Saturday Saunter

Saunter: verb; to wander or walk about idly and in a leisurely manner.

Beginning the saunter is this remark by Bill James, father of modern baseball analysis and who should be enshrined in the Baseball Hall Of Fame:

“The problem with ideology–left or right–is that in order to exist, it has to pretend that questionable propositions are solid rocks upon which extensive belief systems may be constructed.”

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Some humor from this Archon’s Den post:

My biggest fear with self-driving cars is….
…. if I died on my way to work, the car would still deliver me there.

Life is like a box of chocolates….
…. It doesn’t last long if you’re fat.

Fake quotes will ruin the internet….
…. Benjamin Franklin

I’m inconsistent….
…. but not all the time.

If all is not lost….
…. then where the heck is it?

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In the 1819 Supreme Court decision in McCulloch v. Maryland, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, “The power to tax is the power to destroy.” Far too many of our current “representatives” in government think they have first dibs on what we have earned. John Marshall was right, though.

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Supposedly, although I maintain no one can know for sure, on this day in 1611, the first known performance of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth happened at the Globe Theatre in London. My favorite lines from that play are actually part of a larger “speech” by Macbeth himself:

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”

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Albert Einstein is an anagram for “ten elite brains.” Sounds about right to me.

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Speaking of Einstein and science, on this day in 2004 NASA launched Gravity Probe B to test his general theory of relativity. Specifically, the aim of the mission was to measure spacetime curvature near Earth, and thereby the stress–energy tensor (which is related to the distribution and the motion of matter in space) in and near Earth. This provided a test of general relativity, gravito-magnetism and related models.

Analysis by NASA and later by a group based at Stanford showed that the data collected by Gravity Probe B confirmed the two predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Einstein’s theories of relativity, special and general, were beyond revolutionary.

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This recent Hagerty article is titled, “Dreaming of Summer: 7 Convertibles for Less than $30k.” When the Cadillac XLR and Allante were under consideration for my next car purchase, meaning another convertible was on the table, one of these cars–listed in the Hagerty piece–was also under consideration.

Yellow Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

While Hagerty specifically mentions a 2012 Corvette, with a #3 (Good) value of $22,000, I would have considered any C6 convertible from 2008 through the end of the generation run in 2013. I have decided not to buy anything older than ten years and am not buying another convertible.

If I own two cars then I want them to have some significant differences from each other. Of course, that’s just my wish and other people can buy what they want. I am intrigued enough by the current Nissan Z model to test-drive one of them in the next week or so, if I can find one locally.

How many of you who do not currently own a convertible think about buying one? The F-Type is my fourth ragtop; well, maybe my third since one of my convertibles was a hardtop convertible. As I have written, Arizona is a place where one can drive with the top down in literally every month.

#SaturdaySaunter

#AlbertEinstein

#TwoPostsToGo

#IStandWithIsrael!

Write What I Want

As provocative as some passages in this blog might appear, I often fail to write what I really want to write. I think the reason is that I abhor those who write to excess just for the sake of it.

Regular readers might note that for a long time I would not publish a curse word without using an asterisk (or asterisks). Even now, I seldom write such language here.

In addition to “censoring” content, sometimes I don’t write about certain topics for fear they will drive readers away. This morning while reading about John Adams, however, I realized that this is really my blog. (Don’t ask me what the connection is as I cannot explain it.) While I don’t want to publish posts in an effort to deliberately alienate readers, I think I just need to write what I want and let the chips fall where they may. People are going to read my blog or they’re not. After nearly 1,800 posts over more than 67 months, nothing I can do and maintain a clear conscience is going to dramatically increase readership.

Speaking of Adams, here is something attributed to him:

“Modesty is a virtue that can never thrive in public. A man must be his own trumpeter. He must get his picture drawn, his statue made, and must hire all the artists in his turn, to set about works to spread his name, make the mob stare and gape, and perpetuate his fame.”

I think that’s an attitude that modern society has adopted all too well. However, if a person doesn’t toot their own horn, it is seldom tooted.

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We finally received a monsoon squall at the Goose Bumps House yesterday, although the actual rain was short in duration at ten minutes. Without many tall trees to obscure the view we can see far into the distance and could see vivid lightning for nearly an hour before it grew very dark at our house.

