Lincvolt Project update from 1/9/2009

This is an update on Neil Young's continuing Lincvolt project, which I believe has been ongoing for a number of years now...you can get a better idea of it in the vid below.

It's also worth checking out some of the related videos on this project.

Lincvolt in action

The Lincvolt Project explained

The following is the first of a series of three You Tube videos about Neil Young's Lincvolt Project, filmed a few months back in September of 2008. It looks like he's taking time between dates in an ongoing tour to work on this.

It's a little bit exhaustive, but should serve as a good foundation to figuring out some of the mechanics of what the project involves. Auto techies should especially take note...this sounds like innovative stuff!

An Introduction to Neil Young's Lincvolt Project

The following is a clip of Neil Young on the David Letterman Show talking about, among other things, mainly his project of taking a 1959 Lincoln Continental and converting it from a 10 MPG gas guzzling beast into a hybrid that runs efficient enough to get over 100 MPG.

It's a combination of using a new and experimental generator and blending of alternative fuels...really interesting stuff...we'll be keeping an eye on the progress of this! See below.

Ahhh, it's called the PENNY FARTHING!

If you read the last post, I thought I was dealing with what was referred to as a grandfather bike.

Apparently they're officially called "penny farthings."

Mystery solved...as penny farthings are all over the internet.

There's a few current makers online who manufacture replicas of the bike, which had its heyday in the 1880s, it appears. You can get one for between $1-3K. Not cheap! The models are backed up with parts too, which is nice.

Apparently they're really hard to ride, and really bumpy. New riders spend much of their initial time not even riding the bike, but learning to mount it -- which is performed only with a running start, and some balance on a peg that's attached to the frame.

How about that? As if we needed to manufacture more situations to make us vulnerable to injury...why not try to mount a penny farthing?

That's what she said...kidding! Nevertheless, you'll probably die trying...literally.

One question remains. What's up with the weird design? Who invented this thing?

Maybe they thought of mounting horses and the wagon wheel, and took it from there...just a guess. I'm sure wikipedia might lend something to that, but I haven't looked yet.

I can see myself getting one of these. If I do, I'll have to bring out the top hat, put on the three piece suit with my pocket watch, and grow out a handlebar mustache.

Right? Uh, yeah...let's have a seance and contact Timothy Leary while we're at it.

The P-cubed Corner -- Grandfather bikes are NOWHERE to be found!

First off, allow me to explain this...and no, I'm not in the middle of some opium-induced binge.

I've always been fascinated with the City Beautiful movement, which canvassed the period from the early 1890s (specifically the Chicago World's Fair) up to America's entry into World War I.

Blame part of it on my career as a city planner, although I found out more about its significance doing reading on my own than what was presented to me in college...or maybe I missed that day of class from drinking a keg of beer.

This was a period of time when the auto hadn't quite taken hold yet, and our nation was making great advances in train, early light rail, and street car technology. In terms of transportation policy in the States, it was a fork in the road, so to speak.

Ideas and invention flourished. We were still riding the momentum of the course Lincoln had set for us in the 1860s. The telephone had just been invented, and use of electricity was growing.

Style and dress wise, the period is also an assault on the senses. Images of three-piece suits, top hats, handlebar mustaches, and those funny-looking muscle guys in striped exercise outfits with those big round dumbells come to mind. The only recent pop culture reference I can think of to the dress of this period is perhaps a photo shoot on the back of a mid-90s (that is, 1990s) CD by the band Phish (of course, why not?).

It was also the era of the grandfather bicycle...however an online Google search revealed ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on this antique form of transportation. I found nothing on wikipedia either.

I'm totally fascinated by this, which makes the search for a grandfather bike even more intriguing. This item is totally turning out to be an enigma of sorts...but nothing online about it? Nothing?

Let me know if any of you find out or know of any resources available out there.

Don't refrigerate Nutella!

Yes, that's what I said.

While I'd heard of it before, I didn't try it until I was in Italy a couple years back, when all the b&b's had it. As a breakfast or snack condiment, I'll start out by saying that NUTELLA F'N ROCKS! It's really, really tasty stuff.

For many of you chocolate lovers out there, you'll probably do back flips after tasting it for the first time. However, despite it's tasty flavor, it's a bit tempermental when it comes to storage.

