Wordle 1,350 Hint

Hint: Like the guitar sound in "The 2000 Pound Bee," "Satisfaction," or "Heart Full of Soul."

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First Letter: F

I'm Doubtful, But Willing To Consider The Possibility ...

... that Jeff Bezos is actually planning to turn the Washington Post into a libertarianish publication.

Reader Thane Eichenauer's suggestion that I might write there inspired me to do a Garrison Center column on the subject.

In other news (not worth a separate post), my new electric tire inflator arrived from Amazon yesterday (one I got from Temu didn't work out -- it leaked unless I forcefully held the hose against the body of the compressor, and when I did that it didn't work very well and burned my hand), so the Bulldog 150's tires are at their recommended 29 (front) and 31 (rear) PSI and it's stored in the bike's handy compartment. I've got thread locker arriving Saturday to see if I can fix the handlebar end mirror problem (as soon as I start riding, the mirrors move out of position) or if I'll have to go ahead and move some nicer KemiMoto mirrors from my Amazon Wish List to my cart. I'd been meaning to buy some Goo Gone to get one last stubborn dealer sticker off the bike, but finally bothered to look online today and found out that white vinegar does a good job. So now the bike is clean of all unwanted decorations.

Taps

I've never been the Gene Hackman fan I probably should be -- I liked his acting but if you asked me to name my favorite five his name wouldn't run through my head. I may have to run a private "film festival" to see if focusing on him moves him into that territory.

What I did like about him, other than his seemingly "not a publicity hound" ways, was that he was an old Marine. He dropped out of high school, lied about his age (he was 16), and was a field radio operator in, among other places, post-WW2 civil war era China.

So if there's a heaven, and you happen to make it there, you may run into Hackman on guard duty.

Wordle 1349 Hint

Hint: Where you might meet a Mason.

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First Letter: L

Nice Surveillance State You Got There, Gainesville. Be A Shame If Anything Happened To It ...

So, a quick hop and a jump from ...

1. This article at the Electronic Frontier Foundation about a vexatious "cease and desist" demand from Flock Safety; to
2. DeFlock.me, the target of the demand; to
3. A map showing no fewer than 20 Flock license plate readers clustered along Archer Road (a main drag in Gainesville, Florida) between Southwest 34th Street and Interstate 75, and around Clark Butler Plaza (Gainesville's biggest shopping complex, between those two end points).

From the EFF piece:

The technology not only tracks vehicles by their license plates, but also creates “fingerprints” of each vehicle, including the make, model, color and other distinguishing features. This is a mass surveillance technology that collects information on everyone, regardless of whether they are connected to a crime.

Every camera I clicked on listed the "operator" as "unspecified," but since they're all within city limits and at least some are in areas that don't correspond to federal/state/county roadways, the obvious guess is the Gainesville Police Department.

There are countermeasures available, of varying legality ... and varying visibility to enforcers.

But it would be better if the devices started getting manually disabled in ways that require expensive replacement. Just sayin'.

I Shall Be ... Er, Was ... Released (And A New Conspiracy Theory)

After two years, multiple lung function tests, multiple chest CTs, etc., I attended what will hopefully be my final pulmonologist appointment yesterday. Everything with my lungs seems to be moving in the right direction, so it's "your primary care physician will refer you to us again if anything goes south."

Also, it occurs to me that the medical emphasis on the virtues of walking is a conspiracy. These people have to walk around those huge hospitals all day and so they want everyone else to be walking all the time too. Also, they're probably getting big-time kick-backs from the makers of fitness tracking devices.

The above came to me after I accidentally parked at the wrong end of the hospital, went to the wrong part of the hospital, had to walk to the far end of the hospital (plus two blocks to a separate building), and then had to walk all the way back to my original parking spot.

Wordle 1348 Hint

Hint: Think Academy or Golden Globe.

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First Letter: A

Wordle 1347 Hint

Hint: Without today's Wordle, you'd be all wet.

