Sunday, May 31, 2015

Samsung 500 GB SSD Installed

In My 2012 MacBook Pro

So fast and quiet

I have been considering a solid state (no moving parts but electrons) hard drive for a couple of years, but they were above my hard drive price point. A little over a year ago, I got a 1T Hybrid Hard Drive for the MacBook Pro, but since I upgraded to Yosemite, it has been under performing.

The Yosemite memory management has been misusing my RAM as well as making precision control and dragging objects a hit and miss process thanks to the jerky delayed actions and jumpy cursor.

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Ghostly fortnight lily

The price point of an SSD and my frustration with the Neo-Apple OS-X Yosemite met with a sale priced Samsung 850 EVO 500GB Solid State Internal drive from newegg.com. So far, the only program that has crashed (unexpectedly quit) since installing the new HD was iMovie while I was adding jpg images at the end of the video clips. No big deal.

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Bridge near Jerry’s house

My brother Jerry has sent me a couple of pictures of the changes the record rainfall has brought to his region of Texas. He lives in the town of Stagecoach. My sister Sue lives in Houston and her son Josh lives in Wimberley, Texas. Fortunately they all escaped major damages.

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Moon on the 27th

Up until the last couple of nights, the sky has been clear when I happen to be looking to take a picture. I enjoy getting detailed moon pictures that express the character and mood of the moment.

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Moon after midnight tonight

While waiting for the video to upload, it seemed like a good idea to step out and see if the sky would be clear enough for a detailed view of the moon. The Heavens smiled upon this tiny speck of life on earth.

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Quail hunter

I saw a most amazing exhibition where a quail family let a neighbor cat sneak up and pounce for the kill. The cat thought it had struck its quarry until it realized that the whole covey had surrounded it and everyone was flapping and squawking like they were wounded.

The cat was confused and didn’t know which way to turn. I chased it away before I realised this was covey defensive maneuver training.

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Training officer quail sounds the all clear

Okay, no more dilly dallying, I had better begin uploading the installation video so I can embed it here as…

Today’s Video;


So Far So Good

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Beyond Commerce

Where We Live

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Timing allowed this image

There was a comment today on a 6 year old YouTube video I did about the sounds inside of the Aggregate plant at Turtle Bay. It was from another person who enjoys exploring the acoustics in the world around us.

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Bud in the setting sunlight

The internet is amazing. It is a record of life in this world like no other. Google, and others have published digital copies of books, movies, radio shows, images, videos, and world events to create a collection of knowledge that includes and exceeds any other compendium, ever.

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Mourning dove coo-ooh-oohing

And the information is still pouring into servers all over the world, most of which we can all access from the comfort of wherever we may be. This is heaven to me. I have been seeking knowledge since I first became conscious.

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Big red sidewalk rose

Schools turned out to be a big disappointment once I found out they weren't in the business of answering questions outside of what was already written in the textbooks. I would devour the textbooks within the first few days of the school year or semester.

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Sunday evening moon

I was expected to sit in class learning nothing new day after day, month after month, year after year. Sometimes I would get an understanding teacher who wouldn’t mind if I only showed up when there were tests and final exams. I would go ahead and give all correct answers in their class.

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Reflecting setting sunlight

For the mediocre instructors, I would just take the tests as fast as i could, writing answers without thinking. Sometimes, if it was multiple choice, I wouldn’t even bother to read the questions. Usually that method would result in C’s with the occasional D and a note stating I wasn’t performing up to my potential.

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Trader Joe’s parking lot foliage

But enough about my odd educational pastimes. Today’s video shows what one can do if they apply themselves and use math and sciences as well as imagination to achieve their dreams.

Today’s Video;


The Bigger Big Picture

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Aftermath

Comes Social Studies

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Protection

Then band practice I think it was. It depends on which one of 3 high schools I was attending at the time.

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Western Sky May 22

So far, this has been a very pleasant Memorial 3 Day weekend. With the exception of a couple of perpetual children roaring around with defective mufflers, it has been nice and peaceful around here.

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Bramblin’ Bees

I like staying near home on holidays primarily because that’s when people pack up the city and take it to the country to recreate. This makes the city, or at least this little town of Redding, feel pleasantly uncrowded.

