From the movie "Grand Prix" (1966)
Scott Stoddard: Y'know one of the most beautiful things about a car? If it isn't working properly, you can strip the skin off, expose the insides, find out exactly where the trouble is, take out the faulty part and replace it with a new one. If only we could do that with people!
2 min
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Driving in the snow
This is both for my general blog and my driving blog
Driving Professor
Here in the Northeast, people do not prepare their cars for the snow.
Specifically, here is the story on tires:
1. You must use snow or all season tires
2. The tread must be at least 6/32 deep (The Lincoln penny test is only 2/32, you need 3 times this to drive in snow).
3. The tires should not be over 5 years old.
If you don't meet all 3 criteria - YOU SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ROAD IN THE SNOW.
ChrisZ
4 minutes
Driving Professor
Here in the Northeast, people do not prepare their cars for the snow.
Specifically, here is the story on tires:
1. You must use snow or all season tires
2. The tread must be at least 6/32 deep (The Lincoln penny test is only 2/32, you need 3 times this to drive in snow).
3. The tires should not be over 5 years old.
If you don't meet all 3 criteria - YOU SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ROAD IN THE SNOW.
ChrisZ
4 minutes
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
He's back
Yes,
It had been many weeks since I have written anything. It was so long I even forgot my password....
There is a lot going on in my life and in the world - trying to make sense of them will be the topics for the next few entries
ChrisZ
3 minutes
It had been many weeks since I have written anything. It was so long I even forgot my password....
There is a lot going on in my life and in the world - trying to make sense of them will be the topics for the next few entries
ChrisZ
3 minutes
Monday, October 22, 2007
Top Ten Movies
Everyone as a top ten movie list. So here, in no specific order, are my top 10 movies:
1. Twelve O'Clock High
2. It's a Wonderful Life
3. Stairway to Heaven
4. Inherit the Wind
5. Chariots of Fire
6. Three days of the Condor
7. Horse Feathers
8. Mr Blandings builds his Dream House
9. Apollo 13
10. To Sir with Love
These are the ones off the top of my head.
I will add and subtrack as required. In fact here are some that just missed the cut:
Harvey
Sleeper
The Wrath of Kahn
Local Hero
The Swimmer
Cool Hand Luke
The verdict
A Few Good Men
12 Angry Men
Patterns
Command Decision (1948)
My Life
The Battle of Britain
The Money Pit
Catch me if you can
Operation Petticoat
More will be added as necessary....
20 min
1. Twelve O'Clock High
2. It's a Wonderful Life
3. Stairway to Heaven
4. Inherit the Wind
5. Chariots of Fire
6. Three days of the Condor
7. Horse Feathers
8. Mr Blandings builds his Dream House
9. Apollo 13
10. To Sir with Love
These are the ones off the top of my head.
I will add and subtrack as required. In fact here are some that just missed the cut:
Harvey
Sleeper
The Wrath of Kahn
Local Hero
The Swimmer
Cool Hand Luke
The verdict
A Few Good Men
12 Angry Men
Patterns
Command Decision (1948)
My Life
The Battle of Britain
The Money Pit
Catch me if you can
Operation Petticoat
More will be added as necessary....
20 min
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Facts of Life
No not those, but ideas that I have found to be 95% true and usable as practical methods of living your life.
Don't worry about missing something on sale. More often than not it will be back on sale next week or even cheaper in the future.
Corollary: That once in a lifetime offer isn't. Your life may or may not change but you should not have any guilt about passing something up.
Don't worry about missing something on sale. More often than not it will be back on sale next week or even cheaper in the future.
Corollary: That once in a lifetime offer isn't. Your life may or may not change but you should not have any guilt about passing something up.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Easy Rider - Not!
I passed my road test for my motorcycle license today. However; it was not as easy as it sounds - let me explain.
In Connecticut, you can apply for a motorcycle learners permit by paying $40 and passing a written knowledge (computer) test. Actually there is another $15 to update your regular license also. Why? I don't know......
