Dwight Silverman

@dwightsilverman.com

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Retired but not good at it. Still tech columnizing at the Houston Chronicle. Passable iPhone photographer, pizza lover, aspiring cat lady. Base camps at https://mastodon.social/@dsilverman, https://www.threads.net/@dsilverman #housky

Posts Replies Media

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Dwight Silverman

Tropical rains brought flash flooding to a belt of the region south and east of the city of Houston overnight, but the worst of these storms is ending. We still have rainfall concerns this weekend, but we are getting through it. Next week looks sunny and warmer.☀️☀️☀️ #houwx #housky

Areas south and east of Houston hit by heavy rain overnightspacecityweather.com In brief: Tropical rains brought flash flooding to a belt of the region south and east of the city of Houston overnight, but the worst of these storms is ending. We still have some rainfall concern…

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Dwight Silverman

The AP’s story about how JD Vance didn’t write about having sex with a couch has been taken down; spokesperson says the story “didn’t go through our standard editing process.”

The correct headline would be “No, JD Vance did not write that he had sex with a couch in a memoir.” It is not actually known if he did have sex with a couch. He just did not write that. So this headline makes a very unjournalistic leap.

Patently overwritten headline. apnews.com/article/fact...

No, JD Vance did not have sex with a couchapnews.com As the Ohio senator sets out on the campaign trail as the GOP’s vice presidential nominee, social media users are making false claims about the contents of “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and C...

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Dwight Silverman

Rain in Houston has been manageable so far today. We expect more this evening, with scattered heavy downpours. Another potentially heavier round is possible Thursday morning. We’ll maintain our flood alerts as is for now. #houwx #housky

Mostly manageable rain today, but additional waves of rain in our futurespacecityweather.com In brief: Rain has been manageable so far today. We expect more rain this evening, with scattered heavy downpours. Another round of potentially heavier rain is possible on Thursday morning. We&#821…

Excellent guide to different web browsers from @advisorator.com - on the Advisorator site but not limited to subscribers, yay! Very useful if you’re frustrated with the browser you use and want to learn more about alternatives.

Web browsers: A field guideadvisorator.com Jared Newman|July 22, 2024| You can learn a lot about someone—or, at least, about how they use technology—from their choice of web browser. Some play it safe, sticking with defaults like Safar...

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Dwight Silverman

Although the coast has largely been spared heavy rainfall for the last two days, it now appears that the axis of strongest storms will shift there on Wednesday and Thursday. As a result, we are elevating coastal counties to a Stage 2 flood alert through Thursday evening. #houwx #housky

Heavy rainfall threat shifts to the coast, where we’re increasing our flood alert to Stage 2spacecityweather.com In brief: Although the coast has largely been spared heavy rainfall for the last two days, it now appears that the axis of strongest storms will shift there on Wednesday and Thursday. Due to this h…

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Dwight Silverman

Houston faces three days of widespread showers, with the potential for heavy rainfall and street flooding, before conditions start to ease heading into the weekend. The entire metro area is under a Stage 1 flood alert through Thursday, with the biggest risk near the coast. #houwx #housky

Storm coverage and intensity peaks the next couple of days, with lessening impacts by the weekendspacecityweather.com In brief: Houston faces three days of widespread showers, with the potential for heavy rainfall and street flooding, before conditions start to ease heading into the weekend. The entire metro area …

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Dwight Silverman

Houston sees high rain chances through the coming weekend, but the threat of heavy rainfall will be particularly acute during the next four days. We have issued a Stage 1 flood alert through Thursday. #houwx #housky

The threat of heavy rainfall will be with us through at least Thursdayspacecityweather.com In brief: Houston will see high rain chances through the coming weekend, but the threat of heavy rainfall will be particularly acute during the next four days. We have issued a Stage 1 flood alert …

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Dwight Silverman

We are issuing a Stage 1 flood alert for the entire Houston metro region, through Thursday, to account for the potential of street flooding. As much as 6 inches of rain could fall in some area. #houwx #housky

With a very wet pattern in place, we are issuing a Stage 1 flood alert through Thursdayspacecityweather.com In brief: We are issuing a Stage 1 flood alert for the entire Houston metro area, through Thursday, to account for the potential of street flooding. Much of the Houston area should pick up 2 to 6 i…

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Dwight Silverman

As a counterpoint to the Sorkin op-ed, I would like to point out who will be 35 by November.

Here's my review of the desktop computer speakers I've been raving about: Creative Labs' Pebble X Plus 2.1. For the money, the sound is excellent, they conserve precious desk space and the tiny subwoofer is ... amazing. Gift link.

Creative’s Pebble X Plus are tiny speakers with big sound for little cashwww.houstonchronicle.com Creative’s Pebble X Plus are tiny speakers with big sound for little cash and a fine replacement for Klipsch ProMedia.

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Dwight Silverman

The latest version of our app just dropped with a couple of big updates! We now use data from AccuWeather, for more reliable current conditions and forecasts. And we've updated our startup screen to match the new banner atop the blog, featuring our sponsor, Reliant Energy. Be sure to update!

The Space City Weather app now has AccuWeather data and a prettier splash screenspacecityweather.com If you’ve been paying attention to what happens on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Android devices, you know that a new version of our app recently dropped and is in the wild. As is our wont, when …

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Dwight Silverman

Clicking "Don't want to see this ad" next to the big Trump ad at the top of the Explore page yielded a "Refresh this page to update these trends" confirmation--but refreshing the page brought up the exact same Trump ad. The lack of respect for people's consent... sure is on-brand for Trump, I guess.