Between a light steady rain that lasted 2-3 hours yesterday morning and the brief downpour in the evening, we actually received a decent amount of precipitation. According to the website of the Flood Control District of our county, the two rain stations closest to us received .35 inches of rain in the 24 hours ending at 6:48 AM local time. That’s about three percent of average annual rainfall.

OCD + Living In The Desert = Rain Watcher

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Albert Einstein, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Of course, he did have a Ph.D. and he was intelligent beyond the comprehension of all but a few. Still, and as I have noted here before, the modern submarine was invented by a school teacher. The fax machine was invented by a priest–before the telephone. America’s obsession with “credentials,” and sometimes those credentials have nothing to do with college degree, is not allowing the cream to rise to the top and is, instead, creating a country where merit doesn’t matter. Merit and credentials are NOT perfectly correlated.

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This will come as no surprise, but now that we have two two-seat convertibles with limited cargo space, my wonderful wife and I are entertaining the idea of buying a grocery car/taxi. Yes, everything old is new again.

We drove a car like this over the weekend:

Yes, a car with four doors that is not a Maserati Ghibli. I am FAR more flexible than I am given credit for. This is a 2023 Infiniti Q50. We drove one with the turbocharged V6 and it was quite impressive. After being introduced to blind spot detection in the Mustang GT, and having it in the F-Type, the fact that this feature is standard in this model year Q50 is a big plus. Even though it was a 2023 model, though, the car was not brand new and had about 1,000 miles.

New, the car stickered for about $43,000, but since this wasn’t new the dealer was offering it at about $36,000. The exterior color (black) was a major turnoff. (The car shown in the photo was obviously not the car we drove.) Neither my wonderful wife nor I is a fan of black or white exteriors. She is also wary of spending another significant amount of money given what we have spent so far on the Goose Bumps House.

I owned an Infiniti from 2011 to 2014 and my wonderful wife owned one in the 1990s. I hated the car’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), but the car we test drove had a normal seven-speed automatic. Other than the gearbox, though, I liked my car and my wife really liked hers. Once again, even though I have written I am not a fan of “been there, done that” when it comes to cars, Infiniti is a make whose cars do well in the annual JD Power dependability studies. Besides, I have never owned a car with four doors, ever.

I won’t even offer a guesstimate on the likelihood we pull the trigger on a purchase like this, other than to say the probability is not zero or even asymptotically approaching zero. The time frame is also undetermined.

#WriteWhatIWant

#AlbertEinstein

#InfinitiQ50

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Some Sizzle, No Steak

I do not mean to make light of the damage caused elsewhere by Tropical Storm Hilary. However, as I write this at about 5:30 AM on Monday, all we received was some wind yesterday and a minuscule amount of rain. According to the website of the Flood Control District of our county, most of the stations reporting any rainfall at all in the last 24 hours have received amounts less than a tenth of an inch.

I suspect by 7 or 8 AM, what rain is left in the area will end. We really could have used the rain, so far we have had no real monsoon rainfall to speak of, and much larger amounts were forecast. It is what it is…

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I decided to re-publish some material from this post from earlier this year.

As time passes and temporal arrogance grows unabated, the sheer genius and enormous contributions of Albert Einstein fade, swallowed by the inanity of modern so-called life. This piece from LiveScience reports that he was right about invisible dark matter and that light produced just 380,000 years after the Big Bang was warped by that dark matter exactly the way Einstein predicted it would be.

I have lamented that in this world of faux equality, the idiocy of ~~woke~~, and increasing anti-Semitism, Einstein would not be appreciated today. Of course, as I just wrote I think he has become very under-appreciated.

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This piece from Yahoo Finance reports on the increase in the number of 401(k) millionaires. The number of people with at least $1 million in their 401(k) accounts grew by 10 percent from the end of March to the end of June.

However, that figure was still below the peak reached at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021. Of course, that makes sense as of this writing the S&P 500 has declined about 8 percent since the end of 2021.

