For you sheltered Nascar Fans:

What man worthy of the title doesn't know of this?

Rigid Tool

If you're not cheatin' you're not tryin'.

"This is not the action of an organization, a manufacturer or a sponsor," Waltrip said in a statement. "This was an independent act done without consent or authorization from me or any of my executive management team." -Mike Waltrip


Somebody tell me how thre's any racin' goin' on when the driver has an "executive management team"? They probably hang motivational posters on the shop wall instead of the Rigid Tool Calendar. Makes me sick.

The more things change...

Back in the early eighties GM decided it wanted to put diesel engines in a few of it's 3/4 ton+ light trucks and even some oldsmobile sedans. Folks were familiar with the rock solid dependability and longevity of BIG truck Cat, Detroit, and Cummins engines along with the ever-present Mercedes 300D that just wouldn't die. Bear in mind this was when diesel fuel was cheaper than gasoline and at 100,000 miles you called the junkyard to come get that worn out car out of the driveway. Were folks ready to buy vehicles for longterm use? GM thought so.

Folks ordered them. And drove them. Back and forth to the dealership. Problems of all kinds. Expensive injector pumps, coolant in the oil, warped heads, leaking head gaskets. They were so bad that a myth was perpetuated that GM had "converted" gasoline engines to diesel and foisted them upon the public.

Years after the introduction of the GM diesel the aftermarket got into the act and started offering stronger replacement head bolts. Viola! Problem solved. Did I hear someone calling "Bullshit!"?? Look it up. For years mechanics circled around the problem replacing all the wrong things and causing many return trips to the dealership for warranty and expensive out of warranty repairs.

Now, just how could a company with the resources of GM spec fasteners that were not up to the job? Didn't they have trained engineers? What gives? Luckily, the corporate idiocy passed when Dodge speced a Cummins (cement truck) diesel for their 3/4 ton+ trucks and the working world beat a path to their door. Ford adapted and old International Harvester diesel and dubbed it the PowerStroke to great success, and GM upgraded the 6.5 liter with a turbo and some redesign, but not many were lookin' to take a chance on it.

Fast forward twenty years and look around; Dodge still uses the Cummins, Chevy got smart and bought Isuzu and is using one of there diesels to great success, but old Ford decided they were gonna improve the breed with their very own 6.0 liter all aluminum, variable vane turbo hot shit engine.

Guess what - weak head bolts.

The Shame

I guess every family has a Black sheep...

New Addition to the Family

Meet Pudge. (we didn't name her)

Yeah, I see it too man.....

Looks like a bomb to me. It's got those "bomb batteries" and those "wire thingies" attached to "light thingies". It's the "light thingies" that make the bomb work, see. They light up and light the "fuse thingy". It's the latest. Really. Bomb making chic.

These two are so much fun to have around

David Duke doesn't worry me as much as the more 'mainstream' r's and d's.
JACIII 01.29.07 - 4:51 am | #

Me neither; nor does the good Chief.

Bill has a propensity for finding the most absurd example and casting it as the standard. My example was to demonstrate how ridiculous those aspersions are.

I suppose by Rep Foley's actions, we can deduce that Republican politicians are all gay pedophiles, too.
WaterBoy 01.29.07 - 12:03 pm | #

the Dems and Reps both got to claim this charmer

Get back to me when the Losertarians kick The Chief out of their party.

I suppose by Rep Foley's actions....

And the action of interest is;
Rep. Foley Quits In Page Scandal

Now, where were we... Oh yeah, Waterboy was getting his butt kicked in the wonderful game of "Proof by Example".
Bill 01.30.07 - 12:09 am | #

Whoosh! Right over your head. Shall I get you a ladder, sonny?

Let me spell it out for you:

Bill (implied): Chief Wannadubie is a nut. Chief Wannadubie was a Libertarian candidate. Therefore, all Libertarian candidates are nuts.

WaterBoy: If that is true (it isn't; you are making an association fallacy), then the same holds true for Republican candidates because David Duke is a nut and was a Republican candidate. Regardless of how others in the party felt.

