The Filthy Speeder

First Post of 2011!

2011-11-29T21:22:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd blow the cobwebs off this thing before 2011 is over.

Much is the same this year. I still think cops are mostly douchebags, collecting revenue from speedy but otherwise safe and law-abiding citizens that are in the public minority. Global Warming scientists continue to be exposed as a bunch of hacks with political agendas (reference recent Email Scandal Part 2).

(Respeck mah authoritah!)

Let's see, what else did I used to write about here...

Anthony has ceased pooping in the bathtub as he is 5 years old now.

We no longer live in the old house in Newton and do not know the whereabouts of the brown bat that used to nest in the front porch every year.

When it's got 4 wheels, RWD & AWD are still >> FWD, which still sucks the big one. Physics have not been altered since we last chatted on this.

Old BMW's are still fantastic machines. I miss mine. It was sold, basically for scrap, and funded a replacement radiator for the Subuaru WRX, which continues to eat about $400/month in parts.

Well that's about it.

Don't Be Angry With Me, Filthy Speeder

2010-07-21T22:43:00.006-05:00

A friend and I were catching up earlier today and I briefly complained about the pack of sleepy commuters I encountered after work. I think this friend, let's call him 'Anonymous', initially thought my complaint was strictly about speed. I think this has been a misconception about the Filthy Speeder for some time and is worth dispelling.

I really have no problem with someone who doesn't like or want to speed. I would just hope that person would pay attention to where they are going and what they're doing. Maybe show some courtesy to their fellow man and move to the right when possible. That's really not much work is it? You wouldn't block someone from getting around you in a shopping aisle or in the hall at work, would you? Of course not. You're really nicer than that when you're paying attention. Same thing on the road; just a basic courtesy. You have my permission to block if and only if the would-be passer is riding your bumper, but only for a little while. Hang out in that position too long and you've earned that bumper riding. So what if this maniac wants to go faster than you? Let the loony pass and he'll be clear of you. Maybe the cops will catch him in the act and you can giggle "I told you so!" until passing out.

I also don't think it would be too much to ask for fellow drivers to pick a speed and maintain it. Again, this is basic situation awareness. Sometimes a change in speed may be necessary to get around other traffic or to change lanes (see above) or something like that but really you're just being an inconsiderate douchebag if your speed varies in proportion to your cell phone conversation. Your unpredictable actions cause a yo-yo effect of cars slowing down behind you, leading to frustration and congestion. Don't think it doesn't apply to city streets because it definitely does.

And lastly for tonight, merge like you might have some balls, even if you don't technically. It just isn't appropriate to merge into 70 mph traffic at 35 mph or worse, 0 mph. Especially when there's such things as 1/4-mile long 'entrance ramps', 'turn signals', and engines with more than 100 hp. There really is no excuse here. Be timid somewhere else where your actions don't endanger people. You're not going to hurt Peggy Sue or whatever the hell it is you call your 2004 Honda Accord SE by pushing down on the gas pedal. In most medium to large cities the other drivers will make space for you and *SHOCKER!* you may even discover that it's easier to find gaps in traffic to merge into if you are traveling and a speeder much closer to that of said traffic!

But enough ranting and railing tonight. Sometime soon I'll put together a post for the lay person explaining the reasons why I speed and how it should be done. Sort of a Tao of Speeding. And right after that I'll move on to other topics, I swear. Just gotta get some of this off my chest. Thanks for reading.

Back from the Dead

2010-07-21T22:26:00.003-05:00

"Live, damn you! Live!"

And so the Filthy Speeder blog was revived.

Been nearly a year since I posted. I'd kind of abandoned this thing in lieu of Facebook, which seemed to be the vehicle of choice for seeking validation from one's friends. That's still going (hi there, FB friends reading this) but it's occurred to me that ye olde webbe logge could still be a useful outlet for personal expression. Plus the anonymous comments intrigue me. So mysterious! Who could it be?

Various things and life have happened since my last post. Band of Skulls sorta kinda made it big. Okay, more like 'medium'. They were one of many opening acts for The Dead Weather's recent tour. They've also been featured in a recent Ford Mustang V6 commercial. So, see, I was right about them. They are decent. Sometimes. If you dislike anything but basic rhythms. You have to admit the vocals and guitar are pretty good though.

Jason's Band of the Week

2009-08-23T11:22:00.003-05:00

Band of Skulls. They're from the UK and do NOT have a fascination with the macabre. They're apparently really good live. This live cut sounds as good as the CD.

Give this next song about 30 seconds before you judge. It's not quite what it seems. The harmonies with the gigantic female bassist are neat.

New Blog to Follow

2009-08-01T10:32:00.002-05:00

I could practically have started this blog: http://itemnotasdescribed.com/. It's a blog of stupid crap that shows up in classified ads and on Craigslist for REALLY over-priced stuff or stuff that should just be hauled off to the dump. It's a pet peeve of mine. I'd go into it more but am out of time.

Pikes Peak

2009-07-29T21:34:00.002-05:00

It's been a little while since the last racing-related movie post. You'll enjoy this one. It's from the recent Pikes Peak hillclimb, which is a time trial race (racing against the clock--not wheel-to-wheel) up the asphalt & gravel road the runs to the top of Pikes Peak.

He gets above the tree line at about 6:00 minutes. It gets nerve racking from there. The car is a highly modified Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which is RWD. The whistling noise is the turbocharger.

CO Vacation Pics

2009-07-26T22:54:00.008-05:00

This photo montage was supposed to be a view from one mountain to another and back again, but it didn't quite work out.

From the top of Castle Mountain you can see Trail Ridge Road zig zag up the mountain side. At the time I thought I could see the lodge at the very top. But on closer examination it was actually on the other side of the ridge.

Here's what the lodge at the top of Trail Ridge Road looks like from the short trail up the mountain side. I took the last pic in this series near where the arrow is in this pic. This shows how the lodge is tucked in next to a bowl area. This is just to the right of the high peak in the 1st photo. Unfortunately it's also behind that pointy peak.

View of Castle Mountain from the RMNP Lodge. Yeah, dang it, you can't quite see where we were, which was on the far side of the mountain about where the arrow is pointing.

Oh well; guess I gotta go back next year and get it right.

Tundra Flower Pics

2009-07-26T22:25:00.008-05:00

I was feeling like Kim P while on vacation a couple of weeks ago and snapped these pics in Rocky Mountain National Park while hiking the short trail through the tundra, way up there above the tree line. Reading the info on the signs, there's so little water, sunlight, and air up there that it can take these plants 20 years to grow flowers. Despite this there will still dumb sons a @#$%!'s walking off the trail and on plants/rocks/whatever they felt like. I hope their stupidity catches up with them someday. But aren't these some pretty looking flowers and such... in a manly sort of way?

Extreme Rice

2009-07-26T11:06:00.001-05:00

This video kills me. No idea who made it or why.

Song of the Week

2009-07-23T21:59:00.002-05:00

New week. New song. That simple.

For Paul & Paul

2009-07-15T23:22:00.001-05:00

I Yam Okay

2009-07-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

Favorite Lines:

1) "I yam okay" -- 0:27
2) "Is your ass broken? -- 0:40

Motivational Poster

2009-07-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

I love this.

Jason's Song of the Week

2009-07-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

Late Night Talk Shows

2009-06-14T20:10:00.003-05:00

I was going to going into how much I've thought Letterman has just been phoning-it-in for about 15 years, when I found the Breitbart blog while searching thru Google Images of Letterman. This guy is a lot better writer than I am and really sums it up nicely. Click here.

That particular blog post was written in April after Letterman hopped on Limbaugh for something or other. The new kerfuffle is related to some jokes he told about Sara Palin and her daughter. There have been demands for apologies and for resignations from Dave, which is an overreaction and a waste of time. Is anyone surprised that a bitter old Liberal would make jokes like the ones he did? And does it matter? (answers should be 'no') Dave hasn't been funny in years. In fact before all this happened and Leno retired I was thinking of posting about how the both of them should hang it up. Conan too. Yeah, I said it. He's been pretty boring since Andy Richter left the Late Show. Maybe the Tonight show will be better now that Andy is back with
Conan, but it still looks like the same Conan jokes to me.

I just find Spike Ferenstein, Jimmy Kimmel, and Craig Ferguson to all be funnier and more interesting.

Stop! Pants Shopping Time

2009-06-06T23:41:00.001-05:00

Check out the 'breakdown' at 0:50.

Thoughts on Tiller

2009-06-01T22:16:00.003-05:00

I gotta say, I'm not all broken up about this. It's hard to feel sorry for a guy that's done so many nasty things. But I'm pretty sure the post-term abortion of the abortionist was not the answer though. I would much rather have seen him run out of clientele and go out of business. Late-term abortion is a grizzly horrible murder of an innocent fully-formed person but the women who requested it were just as bad as Tiller. If they wouldn't have asked for his services they wouldn't have been performed. Instead, since the demand is still there some other creep will just pop up to take Tiller's place, hardened in his/her crusade for womens'* rights.

