Posts

Showing posts from January 11, 2009

Commercial Items Identified on my Commute

Image
I see a lot of interesting commercialitems on truck on I-75. When you make the commute many times you start to see the same items over and over again. Sometimes it is huge equipment tires, sometimes heavy equipment of different types. I see these huge blocks of aluminum going North. I think about what the mill must look like and where it is going. And how much aluminum foil a block like this will make. Using the Tesla Full Self-Driving (supervised) allows me to look for these things on the highway. The FSD also helps me through the crazy stop and goes. Easily over 70MPH and then sudden traffic at dead stops, frequently. I see accidents every trip. It is amazing there aren't more. A side note- aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side. The reason why is that the foil is folded as it goes through massive rollers. The shiny side is the side that faces the steel roller. The dull side faces itself - aluminum.
Image
I need to do something different with this blog. I have been thinking about it for quite a while. This is my 836th post over the course of 8 or so years. I originally started blogging because it was new technology and a new way to communicate. It was novel. Now it is mature. I was impressed by the USAIR flight that ditched into the Hudson river the other day. Everybody was unhurt. Wow!! I understand that the aircraft has a "Ditch Switch" that is thrown to seal through-hulls and helps it float a lot longer. That must have helped. The event was definitely impressive in a lot of different ways. I am surprise the engines didn't rip the craft apart when they hit the water. I wonder what the angle of attack was like when it first contacted the water? My flight instructor and I have discussed the philosophical aspects of what our reactions will be in absolute emergency situation like that one. You never really know until it actually happens. A big part of flight training is le...
Image
I am Chicago for a few days. I haven't had to put a winter coat on for a few days because my commute is walking through a a maze of carpeted corridors and fancy lobbies. It is a pretty good time to be inside with some nasty storms and cold weather. I have had a few really good deep and long laughs with my co-working friends. It is hard to believe that Bonnie and I have been separated for almost a year. I looks like we are going to move my Mom to Florida. It is a challenge on that front.