This was all over memeorandum yesterday and on Red Eye last evening... so EIP continues to be your best source for old news. But. Whatever. There's a new study out that's fairly good news for us moderate drinkers and Time magazine ran a piece on it. Excerpts:
But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Researchsuggests that — for reasons that aren't entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.
Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.
Well, now. That's us... on six out of every seven days, at a minimum. Once or twice a month I'll have more than three drinks in a single day and once or twice a year I'll throw caution to the winds and let it all hang out. Things were sorta different in past lives... the weekly Happy Hour on Fridays when I was working might could have been described as "excessive drinking"... but that was then and this is now.
Speaking of now... Beer Me! Just like the picture, please.
p.s.: I liked what The Awl had to say on this subject:
Still, there's plenty of good to take away from this, unless you happen to be a non-drinker. Although you're probably happy to die early given your joyless, alcohol-free existence.
There's prolly not a soul amongst us who hasn't played that ol' parlor game, to wit: "if you could be someone else, who would you be?" I'd like to modify that jes a lil bit, mainly coz I'm quite satisfied with my life, thankyaverymuch. I'll step out on a limb here by sayin' those who play the "trading places" game aren't particularly satisfied with their status quo, whereas I am... satisfied. We won't do a deep dive into the psychological reasons for that except to say I'd not trade my simple joys and limited problem set for someone/anyone else's.
My change: "If you HAD to trade your life with someone... who would that someone be?"
My choice: Mike Rowe. I like the guy's sensibilities, to begin with. He identifies with the blue collar crowd and that's a BIG plus with me. I've worked both sides of that street... blue-collar and "professional"... and the blue-collar guys seem to have a much better grasp on what's real and what's immaterial to success and happiness in life. Once again: no philosophical deep dives.
But I think this ad is symptomatic of my larger point:
OK, this is some Madison Avenue type speaking and Mr. Rowe is just playin' a part, granted... but this is a part he's well-suited for and, on the whole, makes the ad eminently believable. I'm generally not a sucker for ad copy in any way, shape, or form. But if anything could move me away from my beloved 501s, it would be that ad. Well, sorta.
There was a time in the way-back when my nickname was "bunz" among the female Airperson set at Fortuna AFS. I didn't become aware of this little factoid until much later in life when one of those female Airpersons confided in me... a good friend who was once a "friend with benefits"... she being one who bandied the term about. Or so she told me. But we digress. Mr. Rowe... AND Madison Avenue... are both well aware of the important things in life, "bunz" and women's perception of such being one of those prime movers.
That resonates with me. So if I HAD to trade places with someone/anyone... Mike Rowe would be the guy. And I wouldn't mind a couple of few women... in my age cohort, of course... tugging on MY jeans.
Someone from af-dot-mil in Arlington, VA (one has to believe that's the Five-Sided Wind Tunnel) went searching for images concerning "af lessons learned," and guess who is Numbah Two?
Them folks at the Googleplex have a wonderful sense of humor, don't they? And that AF guy clicked through, too. The last gives me hope.
I'm checking your blog on a daily basis for updates -- now I know why they've been few and far between. I kinda expected 'net access wouldn't be the best, now you're confirming it. And I wouldn't be surprised about all blogs being blocked because of martial law.
That said... you have other, much better things to keep you occupied. Raise a beer for me the next time you're in one of those palm-frond watering holes; I intend to raise one for and to YOU in about an hour!
Be safe!
bp
On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 4:22 AM, Blog-Bud Darryl wrote:
Hey Buck;
We are about to get underway from Savu Savu, heading to the main Fiji island and the port of Nadi.
For some weird reason, I have no access to any blogs, you, me or anyone. Not sure if this is a Fiji thing or not. Sort of like the Chinese bit of possible censorship.
Either way, internet is shaky with the access here and it is frustrating to say the least.
Hope everything is going well, it is certainly different living the cruising lifestyle once again.
Have a fine rest of the week!