If more people would come to the conclusion that a fetus or nearly-to-term baby is more than a clump of cells and should not be removed and discarded like a lanced mole, the world would be a better place. Is adoption so hard? Aren't we better and smarter and more merciful than a people who would do something as nasty as abortion?

(* Does not include the rights of aborted baby girls who would grow up to be women.)

This Weeks Musical Selection

2009-05-31T21:11:00.002-05:00

Cody turned me on to the new Grizzly Bear CD (thanks, Cody). I knew nothing about the band but dig the sound of this album. This song, "Southern Point", a bit Crosby Stills Nash & Young, but maybe that's because I heard a lot of CSN&Y as a kid (thanks, Dad).

Cody claims that this sound--sorta folkiness--is really popular right now in the indie/college radio scene (see also 'Fleet Foxes'). I'm not completely convinced but I am far from up on the latest.

Enjoy.

P.R. was Right

2009-05-27T22:07:00.004-05:00

I'll be danged. P.R. was right. The videos in my previous post were not a guy pretending to have Downs Syndrome. He actually does have Downs but has a high degree of awareness and function. Also, I'm apparently 'so 2008' for not having seen this video series until just recently.

Someone mark this down. P.R. 1, Jason 0.

Politically Incorrect Funnies

2009-05-18T19:24:00.004-05:00

Okay, if a guy who has the looks of a Downs Syndrome person, but doesn't actually have Downs Syndrome and produces a series of comedy sketches about being a mentally retarded policeman offends you, don't watch these videos. They may offend you. For the rest of us...

Favorite Line: "Hot dog! Power trip time!"

New Complaint

2009-05-10T15:15:00.004-05:00

Okay, it's been a few weeks. I need to gripe about something. What is it with people who insist on filling their drinks at fast food places as if it's brain surgery? For petes sake, it should not take anyone who doesn't live in a group home more than 1 minute to operate the machine and put the top on. It's just not that hard.

Yet Beverage Brain Surgeons seem to be everywhere. They take a full minute to get the ice to precisely the right level. Then they carefully consider which drink they'd like, then change their minds, then go for it but are then confounded by the controls. Does it have a button or a bar to push the cup on? A full inspection must be performed. Lord help us if they try to get the water but fruit punch comes out. Next comes the carbonation which quickly overwhelms the Beverage Brain Surgeon because the actual level of the liquid may just be 1 milli-meter below the top and they don't want to get ripped off by Ronald McDonald. By this point a que is building up behind them but 3 more iterations of fizz n' wait come and go before they're happy.

Next comes the ultimate beverage challenge: fitting that tricky lid on the top, which takes another full minute. The truly insane then continue to block access to the machine while they carefully unwrap and insert a straw at just the right depth in the drink and sample the flavor. Honestly, it's enough to make me want to carry around a megaphone. All we need here is a little courtesy, Beverage Brain Surgeons. You get a free refill anyway; just come back. You'll be fine.

Pistols for Pandas Project

2009-05-03T20:25:00.003-05:00

You must all watch this video. It is vitally important that we protect our rainforests, and these pandas are on the front line.

Got Another 10 Minutes to Blow?

2009-04-15T21:20:00.002-05:00

This time it's Danny Popp at the 2008 NASA national championships at Mid-Ohio. This guy is a master. Watch some of these passes.

This time we're in a production chassis Corvette (C5, I believe) with some modifications.

SCCA GT-1 In-Car Footage

2009-04-15T21:15:00.002-05:00

This is from GT-1 driver Mike Skeen. It's fun to watch. Careful with the sound volume on your computer; it hits kind of suddenly.

Car is a full tube-frame racecar like NASCAR but closer to the old Trans Am cars. It probably has 600 or 700 hp. Big bucks amateur racing.

Trans-Am at Road Atlanta - March 09 from Michael Skeen on Vimeo.

Samurai!!

2009-04-10T19:12:00.001-05:00

Not a real bullet, but still amusing.

GM is Done

2009-03-29T20:23:00.006-05:00

First they needed billions of dollars or hundreds of thousands of jobs would vanish permanently (BS!). They got some cash and ran through it quicker than expected. Meanwhile some auditors and analysts announced there was no profitable way forward for the company. Now to get more bailout funds, GM's CEO Rick Wagoner has agreed to step-down immediately at the request of the Whitehouse. Huh? What country are we living in? Caesar has given a thumbs-down and the axe has fallen.

GM deserves this since they're chasing government money after years of poor decisions and low quality (yet another post). But I don't see any concessions from elsewhere. How about also canning Ron Gettelfinger, the head of the UAW, whose organization is responsible for the jobs banks (paying people not to work), higher than average wages, sweet pension deals, and ludicrous labor contracts for un-fireable workers? Understand that the UAW used to refer to GM as 'Generous Motors' because they always caved in contract negotiation. This was in part because GM's business model relied on insane production volumes to make any profit (mistake #96423). Any slowdown meant red ink so the union always had leverage. But the UAW also damaged the other car companies and countless suppliers. Sounds like Ron is a lot more culpable. But I suppose he's too busy playing golf at the UAW's $33M lakeside golf resort at the moment. Nevermind.

So what's next? Obama and various congressional Democrats will probably dictate labor contracts and some product decisions. I guess it's already started, really. Soon anything not 'eco' or not built in a prominent Democrat's state will get canned. But reality will catch up with this scheme eventually. You and I probably aren't going to buy future GM cars for the same reasons we're not buying them now and the product isn't going to improve under the government's watch. If you thought GM's current management made some stupid choices, wait until a bunch of lifetime public-sector people with no business experience make decisions by committee.

How about a $50k hybrid Pontiac Aztec?

(Plastic cladding, odd proportions, ugly details, weird colors, low power, bad handling, and a historic sales flop. NOW WITH HYBRID FUEL ECONOMY AND A HIGHER PRICE! COME ON DOWN!)

What if Obama later voids your factory warranty because it saves the government money? Reference continually erroded Medicare funding and the mismanagment of Social Security.

(We inheritted this minivan transmission failure from the Bush administration who failed to do anything about it. On that basis your warranty claim has been DENIED.)

How about a $40k plug-in electric hybrid? You might as well buy one since we'll be buying a piece of each one via subsidies. This is in addition to the bailout cash.

(Man, the original Volt concept was fugly. Good luck getting more the 20 miles on a charge when it's cold out. Sure hope those low rolling resistance tires haul it down in time to prevent that accident.)

Think design quality will improve under government control? Think quality control will improve under an emboldened union? Don't kid yourself.

(A shining example of a modern leftist government automobile, the Russian Trabant. They still looked like this just before the collapse of communism. No, I'm being serious. They were also not known for being reliable. But only the wealthy mid-level party members could afford a car like this anyway.)

So here's the future. At some point no amount of taxpayer cash and Obama administration proclimations are going to matter if no one buys the cars. Revenue will decrease as overhead stays pretty steady except for what's left of management and engineering, who will be sacrificed. We citizens will be greeted quarterly with news headlines that say "Billions More Than Anticipated Needed to Save GM Jobs". Eventually this scheme will start polling negatively and the floor will drop out. Then we'll get to fund a reorganization that should have happened 4-10 years prior. What a joke.

Slap Chop

2009-03-29T20:20:00.002-05:00

Mild adult joke here. But this ad has not been altered in anyway. This youtube clip is exactly what I've seen on TV. Listen to the gutsy line this guy delivers at 0:54.

Autocross Season is Almost Here

2009-03-10T07:30:00.003-05:00

Here's an artsy look at what goes on at a typical autocross (now called 'solo', used to be 'solo2') from a professional up in Canada. This video is WAY WAY more interesting than the preview screen shot you see below.

The Rogers' New BMW

2009-03-08T21:21:00.003-05:00

By 'new' I mean 'new to us' and actually 19 years old. This car is old enough to drive itself to college. But 'new BMW' sure makes for an exciting headline.

It's a 1990 325i 4-door with no engine or transmission. It will be receiving those bits and a few others from the old black 1987 325is 2-door. The 2-door has really been fun to own but unfortunately has some very significant structural rust.

I wasn't really looking for one of these right now but a friend had this 'roller' (car guy slang for a workable car w/o a drivetrain) for a good price and I couldn't pass it up. About the only thing that's going to happen anytime soon is a thorough cleaning. We have way more pressing matters to attend to like the Honda, which is supposed to be my primary commuter car, which needs some work and the front yard that needs sod now that it's nearly mid-March(!). But at some point I'm going to strip the black BMW of parts until it's down to a rusty steel shell which will then get sawed up and hauled to the recycler in the back of my pickup. That'll be a fun blog post.

Nunchucks Again

2009-02-26T19:59:00.001-06:00

I'd like a set for the office.

Thank You Scott Adams

2009-02-25T22:40:00.004-06:00

* Note: Sorry to those of you running less than 1024 x whatever resolution whose screen is all jumbled up. I had to widen the blog template to fit this Dilbert comic. It's linked so I couldn't control the width. If this is causing you problems, send me an email rant by clicking here.

Jason's Photo of the Day

2009-02-22T20:40:00.002-06:00

The Chicago Tea Party

2009-02-19T21:13:00.001-06:00

I Almost Want to Buy Castrol

2009-02-17T07:15:00.004-06:00

Almost, after watching this new commercial. But Mobile1 and Amsoil are better.

