Archived News starting from 03-20-2009 and earlier
BlogJust before storing my
Cougar last fall, the engine had coughing fits of hesitation below 3,000RPM. The 5 months of hibernation didn't help, and a $75 dealer inspection yielded "plugs and wires, $1,200" to which I said "no thank you" and took my sick car home. Having changed my plugs less than a year ago, I had a tough time believing ignition was the problem. Some rants about
NGK Iridium plugs and how well they work for forced induction was enough to get me to buy a set. Plus they cleverly injected "Xtreme!" in the product name which always indicates high quality, performance, and chick magnet. More importantly they ran colder (better heat transfer) than the crappy copper OEM plugs I've been stuck with.
Stavos quickly discovered I was intoxicated during my last plug change as the gap was .05" instead of the recommended .038", which probably contributed to the coughing. Left holding perfectly good, slightly used OEM plugs and brand new Xtreme! iridium plugs, I opted for the excitement. I'd like to say I fired up my car and was immediately surrounded by hot chicks with a new 1,000HP dyno pull, but in reality all that happened was the coughing went away, which was about as much excitement as my back could handle after leaning over my engine for 2 hours.
With my
old laptop approaching the
4 year mark, a refurb deal on the
HP DV6000 was enough to pull the trigger on an upgrade. Despite
Stavos' attempt at mind controlling me into the latest netbook craze, a full screen and keyboard won out in my trip down the
miniature computer field guide workflow chart. The
new laptop has almost everything I need built-in, an extra processor core, 4x more memory and 6x more drive space than the old one, which I'm hoping translates into lugging less crap, faster. A bluetooth mouse and GPS eliminate my previous corded versions, but my Blackberry 8703e remains corded thanks to a lack of bluetooth DUN support. As for my old laptop, if you've got a sweet spot for 5 year old laptops you can
help yourself.
This past weekend I was at
AutoRama in the dump that is Cobo Center, showing people what a 10 year old Cougar looks like (as opposed to the 40 year old variety). This year a whopping 4 other Cougars joined me (also the younger variety) which made the time pass 4 times faster and resulted in 8 times the usual shenanigans. Notable attendees were
both KITTs (1984 and 2008 versions),
Speed Racer, and Chip Foose. I'm still not entirely sure why the last one is on the list, but
Stavos and I were treated to his 20 strong entourage as he passed through our area, with us being the only two who did not get up to take a photo, so I can only assume he's notable. Oh yeah, there were chicks walking around in their
underwear which made for a nice highlight as well. This year broke my 3 time winning streak at the event, but my description of "yeah I did some stuff" to the judge probably had something to do with that. The midgets, obese people, redneck fights, scantily clad women and straight up freaks supplied more than enough people watching material to make the event well worthwile.
While the wait for
StarCraft II drags on,
Halo Wars recently launched for the Xbox 360. The associated achievement points was enough to warrant trying it out, and after a few hours of play time I've come to like it. While over simplified compared to Starcraft, the units and upgrades add enough complexity to make it a challenge. I'm hoping the typical Halo fan buys the game hoping for an FPS and turns to eBay after discovering an RTS. That's when the people reading this (you) should strike, so I have someone to skirmish against!
The train that is my California adventure had one last scheduled stop, and it was second only to the beach in epicness. The
Computer History Museum in Mountainview was a place I could easily spend a week straight, and if possible I would consider living in it. The entire range of computer technology ranging from the
Babbage engine to modern PCs was represented. All the "artifacts" were protected by only a rope, giving full unobstructed views, including that old electronics smell that permeated the building. A mandatory stop for any nerd who happens to be in the area.
Our trip to Los Angeles began with a
bird splat shortly after takeoff. Upon hearing a loud thud and Myrns "Oh my God" klaxon you can clearly see the aftermath of a flock of seagulls (birds, not the 80s band) hitting the wing, less than 50ft from the engine. Fortunately we were on an Airbus A320 which means our outcome would have been identical to the
Hudson crash, complete with New Yorkers appearing in the water with us. After an altercation with a prada sunglasses wearing wife abuser, we were on our way to
Beverly Hills so we could talk like Cameron from Ferris Buellers Day Off and take photos of all the rich houses that lost 50% of their value. A stop at Carneys Express resulted in Myrn testing the rigidity of the rental car frame as he bottomed out on the curb. All drivers owning $80,000+ vehicles in the immediate area (every car but ours) snubbed their noses in disapproval. The 78 degree weather demanded a trip to the beach, so after a short cruise on Mulholland drive we
obliged in Malibu where I cursed my decision not to include shorts in my wardrobe. Our final destination was
Slappy and his wife/fiance/girlfriend where we learned he is deathly afraid of crossing the street, and that
Weinderschnitzel makes a pretty good Sea Dog (so named because it plops undigested in the toilet). A twisty and nautious trip into the mountains yielded a great view of Los Angeles where Myrn once again regaled the tale of
the battle of L.A.My great
California escape has begun! After being greeted by the
Myrn, our first order of business was to get some
In and Out in my belly. My favorite west coast fast food place did not disappoint, and we were off to a
Tesla dealership. We confirmed I can't fit in the car and that electric cars are quiet. Having learned nothing, it was off to Frys where we were kicked out for taking photos. The only logical follow up is NASA Ames Research center, where we were shocked by free 3D glasses and free admission to their museum. The terrorists win once again as we were informed that since 9/11 tours of the base are not allowed. $2.50 astronaut ice cream was the only consolation we had. After picking up Loida, it was time to watch the sunset at an abandoned military fort turned bum preserve turned dump. But in California, even a dump is better than Michigan.
Today, Lisa provided an encounter perfectly encapsulated for sharing. Now you too can experience what life with Lisa is really like. She arrives home, greets me and asks "What are you drinking?" A beer I reply. "What kind of beer?" she asks as she looks for herself and takes a swig. "Ooo I don't like that beer, don't buy that anymore." She returns to the kitchen table. "Where did you get these girl scout cookies from?" "From work" I reply. "Who did you buy them from?" she asks. "Are you an officer on the board of girl scout cookie inspection?" I ask. "I don't like Samoas, why did you buy Samoas?" "because I like them" I replied. "Ugh, these are terrible, don't buy these anymore" Before I can ask why she's eating cookies she doesn't like, she drops the box on to the ground, spilling 4 onto the floor. I manage to stop her before she can stuff the dirty cookies back into the box. Your mileage may vary.
With the U.S. becoming more socialist every day, I thought it was a good time to review the various types of governments similar to socialism, which seem to be used interchangeably in the news. Those being: communism, fascism and totalitarianism. All 4 have the goal of levelling any class distinctions in favor of communal harmony, vs. the capitalist idea of each individual being able to attain whatever class level they are willing to work for. Buying a house you can't afford and then expecting the government to pay your mortgage is unquestionably socialism, which means we are making the change and should know the differences. I found
a great summary of the differences, and then the
ultimate simple comparison. Educate yourself and embrace change!
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