John's Junk DrawerA place to put the clutterhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/templates/competition/img/s9y_banner_small.pnghttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/2021-02-18T22:12:15ZSerendipity 2.1.6 - http://www.s9y.org/enJohn2021-02-18T20:56:00Z2021-02-18T22:12:15Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=2091http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=209http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/209-guid.htmlList of Australian news sources with links
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John2017-08-08T03:22:43Z2017-08-08T03:22:43Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=2070http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=207http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/207-guid.htmlJust a thought
Somewhere along the line, a lot of easy-money lenders and extended warranty providers have gotten my cell-phone number. They all use robo-callers to begin the "conversation." Worse, the predicative-dialed robo-calls are running nuisance rates of around 30-50% (there used to be laws against this).
Unfortunately, my reject list only holds 20 numbers.
So I'm doing a round-robin (FIFO ring buffer, for fellow programers) as new numbers come in.
I use a simple number scheme. When I get back to the top I change the name from DNC01 to DNC21 and count from 21. This lets me know where the head and the tail of the ring-buffer are on the list, so I know where to add new numbers.
But I want to save the old numbers too
Just in case they start using them again after having been on the reject-list for a while.
So here's the list of all numbers on my reject list
(except for the first few that I threw out before deciding to do this)
(newest numbers are added to the top) n=nuisance, d=dinner-time5-7pm, y=yes-scam
302 570-8948 [y] "would you like to speak with a warranty specialist?" (about your car)
601 228-8218 [y] "important message from the motor vehicle protection agency. Would you like to learn more"
502 617-1009 [n]
830 490-0103 [y]
831 353-2012 [n]
858 951-1750 [d]
407 530-0051 [n]
-------
530 744 2131 [n]
228 325-1202
385 218-3054
669 257-7018 [n]
321 234-5678
239 580-6026
239 541-6799
908 888-0277
361 317-3211
213 210-2506
609 759-2791
518 417-1707
717 724-9599
682 628-4628
786 209-0861
603 637-1878
657 202-5151
541 948-8494
570 491-8294
-------
801 742-5022
970 236-9187
832 241-3030
234 815-8186
323 593-7774
321 421-1092
817 363-5736
305 900-5941
954 826-1234
813 355-9252
281 410-8984
323 609-6006
540 628-8915
347 991-0619
609 456-7425
209 220-4187
928 224-7454
209 220-4187
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John2017-01-16T15:19:59Z2017-01-16T15:24:13Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=2040http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=204http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/204-guid.htmlDr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The xterm terminal (and PuTTY) permit you to programmatically set the foreground and background colors of your terminal using VT styled escape sequenced (e.g., vt200). These are region-based, and can be used to change the color on a character-by-character basis. There are a variety of different sequences for setting these colors, but, for now at least, if you want to use PuTTY as well as X-Window you should use the following sequences. These sequences take an index into a table of colors (see The Chart below) defined and specified by xterm.
Set the Background Color
To set the background color by index hand this escape sequence to the terminal:
<esc>[48;5;<c>m
Where <c> is the index (from the chart below) for the color you want to make the background.
You can send the sequence to the terminal with the echo command. Give it the -n option so that it wont echo a new-line at the end of the sequence. Here are some examples:
Set background
echo -n "\033[48;5;16m"
Sets the background to black (index 16 from the chart). Note that \033 is the escape character.
printf "\033[48;5;16m"
Same as the echo statement above, but using the more portable printf command.
printf "\033[48;5;17m"
Sets the background to dim blue for text editing. (index 17 from the chart).
Set the Foreground Color
To set the foreground color by index, use the following escape sequence:
<esc>[38;5;<c>m
Note the '48' has been changed to a '38'. The <c> remains the index from the chart (below) for the color you want to use.
Use the echo command to send the sequence. As always, the -n option is used to prevent echo from sending a new-line at the end of the sequence.