Let's Hurry Up and Spend a Trillion Dollars

2009-02-13T21:16:00.000-06:00

Why Front-Wheel-Drive Sucks

2009-02-09T22:31:00.002-06:00

Okay, brace yourselves. I'm about to post a link to an article from slate.com written by Mickey Kaus. You're not going to see this very often, unless I'm picking apart a political argument, but this is a non-political topic and Kaus is a skilled writer. He explains, in laymans terms, why front wheel drive cars are bad. It's a good read for you non-car people and may influence your thinking on your next car purchase depending on the type of car you're shopping for--RWD isn't available in every segment.

http://www.slate.com/id/2081194/

One rebuttal to this article might be that RWD is bad in the snow. My response is that's not true with just a little bit of preparation. A sandbag or two in the back of the car or truck will work miracles. We've gotten so lazy on things like this because vehicles require very little maintenance any more and FWD has gotten us by with no preparation in the past. Sandbags seem foreign now but I'm willing to bet it was common in the past when everything was RWD. Another anachronism are snow tires. No one buys them outside of states that have hardcore winters, but I run them in KS on my cars. They go on in December and come off in late February. It's not much work or expense. The end result is that my RWD BMW with snow tires and sandbags is an above-average car in the snow. It seems to be better off than a lot of FWD cars, including our own FWD Mazda station wagon. About the only thing more sure-footed in snow is an AWD vehicle. That's a good choice if it's available and you don't mind the reduction in fuel mileage, but again, it's not available in every segment either.

Ask the Filthy Speeder

2009-01-27T07:16:00.002-06:00

I'm sure you've always had the urge to ask me for automotive, political, romantic, or random advice but didn't know how to do so anonymously. Well here's your chance. Simply comment on this blog entry anonymously. To help keep things straight, pick a silly Dear Abby-esque name to sign your comment with like "Pissed Pontiac Owner" or "Addicted to Harpsichords".

Jason's CD of the Month and Possibly Quarter

2009-01-24T23:57:00.003-06:00

If you haven't gotten sucked into Fleet Foxes yet, you ought to give this a listen. In fact this particular song was chosen with Cody in mind. He and Kim recently commented that they didn't get the hype surrounding this band.

Honestly, if you had told me 6 months ago that I would be hooked on some melodic mostly-acoustic guitar folky music I would have said you didn't know me very well. But these guys do have some unusual going on. I've got the full length album and the EP. Both are worth owning if you like this song, which is on the EP.

New Title

2009-01-24T22:16:00.007-06:00

I've changed the title and color of the blog. Yeah, what a life, huh?

I often say in jest when another unfortunate soul is being handed their ticket that the police officer should "lock 'em up and throw away the key! That filthy speeder!" in a mock grumpy old man voice. I've been extra speedy this weekend so it resonates. I haven't had a ticket in quite a while now. It's been at least 6 months. And it's been more than a year since the ticket/s before that so I'm well clear of the danger zone of license suspension.

Speaking of which, did anyone else see the NHTSA report that came out semi-recently about speeding (source article: thenewspaper.com)?

The report concludes that speeding causes only 5% of accidents.

Here's the break down of the primarily driver error accident causes:

Inattentiveness 41%
Poor Driving Skills 10%
Falling Asleep / Heart Attack / Medical 8%
Too Fast for Conditions (i.e. weather) 8%
Cornering too Fast 5%

If law enforcement really cared about public safety they'd move from radar guns to some sort of 'attentiveness' or 'basic skills' patrol. Distracted cell phone talkers and the inept would fund the city/county/state budget instead of speedy persons such as myself. Well, I can dream anyway.

The Baddest Man on the Planet

2009-01-21T22:10:00.002-06:00

...is a slightly pudgy Russian dude. No really, I've seen several of his fights. If you have a few minutes, Fox Sports Net has produced a slick video spot on him. I haven't seen the second half of this, but I would say he's the best heavyweight MMA fighter strictly because he's the smartest and calmest fighter around. Watch how he walks to the ring. Very anti-climatic.

A Guilty Pleasure

2009-01-13T20:10:00.003-06:00

I gotta admit, I like parts of the new Metallica single. It starts off nicely but turns into raw mulleted cheesiness at about 2:00 minutes. And yeah, James Whatshisname, the lead singer, accents the end of every line sung with a "RAH!","NAH!", or "YAH!". Sample: "I didn't want to cut my haaaaiiiiirrr-RAH!". Listen for it. Then listen to every other Metallica song you've ever heard. Then have a chuckle to yourself. Liking Metallica, even a little bit, is like saying you prefer your women in tube tops and Lee Press-On nails.

$375 Million Dollars for Town of 194

2009-01-10T10:06:00.005-06:00

If you haven't heard, the town of Edwardsville, Alabama made a request for 374 million dollars in federal aid for their town of 194 residents in order to fund green technology and who knows what else.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/stimulus/2009/01/08/why-a-tiny-alabama-town-wants-a-375-million-chunk-of-the-stimulus.html

Of course this ballsy move received national attention, especially from the Citizens Against Government Waste organization. If you read the news story a little further you'll see that this bad press caused the town to rescind the original request. A town representative had this to say (taken from US News):

"The public perception of us being full of greed and the tremendously ugly comments have disheartened and disappointed us to the point that we are withdrawing our projects from the U.S. Conference of Mayors survey."

Am I the only one who thinks this person was stretching their vocabulary just to get this statement out? I think we would all have been much more impressed with this improved version:

"The public perceptification of us being full of greediocity and the stupendously ugly commentifications have unfortunately exposed our dubious cash grab to the point that we can no longer get away with it. Screw all of you."

Sheesh, Edwardsville. How naive must your US Conference of Mayors representative be to try something like this? Did he/she really think that they should burden the rest of the nation with hugely expensive and disproportionatly expensive public works projects at a time when unemployment is at a 7% nationally and our GDP has shrank?

Those small town rubes should have known that only the federal government can do things like this!

Obama's stimuluous package, which Edwardsville was trying to get a piece of, is 800 BILLION dollars in government spending. That's a bit more ambitious than Edwardsville, being another order of magnitude higher in cash, but it's just as stupid and we should be just as appalled at this idea as we are at Edwardsville's. See, the problem with government spending is that the money must come from one of these sources.

1) The Treasury prints more money.
2) The Treasury sells more bonds to China.
3) A minority of tax payers get taxed into oblivion.

The first option devalues the currency because the money supply goes way up. Every asset you own becomes less valuable. This doesn't mean it won't happen.

The second option is on-going and comprises a large portion of the national debt. The Chinese and several other foreign investment entities already own us to a large degree. At some point we won't be able to even pay the interest on these bonds and our currency will collapse globally. It's worse than that even sounds.

The third option is the most attractive (not to me!) and is on going. We are now at the point in time where the vast majority of tax dollars are paid by way, way less than 50% of the tax payers. Since these tax payers are a minority of the population they are out-voted. The majority of the country has decided to confiscate the earnings of a minority. That sounds righteous ("Stick it to the rich!") but there are problems. Those high earners are the ones whose small and large businesses hire people. They are the ones who buy a lot of goods and services which keep us employed, like say 20,000-30,000 of us in Wichita who work for Cessna, Learjet, and Beechcraft who manufacture corporate jets and other aircraft. When we vote to tax them at crazy high rates they can do less of these things and the economy tanks. If you recall, dear reader, this is supply side economics, which was proven by Reagan.

When he set this policy in motion in the early 80's it created a 30 year economic boom whose momentum just petered out, largely due to someone's stupid idea to give mortgages to people who can't pay them. The simplest analogy I can come up with is low tax rates create a bigger pie of which the government takes a smaller portion. High tax rates mean the government is taking a large portion of what is a smaller pie. In each scenario the government gets their pie but our share of pie (the rest of the economy) is much smaller when tax rates are high. Get it?

So I don't have any confidence that a load of governement spending is going to work here. That very action is going to stifle the economy it's trying to save. I predict we're going to have a rocky year or two here while we're ignoring history and trying to spend our way out of debt. About 10% of Cessna is going to be sent home at the end of this month and it will probably get worse later this year. Remember this the next time you vote.

The Biggest Cajones - Part II

2009-01-08T22:59:00.002-06:00

Notice how the guy trips right out of the gate. Watch what he does later. I have no idea where this trail is, but that reinforced concrete isn't anymore.

The Biggest Cajones - Part I

2009-01-08T22:57:00.001-06:00

Hey, they're wearing bicycling helmets. That's plenty.

Jason's Guide to Not Being an Automotive Idiot

2009-01-05T22:23:00.013-06:00

Okay, I may not be THE coolest guy around, but I have some strong opinions backed up by engineering geekiness. Here's what to avoid when making automotive decisions.

1) Ditch the wing, Batman.

The number of these things that actually function is very, very small. Most are nothing but aerodynamic drag and extra weight (non-nerd translation: this means worse fuel economy... and you paid for the privilege.) You're not getting any downforce back there and if even if you were it's not needed on your nose-heavy front wheel drive car anyway. Ditto on that $50 Ebay monstrosity made in China that the ricer kids fasten down with deck screws. Face it, your car looks stupid and you're not fooling anyone.