To say nothing about Foley (F is a gay pedophile; F was a R candidate; therefore all R candidates are gay pedophiles). Regardless of the fact that he resigned.

But you keep believing what you want about libertarians; if logic hasn't slowed you down, nothing will.
WaterBoy 01.30.07 - 2:40 pm | #

Wow, look at Waterboy move those goal posts so his straw man can try again!

What I meant was that the Losertarian Party is the natural home for all sorts of nuts. And there's overwhelming evidence of this. Heck, I could list several dozen Losertarian candidates that are WAY, WAY Out There.

Given that nearly half of America is in the Repubican party, it's easy to find the odd nutcase mixed in with their run-of-the-mill folks. The important thing is that when someone is discovered to be smoking dope or fondling children, they either leave (one step ahead of the boot) or are thrown out. Not so with the Libertarian party - these "differences" are not only celebrated, they're the casus belli.
Bill 01.30.07 - 4:22 pm | #

The Dead Live, But Will Barbaro? Evidently not.

UPDATE: Doc was on FOX News today commenting on Barbaro, his treatment, and prognosis (not good). Check it out and bear in mind that this is the worlds foremost expert and practitioner. Link is here - scroll down to the bottom of the page.
While we're at it will somebody explain to me why on God's green earth you waould take a horse like Barbaro to PENNSYLVANIA for treatment when the world of horses revolves around Lexington, Ky?????? The world's foremost practioners in all fields relating to horses are within 50 miles of Lexington. Somebody fell for some yankee know-it-all bullshit I'm thinkin'.

I am in the giant cesspool of Louisville, Ky for four days sequestered in an Executive Suite and going to classes in a Seminar to improve my knowledge and skill as a Farrier. The main focus of the seminar is Laminitis (founder), but I have attended lectures on subjects from Veterinarian/ Farrier/ Client communication to shoeing to prevent long toe - low heel syndrome in thoroughbreds. Big fun!

Not that long ago horses with Laminitis (founder) were all but sentenced to a short life of intense pain followed by euthanasia. This occurred to the tune of 95% fatality to 5% recovery of all cases. About 15 years ago that ratio started swinging the other direction, due primarily to the obsession of one man: Dr. (DVM and Farrier) Rick Redden.

You have all heard about poor Barbaro and his battle with laminitis in the (previously) uninjured hind limb. Here's the fella they shoulda called:


Click the play button. Remember when a horse had to be shot if it broke it's leg?

The Goddess Speaks on Women's Suffrage

From Ann Coulters latest column:

Webb began his rebuttal by complaining that we don't have national health care and aren't spending enough on "education" (teachers unions). In other words, he talked about national issues that only are national issues because of this country's rash experiment with women's suffrage. I guess we should all be relieved that at least Webb's response did not involve putting a young boy's penis into a man's mouth, as characters in his novels are wont to do.

No More Bug Problems!

The 34 Pict-3 was worn plumb out and even though I fitted new throttle shaft bushings, the throttle plate had worn into the barrel due to the throttle shaft play.

A new 30mm carb came with the bug, but wouldn't fit in the 34mm manifold, so...

A little measuring, marking, bandsawing, drilling, milling, and welding later -



Sometimes no amount of work will fix something. That's often hard for me to accept, but I'm not quite as hard headed in my old age and will put something in the round file after only a few days of tinkering.

Whay we Ride, Instead:

Excerpt from a post on a motorcycle mail list:

Ah! You're in my wheelhouse now! Yay!
Don't misunderstand me here guys....the idea of hopping on a motorcycle and
heading for the horizon thrills me to no end, but from time to time I have
to wonder if an old CJ-5, 60's Bronco or even a resuscitated Suzuki Samuri
would be a better platform for some of the heavier loads, worst weather and
gnarliest terrain we ask the KLR to deal with. (Before we go further, I
want to say I've never been on a multi-day ride - I've always made it home
to my warm bed after a day in the saddle so I AM NOT qualified to, or wish
to, make any judgements of those intrepid souls who do real motorcycle
touring without bliking an eye. My hat's off to you guys.)

