Yesterday, I decided to seek input from the WonderKids on the winner of
the Red-Neck Challenge. It’s not that I
don’t think Kim’s picture edged mine out, because it did. Nope, I just want to
see which picture the majority of the grandkiddos will pick as the winner, plus
it’s another way to stay in touch with the them. When we made the video about the Picacho Hwy
5K, I gave three possible endings, sent it only to the Charlevoix kiddos and
asked them to choose who they thought won.
A twist on the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books. They picked Grampa as
the winner because he was dramatic and flopped over on the picnic table,
instead of just touching it. Truth was
we finished it together, only we weren’t looking fresh as a daisy, holding
hands and grinning like it showed in the video.
This time I’m involving all the grandkiddos,
even 1-year-old Whitaker. I made up a
postcard with both of our photos, explained the challenge, and asked them to
choose the picture they like best. Then
they’re supposed to text me their choice…the pictures are identified only with
#1 and #2. This time it’s a twist on ‘A blind taste
test’. Surveys go out in the mail
today…hope to hear from them soon. J
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We pay an annual plan fee to Tactacam, maker of our cell cams, simply so
we can transmit pictures/videos to our cell phones. We also pay a monthly fee
to request and receive as many of those pictures and videos as we want. Something
set the ‘Ditch camera’ off last night after dark so Kim immediately requested a
video to see what may have tripped it. The video didn’t show up. He requested it again this morning and a
window popped up saying that “Sorry, we could not request the video you
requested. Video was refused since you requested the video before.” Yeah, but we didn’t receive it, so what do
we do next? The refusal to send the
video a second time made me wonder exactly what we’re paying a monthly fee for,
so I went to the Help menu. From there I clicked on FAQs and when that didn’t
answer the question of what happened to the initial video request, I started a
‘live chat’ option, pretending to be Kim.
Artificial Intelligence to the rescue because Tactacam Ben was at my
service. I lost that chat and had to start over. My second chat was with Tactacam Ethan
A. Really? Do these chatbots get to
pick their own names? Tactacam Ethan
A was very helpful…told us to check the SD card because the cameras have very
strict requirements for SD storage to be able to send pics and videos, which we
knew from a previous issue. Ethan A sent all the card requirements in detail
and also sent an Amazon link for the correct SD cards, just in case we needed
one. Like I said, he was helpful.
We aren’t sure what SD card is in that camera, so maybe that’s the
issue. The pictures and videos are stored on the SD card, so we’ll eventually
be able to see what tripped the camera. Life goes on.
**Kim got an email from Tactacam
later asking him to take a survey regarding his conversations with Bennett and
Ethan A. Really? Bennett? He said his
name was Ben, not Bennett. I did
gave Ethan A a good review.**
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Using Tammy’s lithium charger on the bike battery worked like a charm…the battery is
charged and the bike started. However, since all indications are that it has a
stator issue, riding isn’t advisable. The main thing at this point is to get it
in the camper when it’s time to leave and right now it has the juice to do
that. So, I’ll be doing solo rides,
unless Tammy rides with me. We can get
it fixed when we get home.
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We had vague plans on going for a walk, but we just dawdled the morning
away. No other excuse. By the time we
stopped dawdling, it was too hot outside. No sense in tempting heat stroke at
this point, so we went to the movies instead. Watched The Last Supper, which
felt appropriate given that we’re in the season of Lent.
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While we were sitting in
the camper, trying to get the day started, Kim had me listen to an instrumental
song that got banned from the radio back in the 50’s. It’s an instrumental song, no words…banned
because people thought it sounded dangerous. I told Kim his mom would
have been on that bandwagon, for sure. Anyway, it made me want to know more, so
I googled Link Wray, the man behind the song. This is a little about him:
Wray learned to play
guitar at an early age, taking his first lessons from a traveling circus guitarist at
age eight. In the late 1940s he began performing Western swing music with his brothers. He contracted tuberculosis while
serving as a U.S. Army medic in
the Korean War (1950–53)
and had one of his lung removed because of the disease. His condition made
singing difficult, so he focused on performing instrumental music.
In the mid- to late 1950s, Wray honed his raw electric guitar sound by playing power chords through
an amplifier he had modified by puncturing holes in its speakers,
creating a distorted and menacing tone.
The instrumental song
"Rumble" by Link Wray was banned from radio in 1958 due to fears
that its title and aggressive sound would incite violence and glorify juvenile
delinquency, making it the only instrumental song ever banned from US radio. Here's
a more detailed explanation:
The Title: The term "rumble" was a slang term for a gang fight, and the song's title, even without any lyrics, was seen as potentially provocative and dangerous.
The Sound: The song's heavy distortion and aggressive guitar sound, which was a new sound at the time, further fueled the idea that it was "dirty" and "dangerous".
The Ban: Many radio stations, particularly in New York and Boston, banned the song, fearing it would incite violence among young listeners.
The Legacy: Despite the ban, "Rumble" became a cultural icon and is now considered a landmark rock and roll track.
Kind of reminds me
of the rationale behind the recent book banning that’s happening throughout the
country.
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Clear night sky means imaging is a go.
Kim’s targeting Dolphin Head again from about 8 to 10 p.m. He decided to import the data because he wants
to see what he’s got so far. It’ll help
determine if he needs to get more data tomorrow night.
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