A Joke that Fell Flat

by | Nov 20, 2021 | Beer, Food & Drink, Markets, Nuclear, Technology | 206 comments

i made a joke about the Dodge Challenger last week that didn’t quite work out in practice as it did in my head.  It happens.

This is my review of Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout:

Ultimately what prompted it was rumors swirling around various corners of the internet geared towards personal finance/investment  that wound up being confirmed earlier this week.  The 2022 Motor Trend Car of the Year is…the Lucid Air?

Now the tech in the car is actually pretty cool, using a unique motor winding design to squeeze out more torque in a motor sized similar to the Tesla Model3.  The former electrician in me sees that statement and says, “bullshit” but let’s go along with it.  Would I actually buy this thing?  No, even if I would technically be supporting local industry (Made in AZ) I can only confirm they made exactly six of these, so finding one will be quite the trick.  Plus it looks like something a Cylon would drive because it IS a Cylon.

Another one making the rounds is Fisker.  Unlike others in this field Heinrich Fisker is an actual car guy, famous for designing for firms like Aston Martin and BMW.  His problem is that he has a ton of ideas and many are vaporware for various reasons.  The SUV they are marketing, the Ocean, looks like a 1999 Saturn Vue and priced for middle class soccer moms.  Would I buy one?  Not that one, but this one looks cool.

Finally, there is the Rivian R1T.  At first glance I’m surprised an established company didn’t just buy the powertrain and call it their own.  This is a pickup truck sized somewhere in between a mid and full sized truck.  They do have an SUV version on the same powertrain, and it actually does have a bit of utility (here’s one being tested in Moab, UT).  Would I buy this one?  Possibly.  The front end looks a bit odd, but being that its a truck they can probably store some more batteries in the forward trunk to get even more range since the space in a pickup truck is supposed to be that large area in the back.

I suppose the truly lamentable part of all of this is the idea of simply filling up and going wherever the road takes you is a romantic idea buried in American culture.  Much of this was only possible through liquid fuels.  While there may still be an issue with range and grid capacity, slightly level-headed people are beginning to notice the laws of thermodynamics.  Which means the limiting factor is where they put the charger, and for many that is yet another little bit of freedom lost.

Either that or these kid better get off my lawn.

 

Ever crack open a beer thinking you would enjoy it but was utterly disappointed?  I couldn’t get into this.  I kept tasting something that didn’t quite fit.  What was I tasting?  Beef jerky.

Seriously.  I even went back to the kitchen and bit down on a wedge of lime to cleanse my palate, because as a Mexican I always have limes on hand.  Nope, even after that I still tasted beef jerky, but at least it tasted like the good kind you can buy off some dude selling it along the highway and not the prepackaged kind that is like chewing on old boot leather Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout: 2/5

About The Author

mexican sharpshooter

mexican sharpshooter

WARNING: Glibertarians.com contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. https://youtu.be/qiAyX9q4GIQ?t=2m22s

206 Comments

  1. Sensei

    Edmunds has one of the more non manufacturer controlled reviews of the Rivian.

    https://youtu.be/CqR-a2nqXdg

    I’m really intrigued, but service would seriously concern me. Second, do not underestimate how bad third party charging is outside CA. If you aren’t road-tripping this isn’t as big a deal for 9 out of 10 drives. But when you need it you need it. Or it becomes a second car like my Model 3.

    • Nephilium

      No love for the Lordstown Motors vaporware car/truck/vehicle?

      • mexican sharpshooter

        I totally forgot awful they made that look.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      Cool truck, but no fucking way am I paying $75k for it.

      Also, I’m adamantly against mostly/fully touchscreen user controls. The single biggest thing I hate in both my current cars is the inability to adjust climate/audio/whatever while driving. Steering wheel buttons help, but only so much.

      • Sensei

        That ship has sailed on anything remotely high end, ICE or EV. I hate it too.

      • Sensei

        Also if Ford delivers its electric F150 at street prices of $50k, lookout.

      • R.J.

        I think that new electric Ford will drown in a sea of cheap Mavericks within a year of launch. If not I owe you a drink should we ever meet.

  2. The Late P Brooks

    You want me to go back and find it myself?

    If I wanted to enact my own labor I wouldn’t have all these orfinks underfoot.

