Gullible’s Travels

I stumbled across this one and I'll say the title grabbed me: "I Bought a CO2 Monitor, and It Broke Me" and then the sub title: "I thought I could fix the air quality in my apartment. I was wrong." (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/i-bought-a-co2-monitor-and-it-broke-me)

I'm guessing The Atlantic is a left leaning paper but it still left me wondering: are all Climate Changers this thoughtless and/or gullible?  You'll find out like I did, that some people out there would rather not eat or stay warm because of a Carbon Dioxide measurement in their living space.  No, it doesn't make sense to me either but that was enough to make a Blog entry out of.

This doozy was written by Katherine J. Wu, a staff writer at The Atlantic.  She must get paid by the word because it really didn't have to be this... fluffy.  Here's an example: 

"In 2023 a three-inch square of plastic and metal began, slowly and steadily, to upend my life.

"The culprit was my new portable carbon-dioxide monitor, a device that had been sitting in my Amazon cart for months. I’d first eyed the product around the height of the coronavirus pandemic, figuring it could help me identify unventilated public spaces where exhaled breath was left to linger and the risk for virus transmission was high. But I didn’t shell out the $250 until January 2023, when a different set of worries, over the health risks of gas stoves and indoorair pollution, reached a boiling point. It was as good a time as any to get savvy to the air in my home."

Whereas I would have said something like: "I must have added a CO2 monitor to my Amazon cart sometime around COVID, so I thought I'd buy it now and try it out."  And then maybe a, "It wasn't what I was expecting..."

I'm not sure how a Carbon Dioxide monitor would lead to cleaner air.  It's just a gauge.  A Carbon Monoxide monitor is at least useful; it'll notify you that you're about to die, just as you're passing out, but a home Carbon Dioxide meter just seems like a dumb thing to buy.  I have a digital thermometer/barometer that hangs on my wall.  It measures the air pressure, outdoor temperature, indoor temperature and tries to do a little forecast.  Never once did I ever expect my thermometer to make it not rain on a day I had an outdoor event to go to.

"I knew from the get-go that the small, stuffy apartment in which I work remotely was bound to be an air-quality disaster. But with the help of my shiny Aranet4, the brand most indoor-air experts seem to swear by, I was sure to fix the place up. When carbon-dioxide levels increased, I’d crack a window; when I cooked on my gas stove, I’d run the range fan. What could be easier? It would basically be like living outside, with better Wi-Fi. This year, spring cleaning would be a literal breeze!"

I don't know about you, but a literal breeze doesn't clean anything for me.  And as wordy as she has been so far, she forgot to mention that the "shiny Aranet4" is the brand of the CO2 tester.  She should have mentioned that so I didn't have to go look it up.

"The illusion was shattered minutes after I popped the batteries into my new device. At baseline, the levels in my apartment were already dancing around 1,200 parts per million (ppm)—a concentration that, as the device’s user manual informed me, was cutting my brain’s cognitive function by 15 percent. Aghast, I flung open a window, letting in a blast of frigid New England air. Two hours later, as I shivered in my 48-degree-Fahrenheit apartment in a coat, ski pants, and wool socks, typing numbly on my icy keyboard, the Aranet still hadn’t budged below 1,000 ppm, a common safetythreshold for many experts. By the evening, I’d given up on trying to hypothermia my way to clean air. But as I tried to sleep in the suffocating trap of noxious gas that I had once called my home, next to the reeking sack of respiring flesh I had once called my spouse, the Aranet let loose an ominous beep: The ppm had climbed back up, this time to above 1,400. My cognitive capacity was now down 50 percent, per the user manual, on account of self-poisoning with stagnant air."

I feel so bad for the person that has to live her.  1200 parts per million is 0.0012, or 0.12%, is statistically a 0.  Somehow I don't think it was the ppm reading that was cutting her brain's cognitive functions.  I'll bet those functions were long gone before she ever bought a CO2 meter.  Where did she get these delusional ideas?  Probably from the Aranet FAQ (https://pro.aranet.com/faq/) where they'll state things like "Additionally, CO2 monitoring helps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as CO2 level is a good proxy for COVID-19 infection risk".  I'm not sure who's dumber, her or Aranet.  I guess her since she fell for the bullshit.

"By the next morning, I was in despair. This was not the reality I had imagined when I decided to invite the Aranet4 into my home. I had envisioned the device and myself as a team with a shared goal: clean, clean air for all! But it was becoming clear that I didn’t have the power to make the device happy. And that was making me miserable."

I don't know anyone who has a weird, subordinate attachment to an inanimate object like this one.

Eight more obnoxious paragraphs to go but I won't put you through all that.