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First Letter: D

Yeah, I'm in a Blogging Slump

I'm getting the Garrison Center columns written, but other than that, when I try to write it's just not happening. 

I'm a little busy on the medical front (CT scan and finally getting my Mounjaro last week, follow-up with pulmonary doctor tomorrow, no obvious bad news).

I've got a lawn mower on the way after mostly using a weed eater last season (this one is a corded electric 19" push mower), since it's about to be that time.

I'm on a bit of a TV binge (The Sopranos with Tamara -- I've seen it before, but it took me until now to get her into it, and we're just now starting the final season; I'm also finally watching an episode or two a day of Castle, because I've always liked Nathan Fillion and had never gotten around to it before).

On the writing front ... meh. I think it's because I came across a notepad the other day with some old story ideas I'd completely forgotten about. Still not ready to take a run at those, but it flipped the writing switch in my brain to fiction mode.

Anyway, I'm not too far off my goal (650 posts for the year) pace, so I'm not worried. But I also figured you should see something beyond Wordle hints if you happened to drop by.

Ooh, I also notice that I completely spaced on putting up a monthly AMA thread. I'm not going to try to go back and pick that up at this late date, but I will make sure I have one up for March 1.

Wordle 1346 Hint

Hint: You have dozens, but your liver is the largest.

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First Letter: G

Wordle 1345 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle is a literally weasel word (for a semi-aquatic mammal).

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First Letter: O

Wordle 1344 Hint

Hint: Think of today's Wordle as a crossroads where you might run into Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton.

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First Letter: C

Note to @Netflix: "Raising." The Word You're Looking For Is "Raising."

Email screenshot:

Do you think using the word "updating" instead of the word "raising" makes it more likely that that your customers will continue their subscriptions rather than cancel them over the price hike?

It probably makes them just a little less likely to hang with you, because you're basically saying you hope they're stupid enough to not notice that what you're saying is "we're charging you more."

(No, I'm not complaining about the price increase. My previous account was the non-HD single screen plan which, IIRC, cost me $8.99. Then you introduced the ad-supported tier for $6.99, which is where I am now. So the price increase  -- not "update" -- still has me paying less than before and I don't mind the ads.)

Wordle 1343 Hint

Hint: Its "siblings" are cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise.

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First Letter: C

Wordle 1342 Hint

Hint: One kind has six legs, another kind smokers use clips to grip.

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First Letter: R

Some Comparative Thinking ...

... inspired by a brief conversation with GregL over the weekend.

My Italica Bulldog motorcycle (according to Fuelly) is currently running an average gas mileage of 64.9 miles per gallon.

His hybrid SUV, "only" 40-odd miles per gallon.

But, of course, his hybrid SUV can comfortably carry at least four passengers, probably five or six in a more cramped style, and a crap ton of cargo.

My motorcycle can carry two passengers at most, and very little cargo (if I'm carrying a passenger, cargo space is effectively reduced to the little 15-liter storage box built into the frame since saddlebags or rear rack cargo wouldn't leave space for the passenger).

His hybrid SUV also shelters its passengers from the weather and has internal climate control for comfort. 

My motorcycle's weather sheltering and climate control capabilities are basically a function of what I wear. If it's wet and I want to be dry, a poncho or rain suit. If it's cold and I want to be warm, multiple clothing layers and my leather jacket, etc. If it's hot and I want to be cool, I could theoretically ride with no helmet (in Florida anyway) and nothing but a pair of shorts and some flip-flops (with negative safety implications). Not that I need to. If the bike is moving, I'm comfortable at even 90+ degree temperatures, even in long sleeves and long pants and pads (the leather jacket has to go at a certain point, though).

His hybrid SUV can operate at and above typical highway speeds.

My motorcycle tops out at 60 miles per hour running downhill with a tailwind.

His hybrid SUV could probably be used to pull another vehicle out of a ditch or tow it for short distances (and/or tow a trailer with cargo).