DC
I said updates were few and far between, but there ARE a few. Go visit and see what it's like to live the dream!
Gawd, these guys do the BEST send-ups in the bid'niz! But they do have a tendency to step on their sensitive body parts from time to time. Their current headliner on the GZM/Islamophobe meme is worthless at best and offensive to about 71% of the American public at worst. I won't link, sorry.
Little Feat (well, a Little Feat clone, anyhoo), yet again...
This version of the tune doesn't have Lowell George in it but it's close enough. The lyrics kinda-sorta resonate on this cloudy, humid, and overcast day, with impending t-storms in the picture. To wit:
It's a mercenary territory I wish you knew the story I've been out here so long dreamin up songs I'm temporarily calmed, yes, and sinking
I did my time in that rodeo It's been so long and I've got nothing to show Well I'm so plain loco Fool that I am I'd do it all over again
...
Is it love keeps you waiting so long Makes you say I'll see you around The forces that be, they just don't see While your nights turn into my mornings
Is it the style? Is it the lies? Is it the days into nights Or the "I'm sorrys" into fights
This version of the tune is almost as good as the original and benefits from the added female vocalist. Ol' Lowell was cool, indeed, but this chick adds a "certain sumthin'" to the song that was previously lacking. If you're a Little Feat fan you'll know where I'm comin' from.
Just for the record: this tune ain't part of my mean-spirited Happy Hour selections. But it could be, if'n ya want it to be. We post, you decide.
In other news... We got up relatively early this morning and hit the streets to do our semi-monthly run out to the Cannon Airplane Patch commissary and Class VI store. We returned to El Casa Móvil De Pennington around 1100 hrs with a full complement of groceries and replenished beer stock. The highlight of my day was when the clerk at the Class VI store smiled and said "I like your shirt" (she was cute; picture of the shirt here); the rest of the day has been pretty much downhill from there.
But hey! Happy Hour has been excellent, so far. Good beer, better music, and a fine cigar... or two. That's as good as it gets these days.
... until hockey season begins! The NHL is opening in Europe again this year, with several games being played in Helsinki, Prague, and Stockholm. Opening Day... October 7th... will be marvelous, with three games on teevee for the hockey faithful. I'll be there, of course. But the REAL season for me will begin on October 12th, when the Beloved Wings play the Hated Avalanche in the season's first national telecast. Speaking of the Wings... there's this in today's USA Today hockey column. Excerpt:
When I was at the World Hockey Summit, I was asked by an NHL scout whether I agreed with his assessment that the Detroit Red Wings might finally be on the way down. "Actually I think they could be the team to beat in the West," I said.
Per my tradition, I will probably change my mind a couple of times before I make my final predictions before the season launches. But If I had to make my projections today, I would choose Detroit as No. 1 in the West. San Jose, Vancouver and Chicago still round out my top four. Here are some reasons why I rank Detroit No. 1 in the West: 1. Once the Red Wings worked through their bushel of injuries last season, they were 16-3-2 over the last quarter of the season. Anticipating fewer injuries this season, the Red Wings might score 30 more goals and be among the top-scoring teams again.
And you KNOW there's more. Last year was a disappointment for us fans of The Winged Wheel but hope springs eternal. I'm expecting great things out of Detroit this year, assuming they stay healthy. That's prolly a reasonable assumption because last year's rash of injuries was highly unusual. Here's hopin'.
Ya know how certain moments or dates stay with ya for-freakin'-ever? Today is one such for me, coz I enlisted in the Air Force 47 years ago on this date. Which reminds me... I should update my will.
That said, here's what YrHmblScrb looked like upon graduating from basic training a few weeks later...
The AF News Service press release. USAF still does this sorta thang.
You've seen the "now" pic previously (at least twice), so we'll not post it again. We willlink it, tho. Coz we're so vain (and we prolly think this song is about US).