It's one of the misconceptions of our time. If you put Nutella in the fridge, it will harden. Many American folks will probably run into this issue because:

• They're new to Nutella. It's more commonly used in Europe.
• Assuming they know to buy it (it's very tasty); if they do use it, they get it in the large quantity double pack at Costco.
• The first instinct, once one uses it, is to think of it as something like a jam; thus, refrigeration must be required.
• What's even more frustrating is that even when you don't refrigerate it, you pretty much need to use it rather quickly; otherwise it will slowly start to harden and crust up on you...and the lid will get this greasy consistency on it, which is probably from evaporation of the liquid inside, I guess?
  

So here's what to expect when you take Nutella out of the fridge, and procedures in how to deal with it.

1. When you take Nutella out after it's been in the fridge, it's hard. Really hard.
   
2. Put the spoon away, as you're gonna need a knife. A strong butter knife is preferred.
3. It will be like mining for limestone. You'll have to saw around the sides of the desired piece before trying to extract it.
4. It may fly out at you. When I dealt with the extraction part of the process, the Nutella wanted to launch itself into orbit.
5. Once you manage to get it on your bread, don't bother trying to spread it. You'll destroy whatever you just put it on...you now need your handy microwave.
6. Throw your specimen into the microwave for 30 seconds...don't go beyond that or you might risk "overcooking" the Nutella. You're just trying to soften it.
7. Hence, bubbling Nutella from microwave = bad. Softened Nutella from microwave = good.
8. NOW spread it with the knife.
9. Put the lid back on and secure it tightly.
   
10. Uh, maybe place the Nutella back in the cupboard this time.
11. Thank yourself...and thank you!!!
    

So there you are...have a Nutella of a day. Good night, and good luck.

The P-patch hits the century mark to end 2008!

I really didn't plan it this way.

I logged on tonight to post for the last time in 2008, and saw that it was to be my 100th post. Interesting... It's especially interesting that all those landmarks are converging, as the intention of my post involves the question of "why?"

I'm asking myself this as I write this...why?

Why do I blog? Why do I risk putting unfiltered thoughts and other stuff out there in cyberspace, some of which pisses folks off, some of who I know? Why do I post all this crap? ...and most of all, through it all, why does it appear that I bring to this a take-all-prisoners approach?

Before I try to answer that question, I want to explore the definition of something...I want to define what I see as a PERSONAL ATTACK in my blogs.

To frame this question, let's review the landscape. I post to four (4) blogs: The Rant from Boulder, this one (the oldest of the 3 that I manage -- started political, turned somewhat environmental), The Different Stages Music Project (music stuff, gets the most readership of my 3 by a long shot), and The Joyful Left (my youngest puppy, my political dumping ground).

To begin with, most of what might be construed as an "attack" tends to only occur on The P-patch (this blog) and The Left...and as far as I can tell, all of my intentional personal attacks have been politically-based and aimed at public officials, such as Dubya and his junkyard dogs Cheney and Rove.

Oops, another personal attack. Wanna know how I really feel?

Here's a bit on how I feel. The way I see it, it's only a personal attack if I refer to someone by name. That being said, I have been known to post rants, including some recently, that have been interpreted as personal attacks. That's fine; I can't control how my material is interpreted. However, unless I referred to someone BY NAME (that is, USED THEIR ACTUAL NAME IN THE POST), then I'm confused as to how it can construed as a personal attack.

Help me understand this. Factually speaking; if I go on a rant in a post, and it involves a person who I leave vague by leaving out their name, then it could theoretically refer to anyone. Am I wrong?

Everyone carries baggage around, and I'm certainly no exception. Blogging is my brain dump and my therapy...it's a way that I have found that works very, very nicely for my "putting it out there" so that I can be set free of the frustrations in life. Rather than carrying it around town, I can harbor it all in a blog in cyberspace.

That might be something to think about next time you read one of my posts and feel like a rant or complaint I have is aimed at you...that is, even if you're not referred to by name and only interpreting the post as such...because, it really may not be aimed at you. It could be meant to be about someone else.

Understand that this is how I cope...this is like my journal of sorts, and to couch it differently than I intend, water it down, or simply not leave it out there would be doing everyone -- including my readers and myself -- a complete disservice. I MUST be honest about my feelings in my blogs, or it fails to serve the fundamental purpose for which it was intended.

I hope that adds some perspective. I walk around with good intentions, and try to believe that most others walking around out there also have good intentions.

I still love all of you...a happy and prosperous 2009 to everyone! Now let's go grab a beer before the New Year hits and we can't get a table at the local pub!

