Random Thoughts Thread

[David]

2 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I could see retiring to S. Florida...or spending winters there.    I love the Keys, love the international flavor of Miami...

Climate Change says it will be underwater soon and naysayers say it will always be there as is. Been in drought mode, so gotta think about alternative places to live.  

[Robert Hall]

3 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Climate Change says it will be underwater soon and naysayers say it will always be there as is. Been in drought mode, so gotta think about alternative places to live.  

Yeah, hurricanes and flooding would definitely be a concern about S. Florida.   I'm glad I'm out of the desert, don't want to be there when the daytime highs start hitting 130-150F eventually.    Other than winter cold, the Great Lakes region seems pretty good.   Though part of me misses living in the West (specifically Denver). 

Edited January 5, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[A Horse With No Name]

2 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Funny you mention that... NYC area (NJ, just over the Hudson) is #1 on the list right now.

If I wasn't raising five kids (21 year old and 24 year old moved back home, sixteen year old still lives at home) I would so move to NYC.

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

Climate Change says it will be underwater soon and naysayers say it will always be there as is. Been in drought mode, so gotta think about alternative places to live.  

Climate change is very real, and one of the saddest pieces I ever read was Good bye Miami in the Rolling Stone. It is a sad thing to loose a great American city.

[Robert Hall]

Sunny and about 8 degrees out...took advantage of the weather and went out and filled up and went to the car wash....got the old salt off the Jeep, got some new on driving back home....more snow in the forecast for Sun/Mon...house is nice and warm, dogs are warm, all is good...

[balthazar]

Had the woodstove going all day yesterday, furnace got to sleep in til sometime in the early AM hours. Was 78-80 in the living room. Works well enough to heat the whole house, tho the extremities get cool- maybe low 60s. Nothing beats radiant heat.
Today it's 17 or therebouts with a stiff wind, that's a tougher hill for the stove to climb. I'd run it anyway cause I'm home but the back porch is empty of wood and I'm not trekking back to the woodpiles with the wheelbarrow in this weather.

[frogger]

Kid was not happy with the walk to daycare at -7F this morning, had to carry him most of the way.  Looking forward to the slightly warmer Sun/Mon/Tues before we go back to silly cold.

 

 

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[Frisky Dingo]

On 1/5/2018 at 9:54 AM, ccap41 said:

Oh my car looks bad right now.. Salt and crud on the roads. I was going to run through the wash the other day but with it being so cold...1: I wasn't sure if the auto washes were open and 2: It would have bugged me having the frozen water = water spots immediately after cleaning aaaaand 3: there's still so much salt on the roads..

I should just do it anyway. 

 

Yeah, my GTI is sitting at home in the garage. I've been driving either my 4Runner or xB the last several days.

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

[balthazar]

On 1/5/2018 at 1:02 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I'm glad I'm out of the desert, don't want to be there when the daytime highs start hitting 130-150F eventually.

If sources I saw were reliable, temps have gone up 1.4 degrees in the last 140 years. In order for desert temps to reach 130 vs. today's what- 110?, it would take 14 cycles of 140 years, or 1,960 years. Even if the rate was accelerated and it took only 10% of that time, it'd be 196 years.

Got a secret to immortality you'd like to share? Because otherwise, you'll be out of everywhere.

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, balthazar said:

If sources I saw were reliable, temps have gone up 1.4 degrees in the last 140 years. In order for desert temps to reach 130 vs. today's what- 110?, it would take 14 cycles of 140 years, or 1,960 years. Even if the rate was accelerated and it took only 10% of that time, it'd be 196 years.

Got a secret to immortality you'd like to share? Because otherwise, you'll be out of everywhere.

There are parts of AZ where it gets to 130 in the summer, ...like Bullhead City...Phoenix hit 120 this past summer..regardless of when or if it hits 140 or 150 (predicted for 2030 in some articles), it's still a disgusting desert shithole, glad it's permanently in my past...

Edited January 7, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Drew Dowdell]

Average global temperature increases do not parallel local weather. Global temps changing can be cause magnification of local weather extremes in both directions.

[balthazar]

That'd certainly be catastrophic if it took 140 years to rise 1 degree, then it suddenly started rising 1 degree per YEAR.

[Drew Dowdell]

Speaking of raising temperatures, @balthazar how would you heat a semi-finished basement?

[ocnblu]

I tried my hand at making turkey croquettes.  Harvard style beets, and Fireball with ginger ale.  Food to hibernate by!

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, ocnblu said:

I tried my hand at making turkey croquettes.  Harvard style beets, and Fireball with ginger ale.  Food to hibernate by!

 

Add a couple of gloo gloos of olive oil to those beats and you've got yourself a tasty treat. I used to enyoy that as a kid (still do). Id put more than a couple of gloo gloos of olive oïl and then Id take fresh Greek (or Italian or French bread..you know...the kind with a thick crust) and Id dip my bread in the olive oil afterwards. (still do)

MMMMMmmmmmm goooood!

Delizioso!

Edited January 7, 2018 by oldshurst442

[Robert Hall]

Sounds tasty (except for the beets--can't eat them--like the taste, but have bad reactions to them). 

Edited January 7, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

8 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Speaking of raising temperatures, @balthazar how would you heat a semi-finished basement?

Lot of questions to ask first- square footage, exposed wall above grade, degree of 'semi-finish', type of current heat.

[balthazar]

A scientific journal has published a study that the Newsweek Science banner is summarizing as :

Please stay tuned for upcoming information on the Central Jersey Ocean Floor Deformation Accord.

Edited January 8, 2018 by balthazar

[oldshurst442]

Arent glaciers floating on the water?

Arent glaciers just ice?

Doesnt ice contain the same amount of water displacement as regular water so when ice melts, it just displaces the same amount of water?

Therefore we arent getting more water, right?

This has to do more with density, right?

Im assuming regular water is more dense than ice as ice floats. 

OK...with that being said...ice melting is just frozen water...ice in liquid form...

what?

When bodies of water are flowing it is possible for water to be at freezing temperatures but it aint becoming ice as there is movement so with that being said, as the glaciers melt, the surrounding water and the melting glaciers are becoming the same temperature...at which point will eventually warm up as that area of water now is travelling away from the North and going South and will eventually warm up becoming less dense again...

That part confused me, as Im trying to make sense of what the hell this new science is trying to tell us...

Because like I said...

Glaciers are already floating on our oceans...if they melt, more or new water is not being created as the displacement of water has already been accounted for...

 

The first paragraph of that report seems false to me...NO new water or extra water from melting glaciers is added to our existing  water tables...therefore no added weight from denser water. 

I know scientists are telling us that when the ice caps melt, the oceans will rise....whatever...

OK...I may now understand this...maybe denser water is being added to our oceans as the glaciers are no longer ice but liquid H20 and liquid H20  is denser than ice therefore heavier than ice so the ocean floors can no longer support melted, denser glacier water???

 

 

Im just thinking out loud and typing this for all to read. 

Edited January 8, 2018 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

Of course- glaciers are also on land. I believe it's correct that there is no 'new' water, it just continually changes state & distribution.

But this is a direct parallel to the average global temperature / climate change issue. Wrap your head around science declaring the ocean floor, ON AVERAGE, has dropped in elevation less than 1/16th of an inch over the last 20 years. THEN the reason is given as the weight of melted glaciers. Not erosion, currents, Teutonic Plate shift, subterranean magma changes, gravitational ebbs, the increasing worldwide obesity epidemic, no; melted ice adding weight to the estimated 333 MILLION CUBIC MILES of water on the planet in a meaningful enough percentage to crush the ocean floor that is ALREADY UNDER all that weight.

[Waits for charges of "ocean floor deformation denier!!"]

[ocnblu]

That's deep

[David]

Sounds Like we need to put the ocean on a diet to reduce it's weight while also reducing the greenhouse gas production.

In other news, I somehow started 2018 off with a pinched disk in my lower back that is also pinching both nerves into my hips, I have never felt such discomfort before and limited mobility. 

[balthazar]

[Robert Hall]

So it was a high of around 8F Saturday but it could hit 60F Thursday...then teens and twenties and snow by the weekend.

[daves87rs]

Finally a chance to wash the car today....and start up the other one.

Never though 38 degrees would feel that good...

[David]

8 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

So it was a high of around 8F Saturday but it could hit 60F Thursday...then teens and twenties and snow by the weekend.

Crazy Climate Change. WOW 

[Robert Hall]

8 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Finally a chance to wash the car today....and start up the other one.

Never though 38 degrees would feel that good...

It does feel good...after highs below freezing since the Friday before Xmas, it feels great..ready to break out the flip flops, shorts and tropical shirts..;)    

[daves87rs]

57 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

It does feel good...after highs below freezing since the Friday before Xmas, it feels great..ready to break out the flip flops, shorts and tropical shirts..;)    

Yep!!

