I have been grabbing a bunch of movies off of the TCM channel lately. Just browsing, and having my Tivo record them. Some absolute gems (Casablanca in HD is better than my DVD copy), and – to put it bluntly – turds.
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Mailing lists
As I consider a move from G-Suite to a less spying laden provider, I am cleaning up my massive pile of email (a lot less of a mess than my significant other, I might add) I stumble across a lot of messages from mailing lists I have subscribed to over the last 15 – 20 years.
As an example, in 2008, I was considering buying a Mini, and during my research, I signed up for updates. I never did buy it, instead buying a far superior Honda S2000, but the emails kept a comin’ (I signed up for it so long ago, it was still an @mac.com address!)
So, when these come in, I am now going through the unsubscribe process.
Mini, GlassDoor, Seeking Alpha, and many many more were unsubbed. And the process continues. I did whittle my total email count from ~16k messages to less than 7,000 emails. By deleting rafts of messages that are not interesting. It was truly astounding how many of the daily NY Times headline emails I had in my archive (answer: Almost 1,000 that I hadn’t deleted.)
Pope Moysuh -
Back on the road…
The RC Car saga continues…
Thursday afternoon, I received the steering posts I ordered, two days early! Woot! So, I found a little time to get the front end of my buggy back together. After installing the servo arm upside down (d’oh!) I got it sorted out, I got out yesterday afternoon for some driving on the street near my house.
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Email Migration – baby steps
I have mused lately that it is time to move away from my G-Suite account(s). I have several of them, most are the old, no longer offered “basic” accounts (for a period of time, Google offered 8Gig accounts with 2 users, and totally free. These are no longer offered, but I had three grandfathered), and the real account that houses my personal email (my wife and I are the two users).
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RC Cars – stripped screw redux
Well, I think I figured out why I stripped that fucking button head screw.
To facilitate the repair, I removed the steering post. It appears that instead of using thread locker (aka Locktite), the builder used cyanoacrylate adhesive. For the uninitiated that is super glue.
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Hobbies – boy, is this fun …
… and expensive.
I knew what I was getting in to, and I don’t regret it. Alas, it is going to add up both short term and long term.
After my first weekend of running my new Losi 8ight 4wd 1/8th scale buggy, I wanted to clean the grass clippings I got into the components. I also wanted to partially disassemble the front end, so that:
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The high cost of illness
Recently, I spent a week in Barcelona at a trade show, where I worked the booth all day, pretty much every day. I must have had detailed discussions with literally hundreds of people.
No surprise that as I was leaving, I began to suffer from the initial effects of an impending cold.
By Monday I was sick. Sore throat, congestion, coughing.
Not long after I got the galloping cruds, my wife also came down with the sickness.
But this isn’t a post about the cold process, but instead the cost of the OTC remedies.
My early cold consumed most of what we had on hand, so I needed to go and restock.
On the shopping list:
- Nyquil – srsly, nothing is better to help you get to sleep if you have a hacking cough. The generics just don’t cut it…
- Mucinex DM – Again, there is no real substitute. Most of the other meds mix shit-loads of Acetaminophen (Tylenol). Not good, as it is pretty damn easy to get to doses that are hazardous to your liver…
- Day/Night Caplets. Here it is fine to use the generics. TopCare, the Raley’s white label works well, and saves a few bucks.
- Orange Juice – not sure that massive doses of Vitamin C help, but it feels good.
- Cough drops. Cheapies work well, as long as there is some menthol in them.
Total cost: $71.00
Hoooooollllleeeeeee sheeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiitttttt
That is a lotta bread for OTC remedies.
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Money Pit
One of the attributes of a good hobby is that it costs money. Sure, you are going to spend money to get started. That is easy to see and to account for. And to do your hobby, there will be some ongoing costs. Whether it is greens fees if you are a golfer, or gasoline if you are a motorcyclist, or tires and gear if you bicycle.
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RC Drivin’
If you have been following along with the saga, you are aware that I had a splurge purchase, a Losi 8ight E RTR remote controlled car. Technically, it is a buggy, 4 wheel drive, 1/8th scale.
Alas, it arrived the day that I headed to Barcelona on a business trip, and when I returned, it became apparent that I also needed a IC3 to IC5 converter cable. I took that opportunity to also get some better tools (using Allen wrenches was not an option…)
This weekend, I got it charged up, and ran a couple of charges through the car in the street near my house.
Wow. It is fast. I learnt quickly to not grab a fistful of throttle. It gets up and GOES. I did take it easy at first, and played with settings. The steering trim is very touchy. Possibly this is due to the bargain transmitter.
I got pretty good at going, and using the brake. Apparently, if you “push” the trigger once, that applies the brake. Push it a second time, and it goes in reverse. I got pretty good at doing the “Rockford”. That is going in reverse, slamming on the brake, and pivoting. Known as the “J” Turn.
I only flipped it over 2 times, in nearly 2 hours of running. Not too bad.
There are some scuff marks, the beginning of a patina of speed. No broken parts, but, I do need to buy some tire glue, as the high G turns, and some high acceleration runs did peel off the glue on the inside lip of the front tires.
It is fun. Lots of fun. I have a lot to learn, and a lot of skills to build, but so far, it brings a pretty monstrous smile to the face.
I do think I will need a second car, a true basher. Looking hard at the Arrma Outcast.