Holiday pet peeves

Happy Holidays, everyone...I hope all is going well with ze peeps out there.

The holidays are going well in the Sweva camp too...with plenty of family time. For some of us, the extensive family time during the holidays can be both a pleasure and a loathe all at once.

That being said, I'd like to make a list of a few pet peeves involving family over the holidays...some of these are from direct experience over the years, while others are merely observations.

As usual, nobody is spared the wandering crosshairs of the Swevablogrifle. There is no escape...so if you're offended, deal with it or talk to your therapist about it.

1. Not pretending to be surprised when opening a gift...or at least taking interest and expressing thanks when you open a gift that you knew you were going to receive, through no fault or negligence on the part of the gift giver.
   
2. Getting showered and dressed for wintry conditions to go out somewhere...then someone changes their mind about something (therefore throwing off your schedule for the day) and you don't end up going out after all.
   
3. Excessive complaints about crappy weather. Everyone knows the weather is crappy out. We don't need to be reminded of it...and we certainly don't need to be reminded of it excessively for five minutes.
   
4. Forcing family to watch crappy Clint Eastwood movies...like Every Which Way but Lose, and THEN Any Which Way You Can after they protested the first movie...that is, AFTER you watched it on your computer that same morning in front of them and laughed at all the funny scenes when they couldn't see what you were laughing at...but the scenes probably weren't going to be that funny to anyone but you anyway.
   
5. Hogging the laptop computer to watch crappy movies and blog about pet peeves...when someone else needs to use it for more meaningful reasons.
6. Intentionally harassing someone and making them lose their appetite. For example, talking about how bloody hot dogs can be as someone (who doesn't often eat meat) takes them out of the refrigerator to cook them...so then they're grossed out and forced to eat only tomato soup.
7. Family members who listen to the rock band Rush...and then complain about the singers of rock bands other family members listen to.
   
8. Lack of appreciation for driving in perilous wintry conditions. Now we're getting serious! If, through conversation, outright complaint, pale-faced fear venting, or otherwise; family mentions braving unpleasant and dangerous driving conditions to see you -- citing specific examples in which they were in peril -- it might be a good idea to take some semblance of interest in their dangerous journey or express some degree of sympathy...or at least make an effort to pretend. ...and who knows...it might help family want to make the effort to actually see you again the following year...just a hunch.
   
9. The original details posted regarding this one were too hardcore to leave in this post...so it got transferred to somewhere else. Let's just say it gets the grand prize, as it exceeds the arena of rude and taboo, and ventures into the ridiculously moronic. It's not as if a person doesn't know that they're overweight to begin with...so they certainly don't need to be reminded as such in front of the family as certain gifts are unwrapped. I find it rather shocking that some human beings don't understand how they come across to others.
   
10. Oh, here's one more that piped up from across the room. A man declaring that he wants hot dogs for lunch, and offers to make some for the family, but then sits down to write a pet peeves list.
    

So there it is, our friendly list of holiday pet peeves...feel free to submit comments to add any of your own pet peeves to the list.

Fun with Zoe

I swear, I'm not usually an Entertainment Weekly reader, but for some reason it keeps appearing next to the hopper...so here I am, plagiarizing the latest from Adam Markovitz.

I couldn't help but get a kick, and a little head scratching, out of this that I saw: the latest catchphrases from The Rachel Zoe Project...and FYI, I don't know anything about the show, I've never watched the show, and don't necessarily plan to anytime soon either.

"I die."
Translation: "I cannot go on living without this gown/bangle/patchwork for poncho."
Catchy? Yes, and so true. Who says fashion isn't a matter of life and death? A-

"You look bananas."
Translation: "Even a monkey could see how hot that is."
Catchy? This goofy gush would've been perfect...if 'Hollaback Girl' Gwen Stefani hadn't claimed it first. F

"Hero dress."
Translation: "This is the one that will save the day."
Catchy? Cute, but everyday use ("That egg salad is totally my hero sandwich?") is tricky. C+

"Witch vibe."
Translation: "I have a good feeling about this."
Catchy? We're definitely getting a witch vibe off this one. Oh look! We're already using it! B+

"You are shutting down."
Translation: "The intensity of your fabulousness is causing my nervous system to fail."
Catchy? Honestly? This one is just plain bananas. We die. A+

I didn't do it! I swear, I'm not into trends!

Now, be off with yourself, I'm off to the mall... to "be seen," baby!