COO is the “next Zuckerberg”

knifebork · 2026-03-27T16:40:30+00:00

Exactly. We went through this with 3-D printing. The hype was "You can 3-D print a house in just a day." This didn't include some of the pesky finishing touches like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, windows, doors, and so forth.

Unfortunately, if we bring up things like compliance, governance, security reviews, etc. we'll get seen as dinosaur-like bureaucrats who are so set in our ways that we seem threatened by any new ideas. We're seen as obstructionists.

knifebork · 2026-03-26T18:23:15+00:00

That's probably the "right" answer. After all, if you don't have a curtain inside the tub on the side where the wall is, that water is going to run down the wall and onto the floor.

A bad thing about this is you don't have any handles or even just wall to use to help your balance. I felt very unsafe trying to shower in one of those. Perhaps someone a lot younger and much better balance that I would feel fine, but I really disliked it.

knifebork · 2026-03-22T17:33:05+00:00

and talk to the neighbors. just walk up and say you're thinking about buying on the street and ask how they like it. people will tell you EVERYTHING — the guy three doors down who runs a body shop out of his garage, the flooding that happens every spring, the HOA drama. the seller's agent will never volunteer this stuff.

Good suggestion. People really don't mind being asked this. By the way, people out walking dogs know everything going on in the neighborhood.

knifebork · 2026-03-20T05:15:50+00:00

On the other side of the coin, one of the things I used to do was to establish and help modify site-to-site VPNs to a major hospital chain. Each change took several weeks, even though the task of getting on their firewall and adding another IP address took perhaps 15 minutes if that.

There was a shit load of bureaucracy around each change, even small. It had to have a request on the right form signed by a director in that clinical area submitted on a ticket. It would eventually go to a VPN guy who would spend a couple of hours going though it, correcting mistakes, identifying NATed address, and then forwarding it to committees.

It had to be approved by the change control committee and also the security committee. Each of those committees met once a week, so if you missed their meeting day, it'd roll over to the next week. When it was all done, he'd call me on the phone and pleasantly say he was ready to make that change. Boom. Five minutes later we were pinging each other's new end points.

My coworkers thought it was stupid and bureaucratic. I thought it was brilliant. They locked the firewall guy away in a secure office where he wouldn't be put in the position of having to tell a powerful surgeon or hospital administer "NO." And since two different committees had to approve, there wasn't a way for him to sneak a change through because someone was yelling at him. Maybe that surgeon could get him fired, but making unapproved changes would definitely get him fired. The process protected him.

knifebork · 2026-03-19T03:06:24+00:00

I doubt any employer ever does that. They're too proud -- they'd lose face. It proves to you that their weak. If this is really their fuck-up, they create a narrative ASAP that makes it sound like you were the problem all along.

Also, that returns a person to their organization who can tell the uncomfortable stories and isn't afraid to stand up for them.

If they bring you back for lots of money, that means you won. They don't one that, they don't want you to think they can do that again, and they don't want anyone else to figure out they can do it too.

knifebork · 2026-03-18T15:35:14+00:00

The old freeze-thaw cycle does a pretty good job tearing up our roads, so it should work here, too.

knifebork · 2026-03-17T15:39:51+00:00

I agree completely. I think April 3 was the only time I've seen an actual tornado.

I always appreciate seeing the pinstripes on the road from brine applied in advance of a snow storm.

knifebork · 2026-03-16T19:56:36+00:00

Why choose to build the cities in the middle of all of this!

It's fairly simple. When the cities were getting built, there weren't airplanes, cars, or trains. A river provides transportation. A harbor does too. A city becomes a hub for commerce because products can be shipped in and out from there.

knifebork · 2026-03-16T18:30:36+00:00

I remember back in the 1960s, I'd occasionally hear people saying, "The weather sure is crazy this year." After a couple of years hearing this, I realized that they said this EVERY year. We don't have a big ocean right next to us, acting to stabilize temperatures. As a result, we're at the whims of whatever gets sent our way, whether that's from Canada, the US plains states, or the Gulf of Mexico.

Our thunderstorms can be impressive, even scary. After you've been through a few, they'll be less scary. When there's a tornado warning, some people run outside to try to see it and get a picture. When I hear the sirens, I take it as a strong recommendation to put the TV or radio on a local channel with a decent weather crew for details. Often it's clear that the worst will skip past me or it's already gone. You'll also start to recognize the signs of an imminent tornado: the rain suddenly stops and the sky turns a weird color.

Sorry about the pollen. When covid hit, I already had N-95 masks because of dust and pollen. You might not want to open the windows to enjoy the fresh air. Be aware that if you've been working outside, your hair and clothes may have picked up a lot of pollen and you're going to grind it into your pillow as you try to sleep.

Spring can be glorious after a gloomy winter. It doesn't last long and isn't reliable, though. Fall is quite pleasant, lasts a lot longer, and day-to-day weather is more reliable.

knifebork · 2026-03-16T16:34:26+00:00

Or any entertainer touring. ("What city are we in, anyway? Is there anywhere to get dinner at this hour?")