Now you have 2 months to practice your craft with a few restrictions. You must wear a helmet (CT has no helmet law normally), stay off the highways, can't ride after dark and cannot carry passengers. Besides that you are on your own. At the end of the 2 months you can renew the permit for another $15., but you can only renew it once in a calendar year. This leads to problems that I will get to later.
After you feel capable of passing the road test, you make an appointment. Here is gets complicated. Road tests seem to be scheduled at the DMV branches on a rotating basis. Now I live 3 miles from a branch, but they did not have a test day scheduled before my permit (renewal) ran out. So I had to schedule a time at a location 50 miles away. Now, since I had already renewed my permit, if I failed, I would have to have the bike trailered back home; I decided to bring it in the back of my pickup. So I built a ramp and wheel holder and got straps to secure the bike. Not a fun thing but I was not the only one to do this.
I was scheduled for 8:30 and arrived a little after 8am. I got the bike off the truck (easy) and got in line in the DMV. I had to fill out some forms and they sent me out to wait for a few more riders to show up. Note - since we were the first ones there, we could have ridden the course - but we didn't know that - if you can do a practice ride, it would help.
They lined us up an we went through a series of exercises. Now there are some penalties. Putting your food down was 2 points, stalling was 3, I think, dropping the bike was a go home and not obeying instructions was 5. If you get more than 10 points you fail.
We all went through the first exercise, which was a sharp turn and stopping with the front tire in a 2 x 2 foot box. So far, so good. The next exercise was a slalom though a series of cones followed by a "U" turn in a half box. The first person was taking the test on scooter (Hint - I think it must be 125cc but this is a great idea - you will see why soon). The second person had a large cruiser and had to put his foot down twice in the exercise. 4 points already. I went next and went through clear (note under 500 CC and you have a slightly smaller half box to turn around in - so the smaller the bike, the better). The 4th person put their foot down twice and went wide in the turn and was told to try again another time. The fifth driver went through the cones the wrong way (after watching 4 people before him) and then went wide in the box. Bye bye to him also. Now, I will admit, that this is the toughest part of the test and really not representative a real world riding. More on this later.
Now there were 3. The next test was a quick stop. You had to accelerate up to 15 - 20 mph and then at a certain point make a "panic stop". The instructor could not see the brake lights but the riders ahead of me were braking too early. So I said I would do it right. I went up to 15 mph and then hit the brakes. The inspector came over and said I was going too slow! So he allowed me to do it again (he seems to give one mulligan to each rider per test). This time I went too fast and but still stopped fairly short, but he gave me 5 points for a long stop. I didn't know this until later.
The last test was swerve through a set of cones. I felt comfortable but there was always that doubt in your mind. After completing the maneuver, the inspector gave me my score sheet and told me to go inside. After parking the bike I looked at the sheet and it said "PASS" with the 5 point deduction. Now the guy on the scooter got a perfect score (0) and the other rider a 6 so I felt pretty good.
After await of about 45 minutes back in the DMV office, I walked out with my motorcycle endorsement on my license. Wheeew! Put the bike back on the truck and head on home.
Now there is an alternate way of getting your license - that is to take a safe rider course put on by the state. Here you don't need a permit, you take the course on their motorcycles and if you pass the course, the road test requirement is waived. The cost of this basic course is $165 or there about. This is a great program and how I would do it if I had to do it over.
If you are going to go the private route, make sure you practice and also pick a bike that you can handle. At this DMV (I understand each test course is a little different) the slalom was VERY tight. Renting or borrowing a scooter is a sure way of passing.
Now the editorial - Virtually nothing on the road test has anything to do with riding on the road. It is a purely skills test and a low speed test at that. Maybe the assumption is that if you can handle a bike at these speeds and show balance and coordination it will transfer to street riding. But there is no test of speed, lane presence, signalling, handling traffic, etc. I know it is complicated since you cannot take an instructor with you, however; maybe a State Trooper could follow you through a designated road and observe as part of the test. If I had just practiced the skills for the test, I would have passed, but be in no shape to ride on the street.
