Russell Atkinson's Blog, page 8

What3Words in the News again – atmospheric.river.storm

If you’ve read my blog regularly, you’ll be familiar with how this works. If not, the short version is that the location company What3Words.com has assigned three-word combos to every one meter square spot on earth and I have fun finding W3W combination that are prophetic, ironic, or simply entertaining. You can see more here and here, or just search W3W in the search box above.

I could have told you Matt Gaetz’s nomination would be sunk because attorney.general.gates lands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. So does Gates.withdraws.nomination.

Personal names are not used by W3W unless they happen to be valid words in one of the languages they support. Trump and Musk happen to be such valid words, so you can have a lot of fun with them. For example trumps.cabinet.selection is deep in Russia. An illegal spy?

The pressure is now on the U.S. Senate to serve as a guard rail to keep Trump from appointing unqualified people to key positions (Rudy Giuliani as FBI Director? One of the cop-killers from Jan. 6?) So I searched Senate chamber for any clue as to how well they would do. Sadly, the best I could find was that it is one of those prime.actors.areas.

Setting politics aside, I see that California is expecting an atmospheric.river.storm, so I decided to look up where it will hit. According to W3W that will center on West San Jose about 8 miles from my house. Yikes!

Lastly, on a whimsical note, I just read that some crypto billionaire bought that stupid “art” consisting of a banana duct taped to a wall for $6.2 million. Since duct is not a valid W3W word (confuses with ducked) I had to settle for duck.taped.banana, which is located in a federal intelligence facility in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. That’s not creepy!

 

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Inflation helps many

I think high inflation is harmful for an economy and should be stopped or reduced if possible, But the reality that is often overlooked is that it actually helps many people. In particular, retirees. Many retirees have some form of pension or rely on Social Security. In my experience these all have cost of living adjustments (COLAs) every year. But the COLAs typically use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to compute the increase. The CPI, in turn, includes housing as a major component, about 1/3. But most seniors do not have increased housing costs. Homeowners usually have paid off, or soon pay off, their mortgages by retirement so their costs go down. If not, the monthly payment is usually fixed, not increasing. Renters and homeowners both usually move to cheaper areas for retirement and often downsize from a full-size house to something smaller, e.g. a cottage, cabin, or trailer. Obviously, individual circumstances vary, but the bottom line is that disposable income for these folks goes up faster than their living costs during inflation.

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How the World Ran Out of Everything by Peter S. Goodman

How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain by Peter S. Goodman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodman has written a well-researched book explaining not only how the U.S. came to have the massive shortages around the time of the pandemic, but also why inflation is baked into our economy. The basic principles are set forth clearly: way too much dependence on China to manufacture our goods, adoption of just in time (JIT) manufacturing here in order to minimize inventory costs (and thus inventory) and pay higher dividends, consolidation of many vital sectors to monopoly or near-monopoly status (ocean shipping, longshoremen, meatpacking, computer chips), weak antitrust enforcement, etc. The details are fascinating, although it does get somewhat repetitive as the same factors play out again and again. The author makes a wise choice of explaining step-by-step how one small toy manufacturer in Mississippi, Glo, had to get its product manufactured in China and shipped to the U.S. in time to fulfill orders for the Christmas season during the worst of the Covid pandemic. It was harrowing and the reader is cheering for Glo in the face of a dearth of shipping containers, overcrowded ships, broken contracts, a failing U.S. rail system, and so on. I was tempted to rate the book a 4, but it’s a bit dry for the average reader. Still, I recommend it.

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Deer Season by Erin Flanagan

Deer Season by Erin Flanagan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a great deal, but find it hard to categorize. I think I found it on a list of “thrillers,” but it’s not the typical action-filled thriller. It’s not really a psychological thriller, either. The tension comes from the building suspense over Peggy, a flirty teenage girl who goes missing. The small farm town focuses their suspicions and hatred on a young retarded farmhand, Hal, who is both handsome and simple-minded. He has a crush on Peggy, despite the age difference. Is she dead? Did she run away? Hal went missing from his deer hunting party the same night Peggy went missing, and he came home with blood on his truck, deer blood he claims. Later, a private detective is hired to unravel it all, but it is not really a detective novel either, as he is a rather minor character.

The book shines as a beautifully-written depiction of small town farm life in Nebraska in the 1980s. Alma and Clyle, Hal’s employers, are the central characters. Alma loves Hal like a son, perhaps as a substitute for the children she could never have. She is fiercely protective of him as the town turns against him. Their marriage appears to be in trouble. Peggy’s 12-year-old brother Milo, another central character, goes through a coming of age process. The author absolutely nails it with respect to Milo and his obnoxious cousin George – the obsession with girls, the pimple popping, and the rest of it. The farm life is described in detail, but almost invisibly as the inevitable and endless chores interrupt scenes as mundanely as sunrise and sunset. I found myself imagining that existence, growing up there. The mystery deepens chapter by chapter as Peggy remains missing, but it is resolved in the end with a clever twist. The author, a professor of writing, is very talented. She has penned a beautiful description of a dreary but very believable setting and relatable characters. While it’s not a page-turner, it’s so realistic that it makes you feel like you live in a time warp in Gunthrum, Nebraska while you read.

