320. So random

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Every Breath You Take

The day after I returned from Portland I walked down to the Bank Cafe only to find it closed with a vague sign saying they hoped to be open soon. The reason I was going there was because they have a good (corporate) HVAC system and that was a particularly smokey day. I figured being there would be the best thing for the health of my lungs given the poor air quality.

When I tried again on Wednesday, after the air had cleared, I discovered they had been closed because of the poor air quality. The logic of this eludes me as I suspect my air cleaner at home is better than what most people have. Some schools closed for the same reason, which was even worse as, with nothing else to do, some of the kids just went outside and played in the murky air. How many people have HVAC systems at home with air cleaning capacity? I would love to have one of those high end systems that bring in air, filter it, run it through a heat exchanger, and then distribute it around the apartment. There’s a second fan pulling air out of the apartment, and through the heat exchanger. You can even adjust the power of the two fans so that your space is positively or negatively pressurized (I’d go with positively to keep the neighbor’s cigarette smoke out.) I’d also like world peace. My guess is that operating a system like that -- even with the heating and cooling units off -- would take more electricity than I currently use for everything else.

After Black Friday or The day after...

The first two blocks of Stockton street are carpeted and entirely free of construction stuff, but I can’t tell if this is the usual just-for-the-season change or if they are actually done. I passed a dog having a nearly orgasmic roll on the grass-like carpet. I can’t tell if they are not finished setting up the holiday street furniture or what. (They weren't finished yet.) The first block seems in good shape but the next block seems incomplete or thrown together at the last moment. Since this is possibly the last year the street will be pedestrianized -- as the subway is supposed to open next year -- you’d think they would go all out. And that second block is the one with the puppies and kittens in the Macy’s windows. Last year it was kind of a mess because several areas -- like the shaft down to the station one hundred feet below -- were still blocked off. This year the entire block is clear.

Black Friday it rained all day but today is sunny and perfect, really. I’m not having any luck thinking of things I need to shop for. Aside from some groceries. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I really have better luck ordering clothes from LL Bean than from dropping into a store. The decline of local retail is one problem I do contribute to. Though, considering how few clothes I buy... And I do try to save something for Christmas Eve. Sadly, the only thing on my wish list so far is having my apartment cleaned by someone other than me. And I usually end up regretting that.

I've been holding on to this hoping to resolve the question of the future of Stockton Street. I believe they are going to return it to traffic use as soon at they complete the electrical work and possibly repave the sidewalk outside Neiman Marcus. The next block up is still blocked off as a staging site for work on the subway, except for a single lane. Maybe they will wait until that's freed up as well. Though it would be odd to have two, newly paved yet unused blocks of street in the heart of Union Square.

Bank Cafe

Now that the scaffolding is down outside, they’ve moved the comfortable chairs back to the corner window. Where I’m now sitting. And so I’m noticing that the Amazon Go store is now open diagonally across the intersection under the Crocker Tower. I’m curious to see how it works, but I’m afraid if I go over there they will grab me and throw me out on the sidewalk for the crime of not owning a smartphone.

Politics... but not what you're thinking

I’ve written before (I’m pretty sure) about San Francisco’s ridiculously large political footprint in California politics. Both our U.S. Senators and our new Governor have held city offices, two of the three were mayors. But now it’s getting out of hand. The former city DA and former California Attorney General and newly elected US Senator is now running for President. I assume she’s trying to steal a march on Gavin Newsom, our newly elected Governor (and ex-Mayor) as they are both such obviously attractive Democratic candidates. Only I can’t support her this time.

The problem is that she has no administrative or legislative experience. I’m sure she would be better than Trump, but that’s a very low bar. Also, it would be nice if she were to do the job we just elected her to do for at least a couple years before running for something else. I’m still waiting to see if Newsom has learned from the mistakes he made as Mayor. If so, then he would be an excellent candidate in four or so years. 


Kamala Harris would probably be a very good U.S. Attorney General if someone else were to be elected President, but I would still like to see her serve out her Senate term. The only silver lining I can see here would be if she moved on and then Newsom appointed Willie Brown to fill her seat for the rest of her term. Now that would be spectacular.

“Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.”

― Sun Tzu

While I really like this quote, I think it’s only true in part. I can think of plenty of battles and wars that were lost before they were fought, but there are also battles that were won against the odds by playing the situation just right. Midway would be an example. And there are other battles won by the side that made the fewest mistakes -- that would be a long list.

But it is true that you need to be prepared to win. El Alamein would be a battle Sun Tzu would have appreciated. Also the Battle of Nashville.

IJN After action assessment

The DDs were great, just not enough of them as the war progressed. CAs also excellent. CLs 2nd rate, Japan could and should have upgraded here. BBs  only the Kongo class was really useful. The USN got better service out of even the antique Arkansas than the IJN did out of its “real” BBs. 

