OK – this is very very weird. The above video is the tracking solar collector I built several years ago. It still works BTW. But here’s what’s weird. If you do a satellite view of my house from Google Maps – the collector is gone! However – the collector’s shadow is still there. My address is 7498 Chestnut St. Gilroy CA. Look at it yourself. This thing is big, and yet it’s gone!

Get even stranger. If I open up google maps in firefox it looks normal. But if I open it up in Chrome Browser my collector is gone.



  1. zanta says:

    I can see it on Apple Maps.

  2. bobbo, are we Men of Acute Vision, or just blithering Peeping Tom's says:

    I used Google Earth. Street View shows the roofs and a flag pole with flag. GE does not. On my view….the rectangle that is your collector has a whitish “smudge” in the middle of it…making me think the shadow might actually be the collector itself? If it were shadow alone, there should be no smudge? Highly depending on time of day.

    Not many swimming pools in your neighborhood? Cool enough I guess.

  3. zanta says:

    Did you break the space-time continuum again?

  4. Bob says:

    They have drugs for OCD!

  5. Ah_Yea says:

    Interesting, I just learned something new.

    It looks like Google uses a weighed averaging algorithm to compress the images. Something like a smart Gaussian blur where a dark object seen edge on is compared to the green surrounding grass and is averaged out of the picture.
    It’s shadow, being more substantial, remains.

    • bobbo, are we Men of Acute Vision, or just blithering Peeping Tom's says:

      Why the smudge in the middle?

      • bobbo, are we Men of Acute Vision, or just blithering Peeping Tom's says:

        …….it could be in the shadow as well as the Real Life picture of the collector shows that Sun Image to be cut out of the solar collector…so it could be sunlight on the ground?

        If an algorhythm…it is still weird. Why take out a black rectangle. I’d bet there are other “black” items in the picture somewhere?

        I just noticed Marc is within walking distance of the Garlic Museum. I’ve wanted to attend the festival…when convenient. Take in the Trained Trees and the Longest running light bulb too.

        Lots to do in Gilroy besides stop for gas.

  6. When's Happyhour? says:

    I’ll bring some Doritos. Together, we can solve this mystery.

  7. Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

    In other surprising events, white supremacists marched in Virginia this weekend and the president couldn’t be bothered to condemn them specifically. Instead he said that there was “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides”.

    Yes, absolutely! That racist white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd, and that woman who ruthlessly and viciously flung her body at the car, are BOTH responsible for her death!

    🙄

    He’s on you, wingnuts. You voted for him. You can run and hide now (well, except for NFS and his little buddy pedrito) but he’s on you.

    Feeling that buyer’s remorse yet, wingnuts? I think you are. Good. There’s hope for you yet. 😉

    • Hmeyers says:

      Extremists do want to kill someone.

      I read they had to fly people in from Montana and such.

      They weren’t from Virginia. Maybe some of them were.

      You also have to ask what does Robert E. Lee actually mean to those people.

      They don’t strike me as history buffs.

    • NewFormatSux says:

      There was violence on both sides. New York Times reported it. People with clubs were there to beat up the Nazis. Police were told to stand down so they could beat them up. Then they cancelled the permit because things were unsafe and told the Nazis to march through the guys with clubs on their way out. Then the guys with clubs held their own counterprotest and one of the Nazis decided to run them over.

      • Hmeyers says:

        Running a car through a crowd ISIS style is attempted mass murder.

        Doesn’t matter what the other group of idiots was doing.

        • NewFormatSux says:

          Of course it is attempted mass murder. I’m still a little unclear on what happened. The early reports said that he rammed the crowd, backed away, and sped off. Another story said he didn’t ram the crowd, but was the third car in traffic that rammed at speed. This would explain why only one person died(the other two were from a police helicopter crash), but it’s hard to believe someone would attempt that.
          The drone video I’ve seen looks like he was the front driver, and the van stayed there.

        • NewFormatSux says:

          I see how you misunderstood my reply to Phydeau. Perhaps I should have written it as there WAS violence…
          Not intending to justify ramming the crowd.

      • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

        Ouch, NFS. You are one seriously disturbed person. Wow.

        Pedrito, he could use some help here, even from a rabid little chihuahua like you.

        • NewFormatSux says:

          I am undecided whether reading the New York Times makes one a seriously disturbed person.

          Their latest is that sex was better under Stalin.

  8. Hmeyers says:

    Since Phydeau talked about the heinous Virginia car incident above, I feel less like I am offtopic even though I am …
    —-
    When these things happen, what the fuck is it with Google, Amazon, Facebook condemning these things too?

