Dinner at our favorite fish and chips place, Spud, Alki.

Pix:

<https://photos.app.goo.gl/u9BkRvjVEjF2xxBZ2>

Fun!

Rocky Mountain N.P. in VR

NPR has published a _virtual reality_ presentation on the geology of Rocky Mountain National Park:
<https://apps.npr.org/rockymountain-vr/>.

I have just watched it on my computer, but in a few minutes I am going to see if my new twin-lens VR goggles can view it on my celephone screen.

Note that for either method, headphones improve the experience (as they do with nearly every possible sound presentation).

Also: Various places on the Internet host similar presentations on subjects like this one and others. More are linked at the end of this one. (Or perhaps not; for me, clicking does nothing.)

Anyway, it has made me want to go back to the Rockies and spend more time than I have.

Mark_

Fall color and some sunshine @ UW's Seattle Japanese Garden

Nice day among colorful trees in this beautiful garden.
<https://photos.app.goo.gl/4OcrF4nrxKrAc9gD2>

Mark_

At Home: Fall _and Snowfall!_

We have a couple of trees here that turn pleasant colors in autumn.
• 31 October <https://photos.app.goo.gl/kglUJgagLfVGSSv23>
• 30 October <https://photos.app.goo.gl/SIGrrxK9z6j8JwEw2>
• 28 October <https://photos.app.goo.gl/IfU3vokc4L6Xr8Ew2>
• 27 October <https://photos.app.goo.gl/9H3C6NoI9x13ZmA62>

Also, it _snowed_ today.  Not a lot, but the atmosphere was quite festive.
<https://photos.app.goo.gl/W7Dv3G1Wl2qp37iy2>


Mark_

Fall sunshine and color @ Kubota Garden

We recently visited the Kubota Japanese Garden, a bit south of Seattle.  The day opened with some cloudiness, but the bulk of that dissipated and we were left with much bright and warm sunshine falling upon gorgeous autumn color.

<https://photos.app.goo.gl/r69zj7C5jN8UpVYf1>

Mark_

Phishing on the iPhone

The bad people are at it again.

This time, it is "phishing" <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing> on the iPhone--attempts to get you to give them your Apple account credentials. For clarity: This is not malware residing on your device; it is a message that came in piggyback with something else.

Occasionally, iPhone (or any iOS device) will need your credentials (ID and password), and will make its request by putting up a "slip" containing the notification. You may be able to dismiss without complying, but the request would return the next time the OS needed access to Apple services. We become accustomed to just doing what is needed without thinking about context--and this is what the jerks are counting on. They display such a request (looking more or less identical to the legitimate one), and we pass them our credentials (username and password).

The article below suggests that such request be dismissed immediately, but then one should go to System Settings to see if the request is there--and if so only there to supply the password being requested.

This would be similar to our _not_ using the convenient link in e-mail from [someone posing as] a bank; instead we use the links previously stored in our Contacts address books.

<https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-stealpassword-easily-get-the-users-apple-id-password-just-by-asking>

I hope this helps.

Mark_ 

15 October 2017 21:46 

171014 WydahoCruise: Our recent "cruise" into Wyoming & Idaho

In the naming of this cruise, it has turned out that I was somewhat less clever than I had believed myself to be. "Wydaho" is already in use by people who live on a slice of the border between those two states. 

Anyway, we have "cruised", and we have taken quite a number of pictures. Here are some of them.

• Touring Nampa & Boise: Train Depots <https://photos.app.goo.gl/NhnSvRSjRYifxRNK2> 
• Boise: Capitol, Garden, and Wetland Walk <https://photos.app.goo.gl/otuocKpQCZ0VotS02> 
• Emigrant Springs, OR <https://photos.app.goo.gl/K1AixRncPgTod2k32> 
• Thousand Springs S.P., Hagerman Valley, ID <https://photos.app.goo.gl/JsCT1mXwRctoz8T83> 

• Malad Gorge S.P., Hagerman, ID <https://photos.app.goo.gl/HevFyTE1kfC2RZrQ2> 

• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Great Rift volcanic zone, ID <https://photos.app.goo.gl/EgQvIeYdm1c5OSsM2> 

• Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring <https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lfh50qOdrgBT5i5F2> 

• Intermittent Spring <https://photos.app.goo.gl/FXB3p41OSLQs6uyM2> (Also locally known as "Intermitting Spring" and "Periodic Spring" This runs out of a mountain, then pauses for some minutes, then begins running again. (It _intermits_.) Quite remarkable to watch. 
• Wildlife Above Campground @ Kemmerer, WY <https://photos.app.goo.gl/BaYwlLheKWPLyZMk1> Pronghorn.
• Cody, WY: Museum and town, and beyond <https://photos.app.goo.gl/QXBlBpfqPR353UyJ2> 
• Buffalo Bill Cody Museum, Cody, WY <https://photos.app.goo.gl/3aGFQhwJmW4G8Jq63> 
• Drive to Shell Falls, WY <https://photos.app.goo.gl/1Qn4iGkusFOYwxUH3>
• Bighorn Canyon Loop Drive & Devil's Kitchen <https://photos.app.goo.gl/36dwgoEsel6GpW1M2> 
• Aerial Firefighters <https://photos.app.goo.gl/cTsnM11ldaUYaah42>  Greybull, WY.  <http://www.museumofflight.us>  One of these, the "flying boxcar", was used the original "Flight of the Phoenix". 
• Ten Sleep, WY <https://photos.app.goo.gl/87BTWFBJfUbO90wt1> Named for the Native Americans' experience of its being several days' travel from somewhere else of importance. • Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site <https://photos.app.goo.gl/8D6bs1bAWaeGnzyB3> 
• Big Horn Canyon drive <https://photos.app.goo.gl/61Lxz1DGSvXbmcUI3> 
• Antique Music, Kemmerer, WY <https://photos.app.goo.gl/P7xtSChBXONgyptH2> 
• South Pass City (ghost town) <https://photos.app.goo.gl/lMMULBkNE3nJSrtq2> 
• Fossils <https://photos.app.goo.gl/1oeCbtxbizqg5JUB3> 