My motorcycle is pretty much useless for dragging around anything but itself, me, and the aforementioned very light/small cargo.

So ... what is the use case for something like my motorcycle?

I've been thinking about that.

Setting aside the "practical" uses, it's fun to ride. It's also a bit of a conversation-starter (if I was younger, more attractive, and single, I could probably parlay some of those conversations into dates!).

On the practical side:

1. At the family level, it is a second vehicle dedicated to my personal use. We have a (non-hybrid) SUV for trips involving more than one person and/or carrying significant cargo. The motorcycle lets me make it to doctor appointments, do light grocery shopping, go visit friends, etc. without having to make special arrangements to use the SUV. For those functions, I don't need a four-wheeled passenger/cargo vehicle.
2. As bang for buck for that particular function, it was cheaper to buy, and is cheaper to insure, maintain, and operate*, than a second car/truck/SUV.
3. While I tend to emphasize the "long trip" uses, where its top speed is a bit of a deficit, it really shines "in town." It can keep up with any and all traffic there. If I didn't care about the law, I could use "lane-splitting" to work my way through/around traffic jams (I haven't, but I've seen it**). I never have problems finding a parking space.

So I am comfortable with the practical use case. I get a number of practical uses out of it. It saves me time over working out scheduling to use the family car, and it saves me money on all the "getting around" functions that it's good for ... which is most of them.

Also, it's fun to ride.

* Yes, even including the accessories -- helmet, pads, leather jacket, saddlebags, etc. -- that I need for it and wouldn't need for the more conventional kind of vehicle. Those are all purchases that last a long time under normal conditions. And the jacket's kinda cool whether I'm riding or not.

** One thing I like about Florida is that, at least out in my county, "traffic enforcement" isn't really a thing. I could probably ride past a deputy sheriff, going 25 mph above the posted speed limit, on a non-street-legal ATV, with an open fifth of bourbon in one hand, a joint in the other, and two Swedish Bikini Team members hanging off the fenders, and get no more than a nod and a "how's it going?" wave. This is not a complaint.

Wordle 1341 Hint

Hint: Don't you love her this way (Morrison asks)?

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First Letter: M

Overton Window Shift (Or At Least Some Fiddling With the Latch) Detected?

My libertarian ears always perk up when I come across one of our long-time talking points from a "mainstream media" outlet where I wouldn't normally expect to find it ... especially when the talking point is treated seriously instead of just being thrown out there as red meat for ridicule.

Today's instance of that comes from The Atlantic, a fairly "progressive" publication. Today's episode of its "Good On Paper" podcast is titled "The Dark History Behind Public Education" at the publication's web site and "The Real Origins of Public Education" at Youtube.

Pull quote from professor Agustina Paglayan, the episode's guest:

The expansion of primary education in the West was driven not by democratic ideals, but by the state’s desire to control citizens .... And to control them by targeting children at an age when they are very young and susceptible to external influence and to teach them at that young age that it’s good to respect rules, that it’s good to respect authority.

Wow!

The Atlantic is the kind of publication where I expect to come across talking points about e.g. "defending PUBLIC EDUCATION, the PILLAR of our democracy, from the RAVAGES of even mild reforms like charter schools, FOR THE CHILLLLLLLDREN," not someone at least mildly channeling John Holt or John Paul Gatto.

Is this a first sign of the piss-poor excuse for a mainstream "left" in American politics starting to reconsider its attachment to government day prisons ... er, daycare centers ... er, "schools?"

Update On Those Bar End Mirrors

I really do like the "small, round, poke out the end of the handlebars" mirror style better than the "large, wider than tall, stick up off the handlebars like Mickey Mouse ears" style. I wasn't sure I would, and had to actually install them to find out for sure.

BUT!

On that 80-mile round-trip weekend ride, they definitely loosened up. Not the part that inserts into the bars, the part that lets you adjust the mirrors. I noticed this just as I was finishing the outward leg of the ride. On the way home, they were kind of useless. At any given point, either I had just adjusted them at a stop light or whatever, or I couldn't see behind me.

