Oh Shart!

And THIS should have posted @~1430 today.  I don't know what's going on...

Started out just a fart, culminated in a frantic rush to the toilet.

Fwd: Meetings this morning

This should have posted @~1300 today...

Several back-to-back meetings this morning, Finally got time to post photo from earlier.

 

And it's Friday!  AND payday!

Disaster Relief

I've just been reading the Wired story about the emergency response to the Haiti earthquake.  A good read, if you don't subscribe find a copy or read it on the web.

 

One of the big things I see missing in the emergency response system is potable water supply.  In my mind, there should be skid-mounted, self-contained desalination units prepositioned around the globe for quick deployment.  The technology is mature and in the full scheme of things, not all that expensive.  A 40,000 GPD unit (easily adequate for 30,000+ people, 50,000+ in a pinch) fits into a 20 foot shipping container; add another 20 foot container with supplies, a generator and fuel and it could be delivered to any remote site near any kind of water via cargo airplane and helicopter, or for that matter, could be air-dropped.  If we can air-drop main battle tanks, we can by Gods air-drop life-saving water.  Send a half-dozen trained Airborne troops along with it and water will be flowing within 12 hours.  Once water and emergency medical is in place (within a few days the Norwegian Red Cross had a full hospital set up in Haiti) everything else can follow.  A human can survive a month without food, most places nearly indefinitely without a lot of shelter, but only a few days without water.  And having clean water would obviate much of the human suffering that follows disasters that is caused by water-borne illness.  If you don't have to scoop drinking water from a stream that someone 100 yards upstream just shit in, you are much less likely to get dysentery.

 

And maybe, just maybe, the world can come up with a system where there is one agency or person in charge for each disaster response...

This just makes me laugh

Lesbians who look like Justin Bieber.  I sorta get the teeny-boppers who are in love with the androgenous dude, but the middle-age women?

BBC

I've been listening to the BBC coverage of their election. Why can't
the US come up with an 8 week national election cycle instead of the
years-long ones we have? Good Gods, that idiot Palin is already
running for the nomination more than TWO FUCKING YEARS out!

Hybrid or EV?

I'll be in the market for a new car in the next year or so.  So I've been loking at the Nissan Leaf as a possibility becuse almost all my driving is commuting - ~13 miles each way.  The problem?  I also drive to racetracks to volunteer a few times a year with the closest one I go to ~60 miles and the one I go to most ~120 miles with nowhere to plug in at either place.  So, I need a second vehicle that will require insurance and registration to use a few times a year.  That makes almost no sense to me.  That's not even taking into consideration that I also need something that will haul my trailer when I decide to start racing again.  A viable business case could be made for renting a car for the times I need to go farther than my EV range, but pretty much no rental company will allow you to tow with their cars.

Those considerations eliminate the EV from my ownership.  The need to tow also eliminates most hybrids made for high mileage like the Chevy Volt and Honda Prius.  Maybe I'll just buy an RV for the racetrack visits and keep my gas guzzler - well, not really, I get ~16 MPG day-to-day and ~21 on the highway.

I'm healthy!

At least that is what the doctor said (pending lab results.)  Had my annual physical this morning and all is well.

No more office cat

She went home with one of the guys yesterday. His wife saw pics of
her and though she was cute. So, the cat has a real home again.

Yay!

No more office cat

She went home with one of the guys yesterday. His wife saw pics of
her and though she was cute. So, the cat has a real home again.

Yay!

V

I decided to give this remake a few weeks to see if it was worth watching.  I have to say that I think it is.  Actually, better than the series from the 80s.

The Ohio-Michigan war

Did you know that Ohio and Michigan fought a war in the mid-1830s?  What were they fighting over you ask?  Toledo.  Yes, Toledo.  At the time it was a small port and both wanted it for a port due to the opening of the Erie Canal, which opened up the Great Lakes to commerce.  In the end Ohio got Toledo and as a consolation prize, Michigan got the Upper Peninsula.  I think Michigan won.

Moth parts

You know, it's kinda difficult to take a relaxing dump while the cat is chasing a moth around the bathroom...  Now there are moth parts that I have to pick up - he only eats the tasty parts.

The Asia-Europe break

For a Formula 1 fan, this is the longest three weeks of the season.  The Asian swing is over, now it's on to the classic GPs - and some not-so-classic - in Europe.

Birther loses again

Birther Lawyer-Dentist loses in court again.  Read about it here.

 

It's time to drop this shit. 

Coffee

I admit it, I'm a caffeine addict.  And I have been for years, even before Starbucks hit it big.  Matter of fact, I remember the original Stabucks at Pike Place Market in Seattle back in the late 70s; IIRC, they weren't selling coffee drinks back then.  And back then I probably wouldn't have liked it much (as their roasts exist now.)  I was drinking the Navy coffee that came in the 20 or 25 pound square cans with lots of creamer and sugar.

