Random Thoughts Thread

[A Horse With No Name]

52 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

There was one MAD magazine cover when I was young that everyone in my house laughed at, and a copy of it was even purchased.  It had the MAD magazine guy with the curly red hair and an irreverent prank involving a cartoon of Sophia Loren and her cleavage.  My parents even laughed at it.  I looked for that image to no avail.

But I found this one.  This is a little different.  I've seen this a lot as of late.  (That's Jayne Mansfield.)  It's difficult to infer what the possibilities might be here.

Main cravings - it's kind of perplexing when they become food, travel (even if sitting on an airplane and playing with the video monitor), and sleep ... a lot of quality sleep.

Sleep is an excellent and productive part of life.

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

Here are some cool EV that I like: 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

On 2/22/2021 at 1:32 PM, David said:

Breaking News: Ford recalling all 2021 Bronco's for rear Jiggly Suspension modules.

Seems someone in the Mexico Hermosillo plant did not secure the rear suspension module to the sub-frame properly and as such can cause the auto to loose stability. The missing bolt or loose bolt will be addressed as they inspect all 21,504 built to date.

2021 Ford Bronco Sports Called Back for Jiggly Suspension Modules - The Truth About Cars

Breaking News: Honda CEO is stepping down as the head of their R&D will take over Honda and lead it into the future as they change over to an EV auto company. The new CEO Toshihiro Mibe will lead the auto company as they plan to sell globally the majority of all auto's as EV's by 2030 with a start of partnering with GM using their Ultium battery and power train system to build new global EV's. 

Quote: 

 

From Honda:

During the approximately six years since he ascended to the presidency in 2015, in the face of a period of great transformation of the company’s business environment, Hachigo took the initiative and formulated Honda’s 2030 Vision to enable Honda to become “a company society wants to exist” into the future. For the fulfilment of the company’s 2030 Vision statement — “to serve people worldwide with the joy of expanding their life’s potential” — Hachigo led Team Honda on a course to “solidify existing businesses” and “prepare for future growth.” Under Hachigo’s leadership, Honda has increased efficiency and strengthened its operating structure in the areas of production and product development. Moreover, by pursuing the “selection and concentration” of its corporate resources on a global basis, a solid foundation for the future was established, preparing Honda to take off in the new era.

Honda CEO Stepping Down, R&D Head Stepping Up - The Truth About Cars

Bronco Sport, not Bronco.

[Robert Hall]

52F and sunny, some melting going on...false Spring thaw...

[David]

32F everything covered in heavy ICE, black ice roads and glad I am working from home. 3ft of snow on the passes over night, some very cool images of the heavy snowfall.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLrauhLs0aG/

[David]

Very cool story about 40 autos found in a Tennesee river.

Divers Find Over 40 Cars Underwater In Tennessee (msn.com)

The group who runs a you tube channel about finding stuff was on the case of finding a missing guy who disappeared in June 2020. Sadly they did find him in his auto.

 

[balthazar]

Saw for sale online; NOS '71 'cud grille, $4500.
 

[trinacriabob]

10 hours ago, David said:

32F everything covered in heavy ICE, black ice roads and glad I am working from home. 3ft of snow on the passes over night, some very cool images of the heavy snowfall.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLrauhLs0aG/

It can be tough!  But, damn, the Puget Sound area, with the wall to wall evergreen, looks so damn nice when covered in snow, even though it doesn't function well.  Also, with enough curvy two-lane roads and hills in the burbs, the black ice sort of sneaks up on you.  If a person can walk to a local independent coffeehouse that's open, that could be good.  Thankfully, this sort of weather in the Puget Sound Basin is a rare occurrence.  

[balthazar]

😉

[David]

4 minutes ago, balthazar said:

😉

Course NONE of that would have been required if not for the Profits over Human life and greedy electrical ERCOT of Texas that went cheap and did not pay to have proper winterizing of both the 24.8% of power production by Wind Turbines but more importantly the 51% produced by Natural gas as the pipes froze blocking the gas flow. Coal 13.4%, Nuclear 4.9%, Solar 3.8% and Biomass fired units 1.9% still worked.

Texas energy: How much power comes from wind turbines, natural gas? (statesman.com)

Freeze off is the official problem due to no Winterization of pipes and so ice formed blocking natural gas delivery to power generation plants as well as to businesses and homes that did not have winterized piping or proper depth of pipe being buried. 

Texas’ natural gas production just froze under pressure (msn.com)

Amazing until the Governor banned exports, making money over power online to protect human life was more important.