You get what you pay for, I guess. These were a generic $10 Temu buy.

The obvious first step is to go over the mirrors and get everything nice and snug, using Loctite to keep things from loosening up.

The second step, if that doesn't work out, is to buy new, better mirrors from a reputable brand.

I've put a set of well-reviewed KemiMoto mirrors on my Amazon Wish List if anyone wants to help out with that (I'll probably eventually buy them myself anyway, since the el cheapos will likely develop additional defects as they go, but I've got about $300 in medical costs pending so I'm watching my cash at the moment when it comes to things that can likely wait).

In other motorcycle news, GregL gave me an older GoPro camera he no longer uses during our visit. I'll be figuring out how to use it, then mounting it on the bike or on my helmet, soon. Hopefully I can produce better ride videos with it!

Wordle 1340 Hint

Hint: In music and motion pictures as industries, shorthand for "not major."

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First Letter: I

I Wanted It As Soon As I Read The Name

The Benda Napoleonbob 500.

I think I'd prefer the "Mysterious Gold (with Dark Knight Glossy Rim)" trim, but all four options look good in different ways.

The listed top speed is only 90mph, but I could live with that.

I wouldn't have to worry about getting Tamara on it -- unless I got some kind of aftermarket pillion seat, no room.

It's a $6,400 bike, so out of my price range until and unless some start showing up on the used market.

They make some other nice cruiser models too ... the Rock 300 is presumably cheaper, still hits 80mph, and does accommodate a passenger.

But I just love that name.

Interesting Piece, Interesting Discussion

In theory, one of my purposes with this blog is to mention/link to/promote cool stuff I come across instead of just posting Wordle hints and yammering about motorcycles. In particular, I've been meaning to mention/link to/promote Underthrow and the work of Max Borders more often.

So, here's an interesting article at Underthrow, by Max Borders, with what I hope is an interesting discussion in comments (as something of a pedantic proceduralist myself, I found it interesting anyway).

Wordle 1339 Hint

Hint: Graphic hint for the Oregon version of today's Wordle:

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First Letter: T

Passenger Possibilities

I really, really, really like traveling on two wheels. I liked it on a bicycle (longest trip, 60+ miles), I liked it on an electric bicycle (longest trip, 40+ miles), and I like it on a motorcycle (longest trip, 100+ miles).

One down side: Carrying a passenger. Specifically carrying the passenger, my wife.

Tamara rode with me once on the old 50cc Italica scooter, and that was under emergency conditions. She had a flat tire; I rode the scooter into town in sub-40-degree weather, mounted the spare, followed her to a tire shop, then took her on in to work -- a couple of miles at 20 mile per hour speeds.

She's resolutely refused to ride on the Italica Bulldog with me, and I suspect she'll also refuse to ride pillion on a bigger bike.

So, one of my outside -- based on both my preferences, and cost -- ideas is something like the Can-Am Spyder:

Photo by Cjp24. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

With three wheels, she'd no longer have to worry that the only thing between a safe ride and going ass-over-teakettle is my, and her, ability to balance well. The Spyder is pretty cool-looking, and from reading online reviews it looks like it has a top speed in excess of 110mph and can go 250 miles per tank of gas, although the mileage is only in the 35-mile-per gallon range.

Based on that gas mileage, I guess a car just makes better sense -- you don't get wet in the rain and four wheels are even more stable than three.

And I don't think I'd like riding it as much as I like riding a two-wheel vehicle.

And even the older used ones I'm seeing are well out of my likely price range.

So probably not. But I would like a vehicle that Tamara would be willing to hop on for, say, a run into town for light shopping or a meal out or whatever.