 

After I got out of the Navy and moved back to the Southwest I got hooked up with a group of friends who took their coffee much more seriously.  One guy roasted the beans for each pot using a manually operated roaster over a stove burner.  I didn't go that far, but I did roast my own beans for several years using a hot-air roaster and ground them fresh for each pot.  Then I got a real job and got married.

 

Time became more compressed, so I started buying roasted beans and grinding them in larger batches.  I've gotten lazier over the years, so now I buy ground coffee at Starbucks. 

 

Now, on to coffee makers.  I haven't knowingly drank percolator coffee since I got out of the Navy.  For a long time I used cone filters.  Then I got a vacuum pot from mid-century and my life was transformed.  It took a little more attention than the cone, but the brew is much better.  Sadly, that got broken during a move and I couldn't find another anywhere in Phoenix.  So I bought a Toshiba drip coffeemaker that ground the beans just before brewing and had a gold plated filter.  That lasted for years until something inside broke and couldn't be repaired - it had been repaired twice before, but this one was terminal and no parts were available.  While shopping for a new coffeemaker and subsisting on cone-brewed coffee I found the Starbucks Utopia (made by Bodum) and the Heavens sang hosannas.  I went through two of those over time and now that Bodum is no longer making them I went simple again and bought a Bodum Santos.  Back to mid-century technology, but it makes the best coffee!  That's for home, at work we have a three-burner Bunn drip brewer and go through at least two pots a day in a five-person office.  I drink one of those.

 

Now, back to my cup of Gold Coast.  Some other time I'll talk about the coffe cups and mugs I've gone through.

Proven wrong again

The F1 stewards gave reprimands to Hamilton and Vettel for the racing in pit lane.  Not what I expected, but looking at it again on the DVR I do see that Vettel moved over on him.  But, if you pull out of your box and your nose is behind the other guy's nose, just drop in behind him and don't endanger everyone in pit lane.

 

That said, Hamilton had one hell of a drive!

Rain today

Lots of rain.  Started sometime in the night and when I left the house this morning we had already had >0.8".

The many greens of Spring

Looking out over the valley this morning I ws struck with the many grrens that were there in the soft morning light.  It's only like this in the Spring, the colors are much more consistent in the Summer.  Though it took me a while to adapt, I've come to love the Pacific Northwest climate.

Back to the grind

A nice long weekend off,  now back to the day-to-day routine.  But I'm out of the office pretty much all week,  so there likely won't be much posted.

Button for the Win!

Followed by Hamilton and Rosberg.  That makes the team standings McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and the driver standings Button, Rosberg, Alonso.

It will be interesting to see what the stewards have to say about Hamilton's antics, I expect a penalty in the next race.

Here's to hoping for rain in every GP for the rest of the year, it makes for good viewing!

Volcanic ash

Which really isn't ash, but little tiny shards of rock and glass.  I lived in Seattle in 1980 when Mt. St. Helens went off; and while the prevailing winds kept most of the ashfall south of us,  we did get a little.  I really feel for the people in Europe who are going to be breathing that crap for a long time.

Buemi's front uprights

How about both of the front uprights on Sebastian Buemi's Toro Rosso breaking at the same time at the Chinese GP?  From the looks of it, they were underdesigned for the bumpy track. 

Day off

Taking the day off to spend with the lovely Mrs. Chart.

More proof of Spring

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Street Fair is this weekend.  Kettle Korn here I come!

The quote of the day

From Quote Of The Day: "Sometimes what's right isn't as important as what's profitable."  - Trey Parker and Matt Stone

 

Isn't it better to be right and profitable?

I miss Freddie Mercury

I saw Queen live only once, but they were, and still are, one of my favorite bands.  Still no one around with his pipes. 

More and more, it looks like Spring

The frogs are peeping, the robins are back, the cherry trees are in full bloom. my head is a block of snot.  Still waiting for the swallows to come back.

Being "regular"

As you can probably tell from the timestamps on my posts, I ignore the massive advertising budgets of the laxitive industry.  I poop when I feel the need; and while I do have some favorite seats, where I need. 

 

For a while after my grandfather died, my grandmother lived with us.  Now, THERE was a woman obsessed with being regular.  Every morning she'd have her bowl of Uncle Sam Cereal then retire to the shitter.  If for some reason she hadn't pooped by about 10 AM, the laxitives would come out.  I didn't understand it then and I don't understand the mindset now.

The Best Judge in Canada

The best judge in Canada has to be P.E.I. Judge John Douglas.  When rendering a verdict on a charge of assault on a local player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he ruled, ""If he was charged with being a colossal asshole, I would find him guilty," said Douglas, chief judge of the provincial court.  "Of assault causing bodily harm, I find him not guilty."

Read more at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/04/09/pei-doyle-assault-verdict-584.html

Tiger!

He's playing some decent golf, and some pretty crappy (for a pro at least) golf.  But he's going into today's final round in good shape.  Personally, I'd like to see either Westwood or Michelson win; and history points to one of them.  Only something like 3 times in the last 50 years has the winner of the Masters not come out of the last pair.

What would be really cool is if Tiger has one of his meltdowns!

Some Facebook guidelines

1: Never post your phone number or address.
2: Never post anything that reveals you're not home, especially something like, "Just boarded the cruise ship,  see you  in 2 weeks!  Partay!" 
3: Don't post others' private information or potentially embarrassing photos of your friends.
4: Only log in at www.facebook.com.  Don't follow any link then log in.
5: And always remember, that the only reason Facebook exists is to gather information about you to target ads at you.

Should a vegan eat oysters

Christopher Cox in Slate Magazine says, "Sure, they are good."  http://www.slate.com/id/2248998/

I gotta admit, I don't get it.  Even after reading his rationalizations, I still think he's full of shit.

The weekend is here

But no F1 race this weekend.  I am a sad panda...

Picture perfect

If I knew where to send this photo to be in a textbook for the perfect Type 4, I'd do it.

 

Top Chef Masters is back!  Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, The Next Food Netowrk Star are all among the things I watch every episode of.  I'd much rather have Padma as host than Kelly, but I'll take what I can get while I await the return of Top Chef.  Gael Greene is just scary and James Oseland is more than a bit strange. 

Snow - again

A small layer of wet snow was on the ground this morning when I left for work.  To quote Longfellow's Sing of Hiawatha, "Oh,  the cold and cruel winter."

My cow-orkers (to steal a Dilbertism)

I work in a small, male-only office at a poop plant.  We're all of a certain age and share many of our cultural touchstones.  We also have, almost to a man, a rather warped sense of humour, not to mention propriety. 

 

I bring them up because I'm alone in the office right now and it's wonderfully quiet and peaceful.  I'm not sure where everyone is, I do know a couple are ill, hope I didn't bring in anything that is going around.  No matter, I'll enjoy it while I can.

It's Jim Rockford's Birthday!

James Garner turned 82 today.  I'm just hoping I look that good when I hit that age.  That will be an accomplishment though as I don't look that good now.

Click and Clack

Also known as The Tappet Brothers or the Magliozzi brothers of Car Talk fame on NPR.  I seldom get a chance to listen to them on the weekend but now that I've downloaded Google's Listen software to me smartphone I finally get to listen to every weeks' shows.

 

Ain't Technology Wonderful?!

More iPad musings

The more I look at this, the more I'm convinced I'm going to wait for the next iteration.  I want to give the market segment a bit to settle and see how things pan out.  One of the biggest problems for me is the lack of Flash support, there are too many websites out there that rely on Flash; I sort of see it on the iPhone and iPod Touch platform, slower processors and limited screen real estate.  But the iPad is being marketed as "The Web in All its Glory, With You All The Time."  Well, not those exact words, but that's the idea.

 

Here are some shots of the innards of an iPad: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-Teardown/2183/  Not sure if that one will ever run again.

 

That sound you hear is the lamentation of thousands of Apple Fanboys hyperventilating in unison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko  I know that one won't.

Still not feeling well.

So I stayed home again.  Nice to have a job where I can do that.

The guys at Will It Blend got an iPad.  Yep, that sound you hear is thousands of Apple Fanbois screaming in pain.  Http://j.mp/aOsJdF

Finally!

Red Bull Renault wins!  Third F1 race of the season, third different winning driver, third different winning team.  Looks like it might turn out to be a fun season, no runaway team or driver in the points.

Still hacking and coughing

This bronchitis is hanging on with all 14 feet.   And the less are still battling it out in my colon.

I'm headed for the airport in a few to pick up my wife, she's coming home after being gone for 2 weeks.

Kohler K-4512 Toilet

I highly recommend this toilet.  It's a low flush (1.6 GPF), round front toilet that swallowed this pile of steaming stuff in one flush and didn't even live a skidmark.  Sadly, it's discontinued.

I've never had it clog on me but due to the pain drugs my wife takes, her stool is Type 2 at best and those rock-hard sausages occasionally clog it. But I still recommend the toilet, she's plugged up toilets around the world.

The logjam starts to break

Just in time for me to have to rush out and get some stuff done in the field.  I hope this isn't a harbinger of cramps to come, there won't be any convenient cans for me.

Side Effects, Redux

One of the side effects listed on the other drug I'm taking for my
malady is constipation. You'd think the two would balance out, but
after the first side effect emptied me, the second one seems to have
shut everything off. We'll see what happens.