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Fear is Just a Word by Azam Ahmed

Fear Is Just a Word: A Missing Daughter, a Violent Cartel, and a Mother’s Quest for Vengeance by Azam Ahmed
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This true life story of a woman who fought the Zeta gang in San Fernando, Mexico is both inspiring and disheartening at times. It’s heartbreaking to see how criminals prey successfully on ordinary citizens with rarely any consequences. It must be a terrible place to live. The heroine of the story, Miriam Rodriguez, lost a daughter to the gang violence. The daughter was kidnapped, then ransomed, then beaten and killed despite the fact the ransom was paid. Miriam went on a vengeance rampage and was successful in getting many of the gang incarcerated and some killed by the Mexican army. I read this only because it was chosen by my book club, and I can’t recommend it. The writing is terribly repetitive and disorganized. The many Zetas and police and how or what they did were identified and explained over and over again. The storyline jumped back and forth as new details about past events emerged. It was almost impossible to keep track of who was dead or incarcerated at any point in the narrative. The beginning was mostly history of the area and backstory on some of the people involved, but was rather boring. Part two is where the action begins, and it becomes action-filled quickly. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say more.

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Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a future space opera world, Murderbot is a robotic part human security unit (SecUnit) who is an efficient, emotionless hired guard/killer. He’s also, despite disavowing any emotion, loyal to Dr. Mensah and other human “clients,” who are equally loyal and affectionate to him(it?). In short he is more like a loving pet, say a pit bull/doberman mix who can hack computer systems and pass for a human. This is the fourth installment in the Murderbot Diaries. Like with the first one, which I reviewed here: All Systems Red I enjoyed the plausible technobabble and the cute denial Murderbot displays about his love for Dr. Mensah and her crew of humans. There’s not much substance, but it’s a short, fun read with plenty of action. I listened to the audiobook, which has a good reader.

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The Last Slave Ship by Ben Raines

The Last Slave Ship: The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning by Ben Raines
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This outstanding narrative begins describing how just before the Civil War a wealthy southern landowner bet he could bring a load of African slaves into Alabama through the blockade the federal government had set up to enforce the ban on such slave importation. He had a boat, the Clotilda, outfitted specifically for this task and set out to Ouida, Dahomey, then the slave trading capital of Africa. He partially succeeded in his task, although there were setbacks. The first chapters introduce the three main locales: Mobile, Ouida, and Africatown, the community later established by the slaves who were on the ship, the very last one to import slaves to the United States.

The book then goes on to describe how the ship returned with its load, was hidden and burned to conceal the crime, one punishable by death. The author, an investigative journalist and Alabama tour boat guide, is the one who eventually found the ship 160 years later. He tells how information he gleaned from descendants of those slaves and his own knowledge of the rivers and the local history led to this find despite earlier failed attempts by others. The discovery confirmed many of the accounts of the slave descendants and debunked others from many sources. The subsequent history of many descendants, those of slave traders, slaves, and the Africans who sold their fellow Africans to the whites, are all explored. It brings exposure to the reprehensible treatment Africatown received at the hands of the whites in power over the years. It’s fascinating as both a detective story and a social and political exposé.

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The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel, one I read only because it was a choice of my book club, is a historical fiction depicting the interplay between Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla over the “war” between direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). The central character is Paul Cravath, the original founder of what became the famous law firm Cravath, Swaine, and Moore. The female lead is Agnes Huntington, a renowned singer of the day and later the real Paul Cravath’s wife. There are many more characters and keeping them all straight is rather difficult. That may be one reason I didn’t much enjoy the book. I found the historical part interesting, although much of it highly implausible. The author’s notes declare it to be mostly true or at least plausible, but I find that hard to believe. The way the author describes it, everyone, including governments, police, and common citizens lived in fear of Edison, J.P. Morgan, or Westinghouse sending Pinkerton agents to kill them or ruin their lives. Many supposed events that were critical to the plot, like Tesla’s mental breakdown and amnesia, are not even mentioned in the lengthy Wikipedia entry on Tesla. The Tesla in the book is a near lunatic with no sense of business and no social graces, yet other public sources indicate that he founded and ran profitable companies and socialized with many famous people. I realize that the book is a novel, but I find it disturbing when historic events and people are presented in what seems to me to be an inaccurate way. Use fictional characters if you want to tell a fictional story. The writing style is florid and the love story is perhaps the most implausible part of the plot. Still, the story of the science and technology breakthroughs and rivalries kept the book interesting enough.