"... my apartment’s air quality has a lot working against it: two humans and two cats, all of us with an annoying penchant for breathing, crammed into 1,000 square feet; a gas stove with no outside-venting hood; a kitchen window that opens directly above a parking lot. Even so, I was flabbergasted by just how difficult it was to bring down the CO2 levels around me. Over several weeks, the best indoor reading I sustained, after keeping my window open for six hours, abstaining from cooking, and running my range fan nonstop, was in the 800s. I wondered, briefly, if my neighborhood just had terrible outdoor air quality—or if my device was broken. Within minutes of my bringing the meter outside, however, it displayed a chill 480."

CO2's not going to kill you.  Ask any hyperventilating person.  Even they calm down once they've had enough.

And 1000 square feet is a pretty good size place, so I don't know what she's complaining about.  But yeah, open the windows, don't eat, and run your range fan non-stop; enjoy your next hydro bill.

Which leads to this being a real life example of Net Zero being a scam.  You'll never get to zero CO2 in the air because it's impossible.  The pro Net Zero advocates know that too but they get to make money off the scare tactics like this example of getting people to buy a home CO2 monitor.  There's still the question of why would we want to have zero CO2 in the atmosphere in the first place?  What's the benefit?  Aliens have been telling this for over a century now: "Human: Carbon based life form; 90% water".  It can't be that bad.

"The meter’s cruel readings began to haunt me. Each upward tick raised my anxiety; I started to dread what I’d learn each morning when I woke up. After watching the Aranet4 flash figures in the high 2,000s when I briefly ignited my gas stove, I miserably deleted 10 wok-stir-fry recipes I’d bookmarked the month before. At least once, I told my husband to cool it with the whole “needing oxygen” thing, lest I upgrade to a more climate-friendly Plant Spouse. (I’m pretty sure I was joking, but I lacked the cognitive capacity to tell.) In more lucid moments, I understood the deeper meaning of the monitor: It was a symbol of my helplessness. I’d known I couldn’t personally clean the air at my favorite restaurant, or the post office, or my local Trader Joe’s. Now I realized that the issues in my home weren’t much more fixable. The device offered evidence of a problem, but not the means to solve it."

Shit, don't go to a movie theater.  I think the key word she used here was "anxiety" (and I don't think she would know how to joke) but she has 99 problems and a gauge ain't one.  Although I was deeply saddened to read that she had deleted, not 9, but 10 wok stir fry recipes, I'm thinking if she wasn't worried about CO2, she would be worrying about some other thing that someone else told her to worry about.  She makes for a good victim in any circumstance.  "I understood the deeper meaning of the monitor: It was a symbol of my helplessness."  She should have bought the HU3000 Hang Up Meter, with an extended warranty. 

The HU3000 Hang Up Meter

"Many Americans face much greater challenges than mine. I am not among the millions living in a city with dangerous levels of particulate matter in the air, spewed out by industrial plants, gas-powered vehicles, and wildfires, for whom an open window could risk additional peril; I don’t have to be in a crowded office or a school with poor ventilation. Since the first year of the pandemic—and even before—experts have been calling for policy changes and infrastructural overhauls that would slash indoor air pollution for large sectors of the population at once. But as concern over COVID has faded, “people have moved on,” Marr (Linsey Marr, an environmental engineer at Virginia Tech) told me. Individuals are left on their own in the largely futile fight against stale air."

Paranoy much?  It is a mental illness, after all.  It's just like the people that haven't moved on from the plandemic.  You'll still see them in the wild; the losers still wearing masks in their cars or apartment hallways.  It's the same people that think wildfires are caused by "climate change" and not the people that were actually arrested for starting the fires.  Most people have moved on from COVID because they realized they were duped, embarrassed about it and would rather not go through that whole mess again.

But it ends on a happy note:
"I’m now aiming for my own middle ground. Earlier this week, I dreamed of trying and failing to open a stuck window, and woke up in a cold sweat. I spent that day working with my (real-life) kitchen window cracked, but I shut it when the apartment got too chilly. More important, I placed my Aranet4 in a drawer, and didn’t pull it out again until nightfall. When my spouse came home, he marveled that our apartment, once again, felt warm."

That was one hell of a read.  Unfortunately for me, I had to read it more than once to do this blog entry.  I guess this was a peek into the mind of someone that isn't completely stable, totally gullible, overly dramatic and just buys into the current fear-du-jour.  Not wife material.

What's not surprising after reading this whole thing, and the title being, "I Bought a CO2 Monitor, and It Broke Me.  I thought I could fix the air quality in my apartment. I was wrong.", there wasn't one mention of anyone buying or suggesting buying an air purifier.  Millions of people, including myself, own one.  They're great.  But she went out and bought an expensive gauge.  Some people just make their own misery.  Just don't tell her Brita uses carbon pellets in their filters.