Besides CLs the IJN should have invested in super cruisers, ships with the speed of a CA, the same weapons with perhaps a heavier main battery, and better protection. A description might sound like the Deutschland class, but what I have in mind is more a large CA than a small BB. The IJN could have gotten much more use from these ships than they did from the Yamatos. (6 x 11” in twin turrets, probably 15-20k displacement.) Ironically, the USN thought the IJN was working on larger cruisers like this which is why they built the Alaska class ships. Only the IJN didn't think seriously about it until they learned of the Alaska class, and then it was too late as even the Alaskas didn't get into service until the last year of the war. The Alaskas are actually a bit more ship than I have in mind. The Des Moines class ships are more like it, though they took advantage of rapid-fire 8" guns rather than larger guns.

82. I've decided

Previous - 81. Veblen + Barton

Accent wall

Back at the Bank Cafe -- the Pine Street Peet's was still closed on Black Friday, also I remembered that the WiFi is better on days like this when many people are away. It's so quiet here I got one of the nice chairs in the window. Interestingly, the guy taking my iced tea order seemed to remember my usual order without noticing I had been absent for close to two months.

I've decided to de-accent my accent wall... maybe. The thing is I have this eleven year plan to repaint my apartment and still can't decide on colors. What to do? If I paint the accent wall the same color as the rest of the room it will be a little easier to visualize how some of the colors I'm considering will look. Maybe. It could also be that I'm bored and looking for something to change. 

My plan (as of an hour ago) is to also paint the window trim the same as the wall to see how that will look. Since I still have leftover paint from when I originally painted the room, this won't cost me anything and I will even be using up paint that isn't getting any younger. I'll use a paint pad again, so I won't have to move much furniture or clear much of the room. 

The accent color seems to work better (for me) in the bathroom, so I'll leave that alone. I could take this opportunity to raise the storage unit in the bathroom up off the floor, which I've thought about for some time. Eleven years is a long time to wait to make a change. Maybe I should consider using really crappy paint next time so I don't have this longevity problem.

Stockton street

They have returned almost all of lower Stockton to pedestrian usage for the holiday shopping season. I walked up it last night on the way home from the train station after Thanksgiving diner at a friend's. There are still a few areas fenced off, and too much of one block was taken up by infrastructure for what must have been a concert earlier in the day, but, assuming that was temporary, this will be a nice addition for the next month. 

Holiday horrors

Dear Goat, someone just walked past the window here -- on the way to the epicenter of the Union Square shopping district -- in Christmas themed sweater and pants. Did he choose those clothes? Did someone pick them for him? And if the later, what was the motivation? Humiliation or festive blindness? 

Machiavelli

Today I ran into a BBC article about Erdogan's toddler diplomacy with the EU. He threatens to send millions more Syrian refugees to Europe if the EU doesn't let Turkey join. I call it toddler diplomacy since it seems to be the equivalent of a child pounding on the door and threatening to set your house on fire if you don't let him in. 

Since Erdogan is no fool, I suspect the intended audience for this diplomacy is domestic rather than foreign. "See, we are forced to turn our backs on the West (and to get rid of all the refugees who are annoying us) by the EU itself." But that got me thinking.

I try not to think too much about Syria because I can see no obvious end-game there. The more successful the Kurds and other anti-ISIS forces, the more nervous the Turks get -- a dynamic we are already starting to see around Mosul in Iraq. There is a fairly obvious solution to all this, but it has always seemed a remote possibility. But if Turkey turns its back on the EU it could turn its back on NATO at the same time, and that would open up the possibility of it resuming its previous status in both Syria and Iraq. The only thing stopping it would be Russia and Iran. 

When it comes to Russia, Turkey probably has a fair amount to trade -- and Russia has little more to gain in Syria and probably can't afford to do there what the U.S. did temporarily in Iraq. If I was a member of NATO or a country in the Caucasus, I would be a little nervous. 

So what you end up with is just like old times: Russia & Turkey & Iran jockeying for position while Europe tries to manage them all. While that scenario ended in world war back in 1914, much has changed since then, the main change being that European nations are not currently at each other's throats.

Since I'm engaging in wild speculation and prognostication here, let's go even further and suggest that the Euro Zone -- in my opinion the dumbest thing nation states have done in all of recorded history -- will fall apart and the EU will either fail with it or be re-envisioned in a less coercive and more cooperative way. Regardless, I find it hard to imagine Europe resorting to the nationalism that led to ether World War. If that is true, then Turkey, regardless of how much the West doesn't like its policy, gets some lee way as a counter to both Russia and Iran. 

At present, the U.S. is in the awkward position of needing to support Iran -- as the Shia counter to Wahabi fundamentalism. (Does Putin realize he's doing what we can't in Syria?) But if Turkey entered the game then Turkey could be a more acceptable alternative, though even then we might need to lend support to Iran as a counter to Turkey. 

This is where I fall back on my amazement at chess masters who can see so many moves ahead. But then even Bismarck was eventually undone by a fool who couldn't see ahead at all.

Next - 83. Chairs + Democracy