AttackWatch.com — Really?

September 14th, 2011

This is a for-real play in the Barack Obama reelection campaign playbook. Gotta wonder though what exactly is considered an “attack” on the President; anything that puts him in a bad light I guess, which in most cases includes the unvarnished, un-spun truth (ie: not what comes out of the White House Briefing Room, nor what’s regurgitated by the mainstream media.) Looking through the site’s “Attack Files” shows enough spin to make a carousel operator dizzy.

Makes me wonder how many times I’ve might get ratted on. Not that I’m too worried about it, but if I end up with an IRS audit in the next couple of years, I’ll be more than just a little put out. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll break with my usual procedure and not include links to that site. wink wink

edit: I threw this post together in a matter of a few minutes soon after I first heard about AttackWatch.com, and before I had heard any commentary on it. Since then, the disdain for the idea of the website and the website itself has been pretty much universal; even the left hates it. Here’s one snide bit of funny about it; enjoy!

Posted in Fun!, Politics | Comments Closed

The SplinterBike

September 12th, 2011

Here’s a great wooden bike project; The SplinterBike!

No bolts or screws, just wood and glues!
…a 100% Wooden Bicycle Land Speed Record… attempt!

The bike is built completely from wood; no spokes, no chains, no metal anywhere (although it appears he did resort to using some nylon bushings when he discovered that no matter what species of wood is used, it doesn’t make a good bearing surface.) Even the drive system is made from wood; a wooden chain probably wouldn’t be strong enough so the builder went with a huge cog system instead.

The bike was built intending to set a world speed record for an all wood bike, and they did it; 18.11kph (11.25mph)… Wait, what? 11.25mph?!? Not exactly breathtaking, but I guess it’s something. I think I could do better. Time to hone my woodworking skills, then next stop; Guinness Book Of World Records!

Posted in Bikes | Comments Closed

The FridgeCouch

September 10th, 2011

Saw this on Treehugger yesterday; very cool…

Cool Couches Made From Recycled Fridges

The fridge couch — well, someone out there had to finally marry the two. Created by Canadian designer Adrian Johnson, these customized ultra-retro seaters are made from vintage refrigerators and salvaged car seats that he rescues from local junkyards. Johnson’s apparent mission: “To go where recycling hasn’t gone before.”

Speaker-integrated comfort: the 535i No Frost. Specs: Black leather 1988 BMW 535i back seat with fold-down arm rest in Harvest Gold 1980 GE No Frost refrigerator with dark walnut and oak shelving, swinging freezer door side table, storage cabinet and iPod-compatible Philips sound system.

And to think… I have a spare back seat from my 528e in the basement that’s just begging to be put back into use like this. Now; where to find a junked fridge?

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Just Stuff, Old Things | Comments Closed

Get Out Of The Way

September 8th, 2011

President Obama gave his so-called jobs speech tonight, and as was widely predicted, it’s nothing more than another “stimulus plan” he’s trying to fly under the radar. Sure, there are lots of things in this imaginary bill that he was blathering on about that might actually help, but there are a lot of other things that are just more of the same failed throw-money-at-it solutions that seem to be the only trick up his sleeve.

I didn’t have much chance to listen to the speech live (but have taken the time to read through it since), but one line I did hear really struck a chord with me…

Those of us here tonight can’t solve all our nation’s woes. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives.

Unbelievable. I couldn’t help but think about the chapter in Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged; John Galt, when put on the spot after the looters in government had very nearly destroyed the country, captured him and pressed him into service in order to rescue them, was asked in front of a nationwide audience what they should do next. He simply said, “Get the hell out of my way.”

And that should be Barack Obama’s first step that Washington takes in order to “improve people’s lives”; just get out of the way. It’s blindingly obvious by now that when it comes to the economy (and many other things) he has no clue what he’s doing, that everything he’s tried has not only failed but has made things worse, and he is totally bankrupt of ideas. The best thing he can do is to step aside and allow his first thought in that quoted paragraph take hold; unshackle the businesses of this country and let the the recovery begin.

