Today I learned “Frasier” is coming back to television. I wasn’t a huge fan of the show back in the day, but I’ve seen plenty of great moments from clips and this latest resurrection of an old sitcom doesn’t look too contrived. Since we pay a boatload of money for Paramount+ (Star Trek, The Good Wife), might as well give it a go when it comes out. It looks much better than when they tried to reboot “Murphy Brown” a few years ago, so we’ll give it a shot.
J.P.
Onion.
Earl and I were talking about memories of days gone by and I mentioned a vague recollection of “Onion Nuggets” at McDonalds. My husband didn’t remember them but I did some digging around online and found a little bit of information.
McDonald’s Onion Nuggets came before the Chicken McNuggets. Introduced to select markets in the ‘70s, Onion Nuggets were around until the early 1980s.
I must have enjoyed them in one of the select markets back in the day. I can easily remember trying them and liking them, but I don’t remember where this occurred.
Time.
I figure I have about 30 years left in this life. Of course, that’s an arbitrary number subject to countless variables unaccounted for in this declaration, but it helps keep my sights on the future in perspective.
Of those 30 arbitrary years remaining, I’ll probably end up working a third of them. For those not quick with the maths, that’s 10 years. I plan on retiring at 65, if my company will have me for that long. If not, I’ll find another gig to pad out the arithmetic. I don’t know what tech company would want an aged team leader but I could probably bluff my way into something fruitful.
These thoughts of remaining time on my odometer are not morbid. They’re realistic. And quite frankly, my plan is to make these the best 30 years (give or take 30) of my life.
Wallpapers.
I found the new iPhone 15 Pro wallpapers online so you don’t have to. Right-click and “Open Image in New Tab” to see in full size.
Announcement Day.
Today was the day of Apple’s latest round of announcements, and following the lead established during the pandemic, Apple had a slick, pre-recorded presentation to spill the goods.
I cleared my calendar at work and switched my Teams status to “Do Not Disturb” so I could enjoy the festivities.
Today Apple announced the latest generation of iPhone, the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The fastest iPhones ever (why wouldn’t they be?), all models showed a decent spec bump and some amazing photographic capabilities. I am currently rocking an iPhone 13 Pro, which replaced my iPhone X back in the day. To secure this iPhone 13 Pro from the family budgeting department, I had to sign a document and place an entry on the family calendar stating I would not update for three years. So I see an iPhone 16 Pro Max on the horizon for next year.
Apple also announced WATCH 9 and their latest version of the WATCH Ultra, dubbed the Ultra 2.
I guess phrases like “Windows Vista” destroyed any marketing chances in the future of having something than iterative numbers attached to device names in the 21st century.
The Apple Watch upgrades boast impressive features and more iterative spec bumps. I’m not compelled to replace my WATCH Series 7 at this time; maybe I’ll go crazy a year from now and/or when we win the lottery.
As mentioned in my previous blog entry, the little skit around Apple’s initiatives for becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030 was my favorite part of today’s presentation and I’m really happy Apple is doing the right thing by focusing on a better environment. Sometimes it feels like the long way around to this goal; buying a new device the is friendlier for the environment than your current device, instead of just keeping your current device, seems like the long way around but with recycling practices and the like, it makes sense.
This!
I know most will not agree with me, but I found this segment of today’s Apple presentation to be the most compelling, and the most important.
There’s a lot of snark online about Apple and their devices and their features and all of that. I know, your flip phone could do everything plus bake a loaf of bread back in 1972. Your “blarrrrgggggghhh” tweets/Xcrements from your Android phone could wipe the floor with anyone and everyone that works at Apple. I know, I know, you need your superiority.
You know what’s superior? Taking care of the planet. Listening to Mother Nature. And Apple gets it right. And it shows, right here.
This was the most important message of today’s presentation. Let’s do everything we can to be carbon neutral, as fast as we can.
And let’s face it, Octavia Spencer is one fine Mother Nature.
Flag.
A few of our neighbors have American flags in their landscaping and/or front yard. All do the proper thing and have solar powered lighting to keep the flag illuminated during the night. The previous owner of our home had a flag hanging over the garage but I didn’t see anything indicated it was illuminated.
It was well into my adulthood that I realized hanging a flag like this was much more of American thing versus patriotic displays in the rest of the world. Of course too many folks take this to extremes and wear the American flag on their underwear, hanging off their car, etc. which I think is a bit too much, though I do have an American flag top I bought in 1990 from International Male.
I don’t wear it anymore since it’d look like a crop top today and it was never intended to be a crop top.
Cessna 182.
Back when we lived in Chicago I earned my “high performance” and “complex” endorsements as a private pilot. These two endorsements allowed me to fly airplanes faster than 200 HP and with retractable gear. I earned these endorsements on a 1978 Cessna R182, or a Cessna 182 with retractable gear. She was called “Large Marge” and was a fun airplane to fly. I liked the speed and being able to comfortably carry my husband, full fuel, and a bit of luggage to a destination in a decent amount of time.
When I joined the flying club here in Arizona I was delighted to see they had not only a Cessna R182 of the same vintage, they also have a Cessna 182 “straight leg”; same airplane without retractable gear. The latter is a newer airplane (2001) and yesterday I went up with an instructor to begin the insurance checkout required for the club.
Due to a Temporary Flight Restriction over Redington Pass, near where the Molino 3 Fire seems to be now under control, we opted to fly to KOLS Nogales and do some touch ‘n goes. We did what we call “air work” on the way down; showing off my proficiency in steep turns, stalls, and the like.
We’re scheduled to go up again in a couple weeks to continue the checkout process. Prior to yesterday’s flight, I had one hour less than the amount needed for insurance requirements.
I’m always a happy guy after a flight. While I’m flying quite a bit this year, I’m never flying enough.
Caturday.
Truman has been pretty chill lately. He shows his contentment by positioning himself on the floor and just watching the world go by. His claws going in and out indicate happiness.
Molino 3.
I was surprised to see “orange lights” near Mount Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains last night. I spotted these “lights” during my sunset walk; once the sun was down I realized it was a wild fire.
Dubbed the “Molino 3” fire, it was at approximately the same area as a fire earlier this year where a guy shooting target practices fired off some rounds that sparked a fire and didn’t do anything about it, resulting in the “Molino 2” fire. At last check they were reporting 425 acres were on fire.
I hope they’re able to get it out quickly. Admittedly, I’m worried about the wildlife and the ecosystem in the area more than any human installed dwellings down the mountain. Too many humans have a tendency to do terrible things to this planet. Hopefully good humans will help get this fire under control quickly.
