One year ago today: April 6, 2020, a lot of work.
Five years ago today: April 6, 2016, I’m the survivor.
Nine years ago today: April 6, 2012, I try guitar—again.
Random years ago today: April 6, 2008, the famous “lab dog” episode.
A band from Frostproof sent a note, but they are looking for a guitar player. Frankly, I would not send them any that I’ve met lately. I did hear back from a couple others, but one is keen on starting a big band. Or a waste of time as I call it. The other asked for my song list which amounts to telling him what he wants to hear. A third option has appeared. That’s top news of the morning. I fed the chicken and decided this is not the day to break any records. Here’s a picture of the agave plant and that’s all for now.
He basically said he would not consider playing in a band, fine, since he was a bass player. Frostproof is one of those prison towns that never mentions it in the tourist guide. Other than that car restoral outfit, I can’t think of a reason to go there. I see now his ad is worded funny, but he is not the first person who doesn’t like something because he never got good enough at it to find the enjoyment factor. I called the guitar player moving here from Nevada to see how he’s doing. I left a message.
The airwaves are ablaze about the Facebook data breach. Everybody’s private data is for sale, including non-listed phone numbers and search histories and other nothings people with nothing to hide needn’t worry about. Until they apply for a job or try to rent an apartment, at which time things get dicey as hell. Funny, I notice nobody ever hacks the hackers. Maybe they all sort of know each other, but anyway, Facebook I guarantee you was an inside job. There will be a short pause while I mouth, but don’t say, “I told you so.” The right-to-repair issue is hot. I find it odd that manufacturers could make some darn good arguments about restricting people from repairs but they aren’t using them. Instead they emphasize voiding the warranty as a deterrent.
The issue I take with that is how the warranty attaches to the purchaser, not the purchase. My stance is simple. All parts that the manufacturer does not want people to repair should be modularized so the customer can choose to have it repaired or just buy and replace that particular part. As for product liability, I’ve always maintained companies should be responsible only for their own errors, not those of idiots who use the products. I say these and other related issues need to be clarified before saying people can make their own repairs. Possibly a solution is to warranty no-repair parts separately, instead of the all or nothing current rules. But I’m okay with preventing manufacturers from using specialized tools solely to prevent repairs and I believe there are already laws against that trickery.
Loch Awe.
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Two more days until that copter flies on Mars. Watch for the video game. Please, please discover proof of life in some way, even from the distant past. I have a personal stake in it. I expect the Jesus-freaks to whom I refer to backpedal and claim they meant something else, but they will know they are not created by any God they know. It would mean I was right and they’d know it, but never admit it. Still, it’s been a long-standing hope of mine. Don’t confuse this with belittling religion, I am not going there.
But lighten up. The photo shows the Strom, an electric car sold in India. I have no problems driving 3-wheeled vehicles. I’m stopping for an extra coffee break to read up on the troubles with Tesla. I never cared for their hoopla but I’d hate to see them fail. I’m a prime candidate for an electric car. As soon as they make one with 350 mile range swappable batteries, I’ll seriously look. The battery stations would have to be far cheaper than the comparable gas. Swappable unless they can be very rapidly recharged. And the price tags have to come out of the stratosphere. We are talking an electric car here. Five thousand bucks tops. Here are some top-end prices:
Tesla Model 3: $54,990
Kia Niro: $44,590
Volkswagen ID.4: $48,175
Ford Mach-E: $59,300
Audi e-tron: $79,100
When you stop to think, the car is a plastic shell. No complicated ductwork, the engines are cheap and the entire control system is a mass-produced box that sits under the dash. Things are not adding up to those kinds of prices. These may be luxury models, but did anybody ask for that? These jokers could lose the lead if India or similar is allowed to sell the $6,000 units that are selling like fire over there. If you examine the prices, remember that India has several numbering systems. The one you want is the Lakh, which means 100,000 and Crore, meaning 10 million.
A car that lists for 4.5 Lakh means 450,000 rupees, or around $6,150. 4.5 Crore means $61,500. Kind of interesting how the two words could also apply to the difference in prices between here and there. A low-end Strom in India starts at 4.5 Lakh. No need to follow that math, I know what I mean.
