Kolchak: The Night Stalker – Episode 1: The Ripper

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – Episode 2: The Zombie

We started watching the first few episodes of Kolchak: The Night Stalker tonight, and it is every bit as fun as I remembered. Darren McGavin is absolutely magnetic as Carl Kolchak, stumping around in that rumpled suit and straw hat, cassette recorder in hand, trying to convince his furious boss that actual monsters are roaming around. (There are several bits of the “old man” from A Christmas Story fling out in moments of his frustration, too)

This seeded every monster of the week show that came after (for good or bad). It makes for fantastic seasonal filler as we start winding our way toward Halloween.

Day 20,052 – 570721052638

https://www.wdbj7.com/2026/09/22/data-center-being-considered-roanoke-wood-haven-technology-park-authority-says/?outputType=amp

Roanoke Wood Haven Technology Park being evaluated for data center, Authority says

what is happening

two data center fights are running in the roanoke valley right now. one is wood haven, the roughly 94 acre technology park in roanoke county owned by the western virginia regional industrial facility authority (wvirfa). the other is google’s proposed data center campus at the greenfield site in daleville, botetourt county. they are separate sites, separate deals, and separate boards, but the same questions follow both: water, power, transparency, and who gets a say.

the latest on wood haven

on september 11, 2026, wvrifa entered a purchase agreement for wood haven with clearview dynamics llc. the deal is not yet final. here is the timeline, as reported by local blog the scotto grotto from public records:

2023: wvrifa hires prologis to market wood haven for data center development. potential customers named in public records include meta, google, amazon/aws, microsoft, and nvidia.
2025: prologis pursues project dcroa, a proposed 300 megawatt, five building data center campus for a confidential tenant.
january 13, 2026: clearview dynamics llc is formed in delaware.
april 1, 2026: wvrifa terminates the prologis agreement after required conditions are not met.
may 2026: clearview registers in virginia.
september 11, 2026: wvrifa enters a purchase agreement with clearview for wood haven.

source: the scotto grotto, september 18 2026
https://svonberg.org/2026/09/18/day-21048-570716135430/

the other front: botetourt county

google wants to build what the army corps of engineers calls a “mission critical data center campus,” known as project raspberry, at greenfield in daleville. per the sierra club roanoke group’s july 2026 update: three data center buildings of about 300,000 square feet each, three substations, a 28,000 square foot office building, plus roads, utilities, and parking. google has indicated a need of 2 to 8 million gallons of water a day for cooling. the 79 megawatts from rocky forge wind would not be enough, so the campus would draw power from the grid.

source: sierra club virginia chapter, roanoke group
https://www.sierraclub.org/virginia/roanoke/data-center-impacts-virginia

where people have shown up

in june 2026, google hosted a community open house at lord botetourt high school. hundreds of residents packed in to question google officials and county staff about water, electric infrastructure, jobs, and long term impacts. outside, protesters lined the roadway with signs and chants. many said residents were not adequately involved in early discussions. one protester, chloe johnson, called it “a google unfair because this all feels very unfair.”

source: wsls 10, june 2026
https://gmg-wsls-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/news/local/2026/06/17/google-data-center-open-hose/

earlier, botetourt residents protested the project over water usage, noise, energy bills, and property values. video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpgtvyBamLE

where to show up next

wvrifa board meetings are open to the public. they are normally held the third friday of each month at 10:00 am at the roanoke regional partnership, 111 franklin rd se, suite 333, roanoke. the next one falls on october 16, 2026. check wvrifa.org/meetings before going, because meetings are sometimes cancelled.
https://wvrifa.org/meetings/

roanoke city council and the roanoke county board of supervisors also hold public comment periods at their regular meetings. agendas are posted on the city and county websites.

who to call

every number below is public, listed by the government body itself, and was verified in september 2026. if you call about wood haven, the wvrifa board and your county supervisor are the ones with votes. if you call about the google campus, that is botetourt county.

