Stupid Ideas that Succeeded

Stupid Ideas that Succeeded

Stupid things often succeed in becoming commonplace, but are no less stupid for it.

The Windows Registry

The Microsoft Windows registry - an idiotic concept of grouping an incredible amount of important setup information in one place, subject to corruption and causing nightmarish software updates.

Dynamic Menus

Menus that change with usage - let's move the most used options to the top. But I've already learned where they are - not at the top. Couldn't you at least offer an option to make it not change?

Tree Menus

Menus organized in a tree instead of a single list - searching a tree is like a solving a maze. Choose the wrong branch in your search and you will not find what you are looking for. Then you have to try again and guess where you took the wrong turn. Searching a list is just scanning down the list. It may be longer, but the answer is on your path. And there are no decisions to make along the way.

How hard would it be to optionally change a tree view to a list view? Pretty simple. But I have never seen it done.

I have no problem with a single level branch in a menu such as the menu line at the top of old Windows programs, File - Edit - View - Help, for example. If you choose the wrong branch it's pretty simple to start over on a new branch. But a second branch would be hidden and often the choice is not obvious.

Icons and Emojis

Icons - congratulations to whoever invented the icon (was it the ancient Egyptians?) - you have invented a picture that is worth just ONE word. If a normal picture is worth a thousand words, the efficiency of an icon is one tenth of one percent.

Emojis - what a waste. Do emojis add anything to a conversation? Emoticons can be an add, expressing emotion or sentiment. But emojis are mostly just pictures with no associated feelings. They seem to be used to add to a word, but how does, for example, a picture of a dog added after the word dog clarify anything?

Various Hardware

Under screen fingerprint readers - THEY DON'T WORK. At least not with dry fingers on my Samsung S22.

Flying cars - not commonplace yet. Hopefully never. Noise, nasty downdrafts, litter falling out of the sky, cars falling out of the sky. And imagine the light pollution after dark.

Automobile touch screen control - you must move your hand to the correct position without touching the screen, then touch. It requires you to look at the screen not the road. And it requires you to maintain your finger position while touching. If you hit a bump and touch the wrong hotspot you have to undo what you just did and start over. I pity the left hander who needs to use a touch screen with their right hand. And imagine when the steering wheel and brake pedal have been moved onto the touch screen. That will be a worse disaster then flying cars.

Tanning beds - why do people think they look better tanned? And why would you increase your chances for skin cancer to change your skin color?

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence

The US trying to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) - so we will have hands tied while the rest of the world develops AI without restrictions. Or we can convince the western governments to join us. What about our enemies, governments and crooks - what will stop them from using advanced AI to attack us?

Space Tourism

Space tourism - a waste that must add considerable pollution to the environment. I can think of only one use for space tourism - showing "flat earthers" that the earth is a sphere. Of course, in spherical coordinates, the earth IS flat - r=constant (within a reasonable tolerance).

More

Today (as is usual) I walked the 1/2 mile loop around the apartment complex near me. My ears were assaulted by lawn mower, string trimmer, dumpster pickup - crashing dumpster and backup beeping, commercial carpet cleaner, and police siren. Thankfully, today, no motorcycles or helicopters.

Motels, Phone Bezels, Samsung S22, Brooks Adrenaline, Bonanza

Motels, Phone Bezels, Samsung S22, Brooks Adrenaline, Bonanza

Motels

Why do motel breakfasts end before I wake up. Of course a lot of them are not good enough to care. But some expensive motels have decent breakfasts that end way too early.

And then there is the checkout time. On a long trip, I may stop at a motel after midnight. Then I have to be up and out by 11am? Not fair.

Phone Bezels

I just read an article about the iPhone15 having even thinner bezels than the iPhone 14. The writer concluded that it really doesn't make that much difference.

But the problem with thin bezels is that it makes it too easy to accidentally touch the screen. On any high end phone now, the only way to avoid accidental touches is to use a phone cover that projects above the screen. The cover is somewhat thicker than the bezel. Of course they could write software to make the touchable area smaller than the full screen area, but then they might not have enough people designing new emojis.

