10 Thoughts for November 14, 2014

1. Internet: My attempts to save money on plumbing parts by ordering it online didn't fare so well. It turns out, my part is only applicable to the models built after 2005. Same model, but pre-2005 was a slightly different version. As I put the old part and the new part next to each other, it was clear that the spacing of the valves were different, by about 2mm. Go figure. And online, the description does not highlight this fact. Of course I already had the wall open and the part removed, plus I had shut the water valves off (in-wall), and the hot water valve's thread is already worn, so I decided to take it to Geo Morlan and get the right part, and that's where the guy told me about the pre-2005 versions being different than the post-2005 units. I'm blaming Delta for using the same model number but altering the valve design.
2. Plumbing: So, funny thing: I couldn't get the collar back on because it wouldn't get past the o-ring.  I even added some grease to it.  So I went to YouTube to see if anyone else had ways to pull it off.  Surprise, surprise, but no one showed the collar going back on with the o-ring.  I went back, tried it again, and for some odd reason -- perhaps the grease soaked in? -- but the collar finally slipped over the o-ring.  Awesome.  I think.  Good for another 10 years or so, the guy at Geo Morlan plumbing told me.  BTW, those folks at Geo Morlan are automatic -- they know inside out anything you need to know about plumbing.
3. Plumbing: Oh, and one important advice that I wanted to mention about doing any sort of plumbing work.  When you DIY, I strongly urge you to do it on a weekday, during normal work hours.  Take a half day off if you need to.  You see, if you run into an emergency and you're panicking, you're going to have a very difficult time getting the parts you need or a professional available and nearby.  Sure, they do have on-call plumbers available all hours of the day, but you're going to pay a crazy premium for it, and they still might not have the part you need.  This is why I performed my work in the early afternoon, just in case something went wrong.
4. Space: Just as I thought was the case when I looked at the first image sent back by ESA's Philae, the lander indeed had critically missed its mark by a significant distance, and is now facing some stiff challenges, because of where it actually landed and how it's situated.  All is not lost, but the landing was nowhere the success that ESA thought it was, and I think anyone who watched the video stream live, could sense the concerns that were growing, even as they were celebrating.  Still, those images of the comet are spectacular.  So when do the comet mining operations begin?
5. Weather: So, the Polar Vortex and a storm front collided over Oregon on Thursday, but because the Polar Vortex brought with it a ton of extremely dry air, most of the moisture actually evaporated before it even hit. When it finally did hit, it was mixed precipitation (rain, freezing rain, pellets, snow).  Being warm enough that it wasn't snowing, meant that I was able to drive to Geo Morlan to get the part I needed.
6. Football: Wow, USC scored 31 points in the first half, then fell asleep and scored just 7 points in the second half.  You could see the freak out expressions on the faces of the USC coaches as Cal was just one onside kick recovery away from possibly tying the game and sending it into overtime.  If you watch the end of the post-game press conference, Sark's showed his impatience with questions over the frequent late-game falloffs.  In 10 games played, four were decided in the last minute, with USC ahead in each game, but in two -- Utah and ASU -- they lost.
7. Football: Yes, USC does fall asleep.  In the 10 games played, USC has outscored opponents 129 - 22 in the first quarter, but then that margin completely falls away to 223 - 211 in the remaining three quarters.
8. Holidays: I completed my design for my holiday greeting cards (three different card designs) and ordered them via Moo, to take advantage of the 25% discount deadline of Nov. 18.  I've tried Cafe Press to do cards, but the quality is nowhere close to that of Moo.  Their business cards are far superior to anything you'll get from other online shops and, when it comes to customization, there's no match.
9. Geopolitics: You know, I don't quite understand the point of Russia's display of naval power, near Australian waters, upon the G20 meetings in Brisbane.  Is it to imply a threat to the other G20 nations not aligned with Russia?  It's not like the Russian navy poses a threat to anyone, when the US' 7th fleet can outflank the entire Russian navy.  Or maybe it's a ridiculous show of force for the home crowd in Russia, who are subject to propaganda by their state-controlled media?
10. Internet: AT&T said yesterday that it would halt investment in its rollout of its fiber network, until the issues surrounding Net Neutrality were resolved.  In response today, the FCC asked for information on AT&T's announcement, with particular point that it appeared that AT&T was backtracking on its promise, with regard to its attempts to secure federal approval for its attempted acquisition of DirectTV.  Of course, my theory is, AT&T shot itself in the foot if it thinks that the market won't use this pause as an opportunity to beat AT&T, and that includes Google Fiber.  Remember, Google Fiber is set to announce the cities that have qualified for an immediate rollout, before the end of the year.