Wanna see how big that wing would have to be to be effective at legal highway speeds?

There you go. Any takers?

EXCEPTION:

The wing pictured above, which have been used on the back edge of SUV's and stationwagons for decades is actually functional. It keeps water and ice from accumulating on the back glass when the vehicle is moving. Notice most of them are small. The older ones were painted flat black so they wouldn't get noticed. Sorry, no downforce. No douche-baggery either though.

2) Bras are for the ladies. And flabby dudes.

Honestly, do you really car about avoiding rock chips on the front end of your car? If so, then why do you leave this goobery padded pleather cover on the front end for years at time, holding moisture, dust, and sand against your paint finish? Ever seen what it looks like under there after a car bra has been in place for a few months or years?

Don't pay to destroy your car. At best you look like an old man hoping his 2001 Oldsmobile Alero with rubber steering wheel cover wins first place at the big car show this weekend. At worst you look like a total follower. The only remedy is a big black cover on the back bumper (aka 'car panties'.)

3) Air freshners, rubber steering wheel covers, ricer-boy shift knobs, bobble head dolls, and stuffed animals are not custom car touches. You look like an idiot.

If this is how you want to express yourself you ought to hold it in. No, we do not think you are 'spunky' or creative. Or inteligent.

4) Your Pontiac is not sporty.

Hey people over 35, this one is especially for you. Back in the good ole days, Pontiac successfully marketed their cars as youthful sporty machines. Some of them actually were. But this hasn't been true since the 1975 Firebird 455 Super Duty edition. Unfortunately I still hear people older than 35 professing to the sportiness of their lame front wheel drive Pontiac with a V6 and an automatic transmission. Unless you own a new G8 (400hp V8 rear wheel drive) or a Solstice GXP (260hp turbo-4 rear wheel drive roadster), you're driving a re-badged Chevrolet/Buick/Oldsmobile(R.I.P). All of those cars have the exact same engine, transmission, chassis, and suspension. The only difference are the plastic front and rear fascias and the body cladding. Your Pontiac isn't any sportier and it's not fast. Come on back to reality. You paid extra for a gussied up Chevy Berretta if you own the car pictured. You obeyed the programming.

MINOR EXCEPTION: If you own one of the supercharged Bonnevilles they are faster than the regular Chevrolet/Olds. But they're the same as the supercharged Buick that grandpa's driving. Yeah, you're still a sucker. Don't take the marketing bait next time.

Well that's enough vitriol for tonight. Stay tuned for future installments on this topic. There are a lot more automotive wrongs out there that need to be called-out.

I'm Sorry

2009-01-04T10:40:00.003-06:00

...but I just couldn't help but post this picture. It's such a funny moment in time. The facial expressions, the hand gestures, the sheer volume of fluid. Yes, this kind of quality post keeps the readers coming back for more.

Feel Free

2008-12-30T09:06:00.002-06:00

(Random picture of a cat driving a car.)

I've heard verbal comments from lots of people from the past few months about my blog posts but it seems like the web comments are down. That's fine, but I thought I would bring up that the web comments are fun to go back and forth with. It starts a broader conversation with everyone who tunes in. If you're nervous about your words appearing on the internet for all to read, choose the anonymous comment option. No one will ever know it was you. I've only ever jumped on one commenter one time and then he and his wife left our church (okay, actually I forced them out). But I rarely aim the literary guns at anyone. You have almost nothing to fear.

I Don't Smile Too Much...

2008-12-22T22:59:00.002-06:00

...cause my teeth got knocked out by a chainsaw."

Introducing the Turtle Man:

At one point he's holding a snapper by the tail and it really looks like it's trying to chomp his junk. That would be fatal.

Google Earth Freakout

2008-12-20T10:51:00.003-06:00

(Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia -- CLICK FOR A LARGER PIC)

Has anyone else been freaked out by the level of detail in Google Earth? Our part of the world is not very detailed yet but Australia is. I snapped this pic after finding a random beach near Sydney. You can make out individual people pretty well. See the 4 guys playing ping pong in the waist-high lagoon? I bet if you browsed the coastal areas you could eventually see a shark in the water.

Our corner of the world is not so detailed. We're several zoom-in layers behind. Somehow Newton, and probably west Wichita are one layer closer in than east Wichita which is ahead of Kansas City.

Viva La Verizon

2008-12-16T19:49:00.002-06:00

I've come to the conclusion that all the cell phone companies suck. All the companies that use GSM towers, which is T-Mobile and AT&T, have signal issues. Sprint, which has it's own network of towers, occasionally completely mangle their billing. Verizon has excellent tower coverage but poor sound quality. Alltel had billing issues at one time but is now owned by Verizon. Pick your poison.

I will say that we picked up some neat phones from Verizon. Nifty LG's with full keyboards. Also the service we got a Best Buy was great.

Adios Verizon

2008-12-14T19:54:00.004-06:00

EDIT: I just blew this post away. It sucked. I went on about how we had ditched Verizon, whose sound quality I have mocked in the past, in favor of Cingular whose call droppage has just turned me off. And I'm just not in the writing mood tonight. Why fight it?

Quickest BMW in the US.

2008-12-07T09:58:00.003-06:00

To the uninitiated, this video looks like a somewhat quick car, but probably only a little faster than the car you drive. But this is because you don't have a good frame of reference for how slow a normal car is, at least when you're watching from the stands (not driving). It's not until you see the in-car portion of this video that you get an idea of how violently fast this BMW is. It ran a 9.8 second quarter mile time which is fast enough to run down the faster sport bikes out there. That's fast enough to make most of us pee our pants.

Hear the unique inline-6 sound again?

Jason's Song of the Day

2008-12-06T10:12:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm a little late to the party on these guys. This has been out for 6 months. This song, Closer, when I first heard it made me think of Cody's band. Not that I don't like the song, 'cause I do. It was one of only 3 songs on the CD that I thought were worthy. But it's sounds like one of Cody's songs.

PS: Thanks Gossipgirl, whoever you are. I just found this on a search on youtube.

Mario Kart

2008-12-05T21:24:00.000-06:00

See! The French are alright.

Jason's Olde Tyme Advice

2008-12-03T19:20:00.002-06:00

When life throws you off that racing motorcycle, pick yourself up and get back on that thing.

Jason's Song of the Day

2008-11-27T13:02:00.003-06:00

I love this band right now. Well, maybe just this one song. The rest of the CD doesn't quite measure up. Don't worry it's not actually death metal. That stuff can kill you. No, they're more like the Rolling Stones. Happy Turkey Day.

The More You Know

2008-11-21T15:07:00.004-06:00

Lighting yourself on fire might look cool, but it can burn you. No, seriously, dude.

(Warning: Some fowl language & much hilarity.)

Stop!

2008-11-14T21:59:00.002-06:00

Ha! The last post was too bitter for you to comment on (except for Matthew). Cain't touch dis.

Oh Yeah, The Election

2008-11-10T21:24:00.005-06:00

I haven't felt like writing much lately and have been pretty busy so it's been a while since I posted. Sorry for being boring.

Here's my synopsis of the presidential election. The majority of voters decided to vote against a washed-up 'moderate' old fart who swung to the right to appease his party base and was successfully portrayed as George Bush the third (if you're keeping count) and in favor of an admitted Socialist so that they could get their greedy hands in the grab bag of government that was promised to them. Those voters wanted free healthcare, money stolen from the rich and corporations, and an immediate end to the Iraq war so genocide can take place there, among other things.

Now look, don't take the word 'Socialist' as an insult, those of you who voted for him. That's not a dirty word as far as I'm concerned. It's a neutral description of the philosophy of a centrally-controlled economy and with the goal being redistribution of wealth. In several instances Obama, the big winner, said he believed in those ideals. I don't hold that against anyone, it's a legitimate belief, just one that I think is horribly flawed and illogical. But class warfare rhetoric sells socialism pretty well to casual TV watchers ignorant of both history and economics.

Hey, that's fine, give the other guys a shot a running the show. Bush certainly had his disappointments to me. It's not the end of the world and there will be another election in 4 years. Here's what I think will happen between now and then.

The Big Bail-Out Culture that has been created as the result of Carter-era (big-D) Democratic ideas which created a market for mortgages for people who can't pay for them, will continue to grow. Right now the automakers are getting $25b and are asking for another $50b. AIG, the insurance company, is now on the hook for $150b. This doesn't even get to the $750b in the main bail-out legistlation that passed a little while back that puts the government in the banking and mortgage business. So we're already at at least $1 trillion and we will continue to see more and more demands from industries far and wide. Whoever has made the most contributions to congress will continue to win. The numerous special powers given to the Treasury Secretary will not expire in 2009 as the law was written. That's a power grab that's never going to be returned to the people.

In the meantime, Obama and Congress will let the Bush and Reagan tax cuts expire in 2009 and 2010, triggering the largest income tax increase in our history. This idea will be sold as the rich finally paying their share. This is despite the fact that the top 50% of income earners in this country have paid 90-some% of the income tax for a long time. http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=6. The majority of voters will essentially be voting to take money from the minority.