roanoke city council

mayor joseph l. cobb: 540-853-2444, joseph.cobb@roanokeva.gov
vice mayor s. terry mcguire: 540-759-0621, terry.mcguire@roanokeva.gov
nicolas s. hagen: 540-759-1806, nick.hagen@roanokeva.gov
phazhon t. nash: 540-589-8329, phazhon.nash@roanokeva.gov
vivian sanchez-jones: 540-580-5637, vivian.sanchezjones@roanokeva.gov
peter j. volosin: 540-312-7572, peter.volosin@roanokeva.gov
evelyn w. powers: 540-524-0638, evelyn.w.powers@roanokeva.gov

roanoke county board of supervisors

the county publishes one public line and email for the whole board: 540-772-2005, bos@roanokecountyva.gov

david radford, windsor hills
martha b. hooker, catawba
tammy shepherd, vinton
phil north, hollins
paul m. mahoney, cave spring

wvrifa board of directors

the authority’s public contact: 540-343-4417, info@wvrifa.org

gary larrowe, botetourt county (chair)
kyle rosner, botetourt county
valmarie h. turner, city of roanoke
steve sandy, franklin county
danielle “dani” poe, franklin county
thomas j. miller, city of salem
chris dorsey, city of salem
richard caywood, roanoke county (vice chair)
megan baker, roanoke county
cody sexton, town of vinton
richard “pete” peters, town of vinton (secretary/treasurer)

the city of roanoke’s second wvrifa seat is currently vacant.

why this matters now

the wood haven sale is not final, which means the terms, the buyer, and the future of the site are still in play. the google campus in botetourt is still moving through public process. both will be decided by people whose phone numbers are listed above. showing up and calling are the two levers that work before a vote, not after.

your roanoke reps, all in one place.

public phones and emails for roanoke city council, the roanoke county board of supervisors, and the wvrifa board of directors. every number verified sept 2026 against official government pages.

save this for the next vote that matters.

#roanokeva #roanokecity #roanokecounty #wvrifa #woodhaven #localgovernment #civicengagement #virginia #knowyourreps

Pamela Gregorski
↓
Corporation Service Company (CSC)
↓
Clearview Dynamics LLC
↓
Wood Haven Technology Park

Other Gregorski-linked LLCs

Atmoss LLC → Oklahoma data-center project

Orla LLC → Indiana data-center project

Laidley LLC → Louisiana data-center project

Goat Systems LLC → Wyoming data-center project

Cambrin LLC → Wisconsin data-center project

Several of these projects have subsequently been publicly associated with Meta.

This pattern does not establish that Clearview is owned by Meta. It does show why Clearview’s corporate records and transaction documents warrant closer examination.

THE CLEARVIEW CONNECTION MAP

THE CENTRAL THREAD

PAMELA GREGORSKI
↓
Signed Clearview’s Virginia registration paperwork
↓
CLEARVIEW DYNAMICS LLC
↓
Purchase agreement with WVRIFA
↓
WOOD HAVEN TECHNOLOGY PARK

THE SITE’S EARLIER DEVELOPMENT THREAD

WOOD HAVEN TECHNOLOGY PARK
↓
WVRIFA hires Prologis to market the site
↓
PROJECT DCROA
↓
Proposed 300-MW, five-building data-center campus
↓
Tenant not publicly identified

THE UNPROVEN CONNECTION

CLEARVIEW
↓
?
↓
PROJECT DCROA / FORMER PROLOGIS TENANT

No public record currently establishes that these are the same project or that Clearview is the former tenant.

THE OTHER GREGORSKI-LINKED ENTITIES

GREGORSKI
↓
ATMOSS LLC → Oklahoma data-center project

GREGORSKI
↓
ORLA LLC → Indiana data-center project

GREGORSKI
↓
LAIDLEY LLC → Louisiana data-center project

GREGORSKI
↓
GOAT SYSTEMS LLC → Wyoming data-center project

GREGORSKI
↓
CAMBRIN LLC → Wisconsin data-center project

THE QUESTION

Does Clearview fit the same corporate pattern—or is the apparent connection coincidental?

The Clearview purchase agreement, financing records, ownership information and assignment provisions could provide the missing link.

I recently received a very sweet, random compliment: I bumped into a friendly local acquaintance as I was leaving the gym while they were entering with a friend, and they introduced me as “everybody’s cool uncle.”

(Clarified, “A cool uncle is a supportive relative who provides fun, trust, and guidance while avoiding the strict daily responsibilities of parenting. He often acts as a safe confidant for his nieces and nephews, offering a judgment-free space for advice on topics they might hesitate to share with their parents. By blending memorable experiences, rule-bending fun, and objective mentorship, he bridges the gap between authority figure and peer to become a uniquely relatable and dependable role model.”)