Texas Governor Bans Natural Gas Exports | OilPrice.com

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

I was tired of
Its been too cold   too long
Like a worn out recording
Of a favorite song

So while          lay there frozen
I read the paper in bed
And in the personal columns
There was this letter I read

If you like piña coladas
And gettin' caught in the rain
If you're not into snow
If you have half a brain
If you like makin' love at midnight
In the dunes on the cape
Then I'm the love that you've looked for
Write to me and escape

I didn't think about my constituents
I know that sounds kinda mean
But me and my old buddy
Needed time to escape

So I wrote to the paper
Took out a personal ad
I blamed it totally on my kids
I thought it wasn't half bad

Yes, I like piña coladas
And gettin' caught in the rain
I'm not much into telling the truth
I am into champagne

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

 

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

Portsmouth OH ~ 

[oldshurst442]

[A Horse With No Name]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

Portsmouth OH ~ 

Portsmith a little run down now....

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

[Robert Hall]

I think we are in the 'Spring of Deception' season currently in Ohio. though my backyard is rapidly approaching mud season with all the melting..

[A Horse With No Name]

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I think we are in the 'Spring of Deception' season currently in Ohio. though my backyard is rapidly approaching mud season with all the melting..

I so want to get out and travel. 

[Robert Hall]

10 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I so want to get out and travel. 

I hear ya...got the cabin fever going on.  Put on my boots and tromped around the backyard yesterday w/ all the melty going on...was up to 55 and sunny yesterday. Colder today.  

But my new job is keeping me busy (in a good way), working out of my home office...

[David]

These images on Instagram from GM are so cool.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLuwC3rpmut

 

[David]

Interesting comparison of luxury level auto's and what is considered a good inexpensive equal.

Luxury For Less: 5 Budget-Friendly Alternatives to Luxury Cars (motortrend.com)

[David]

Daimler has picked the banks to help it divest of it's truck, bus and van business as it focuses on becoming a luxury EV auto company. Luxury car business is what Daimler wants to focus on and as such Goldman Sachs, Citi and BNP Paribas will help Daimler with the spin-off prep of that business as JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Citi and BNP will work on the debt restructuring side.

Daimler picks banks to help with listing of trucks unit - sources | Reuters

Interesting how Daimler seems to have followed the same path as old GM when it was in every nook and cranny of the auto, truck, bus, RV business.

[David]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Unions across the US and State Elected officials have asked Congress to take speedy action on boosting spending on the National Infrastructure of Roads, Electrical, Water and parks. The ask is for $2 Trillion to replace functionally obsolete bridges and roads as just one example. Latest studies show that more than half of the roads and bridges in America are poor or mediocre condition at best.

Texas power outage is a perfect example of what NOT TO DO, as such, we need to invest in rebuilding the US for the 21st century.

Governor Whitmer of Michigan says 43% of the major roads in her state are in poor condition especially the bridges.

Congress has said that the Fuel tax revenue which has not changed in decades is an obsolete way to pay for infrastructure repairs / rebuilding.

President Biden met with Union representatives from across the country that informed him they are read to get millions of people back to work in a safe way to rebuild America.

U.S. business group, officials push for swift action on infrastructure | Reuters

[balthazar]

Make it $10 trillion. No, wait; make all roads solar paneled & self-melting (yes; even in Death Valley). Make it 25 Quadrillion. Must. Eliminate. Any and all. Possibilities. Of. An. Issue. Of. Any. Sort.

[daves87rs]

Got a chance to clean up a few cars today......

[David]

3 minutes ago, daves87rs said:

Got a chance to clean up a few cars today......

Which ones and what did you do to them?

[daves87rs]

2 minutes ago, David said:

Which ones and what did you do to them?

Sadly, too late for pictures, but..

Equinox got a wash and quick spray waxing, and I vacuumed it too. Only need to wipe down the dash... 🙂 

Cobalt also got a wash and a quick spray waxing. Didn’t get the chance to clean the inside though. (But it is in pretty good shape). Also did not realize one can get cheap weathertech “knock offs” on EBay. Want to replace the old carpeted mats...the ebay ones are made in Europe- and the whole set is like 70 bucks. And for a beater, that is a good price....

Also need to get my old Cavalier a new battery...current one is dated 5/11....... 😮 

[oldshurst442]

27 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Make it $10 trillion. No, wait; make all roads solar paneled & self-melting (yes; even in Death Valley). Make it 25 Quadrillion. Must. Eliminate. Any and all. Possibilities. Of. An. Issue. Of. Any. Sort.

I agree with that sarcasm 100%

However...

When a politician has OBVIOUS BIASES...he/she should NOT blame the technology that he/she is against when OBVIOUSLY the technology WORKS EVERYWHERE ELSE on the PHOQUING planet...when the PROPER ENGINEERING is applied to that SPECIFIC area of failure...

Its LAUGHABLE at best. Its downright DISGUSTING and ABHORRENT at the LACK of phoquing intelligence these ladies and/or gents are displaying at worst. 

