Archive for the ‘Just Stuff’ Category

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The Jumanji Stampede

Friday, September 18th, 2009

The family & I just finished watching Jumanji again — that is a fun movie, and one of my all-time favorites! But the scene that gets me is the first stampede… Alan (Robin Williams), Sarah (Bonnie Hunt), Judy (Kirsten Dunst) & Peter (Bradley Pierce) duck down a hallway to get out of the way of the stampeding animals, allowing us, the audience, a view of the animals running past the hallway.

Every time I see that scene reminds me of a fevered dream when I was a kid. I was sick with the flu or something and had a fever. Sleep was sporadic, and I kept dreaming — or more likely hallucinating — that huge animals were running down the hallway past my room making an enormous racket. It seems to me that I had this dream more than just once as a kid… And I know of at least one time as an adult having a fever and getting that déjà vu feeling. Very unnerving. But this movie scene is as close to what I saw in my mind’s eye as anything else.

Pardon the crappy video; it’s all I could find online, and looks like someone stuck a video camera in front of a TV to capture it. If you really want to experience it, rent the movie; it’s worth it!

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Barack’s Schooltime Address — Meh.

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

There was a lot of hullaballoo over President Barack Obama’s webcast address to schoolkids that was scheduled for today. Lots of people on the right decided to keep their kids home from school to keep them from being made to hear what he had to say — one talk show host made mention that today was “Take Your Kid To The Doctor” day — and still others of the opposite political persuasion (no trackbacks or links from me) chose to blast the Right for voicing concerns about it.

I just listened to Obama’s speech, read through the text of what was on his teleprompter as he went, and all I can say is, ‘meh’. He followed the script pretty well, but I still don’t see why all the fuss over his oratory style. Double-meh. It was filled with good advice, and was the kind of rah-rah speech that kids in school get all the time (or they should); stay in school, respect your teachers, pay attention, etc… The same sort of things I tell my boys when they start slacking & letting their grades slide. This one stands apart in that it’s coming from the President of the United States and was intended to be piped in everywhere via webcast; can’t recall any previous president doing anything other than visiting a handful of schools & delivering the same type of speech in person.

This one also stands out in that it showcases our Glorious President’s narcissism; he uses the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘me’ no less than 60 times in the speech. He seemed to set himself up as the example of how far someone can get in life through hard work, discipline and a dedicated family. And don’t forget that in spite of the knowledge that kids get the same type of pep talk from their parents and teachers, he somehow thinks that telling kids,

… I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

… will make them do better? As if his golden voice and rapturous tones will make the difference, and get the kids to perform. If it works to inspire some kids to do better, great. But it’s just a little too creepy for me, and I’d say the same if it was George W. Bush that was doing the talking (Reagan? I would be ok with that though!) I have to admit that when I tell my own kids those same things they often don’t listen; hearing it come from a respected teacher or family member usually has more traction. But since when did this become the purview of the POTUS? There seems to be someone who thinks the President can pull off what so many others can’t; it’s either a bit of narcissism on Obama’s part, or his staff and the adoring crowds that fill the bureaucratic positions in school systems across the country thinking a little too highly of him.

I just hope this doesn’t become a regular thing; Obama’s image being beamed into every US classroom on a regular basis is just a little too reminiscent of the portrait of Saddam Hussein or Fidel Castro being displayed in classrooms and homes. Add to that the thought of something like the ridiculous I Pledge video being shown along with it an address from Obama… (shivvvverrrrr) Too creepy for me, thanks.

Posted in Just Stuff, Media Bias, Politics | Comments Closed

The Cicada Killer Wasp

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

For the last few summers we’ve had some scary looking bugs in our yard. Thankfully, they’re just scary looking, and nothing to really be afraid of, provided you’re not a cicada.


A female cicada killer wasp in flight, approaching a prospective nest site.

