This is a great solution for embedding Google Photo Albums. Google does not offer an option to generate embed code. You can either paste the embed code you obtain at this website, or if you have a WordPress site, you can install the WordPress Plugin.
July 24, 2020. For Jane. We paid cash. Added a bed cover.
Decided to cut the chord a few weeks ago and go with YouTube TV. Have been pretty happy with the result. Monthly Spectrum Internet (200mb) is about $75 with taxes and fees. No discount with no other bundled service.
Our new home in Dripping Springs is 3 stories. Ground floor, upstairs and built-out basement. I was worried about Internet in the basement where I’ll be a 100% remote worker starting in April.
Decided to buy the Google Nest Wifi Mesh Router and 2 Add-On Points for $349. It may be the best decision I’ve made. Comes with speaker and Google Assistant in each node.
I’ve been seeing some of the fastest WiFi Connection speeds I’ve ever experienced. Here is a download/upload test from my basement. Upper 180 is common (speedtest.net):
Using Wifi Analyzer on my phone, this is the signal strength I am seeing:
To put the -40 value into perspective, this post explains signal strengths this way:
Wireless signal strength is measured in dBm (decibel milliwatts) and is, somewhat confusingly, expressed only as negative values.
So what should we consider a good, acceptable, or poor Wi-Fi signal strength?
| Signal Strength | Expected Quality | Required For |
|---|---|---|
| -30 dBm | Maximum signal strength, you are probably standing right next to the access point. | |
| -50 dBm | Anything down to this level can be considered excellent signal strength. | |
| -60 dBm | Good, reliable signal strength. | |
| -67 dBm | Reliable signal strength. | The minimum for any service depending on a reliable connection and signal strength, such as voice over Wi-Fi and non-HD video streaming. |
| -70 dBm | Not a strong signal. | Light browsing and email. |
| -80 dBm | Unreliable signal strength, will not suffice for most services. | Connecting to the network. |
| -90 dBm | The chances of even connecting are very low at this level. |
Needless to day, my Internet service is rocking!
Conversations involve TWO parties. Ideally they should contribute equally. Unfortunately, that’s not how many go and most people probably won’t recognize themselves in this post.
Nicholas Cole describes it best in his Medium article Relationships Fail Because Most People Have Conversations Like This (PDF)
In Summary:
It’s so simple. When you’re with someone, ask them questions and actually listen
The Founders designed a government that would resist mob rule. They didn’t anticipate how strong the mob could become.
…To prevent factions from distorting public policy and threatening liberty, Madison resolved to exclude the people from a direct role in government. “A pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction,” Madison wrote in “Federalist ?10.” The Framers designed the American constitutional system not as a direct democracy but as a representative republic, where enlightened delegates of the people would serve the public good. They also built into the Constitution a series of cooling mechanisms intended to inhibit the formulation of passionate factions, to ensure that reasonable majorities would prevail.
…The people would directly elect the members of the House of Representatives, but the popular passions of the House would cool in the “Senatorial saucer,” as George Washington purportedly called it: The Senate would comprise natural aristocrats chosen by state legislators rather than elected by the people. And rather than directly electing the chief executive, the people would vote for wise electors — that is, propertied white men — who would ultimately choose a president of the highest character and most discerning judgment. The separation of powers, meanwhile, would prevent any one branch of government from acquiring too much authority. The further division of power between the federal and state governments would ensure that none of the three branches of government could claim that it alone represented the people.
…Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms have accelerated public discourse to warp speed, creating virtual versions of the mob. Inflammatory posts based on passion travel farther and faster than arguments based on reason. Rather than encouraging deliberation, mass media undermine it by creating bubbles and echo chambers in which citizens see only those opinions they already embrace.
…More recently, geographical and political self-sorting has produced voters and representatives who are willing to support the party line at all costs. After the Republicans took both chambers of Congress in 1994, the House of Representatives, under Speaker Newt Gingrich, adjusted its rules to enforce party discipline, taking power away from committee chairs and making it easier for leadership to push bills into law with little debate or support from across the aisle. The defining congressional achievements of Barack Obama’s presidency and, thus far, Donald Trump’s presidency — the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, respectively — were passed with no votes from members of the minority party.
…Madison feared that Congress would be the most dangerous branch of the federal government, sucking power into its “impetuous vortex.” But today he would shudder at the power of the executive branch. The rise of what the presidential historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. called the “imperial presidency” has unbalanced the equilibrium among the three branches. Modern presidents rule by executive order rather than consulting with Congress. They direct a massive administrative state, with jurisdiction over everything from environmental policy to the regulation of the airwaves. Trump’s populist promise — “I alone can fix it” — is only the most dramatic in a long history of hyperbolic promises, made by presidents from Wilson to Obama, in order to mobilize their most ideologically extreme voters.
…During the 20th century, the Supreme Court also became both more powerful and more divided. The Court struck down federal laws two times in the first 70 years of American history, just over 50 times in the next 75 years, and more than 125 times since 1934. Beginning with the appointment of Anthony Kennedy, in 1987, the Court became increasingly polarized between justices appointed by Republican presidents and justices appointed by Democratic presidents. Kennedy’s retirement raises the likelihood of more constitutional rulings split between five Republican appointees and four Democratic ones.
Devin Gordon posted an article on Medium titled The Off-the-Radar Baseball League That’s Trying to Reboot the Game. It describes how too many home runs and strikeouts (“true outcomes,” in baseball vernacular) is taking the fun out of the game. Major League Baseball, is in a three-year partnership with the independent Atlantic League to test out numerous experimental rules designed to enliven the game.
Baseball was my primary sport growing up, and of course I enjoyed immensely coaching David and Kristen in youth baseball. When it comes to watching, however, it’s one of my least favorite sports to watch for all the reasons stated in the article.
Here is my radicle idea: Any ball hit over the fence is an out. It’s not original. I played in a coed softball team that had that rule in place.
I like this:
What is the ultimate quantification of success? For me, it’s not how much time you spend doing what you love. It’s how little time you spend doing what you hate – Casey Neistat
I was set to get a new Google Pixel 3 phone $150 off $800 during Thanksgiving. Then I came across the G6 I could get for $189 at Costco ($50 off). You can get it on Amazon for $200. I decided to give it a try and so far, I’m pretty happy with it. My Google Nexus 6 phone was starting to have issues and no longer allowed Android Auto to work in my car.
The phone is slightly thinner but taller with a 18:9 ratio rather than the standard 16:9. It has tons of features which I’m still discovering. This is the first phone I’ve owned with a fingerprint scanner and I really like how convenient and quick it is to unlock the phone. I can define motion actions as shortcuts to various functions. For example shaking it twice will turn on the flashlight!
It has a 12m front facing dual-camera. Judging from the 1st photo I shot on our back porch, it is plenty nice!
I could buy a phone like this EVERY year at this price and in 4 years I would have spent as much as an iPhone!