Routine Revelations

Today is a primary election day here in Michigan and we voted from home for the first time. Some notes regarding voting from home now that I experienced it first hand. First, while it is most often referred to as “vote by mail” one can actually hand deliver their ballots at the township clerk’s office. In my case the township have several outside, 24x7 lock boxes and an internal (available during business hours) lock box. The point being, one is not constrained to using the USPS for delivery of their ballot. Second is that if I am honest, we probably would not have voted in this election because it is a primary, so “voting from home” caused me to participate in government as intended.

Tom’s Guide Google Pixel 4a review about the one color of the 4a suggests the reason for the announcement delay was the pandemic’s impact on manufacturing.

“Blame the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as Google has told us it’s releasing one color to “streamline manufacturing and prevent further delays.””

Enjoying cooler temps sitting on the patio reading, though about to take a walk.

The Pixel 2 that I am using has a 5.0-inch screen with 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm physical dimensions and 143 grams of weight. The just announced Pixel 4a has a larger 5.81-inch screen but the physical dimensions are 144 x 69.4 x 8.2mm and it also weighs 143 grams. In other words, the 4a is actually smaller than my Pixel 2 but a little thicker to accommodate a larger battery but weighs the same. I am really happy about those physical specs and looking forward to getting mine!

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? The Uncertain Biological Basis of Morality

I think the above article makes the case for contemplation and although it was written in 2013, the message is needed now more than ever.

To answer Dave, who asks when will it be too much for the country to bear? There is already a revolution, the problem is there are multiple revolutions occurring at the same time. Trump’s presidency is a revolution against all the norms of U.S. Government, Constitution be damned. Black Lives Matter is a revolution. COVID-19 is a revolution.

Sitting down to watch hockey, feels like the start of the season except that it’s the first day of August. Strange times indeed.

That moment when one is sitting on their patio and all the air conditioners nearby are off so one can hear nature.

More positive tests with MLB teams, this time the Brewers/Cardinals. Anyone making bets on which day it will be shut down? The odds on the completion of the 60 game season is very, very low. At least this ought to re-affirm just how active COVID-19 is in the community. Now imagine sending your kids to school every day.

The damage of Trump’s election tweet has already been done. The con is all about sowing doubt, and the fact that a POTUS is even willing to suggest it says all that one needs to know. Trump never has understood nor appreciated the Constitution nor the Republic for which it stands, and that was known at the time when he was impeached by the House. In fact, it’s basically why he WAS IMPEACHED! Republicans have been aiding the con since he took office and had a chance to do the right thing in the impeachment trial. You might try to save face, but any claims you make now you bring also on yourself. Any statements to the contrary to anyone who call themselves a Federalist is laughable.

I think that Governor Whitmer has done a good job of managing COVID-19 in Michigan. However, some of the executive orders she has issued don’t make sense. Allowing casinos to re-open, even under strict protocols, in the same statement as closing bars doesn’t help your cause. I know the difference has to do with space and being able to keep distance, but yet that is not going to matter much to the small business owners who are being put out of business again.

What is more dangerous than Trump is what Trump represents, and I think this Vox article on the rise of American authoritarianism does as good a job as any in explaining it.

Here are some really interesting charts on battery life of the Google Pixel phones. I own a Pixel 2, which by my read of the charts is middle of the road in battery life. What is worrisome is that the newer Pixel phones seem to have worse battery life.

“The Christian life is not about believing or doing what we need to believe or do so that we can be saved. Rather, it’s about seeing what is already true—that God loves us already—and then beginning to live in this relationship. It is about becoming conscious of and intentional about a deepening relationship with God.”

— The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg

The fake fans in the Fox Sports baseball broadcast is cute, but I’ve already grown tired of it.