Also, if you don't time your permit and road test right, you might find yourself waiting a year to do it again. The 2 months is not enough time to properly learn and being able to renew it only once in a calendar year is impractical. I can see they don't want to have "professional permit riders", but unless they are going to force you to take a test after a certain time, that is what you end up with. People will get a permit for the summer and never have to take the test. Oh, and the bikes were not inspected as was expected, nor was rider gear required (besides a helmet). I think having full gear has to count for something, so I would wear it anyway.
So good luck and safe riding. Later, more reflections on the difference between a motorycle and a car - things I did not expect.
ChrisZ
PS: I just found this on the DMV web site:
"If your motorcycle permit has expired, the permit can be renewed once, for an additional 60 days, during the same calendar year in which it was issued. If this additional permit expires, you may obtain an additional one-day permit on the day of your test. "
http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a=805&q=244752
This has magically appeared and evidently the operators who schedule the tests are not aware of this. I have sent a e-mail asking for a explanation as to why I had to take a day off from work needlessly, when I could have taken the test a mile from where I work...... TBC
1 hour
In Connecticut, you can apply for a motorcycle learners permit by paying $40 and passing a written knowledge (computer) test. Actually there is another $15 to update your regular license also. Why? I don't know......
Now you have 2 months to practice your craft with a few restrictions. You must wear a helmet (CT has no helmet law normally), stay off the highways, can't ride after dark and cannot carry passengers. Besides that you are on your own. At the end of the 2 months you can renew the permit for another $15., but you can only renew it once in a calendar year. This leads to problems that I will get to later.
After you feel capable of passing the road test, you make an appointment. Here is gets complicated. Road tests seem to be scheduled at the DMV branches on a rotating basis. Now I live 3 miles from a branch, but they did not have a test day scheduled before my permit (renewal) ran out. So I had to schedule a time at a location 50 miles away. Now, since I had already renewed my permit, if I failed, I would have to have the bike trailered back home; I decided to bring it in the back of my pickup. So I built a ramp and wheel holder and got straps to secure the bike. Not a fun thing but I was not the only one to do this.
I was scheduled for 8:30 and arrived a little after 8am. I got the bike off the truck (easy) and got in line in the DMV. I had to fill out some forms and they sent me out to wait for a few more riders to show up. Note - since we were the first ones there, we could have ridden the course - but we didn't know that - if you can do a practice ride, it would help.
They lined us up an we went through a series of exercises. Now there are some penalties. Putting your food down was 2 points, stalling was 3, I think, dropping the bike was a go home and not obeying instructions was 5. If you get more than 10 points you fail.
We all went through the first exercise, which was a sharp turn and stopping with the front tire in a 2 x 2 foot box. So far, so good. The next exercise was a slalom though a series of cones followed by a "U" turn in a half box. The first person was taking the test on scooter (Hint - I think it must be 125cc but this is a great idea - you will see why soon). The second person had a large cruiser and had to put his foot down twice in the exercise. 4 points already. I went next and went through clear (note under 500 CC and you have a slightly smaller half box to turn around in - so the smaller the bike, the better). The 4th person put their foot down twice and went wide in the turn and was told to try again another time. The fifth driver went through the cones the wrong way (after watching 4 people before him) and then went wide in the box. Bye bye to him also. Now, I will admit, that this is the toughest part of the test and really not representative a real world riding. More on this later.
Now there were 3. The next test was a quick stop. You had to accelerate up to 15 - 20 mph and then at a certain point make a "panic stop". The instructor could not see the brake lights but the riders ahead of me were braking too early. So I said I would do it right. I went up to 15 mph and then hit the brakes. The inspector came over and said I was going too slow! So he allowed me to do it again (he seems to give one mulligan to each rider per test). This time I went too fast and but still stopped fairly short, but he gave me 5 points for a long stop. I didn't know this until later.
The last test was swerve through a set of cones. I felt comfortable but there was always that doubt in your mind. After completing the maneuver, the inspector gave me my score sheet and told me to go inside. After parking the bike I looked at the sheet and it said "PASS" with the 5 point deduction. Now the guy on the scooter got a perfect score (0) and the other rider a 6 so I felt pretty good.
After await of about 45 minutes back in the DMV office, I walked out with my motorcycle endorsement on my license. Wheeew! Put the bike back on the truck and head on home.