Set foreground
printf "\033[38;5;16m"
Sets the foreground (text color) to black (index 16 from the chart). Again, \033 (octal) = 27 (dec) = Esc
printf "\033[38;5;17m"
Sets the foreground (text) to dim blue. (index 17 from the chart).
. . . . . . . . . . .
The Most Rationally Formatted Chart
216 regular colors, indexed
That's a lot of factors:
216 factors: 1,2,3,4,6,8,9,12,18,24,27,36,54,72,108,216
Format: 6x36
The first six rows of this table hold the entire range of Blue across the X-axis, and the complete range of Green down the Y-axis. The remaining five, six-line charts are the entire range of RED overlaid onto the first chart. Said another way, each six-line chart represents one data point on the (RED) Z-axis, with X=BLUE, and Y=GREEN. Essentially it is BGR instead of RGB . Both index, and rgb-value orders, are preserved.
b=x, g=y, r=0
016 000000
017 00005f
018 000087
019 0000af
020 0000d7
021 0000ff
022 005f00
023 0005f5f
024 005f87
025 005faf
026 005fd7
027 005fff
028 008700
029 00875f
030 008787
031 0087af
032 0087d7
033 0087ff
034 00af00
035 000af5f
036 00af87
037 00afaf
038 00afd7
039 00afff
040 00d700
041 00d75f
042 00d787
043 00d7af
044 00d7d7
045 00d7ff
046 00ff00
047 000ff5f
048 00ff87
049 00ffaf
050 00ffd7
051 00ffff
b=x, g=y, r=0x5f
052 5f0000
053 5f005f
054 5f0087
055 5f00af
056 5f00d7
057 5f00ff
058 5f5f00
059 5f05f5f
060 5f5f87
061 5f5faf
062 5f5fd7
063 5f5fff
064 5f8700
065 5f875f
066 5f8787
067 5f87af
068 5f87d7
069 5f87ff
070 5faf00
071 5f0af5f
072 5faf87
073 5fafaf
074 5fafd7
075 5fafff
076 5fd700
077 5fd75f
078 5fd787
079 5fd7af
080 5fd7d7
081 5fd7ff
082 5fff00
083 5f0ff5f
084 5fff87
085 5fffaf
086 5fffd7
087 5fffff
b=x, g=y, r=0x87
088 870000
089 87005f
090 870087
091 8700af
092 8700d7
093 8700ff
094 875f00
095 8705f5f
096 875f87
097 875faf
098 875fd7
099 875fff
100 878700
101 87875f
102 878787
103 8787af
104 8787d7
105 8787ff
106 87af00
107 870af5f
108 87af87
109 87afaf
110 87afd7
111 87afff
112 87d700
113 87d75f
114 87d787
115 87d7af
116 87d7d7
117 87d7ff
118 87ff00
119 870ff5f
120 87ff87
121 87ffaf
122 87ffd7
123 87ffff
b=x, g=y, r=0xaf
124 af0000
125 af005f
126 af0087
127 af00af
128 af00d7
129 af00ff
130 af5f00
131 af05f5f
132 af5f87
133 af5faf
134 af5fd7
135 af5fff
136 af8700
137 af875f
138 af8787
139 af87af
140 af87d7
141 af87ff
142 afaf00
143 af0af5f
144 afaf87
145 afafaf
146 afafd7
147 afafff
148 afd700
149 afd75f
150 afd787
151 afd7af
152 afd7d7
153 afd7ff
154 afff00
155 af0ff5f
156 afff87
157 afffaf
158 afffd7
159 afffff
b=x, g=y, r=0xd7
160 d70000
161 d7005f
162 d70087
163 d700af
164 d700d7
165 d700ff
166 d75f00
167 d705f5f
168 d75f87
169 d75faf
170 d75fd7
171 d75fff
172 d78700
173 d7875f
174 d78787
175 d787af
176 d787d7
177 d787ff
178 d7af00
179 d70af5f
180 d7af87
181 d7afaf
182 d7afd7
183 d7afff
184 d7d700
185 d7d75f
186 d7d787
187 d7d7af
188 d7d7d7
189 d7d7ff
190 d7ff00
191 d70ff5f
192 d7ff87
193 d7ffaf
194 d7ffd7
195 d7ffff
b=x, g=y, r=0xff
196 ff0000
197 ff005f
198 ff0087
199 ff00af
200 ff00d7
201 ff00ff
202 ff5f00
203 ff05f5f
204 ff5f87
205 ff5faf
206 ff5fd7
207 ff5fff
208 ff8700
209 ff875f
210 ff8787
211 ff87af
212 ff87d7
213 ff87ff
214 ffaf00
215 ff0af5f
216 ffaf87
217 ffafaf
218 ffafd7
219 ffafff
220 ffd700
221 ffd75f
222 ffd787
223 ffd7af
224 ffd7d7
225 ffd7ff
226 ffff00
227 ff0ff5f
228 ffff87
229 ffffaf
230 ffffd7
231 ffffff
. . . . . . . . . . .