That would be the music piped in to your cabin to wake you up... assuming you're on board STS-133, launching on or about November first. Choosing that music is a participatory thang, too, in that the public gets to vote on the wake-up tunes NASA will broadcast to the sleeping astronauts. Here are the vote leaders at the moment (sorry about the formatting... I suck at HTML):
NASA's Top 40 Votes Results (1,021,571 Total Votes)
The two songs with the most votes will be announced during the mission. Updates of the exact dates and times that the winning songs will be played will be provided as launch of the mission draws closer. STS-133 is currently scheduled to launch on November 1, 2010.
Star Trek Theme Song (by Alexander Courage)
351,327 Votes- 34.4%
Magic Carpet Ride (by Steppenwolf)
308,027 Votes - 30.2%
Countdown (by Rush)
214,460 Votes - 21.0%
Blue Sky (by Big Head Todd)
59,276 Votes - 5.8%
Enter Sandman (by Metallica)
10,655 Votes - 1.0%
Beautiful Day (by U2)
9,180 Votes - 0.9%
Theme from the Star Wars Trilogy (by John Williams)
8,368 Votes - 0.8%
My choice... Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly"... ain't on the list, although a couple of other variations on the "Learning to Fly" theme by Tom Petty and the Foo Fighters are there. But seriously... doesn't this FIT?
"There's no sensation to compare with this... suspended animation, state of bliss..."
Now that we've beat a certain subject to death (Thank ya, Andy)... here's Johnny Winter...
I told him NO... that will never do! Man if you don't get the picture I'm gonna do some work on YOU!
Heh. Johnny Winter is one of my favorite blues guitarists, mainly because of his dobro work. As my profile sez... "Anything with dobro in it..." And J. Winter, not to be confused with his bro Edgar... of "Frankenstein" fame, is better than most.
Let's skip the fact this tune might could be topical and focus on its relationship to the post immediately below. I'd wager more than a few of you haven't heard this tune, Gentle Readers, given a lot of you are puppies (relatively speaking, and that would be relative to ME) and the song being over 30 years old. So just to enlighten you... here's Jackson Browne singin' "Rosie:"
But Rosie, you're all right You wear my ring When you hold me tight Rosie, that's my thing When you turn out the light I've got to hand it to me Looks like it's me and you again tonight, Rosie
The song was released in '78, which was well past the time when I did all those deployments and unaccompanied TDYs to places where female company was virtually non-existent. Still and even, I DID do more than a few extended bid'niz trips after the Air Force. This tune was quite appropriate during those lil excursions, separated as I was from my usual, customary and (mostly) reasonable bedmate. Just a reminder, yet again: let's not talk about the here and now, mmm-kay?
-The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list. -If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong. -Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. -Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand.
The points are courtesy of my Buddy Ed in Florida; the image is from a generic Google search (click for larger - I made it small coz I'm trying to keep the blog at a PG-13 level). The last point is particularly apt, even if it is TMI.
I shall now take the remainder of my coffee on the verandah with the oh-so-rare morning cigar. Because I CAN.
Since today's Happy Hour theme is opulence (see two posts below) we decided to go upmarket and listen to the Brandenburg concertos... ALL six of 'em. But Number Three is our favorite...
I defy anyone to NOT hum along... or play a lil air-cello or air-violin. Bach was rock 'n' roll before there was such a thing.
We'll return to our mean-spirited musical posts at some point in the near future.
Update, 1715 hrs: You know how sometimes "things" just seem to work out right, e.g., everything comes together like it should... no ifs, ands, or buts? Today's Happy Hour was (and is) a lot like that, in that our cigar lasted for two beers and the complete Brandenburg song-cycle, which is to say all six concertos.
It was SO good, in fact, that we've decided to extend Happy Hour. All we have to do at this point is select our next cigar, our musical accompaniment, and decide if we'll stay with beer or move on to gin and tonics... coz the weather is just perfect (81 degrees and 20% relative humidity) for that sorta thang. It don't hardly get better than this, Gentle Reader. All that's missing is suitable company.
This piece by Blog-Bud Alison will do your hard flinty conservative heart much good, assuming you have such a heart. That said, you should still go read if you have one of those famous hearts that bleed, for there's an object lesson there specifically for YOU. Just to whet your appetite...
Eventually a group of extremely well spoken young women came in. Polished looking. Chatting away. They rather apologetically asked me if I would mind if they shared my table. The seating means you all become best buddies in a heart beat whether you want to or not. Of course I didn’t mind since that was the nature of this little place and assumed the chatter would be low key and banal given our collective circumstances. I hadn’t bargained at all on them discussing in suddenly super obnoxious tones who they had voted for in the ongoing Labour leader elections. As Party members. And why. One of them was American. She listened and questioned her friends about the leadership contest. This went on for some time and for most of it I managed to escape into my food or click on my iphone and text or email friends. Anything to avoid being by default pulled right into the heart of their politics with no way of escape.
...
I’m sick to death of the assumption in political conversation that everyone these days is a leftist and that right of centre must simply shut up and speak in hushed embarrassed tones or accept Left is the only polite political conversation to be had out loud these days. So that was my opening shot. “Ok I’ve had enough” I addressed them quietly, smiling.
DO go read. And be amazed. There be knickers, too, if only briefly.
There ain't nuthin' like rollin' out o' bed at the crack o' noon, is there? But we only do that because we CAN, Gentle Reader. In my defense: I didn't go to bed until 0430 this morning, so we got slightly less than the regulation eight hours. But it was GOOD sleep... the sort o' sleep with the windows open and an extra blanket on the bed. Finest kind.
So, we're halfway into our second cup and life is good. I'll prolly be back later once I'm fully caffeinated and the errands have been run. In the meantime, here's another four o'clock I forgot to put up yesterday:
I love the pink tinge in this one; it's different than the splattered purple splotches or half-and-half of the others.
Update, 1300 hrs: The first of our errands is complete, that being retrieving the mail from Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park's mail kiosk. Where we found these:
That's a box of Acid Opulence 3s, a freebie five-pack of selected Acids, and the Fall issue of Cigar Magazine. Woo-EEE! Great cigars and glossy reading material!
We just finished watching this (excerpt from the link):
With conductor Franz Welser-Möst at the helm, the Vienna Philharmonic returns to the magnificent gardens of Austria’s Imperial Schönbrunn Palace for the orchestra’s annual summertime celebration in Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2010, premiering on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances.(Wednesday, August 25 at 8pm on PBS)
It was a feast for both eye and ear, mainly coz we watched it in HD, Gentle Reader. There are many things to love about PBS, not the least of which are their music programs. If you missed this particular performance I'd suggest you consult your local listings... coz another great thing about PBS is they always do re-runs. I'll watch this performance a second time when they re-run it. Just sayin'.
We have some weird thoughts from time to time during Happy Hour. Our latest weird thought is we should title our blog-posts in this particular vein "Songs for Our Beloved" rather than "Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack," coz that's mostly what they are. With exceptions, of course. But the fact remains that our former relationship consumed 23 years of our life... arguably the best 23 years. Arguably. There were good times preceding the time we spent with that woman and there have been good times since she walked away... but the good times since she walked have been few and far between. That's just fact.
I suppose the point is that it's hard to NOT associate any given song released in that time period... which would be between 1975 and 1998... with our love/lust object. That's human nature, innit? Still and even, I hesitate to name these posts "Songs for Our Beloved," mainly coz I don't want you to think I'm mean-spirited, Gentle Reader. Let's just let it lay that I would be mean-spirited most of the time... in a tongue in cheek sorta way... but sometimes that wouldn't be the case. And how would you tell the difference? More to the point, why would you even give a shit?
