Spring forward.
To delete this message, click the X at top right.

Hijack This Thread

User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Hijack This Thread

#4701

Post by raison de arizona »

“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
Flatpoint High
Posts: 1278
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:58 am
Location: Hotel California, PH523, Galaxy Central, M103
Occupation: professional pain in the ass, voice actor & keeper of the straight face
Verified:

Hijack This Thread

#4702

Post by Flatpoint High »

he's baaaaaaaaaack....
IMG_1358.PNG
IMG_1358.PNG (438.37 KiB) Viewed 572 times
castigat ridendo mores.
VELOCIUS QUAM ASPARAGI COQUANTUR
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14352
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Hijack This Thread

#4703

Post by RTH10260 »

Flatpoint High wrote: Wed Jan 18, 2023 2:07 am he's baaaaaaaaaack....
IMG_1358.PNG
Are they finally going forward with the foreclosure on his church property? Last serious attempt seems to go back to 2016.
User avatar
Foggy
Dick Tater
Posts: 9554
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:45 am
Location: Fogbow HQ
Occupation: Dick Tater/Space Cadet
Verified: as seen on qvc zombie apocalypse

Hijack This Thread

#4704

Post by Foggy »

Congratulations on the grandbaby, Sugar M! :thumbsup:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14352
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Hijack This Thread

#4705

Post by RTH10260 »

Note: also a book review
How China planted an FBI mole who was discovered only after gutting the CIA's vast spy network

James Bamford
Wed, January 18, 2023 at 1:00 AM GMT+1

The following is an excerpt from "SPYFAIL: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America's Counterintelligence" by James Bamford.

An alleged spy within the FBI may be largely responsible for unraveling the CIA's Chinese spy network.

The FBI's website carries a stark warning. "The counterintelligence and economic espionage efforts emanating from the government of China," it says, "are a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States. Confronting this threat is the FBI's top counterintelligence priority." But far worse is the threat to the lives of scores of courageous Chinese agents who have volunteered to spy for the U.S. within their own country. Over the past decade, more than a dozen agents recruited by the CIA have been killed or imprisoned.

And it now turns out that it was an alleged Chinese spy within the FBI's own counterintelligence division who may have been largely responsible. A spy whose activities went undetected for upwards of two decades, until his quiet arrest in 2020. Currently in a Hawaiian jail, his little-known case is wrapped in layers of secrecy as he awaits trail. Now in his new book, "SPYFAIL: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs and the Collapse of America's Counterintelligence," author James Bamford peels back many of those hidden layers.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-plante ... 00208.html
(original: Business Insider)
User avatar
Flatpoint High
Posts: 1278
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:58 am
Location: Hotel California, PH523, Galaxy Central, M103
Occupation: professional pain in the ass, voice actor & keeper of the straight face
Verified:

Hijack This Thread

#4706

Post by Flatpoint High »

RTH10260 wrote: Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:44 am
Flatpoint High wrote: Wed Jan 18, 2023 2:07 am he's baaaaaaaaaack....
IMG_1358.PNG
Are they finally going forward with the foreclosure on his church property? Last serious attempt seems to go back to 2016.
don't know
castigat ridendo mores.
VELOCIUS QUAM ASPARAGI COQUANTUR
User avatar
MN-Skeptic
Posts: 3000
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:03 pm
Location: Twin Cities

Hijack This Thread

#4707

Post by MN-Skeptic »

Well that was weird. I rarely answer my landline, but I did for a cell phone call just now. It was supposedly from Visa Security asking if I made a $900 charge in Thailand. Or was it Taiwan? Anyway, I've had similar calls in the past that were legitimate, but I was just wary because it was from a cell phone. Anyway, it was supposedly from my bank's debit card. Which I never use. Anyway, she asked my bank's name, and I did tell her which bank I use. So she gave me the customer service number to call, then told me to press #, then call that number. Which, no way in hell, was I going to do. I said I will hang up and call that number - it was the correct number for my bank's customer service - but I would never call them through this current cell phone call. I hung up and called my legitimate bank's customer service line and, of course, they saw no $900 charges on my account.

Good grief.