Living In A Van

I've lived in a van full-time for 3 years. Here are the 5 biggest downsides no one talks about.
Story by insider@insider.com (Alyshia Hull).

I saw this title and I had to read it.  I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a van?  Alternatively, this article could have been titled "My Bad Life Choices".  Normally, I'm a to-each-their-own but this is completely stupid.

Raychel Reimer, whose parents must hate her because they gave her a name a dumb spelling, is "a van life content creator from Vancouver, Canada".  You read that right: a van life content creator.  Wouldn't "van life" be the same as being a modern day Gypsy?  That is nothing to be proud of.

Raychel Reimer and her husband Nick live in their van full-time.  Everyday tasks can be exhausting, like getting a glass of clean water.  Though living in a van is cheaper than owning a home, there are still expenses that add up.

You might be wondering when did this cost-saving adventure start?

"Back in 2018, my husband Nick and I traveled to Cambodia to teach English. At the time we were living out of our backpacks when I found van life videos on YouTube. I just remember thinking, wow, that would be such a cool way to travel."

Ugh, Teachers.  How do these two Neo Hippie teachers  make ends meet?

"We personally do seasonal work. We mainly take on house sitting assignments, and other summer jobs. For example, I work at a normal 9 to 5 office job. Then once we have enough saved up, we begin our travels. It's a process that we do again and again."

Kids, do not follow this example as a way to live.  Save up and blow it all is not a good way to handle your finances unless you want to be on the other side of the glory hole in 20 years so you can make ends meet.  Or maybe Raychel is prepping up to be the next Federal Minister of Finance.  Who knows?  Just don't handle money like the Reimers do unless you want to be poor after 40.

"Now that we've lived out of our van for three years, we've learned a lot along the way. Although we wouldn't trade van life for anything, here are five things you should know before trying it for yourself."

Here's what to watch for if you want to be a loser at life:

"1. Everyday tasks can be exhausting
When you're staying in a house, and you want a glass of water, you just head over to the tap, where people usually have an endless supply.
Or, if you want to take a shower, you might do it without thinking. But, when you live in a van, you have to be more intentional.
You're always thinking about what you're doing next. For example, if your water tank is getting low, you have to think about where you're going to refill it.
This also all changes by the geographic location you're in. Are you off grid? Are you close to the city? Can you fill up your water tank right away? Or, maybe you will have to wait. This all changes your consumption.
Things that are in the background for others, aren't in the background for us. You have to always think about how you're going to live, including how often you flush your toilet."

I don't even want to know what their van smells like.

"2. People often ask about how we use the toilet
We don't have a compost toilet in our van, as those are $1200. But, we do have a Dometic Portable Toilet.
You can think of it like a toilet with a holding tank. It holds everything in a small tank, but then you have to head to a sanitation dump station and manually dump it. You can find those at rest stops along the way, or sometimes when you get gas.
If you're thinking about van life, how you will use the toilet is something to consider."

I use the toilet like most guys: standing up for No 1 and sitting for No 2.  Small is right; look up Dometic Portable Toilet.  I don't even want to know what their van smells like.

"3. There are expenses when it comes to van life
It might be a cheaper way to live, but there are still costs. First, you of course have your gas – and the cost will be determined by how much you drive.
But then, you have your car insurance, your oil changes, and another is a gym membership. While the gym might seem optional, that is where most who choose van life shower. For us, our breakdown looks like this:
RV insurance: $133 a month
Gym memberships: $45.00 a month
Laundromat: $15.00 a month
Gas: $800 a month
Groceries: $520 a month
Then there's the biggest expense, van breakdowns. Once we were on a trip through the USA, and ours broke when we were in San Diego. It was stressful, as we were quoted $3,000 which is $4,500 Canadian dollars. For us, it was a huge loss because it took our emergency fund.
When your van breaks down it is never fun. On top of that expense, you have to think, where am I going to stay? Getting a hotel unexpectedly definitely adds to your expenses.
With that said, when purchasing a van, you have to consider breakdowns. While you might want a unique van, it is better to get one with an easy to fix engine, this means one that any mechanic can fix.
We are lucky with ours. Since it's an ambulance conversion, it has the typical chevy engine. It's cheap to source and most mechanics can work on it."

I thought she might be slow but she hits on some great points like, "cost will be determined by how much you drive" or "get one with an easy to fix engine, this means one that any mechanic can fix".  Still, at the end of the day, do you know who else uses gym showers that aren't members?  Bums.  And why not save another $15 by doing your laundry while you're in the gym shower?

I do agree with it's not fun when you're vehicle breaks down, but if I had to go into the "emergency fund" for $4500, that would be the point where I'd say to myself, it's time to get off my ass and find a real, full-time job.  Van life can wait until the finances are in order.

