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noefingway

136 karma · joined January 24, 2017

retired software developer, grain farmer, whisky aficionado
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noefingway··on I fixed a tractor using John Deere's self-repair service. Farmers aren't sold
A buddy of mine just bought 2 John Deere 8R tractors, he says he got a deal at $1.6 mil. $900k for the tracked machine and $700K for the wheeled. His combines are close to $1mil when you add in the grain heads.
noefingway··on GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost
Pre-gps, my wife and I used to head to a destination (local trips to pick up something, often a good distance from home) and on the return home pick random right and left turns. Eventually we would wind up headed back home, but not after exploring the countryside. It was always a nice way to spend an afternoon.
noefingway··on Sam Neill has died
First time I saw him was in Riley Ace of Spies. A great series that was on PBS. Last series I watched was Untamed. He was one of my favorite actors and a credit to his profession. Sad to learn of his passing.
noefingway··on Combustion engine web-based simulator
So i'll throw this out there. When I was a growing up back in the 50's (yeah, way back then) I was given a model of a v-8 engine to build. It was clear plastic, had pistons, crankshaft, valves, and little red lights for the spark plugs. Small battery powered motor (I think in the starter motor) made everything go round and rounds. One of the coolest models I ever built as a kid.
noefingway··on Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
"There are four words you need to know to adequately prepare yourself for childbirth. Take notes here, ladies: I...want...my...epidural."
noefingway··on Nearly 50 Years Later, WKRP in Cincinnati Becomes a Real Radio Station
Will Les Nessman be in his "office"?
noefingway··on I verified my LinkedIn identity. Here's what I handed over
well said. You are the product not the consumer. "Soylent green is people!"
noefingway··on Programming Patterns: The Story of the Jacquard Loom (2019)
As a teen I first learned to program on a pdp-8 with a teletype terminal. Then moved on to mainframes - we wrote out the code on paper (lined in 80 columns), then punched the cards out and submitted the deck to be run. punch card machines were available all over the university campus. BTW, I had a colleague programmed by plugging wires in a plug board. So, yeah, punch cards are definitely computing.
noefingway··on A small collection of text-only websites
I read these two all the time. I wish nytimes.com came in a text version, I hate the move to video. I was raised on newspapers not mtv...
noefingway··on Making tiny 0.1cc two stroke engine from scratch
Brings back memories from childhood. I used to build and fly model airplanes (by wire not rc). Starting those engines was also a challenge. I still have a scar on one finger from an engine kicking back when trying to flip the propeller.
noefingway··on How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)
Here, here! I was born in 1951 - read Peanuts everyday as a kid, still read Peanuts everyday as an adult. It has great humor and insight into relationships.
noefingway··on The mysterious black fungus from Chernobyl that may eat radiation
The Blob: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051418/?ref_=fn_t_2
noefingway··on Downloadable movie posters from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s
Very cool stuff. Brings back a lot of memories from my youth spent in movie theaters on Saturday afternoons watching the sci-fi/horror double features. I have several posters printed by the S2 Art Group (they used to have their lithograph machine in the Paris hotel in Las Vegas), one of my favorites: https://www.cinemasterpieces.com/62014/s2frankteaser.jpg the eyes follow you everywhere.
noefingway··on Tinnitus Neuromodulator
I'm 73, had tinnitus all my life, I am used to it. Some days it seems louder than others. When I was 17-18 I worked as a stock boy at a JC Penney store. I used to hear this high pitched squeal near the front entrance. I mentioned it to my compatriots who responded "What squeal?" I always found a way to avoid the front entrance on my rounds. So yeah, I get the alarms
noefingway··on Lost Jack Kerouac story found among assassinated mafia boss' belongings
I've been re-reading Kerouac lately (LOA has a nice collection of novels in a single volume). His prose is jumps from bebop riffs (On the Road) to elegiac praise of hiking in the woods/mountains (Dharma Bums). The characters (like them or not) are well drawn and always interesting. My hitchhiking days are long gone and I don't suppose this mode of transportation obtains much in the US anymore, which I think is unfortunate as it is (or was) a great way to see the country and meet a lot of people.
noefingway··on Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music
Interesting website. I thought for sure I'd find mention of Silver Apples of the Moon. May have missed it though...
noefingway··on Monitor your security cameras with locally processed AI
yeah - i've been using it for several years. it's got some issues: fails to detect cars and trucks at night (apparently it doesn't know what to do with the moving headlights); also frequently fails to detect me walking past the camera with my 4 small dogs on our morning walk; confuses farm equipment for cars and continues to record even when the object is stationary. still it's better than most of the other software i've tried.
noefingway··on Healthy soil is the hidden ingredient
Item 3 is important in more ways than most people realize. Last year many farmers in my area that planted soybeans early had a problem with slugs eating the sprouting beans and were forced to replant multiple times. This spring I went to a growers conference and heard a presentation by a Prof. Tooker from Penn State Ag about the slug problem, which he has been researching for several years. Turns out that the slug infestation can be directly traced to the use of insecticides used in seed treatments. The insecticides kill beetles (and other beneficial insects) that eat the slugs but don't kill slugs because they aren't insects (they are mollusks). No beetles more slugs. Take away is don't use treated seed. However, standard practice at seed companies is to treat seed with fungicides and insecticides, thus creating a problem rather than solving it.
noefingway··on Potatoes in the Mail
True fact! My wife sent one to a friend of hers. Got delivered promptly, undamaged.
noefingway··on Milwaukee M18 Battery Reverse Engineering
I have a substantial investment in both Dewalt and Milwaukee tools that I use regularly in my farming operation. I definitely prefer the Milwaukee tools to the Dewalt. I recently bought a 6" Milwaukee chain saw for light duty cutting. I get a lot of cuts before I have to change batteries. Also the torque in the Milwaukee 3/4" impact gun is truly amazing and the battery lasts through a lot of bolt removals.
noefingway··on Utah becomes first US state to ban fluoride in its water
What I find fascinating about this debate is that only municipalities/cities add fluoride to water. If you are on well water, no fluoride. So any studies comparing the incidence of tooth decay between populations that are on well water and those that are on fluoridated city water?