The Missing Slots
There are 16 missing color-indexes (0-15) at the beginning, and 24 missing color-indexes (232-255) at the end.
. . . . . . . . . . .
The Original ANSI 8 (16)
The 16 color-indexes missing at the beginning of the above chart hold the generic set of eight colors you see (for example) in ansi, or curses, as named colors. It contains another eight colors which are —sort-of— the same colors repeated, but duller (more dull?).
Note that these already exist in the above chart. The reason you see them repeated again here is because these were preserved in order to be compatible with the old xterm, which only had the first 16 color-indexes. Old software that references these indexes will not be broken. Here's their chart:
000 000000
001 800000
002 008000
003 808000
004 000080
005 800080
006 008080
007 c0c0c0
008 808080
009 ff0000
010 00ff00
011 ffff00
012 0000ff
013 ff00ff
014 00ffff
015 ffffff
. . . . . . . . . . .
The Extra Gray Scale
The 24 color-indexes missing at the end of the above chart are a set of gray scale colors. I'm not sure what their purpose is. They are slightly different than the grays available in the main chart. Perhaps a continuously indexed gray scale permits some simple math to be used when shading/ray-tracing? Anyway. Here's that chart.
232 080808
233 121212
234 1c1c1c
235 262626
236 303030
237 3a3a3a
238 444444
239 4e4e4e
240 585858
241 626262
242 6c6c6c
243 767676
244 808080
245 8a8a8a
246 949494
247 9e9e9e
248 a8a8a8
249 b2b2b2
250 bcbcbc
251 c6c6c6
252 d0d0d0
253 dadada
254 e4e4e4
255 eeeeee
More about how to set these colors (foreground and background) from applications running in xterm and PuTTY follows. . .
There are two different sets of sequences for setting colors using rgb codes. These usually work in X11, but if you intend to use PuTTY to access your server, you should use the index-setting sequences (PuTTY doesn't currently support these rgb sequences). For the time being, at least, using indexes will allow your applications to work consistently along with the xterms in X11. Never hurts to do an echo command from the command line to test if a newer version does.
Using three (rgb) decimal numbers:
This control sequence takes three parameters (r,g,b), which are decimal numbers from 0 .. 255. Each decimal number represents the intensity of its respective color.
To set the background color: <ESC>[48;2;<r>;<g>;<b>m
echo it from a the command line: printf "\033[48;2;0;0;100m"
(dark blue)
And from a script: printf "\033[48;2;$r;$g;${b}m"
To set the foreground color: <ESC>[38;2;<r>;<g>;<b>m
(change the 48 to 38)
Using an HTML-Entity styled rgb parameter
To set the background: <ESC>]11;#53186f<BEL>
To echo that: printf "\033]11;#53186f\007"
(dark purple background)
To set the foreground: <ESC>]13;#53186f<BEL>
(dark purple text)
. . . . . . . . . . .
