With our Presidents Day activities (getting a scalar prototype out the door this week_) most of today will be devoted to work in Ure’s Old Man Lab. I don’t talk about it much – people’s eyes tend to glaze over, but it’s a very well-appointed place to hang out and do work on the fringe-stuff that I was writing about almost a decade ago in Dimensions Next Door.
If you think you have a “free energy” source, this is the kind of lab you’ll want. See that microscope in foreground? Where it says “e-May”? That’s the label on the pulse-ox sitting on the bench below it. Point being that when you’re doing really off-the wall research, like with Tesla edge-wound bifilar coils, you won’t have room under a traditional microscope to put a 14-inch coil (around a sample) when the neck of a desktop ‘scope only gives you a ‘swing’ of an inch, or two.
And that’s when (remember, I turn 76 this week) I will be (randomly) skipping a day (or two) of Urban here to give me more lab, tree farm, hydroponics, and shop time. Because I’ve become convinced that we humans block ourselves into corners that limit progress. Things like, oh, the ‘swing’ of a microscope seem silly to talk about – at first glance – but they become “decision support/limits” for our future thinking on a topic.
Around here, it’s always a battle to a) recognize the physical limits around us and then b) hack those limits because with limits in place, your thinking style gets boxed in by the familiar. In fact, over all the time is labs (electronics mostly) I’ve noticed that the difficulty of instrumenting and testing ideas oftentimes keeps the breakthrough research from happening. People get into a “Too much of a PITA to test for that. Besides, probably nothing to it…. ”
Honestly, I think there have been many “good ideas left fallow” (because of laziness/inconvenience). Who knows how much farther ahead humanity could be – it all [problem] stones were kicked over to see what’s under them? For now, we won’t know. Because that’s what defines a Dark Age. When dogma and the pre-existing conditions in life go unsuspected, unchallenged, and unaddressed.
To play off the book title “Fingerprints of the Gods” it’s easy as pie to jump out of bed every day at God-awful-thirty. If you’re motivation is looking for Another Clue as to how “It All Works.” (Such as it does…)
The project (after this one is shipped out) will be purusing the notion that different potentials between non-adjacent “domain walls” in Reality could be a real source of power. But, as long as research is limited to single domain/spaces the big potential – which might be ‘out there’ – its likely to remain elusive.
Workweek Roulette
As luck would have it, the Great Ship of State is now being steered by another workaholic. In looking over Donald Trump’s Sunday work, Presidential Message on the 2025 Daytona 500 struck me as, oh, busy work to an extent. But far more impressive was being all over weather events with a weekend response within two days of damage in Kentucky. President Donald J. Trump Approves Kentucky Emergency Declaration. That’s responsive government.
Of course, the wheels and cogs keep turning one level down: US’s Rubio in Riyadh, Russia’s Lavrov en route, with Ukraine talks expected.
And keep an eye on the evolving fight over Executive Power. Trump turns to Supreme Court in bid to fire whistleblower agency head. Contractually, the Dellinger employment hinges on whether he was fired “with cause”. Siding with the whistleblower agency was an Obama judicial appointment: Judge Amy Berman Jackson who we’ve encountered in other stories. Thing is, I seem to remember that everyone on the Executive side serves “at the leisure of the President” and the words “You’re fired” is all the cause needed. So it’ll be an interesting SupCo case where conservatives (in theory) hold a 6-3 edge. But we’re not so sure about a couple of those 6, if you follow.
Trump’s first month in office is almost up. And we notice “Chyna” as he calls it, ain’t too happy with Trump doubling-down on Taiwan. China condemns US after line on ‘Taiwan independence’ cut from site. On the other hand, time and computer circumstances (like China’s DeepSeek) make the strategic value of Taiwan overwhelming, for now.
What people outside the “wafer-world” may not grok (the verb not the AI) is that both sides are hardening their positions on AI supportive materials. Just two weeks ago (and this was significant) China’s curbs on exports of strategic minerals | Reuters. And strategic minerals are key to tech.
Waiting on Markets
Tomorrow or Wednesday, we should get more sense of how the US will roll from here. But, overnight, overseas markets were generally up strongly. But color us skeptical: When there’s a holiday and the US is closed, the trade gets thin and prices can run.
On the other hand, Bitcoin remains stuck in the $96-$97 thousand range, so no clues there. Gold was back over $2900 but Silver was testing the $32 handle a bit after climbing over $34 last week.
For us, it’s watch and wait. With the suspicion than a market turn is possible. because with the DOGE cost-cutting drive, there could be some downside for business (which they will fear like the Dickens).
Chilling
The headlines are bad enough: ‘Life-threatening cold’ expected as polar vortex stretches across U.S. after deadly weekend flooding. But then you get to the temperature forecast maps…like tomorrow night’s outlook:
By tomorrow night, it will be miserable.
Looking ahead, though, shouldn’t be too bad.
Around the Ranch: Gaming Spring Planting
First you need to know where you (and your garden!) will be: For us, it’s:
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8b has a minimum average temperature of 15–20° Fahrenheit. This zone includes parts of Texas, Georgia, Florida, and other regions.
See the plant hardiness map here for find where your garden is.
Always fun to line up the different ways to figure when to put those hydroponic hatchinglings out in the dirt. As a home gardener, there are all kinds of choices:
- Use an off-the-shelf USDA average last frost Date.
- Farmer’s Almanac
- Look at the averages for your typical winter-spring.
- Look at the Climate Prediction outlooks. NOAA One Month outlooks.
- Ask AI to sum it all up.
Here’s how the options pencil out here:
- Oft the Shelf: The average last frost date in Palestine, Texas is between March 11 and March 20.
- Almanac it: The Farmers’ Almanac predicts a mild and dry winter for most of Texas in 2024–2025.
- Averages (from WeatherUnderground monthly for last forecast and average freeze): February 23rd.
- NOAA seems to favor early-planting gamblers.
5. Then we ask AI to take a stab at it and lay out “the Big Plan:”
“Based on your location in East Texas (USDA Hardiness Zone 8B, zip code 75803), here are the recommended planting dates for your specified crops, considering both your conventional garden and attached grow room:
Conventional Dirt Garden:
Squash (Summer): Plant seeds outdoors between March 15 and June 15.
Assorted Peppers: Start seeds indoors around January 15 to February 15; transplant outdoors between March 1 and April 15.
Melons (Watermelon): Plant seeds outdoors between March 15 and May 1.
Attached Grow Room:
Hot-Weather Tomatoes (Floridian): Start seeds indoors around January 15 to February 15; transplant into the grow room between March 1 and April 15.
Assorted Lettuces: Plant seeds indoors from January 1 to March 15.
Bok Choy: Plant seeds indoors from January 1 to March 15.
Additional Considerations:
Temperature Management: Utilize your auxiliary diesel heating system to maintain optimal temperatures for seedlings, especially during late winter and early spring. Monitor indoor temperatures to conserve diesel usage.
Sun Shading: Implement the planned 20% sun shading during peak summer heat to protect plants from excessive temperatures.
Please note that these dates are general guidelines. It’s essential to monitor local weather conditions and adjust planting schedules accordingly. For more detailed information, consider consulting the East Texas Vegetable Planting Guide.
That Henderson County Master Gardener’s list looks good. Look for one applicable in your area. Which means when I get the electronics projects pushed out, ShopTalk Sunday will get back to this years HVAC mods for greenhouses…
Fun times (and fresh radishes!) just ahead!
Write when the cold snap is done snapping…and have a great “residence day” (if you get one). ShopTalk Sunday is here if you missed it.
George@Ure.net
Read the full article here
