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.