Category: books

1 out of 14

This is the only one of their principles I can endorse without reservation, though there are some weasel words in there (who decides what’s a “truly endangered species”?).

…Do they really want to stand in judgment and answer questions about who polluted the streams and lakes, who blew up the mountains, who wiped out the fish, birds, and other animals for sport or by destroying their homes?

This is the only one of their principles I can endorse without reservation, though there are some weasel words in there (who decides what’s a “truly endangered species”?).

(14) Protection of the Environment and Natural Heritage. We believe that the natural environment and resources of a nation are among its most precious, valuable, and irreplaceable treasures. We believe in the protection of the environment from reckless greed as well as from irresponsible government. We support the protection of truly endangered species of wildlife and areas of natural beauty. [From Statement of Principles | Council of Conservative Citizens]

It has always puzzled me that religious zealots who put so much stock in a Creator and a hand-made planet care so little about its well-being. Do they really want to stand in judgment and answer questions about who polluted the streams and lakes, who blew up the mountains, who wiped out the fish, birds, and other animals for sport or by destroying their homes? If you believe that Man was granted dominion, with that should come responsibility.

shameless commerce

I wouldn’t complain if some of you stopped by on your web surfboards so you could see if Amazon has anything that might interest you…. I’m too lazy (and too much of a purist) to clutter up an RSS feed with this stuff.

I know most of my audience is reading through the Magic of RSS Syndication.

I wouldn’t complain if some of you stopped by on your web surfboards so you could see if Amazon has anything that might interest you. Or see if any of this stuff grabs you.

I’m too lazy (and too much of a purist) to clutter up an RSS feed with this stuff.

musings on transportation

For something we enjoy for maybe an hour (if you’re lucky) or perhaps 3-4, per day, if things are not so good, we spend a lot of time choosing and researching, and then paying for what we decide on. When you consider how many people drive, for their commutes or errands, in congested areas and often with only one person in the car, the performance we pay for, that the ads tell us we have to have, will never be used.

…In this region, given the constrictions created by increasingly crowded bridges over waterways, I wish all cars were controlled by a central management system from the approaches at each end, to avoid the ricks as people try to cut in line and as drive operate their vehicles at different speeds while on the bridges.

Who needs more than this?

t500_01.jpgThe T500 used the same engine as the famous S500 roadster, cranking out a whopping 38HP and 31 lb-ft of torque, yet that was still enough to get it to highway speeds (barely) with a fuel economy of around 50MPG. There is nothing about this truck I don’t love. I really wish vehicles like this were the default choice for today’s driver. Sure, it could only haul around 880 pounds of stuff, but how often does the average person need to move around more than that? [From Vintage Brochure for 1964 Honda T500 Truck – Boing Boing Gadgets ]

Had occasion to hit my local IKEA today, and noted that it is more than 50 miles round trip — 2 gallons of gas @ US$3.29, so almost $7.00. And it struck me that for some things, it might make more sense to order them and have them shipped that it will make to go get them yourself. So many places offer free shipping, if you can wait/afford to let them maximize the logistical benefits.

The car, as we know it, all luxurious, with its elegant appointments, hot-and-cold running mp3 player, four-speed windshield wipers, and full-race floormats, might be pricing itself out of our lives.

Look at the little Honda truck, ca. 1964. How does it differ, functionally, from the SMART car of today? 2 seats, limited carrying capacity, extremely tight design/space usage, and exceptional economic value. I suspect few people who take the plunge on a SMART or something similar suddenly wish they had a bigger car with more stuff.

The amount of money people allocate to cars has always baffled me. Where with most things people buy, the argument seems to be to buy the smallest that makes sense, in housing or appliances, etc. but in cars, it always seem to be, buy the most you can afford. For something we enjoy for maybe an hour (if you’re lucky) or perhaps 3-4, per day, if things are not so good, we spend a lot of time choosing and researching, and then paying for what we decide on.

When you consider how many people drive, for their commutes or errands, in congested areas and often with only one person in the car, the performance we pay for, that the ads tell us we have to have, will never be used. Hundreds of horsepower, idling, inaccessible and unused in one traffic jam after another.

Continue reading “musings on transportation”

aviation disasters

We took advantage of the fine weather, the Ten Year Old and I, to go fly some R/C planes. He has the one in the picture, and I spent some time this morning replacing a chewed tail section. These foam flyers are not all that durable, as I’ll explain further.


“Firebird Scout Rtf Ep” (Horizon Hobby)

Sadly, his wouldn’t fly at all. At full throttle, it would simply nose into the grass.

Mine is/was a larger one and I can’t find a listing for it. Also a foam flyer with the same pod and boom design, but larger and faster.

So with the addition of a little packing tape to reinforce the effects of some earlier hard landings, mine flew OK, if a little mushy in the controls. It was difficult to keep level and turning was a slow process. And that turned out to be its undoing, as a slow turn and a little less altitude than I needed put it right into a baseball backstop with spectacular results. The wing broke in half, the tail section was smashed, and the whole mess came to the ground in a cloud of dust from the dry field.

Oops.

So now I have two sets of components to use for Mugi-design planes. Not exactly what I planned . . . .

I still have to work out why the other plane doesn’t fly properly, but perhaps one of the Mugis, if the materials are in, will help scratch the flying itch.

links for 2007-07-31

déja vu all over again

a War and Piece correspondent writes:

It strikes me that we are in an eerily similar situation to 1999 and 2000.

— The United States is fully aware of Al Qaeda training camps operating openly, with links to cells and operatives in Western Europe elsewhere;

— Our government is picking up increasing signs of communications, movements of money, and other signals indicative of planning for future attacks;

— An internal debate is occurring over whether to take action against those training camps, including military strikes; while those who are forward leaning are pushing for more aggressive risk-taking, others are cognizant of not wanting to violate sovereign territory and risking large civilian casualties;

In 1999 and 2000, we were talking about Afghanistan. Today, it is Pakistan. The Clinton Administration was savaged after 9/11 for “treating terrorism as law enforcement”, excessively taking into account the diplomatic sensitivities of other nations, and too much regard for civilian lives when we could have killed the bad guys with a missile strike. The Bushies said that would not happen on their watch.

So why is it happening again? At least the Clintonites did not have “the lessons of 9/11” as a backdrop.

Given that national Republicans have been quite open about how another terror attack would be to their benefit, is it any wonder why this threat is being allowed to grow unchecked?

It’s bad enough that Republicans are willing to let Americans die in Iraq for their cause, but now they want Americans killed at home as well.

What’s that all about?

summer fun

well, since my kids are in summer swim league for 6 weeks, I am taking to the nearby high school track to try and work off some of this table muscle. I’m tipping the scales at about 190 (my scale sez 186, the MD’s is 191 and up: different times of day and clothing, I reckon) and I would really like to get to 180 or lower. BMI is around 24 or lower, so perhaps I’m not as lardy as I imagine.

So on Monday, I ran 1 mile, in 2 half-mile segments, and walked an additional half. Wednesday, I did 1.5 miles, with 3 laps of walking, and today, I did a mile with 2 laps of walking. So not too bad. The running parts are non-stop, so two laps is just that: two laps of admittedly slow running without stopping to catch my breath.

I am making an effort to pace myself and ensure I can do the distance without worrying about speed. I also have to get the heart rate monitor out and see how much good this is doing me there.

We’ll see how it goes over the summer. I could use the improved endurance and if any weight loss results, that’s good too. Determination and perseverance are easier to muster as I get older, it seems, and I feel some obligation to motivate my young charges to get out and get moving (only one of them needs any encouragement).