So the answer regarding a CJ-5, Bronco, or the most important vehicle you
left out, any older Toyota Land Cruiser:

Not necessarily.

Are they better platforms for the heavier loads? Sure, and so's a
K-whopper. But what it comes down to is an aesthetic. I've now done
multi-day trips both solo and with passenger in the following vehicles:

KLR, Saab 9-5 Aero, FJ-60 Land Cruiser, FJ-40 Land Cruiser, F-150 Death
Trap, and then a number of boring cars (e.g., Corolla). All of these
involved some form of off-roading while doing the trip (yes, even the Saab).

While I enjoyed all of these trips, and was able to do different things in
all the vehicles, I remember the KLR trips the best. Motorcycles have the
ability to focus your memories on what you are doing at each specific moment
of a trip. The car that comes closest is my FJ-60, because anywhere you go
in that thing it's an adventure. Sometimes the adventure just comes from
wondering whether you'll get there and being pleased that something
catastrophic didn't happen. It's a bit troubling that one of my most vivid
memories of the Cruiser is gutting a seized air pump in the middle of the
woods.

But cars, even fun old classics, dole out their pleasure in discrete
lumps. A car trip eventually gets remember as packing, arriving at a little
restaurant, arriving at the campsite/hotel, doing something fun like
four-wheeling, packing again, then returning home. The KLR trips don't
feel like a series of places I stopped, or a series of places where I took
advantage of the vehicle's capabilities. The entire trip comprised elements
of adventure. Added to that is the unquantifiable feeling of success when
you complete the trip. Again, I can sometimes have this feeling in the
Cruiser (the best 4-wheeled analog for a KLR). But that feeling is not one
of physically overcoming something.

Every week my friend and I go to play a trivia game in downtown Chicago,
about five miles away on city streets. It usually takes about half an hour.
Last week, for the first time, we considered driving because of the weather.
It snowed recently, the KLR's ignition switch was loaded with ice, and it
was 15 degrees out with the requisite horrible wind chill--awful riding
conditions. So after warming up the bikes and bundling up like the kid from
A Christmas Story, off we went. The trip was not comfortable. But not only
did we make it, both of us felt like we had accomplished something. If we
took the car, it certainly would have been more comfortable, but there
wouldn't be a feeling of success.

I think the KLR appeals to this sense of being an intrepid adventurer,
whether we actually are one or just want to be. Indeed, the only
motorcycles I've seen riding around Chicago now that winter has set in have
been another KLR, an R1150GS, an old Harley with a sidecar, and my friend's
Triumph Scrambler--all quite individual bikes. In an of itself, the KLR has
obstacles to overcome such as luggage, comfort, or the inexplicable lack of
development.

Bikes teach us lessons about what we need and what we can handle, and
usually the results are we need less than we thought, and we can handle more
than we thought. That can make any trip worthwhile.

It's the throttle plate shaft.

Wore plumb out. leakin' vacuum in the worst possible spot.

EP wins the prize.

From Dust.......

Double Super Secret Eyes Only UPDATE: It's not the preheat tubes. Also, near as I can tell the idle shut-off valve is also functioning properly, so I reckon I'll be tearin' the carb down tomorrow to look at the idle circuit and jet. Bummer.

The good news is it's not burnin' any oil right now. Weird.

Update: Brought the bug home last night and fired it up this morning in the barn to start troubleshooting it.
Problem #1 - no oil pressure showing on the gauge! Swapped out the electric sending unit for a mechanical (tube) gauge to verify pressure. 40lbs at idle. Good to go.

Problem #2 - There is a fuel issue. The engine requires pumping the accelerator or choking as it warms up to keep it running. I am convinced it is the preheat tubes being clogged as the carb becomes ICE cold shortly after starting and the tubes are warm only about 1/3 of the way up toward the carb.

Problem #3 - Got one cylinder burnin' oil. Doesn't start until the engine has been running about 3 - 4 minutes. A little weird, but not a big deal on a bug no matter what it is.

Problem #4 - oil cooler and roof scoop are not in the car. Gotta call the PO and have it shipped.....




