Yet Another News Item

From the WaPo:

Russian law treats beer as a food - it could just as well be a package of pasta - and anyone who makes and sells it only has to prove that conditions are sanitary. This lack of regulation and attendant attitude, critics say, has contributed to young people starting to drink as early as age 13, paving the way to the nation's unbridled alcoholism. 

The Rooshians have the right ideer.  There are four food groups: alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and sugar.  One needs at least two servings per day of each; we're doin' OUR part.

Apropos of Russia... my team was fond of sayin' we'd all need new livers after that particular TDY was over.  We were only half joking.

News Item

A while back I ranted about the commercialization of  college bowl games, which I believe to be a pox on our society.  And then I read this today...

NEW YORK (January 19, 2011) – The National Hockey League today announced the details of the Honda NHL SuperSkills® and the format of the six events that will showcase hockey’s top talent on Sat., Jan. 29, during 2011 NHL® All-Star Weekend in Raleigh. 
The NHL All-Stars and Rookies will participate in six events:
•    Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater™
•    BlackBerry NHL Breakaway Challenge™
•    McDonald’s NHL Accuracy Shooting™
•    G Series NHL Skills Challenge Relay™
•    XM NHL Hardest Shot™
•    Discover NHL Elimination Shootout™ 

OMFG.  WHERE will it end?  It's not beyond the pale to think there will come a day when we'll see F-15s with a Nike Swoosh or a CitiBank flag flying over the capitol.  I mean that literally when speaking of the capitol; we're pretty much already there, figuratively speaking.

Blog Fodder

There was no sleeping in TODAY.  These guys got to work around 0945 hrs and they're jes a lil bit... umm... intrusive.

So... I step outside to take the pic and one of the tree dudes gets VERY defensive, as in "We notified the park owner yesterday that we'd be here today!"  "Well, yeah, OK"... sez I... "No worries, this is just blog fodder."  "Whut?" sez he.  I should have just said "Never mind" coz he still didn't geddit after at least six minutes of explanation.

Yup.  This Modern Age.

Added, 1300 hrs:   Did I say a LIL BIT intrusive?  Why, I think I did...

Green Hornets

Which would YOU drive?

Let's Start Sumthin'

Heh.  The h/t goes to Occasional Reader Rob, whom I believe is a PC kinda guy... speakin' strictly about hardware and such, of course.

And I Was VERY Glad...

From today's AFA Daily Report:

Texas Tower Victims Honored: President Obama has sent letters of gratitude to the families of the 28 airmen and civilians who died on Jan. 15, 1961, when the offshore NORAD radar platform on which they were serving sank more than 80 miles off the coast of New York during a storm. The Boston Globe reported that the President's acknowledgment came on the 50th anniversary of the loss of "Texas Tower 4," one of several radar platforms sitting off the US East Coast in the 1950s and early 1960s to provide advanced warning of a Soviet bomber attack. Obama also sent letters to the families of four men who died in accidents on the other platforms, according to the newspaper. The Air Force closed the last tower in 1963. (For more on the Texas towers, see The Rise of Air Defense and More Guts Than Glory from Air Force Magazine's archives)

First of all:  Good On President Obama.  Acknowledging troops we lost during the Cold War, for whatever reason, is an admirable thing and something that doesn't happen all that often.

Now that we got THAT out of the way (and I was serious)... I highlighted that bit above (and titled this post as I did) because (a) 1963 was the year I entered the Air Force and (b) I could have VERY easily wound up on one of the Texas Towers, seeing as how I was that kind o' radar guy for the first 16 years of my career.  

And while both of the linked articles at the end of the Daily Report blurb are worth your time I especially recommend the "More Guts Than Glory" piece.  That one is interesting for a number of reasons... not the least of which is the fact it was written in 1958.  Times and styles... especially writing styles for the quasi-official House Organ... most certainly DO change.  I thought it was kinda cool to see archaic terms like A/2C and M/Sgt sprinkled throughout the article.  But then I would, wouldn't I?  Coz that was the way we were in Your Father's Air Force.

Just One More and Then We'll Go...

... which every band has said at one point or another.  But we're on about quotes from Life here, not music.  Here's Tom Waits, speaking about Keef:

I think that nowadays there seems to be a deficit of wonder. And Keith seems to still wonder about this stuff. He will stop and hold his guitar up and just stare at it for a while. Just be rather mystified by it. Like all the great things in the world, women and religion and the sky… you wonder about it, and you don’t stop wondering about it.

