Herculodge

Angelo Braves Hurricane Irene with Radios and Other Man Gear

Irene forced my six year old and me to sleep in our basement on Saturday night.  Actually, it wasn't Irene, but some possibly overzealous weather forcasting that persuaded me to get off the second floor (where a tree falling on my house could have killed us).

I brought a few radio companions to keep us company through the night:  A Radio Shack weather radio, "Freeplay" solar/crank AM-FM-Shortwave and my trusty vintage 1970s General Electric pocket transistor radio.

I used the Radio Shack Weather Radio to notify us of NOAA alerts for our area----when the worst of the storm was expected, flash flood warnings and the like.  The "Made In South Africa" Freeplay radio is a favorite of mine:  Crank it for a minute and get 20 minutes or more of radio from a built-in generator.  It also has a solar panel on it----if you put it in the sun for a few hours, it holds a nice charge.  An added bonus is a flashlight feature-----also rechargeable by the crank.  If you could find one in good condition on E-Bay, I recommend making the purchase.  I gave up my Eton rechargeable because this one is so much better.

And my little GE runs strong on a 9 Volt battery----lots of hours of listening in bed without disturbing my kid's sleep.

I found it interesting that most stores were out of C and D batteries last Saturday----it was reported that Home Depot sold out at several local locations.  People were scooping them up for their flashlights and radios.  In my case, I had plenty of C and D batteries at home----but didn't need to use any of them with this trio of radios (The Radio Shack model uses AAs.).  

Getting back to the "overzealous" forecasting:  There's no doubt that the rain caused by this tropical storm has caused heartbreaking flooding in some areas---and many thousands without power----my house for ten minutes, some for hours, some for days.  But in the days leading up to last weekend, the "Storm Center" reporting really was over the top.  The talking heads on TV as well as local Washington DC area radio jocks were giving warnings about hurricane force winds.  New York City stopped their mass transit service way ahead of the storm.  People were terrified into buying generators (perhaps not a bad idea, but not one of those things you should decide on in a few hours, based on scare tactics).  

It was a parade of weather nerds that aren't often heard from, except when some snow is expected or during times like this.  One individual went on Mark Levin's radio show last Friday----I believe a climatologist-----and stated confidently that this would not be more than a category one tropical storm.  He correctly predicted that the National Weather Service and local meteorologists were overstating how bad the winds would be----that the storm would pack a punch, but not be as "historic" as everyone was saying.  He appeared on Levin's show again on Monday to run a victory lap (not his words, but my estimation).  It's clear that he was much closer to getting it right than anyone else I heard.

On cue, the national news lied about the severity of the storm to prop up the missed predictions.  An example:  Both FOX and ABC reported "major damage" in New Bern, North Carolina.  I guess "major damage" is open to interpretation, but having lived through the Tropical Storm Agnes flooding in 1972, I think I have a good idea of what "major damage" really is.  It's not a few trees down and water in basements.  I know people who live in New Bern and drove all over town to survey the "damage" after hearing the news reports.  They told me a couple nice old trees were down.  They had no idea what the news was reporting.  And as a side note, the news reports I saw about New Bern didn't offer photos/video coverage.  They were reporting from Atlantic Beach and/or Virginia Beach, and mentioned little known, obscure New Bern in passing.  At the very least, they exagerrated.  My opinion is that they lied to make the story fit the template that had been drawn up a couple days earlier.  It's terrible reporting. 

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Could a Reality TV Show Propel a Suicide? Probably

 

The recent suicide of a husband on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills compels the ethical question: Are reality TV shows morally responsible for the emotional havoc they inflict on families, sometimes resulting in something as drastic as a suicide?

Probably. My wife, who watches these shows, explained how they work: The producers find pressure points in relationships and exaggerate them to create drama so that these exploited emotional fissures take a life of their own becoming a juggernaut that takes over and consumes the people involved.

