Better Cleaning Through Robotics

I just got a used Roborock S7 robot vacuum cleaner and mop. 

For $100 used, how could I refuse?

Overall the setup took a bit of time.  I downloaded the app, managed to have it find the wifi, and get configured. No manual came with it, so I had to puzzle through a few things.

Once I got it through its initial setup, it then went off and immediately commenced mapping the floor and then returned to its dock all by itself.

It did ok with the initial mapping, identifying tables, couches, etc., and it also avoided falling down the stairs, which was good. 

But, I then needed to go into the app and figure out how to edit the map it made as it thought the kitchen, hallway, and living room were all one room. 

Once I edited it to make it understand these were separate rooms it worked much better.

After starting it after it had completed mapping, it immediately fired off a bunch of errors, namely due to the prior owner not changing the vacuum rollers and filter. 

So, I ordered a maintenance kit from Amazon and replaced the parts and it was quite clear the prior filter had not been replaced in quite some time, if at all. 

It now really hums along. Replacing the wearable parts that had clearly worn out fixed all the issues and error messages, and replacing the parts was very easy.  

The vacuuming it does is impressive and pretty thorough.  It even cleverly figures out how to avoid chairs to be able to vacuum under tables even when the chairs are moved about.

It happily goes around vacuuming and it is doing quite a decent job of it saving me from having to do it.

 

So far I haven't tried the mop function, but will soon. 

It is quite an enjoyable and happy-making watching this little robot going through the house steadfastly doing its cleaning thing, and it now deserves a name.

So Dear Readers, what shall I name my new robot?

Choices so far include:

1.  Vaccy Yoda

2.  Obi Wan Cleanobi

3. The Vaculorian

4. VAFO (Vac Around and Find Out) 

Let me know your thoughts on what you think it should be named.

When There Are Insufficient White Racist Extremists Available

The SPLC allegedly paid millions to create them.

US DOJ:  Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center for Wire Fraud, False Statements, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

Between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million in donated funds to individuals who were associated with various violent extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, and National Socialist Party of America

A Grand Jury in Montgomery, Alabama, today returned an indictment charging the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division filed two forfeiture actions to recover alleged proceeds of the organization’s fraud scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.”

$3 million dollars certainly can assist in funding extremists who otherwise would be stuck in their mother's basements, and turn them into much more visible and active boogeymen for fundraising. 

Should be quite the interesting case, and it looks like the Southern Poverty Law Center is going to need some good lawyers.

Michigan Democratic Party Goes Full Progressive Islamist

And you should never go Full Progressive Islamist.

It's a Red-Green alliance all the way now for Michigan's Democratic Party.

The Party voted to have Hasan Makled, a Hezbollah-supporting anti-semite for the Board of Regents at the University of Michigan, removing seated Michigan Jewish Democrat Jordan Acker.

The Detroit News: Finley: Michigan Democrats use convention to embrace antisemitism

Michigan's Democratic Party then went on to endorse Abdul El-Sayed for US Senate - the same Abdul El-Sayed who has Hasan Piker campaigning for him and won;t disavow Piker for saying the USA deserved 9/11, and who didn't want to talk about the death of the dictator Khamenei as it might upset his constituents, and who hand-waved away the attack on Temple Israel by saying, similar to Ilhan Omar's some people did something, that hurt people can hurt people.

The convention, while having a whole bunch of Palestinian flags flying had an almost complete lack of American flags present - the only one seen was being carried by a lone pro-Israel Democrat who had both an American and an Israeli flag. 

Even some Jewish Democrats are finally waking up as to how far the Overton Window has shifted and that the Michgian Democrat Party is now the party of progressive socialism, Islam, and antisemitism:  Lakoom: The only Israel supporters on the Floor.

The Michigan Democratic Party is now outright in support of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran.

This ain't your parent's Democratic Party.  Heck, it is not even America's anymore. 

Yesterday It Was 39 Degrees Out And Even Snowed A Bit

In other words, perfect weather for the first USPSA match of the season.

This would be a classifier match with 7 classifier stages and a field course in the shoot house.