Forgive my being cryptic here, but something is afoot. I will not discuss any plans in greater detail, but a pending acquisition lies below.

Jeff Cooper on Failure To Stop

The shooter was named Mike Rouseau(sp) and was using a 9x19, commonly referred to as a 9mm parabellum, or simply as a "nine" in the hood.

In Jeff Cooper's words:

As time passes we discover that there are a good many readers who have not been to school and who are puzzled by our reference to "The Mozambique Drill."

I added The Mozambique Drill to the modern doctrine after hearing of an experience of a student of mine up in Mozambique when that country was abandoned. My friend was involved in the fighting that took place around the airport of Laurenco Marquez. At one point, Mike turned a corner was confronted by a terrorist carrying an AK47. The man was advancing toward him at a walk at a range of perhaps 10 paces. Mike, who was a good shot, came up with his P35 and planted two satisfactory hits, one on each side of the wishbone. He expected his adversary to drop, but nothing happened, and the man continued to close the range. At this point, our boy quite sensibly opted to go for the head and tried to do so, but he was a little bit upset by this time and mashed slightly on the trigger, catching the terrorist precisely between the collar bones and severing his spinal cord. This stopped the fight.

Upon analysis, it seemed to me that the pistolero should be accustomed to the idea of placing two shots amidships as fast as he can and then being prepared to change his point of aim if this achieves no results. Two shots amidships can be placed very quickly and very reliably and they will nearly always stop the fight providing a major-caliber pistol is used and the subject is not wearing body armor.

However, simply chanting "two in the body, one in the head" oversimplifies matters, since it takes considerably longer to be absolutely sure of a head shot than it does to be quite sure of two shots in the thorax. The problem for the shooter is to change his pace, going just as fast as he can with his first pair, then, pausing to observe results or lack thereof, he must slow down and shoot precisely. This is not easy to do. The beginner tends to fire all three shots at the same speed, which is either too slow for the body shots or too fast for the head shot. This change of pace calls for concentration and coordination which can only be developed through practice.

This technique is also commonly referred to as "Body Armor Defeat" and I can imagine a 9x19 makes like a BB gun against the stuff while a .45, though not penetrating at all, will often introduce sternum to spinal column yielding at least temporarily satisfactory results.

I have to add here that the ongoing century spanning experiment with handguns chambered for one .38 caliber cartridge or another of one is surely by now conclusive in the negative. With the possible exception of the .357 and .38 super.

Bee Extermination

The Redneck Way

Or you can leave a running vacuum cleaner hose near where they enter end exit. Takes about a week, but they eventually all fly too close and get sucked into the vacuum of doom. You will probably have to empty every day depending on how optimally you place the end of the hose. Works like a charm. My neighbor killed off a huge hive living under his crawl space this way; he blocked all the exits (vents) except one and placed the hose there.

Wasting Time on Google

Warning

Don't drink anything while viewing. You will snort it through your nose.

So much for Apple's Hype...

Got a little surprise in the stocking this year. MrsJAC thought I might like this thing. And I migt, but it has been a pain in the ass so far.

You've all seen the Apple commercials and heard the ignorant comments from Apple owning acquaintances who don't know any better, "It just works!"

I go back a long way in PC's - back to TRS80's and C64's - and I have to say I haven't hadt to deal with anything that was such a pain in the ass to get working as this thing in the last 7 years since I was installing a tape-drive backup system.

Yeah, it's that bad. I had to force it 'mass media storage drive' onto a different drive letter assignment. In contrast, my walmart Rio player "just worked!" and didn't have all the bullshit "protected content" and "works only with I-tunes" garbage.

But, it's working now and sounds pretty good. Apple must have a good digital to analog converter cause the little bugger does a fine job in that department, and it is extremely portable. I just I hope I don't forget about it and run it through the washing machine.....



Update : It's chuggin' along pretty good now, but I have to dump the "temp" directory anytime I want to synch it. Those guys at Apple must be geniuses......

Arrogant Bastard

Ale

Do check out the animation.

