Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Being reasonable

Just a plug to go read an article in Reason magazine. This article is a little math calculation applied to Al Gore's latest whimsy. This guy not only has the personality of a piece of granite, he also seems to have the brains to match.

just as a preview: "Gore explicitly likens his scheme to NASA's Apollo program, but reaching the moon cost only $150 billion (in current dollars) spent over eight years. In other words, getting to the moon cost half of what Gore wants to spend annually to realize his no-carbon energy vision."

Sunday, July 27, 2008

normally I wouldnt say anything

...but since Ellie Mae posted her scores, I thought I pretty much have to post mine. I am one serious catch girls... then and now.

83

As a 1930s husband, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!



Some things from the 30s are better left unchanged. Bring me a martini, would you dear?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

<blather>

Oh my god. Did anyone watch last night's episode of the Colbert Report? If not, drop whatever you are doing. I dont care if your job is related to national security. It cannot be as important. Watch it now.

Anyone that knows me a little knows there is almost nothing I like more than Rush (and no, I dont mean the fat guy with the big mouth). I used to take a week off work when they toured (and when I had a job) and claim it as a religious holiday. Being that is probably the closest I would get to religion, I thought it appropriate. Imagine my total surprise when I turn on Colbert today (TiVo you know) and there they are. Mind you they havent done an American TV show in over 30 years ... hell maybe never. And pretty much the whole show was devoted to them, which pretty much tells me they are fans of Colbert (and vice versa).

It didnt show the audience very much, but I could only expect it to be filled with older geeky guys with a big bald spot and a ponytail.

ok,
</blather>

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Google stalking


Google is a wonderful tool. But like anything, it can be abused. I went outside and saw this today.... It looks like someone is looking us up on Google maps. People: please be considerate. I dont want to look at this thing all the time.

Last week it was right behind my truck and I couldnt even get it out of the driveway.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Just a theoretical question...

The mind wonders... Hypothetically... do you worry if someone in the US Department of Justice is reading your blog? Just asking.

...and they really deserve an upgrade. Seriously running IE 6 on Windows? I would think they would be a little more security conscious.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Linux TV


Who would've thought? Linux TV? Yep, that's what it is. And even with my ability to be a real Linux bigot, I didn't pick it out for that reason. It just happened. When my recent TV crapped itself, we sort of had to buy another. We went with one of the Sony Bravia models... and it had the required GPL notices to tell us all that it runs linux. If you look carefully at the notice, you will see it runs getty/login/bash, which means I can get a login shell. It even runs portmap and tcpwrappers, which to me says it could do tcp/ip if it had an ethernet connection. Now to google around a bit and figure out how to get a login. For certain, it will take some $150 specialized cable, and that will probably be the end of it.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Google stats

I have been noticing a bunch of (and by a bunch, I mean less than 10) people have started hitting my little slice of heaven by jumping straight into my rant on my Expedition blend door. I am guessing the little buggers are breaking off left and right, leaving my fellow Fordians with little choice between hot and cold air.

This made wonder... am I really that high on the google search? Sure enough, I show up as number 22. Whohoo! I made it! And my mom said I'd never amount to anything! [EDIT] It looks like I am number 10 now with more and more folks jumping in to the blend door page.

And, I have noticed a few jumped right in on the word "pretirement". I am #28 if you search for that.

But you cant beat me on Sporkives or Porkotini. I am number 1 there! Go team.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

We become official rednecks July 8, 9:00am


Yes, we now officially have the "working TV on top of the broken TV." Ah, success.

Note that the working TV was purchased in approximately 1984. The broken TV is about 10 years old.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Lessons from the middle: a Libertarian gude for Liberals

Being politically in the center, one has the disadvantage of both the lefties and the righties thinking you are a rightie or a leftie (respectively). In theory, they should be happy you half agree with them. In fact, they generally hold you in contempt for not making it 100%.

This lesson is for liberals. That is not to demean you "conservatives" (and I use that term loosely as there is no longer anything you particularly wish to conserve). I am mostly targeting liberals because:

  • they are more likely to be activists
  • they "fix" for something is generally to pass a law that stomps on individual rights
  • they have suddenly seemed to be learning from conservatives: to play on fear to control opinion

I am going to lay out a plan. Don't get bogged down in details here. This is a template to be used in a generic fashion. Modify and apply it to your situation, but by all means I get credit. (And by credit, I mean you owe me money.)

Let's set up a hypothetical situation. I will use real company names here, but by no means have I done any research. This is the science of pulling things out of my ass. Its an example, okay?

Let's say: you want to combat global warming. (I won't get into the debate about what is the cause, how dangerous it is, etc. Again: example. Extrapolate.) Assumption #2: You decide the biggest threat to global warming is the automobile.

Now: here's how you change things without passing laws. And as this is a global problem, this is a global solution.

  1. First make your vote by supporting someone that has done something you deem correct. In this case, you buy a hybrid. In fact, you and all your friends buy lots of them. Drive the price through the roof where people are paying more than sticker price. Pay enough more that you send the message "I am effectively paying $6 per gallon of gas and I don't care." (Hint: this step has already started. Move on to step 2.)
  2. Next buy a car company. Stop giggling. I am totally serious. Think back in history and how the big bad industrial complex was squashing the little guy. How did they fix it? By forming a union. And the union got them serious monetary representation to the boss man, making them get all they wanted (and arguably today, maybe more than they deserve in a few cases.) So: you form a Stockholder's Union. You and all your friends that believe the same thing pool your money and buy stock. A lot of stock. (Hint: GM is on sale right now, though that may or may not be the best choice.) You probably don't really have to have a majority. Historically a vocal minority has ruled over a majority quite often.
  3. Your Stockholders Union makes a stink. A big stink. You change the direction of the company. I dont know if that means more hybrid cars or more research into other alternatives or both or something different altogether. GM is now the greenest, most politically correct company on the planet. Gloat. Be smug.
  4. Force the board to put one of your cronies in a position of power. Pick a good cronie -- not based on how loud they are but how much ability they have. The goal here is to both make your political changes AND make money. This is the language the CEO understands.
  5. Wave your flag. Stand up and make a big stink about what you are doing and why. Use this both to get existing stockholders to join your union and to advertise to your buyers. Look how good you are compared to Ford or BMW.
  6. Point and spit on your competitors. Look how we have every envirogeek on our side and how they are stomping the planet like it was a big pile of garbage. Poo. Poo on them.
  7. If, by some chance, one of your competitors sees what you are doing and joins you.... Be quick to praise them openly and promote them in your own commercials. (You can always point out how your Chevy is still better than a Ford, but please, if you dont buy a Chevy, consider a Ford.) People will gawk and think you are crazy, but you will be oddly rewarded at how both companies sell more.

Dont think it will work? Try it. It makes a whole lot more sense than spending millions of dollars on political ads that bash the other side. Move On away from that tactic. I have found that as much as politicians divide us and make us argue, they very rarely actually do the thing that made us elect them. Oh sure there is a favor here and there which amounts to a handout to one group paid for by taxing another, but that really isnt solving anything is it?

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Most. Expensive. Oil change. Ever.


Time for the first bit of maintenance on the tractor and ... holy mother of Bob! $232 for an oil change. Jumpin Jehosifat! Now I have to buy Ellie Mae 50 something more rose bushes.