The optimal solution might be a Suzuki Burgman 650. It's a scooter that's well-designed to handle two riders, and she'd probably find it a lot less threatening in appearance. I've seen some pretty good deals on used 650cc models, which can hit 100+mph speeds, seems to usually top 50 miles per gallon of gas, and has a range of 130 miles or so per tank of gas. Probably a pretty comfy and reliable ride for long trips as well.

Trip Report

On Friday, I went to visit reader GregL. His house is 35-40 miles from mine  (I live near Gainesville, Florida and he lives near Fort White).

I was expecting to leave at noon or after, because there was rain in the forecast for Friday morning ... but I ended up leaving at 11 am because the forecast changed and everything looked bright and sunny. That, and light traffic, allowed me to take my time -- mostly keeping the Italica Bulldog at a 45-50mph speed instead of straining its engine by running at top speed (55-60mph) much of the way -- and stop for a fast food lunch in High Springs. There clearly had been rain in High Springs (some road puddles, and some residual rain on the outdoor picnic table where I ate my lunch), but the roads were mostly dry, including the final stretch of country highway/country road.

My earlier arrival gave us plenty of time to mess around with virtual reality gadgets (I had never used a MetaQuest head set before, and it's quite cool), do a little shooting, and just talk.

On Saturday, we hiked a segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail, starting at the Olustee Battlefield (where the annual battle re-enactment was about to begin -- we visited several vendor tents before heading out) and heading west. The hike was supposed to be 6-7 miles, but was somewhat longer as we lost the trail at one point and had to do a bit of walking around / asking around to find it again. As one of my friends once told me, if you didn't get lost, you weren't actually hiking.

The hike was quite fun, although the terrain wasn't wildly different from what I'm used to in this part of Florida and although we didn't have any cool wildlife sightings (bears, gators, etc.). It was also quite tiring.

[Addendum, 1:10pm -- Here's a photo Greg took of me on the trail]

I would have considered staying at GregL's a second night, but there were two big negatives to the idea:

1. The forecast for Sunday (today) includes high winds and rain. Rain doesn't bother me too much, but riding a light motorcycle with a wide saddlebag load at highway speeds in high winds just seems like a bad idea if it can be avoided; and
2. By the time we finished the hike I was terribly sore and knew that when I woke up the next morning I would be terribly stiff. It seemed like a better idea to ride through the initial soreness than to add subsequent stiffness as well.

So, I climbed back on the Bulldog at 5:30pm or so and rode home as it was getting dark. Once again, the motorcycle did what I asked of it without complaint, including operating at a higher average speed since I wanted to get home ASAP, and to have as little of the ride as possible take place in darkness.

Thanks to GregL for a great time!

A second motorcycle note:

The first time I rode out to GregL's house was on my little 50cc scooter. His house "is on a dirt road," which in north Florida translates to "is on a road that's pure sand with the occasional short grass sprouting out of it." My only "wipeout" on the 50cc occurred on that road when I came to a stop, put a foot down, and just fell right over when my foot sank about six inches into the sand and I lost my balance.

I did not fall over or otherwise "wipe out" on the Bulldog. I don't know if that's because I was forewarned, or because I've become a better rider, or because the dryness/wetness of the sand was different, or what. The road actually seemed more dangerous the second time -- I had traction problems more than once and the ruts were deeper -- but it all worked out.

Every time I think I'm getting bored with the Bulldog and should just go ahead and find a bigger bike, the Bulldog impresses me. On anything other than freeway, I'm able to keep up with traffic for the most part, and even pushing it to 8,000-8,500 RPM (55-60mph) for extended periods hasn't yet resulted in any kind of engine failure. I've put 1,200+ miles on it so far, and probably at least 400 miles of that have been at top speed.

The Internet tells me that the average lifespan of a 150cc GY6 engine is about 10,000 miles. My opinion is that a lot of that short lifespan is down to riders not keeping up with maintenance. A lot of them are college students, and I suspect a lot of those college students run their engines without an oil change until the bike just stops running, or until they graduate and hand the bike off to some unsuspecting next rider.