Samsung S22 Issues

I've used my Samsung S22 for about 8 months now. The single worst issue is that the next alarm is not on the lock screen. I need to know when the next alarm is - why should I have to unlock the phone to check.

Issue two - the on screen fingerprint read is useless if your skin is dry. Facial recognition unlock works only about half the time. Google HAD a fingerprint reader on the back of the phone that worked over 95% off the time. Why did the state of the art regress so badly?

Issue three - the lock screen is too dark to read in sunlight and sometimes in my living room. It doesn't adjust properly to the ambient light.

Not nearly as important - when on a phone call, the hang up button is about an inch wide. About a quarter of an inch above the center is the speakerphone button, a circle about a quarter inch diameter. It is way too easy to accidentally hangup when in a hurry to turn on the speakerphone. Android has had its 13th yearly update. It has thousands of celebrated emojis (I haven't figured out their purpose). But a really stupid layout for the phone buttons.

Why do none of the reviews note these important problems. I have no expectation of them ever being fixed.

Brooks Adrenaline GTS Running Shoes

I bought my first pair of these shoes, model 20, in 2020. Very nice shoes. "Stability and support" but a flexible toe that I require. Available in wide (2E), extra wide (4E). Many colors and patterns available, but solid black and blue or black trimmed gray are the only colors that I will wear. These are the only shoes that I wear, so black when I need to dress up (can't remember the last time). The shoe (wide) can hit my toe, despite the length and width being good - I take an xacto knife and cut a vertical slit at the corner of my toe (toe not in shoe at the time!). This fixes the problem without going to an oversized shoe.

The top/back of the shoe is convex. Shoes that have a U shaped cutout tend to grab my loose socks and pull them down into the shoe. No sock grabbing with these shoes.

Model 22 added elastic pieces on each side of the tongue attached to the bottom. This keeps the tongue centered. But I hate being squeezed by shoes or socks. I cut the outside elastic piece. Problem solved.

Model 21 and 22 are just as good as model 20. Three years of good shoes. I wonder how long this will last. I guess I should stock up on them.

Bonanza, Season 3, Episode 26

I lucked into this TV show from 1962 that put Albert Michelson into the Bonanza world and got him past a bigoted teacher and into Annapolis Naval Academy. Other than being in Virginia City at approximately the right time and getting a presidential appointment to the Naval Academy, this is fantasy. But nice to see a physicist celebrated on popular TV.

Healthy Food at a Restaurant?

Healthy Food at a Restaurant?

I try for a healthy diet. And I like to (and often must) eat at a restaurant. But they tend to serve food that is lacking in vegetables, salty, un-nutricious (iceberg lettuce, potatoes, white bread, corn), and in huge servings. So - what to do?

First, let me define veggie - any healthy vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, mushrooms. Not included is corn, wheat, iceberg lettuce, potatoes. I try for five servings every day.

I have a big Omega 3 dish every week - salmon, mackerel, sometimes other fish. Grouper, red snapper, halibut, mahi-mahi are great but I worry about mercury.

Whole wheat pasta is preferred to the usual - there is no taste hit, but on thick pasta like penne the texture of whole wheat is not good. Whole wheat bread is preferred to white bread if it doesn't ruin the taste/texture. I'm happy with whole wheat bread on many sandwiches, toast, French toast, but not pizza, subs, appetizer breads.

Minimal salt. Too much and I get dry mouth.

Iced tea, no sugar, no lemon for me. Nice slightly bitter flavor. No calories, some good antioxidants.

So where and how do I get these difficult to find foods? First, big chains that are located near me, then local places, and a note on pizza places in general.

Olive Garden - as COVID related staffing problems killed my favorite local and nearby Italian restaurant, Olive Garden rebuilt/replaced a burned down Cheddar's. So I started experimenting. After a few tries, I found acceptable food. First, on the salad, instead of iceberg lettuce, ask for mostly spinach with a little iceberg. The iceberg lettuce adds some crispy texture. And my usual salad modification - extra tomatoes, dressing on the side. The standard purple onions, black olives, pepperoncini peppers are nice taste adds. I request to finish the salad before the main course order is entered.