So, according to Fidelity how many 401(k) accounts and IRA accounts have balances of $1 million or more? In company accounts, 378,000 for 401(k)s and 350,000 for IRAs. The average is much lower, of course. The average 401(k) balance at the end of the second quarter in 2023 was about $112,000; the average IRA balance was approximately $114,000.

The article doesn’t report the median balance, though. This piece published in Forbes in April shows the following chart:

Fidelity Average 401(k) Balances by Age

Age	Average 401k Balance	Median 401k Balance
20-29	$12,800	$4,600
30-39	$43,100	$16,200
40-49	$100,300	$32,100
50-59	$175,400	$53,400

Vanguard Average 401(k) Balances by Age

Age	Average 401(k) Balance	Median 401(k) Balance
<25	$6,264	$1,786
25-34	$37,211	$14,068
35-44	$97,020	$36,117
45-54	$179,200	$61,530
55-64	$256,244	$89,716
65+	$279,997	$87,725

Of course, the median is the midpoint in the distribution of the values of a variable. Looking at the Vanguard chart, the $87,725 median balance shown for 401(k) accounts for those 65 and older means half the accounts have a smaller value and half a larger value.

Using the “standard” 3%-4% rule for taking annual distributions from a retirement account, that means half of the people 65 and older with Vanguard accounts would be taking less than $2,600-$3,500 a year out of their 401(k)s. Kind of hard to live on that amount of money. Tell me again why Social Security is about to go off a cliff…Let me add that I think many Americans don’t save enough for retirement because they think Social Security will be enough.

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“The fastest top in the West…”

Yes, I worry about “ruining my karma” by writing the following, but the F-Type has the fastest top of any of the four convertibles I have owned. I don’t think it takes more than ten seconds to cycle the top.

I have had the car a week and driven it about 130 miles. All I can write–indeed, all I want to write–is so far, so good.

#SomeSizzleNoSteak

#AlbertEinstein

#AmericanRetirement

#JaguarF-TypeConvertible

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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The Joy Was Short-Lived

Today’s post and post title are a response, of sorts, to this post.

After yet another of the countless examples of incompetence and apathy by American companies and their workers had utterly ruined our Monday morning, my wonderful wife and I decided to splurge for lunch. We decided to go to the great Andreoli, a place we hadn’t visited in at least seven months.

Apropos of our intended destination we set out in the Maserati, despite my reluctance to drive it more than a few miles at a time until/unless I knew it was sorted. Sure enough, five minutes after we left the house we heard a loud beep and then the dreaded “Check Engine” light lit up.

Obviously, the trip to Andreoli was out and a trip to the shop was in. I texted Stephen, my “car guy,” to let him know what had happened and then called the shop that had the car last week to let them know I was headed there.

I guess modern automotive diagnostics can be a good thing as a tech plugged in the OBD reader and immediately found a code for a faulty thermostat. The days of wax and a valve in a small metal housing are, apparently, over as the Maserati thermostat is an all-electronic device. No, the temperature gauge had not indicated the engine was running hot.

Turns out that wasn’t the only problem. I received a call a few hours later informing me that a radiator hose had split. I saw dollar signs spinning in my head, but the tech told me that since they should have caught the issue while the car was in last week, both radiator hoses would be replaced free of charge. The problem is only one source exists for such parts, Maserati. The repairs will not be completed until tomorrow. You do not want to know how much a Maserati thermostat costs, even with the discounts I will receive thanks to Stephen and his association with this shop and many others.

All things considered, I guess things could have turned out worse, but at the moment the “Check Engine” light lit up, both my wonderful wife and I were at our wit’s end. Ultimately, the big-box hardware store also provided some good news in the form of a partial rebate for the large purchase we made. However, the massive neck/head ache that is still bothering me as I write this, despite taking four ibuprofen and two acetaminophen an hour ago, is almost certainly a delayed reaction to yesterday’s stress.