I'm not sure this bike will have 10k miles on it by the time I move on to a larger bike, but I suspect that its engine will be good for a lot more mileage than that because I won't be skipping oil changes, etc.

Wordle 1338 Hint

Hint: Is today's Wordle truly debonair, or just well-groomed from using a particular brand of shampoos, body washes, etc.?

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First Letter: S

Wordle 1337 Hint

Hint: Nixon insisted he wasn't one, but most people believed otherwise.

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First Letter: C

Wordle 1336 Hint

Hint: As songs go, today's Wordle would be of the "short and sweet" variety.

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First Letter: D

Pretty Much Loaded ...

... for my weekend trip.

I'm guessing a total of 15-20 pounds of computer gear, hiking gear, and clothing/toiletries, etc. for an overnight stay.

According to Google Maps (and my experience), it's only about 35 miles there, but I'm budgeting two hours for the following reasons:

1. I'm assuming that the additional weight and the effects of the saddle bags on aerodynamics will reduce my potential top speed. I'm hoping to average 35mph, 50ish on the highway, 25-30 once I am navigating side roads.
2. Part of the day, the wind is only supposed to be 5 mph, but it's supposed to be rainy. A different part of the day, it's not supposed to rain but the wind is supposed to be 10 miles per hour. I'm risking the higher wind rather than the more likely rain, but either way I'll be exercising additional care.
3. I'll be making at least one stop (to top off the gas tank before I leave the highway and get into the countryside on my way), maybe more (lunch or a snack or whatever).

I did my best to make sure the weight is balanced, and ran the bike out for a short spin to make sure it didn't fall over on the nearest curve. No obvious problems, but if necessary I can always pull that little backpack off of the rack and just wear it.

Wordle 1335 Hint

Hint: Likely dance style if one happens to be in Havana.

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First Letter: R

Well, It Took About A Year ...

... but I will finally be able to get the Mounjaro I was prescribed back then.

I previously used Ozempic, and it did quite a good job of holding my blood glucose levels down (and taking off weight). Then the price went up big-time -- presumably some discount program ended -- and since I wasn't going to pay the higher price, she decided to try Mounjaro (a similar GLP yada yada yada).

She wrote the prescription for my usual pharmacy.

Nope. My insurer would only fill it at a different pharmacy.

Then that pharmacy couldn't fill it without a "prior authorization" from the insurer.

Which didn't arrive until now, the third round of asking for it (mea culpa, I would submit the this, that, and the other then wait quite a while for a reply).

The LPN at my doctor's office finally opened a can of whoop-ass on the insurer, I guess. She said she was going to look into it, and a few days later the authorization arrived. My first box should be available tomorrow or Friday.

Just talked with the pharmacy. I have a $125 deductible, after which I should get the stuff for $25 per refill.

Until the end of 2025, at which point I guess it will go up again.

Or maybe not. I suspect that the various semaglutides, etc. are close to coming way down in price. Not sure when generics will be available, but the market for them for weight loss is getting big enough that we should start seeing price competition even between brands with shiny new patents soon.

Wordle 1334 Hint

Hint: My thought upon solving today's Wordle was "wow, that went quickly!"

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First Letter: R

Wordle 1333 Hint

Hint: According to a biblical psalm, we get 3.5 of these -- 4 if we work out.

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First Letter: S

Not My Preferred Style of Motorcycle ...

... but it is cheap, and its reputed top speed is 161 miles per hour.

This one is my preferred style of motorcycle, it's also cheap, and it seems to have a top speed of 100-ish, which is plenty. On the other hand, it's been listed for some time, even with OBO on the listing. So I suspect there may be problems with it.

And, of course, I am not actually in the market for a new bike at the moment. I'm still enjoying the Bulldog 150, plan to see if it can be modded/tuned for lower RPMs at speed and maybe a little higher top speed, and don't see moving along from it until at least 2026.

But I do like to look.