So I showed up to the range in jacket and sweater, checked in, and started wandering the stages 

Kinda chilly, but at least the ground on the range was only soggy but not a complete morass of mud.

Spencer, Tosh, Jason, and Steve soon arrived and we then checked out some stages together and then gathered for the shooters' meeting.  

I was RO for our squad and we had two people who had never shot USPSA before on the squad. So after a pretty detailed safety briefing, and going over the basic range commands we got started.

First stage was the shoot house which was pretty straightforward except for one potential 180 trap, and a lot of fun.

Then we started going through the classifiers.

Quite a nice variety with new classifiers I;ve never shot before and the El Presidente for a classic touch.

Lots of fun.  

I did find out the mage pouches I had on my belt didn't quite hold the PDP magazines securely while running.  This resulted in them falling out as I ran to the next shooting position, which got some damp sand/dirt in them. I brushed them off and got what I thought was all the dirt out.

Not so much. This would be a problem on the next classifier stage

I was zooming through the next classifier which had 3 strings with reloads in the first two strings.  On String One I was zipping along did an great mag change, all Alphas and was doing great.

Then string 2.

I reloaded with a mag that had a bit of the gunky sand stuck that had worked its way down in between the top and second round in the magazine and the second and third rounds, stopping the gun twice, and messing up my score nicely.

On the upside, it allegedly made me look really good by immediately acting to clear the sequential jams and taking remedial action to get the gun back in shooting order.

First failure of the PDP and I really can't blame the gun.  Others had similar fun experiences, with even Glocks jamming due to the dirt clumping into the mags.

Annoying enough, when I got home and stripped the mags down to clean them, there was no dirt left inside.  Those two clumps were it. Weird.

It was a fun match and I got in over 12,000 steps chasing after shooters on the stages, especially the fun stages where they started up front with targets and have to run up-range to get to the next array.   A little cardio workout and sprint to stay ahead of them was very much in order.

So I was all sorts of tired by the end of it.  Spencer, Tosh, Jason,  Steve, and I all then went together to a Coney for a quick late lunch and headed off.

The scores came out and I finished in the middle of the pack of competitors and behind Tosh but ahead of  Spencer,  Jason,  and Steve - by three points in the case of Steve, and eight points on the case of Jason so we're all pretty darn close performance-wise at the moment. A fun time with a great bunch of shooters.

Not a bad start to the shooting season, but I certainly can use more practice and need to get to the range more. 

Dam Trouble

What happens when you have 20 inches of snow pack quickly melting and days of non-stop heavy rain at the same time?

A really bad time for a lot of dams in Northern Michigan, and for the people living near them. 

The Detroit News: Northern Michigan lake drained after dam failure in Alcona County

The Detroit News: Residents told to evacuate downstream of west Michigan dam

The Detroit News: Cheboygan River remains less than 5 inches from top of dam. Friday updates

Dams with their spillways fully open are still not keeping up with the water, leading to the risks of the dams failing and evacuation warnings and orders have gone out.

Bridges are also at risk of failing with two already having failed: 15 Michigan bridges close, 2 fail as flooding concerns mount 

The views of the massive volumes of water coming out the spillways and still not keeping up with the flood is rather wild to see:

There's lots of homes being flooded and roads being washed out by the force of all the flood water. 

the Detroit News: Northern Michigan lakeshore, homes surrounded by water after flooding

Thankfully, no one had been reported to have been hurt of killed by the flooding and hopefully and in following evacuation orders that will continue to be the case,  It's still a massive and terrible blow to people there having their homes and property destroyed.

The Detroit News: Michigan faces new road challenges from 'historic weather challenge'

It's quite bad up there, but with luck the rains will let up and allow for the dams to catch up with the water flow and avert further damage.

Gun Controller Advocates' Projection

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was touted as  a "Gun Safety Champion" and feted by Giffords.   Gun Safety Champion is gun control advocate speak for Gun Banner.

He was the decisive vote for Virginia's Red Flag Law, a law that was touted as reducing violence with firearms by confiscating them from those suspected of potentially being a danger to themselves or others with them - a with a lack of proper due process to boot.