I don’t want to express an extra-cynical thought such as, “Life’s a bitch and then you die,” but truly stress-free days are all too rare, which is why I wrote about the joy of driving the Maserati in the post linked at the beginning of this one. Why did I buy the Maserati? Oh yeah…

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People who admire the Chinese government need operations to have their heads removed from their rectums. This piece from CNBC is just one of many about the US government arresting two New York residents for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in Manhattan’s Chinatown, part of a crackdown on Beijing’s alleged targeting of U.S.-based dissidents. More from the CNBC article:

A 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders reported that China had set up overseas “service stations,” including in New York, that illegally worked with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China…The Department of Justice has been ramping up probes into what it calls “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries such as China and Iran to intimidate political opponents living in the United States.

One of the reasons I am so opposed to the beyond foolish obsession with electric vehicles is that such a transition places our transportation infrastructure in the hands of foreign countries like China. I suspect many of the EV zealot lemmings also need the operation mentioned two paragraphs ago and for the same reason.

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I am not promising anything–not to put too fine a point on it, but I, like everyone else, am not promised tomorrow–but I am beginning to toy with the idea of an Ultimate Garage 4.0. IF I publish this compilation it would almost certainly not be until next year.

I would love to hear suggestions from you as to how this Ultimate Garage should or should not be presented. One idea I currently have is that I should have fewer cars than versions 2.0 and 3.0, maybe limit the list to ten.

#TheJoyWasShort-Lived

#AlbertEinstein

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Moonday Mosings

For some reason, I like seeing the red squiggly underline beneath both words of today’s post title telling me the words are misspelled or non-existent.

We had heavy rain Saturday night and last night into early this morning. Neither event was forecast by the National Weather Service. Since we are in monsoon season, they will estimate the probability of precipitation at a cover their ass number of like 15%. If rain events are independent, then the probability of rain on consecutive days each with a 15% likelihood is just 2%, 15% times 15%.

On Saturday the rain began before “sunset.” (Once again, the sun does not rise and set.) The temperature of record at the time was 104° (40° C). An hour later, it was 77° (25° C).

In addition to the rain and strong winds we had vivid lightning, the like of which I have seldom, if ever, seen before. I don’t know if it’s due to our location, but sometimes we would see brilliant lightning that seemed right on top of us and not hear thunder, meaning the flash was far away. Other times, we would see bright lightning and hear thunder within a few seconds, meaning the flash was close by. Sadly, the exterior light was not enough for me to shoot any pictures or video.

The storm on Saturday night distracted me from something important, the Season 2 finale for Transplant on NBC. I love this show and it is certainly one of my favorite five or six TV shows ever. No, I am not damning it with faint praise.

I was sad at show’s end because no new episodes will air for awhile. The next morning I became even more sad after learning that, despite previous reporting, NBC has not decided if it will air Season 3. Transplant is actually a Canadian show broadcast on CTV. NBC decided to air it in 2020 while the damn virus was wreaking havoc on TV production.

Transplant is the most-watched and most-awarded scripted show in Canada and, obviously, will continue in production. Its Season 2 ratings in the US, however, were far worse than those for Season 1. The only bright spot, if you will, is that its ratings improved after it was moved mid-season from Sunday to Saturday. The bad news, of course, is that Saturday has long been considered the graveyard for prime-time programming.

I do not watch a lot of TV and almost nothing from the major networks, except football. I will be very disappointed if I can’t continue to watch Transplant. I continue to be appalled at what passes for entertainment.

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Chevrolet/General Motors have officially announced pricing for the soon-to-be released Z06 version of the C8 Corvette. The base MSRP for the coupe will be $106,395 and $113,895 for the convertible. Apparently, anyone interested can order theirs beginning on July 28.

It is extremely unlikely that anyone will be able to buy a C8 Z06 at MSRP. Dealer markups of $20,000-$35,000 would not surprise me. Thousands of people ordering the car will not surprise me, either.

Pricing for the 2023 Corvette Z06 Announced! Starting MSRP is

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From Why Evolution Is True is the Hubble Space Telescope photo of the week.

What Do You See?

Ed: Was he killed in the fall?

Fred: No, it was the sudden stop when he hit the ground.

Other than my two “silly” posts on Friday the 13th, I have not posted for quite some time. My wonderful wife and I were away for much of that period, but not all of it.

I am struggling with an internal debate about this blog. I am considering a change in format, a change in content, a change in frequency or some combination of all of the above. Einstein is supposed to have said that insanity is repeating the same action over and over, but expecting a different result.

