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November 13, 2014

And then there were 10

Obama is now importing foreigners into the U.S. to be treated for Obola, as promised. Current plan is to import Dr. Martin Salia, a surgeon from Sierra Leone. He is a non-US Citizen known to have ebola that lives in MD. He will be imported into Nebraska for treatment. Nothing would make Obama happier than to import Obola to the U.S. and have it spread into the country. Pathetic.

The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha is one of four hospitals in the United States that have biocontainment units. Doctors there have already treated two American Ebola patients. Dr. Rick Sacra was treated at the hospital and released in September. Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance cameraman who worked for NBC, was treated there and released last month.

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 13, 2014 at 7:45 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

November 11, 2014

Garage Door Opener

So, somehow, I don't have any garage door openers that work any more. I did at one point in time, but I'm not clear what happened to them. Being as how it's snowing now, it seems to me that it would be nice to keep the garage door closed, and not have to get out in the snow and open the garage door from inside the house.

So, it appears that my garage door opener is a Sears Craftsman:
Part No. 41A5021-3H-315
IC:2666A 102 1499A
Date: 09/07

Correction. That is the part number for the Garage Door Opener Receiver Logic Board Part 41A5021-3H-315.

But I'm not clear what my Garage Door Opener model number is.
Hmmmm....
OK. I see it now. It was on the other end of the garage door opener.

Model: 139.539.20D
Mfg Date: 09/13/07
1/2 HP, 5.0 Amp, 120 V, 60 Hz

Fair enough. Now, to find the online manual for this thing.

Model: 13953920D

OK. Here's a local copy of the Manual for Garage Door Opener Model 139.53920D.

1. Press and release the "learn" button on the motor unit.
The learn indicator light will glow steadily for 30 seconds.

2. Within 30 seconds, press and hold the button on the hand- held remote* that you wish to operate your garage door.

3. Release the button when the motor unit lights blink. It has learned the code,
If light bulbs are not installed, two clicks will be heard.


To Erase All Codes From Motor Unit Memory

To deactivate any unwanted remote, first erase all codes:
Press and hold the "learn" button on motor unit until the leam indicator light goes out (approximately 6 seconds). All previous codes are now erased. Reprogram each remote or keyless entry you wish to use.


3-Function Remotes

If provided with your garage door opener, the large button is factory programmed to operate it. Additional buttons on any Security+ = 3-Function remote or compact remote can be programmed to operate other Security+ e garage door openers.

Hmmm....

So, I tried to program it to open with my garage door opener that I was able to locate, but no dice. I pushed the "Learn" button. It lit up for 30 seconds. I held down the garage door opener button, which lights up red, but it never recognized the garage door opener for whatever reason. Interesting.

Now, I'm wondering if this opener is designed to work with the garage door opener?

The garage door opener says "Sears". Nothing more on the outside. Nice.

Inside, the remote garage door opener says:

Sears 57H6417

I'm reasonably sure that this garage door opener has never opened this garage door since I've lived here, and I've been here 15 years.

According to the manual, it says I need Model 139.53753 or 139.53752.

So, I ordered one 139.53753 off of Amazon and one off of eBay. We'll see which one gets here first.

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 11, 2014 at 8:36 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Veterans Day Story

WWII vet from 101st Airborne Division returns to Bastogne, France, the town he fought in back in 1944 at 19 years of age. Now, as an 89 year old man, he returns and discovers he's become a local legend. Such a cool story. Getting all dusty in here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZe2H8nvUAM

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 11, 2014 at 4:07 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

ESA to Attemp Comet Landing using Metric System

There's two types of countries on this earth. Those that use the metric system, and those that have put a man on the moon.

[http://www.space.com/27736-daring-comet-landing-shown-in-new-animation.html](http://www.space.com/27736-daring-comet-landing-shown-in-new-animation.html)

Livestream of the landing here

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 11, 2014 at 12:07 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

'War of the Roses' Radio Show

These DJ's have a [War of the Roses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Roses_%28radio_show%29) radio show in Houston where they try to catch people cheating on their significant others. Basically, they get on the air, call up the person that is suspected of cheating, offer them a free dozen roses, and then ask for a name to send them to. Then, the suspicious partner has their deepest fears confirmed live, on the air.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxKZSa6kD4c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxKZSa6kD4c)

Update: I thought these were real. They're not. These are just voice actors and [the entire stunts are made up](http://gawker.com/5779701/your-favorite-wacky-morning-radio-show-is-a-festival-of-lies). The FCC's rules explicitly require broadcasters to obtain permission to air a call from every participant, and it's highly unlikely that a caught-out cheater would consent to broadcast after learning that he'd just been punk'd.

I had a few suspicions as I listened to the skits, but I just sort of wanted to believe they were real, I think. The things that didn't add up was she always says "we put the flowers and plants in your lobby at work", which seems odd, as not every office has a lobby with plants. Plus, she never got address information on where to send the flowers. No one ever seemed suspicious enough about her motive for giving away a dozen roses.

If this radio show was a real show, people would have caught on eventually. It ran for at least 8 years in Houston. Someone would have answered and said "A free dozen roses? Right...the War of the Roses" and hung up.

Plus, the federal wiretapping laws regarding the recording of conversations without the other person's consent. Texas is a "one party consent" state, regarding wiretapping laws, but the FCC's rules won't allow you to air a recording without their consent. Sucks that they're all fake.