In short, he was a major advocate for gun bans under the guise of gun control.

And he just shot and murdered his wife before killing himself.

Bearing Arms: Former Lt. Governor and Giffords 'Gun Safety Champion' Kills Wife, Self in Northern Virginia

If his murder of his wife wasn't such a stupid and unforgivable criminal waste, one might almost be amused at the irony of his actions. 

Gun banners once again projecting their own homicidal violence onto the law abiding rest of us.

One should note that all of the laws that  Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax passed, every single one of them, did nothing to stop him from murdering his wife and then offing himself.

If A Fine Is A Tax for Doing Bad . . .

Then a Tax is a fine for doing good.

With it being tax day, I did good enough, and as a result had to write a check to the IRS as I under-withheld due to doing better this year than last year.

A pity that Election Day isn't April 16, when everyone's tax returns are fresh in their minds.  

Anything Progressives Don't Like Is Genocide!

Progressives, that word just does not mean what you think it means.

Juno News: NDP MP Leah Gazan’s “MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ genocide” sparks widespread mockery 

In the latest example of the cheapening of the term genocide, Leah Gazan of the New Democratic Party of Canada and Member of Parliament had this bit of nonsense to say:

“They provided $0 to deal with the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+. Rates of violence are increasing, and the PM is turning a blind eye.”

First, before we even get to the ridiculous acronym, there is no ongoing genocide of "MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+" in Canada, as in none, nada, zero.

Words mean things (or at least they used to) and there simply is no genocide going on, no matter how much people want to feel  that  "MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+" are not just special but win the victim Olympics by virtue of simply being "MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+" and then claiming they're suffering form a genocide.

Again, for those in the back, and members of the NDP, there is no systematic and widespread extermination or attempted extermination of a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group, nor any systematic and widespread  extermination or attempted extermination to wipe out MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ from Canada, and it likely wouldn't be considered a genocide even if there was such, as the acronyms are not a and there is not a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group but a hodge-podge of people mainly defined by their sexual proclivities and interests. 

A government not providing funding to government programs to do your preferred government things, or to NGOs to do NGO things that you want is not a genocide.

Much like the progressives' false claims of a Genocide in Gaza, this cry of Genocide is simply untrue and does not conform to the facts nor to reality.

Now, on to the ridiculous acronym and further showing why there isn't an ongoing genocide of the multiple people and personalities that make up MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+, and boy, there are a lot of them.  As, after all, the acronym stands for:  Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two‑Spirit (a term that is used by some First Nations to describe people who embody both masculine and feminine spirits), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual people.

At least it constitutes that until another interest group can get added or new special group identified. 

First, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two‑Spirit are not missing nor murdered as part of some ongoing official or unofficial scheme, or plan.

The majority of murdered and/or missing indigenous women and girls in Canada sadly tend to be disappeared or killed in one of two main ways: 

One, by other indigenous persons in acts of domestic violence; and 

Two, by engaging in the sex trade, whether willingly or not and experiencing a violent end as a result or disappearing either voluntarily or not and ending up in other cities to participate (willingly or not) in the sex trade, The majority of those who become the murdered or missing in the "MMIWG" tend to be associated with the sex trade, again whether voluntarily or not.

It's certainly very ugly and not acceptable, but it is not a genocide.

You Make That Deal? I'd Make That Deal!

A Somali has culturally enriched Minnesota by stealing at least $11 million dollars from the state's Medicaid program and was caught doing so.

He was given a choice at his arraignment:  

1. Pay $50k in bail money and surrender his passport; or

2.  Pay $150k and keep his passport.

Being a criminal but not a complete idiot, Abdirashid Ismail Said chose option #2, and promptly took his passport and fled with the country with the stolen $11 million dollars.

American Wire: $11M Medicaid fraud suspect flees US after judge lets him post bail, keep passport

I'd make that deal, how about you, you make that deal? I don't blame ya! Damn good deal!

That he was given such a deal is a sad commentary on the state of the justice system and judges in Minessota.   I mean, they clearly cannot do math, and have never heard of game theory at all.

A Convenient Scandal: Swalwell, The Media, and the California Democratic Shakeout

Democrats and the mainstream media have a rather incestuous relationship, where they benefit and cover for each other.

Now that the Democrats need to whittle down the field of potential Democrats running for governor of California due to the jungle primary system that they created, Eric Swalwell has to go.

You see, California Democrats instituted a jungle primary where the top vote-getters, regardless of party end up on the ballot.

The idea behind the jungle primary was to eliminate Republicans as candidates for office.

However, with such a large field of Democrats running this time, with none of them willing to conceded, this has created the potential for the unthinkable - the two Republican candidates may end up being the sole survivors of the primary with the larges share of the primary vote.

The Democrats can't have that. Would seriously upset the one-party apple cart.

So, the Democratic field of candidates must be reduced and if they won't leave, willingly, conditions must be arranged to make them drop out.

PJ Media: The Morning Briefing: Eric Swalwell's Gubernatorial Bid Gets Hit By the #MeToo Train

So, and funny how that happens, credible allegations of serious sexual assaults that happened over many years, on the part of Swalwell have suddenly and most conveniently surfaced now. 

It knocks him out and serves as a message pour encourager les autres  that if there's dirt on them and they're not a star of the party, they may want to step back.

So why reference the media?  Because the Democrats and the mainstream media both knew about his activities, and both covered it up so long as he was a party member in good standing:

 

Yep, this reporter is stating Swalwell's behavior towards women was known - since 2013 - yet neither he, nor other reporters, nor the Party, breathed not a word of it or gave it any coverage til now when it is politically convenient to do so. 

Democrats talk about a War on Women and they sure are fighting the War on Women all right - on the women. 

The Dems are cosplaying with Handmaid's outfits while tolerating sexual harassment and outright assaults on women so long as the perpetrators have  (D) behind their name, and the media both covers it --and covers it up -- for them.

Mamdani Bans Times Square Public Celebration of America's 250th Anniversary

meaww.com: Fact Check: Did Zohran Mamdani ban celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary in Times Square?

The answer is yes, yes he did.

The fact that the reason given is that there is insufficient police resources to protect the celebration is most convenient indeed -- considering it is his deliberate budgetary decisions reducing police resources. 

A special Times Square ball drop for America’s 250th birthday will still happen, but most people won’t be able to attend in person. Organizers confirmed that the event will take place at midnight on July 3, even after Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced an emergency rule that limits many public events during the FIFA World Cup period in New York City. 

Rather pathetic, that.  

Mamdani has over $165 million to spend on funding for legal defense for illegal immigrants, but can't be bothered  and claims the city cannot afford to protect a celebration of America for Americans.

One of America's leading cities, indeed one that considers itself to BE the leading city, will not be holding a public celebration of this nation's 250th Anniversary.

Quite pathetic, but quite in character for Mayor Mamdani. 

Democrats Have Syed Enough

Democrat candidate for US Senate Abdul El-Sayed not only will not discuss the death of Ayatollah Khamenei as it might upset some of his supporters he also won't disavow Hasan Piker, an anti-American and Anti-Semitic piece of garbage - who he is touring with on his campaign.

The Detroit News: Abdul El-Sayed, Hasan Piker target critics, Iran war at Michigan events

Abdul El-Sayed has steadfastly refused to disavow Piker, who has said, among many other things, that the United states "deserved" the 9-11 attack.

Politico: Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed declines to disavow Hasan Piker’s past comments

 What should have been an easy lay-up to try and lie to voters that he is a moderate, but El-Sayed was having none of it.

In short, he's a Democratic progressive candidate who hates America - but hey, he's claiming to offer free Healthcare, so credulous and traitorous Democrats will love him for it. 

In other news, yet another progressive Michigan Democrat candidate, Amir Makled, running for University of Michigan Board of Regents, was caught extolling terrorist group Hezbollah and making anti-Semitic comments on his Twitter feed:  The Detroit News: University of Michigan regent hopeful deleted posts praising Hezbollah leaders.

Democrats having lost the average American, are having dalliances with decidedly anti-American, anti-liberal and Islamic elements. 