Actually, Newt Gingrich said it much better in the Sept. 7, 2011 debate than I could;

And speaking of Newt, here’s another awesome piece of his mind that came out in the debate:

I know Newt hasn’t a prayer of winning the GOP nomination, but dang; the man has pluck. And cheek. And I dare say some good ideas.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Politics | Comments Closed

BMWotD — Triumph TR6 / BMW M3 Driveline

August 30th, 2011

You may be thinking, “That’s no BMW? What the heck is a Triumph TR6 doing in Dave’s BMWotD category?” Yes, at first glance — aside from the Style 5 wheels — it seems very much out of place; not a single BMW Roundel to be seen anywhere, but lift the bonnet and good lordy…


There’s a lot of Bavarian in that there Brit!

I first saw this car up for sale in a most unlikely place — CraigsList — but it didn’t take long for the guys on Bring A Trailer to catch wind of it. It’s also It was listed on eBay with no bidding and a Buy-It-Now price of $40,000. That’s a lot of money, but it’s a pretty sure bet that the seller has way, way more into it than that. (note: the eBay auction/ad ended on Aug. 29; presumably because the car is sold.)

To put it mildly, this it the car of my dreams. The builder/owner’s goal of having “a virtually stock appearing TR6 that performed at insane levels while delivering exceptional reliability” is pretty much what I would have in mind if someone asked me what I would drive if money (& time) were no object. I love the looks of the TR6, but the Lucas electrics and the ’70’s British mechanicals are enough to scare off the geekiest of car freaks. That would include me. Add to that the propensity of the TR cars to rust… Since the beginnings of my infatuation with the Triumph roadsters back in high school, I’ve had a couple of opportunities to purchase a TR6, and have passed on both; neither was the right car nor the right time for me. With this car, I would definitely be on my way to Kansas City to bring this car home if it weren’t for the price tag; still not the right time I guess.

The seller’s description in the ad is lengthy, but a good read, and describes the right way to do a resto-mod to a car like this; keep the original look of the car, but make updates & improvements that will make the car more enjoyable and allow it to spend the majority of its time on the road/track rather than in the shop or waiting for parts.

Up for sale here is my labor of love for the past five years. This project started out as a 60K mile, stock, rust-free 1973 TR6 and is now configured with a BMW M3 Drive-Line with every system brought up to the 21st Century and has been driven 1,650 miles since so it’s completely sorted and ready to roll. Every nut and bolt has been removed and replaced with AN, Grade 8 or Stainless depending on their locations and requirements (I truly mean “every” nut and bolt). Every component on the undercarriage has been Powder Coated or finished with POR 15 to prevent any future degradation issues. This is not your typical Resto-Mod and I’ll try to outline all the Mods that I performed to the beast below :

  • Body-Off / Nut & Bolt Restoration
  • Rhino Lined Tub
  • Significant Frame Strengthening
  • 6-Point Roll Cage
  • BMW M3 S50 (OBD1 Computer) Engine w/Modificationss
  • Custom Chip from Jim Conforti
  • BMW M3 5spd Transmission
  • UUC Motorwerks 8.5lb Aluminum Flywheel
  • Sachs HD Clutch
  • UUC Motorwerks Transmission Mounts
  • UUC Motorwerks Short Shifter
  • Nissan R200 LSD Differential
  • Custom CV-Joint Rear
  • Richard Good Lowered Springs F & R
  • Richard Good Sway Bars F & R
  • Richard Good Adjustable Trailing Arm Mounts
  • Spax Adjustable Shocks
  • Toyota 4-Piston / Vented Disc Front Brakes
  • Wilwood Rear Disc Brake Conversion
  • Stainless Steel Brake Lines
  • New Master Cylinder and Overhauled Booster
  • Quick-Ratio Steering Rack
  • Richard Good Aluminum Rack Mounts
  • BMW/BBS 17″ 5 3-piece Wheels (style 5)
  • Falken RT-615 225/45/17 Tires
  • BMW M3 Radiator
  • Advance Auto Wire Custom Wiring Harness
  • 16 Gal Aluminum Fuel Cell
  • Stainless Exhaust (w/Oxygen Sensor)
  • Custom Powder Coated Bumper Bars (original bumpers included)
  • Koa Wood Dash and Switch Plinth Plate
  • New Crash Pads
  • Miata Seats w/Heaters
  • Custom Full Leather Interior w/Wilton Wool Carpets
  • TR4 Soft Top Assembly