Mark_
14:45 14 October 2017

21:03 15 October 2017

170427 Fruita, Colorado

170427 Fruita, Colorado
(Grand Junction)

As we drove toward our next campground, we were overtaken by a brand-new 1947 Ford coupe.  It had modern wheels and tires under it, and it sounded like it may have had a modern engine, but otherwise it seemed original on the outside--and shiny-new.  (And not hot-rodded, which I greatly appreciated; except for the wheels and tires, it appeared stock.)  My speed is usually 60 when a steep upgrade doesn't reduce that; this little coupe rolled past me easily--and beautifully.  (Speed limit in the countryside is 80.)

Waves of wind in the camp.
Warm enough that we could eat our late-midday snack with the door open.

Into town to mine the visitor's center, then to a great little shop for some excellent coffee. We spoke a little with the owner, who was justifiably proud of having been open for a whole year.  He was roasting his own beans, and the coffee was very good.

After coffee--late afternoon closing time--we walked into the former elementary school, now the City offices, to see what it was like inside.  All updated; nothing of interest to see there, except for some posters about local subjects, including a local legend or celebrity: Mike, the Headless Chicken.  (I have no idea.)

From there, we strolled into nearby neighborhoods, where we were soon challenged by a voice from a house we were passing:  "Hey--are you following me?"  It was the coffee house owner working on the renovation of a(nother) house.  (The coffee place was in a renovated house.)  We all laughed, and we apologized for getting caught.  Nice fellow.

After our walk, we drove around town a bit--it's not a big place--and noted a few houses that had been worked on, giving the impression of a little boom. This is a mountain-biking region, and apparently this little town is benefitting from its proximity to Moab--and likely its lower costs.  A mountain-biking festival was in town for the weekend.

We then drove out of town into the hills, where hiking and equestrian trail-heads were all along the natural-surface roads.

A little before dusk we drove back to camp for dinner and more little wind-squalls.

Mark_
R/V _Serenity_, Fruita, CO (near Grand Junction)

170426 Green River State Park, UT-

This is a beautiful drive from Heyburn, ID--especially the part of it that winds along beside the river and railroad.  Later, some of the uphill grades can seem like pretty long grinds, and the downhills can seem pretty long and even exhilarating.  Thrill-rides with a trailer behind--and scenery all around.

We arrived at about dinnertime to a park that was 99% full--and we had no reservation.  We got the next-to-last slip--and people aborted entering the last one because it was too short.  Our good luck.

Fine.  We had been on the road for eight hours; although I have driven for longer than that, I didn't like it better.  We were glad to stop for the evening in a pretty little park.

Mark_
R/V _Serenity_, Green River State Park, UT

170425 Heyburn ID-

City of Rocks

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve>

We arose to an alarm clock so we could have plenty of daylight for this feature.  Good thing; it was pretty amazing, and we stayed out into the early evening.

The story is that the westward wagon-train parties went through there, and said that the collection of large (stacks and broken piles of) rock(s) resembled a "city".  Perhaps, from a distance, viewed askance, through a prism of suffering and hunger, the tortured brain might see this and think "city", but that impression would be more like imaginative hopefulness than anything else.  It was landscape run amok, with rocky outcroppings everywhere.

It is pretty amazing, though.  I nearly despaired of being able to adequately photograph what we were seeing--but I did end up making 300 attempts (to be posted later).

The weather was also remarkable.  In the first place, the mountains all around had plenty of snow on them.  Also, there were patches along where we were walking.  Finally, we experienced three or four brief periods of unmistakable snowing--just a few little thin falls of tiny particles of snow-like substance that weren't flakes, and were too dry for sleet.

On the way home, we stopped for a closer look at what appeared to be an old school campus: several three-story brick buildings grouped in grassy lawns, with a heat plant (smokestack, etc.) on the edge.  It looked like a small college campus, and it turned out to be that: a teacher's college <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albion_State_Normal_School>.  Most of the buildings were disused and in somewhat poor condition, but there was evidence that someone cared: All had good, recent, roofs.  

The day had opened very cool and quite breezy.  Later, both discomforts were moderated.  All in all: wonderful!

Mark_

R/V _Serenity_, Heyburn, ID

170424 Heyburn, ID-

Arrived at about noon after a nice drive through the countryside on US-30.  Not long after backing into our slip, we began experiencing wave after wave of wind and rain squalls.  I wore rain gear to complete the docking process (which was lengthy, because I had been careless in arranging the contents of my black water tank, rendering the in-slip pumpout uncertain and time-consuming).