"4. There are a lot of social stigmas
There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to sustaining van life.
We don't all have the same income, and we don't all have the same story. Some of us work remotely, some work a regular 9 to 5 job, and some live out of a van not to travel, but out of necessity.
Many think, people who participate in van life don't work, or we don't have real jobs. While some who live in their vans might be rich, or have trust funds, that's not true for all of us. The social stigmas are very loud, but the truth is just like everyone else, we are all different."

Social stigmas?  There's no misunderstanding when you're over 30 and your main shower is at the gym or your main source of income is House Sitting.  Hell, I thought I was immature.  We all don't have the same income because some people get full-time jobs and other people choose van life.  If you're rich and living in a van, I'll bet you also have a house and a driveway to park the van in.  

"5. We miss moments with our family
You have to put in a lot of work to maintain friendships and relationships. You have to make the time, and make the calls, in order to stay in touch.
Whether you do van life or you're nomadic, it can be hard missing birthdays, or being away from your family. We miss things like our nieces first steps, or other big moments just like that.
It's really important for us to message them, or facetime them, that way we can stay connected.
Thankfully, we have also made many friends on the road, who live a very similar lifestyle to us. Since we're all on wheels, we often meet up with each other, and we can usually do it within a matter of days."

Ah, the freedom that self-importance brings.  Honestly, couldn't they have driven to see their niece take her first steps?

That was the 5 downsides but there's a tradeoff:

"Although van life has downsides, there are many positives, too. We love being a part of the van life community and we would not trade van life for the high cost of living in Vancouver.
There is location freedom, but there's also financial freedom, too. We don't have to make a lot of money — our summer jobs and house-sitting gigs pay for our travel. The best part is we don't drown in bills trying to pay rent. Instead, we get to go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go.
We always tell people, if you have the urge to do it and you can, you should try it. The experience is challenging, but it's also a rewarding one."

After reading this, I came to my own list of 5 downsides of living in a van (in no particular order):
1. Living in a van;
2. Living in a van;
3. Living in a van;
4. Living in a van;
5. Living in a van

Algorithm and Blues

"Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry are among 200 artists calling for a ban on 'predatory' AI in the music industry - amid fears technology could replace them"

Warning: the word Artist gets misused a lot in this one.

I'm not sure if Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry are jealous that a non-thinking computer program can regurgitate shit better than their hired 3 or 4 "songwriters" or maybe they realise that a computer program can generate better song ideas than they could dream up and they're just plain mad.

"In an open letter, several of the world's biggest stars have warned the tech 'will set in motion a race to the bottom' if left unchecked."  

Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry are already participating in the race to the bottom and they don't need that pesky AI getting in the way.  I'm picking Nicki Minaj since she seems to be the worst of the three mentioned.  Does she do anything other than look obnoxious?

"The use of AI to steal artists' voices, likeness, and sound is an 'assault on human creativity', they said, and would 'destroy the music ecosystem'."

Maybe I’m old fashioned but I can't tell one autotuned female vocalist from another.  The statement about there being an 'assault on human creativity' is ironic coming from someone like Katy Add-a-word-get-a-third Perry.  Being realistic, there's no "assault" or "predatory use".  I would say the assault on music by Katy Perry et all should be stopped

 

This picture has more talent than Nicki Minaj

"Issued by the Artists Rights Alliance (ARA), the letter calls for a ban on AI tools that undermine or replace human songwriters or their work."

"Fears over the use of AI have mounted over recent months after a song using AI to mimic the voices of Drake and The Weeknd went viral online."

Fear wasn't the word I used when I heard it.  I thought it was twice as shitty as just one of their songs on its own.  Two wrongs don't make a right.  And I'm going out on a limb, but I don't think it takes a lot of processing power for a computer to sound like two different autotuned computers.

"Signatories of the latest letter range from rock stars of the past, such as REM and Jon Bon Jovi, to pop stars of the moment, including Jess Glynne and Zayn Malik."  

They're not really selling their point with these examples.  I heard Stevie Wonder was on the list but I’m guessing they told him he was signing a birthday card.

"It warns that AI will 'infringe upon our rights and devalue the rights of human artists' if it is used irresponsibly."

Artists have different human rights than normal people?  I had no idea.

"Guy Chambers told The Guardian: 'I think we may get to a stage in the future where an album will need to have a badge saying "this is an all-human record.'"

I doubt it.  That’s kind of a dumb thing to say.

I'll be honest, I'm not too worried about AI generated music.  I don't do lame pop and I'm not conceited.  And I already compared AI lyrics with my own in this dandy: http://www.greggkoval.com/art-lyrics_ai_vs_me.html.  Normally I don't link to my website, but it's a new year.

To the Signatories: if you're worried about AI making a better song than you can come up with, then you'd better up your game.  And in the meantime, don't call yourself an artist.