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The New American Digest

For Followers of Gerard Van der Leun's Fine Work

  • About American Digest
  • About New American Digest
  • “The Name In The Stone”
  • Remembering Gerard Van der Leun
    • from the website: Through the Looking Glass
    • from the website: Barnhardt
    • from the website: Neo’s Blog
  • Articles
    • The Overland Stage
      • The Holladay Overland Stage: 1 – The Central Route
      • The Overland Stage – 2 Company Operations
      • The Overland Stage – 3 Exploring The Route – An Overview
      • The Overland Stage: 4 – South Platte/Julesburg/Ft Sedgwick
        • Jack Slade
      • The Overland Stage: 5 – Julesburg to Junction Station (aka Ft Morgan)
      • The Overland Stage: 6 – Junction Station to Latham
      • The Overland Stage: 7 – Latham Crossing to Fort Collins
      • The Overland Stage: 8 – LaPorte to Virginia Dale
      • The Overland Stage: 9 – Virginia Dale to Cooper Creek
      • The Overland Stage: 10 – Cooper Creek to Pass Creek
        • Fletcher Family
      • The Overland Stage: 11 – Pass Creek to Bridger Station
      • The Overland Stage: 12 – Bridger Pass to Duck Lake
      • The Overland Stage: 13 – Duck Lake to LaClede
      • The Overland Stage: 14 – LaClede to Almond
      • The Overland Stage: 15 – Almond to Rock Springs
      • The Overland Stage: 16 – Rock Springs to Fort Bridger
      • The Overland Stage: 17 – Fort Bridger to Weber Station

I find I don’t wish to explore new lands, but to explore again those I have already passed through, trying to see what I’d missed in the first hectic rush … Gerard Van der Leun

Home→Published 2025 → August → 28

Daily Archives: August 28, 2025

Ice Cream

The New American Digest Posted on August 28, 2025 by DTAugust 28, 2025

Got some ice cream out last night - it was the perfect consistency for eating.
Which means it was too warm for having been in the freezer.

Mrs DT thought maybe the freezer door hadn't closed all the way as sometimes happens if something hangs up on the shelf. That and the ice cream carton lid was loose.

Today she discovered the temperature control wasn't working.

I had to reboot the refrigerator
Say What??? Reboot a refrigerator?

Remember the old Honeywell bronze colored thermostat that hung on most everyone's wall? Set the temperature by spinning the clear plastic plate?
The heat would go on if the temperature went lower; the air conditioner goes on if the temperature goes higher.
Worked fine ... and nary a computer in sight.

Same with so many other things in life.

Microprocessors in everything. All programmed by low paid programmers (you don't think low margin products hire the best, do you? probably H1Bs from India) with the goal of cheap and "first to market". Maximize profit and ignore complaints. Require the customer to go to "arbitration" (of the manufacturer's choice) if something goes wrong.

More and more, our lives are dependent on some code bunny - and the code bunny management - properly assuring the computers work as expected, especially when things don't work as expected. I've been there: "Proper assurance" is not on the development list. Test under nominal conditions and devil take those when things aren't "nominal".

The normal attitude is that computers don't make mistakes ... and now more and more, the world is coming to be dependent on "AI" - a misnomer if I ever heard one.

I wonder who rolls off into the unknown first, us "boomers" or the world.

grumble, mumble, grumble ... reboot a refrigerator ... mumble, grumble, mumble

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Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Replies

Eye On The Prize

The New American Digest Posted on August 28, 2025 by DTAugust 26, 2025
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Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Replies

Rules

Gerard Van der Leun
12/26/45 - 1/27/23


Gerard's Last Post
(posthumous): Feb 4, 2023
"So Long. See You All a Little Further Down the Road"

When my body won’t hold me anymore
And it finally lets me free
Where will I go?
Will the trade winds take me south through Georgia grain?
Or tropical rain?
Or snow from the heavens?
Will I join with the ocean blue?
Or run into a savior true?
And shake hands laughing
And walk through the night, straight to the light
Holding the love I’ve known in my life
And no hard feelings

Avett Brothers - No Hard Feelings

The following was posted along with the announcement of Gerard's passing.
Leonard Cohen - Going Home

For a 2005 interview with Gerard


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The New Neo
Jean's Blog

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man,
play a song for me
I'm not sleepy
and there ain't no place I'm goin' to

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man,
play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning,
I'll come followin' you

Take me for a trip upon
your magic swirling ship
All my senses have been stripped
And my hands can't feel to grip
And my toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'

I'm ready to go anywhere,
I'm ready for to fade
Unto my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it


Men who saw night coming down about them could somehow act as if they stood at the edge of dawn.


From Gerard's site. The picture always caught my eye.

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