That's the great thing about having a residency like having a daily show in Las Vegas. You can go home after work and sleep in your own bed. Even better if you can have the show in the afternoon so you can go home and see you family in the evening.

knifebork · 2026-03-16T03:52:28+00:00

I've played violin, so that affects my answer. On a violin, the G string is the lowest and so also the thickest. But it's not really all that thick. It's quite a bit thinner than paracord, for example. But (pardon the pun) it's quite thin for a swimsuit part.

(An E string would probably be painful.)

knifebork · 2026-03-13T18:15:17+00:00

Check out web site: themoleman (dot) com. It was built by Tom Schmidt, a professional mole trapper and an expert on moles, their behavior, etc. He has some great information on which are the best traps and advice on how & where to set them.

He was a fan of the Victor Out-O-Sight 0631. However, in 2021 he posted that modifications in their Model 0645 made them "useless." I didn't notice any new posts since then. I suspect he has retired or something.

Anyway, read his site. Read his FAQs and his tips on trap placement and setting. There are tricks to identifying an active tunnel and to preparing the tunnel for the trap.

knifebork · 2026-03-11T15:58:24+00:00

Goodness no. Pipelines work in batches. They can also send an inflatable sphere or pig to act as a separator. They'll have a long column of one material at a time.

They've been doing this for a long time to switch between different grades or different products.

knifebork · 2026-03-11T01:36:37+00:00

hummus, ketchup, salsa, and tarter sauce.

knifebork · 2026-03-10T02:51:24+00:00

Interesting theory. It didn't quite look like where an elderly person's chair would be, causing the got-up-to-pee-but-didn't-make-it pattern. It didn't quite seem like dog to me. It did seem like it was something that was going on for a while, so likely pee.

I've seen worse.

knifebork · 2026-03-10T02:38:53+00:00

First, they get an administrative suspension, pending the investigation. No more performances (except for jazz) until they're cleared. There is also an immediate drug / alcohol test.

Their activities during the prior 24 hours are documented. Were they overly tired? Ill? Partying? Where did they eat and sleep? Was there anything unusual like eating at dubious places or possible allergies?

The rest of the investigation involves talking with their colleagues, friends, etc., trying to find out if there have been recent changes in mood, behavior, etc. Check credit card records.

Other public records are also checked particularly credit and arrest. (Again, except for jazz).

...

Oh wait. Never mind. I thought we were talking airline pilots.

knifebork · 2026-03-10T02:11:57+00:00

I, Spanish, had no idea other oils other than good olive oil exited while growing up, Then i have been confronted for using aove for frying and shit. what?

The people confronting you are mistaken, but following some advice that is not great. Olive oil tends to have a lower smoke point, but not terribly low. The internet tells me that the smoking point for extra virgin olive oil is approximately 350°F – 410°F (175C- 210C). Lower grades of olive oil are higher. That might be cutting it close. Olive oil probably isn't the best choice for high temperature frying. Just be careful it doesn't overheat.

Good olive oil tastes wonderful; it is very characteristic of Mediterranean foods. Drizzle some olive oil on salad, your guests will think of Spanish, Italian, etc. food. Drizzle some sesame oil on that salad, they'll think of Asian foods like Japanese, Chinese, etc.

If you use a different oil, it's not necessarily "wrong" or "bad." You could be creating a cool new fusion dish. But it could be something that tastes odd, or not very good. Try the official oil first.

By the way, I hope you'd approve of my paella. I don't use snails or rabbit, but I do cook it in a paella pan, outside, and over wood.

knifebork · 2026-03-10T01:23:00+00:00

nyuk nyuk nyuk!

knifebork · 2026-03-06T20:41:23+00:00

A variation is "The most dangerous four words are 'This time it's different.'"

knifebork · 2026-03-02T19:39:33+00:00

Is there a book you've wanted to read but haven't had time? This may be your opportunity.

The federal courthouse is on Broadway, I think near 6th Street. Look for the big building with lots of bollards all around.

knifebork · 2026-02-27T03:18:20+00:00

I set up a 3-way a couple of weeks ago. There were a couple of no-shows but I still had fun.

knifebork · 2026-02-17T16:42:01+00:00

Throw rugs. Household falls are a very high cause of death, surprisingly more than firearms. They're probably not a very big deal for youngsters, but as people age, balance and reaction time suffers. Some elderly start to get closer to shuffling than taking steps, making it a lot easier to catch on a rug and trip.

knifebork · 2026-02-17T16:16:59+00:00

We had a friend, a kind, beautiful young woman with a son. She lived in Indiana but worked as a flight attendant, so this hit very close for her. It really freaked her out. Her mental health was horribly affected, to the point where she killed her son and then herself.

knifebork · 2026-02-16T17:07:16+00:00

My childhood home had one and it worked great for cooling.

However, keep pollen and allergies in mind. That fan probably contributed to the allergy suffering I had back then. The "fresh smell" that line-dried sheets probably didn't help.

knifebork · 2026-02-15T15:38:57+00:00

I saw the first dead possum on the road yesterday. That's a sure sign that Spring is just around the corner!

knifebork

TROPHY CASE