The Coffee Mug Format
format: 12x18
016 000000
017 00005f
018 000087
019 0000af
020 0000d7
021 0000ff
022 005f00
023 0005f5f
024 005f87
025 005f87
026 005fd7
027 005fff
028 008700
029 00875f
030 008787
031 0087af
032 0087d7
033 0087ff
034 00af00
035 000af5f
036 00af87
037 00af87
038 00afd7
039 00afff
040 00d700
041 00d75f
042 00d787
043 00d7af
044 00d7d7
045 00d7ff
046 00ff00
047 000ff5f
048 00ff87
049 00ff87
050 00ffd7
051 00ffff
052 5f0000
053 5f005f
054 5f0087
055 5f00af
056 5f00d7
057 5f00ff
058 5f5f00
059 5f05f5f
060 5f5f87
061 5f5f87
062 5f5fd7
063 5f5fff
064 5f8700
065 5f875f
066 5f8787
067 5f87af
068 5f87d7
069 5f87ff
070 5faf00
071 5f0af5f
072 5faf87
073 5faf87
074 5fafd7
075 5fafff
076 5fd700
077 5fd75f
078 5fd787
079 5fd7af
080 5fd7d7
081 5fd7ff
082 5fff00
083 5f0ff5f
084 5fff87
085 5fff87
086 5fffd7
087 5fffff
088 870000
089 87005f
090 870087
091 8700af
092 8700d7
093 8700ff
094 875f00
095 8705f5f
096 875f87
097 875f87
098 875fd7
099 875fff
100 878700
101 87875f
102 878787
103 8787af
104 8787d7
105 8787ff
106 87af00
107 870af5f
108 87af87
109 87af87
110 87afd7
111 87afff
112 87d700
113 87d75f
114 87d787
115 87d7af
116 87d7d7
117 87d7ff
118 87ff00
119 870ff5f
120 87ff87
121 87ff87
122 87ffd7
123 87ffff
124 af0000
125 af005f
126 af0087
127 af00af
128 af00d7
129 af00ff
130 af5f00
131 af05f5f
132 af5f87
133 af5f87
134 af5fd7
135 af5fff
136 af8700
137 af875f
138 af8787
139 af87af
140 af87d7
141 af87ff
142 afaf00
143 af0af5f
144 afaf87
145 afaf87
146 afafd7
147 afafff
148 afd700
149 afd75f
150 afd787
151 afd7af
152 afd7d7
153 afd7ff
154 afff00
155 af0ff5f
156 afff87
157 afff87
158 afffd7
159 afffff
160 d70000
161 d7005f
162 d70087
163 d700af
164 d700d7
165 d700ff
166 d75f00
167 d705f5f
168 d75f87
169 d75f87
170 d75fd7
171 d75fff
172 d78700
173 d7875f
174 d78787
175 d787af
176 d787d7
177 d787ff
178 d7af00
179 d70af5f
180 d7af87
181 d7af87
182 d7afd7
183 d7afff
184 d7d700
185 d7d75f
186 d7d787
187 d7d7af
188 d7d7d7
189 d7d7ff
190 d7ff00
191 d70ff5f
192 d7ff87
193 d7ff87
194 d7ffd7
195 d7ffff
196 ff0000
197 ff005f
198 ff0087
199 ff00af
200 ff00d7
201 ff00ff
202 ff5f00
203 ff05f5f
204 ff5f87
205 ff5f87
206 ff5fd7
207 ff5fff
208 ff8700
209 ff875f
210 ff8787
211 ff87af
212 ff87d7
213 ff87ff
214 ffaf00
215 ff0af5f
216 ffaf87
217 ffaf87
218 ffafd7
219 ffafff
220 ffd700
221 ffd75f
222 ffd787
223 ffd7af
224 ffd7d7
225 ffd7ff
226 ffff00
227 ff0ff5f
228 ffff87
229 ffff87
230 ffffd7
231 ffffff
I display this in index-order, which also puts the colors in rgb-logical order. Many display this as a cube without concern for index order. I personally think it would make more sense to display it as a cylinder, with the right half of the above chart flipped, before being rolled up horizontally (i.e., make the left and right edges meet after flipping the right half).