The lifecycle of the cicada killer wasp sounds like something out of a Ridley Scott movie… The female cicada killer wasp hunts down a cicada and stings it to paralyze it. When the cicada is safely immobilized, the wasp carries the cicada back to its burrow — a hole dug in loose soil. The cicada is placed in a dead-end chamber of the burrow; the female then lays a single egg (sometimes two) on the still paralyzed but very much alive cicada, and seals up the chamber. When the egg hatches, the larva gnaws through the exoskeleton of the cicada and feeds on its internal organs, saving the nervous system for last so as to maximize the length of time that the cicada remains alive. Gruesome, no?


The same female digging in the loose dirt for a new nest site.

The female cicada wasp killers are very large; up to 2 inches long. I’ve had them buzz by my head a few times and the sound is pretty unnerving if you’re not expecting it. The males are supposedly much smaller, but I can’t say that I’ve seen any.

Very scary looking, but very cool. It’s this kind of thing that makes me really question the theory of evolution. The evolution of physical body parts is only part of the equation; what about complex behaviors like this? So the larvae that just happened to leave the nervous system for last gained an evolutionary advantage over the others? And how did that “just happened” get passed on to the progeny of those lucky larvae? Nah; not buying it. I wouldn’t need to believe in an omnipotent, omniscient Creator to know that something like that doesn’t happen by chance.

God makes some cool stuff!

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Posted in Home Life, Just Stuff, Personal Growth, The Deep, The Kids, The World | Comments Closed

A Cheapskate’s Paint Job — The Final Product

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

This is the third and maybe final installment in my Cheapskate’s Paint Job series (click here for Part 1, and here for Part 2.) One thing is for sure; the “$50 Paint Job” is a bit of a misnomer; it’s a paint job alright, but I’m pretty sure I passed the $50 mark not too long after buying the paint for it. I didn’t keep very close track of things, but when it was all said & done, the paint & materials for the job cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. Still far cheaper than a professional paint job, but $50 just wouldn’t cut it! So I’ll just call it The Cheapskate’s Paint Job®!

 

The car is nearly complete — only a few niggling details to button up — and I have to say I’m impressed with the results. I am by no means an autobody guy, but I do know a decent paint job when I see one, and this one shines like a professionally painted car. And that’s with no clearcoat and no wax on it. There are little issues galore with the paint job, most of them related to my crappy prep job (which is directly related to my crappy/nonexistent autobody skills), and my inexperience with the entire process, and my rush to finish it up in the last week or so.

But the final product proves to me at least that the concept and process is sound, and can yield a nice looking paint job for someone on a tight budget but has a good measure of patience and some spare time. Another thing I like about this process is that repairing scratches or dings or dents should be much less painful. One of the things that happened to me is that the mystery of auto finishing is gone; it’s no longer a black art in my mind. If something goes wrong with it, I know what went into getting it to look the way it does, and repairing it won’t be as monumental a task in my mind.

I can also say that the next time I take on a job like this, it’ll be killer. Will I take on another job like this? Mmmmm… Not in the foreseeable future, but if the need presents itself, and I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on the car… And I have a better situation for garage space… And I have nothing better to do with a few weeks of my spare time… I might consider it. But not any time soon unless I want to be minus a wife!

The time involved was the biggest issue for me, but thankfully I had a spare car sitting in front of the house that I could use while the 528 was off the street. I don’t remember exactly what day I started this job, but I know it was around the beginning of July — about six weeks ago. It didn’t exactly take that long to complete, because there was a lot of downtime/thinking time/research time thrown in there, noodling out how to accomplish whatever the next step was. It’s definitely not a project to take on when you don’t have alternative transportation of some sort. If I were to do it again, I think I could be done — start to finish — in about a week. If I didn’t get sidetracked or distracted. As if that would ever happen.

The Rustoleum paint turned out pretty well, but one thing that might be an obstacle for some people is the limited number of colors, and the fact that there are no metallic colors; just solid colors. While I was painting I wondered whether this method would maybe work with standard automotive paints. I don’t foresee myself jumping into trying that any time soon, but I also don’t see why it wouldn’t work (as long as the paint doesn’t eat the foam on the roller.) Might be worth a try for someone who has a quart of automotive paint sitting around doing nothing. The Rustoleum is probably a lot cheaper than automotive paint, but I would hazard to guess that you’d use less by rolling it on vs. spraying.