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We attended the recent Mecum auction in Indianapolis. Here is a picture from the event. What do you see?

Yes, it’s the front of a C6 Corvette ZR1. It’s also a picture of an extraordinarily beautiful young woman who was discussed every day, even the two days when she was not there.

Mecum hires a group of young women (for the most part) who take a contract to the winning bidder to sign after each lot. The young woman standing in front of the red State Farm sign was among that group for most of the auction.

I watch all of the Mecum auctions on TV when I am not attending. I had never seen this woman before. Believe me, I would have noticed her. My wonderful wife even noticed her. I think her name is Rachel although I am not 100% certain. Another photo:

I am an old, very happily married man. As I wrote here, though, I still notice women. I suspect I have that in common with 99% of straight men.

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So, how many pictures do you want to see? I always make a vow to take fewer pictures at these events and quickly break that vow.

I also have no idea how to present the photos I do take, including how much description I should write. Anyway, here are a few pics:

This is a 2004 Cadillac XLR, offered early on the last day, that I considered purchasing. Heeding the word of our friend Bob, a former mechanic for General Motors and Jaguar, I looked under the car and, sure enough, saw three fresh oil leaks. Those leaks and the model year put an end to my desire to bid on the car. The rest of the XLR didn’t look bad although the interior was a bit tired. Supposedly, the car had 44,000 miles.

With my Z06 still in the shop–yes, it’s now been there more than five weeks–I just am not in the right frame of mind to buy another car that might come with its own set of headaches. Maybe the oil leaks were just an excuse not to bid.

In all honesty, while the Mecum auctions have better dockets than those from Barrett-Jackson (in my opinion), even with an unlimited budget I would not have bid on that many cars. As much as I love Corvettes, I don’t think I want to see 400 Corvettes (my estimate; update: my estimate was off, the actual number of Corvettes was 297) in one auction. I sure as hell do not want to buy C10 pickup trucks or Broncos, of which there were quite a few.

This is a 1961 Buick Electra 225 convertible. This one sold, all in, for $33,000. (Oh…the ’04 XLR sold all in for $26,400.) A white ’61 Electra 225 convertible sold all in for $44,000.

During one of my many walks through the staging lanes, I couldn’t help but notice this 1966 Lotus Elan. The color, size and shape of the car made it stand out to me. It sold, all in, for $31,900.

This is a 1942 Lincoln Continental convertible, of which only 136 were made. The car sold new for $3,000; this one went unsold at a high bid of $95,000.

I welcome thoughtful comments and any suggestions you might have about this blog. Thanks.

#WhatDoYouSee?

#AlbertEinstein

#MecumIndy

#Rachel?

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Sunday Substance

I have been meaning to share this for quite some time, but it has slipped through the cracks until now. Regular readers of this blog know of my extreme distaste for the new editor that WordPress (the platform that hosts this blog and many, many others) is trying to force on its users. Recently, they announced they would extend support for the Classic Editor (not the new Block[head] editor) at least through the end of next year.

What I have been meaning to share are the results of a recent survey conducted by WordPress itself, primarily to gather information about professional users; that is, people who use WordPress to design and to maintain websites for customers. More than half of professional users are still using the Classic Editor. I suspect that is the reason WordPress is supporting it through the end of next year.

To me, that is very damning evidence about the new editor. The people for whom this new system has allegedly been devised are not adopting it anywhere near as quickly or completely as WordPress thought. The “new” editor is actually not that new, anymore, as it has been available and pushed by WordPress for years.

The lesson and message should be obvious, but I’ll state it, anyway: WordPress, Keep The Classic Editor!

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The title of this piece is Einstein Wins Again. Here is the beginning:

“An international team of researchers from ten countries led by Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, has conducted a 16-year long experiment to challenge Einstein’s theory of general relativity with some of the most rigorous tests yet. Their study of a unique pair of extreme stars, so called pulsars, involved seven radio telescopes across the globe and revealed new relativistic effects that were expected and have now been observed for the first time. Einstein’s theory, which was conceived when neither these types of extreme stars nor the techniques used to study them could be imagined, agrees with the observation at a level of at least 99.99%.” [emphasis mine]

Not only is it difficult for most people to understand Einstein’s genius, it is difficult to attempt to describe it in words. I fear we have reached a point where people like him are suppressed in the interest of “equality.” People may have equal rights under the law, but all people are not created equally. Einstein was sui generis, which is just a fancy way of saying unique, or one of a kind.

