trinacriabob

This wasn't a light bulb that just went on. It's a light bulb that has been burning brighter. I've come to the conclusion that 75% to 80% of doctors are in it for the money.

Wishing all our members a safe and happy Fourth of July. It's but a few hours away.

It seems like there is a shark attack is making the news on a daily basis ... in Monterey Bay, CA, on Florida's Gulf Side, on Long Island (a lifeguard), and faraway places like South Africa and Sharm-El Sheik, Egypt. This is horrible. In oceans and seas where the surf was minimal, I used to swim out to where I couldn't even touch or see the bottom. I haven't done that in 1 or 2 decades. The teenage girl in the Florida attack at Keaton Beach was in 5 feet of water. Don't do it. Find another place to swim. Encourage your loved ones and friends to stay very close to the shoreline. Just work on your tan or something.

This was seen last week. I had gone in to get something to eat somewhere and, by the time I exited, there was obviously a car show in the parking lot. a b c d The above, IIRC, is (a) a '53 Chevy. You can (b) touch every spark plug of this inline 6 and the air cleaner assembly looks like a tea kettle. You can (c) see all that room in the engine bay. And you can also (d) see that only one belt does everything - water pump, crank, and alternator. So, there are no belts for power steering, air conditioning, and an air pump. a b c I approached this car thinking it was a kit on a Mazda Miata. It was not. The front end (a) looks like one. The rear end (b) looks less like one. The owner explained it all to me and it's a Fiat product. The rear badging (c) indicates it's a Fiat 124 a b c This is a Chevy Bel Air ... possibly a 1957, but I'm not certain. You can see that it's (a) a convertible, that (b) it has the very durable and popular 283 V8, but no power steering, and that (c) it has an automatic, but it's a 2 speed automatic unit a b c d e And here's an (a) @oldshurst442 vehicle from 1972 ... I didn't look at the taillamps, but the owner told me. The fender badging (b) told me this wasn't any ordinary Cutlass. The engine (c) is an Olds Rocket 350, and the layout of the belts and attachments looks like an Olds V8i. The owner almost seemed apologetic that it didn't have a 455! It has a (d) manual transmission and gauges that were added to supplant what were probably just idiot lights on the dash, and the door panels have manual window cranks. Finally, it does not have A/C, per the climate control panel (e) ... so look at the cheesy plastic applique up top and center to mimic as if air conditioning vents had been there! That was the funniest thing about this car. - - - - - I know a small few who like and go to small car shows like this. I only check out a few cars if I stumble in on one and move on quickly. Some people are really nice and want to talk about their cars, and cars in general. Others are basically cliques of D-listers who routinely show up at these get togethers, have known each other for a long time, and throw out some reverse snobbery to anyone who is well spoken and they detect has some polish. I overheard some talk in the restaurant by some attendees that was really off the mark. I like dirty and politically incorrect jokes just fine. However, the talk I overheard was more mean spirited in its tone and not as funny as they thought they were. Since car shows are often popular with people without a lot of Klass, that's probably why I just keep on driving. Anyway, I hope you enjoy (some of) the photos and, especially you, @oldshurst442

@oldshurst442 and other Canadians lurking on the forum: Happy Canada Day!

Thanks. Windows. And, if a person has more than 1 hotmail/outlook account they've used over the years, how do you decide or indicate which one it attaches to in terms of the subscription, payment, etc.?

I parked my car on a side street to avoid feeding a meter, got out, and saw this: All these ~20 year old Olds Aleros still on the road ... I thought these were cool little coupes.

What are considered the top 3 or 3 most popular (storage) clouds? Any opinions or links to a diluted tech article on this topic? Thanks.

Saw this in a parking lot this past weekend. Given that I never really looked at Corvettes before, this must mean that I like the current model. When the driver opened the door, I believe it had (some) burgundy in the interior, which I think looks great with a silver exterior.

Without looking it up and by scrolling through all these examples, I'm guessing a "frunk" is a "front trunk?" - - - - - I lean toward minimalist, but I do hang on to paper items - maps, articles, in flight magazines, real estate flyers and magazines, brochures, and such that I thought were neat-o at one time or another. I've got quite a pile. I haven't gone through it in about 5 years. I'm sorting it, thinning it down, and figuring out what I might scan. A rule of thumb I once heard is really coming into play: If you don't look at it at least once a year, throw it away* * probably not important documents, though

Unusual grille with the 45 degree angles ... and I didn't look up the word "frunk." However, since I tend to make comments about how tidy and organized engine bays are, this one (and I'm not that familiar with EVs) takes the cake.