My intentions were to build a virtually stock appearing TR6 that performed at insane levels while delivering exceptional reliability. Various V8’s have found there way into these cars over the years but require many modifications that I was not willing to live with (steering geometry, firewall cutting, weight changes, etc.). While this was no mere “bolt-in” process, the net results lightened and balanced the overall car and required absolutely no changes to the steering and suspension system. It was almost as if BMW had this engine bay in mind when they designed their S50 M3 Power Plant. Engine Mods were held to Head-Work, 8.5lb Aluminum Flywheel, HD Clutch, Cold Air Intake and a custom Chip by Jim Conforti taking into account this particular application with the installed exhaust, no Cats, Intake, Oxy Sensor, Flywheel, Curb Weight and 7000 RPM Limiter. It’s absolutely ridiculous how fast this thing is.

I stripped the entire TR6 down to a pile of nuts and bolts and shipped off the tub and panels to be Soda Blasted before taking them to the body shop. This gave me the opportunity to tackle the frame and drive line. I started by having the frame sand blasted then welded in a lot of additional steel at all the known and unknown weak spots including the TSI Rear Strengthening Kit and ¼” plate added atop the rear spring mounts. Every factory weld was ground and re-welded to insure zero issues with frame cracking, twist or degradation due to the added HP and suspension modifications. I also had a local race car fabricator custom make a 6-point roll cage that ties into the frame directly via the four body mounts in the cockpit and thru the rear bulkhead and down to the aft frame sections (clears the roof). This is probably the most torsionally stable Triumph Frame you’ll ever find and the driving changes it made are very obvious. Next I coated the frame with POR15 along with all the suspension bits as it holds up much better to rock/road debris than Powder Coating. I utilized all of Richard Good’s suspension upgrades which include Lowered Springs, Sway Bars and Adjustable Trailing Arm Brackets. Due to my prior experience with Koni, I selected Spax Adjustable Shocks all the way around which once set-up match the over-all handling perfectly. I also added a new quick ratio steering rack combined with Richard Good’s Aluminum Rack Mounts and a slightly smaller diameter Leather Moto-Lita Steering Wheel. I’m in the aviation business and have access to all sorts of great hardware so all the suspension and brake nuts and bolts were replaced with AN series or Grade 8 at a minimum.

I changed out the front brakes to Toyota 4-Runner four piston calipers mated to Toyota Cressida vented rotors and for the rear I ran across a couple of guys who campaign a full-race TR6 that designed and machined a race-approved disc brake conversion kit to install Wilwood Aluminum Calipers clamping on 280 ZX Rotors. They were in process of commissioning a machine shop to make a few more sets for a new car they were building and were nice enough to have a set made up for me at the same time while sharing their engineering. This is not one of these cheap kits that come around every so often but a serious chunk of machined aluminum that has been approved for use on the track. I also had Classic Tube make a complete set of Stainless Brake lines and sent out the booster for o/h and replaced the master cylinder and filled it all w/DOT5 fluid. I installed a Wilwood lever-style brake bias adjuster which can be manipulated on the fly by the driver if you want to change the proportion of force front to rear. The hardware combined with the Bobcat pads make this TR66 stop on a dime with no wheel lock-up and much reduced fade.

The rear differential is an obvious weak spot along with the rear axles on TR6’s especially when horse power is added. I opted for the Nissan/Infiniti R200 dif as it was extremely easy to adapt to the frame, provided unquestionable strength (the dif of choice in the drifting crowd), super LSD performance and available in a ratio (3.54) between those used by the stock M3 and the full-race M3. I commissioned Kevin at Constant Velocity of Ocalla (FL) to design a set of rear axles utilizing CV-Joints and able to take the added stress of HP I was going to throw at them.

I had the entire interior, fender wells, trunk area and bottom of the tub shot by the local Rhino Liner shop after blasting and priming. This stuff totally encapsulates all the known rust areas for future protection and offered an indescribable reduction in noise and heat and increase in solidity. For the body, I chose a BMW M3 color, Imolla Red II which is a beautiful deep and slightly dark red. The body is completely assembled with Stainless Steel Fasteners to alleviate any future corrosion and they simply look nice and actual DumDum was sourced in the UK to seal the seams between the fenders/wings and tub. I shaved off the front side markers on the fenders and door locks to clean it up a little but left the original front turn signals under the grill to accommodate state laws. New front and rear light assemblies were installed too. Included are two new Bullet Mirrors for the doors which I have not installed as I preferred the look and they are not required in the State of KS. The hood / bonnet cable has been removed in favor of a direct release rod courtesy of Macy’s Garage so no worries about stuck hoods because of broken cables. No other body mods were made as I truly wanted to keep it in stock form to any on-looker.

