The A/C in our RAV4 quit working a few weeks ago (we discovered it during a winter heat wave in January). Turns out that the condenser sprung a leak, and won’t hold refrigerant. A new one is $278 from AutoZone. I’ve been looking at the manual, trying to work up the gumption to replace it. I called a local shop to get a quote on labor, and he told me they’re not doing A/C work right now, because they think discharging the system is too risky for lungs, but when they start doing it again, it would be about $600, including recharging it. Fortunately, it’s a cool, rainy week, and repairing it isn’t urgent, even with our planned trip up the coast this weekend.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
A Revolutionary New Concept
The Europeans are thinking about building a rocket that retrofires and lands vertically. Eric Berger brings the snark.
The Left’s Pet Issues
…like mass transit, dense housing, and reusable bags and straws are a public-health disaster. I was predicting this about California since they passed that stupid plastic-bag ban.
[Update a while later]
Plastic had fallen out of favor, but the virus is bringing it back.
Herd Immunity
Thoughts from Arnold Kling.
We need to start testing as many as possible as soon as possible.
[Update early afternoon]
Ten ways the Left has politicized the pandemic.
Only ten?
[Update a while later]
The vast majority of spread has been coming from the asymptomatic. We need to start testing early and often.
[Update Tuesday morning]
Chloriquine continues to look promising, particularly if it really can be prophylactic.
Update a few minutes later]
No, China is not our friend. And I agree that media shills for it should be named as enemies of the American people.
[Mid-afternoon update]
I just asked my doctor if she could write a prescription for chloriquine. She couldn’t.
[Update a few minutes later]
Bob Zimmerman: The unwarranted panic.
[Update a while later]
Hitler isn’t happy about being quarantined.
Space Setback For China
The inaugural launch of Long March 7 failed. This is pretty significant.
Seattle
Things are looking very grim there. Like northern Italy.
Working From Home
I’ve been doing it for years: Some tips.
The Coronavirus, And Space
How the industry is being affected so far.
Intelligent Voluntary Cooperation
More from Allison Duettmann, who is co-writing what looks to be an interesting new book with Mark Miller (who I haven’t seen in years).
If you have the time, the next in the playlist is a salon with her and Aubrey De Grey on the value of life extension, but it’s a little over an hour. Foresight has put a lot of videos on line recently from its Vision Weekend last year.
California
As a resident, I can attest. Not sure how much longer we’ll stay here, though there are signs that perhaps the Democrats have overreached.
What they don’t tell you, of course, is that while the state is technically in surplus currently, it has unfunded liabilities of hundreds of billions in pensions. California is a poster child for what happens when you let uninformed innumerate idiots vote.