Happy birthday a few hours in advance, Mr. Hall. Enjoy your day! (For me, food is always part of it.)

Sometimes we get run down from running ourselves down. I remember that, somehow, I got through finals and tying up loose ends during all my semesters while in grad school, where it was harder than undergrad and I was more committed, got on the plane to fly home, and was sick for about 3 to 4 days with aches, no energy, and a slight temperature. It happened every time. And then it cleared up every time.

I just noticed today is National PTSD Awareness Day. Some people are practically "paralyzed" by PTSD, depending on the severity of it. It can happen to both veterans and people who were not in the armed forces. I believe the last month - May - is Mental Health Awareness Month. The number of people in our country, and the world, who suffer from mental health conditions, and for whom they infringe on their overall health and quality of life, is significant. The general public is becoming more aware of and empathetic toward mental illness. That's a big step forward.

I love Toronto's skyline. When there were fewer buildings (I was looking at some photos from about 20 years ago), they looked more individualistic ... probably because most of them were commercial high rises. Now, the many condo towers that are going up are ruining the quality of the skyline. That's my opinion. And they're all similar tall rectangles packed into one clump. I almost think the best view of the skyline is going to and from the Toronto Islands on the ferry. Most people don't even know Toronto has a chain of islands just 15 minutes off of the downtown waterfront. View from the ferry. The fare is fair. I still like Montreal more. I always will. - - - - - Going back to National Donut Day earlier this month, here are some "nostalgia" photos. This was lunch. This was dinner. Because they require you buy a drink (about $2), I don't think Dunkin' lost any money on this deal. Their donuts are a little over a $1. So, then, how much does that tea bag, drip coffee, or iced tea cost them? Not much. I did not feel guilty about going twice. I was just being a goofball that day, anyway. If someone handed you a donut without other stipulations, then it would have truly been a FREE donut. By the way, lunch was better.

I've got some clean and politically correct ones, which is rare for me and the people I keep company with. Q: Where do fish keep their money? A: At the RiverBank. - - - - - Q: Why are fish so smart? A: They swim in schools.

I'm looking forward to my second booster in a month or so. I'm trying to go to Europe in September, so I want its effectiveness at its peak when I go. That involves getting the booster 2 weeks to a month in advance. I got Pfizer for the first two vaccine injections. I got Moderna for booster #1 some 9 months later. I was a little worried about Moderna because several people I know passed through a few rough days after Moderna injections. However, I looked at its stats and effectiveness and the pharmacist said that the mixing of the two brands (allowable for boosters) could have some beneficial effects. I got the same headache that evening as I did with Pfizer, and that's it. I will again get Moderna. I have had to test (rapid antigen and PCR) numerous times in the last year and a half - to travel or just because you've gone to urgent care with something that looks like covid. So far, all the tests have turned out favorably.

Thanks for posting. I love this stuff! I did get to experience the A-380 .... once. It was on British Airways to London, with a connection down to BLQ (Bologna). I am most loyal to Boeing, especially since I've lived within 20 miles of where they build their big planes. While the A-380 is interesting from some angles, the Boeing 747 is beautiful from every angle. I took British because it had one thing the other European carriers did not have - that last segment upstairs, in some configurations and which may go away, is regular economy. So, to pick out the seat and sit next to the window, I had to pay a little more. The landing is much like on any wide body, but the take off was weird. It seems to lumber along, taking its sweet time to rotate, and, if sitting upstairs, the whole experience feels isolated and hushed. You sort of have to look at the end of the wing to gauge what's going on from an upstairs window in the back of the plane. I'd say it's quieter than the 747 (even the newer 8-i) when taking off, but the noise level is about the same when at cruising speed. It would make sense to fly one of these jumbos rather than 2 full B-787s on the same route (like London to New York or Paris to Montreal.) But it would have to be close to full to have it pencil out. With Lufthansa pulling back on this aircraft, maybe for the time being, they've rolled back the clock. The 747-8i is now their flagship and the Airbus 340 is now the "veep" in their fleet structure. Lufthansa Group owns other airlines besides Lufthansa proper, such as Austrian, Swiss, Eurowings, and others. On Lufthansa and Swiss, one can fly on the Airbus 340 to Frankfurt and Zurich on select routes and I look forward to doing this, since the A-340 is a quad, is laid out 2-4-2 in economy, and is my favorite Airbus product. Here's a photo taken from the upstairs of the Airbus 380 of a Swiss Airbus 340-300 on a taxiway at MIA (Swiss sometimes uses a B-777 on that route). It took me by surprise. I wish I had gotten more and better photos of that A-340!