After completing the job, if someone were to ask what is the secret to getting good results with this method, I’d have to list three things; prep, wet-sanding, and buffing. Skimp or screw up on any one of them and your final product will show it. (More on each of those topics at the end of this post.)

Make the jump to see a few photos of the car in process and as it stands today. You can’t really see the deficiencies in the paint, but if you saw it in person they’d be pretty apparent. It’s definitely about a “20 foot” paint job; looks great from a distance, but don’t look too closely. I’ve also added a checklist and step-by-step for the process with some hints from what I learned through the job. Hopefully someone can learn from some of my mistakes.
(more…)

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Posted in BMW Of The Day, Cars!, Just Stuff, PCH | Comments Closed

Chingon Rocks Mariachi!

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

One of my favorite movies is The Bride by Quentin Tarantino. You might know the film better by the name Kill Bill 1 & 2. Yes, I know it was released as two movies separated by a couple of years, but I think it’s better to think of it as one story with a really long intermission in the middle.

I found the set of two dvd’s at a store just recently, and just finished watching the second installment… What a cool movie! It’s a little on the bloody side, and the F-bomb gets dropped an inordinate number of times, but it’s a great story of a mother’s love, and revenge. If you haven’t seen it, and can stand a bit of blood and swearing, I’d highly recommend it.

In the Special Features of the second disk is a music video from the group Chingon that was taped at the premiere of Kill Bill 2, and I absolutely love that music. I have no idea what the lyrics mean — they’re all in Spanish — but just listening to the guitars is really amazing. I do know that the second song, Fideo del Oeste translates roughly to “Mexican Spaghetti Western”.

Anyway, just thought I’d share the music. I ripped the tunes from the dvd and have them in my iTunes faves, so I listen to them pretty regularly; hit play on the YouTube videos below to have a listen for yourself. And in case you’re a little on the squeamish side, I promise, no blood is spilled. Enjoy!


YouTube link


YouTube link

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Posted in Favorite Things, Fun!, Just Stuff, Movies, Music | Comments Closed

LA to NY in Four Minutes

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Here’s a cool time-lapse video shot from the back seat of a convertible driving from Los Angeles to New York. For some people traveling is all about the destination, but for me it’s the journey that’s most interesting. This video doesn’t show much of that trip, but it is fun!

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A Short Road Trip… A Few Observations

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

I made a quick run to the inlaws’ house tonight, about a 60 mile drive, each way. Along the way I made a few observations…

  1. Since the BMW doesn’t have a working odometer, I thought this might be a good opportunity to check the gas mileage, so I filled up before leaving Sioux Falls and again at the same station when I got back. On the 117.6 mile trip I used 5.074 gallons of fuel, which translates to 23.18 miles per gallon. Not bad, especially considering the, um, spirited driving enjoyed along the way.
  2. The driving was particularly spirited along one of my favorite drives, a lonely 8 mile stretch of highway that runs along the river between Beloit, IA, and Fairview, SD. I hit three digits each way through there tonight; what a blast! On the way out there was a Ford F350 pickup traveling the same direction. I thought I’d overtake him quickly, but he was cooking along at a little over 90. I think he was a little surprised when I blew by him at about 120 or so. The white stripes on the highway zip by pretty quickly at that speed.

    My observation? Moving along at 55-60mph feels like a crawl when you were doing twice that only moments before. Also, it’s amazing how smooth and stable that ratty looking e28 is at high speeds.

  3. The stars! I stopped along the way on the return trip just to take in the view. It’s amazing how much more you can see in the sky without the light interference you find in the city. I’m becoming more convinced that people who spend most of their time in urban environments tend to become more detached from their Creator. It’s easy to think that man is the epitome of evolution when all you see is man-made. Here’s a tip; first chance you get, get far enough out of Dodge to escape the glow dome surrounding the city — about 30 miles or so — so you can really see the sky. It is truly amazing, and humbling. It makes a guy feel really small and insignificant, and makes one wonder how the God of the universe could take an interest in something so small.