I contacted Dan Masters of Advance Auto Wire and had him make me a custom harness for my project. The heart of the system is a power block that utilizes individual fuses for all circuits and relays for all heavy load items just as on current vehicles. All the instruments were switched to electric models from AutoMeter and incorporated with the harness. I also replaced all indicator bulbs with high output LEDs. Once I completely ran the new wiring, I removed it before termination and “snake-skinned” the entire thing. Most would have just zip-tied it all but I really can’t handle the mess associated with typical aftermarket harnesses so it truly looks stock. I have wired in a CD/Stereo unit but haven’t felt the need to cut in speakers as the note of the exhaust is all the music I needed. The wires are run so if you desire music, just add speakers. The Optima battery has been relocated to the right rear trunk area mounted in a custom keeper and a main battery cut-off switch is mounted on the firewall with the kill-key extending into the glove box for easy access. Both the fuse block and BMW computer are mounted inside the passenger foot well safe from any contact with exterior water or hazards and out of sight.

The interior is outfitted with Heated Miata Seats. They are trimmed in Tan Leather along with all the other interior panels which are piped in a contrasting brown and complimented with Wilton Wool Carpets. The window regulators, channels and seals were all replaced with new units that, believe it or not, don’t rattle. New seat belts were installed as well and included will be a set of Harnesses for track days. I never particularly liked the TR6 top mechanism as it just sits like a lump behind the seats and detracts from the clean lines of the car. I took this opportunity to modify the bows from an early TR4 as a replacement as it affords for the complete removal of the soft top for stowage in the trunk and the bows tuck out of sight behind an interior panel. I never had the intention of purposely driving the car in foul weather but did feel it important to have an emergency plan just in case I got caught out in the rain. I contacted Randy Keller of Prestige Auto Wood to craft me a custom dash laid out in the stock form but for use with the AutoMeter instruments and LED indicators. I chose Hawaiian Koa Wood for this and he also matched a panel for the switch plinth. The visors, mirrors, crash pads, windshield trim, etc. are all replaced with new. An insulated poly transmission tunnel has also been added to replace the original cardboard unit. Back in the trunk, I replaced the original fuel tank with a 16 gallon custom made aluminum unit that resides in the spare tire well. Lastly, I liberally installed Dyna Mat all over the place. When you close the doors, it sounds like a modern car’s door… solid.

The 17×8 3-piece wheels are BMW Style 5 Composites made by BBS. I sent them out to a shop in CA who specializes in wheel customization and they disassembled them, filled and re-drilled the centers for the TR6 bolt pattern, sent the centers out for powder coat and polished the rims. I was able to remove the BMW emblems from the center caps and with a little modification install the TR6 chrome emblems with red stickers in their place. I wrapped them with 225/45/17 Falken Azenis RT-615 tires which are a new class of DOT and SCCA Spec race approved tires.

Bottom-line, this is definitely one of the most unique sports cars you’ll ever come across. It was built with the idea of supreme performance and to withstand the tortures of daily driving without compromise. I wanted the illusion that this engine was factory installed so you won’t find any “bling” under the hood, all business (with the exception of the polished aluminum radiator cowling). Every single nut, bolt, washer, seal, grommet, clip, etc. was replaced on the car with new equivalents of higher grade and if a part was available new, it was replaced. I’m quite certain I’ve missed a few important points in this description but you really have to see and drive this TR6 to truly appreciate what it’s all about — Beauty — Simplicity — Performance.

FYI, I just shot these pics out in front of my house and down at my office . Also, I have this insured at its appraised value of $50K thru Hagerty’s which runs about $275 yr.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me and thanks for your interest. I don’t answer emails thru craigslist due to their spam issue. If you want more info. . .pick up the phone and give me a ring.