  3. CPRM

    (here’s one being tested in Moab, UT)

    That sounds loud for an EV. And yes, the fueling thing is something these idiots forget. Last year Jeep announced they planned to go all EV soon. The whole point of a Jeep is to be able to go off grid, morons.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      It’s probably echoing off the canyon walls.

    • Suthenboy

      That reminds me of my flashlight bitch session yesterday. A flashlight with a non-removable rechargeable battery?
      What is the main use of a flashlight? To light the way when the electricity is out, you dunces.

      Engineering…solves problems… or creates them?

      EVs…dumbest idea since the square wheel.

  4. Scruffy Nerfherder

    There’s some interesting tech out there for solid state hydrogen capture in a metal hydride. It would be used for fuel cell vehicles.

    It’s the first “green” tech I’ve seen that actually shows some promise because of the energy density, stability, and the ability to refuel by swapping cartridges.

    Still doesn’t get around the rare earth problem as the fuel cells require quite a bit.

    • CPRM

      If they’re serious about going ‘green’ I don’t get why Hydrogen combustion got dropped.

      • Spudalicious

        Obama. GM was six months from a hydrogen car when Obama bailed them out, with the caveat they abandoned hydrogen and focused on EV.

    • Sensei

      Why not just the hydrogen fuel cell like the Toyota Mirai?

      Takes just a minute or so to fuel. Of course high pressure hydrogen gas…

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Of course high pressure hydrogen gas…

        That’s why. The fuel cell tech is pretty well understood. Storing hydrogen in a metal hydride solid state is novel and gets rid of the explosive factor.

        A decent overview if you can ignore the millenial explaining style.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7CCq4oBgw4

  5. Q Continuum

    EVs are stupid unless and until the vast majority of power is nuclear. They’re probably still stupid after that.

    • CPRM

      +1 Mr. Fusion

    • Drake

      Yes.

    • R C Dean

      EVs have a solid use case for most people for 90% of their driving. It’s the road trips they trip on, so you would need either another ICE car, or rent one.

    • Suthenboy

      Q: “EVs are stupid unless and until the vast majority of power is nuclear.”

      Maybe. At least you get around losing more than half of your energy to changing form a half-dozen times.

      That is not the real problem. The real problem from the watermelon’s point of view is that cheap energy and wealth in general gives individuals options. It unshackles one from the onerous struggle to stay alive. It releases one from dependence on others. That is something that power mongers cannot tolerate.
      Notice that every plank in their platform takes away your liberty in some way or other. It destroys your ability to create wealth, to accumulate wealth, to move about as you see fit, to make choices about y our own healthcare or even what you eat, to decide what your children are taught, your ability to defend yourself….and so on and on. The lasted attack is on the entire supply chain for individuals and industries.
      The platform is tailored to erase individualism. Obama even publicly mocked the idea of individualism.
      What a creep Mr. Undermyplanenergypriceswouldnecessarilyskyrocket is.
      Ending our ability to access the cheapest and most readily available energy source in history is just another plank in the ‘Fuck You, now go waste away and die’ platform.

      • R.J.

        ^This. And I agree that this is totally intentional.

  6. Tundra

    Well, I thought it was funny.

    I too found that beer underwhelming.

    I just can’t fathom owning an EV. I like the fact that I can gas up, drive more than 600 miles, stop for gas and be back on the road in 10 minutes.

    The Fiskar is really pretty, though.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      If I move to the Azores, I’ll get an EV and a bunch of solar panels on my house. Otherwise, forget it.

      • KSuellington

        Why the Azores and not mainland Portugal?

      • mexican sharpshooter

        You know why, have you seen the women there?

      • KSuellington

        I hadn’t heard. Never been there but definitely on my list and Portugal is high on my list of places to move to in retirement. I don’t think I could handle living full time on an island (even one with plenty of hot women to admire).

    • Nephilium

      If I had the garage space (and disposable income) I wouldn’t mind one for running errands around town, while keeping a traditional car around for commutes and long drives.

    • Sensei

      This Fiskar interior is incredibly cramped because of the design choice.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      Full EV doesn’t make much sense to me. OTOH, our minivan makes 30+ MPG not counting the 30+ miles pure electric we get per charge. IMO, for daily drivers, plug-in hybrid is the sweet spot. We can go weeks without burning a drop of gas, and it wasn’t in any way a handicap on our 2500 mile road trip last month.

      • R.J.

        Absolutely correct. That is why I think the new Ford Maverick is going to be a sales win. Electric for short trips, excellent mileage for long trips. This all electric stuff is for the birds.

