Archive for June, 2007
Sunday, June 24th, 2007
Introducing the new Ask.com homepage
No doubt, it’s slick. Perhaps. I think I may have used Ask.com back when it was AskJeeves.com. I just wanted to try out the “Asking the search engine a question” trick. After I typed in a question, I quickly realized that all the search engine did was to strip out the question words, such as “how, why, when” etc…and give regular old search engine results. Well, that was my take on it years ago. It may have changed since then, but then again, I haven’t tried it.
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Saturday, June 23rd, 2007
Rob gave me a call yesterday to let me know that he was heading over to Craig’s yard to install some electrical stuff. He said that he would be there, along with Craig and another dude, Greg. Craig and Greg were going to be pulling a Cummins engine out of a Mack truck to put it into an International truck. Rob wanted me to stop over so we could all hang out. We haven’t done that in about 100 years.
I had some stuff to do this morning, but I was thinking that I wanted to go. Laura had to work and then head of to a party for her sister. I really needed to get off my butt, because as one gets old, one gets lazy. One also needs to see his old friends once in a while.
I did some work on my sites earlier in the morning and had to wait a long time for a few CDs to burn. For some reason, with this new Windows Vista, burning CDs takes F O R E V E R. While one of the CDs was burning, I trimmed a few branches off the trees in the front, near the driveway so the carpenter’s trailer can get through. He is starting the back deck on Monday. I finally took a shower and got out of the house at about 1PM.
I showed up in the yard (by yard, I mean truck yard) and Rob looked at me twice as I was walking in. He looked away twice too. I knew he didn’t recognize me because I was wearing my sunglasses. I am also much better looking than what he probably expected. On the third look, he finally broke a smile and came over to greet me with a hug. I then heard Craig cacklin about something and then he came over to say hi, and I think he may have tried to give me a hug too, I don’t remember.
I walked over to see what Rob was doing and saw the nice big setup he was making for Craig. Rob was a true professional. I helped out a bit, so now I think I am an electrician. Actually, I have always wanted to know how to do what he was doing, so it was quite fun. I like electrical work and know quite a bit about it because I took some classes in it back in the day.
To the left of Rob, were Mardo and his wife (Craig’s helpers) painting Craig’s new (old) bulldozer. If you like blue, this is the bulldozer for you. I never really was into bulldozers very much, but then again, I work with computers. Perhaps one day I will get into bulldozing things. I think I would like to tell people that in bars…”Hey Jay, what do you do for a living?” “I drive a bulldozer, so you BETTER WATCH OUT!!!” Sucka. My father likes machinery like that. That might explain his own bulldozer.
Ok, I wanted to see what was going on over with the other guys. They were taking an engine out of the International because the piston sleeve was cracked. Apparently, diesel powered trucks need some additive in the anit-freeze, or else it will create tiny air bubles, which can pit the outside of the piston sleeve. In this case, I am assuming the correct amount of additive wasn’t added, somewhere along the way, and pitted the sleeve to weaken it enough to crack. Craig picked up the sleeve to show me first hand. I asked why he didn’t just replace the sleeve and he told me because it was about $1000. He got a good deal on a freshly rebuilt engine, so it was worth it to do the swap. Question: Who the heck finds a Mack truck with a rebuilt engine in it for you to use? Oh, who the heck knows. How does Craig find anything he finds. I suppose if you were in the business of talking, like he is, you would find an engine as well.
That’s Rob in front of the Mack truck, that the engine is coming out of. I wanted the dog on the hood, but Craig wouldn’t give it to me. Nice guy, huh?
This is the International that the engine is going in to. Mardo did a nice job of cleaning it and painting the engine compartment black.
After Craig and Greg took all the bolts out of the brackets holding the radiator in as well as the ones holding the cooling fan on, they lifted the radiator out. If helps when you have a huge excavator helping you. I could’ve used one of them back when I was a kid, changing engines in my 1979 Camaro. Noooo, I was stuck with my hands and a tree branch. Hey, it worked.
Ok, here are some mad props to Craig. He insisted that I take pictures of some of his trucks. I think there are about 8 of them, but I didn’t take pictures of all of them. He wanted me to get the CV Trees on the doors, but I am not that good of a listener. Here goes…
That’s a pretty nice bucket truck. These trucks are a big step up from back when Rob and I used to work with Craig doing tree work. I would guess that lifting huge logs with a crane is more efficient than with your hands. It also saves a lot of time. Also, man would I have liked to have a bucket truck to save the pain of climbing those trees.