The bread sticks are tasteless white bread, but brushed with garlic butter. I ask if the waiter can find crispy pieces for a nice crust.

The lunch cheese ravioli, lasagna, chicken parmesan are tolerable, but too salty. The fettuccine alfredo is good but too peppery. No whole wheat pasta.

Not on the menu, but readily available - broccoli with inconsistent cooking. I add cheese to make it edible.

Total three or four veggie servings, depending on how much salad I eat.

Chili's -

I always start with a cup of black beans (in a salsa flavored sauce, no meat) with corn tortilla chips - delicious. Ask for a small saucer of chips with no salsa - usually no charge.

Ancho salmon and broccoli with a side of white queso sauce (required to make the broccoli edible). The salmon is sometimes badly overcooked.

Very good hamburgers but 1/3 pound is too much. (Their thin patties, used in double deckers, are not as good.) Add avocado for a partial veggie serving.

Two veggies plus high Omega 3s with the salmon.

Golden Corral - tolerable food with many veggie options. I don't trust the salad bar - too many people have no comprehension of safe buffet habits.

The cooked stuff should be less prone to food poisoning. The cooking is very inconsistent. Look over the veggie options before starting. You might find edible cauliflower, broccoli, peas, carrots, squash, zucchini, cabbage, stewed okra, grilled jalapenos. A little cheese sauce helps with broccoli, cauliflower.

Good fried chicken, not so good other meat choices, many very salty. Okay white wheat rolls.

Total many veggie servings - today I had two servings each of squash, cabbage, peas, and a couple of jalapenos. A very small serving of strawberry cobbler didn't count as a veggie, but was enjoyable.

Subway (on the road with no other veggies to be found) - unlike other sub shop chains, Subway will add spinach and green peppers to your sub (or salad). Add bacon, onions, and (likely unripe) tomatoes for a nice sandwich. One or two veggies.

Arirang Korean - family run, local. I love the side dishes and they give you all that you want. Bok choy, spinach, soy sprouts, cabbage kimchi, turnip kimchi, cucumber, papaya, pickled radishes. I avoid the fried and tofu based side dishes. I ask the waiter to hold up the main course until I have finished these veggie delights.

Then many options, but lately I have been getting mackerel - strongly flavored fish, high in Omega 3s. Watch out for bones.

I count this as two or three veggies, depending on how many of the (small) side dishes that I eat - six at least, sometime a couple more.

Jasmine Rice Thai - a locally owned place, run by the owner. They are very good about adjusting their dishes as requested. For a long time, my order was fried rice with crab (not very much) and cashews, maximum broccoli. With the cashews and broccoli, and miscellaneous other (carrots, onions), I counted three veggie servings, but a lot of salt, calories, white rice.

For a while now, I have been getting the Thai curries, mostly green and red. Add cashews and scallops, maximum veggies. This is full of zucchini, bamboo shoots, cabbage, broccoli, green pepper, in a spicy coconut milk. White rice on the side - sigh. Delicious, maybe three veggie servings. Too salty, in part due to salted cashews. I started bringing my own unsalted, roasted cashews - noticeably less salty. Coconut milk is caloric and high in saturated fat, but still has many health benefits. Three veggies.

Puccini's Italian - local with two locations (three before COVID related staffing problems).

I asked if they would cook whole wheat pasta if I brought it - yes! Spaghetti with one meatball, marinara sauce.

On the Greek salad, I asked for spinach and spring mix instead of spinach and iceberg lettuce - yes. Plus extra tomatoes, a couple of artichoke hearts, gorgonzola cheese instead of feta (but not too much). Wonderful salad.

Consumer's Reports says tomato sauce counts as a veggie! I count three veggies plus whole wheat pasta - nice.

Tandoor Indian - a local place with Saturday, Sunday buffet -

Fish curry (tastes like tilapia to me), red beans (a bit like Cajun red beans but no sausage). Sometimes chick peas or lentils instead of red beans - good, but not as good as the beans. Sometimes cabbage or cauliflower with potato. I do my best to avoid the potato. Occasionally okra - wonderful, and no potato. Just a little white rice. White naan bread - delicious and I eat too much of it. 

