ... by 0.4%, 46% to 45.6%.
- In Georgia, Harris is up on Trump ... by 0.4%, 46.5% to 46.1%.
- In Michigan, Harris has the edge again ... by 2.1%, 46.6% to 44.5%.
- In Nevada, same ... by 0.6%, with Harris at 45.9% and Trump at 45.3%.
- In North Carolina, Trump has a 0.6% lead on Harris, 46.5% to 45.9%.
- Pennsylvania? A 0.7% differential, Harris ahead of Trump 46.% to 45.5.
- Wisconsin is the "swing" state where someone has the biggest lead, a whopping three points -- Harris 47.6%, Trump 44.6%.
Wordle 1177 Hint
Hint: Illustrated, haggard, or pulled along.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: D
Saturday, September 07, 2024
Yep, Still Riding
Today's two rides were over territory I knew well, unlike yesterday's. Which reminded me:
Wordle 1176 Hint
Hint: Today's Wordle didn't lease, he bought.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: O
Friday, September 06, 2024
Second Impressions of the Italica Bulldog 150
Writing In Spite of the Boredom/Disgust, But Only to a Point
- After an extreme uptick leading into the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, I opined on the Libertarian Party's internal situation quite a bit; and that
- At some point not long after I went silent on the subject.
Wordle 1175 Hint
Hint: Hey, Fred ... What's Happening!!
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: R
Thursday, September 05, 2024
Well, I TRIED to Make a Video For You ...
- Sun glare made the speedometer reading invisible at times and nearly invisible when it wasn't invisible; and
- Seeing nothing but an unreadable speedometer and road surface under the bike makes for pretty boring video.
Wordle 1174 Hint
Hint: Having trouble with today's Wordle? Try thinking about it more broadly.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: W
Wednesday, September 04, 2024
Some First Impressions of the Italica Bulldog 150
- It has a "wind screen" that is 99.9% decorative and that I find unattractive. That will be coming off soon.
- The owner's manual seems to be a generic manual for multiple unspecified 150cc scooters. And that's where it makes any sense at all, which is often not the case. It was clearly written by non-English-speakers. It includes nothing in the way of technical specifications.
Look What's In My Yard
Week 1 NFL Picks
- Kansas City Chiefs beat Baltimore Ravens
- Philadelphia Eagles beat Greeen Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers beat Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills beat Arizona Cardinals
- Chicago Bears beat Tennessee Titans
- Cincinnati Bengals beat New England Patriots
- Houston Texans beat Indianapolis Colts
- Miami Dolphins beat Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints beat Carolina Panthers
- Minnesota Vikings beat New York Giants
- Las Vegas Raiders beat Los Angeles Chargers
- Seattle Seahawks beat Denver Broncos
- Dallas Cowboys beat Cleveland Browns
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Washington Commanders
- Detroit Lions beat Los Angeles Rams
- San Franciscon 49ers beat New York Jets
Wordle 1173 Hint
Hint: Seeking the answer to today's Wordle, matey? Look aft, not fore.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: S
Tuesday, September 03, 2024
No Joy
Today, The Bike?
Wordle 1172 Hint
Hint: If today's Wordle was a noise, you'd barely be able to hear it.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: F
Monday, September 02, 2024
Wordle 1171 Hint
Hint: They should have saved today's Wordle to use on Wednesday.
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: C
Sunday, September 01, 2024
Thanks For Asking! -- September 2024
Wordle 1170 Hint
Hint: Soft and shapeless (or annoyingly romantic).
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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: M