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distortions.net

I'm Ryan Mikulovsky. Tech geek. GIS pro. Avgeek. California Native plant gardener. All photos on this blog, unless stated otherwise, are mine. Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and X100V. Views are my own.

Apple

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    Tankless Water Heater citric acid flush day! About 1.5lb citric acid to 3.5 gallons of water. Long ago I did the math to get the right pH and now I just trust it 😆⚖️A tankless water heater maintenance setup is shown. Two hoses are connected to the heater, with their ends immersed in a bucket filled with almost 4 gallons of water and 1.5lbs of citric acid crystals. An electric sump pump is in the bucket, connected to a power cord. The setup is on a concrete floor.

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    As previously mentioned, there was a circus behind us from last Friday through Monday. And its final act (for us, twice a day) was a loud explosion from the “The huuuuuman caaaanonbaaaall”. Here’s that canon…. Me thinks there’s nothing actually explosive happening 😹A large cannon painted with an American flag design is mounted on a trailer. It has a trashcan cover strapped to its opening. There is a bicycle strapped to the trailer, and the scene includes dry grass and some Michelobe Ultra beer bottles and litter on the ground. It’s an overcast day.

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    I just donated to Rose Yee to #KickLaMalfaOut

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    We voted! I voted the Not a Loser or a Sucker Veteran slate. Oh, and for democracy and actual freedom. A short haired white male is inserting sealed ballots into a locked white ballot drop box. It’s on a porch outside a public building.

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    Bidwell Park has goats! Under the watchful eye of a Great Pyrenees, they’re chowing down on the poison oak & vinca choked understory just southwest of the Chico Nature Center. #BidwellPark #Goats #Fujifilm #SOoC One white goat is very close, looking blankly towards the camera. Beyond, many goats graze in a wooded area, surrounded by a wire fence. Leaves cover the ground, and tall trees fill the background. A peaceful wooded area with tall trees and dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. A large white dog, probably a Great Pyrenees, protector of the goats, sleeps on the ground in front of a wooden fence.

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    But for the cost, this new lens is tempting. PetaPixel: The Familiar Fujifilm XF 500mm f/5.6 Brings Portable Super-Tele Photography to the X Series

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    Today we made a quick visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no missing the White Fronted Geese now and there’s still plenty of dragonflies but there’s no significant population of migratory songbirds yet #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #Dragonfly #Fujifilm #SOoC A dragonfly with transparent wings featuring dark patterns rests on a vertical reed, set against a background of dry, intertwined reeds. A large flock of White Fronted geese rests im a wetland area surrounded by water and tall grasses. The landscape includes trees and distant rice hulling silos under a clear blue sky.

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    At the refuge, the only newcomers are white crowns and white fronted geese. But I only photographed a Black Phoebe that just pooped and a rather brave squirrel. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #BlackPhoebe #Squirrel 🪶A small, Black Phoebe is perched on a barren, leafless branch against a clear blue sky. The branch extends across the photo and ends at the center where the bird is. A falling drop of bright white bird poop is barely visible below the bird. A ground squirrel standing on its hind legs next to a fallen Willow tree with branches, in a dry grassy environment.

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    Geese & White Crowns are back. Soon as the weather stays cooler, I hope to be out at the refuges on weekends. And that should mean photos to share! 🤞

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    Yikes. Dresden’s Carola Bridge collapsed in their early morning hours. Apparently a tram had just crossed it and no one was on the bridge. And soon floods may begin. Here’s the bridge back in 2009 with a tram passing over. #Carolabrücke A busy riverside promenade with numerous people walking and socializing. Several street lamps, a parking sign, and a no-stopping sign are visible along the cobblestone walkway. There is a river with the concrete pier Carola Bridge. A church is visible beyond the far shore.

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    I got the latest iOS 18 developer beta and its Home app can download PG&E energy use data & make it nicely accessible along with comparisons. The interface showing comparisons needs work but it is better than PG&E’s web charts though the iOS charts do not show cost (yet?) The image shows a smartphone screen with Home app displaying electricity usage. The app section titled “Electricity Usage” shows a bar chart of electricity consumption over the past year. A call-out over the current month shows a daily average of 23kWh. Below the chart are verbose definitions about energy use and how electricity is measured.

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    Today, our roofers repaired a set of joined eaves that had been a leaky but exterior only problem for years. It finally got bad enough with the sheathing sagging that I committed to getting it fixed this dry season. That sheathing was pretty rotted Looking up through a partially deconstructed eave at a L shaped exterior wall join with exposed beams and a red door beneath it. The sky is visible through the gaps in the beams. The support beams are casting shadows. A metal ladder is leaning against the building because of repair work.

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    I’ve had Grado SR–125 headphones for almost 20 years now. I’ve neglected them the last ten years. Their second set of L cushions were disintegrating, so I splurged on official G cushions. They’re so good. They fit entirely over my ears instead of sitting along the edges (that made my ears ache pretty fast). #Gradolabs

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    In World of Warcraft’s War Within, I have made it to Dornogal. My Druid hasn’t died yet. Not sure if that means I’m badass or that first part of the game is purposefully easy to solo 🤔 Enjoying it so far #WoW

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    I just learned about Follower Dungeons in World of Warcraft. Being able to now play the game solo, at my own pace, is very tempting. I’m happy to see WoW is available for Macs #WoW #macOS

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    Asian pears are ready for fresh eating! The yellow ones are New Century and the brown ones are Hosui. Our nectarines were hammered by the heat and recently got bug infested. But we harvested what we could & cooked them down. #HomeOrchard #AsianPears A collection of yellow and brown Asian pears placed in a clear plastic bowl.

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    Smoke from thr Park Fire has, for the first time, obviously made it to the surface of the west side of the Sacramento Valley. I can smell it and the Purple sensor reports above 170 AQI #ParkFire #CAWx #AirQuality

    The screenshot displays an air quality index (AQI) reading of 178 for Channel A and 177 for Channel B, alongside a historical graph and various particulate matter measurements. From the My Purple Air iOS app.
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    The temperatures are in the 70s and it is quite overcast with clouds and smoke. So we took advantage of the fall-like weather and went to Black Butte Reservoir. Here are Western Grebes, a Double Crested Cormorant, a Robin, and an Osprey A group of Western grebes swimming in a body of water. The image is taken from a distance, showing the long, curvy necked white and black birds spread out across the water’s surface. A cormorant flying low over a body of water with its wings outstretched. The water surface appears calm with gentle ripples, reflecting the bird’s silhouette. A red breasted Robin sits in a bush with red berries and green foliage. It has a speckled white and black face. An osprey, white and brown, is perched high on top of a utility pole surrounded by power lines. The background is a green orchard with some dry grasslands. Large trees with dark green foliage is visible on the left and right of the bird.

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    Park Fire from way across the west Sacramento Valley near Orland ☹️ #ParkFire #CAWx A suburban street scene featuring a gas station, several vehicles, and an American flag on a pole. The clear blue sky is contrasted by pyrocumulus clouds in the background. A red curb in the foreground reads “NO PARKING FIRE LANE.” Trees

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    Today’s Sonos app update restores most local library functionality. Here I go with app and firmware updates 🤞

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