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Freegal.com – Playlist update

Like most people, I get tired of listening to the same songs and need some variety. Unfortunately, I just don’t like the popular stuff coming out these days. So I’ve been plumbing the depths of music archives, in particular Freegal.com. Freegal (Free + Legal) is a service for libraries and their patrons. Our county library has a subscription which allows its users, e.g. me, so sign in with their library cards and stream or download songs. The archive is mostly from Sony Music and is paid for through your library, i.e. taxes. It doesn’t carry the new stuff, but that’s fine with me. So below is a list of stuff I have retired (but may bring back some day) from my mp3 playlist and stuff I have added. I last did this a year ago, so you can compare if you like;

Retired songs

A Real Slow DragScott JoplinAbove My Head, I hear Music In The AirGas House GangBeat Me DaddyAndrews SistersBlue ChampagneThe Manhattan TransferChicken ChowderThe Ragtime SkedaddlersCoffee RagTrebor TichenorColonial GlideTrebor TichenorCountry In My GenesThe Broken Circle BreakdownDaydreamThe Lovin SpoonfulDeep River BluesDoc WatsonDill Pickle RagLudwig BoeckmannDon’t Tell Your Monkey ManEubie BlakeEasier Said Than DoneThe EssexEubie’s BoogieEubie BlakeFreight TrainPeter, Paul & MaryFrom Four Until LateDr. JohnI Ain’t Got NobodyJudy CarmichaelI’m Blue (Gong Gong song)The IkettesKilakila SlackRaymond KaneLollipopThe ChordettesMule Skinner BluesThe FendermenNutRockerB. Bumble & the StingersOld HymnsThe Gas House GangOne Fine DayThe ChiffonsOver In The GlorylandThe Broken Circle BreakdownPretty WomanRoy OrbisonPut Your Brakes OnJohn CampbelljohnQuarter to ThreeGary US BondsRescue MeFontella BassRing of FireJohnny CashRunawayDel ShannonSomeone To LoveBuddy HollySomething DoingCraig VentrescoSpirit In The SkyNorman GreenbaumSqueeze MeGeorge GershwinStatesboro BluesRoy BookbinderSunny AfternoonThe KinksTake your burden to the LordPrairie Home CompanionTequilaThe ChampsThe Double EagleThe Country GentlemenThe Midnight SpecialThe WeaversDistant LightsTrebor TichenorTurkey KnobThe Country GentlemenWalk (Back to Your Arms)Tami NeilsonWhole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ OnJerry Lee Lewis

Added

Aint Nobodys BusinessTaj MahalAlStricker_SaintLouisBluesEd McKee, etc.Aunt Hagars BluesDoc Cheatham, Sammy PriceBeat Me Daddy Eight to the BarCommander CodyBoogie WoogieHot Little MamaBuffalo GalsThe Northquest PlayersCan’t Let GoAlison Krauss and Robert PlantCold Mornin ShoutCraig Ventresco and Meredith AxelrodDont MindPatty Griffin, Craig RossDon’t You Leave Me HereGuy DavisDown By The RiversideHenri Herbert, etc.Down the road a pieceChuck BerryEzekiel Saw The WheelDelta Rhythm BoysFive Foot Two CharlestonThe Charleston All StarsGet Up And BoogieSilver ConventionGoing to Chicago bluesDoc WatsonGoldenrod StompTrebor TichenorGreat July JonesCisco HoustonHarry Lime ThemeGary PotterHow Far From GodSister Rosetta TharpeI Ain’t Living Long Like ThisEmmylou HarrisIf Love HurtsThe Uppity Blues WomenJug Band MusicLucinda WilliamsJust StrollinBob CrosbyJust Walk On InunknownKansas City StompButch ThompsonLonesome RoadThe Quebe SistersLonghairs Blues RhumbaEthan LeinwandLow Down St Louis StyleEthan LeinwandMonday Morning BluesMary FlowerMotherless ChildrenLucinda WilliamsMy Creole BelleEd GerhardNine Pound HammerLudwig BoeckmannNitty Gritty MississippiRy CooderOld Louisiana StyleEthan LeinwandPratt City BluesEthan LeinwandRed WingGlen CampbellRhapsody RagWinifred AtwellRock And Roll Is Here To StayDanny and the JuniorsRock That BoogieCommander CodySaint Louis Blues StrickerEd McKee, etc.Sammy Price Boogie Woogie 2Orange Kellin, etc.Slow Blues with StrideEthan LeinwandSt Louis BoogieMemphis slimStompin’ One For SonnyEthan LeinwandSunburst RagThe Ragtime RagsSweet Georgia BrownHenri Herbert, etc.Take Me to the RiverLisa BialesTico TicoJose Gomes De AbreuTrouble With My LoverAlison Krauss and Robert PlantWorriedBluesDoc Watson

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On Call by Anthony Fauci

On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perhaps the most famous doctor in America, the author sets forth his experiences as the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist. After a short, rather egotistical personal history, he describes what it was like treating patients and wrestling the bureaucracy over the many epidemics that our nation faced over half a century. He describes numerous flus, MERS, SARS, HIV, AIDS, Zika, Ebola, Malaria and, of course, Covid outbreaks. His writing is clear and very readable. The book would be better without so much ego in it, but it is very informative. Although Fauci never describes other persons in derogatory terms, it becomes clear through the actions of the many politicians he dealt with which were morons (e.g. Peter Navarro) and which were caring people who just wanted the best medical advice for dealing with a health crisis (e.g. both Bushes, Obama, Biden). Although it’s not riveting reading, I enjoyed it and felt better informed for having read it.

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