I can see why people get scammed.
User avatar
AndyinPA
Posts: 9854
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:42 am
Location: Pittsburgh
Verified:

Hijack This Thread

#4708

Post by AndyinPA »

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ing-family
Newspaper deletes glowing obituary of Utah man accused of killing his family

A Utah newspaper apologized after publishing a glowing obituary of a man accused of killing seven members of his family in a murder-suicide. The piece was also deleted.

On 4 January, Michael Haight of Utah, 42, shot his estranged wife, Tausha Haight, 40; their five children, aged four to 17; and Haight’s mother-in-law, Gail Earl, 78. Haight then shot himself, police said.

But an obituary published in the Spectrum on 11 January made no mention of the killings and described Haight as a loving father and businessman, NBC News reported.

The obituary said Haight “made it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of his children”, coached his children’s sports teams, attended concerts and went sledding, Desert News said.

Amid online anger, Shannon Watts, founder of the anti-gun violence group Moms Demand Action, posted screenshots of the obituary on Twitter.
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
User avatar
RVInit
Posts: 3830
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:48 am

Hijack This Thread

#4709

Post by RVInit »

Kimmel demonstrating why he's one of the best

There's a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality.
--Colin Kaepernick
User avatar
keith
Posts: 3705
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:23 pm
Location: The Swamp in Victorian Oz
Occupation: Retired Computer Systems Analyst Project Manager Super Coder
Verified: ✅lunatic

Hijack This Thread

#4710

Post by keith »

Honda used to have a less aggressive version of that on the Prelude over 20 years ago. Might still do for all I know, they don't sell the Prelude in Oz anymore.
Has everybody heard about the bird?
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Hijack This Thread

#4711

Post by raison de arizona »

keith wrote: Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:40 pm
Honda used to have a less aggressive version of that on the Prelude over 20 years ago. Might still do for all I know, they don't sell the Prelude in Oz anymore.
Yeah, I remember that one. The new Hummers do it too, although both to a MUCH lesser extent than this one.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14352
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Hijack This Thread

#4712

Post by RTH10260 »

Pre-2010 Diesel Engines Banned From California Roads

Lawrence Hodge
Wed, January 18, 2023 at 9:00 PM GMT+1

If you own a diesel-powered rig that’s over 10 years old in the state of California, it’s now illegal to drive it on the roads, thanks to a new law that went into effect January 1 of this year.

The California law has been a long time coming. In 2008, California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved legislation to curb emissions from old trucks and buses within the state. This legislation was updated in 2014 that banned engines manufactured in 2006 and earlier. At the end of 2022, the ban was extended to include diesel engines manufactured before 2009.

Estimates are that some 200,000 buses are affected by the new law, as well as over 70,000 trucks. While this has the potential to upend the trucking industry given the compliance required for these vehicles to continue to operate, there are ways around the ban. Fleets can install particulate matter filters in their engines to give them more time to change over to something cleaner. Exceptions can be made for older vehicles that have engine replacements that are from 2010 or newer and vehicles that drive less than 1,000 miles annually. The Air Resources Board says that many operators and fleets have already complied with the new rules with over 1.5 million vehicles being fitted with newer and cleaner engines.

Those that think they’ll be able to skirt by because no one’s checking, think again. CARB plans to annually audit fleets statewide for compliance. Those that aren’t playing by the rules face fines and held DMV registrations. These new rules will eventually lead to the 2035 diesel engine ban mandate.



https://www.yahoo.com/autos/pre-2010-di ... 00385.html
(original: Jalopnik)
User avatar
noblepa
Posts: 2403
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 2:55 pm
Location: Bay Village, Ohio
Occupation: Retired IT Nerd

Hijack This Thread

#4713

Post by noblepa »

keith wrote: Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:40 pm Honda used to have a less aggressive version of that on the Prelude over 20 years ago. Might still do for all I know, they don't sell the Prelude in Oz anymore.
Mitsubishi also had a similar system. As with Honda, it was not as aggressive. It was billed as four-wheel steering. At low speeds, such as for parking, the front and rear wheels turned in opposite directions, reducing the turning radius. At high speeds, such as on the highway, both sets turned the same direction, allowing the car to "crab walk" when changing lanes. I believe that Dodge and Mitsubishi built the same car with their own nameplates, the Dodge Stealth and the Mitsubishi 3000GT.
User avatar
tek
Posts: 2250
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:15 am

Hijack This Thread

#4714

Post by tek »

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a3 ... -benefits/

I suspect true 4ws is never going to be mainstream. It has just never taken off, and given its complexity and miniscule benefits (especially with drivers who are apparently barely able to negotiate a left-hand turn) it is just a show-off item.
User avatar
noblepa
Posts: 2403
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 2:55 pm
Location: Bay Village, Ohio
Occupation: Retired IT Nerd

Hijack This Thread

#4715

Post by noblepa »

tek wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 7:09 am https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a3 ... -benefits/

I suspect true 4ws is never going to be mainstream. It has just never taken off, and given its complexity and miniscule benefits (especially with drivers who are apparently barely able to negotiate a left-hand turn) it is just a show-off item.
Yeah, 4ws is cool and technologically advanced, but it strikes me as a solution in search of a problem. Lane-changing at highway speeds has never been a problem for me, using conventional 2ws cars. Nor has parking, although I realize that some people find parallel parking to be a challenge.

The British TV series "Wheeler Dealers" did a segment a few years ago, in which they bought a Mitsubishi 3000GT. The rear wheels had stopped steering. The fix turned out to be relatively minor, but it does illustrate the point that it adds complexity to the car, for a very (IMHO) marginal benefit.
Danraft
Posts: 492
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:43 pm
Location: Michigan
Contact:

Hijack This Thread

#4716

Post by Danraft »

I suspect for EVs it can be much easier.
User avatar
Sam the Centipede
Posts: 1833
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2021 12:19 pm

Hijack This Thread

#4717

Post by Sam the Centipede »

I am baffled by why 4WS would be any sort of benefit at highway speeds. It seems to me that if there is too little road space for ordinary steering, then somebody hasn't left adequate space in front.

Extra maneuverability when parking at micro-speed, yes, clearly that has advantages. But at traveling speeds?

Am I missing something?
User avatar
bill_g
Posts: 5341
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:52 pm
Location: Portland OR
Occupation: Retired (kind of)
Verified: ✅ Checked Republic ✓ ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

Hijack This Thread

#4718

Post by bill_g »

When poll position is important, speed and lateral steering are necessary.
User avatar
raison de arizona
Posts: 17654
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:21 am
Location: Nothing, Arizona
Occupation: bit twiddler
Verified: ✔️ he/him/his

Hijack This Thread

#4719

Post by raison de arizona »

Sam the Centipede wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:33 am I am baffled by why 4WS would be any sort of benefit at highway speeds. It seems to me that if there is too little road space for ordinary steering, then somebody hasn't left adequate space in front.

Extra maneuverability when parking at micro-speed, yes, clearly that has advantages. But at traveling speeds?

Am I missing something?
High speed stability.
Steering at higher speeds turns both the front and rear wheels in the same direction for increased high-speed stability. What that means in the performance world is you can have a long, somewhat heavy vehicle such as a Porsche Panamera keep up with a sports car with a shorter wheelbase such as a Porsche 911.

These systems also give larger, heavier vehicles better performance than they would have if only the front wheels turned. This is seen in examples such as the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Flying Spur, and the Mercedes-Benz S-class.
https://www.thedrive.com/cars-101/41613/rear-steering
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14352
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Hijack This Thread

#4720

Post by RTH10260 »

bill_g wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:39 am When poll position is important, speed and lateral steering are necessary.
If you are not looking at our favourite theme of elections, I bet the sports car racing term is the pole position ;)
User avatar
RTH10260
Posts: 14352
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:16 am
Location: Switzerland, near the Alps
Verified: ✔️ Eurobot

Hijack This Thread

#4721

Post by RTH10260 »

The lights have been on at a Massachusetts school for over a year because no one can turn them off

Corky Siemaszko
Thu, January 19, 2023 at 3:00 PM GMT+1

WILBRAHAM, Mass. — For nearly a year and a half, a Massachusetts high school has been lit up around the clock because the district can’t turn off the roughly 7,000 lights in the sprawling building.

The lighting system was installed at Minnechaug Regional High School when it was built over a decade ago and was intended to save money and energy. But ever since the software that runs it failed on Aug. 24, 2021, the lights in the Springfield suburbs school have been on continuously, costing taxpayers a small fortune.

“We are very much aware this is costing taxpayers a significant amount of money,” Aaron Osborne, the assistant superintendent of finance at the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, told NBC News. “And we have been doing everything we can to get this problem solved.”

Osborne said it’s difficult to say how much money it's costing because during the pandemic and in its aftermath, energy costs have fluctuated wildly.

“I would say the net impact is in the thousands of dollars per month on average, but not in the tens of thousands,” Osborne said.

That, in part, is because the high school uses highly efficient fluorescent and LED bulbs, he said. And, when possible, teachers have manually removed bulbs from fixtures in classrooms while staffers have shut off breakers not connected to the main system to douse some of the exterior lights.

Still, having the lights on at Minnechaug all the time is a conspicuous waste of taxpayer money, Wilbraham’s town selectmen said in an Aug. 8, 2022, letter to the members of the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District.

“The image it projects is one of profligacy in a time when many families in the communities the District serves are struggling with their own energy costs,” they wrote.

But there’s hope on the horizon that the lights at Minnechaug will soon be dimmed.

Paul Mustone, president of the Reflex Lighting Group, said the parts they need to replace the system at the school have finally arrived from the factory in China and they expect to do the installation over the February break.

“And yes, there will be a remote override switch so this won’t happen again,” said Mustone, whose company has been in business for more than 40 years.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/lights-massa ... 38949.html
(original: NBC News)
User avatar
bill_g
Posts: 5341
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:52 pm
Location: Portland OR
Occupation: Retired (kind of)
Verified: ✅ Checked Republic ✓ ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

Hijack This Thread

#4722

Post by bill_g »

RTH10260 wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 11:47 am
bill_g wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:39 am When poll position is important, speed and lateral steering are necessary.
If you are not looking at our favourite theme of elections, I bet the sports car racing term is the pole position ;)
You are probably correct. I've never looked it up. Let's see ...

Merriam-Webster:
pole position (noun)

: the front position at the start of a car race
He won the pole position by having the fastest qualifying time.

Looks like I owe you a kaffe. Cheers!
User avatar
Shizzle Popped
Posts: 4819
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:53 pm
Location: South of Circle City
Verified:

Hijack This Thread

#4723

Post by Shizzle Popped »

bill_g wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:14 am
RTH10260 wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 11:47 am
bill_g wrote: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:39 am When poll position is important, speed and lateral steering are necessary.
If you are not looking at our favourite theme of elections, I bet the sports car racing term is the pole position ;)
You are probably correct. I've never looked it up. Let's see ...

Merriam-Webster:
pole position (noun)

: the front position at the start of a car race
He won the pole position by having the fastest qualifying time.

Looks like I owe you a kaffe. Cheers!
The term actually comes from horse racing, in the days before starting gates, where the fastest horse in qualifying lined up at the start pole on the inside of the track. I don't know if start poles are even a thing now. I don't remember ever seeing any in car racing.
"Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write."
John Adams
User avatar
Foggy
Dick Tater
Posts: 9554
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:45 am
Location: Fogbow HQ
Occupation: Dick Tater/Space Cadet
Verified: as seen on qvc zombie apocalypse

Hijack This Thread

#4724

Post by Foggy »

If'n you're having trouble with your pole position, perchance a prescription for Viagra or Cialis might be a good fit.

.
Edit: Frat house!
Out from under. :thumbsup:
User avatar
sugar magnolia
Posts: 3227
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:54 pm

Hijack This Thread

#4725

Post by sugar magnolia »

Foggy wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 10:21 am If'n you're having trouble with your pole position, perchance a prescription for Viagra or Cialis might be a good fit.

.
Edit: Frat house!
Or get tested for Peyronie's disease.
Post Reply

Return to “General Stuff”