I moved to Texas in 1984 after college. I spent a few months or a few years in other places but Texas, specifically Austin, was home. It’s where I met my wife, got married and raised a family. I watched it grow and change, mostly not for the better. After the Big Freeze I decided it was time to go. That was four years ago, with the COVID pandemic slowing down all of our plans. Last week we finally sold the house in Austin and took off for Placitas, NM. Goodbye Texas.

Leavin Texas

Driving on the open highway in New Mexico, our Tesla Model 3 had multiple cruise control failures. I noticed that it was using adaptive cruise control, meaning it slowed down automatically when approaching slower vehicles. Neat. Didn’t realize this was a feature. Except at one point at highway speeds the car began to rapidly decelerate. It was about as scary as anything I have experienced. Like the brakes were jammed on, for no apparent reason. I briefly panicked and tapped the brake which turned off the cruise control and returned the car to normal operations.

There were several large trucks ahead of us, passing each other and I assumed that was the problem. I also assumed this was a rare event. I was wrong on both counts. A few minutes later, with no large trucks ahead of me, the car began to rapidly decelerate. With a bit less panic, I tapped the brake again and the car returned to normal.

We were on a blacktop road in the west on a clear sunny day and there were these “mirages” where the road ahead begins to look like water. This seemed to cause the deceleration. I (somewhat foolishly) turned on the cruise control again and within a few minutes it failed again. Not scientific but it seemed to be connected to these road mirages. A quick search shows lots of people having trouble with cruise control, some calling it unusable.

i will say it was a very, very dangerous situation. Maybe it’s the adaptive part. I really only want standard, old fashioned cruise control that keeps a constant speed. Hope I can just turn off the adaptive part and get normal cruise control operation.

25 years ago the company I was working for gave us all bottles of champagne. It sat on a shelf all these years. We are moving house and decided it was time to crack it open. Not bad.

I remember this well. It was probably a bit too technical for the average American, but to me it marked the beginning of the modern Surveillance State. We need more people like Mark Klein.

In Memoriam: Mark Klein, AT&T Whistleblower Who Revealed NSA Mass Spying

Interesting read about an even more interesting experiment.

Scientists Put A Human “Language Gene” Into Mice And Curious Things Unfolded

For some reason I find myself thinking of the famous quote by Italian Holocaust survivor Primo Levi: “there is no why here“. This was told to him as a child by an Auschwitz guard. Of course it was also a lie. There is always a “why” and often it is purposely hidden. Levi spent the rest of his life studying this “why”.

Levi was a scientist, and that is what scientists do. Unfortunately it is often the source of trouble for those asking the question. Science has always been under attack from people who dont like people who question their story and their rules. Science usually wins out, because the real world is the real world and the facts don’t go away. In non-scientific areas, the “why” becomes more difficult. No mathematical formula or repeatable experiment can answer these questions. But it is always important to ask “why?”. Even when the answer is a lie. Especially when the answer is a lie.

About 1 Million U.S. Households Hold Nearly $50 Trillion in Wealth. From Voronoi.

I was fortunate to meet David Patterson at a conference here in Austin one Sunday a few years back. It wasn’t a big conference and I am still surprised someone of his stature in the field was there. Even more surprising was what an approachable person he was. It’s difficult to explain what a good impression he made in our short conversation. A good read, especially for younger people just starting out.

Life Lessons from the First Half-Century of My Career