That’s all I can think of right now. Other than a few niggling issues with the car that popped up along the way. The cruise control was working fine most of the way, but near my destination on the way out the brake light warning came on, and the cruise control wouldn’t work. It came back on for the return trip, but later the brake light warning came on again, and again the cruise wouldn’t work. The power windows quit working a couple of days ago, but along the way I fiddled with the breaker switch under the dash and they started working again, for a short time. That narrows down the possible problem areas anyway. Also, the brake pedal seems to be getting a little on the soft side; might have to bring it over to Abe & have him check things over.

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“Blinded By Envy And Ignorance”

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Here’s a quote that was included in yesterday’s Patriot Post that I thought was very poignant, considering the so-called ‘stimulus’ package that’s being foisted on us by Congress.

[P]eople do not ask for socialism because they know that socialism will improve their conditions, and they do not reject capitalism because they know that it is a system prejudicial to their interests. They are socialists because they believe that socialism will improve their conditions, and they hate capitalism because they believe that it harms them. They are socialists because they are blinded by envy and ignorance.
Economist Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973)

I fully recognize that the United States has been slouching toward socialism for a long, long time, and the last few years with George W. Bush at the helm hasn’t slowed that trend. But with Barack Obama and the current crop of Democrats leading both houses of Congress, I fear that things will accelerate in the next four years.

Historically, I think the growing socialistic nanny state in the US has continued to grow because it can readily feed off of the private sector. But if we as a country continue down that road with more and more money from businesses and the ‘wealthy’ being redistributed, something is going to break. And it’s not going to be pretty.

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Twenty-Three Below Zero

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Yes, that’s right; twenty-stinkin’-three degrees below zero, as evidenced by my trusty outside thermometer…

.

That’s the same as -30.55° Celsius. Brrr. But that seems balmy to Aberdeen’s low of -42° this morning.

According to the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, that’s the coldest it’s been since sometime in the mid 1990’s (didn’t catch the exact date) but it’s still not a record low. The record on this date in 1972 was -32°.

Even now, at almost noon, the temp has risen to only -13°, shooting for a ‘high’ of -1°. Can’t wait. But it’s supposed to be in the 20’s or 30’s by the weekend. We’ll be running around in shirtsleeves by then I’m sure.

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Two Things That Bug Me…

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

Not to complain, but there are some elements of some websites that make me just a little crazy sometimes…

One of them is the “Close Window” button you sometimes see. I just saw it on a window that popped up when I clicked on a link to view an enlarged image of a product at a retailer’s website. It’s a normal window, one that could be closed by clicking on the X (or the red dot) in the top corner of the window, or by a Ctrl-W (or Command-W) keyboard command, or even clicking to File — Close Window. But no; some web designer in his/her wisdom thought it would be a good idea to a button that can be clicked that will do it for you. It’s usually just one of those things I ignore, but for some reason(?) I clicked on that button today and got an alert from IE (on Windows XP):

How stupid is that? I can see how IE would maybe want to alert the user that something in the web page was trying to trigger something in the application, but why would closing the page be a concern? Shouldn’t the app be aware that it was a user’s mouseclick that initiated what was going on? Aside from that, just the presence of that button means that someone somewhere thinks that people using a computer aren’t smart enough to figure out that closing the window that just popped up involves clicking on the same user interface element as closing any other window. Excuse me, but it’s not exactly rocket science.

The second thing that bugs me is when a website displays an image that is either click-able or has a link nearby to view an enlarged image, and when clicked you get the same image with no enlargement in a different window. I realize that most of the times this happens is when a retailer gets its product images from a vendor, they only get one size — small — and the pages are automatically built from a template. But would it really that difficult to code so that nothing happens if there isn’t a larger image available? Or that no link is generated in the first place?

Probably not much of an issue with a faster computer and connection, but still, how annoying; if a site shows a tiny product image and I want to take a closer look, when the page tells me to click here for a closer look, I’d like to get a closer look. Is that too much to ask?

Ok. I feel a little better now.

Posted in Computers, Geek, Just Stuff | Comments Closed

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