Dave DeWalt

Most Triumph purists will probably cringe when they see what’s been done to this car, but that doesn’t describe me nor my reaction to it. Not at all. While there are a few niggling things that I would’ve done differently (maybe some different wheels or a little more BMW in the suspension & drivetrain) this car is about as close to perfect as I can imagine. As I said, if not for the $40,000 entry fee, I would be all over this thing. Maybe in a few years I’ll try my hand at something similar… Lessee… Maybe a BMW S52-powered Alfa Romeo something-or-other? Or maybe build up a kit car with BMW suspension and drivetrain bits, just to avoid the ire of any purists. Modify a GTM Supercar with a BMW V8 or S52-six in the back along with matching BMW suspension in place of the Corvette bits, just to be different? (that could be worthy of sticking a Roundel on the body front & back, and might even fool someone into thinking it’s a factory BMW model!) Oh, the possibilities! If only I had the time and money and workspace.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in BMW Of The Day, Cars! | Comments Closed

Let The Buyer Beware

August 11th, 2011

Monday’s Wall Street Journal opinion article, America Gets Downgraded really hits the nail on the head:

Friday’s downgrade by Standard & Poor’s of U.S. long-term debt… will be the first of many such humiliations if Washington doesn’t change its economic and fiscal policies. Investors and markets & not any single company’s rating & are the ultimate judge of a nation’s creditworthiness. And after their performance in fanning the credit and mortgage-security mania of the last decade, S&P, Moody’s and Fitch should hardly be seen as peerless oracles. Their views are best understood as financial opinions, like newspaper editorials, and they’re only considered more important because U.S. government agencies have required purchasers of securities to use their ratings. … Yet is there anything that S&P said on Friday that everyone else doesn’t already know? S&P essentially declared that on present trend the U.S. debt burden is unsustainable, and that the American political system seems unable to reverse that trend. This is not news. …

Reading that article (not necessarily the quote above) reminded me of something one of my business profs said back in my college days: Nothing is worth more than someone is willing to pay for it. The President can make all the speeches he likes decrying people who made the call on the downgrade of the US credit rating and saying that their opinion doesn’t matter, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are solid reasons behind the downgrade. Obama talked a good game during the election, positioning himself as a moderate, but his actions since entering office have business owners & investors on edge; the pervasive uncertainty in the business community is what’s keeping the economy down. I don’t see much hope of things getting better as long as Obama is in charge.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Politics | Comments Closed

The Braying Jackass In Chief

July 26th, 2011

President Obama addressed the nation last night to supposedly bring us up to speed on what’s going on with the debt ceiling stalemate between the Republicans in the House and him & the Democrats. I didn’t see the live broadcast but did catch the video & read the transcript, and was completely disgusted afterward. I started writing a post about it but it was late so I didn’t get very far with it, so decided to quit & go to bed before my blood pressure got out of hand. This morning I found this video from Patriot Post Humor in my inbox this morning; it’s nothing short of perfect.

As tempting as it is to just leave it at that, I need to get a few things off my chest. First off, the impending crisis precipitating this stalemate is the very real threat that, “… our country’s Triple A credit rating would be downgraded…” But he claims, wrongly, that the way to dodge that bullet is to raise the credit ceiling so the country can continue to pay its bills; that’s only a temporary fix to a much deeper problem. The fact that we’ve run out of credit and risk defaulting on bond interest payments is only a symptom that we’re the government is spending too much. Way, way, way too much. The biggest problem as I see it is that neither of the plans being proffered by the House and the Senate adequately addresses the issue of spending beyond our means, and the proposed cuts won’t be enough to avoid the downgrade in the credit rating. All of the finger pointing and bickering will be for naught, and we’ll still have the “tax increase” resulting from higher interest rates.

He also said that raising the debt limit is something that other Administrations have done in the past, implying that it’s no big deal; what he doesn’t tell us is that the debt ceiling has already been bumped up three times since he entered the White House, by a total of nearly $3 Trillion (whereas previous increases have been much more modest and some only temporary.) And that mousy little bedbug Harry Reid is gaming to raise the limit by another $2.4 Trillion; $5+ Trillion in three years isn’t business as usual, as Mr. Obama would have us believe. Far from it.

He said:

For the last decade, we have spent more money than we take in. In the year 2000, the government had a budget surplus. But instead of using it to pay off our debt, the money was spent on trillions of dollars in new tax cuts, while two wars and an expensive prescription drug program were simply added to our nation’s credit card.