All okay, though; re-arrangement and pumpout were accomplished, and the real rain didn't begin until four or five seconds after I had my lines Flemished.  (Utilities connected [all three, this time], stabilizers down, and the hitch insert off the truck and stowed.)

Anyway, after departing the Hagerman area, the scenic value of the roadside diminished somewhat as the land flattened and became more purely agricultural.  Nothing against potatoes or beans, of course, nor against beef or milk or clover or wool.

At dinnertime, we have done nothing beyond sitting around, catching up on some online news, and checking to see that we can actually visit the area we have planned for tomorrow: City of Rocks.  (There have been reports of snow.)

Mark_
R/V _Serenity_
Just yards from the Snake River
Heyburn, ID (near Burley)

170423 Pictures so far

I have taken some pictures.  If you want to see some of what we have been seeing, your _Plan A_ should have been to come with us.  Here is your _Plan B_:

• Emigrant Springs State Park: <https://goo.gl/photos/ZNafDuNmCSWLmgkG9>
• Devil's Washbowl, Malad River: <https://goo.gl/photos/DeHRuongnSySqfZ19>
• White pelicans: <https://goo.gl/photos/3uoxXfauEcw3Ermr6>
• Wood-stave water pipe: <https://goo.gl/photos/erJxbV435GdQ4MGVA>
• Thousand Springs (leaking aquifer): <https://goo.gl/photos/ad4JiAVSsqo9EwSt6>
• Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, ID: <https://goo.gl/photos/zhJENTAz8kbGFVmP6>

See?  You should have come along.

Mark_
R/V _Serenity_

170423 Hagerman, ID; Twin Falls

After sleeping in a bit, we drove to Twin Falls.  

Shoshone Falls was pouring a great deal of water--many times what we had seen during our previous visit here in August of 2015.  On that occasion there was a large amount of naked rock.  This time, not so much.  

There may also have been more tourists, although this is difficult to judge.  I did have the impression of more canine-Americans on the trails and walkways.  (This is the case _everywhere_!)  Build that wall!

At mid-afternoon snack time, we found a pleasant picnic table near the Snake River, unpacked our stuff--and put it all away again.  The perfectly nice East Indian family in the next table shelter was playing Indian pop music from their boom box or car system or whatever, and although the music itself was not objectionable on its face, and wasn't even terribly loud, we judged it incompatible with a pleasant and quiet afternoon beneath beautiful trees next to a major river.  We left in disgust.

On our return to camp, we found that the Good Sam Club rendezvous has left; except for the constant, mechanical, cooing of a murder (a coven?) of doves nearby, it's pretty quiet here at present.  The highway is only about a single block away from our site, but its traffic is infrequent and in no particular hurry, so not much noise comes from there.  Even the residents' little dogs are asleep, or something.

Unlike many, this park has excellent wi-fi.  We had been seeing a number of other hotspots as well, most of which had disappeared when the weekend crowd departed.  One remained: nerdsontheroad.  

Next to us is a large 5th-wheel trailer, with dirt bikes, pets, and a bunch of gear stowed beneath the trailer.  The hipster-looking young people seemed wrong for _early retirement_ but did seem to be full-timing, so I guessed _tech worker/s_ of some sort.  Just now it dawned on me that one of the wi-fi points I had been seeing might be theirs; on checking I found that it had remained after the great bulk of the others disappeared coincident with the departure of most of the rest of the campground's transients.

I was correct in some of my conjecture about them:  <http://nerdsontheroad.com> are in site # 37, Hagerman Village RV Campground, Hagerman, ID.  Cindy says that the site is not of much interest.  No recent images, so there may be no point in looking for _Serenity_ there.

There is, apparently, more or less nothing interesting about them beyond the fact that our speculation about their story was correct to some extent.

It has been a sunny and warm day, and the evening remains warm.  Having _Serenity_'s doors and ports open for a change made for a very pleasant evening.

Mark_

R/V _Serenity_, Hagerman, ID 

170422 Hagerman, ID sightseeing

Visitor's center:

  Pix of the Hagerman Horse fossil <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagerman_horse>.

  Information about local sights, including Thousand Springs (where the aquifer leaks out of shattered basaltic rock faces), Ritter Island State Park, and Devil's Washbowl at Malad Gorge.  

Weather was warm and sunny--although so breezy that long-lens photography was difficult.

Pix of white pelicans on the Snake.

I saw my first (I believe) pheasant couple at the side of the road.  Because of where Cindy has lived, this was nothing new for her.  I thought it quite a colorful novelty.

More of this area tomorrow.


Mark_
R/V _Serenity_, Hagerman, ID

170421 Hagerman, ID

Wind!  I neglected to mention in yesterday's log that we experienced the windiest driving that I believe we ever have had while towing.  We were never in the kind of danger that fills a corner of YouTube, but vehicle motion was pretty energetic.  The truck tracks well, so the driving was not difficult as such--just that we could feel it moving beneath us in a way that is pretty unusual.  The trailer stayed right where it belonged, centered in my mirrors.