]]>
John2016-07-04T07:10:00Z2016-07-11T01:44:05Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=1781http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=178http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/178-guid.htmlThe American Declaration of Independence
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
------------------------------
Signatories
Column 1
. . . .. . .
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
. . . .. . .
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
. . . .. . .
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
. . . .. . .
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
. . . .. . .
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
. . . .. . .
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
. . . .. . .
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
. . . .. . .
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
. . . .. . .
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
. . . .. . .
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
. . . .. . .
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
. . . .. . .
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
. . . .. . .
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
. . . .. . .
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
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John2016-06-09T12:54:00Z2017-01-14T15:45:52Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=1990http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=199http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/199-guid.htmlThree Song Salad
Three songs:
1. What's it all about, Alphie?
2. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me
3. Moon River
You can sing them as one song:
. . . What's it all about, Alphie?
. . . Let it begin with me.
. . . Oh dream maker, you heart breaker
wherever you're going I'm going your way
Obviously, that's my amateur attempt at best, when you see something like this. . .
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John2015-12-01T14:37:53Z2015-12-01T14:37:53Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=1960http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=196http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/196-guid.htmlChristmas: Little Drummer Boy
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John2015-09-26T16:35:16Z2015-10-03T15:58:12Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=1950http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=195http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/195-guid.htmlLet's Play: Science / NOT Science
Science: — Proposing a theory, which makes predictions that can be validated, or invalidated by future observations.
NOT Science: — Trying to associate those who disagree with your theory with Holocaust deniers.
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John2015-08-23T15:50:51Z2015-09-26T16:35:13Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=1940http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=194http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/194-guid.htmlTo the People of Brandon, Mississippi, With Love
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John2015-03-19T16:36:00Z2015-05-18T01:49:41Zhttp://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/wfwcomment.php?cid=1900http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/rss.php?version=atom1.0&type=comments&cid=190http://www.johnrepici.com/serendipity/archives/190-guid.htmlOpen vs FreeBSD -- Night and Day
I have switched to FreeBSD after spending a few months banging my head against OpenBSD. OpenBSD is a nice O.S., and I really didn't want to switch, but now that I'm trying FreeBSD, here are some first impressions of the differences.
Reasons to Choose FreeBSD
Would you like clear, well-written user documentation, instead of curt citations of man pages, and faq entries? You want FreeBSD.
Would you like to experiment with hosting MS-Windows (or Linux, or another BSD, etc.) as a guest O.S. in a virtual machine, right out of the box? You probably want FreeBSD.
You have an older machine with only 1/2 gig of ram, and you think you should be able to run firefox without hitting the swap file? Free is the O.S. for you.
You have an older computer that runs at just under 1 gighz, and you think it's reasonable to expect an O.S. to deliver decent performance from that? You need FreeBSD
You've invested a lot of time switching from MS-Office to OpenOffice and you don't want to have to now learn the latest other OTHER office suite? Definitely, you want FreeBSD.
You're an experimenter who wants to install BSD on your Raspberry Pi? Most seem to agree, FreeBSD is a better fit for you.
Reasons to Choose OpenBSD
You think PF (Packet Filter) is a really cool piece of software and you want to run it? OpenBSD is for you.
And Now, for Something Completely Different
Are you a masochist who is excited by the idea of being beaten to a pulp, and left naked in the middle of the ethical, legal, and financial mine-field that is the GPL?. . . You want linux.
All the garden entries from the 2014 growing season have been placed here.
All in all it was a good growing season. Tomatoes, as usual, were amazing and produced unexpectedly large harvests. That said there was a bout of bacterial speck to be dealt with about midway through the season.
First time growing Brussels Sprouts seemed to go well. They are so much tastier when ripened on the plant (less bitterness, but more flavor). Also grew Italian Choice Red Bell Peppers, and String Beans. All delicious, though it took a bit of time to figure out how to properly prepare them.