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 11, 2014 at 10:43 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

November 10, 2014

9th Obola Victim Cleared

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/health/new-york-doctor-craig-spencer-ebola-free/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Dr. Craig Spencer, who was diagnosed with Ebola in New York City last month after returning from treating patients in Guinea, is now free of the virus and will be released from the hospital Tuesday, a city official familiar with the doctor's treatment said Monday.

Spencer, a Doctors Without Borders physician, became the first person to test positive for the deadly virus in the city.

Officials said Spencer, 33, was hospitalized after developing a fever, nausea, pain and fatigue.

He has been in isolation at New York's Bellevue Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.

Word that Spencer went for a jog, traveled the city's vast subway system and went bowling before his diagnosis sparked fears that the number of Ebola cases could grow in the city, but authorities stressed that the likelihood of him spreading the virus was low.

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 10, 2014 at 3:57 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

November 2, 2014

Alaska Highway - 07/29/14

Here's a video from Day 11, 07/29/14 when I drove from Toad River Lodge, in British Columbia, to Teslin, Yukon Territory, Canada. Ran into a Canuk named Ben on a KLR650, and he and I rode together on and off for a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZY_7mXQjek

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10152811701865768

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 2, 2014 at 3:56 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

November 1, 2014

Maybe November

When November finally came, the scrub oak leaves had all turned brown, so that no one really noticed or cared when they fell anymore. Only the Mountain Lilac still held onto her leaves, to the very bittter end. Through it all, somehow she stayed together. The house was nuked by a skunk this week. On his way to meet his maker, a skunk just completely nuked the front of the house.

No on wins when you catch a skunk in a live animal trap. There are no winners, only survivors. We survived. The skunk didn’t. But no one “won”. Only time will erase the wounds.

Today, Mitch and Robin asked me to join them at the lakehouse. I decided that I had to go for a ride. Had to get out. We planned on having lunch at Cactus Jacks, but got to their lakehouse to discover that someone had shot out their windows with a .22 Long Rifle. The sheriff’s deputy came, old and hobbled, but just suggested we clean up the mess and left. You can never get the pigs to do anything. That they prosecute anyone at all is a miracle. All they want to do is write speeding tickets, and if someone shoots into your house, who cares, honestly?

After lunch, I decided to go for a little ride. This is sort of what you have to do…force yourself to take these little rides to places you’ve already been. It’s all that there is, really.

The motorcycle is fun, though. It’s the only thing in my life that’s anyhting close to “rewarding”. Like, if I’m talking to someone, I don’t really get much out of it. I never feel like the juice is worth the squeeze. If I’m not going 100 mph, I just sort of lapse into a coma. Fall into a catatonic state and hibernate like a bear.

But today, I’m out on the bike. The bike is great because it pulls everything else away. Strips back everything superficial and unimportant. Like peeling a carrot over the sink. Everything is carved into neat little piles of things that matter and things that don’t.

The motorcycle IS happiness. It’s impossible to drive the motorccyle down the road and not be happy. You can’t frown and drive a motorcycle. It just doesn’t work like that. A bad day on the motorcycle is better than a good day on the couch. And if you crash and die, well, we all have to go sometime, don’t we?

Above St. Mary’s Glacier, I try taking some old 4x4 trails I used to ride many years ago, but they’re too rough for the KTM. More suited to a 4-wheeler/ATV I think. It’s hard to remember what I was riding up here…Probably an ATV, I think.

After a few false starts, I find an old abandoned school house I remember up above St Mary’s Glacier. It’s sort of funny because, part of me feels like I should remember these trails, even though I haven’t been on them in prolly 10 years or so. Like, I sort of half remember them.

But, if I think back to when I first discovered them, that was pure adrenaline. Like…back then, I was just exploring. Nothing was graded or evaluated. Only I went and explored, found new trails and rode them. Now, it’s like there’s this imagined penalty for not remembering them.

And maybe this is the best way to relate my trip to Alaska. It was all just a dream. A crazy exploration. Only a few places I’d been before….Yellowstone…Banff…Jasper..Hyder….but mostly, it was just pure full-on exploring. No judgement. No feelings that “I should remember this road”, or anything like this. Just pure adrenaline. Exploration. Like Magellan, Cook, and Ponce De Leon.

After picking around the trails above St Mary’s Glacier, I retreat down to Alice to try to play connect the dots with my memory and the trails above that town. I find the road to Loch Lomond, but it’s blocked off. A gate is closed.

Now, I’m looking for the road to the Loch Lomond Overlook. Sort of switch-backing above Alice, a town of meth-addicts in trailers.

Finally, I pass two chicks on an ATV. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Like a Disney movie.

“Sunshine…can you tell me where is the road to Loch Lomond Overlook?”

“Yeah.” she laughs. “We were just up there. It’s Hilltop Road. Just keep right. You can’t miss it. It’s pretty rough though.” she says, looking at my bike.

“Yeah…I’ve been over it before, but I think it was in an ATV. I prolly won’t try to do it on this bike….”

“OMG….Your OHV sticker is expired….” I exclaim. “Hold on while I call the law…”

They look at me horrified. “Don’t turn us in”, she pleads.

“I’m just messing with you. I don’t give a fuck if your OHV tag is expired. I don’t even have one.” I laugh.

They drive off, and I find the Hilltop Road that leads up to the Loch Lomond Overlook.

Later, I drive home, stopping at Cactus Jacks because I know I won’t do anything at all once I get home.

Posted by Rob Kiser on November 1, 2014 at 6:43 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink