I am amazed that Don Shipley's channel on You Tube was recently terminated. I spent a lot of study time in grad school studying the future of digital censorship. To me, the termination is crazy. The show was entertaining as well as exposing -- Don has been quite respectful and equally quick to prove fraudulent actions. I can only imagine who has the power to terminate his channel.
Don Shipley - Wikipedia
A recent posting on a new/different channel https://youtu.be/m80VN0Vt69Y
We rented a car to rip around SoCal this weekend. With 460 HP and a 10 speed paddle-shifter, the Mustang GT was definitely a good car to rip around the desert. I am glad I didn't get stopped for speeding. We did pick up some bugs (I am told they were butterflies) and we did have to go through border control checkpoints a couple of times though. We went to Anzo-Borrego and the Salton Sea which is a post-apocalyptic desert community. The sea (lake) has become so polluted and depleted. The fish can no longer live there. It was pretty interesting. The palm trees are dying, and the housing has disappeared or has become rundown. Since we were already in the groove for alt- post apocalypse scenes we also went to visit Slab City.
I saw this truck but actually Rorschach test. I had to look at it awhile to realize it was a dent not a Flamenco Dancer.
I am moving into a new office for work this week. My commute was about 2 miles. Now it is yards. This is the view from my new 5th floor office window. You can see my apartment. I have an envious commute for SoCal -- understatement. Lots of folks drive (or ride) 2 hours each way a day. I am very lucky. Concentrate on your fortunes, not your misfortunes. We all have both. Our new offices are "temporary" for two years as they build more on the main campus.
My flying club (I am part owner) just bought another plane, a piper warrior. That makes 4 planes total at Aeroventures. A 152, (2) 172Ns and the Warrior. All hangered. N733XE gets a new Penn Yan Engine this week. I wish I was there to help with the engine. I haven't been flying much at all. However, there are opportunities at John Wayne airport (SNA). I live about a mile away. There is a flight school with several decathlons.
One of the things I find interesting in SoCal is the workman waiting outside Home Depot to help you with your projects. They flag you down and wave to you as you leave. I have not seen this behavior any other HD I have been too. And I have been to many in many different states. Illegal immigrants are a significant component to the economy in SoCal. It is expensive here. You have to find desperate people to work at low (affordable) wages. The politicians will pull at heart strings through words like justice, fairness, compassion, but only to get the economic boost for their constituents.
I had a fast trip to Atlanta, factually. The "My flight" information on the airplane showed a ground speed at high as 657 mph. A tail wind of over 150 mph certainly helps. It was a little over 3 hours from Orange County California to Atlanta. Things slow down when you get close for the class B airspace. Yes, there are speed limits, 250 knots for class B.
One of my mentors had a simple message recently. Many of my mentors (and perhaps yours) have practiced a similar approach and it had impact.
Today, (maybe only today) be nice to one another.
If I haven't mentioned it, I am working for Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine California. Its a fantastic company and a great place to work. AGCO decided to outsource my global team. I am (and was) dead set against it. It made no realistic business sense. I have moved on. I have been doing some consulting as well.
They say you pay for the beautiful weather in Southern California. You pay straight up with dollars for housing, gas and other things.
But on the other side of the deal the weather is so nice (even compared to Florida in the Winter) you forget it is Winter and there are blizzards raging in familiar places. It really is that nice.
I bought another Nissan Leaf. We have Fish East and Fish West. This is a picture of Fish West while I was parked scoping out another place to charge it up. My work provides free fast changing stations. The battery isn't that good on Fish West. So I am trying to figure out a cheap way for replacement. Maybe there isn't one.
This particular Blog post from Seth has been haunting me. Not because of the politics of the day and intermediates (media) being the real candidates, but because this can be put to use in other ways and can be modeled in math. We are being played. The more you think you are not being played, the more likely you are being deeply played.
https://seths.blog/2018/11/who-cares-2/"
Who cares?
On almost every issue that divides the electorate (in the US and abroad), the group that gets out the vote will win.
In most elections, the more some candidates spend, the more disillusioned the electorate becomes. The goal is to keep the opponent’s supporters from caring enough to vote.
These are not unrelated facts.
We’re being played, manipulated and pushed around. It’s important to not fall for it.
Here’s the simple math:
If you’re tempted to not vote because of the vitriol or the imperfect nature of the choices, then you’re supporting a downward cycle, in which the candidate who best suppresses voter turnout of the opponent’s backers wins.
On the other hand, if you always vote for the least-bad option, then a forward cycle will kick in, in which candidates (and their consultants and backers, who are also causing this problem) will realize that always being a little less bad than the other guy is a winning strategy. Which leads to a virtuous cycle in the right direction.
Don’t get tricked. Show up.
California has some surprises for me. 1.) The driving style is very compatible with mine, fast, no stops, no waiting at lights. 2.) People are very friendly and treat each other as individuals. 3.) Some things are not as expensive as you may think. (Fresh food, Cars, Hotels, Car rentals).
Here are some pics from walking around the apartment complex.