I get the strangest feeling every time I go back to visit my home town. It’s like the sun is always going down there. Rob and I went to Home Depot for some parts and it seemed like everyone was looking at me. I really don’t think I am that funny looking. Rob says it is because everyone is in a rush, but I am not sure. I grew up there, so it may just be a slightly noticeably different culture over there, compared to where we live now. The first indicator is the way people drive, but I’ll save that for another post.
Anyway, it was a good visit and it was nice to see everyone again.
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Friday, June 22nd, 2007
On my drive in to work today, I heard a story on NPR’s “Nature Watch” segment about the myth of harm to birds by throwing rice at weddings.
I’m sure you have all heard of people changing their ways to protect the birds. It has long been said that by throwing rice at the bride and groom after a wedding can harm a bird. People say that when the bird eats the rice, the rice expands inside the bird’s stomach, causing the bird to actually explode. I always believed this and have thrown bird seed at weddings instead.
Well, Nature Watch told me this morning that the whole rice story is really a myth. They said that birds eat rice all the time in the wild and it has no harmful effects on them.
So this left me thinking…the next time I see a bird explode over my head while in flight, what the heck caused it?
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
I received an email yesterday from Jeff the man. He had a very important update on the 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 for me to place on the blog.
Here goes…
The rear photos were taken on June 2, 2007. Now, the entire rear is welded together. The roof is also stripped to bare metal so it shines in the sun.
The front photo was taken today, June 19, 2007. The front aprons and firewall are completely stripped and ready for epoxy primer.
…and here are the photos…
Oh yeah, just in case you wanted to know who the mad-man is behind the scenes doing all the work, it’s this crazy guy. Look how neat and clean he is at work. I wonder if he looks this good while he is wrestling with door skins and truck lids.
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
7 Most Annoying Things About the Future
No self-driving cars, no virtual-reality PCs. For all the promise of futuristic technology, it ends up entering our lives as a series of annoyances. From cell phones on planes to overly-aggressive in-car GPS, Nick Douglas looks at our annoying future.
The most shocking image you’ll see today!
Holy crap! You ’re looking at a one-person Faraday cage, called the Dalek Cage, that allows a person to get close and personal to, oh, like tens of thousands of volts.
Why Michael Moore’s SiCKO is a health care documentary every American must see
America’s disastrous health care system is heaving the country head-first into near-certain economic collapse. Just about everybody’s either financially strained or going broke due to spiraling health care costs: the people, the employers, state governments and even the federal government. Multinational corporations are fleeing the United States…
Humans can justify almost anything
Cognitive dissonance is the extreme emotional discomfort we feel when two important beliefs, attitudes or perceptions collide. Humans cannot tolerate dissonance for long, so they ease the tension by making a change in belief or attitude—and justifying the change.
China is No. 1 again, this time in CO2 emissions
China is now No. 1. Not just in population. Nor just in economic growth among major nations. Not just in construction cranes or the building of coal-burning power plants. It’s now the reigning champ of CO2 emissions. Despite the best efforts of numerous American utility companies and widespread use of air conditioning, SUVs and our own…
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
When I work at home, I usually sit at the computer in silence. The TV might be on in the other room, but generally, there is nothing going on. Every so often, I remember to click a few music files that I have on computer.
Last year some time, I ripped about 50 CDs onto my computer. When I play the music while working, it really lightens the mood. My head turns to so many other things besides just work.
Last night, Laura was watching the movie “Great Expectations” in the living room. It has a pretty good soundtrack. I was just doing some site upgrades which requires a lot of uploading and downloading, which can get boring. I decided to listen to some “Steve Perry” from his greatest hits album.
Every time I listen to this album, I start off with the song, “It Won’t Be You.” It’s pretty laid back and relaxed. Steve Perry is a very talented artist…if you are a “Journey” fan, you know what I am talking about. It’s the kind of music that you close your eyes to. It brings you somewhere else. I remember a few times while I was living in Atlanta with my friend Rob, I would lay on the floor with my headphones on listening to something good. One time, Rob came home from work and had to step over me. He told me later on that he knew I was in the zone, so he didn’t want to interrupt me.
Music changes people’s lives…it’s a wonder that I don’t listen to it more. After listening to a few songs last night, I was so inspired to write about it right then and there. I was way too tired, so I decided to wait until this morning.