. . . . . . .
While the blog entries are organized most recent entries first, the log will be listed from the start of the season in the spring, to the end of the season in October.
CAUTION: This entry contains many pictures.
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Here We Go, 17-May-2014.
Same size as last year, buried soaker hose irrigation. _______________
Garden Overview — 2014 garden begins. Foreground: Brussels Sprouts. . . . . Behind them (where the stakes are): String beans. . . . . . Back-right: four tomato plants, . . . . . . . . Back-left: Italian Choice, red, Bell Peppers. . . Notice the fixtures at the front-left: I'm trying all underground irrigation this year, using soaker hoses.
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Soaker Hose Lessons, 29-May-2014. _______________
Ooops. . . Learning — I broke my garden yesterday. Latest Gardening Lesson: When using buried soaker hoses to irrigate, you must exercise care when you add trellises or stakes.
Use Pressure Regulators With Soaker-Hoses (30-May) — For four years I've tried all different brands of sprinkler- and soaker-hoses. They all spewed tons of water out in the last few feet, and almost no water for most of the length. Thought it was bad brands of soaker hose. This year I learned that soaker-hoses aren't made to deal with full municipality water pressure (50-60 psi). If you don't want to blow out your soaker-hoses the first time you turn them on, you need to add pressure regulators. These (the two black things you see here) are less than $10 each, and seem to work fine. They reduce city water (50-60 psi) down to 10-20 psi pressure. So far, this has proven to work for me.
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Off to a Great Start, 30-May-2014. _______________
Garden Overview — Front: Brussels Sprouts. . . Behind them: String Beans. . . Behind them: Place where the "Italian Choice" red peppers will be planted (they are currently being grown from seed inside). . . On the right: Four tomato plants.
Tomatoes — The two in the back are Better Boys, which are indeterminate. This (indeterminate) means they will keep right on producing until something (like a frost) stops them. . . . The two in the foreground are determinate (Better Bush). That (determinate) means they have a specific set of life-phases they grow through, which terminates in fruit production. When they are done, they are done, regardless of whether there is still more season left. In general, I don't like determinates for this reason, but was absent-minded on the day I purchased these two. . .
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State of the Garden, 07-June-2014. _______________
The Garden — Left to right: Brussels Sprouts, String Beans, Tomatoes. The egg crate hangin' with the tomatoes is red-pepper sprouts that were germinated indoors. They are almost ready for planting in the space behind the tomatoes (another inch or two of growth needed).
18-June:
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Peppers In, 18-June-2014. _______________
Red Bell Peppers (Italian Choice): — This is the first time I was able to germinate the seeds indoors. This is an important step to master, before you can start doing heirloom seeds. There are nine plants here, though I have had to replant a couple of them because the birds think my garden is their playground.
The white plastic stakes mark where the soaker hose is buried.
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Garden 23-June-2014. _______________
Garden Overviews — (left to right): Brussels Sprouts, String Beans, Tomatoes (Better Bush in Front, Better Boy in back). Behind the tomatoes, there are nine, newly planted, red bell pepper plants (Italian choice, red).
Tomatoes Gone Wild: — I left four feet between plants this year. The most so far. Still, it looks like they will combine into a single large bush before the season is out.
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Brussels Sprouts, 01-July-2014. _______________
When Our Soccer Team is About to Play Belgium — The Brussels Sprouts are a bit wilted in the heat today. Maybe it's a good sign.
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Garden With Tomatoes, 06-July-2014. _______________
Into Every Life — The tomatoes sustained quite a bit of wind damage in last week's storms, but, with a few well-placed stakes, and lots of ties, they're back upright. Looks like lots of tomatoes are on the way. . . God willing.
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Second String-Bean Harvest, 09-July-2014. _______________
They're good for your heart — 2nd string-bean harvest just over 2 pounds. Looks like there is at least another harvest on the vines that is almost ready. Incidentally, wasps really are the a**holes of the gardening world. I take solace in the notion that some people think their stings lower MS activity.