I'm planning an outing (100 miles or so round trip) for this weekend, and will probably start messing with saddle bags, checking oil and tire pressure, etc. today. Got a medical appointment tomorrow morning at the same time Tamara has one elsewhere, so I will be getting a nice early morning / foggy morning ride in.

Estimating Volume Is Not One Of My Strong Suits

I like buffalo wings.

A lot.

And they're expensive. Especially from out.

So I usually make them at home. That's expensive too these days, but a lot cheaper than restaurant-bought, and mine generally come out OK.

However, the last few years I've made them using an oven or air fryer method, and I really prefer deep frying in oil.

Last week, I found a 1.5 liter deep fryer on sale for about $14 at Walmart. The cost of the fryer, and a 48-ounce jug of oil, and a four-pound bag of frozen wings, and a big jar of wing sauce, came to about $36.

That's less than a 32-piece order of buffalo wings from Domino's, and I'd have the fryer to use over and over again.

Fairly small fryer ... I figured I'd have to cook just eight wings or so at a time.

Nope. Three. Four if they were all the small part instead of the "drumette."

So, while I was doing other things around the house yesterday, pre-game, I cooked that four-pound bag, three or four wings at a time, and set them aside. Then, starting late during the pre-game show and later during commercial breaks, halftime, etc., I warmed them up five at a time in the microwave, tossed them in wing sauce, and had them as I watched.

I don't normally eat an entire four-pound bag of wings in one day, and didn't quite do so this time either. I had a little help. But I did wing out to the point of satiety. And in fairness, wings were the entirety of my food intake for the entire day other than my usual (lately) single small daily sweet.

Anyway, if you plan to go for substantial deep-frying, get something bigger than a 1.5 liter fryer. I suspect this one is meant for poor students who want to cook single servings of french fries in the dorm or whatever.

Wordle 1332 Hint

Hint: This Sam wasn't known as a musician, but he sold lots of records.

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First Letter: G

Pre-Super-Bowl Motorcycle Fun

This morning, I went over to help my mechanic neighbor push a car off his lift. I decided to take the motorcycle (it's just across the street), install the new hand grips, and figure out whether I should install the handlebar-end mirrors. After a little messing around to test whether they'd be usable on my bike and in my usual riding position, I did.

I already like them. They're at least as helpful as the old Mouseketeer-hat-type mirrors when it comes to checking out what's behind me. I think they're safer, too -- I don't have an acre of mirror sticking up above my handlebars in the center of my field of vision. And while trying to make a mini moto bike look mean is probably a losing game, I think the appearance is improved. Here's an older photo (with only one mirror visible, before I took the useless windscreen off, and when I was still using a handlebar cover):

I also got some video while out testing the new mirror setup. This time in color, with the $8 camera mounted on a cheap chest harness. I'm still thinking some kind of helmet mount make for more interesting video. Especially if I can run my in-helmet mic to it and narrate or whatever.

Wordle 1331 Hint

Hint: This army occupied Washington, DC in 1932.

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First Letter: B

Still Got The Wife, Though

After (IIRC) a little more than two years, I decided to ditch (or at least re-start) the mustache. I never had a horse.

Still needs some clean-up. About to take care of that now, but I wanted a pic as soon as it was gone.

Wordle 1330 Hint

Hint: Solving today's Wordle entails a climb, or at least a challenging upward walk.

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First Letter: S

Cheap Camera Road Test

A camera that cost eight or nine bucks on Temu. I don't recall the listing mentioning that it records in black and white. I don't guess that's really a problem for the price.

Since it has a built-in mic -- no Bluetooth, no mic jack -- any audio other than bike/road noise would have to be overdubbed.

I'm still thinking about a helmet-mounted camera with a mic jack so that I can just plug in the mic already in my helmet (it connects to my Bluetooth headset). This one just clips on to a jacket or whatever.

I'd like to be able to share ride videos in color and with in-the-moment commentary.

Anyway, here's a minute or so from my short ride today. I don't think eight bucks is gonna get me what I'm trying for. But enjoy anyway.