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Sunset May 22

Tonight I am attempting to get the photographs caught up with, or at least closer to, the day I am actually writing about.

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Ready

Clearly, by looking at the dates on the images, you can tell that I am still a couple of day’s behind.

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Moon May 22 eve

Temperatures were in the 90’s today, so I have been wearing shorts and an untucked, (but neatly ironed), Hawaiian shirt all day and into this 75 degree midnight. I love this place.

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Perfection

Presidential hopefuls are still squeezing into the Republican clown car while mass media dutifully tries to help the whackadoodle-republicans by creating email/benghazi-gate to attempt to put a damper on the high approval rating that Hillary has with the majority of Americans.

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Antennas in the clouds

Meanwhile, on, above and beyond planet earth, the world's astronauts have a new flag that represents the whole planet.

Today’s Video;


All The Pieces Fit

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Is Careless Disregard

Simply A Lack Of Intelligence?

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Love these little blue flowers

I was out on Iron Mountain Road, planning to stop and get some pictures at one of my favorite treelined turnout overviews of the Keswick reservoir. When I began pulling off the road, I saw it was obstructed by bedding and mattresses that were insufficiently tossed partially over the side of the slope that leads to the reservoir below.

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Sunset crescent moon May 21st

The various levels of stupid that are necessary to achieve such a testament to ignorance and disrespect could be the subject of a lengthy scientific study. One must begin with the story of why that bed and bedding had to be removed from where it was.

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Leila’s daylilies May 21st

Was it covered with evidence of a crime? If that were the case, we would have to add another layer of stupid as it is sure to be found and examined by a local or state agency.

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Baby Agapanthus

The very idea that taking unwanted items to the nearest hillside and throwing, dumping or pushing them over to be as out of sight as a baby playing peekaboo, shows layers of disregard for people, places, animals, plants, and fresh water as well as a few more levels of stupid.

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Moon and Venus evening of May 21st

Which brings us to this Memorial Day weekend.

Longtime readers may recall that I have researched the origins and history of this day that is now a 3 day holiday weekend. I am reminded of how many years it took women's groups from both sides of our American civil war, to get the military and the government to set aside a day to remember the young men who died while killing each other.

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Sunset May 21st

Grown men showed their careless disregard for the young people they persuaded to kill each other by ignoring the pleas of the mothers of those dead children. Military leaders need live, healthy, boys and girls to go into battle to get killed. The dead or wounded are of no use to them.

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Agapanthus parking attendant

Nothing has changed since the civil war, except confederate money is worthless. The Bush family still sells bullets to both sides of armed conflicts and our military leadership doesn’t want to spend money on wounded Veterans or dead soldiers. Just like the people tossing trash over the side of the hill, those people who demand war are lacking both introspection and responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

If you would like the facts and history regarding memorial day, you can start Right Here or you can type Memorial Day in the search box at the upper left of this page and you can get all the posts that I wrote since 2008 that have something to do with Memorial Day.

Interesting Things To Know;

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This reminds me of the old joke; “Have you ever smelled mothballs?”

“What did you do, hold him by his tiny wings?”


Today’s Video;


Thursday, May 21, 2015

Birthday

70 Trips Around The Sun

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Leila’s lily Wednesday

This is the first time I have been 70, so I don’t really know how I am supposed to feel. I still don’t feel old. I always thought that feeling old would begin around 40, but it never happened.

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Diane’s Amaryllis Monday

I use economy of motion for day to day activities, but I figure it is because I learned to operate this body more efficiently over time. So far so good.

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Jackie’s strawberry refuge

I have to say that life is good and I am blessed with the kind of prosperity and abundance that money can’t buy. Like the song says; “What A Wonderful World

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Elvis the Treehouse mockingbird

Elvis is an unmated mockingbird who arrived ahead of the others to stake out his territory and show off for the arriving females. He is a very talented singer and I’m sure some lady mockingbirds will find him irresistible. One of the mated females might switch partners for this guy. All about western/northern mockingbirds.

