The Peckish Synapse

Grumpy Bear · April 28, 2022

Textbook Example of Misinformation

What God Said

Gen 2:16,17 (Byington) And God Jehovah gave the man orders: “From all the trees of the garden you are to eat, but from the tree of knowledge of good and bad you are not to eat, because on the day you eat from it you shall die.”

What Satan Said

Gen 3:4,5 (NWT) At this the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die. For God knows that in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.”

The Result

Romans 5:12 (Rotherham) For this cause—Just as through one man sin into the world entered, And through sin death,—And so unto all men death passed through, For that all had sinned;—

Commentary

I've heard said around our kitchen table as a youngster than any really good lie is about ninety percent true and it's that ninety percent that makes that ten percent believable. Such is the case here.

Note Satan's bold statement! No not the 'You certainly will not die" part. The part that made this blatant lie seem true:

God knows that in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.”

I can almost her that snake whisper "knowing good and bad" and boldly emphasizing....you will be like God....then leave it to do it's work deceiving Eve that as god's they would ".....certainly will not die" AND would acquire God like abilities such as the ability to decide for ones self what is ".....good and bad". Now on the surface that seems like Satan was right in that they would acquire an ability they did not have. But is that true? No! Why? Because God had ALREADY given them THAT choice and that choice was????? Obey and let me decide what is good and bad for you as your creator and Sovereign OR CHOOSE FOR YOURSELF what is good and bad and die. All Satan did was restate the truth is a way that made the lie appear to be true the the truth to be a lie as if God was withholding that wonderful choice from them.

1 Tim 2:14b says of the effectiveness of Satan's skill as a liar: ".....but the woman was thoroughly deceived......."

The Lesson

John 8:41-45 (NWT)

You are doing the works of your father.” They said to him: “We were not born from immorality; we have one Father, God.”

Jesus said to them: “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I have not come of my own initiative, but that One sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot listen to my word. You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie. Because I, on the other hand, tell you the truth, you do not believe me.

Humans are easy to deceive and humans can also be very skillful liars. They can also be hard to deceive and truthful. We have the same choices today that they had in the beginning. We also still have the same influencers and guides.

Compare Luke 4:4,6, 1John 5:19

Good questions to ask when you review information is:

1) What are they selling?
2.) Who is the source?

Grumpy Bear · May 4, 2022

How Sure are You?

In the chemical business and in research we used cubes like this as tools to find the nature of a process or a chemistry and its influence on the physical properties of the finished product. These things are constructed in a way that limits variability to a single 'lever' at a time for that very purpose and there can be allot of levers to pull. Dozens sometimes. As the Research Mule it was my job to run the experiments these cubes dictate, keep the records, do the testing and present the results on a weekly basis. I didn't sleep much. That would mean running the same experiment over and over and over and over.....changing only one thing at at time by a predetermined amount.

Example, I might process a batch of X chemistry a hundred times changing only the temperature by one degree then doing that point three times before moving on to say Pressure as the only variable moved. IF during the process something moved or changed that was not part of the plan you ran it again. Many of these experiments took 8 to 16 hours to complete.

When Hexion decided to change a chemistry by even 1% the entire cube is run to assure this change does not 'ruin the soup'. On a new product this may mean thousands of runs over months or years before such a change made it to production. And we are just getting started. Testing those products could take just as long even under 'Accelerated' standardized methods.

Now the guy whom I worked under had about 35 years in the business and THREE PhD's in the field working on his fourth. And his insistence on running the entire set was unmovable although he had more experience in the field than anyone I had ever met and more times than not knew the result before the results were known. Let's say his batting average was anything but.

He'd sit in the lab with me some days and monitor my technique or review my notes and sometimes just keep me company. I'd ask him, WHY???? Why continue once you see the pattern or are outside 'normal' operation conditions?

Because you know NOTHING for sure until you're sure of EVERYTHING.