I'm still debating the point with myself. That said... we were listening to The Cars this afternoon and this song popped up in the rotation:
The tune brings to mind road trips that my beloved and I made during the three years we spent in Ol' Blighty... road trips both short and long. That first Cars album lived in (ahem) the car and was always played several times, whether we were on our way from High Wycombe to Upper Heyford... a shortie of a trip... or to other points on that Sceptered Isle. The album was just what I (we) needed... and this post is straight-up. We'll save the sarcastic bits for later... IF we decide to go down that road. The Deity At Hand knows there are thousands of candidate songs in THAT space.
Update, 1830 hrs: An explanation is in order, of sorts. I received an offline from a friend, asking...
My "beloved"? Are you nuts?
Well, no. No, I'm not. I've used the term... sarcastically... for a long time when I refer to the woman in discussions with (certain) friends and fam'bly. I shouldn't assume everyone knows these things. I didn't mean to be taken literally.
It's SUCH a beautiful morning! I'll also add that it was a beautiful night, as well. Last night was the first time since Spring sprung that I slept with my windows open and my blankets pulled up to my chin. Rumor has it we got down to 54 degrees last night; the temp at Cannon Airplane Patch was 58 when I rolled out in mid-morning. I just had to get that outta the way before we begin. Yes, we ARE gloating. Sorta.
We made the coffee, answered the overnight mail, and then stared out our window for a bit, whereupon we noticed the four o'clocks are in full bloom and were still open... it being early in the day and the temperature cool. We decided to play with the camera for a bit. Here are the results; click to embiggen... as always:
A longish view of the flower bed.
A red four o'clock. Or purple if you prefer. Let's not quibble about color again, OK?
Yellow-red (1)
Yellow-red (2)
That's just four of the 40 pics I took this morning, not counting the many I deleted. We've done this sorta thing before...four years ago.
Every once in a while I'm treated to a fleeting display of one of Cannon's AC-130s engaged in air-to-air refueling and I never have the camera at hand. These sorts of ops always seem to take place around sunset and one can get some breathtaking views of the KC-135 and the AC-130 bathed in the setting sun as they hook up. It can be a spectacular sight.
It was different this evening, in that I saw the guys setting up for the refueling operation and I had time to run inside to get the camera. Well, true to form... the aircrews flew a different route tonight, deciding to operate to the northwest of Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park instead of passing directly overhead around 10K feet like they usually do. This was the best shot I could get:
Figures, doesn't it? I'm always a day late and about a dollar short. But some day...
AUGUST 23--The Department of Justice is seeking to hire linguists fluent in Ebonics to help monitor, translate, and transcribe the secretly recorded conversations of subjects of narcotics investigations, according to federal records.
A maximum of nine Ebonics experts will work with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta field division, where the linguists, after obtaining a “DEA Sensitive” security clearance, will help investigators decipher the results of “telephonic monitoring of court ordered nonconsensual intercepts, consensual listening devices, and other media.”
The DEA’s need for full-time linguists specializing in Ebonics is detailed in bid documents related to the agency’s mid-May issuance of a request for proposal (RFP) covering the provision of as many as 2100 linguists for the drug agency’s various field offices. Answers to the proposal were due from contractors on July 29.
I immediately thought of this:
Heh. "I speak jive." That's egg-zactly who DOJ is looking for, innit?
Dunno if you've seen these ads, Gentle Reader, or... not. There are several in this series, this being just one of 'em:
I have NO ideer how they (Allstate) pulled off these ads, but I DO know they make my skin crawl for a couple o' reasons. First and foremost... there are only two kinds of bikers: those that have been down and those that are gonna go down... and for those of us who have been down these ads evoke painful memories. Second: those are some NICE mo'sickles that were sacrificed to make the ad(s). That's a frickin' crime in my book.
Still... well done, Allstate. You've made your point and emphatically, at that. I just wish you hadn't done that SO graphically. I have to look away whenever these ads come on.
I say "kinda" because the lyrics would have most certainly fit about ten or 12 years ago... or so. Today? Not so much. Not at ALL, actually. But the tune DID ring a bell. Ya just gotta love Pandora, even when it goes to places you'd rather not go.