Yes, 3.9L V8, which is 242 c.i. Thanks. I remembered that it was in the mid 200's c.i. range. That's amazing. That's one small V8 ... smaller than the 4.0 liter 6 cyl. that went into Jeeps. This is one of those cars you like, but are glad someone else owns it and it's basically good eye candy, for lack of a better description.

And, for FoMoCo fans, I recently saw this ~ 20 year old Thunderbird which was one of the better reboots of some classic American iron. I believe these had a 255 c.i. V8, or thereabouts, and its owner was really proud of it. I can see why.

And, on another June day, it was the late, great Olds Aurora, which you still see around, but you see fewer and fewer of them. A car that probably benefitted from a sunroof. This one had the gold trim package and the then newer 3.5 OHC V6, per its badging.

On this June day, it was definitely a '90s Buick sort of afternoon - seen about 1 hour apart ... This was the smallest Buick offered in the early '90s ... it could be had as a coupe or a sedan. It was not at all cookie cutter in coupe form. I remember liking it, but maybe not in this color. It could be had with 4 cylinders and the 3300 V6, which would give someone the same reliability as the 3800. The dashboard was also unique. For a short while, I was looking to buy a used one in good condition. This Regal (Custom) sedan is in great condition for being about 25 years old. The lines weren't too bad, either. It had to have alloys. Skip the wheel covers and wire wheels. I guess it's weird to do this. I look around before I do this. This tells me it's either a '95 or '96. This set up is still cool, especially with a console. However, the Regal really nailed it and a lot of owners really liked the ravine dash that went up to '94. There was a lot going on stylistically in the earliest W-bodies. That's not an opinion as to whether it was good or bad.

Photo gallery - - - - - Here is a side view of the Skoda wagon in the Sicilian countryside This is the angled 3/4 view of the car and you can see the rear light treatment They layout and many things (IP, dash trim, shifter, and console) point to its belonging to the Volkswagen family of companies If I recall, this IP cluster looks a lot like that of the Jetta sold here. This simple cluster is a lot better than other more complicated ones The infotainment center pod is not a turn off like it is in some cars and it was fairly easy to use. I'm hoping to get under someone's skin with my choice of music, which was sort of deliberate for this photo! I couldn't use these USB ports, or didn't have the right attachments for them, so I used a charger with two USB ports that went into the lighter The box between the tach and speedometer will tell you which gear you are in. I counted 7. The build quality, as you can see, is good. (That's some beach sand and not dust.) Note the button where you can turn off the auto-start. You would expect the engine bay of a product under the VW umbrella to be neatly organized. I should mention that, to power up this engine, a turbocharger is involved. You can see that the engine block length is a little shy of that of a 4 cylinder. And you can see three chambers coming down into a manifold, so it's 3 cylinders at work. And this unit propels this vehicle well. This is the trunk of the wagon. The rear seat folds into the cabin in 60-40 mode, so you can enlarge your cargo space as needed The rear visibility was excellent. It inspired confidence. There's that final "opera window" in the back! Rear seat legroom is acceptable and you can see big climate control vents at the back of the console aimed at the rear of the cabin - - - - - End of photos