Well, that bit stopped me dead in my tracks as I was reading earlier this afternoon.  The sheer profundity of Waits' observation struck me as too, too true.  Yet it's not.  I can only speak for myself... but there isn't one single day that goes by when I'm not struck by a sense of wonder.  It could be a sunset, it could be remarkable photography (shots from the Hubble or that "small world" stuff I linked a while back, or myriad other things in that realm), and MOST especially music.  I often marvel at how a vocal, a guitar lick, or the great execution of horn charts can touch me in ways that are always new and always spot-on.  How can you NOT wonder about things like that?

And that's not even considering the things Waits brought up... like women and religion... either one of which countless tomes have been written.  There's no deficit of wonder in MY world, but then again I could be an anomaly.  Ample evidence to the contrary exists on my teevee screen and in the thoughtless screeds I read every damned day in the political blogs.

Still and even: worth thinking about.

―:☺:―

So.  I've been taken with Keith Richards' work with the X-Pensive Winos over the past coupla few and I defined a couple o' new Pandora stations to that effect.  I listened to the X-Pensive Winos station for a full day before I abandoned it in favor of the Keith Richards station, on account o' because there was just too much extraneous bullshit on the XPW station.  I'm sorry, Pandora, but Def Leppard or Journey ain't Keith OR  the X-Pensive Winos.  Journey?  JOURNEY?  Oh, for fuck's sake... spare me.  Please.

I'm pleased to report the Keith Richards station is MUCH better.  And here's a lil sumthin' I heard earlier this afternoon as a sample:



You're beyond hope if that doesn't get ya where ya live.  Keef and Norah... what's NOT to like, unlikely as it may seem?  And the playin' is simply GREAT, as is the song.  Brilliant.

―:☺:―

Apropos of exactly nuthin'... last night we ordered that rockin' chair Bec turned me on to (click for larger, of course) and a couple of Keith Richards albums to add to the collection.  The last coupla days have been absolutely fantastic, in most every sense of the word.  And things should only get better when the new purchases arrive.  Let's just hope the WX remains cooperative and I get the chance to really rock out on the verandah.  

Heh.

Not To Rub It In Or Anything, But...

We are just about ready to adjourn to the verandah for yet another extended outdoor Happy Hour.  I prolly should put the top down and go for a long cruise in the Great Wide Open... or saddle up Miss Zukiko... but I have a book to finish.  And beer to drink.

This is the sorta thing that comes to mind...

Coz we're ALL about Instant Gratification, expediency, and livin' in the moment.  It's The American Way.

MLK Day

I almost put this chestnut up again... for what would be the third time.  I thought better of it, though, mainly because of this:

But this year is different, innit? Tomorrow the first African-American man in our history will be sworn into the highest office in the land. We should ALL be proud of that fact, regardless of our political views or loyalties. While Dr. King's dream hasn't been fully realized by any means, tomorrow's inauguration of Barack Obama at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol marks the biggest symbolic step in that direction I've seen in MY lifetime. It makes me proud to be an American... so VERY proud.

Last year I said "I stand by those words" and the sentiment is still sorta true.  I say "sorta" because I'm getting tired of hearing about how far we've come.  I don't need reminding, thank you.  I was there.  I saw it, "it" being Obama's election and inauguration.  I was there for Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, too... even though I was about to board an airplane and head off to basic training at the exact moment he delivered it.  I witnessed segregation's ugly face as a child and as a young man, so I understand... as much as any white man can... what this day is all about.  We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

That said... I don't like or want to hear any more self-congratulatory BS, thank you.  The moment has passed.  We should honor the memory of Martin Luther King, Junior on this day.  And that's IT.

And On the Seventh Day, He...

... took an extended al fresco Happy Hour.  Three beers, two cigars, and it ain't over yet.  Yeah... it's just "As Wicked As It Seems."

As wicked as it seems
It's playtime, but it's far too late
It's gonna too hard on, hard on it - hard on it
What you gonna give
It's not enough, not enough for me
So I soften the blow, so the bruises don't show
I've got the expertise
No broken necks
No broken hearts
Well, we used your deck
All I did was play the cards - now the check
Now I find it's not enough - it's not enough for me
Now you want to give, is not enough - not enough for me

Which, of course, is a piece part of Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack.  And now we shall continue as we've begun.  What's not to like about a mid-60s January day?

Heh

An Occasional Correspondent... who also happens to be a hockey fan... sends this along:

Which begs the question... does the wife also have a Red Wings jersey for those nights where ya score early and often?

Kinda Cool

But ya really hadda be there.  Or here.  Whatevah.

