This happened to me once...

 Not.

For those who thought...

My fondness for xkcd was weird:

[Click to embiggen]

[More, but I assume no responsibility]

Huh...

Blew my mind, anyway...

[More]

I've been spending too much time...

In the northern Corn Belt.  I'm starting to talk like them.

Take the test yourself.

Great Twitter feed...

Faces in thing. [@FacesPics]

Just some happy grass cells under the microscope. pic.twitter.com/XeACxGOxWE
— Faces in Things (@FacesPics) December 1, 2013

Time-suck Warning! 

Thanksgiving stuff(ing)...

 I suppose this is a kind of Junkbox, but specifically targeted to today.

First, if you're struggling for things to list when your turn at the table to be thankful comes around remember these 5 economic trends. Dibs in this one:

5) Debt burdens keep on falling. The ratio of Americans' income going to meet debt obligations has plummeted in recent years, as consumers have both reduced debt burdens (by paying them down and in some cases defaulting) and benefited from lower interest rates. The debt service ratio was only 9.89 percent in the second quarter, hovering near an all-time low of 9.84 percent from late 2012 (the data go back to 1980). That ratio was 13.5 percent in the third quarter of 2007, before the crisis. Congratulations, America! You're making progress in getting your household debts to a more manageable level.

Even though I have been following economic numbers, this reminder was a pick-me-up. Maybe it's because they can't pack enough doom-mongering in farm publications right now.

To be fair, I am convinced one thing about this ag downturn that will be unique for my lifetime at least is remarkably low odds for a massive government bailout, like the infamous extra AMTA payment.

This conviction is certainly coloring my plans for the next few years, which have proven to be a little trickier to map out with dual goals of enough retirement income and a manageable debt for Aaron. Looking at the spreadsheets, I really needed just one more year of $5+ corn to arrange the numbers in a smooth, trouble-free path. 

But since when has my ability to plan been that accurate? Like many of my generation, working past 66 probably won't kill me. 

I do think that high costs will force down rents faster than experts think. In short, DuPont and Monsanto will eat landowners lunch as well as operators. Rents are, in the end, residual, and with lenders poised to say "no" much earlier, 2014 rents could show a significant drop.

*****

I filled up for $3.09 recently (see above).  I could get used to this. But I wasn't aware of one of the factors in the price drop.

Many Gulf Coast refiners are taking advantage of the boom in shale-oil drilling in the Midwest and producing ever more diesel for export to Europe and Asia. That's a lucrative business. And that refining process also produces more gasoline for domestic consumption. So, as The Wall Street Journal reports, refiners can still make a profit from exporting diesel abroad even if they're creating a glut of gasoline here at home. [More]

I also think it might be part of refiner and oil producer plans to do what they can to keep prices low if the EPA goes through with the mandate revision. Nothing would cement the idea of ethanol making gas prices higher than gas selling with a "2" in front of it right after the mandate was eased, IMHO.

Nonetheless, thanks Europe!

*****

I could do this if I wanted to...

*****

Meanwhile, back in Africa, the lack of industrialization to provide jobs is threatened by an emerging pattern of premature deindustrialization. 

The economic, social, and political consequences of premature deindustrialization have yet to be analyzed in full. On the economic front, it is clear that early deindustrialization impedes growth and delays convergence with the advanced economies. Manufacturing industries are what I have called “escalator industries”: labor productivity in manufacturing has a tendency to converge to the frontier, even in economies where policies, institutions, and geography conspire to retard progress in other sectors of the economy.That is why rapid growth historically has always been associated with industrialization (except for a handful of small countries with large natural-resource endowments). Less room for industrialization will almost certainly mean fewer growth miracles in the future. [More]

There simply will not be as many "factory jobs" anywhere in the world, let alone Africa. This reinforces my belief that forcing industrial agriculture into sub-Saharan Africa would be devastating to local economies even as they make money for investors, since  our type of ag is very labor-light (and getting more so).

*****

Go watch the game. Or The Wrath of Khan.

One day more...  

Before I can go back to being a smartphone user. I sorta drowned my iPhone in the pool two weeks ago, and...it's a long sad story soon to be a FJ John's World.

Anyhoo, I find myself singing.

 

(Boy, Russell Crowe really can't sing, can he?)

The Holy Trinity unpacked...  