I get that this was a great public health benefit before fluoride in toothpaste became widely available but is this still the case? Couldn't it be argued that most of the benefit comes from brushing your teeth?

noefingway··on 'The Maverick's Museum' Review: Albert Barnes and the Art of Collecting
I visited the Barnes before it moved from its original location. It is a truly stunning collection of art. There was a very public fight over the relocation of the museum, which fortunately was resolved and the collection preserved. Of all the great works of art Barnes collected, my favorite is "The Joy of Life" by Henri Matisse https://artincontext.org/the-joy-of-life-by-henri-matisse/
noefingway··on Maggie Smith has died
Truly one of the greatest actors of all time. For those of you that haven't seen this, I strongly recommend watching this show. Just a group of ladies having tea and a chat. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7363336/
noefingway··on Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing (1996)
Always been a Zappa fan since the first Mothers album. I always found is humor in music and words appealing. His band was always tight, great musicians. I many of his albums but I have to say Live at the Fillmore East (1971) is my favorite.
noefingway··on The joy of reading books you don't understand
Second this. IMHO Richard Burton and Alec Guinness give stellar performances in these shows/movies. I would also recommend the Len Deighton series Game, Set, Match with Ian Holm. You need to watch to the end to figure out what's going on.
noefingway··on I bought an encyclopedia
Cheers for PocketRef! Another tool in my farm shop.
noefingway··on Ultrasonic investigations in shopping centres
Exactly this. When I was 17 I worked at a JC Penny store as a stock boy. Every time I approached certain entrances (like the main one that opened into the shopping mall) and other areas of the store my ears were assaulted with a high pitch squeal. Never figured out what it was, nobody else seemed to hear it. I've always had tinnitus, and the frequency always seemed to be the same. In fact, I'm listening to it now.
noefingway··on Dr Strangelove at 60
For the "Dr Strangelove" fans that haven't seen "Failsafe" I recommend watching it and "Seven Days in May". IMHO Larry Hagman provides a compelling performance as Henry Fonda's translator trying to get the translation and nuances of emotion from the Soviet premier.

All three were released in 1964 and provide different takes on the anxieties of the era. We used to joke a lot about having to hide under our desks (lived in the DC suburbs) during the air raid drills, lot of good that would do when the nukes dropped!

noefingway··on Forced rhubarb, a vegetable deprived of sunlight, is having a renaissance (2019)
Pie, jam, crumble, stewed over vanilla ice cream and (best of all) Slingsbury Rhubarb Gin!
noefingway··on I bought the only physical encyclopedia still in print
I still have my 1966 Britannica. Learned a lot as a kid just picking a volume and reading random articles. I hate to give it up.
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