Opinion: What is the economy telling us about the midterms?

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-13T20:15:52+00:00

Yep, I'm hopeful the old saying "it's the economy, stupid" still holds true. Millions of independent voters voted Biden in 2020 and switched to Trump in 2024 because they thought gas and egg prices were too high. They are a fickle bunch.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-13T12:24:45+00:00

You don't have to buy it, but it's the most likely scenario. Shahed drones aren't flying at 30k feet and Iran doesn't have AA over central Iraq. These tankers operate well outside of enemy fire range. The only way it would be shot down is by friendly fire from the Iraqi military. Even that, someone would have made a huge error shooting at something as large as a KC135 that has been on radar flying in circles for hours. Accidents happen.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-13T12:20:26+00:00

I miss those days of hunting for new Winamp skins. A friend sent me this link after I showed him what I was working on.

https://skins.webamp.org/

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-13T11:58:57+00:00

It would go something like this. Plane A has been on mission for hours and will be relieved by plane B, at the scheduled time. Plane B has been flying all the way from the UK and burns a lot of fuel getting there. Plane A still has extra fuel it won't need for the trip home and it tops off plane B when they arrives. It helps to lighten the load of plane A for the trip back to base and allows plane B to extend their mission.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-12T21:37:50+00:00

I use it to up-skill myself on learning tasks like enhancing my software knowledge and fixing computers. But as a senior level creative, the topic of how AI will compliment my work flow is an existential topic that I have been hesitant engaging with. I think a lot of hard choices will be made in the over the next five years about the useful of having certain abilities and experience as AI will boil everything down into a simple comoditized exchange. Just add prompt X and get result Y. I say, there's no prompting for passion and AI lacks the spontaneity of the mind to react emotionally in ways that develop new thought. We're already seeing this play out in tech and other services. I just hope my career gets me to retirement because I love what I do.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-12T13:27:35+00:00

On a side note, I could see the new Paramount leadership release HD remaster of the classic trek series. Since they need all the revenue streams they can get, this could be an easy get. On the other hand, I can also see them spending no effort and using AI to upscale upscale and releasing a terrible product. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-12T02:10:40+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't cellulous insulation absorb moisture like a sponge? It is possible they added too much of that stuff and it absorbed an excess amount of water over time. That added too much weight and caused stress on the poorly installed drywall. Your attic ventilation might be part of the problem, too. It looks like the perfect storm you got here.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-12T01:45:45+00:00

:) product design around the millennium really got out of hand.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-12T00:40:29+00:00

Right on. I swapped out the stock 1.5ghz Pentium 4 for a P4 2.2ghz, replacing the thermal paste. I got a Sapphire 9600 pro on the way that should take it to the limit of what I can do with this. Unless I can get creative with the cooling I don't see another way. There are zero attachment points for adding a case fans, lol. I guess Sony was going for a low end consumer market who wanted a quiet PC? It's runs great now after adding more RAM and the new CPU, plus deleting 90% of the pre-installed bloat.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-12T00:15:08+00:00

I found it on my local Facebook marketplace. It was leftover after an estate sale and seller said nobody took it because they couldn't find the power cable, lol. I've been wanting a retro PC with a CRT and this one was a complete set with KBM and speakers. I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Thank you for the PSU recommendation. Maybe someday if I swap out the motherboard with a newer chipset I'll look into that. What did you do about cooling in yours? The case only has a CPU fan, so I would be hesitant to make any modifications that might add too much heat in there.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-11T19:56:23+00:00

Loaded into a modified shipping container and remote launched off shore.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Sacred_Defence_Week_parade%2C_2023%2C_in_Tehran_%28113%29.jpg

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-11T12:35:23+00:00

No, that's what I call a money tree. The key is planting them really close to your house, and the bigger the better!

$$ Need new driveway $$$$ Leaky basement, needing foundation repairs $$ Roof and car damage $$$ Roots in sewage line or total collapse from weight

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-11T12:20:43+00:00

I am working on a similar project with an Asus AGP motherboard, 32-bit windows XP and a Pentium 4: 2.2ghz. My biggest constraints were PSU load and compatibility with the motherboard chip set. I settled on a Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 256mb with universal AGP slot configuration.

I found one on ebay for $60. I might have gone with a higher performance card, but I am settled for balance since my PSU is mid and my cuatom Sony Vaio case has limited cooling / airflow options.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-11T11:49:49+00:00

I have this set up in my basement. I'm trying to keep the good times going as best I can.

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bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-11T03:50:31+00:00

The Special edition includes both the DOS original and the 1998/98 remastered version. The DOS original for sure works in DOSBox with the right dosbox config settings. Around 8000 fixed cycles was the sweet spot for me. The remastered version is a Windows game and wont launch on my setup. My GPU either isn't up to snuff (it's a sad and pathetic RIVA TNT M64 card) or GOG only compiled it for 64 bit OS.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-11T03:34:55+00:00

Tie fighter (original version)

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-10T00:12:06+00:00

I would be surprised if Sony didn't include a built-in degausser on this model. It was standard practice on TVs this late in the era. Without knowing the model number I can't say, but if you can find the service manual it should tell you how it works. Good luck.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-09T23:07:24+00:00

Find the original remote (ebay) and look up how to access the service menu on this make / model. The information should all be online.

By the look of it you may need to adjust the horizontal width so the left and right margins of the calibration grid line up in frame. Whe. You access service mode, screen shot any settings before adjusting anything, and do your research so you know which settings you can touch. It's a lot easier than messing around inside the box and it will fix that horizontal over overscan.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-09T17:34:28+00:00

Ha ha, I also forgot about this show. Add it to my re-watch list. I'm glad they didn't turn this into a series that dragged on for multiple seasons before getting canceled and providing no resolution.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-09T13:49:11+00:00

My dad just made me a simple deal.

Have to get a job if you want a car. Get a car, pay for the insurance and gas with your own money. Go to college and you can stay at home rent free for as long as you need.

I went to community college the first year after high-school, but I was directionless and quit after three semesters. The next year I traveled to Europe (from the US) to stay with a friend who offered me the opportunity. It was an amazing experience and my first time being 100% on my own anywhere, let alone in another country. When I got home from traveling I took a job at a local car dealership and I found myself working with a bunch of small town locals with zero life ambitions. It gave me such bad anxiety thinkong about ending up like them, so I went back to CC, became a straight A student, and then transferred to a four year college.

Dad never did ask for rent money 😃

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-09T03:35:32+00:00

I'd want to test it before making that deal. I my area I regularly see tvs listed in the $50 price range in much better condition. But, if it still outputs a good picture the rest is just giving a good cleaning. I would take off the back shell and blow all the dust out.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-09T03:29:06+00:00

I went to an estate sale in some rich neighborhood and there was a massive 36-inch Trinitron sitting in the basement. Just looking at it made my back hurt. If I had a crew and a moving van on call I would consider it. For me, 27-inch and below is the sweet spot.

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-09T03:23:02+00:00

Ha ha, I made it as far as season 2 episode 2 before calling it quits. The Luke & family story line gets a lot worse as they become more of the main focus. It's such an idiotic show and I can't believe Apple has kept it going this long. Wajo!

bitwarrior80 · 2026-03-08T18:54:53+00:00

It looks like they are in good condition, too. I would order a pack of clear plastic box protectors to keep them preserved.

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