Now there is an alternate way of getting your license - that is to take a safe rider course put on by the state. Here you don't need a permit, you take the course on their motorcycles and if you pass the course, the road test requirement is waived. The cost of this basic course is $165 or there about. This is a great program and how I would do it if I had to do it over.
If you are going to go the private route, make sure you practice and also pick a bike that you can handle. At this DMV (I understand each test course is a little different) the slalom was VERY tight. Renting or borrowing a scooter is a sure way of passing.
Now the editorial - Virtually nothing on the road test has anything to do with riding on the road. It is a purely skills test and a low speed test at that. Maybe the assumption is that if you can handle a bike at these speeds and show balance and coordination it will transfer to street riding. But there is no test of speed, lane presence, signalling, handling traffic, etc. I know it is complicated since you cannot take an instructor with you, however; maybe a State Trooper could follow you through a designated road and observe as part of the test. If I had just practiced the skills for the test, I would have passed, but be in no shape to ride on the street.
Also, if you don't time your permit and road test right, you might find yourself waiting a year to do it again. The 2 months is not enough time to properly learn and being able to renew it only once in a calendar year is impractical. I can see they don't want to have "professional permit riders", but unless they are going to force you to take a test after a certain time, that is what you end up with. People will get a permit for the summer and never have to take the test. Oh, and the bikes were not inspected as was expected, nor was rider gear required (besides a helmet). I think having full gear has to count for something, so I would wear it anyway.
So good luck and safe riding. Later, more reflections on the difference between a motorycle and a car - things I did not expect.
ChrisZ
PS: I just found this on the DMV web site:
"If your motorcycle permit has expired, the permit can be renewed once, for an additional 60 days, during the same calendar year in which it was issued. If this additional permit expires, you may obtain an additional one-day permit on the day of your test. "
http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a=805&q=244752
This has magically appeared and evidently the operators who schedule the tests are not aware of this. I have sent a e-mail asking for a explanation as to why I had to take a day off from work needlessly, when I could have taken the test a mile from where I work...... TBC
1 hour
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Teach a man to fish
There is an old saying:
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and he will feed himself for life."
In today's world, it is more like:
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and he will come back every day because he forgot how...."
3 min
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and he will feed himself for life."
In today's world, it is more like:
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and he will come back every day because he forgot how...."
3 min
Monday, June 04, 2007
What were they thinking?
A new entry - What were they thinking?
School workers suspended in fake attack
"During the last night of a weeklong trip to a state park, staff members convinced 69 sixth-grade students from Scales Elementary School that there was a gunman on the loose. One official has said the exercise was intended as a teaching tool."
It worked as a teaching tool - it taught two people to look for other jobs.
ChrisZ
5 min
School workers suspended in fake attack
"During the last night of a weeklong trip to a state park, staff members convinced 69 sixth-grade students from Scales Elementary School that there was a gunman on the loose. One official has said the exercise was intended as a teaching tool."
It worked as a teaching tool - it taught two people to look for other jobs.
ChrisZ
5 min
Sunday, March 25, 2007
No time on my hands
There seems to be a pattern developing. Young adults don't wear wrist watches anymore. Their excuse is that they have the time on their cell phone so they don't need a watch. Ironically, if my experience is any indication, they are also late for appointment and don't have a sense of time. Most of the time (pun intended) they don't look at their cell phone, or use the alarm feature on it.
I am going to speculate that their attitude will get them in trouble. While I realize you can get caught up in paying attention to the time, it is a measure of our society. Our work day is based on time, schools are based on time, our cars get repaired on time, etc. If time is not important to you, you will get left behind by those who do value it. While time is not something that you can change, you can to a certain point control it. Planning is an important part of life these days and by ignoring it you may be setting yourself up for failure.
-------------------
BTW - Religious connection - If religion is not something that you "wear on your wrist" and check every once in a while, you will find your life slowly getting out of control. Religion is not just something that you take out of your briefcase on Sunday (or Sabbath) but something that is a guide on how to live your life.
7 min
I am going to speculate that their attitude will get them in trouble. While I realize you can get caught up in paying attention to the time, it is a measure of our society. Our work day is based on time, schools are based on time, our cars get repaired on time, etc. If time is not important to you, you will get left behind by those who do value it. While time is not something that you can change, you can to a certain point control it. Planning is an important part of life these days and by ignoring it you may be setting yourself up for failure.
-------------------
BTW - Religious connection - If religion is not something that you "wear on your wrist" and check every once in a while, you will find your life slowly getting out of control. Religion is not just something that you take out of your briefcase on Sunday (or Sabbath) but something that is a guide on how to live your life.
7 min
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Just like a New Year's Resolution
My intention was to write a blog entry per day over the last month. Well, it worked out well until life caught up to me. Between shoveling snow (about 10 hours + last 30 days, Work with the Boy Scouts, and dealing with taxes and my son's college financial aid, I had neither the energy or enthusiasm to update my blog. Not that I didn't have much to write about, I just didn't care about sharing my thoughts. I did this blog as a learning experience and boy am I learning. Glad I am not being paid to do this......
5 min
5 min
Friday, March 09, 2007
Leaf me alone
This has been so serious lately I thought I would inject a little levity.
I went to sweep out my garage the other day. Now you have t know we have had 6" of snice (snow and ice) on our lawns for a least 3 weeks. So what do you think I swept out of the garage? Dirt? Salt? Snow? No - Leaves! Where did they come from? There hasn't been a leaf on a tree for 5 months. I am beginning to think there is someone in the neighborhood who saved a bag of leaves and dumps them in front of my garage, where they blow in when it is opened. If you have a better explanation, let me know.
5 min
I went to sweep out my garage the other day. Now you have t know we have had 6" of snice (snow and ice) on our lawns for a least 3 weeks. So what do you think I swept out of the garage? Dirt? Salt? Snow? No - Leaves! Where did they come from? There hasn't been a leaf on a tree for 5 months. I am beginning to think there is someone in the neighborhood who saved a bag of leaves and dumps them in front of my garage, where they blow in when it is opened. If you have a better explanation, let me know.
5 min
Sunday, March 04, 2007
What do you believe?
I was watching a Sunday religious show "Give Me and Answer". I enjoy Cliff's discussions and while there may be some points we don't agree on, to the 5 nines we agree. One thing he challenges people on is their beliefs. I said this blog was going to have a religious tint to it during Lent, so he is your homework. Take out a blank piece of paper and write down up to ten statements. These should be what you believe in order to live your life. Then ask yourself "Where did these come from or who did I learn them from". Then challenge yourself and ask "What if they are wrong?" No grading, just an exercise in thinking.
5 min
5 min
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Bumper Crop of Lies
Like the title? It is sweeps week so I am using a little journalistic license.
CBS News Story
I was going to blame this on Consumer Reports, however; it was done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Every year they drag out the contention that car makers are making cars that are not designed to withstand simple parking lot accidents. Now, was anything they said a lie? No, just a streching of the truth. For example,
>>The institute tested the bumpers of 17 mid size cars. The tests were done at 6 miles per hour on the front and rear bumpers and 3 miles per hour on the corners — about the speed of a toddler walking. <<
Now 6 miles per hour is like running a 10 minute mile - I doubt many toddlers can generate that speed. Also the test were done with what looked like a fixed bumper simulator. This would have the effect of doubling the speed.
So while they are not lying, they are also not telling the truth, which is a shame. There are problems with bumpers; cars are not designed to be repaired inexpensively after minor accidents. My problem is that the sensationalism over the problem is a 15 minute story; there is no attempt to propose how to change it.
The noise becomes so great that you cannot make a rational judgement. Ironically, on their own web site, there is a more practical analysis:
Q&A Bumpers
So I report - you decide (what to do)
10 minutes
CBS News Story
I was going to blame this on Consumer Reports, however; it was done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Every year they drag out the contention that car makers are making cars that are not designed to withstand simple parking lot accidents. Now, was anything they said a lie? No, just a streching of the truth. For example,
>>The institute tested the bumpers of 17 mid size cars. The tests were done at 6 miles per hour on the front and rear bumpers and 3 miles per hour on the corners — about the speed of a toddler walking. <<
Now 6 miles per hour is like running a 10 minute mile - I doubt many toddlers can generate that speed. Also the test were done with what looked like a fixed bumper simulator. This would have the effect of doubling the speed.
So while they are not lying, they are also not telling the truth, which is a shame. There are problems with bumpers; cars are not designed to be repaired inexpensively after minor accidents. My problem is that the sensationalism over the problem is a 15 minute story; there is no attempt to propose how to change it.
The noise becomes so great that you cannot make a rational judgement. Ironically, on their own web site, there is a more practical analysis:
Q&A Bumpers
So I report - you decide (what to do)
10 minutes
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Time is not fast enough
Entry for February 28, 2007
Time is the eternal enemy. It moves forward at a steady pace with a force that nothing on earth can slow it down. Yet there are some for whom time does not go fast enough.
We have to have things right now! There is not room for a flower to bloom or a project to take shape. If we don't have results right now we give up and move on to something else. We forget that most of the time it is the trip and not the destination we remember. That going though the motions - as negative saying as there is - has purpose. Think about "practice makes perfect" and "slow and steady wins the race". We will finally get to the point were we can do nothing, as we don't have the patience to even start?
8 min
Time is the eternal enemy. It moves forward at a steady pace with a force that nothing on earth can slow it down. Yet there are some for whom time does not go fast enough.
We have to have things right now! There is not room for a flower to bloom or a project to take shape. If we don't have results right now we give up and move on to something else. We forget that most of the time it is the trip and not the destination we remember. That going though the motions - as negative saying as there is - has purpose. Think about "practice makes perfect" and "slow and steady wins the race". We will finally get to the point were we can do nothing, as we don't have the patience to even start?
8 min
See it through
For February 27
There are times that things just don't go the way you want them to. It is easy to quit. It is not easy to see it through. But you can't change the past, you can only affect the future. Rather than quitting, try taking a deep breath and change your mind to keep on going. You may be surprised about the experiences you will have on your travels.
5 min
There are times that things just don't go the way you want them to. It is easy to quit. It is not easy to see it through. But you can't change the past, you can only affect the future. Rather than quitting, try taking a deep breath and change your mind to keep on going. You may be surprised about the experiences you will have on your travels.
5 min
Blog Etiquette
Originally for February 26, 2007
When I started this blog my goal was not to become famous, but to learn about blogs and how they work. I have just had a learning experience. It took a while but I finally got a comment (or two) to one of my posts. Then came the question, "Do I respond or not?" I did respond but then realized if I respond to all the comments, the responses will exponentially grow until I can never write another blog entry. So I am going to start my own set of blog rules and see how they work out.
First rule: - Never respond to comments, unless in a main blog entry.
Second rule: - I reserve the right to remove any comments which I feel are false or not in the spirit of my blog, which is intelligent, thoughtful discussion.
I will add others as I go along.
Below are some links to other blogs and sites for Blog Etiquette. I do not endorse them (I may take them off if I find better ones). They are there for reference only.
(I will clean up the links later)
http://www.cafemama.com/etiquette.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1204.asp
http://www.practicaletiquette.com/blog-etiquette.html
http://www.dmwmedia.com/blog/rohit/introducing-the-golden-rules-of-blog-etiquette-writeboard
10 min
When I started this blog my goal was not to become famous, but to learn about blogs and how they work. I have just had a learning experience. It took a while but I finally got a comment (or two) to one of my posts. Then came the question, "Do I respond or not?" I did respond but then realized if I respond to all the comments, the responses will exponentially grow until I can never write another blog entry. So I am going to start my own set of blog rules and see how they work out.
First rule: - Never respond to comments, unless in a main blog entry.
Second rule: - I reserve the right to remove any comments which I feel are false or not in the spirit of my blog, which is intelligent, thoughtful discussion.
I will add others as I go along.
Below are some links to other blogs and sites for Blog Etiquette. I do not endorse them (I may take them off if I find better ones). They are there for reference only.
(I will clean up the links later)
http://www.cafemama.com/etiquette.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1204.asp
http://www.practicaletiquette.com/blog-etiquette.html
http://www.dmwmedia.com/blog/rohit/introducing-the-golden-rules-of-blog-etiquette-writeboard
10 min
Monday, February 26, 2007
I am not obsolete
There is a great Twilight Zone episode called "The Obsolete Man". While this deals with each human beings worth as a person, the notion of being obsolete is interesting on how it relates to mechanical things also. I just had to upgrade because my computer was "obsolete". It was no longer to keep up with the new programs and services that I need to interface with the modern world. At the same time, programs that I have been using, that have been serving me very well, are not working. Files than have critical data are not able to be opened. Are they obsolete? Or in our quest to move forward are we forgetting what got us here?
On a more practical matter, when you upgrade a computer or operating system, make sure you upgrade everything at the same time. As long as you stay reasonably current with your programs and files you should be able to keep them. However; do not underestimate the effort involved to do this. The computer gives you power but at a price.
10 min
On a more practical matter, when you upgrade a computer or operating system, make sure you upgrade everything at the same time. As long as you stay reasonably current with your programs and files you should be able to keep them. However; do not underestimate the effort involved to do this. The computer gives you power but at a price.
10 min
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Something Old - Something New
I bought a new computer today. What a life changing episode. It takes a full day plus to introduce the new computer. First you have to move the old one out of the way and then hook the new one up. Once up and running you still need the old one to transfer all the files over. It is like you have a clean sheet of paper and you can control how all the things that went before are entered. Wouldn't it be nice if we could do the same thing with our life. That we could pick a date and start anew, what happened before happened, but it was not going to affect us going forward. We could look back on all the chaos and neatly reorganize it and proceed forward. However; life is not that clean and neither is the new computer. You find things that you forgot to transfer, some old programs don't work. Some things you can't bring with you and you are forced to leave them behind. Choices - we have to make them and move forward. Moving forward is better than standing still.
More on the computer tomorrow....
8 min
More on the computer tomorrow....
8 min
How much is enough?
How little in not enough? Jesus quoted the Old Testament when he said the "poor are with you always". Did he mean that people will always be poor? Can you really be poor if you have a house over your head,an (old) car in the driveway and your kids have the latest video game? Capitalism has always relied on "the poor" for labor. Currently this is supposedly the illegal aliens from Mexico and the like. What we need to look at is the economic justice in our society. Then decide if we can live with the status quo or keep trying to improve it.
5 min
5 min
Thursday, February 22, 2007
The more we think we know
I studied the Bible in high school and have continued on and off most of my life. Yesterday I sat down and was reading Genesis, source of much talk, if you follow the evolutionary wars. As I read it, I found contradictions, great foresight, challenging questions, unexpected twists and in the end I realized I do not understand the first book of the Bible, much less some of the lesser known books. How does this relate to today's life? How many of us think we are experts on the topics of today, when in reality we have opinions, but not knowledge. I cringe when someone says they know everything about a subject. What I have found is that the more you know, the more you realize there is so much more to learn. So a little humility please, and keep up the quest.
5 min
5 min
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
How much won't power
The nex few weeks of this blog will take a definite religious turn. Since it is Lent and I am a Catholic, I will be looking at secular issues from a religious point of view.
Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent - for most Christians Lent is associated with giving up things - candy, cookies, dessert etc. Even though the rules have been relaxed, for most Catholics it also means fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstaining from meat on those days and also all other Fridays during Lent. As I am halfway through Ash Wednesday, my fasting is doing well, but my hunger isn't. Everytime I pass the candy jar, or think of cookies, the urge to cheat taps me on the shoulder. So far, my won't power (that is I won't give in) is holding up. But how is your won't power? Can you say no to that new video game, can you stop spoiling your grand kids with the latest toys, can you stop and help that person in need, instead of just walking by. In order to have won't power we have to stop and think what are the results of our decisions. In today's society we make decisions without thinking, either because we have jumped in the stream and let others steer our choices, or because we have too many choices to make quality decisions. So try slowing down and start using your won't power.
