Wapsi Square Forum

I had a geat deal of trouble getting any other page (Random, First, Previous, etc, etc) on the Main Site, or the Forum for that matter, other than the previous Web Browser's Session (page cached locally) when I got on the Internet last night.

Now granted, a few things where different than today;

- use of Hotspot type Internet access
(although other web pages loaded OK at the time.)

- Different PC than the Cell Phone this afternoon and the current Daily system I'm posting from right now (although: that very 'other PC' had been fine getting into 'the site' on every other previous occasion...)

- Was in a very different location, physically speaking, when I tried again the next day, like 50 miles+.

What I hadn't tried, at the time, was to go get this here PC I'm currently on and try it alongside the problematical one.

Was it just me?

I didn't have any trouble with the site yesterday, but don't remember just when I was checking.

Yes, it was. Around 8PM Central.

Yeah, it was down a while. Bookworm's site was up, though.

Different servers. There was a deadlock in WordFence. I'm trying to figure out how to fix that, so that WordFence works for anti-spam, and doesn't deadlock anymore.

I started working on it, but then blew out two tires on the way to check the server physically, and had to limp home on one leaking tire and one spare. I got it fixed once I made it home.

Two tires? Wha'd you run over?

Driving in Houston, you have an extensive menu of "Things to Run Over" to choose from: Construction debris. Demolition debris. Parts of other vehicles. Potholes. Random stuff that falls off vehicles. More potholes. Things that sorry POS people throw from their vehicles because they are sorry POS. Tires. Pieces of tires. Road kill. Chupacabras. You name it, it's probably out there waiting to be run over.

One morning last week on the way to work, I saw six vehicles pulled over with flat tires- 290 outbound just outside 610. My guess was a box of nails or screws fell off a contractor's truck and those poor souls had the misfortune of finding them. I kept waiting for that feeling of something isn't right with a tire, but it never happened. Dodged that bullet.

Gellhorn Drive. I have a customer there, but it's also where two heavy truck sellers are, plus the main Kroger distribution facility for the city, plus Stuart and Stevenson, plus the main run for Budweiser trucks. So it looks like the surface of the moon. The city flushes millions 'upgrading' a park and Kirby drive (that didn't need either), and continues to just bandaid the street where a huge chunk of the food for the city comes through. Anyway - driving about 15 mph, was dodging some potholes, and went over a HUGE patch, and right on the other side was a snapped off concrete hole. As in not just broken and sunk, but you could see the entire clean edge of the concrete. so WHAM with one tire, then WHAM with the one behind it.

I was told when I talked to my new State Farm agent a bit of advice about driving on the 60 (aka US 60 Superstition Freeway, the main artery freeway in Mesa):

"Don't drive on the 60. Especially on Saturdays, when everyone and their brother are helping someone move."

He was not incorrect. Besides the insanity of six lanes of traffic in each direction (one a HOV lane), there are dips and bumps over various canals and surface streets that will test the weakness of those ropes, strings, and bungee cords you supposedly are securing your cargo with.

My bus has already lost an entire windshield due to road debris on the 60. I have a few little "stars" and "chips" where rocks and dirt have been kicked up and hit the window.

Jesus, that sounds like some parts of Illinois. Especially the plant I work at - we have wheel-breakers all over the place.

And by wheel-breakers, I mean “they’ll rip yer god damned wheel off if you hit them too fast.”

GlytchMeister wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:29 am And by wheel-breakers, I mean “they’ll rip yer god damned wheel off if you hit them too fast.”

Welcome to New England. When the plows do their thing every year we end up with potholes that will swallow a Volkswagen (and good riddance to them). There's a reason i drive a Land-Rover - the roads nearly demand it. If it isn't dodging potholes it's dodging wildlife on snow-covered roads...or trees.

Just Old Al wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:14 pm

GlytchMeister wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:29 am And by wheel-breakers, I mean “they’ll rip yer god damned wheel off if you hit them too fast.”

Welcome to New England. When the plows do their thing every year we end up with potholes that will swallow a Volkswagen (and good riddance to them). There's a reason i drive a Land-Rover - the roads nearly demand it. If it isn't dodging potholes it's dodging wildlife on snow-covered roads...or trees.

Aaah, the fabled Two Seasons: snow removal, and road repair. (There is of course the short transitional period known as mud season.)

A Land Rover dodging wildlife on snow-covered trees? That seems as if it would be a job better suited to the Weasleys' flying Ford Anglia, with a good set of snow tires added.

Good lord. Those urban Texas roads sound worse than Pennsylvania highways. And my entire family is accursed to the gods of vulcanized rubber. (Leading theory is that some ancestor told Charlie Goodyear a really bad joke.)

Anyhow, in my native county in Northern Greater Appalachia, they do have four seasons:

Almost Winter

Winter

Still Winter

Road Repair.

Illinois has almost winter, winter, still winter, road construction, and It’s Hot.

Road construction isn't a season here in Arizona (except in the Northern part). It's a constant.

The problem with the freeways here in the Valley is that most of them are built essentially in ditches, so things collect in most of them. And there's a reason why the tell you to pull over and turn off your lights when a dust storm hits: it might be the only way they can tell you from the other debris on the road.

Turn your lights off?

Typeminer wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 5:55 pm Good lord. Those urban Texas roads sound worse than Pennsylvania highways. And my entire family is accursed to the gods of vulcanized rubber. (Leading theory is that some ancestor told Charlie Goodyear a really bad joke.)

Really, most roads are well maintained. I believe that 'roads' are the largest section of the state budget. This is just one small one that's under heavy abuse and they keep avoiding actually rebuilding it.

In Canada, it was two seasons. "Winter" and "Construction".

In Houston, we have one freeway that's been under continuous repair for 40 some years. Hot and wet, Hot and dry, or cold and wet - it's construction season. (We don't get much of anything you can call 'cold and dry')

The difference between “cool” and “cold” is if the construction crews are out.

Dave wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:39 pm
A Land Rover dodging wildlife on snow-covered trees? That seems as if it would be a job better suited to the Weasleys' flying Ford Anglia, with a good set of snow tires added.

Remember who you are speaking to here, my good man...

Just Old Al wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:14 pm

GlytchMeister wrote: ↑Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:29 am And by wheel-breakers, I mean “they’ll rip yer god damned wheel off if you hit them too fast.”

Welcome to New England. When the plows do their thing every year we end up with potholes that will swallow a Volkswagen (and good riddance to them). There's a reason i drive a Land-Rover - the roads nearly demand it. If it isn't dodging potholes it's dodging wildlife on snow-covered roads...or trees.

I didn't know that Land-Rover was building with Flubber!