This tactic will provide more revenue to the Federal government for a year or two, then revenue will drop from the stifling effect of the tax burden on our economy. Capital gains and corporate taxes will also go up and the same class warfare will be used to sell this idea. Despite the fact that most Americans have stocks in their retirement funds, buy goods from corporations, and are employed by corporations they will happily vote themselves into slow or no growth in those 401ks, higher priced goods, and a higher unemployment rate than we currently have. But they sure will be sticking it to the evil rich people and the corporations. Towards the end of Obama's term those voters will be wondering why GDP has been flat or receding for so many years despite all this government spending.

While they're in there, the strong Democratic majority will attempt to implement some form of government supplied healthcare or insurance, ignoring the many problems with the V.A. hospital system and the shortage of beds and doctors in Canada with their system, which largely survives because our imperfect but still world-class system is available right across the border. A lot of doctors will retire rather than deal with the huge beauracracy. Many worthy students won't bother going to medical school. This will be because the government will control how much those doctors' services are worth and it will be necessarily low if history is any indicator. In the meantime those doctor's liabilities will continue to increase, raising the cost of malpractice insurance. The combination of these factors will mean it's not worth it to rack up a those 6-figure school loans for a decade and a half of hard studying.

I could go into the Iraq war but this is already getting long enough. I would hope that Obama's administration would learn from the first time we left Iraq when tens or hundreds of thousands of Shittes and Kurds were killed. If not then the 5k soldiers lives lost so far will be in vain and another dictatorship will pop up. Syrian and Iranian Ba'athists will continue to pour across the border. Iran's supreme leader will thank us for the gift.

So really, I think we're looking at Carter Part Two in 4 years and the Republicans need to nominate an actual conservative who can enthusiastically contrast their ideals. Enough of the voters will tire of a failing economy and probably multiple international bungles and the pendulum will swing fiercely to the other side where Reagan II will take over. For some, it will be the first time that message has been heard, which tells you something.

To my leftists buddies, don't take this as some attempt to get in your face an argue. I'm not about that. That tactic doesn't convince anyone of anything anytime. That's not what this is. It's just a blogger's take on what we're in for. Congratulations on your guy getting the job. Have fun with it. If I'm wrong 4 years from now you let me know.

The Writing Process

2008-10-29T00:44:00.003-05:00

I don't know if this makes me a prima donna or not, but I only seem to be able to write coherently when I'm in a certain mood. Otherwise it comes out like a John Kerry interview, all incohernt and wordy. You get a long answer that starts and stops several times but doesn't really say anything. What the heck is wrong with me? It's like I have to have a certain amount of mental limberness that doesn't necessarily have to do with sharpness. I could swear it's all emotional. Anyway, this may explain some of my crappier posts. Nighty night.

The Crystal Cathedral Has Cracks

2008-10-26T21:41:00.004-05:00

It seems the Schullers, pictured, from the famous Hour of Power broadcast weekly from the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, have a split on their hands.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444085,00.html

The old Schuller has fired the younger Schuller for having a different vision for the future of the ministry. People will have to make a choice. Some will be loyal to one Schuller, some to the other, and some will be torn between the two. Eventually the people in the latter group are going to have to take sides and that's a tough place to be.

One can only hope that the Schuller that initiated the split underwent some honest reflection and prayer before making the decision. I would hope the lines of communication were open. Maybe they were and we just haven't heard about it; I can only guess.

The Schullers pastored a very large congregation together. A split will likely result in two viable churches. Imagine if this sort of thing happened in a small church. It would probably be devastating.

PS: I've always thought the older Schuller looked like Skeletor from He-Man, especially when he wore a robe when preaching. Good thing it didn't have a hood.

NOTE: Edited for clarity and brevity on 10/29. For the record, I love and respect both of the analogous Schullers, not the actual Schullers.

Nothing To Do With Rally Racing

2008-10-22T07:08:00.001-05:00

Edited on 10/29. Okay really, there is no possible tie-in to the people I commute with on the highway. I'm reminding myself of Walter in the Big Lewbowski these days. Not everything has to do with bad drivers, Walter. Sometimes chimps riding Segways are just funny.

More Rallying

2008-10-21T19:17:00.003-05:00

Here's what I guy who knows what he's doing in professional equipment. He's not screwing around.

The car is an early BMW M3, the famous e30 generation chassis, which is probably my favorite chassis of all time. The only thing wrong is the sound. M3's are high horsepower 4-cylinders; I prefer the luscious sound of the great M20 inline 6-cylinder.

Here's a sample of what the 6-cylinder sounds like. Almost gives me goosebumps.

Could you tell the difference?

Stage Rally Navigation

2008-10-21T18:57:00.002-05:00

If you've ever wondered what the navigator in a stage rally does, this video illustrates it pretty well. The footage is from Keith Tanner who owns the famous Flyin' Miata shop in Colorado. Footage is from the Targa Newfoundland stage rally in a non-turbocharged Miata. The roads are pretty narrow. Looks like a blast to me but a bit slow in that particular car. Your typical rally racecar, like a Subuaru WRX would have more than double the power and all-wheel-drive so you can picture how much faster that would be.

Man, I've been jonesing to race lately...

Great Dub

2008-10-20T20:59:00.001-05:00

Watch and be amazed.

New Music

2008-10-13T20:21:00.002-05:00

Calexico - Two Silver Trees (Carried to Dust CD)

I really dig this CD. Found it just reading a record review a couple weeks ago. There are several other standout songs on the record: Red Blooms, Man Made Lake, The News About William, and House of Valparaiso. I have to admit this video is pretty lame but I don't know how else I can share the song. They really should have stuck to the art and other imagery instead of occasionally cutting to 2 average white guy band members every now and then. It just loses something. Consider minimizing the window while the video plays so you can just hear the music.

My Faith In SNL Has Been Restored

2008-10-07T19:57:00.001-05:00

Okay, a couple weeks ago they were making incest jokes about Palin's family. It's pretty hard to come back from that but now they're back in my good graces with this sketch.

Left My Sunglasses in Miami

2008-10-04T09:47:00.007-05:00

I really did. This is why I never buy nice watches or sunglasses. If I don't leave them somewhere I destroy them.

Less than 48 hours ago I had my feet in the fine white sand in South Beach, eighty degree dark green Atlantic waters rushing over my hairy florescent midwestern office worker feet. I knew the Atlantic that far south was warm but didn't expect it to be so comfortable in October.

(Not my pic, just a Google hit.)

Ocean Drive runs along South Beach near downtown Miami, FL. It's lined with Art Deco era hotels and restaurants, all with patio dining areas and filled with beautiful people. As the tourists walk past, cute hostesses (and hosts) pounce on them so they'll sit down for a $25 plate of food with 15% suggested gratuity and hopefully lots of drinks from the bar. After a few passes all the way up and down the street I settle in at the News Cafe (check out the live cam), because of a lack of aggressive hostess mugging and the neat candle-lit courtyard with mostly full tables.

Dining by yourself is an exercise in trying not to look/feel weird and I've brought a book along to combat this but there are a lot of people passing thru, it's noisy and dimly lit, so I spend most of my time people-watching. Most everyone is speaking Spanish but I hear some German tourists every now and then along with a few other languages I can't identify with all the background noise. I expected a lot of Spanish speakers to be here but the landscape is almost completely dominated by it. Outside of a few of the employees at my hotel, everyone's first language is Spanish. Their accents are distinctly different from the somewhat lazy sounding Mexican accent we're used to. These people are mostly from Cuba, Central & South America. They also look like European Spaniards for the most part.

I hear the thin, neatly dressed waiter at the next table talking to his customers. He's a wanderer from Las Vegas who has been travelling across the US. He sticks out a bit being white but it's mostly the nearly-knee high black socks, wingtips, shorts, white shirt & tie. He appears to be very professional and I'm guessing he saves up cash working these kinds of jobs which funds the next destination. Timid me did not strike up a conversation but I wonder if he's headed north next or going to follow the southern coast back around. The weather here is way too nice to head to New York until well into spring. I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous at this point. I would love to have wandered the world without obligations or responsibilities before meeting my lovely wife and having children. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy, I just like to explore. Trips like this are great for that. Wish I had another day or two but I couldn't have afforded a couple of nights at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa on my own dime.

Note to Pearl: I walked through the Miami airport with John Legend. Yeah, seriously. I could have struck up a conversation but it would have gone something like: "Thanks for not being overly sucky in an incredibly crappy dumbed-down music genre. Did you get that shirt at the GAP?"

Other Random Notes:

The new Honda Accord is a nice driving car. It handles really well and I rode it hard. Don't have much praise for the Dunlop SP 7000 tires though. They're crap. I don't know if I should blame Honda North America or Hertz for those.
Downtown Miami is huge. Even huge-r than you'd think. Visit the world's neatest Target store while you're there.
Take a lesson from me while Karting at the Miami GP; trail-brake at corner entry or you'll never goet those rental karts to turn-in properly.
Don Johnson, David Caruso, and Will Smith were no where to be found despite what I've seen on the TV.
Miami traffic is pretty bad but the roads never see frost heave or snow plows so they're liquid smooth. I was so jealous.