Today we were glad to have been carrying a 5-gallon can of extra gasoline; we stopped alongside in a freeway exit and poured it into the tank so that we could feel easy about the last few miles before we hit town.  The fuel was a year old, but it was still flammable; we made it to Costco without worry.  We might have made it anyway, but we decided not to bother with the bet; the hassle and potential danger of running dry while pulling a grade or entering an intersection would have taking some of the fun out of a day of driving through scenery.  Maneuvering without power steering or brake assist is not something I wish to practice.  That spare fuel adds a pleasant sensation of comfort in a vehicle that carries only 25 gallons of fuel in its main tank, and sometimes burns through it at a shocking rate.

Today's drive along I-84 was spectacular.  There are winding canyon runs along the Snake River, and spectacular vistas in broad valleys and from high passes.  We have traveled that way a number of times before, but on this occasion it was during daytime in brilliant sunshine.

We met about six Airstreams--two of which were still in their shrink-wrap as if headed for dealers.  We did see one dealer, in Caldwall, ID, but all but one of those trailers was headed away from there.  Rendezvous, perhaps.

We also met two Bigfoots--both slide-in truck campers.

In general, lots of RVs are out plying the highways--and staying overnight in the campgrounds.  Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area Campground (last night) was far from full, but this night's park (Hagerman RV Village, Hagerman, ID) has turned away at least one potential customer--the unhappy no-reservation-holding fellow immediately before us.

This is a pleasant park, with trees and grass at the sites, and wi-fi that works out in the campground. We will be here for three nights; there are fossils, springs, and waterfalls to be examined.

All is going well.  We are grateful to be out and to have this chance to stop and look at some things we have only read about.

Mark_

R/V _Serenity_, Hagerman, ID

 

170420 Emigrant Springs Heritage Center campground

We have departed early on the Ranger cruise to Four Corners.  Note that by "early" I mean "before the others"; it was not so early in the morning for us.  We cast off at about 0925; we arrived in the campground at about 1645, got set up (without unhitching), and found the promised campsite water not actually available. We had not bothered filling our water tank the last time we were out, so there was nothing at all to do but to up-anchor and roll around the corner to take on water at the restroom.  Not an actual problem.

Although it is next to the busy interstate highway and therefore very far from quiet, this is a pretty little park, with spacious, open, campsites among a mixture of ponderosa pine and other conifers.

Also present in surprising abundance: piles of snow. As we drove up, there was quite a bit of snow next to the highway (some of the passes are at nearly 3500'), but we thought it quite a novelty to park next to it in the campground.  Temperature at present is 46 F., so perhaps those piles won't grow any while we are here.

My Scangauge is working again, so we can again be treated to the knowledge that downhill we might get as much as 50-some miles per gallon.  This ready access to data from the truck's engine-management computer is not an entirely un-mixed blessing, however; uphill we watch fuel efficiency drop to 5 m.p.g. or worse.

Never mind that.  It would be unseemly to complain about the cost of dragging the absolute lap of luxury behind one's mode of transport.  Big refrigerator, hot meals, hot showers, room to stretch out, and warm or cool (as needed) shelter among the trees (or, occasionally, the Walmart _clientele_); this is a great thing.

Tomorrow we will look for a scenic byway that should be around here: Blue Mountain Scenic Byway, which follows an old route in parallel to the new-tangled Inteerstate highway.

We have had bright sunshine, rain, blue sky, clouds of the white and the ominous varieties.  We have dodged trucks and construction cones; we have looked up at snow-covered mountains; from the tops of steep and long switch-back systems we have looked into valleys full of orchards and vineyards--all of this during DAY 1!

Excellent.

Mark_
SERENITY
Emigrant Springs State Park, OR

Apple ID - Hacked

A few days ago, it was reported that a hacker group was claiming that they had obtained millions of Apple's user credentials: both usernames and passwords, apparently.

<http://bgr.com/2017/03/22/apple-iphone-and-icloud-accounts-hacked/>

<https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/22/apple-responds-to-hack-threats/>

<https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/hackers-we-will-remotely-wipe-iphones-unless-apple-pays-ransom>

<http://www.pcworld.com/article/3184476/security/leaked-icloud-credentials-obtained-from-third-parties-apple-says.html>

<https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/22/supposed_apple_breach_ransom_threat/>

<http://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-icloud-ransom-what-you-need-to-know/>

We are advised to enable _two-factor authentication_ for login to Apple's services (iCloud, etc.).

Oddly, as of Friday morning 24 March 2017, a day or so after the hack was announced (and some allegedly stolen IDs confirmed), Apple's web site seems completely silent on the subject.  It is worth noting that in other places Apple has denied that _it_ was hacked; speculated that the materials came from elsewhere.

Even so, bad enough.  The suggestion is that users engage _two-factor authentication_ (2FA), which means that each time you log into an Apple service, a second device must be used to verify your identity.  

This is not the same as having to involve the second device each time a service is _used_; most of our interactions occur without having to log in again; a login session can persist for days or weeks.  (Consider your email client; it can silently check for mail in the background because it remains logged into the mail server over days or weeks or more.)

Even so, it can seem like a minor additional hassle, because it requires ready access to two modern Apple devices simultaneously.  A code will be sent to the "other" one, which must then be entered into the one being signed in.  I assume that the two must be on the same Apple ID (and that having the spouse's device/s on that ID could be even more problematic than it already is).  (Spouses should have their own Apple IDs, to keep network things from tangling.)