We were grappling with this in Sunday School this week, so how timely is this helpful video?

 

Clears it up for me.

Oddly soothing...  

I dunno - you just get locked on, somehow.

Saves a trip to the farm store for entertainment.

 

For my son...  

Whom I love but will never understand re: the following.

 

[Update: backstory here]

Seriously, Lando and Leia?  Wrong that is.

(Assuming Aaron wasn't tweeted this clip hours ago, of course.

Measure it...  

And you will game it. Thanks to this app, I check the wind like an 18th century sea captain before driving anywhere. It can mess with mileage ± 2-6 mpg. on an Equinox.

When I start postponing trips, we'll know I've gone over the edge.

After all my bad-mouthing...  

Apple Maps comes up with a cool view of my farm.

If you have anything with iOS6 (iPhone, iPad, etc.) and have upgraded to iOS6 enter my address:

23957 N 2100th. St.
Chrisman, IL 61924

Then select "Satellite" view.  

If you magnify down you can see my house, our farm to the NNE about 1/2 mi. and our combine in the field cutting beans just east of the house.  At the north end of the field is the grain cart half-full, with me likely sleeping in it. The date was September (?) 2011.  The weird patchwork to the east of the combine is a Pioneer Impact plot. The pattern in the field to the north was down corn from a wind in August.

I would have waved had I known...

Chemicals...  

They're like, everywhere!

Nothing good has ever come of chemistry. From the toxic gases that slaughtered billions in World War I, II and III, to the toxic liquids pumped into our innocent, crying children daily under the pretence of “vaccination” and “public health”, we’re surrounded by chemicals. Chemicals are toxins. Chemicals are evil.
Sadly, no matter how vigilant you feel you are, it’s likely that chemicals have infiltrated your home. This is partly the government’s fault: with their engorged wallets bursting at the seams with cash “donations” from Big Chemistry, it’s no wonder politicians turn a blind eye to the blatant poisoning of their citizens. But you’re also to blame. Your ignorance of basic science is probably killing your family.
But luckily, with a few easy modifications and substitutions to your way of living, you can begin an effective physical (and spiritual) detox and be rid of 6 of the major sources of household chemicals.

Books

It’s no secret that chemists love to read, so it’s no surprise that many, if not all, books contain some truly deadly chemicals. You may not have been taught this in school, but paper (the primary component of books) is made out of cellulose, a substance so foreign to our bodies that our own digestive system refuses to break it down, much like chewing gum. Cellulose, in turn, is made of glucose, which has been implicated in numerous diseases, including (but surely not limited to) diabetes. Glucose is also the main fuel for cancer, which makes a whole lot of sense considering 99.5% of cancer patients read, on average, one to eight books prior to their diagnosis. Coincidence? There are no coincidences when dealing with chemicals.
Chemical-​​free replacement: Ancient scrolls. It’s safe to read any text printed before the discovery of the structure of cellulose, but make sure you wear gloves. [More shocking news]

Those wacky Aussies...

My boss's concept of me...  

In Africa later this month.

 

Hey, maybe I could wind up in the Senate.

No, I forgot - you need to be able to do this.

How we'll get...  

To the new EPA mileage requirements. With luck, I'll be dead.



 It won't be nearly as scary on the right side of the road, of course.

OK, OK, already...  

Enough with all the questions about supersonic ping pong balls.

 

Why doesn't the ball expand/explode in the vacuum? Is it porous?

I better try this at home...

Timesuck Warning!!!...  

 What the hey - it's not like you're doing anything important. 

*Be sure to head to the actual tumblr - Lousy Book Covers - for the devastating remarks.

My faves so far:

 

*Seriously, I haven't seen one-liners like this since MST3K!

Star Wars VII (?)...  

Can't come soon enough in Britain.

About a quarter of a million people ticked the “Other religion” write-in box. Among them, 56,620 wrote Pagan, while Agnostics and Atheists claimed around 30,000 adherents apiece. Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Shamanism made the list, while the most common was Jedi Knight, by 176,632 Star Wars fans.

And the census results?

[Source]

And guess who else is stoked?

I think I'd sooner have Jar-Jar...

As I head to my woodshop...  

I wanted to share this deeply moving video.

 

Not helping...  

Doing some on-line shopping? Do you read the reviews? 

Notice how some don't really help?

[Many more - timesuck warning]