    Do they view themselves as our gods or rulers?

    Where is Tesla, Starbucks, McDonalds, Disney and Exxon doing this kind of weird shit?

    The tech companies scare me a bit because they seem to feel they are part of government and they also act like it.

    They need to break up Google because they probably are one of our rulers. I also think they are probably too intertwined with government.

    And they don’t act like they are separate from the government.

    • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

      Companies want to have opinions too. Some are liberal like these guys. On the other hand, Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby are two corporations recently in the news for taking “conservative” stances against contraceptives and same-sex marriage.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burwell_v._Hobby_Lobby_Stores,_Inc.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-fil-A_same-sex_marriage_controversy

      And remember the First Amendment only deals with the government stifling free speech. Corporations can fire anyone they want for saying whatever they disapprove of. Some of those white supremacists have apparently lost their jobs after being identified. Boo hoo.

      • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

        Actually “liberal” is a vague term… some large corporations take socially liberal positions (in favor of gay marriage etc.) but fiscally “conservative” positions, i.e. low taxes for them as the very highest priority (which is why I put “conservative” in quotes).

        • Hmeyers says:

          A slight bit of a non-sequitur, but I always thought the funny thing about Christian bakery or the Christian wedding photos.

          The cost of wedding cakes is astronomical.

          So are wedding photos.

          I bet if you walked in an said “Will you do a gay wedding for $1 million” they would say yes.

          At that point, I would say “Ok, so it isn’t a matter of principle.” 🙂

      • Hmeyers says:

        Ah yeah, I forgot about Chick-Fil-A.

        Mostly because there aren’t any in my part of Ohio (Columbus East). I don’t care for their politics either. Nor those of Hobby Lobby.

        But let me explain …

        I don’t think corporations should be able to contribute money to election campaigns.

        Corporations are not people.

        So I am double pissed when they talk politics.

        • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

          I am with you on that one… Corporations are not people and should not be treated as them, nor allowed to contribute to political campaigns.

          • Hmeyers says:

            It is worse than ever.

            They are all now international companies.

            Foreign political donations are illegal — what’s the difference with these multinational corporations?

            None that I can see.

  9. Hmeyers says:

    More off-topic-ville:

    If Bobbo can’t convince Al Gore and Leonardo Dicapro to reduce their massive airplane flight carbon footprints and lead by example …

    Perhaps he can switch their diets to one that has a smaller carbon footprint.

    Insects are much lower on the food chain than even cows.

    If Al Gore switched his diet from meat to eating “Bug Burgers” he could reduce his carbon footprint without any nutritional sacrifices and still fly jets all the time.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9htHy-ZEHI

    Now, the above video they don’t like the taste of bug burgers.

    But I think the science of bug burgers is evolving and that they are getting closer to the traditional burger taste.

    If Bobbo could master the art of procuring exactly the right taste for bug burgers, Bobbo could lead by example where Al Gore and Leonardo have failed us so far.

  10. Machete says:

    Meanwhile: 39 shootings in Chicago this weekend, 9 deaths. No national media outrage. Why is that?

    • Hmeyers says:

      You don’t hear politicians in Chicago making any fuss about the shootings. So one has to assume that no one in Chicago cares about this as an issue — and anyone in Chicago who feels differently can move if they prefer (can’t do that in China, but even in Russia you can move out of the country at will if you choose).

      Chicago gets to decide what they like as normal.

      More power to them.

    • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

      Because guns, Machete. Because guns. Other countries without guns don’t have these massacres. So STFU.

      • Hmeyers says:

        People kill people.

        In Nigeria and Rwanda they do it with machetes.

        The idea that countries without guns don’t have violence is crazy.

        The natural state of humans is that we are violent.

        Civility — hence the term civilization — is the idea that we collectively will not practice violence on ourselves — only external foes (the military).

        Illinois and Chicago have many problems including budget. The Jerry Springer show was in Chicago because it is poor city with a lot of uneducated people.

        They have special challenges.

        • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

          HM==you forget the Republican Program like all other conservative luddite science denying programs is THREE fold: god, guns, and gays.

          So….any element can provide the violence you require to keep the masses distracted, but usually some combo plate is used to keep the program under the radar.

          God is Religion: so get the nut cases going on any of the religious issues. Right to Life, Anti-Privacy, Anti-Drug, Anti Free speech…. because God says so.

          guns. Yes….let the rabble kill each other off and afraid to walk the streets up to our armed and gated communities.

          Gays. Hate anyone different from yourself.

          Confusing the above with actual civil wars? Smooth Move. You get a Gold Star for that one.