Dont get me started on the voyages to warmer (party atmosphere) climates...

Cant get more phoquing tone deaf that that...

Hence the Spanish spoken/Mexican party songs and Senor Frogs references earlier...   

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Its downright DISGUSTING and ABHORRENT at the LACK of phoquing intelligence these ladies and/or gents are displaying at worst. 

You have to have a license to plant a bush for a homeowner, but there is no aptitude test or licensing to be a politician.

[oldshurst442]

15 minutes ago, balthazar said:

but there is no aptitude test or licensing to be a politician.

There is one glaring criteria though that MOST  politicians share: disingenuous,  lying sacks of shyte. 

[balthazar]

Seems strange even to me to think of Merc in its own store. 

We've all probably seen claims which portray older generations as a lot tougher than more recent ones. 
In a lot of ways I believe that's true (for better or worse). Anyway, I thought of that when I happened upon this pic from 1936 : 

[daves87rs]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

Seems strange even to me to think of Merc in its own store. 

We've all probably seen claims which portray older generations as a lot tougher than more recent ones. 
In a lot of ways I believe that's true (for better or worse). Anyway, I thought of that when I happened upon this pic from 1936 : 

It’s hard to argue, that is for sure. Fighting wars is the first thing that comes to mind......

[ykX]

Real enthusiasts still value the fun factor of manual transmission!

70% of Porsche 911 GT3 Buyers In the US Bought the Manual Transmission

70% of Porsche 911 GT3 Buyers In the US Bought the Manual Transmission (thedrive.com)

The Porsche 911 GT3 has always been one of the brand's most fun-to-drive track day specials, and for many drivers, there is no substitute for a manual transmission. Porsche's decision to put a manual transmission back into the 911 GT3 paid off far more than the brand expected, especially in the United States, where the take rate for the last-generation manual GT3 was 70%.
While many armchair stats-fiends love to argue that the double-clutch gearbox is faster, the 911 GT3's six-speed manual is simply more fun to a lot of people who don't mind losing that fraction of a second at every corner on track. (You can't win the track day, Dickie Speedmaster.)

[David]

Muntz Anyone?

Stellantis layoffs have begun as of Feb 20th 2021 150 people were indefinitely laid off at the Belvidere Illinois plant.

Stellantis Laying off 150 Jeep Employees in Illinois - The Truth About Cars

[David]

Jeep has a big choice ahead. Honor the Indian tribes and stop using their names on auto's or ignor them drawing rath from the tribes and people around the country and world.

In reading this story, I like the suggestion given to Jeep. Rename the auto line after national parks.

So with the parks theme, you would have it like this:

• Jeep Yellowstone
• Jeep Yosemite
• Jeep Denali
• Jeep Badlands
• Jeep Biscayne
• Jeep Glacier
• Jeep Olympic
• Jeep Redwood
• Jeep Zion

Thoughts on how Jeep should reboot their names, especially the Cherokee lineup?

What Should The Jeep Cherokee’s New Name Be? (jalopnik.com)

List of national parks of the United States - Wikipedia

[A Horse With No Name]

18 hours ago, David said:

Interesting comparison of luxury level auto's and what is considered a good inexpensive equal.

Luxury For Less: 5 Budget-Friendly Alternatives to Luxury Cars (motortrend.com)

Actually in every case I actually prefer the cheaper alternative....even if they were the same price. 

5 hours ago, ykX said:

Real enthusiasts still value the fun factor of manual transmission!

70% of Porsche 911 GT3 Buyers In the US Bought the Manual Transmission

70% of Porsche 911 GT3 Buyers In the US Bought the Manual Transmission (thedrive.com)

The Porsche 911 GT3 has always been one of the brand's most fun-to-drive track day specials, and for many drivers, there is no substitute for a manual transmission. Porsche's decision to put a manual transmission back into the 911 GT3 paid off far more than the brand expected, especially in the United States, where the take rate for the last-generation manual GT3 was 70%.
While many armchair stats-fiends love to argue that the double-clutch gearbox is faster, the 911 GT3's six-speed manual is simply more fun to a lot of people who don't mind losing that fraction of a second at every corner on track. (You can't win the track day, Dickie Speedmaster.)

Good to know...

Strange enough, i could see people actually thinking like this. 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Sums up everyones political thoughts at the moment I think

Zappa is right...

Maybe Robert Hall has a point with Dogs...

[A Horse With No Name]

My Friend gloria and the Dog she sadly just lost...I love this picture of both of them together. 

 

Different Dog, just loved the picture. 

[A Horse With No Name]

18 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Got a chance to clean up a few cars today......

Excellent. I will Monday, supposed to rain all weekend. 

[A Horse With No Name]

[David]

@A Horse With No Name Just read this and it is good as I am sure we all could use a good rub on getting the scratches out of our paint jobs.

Rain is supposed to go away this afternoon, going to clean the SS on Saturday and then probably Monday the Escalade.

Best car scratch removers in 2021 - Roadshow (cnet.com)

[A Horse With No Name]

[Robert Hall]

3 hours ago, David said:

Jeep has a big choice ahead. Honor the Indian tribes and stop using their names on auto's or ignor them drawing rath from the tribes and people around the country and world.

In reading this story, I like the suggestion given to Jeep. Rename the auto line after national parks.

So with the parks theme, you would have it like this:

• Jeep Yellowstone
• Jeep Yosemite
• Jeep Denali
• Jeep Badlands
• Jeep Biscayne
• Jeep Glacier
• Jeep Olympic
• Jeep Redwood
• Jeep Zion

Thoughts on how Jeep should reboot their names, especially the Cherokee lineup?

What Should The Jeep Cherokee’s New Name Be? (jalopnik.com)

List of national parks of the United States - Wikipedia

Denali and Biscayne are GM names, so those wouldn't work, Zion seems religious.   I'd like Cuyahoga after my local national park, but don't see that happening. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this...Cherokee has been a Jeep name for 45+ years, and it's never been used offensively.   They have used Western regional names before for trim levels like Laredo.   Aspen would be a good name.  Rainer would be good, no one likely remembers the Buick SUV.  

 it's too bad Chevy uses Colorado; that would be the PERFECT Jeep SUV name, IMO. 

I could see them taking one of the current trim levels and promoting it to a model name--Overland.  Has a lot of history with Jeep, and fits the rugged off road image. I could see the Cherokee becoming the Overland, and the GC becoming the Grand Overland.  They could then have Grand Overland Laredo,  Grand Overland Limited, Grand Overland Summit, etc...

Edited February 26, 2021 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, David said:

Jeep Denali

Umm....

- - - - -
I find no dishonor or negativity to 'Jeep Cherokee' whatsoever. 
I can see folk objecting to -say- Chief Wahoo; it's on the goofy side... but people who internalize a characterization personally obviously have issues coping. Not everything is about or a reflection of you.

But objecting to the Land O Lakes maiden (completely respectful/complimentary) or 'Cherokee' strains credibility. There's a Harrah's Cherokee Casino in Cherokee NC; yes- it's part of the Eastern Cherokee Nation but what about a casino is remotely cultural? 

[David]

21 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Umm....

- - - - -
I find no dishonor or negativity to 'Jeep Cherokee' whatsoever. 
I can see folk objecting to -say- Chief Wahoo; it's on the goofy side... but people who internalize a characterization personally obviously have issues coping. Not everything is about or a reflection of you.

But objecting to the Land O Lakes maiden (completely respectful/complimentary) or 'Cherokee' strains credibility. There's a Harrah's Cherokee Casino in Cherokee NC; yes- it's part of the Eastern Cherokee Nation but what about a casino is remotely cultural? 

Very True, but the fact that the Chief of the Cherokee Nation is asking for them to stop using it and he represents the tribe, I have to think that Stellantis will be respectful and change the names.

Thought it was a good auto discussion as I get the tribe will use the name as they see fit on their own tribe, gambling, etc. but I think American businesses are going to have to rethink how they name things.

I do like the park idea.

[A Horse With No Name]

14 hours ago, balthazar said:

Seems strange even to me to think of Merc in its own store. 

We've all probably seen claims which portray older generations as a lot tougher than more recent ones. 
In a lot of ways I believe that's true (for better or worse). Anyway, I thought of that when I happened upon this pic from 1936 : 

They were quite the cars in the day. 

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, David said:

Very True, but the fact that the Chief of the Cherokee Nation is asking for them to stop using it and he represents the tribe, I have to think that Stellantis will be respectful and change the names.

Is he only asking because he's not getting a cut? Jeep undoubtedly has a legal copyright on the nameplate; they're not bound by anything legal to drop the name. I hope they don't, and the Cherokee Nation rep sees the issue more clearly.

I've certainly heard polar opposite opinions from native Americans RE like symbolism. I tend to agree with that side, which has expressed it that cancelling any symbolism feels like 'eradicating' the culture all over again; as long as it's not openly derogatory, it's better than being invisible.

Edited February 26, 2021 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

12 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Is he only asking because he's not getting a cut? Jeep undoubtedly has a legal copyright on the nameplate; they're not bound by anything legal to drop the name. I hope they don't, and the Cherokee Nation rep sees the issue more clearly.
 

My cynical side sees this is as an attempt at a shakedown of  Stellantis..

Edited February 26, 2021 by Robert Hall