Engaging 2FA

------------

<https://9to5mac.com/2017/03/24/how-to-protect-your-icloud-account/>

• Modern devices (things that can run the latest Macintosh OS or iOS): <https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204915>

• Less-modern (vintage; legacy) devices: <https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204152>

We should all do this.  I will have made the change by the time the ink has dried on this post.

Mark_

24 March 2017

Apple-Centric Web Sites

Some of these contain Apple news (Macintosh and iOS [iPhone+]) and some contain user discussion forums; some have both.  This list is incomplete, and some items may be at least slightly stale.

• <http://www.apple.com>  Besides news and advertising, there are user help forums.

• <http://tidbits.com>  Longtime news and "tips" site.

• <http://www.macworld.com>  The "default" Macintosh magazine, for years.

• <http://www.cultofmac.com>  Some useful news, some breathless hyperbole (on both sides of the _Apple_ issue).

• <https://www.engadget.com/topics/apple/>  The successor to TUAW, The Unofficial Apple Web-Log.

• <https://www.macrumors.com>  News and forums.

• <https://9to5mac.com> 

• <http://opensourcemac.org>  Non-"brand" software.

• <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Macintosh_magazines>

• <http://mactracker.ca> Information on all models.  Wikipedia has similar information in detail.

• <http://lowendmac.com> Older hardware.

• <https://www.cnet.com/forums/mac-os/>  Forum.

• <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_community>  List of forums.

• <http://lifehacker.com>  Not Apple-centric as such, but they do have Macintosh and iPhone coverage of both news and tips.

• <http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/115-Apple>  Longtime forum for Apple mobile products.  (Other mobile products are nearby, including cellular carriers.)

You may already know that the best way to locate specific information is to Internet-search for the wording of an error message, or for words related to the issue.

Mark_ 

24 March 2017

National Parks and such in our pockets

Some time back I had a brief look at a set of iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) apps by a group called "Chimani".  They seemed good, but I didn't take the trouble to examine them deeply before uninstalling them to save space on my bloated, bulging, celephone.

Prompted by online comments by people I respect, I will be having another look.

Chimani Parks Apps

------------------

• Chimani website <https://www.chimani.com>  Note the web-app, which functions in a browser window <https://www.chimani.com/park.html?park=14-national_parks>.

• Recommended by the Macintosh new site TidBITS <http://tidbits.com/article/16180>

• @ Life in LoFi <http://lifeinlofi.com/2015/03/23/chimani-apps-provide-some-great-tools-for-planning-your-national-parks-photo-adventures/>

• Partnered with Subaru <https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/subaru-chimani-team-up-to-bring-national-park-travel-guides-to-smartphones/>

• @ Backpackers DOT com <https://backpackers.com/chimani-national-parks-app-free-offline-and-full-of-information/>

• Augmented Reality at the Chimani National Parks <https://www.wikitude.com/showcase/augmented-reality-chimani-national-parks/>

• (Wikitude app <https://www.wikitude.com/app/>)

Might be nice to have along for our FourCornersCruise.  Let me know what you think.

Mark_ 

23 March 2017

E-mail warning (real fake)

I have just received this "helpful" e-mail:


| From: GoogleReminder
| Subject: Message you sent blocked by our bulk email filter Socrates
|
| Lauren Collins (Gmail Support) sent you a message:
|
| 3/17/2017
| Message status: undeliverable
|
| <Learn more>
|
| <View Messages>
|
|
| Don't want occasional updates about Gmail activity? <Change> what email Gmail Service sends you.


The return address nor any of the links is real; they all lead to places that aren't anything Google.  (This is easily checked; ask me, if needed.)  (They had not used my Gmail eddress, either.)  


My microwave/camera was of no help at all.


Mark_
17 March 2017 @ 14:30

Weird Thorens music box

I saw this little Thorens music box in an antiques store a few days ago. I had to spend a few minutes examining it (trapped as I was _outside_ the locked display case) to work out what it was: A music box that used swappable disks as the "programs" for the music, played by a mechanism otherwise familiar.

• <https://goo.gl/photos/MUheQHyzNSbH6Xsk8>
• <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorens>
• <http://www.thorens.com>
• A guy's history & collection with images: <http://keithwright.ca/Thorens/Thorenspage.html>

Thorens made some really amazing and wonderfully weird high-end turntables--including some changers that used machinery different from what most of us had during college: Thorens TD 224. Consult your Google image search for pictorial evidence: Antique Thorens, for example.

Aside: There was at least one changer mechanism that automatically flipped records and played their "B" sides: 1938 Garrard RC-100 Turn-over Record Changer.

And who wouldn't want to play the black vinyl (lacquer, actually) on something that looked like this?: 1921 Kurtzmann Glass Phonograph. Look at the thickness of the record being played.


Mark_
26 February 2017

Pictures from another fine early-Spring afternoon.

<https://goo.gl/photos/EwtTrfXMx3ZUNCU76>

Mark_ 

22 February 2017

Chinook Winds Concert @ Good Shepherd Center, Seattle

Excellent recent concert by the double wind quintet ([flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn] x 2) Chinook Winds in the historic Good Shepherd Center's (former) chapel.

• Pictures (only a few): <https://goo.gl/photos/R8BycMKZPJwqyPzW9>

• Good Shepherd Center: 

 - <https://historicseattle.org/project/good-shepherd/>

 - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_of_the_Good_Shepherd>

This was a very nice evening of pleasantly interesting music in a fine old Seattle landmark building.