New Math

This poor bastard made the mistake of talking to a person instead of a computer:

[Start of Call]

[on hold with Verizon Wireless customer service]

Trent (Verizon): Hi.. Hey, George?

George: Yes.

T: Hey I'm really sorry about that wait there. Hey, I got Mike on the line. He's my supervisor over here and uh, he'll take care of you from here on out, okay?

G: Thanks.

T: Alright.

Mike (Verizon): Thanks Trent. Good evening George, how are you doing this evening?

G: Great, except that I've been trying to resolve this for two calls and over 45 minutes now.

M: Okay, well lets see what we got here, I'm definitely sorry that uh, that you've had to call in that many times. Let's see, ummm, looks like you're questioning some kilobyte usage that was done while in Canada?

G: Well, let me just start out with a basic question.

M: Okay.

G: Do you recognize that there's a difference between “point zero zero two dollars” and “point zero zero two cents”?

[pause]

M: Point zero zero two dollars?

G: Do you recognize that there is actually...

M: ...and point zero zero two cents.

G: Yes, do you you recognize there's a difference between those 2 numbers?

[pause]

M: No.

G: Okay, is there a difference between 2 dollars and 2 cents?

M: Well, yeah, sir..

G: Well okay, is it.. is there a difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents?

M: .002 dollars and .002 cents.

G: Yes, is there a difference between..

M: Sir, sir, they're.. they're both the same if you, if you look at 'em on paper-wise

G: No.. they're not, actually. It.. is .5 dollars the same as .5 cents?

M: Is .5 dollars..?

G: Is half a dollar..

M: That would be.. That would be 50 cents.

G: A half a dollar.. is it the same as a half of a cent?

M: No.

G: Right.

M: Okay.

G: So, clearly, two one-thousandths of a dollar, which is your rate for airtime as I now understand it, uh, your rate per kilobyte in Canada is two one-thousandths of a dollar. But two one-thousandths of a dollar is different than two one-thousandths of a *cent*. What I was quoted was .002 cents. That's two one-thousandths of a cent per kilobyte.

M: Mmhm. okay...?

G: I specifically asked the rep. I said, “Are you saying it's .002 dollars or .002 cents?” because I .. *I* recognize that there's a difference. Just like there's a difference between that half a dollar and half a cent.

M: Okay.

G: There's a difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents. Your rate in Canada is .002 cents.

M: Correct.

G: Uh, it's point, point... Well okay, it's not true, it's .002 dollars. You're still quoting me .002 cents when in fact it's .002 dollars per kilobyte. So, if you want to charge me .002 cents, I'd be happy to pay the bill, the problem is I was charged .002 dollars per kilobyte.

M: Okay, so if you take.. okay.. do you have a calculator with you?

G: Yeah, I do.

G: Okay, take this uh, 71.79.

G: Yeah.

M: And divide that by uh, 35,893 you should come out with .002

G: Yes, and what units should it be? Dollars or cents?

M: Well that's per *kilobyte*.

G: Right. And is it dollars or cents per kilobyte?

M: Well, let me take a look here for ya.

[time passes...]

M: [looking up rates] We're.. we're in Canada..

[time passes...]

M: Hold on one second for me..

[time passes...]

M: [mumbles something about Canada]

[time passes...]

G: For the record, what I was quoted before I went to Canada, I called because I'm on an unlimited plan in the United States and I thought I might be paying more when I go to Canada.

M: Right.

G: What I was quoted was .002 cents. That seems to be what you believe is the rate is .002 cents. Unfortunately, your computer system charged me .002 dollars per kilobit, er, per kilobyte, so my point here is the confusion is on your side, and the first rep I spoke to, the second rep I spoke to, and including you, in calling “.002 dollars” “.002 cents”, that's a hundredfold difference just like one dollar is 100 times different than1 cent.

[time passes...]

M: Okay... looking at the pricing here for ya.

M: Okay.. for data.

M: National roaming access coverage in Canada is .002 per kilobyte cents.

G: Can you say that again?

M: It's .002 cents per kilobyte

G: .002 cents per kilobyte. So you just quoted me again; your price is .002 cents per kilobyte

M: Correct.

