January 4, 2014

I am attempting to embed video in today's blog. If it can be done, Google is keeping it a secret. I experienced a catastrophic computer failure, so the next few blogs may look funny until I reinstall all my apps that keeps these pages nice and consistent. That doesn't happen by accident, you know.

           Okay, housewives of American. The key to sparkling campware. Most of you saw it here first. And guys, never underestimate the thinking man and his drill press. You know, I have a sanding drum for that thing, too. I’m up early because Eddie never showed up at the club last night. I rode my bicycle in the dark to meet up, in the DARK, Eddie! He said he could show me an easy way to fake guitar riffs, which is information I need. Instead, I wound up singing the two newest additions to my song list and discovering I have to change the keys.

           What? Okay,okay. All you had to do was ask. Those songs are "Back in Baby's Arms", Patsy Cline. And "Save The Last Dance For Me", The Drifters. For reasons unknown, that last song proved exceedingly popular last evening. Maybe I'll keep it.
           This post is produced with the Windows 7 opsys and I do not like it one bit. It takes forever to boot up and shut down and once again, the only visible change is that all my familiar commands have been moved. Now I have to open menus to get at them.
           MicroSoft has dictated that "support" (the fixing of problems they created themselves) will end on April 8, 2014. They advise users to "upgrade" (spend more money on MicroSoft products you never asked for). I advised the lawmakers to prevent this type of blackmail back in 1984. MicroSoft is announcing that Windows 7 is the fastest selling software in the world. That company knows how to spook people, I'll say that for sure.
           Tell you what I'd do if I was smart enough. Around 40% of the world still uses XP. That's the version that was out when the recession began and the version most staff are trained to use. I'd pick up where MicroSoft quit and start a company that supports XP. Hire some of these "hackers" that are supposedly lined up to attack on April 8, which coincidentally is my best friend's birthday. Anyway, it could not be more obvious what kind of stunt MicroSoft is pulling here. But they've gotten away with it so often, why should they quit now? Someone who supports XP after the deadline would have millions of instant customers.
           Trivia. Don't we all love those people on airplanes who get special meals? My main beef (ha-ha) with that is these people are getting special service at no extra cost to themselves. Plainly the cost of this catering service is spread over the other passengers. Right there, I am automatically against it. If you belong to religions that tell you what to eat, then you can damn well pay your own way. But, I did say trivia. There is one person on the plane I would gladly pony up for his special meal. The pilot.
           There are two pilots on the airplane for good reason. I'll let you figure that out yourself, but did you know they both eat different meals prepared by different cooks? That's right. In the old days it was to prevent them getting ill from the same meal. Having said that, did you know in general airplane meals are made to very high standards? Visit a prep kitchen and you'll see what I mean. Spotless, dustless, everybody wearing hairnets and aprons. This is necessary as the meals have to remain stored at room temperature for up to 18 hours. Regardless of what you hear, it is very rare for anyone to genuinely become ill from airline food.

           This is a photo of the Rick-Motor flywheel. Note it is possible to drill through the disk material without cracking or jagged edges. This is the first component for the engine. Stay tuned for progress on that item. In the parts box from Rick in Westchester were a series batch of small button relays switches, one of which is destined to be the controller of this motor. You'll see.
           Next, the red scooter. By the time I get it back, it will essentially have a third new motor. The one Mario sold me was a dog and it seems to have caused other damage. But, in the end, the total spent on this scooter is about what a decent one would have cost in 2010--if I'd had the money back then. Thus, I decided to proceed with motor number three. Miguelito says there is also damage to the "stick" so I'm heading over this afternoon to see what in sam hill that is.

           Software and scooters, it is all a sign of how watered down the world has become. The last durable product ever made by Sony was probably their Walkman. Expensive, but I had one that lasted ten years of daily use. (At my job, we were allowed to wear headphones. That goodness. I worked for years in a room with 297 women.) Well, my new PDA device broke at the headphone jack after maybe three months. Shown here, I will attempt to repair it but plastic is plastic. This is the music source I use for bingo, which was reasonably okay last evening.
           And that, folks, was my first Saturday in 2014.

ADDENDUM
           Far be it from me to sneer at the lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless, but have you seen the bucket lists for 2014? Is it my imagination or are these lists getting more expensive every time around? Let’s tally the top ten from an amalgamation of “Things To Do Before You Die” as they appear on most searches.

           Travel India by train
           Dance the tango in Argentina
           Scuba the Great Barrier Reef
           Buy a boat and learn to sail
           Take a caravan across the Sahara
           Ride the Trans-Siberian Express
           See the South Pole
           Visit the Great Wall of China
           Experience the Carnival in Rio
           See Angel Falls in Venezuela

           There. All you need is the money. Of course, if you have a job that pays that much, you might be wise not to take any time off for gallivanting. They might figure out they don’t need you. From that list, evidently written by travel agents, I have seen Angel Falls. A ten percent success rate by their standards. That jaunt cost $3,000 back in 1992 and I walked most of the way.
           But as I pick over the lists, there are some real adventures that money can’t buy. For example:

           Learn to bartend
           Ride a motorcycle
           Skinny dip at midnight
           Brew your own beer
           Learn to ballroom dance
           Learn another language
           Memorize a poem
           Play a musical instrument
           Experience 13 virgin women
           Solve a Rubik’s cube

           Another 10%. For the record, there is only one item in that list that I have NOT done. Because I could not be bothered. Hell, I’d rather ride the train in India.