Delicious lightly spiced ice tea. (Don't ruin it with sugar or lemon.)

Five veggies and too many calories. Very small dinner that evening - sometimes an apple with peanut butter, maybe a small tuna on whole wheat sandwich.

Pepe's Mexican - a local chain.

Pablano pepper quesadilla - browned white wheat tortilla, folded over grilled pablano pepper (not hot), mushrooms, onions, and melted cheese, with an unknown green sauce on top. A side of guacamole with nice avocado chunks. Grilled jalapenos. Very tasty. Two, maybe three veggies if I get the jalapenos down.

Nice salsa and chips - I wish I would avoid them, but I the love tomato, cilantro, and onion flavors in the salsa.

At other Mexican places look for black beans.

Pizza - no specific place in this review.

My new order is double mushrooms. On very thin crust (New York style). That's hopefully one veggie, but the "double" tends to be ignored except on the bill. Of course you can add various good stuff at different places - broccoli, spinach, green peppers, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes - but usually not in significant quantities.

Local places tend to be much better than the chains. But where I live nothing is consistently good.

For All of the Above - bring a jacket in the summer to combat hyper air conditioning, a baseball hat to shield your eyes from unshaded lights, glare off of parked cars, and direct sunlight, and ear plugs. The ear plugs help prevent anxiety induced by fancy coffee machines, blenders, kitchen beepers, loud peaky music, and jazz, rap, and swing.

Memory Habits, Good and Bad

Memory Habits, Good and Bad

Bad - Asking a person's name then forgetting it immediately.

Bad - Deciding that I need to do a task then deciding to do something else first. Then forgetting the task.

Bad - Finding a good way to solve a problem and not writing it down. It is important because I will run into the same problem again, but the next time I might not be able to figure out the solution or find the web page with the answer.

Good - I have a tips file full of useful bits of information. It includes a lot of Linux command line programs and parameters, lots of system file names that might need modifying. This has saved me many hours of finding the information on the web.

Looking through it just now I noticed one of my favorites

  sudo cp /home/r/Downloads/silent.ogg /usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stereo/system-ready.ogg

This kills the obnoxiously loud system startup sound. You have to download silent.ogg, but it's not hard to find. I've only done this once, but I'm sure it will be handy when I am forced to update my operating system.

One day my phone was not making any sound on notifications. I scoured the settings and did not see anything to help. After a while I noticed that the Bluetooth icon was displayed. Not that this is unusual, but I couldn't think of why. Ah - I used my Airpods and needed to take them off to talk to someone, so I put them in my pocket and forgot about them. The notification sounds were going through the Airpods. I put them back in their case, the Bluetooth icon disappeared, my notification sounds came back. A few months later, the same thing happened. Including the search for the problem and the eventual solution. Sigh.

Good - check for keys, wallet, phone whenever I get in the car or step outside. I always lock my car with the key so I don't have a problem locking myself out.

Bad - writing code (computer program, 3D shape) with absolutely no documentation. Possibly the worst habit that I have.

Good - using Google Calendar for all appointments and events. I'm not recommending Google Calendar specifically other than saying that it works for me. Except for the sporting event calendar - teams should be designated as home city or school not mascot - this Saturday it's the Wildcats vs the Wildcats - thanks Google. (Same with GMail - yay, I got an email from Tom.)

Good, Bad - using a phone todo/shopping list, not looking at it while in the grocery store.

Bad - letting distractions get in the way of my good habits.

Investing - Fun Retirement Tables

Investing - Fun Retirement Tables

These three tables are important for retirement planning. They are subject to change and I might have entered them incorrectly, so when it comes to detailed planning or payment, check a more reliable source than me.

These are for 2023.