See the source image

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This recent piece from Hagerty reveals their Bull Market list for 2022. Imagine my delight when this car was listed:

1966 Pontiac GTO front action

Although the specifics are about the 1966 Pontiac GTO, the heading reads 1966-67 Pontiac GTO. Of course, and for the nth plus nth time, my first car was a 1967 Pontiac GTO:

Maybe I shouldn’t be so delighted to see the car included in the list since I haven’t owned it for 40 years. The Hagerty piece lists Highs and Lows for each of the ten cars. The last “High” for the GTO is quite humorous:

Highs: The definitive ’60s muscle car; paperwork available from Pontiac Historic Services makes documentation easy; several body styles and drivetrains; only slightly less rugged than an anvil.

I recommend that those of you with an interest in cars, which is most of you reading this, should read the Hagerty piece.

#SundaySubstance

#KeepTheClassicEditor!

#AlbertEinstein

#HagertyBullMarket

#1966-67PontiacGTO

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

K.I.S.S.

I want to thank “Professor” T for a wonderful breakfast. He was the person I hired for career guidance after I left the San Diego Padres in 1999. It turns out that he and his wife have lived in the Phoenix area for almost 20 years. “Professor” T is most insightful.

For example, after just one or two meetings in 1999 he said that I would not be happy as “a cog in a machine” and urged me to find an independent or semi-independent way to earn a living. Of course, he was right, as I have always chafed at working for somebody else and it was only doing something in which I had a very high level of intrinsic interest (baseball, but that was then and this is now) that enabled to me to work in an office setting for somebody else.

During our conversation this morning, he “disagreed” with those who created mountains to climb. Left unsaid was the truth that life will throw enough mountains at you on its own.

Related to this notion is today’s post title: K.I.S.S., Keep It Simple, Stupid. (I always call myself “Simple.”) Einstein said, “Every problem should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

It seems as if some people believe that if they solve their self-created problems, that makes them smarter than others or better than others or special. That’s a pile of sh*t, in my opinion. Life will give you enough problems on its own.

People who are obsessed with outdoing or outsmarting the world almost always just outsmart themselves. Very few can actually play the game by their own rules. The vast majority must play the game as given or not play.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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So, what kind of car does “Professor” T drive? Would you believe a Hyundai Veloster Turbo?! I did not get a picture of his car, but here is a picture of a Veloster I recently showed:

Of course, I asked him if he likes his car and the answer was a resounding “Yes.” While we still do not have a final disposition from the at-fault driver’s insurance company about what they want to do regarding our ATS, we have to prepare for the possibility that they will total the car and we will have to buy a replacement. (Yes, this is well-worn territory, but I cannot assume that everyone knows the plot.)

Knowing someone who owns one of the cars under consideration is an important data point. It certainly makes it more likely we will take a test drive in this car; that is, of course, if we can find one to drive. The car shortage is very real.

Have a great weekend…

#K.I.S.S.

#AlbertEinstein

#HyundaiVelosterTurbo

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Brownian Motion Thursday

Brownian motion is the random motion of particles suspended in a medium (a liquid or a gas). In 1905, Albert Einstein published a paper where he modeled the motion of pollen particles as being moved by individual water molecules, making one of his first major scientific contributions.

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From an Israeli newspaper comes a story with this title and sub-head: “Israeli study: Babies born to vaccinated moms have COVID-fighting antibodies. All 40 infants in Jerusalem research have antibodies, suggesting they are born with immunity to coronavirus, according to Hadassah doctors.”

The caveat that the presence of antibodies in newborns doesn’t prove they will protect against the virus is noted in the piece. However, Dr. Dana Wolf, head of the virology department at Hadassah Medical Center, strongly believes they will.