As it turns out he got cocky after his second PhD and a with a few decades field experience under his belt and had skipped steps where in his experience he was SURE . Months into production the end user was experiencing total product failures that were traced to a small "insignificant" change in process conditions that were not fully vetted in lab trials. The result for the company was huge. The result for my boss was being tossed out of a much bigger company that the one we were currently working for. Seems he was not ready for a second helping of humble pie.

Allot of research goes into product development. Changing a chemistry to use ONE cheaper ingredient or changing a ratio isn't cheap at all and is rarely done without a huge REALLY EXPENSIVE study.

Grumpy Bear · May 4, 2022

The problem with experience is that humans do not get old enough to benefit from it.

That took much longer to say in my head than type on the keyboard and even longer to compose in my thoughts. Anyway...

We learn everything via this medium of experience and we rely on it much to heavily for our sense of worth and/or accomplishment. Even if no one else ever noticed we know the imperfections we acquired with it as our tutor. Unlike a dog humans have an ego. That little fact allows us to lie to ourselves...big fat black lies. To become quite pleased with our accomplishments. Use it as a touchstone for life. Those know imperfections also dwell in us and come to life when exposed.

"A tree is perfect as it is.", so said The Craftsman. "We destroy that perfection when we cut it down. A Craftsman is a person who's pursuit of restoring that perfection in the things he makes from it runs deepest". He continued, "A Craftsman is a person to works with and through his mistakes instead of wasting them".

(Work of a Craftsman)

Benjamin Franklin stated, "You will observe with concern how long a useful truth may be known, and exist, before it is generally received and practiced upon". I have found this thought haunting and glaring in our commercial systems of things.

Do you see the two distinctly different and opposed ideas? The Craftsman uses experience working through and with his mistakes to restore and/or create improvement with each and every repeated execution of the task from the materials he uses.

Commercial systems are not driven by such a spiritual need. Profit drives business and profit is excess over cost that is not reinvested in the business. You can trust that before a change is made that SEEMS to increase profit the cost of that change will be weighed in a scale than can measure the weight of a gnats fart in a hurricane.

(Work of a Corperation)

People of great means do not buy at Walmart.

They buy from Craftsman with the money they make selling to people who shop at Walmart.

Poor people, who if had learned to be Craftsman would have trough its exercise enjoy the fruits of the wealthy without the need to be so.

Now if I had just understood that before seven decades blew by.

Right?

Edited May 4, 2022 by Grumpy Bear

Donstar · May 4, 2022

Many cultures see the enormous value in tapping into the experiences of their elders. Unfortunately, too many of us don't fully appreciate the value of experience until we've had one that is similar. There are humorous quips about teens maturing to adulthood realizing that their parents aren't as dumb as they thought. However, this realization doesn't always extend to later years. In my 40's I wish that I recognized my parents' experience was commensurately of higher value than mine. Being old doesn't necessarily mean we're right but opinions have a lot more history. (bigger bibliography) There are many occasions that I regret not taking full advantage of the wisdom so freely offered by older people in my life.

KARNUT · May 4, 2022

9 minutes ago, Donstar said:

Many cultures see the enormous value in tapping into the experiences of their elders. Unfortunately, too many of us don't fully appreciate the value of experience until we've had one that is similar. There are humorous quips about teens maturing to adulthood realizing that their parents aren't as dumb as they thought. However, this realization doesn't always extend to later years. In my 40's I wish that I recognized my parents' experience was commensurately of higher value than mine. Being old doesn't necessarily mean we're right but opinions have a lot more history. (bigger bibliography) There are many occasions that I regret not taking full advantage of the wisdom so freely offered by older people in my life.

My parents spent money like water. Classic business owners. Rich, poor, etc. My wife and I are savers. Lucky for my parents the kids join the business. The biggest addition to me on how to be financially independent was Dave Ramsey. I never knew you could pay off a house earlier, never crossed my mind. The key to early retirement.

Edited May 4, 2022 by KARNUT

Grumpy Bear · May 23, 2022

Knocking Heads

Neighbor walks into the garage where I'm on the floor rubbing a warped head from my mower on my concrete floor and laughs.

"Shouldn't you take it to the shop and have it milled", he squeezes out between waves of laughter grabbing a beer from my fridge. Oh he's going to be here awhile. Good!