G: Okay, so now I'd like you to translate my 35,893 kilobytes into dollars if you would.

M: Okay, if you take .002

G: Cents, remember, cents.

M: Times 35,896. 71 dollars and 79...

G: No, that would be 71 cents because you started with a rate per *cent* and multiplied by the kilobytes, so that would be 71 cents. I'll tell you what the problem is here, is you, you're.. the original person I spoke to *before* I used my airtime...

M: Mmhmm.

G: Up to and including you, are quoting .002 dollars per kilobyte as if it's .002 cents per kilobyte and they're not the same, so I assumed that you guys knew how to do math. No offense here , but i assumed that you knew the difference between .002 cents and .002 dollars. And it sounds like there's still some confusion about that. .002 dollars is two one-thousandths of one dollar, or two tenths of one cent, which is very different than two one-thousandths of one cent. It's one hundred times different. [pause] I'll give you a brief example: If you're selling your car and I said I'm gonna give you twenty thousand for it, and I show up with 20,000 pennies, we're not speaking the same language. If you quote me .002 cents it's not the same as .002 dollars. So, when you just did the math .002 times 35,893, you came up with 71 cents. You didn't do the translation from cents to dollars, which would be... you'd have to.. uh, divide by a hundred, so then you get .71 dollars: 71 cents, So, I do understand, even though it seems like maybe *you* don't, that the rate is, I now understand: .002 *dollars* per kilobyte. But that was not what i was quoted, and that's not how I used my airtime because i thought it was... I thought it was cheaper than it actually turned out to be, because I was misquoted.

M: Mmhm.

G: I also had no context. The previous person i was speaking to said I should have had some context because i know what the united states rates - I *don't* know what the United States rates are, because I have an unlimited plan. I don't have to be concerned about the United States rates.

M: Mmhm.

G: So. It all comes down to me being misquoted, and it's hard.. it, would, it, it.. At the time, I, I said there could be some confusion here, so I asked the customer service rep, “Can you please write that down in the notes, that you quoted me .002 cents?”

M: Mmhm.

G: And she did.

M: Right, and I see that.. I see not only one, but I see several reps that have put it in here.

G: Right. So I.. I hope, it sounds like you may not actually see what the problem is yet, but ah..

M: Well, I've been working here 2 years sir, and I've been a supervisor for almost a year and a half.

G: Okay..

M: Okay? Umm, ya know, I'm going by what is.. what is documented here in the system.

G: Right.. so can you tell me then if, if the rate is as you quoted .002 cents per min.. per kilobyte, and I used 35,893.kilobytes, how much should I be charged?

M: By, by.. The way this is calculated? Seventy-one dollars and seventy-nine cents.

G: You did your math wrong, so what I'm saying is you did... bring up your calculator.

M: I.. I've got the calculator in front of me, sir. If i type in .002 and multiply that by 35 thousand, nine hundred...

G: But wait! but but.. Here's the key.. I know, but here's the key: What does the .002 represent? Cents or dollars?

M: It's cents, sir.

G: Okay, .002 cents...

M: So basically you're paying... you're paying two tenths of a penny [pause] per kilobyte. If you want to look at it that way.

G: Two tenths? hold on, hold on.. two tenths of a penny...

M: Mmhm.

G: ...would be .2 cents. You quoted me .002 cents. Do you see what I'm saying? [pause] Two tenths of one cent...

M: Mmhm.

G: ...would be point two cents. You quoted me .002 cents.

M: That's correct.

G: there's a difference between .2 cents and .002 cents. They're 100 times different. So which is the real rate?

M: .002 sir.

G: .002 what?

M: Cents per kilobyte!

[pause]

G: So you just said it was .2 pennies and then you also said it was .002 cents. Those are 2 completely different numbers. They're 100-fold different. Quoting someone .002 cents per kilobyte is different than .002 dollars per kilobyte. I... I don't know what else more I can tell ya. The math... the math on the bill is right if it's .002 dollars per kilobyte. It was quoted .002 cents.

M: George, hold on one second for me okay?

G: Sure.

Link for the full conversation is here.