Also see  

• Investing
  
• Investing - More Fun with Investing
  
• Investing - How to Choose a Mutual Fund
  
• Investing - Things I Have Learned in Retirement
  
• Investing - The Basics of US Income Taxes
  
• Investing - Retirement Money Tips
  
• Investing - Index Funds, ETFs, Advisors
  
• Investing - Fun Retirement Tables

Social Security Taxable Fraction

The taxable fraction of your Social Security income is based on I = Social_Security_income/2 + income from pensions, wages, interest, dividends, and capital gains. If married, filing jointly, add the I for both people.

If I is $25,000-$34,000 for single people or $32,000-$44,000 for married and filing jointly, 50% of your Social Security will be taxable.

Above these intervals, 85% of your Social Security will be taxable.

Social Security documents all say up to 50% or up to 85%, but as near as I can tell that means 50% or 85%. 

(2023-09-14 - I am told that the "up to" is resolved by filling out the tax forms. Apparently the algorithm is too complex to document any other way. This reminds me of the HTML spec - HTML is defined by whatever the web browsers do.)


Medicare Surcharge - income related monthly adjusted amount (IRMAA)

For Medicare part B and D -

If your earnings are over $97,000 ($194,000 if married) in any given year, two years later your Medicare premium will have a surcharge. This is recalculated annually.

By earnings they mean your adjusted gross income, modified by obscure things that I am not going to include here.

Table of Monthly Premium for Part B+D

single		married		premium
$0 - $97,000		$0 - $194,000		$160.90
$97,000 - $123,000		$194,000 - $246,000		$230.80 + $12.20
$123,000 - $153,000		$246,000 - $306,000		$329.70 + $31.50
$153,000 - $183,000		$306,000 - $366,000		$428.60 + $50.70
$183,000 - $500,000		$366,000 - $750,000		$527.50 + $70.00
$500,000 -		$750,000 -		$560.50 + $76.40

Watch out for this when converting assets from IRA to Roth IRA.


IRA Required Minimum Distribution

RMDs are required, now starting at age 73. For each age, there is a fraction of your IRA that you must withdraw, expressed as a number of years (Y) to empty it. The amount to withdraw is the total value of the IRA at the end of the prior year divided by Y. This applies to all pretax retirement accounts (IRA, 401K, 403B, etc.).

You must withdraw total_value/Y and include that as part of your taxable income. You cannot transfer it to a Roth.

Table of Required Minimum Distributions

Age	Y		%		Age	Y		%		Age	Y		%
					90	12.2		8.2%		110	3.5		28.6%
					91	11.5		8.7%		111	3.4		29.5%
72	27.4		3.7%		92	10.8		9.3%		112	3.3		30.4%
73	26.5		3.8%		93	10.1		10.0%		113	3.1		32.3%
74	25.5		4.0%		94	9.5		10.6%		114	3.0		33.4%
75	24.6		4.1%		95	8.9		11.3%		115	2.9		34.5%
76	23.7		4.3%		96	8.4		12.0%		116	2.8		35.8%
77	22.9		4.4%		97	7.8		12.9%		117	2.7		37.1%
78	22.0		4.6%		98	7.3		13.7%		118	2.5		40.0%
79	21.1		4.8%		99	6.8		14.8%		119	2.3		43.5%
80	20.2		5.0%		100	6.4		15.7%		120+	2		50.0%
81	19.4		5.2%		101	6.0		16.7%
82	18.5		5.5%		102	5.6		17.9%
83	17.7		5.7%		103	5.2		19.3%
84	16.8		6.0%		104	4.9		20.5%
85	16.0		6.3%		105	4.6		21.8%
86	15.2		6.6%		106	4.3		23.3%
87	14.4		7.0%		107	4.1		24.4%
88	13.7		7.3%		108	3.9		25.7%
89	12.9		7.8%		109	3.7		27.1%

If you are more than 10 years older that your spouse and your spouse is the sole beneficiary on the IRA then you get a new table. The table has your age  horizontally and your spouse's age vertically and each entry is (as in the table above) your expected years of life (the inverse of the fractional withdrawal). Too much to document here, TIAA has the complete table - https://www.tiaa.org/public/pdf/rmd-joint-life-expect-table.pdf . (Thanks Gwyn P. Williams.)

If you do not take out the full RMD, you will be taxed 50% of the undistributed part.