Just a few minutes ago... people safely ensconced in pressurized aluminum tubes over The High Plains of New Mexico on their way to La-La Land.  Must be nice... for a weekend or so.

Let's Hear It For Longevity

... and for (relatively) warm January days, while we're at it.  I'm just in from the verandah, where we managed to down Happy Hour's first beer al fresco.  But there's precious little warmth in the late afternoon sun on these short January days, so we'll take the rest of our beer indoors.  Still and even... it's been a LONG time since we sat outdoors and enjoyed a beer and a cigar, however briefly.  It was good, too.

But... longevity?  It's a minor point but one that causes me to marvel.  I made a beer and grocery run out to Cannon Airplane Patch earlier this afternoon... top down and stereo blaring.  Which got me to thinkin'.  The Green Hornet is a lil over 11 years old and her Bose stereo system still sounds as good as it did on Day One.  The CD player never skips, the speakers still kick out the jams loud and clear, and everything just works.  I find that rather remarkable, given the temperature extremes the system suffers, coupled with road vibrations and all that other stuff.  Why don't home audio components fare as well?  I've never owned an indoor CD player that lasted longer than five years and my pre- and power amplifiers, tuners, and the like don't last all that much longer... even though the heart of my current set-up (amps and tuner) is going on 12 years as we speak.  I should knock on wood... and I did.

The stereo isn't the only part of TGH that is long-lived.  She still has her original spark plugs and has never had a tune-up.  Ever.  Same thing goes for brake pads -- still original.  I contrast that to other cars I've owned, some in the near-way-back, and some long, long ago.  My ol' '83 320i Beemer got new front brake pads every 5,000 miles without fail.  My '67 SS396 Chevelle and my '70 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 each got tune-ups every 5,000 miles or so, too.  I don't wanna even think about the dual-point ignition in that frickin' Dart; what a right royal PITA THAT was!  It seemed like I was always messin' with my car every danged weekend back in the '60s and '70s and even up into the '80s.  But life did get better in the '90s... I have to say both my 'Vette and my '96 Impala SS left my possession with their original plugs in the block.  Both cars were virtually trouble free.

But... all that said... I'm thinkin' life is SO much easier these days.  I DO miss that 'Vette from time to time, though.  Ain't she purty?

Yes.  Yes, she IS.  Heh.

Aiiieee

Déjà vu all over again...

The Talking Heads are optimistic and I'm tryin' to stay that way.  Yeah, the Wings have overcome injury adversity before but it takes a LOT out of a team.  This is getting ridiculous... Holmstrom, Stuart, Datysuk, Cleary, Modano, and now both our Number One and Two goalies?  Aiiieee.

Ten

As in ten years.  That's how long Wikipedia has been around; today is their tenth anniversary.  Here's a quote from an article about The Wiki in The Guardian:

Wikipedia is the most widely used reference work in the world. That statement is both ordinary and astonishing: it's a simple reflection of its enormous readership; and yet, by any traditional view about how the world works, Wikipedia shouldn't even exist, much less have succeeded so dramatically in the space of a single decade.

The cumulative effort of Wikipedia's millions of contributors means you are a click away from figuring out what a myocardial infarction is, or the cause of the Agacher Strip war, or who Spangles Muldoon was. This is an unplanned miracle, like "the market" deciding how much bread goes in the store. Wikipedia, though, is even odder than the market: not only is all that material contributed for free, it is available to you free; even the servers and system administrators are funded through donations. That it would become such a miracle was not obvious at its inception and so, on the occasion of its 10th birthday, it's worth retelling the improbable story of its genesis.

Worth reading, indeed.  I don't know one single blogger who hasn't ever quoted The Wiki... not one.  Wikipedia is indeed amazing and I think we ALL owe Jimmy Wales, Big-Time.  Yet again... I technology.  But even more than that... I entrepreneurs and the environment that makes them both successful and possible.

Happy Anniversary, Wikipedia.  Long may you run.

One of My Favorite Subjects...

... which would be the inanity of Facebook.  Here's John Dvorak on the subject:

People are always baffled by the fact that I don't use Facebook. I don't care much about Facebook any more than I cared about MySpace and LiveJournal before it. In almost every way, these subsystems are too retro for my taste.

Let me explain. 

The world began with online services like the Source and Compuserve. They then evolved into a myriad of BBS systems and then AOL was created. AOL became the kingpin and along came the Internet. The Internet had the versatility that no other system had—you could do whatever you wanted with it. You could start a website about your cat. You could do a storefront. You could do anything that came into your head. 

[...]