  11. Glenn says:

    So guns. Thats it? No other contributing factors to more deaths per week than Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

    You’re a very shallow thinker. Borderline imbecile.

    • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

      Can you give us your short list of why Afghanistan & Iraq have fewer deaths?

      …….their superior educational and social justice programs?

      Religion???

      Of note and curiosity….I just assume A &I have fewer HAND guns…..but a lot more automatic/military hardware? That has to set up some nice dynamics.

      • Glenn says:

        Dictatorship and Sharia law. The judicious use of the death penalty. Crime is not tolerated. Strong family system.

        Something along those lines.

        • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

          I actually agree. Good Job.

          ……………I’ll take Chicago.

  12. NewFormatSux says:

    Hey Phydeau, when you going to comment about the latest from Wash Post on Russia collusion, aide pushing for meetings with Putin and other officials during the campaign?

    Or has The Nation led you off that path with the story that DNC hack was really a leak?

    22 megabytes per second required for the hack, which is 180 MBPS, for someone overseas.

    • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

      NFS, I’m tired of just cataloging the regular evidence of collusion. It’s there, we all know they did it, wingnuts like you are perfectly fine with it, and we’ll see if it amounts to anything actionable when Mueller has finished his investigation.

      Nixon did it with North Vietnam in 1968, Reagan did it in 1980 with Iran, and now Trump in 2016 with Russia. Colluding with foreign enemies to swing US presidential elections.

      It’s what Republicans do when they can’t win fair fights. They cheat.

      Why do you hate America so much?

      • Hmeyers says:

        Political types always put blinders on and then …

        1) Proclaim the other side sinners and the source of all problems
        1) Overlook the flaws of their own side and proclaim their side saints.

        Which is why politics is garbage.

        • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

          true…….but almost always……..one side is more right than the other.

          Broad Brush/Historical Record generally tells the tale. Who is it that wants to do away with Social Programs of any sort leaving the Free Market and charity for all your basic services and backup?

          ………..you know.

          • Hmeyers says:

            Corporations.

          • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

            Corporations? I agree………and that sadly the Dumbo’s have lost their way by turning to Corporate Money.

            Sad how our country has been captured by the Corps. THAT is the POWER of money. Power of greed. Power of money to buy politicians.

            It has to be “recognized” before it can be countered. Not much recognition floating around these days. Easily countered by money buying advertising resulting in FAME.

            Trump…..actually…. hard to avoid, trends and forces being what they are.

            Hmmmm….why are we so easily manipulable? I don’t think “I am.”….but I reject that immediately as just being ego and hubris.

            But it might be true? ha, ha. F*ck Me. Just use the kind of stick I prefer.

  13. Brian says:

    Let all the racists on the left, Black Lives Matter, Antifa (no masks), Black Panthers, SJW idiots meet the KKK, and the white supremacists into stadiums and let them duke it out. This I would pay to watch. We could make a reality show out of it and gamble on the outcome.

    Granted I have been watching these pansies “fight” and it’s pretty pathetic. I would gladly volunteer to train these children on how to properly throw a punch instead of flailing their arms like 8 year olds.

    No other weapons allowed, just yelling, wrestling, and your fists. VERY Entertaining. It’s a win-win.

    The only problem is, I bet no one would show up. Because they’re all a bunch of pussies anyway.

    • Phydeau, not actually packed with Wall Street veterans says:

      There wouldn’t be any BLM organization if cops weren’t shooting black civilians in such large numbers, for no good reason.

      There wouldn’t be antifascists without right-wing fascists trying to seize power.

      There wouldn’t be anti-KKK and anti-Nazi SJWs without the KKK and neo-Nazis trying to seize power.

      Et cetera, et cetera.

      So I have a better idea. How about these American citizens, these KKK members and fascists and neo-Nazis and bad cops, how about they stop doing such un-American and treasonous things? How about they love America instead of hating it? Then all the protesters would vanish — there’d be nothing left to protest.

      Think about it.

      • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

        Well said.

        Ha, ha……….Nazis in the Whitehouse. Crystal Night in Charolotte? A stretch……..but of the same things.

        • Hmeyers says:

          I think the “media elite” helps Trump in ways they don’t understand.

          I think they are helping him here but don’t realize how.

          The “culture wars” ends up being a losing issue for the Democrats because it always ends up lumping people in Rust Belt states as deplorables.

          It’s the achilles heal of the Democratic Party these days.

          And trying to get Democrats off it is like trying to get an alcoholic to quit drinking.

          • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

            Hmeyers often the insightful cultural critic says:
            8/15/2017 at 2:03 pm

            1. I think the “media elite” helps Trump in ways they don’t understand. //// I think they understand it quite well. Its more their own prioritization. The media is a BUSINESS (*SEE above re bidnezz). Number one is their own Profit. Number Two: everything else.

            2. I think they are helping him here but don’t realize how. /// As with most issues: they help certain interests while harming certain others with the main interest always being their own: profit.

            3. The “culture wars” ends up being a losing issue for the Democrats because it always ends up lumping people in Rust Belt states as deplorables. // Well, not always and that was Hillary’s own unique debacle. It never hurts to be reminded that Dumbo’s primarily win the Popular Vote….so its not the message that is primarily at fault… its the Electoral College and Gerrymandering and understanding the actual nuts and bolts of our system rather than the lies and messaging that takes place.

            4. It’s the achilles heal of the Democratic Party these days. /// They are less focused numbnuts than the Pukes. Money is quite unifying… as its the same thing. “A Better Deal” is a Sunday Morning Waffle House Special.

            5. And trying to get Democrats off it is like trying to get an alcoholic to quit drinking. /// Those who don’t are called radicals and get marginalized. Yes…the Hillary stranglehold of the ensconced Oilgarchs need to die off.

      • NewFormatSux says:

        BLM killed more cops for no good reason than cops killed blacks.

        • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

          Ha, ha…………..got any numbers for that……

          or just pure bloviation?

          • NewFormatSux says:

            Start with the cops killed in Dallas. Let me know when you can beat that number, and I’ll give you some more.

          • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

            Those weren’t by BLM but rather anti-police criminals using the BLM peaceful protest as cover.

            You do know the difference?

            ……………………………….. I’ll be surprised.

  14. bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

    As I was off lip flapping about AGW, I did wonder how this thread was gaining count. Ha, ha……I shoulda known.

    1. This morning caught tail end of some report that Google is getting panned for changing its algorithm to exclude “hate speech” sub topics. Today compared to last year if you search “America is Corrupt” you get very different results..supposedly, unless you include some kind of “Alt-Right Accessing” codes. This sounds like an excellent topic for Marc to review for us????

    2. Business doesn’t do politics. Business does BUSINESS. If *whatever* has a political look to it…….look deeper. Its BUSINESS: raping the consumer class to line their own pockets. We see business leaders bailing out of Trumps Bidnezz Council. Its not politics, its BUSINESS: what is good or bad for our BRAND.

    3. Speaking of BRAND. That is what is said about Trump. He’s not a Republican: he’s a BUSINESSman… and his BRAND. Everything he says and does is about……………his BRAND. Just: look.

    4. Construct of the Language. Its interesting. When the response to “Black Lives Matter” was “All Lives Matter” I could see the dispute. I do think both sides are “right” and this disconnect was timing of the various issues. But when Trump condemned violence “on many sides” I did think that was twisted and rhetorically incorrect. The marchers plowed into by the car were NOT being violent.

    Ain’t reality a Bitch?

    5. Went to Hobby Lobby for the first time last week. HUGE store. Its about arts and crafts moreso than hobbies as I used to define them. Wonderful store for women: loads of useless crap to salivate over. Good thing my Hobby Lobby is next to a craft brewer. Only good thing about Hobby Lobby from what I can see.

    6. Whats “not” in the News?………yea, verily.

    • Hmeyers says:

      I went into a Hobby Lobby about 2 years ago just to see what it was. I expected yarn and lots of miscellaneous stuff, but it quite different than I expected and like you said — huge.

      I bought a model car kit, since those aren’t common.

      • bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

        I think time has marched on. I went in to see what was new with Drone technology. I love how cheap the drone is ($200 or so?) that will have a high def camera ten feet behind you and 20 feet up just follow you around where ever you go. No doubt…. you could have it feed some instant video website for permanent storage after the cops gun you down.

        No model kits ….of anything. I didn’t look for “Collectable Miniatures” of model cars. I don’t think that would have even been there? Maybe needle point hankerchiefs of same?

        Stupid Store. Good beer right next to it.

  15. bobbo, we think with words and flower with Ideas says:

    Is it just me?

    Each picture of Marc’s Solar Collector in the OP is 1.5 panels wide which should make it a square? But it shows up as a rectangle in each picture. I’m thinking…thats the optical illusion of the angle of the collector…but the angles are different in the two pictures.

    I still guess angle…. but it niggles at me.

  16. They have drugs for OCD! In other surprising events, white supremacists marched in Virginia this weekend and the president couldn’t be bothered to condemn them specifically. Instead he said that there was “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides”. I agree…


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