10 min
Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent - for most Christians Lent is associated with giving up things - candy, cookies, dessert etc. Even though the rules have been relaxed, for most Catholics it also means fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstaining from meat on those days and also all other Fridays during Lent. As I am halfway through Ash Wednesday, my fasting is doing well, but my hunger isn't. Everytime I pass the candy jar, or think of cookies, the urge to cheat taps me on the shoulder. So far, my won't power (that is I won't give in) is holding up. But how is your won't power? Can you say no to that new video game, can you stop spoiling your grand kids with the latest toys, can you stop and help that person in need, instead of just walking by. In order to have won't power we have to stop and think what are the results of our decisions. In today's society we make decisions without thinking, either because we have jumped in the stream and let others steer our choices, or because we have too many choices to make quality decisions. So try slowing down and start using your won't power.
10 min
Friday, January 19, 2007
Who is running the car companies?
From the Ford Website (Re the 2008 Ford Focus):
>>>Solid, sporty and stylish exterior
You won’t be shy about giving Focus a good once over. (Shoot, this little number might even warrant a twice-over now and again.) That’s because the styling on the ’08 Focus is brand, spanking new. It’s no simple upgrade or update, it’s a complete personality change.
For starters, it’s stylish and sporty. Designers on this vehicle took cues from the super popular Ford Fusion and borrowed the prominent chrome bar grille design. (Which besides being cool is also quite helpful for those last minute “spinach-in-the-teeth” checks before meetings.) Other design cues taken from Focus older sister, Fusion, are the flared wheel lips and sweeping, crisp lines of the body.
Headlights, taillights and other distinct design cues
Now that Focus has a bunch of revamped styling, we should probably delve into the details for a second. Focus headlights have horizontal bars with a matte surface running through the reflection area—an instant visual connection to the line of the chrome-bar grille. The taillamps are no slouches either. Borrowing design sense from big brother, the ‘08 Ford Escape, these illuminati feature the stark contrast of a white arc cutting across the red lens, and an LED center high-mounted stop lamp. Other hot spots to note on Focus are: the front fender appliqué integrated just behind the front wheel well on the SEL model and the bold, italic badging on the deck lid scuff plates and instrument panel on both the SE and SEL.
Yep, stylish and small really does say it all.<<<
No - reliable and good gas mileage says it all and they must not have it. This is the same stuff that got Detroit in trouble in the 70's and it looks like they brought back the same guys.
Now I like Ford products for the most part, but they are going to get their clocks cleaned by Toyota and Honda with copy like this.
5 min.
>>>Solid, sporty and stylish exterior
You won’t be shy about giving Focus a good once over. (Shoot, this little number might even warrant a twice-over now and again.) That’s because the styling on the ’08 Focus is brand, spanking new. It’s no simple upgrade or update, it’s a complete personality change.
For starters, it’s stylish and sporty. Designers on this vehicle took cues from the super popular Ford Fusion and borrowed the prominent chrome bar grille design. (Which besides being cool is also quite helpful for those last minute “spinach-in-the-teeth” checks before meetings.) Other design cues taken from Focus older sister, Fusion, are the flared wheel lips and sweeping, crisp lines of the body.
Headlights, taillights and other distinct design cues
Now that Focus has a bunch of revamped styling, we should probably delve into the details for a second. Focus headlights have horizontal bars with a matte surface running through the reflection area—an instant visual connection to the line of the chrome-bar grille. The taillamps are no slouches either. Borrowing design sense from big brother, the ‘08 Ford Escape, these illuminati feature the stark contrast of a white arc cutting across the red lens, and an LED center high-mounted stop lamp. Other hot spots to note on Focus are: the front fender appliqué integrated just behind the front wheel well on the SEL model and the bold, italic badging on the deck lid scuff plates and instrument panel on both the SE and SEL.
Yep, stylish and small really does say it all.<<<
No - reliable and good gas mileage says it all and they must not have it. This is the same stuff that got Detroit in trouble in the 70's and it looks like they brought back the same guys.
Now I like Ford products for the most part, but they are going to get their clocks cleaned by Toyota and Honda with copy like this.
5 min.
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