Talking about your Chevy crossover SUV? No, but we really like that vehicle. It can haul a bunch, is comfortable to drive, and rather sporting with the turbo. But, I digress.
Today is the Autumnal Equinox...
To be specific, it happens here at 11:19am today (Mountain Standard Time). Relatively equal amounts of daylight and dark. In fact, the term equinox means: equal night. This is the time that the sun is lined up with the equator as the Earth does its tilting on its axis thing. The start of astronomical fall in the northern hemisphere.
This event is also a time for various cultural and natural celebrations, including harvest festivals like Mabon, traditions of giving thanks, and observations of nature's shift toward winter. Here in the desert, it is the hope that we are moving away from those scorching summer temperatures. Yes, we're occasionally seeing the high for the day dipping below 100º. Not cool by any means, but it's a start.
Happy Autumnal Equinox! No, this has nothing to do with anything pumpkin spice.
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A Costco run today. Seems that we go to Sam's Club more often than Costco... but I really like the whole feel of Costco much better.
As we came into Costco, a sign for the HoverAir X1 Pro/Max caught my eye - under my breath, I said to myself, "I'm going to be pissed if it is cheaper here than what I just paid a couple weeks ago." Fortunately, it was the same price as direct from Hover or on Amazon.
A guy standing next to me asked, "Do you know anything about these?"
"Well, since you asked..." We had a nice discussion. He wants a drone, but he wants it easy and no fussing with "getting permission" to fly it. Yes, with some drones (over 250 grams and with GPS), you have to get clearance to fly it, depending on where you are and what you're close to. I ran into that with the DJI Mavic Mini I had, and it was a pain. With this Hover, you just pull it out, and within about 30 seconds, you're ready to fly. Oh, sure, you still have to know and follow the rules, but there isn't the fuss as with a heavier drone.
He had a lot of questions - Joan said to me, "You two visit, I need to shop on my own for a bit." I answered a lot of this gentleman's questions. He asked me if I knew anything about flying these compared to flying an actual airplane, mostly regarding air space. Yep, I had answers for that, too. Mike (my new buddy's name) and I had a nice visit.
We did our shopping and Joan asked about lunch (we hadn't had it, yet)... "I could be good with some fine Costco dining - and the good news is: they switched from Pepsi to Coke a few months ago." She had a hot sandwich kinda thing, while I went for the gourmet: hot dog and a Diet Coke for $1.50. I am a cheap date. ;-)
One more stop, at Wally World, and back home around 12:45. An Amazon package waiting for me: a wireless transmitter/receiver to replace a guitar cord. It is a 2.4 ghz device, which means it may not work in a crowded wifi area (5 ghz is better for that), but the transmitter and receiver will always be close to each other for my use. And the price was right. (Joan found a good deal on a returned one - and it has all the original packaging and paperwork. And, it functions just fine.
I spent the next hour trying my new multi-effects pedal (with the wireless transmitter/receiver) into an amp and a PA. Tones that sounded good through my headphones needed a bit of tweaking for "live sound." Joan recommended: "Work with it an hour a day or so until you are completely comfortable with it." It worked out that way today. 'Cause I'm all about obeying. Don't get me started on that.
I get together with Mark and the guys on Wednesday, so I'll be able to try this stuff out "in action." Here is a photo of the two components...
Someone in Mooer's Product Development could use a talking to. The model of this wireless set up is: Air P05. The type font on the product looks like "P O S." As in: the US slang for "piece of sh*t." I'm hoping that won't turn out to be prophetic. ;-)
4 comments:
Nice consultation on the drone. Equinoxes and solstices were a big deal to us in Alaska and not completely trivial here in Idaho. The days are getting noticeably shorter. I pointed out that the equinox was today at lunch but no one cared.
Hi Earl. I think my new buddy Mike appreciated the information. He asked good questions, so I don't think he was just burning time. As far as the celestial things: I enjoy seeing the moon phases, checking out the evening sky, always looking for "shooting stars," (when I know of an event), and seeing the seasonal changes. I know when we were in the Pacific Northwest, the hours of daylight vs dark were more dramatic than our time at Latitude 26 (the Tropical Tip). We sure notice the sunrise happening later and later here in the desert.
I have a question about you pointing out the equinox at lunch: now that you are retired, who do you get to have lunch with?
Lunch is generally our big meal, and other than on music days (where the guys eat lunch together), Joan and I frequently go out for lunch. This "lunch at Costco" was a bit of an anomaly... but I quite enjoyed the $1.50 hot dog and Diet Coke. Lunch out is usually more of an event than that. ;-)
Lunch is my big meal too. I go to a local buffet restaurant several days a week (good salad bar) where I can eat around my food limitations and not have to wait for prep. It is mostly an excuse to get out of the house. There are some regulars there that I chat with. Alice does not like to eat out and has her own food challenges. She cooks for herself, but not stuff that I like. Tofu and beets!! Yuk. I'd rather have lawn clippings. Plus she eats on a different schedule than me.
What is this "retirement" thing you speak of? I seem to be working about half time most weeks with zombie projects coming back to life, and mentoring two younger engineers hoping they can take over all my (former) clients. Easier said than done...
Hey, Earl - I didn't know you were still dealing with work projects. "Zombie" - a good term for that, since they came back and try to suck out your brain. ;-) In our working days, it was rare that Joan and I got to have lunch together, even though we worked together. We make up for that now, almost always having meals together. Left to our own, she would eat healthy, I would eat like a little kid. I couldn't do a buffet regularly - I always "want to get my money's worth."
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