Which begs the question as to why anyone would use Facebook when it is essentially AOL done right? The fastest growing group on Facebook are people in their 70's. Oldsters are flocking to Facebook the way they once did with AOL. Facebook is a simple system for the masses that do not really care about technology and do not want to learn anything new except something easy like Facebook.

Whenever someone tells me to check out something on Facebook, I recall the heyday of AOL with its keywords. "Go to the Internet at www.blah.com or AOL keyword: blah." This was a common comment on the nightly news or in magazines. The AOL keyword is replaced by the Facebook page name.

There is no reason for anyone with any chops online to be remotely involved with Facebook, except to peruse it for lost relatives. So, next time you log on, remember it's really AOL with a different layout.

Welcome to the past. 

Heh.  I've been sayin' as much in these pages for quite a while but not linking Facebook with AOL, which is how I began my on-line life.  But I grew up and abandoned AOL quite a few years ago in favor of a more pure internet experience.  There's another reason to eschew Facebook as well, and I'll quote Groucho:  "I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member."  Or sumthin' like that.  All you 70-something wanna-bees might disagree and that's your prerogative.  Now go buy a goat and a couple o' cows, OK?  And watch out for Guido.

Thievery XVI

Stolen from Blog-Bud Daphne... the state of talent in one of these United States:

Well, that was LAST year, to be honest.  There's a boatload more of this stuff here.  I haven't had this many OMFG moments in quite a while.

As Seen On Red Eye

So... there I am, faithfully tuned in to Red Eye (even tho I record it for viewing at a more reasonable hour but always watch it live - go figger) when Gutfeld drops a frickin' bomb on me: the zodiac has been wrong for about a thousand years or so and people who think they know what their astrological sign is are wrong.  

Oh Shit, Oh Dear.

So you know what we did next: straight to Google.  And it's as bad as I feared: I'm a frickin' Pisces.  No longer can I lay claim to these characteristics:

The Aries is guided by flashes of intuition and irresistible impulse. He is a fiery dynamo who is driven by a constant desire to forge ahead into new territories. When Aries sets his sights on a goal, it becomes an all-enveloping quest. The Aries native never gives up, but moves ever forward with an obstinate force of will. Like all fire signs, he constantly feels vital energy pulsing through him, and he must use that energy or burn up!

Aries strives for independence, and success is defined by a series of distinctive or high-reaching personal achievements. Coming in first or accomplishing the impossible are the ultimate goals. Athletes, entrepreneurs, soldiers, doctors, religious leaders, race car drivers and explorers are all associated with this sign. Aries does not fear danger, and accidents are all too common with this sign, particularly head injuries.

If the Aries seems brusque or disinterested it is because his mind is set on a goal that entirely absorbs his energy. Anything that interferes becomes an annoying distraction. Once the Aries sets his sights on someone or something, that becomes an urgent and immediate priority. If you are that goal, you can be sure that you will be showered with a love that burns as bright as the sun, and you can expect to be blessed with the greatest fire of devotion.

Nope.  That's not me.  Not any longer.  I'm now this guy...

Look deep into the eyes of a Pisces, and you will see a reflection all that is good in humanity. He has a heart of gold, instilled with a deep intuition into the feelings of others. Pisces understands people's loves and losses, and can become overwhelmed with the weight of the world. Yearning for the ideal, he can get lost in a sea of imagination and fantasy.

There are two fishes in the Pisces soul - one of spirit and one of flesh, one who would give himself entirely for others, and one who struggles to live in a harsh reality. Because the Pisces must survive, he can be a very determined, even selfish individual, yet he can turn around and give of himself so completely that you will feel sure he is really an angel. The Pisces loves others with a selfless purity that demands that you give him the utmost respect, and he will suffer dearly without it.

If Pisces seems confused, dreamy, sleepy or lazy, it is because he can't decide which way to go - should he tend to his own needs, or take care of someone else? If he's lucky, he'll find a way to do both at once. The Pisces who can serve himself while helping others is truly blessed.

The Pisces is naturally spiritual, imaginative and artistic. Like a fish, he sometimes needs to find a quiet, peaceful grotto in which to hide. If you catch him, you can count on him to be the dearest friend, a devoted child or parent and the most compassionate and caring of individuals.

Now I'm gonna have to learn how to deal with being confused all the time and adopt some sort of dreamy expression, which will be sorta hard after all these years of playing the stoic. I've already nailed the lazy and sleepy bits, so that's a good thing.  I'm at a loss to explain all those years of getting my ass kicked by The Second Mrs. Pennington for my incorrigible Type-A behavior, though.  Mebbe I was driven because I thought I was an Aries.  TSMP, OTOH, used to be a Gemini and is now a frickin' Bull.  There's no small amount of poetic justice there.