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Garden 11-July-2014. _______________
Brussels Sprout Close Up — This is a closeup of one of the Brussels Sprouts. It shows how each branch has one Brussels Sprout in its crux. They start out as a little tiny speck, and grow bigger with time, looking like little dark green blobs. This picture is a nice one because it shows them in various stages of development. There's one near the top (left) that is starting to show the normal appearance of a leafy sprout.
Heavy Duty Stakes — Another tomato basket fell over. This is a six foot, 1x2 stake that I drove about 2.5 feet into the ground with a sledge hammer. It surely did some root damage. These are the heaviest-duty cages I have found, and they still aren't up to the task. I need to find a better solution. Perhaps next year I will drive the stakes in when I set up the cages.
Place of Peace — (Accidental Feng Shui)
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First Tomato Harvest, 14-July-2014. _______________
First Tomatoes — They're a lot like the first pancake on the grill. A little raggedy and imperfect. You can't see it here, but many of the tops are split. That means I've been over-watering a little, and will correct course.
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The Garden, 16-July-2014. _______________
Thank goodness for poop in a bag — Serious compost shortage this year.
Rooting at a break — A branch broke almost completely off. I left it alone because it had flowers on the end, but then it started growing roots just after the break. I did what any self respecting gardener would do. Cut it off and plant it in the ground. We'll see how it does. --- UPDATE: It's doing nicely. See 2014/07/24.
Third string bean harvest. — Just under two pounds.
2nd tomato harvest — They're still coming from the bottom branches, so there are a lot of uglies, but there are also quite a few nice ones. And, just so you know, the uglies are just as tasty as the pretties.
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Garden, 19-22, July, 2014. _______________
Garden 2014.07.19 — You can see the root damage showing up from where the 6 foot post had to be driven. These leaves are turning yellow. If it was one of the blights, they would be turning more of a beige color (i think). You can also see where I've started the planned expansion for next year. Unlike NATO, this expansion is entirely within my own back yard.
Single serving string-bean harvest — I didn't get any until the third harvest, so did not have any feedback on what I was doing wrong in harvesting and preparation. The first three harvests were not so good. Now I'm starting to learn, though. The only ones with any flavor are the green ones (greener the better). The white and yellow ones taste like the beans in pork-and-beans if you were to rinse off the sauce. Cut off 1/4 to 1/2 inch from each end and boil for 10 minutes or so. I have not been able to make saute preparation work yet.
Tomatoes — Harvests are averaging about 6-12 per day with about 80-90% of them pretties. In the beginning of the harvest season most of them were uglies.
More — Last year I was harvesting once a week so it was easy to keep tallies of the yields. This year it is every morning or afternoon, so it doesn't make sense to keep a count.
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Ongoing Garden, 24-July-2014. _______________
From a Branch to a Plant — This is the tomato plant that was started from a broken branch (see 2014/07/16). You can see that it is really coming back nicely here.
Garden Expansion — The expansion is coming along. I put the birdbath in the middle of the newly scraped area.
Oops — Did I say 6-12 per day? I'd like to revise that. It looks like, for a while anyway, it will be 2-3 dozen per day.
2014.08.05 - Garden overview — L to R: Brussels Sprouts, String Beans, Tomatoes. You can't see the peppers behind the tomatoes, but they're there and doing fine.
Perfect! —Nicest tomato I've grown, to date.
Recognize this guy? — t was planted from a branch that had broken off one of the plants and started to sprout roots (see 2014.07.16). It is doing well and now has flowers. Should be producing tomatoes before you know it. Lesson? If this produces good tomatoes, next year I'll buy one of each variety and start extras from clippings.
Tomatoes Galore — Today's tomato harvest had much nicer pretties, in much greater numbers, than usual.