Or should I run off with some young tart who'll stroke my ego and make me feel comfortable in my dotage? I'm terribly conflicted at the moment.
The Green Hornet got back from her stint at the automotive cosmetician yesterday, and the ol' girl is looking pretty spiffy for someone "of a certain age." A few pics...
The rear view. She looks particularly good from this angle. Like most ladies.
Before.
After.
So. Late yesterday afternoon we turned in that young tart of a CTS to Rierson Motors and picked up TGH from Rembrandt's Auto Body... who do GOOD work, by the way... that is definitely a recommendation if you live in this part o' the world. We motored back from The Big(ger) City™ by way of Cannon Airplane Patch, with the top up on account o' the heat. We noticed just how much noisier it is in TGH's cabin at speed, as opposed to the quiet interior space of the CTS. Speaking of space... there's SO much more of that in the CTS, TGH feels decidedly cramped in comparison. And our Bose system seems lacking compared to the Caddy's. You most certainly have to crank the volume in TGH at speed, compared to the Caddy. There's that interior quiet thing, again. Finally... TGH seems downright lethargic compared to the CTS. I ran her up to red-line in the lower four gears on the way home yesterday and her 148 horses just don't seem as motivated as the Caddy's 270... even with her weight advantage.
Just to refresh your memory, Gentle Reader: The Tart...
That's the way I'd buy her... black on black. Which is totally impractical for The High Plains of New Mexico, given (a) the heat and (b) the ever-present dust. The Tart would be dirty an hour after I washed her... ALL the time. But there are only two colors for Cadillacs... black or white. I don't do white.
So: conflicted. Should I stay or should I go? TGH whispered a sweet something in my ear this morning when I went out to shoot the pics of her new paint. To wit: "I know you're thinking about leaving me, Buck. But don't forget... I'm PAID FOR, Bay-bee. I'm ALL yours."
Just in case you don't stay up into the wee hours of the morning to watch Red Eye... there's this, which you might have missed:
Good God. Gutfeld is absolutely, positively correct with his assertion that this "Peace Forest" ideer is about as stoopid as it gets and the parents are bat-shit crazy. What sort of parent would take their kid to North-Frickin'-Korea to talk about a "Peace Forest?" Well, I know someone who might, actually, but I'll leave that alone.
You're the priestess I must confess Those little red panties they pass the test Slide up around the belly face down on the mattress
Well, they were black, but let's not quibble over details. I love the lyrics to this tune... they bring back memories of Former Happy Days... but not each and every lyric, yanno? There wasn't any meth involved. The rest is pretty accurate, though.
Congrats for what, you may ask? Well... after today you get to keep everything you make for your own personal use. Everything you made this year... up to this point in time... went to support the gub'mints -- federal, state, and local. From my congressman's e-mail news letter (chase the link below):
Out of control government spending from the failed stimulus to the repeated bailouts of state and local governments and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have got us to this point. Just two years ago, Cost of Government Day fell in mid-July. Now it falls more than a month later, and yet Congress and this White House want to keep spending.
Americans should not be spending 63% of their year working to pay for government and all its rules and regulations.
Had enough? The mid-terms are coming... As for me? I'll vote to send Mr. Brady back to Washington. He's my kinda guy.
Q: What's the difference between a good haircut and a bad one?
A: Two weeks.
Sigh. They always take too much off the top... no matter WHERE I get my hair cut. Now I have to walk around looking like a frickin' rooster for the next two weeks. Or not. I usually have a ball cap on, anyway.
In today's NYT, just below MoDo's editorial on Obama and the Ground Zero mosque. No, I didn't click the link. I'm pretty sure there aren't any distressed mosques near me.
Yeah, well... it's ALL dreams now, innit? But we loves us some Simon and Garfunkel... especially the old stuff... from time to time. It goes down SO well during those introspective moments we all seem to have.