That felt really good.

Contrary to being called an “unc”, natch.

Reaching “unc status” means you’ve done something that makes you seem old, like groaning when you stand up, using outdated technology, or reminiscing too much about “the good old days”… which I could certainly qualify for, too.

Maybe Cool Unc is a thing?

Random factoid:

River otters love hard boiled eggs. I learned that at the Calvert Marine Museum

Be very sure before you accuse someone of using AI. They might just be a really crappy human  writer.

Day 21,046 – 570715061546

Original code via

rainbow spiral | 64 second loop#pico8 #postcart (256 chars ~ src in reply)

— zep.p8 (@lexaloffle.bsky.social) 2024-10-25T09:33:19.254Z

::★::cls()for r=4,128,4 do for i=0,7/4,1/4doq=(t()*(1+r/32)/8)%1v0=mid((q-i)*4,1) v1=mid((q-i)*4+2,1)a=i-1/8 x=64+cos(a)*r*0.71 y=64+sin(a)*r*0.71a+=3/8u=cos(a)v=sin(a)if(v1>v0)line(x+u*v0*r,y+v*v0*r,x+u*v1*r,y+v*v1*r,8+(r/4)%8)end end flip() goto ★// gif: www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=144…

— zep.p8 (@lexaloffle.bsky.social) 2024-10-25T09:34:58.225Z

Reverse-engineered into a html5 widget

https://svonberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/square.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang=”en”>
<head>
    <meta charset=”UTF-8″>
    <meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0″>
    <title>Rotating Geometric Widget</title>
    <style>
        body {
            margin: 0;
            padding: 0;
            display: flex;
            justify-content: center;
            align-items: center;
            min-height: 100vh;
            background-color: #111; /* Dark background to match PICO-8 vibe */
            overflow: hidden;
        }
        /* Container to center and scale the canvas */
        #canvas-container {
            position: relative;
            /* Maintaining a square aspect ratio similar to PICO-8 */
            width: 90vmin;
            height: 90vmin;
            max-width: 512px;
            max-height: 512px;
            box-shadow: 0 0 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
        }
        canvas {
            display: block;
            width: 100%;
            height: 100%;
            background-color: #000; /* PICO-8 cls() default black */
            image-rendering: pixelated; /* Give it a retro feel */
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>

    <div id=”canvas-container”>
        <canvas id=”pico-canvas” width=”128″ height=”128″></canvas>
    </div>

    <script>
        // Get canvas context
        const canvas = document.getElementById(‘pico-canvas’);
        const ctx = canvas.getContext(‘2d’);

        // PICO-8 color palette (approximations)
        const pico8Palette = [
            “#000000”, “#1D2B53”, “#7E2553”, “#008751”,
            “#AB5236”, “#5F574F”, “#C2C3C7”, “#FFF1E8”,
            “#FF004D”, “#FFA300”, “#FFEC27”, “#00E436”,
            “#29ADFF”, “#83769C”, “#FF77A8”, “#FFCCAA”
        ];

        // Helper functions matching PICO-8 behavior
        function mid(x, y) {
            // PICO-8 mid(x, y, z) usually takes 3 args to clamp.
            // The lua snippet uses mid(val, 1). This is a trick in PICO-8 where missing args default to 0.
            // So mid((q-i)*4, 1) is equivalent to mid(0, (q-i)*4, 1), which is clamping between 0 and 1.
            return Math.max(0, Math.min(x, 1)); // Clamping between 0 and 1, assuming implicit 0 as 3rd arg behavior
        }

        function t() {
            // Returns time in seconds
            return performance.now() / 1000;
        }

        // Main animation loop
        function draw() {
            // Equivalent to cls()
            ctx.fillStyle = pico8Palette[0];
            ctx.fillRect(0, 0, 128, 128);

            const time = t();

            // for r=4,128,4 do
            for (let r = 4; r <= 128; r += 4) {
                // for i=0,7/4,1/4 do
                for (let i = 0; i <= 7 / 4; i += 1 / 4) {
                    // q=(t()*(1+r/32)/8)%1
                    const q = (time * (1 + r / 32) / 8) % 1;

                    // v0=mid((q-i)*4,1)
                    // The original lua uses a 2-arg mid, which in PICO-8 defaults the 3rd to 0.
                    // effectively clamping between 0 and 1.
                    const val0 = (q – i) * 4;
                    const v0 = Math.max(0, Math.min(val0, 1));

