Sometimes You Just have to Pull the Plug

 Sometimes you just have to pull the plug.

Yesterday afternoon I went downstairs to fold laundry, and as I usually do, watch a couple of videos on YouTube. Turned on the TV and receiver and got a "No video signal" screen.

After some fiddling (turn everything off and on, disconnect and reconnect the cable pod), I had the following:

•  Cable TV: audio but no video
•  Blu-ray player: worked with video and full surround sound
•  Chromecast: black screen, no audio
•  LG TV:  home screen worked and apps played with video and surround sound

Nancy checked cables and all appeared to be fine.

So we went nuclear and turned off the power bar, waited a bit, and turned everything back on.

Everything worked as it should. 

I have no idea what caused the problem in the first place. 

We had a similar problem with our new IONIQ 5 and its infotainment screen. Disconnecting it from the battery fixed it, though Nancy lost all her customizations, so hopefully that doesn't happen too often. 

My Windows 11 PC has been admirably stable for the last year or two. Fingers crossed it stays that way. But if it doesn't, I know where the plug is. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Eh!

It's Thanksgiving weekend up here in the Great Yelow and Red North, so I'll be taking the weekend off from blogging (not that I've been here a lot, sorry). It's time to plant the garlic and have a big meal with the family. I'll be back here on Tuesday. 

I think the swans have the right idea.

Swan feeding time

Carney's Building Canada Strong Policy is Building Canada Wrong

I'm becoming increasingly concerned and more than a little disturbed by the Liberal government's current emphasis on fossil fuel development. In the rush to disentangle the Canadian ecomony from its reliance on the United States, we're emphasizing fossil fuel production and sales instead of weaning ourselves off of greenhouse gas-producing industries.

I'm not the only person who's concerned about this.

Responding to the news, on the eve of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, that the LNG Canada Phase II project is going ahead, Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, said:

“The science is clear: we cannot build more fossil-fuel projects if we want to have a livable planet. LNG Canada Phase II is a major setback for climate action and puts everyone’s right to clean air, water, land and the fragile ecosystems we all rely on to exist, at risk.

“Our world is in a state of climate emergency. Canada could be part of the solution; regrettably, it has chosen to be a major part of the problem.”

My own take on it is that, instead of giving fossil fuel developments priority, we shold be going all out on eliminating the use of fossil fuels as quickly as possible. We need a Manhattan Project-scale approach. 

In a recent article, Stephen Levy described the National Emergency Briefing held in the UK last November. I highly recommend  looking at the presentations that were given and areading the associated briefing material.  

“It’s not thousands, it’s not hundreds of thousands, or millions of lives that are at risk – it’s billions of lives that are at risk,” if we fail to tackle climate change and preserve nature.

That’s a statement from the first National Emergency Briefing held in London, UK, at the end of November 2025. Ten experts warned of the risks posed by climate change and biodiversity decline.

Starvation, economic collapse, civil unrest, and wars are just some of the risks we face, they warn.

“We risk sliding into a state of permanent crisis management.”

We know how to prevent this grim future; we’re simply not taking these risks seriously.

Photo of the Week - October 4, 2026

This week's photo is of a display of garden mums at a local supermarket. I was struck by the vibrant yellow colour. Taken with my Pixel 8 Pro. 

Mums for sale

 

Saturday Sounds - Kamasi Washington - Lazarus

Today's musical treat is a 2025 release from the great saxophonist, Kamasi Washington. Lazarus is the soundtrack album for the Adult Swim original series of that name. I haven't seen it so I don't know how well Washington's mix of jazz, blues, funk, and prog rock fits into the show, but I like it. I'd probably watch it just for the music, but it's on a service I don't subscribe to. Enjoy. 

What Would Happen If Yellowstone Erupted

Although the risk is low, volcanologists continue to monitor the Yellowstone caldera for signs that an eruption might be imminent. That's because the scale of such an eruption would be unprecedented in human history. Phys.org has published an article that describes the effects that such an eruption would have. It wouldn't be pleasant. 

 Despite the scale, no known human witnessed the cataclysm. As far as we know, early humans had not yet reached the continent. Across oceans, perhaps early humans wondered at the hazier skies and unusually vivid sunsets. Volcanic particles circulating in the sky cooled their climate and likely affected their weather patterns and lives. Whether they noted these changes—or connected them to any distant event—is unknowable.

Today, humanity would certainly notice. We already know that a super-eruption on this scale would threaten civilization as we know it. So what exactly would we experience if Yellowstone erupted? We are experts in disasters and volcanoes, and what follows is a thought experiment into what might happen in the worst-case scenario. We've based our hypothesis on research and an examination of how countries have dealt with disasters in recent years.

If you want a fictional portrayal, check out Harry Turtledove's Supervolcano trilogy (Eruption, All Fall Down, Things Fall Apart). I read this a few years ago and it' matches the phys.org article quite closely.  

 

Movie and TV Reviews - September 2026

Short reviews of movies and TV shows I watched in September.

Movies

• Mayday: Jingoistic silly junk riding on the coat tails of Top Gunn. (Apple TV)

TV Shows

• Silo (season 3): We finally learn more about the origin of the Silos, but the rest of the storyline was muddled and hard to follow. I lost interest halfway through. (Apple TV)
• Gone: A tight-lipped school headmaster is accused of murdering his wife. It's reasonably well done, but never quite takes off. (BritBox)
• A Woman of Substance: A period drama that jumps between the 1910s and 1960s following the life of a housemaid with big ambitions. Worth watching just for the performance of Brenda (Vera) Blethwyn. (BritBox)
• Reacher (season 4): Nothing new here. I think they've pushed the invincibility of Reacher about as far as they can take it, and it's getting a bit silly. (Amazon Prime)
• The Gentlemen (season 2): The second season escalates the mayhem even further. If you like Guy Ritchie, don't miss this. (Netflix)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (season 4). It's well past time to retire the Star Trek franchise. Out of the 10 episodes this season, only three were watchable. (Paramount+)