Mark_ 

17 February 2017

Spring @ Home 17 February 2017

Today has dawned brightly sunny, and the crocus make us tend to believe that we could eventually have something like Spring.  This would be good.


<https://goo.gl/photos/kgXpv5195TEMPg7VA>

Mark_
17 February 2017

Music and art can coexist: some evidence

I think this art installation, which has spent time in Kansas City's Nelson-Atkins Art Museum (among many other places), is brilliant: <www.nelson-atkins.org/art/exhibitions/janet-cardiff-forty-part-motet/>.  (Be sure to watch the video on that page.)  

I could imagine doing the same thing with small instrumental ensembles, as well, pairing the loudspeaker with a video screen showing the player while playing the music being heard.  This might be an interesting and engaging way to illustrate what a musician does--perhaps as a tool for recruitment of future musicians.  Such an installation could even travel to schools.  As an entertainment, it might be fun for people who have not spent much time intimate with music. As an actual educational tool, it might help "civilians" to understand music on a deeper level.

Oh--for additional fun I might enhance that:  Two screens, back to back, and the ensemble arranged as it might actually be on stage.  One screen shows the musician playing the part, and the other shows what the musician is seeing: conductor (where applicable), music on stand, backs of the heads of the players in front of this one, even audience in hall.  Etc.  (Some small ensembles don't have conductors, and play in different physical arrangements.)  Full binaural sound would be nice, although a good experience might be difficult in this context.

This music is wonderful; several performances are on Youtube: "40-part motet".

And this is yet another reason why I should be pretty bent if some ill-considered (and highly profitable?) human activity were to result in our extinction.  I can deal with the fact that I won't be around to see what a Tallis motet might sound like when sung a hundred years hence, but if the answer is "nothing, because there isn't anyone here to sing it or hear it", I shall be quite irate indeed.


Mark_
16 February 2017

Society needs humanities majors

Recent commentary found on _The Seattle Times_:
<www.seattletimes.com/opinion/society-needs-humanities-majors/>

Hear, hear.


(If you have already read your allotment of free articles, either use a different browser [Chrome, Firefox, Opera], or _open a "private browsing" window and paste in the URL [the link].  These techniques will serve on smartphones and tablets, too.)

Mark_
16 February 2017

Trump's Handshake

Months ago Cindy & I had discussed the obviously aggressive handshake-and-jerk Trump had used on Mike Pence when he announced Pence as his running mate (I think that was the event), but this is the first I have heard about the Trump-shake's being discussed more widely.

Very interesting--very telling.

• <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/justin-trudeau-trump_us_58a1dc96e4b03df370d8a29b>
• <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-justin-trudeau-handshake-twitter-reddit-photoshop-battle_us_58a206b0e4b0ab2d2b17d7e7>

I shall advise that if you are a musician, protect yourself by never shaking hands with this guy.

UPDATE: There are dozens of videos online showing the handshake, satirical presentations of the handshake, and at least one (tongue-in-cheek?) method for defending against it. YouTube is your friend and protector.  17 Feb. '17.


Mark_
14 February 2017

Trump's State(s)

<http://www.theonion.com/article/secret-service-adds-emotional-protection-division--55263>

This is very amusing lark--except that something like it (laws against defaming the head of state) have been used against political enemies in places where we would not wish to live.  I saw that satirical Onion article today; the possibility had occurred to me a day or so ago.  It is interesting--and more than slightly unsettling--to see that others have had the same worrisome thought.  (Google for "trigger warning" to see that this issue is real and is apparently common.)

So, which seems more likely? 

- He resents a slight, and, realizing that legislation could fix that, (eventually) signs into a law a bar against disparaging a sitting president.

- He resents a slight, and, realizing that legislation could fix that, weighs the damage and decides that such an action would be entirely too petty, too undignified, and too much against what our system has long been assumed to represent, both here and abroad, and lets it go.

Should we be worried?  Republicans have been a bit casual about news reportage and our freedom to express opinions (or, indeed, to report observable facts).  This kind of law would not be entirely out-of-character for them or for him.  I think we should worry--and I have no idea what to propose.

And there is this:

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/customs-border-patrol-aclu-lawyer-detain-question_us_589a42d6e4b0c1284f292263?section=us_politics>

If things are _not_ as bad as they seem, what is it that is likely to prevent the worst?  What prophylaxis is in place?  What would stay the hands of people who think that they have finally more or less won it all, and have nothing to fear from any direction?

Is this actually the _end game_ of a longstanding program to subvert & pervert of our system?  Is Trump our time's short-sighted isolationist and probable Nazi Charles Lindberg ("America First!" <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh#Isolationism_and_America_First_involvement>)?  If these are true, what can be done?

Trump seems to get very little sleep.  He admits as such--or claims it.  I am confident that very little money would be required to buy a computerized mechanism that would cache tweets composed during the day for issue in the small hours--just so one could give the impression of being perpetually awake.  In fact, I think this already exists for e-mail.  (I have said for years that if I were in a position of authority I absolutely would use such a system.) 

Unfortunately, this claims seems to be true; Trump gets very little restful sleep.