I seem to score better cars when renting overseas. I tend to reserve the smallest car they have with an automatic transmission. If I was in a rural area with just towns instead of cities, I could probably be satisfied with a manual transmission ... and save some money. So, once again, I rented a small car with an automatic. Once I got up to the counter, I asked what I'd be assigned. I was told that it would be a Skoda. I had heard of the brand but didn't know what its products looked like. It sounded Slavic. The car was in the lot and it seems the Italians have a host of other small(er) rental agencies in addition to the names we know in the U.S. and Canada. As I approached this Skoda Scala, it was apparent that the upgrade was substantial. It was a small station wagon and it was pleasing enough to look at ... and far from an econobox. The first thing you want to do in Europe is document and photograph anything that's askew with a rental car. I did that and then got inside. This car was nicely finished and, based on some features and finishes in the dash, it reminded me of some Volkswagen products. I eventually looked up Skoda and saw that it was part of the Volkswagen family, as is SEAT of Spain, but based in either the Czech Republic or Slovakia. The most telltale clue of a VW bloodline was the layout of the dash, including the metallic trim. The other major clue was a 7 speed DSG, a typical automatic transmission set-up seen in European cars with automatics, and VW products have ones with 7 gears. As I got into this Skoda and drove off, I could tell I was going to like it. You can tell right away when a car feels nicely weighted yet filters out road imperfections and noise. This one did that well and communicated it through the steering. I drove away from the airport and onto the autostrada, seeing that it accelerated well enough, that the engine has an acceptable sound and exhaust note, and that the automatic gearbox shifted peacefully. As for the engine, I eventually looked and saw that it was powered by a 3 cylinder engine. This is becoming more common over there, and it's not just for cracker box type cars. I once had a Citroen C3 CUV (or similar) with a 3 cylinder engine that was really up to the task. With 3 cylinders under one bank, it's easier the divide the 360 degrees equally and balance the firing to cancel out NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). This was an issue with older V6s, which had these sorts of issues, but have been remedied a long time ago by offsetting journals and such in the crankshaft. As such, this 3 cylinder was a smooth engine. Automatic transmissions have also come a long way in European cars. The lag or pause in between gears in older Smart cars and Opel Corsas was maddening and took away from the driving experience. Now, automatic shifts are very smooth from 1-2 and 2-3 and then almost imperceptible past that, unless one is getting into the throttle. Everything inside that car is nicely put together. The dashboard is sensible and more appealing than in an econobox. It would comparable to that of a midsize or full size American car. The seats were comfortable, and leg room was sufficient in both the front and the back. The controls were mostly intuitive. The trunk space in the back was enough and it had a retractable cover to hide things from view. The rear seat could also be pushed forward to increase carrying capacity, which is the norm for today's wagons. The Skoda was nimble enough to go through narrow country roads and small towns with the driver always knowing what it was doing, while keeping its smooth ride. But the car really shone on the highway - the autostrada - when I realized I was going 115 km (70 mph), which was about the legal limit, and feeling the supple and controlled ride, the on center steering feel, and negligible wind noise. I remember thinking that this is how a larger car rides. The fuel economy in mixed driving was in the mid 30 mpg range, when converted. It used the lowest grade of what they call "verde" (green) unleaded. The best things about this car were its controlled ride and communicative steering without putting through road imperfections, a comfortable cabin, and the sense that the build quality was good. Finally, when many cars have reduced visibility toward the rear, it's alive and well in this car, thanks to pillar designs that make sense. The visibility is among the best of newer cars I've been in overseas. The styling has some of the boxier and wedge shaped lines seen in VW products here at a time when some European cars are getting a little larger and more rounded, like the Citroen C3. This gives the Skoda Scala a more austere look, but VW seems to think that "less is more," whereas Citroen, Renault, and some other makers are injecting more curves and gimmicks into their cars, giving them quite a bit more personality than they have had in the past. It's hard to fault the Skoda Scala. There are now more vehicles in the same niche in Europe and other foreign countries. You might have to comparison shop it against a few other similar vehicles to decide which one you like and suits you, your needs, and even your personality. - - - - - Photos forthcoming

My REAL random thought for this beautiful summer day: Why is it that so many receptionists and medical assistants at general practitioner type (internal and family medicine) medical offices are b!+chy? WTF is that all about? They fling open the glass sliding window ... if there is one. They're rude if you just want to check in and sit down for a routine visit. I know that many of the patients might be sick, achy, and a little crotchety. They've relayed lab orders and scrips incorrectly, and you have to call them back to have something changed or added, to which they seem really disgruntled. And, if you rarely go in and want a certain bloodwork lab test included, you might get, "Is it time for that one?!?!?" (It is, or I wouldn't be asking for it.) They're even rude at medical practices in nice neighborhoods. And some of the medical assistants could qualify to be on Jerry Springer and look like the type who would be huddled outside the front of some office building with kindred souls on break, with all of them looking world weary, smoking their cigarettes. WTF, right?