New Format... Again

2008-09-21T20:03:00.003-05:00

Okay, I've changed the format again. The color of the previous one was starting to bug me and I don't have the patience to edit the HTML code twenty times while I took a stab in the dark at the color code #'s. Irritating.

17 Years in 2 Minutes

2008-09-19T22:56:00.002-05:00

This guy took a picture of himself once a day for 17 years and streamed the pics together as video. Imagine how frightening this movie will get in another 13 years when it's 30 years worth.

What would your 17 year movie look like? I'm pretty sure mine would look like I was being inflated, then getting my head shaved, and shrinking slightly. Not pretty. Better work on the deflating part some more.

New Car or Beefier Wife?

2008-09-11T22:00:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Annie and I went racing in Salina in the Wee Little Beastie Honda. It was a very high speed course for autocrossing, upwards of 70 mph, but keep in mind that's with nothing but turns. It was a violent ride and Annie's first time riding/driving the car in several months. I don't want to misquote her but she said something along the lines of, "You scare the s%#t out of me on that ride," which I think is some kind of compliment.

Anyway the Honda has manual steering with a quick ratio gearset, lots of weight over the front wheels because it's front wheel drive, and race tires. That adds up to some substantial steering effort. I have to admit I was a tiny bit sore the next morning, but it went away quickly because I am so gosh darned manly. Annie, on the other hand, had quite a bit of difficulty steering the car on course. She had neither the grip nor upperbody strength to really keep up. We didn't plow into a wall of traffic cones, but we were worried several times. Unfortunately a power steering retrofit isn't really possible with this particular engine in this particular car. It literally won't fit due to the physical size of the engine.

So it's the classic question of whether I should get my wife to lift weights or go car shopping.

If I had a dollar for every time this has come up. Any suggestions, readers? At this point I am leaning towards an e30 generation BMW, one with 4-doors. We were already thinking about piecing one together with the parts of my current rusty 2-door BMW. Here's an artist's rendering.

Okay, really it's the D-Street Prepared class autocross champion's car. It won't be exactly the same but would look somewhat similar. Picture a babyseat in the back Monday thru Saturday.

Kindergarten Music Milestones

2008-09-08T21:13:00.002-05:00

My daughter will be turning 6 soon and started Kindergarten last month. For some reason today I'm remembering the weird music I heard on the radio when I was her age.

I don't think I've ever seen this video before. Eddie Grant looks a lot more normal than I pictured when I was a little kid. The guy in my head looks more like a scarier George Clinton.

Elvira has to be one of the weirdest country songs I've heard to this day. I wouldn't say I liked the song, just remembered it. Notice how the music ends awkwardly on this TV show performance. Those lip syncing hillbilly bastards!

One more; I actually liked this song from the Alan Parsons Project at the time. I remember this tape looping over and over on road trips between New Mexico and Kansas City. It's definitely nerd rock. Sorry, dad.

Foreigner Sucks

2008-09-05T21:08:00.004-05:00

This is what happens when you listen to classic rock. It rots young brains. Obviously this young lad was overexposed. Just goes to show you can't be too careful. I bet he shows up to Kindergarten in a Canadian Tuxedo. By the time he's 14 he'll be predisposed to Camaro ownership.

This footage is a little long but stick with it. It gets pretty good from about 1:20 on.

At Least This Didn't Happen

2008-09-02T20:11:00.000-05:00

Bringing Down the Bounce House - Watch more free videos

I Can Explain Everything

2008-09-01T22:40:00.002-05:00

Okay; when I went down the big slide holding a toddler while plowing into another toddler, it was a horrible accident. As I was situating Anthony and I on the mat at the top of the slide I wiggled just a bit too much and sent the two of us barreling down the slide, totally unprepared, towards little Ally (age 4 and approximately the size and weight of a cabbage patch doll). Luckily I was able to spread my feet apart so she didn't get a shoe to the face. She impacted my gut and went flying with us off the end of the slide and onto the landing pad. She was a little surprised but thankfully not injured or crying. I stayed off the slide after that.

The next incident was in the inflatable boxing ring. Cody and I decided to duke it out because the cartoonishly oversized gloves looked like too much fun to ignore. Plus I think Cody wanted to get back at me for putting my bare feet on his couch one time, which I agree was thoughtless and tacky. By the end of that fight I was gassed and not standing upright but Paul R. wanted to get in on the fun so I decided to go a round with him. Neither one of us held back and I think we were starting to draw a crowd of kids. At this point I'm almost stepping on them because Paul has shoved me into the corner (hey, it's a fight). The staff person hurriedly pulled them out and away. We regroup and I'm throwing haymakers to get over the top of his guard. In my exhausted state this leads to at least one thump to the back of Paul's head. I've seen enough professional fights to know that's illegal and a bit discourteous, but I didn't have complete control over my body at that moment. After the last smack to the back of Paul's head we both drop to the inflated ground, fully exhaust and perhaps mildly injured in Paul's case. I lay there for a good 5 minutes because I can't get enough oxygen to limp out of the ring. Paul seems to be just fine and I apologize for hitting him on the back of the head.

So to sum up, I'd like to apologize to Ally & her parents (A&S), Paul R, the staff at Pump It Up (west location), and Mel & Cody for embarrassing them and potentially exposing them to litigation. The Pump It Up staff didn't take my picture, but I'm pretty sure I'm on some kind of list now.

Happy Birthday, Mason.

That Tiger Went Tiger

2008-08-12T23:19:00.003-05:00

Yay! I can finally post full width videos on this blog. Had to edit the HTML code for the template. Supwitdat, blogspot/google?

I love this video. A crowd of Asians (I'm guessing Indians [not Native Amurikans]) rope a tiger and pull it down from the tree. The tiger can't maul everyone but you gotta know going into it that at least 1 or 2 people are gonna get the teeth and claws; don't be the first guy in line on the rope. I'm not positive but it looks like blood might be spraying at 17seconds. I think that's the reason for the replay. I think someone's femoral artery may have gotten chomped. Let that be a lesson to you, kids.

They Want to Please What???

2008-08-12T21:55:00.003-05:00

Don't worry! This car dealership ad is funny in an adult sort of way but nothing vulgar is said. Pay attention to the slogan at the end.

BTW, welcome to the new format. I thought it was time for a visual change. The content won't change. It's the same crap as before.

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

2008-08-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

This guy used to work at Cessna. Good stuff.

Let's Hear It For Manual Steering

2008-08-03T21:51:00.000-05:00

I promise not to make this too car tech nerdy.

I like to think I can take on anything related to repairing a car. I'm self taught (but overly enthused?) and haven't taken a car to a repair shop since 2001 because I've been able to do it all myself. I'm known for my large garage, stockpile of tools, car trivia knowledge, and piles of spare parts. I also have the patience to wait things out and do it right most of the time (here's where Teason tells a story about me from college...). Why just a month or two ago I spent 8 hours replacing some engine mounts. Most of that time was spent patiently lining up bolts in awkward places. Most people would have screamed and given up long ago.

But all of my skills and patience were put to the test this weekend and I failed.

What brought me to my knees? A power steering pump on an old-style Jeep Cherokee. Yeah, that was all it took. Nothing custom or more complicated than that. The truck belongs to a friend. I helped him change the belt in the parking lot at work last week. We determined the problem was actually the pump and since it was right on top and appeared to be easily removed I agreed to help him out and tackle the job Saturday morning while it was still cool outside. I estimated the professional book rate to be 1.5 hours at the most. It had one of those horrible press-on pulleys. They're a struggle but I've always been able to finish the job. I'm an automotive winner with an undefeated record.

Until now.

After we broke 3 perfectly good rebuilt pumps ($70-$90/ea) and 3 pulleys ($20/ea), made 4 round trips to Wichita ($30), sweated through 6 shirts (ew), broke 2 installation tools ($30), spent 15 hours (ack), and severely angered my wife (yikes), I waived the white flag. I had to tell my poor coworker buddy that I didn't have the time, patience, or will to continue struggling with his car repair. Another friend of his drove up and they towed the truck back to Wichita this afternoon. I don't think I've ever felt as defeated as I did today. We're still on good terms as far as I know but I feel bad that we spent a lot of money and time to avoid spending a lot of money in a shop and it completely backfired.

So Paul R, if you're reading this, this is why I wasn't at church and couldn't come over Saturday p.m. I definitely wasn't hanging out in the garage drinking beer and having a good old time. It was blood, sweat, and (internal) tears with surprisingly little cursing.

As a result of this un-fun experience and the resulting spousal friction I'm not going to volunteer to help anyone with their car anytime soon. I don't mean to take this out on you all but I'm going to have to for a while. We've got too much going on and I have to quit this habit of over-committing. Also, I don't care who you are, I'm not helping with your power steering pump if it has a press-fit pulley. In fact, if I had a vehicle with such a pump on it right now it would be up for sale; that's how strongly I currently feel about this.

I've never enjoyed the high steering effort in my manual steering Honda more than I did today.

Boring Technical Section
Honestly, why is this design still in use? This was on a 2001 model. I think it goes back a ways, at least until the early 80's, maybe further. Basically the only thing holding the pulley on the shaft is the interference fit between the pulley bore and the pump shaft. This is also what transmits all of the power to the pump. Therefore it's stinking tight. Deal with one of these things and you'll get knowing nods from parts store clerks and old timers.

The pumps have no thrust provision so you can't use a regular hydraulic press or you'll push the pump shaft into the impeller housing and out the back of the casing (ask me how I found out... twice). You MUST use an installation tool that threads into the internal threads on the shaft or you risk destroying the pump.

Also, the pulley is made of pudding. Okay, it's more like an aluminum hub with a polymer casting around it that forms the belt grooves. We broke 4 of them trying to get them off the pumps. The center lip, the one made to engage the removal tool, completely sheared off of 2. The others cracked and exploded around the edges when we tried to press them off a FUBAR'd pump.

So I have to ask... WHAT'S SO DAMNED HARD ABOUT USING A KEY WAY OR SPLINES AND A BOLT TO RETAIN THIS PULLEY? Basic machine design here.

No special tools would be needed and labor would be reduced dramatically. But it would cost another 50 cents per vehicle to do and part count would go up slightly. That's the summary of the modern car, especially domestics. They are designed to be easy and cheap to build at the assembly line level with factory tooling. If that makes the most basic maintenance operations a living nightmare it doesn't matter as long as the part makes it past warranty where it's someone elses' problem. As a result, it often looks like the vehicle was assembled around something you need access to. It just doesn't make sense from a maintenance point of view. Ditto on wiring harness and plumbing routings.

Anyway, if you have a domestic car built in the last 30 years, especially a GM product, you probably have at least one of these pulleys, if not 2 (check your water pump!). I've also done time in press-on power steering hell in a Ford product. I think I've done the last one that I'm going to do ever again though.

Okay, rant's over. Thanks for reading this far, fellow boring technical people. We may be boring people but at least we know it all.

Buncha Bull

2008-08-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

I guess if you're not a good futbol (soccer!!) player but you have quick feet and good timing this is what you do for a living.

I promise there will be additional entertaining posts, dear readers.

The Wee Little Beastie

2008-07-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

...is back on the road again

...in all it's low rider glory.

Oh man, the Fast n' Furious import geeks are jealous. Baggy-panted backwards-hatters stare at it everywhere it goes.

This car has probably spent more time on jackstands than on the ground since I bought it last year. Things are looking up though. I upgraded shocks, springs, rear anti-sway bar, and a quick ratio manual steering rack. Several parts were on backorder and I was short on time to work on it but the wait was well worth it.

(Here's what the shocks and springs look like. Yes, one is missing.)

Annie and I raced the car last weekend (sorry, no action shots). I was the fastest non-go-kart of the event until one car beat me in the last heat. Still, 2nd place out of 45 cars is dang quick. Annie was in over her head and never got comfortable driving it fast. In her defense she had driven the car for the first time just the day before. She's also new to autocrossing and the level of aggression needed to sling this thing around the course was completely foreign to her. I rode with her for every run and we trampled many cones because she underestimated how easily the it can change directions. She was pretty flabbergasted and tired by the last run. I think she may have kissed her blue Protege5 on the drive home from her parents that day.

We raced at the Sunflower Aerodrome in Yoder, which used to be Hutchinson Naval Air Base. The old abandoned tower is still there.

It's an unbelievably neat place and I really get a sense of WWII history there. It used to have two 7000 ft runways, which is very long even by today's standards. Some big iron used to fly in and out of there. One runway and several taxiways remain. The surface is starting to break up quite a bit though, and weeds and vegetation are everywhere. Nature is attempting to reclaim this mostly abandoned ground. The whole area is privately owned except for a stretch of taxiway the Highway Patrol uses for driver training and offices. The site has a long history of sports car road racing which took place their as recently as 1993 on some of the curvy taxiways that are no longer there. I got to drive on one stretch of it on our way across the site to the paddock and could picture how fun it must have been.

The place is still an active general aviation airport but with very few services. It's mostly used as a glider launch site (aka 'the Sunflower Aerodrome'). When we were racing last Sunday we were interrupted a dozen times by an old Cessna towing a glider into the air. They flew right over us at maybe 75 ft.

The Honda will have to serve as our main family car for several days. While patching a tire on the P5 (the Protege5 wagon) tonight I discovered that the inside edges of the front tires were destroyed and the tires were on chords. New tires are on order but until Wednesday of next week we'll shuttle around in the Honda. It's sort of loud and it rides hard but hardly anyone noticed around here. The kids have grown up in cars like this and Annie is used to it. We're a racing family for sure.

The Bat is Back

2008-07-07T12:30:00.001-05:00

(Peeka-Boo! Our Brown Bat buddy in his window ledge perch.)

Five years and counting. That's how long we've lived in this house and that's the number of consecutive years this little brown bat has migrated back to his summer home on a ledge above our living room window. I posted about him last September (scroll down about 3/4 to Sept 14th)

I'm kinda worried if he's going to be a liability when we put this house on the market. Not everyone wants this kind of critter on the front porch. For now I'm content with being able to say I have a bat and the fact the he eats his body weight in mosquitoes every few days or something along those lines.

Something For the Ladies

2008-06-23T17:32:00.001-05:00

The Jim Morrison Simulatron

2008-06-19T16:44:00.001-05:00

This is a few years old (2001!) but I was thinking of it again today and it's still up on themodernhumorist.com. They never seem to update that website. Anyway, have fun with this. My favorite phrase to 'play' on Mr. Mojo Rising is "Eat...Yo-ah...Pork an' Beans."

You can click on the pic above or use the link below.
http://modernhumorist.com/mh/0107/simulatron/#

And you thought this blog was pointless! Ha! In your face!

Nutella

2008-06-13T22:45:00.001-05:00

Nutella, where have you been all my life? Annie and I have just discovered this stuff. It's the most delicious thing you can put on toast, or bake into a croissant, or maybe put in your mouth. We're way behind Europe but well ahead of the rest of Amurika on this one.

I'm going so Euro. Just check out my Euro car, My Euro coffee (french press or espresso on any given day), and now my Euro toast spread. I'm still going to say 'non' to socialism though.

Honda VTEC Explained

2008-06-13T22:42:00.001-05:00

Roid Rage

2008-06-11T21:35:00.001-05:00

(It may surprise you to learn this man was using steroids. Look up the story of Greg Valentino sometime. You may have seen the documentary "The Man Whose Arms Exploded" on Discovery Channel. His arms really were that big. This image wasn't Photoshopped.)

I got another steroid injection in my back late last week because my lower back muscles were starting to tighten up and potentially spasm again. I had to stay home from work again. These shots only last for about 2-3 weeks and it had been 3-1/2 weeks and my doc fully expected I would need 2-3 injections. The first round really seemed to help. The muscles relaxed and seemed to be healing. I had some evenings and mornings where things were sore but it was a huge improvement over the weeks and months before that and it really felt like things were healing. I didn't notice any side effects whatsoever.

Today though, I'm noticing something new.

I've been irritable and easily frustrated the past few days. I seem to be in a little bit of a mental fog too. Then this afternoon I felt energetic for no reason and went up the stairs in my office building two at a time and wasn't the least bit tired at the top. This was after an evening spent moving heavy car parts into a storage unit, something I had second thoughts about doing all evening because of my fragile back. I seem to be feeling a little bit aggressive too, like I could snap and throw someone over the counter while waiting in line at Subway if they piss me off.

Sounds like classic roid rage, doesn't it? My doctor mentioned that these side effects were very possible when I got the first injection. Looks like I have enough of it in my system now that it's showing up. I should go dig out the weight set from the basement and see what I can pull off in the next 2 weeks.

But seriously, I'm glad it's working because my fragile lower back muscles, ligaments, and discs are in horrible shape and I desperately need something to get me over the hump and on my way to recovery. I've been languishing and rupturing discs for way too long now.

Red Meat Comic

2008-06-07T22:04:00.001-05:00

Jason's Montreal

2008-05-28T21:29:00.000-05:00

(This is what Google Images says Old Montreal looks like. I have to agree.)

Okay, there's no way this is an actual guide to Montreal. I was in the town for 25 hours (11 a.m. Tuesday to 12 p.m. Wednesday) for a business meeting and this is a wholly unbelievable amount of time to form any sense of a foreign city, but I've always loved reading the 1-2 page summary of a place in the famous Frommer's travel guides. They attempt to sum up a culture, customs, local attractions, and etc in only a couple of pages and it's unintentionally hilarious. I've got 3 or 4 Frommer's that I'll have to scan the summary pages of so you can see what I mean. [New theory: Did Frommer's inspire Borat? Discuss.] Anyway, this is my attempt at a satirical Frommer's summary based on information gathered during my brief stay. None of this is meant to be insulting; it's just my goofy sense of humor. Feel free to make any corrections, especially you, 'Frenchgirl'. I wanted to talk to you before I left but didn't have time.

Montreal is located in the province of Quebec in the country of Canada, which is otherwise filled with Canadians except in Quebec, which is filled with displaced Frenchmen. These Frenchmen are a proud bunch and are afraid their language is being displaced by English which is the language of the rest of Canada who are displaced Englishmen themselves. Some countries such as Switzerland, whose primary language is not English, actually print the word 'stop' on their stop signs. This is convenient for English-speaking travelers but must feel like a cop out to the local population. It is for this reason that the Quebeckers print the word 'arrêt' on all their signs. To pound the point home, the arrêt sign is used at every intersection regardless of logic. There are no yield signs or roundabout intersections to make travel more efficient. Travellers will quickly learn the word, arrêt, via vigorous repetition.

Montrealtors are very capable drivers despite what most would consider to be tight quarters. They move quickly when needed and generally understand what their respective lanes are for. This is a good thing because there is an intersection every 20 feet and a lot of time can be lost if the driver hesitates to make the right move. This is also an opportunity for the traveller to see more of the city as he/she attempts to correct the inevitable navigational errors. Speed traps are virtually unheard of because there is little time and space in which to accelerate beyond the posted limit.

Compounding the navigational difficulties is the fact that there are actually two Montreals. Montrealites founded Old Montreal some time ago and lived there while constructing the regular Montreal, which is where the newer taller buildings are situated. If unsure which Montreal you have arrived at, simply find a Montrealian and recite the following question "Dites-moi s'il vous plaît si j'ai un grand fond?" and they will indicate to you which version of Montreal you are standing in.

(The author spotted no less than 6 navy blue Mazda Protege5 stationwagons, indicating that Montrealholics appreciate fine automobiles.)

Montrealitans appreciate healthy dining for the most part and there is much less junkfood than other places in North America which may appear to be sponsored by Hostess and Long John Silvers (see Frommer's USA). Excellent dining options are located in both versions of Montreal. Because both Montreals are located near a large ocean, sea food is both common and recommended.

Music can be a contentious subject in either Montreal. Most residents prefer listening to 70's vintage disco or Stereolab (bonjour!) while in bars and gathering places. Some Montrealters and other Quebeckians have made attempts at crafting Hip Hop musical forms but have generally failed due to their overwhelming whiteness and inability to sound tough.

There is currently no plan for the evil George Bush to annex either Montreal, which is a shame.

Accelerate Your Face

2008-05-24T14:27:00.000-05:00

Thanks Nattyman

2008-05-21T21:58:00.000-05:00

Fellow blogger Nattyman posted a neat Newsweek article about globalization and the former dominance of the Western world by Fareed Zakaria. It appeared in Newsweek on 5/5. It's 7 pages long but reads quickly. I posted some comments on Nattyman's blog but thought it worth reposting here. I know some of you will disagree with my conclusions but I think you'll find it a good read anyway.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/135380/page/1

I disagree with some of the minor points about terrorism (we fight terrorism not because we're afraid of being killed individually but because it's a grave injustice.) and socialized medicine (cheaper for employers, tragically expensive for tax payers financially and physically) but agree with the overall conclusions.

The evidence really is all around us and I mean this in a positive way. Take a look at the aircraft mfg'ers in Wichita. International sales are brisk and providing tens of thousands of jobs locally.

If we Americans really want to compete globally we need to continue with the ideas we've exported. The same ones that took us from farmers and settlers to THE world super power in 150 years time. Capitalism and free markets. Those aren't dirty words.

Benny Hinn Gettin It Done

2008-05-21T21:18:00.001-05:00

Benny Hinn smackin em up and layin em down!

Either there are a bunch of paid actors in the crowd at his events or it's a prime example of mob mentality or peer pressure. Maybe it's both.

But you have to admit that this footage is high-larious with the cheesy emo hard rock playing. You don't even have to have size 4XL pants and arcade button ear rings to appreciate this.

Where We've Been

2008-05-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Wheatland Mission folks and other Wichita buddies we haven't seen in a while. We miss you but haven't been feeling all that well lately. Last weekend I was the problem child. More back issues. I collapsed in pain in the parking lot the Friday before. All my lower back muscles were spasming at the same time. It was pain level 10, worse than the kidney stone I had once.

Luckily my dad-in-law suggested I see an anesthesia specialist for an epidural steroid injection. I got one later that day (ouch) and things got much, much better a day or two later but I was in no shape to sit in a chair Saturday. Things have really improved tremendously since the injection a little over a week ago. I still have a pinched nerve but it's manageable for now and may go away once the disc shrinks in maybe a month or so. If it doesn't shrink I may have to have surgery.

Anthony is the party pooper this weekend. The Lil Guy has had a fever off and on, but not much else. He gets to go to the doctor tomorrow.

Poop on Amici's.

2008-05-17T22:06:00.000-05:00

I don't want this to be a long drawn out post like I'm apt to do on things like this, but let me just sum it up with this statement: Amici Italian restaurant at 37th St North and Rock Rd stinks. Don't waste your money there.

The wait staff is slow and unprofessional, although nice. The beef is tough and the prices are high. Don't bother bringing kids because they don't have a kids menu. At all. They also don't serve breakfast anymore. The entire time we were there we heard more about what they couldn't or wouldn't do than what they would be happy to do for us paying customers. We sat there and took it without getting grouchy or demanding, wishing we had left before the food arrived. The receipt I entered into Quicken (accounting s/w) said $58. This was for two adults and one child. No appetizers, no dessert, no booze.

If you do eat there against my advice, keep your receipt. You may find when you get your bank statement that they gave themselves an additional $10 tip. I've thought about going back in there to demand my $10 back but I don't have the original receipt, just a comparison to what I entered in Quicken and my bank statement which was $10 higher. $68 for poor service and bad food. Really chaps my hide.

So Amici is on my poop list. Luckily it's a short list, but you know how gung ho I get about these things. Don't get me started about Jack Miller Subaru in Olathe, KS or Buxman Motors in Newton, KS. My advice on that is never take your car to the dealership to get repaired unless it's under warranty. Even then, be prepared for a fight.

More Jason Approved Music

2008-05-16T23:35:00.001-05:00

Jason Approved Music

2008-05-16T23:09:00.000-05:00

Go forth and purchase.

Crazy John

2008-05-03T21:50:00.001-05:00

Don't Touch Me!

2008-05-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

So What is 'Autocrossing'?

2008-04-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

I've had a few questions about 'autocrossing', the kind of racing Annie and I do so I thought it was high time I explained it better.

Technically and legally speaking, it's not racing. There's only one car on the track (aka 'course') at a time. The track is usually a big parking lot or airplane runway and the turns and straights are marked with regular traffic cones. The object is to get around the course in the shortest elapsed time possible without hitting any cones. If you happen to punt a cone 2 seconds is added to your time. If you hit 4 cones that +8 seconds.

(This is a friend's lightly-modified Honda Civic from the event we did a couple weekends ago. It's not uncommon for some cars to life the inside rear tire off the ground during really hard cornering. It's harmless and the driver can't even feel it come up or down.)

Cars are categorized into classes so that similar cars compete against each other. That's partially for fairness but it also makes for closer competition which really multiplies the fun. There are classes for completely stock cars like you're probably driving right now and there are classes for non-street legal full-on race cars with tens of thousands of dollars of modifications that go really, really fast.

(Here's a pic of a highly modified BMW in action. Pretty cool, huh?)

So who runs these events? A little known nation-wide club called the Sports Car Club of America which was formed shortly after WWII. There are clubs regionally all over the US and they offer more than just autocrossing. There's also road racing at dedicated race tracks, time-distance rallys (public roads, not actual racing), stage rallying (high speed racing on dirt roads and etc), and even hill climbs which involve racing up a mountain road against the clock. Anyway, at an autocross event the drivers also volunteer to run the event while they're not driving. Someone has to reset cones after they are sent flying, run the timer computer, flag the cars at the starting line, and so on. Those are all drivers waiting for their driving heat to come around.

The cost for a typical event is $20 if you're an SCCA member ($70/year). It's $35 for non-members. Annie and I generally arrive at 9:00 or so to get registered and get our car and helmets inspected. Cars usually start running at 10:00 or 10:30 and heats last for 1-2 hours. You have to be there for 2 heats; one to drive and one to volunteer. We usually make a day out of it and volunteer for extra heats just for fun.

So after all that explaining, here's a video for your enjoyment. This footage was taken with a roof-mounted camcorder on my friend's 1994 Corvette from an event at the Wichita Greyhound Park last summer. I've actually posted faster times than this guy in our family station wagon but didn't at this particular event because it had too many straights. I haven't explained anything about how to read where the cones are telling you to go but that is a vital aspect. If you take the wrong route around the course you are disqualified. It's easy to them with practice. One last thing: Here's a link to our Wichita SCCA club's website. There's a lot more info there. If anyone would like to meet us or drive at an event, just shoot me an email at jmr302 gmail com.

Back by Popular Demand... Benny Lava

2008-04-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

Note: I should have put my usual disclaimer on this video. If you show this to the kiddos you might have some explaining to do.