Update, Saturday, 02/08: I was wrong about the camera only being black and white. It supposedly has a "night vision" function, and that was on when I took the above video. If I take the bike out today, I'll see if I can get some color video. [Further update: I took the bike out and got some color video. Unfortunately, due to poor choice of mounting point for the camera, it was pretty much all video of my left hand and the left handlebar]

Wordle 1329 Hint

Hint: Strip -- the noun form like your lawn mower might make, not the verb form like your mama does on stage (rim shot).

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First Letter: S

Wordle 1328 Hint

Hint: A student, or something one looks at a student through.

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First Letter: P

It Seems To Me ...

... that absent some factor I'm not noticing in the news stories about Elon Musk's young friends barging into government offices and demanding the keys, those young friends couldn't expect much more than to receive the same warnings Ashli Babbitt got at the US Capitol four years ago, followed by the same corrective treatment if they pressed the matter.

What might that factor be?

Wordle 1327 Hint

Hint: You might find one under an old sewing machine, or several under a musician's feet.

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First Letter: P

I Find It Odd

Every evening this time of year, Alexa informs me that the National Weather Service has issued a severe weather alert for my area, lasting from late evening until 10am the next morning.

Fog.

Yes, this time of year we have fog every damn morning.

But I've never thought of fog as "severe weather."

Wordle 1326 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle is so versatile! You can brush it, clean it, drill it, fill it, pull it ...

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First Letter: T

Note to Chiefs Haters

Cope.

Angela McArdle Is Gone ...

... and the Libertarian National Committee has chose Steven Nekhaila to replace her as chair.

As a bonus we get Paul Darr to fill the vice-chair vacancy.

Effective a few minutes ago, I'm a (small-time) monthly Libertarian Party donor again.

I'm not saying we've turned this thing around, but these are at least preliminary signs that we're starting the process of doing so.

Least Surprising News Item of the Day

Elon Musk, November 2024: "[A]ll actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency."

Elon Musk, February 2025: "With regard to leakers: if in doubt, they are out"

Wordle 1325 Hint

Hint: Theater, but in the style of the Ziegield Follies rather than of Waiting for Godot.

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First Letter: R

Wordle 1324 Hint

Hint: Solving today's Wordle may be work, but it's routine work.

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First Letter: C

Economic Analysis in Brief

Call: "Trump tariffs begin, with levies on Canada, Mexico, China."

Response:

A Book Recommendation, Totally Not Self-Serving Or Anything

The book: Samuel Edward Konkin III Revolutionary Friend, by Wendy McElroy (not an affiliate link).

Why I've been remiss in mentioning it here: I like to actually finish reading a book before I recommend it, and I haven't had time to meaningfully dig in to this one, especially with the recent illness (when I've got a cold or flu, I tend to keep my reading to light stuff like mystery fare).

Why I decided to suddenly mention and recommend it here:

1. It's by Wendy McElroy, so I can confidently predict that it will be well-written;
2. It's about SEK3 and the wild libertarian milieu he lived and worked in, so I'm absolutely sure it will be interesting; and
3. While Wendy, a long-time friend, had asked me if it was OK to quote an email exchange we had on a particular topic, I didn't know until today (when reader GregL mentioned it to me) that the quoting is extensive, pretty much the whole conversation. I had figured I was just good for a pithy line or two.

I can't even describe how personally flattering it is to be written about by Wendy McElroy in a way that literally puts my opinions alongside those of both SEK3 and Murray Rothbard and takes those opinions seriously.

It's kind of like being a local Catholic parish priest and learning that the pope put out an encyclical discussing my thoughts along with those of Thomas Aquinas and Ignatius of Loyola.

So really, how could I not recommend it? The 15% or so that I made it through before getting sick is great, I know that McElroy delivers, and I even get to be part of the whole thing!

Wordle 1323 Hint

Hint: Rosie's iconic fastener.

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First Letter: R