Elon Musk has rapidly turned Twitter into a pro-Trump campaign engine. - Icon of Trump after his assassination attempt on the MAGA hashtag (hat tip to @parkermolloy.com) - Unremovable Trump 2024 hashtag at the top of the trending topics list - Unremovable Trump campaign ads on the Explore tab

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Dwight Silverman

Houston begins a slow transition back to a wetter weather pattern today, with higher rain chances tomorrow and Friday. It will remain fairly hot and humid, but “less hot” weather and even better rain chances may arrive early next week. #houwx

A very uncomfortable Wednesday in Houston, but rain chances begin to get going againspacecityweather.com In brief: Houston begins a slow transition back to a wetter weather pattern today, with higher rain chances tomorrow and Friday. No severe weather is expected at this time, but we cannot completely…

Oh, I like the way the new Overcast app works on the Mac. Nice work, @marcoarment.bsky.social

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Dwight Silverman

Popular podcast player Overcast has been rebuilt from the ground up “for its second decade”

Reply to

Geo B

Did this back in June: www.houstonchronicle.com/business/tec...

Devices to keep your phones and computers alive when power is outwww.houstonchronicle.com Battery packs and power banks to keep your cellphones, computers and internet running when electricity goes out.

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Dwight Silverman

Typical summer weather is with us to start the week in Houston, but rain chances increase starting Wednesday afternoon as a change in the pattern over Texas leads to potentially cooler temperatures and wetter weather. #houwx #housky

For those still powerless in Houston, uncomfortable weather to start the week, with changes on the horizonspacecityweather.com In brief: Typical summer weather will be with us to start the week, but rain chances increase Wednesday afternoon and especially Thursday and Friday as a change in the pattern over Texas leads to p…

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Dwight Silverman

I quit

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Dwight Silverman

Eric has thoughts about the need for a reckoning with power distribution in the Houston area, and greater resiliency given the conditions we regularly experience. The forecast: We will see additional thunderstorm chances today and Saturday before a hotter and calmer pattern begins Sunday. #houwx

Houston deserves a much better electricity distribution systemspacecityweather.com In brief: Today’s post offers some thoughts about the need for a reckoning with power distribution in the greater Houston area, and greater resiliency given the conditions we regularly experi…

Dropped calls, can’t text, no internet on your cell phone after Beryl? Here's why By me. Gift link:

Dropped calls, can’t text and no internet on your cell phone? Here’s whywww.houstonchronicle.com Calls wouldn’t go through, or if they did, they’d quickly drop. Even texting, which cellular carriers during a disaster, failed

Reply to

‘stina is a shiny special one

I am kind of surprised that the map survived the 2021 freeze, though I seem to recall that Centerpoint made a platform change recently, which may be the root of the issue. But that memory may be faulty so ...

Reply to

‘stina is a shiny special one

The Outage Map problem wasn't the source of data, but the resilience of the servers. They were overwhelmed and brought down in the derecho. Rather than put it back up and have it crash yet again, they are rebuilding it from the ground up, on a more robust platform. Should return this month.

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Dwight Silverman

[guy inventing social media] what if we let short-tempered dimwits weigh in on everything immediately

Some tweaks to this: It's not "the electric company in Texas": Centerpoint handles the infrastructure in the Houston region. In TX, companies that sell power are separate from those who manage the poles and lines. Its outage map cratered under demand after a derecho last month.

WTF. The electric company in Texas doesn't have a map of outages so people have been using the Whataburger App to figure out who lost power. This is like when Homer was using the Krusty Burger map when they got lost at sea.

Sorry for the Xitter link, but this is brilliant: Using the Whataburger app to track power outages. #whataoutage x.com/bbqbryan/sta...

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Dwight Silverman

Beryl made landfall near Matagorda as a category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds. It will now move north across Matagorda and Fort Bend Counties into western Harris County, slowly weakening. Heavy rain, flooding, more frequent strong winds, and isolated tornadoes are all likely. #beryl #houwx

Hurricane Beryl makes landfall near Matagorda with 80 mph windsspacecityweather.com In brief: Beryl has made landfall near Matagorda, TX as a category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds. It will now move north across Matagorda and Fort Bend Counties into western Harris County, while sl…

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Dwight Silverman

#Beryl is en route to the Texas coast, while attempting to strengthen a bit at the last minute. Surge, wind, power outages, and flash flooding remain likely near and especially east of where it makes landfall. @spacecitywx.bsky.social will have more thru the night: theeyewall.com/beryl-mostly...

I've gotten to the point where I won't read any story with the annoying ... "X was the case. Then Y happened." headline trope. C'mon, it's beyond cliche, newsfolk - it's hackneyed at this point.

Interviews with more than three dozen aides, advisers, lawmakers, governors and other President Biden allies tell the inside story of his team’s failure over nine days to contain the crisis from his debate with Donald Trump.

Biden thought he had it under control. Then it got worse.www.washingtonpost.com The inside story of the Biden team’s failure over nine days to contain the crisis from his debate with Trump.

Reply to

Kyle

On my Mac, they would buzz if I plugged them directly into the audio jack. Could prevent that by using a 3.5-to-USB-A adapter. Had to do this on both a Mac mini, a 27" iMac and a MacBook Pro - on both the original ProMedias from 2009, as well as the 2020 model.