First... this lil blurb from the AFA's Daily Report:
Global Observer Completes First Flight: AeroVironment's Global Observer high-altitude, hybrid-electric, remotely piloted aircraft has made its first flight. The aircraft took to the skies over Edwards AFB, Calif., climbing to 4,000 feet and maneuvering under the watchful eye of its remote operator before landing successfully after one hour aloft earlier this month. "This flight marks the beginning of an exciting new phase in the Global Observer technology demonstration program," said Tim Conver, AeroVironment's chairman and CEO, in a company release. The company is maturing Global Observer under a Pentagon-sponsored joint capability technology demonstration. The RPA is designed to loiter at altitudes between 55,000 feet and 65,000 feet and stay aloft for up to a week, performing roles such as relaying communications or monitoring weather. With the maiden flight in the books, the company is now prepping for a long-endurance operational utility assessment later this year. (For more, see UPI report.)
Didja get that? All of that? "Hybrid-electric?" Unmanned week long flights at 55 - 65 thousand feet? Here's a quote from the linked UPI article:
"Two Global Observer aircraft, each flying for up to a week at a time, will alternate coverage over any area on the Earth, providing a seamless, persistent platform for high-value missions such as communications relay, remote sensing, long-term surveillance and disaster recovery," the company said.
Here's an illustration of the concept of operations (CONOPS):
I dunno about you, Gentle Reader, but I think this is just VERY frickin' cool... especially the technology behind the concept. The CONOPS is amazing in itself. Talk about persistent observation! This brings new meaning to the ol' saw about "you can run but you sure can't hide!"
―:☺:―
This, OTOH, ain't so cool.
If you mouse over the sender's name in G-mail you'll see who sent ya the message. Except that the feature is often wrong, especially when it comes to blog comments. WHY does G-mail think everyone that comments at EIP is Kris? This got me in trouble in comments recently, until I figgered it out.
Well, it's my ride for the next two or three days while The Green Hornet is in the shop getting her ass-end repainted.
That's an older Caddy CTS, exact vintage unknown. She has 73K on her clock and is tight and rattle-free. She doesn't have that famous Caddy Float-O-Matic ride in that you can actually feel the road, good steering feel, more than enough motor, and a kick-ass Bose stereo system. I think I'm gonna like this car based upon my initial experience with it. This is one rental I'll be sorry to see go.
Meet Kelly Sutton, a spiky-haired 22-year-old software engineer with thick-rimmed glasses and an empty apartment in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighbourhood - a hotbed for New York's young, early adopters of new technology.
Mr Sutton is the founder of CultofLess.com, a website which has helped him sell or give away his possessions - apart from his laptop, an iPad, an Amazon Kindle, two external hard drives, a "few" articles of clothing and bed sheets for a mattress that was left in his newly rented apartment. (Photo from the BBC article)
I guess I was just slightly ahead of my time when I got rid of 90% of my possessions back in 1999. But RV'ers have been doing this sort of thing... Hell, people in general have been doing it... for ages now. It's just that technology has made it possible to "take it with you" to a greater extent than before.
In that same vein... Getting rid of my books was perhaps THE most painful part of my downsizing. But there's an app for that... I think I'm finally going to buy a Kindle. The newest wi-fi version is selling for a reasonable $139.00, but they're completely sold out at this point. I'll give 'em a month or two to re-stock and then I'll buy. It'll be good to have my library back.
As for my other stuff... I don't miss it. It's amazing how much easier life is without "stuff."OTOH, the linked article features people who have taken the minimalist approach to life to extremes. I'm not quite ready to live out of a backpack and on the streets. El Casa Móvil De Pennington may be small and cozy but it also has a kitchen, a bathroom, heat, and AC. Backpacks don't.
Update, 0600 hrs: I ordered the Kindle; estimated ship date is September 10th. (Sigh) Someday I'll get over this instant-gratification thing. Wait! It ain't instant... I waited until the price came down. What am I thinking?
