TGIF Blogcast: Make up your mind; Mountain lion hunting; Wild Things

Nerd Alert! (Tube amplifier version)

I recently bought this amplifier called a "Darling Clementine" and I'm now embarking on a project, getting advice from the great people at Parts Connexion (THE place to get high-quality parts for modifying and upgrading stereo equipment, along with tools, wire, etc), to replace some capacitors and resistors to improve the sound and lower the noise floor. Here's an example of a high-end capacitor for audio: Cardas Golden Ratio Series 0.22uf 600V Metalized Polypropylene NOS Capacitors

I'm also going to add a pair of RCA inputs on the back and make them switchable so that I can have the cables from the preamp go into the back of the amp rather than over the top and block the view of the amp. (You can see the little gold RCA plugs on the top front of the amp...I don't love the look when I have to run wires into them because I'd rather see the stuff in the back.) Oh, since I bought this I painted the silver part of the center transformer orange so that the transformers are now in Denver Broncos colors.

Parts Connexion

Just One Thing: Time to make up your mind

It's the last weekend before the election. Whatever undecided voters remain better make up their minds in a hurry. Even if only 2% or 3% are undecided they could decide the outcome with several key states polling with just a fraction of a percent separating Trump and Harris. Also, will people who said they would vote third-party change their minds? What about RFK’s name still being on the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan, even though he dropped out and endorsed Trump? At this point it may be too late for any big surprise and now it’s just people deciding between the prospect of Kamala Harris’s empty suit and Donald Trump’s bluster. Between the two, I think Trump offers both more potential upside and more potential risk. We’ll soon find out which the last deciders want.

Today's Guests

Col Tom Pool served 26 years in the Army, was commander of the US Army Veterinary Command and Territorial Veterinarian for Guam. He’s a scientist, hunter, and rancher and a spokesman for the Yes on 127 campaign. I'm having him on to make sure to have a voice on the "yes" side of 127 though I remain opposed and I suspect that we'll disagree about some of his arguments. We'll see!

Cats Aren’t Trophies website: Yes on Proposition 127

Stefania Van Dyke is the Assoc Dir of Interpretive Engagement for the Denver Art Museum. We're going to talk about this fantastic new exhibit that I think everyone will want to see, at least if you were ever a child: Denver exhibit features work of artist Maurice Sendak | Arts & Entertainment | denvergazette.com

Maurice Sendak - Wikipedia

Pastor David Clifton, who was on the show last year, is once again engaging in his large Thanksgiving Outreach to give many of Denver's homeless and impoverished population a good meal on a quintessentially American holiday. I hope you can help with a donation of food or money or your time. David says that my listeners were wonderful last year. More info here: Thanksgiving Outreach - The World For Jesus International

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Other Stuff

Will the election actually be as close as the polling even though the results in 2016 and 2020 were quite different from what late polls suggested? (Do remember that polls are not predictions and that the undecided often do not split evenly or in the same proportion as the early deciders, which is part of the reason polls can look "wrong" even though they weren't, or at least look more "wrong" than they were.)

Presidential election polls 2024: Latest surveys on Harris vs. Trump with 6 days to go

I suspect Gov Polis pushed our incompetent Secretary of State Jena Griswold to aggressively address all possible impacts of the password-reveal fiasco:

News Release - Colorado Secretary of State

Meanwhile, Scott Gessler, attorney for the Trump campaign in Colorado, is demanding action. I don't know whether he's asking for too much, and who's to say just what is too much in this situation? Having this problem this close to the election is a nightmare.

24.10.30_Demand_Letter_to_CO_SoS_1730308198.pdf

The height of incompetence: Colorado voting system passwords lead draws heat | Elections | denvergazette.com

Jimmy Sengenberger lays out the case against Jena Griswold. The short version: she's an incompetent partisan hack: Colorado’s election breach exposes partisan secretary of state - Washington Examiner

I think this is about right: A Harris Victory Means a Fourth Obama Term - WSJ

This doesn't bode well for our nation: SHOCKING: 4 in 5 Americans think ‘words can be violence’ | The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression

Now I know why a listener asked me about "a new poll showing Harris winning PA by 5" when there hasn't been a poll like that for a long time: ABC station mistakenly airs fake election results declaring Harris winner of key swing state

Look out, Google! Introducing ChatGPT search | OpenAI

Best birthday present: Birthday present from aunt earns Ky. woman a $36,000 lottery prize - UPI.com

I think I'd get very fat attempting to beat this world record: Idaho man breaks world record for sorting Peanut M&M's - UPI.com

I thin k it’s a similar debate in consumers’ minds here, EV vs Hybrid: BYD beats Tesla in quarterly sales for the first time as demand soars for hybrid EVs | South China Morning Post

A barbaric stone-age death cult: Taliban bans women from ‘hearing each other’s voices’ (Someone should give every Afghan woman a sharp knife and a gun and let them handle this.)

Speaking of a death cult: Iran-Israel conflict: Tehran ‘preparing to attack Israel’ possibly before US election

Stories like this make me really really despise government and the people who call government agents. Seriously, who would call the cops on this guy? What’s the right punishment for them? New York state seized a man's pet squirrel | AP News

The horrors that befell western North Carolina now hit Spain: Spain searches for bodies after flooding claims at least 158 lives | AP News

Is it just me or is this actually quite a stupid idea? Cybertruck owner regrets pumping rounds into his electric vehicle to test its bulletproof ability

Today's Videos

The Great Escape

Happy First Halloween!