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Bacterial Speck, 26-August to 5-September, 2014. _______________
Bacterial Speck — The tomatoes contracted something called "bacterial speck" about three weeks ago, which I was not able to treat. I was lopping off yellow branches every day and not keeping up. Finally was able to treat them with copper, which stopped --or at least slowed-- the dying branches. I've still been lopping off foliage, but now, most of it is left over from before the treatment.
Close-up — This is leaf speck (aka bacterial speck). Note the yellow hallos around dark brown specks. - - You should treat it with copper at the very first sign. I waited three weeks before starting treatment, which has probably doomed my tomatoes to an early end-of-season.
Bacterial Speck — I've been out every day pruning dead and dying branches. The existing tomatoes, which are normally hidden in the foliage, are completely exposed. While they still have that amazing garden-ripened taste, the lack of shelter from sun and wind causes them to have tougher-than-usual skin.
Overview — Here's the garden as of 2014.08.26 In the foreground (near the bird-bath), you can see the tomato plant that was started from a branch. It now has flowers and should be good for some late fruit. Unlike the mature plants, it only just started to show signs of leaf speck when I was finally able to apply the copper treatment, so it cleared right up. The cinder block you see there was discovered during the garden expansion effort.
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Peppers, 8-September-2014 _______________
Peppers are doing great ! — Multiple peppers on each plant and new flowers too!
The peppers are Italian Choice Red. — I was worried they went in too late, but here we are with plenty of season left, and peppers starting to turn red.
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State of the Garden, 04-07, October-2014. _______________
Second pepper harvest. — I like the red ones because you can tell when they're ripe. Few things are more disappointing to eat than a pepper that ain't ripe.
— Still more peppers to harvest.
—
The tomato plant started from a branch is doing well. Lots of tomatoes and flowers.
— The sick tomatoes are recovering nicely. it has taken a lot of pruning, and copper treatments.
Brussels Sprouts after two harvests — The way their stalks grow makes them look a little like palm trees.
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Visitor, 14-October-2014. _______________
A visitor to the garden —
Close-Up — Just hangin' out under the palm trees that smell like cabbage.
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Aphids, 16-October-2014. _______________
Aphids on the Brussels Sprouts — Aphids LOVE plants from the cabbage family (like the brussels sprouts). They seem to prefer the leaves and leave (sorry) the sprouts alone. Dusting the plants with Sevin does nothing noticeable to rid them. I'll have to research some better solutions for next year.
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Pepper Harvest, 20-October-2014. _______________
— Peppers are producing well. The deeper the red, the sweeter the pepper.
The saddest day of the growing season — Lots of green tomatoes. I have been ripening them as needed by placing a bunch in a brown-paper-bag and closing it up. This produced fairly good ripe tomatoes that I thought would be on par with store bought tomatoes. Boy was I wrong. I had forgotten just how bad store-bought tomatoes are.
Post script: Why Do Store-bought Tomatoes Taste So Bad?
At this writing (24-December) I just purchased my first store-bought tomatoes of the season. They were AWFUL. They were nearly perfect to look at, and bright red, but they had a texture like a raw potato, but with less flavor.
I used to think store-bought tomatoes were bad because they picked them bright-green and then let them ripen in transit. I can no longer support that thesis, since, the home-grown tomatoes I have been ripening from a bright-green state, were WAY better than the store-bought tomatoes.
So I went back and learned a thing or two about how "big-food" does tomatoes. It turns out they pick them bright green, but then they gas them with ethylene to turn them red. The industry marketing effort is quite insistent that this is the same thing as if the fruit had ripened naturally, but judging by the taste, I'd say that may be a (big) stretch.
My guess. The ethylene hormone causes them to ripen (turn red) but does little or nothing to promote the normal process of breaking down the starches, which turn into sugars. Again, starches are the things that have a taste and texture reminiscent of potatoes but with less flavor.
Well, that's my theory. I've read the big-food releases that blame it on other stuff (like the varieties of tomato selected), but those theories just don't pass the smell test (sorry).