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Recently, most of the country changed the time on their clocks to move into Daylight Savings Time. According to a report from CarInsurance.com, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that the few days following the change is the second most dangerous period to drive in the US. Take an hour of sleep away from a sleep-deprived country and…

In general, driver fatigue, caused primarily by lack of quality or quantity of sleep, is among the leading causes of traffic accidents in America. My marvelous mom was an intelligent person. She used to rail against the bi-annual clock changes. The fact that Arizona doesn’t engage in the foolish practice was not a reason we moved here, but it is a nice bonus.

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I always knew I wasn’t the only WordPress blogger who disliked the Block Editor and favored the Classic. This post is called “[T]he tyranny of the new and shiny at wordpress.” By the way, the post author is way more adept at using a computer than I am. He has also been blogging on WordPress since 2013.

I have also thought that the WordPress push to move every blogger to the Block Editor–or Blockhead Editor, as I call it–smacked of tyranny, while granting this issue is not really important enough to use that description. Once again, I have to state that it is likely I will discontinue blogging on this platform if I HAVE to use the new editor.

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From BMW CEO Oliver Zipse via Phil LeBeau of CNBC: “BMW has no plans to stop developing internal combustion engines because demand for ICE vehicles will remain robust for many years to come.” Finally, an automotive CEO who understands the real world!

The “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” approach to EVs taken by so many car companies ignores reality. First, well over a BILLION ICE vehicles are being used all over the world with millions more still being manufactured every year. Second, some segment of the vehicle-buying public will continue to prefer them for “many years to come.”

Do we really want to put all of our transportation chips into the EV basket given that makes us extremely dependent on raw materials from other countries? In addition, upgrading the electric grid to accommodate millions of EVs being charged every night will not happen overnight. For the nth time, blind adherence to ideology is almost never a good idea.

A picture I took of an example of a very famous BMW, a car that influenced design and has become legendary despite only 252 examples ever being produced, the 507:

In what I consider to be a practical policy, BMW has committed to having half of its new vehicles being electric by 2030. Remember that, at present, EVs have only a 2%-3% market share and that share has not really grown much in the last few years. (Hybrid sales have increased, however.)

Although I won’t be around to see it, I think it’s very likely that EVs will become the dominant paradigm in personal transportation some time in the future. However, ignoring the realities of the present is fraught with peril. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Oh, history is replete with examples of the folly of human beings trying to predict the future.

#BrownianMotionThursday

#AlbertEinstein

#COVIDMoms

#DaylightSavingsTimeIsStupid

#SaveTheClassicEditor!

#BMWRealists

#BMW507

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Saturday Stuff

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

When his wife asked him to change clothes to meet the German Ambassador: “They want to see me, here I am. If they want to see my clothes, open my closet and show them my suits.”

– Albert Einstein

In June of 1916 Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagate as waves, traveling outward from the source, transporting energy as gravitational radiation. In February of 2016, the existence of such waves was confirmed when researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (bka LIGO) published the first observation of gravitational waves that were actually detected on Earth in September of 2015.

Where are the Einsteins of today? Maybe the answer is there aren’t any, that Einstein was sui generis. I think that’s too bad for all of us.

See the source image

From Science ABC a picture of Einstein in a less than serious moment.

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From Cadillac at 100 : Legacy of Leadership a series of pictures showing that Cadillac concept cars are not just a recent development:

Of course, these concepts were an exercise with a purpose, the execution of a front-wheel drive, two-door luxury coupe that came to fruition with the introduction of the “modern” Eldorado in 1967. Lead times for model development were much longer then although they are hardly short now. By the way, I think a “modernized” version of XP-727 number 3 would also make a great basis for a super-luxury car.

I have always been extremely fond of the first generation of the modern Cadillac Eldorado. Such a car was named as a member of my Ultimate Garage 2.0. At some point I would like to have one of those “Ultimate” cars as my own besides my 2016 Z06. Although prices have increased lately, a 1967-68 Eldorado is still the most affordable car among those in Ultimate Garage 2.0. At 221 inches in length I would have to have a garage at least a little longer than 20 feet, though.

#AlbertEinstein

#CadillacConceptCars

#UltimateGarage2.0

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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