"Why"? I reply flatly continuing to work away checking my work as I go.

"So the thing will seal", he rebuffs taking a long draw. "Or just buy a new one".

I've moved on to a sheet of fine paper between head and floor now that the blue is gone not looking up. He's enjoying this. Good!

"Well", he inquires, "Didn't you hear me".

"Yep", grabbing a rattle can of aluminum paint and spraying a nice coat on the gasket. In a few minutes I have the head bolted back on, plug in, motor primed and in one pull she fires right up. Leak free I might add. GOOD!

During the 60's horsepower wars there was 'new tech' almost monthly. Enough of it to keep multiple magazines in black ink for the decade and with each new slice of tech came the growing idea that only the latest, greatest, most precise technology was even worth your while. This sold allot of parts and services and in time the old was forgotten.

Thing is, something new does not make the old useless or even obsolete. Doesn't even make it less desirable. It makes it.......uncomfortable. That is if what someone else things of you matters to you. Does it? Why? It worked and it still works.

Granted there is always new technology that makes a desirable difference. Cylinder prep comes to mind. Yes the old way still works but the new adds measurable improvements even to a daily driver. In the opening example on hand lapping vs machining it made zero difference. Sealed is sealed period.

There are also cases where a more precise method gives more information but does not alter the end result or become more useful in a practical sense.

Once upon a time a lifetime ago I spent some time as a Maintenance Manager in a small factory whose maintenance budget was out of control and I was hired to end that. The guys knew their jobs. So I started with parts vendors and having dropped that tree moved on to tech sales. There is always a new kid in town with a latest and greatest tech your company can not do without out and this outfit was buying it all. These guys come in all flavors but the one that suits this post are the guys that are selling the idea that everything that is not their thing is wrong. The entire world is WRONG and they are there to make your world RIGHT.

Yea, I don't need that head to be flat to one millionth of a light band, that is, optically quarts joy block flat. I need that head to seal and stay sealed in use. Laugh and ridicule all you like.....

Grumpy Bear · May 24, 2022

Thick, Slick and Clean!

That's the shortest phrase I can think of to describe what oil needs to be.

And when should one change it?

When it's not.

I've had a total rethink on OCI's length. Manufacture recommendations. Industry standards. AAA guidelines. What "Dad use to do". What's worked for me for _________years. Guided by UOA. It's not just a matter of the shear volume of garbage "science" and marketing misinformation. It's also a total lack of agreement between labs. It's about the same as when THEY said that those that were fully vaccinated could enter Walmart without a mask and you knowing that less than half of your county was vaccinated, observing EVERYONE in the store but you was without a mask. Now what do you do? For me....I treat them ALL as liars. Unfair? Perhaps. But it is safe(r).

The Truth does not have an agenda. Facts used to promote an agenda do.

Ever hear of Entropy? After you watch this video I want you to take note that in the first example he works with there is an 8% probability that 2 units of mass at room temperature could heat up on it's own. That friends is a FACT and yet is never EVER does. Why? Because there is never that few a number of units in anyplace outside the world of theory. That's the TRUTH.

Yet because that FACT exist at all, the argument can be made that it IS probable and someone will try to monetize it and attempt to convince you it is not just a fact but the truth.

Do you need protection from something that has a .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000003% chance of happening?

Grumpy Bear · June 7, 2022

The Three B's

Made the round trip to Dads Sunday. A 350 mile journey the route I choose to take. Shuttle duty. Sis was in from Europe so with hubby and luggage in tow this was not a Pepper job, 'twas a job for Daisy. Our 2009 LaCrosse. Hadn't been out of the garage in months and naturally the battery was flat. The trickle charger fuse had died. Other than the airport delays it was the only real drama of the day. Had her fully serviced and I had a nap before company arrived.

It was ready to go at 10 PM when they rolled into the drive for what would turn out to be about a four and a half hour trip in some pretty nasty weather and equally nasty drivers who like to ignore the courtesy of dipping those ultra blue high beams. Worse vision than driving in the fog which to was present from time to time. I would later learn the rainfall to be just short of two inches in the hour or so we were in it.