Really; no kidding? We’re spending more money than we take in? Thank you Professor Obvious. But excuse me, when can you “spend” a tax cut? In case someone at the White House needs to be reminded, the money does not belong to Washington, DC. It wasn’t spent, it wasn’t given away, it was simply not taken from its rightful owners, people who, for the most part, can use that money to do more to improve the economy than our illustrious elected leaders could ever do. And the code words for “It’s Bush’s Fault” are just a little too obvious these days; that excuse is wearing really thin.

He also said:

As a result, the deficit was on track to top $1 trillion the year I took office. To make matters worse, the recession meant that there was less money coming in, and it required us to spend even more – on tax cuts for middle-class families; on unemployment insurance; on aid to states so we could prevent more teachers and firefighters and police officers from being laid off. These emergency steps also added to the deficit.

Again with trying to blame Bush. True, Bush was no fiscal conservative and he didn’t do much to help things especially with that bailout fiasco in 2008, but continuing to try & pin the blame for the explosion of the federal debt over the last three years on him is just plain ludicrous. And spending more money that the government doesn’t have at a time like this is like throwing gasoline on a fire. If he and the Democrat-controlled House and Senate are the budget hawks he is trying to make them out to be now, why didn’t they take the opportunity when they didn’t have to worry about the pesky Republican to get the country back in the black? They were too busy ramming their version of Health Care Reform through and spending money like drunken sailors to repay the left-wing special interests. Funny that nobody was much concerned about bipartisanship then, when the Republicans were effectively shut out of the entire process (cue more eyeball rolling.)

And I love his line about the so-called “balanced approach” and “contributions”:

The only reason this balanced approach isn’t on its way to becoming law right now is because a significant number of Republicans in Congress are insisting on a cuts-only approach — an approach that doesn’t ask the wealthiest Americans or biggest corporations to contribute anything at all. And because nothing is asked of those at the top of the income scales, such an approach would close the deficit only with more severe cuts to programs we all care about – cuts that place a greater burden on working families.

It’s like a robber thanking the banker for his “contribution”. His definition of a balanced approach means cutting a little here & there and raising taxes as well, although he doesn’t have the courage to call them tax increases. And last I checked, when it comes to income taxes, the top 10% of those “wealthiest Americans” already pay nearly 70% of all federal income taxes. Just how much is their fair share, Mr. President? And the red herring he keeps throwing around about the private jet owners… This from the guy with the grandest of all private jets, and the one which we have the privilege of paying for (cue rolling of eyes.)

Yes, given the situation we’re in, the debt limit does need to be raised, but I’m convinced that it should only be temporary and only accompanied by drastic cuts that put the country on track to balance the budget. And sign me up as a supporter of a Balanced Budget Amendment; that’s one thing that is long overdue. If there’s one thing in Obama’s speech last night that I can agree with is that the fault for the mess du jour lies with both parties and all the politicians. Anything that We The People can do to put a bit in their mouths is a step in the right direction.

I also watched John Boehner’s response to Obama’s speech; the difference between the two men is striking. Boehner comes across as the adult in the room, looking much more like a leader than Obama does on his best day. Ever since the days of the 2008 campaign I’ve said that Barack Obama was not qualified for the job of President, and he’s spent the last two years proving he’s in way over his head. Last night’s speech just reinforced the fact.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Politics | Comments Closed

Tiny Ponies All Around

July 19th, 2011

I was Googling (ok, doing a Google search) for something Apple-related this morning, and one of the results at the top of the list caught my eye:

There is a horse in the Apple Store and no one sees it but me.

I think, “Why?” What is the villain here that blinds all of these people to this situation? Am I nuts for thinking this is exceptional? Does anyone else see this? Did I accidentally drop acid and not realize? I must take a photo. I must verify later, when I’m not potentially tripping balls.

I think, “Would they notice if it were a tiger?” Or a lamb? Or an anaconda? What would it take to shake the haze from around their eyes? A sale sign? A new iPod Touch? Would they notice a new iPod Touch?

Are they just divinely focused? Are they meditating in a retail environment? Are they distracted by something shiny? There is so much shiny in the Apple Store. Is it enough to distract everyone from the little tiny horse that is at the Genius Bar?

Frank goes on to make an excellent observation;

Since then, John and I have a term called a “tiny pony.” It is a thing that is exceptional that no one, for whatever reason, notices. Or, conversely, it is an exceptional thing that everyone notices, but quickly grows acclimated to despite the brilliance of it all.