                    // v1=mid((q-i)*4+2,1)
                    const val1 = (q – i) * 4 + 2;
                    const v1 = Math.max(0, Math.min(val1, 1));

                    // a=i-1/8 x=64+cos(a)*r*0.71 y=64+sin(a)*r*0.71
                    // Note: PICO-8 sin/cos use turns (0-1), standard JS uses radians (0-2PI)
                    let a = i – 1 / 8;
                    const a_rad = a * Math.PI * 2; // Convert turns to radians
                    // PICO-8 cos() is standard, but sin() is inverted (y goes down)
                    const x = 64 + Math.cos(a_rad) * r * 0.71;
                    // Invert sin for standard JS canvas to match PICO-8 visual (PICO-8 sin is negative of math.sin)
                    const y = 64 + (-Math.sin(a_rad)) * r * 0.71;

                    // a+=3/8 u=cos(a) v=sin(a)
                    a += 3 / 8;
                    const a_rad2 = a * Math.PI * 2;
                    const u = Math.cos(a_rad2);
                    const v = -Math.sin(a_rad2); // Invert sin

                    // if(v1>v0)line(x+u*v0*r,y+v*v0*r,x+u*v1*r,y+v*v1*r,8+(r/4)%8)
                    if (v1 > v0) {
                        const startX = x + u * v0 * r;
                        const startY = y + v * v0 * r;
                        const endX = x + u * v1 * r;
                        const endY = y + v * v1 * r;
                       
                        // Color index: 8+(r/4)%8
                        const colorIndex = 8 + (Math.floor(r / 4) % 8);
                       
                        ctx.beginPath();
                        ctx.moveTo(startX, startY);
                        ctx.lineTo(endX, endY);
                       
                        // PICO-8 lines are generally 1 pixel wide
                        ctx.lineWidth = 1;
                        // Use the palette, fallback to white if out of bounds
                        ctx.strokeStyle = pico8Palette[colorIndex] || “#FFFFFF”;
                        ctx.stroke();
                    }
                }
            }

            // Equivalent to flip() and goto loop
            requestAnimationFrame(draw);
        }

        // Start the loop
        window.onload = function() {
            draw();
        }
    </script>
</body>
</html>

“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.

Back at the gym today. Mostly for some stretching, and light weights  but a good gentle start. The pool wasn’t an option for me this go ’round, but tomorrow is a new day.

Getting my covid and flu shots tomorrow,  that should give me a little recoup time if I need it. Last time I did a double it didn’t knock me down too badly.

Some handy German words

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nervens%C3%A4ge – Nervensäge – Nervesaw

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gehirnverweigerer

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Backpfeifengesicht

Holy cow, this is something.

https://themedialine.org/headlines/scottish-welsh-northern-irish-leaders-to-sign-joint-declaration-on-independence/

Day 21,043 – 570712064429

Let’s see, maybe its time for a progress report.

Physical pain continues. Usually starts at about a 4, progressing to 8 over the course of the day. I really still have no way to gage what causes it to ratchet up over time. Medicating and some epidural stuff helping on occasion.

I haven’t been going to the Y as much this last month, with family and friends visiting.  Hopefully, hitting the gym again will soften things up up some, reduce pain, and grant a bit more mobility.

Looking forward to cooler temperatures and more opportunities for outside wanderings in the blue ridge in the months ahead. Autumn is some of my favorite time of year, and Halloween a solid vibe.

Thinking about rewatching Kolchak this season.

https://pmc19.com/

Please, please, be very cautious right now.

The US has at least 33 states/territories with COVlD outbreaks. These include Alaska, Hawai’i, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

There are likely outbreaks in additional states. The summary statistic of 33 only includes counties with observed data, rather than estimated data. For example, South Carolina and Oklahoma likely have outbreaks, but monitoring is poor.

Alert: Three weeks ago, the CDC modified how they link numeric wastewater data to descriptive levels (e.g., Low) in ways that generally describe transmission as one category lower than their previous system (e.g., Low is now “Very Low”). We have made a brief video explainer, also covered in Forbes. By default, PMC uses the pre-August 14 system. However, we have added a toggle switch to the interactive map and comment on this in the past few reports.