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Treehouse rose with katydid nymph

I am writing this about an hour before the actual time I was born. It is sort of like counting down to the new year. Actually, it is exactly like counting down to the new year. It’s my new year... What do you know, we’re even getting some rain tonight. Even better than fireworks. Happy 70th Year

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Black Bottom Cupcake - (Photo - Margaret Miller)

My neighbor Jackie, (one of the wonderful people who help put on the Monday Jamboree), asked me last week what kind of cake I wanted for Monday’s music. She and her sister Darlene provide cakes, pies and other baked goodies for our neighbors who come to the community room to enjoy the music that Peggy and I make each week here at the Treehouse.

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A colorful something in Dottie’s garden

I thought about something fun for her to fix, and for me to eat, and I came up with black bottom pie. She wasn’t familiar with it, so I looked up some recipes. They seemed rather involved, but I found a simpler solution that someone had put on the web. So, Jackie made devilishly delicious black bottom cupcakes.  Thank you Jackie.

Today’s Video;


Sunday, May 17, 2015

The Current State Of Media

Is As Varied As Audiences

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Cooing Treehouse resident

Media can be used to inform, entertain, or to sell something. There have always been entertainers, experts, hucksters and peddlers. Media has changed considerably since cave art, smoke signals, and sound making devices. Hucksters and peddlers remain the same.

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Roses and a green bug

When I was growing up in the 1950’s, we had books, newspapers, magazines, movies, radio, speeches, plays, concerts and television media sources. With a long wire antenna, I could pick up distant radio stations late at night, like the Salt Lake City jazz station. (Even as a kid I was a night owl.)

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Shasta dam is 3 times higher than Niagara Falls

Throughout my life I have been involved with just about any type of media I can think of. If you know my work, or have been reading this blog for any length of time, you will know I have been a writer, producer, art director, actor, musical performer, emcee, recording artist and personality on stage, television and radio among other things.

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Fortnight at the library

I have worked for newspapers and printers as an artist, writer, cartoonist, graphic designer and press operator. My art and photographs have been published in books and magazines since I was a teenager.

I know a thing or two about media.

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Below Shasta Dam, the Sacramento river

In this 21st century, with so much information available to us in so many ways, it is astounding that some people have limited themselves to just a few sources. Those that do, tend to watch Fox news and listen to right wing talk radio. This means they are willingly letting themselves be misinformed every day.

For Today’s Video, I give you one shining example of ideological hucksterism posing as fair and balanced news (and opinion) with this clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;


Seeking Truth And Beauty

Saturday, May 16, 2015

First One I HAve Seen This Year

That Is Disturbing

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Lone Monarch

The annual migration of monarch butterflies is a wonder of nature. They follow the seasons, moving from Canada to Mexico and back each year. Since 1990, the monarch population has been reduced by more than 1,000,000 butterflies. Much of that is attributed to the misguided eradication of milkweed along their migration route.

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Tangerine rose

Monarchs can produce four generations during one summer. The first three generations will have life spans from 2 - 6 weeks and will continue moving north. During this time they will mate and have the next generation that will continue the northward migration.

The fourth generation is different and can live up to nine months. These are the butterflies that will migrate south for winter to either Mexico or southern California. Basic Facts

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Friday eve view from the Treehouse

In their larval stage monarch caterpillars feed almost exclusively on milkweed and as adults get their nutrients from the nectar of flowers. The monarch will always return to areas rich in milkweed to lay their eggs upon the plant. Basic Facts

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Clydesdale in town for the rodeo

Yesterday I was at the Sundial Bridge taking pictures as I do regularly. As i came back to the Hyundai in the parking lot, I noticed that a stable had been assembled on one side of the lot. It was for the Budweiser wagon pulling Clydesdales and their dalmatian.

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Does she look pregnant?

While at the bridge I watched an egret feeding along the shoreline. There were lots of people enjoying Turtle Bay and the Sundial Bridge.

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Egret along the Sacramento river

Today, Saturday, was another great day in Redding. It began with me spotting and getting a few pictures of a Monarch butterfly visiting the Treehouse on it’s way to Canada.

I also had good fortune at yard sales and a trip to the dam where I found a spot on the Dam road to sing with a full voice and play guitar. Out of respect for my Treehouse neighbors, I don’t sing at performance levels while in my apartment.

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The lake and the cloudy view of Shasta was spectacular

Today’s Video;


Being Thoughtful