This is a rather bad look for the opposition party to be consorting with supporters of anti-American terrorist groups. It's a sad commentary on how far the Democrats have fallen off the deep end and gone from a party of and for America to one being a home for and supporting the enemies of America.

Apparently For Iran, Ceasefire Doesn't Mean What We Consider Ceasefire To Mean

Often the Arabs and Iranians will say one thing in English for foreign consumption while saying the opposite in their native language. Or say ne thing while acting the opposite.

Right after the ceasefire was announced, Iran launched missiles at both Israel and the gulf states.

Mirror: Iran fires missiles at Israel minutes after Donald Trump's war ceasefire

CNBC:  Gulf countries scramble to intercept missiles hours into U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement

 It is, of course, possible that the Iranians took ceasefire to mean "No attacks on us, but we can attack others", which tends to be par for the course for the type.

We will see if this was a last-minute barrage so Iran can claim they got the last salvo in, or if the ceasefire breaks down due to continuing Iranian violations.

Justice Sotomayor Must Be Happy That

She is now certifiably not the dumbest justice sitting on the Supreme Court:

 Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson steals that prize from Sotomayor, easily.

The Federalist: Justice Jackson’s ‘Turning Japanese’ Argument Is So Dumb It Stuns

One may hope, but certainly not expect, that the Democrats have learned not to use DEI as a selection criteria for picking Supreme Court justice candidates in the future. 

Michigan Wins!

Michigan wins the NCAA Basketball Championship!

 Quite a tight game, and fun to watch them beat the U Conn Huskies. 

You Really Can't Hate The Mainstream Media Enough

The New York Post:  NPR didn’t quote a single member of Michigan synagogue after attack — but interviewed terrorist’s pals in Lebanon

They didn't bother interviewing those who were there, including the security guards who stopped the attack, the teachers, or all the responders who risked their lives to make sure no further attackers were in the burning building and all children were safely extracted from it. 

Nope, they instead sent a reporter all the way to Lebanon  to talk to Hezbollah sympathizers and members about the attack. 

One might note that NPR still receives taxpayer dollars to propagandize against America and Americans. 

Something ought to be done about that. 

It's Passover, So It's Time For Matzah Brei

Since you can't eat leavened bread during Passover, and this morning I wanted a good breakfast, it was time to make Martzah Brei.  Think french toast but with matzah rather than bread.

First, you break up the sheets of matzah, 2 sheets per person or more if you're very hungry.

 Next, soak the broken up matzah in water for about 5-10 minutes until soft.

 

 Once the matzah has soaked, dump it into a strainer to drain the excess water. Beat one egg per sheet of matzah in the bowl very well as the matzah sits in the strainer. Then pour the matzah from the strainer back into the bowl onto the eggs and keep stirring until the egg is all absorbed.

Heat up a frying pan with some oil or butter (or both) and keep flipping the matzah until it is no longer soggy and gets nice and crunchy but nor burned.

 Serve with powdered sugar or maple syrup, or both.

 And enjoy a traditional Passover breakfast.

Layers Of Fact-Checking Excellence At The New York Times

The New York Times headline speaks volumes as to the lack of general knowledge of today's journalists:

Well that "North American Treaty Organization" is a NATO that truly Needs America To Operate.

Then again the actual NATO also Needs America To Operate.

Verily, as Ben Rhodes stated regarding journalists and whether they know anything:   “Now they don’t. They call us to explain to them what’s happening in Moscow and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That’s a sea change. They literally know nothing.”

Ben, of course, used that lack of knowledge to manipulate the journalists to sell Obama's ridiculous and dangerous foreign policy - leading to much of the current troubles with Iran today. 

Indeed, the journalists of the New York Times know nothing and have forgotten nothing. 

Happy Passover To My Jewish Readers And A Wish For Good Friday And Easter To My Christian Readers

Happy Passover to my Jewish readers.  Two Seders later (one Wednesday night for the first night, and another yesterday for the second),  and we are well into celebrating Passover now.

With the attacks on Jews worldwide, including right here in West Bloomfield, this festival of freedom is even more meaningful today.

To my Christian readers, may you have a peaceful Good Friday and a happy Easter celebration.