US 30 has been constantly under construction as long as I can remember as it, at a snails pace, becomes a four lane through eastern Iowa. Rough and potholed and impossible to see when those holes a full of water. Daisy didn't complain.

They were dog tired having flown from Croatia to O'Hare with but a touchdown in Warsaw and would have a bit further to go after I dropped them at Dads to there accommodations. Dad was supplying a LeSabre. All told they would be up for over 36 hours.

Sis who just can not sleep while traveling and has gone near 72 hours so deprived during international travels slipped into slumber about a half hour to our destination. An all time first! She was a surprised as any of us. Her husband had been asleep before we cleared my driveway.

All she could say about it was that she hand never felt so eerily safe and extremely comfortable. Complimenting both my driving and the plush, quite and cozy nature of the Big Buicks.

When we arrived Gabe, her husband, asked if I would like to sell him the car at any price I asked. I declined of course and this disappointed him greatly which he voiced. "Why not", he pleaded.

"What would I replace it with", I responded flatly.

Dad chuckled, "Better Buy a Buick"

Besides being crazy comfortable she is quite economical as well. The 3800 obtaining 30 mpg for the entire trip. I treated Daisy to an oil change and a nice bath then put her back to bed. Job well done old girl.

Grumpy Bear · July 4, 2022

BOOM!

Hard to watch the news. Another mass shooting in Chicago Land today. What use to be a once a decade or century event is now multiple times a day. It's hard to imagine a 'Law and Order' system when so few have any interest in obeying the law. Let that rest on the dark gray a minute. How many did you personally break today? Did you speed? Set off illegal fireworks? Fire a weapon in a restricted area? Take something that wasn't yours? Over catch your limit of Bass? Rationalize it all? Yet almost everyone likes the law obeyed TOWARD them. Imagine that. A one way street of compliance!

No one want's to be stolen from. Hit by a drunk. Have their dog terrorized by five days of illegal fireworks.

4 A.M. That was the last BOOM for the night. First for today was a dawn. There will be at least two more days of this silliness.

Poor Rex

customboss · July 5, 2022

16 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

BOOM!

Hard to watch the news. Another mass shooting in Chicago Land today. What use to be a once a decade or century event is now multiple times a day. It's hard to imagine a 'Law and Order' system when so few have any interest in obeying the law. Let that rest on the dark gray a minute. How many did you personally break today? Did you speed? Set off illegal fireworks? Fire a weapon in a restricted area? Take something that wasn't yours? Over catch your limit of Bass? Rationalize it all? Yet almost everyone likes the law obeyed TOWARD them. Imagine that. A one way street of compliance!

No one want's to be stolen from. Hit by a drunk. Have their dog terrorized by five days of illegal fireworks.

4 A.M. That was the last BOOM for the night. First for today was a dawn. There will be at least two more days of this silliness.

Poor Rex

Stop allowing a minority to run the democratic republic of USA and we might mitigate all these issues you outline and rightfully describe. Community matters and democracies that operate on minority control aren't democracies.

shakenfake · July 5, 2022

Don't worry we aren't a Rome.

customboss · July 5, 2022

11 minutes ago, shakenfake said:

Don't worry we aren't a Rome.

elaborate

shakenfake · July 5, 2022

Rome lasted thousands of years. USA won't. Sooner or later we will have a complete change in government and society.

customboss · July 5, 2022

27 minutes ago, shakenfake said:

Rome lasted thousands of years. USA won't. Sooner or later we will have a complete change in government and society.

Gotcha. When a society criticizes their position from comfortable spot, it’s hard to imagine how painful and ugly that transition would be on its citizens. Rome wasn’t a democratic republic in actuality very long. US is unique as lasting 246 years. Until and unless we collectively realize this is as good as it gets we are in danger of losing the experiment. Ukrainian citizens are more democratic republic thinking right now than flaccid wimpy entitled US in my estimation. You’ve got something to fight for as a citizen. Be careful giving it away.