One of my most memorable times ever listening to Journey was the ride from Ocean City, MD. I was around 18 years old and had finally talked my friend, Craig, into taking the trip with me. It was about 9PM when we got in thte car to drive South. We stayed in Ocean City for a day or two and then drove straight out of town North on Rt.1. This is a really nice drive by itself, but the conditions of this drive made it even better. Craig was in the passenger seat, just looking out the window at the ocean to the right. I was looking out the other window to the fields on the left. It was around 7PM. There was a huge rain cloud directly over us making things wet, but to the left, you could see the line where the clouds stopped and where the sun started. The best part of the trip was Craig’s “Journey – Greatest Hits” CD. We listened to all the greats…”Who’s Crying Now,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” and everyone’s favorite, “Wheel in the Sky.” It was nice to drive with no talking while listening to the best music out there. It really made the trip.
We made it up to Lewes to take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to Cape May, NJ. This is a really cool ferry that cuts a lot of time out of your trip, if you want to stay on the coast. You get to drive your car on it. At the time, I was driving a 1985 Honda Prelude with some decent sound. Since the ride takes about an hour, I opened the doors and let everyone else listen to a little Journey as well, even if they didn’t want to. That was one of the greatest trips of my life and the music played a big part of making it so great.
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Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
As you may know, I like to plant things and admire the things I plant. I even like Planters Peanuts. I take it personally when things droop or die.
You may also know that the success of any new plant depends on many things, but one of them is the amount of water they receive. So many people sit there and watch the trees and shrubs that they just planted a few days ago die. I would think that many of them scratch their heads in wonder.
If you ask any of my neighbors what I do in the evening, they would probably tell you that I like to walk down the road and back as well as water the gardens. I do water a lot. I always knew that my hose and sprinkler method was not the most efficient way to do things, but that’s what I have to work with.
Laura came home the other night with a new shipment of plants she got from her friend. We planted them with some success. Some are taking off and some are half dead. Since such new plants require a lot of water and a lot of attention, I decided to get some of those soaker hoses I have heard about in the past. They are much more efficient than regular watering methods and are partially made with recycled tires. It’s all good.
If you are interested in water conservation via soaker hoses, you can check out these resources…
- Saving Water Partnership
- Fiskars Bulk Soaker Hose
- Garden and Soaker Hoses (EPA)
I have to say, these hoses are pretty cool. When you turn them on, you just watch them get wet. I did this last night and wondered if they were actually doing anything. Then, I dug my hand under the mulch to see that they were.
Save some water, give ‘em a shot.
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Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Please take a look at this photo and let me know if you see anything that shouldn’t be there. If you can’t find what you are looking for, just take a look at the second photo. I’ll give you a hint…it’s not the pasta sauce, the sugar or the baking soda.
Ok, here’s the answer…
That’s Simon the cat. I was making coffee the other morning and somehow he slipped in there. I saw him wandering around outside the cabinet, but he waited for me to turn around to make his move.
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Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Want something more substantive than YouTube? Here’s how to find it…
While YouTube has captured a great deal of attention and traffic for its vast collection of mostly goofy videos, a growing number of sites are providing more-cerebral alternatives: documentaries, speeches, panel discussions, research reports and more.
Nations who have not yet adopted the metric system (pic – this is awesome)
How many could there be?
No More Google Video! Long Live Google Video!
Google Video, the web-based service that provided almost the same functions as the popular YouTube, is not an online video sharing solution anymore. The parent company Google upgraded the product and made it a search technology that allows users to find clips on the entire Internet. At this time, the official page of the service is exactly the same
MacGyver Tip: Dry out your soaked gadgets in rice
A Washington Post reporter who accidentally dropped his Blackberry in the toilet was able to retrieve it and dry it out to working order again: by leaving it turned off in a bowl of uncooked rice.
Is your boss a crazy boss? Take the quiz and find out!
Stanley Bing has a quiz that will give you the answer. via business pundit
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Sunday, June 17th, 2007
How To Keep Widgets From Slowing Down Sites
“The whole world is going to widgets. This overused, overhyped term refers to third-party code one places on their website or blog in order to display such things as Flickr photos, Twitter status, or iTunes playlists…”
Dutch police arrest 111 over suspected Internet fraud
Police in Amsterdam arrested more than 100 West Africans Saturday as part of a seven month long investigation into Internet fraud, they said.
Google Street View Fight
Watch a fight happen step by step thanks to Google Street View
YouTube Remixer: Edit Videos Online At YouTube
YouTube has officially launched YouTube Remixer, a new service that allows users to edit their videos from within YouTube itself.
Alien Arena 2007 – v6.05 released, absolutely FREE!
Those of you looking for a free game (c’mon, don’t pretend that you’re not) – look no further than Alien Arena 2007. v6.05 of the free full game has just been released, for Windows and – in a move sure to impress some of you, for Linux as well. You can also grab the Accessories Pack, if you’re into that sort of thing. But what is Alien Arena 2007?
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