There are so many tiny ponies in our lives today it’s not even funny. It may sound a bit cheesy, but I’ve often imagined how surreal the world would be to someone who was magically transported to now from the distant past, and how I might explain to them how some everyday things work. Those imaginings make me think about some of the things we take for granted in life… Like air conditioning. When I was a kid, A/C was a luxury that my family couldn’t afford, so I remember well the times we made it through the hot & humid summers in Sioux Falls with little more than fans and cold water and a swimming pool a ten-block walk from home. But when you think about how we can take a little bit of electricity and use it to beat back the heat and humidity… And how so few people actually understand how it works, but expect it to work on demand. That’s a tiny pony.

Or even clean water on demand in our homes. Not only do we have it running from taps, but we can adjust the temperature of that water for different uses. Another string of tiny ponies to make all that possible. Or how about cell phones, or computers, or any other bit of technology that we use and in some small or large way depend on for our daily routine. Tiny ponies every-stinkin’-where. And those tiny ponies don’t just happen; they are the result of herculean efforts made by people who have gone before us to to invent the gadget, to harness the energy, to design the system, to write the standards, to maintain the system… And most of the time we have no clue who is behind it all.

Frank closes his post with another excellent point;

When does the magic of a situation fade? When do we get acclimated to the exceptional? Is this how we get by? Would anything get done if we were constantly gobsmacked? Is this how we survive, how we stay sane? We define a pattern, no matter how exceptional, and acclimate ourselves to it?

I allow myself to get gobsmacked sometimes, and that’s probably a healthy thing.

Posted in Cool Technology, Fun!, Just Stuff | Comments Closed

Welcome To Jimmy Carter’s 3rd Term

July 14th, 2011

Excellent article in today’s Washington Times by Charles Hurt:

The problem with reaching a deal to raise the debt ceiling, (President Obama) explained in a long sermon, is that there is this huge wave of Republicans who won control of the House in the last election by promising not to raise any more taxes and to cut the absurd overspending that has driven this town for decades.

He bemoaned — in public — that these Republicans are more concerned about the “next election” rather than doing “what’s right for the country.” In other words, he is saying the honorable thing would be for these Republicans to ignore the expressed wishes of voters, break their campaign promises and raise taxes. Wow.

And then there was last night’s performance by the President where he stormed out of a meeting with Congressional leaders after telling House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, “Don’t call my bluff, Eric!” You’ve just gotta love a poker player dumb enough to broadcast a bluff by telling you it’s a bluff. Obvious bluffer is bluffing, obviously. He can’t even blame that flub on the Teleprompter in Chief.

Posted in Politics | Comments Closed

The Sky Is Falling!

July 12th, 2011

Or at least you’d think so, listening to the President. He is now on record saying that he can’t guarantee that Social Security checks, veterans’ checks, disability checks, etc… will be able to be sent out on August 3 if Congress can’t resolve its differences over reducing the deficit/raising the country’s debt limit by then. Of course, a statement like that is pure sophistry, scare tactics, and the worst kind of politicking, but also of course, people will believe him.

This kind of crap just pisses me off to no end. And what makes it even worse is that the clown from CBS “News” (I use that term very loosely) didn’t even challenge those lies. It’s like Obama’s staff handed this bozo a list of softball questions and the interviewer is just reading a script.

The fact of the matter is that despite all the doom-doom rhetoric by the President and Tim Geitner, if the debt limit is not increased by August 3, the country will not automatically be in default. The country will not be able to spend more than it takes in, but reaching our debt limit will not suddenly stop all tax receipts. In fact, I will be getting my paycheck tomorrow and again two weeks from tomorrow, and I can guarantee that those checkstubs will show sizable (well, sizable to me anyway) “contributions” to the federal coffers. And millions of other people across the country will see the same thing.

What will happen if the debt limit is not increased and the country is prevented from borrowing more money than we already owe is that the President and Congress will then have to prioritize what gets paid and what does not. So IF those checks don’t go out on August 3 as President Obama has threatened, then guess who bears part of the blame for that… Of course, he’ll say that it’s all the Republicans’ fault.

Meanwhile, closer to home, the state of Minnesota remains mostly shut down because of a budget impasse, but many of the politicians causing the trouble are still accepting pay. This stuff is like comedy. But it’s not funny at all.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Politics | Comments Closed

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »