AtomicInternet Archived News

Archived News starting from 09-02-2003 and earlier

In case you live under a rock, the planet Mars is only 34.6 million miles away and it won't be close again till 2287. My initial plan of driving out to the middle of nowhere and using Stavos' telescope was foiled first by cloud cover, and then second by his father taking the telescope this whole weekend (DOH!). Frustrated, I decided to take some pictures from my house until I can finally get my hands on his scope. I think they turned out fairly well. The ones out of focus looked almost real so I figured I'd keep them too.

• 1x Optical Zoom Shot
• 3x Optical, 4x Digital Zoom Shot
• 3x Optical Zoom Shot
• 3x Zoom Shot - Full Size
• 8x Optical, 4x Digital (Out Of Focus - White) Fullsize
• 8x Optical, 4x Digital (Out Of Focus - Green)
• 8x Optical, 4x Digital (Out Of Focus - Purple)
• 8x Optical, 4x Digital (Crazy Out Of Focus)

A few weeks ago, I decided my chain-link fence looked like something out of Sanford and Son. I don't think it had been painted since it was installed. Aside from it looking like crap, it also left rust stains on my new driveway whenever it rained. Something had to be done, and that something was paint. My first attempt I managed to wire brush off one side and get it painted, but found silver marks under my nose. I was paranoid about aluminum poisioning from the paint for at least a week. Today I decided to brave the hot sun and aluminum paint to finish it off, but this time armed with a face mask. I took before and after shots for comparison. Even though it took me almost 3 hours (6 total) I think it was well worth it. A pat on my back for such a beautiful job.

Since my last update involved computer replacement, I thought I'd throw in a quick environmental blurb about what to do with your old ones. Most of the major manufacturers will pickup your old PC and recycle the hazardous and reusable parts of it. Then you can enjoy your new computer with the piece of mind that your old one isn't poisioning wildlife or taking up landfill. You can participate in Dell's Recycling for a fee, and Gateway will even give you a credit toward your next purchase. Or just check the computer recycling directory for a location. Don't you feel like a better person now? I know I do.

AMD will soon launch their second 64-bit processor, the Athlon 64. The first was the Opteron, designed solely for high-end servers. The Athlon is designed for consumer desktops, and can run both 32 and 64 bit applications. My current desktop and media computers are starting to feel slow, and I'm in the mood for new ones (my friends like to remind me how much faster their computers are). Nobody really needs 64-bit, but the new arcitecture combined with the cool logo have me hooked. After a year or so of the 64-bit platform I'm hoping prices will be affordable, and the platform more mainstream. Maybe by then I'll forget my 64-bit craze and pickup a cheap 32.

Everyone is freaking out about current U.S. gas prices. Everytime I turn on the T.V. I see some random idiot saying "This is outrageous! Somebody should do something about these prices!" I'm fairly certain the oil companies are not going to lower prices as a direct result of the random idiot, but they sure do give me a good laugh at their expense. If everyone is so concered with fuel prices, drive less or get a more fuel economic vehicle and stop whining. I could care less what gas prices are. I have a short drive and get great mileage. Instead of complaining, next time you fill up mark down the initial mileage on your vehicle and fill the tank to the top. Then, next time you fill up subtract the initial mileage you marked down from the current mileage. This is your total miles travelled since last fill up. Fill the tank to the top again and note how many gallons you used. Now take your total miles travelled and total gallons used and plug them in below. Since I'm a fuel economy freak I write mine down every time. Below are my latest numbers you can click on for examples.
My Vehicles: Motorcycle (4cyl) | Mercury Cougar (6cyl) | Chevy S10 Pickup (4cyl)

miles / gallons
0 mpg @ $1.20 $1.30 $1.40 $1.50 $1.55 $1.60 $1.65 $1.70 $1.75 $1.80 $1.85 $1.90 $1.95 $2.00 / gallon
Total cost to drive 2,000 miles = $0.00

If you feel you're spending too much, move closer to your work or get a more fuel economic vehicle. If you don't, and keep complaining, then you're the random idiot on T.V. that makes me laugh.

I recently read a good free press article. It discusses the gap between unionized and non-unionized labor costs in U.S. Automotive Plants. Unionized plants in Michigan are at a competitive disadvantage when compared to non-unionzed plants further south. The cost of negotiating and maintaining relations with a union was rated at almost $10 per hour per worker, which is a huge sum. I worked at an assembly plant for two summers in a row and the pay was fantastic. The only downside I ever found was the deducted union dues I was forced to pay. These dues supposedly went to help increase my pay and benefits, but in reality helped fund extra overhead that in turn hurt my pay and benefits. Now UAW negotiations are coming up and the president has already technically said "no concessions on benefits or pay." You'd think a large group like this would eventually figure out they are driving themselves out of existance. As the employer loses marketshare due to this competitive disadvantage, production is cut back and jobs are lost. A simple equation Union negotiators seem to be ignoring. In a time when the majority of the world participates in 401k programs and high co-pays for benefits, the union prefers to do as they please for as long as they please without regard to changing market conditions. It would be a shame if all of Michigan's automotive plants closed down as a result of this elitist attitude. Unfortunately the article won't be read by any unionized members since the paper itself is non-union. How unfortunate such closed minds persist in positions of power.

After installing my weblog system I noticed a trend in all blogging tools. They have the ability for random users to enter comments. Since I'm in denial and call this my "news updates" instead of a blog I won't come out and say this is a blogging tool, but I will concede that the random comment feature is at the very least interesting. While I don't plan to get many comments at all, I decided to waste the time and add the feature. It beats completing my current project at work (due in less than a week). All you have to do is click the icon at the top of any news update and it will expand out the comments section for that news update. With that, I should probably return to useful work.

Another great AutoCross event, this time at the Palace, which meant a HUGE track with lots of ups and downs. Nobody finished in less than a minute, which goes to show just how long and complicated this course was. My first run I took it way too easy, my second run I was manhandling my car like a brutish oaf. My third (and final) run I finally managed to balance it gracefully and pulled off my best time. I also got to show off my girlfriend since she decided to tag along for this race. Despite the varying weather, and a short delay due to an oil leak, everything went smoothly.

I'm leaning toward photoshoppped fake, but at least it looks cool.

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