One thing I hate about melting snow...roads were a sheet of ice this morning! Got my son safe to school this morning, but had to show off my driving skills on the way home (two complete 360s and sliding through intersections)

And found out I work on my day because two co workers were in accidents.... Well, at least I will wash my car.....

[ccap41]

9 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Finally a chance to wash the car today....and start up the other one.

Never though 38 degrees would feel that good...

Hahaha I thought the same thing yesterday! 

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

Yep!!

One thing I hate about melting snow...roads were a sheet of ice this morning! Got my son safe to school this morning, but had to show off my driving skills on the way home (two complete 360s and sliding through intersections)

And found out I work on my day because two co workers were in accidents.... Well, at least I will wash my car.....

Yeah, they were nasty here also I heard.   One thing I like about working out of my house I can be very selective about when and where I go out...

[balthazar]

[David]

Any Idea who built this truck? Cool looking!

Cool old truck, looks like they took the front end of a car and added a bucket to it.

Liked the look of the 3/4 ton Studebaker Pickup.

[Robert Hall]

^ the truck w/ the patina looks like a '38-39 Ford?   The early 60s Studebaker pickup cab and front was derived from the Lark car.  

There are a few examples of Japanese pickups that were made like the Studebaker--the Isuzu Faster (1st gen Chevy LUV) regular cab and double cab used the doors, cab and front clip derived from the Isuzu Florian sedan, for example...

(why I know this, I don't know..I have a head for weird automotive trivia..too many years of reading car magazines and the Wikipedia)

Edited January 9, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

The Stude pickup above was the 'Champ', neat little trucks. Could call it the first 'CUP' (crossover utility pickup).

Stude also had the full-size 'Transtar' pickup, available in 1/2T 3/4T, 1T, 2T and 2T HD. (Note the 'DIESEL' nomenclature.)

I believe you nailed it Moltar on the Ford. Conventional nose vs. my Cab Over.

Edited January 9, 2018 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

Notice how the bed on the smooth side Champ doesn't match the cab styling..care to guess which of the big 3 they sourced the beds from? 

[balthazar]

Doesn't match anything from the Big 3, IH or the Transtar. I believe it's Champ-specific & the width mismatch is the compromise from using the Lark shell and a full-width bed.

[Robert Hall]

It's a late 50s Dodge bed, is what I've read.    The step side is the same as the large Studebaker truck, I think. 

Edited January 9, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

My source book says Stude purchased the bed dies from Dodge & the box was modified to fit the Champ- new tailgate & front panel. Does look like the sides were the same. Stude brought their "Spaceside' bed out in Jan '61.
I think late '50s Dodge and automatically think about the '57-58 Sweptlines with the fins. Dodge used the above bed '59-60.

I would've thought Chevy at first- not from the look but because Stude bought Chevy engines in '65-66.

[David]

Amazing video to watch, comments by the people watching this iced up overpass are funny.

 

Latest chart on the top Gas Guzzlers sold in the US!

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Amazing video to watch, comments by the people watching this iced up overpass are funny.

 

 

That's pretty funny...I don't mind driving in snowy conditions, but I loathe ice.     As far as the gas guzzler list--woo hoo--Trackhawk!   Surprised the Hellcat Challenger and Charger aren't on that list...

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

Sign of the times I guess

[ccap41]

16 hours ago, dfelt said:

Amazing video to watch, comments by the people watching this iced up overpass are funny.

 

Latest chart on the top Gas Guzzlers sold in the US!

That's only cars... 

[Stew]

I am stung by the Kia Stinger GT.  Local dealer has one, GT2 AWD, basically as loaded as it gets.  I am shocked how low and wide it looks in person, love it.  It just works. 

[ccap41]

15 minutes ago, Stew said:

I am stung by the Kia Stinger GT.  Local dealer has one, GT2 AWD, basically as loaded as it gets.  I am shocked how low and wide it looks in person, love it.  It just works. 

A lot of enthusiasts hate it because it's a Kia but I think it is a damn good looking car and it's a sport sedan, what's really not to like about it? 

[Robert Hall]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

A lot of enthusiasts hate it because it's a Kia but I think it is a damn good looking car and it's a sport sedan, what's really not to like about it? 

I could see that..have to look at it with an open mind...have to look past the brand's history as a marque of disposable cheap FWD appliances...

[Drew Dowdell]

I see it as a budget Genesis, much like the K900.   Aside from the badge, it is not related to any of the lower Kia line and has more in common with the Genesis line.