In other words, there's your regular self and your TV self. The TV self becomes a monster and eats your real self for lunch.

My wife told me we will never go on a reality show even though she thinks I have certain eccentricities that would make for "good TV." And the money would be nice to send the girls to college. But in the end, agreeing to make a reality show be making a deal with the devil. 

Radio Holy Grail Sony CRF-330K Bidding for Over $1,000 with a Day to Go

 

Someone is going to steal this Sony CRF-330K, which cost about $2,500 back in the 70s. 

JVC RC-M70 Boombox Currently at $666 with Active Bidding

 

This JVC RC-M70 is definitely a manly radio sighting. 

Understanding the Complexities Behind the Tecsun Portable Radios

 

Thanks, OWL:

Tecsun PL118, a simplistic radio? See the post in Tecsun's user forum (by a user 'victorious general'):

http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/0002.asp?open=366826

Also, it appears there are at least two versions of PL398: PL398Bt (with bluetooth connectivity) and PL398MP(with SD slot and mp3 playback), please see the photos in this post from Tecsun's user forum by user 'alpha':

http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/0002.asp?open=362291&w=608

 

Hurricane Irene Still Leaves Its Mark on Neil's Home: Continued Blackout

Neil chronicles the blackout in the aftermath of the Hurricane. Let's hope he gets his power back.

Manly Watch Sighting at the Mid Size: Invicta Ocean Reef with Blue Dial

At 46mm, the Invicta Ocean Reef is a mid size watch but it's substantial with its thick bracelet. I bought the gunmetal version with black dial used for $100 and the crown tightens well. Overall, this Invicta, sold as a reserve, "elite" brand, has an exceptional fit and finish, better than most of my Invictas.

Most of the ones I see on eBay seem overpriced at $250-$300. I wouldn't spend more than $200. ShopNBC is selling the gunmetal version for $159 plus shipping. 

Father’s Military Bearing Left a Permanent Mark

 

No, turning on my home’s central AC is not equivalent to turning on a nuclear generator, but if you lived in my home when I’m turning on the AC, you might think otherwise. My father’s military bearing, barking orders and issuing imperatives, as if from a superior officer has left its indelible imprint.  Two days ago, when turning on the AC I marched throughout the house closing all the windows while shouting several times, “House is going into AC mode. Keep all windows closed.”

I don’t know how my wife deals with it. The other day she was carrying a basket of laundry in the kitchen while I was cleaning the granite counter and blurted, “Dishwasher is in operation.” As if her doing a load of laundry with the dishwasher on might cause our house to sink into landfill.

When I change all our old toothbrushes with new ones, you’d think I was issuing everyone a brand new M16.

Sitting at the table and detecting a sour taste in the milk, I shout, "Everyone stop eating. We've got contamination!" You'd think I'd be issuing everyone a HAZMAT suit while I'm pouring the gallon milk container down the sink. 

During particularly hellacious diaper changes, I find myself shouting, “Call the Coast Guard. We’re closing the Gulf!”

You don’t even want to know what I say when there is a plumbing crisis.

My wife thought my military histrionics were cute ten years ago, but by now she has wisely tuned me out. Keeps her blood pressure down.

Before transforming into intense military mode next time, I might be well informed to do something my father used to shout at my brother and me whenever our roughhousing got out of hand: “Cease and desist.” 

 

Manly Radio Sighting: Panasonic 5410 Cassette Radio

I've never seen this Panasonic 5410 before and I cannot paste the eBay photo. You must see this. The cassette doesn't work. It's from the United Kingdom. But still it's very tempting. Image above is from RadioMuseum and of a different color.

Has Tim Pinpointed a Reason to be Skeptical of Amazon Reviews That Flatter the Sangean 909X?

 

 

 

I think Tim makes a perspicacious point here:

I find it very interesting that, on Amazon, the most outstandingly flattering reviews of the Sangean 909X radio are written by people who haven't written any other reviews. Hmmm....