I have been saying for some months that sleep deprivation could explain a lot about Trump's erratic behavior; now I see that others have been saying much the same thing.  

The Huffington Post (various authors): 

March 2016 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-bulkeley-phd/donald-trump-the-sleep-de_b_9413588.html>. 

May 2016 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-sleep_us_574606cde4b055bb11710fcf>. 

CNBC January 2017 <http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/17/donald-trump-is-poster-child-of-sleep-deprivation-arianna-huffington.html>. 

On the other hand <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/02/donald-trump-s-4-hour-sleep-habit-could-explain-his-personality.html>.  Except that it is unlikely that Trump carries the efficient sleeper gene mutation; those people don't seem nutty as a result of sleep deprivation.  Or he has both that advantage and some offsetting disadvantage.

Does the cause really matter much?

But now it's personal <http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/08/trumps-nordstrom-attack-blurs-politics-and-personal-business.html>.  

Mark_

My Pictures Online: New System

The picture-hosting service I have been using, Google's Picasa, has changed.  The result is that my friends can no longer see the entire group of "albums" I have put there, but can open only the albums for which they have specific links.

This is a nuisance for everybody; as mitigation I have put album links into blog postings here, labeled as "pictures".  Links to albums posted at the same time may be on the same page; others will be on individual pages.  Use the label links to find all of the picture-link posts, etc.

This is, to some extent, experimental--although I don't actually expect to have to mess with it (much) after this.

Regrets for the inconvenience.


Mark_
06 February 2017

Snow @ Home, 06 February 2017

We have just had a very good snowing; accumulation to roughly 8.5" according to Cindy's little plastic ruler.

Snowfall began last evening, piled up further during the night, and although the air temperature is not particularly low at present (36° F. at noon), it is again snowing lightly even as the trees shed what they had been holding.

Winter wonderland!

<https://goo.gl/photos/5YQCHNiSbM5L45yu6>

Mark_

Yurts in WA State Parks (pix)

We recently "camped" in Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, a few miles nearer the Cascade foothills than our home is.  While there, we saw that a pair of their yurts was grouped at the end of a long, double-wide, RV place.  We inquired, and were told that we might be able to have two trailers on the gravel _and_ two non-RVing, ordinarily-tenting, friends occupying the yurts.

Such an arrangement could make for a nice outing.

Pix of the yurts:
<https://goo.gl/photos/UJxgbJMfxpymiDFT8>

Mark_

How to reply to an e-mail message: a kindness

When replying to an e-mail message, it is a common practice to insert your comments after the quoted material to which a comment pertains.  It might look something like this (depending upon the mail client being used)

| This would be a received comment, as quoted into
| a _reply_.  It might be only a few lines long, or it
| could contain multiple paragraphs.  Some mailers
| use a "> " at the left margin.  The recipient of
| your mail does not know which your mailer is
| showing to you.

And _this_ material would be a replied comment,
inserted after the material to which it pertains; it
will not be "marked" in any way.

However:

Inserting comments is not always appropriate, and on small screens it might seem somewhat inconvenient.  In the event that quoting material back to the originator is not needed for clarity, it is a kindness to remove it before hitting <send>--especially if pictures are involved.  Image files are quite large, and when they are replied back to the sender, they then reside on his hard drive twice.

Recipients whose hard drives are nearly full will thank you.


Update 24 March--one more thing:  Many/most/all of our mobiles (celephones, etc.) append "Sent from my iPhone" or etc. to outgoing mails.  You never see it, but we do.

It can be disabled more or less immediately after your acquisition of the device; see its Preferences for the setting that can turn it off.

Thanks.


Mark_
25 January 2017
Day 6 of the new Dark Ages: _"Idiocracy" Live_.

Beethoven Rumba

[EDITED; material added 26 January 2017]

A friend sent us this link a few days ago; I enjoyed the music so much that I looked around for more by the performer (composer), Joachim Horsley.
(All such music should be heard via headphones, earbuds, etc.; this is worth the little extra effort.)

• <"Beethoven In Havana" (7th Symphony, mv. 2 Rumba)> 

• <"Psycho" Theme on Piano with Knives - YouTube> Note the color palette of the video.

• <"Flight of the Bumblebee" (piano, 4 hands, with drums)> 

• Vocal with piano: <"Trains Passing" - Official video - Joachim Horsley> 

• <https://www.youtube.com/user/LittleHorseDotNet> 

• <http://www.joachimhorsley.com> 

• <http://www.littlehorsemusic.com/> 

• <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1804090/> 

Mark_ 

10 January 2017

The Old NBC Network Chimes

This is a very interesting short program about the trademark NBC network chimes: G E C:
<https://www.20k.org/episodes-1/2016/10/31/2p162x32dmuidfce3zkfvfi5x3wefg>

More information:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_chimes>

The chimes worked into a swing-band number by Paul Whiteman, "The Announcer Blues":
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgrQSRvOczU>


NBC used another, lesser-known sound mark that was associated with one of its news and information programs: "Monitor".  This is also quite an interesting story about the formative steps in creating mass broadcast media.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_(NBC_Radio)>

I recall the "Monitor Beacon" sound as both creepy and suggestive of something futuristic.  I recognize many of the names associated with the program, but I cannot say that I recall the programming itself, which declined and then ceased in 1975, the year of my graduation from college.
The "Beacon" sound: <http://monitorbeacon.net/sounds/Monitor_Beacon.mp3>.
Have a look at these lists of on-air "communicators":
- <http://monitorbeacon.net/nbc-monitor/monitors-communicators/>
- <http://monitorbeacon.net/nbc-monitor/monitors-history/> Hosts and guests, and the creation of the Beacon sound.