So.  Here, courtesy of the WaPo, is the new Zodiac line-up:

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11
Pisces: March 11-April 18
Aries: April 18-May 13
Taurus: May 13-June 21
Gemini: June 21-July 20
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23-Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20

What are you, Gentle Reader?  What were you?  And do you even care?

Full disclosure:  I haven't read my horoscope in at least eight years.  Put another way: I don't really give a shit; it's just fun to play with.

What 416.9 MPH Looks Like From the Driver's Seat

From the remarks accompanying the video:

The first run of the new land speed record for a naturally-aspirated, wheel-driven car. Record was set September 21st, 2010 at the Bonneville Salt Flats with Charles Nearburg driving. Orange signs whizzing by on the left side indicate miles - recorded speed is an average between mile 5 and mile 6. On this run the average was 416.90 mph. (click the pic for a MUCH larger version).

The Spirit of Rett set a new world land speed record for a naturally-aspirated (as opposed to super- or turbocharged) single-engine car, which is now 414.316 mph... about 280 mph faster than I've ever driven.  The old record stood for 45 years.  More here.

h/t: A tweet from Iowahawk, which sent me off to Google. 

This and That

I'm just in from the day's errands... there's always sumthin' and today it was dropping off laundry at the wash 'n' fold and paying my Yucca Telecom bill.  I enjoy paying my Yucca bill in person as it's always a pleasant experience to interact with those folks, if paying bills can be described as "pleasant."  But this is.

So, some sweet young thang and I were leaving Yucca's premises at the same time so I held the door for her and was graced with a dazzling smile and a "Thaaank Yew!"  (Aside:  we have THE most pleasing of regional accents in this part o' the world, with the possible exception of Jawja.)  Which made me think back to a couple of occasions in SFO when I held the door for a woman and was graced (heh) with a snotty "I can do it MYSELF!"  Well, screw you too, Madam.  This is just another example of why life in a small town in rural New Mexico is better than livin' in The Big City.  But I DO wish we had a Starbucks.

Apropos o' laundry... I did a quick inventory of the 501 bench stock and was chagrined to see we have five pairs of 29x30 501s and two pairs of 28x30 501s, NONE of which I can fit into any longer.  ALL our 30x30/32 501s are either on my skinny ass or in the laundry, as we speak.  Long-time Gentle Readers know I lost a lot of weight during my two-year "Adventures in Modern Dentistry" odyssey (my appellation for getting five dental implants and all the associated surgeries, yadda, yadda) which necessitated the replacement of most of my wardrobe, especially in the 501 area.  Now we have to go through all that krep AGAIN, since the "Buck Pennington Weight-Gain-On-Two-Beers-A-Day" diet (pat pending) has been wildly successful.  Good Will will love me later this month.

And then there's this from the in-box:

Hey, it's Tim from Pandora - 

I'm writing to wish you a very Happy New Year from all of us here at Pandora! And what a year it was...
First, a heartfelt thanks to all of you for continuing to be such engaged listeners and such wonderful evangelists. In 2010 we more than doubled our audience to over 75 million people! And that was mostly thanks to continued word of mouth. For that we are deeply appreciative. 

As always, interacting with listeners continues to be our greatest joy, and greatest source of feedback. You now send us over 25,000 emails every month. What an incredible fountain of information, constructive feedback, and validation that continues to be... and those thumbs! This year alone you thumbed over 3 billion songs (mostly thumbs-up... phew!).

Getting your stations right continues to be our obsession - and a work in progress. It's a (wonderfully) hard problem and something we continue to work on every day. Your feedback is invaluable to that effort. 

[...]

Last, but not least, a shout-out to all the great new music from working artists everywhere. Keep your submissions coming. We're furiously adding music so listeners can keep discovering. The Music Genome Project surpassed 850,000 songs and is now rapidly becoming a more international collection. 

It goes without sayin' I think Pandora is the greatest thing since sliced bread The Tube O' You.  I never thought a radio station would EVER supplant my personal music collection but then Pandora happened.  True story, that.

Lastly... it's almost warm enough... at 50-something degrees and NO wind...  to do an outdoors Happy Hour today.  Srsly.  But the key word is "almost."  I'm thinkin' if we hit our forecast high of 56 tomorrow we most certainly WILL be sitting outside at this time on the morrow.  It's been a while.