Mark_
09 January 2017

Winter Driving Kits

Here is what I carry in my cars for improving the winter driving experience:

• { Dri-Z-Air, calcium chloride: <www.drizair.com/faqs.html>. 

• { Road Salt: <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2014/02/best-ice-melts/index.htm>. 

• Fred Meyer: <https://www.fredmeyer.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?searchTerm=driveway+de-icer&urlRequestType=Base&productId=4275850&catalogId=10551>.  This is, I believe, considerably less costly than the same substance @ Dri-Z-Air (same form--little globular pellets of various sizes).

• For traction, the cat-box litter I carry in my cars was extremely inexpensive @ Dollar Tree (which may be the only such store chain where literally everything costs only a single dollar per item/package)  <https://www.dollartree.com/Soft-Paw-Clumping-Cat-Litter-7-lb-Bags/p297608/index.pro>.  The very nice wide-mouth plastic container-with-cap in which I carry it came from there, too.  

Also in the car at all times:

• Hand warmers (air activated; disposable) <http://www.sears.com/only-hot-hand-warmer/p-00655664000P>.  

I also own a couple of the reusable _supersaturated solution_ kind.  These are _phase-change_ systems; they liberate heat as the substance in the plastic envelope turns from clear liquid to cloudy solid.  Recharge: Return to the stored-heat liquid phase in a pan of boiling water.  Fairly amazing.  

I intend to investigate the charcoal type, too.

(Or, DIY: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDNFLHzPIJA>; this one is not _phase change_, so is not rechargeable.

• Warm gloves.

• Silver "space" blankets (2): Keep warm, or dry, or clean. 

• Cheap rubber-faced "gardening" gloves <http://www.harborfreight.com/nylon-knit-gloves-with-nitrile-palms-medium-66375.html>.  These may not keep hands dry as such (because the backs are fabric), but they will prevent the worst of soiling.  In addition, gloved hands are generally both stronger and grippier--and so in a couple of ways _safer_--than ungloved hands.

• Cheap retro-reflective safety vest <http://www.harborfreight.com/reflective-safety-vest-x-large-94700.html>. 

• Flashlight: Human-powered doesn't need batteries, but also is awkward or impossible when both hands are needed for tasks; carry both this and a battery torch? 

Human-powered torches are of three types:

  - Shaker: Inefficient; slow to charge its battery; requires only one hand.

  - Crank: Efficient & fast charging of its battery, but requires both hands.

  - Squeeze-lever: Some of these light only while being operated; requires only one hand, which can tire.

  - (Solar: An appealing solution, but once it has died, it really is dead for the night; these are useful only for helping in finding your _real_ torch.)

• Hand sanitizer.

• Zip-closure bags, light- and heavy-duty (car-sickness, messy garbage or trash, etc.).

• Paper towels (because checking or pouring oil can be messy).

I also carry a dining kit:

• Paper towels.

• Cheap flatware, including a sharp metal knife.

• Paper plates.

• Soda straws (bendy); because drinking from a big-mouth water bottle can be difficult or dangerous while under way.

• The above is stored in a plastic enclosure with cover, as suitable for transporting a sheet cake; both halves can be used as trays for snacking in the car.  Also from Dollar Tree.  (No, the driver would absolutely NOT do what some may be envisioning right now!)

Finally, because I am a big fan of visibility (conspicuity): 

• I have added retro-reflective tape to my truck and trailer, and I have been thinking about how to do so to Cindy's car without causing either (a) mirth, or (b) disgust.  

• European cars often have bright red foul-weather lights on their (left) rears (often beneath the bumper); Cindy's has this (high, instead of low).  I am considering how to add such to my truck and trailer; I have had a couple of experiences with very dense fog--and I didn't like it at all.

There is a large amount of good advice online, too.

Mark_ 

08 January 2017

Reminder: "Spear Phishing" (Warning)

I post this as a timely reminder that an e-mailed convenience can be used to compromise your online accounts.  The technique is referred to as "spear phishing"; it works like this:

You receive an e-mail message informing you of the need to go change your password, and a convenient link to the necessary settings page is provided right on the message.  This link goes not to where you are being told it does, but to a lookalike page that delivers your information to the criminals.

The safe solution is simple: Take the alert seriously--don't even bother considering the other alternative.  However, use the links you should have entered into your own address book software for that institution or web service.  In this way, you use your IQ to divert _bad luck_ away from yourself (and, alas, toward other people).

I wrote "timely" because this is apparently the technique that got [someone] into Democratic e-mails during the period before the 2016 presidential election.  

• New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/06/us/russian-hack-evidence.html> 

• Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing> 

I have said this before:  Most of us have lived our entire lives in neighborhoods (both our domiciles and our retail and other business activities) in places where criminal activity was more a matter of news reportage than of experience.  Now the criminality--the actual threats--come(s) right into our homes.

Welcome to the constantly-connected future.

Mark_

06 January 2017 (a date that still seems like it belongs to The Future)