      • C. Anacreon

        When I was in college in the late 70s, I had a 1974 Maverick Grabber which I was frequently ribbed about, not all of it undeserved. But no one joked about the 351 Cleveland engine under its hood. A hybrid will be like a “Mustang II” by comparison.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Depends on the characteristics of the electric motor(s). If they have sufficient low end torque, it’ll be fine. If not, then it’ll be a big whiff.

  7. commodious spittoon

    The blackest pill is realizing how fucking dumb our adversaries are, and yet they win.

    • commodious spittoon

      The white pill is realizing that’s always been the case, and yet we’re still here.

      And also, if your idiot adversaries always get one over on you, maybe you’re the idiot.

      • Chafed

        It’s true. See cops and most criminals.

      • Ted S.

        Sometimes it’s just too difficult to overcome sheer numbers.

      • Gender Traitor

        Could someone please point me to a handy chart explaining the color coding of all the pills? I haz a confuse. ?

      • UnCivilServant

        Black Pill is falling into nihilistic despair.

        White pill is things are not really as shit as people make them out to be.

        Red is realizing the institutions are lying to you.

        Blue is embracing the propaganda.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        I think black pill is a bit less dire than that. More like “the decline is only getting started”.

      • Gender Traitor

        Thank you! Now I don’t have to ask Alice.

  8. Not Adahn

    How sad, usually Sam Smith puts out a good brew.

    • Chafed

      Me too. I have enjoyed their Ale and porter. Maybe MS used the wrong palate cleanser. Kidney pie seems more apropos.

      • mexican sharpshooter

        I should have gone full English? Okay, I’ll have to find some blood pudding somewhere.

      • Chafed

        Now that’s taking one for the team.

      • KSuellington

        Mmm blood sausage is damn tasty.

    • C. Anacreon

      Part of the overall experience of going to Grateful Dead concerts back in the day was the big parking lot vending scene, often referred to as “Shakedown Street”, after the GD song of the same name. Here you could find food, clothing, pipes, knickknacks, etc. The food was often surprisingly good, such as the legendary “kind veggie burritos”, or you might want a large balloon filled with nitrous oxide instead. Mostly it was a fun bazaar with people strolling between the stands in the afterglow of the concert.

      In the 1990s, before craft brews were yet to be widespread, a popular beer vended became the big Samuel Smith bottles, they were tasty, and lasted longer than the typical 12 ounce cans of domestic you could also find. “Ice cold Sammy Smiths” was the seller’s refrain you’d hear.

      This led me to have a soft spot for Samuel Smith, especially the Nut Brown Ale. So much so that I was delighted in 1994 to find the official Samuel Smith pub in downtown London, where I nicked a large glass ashtray with the Samuel Smith logo. I still have it somewhere.

      I’m guessing Samuel Smith got surpassed by the craft brew revolution, but I still have fond memories of when they were king of the concert parking lot.

      • Nephilium

        Around Christmas time, Samuel Smith does put out a mix pack that comes with a pint glass. I know the Trader Joe’s around here carries them, and since I believe Samuel Smith wasn’t effected by the Shelton Brothers meltdown (importer who went under a while back), you should be able to find them in your neck of the woods as well.

      • deadhead

        “Dyes and doses! Dyes and doses! Just don’t die when you dose.”

        Had a friend named Jim Morrison who had a great story about a friend of his and him taking too much LSD at a show and getting separated. His very high friend was concerned but barely able to talk. Still, he was asking random people if they had seen his friend. “Whose your friend”, “Jim Morrison”, “Hey buddy, I hate to tell you, but your friend is dead.” Hilarity ensued.

    • R C Dean

      I’m surprised. I’ve really liked their Imperial Stout, but it’s been awhile. Maybe it’s changed.

      • mexican sharpshooter

        I could have got a lemon, its happens to me on occasion.

  9. The Late P Brooks

    I just can’t fathom owning an EV. I like the fact that I can gas up, drive more than 600 miles, stop for gas and be back on the road in 10 minutes.

    The Fiskar is really pretty, though.

    Bingo.

    And a Fiskar with a real drivetrain wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to you.

  10. The Late P Brooks

    If I move to the Azores, I’ll get an EV and a bunch of solar panels on my house. Otherwise, forget it.

    Move to Palm Desert and go everywhere in your golf cart.

  11. Sean

    Picked up some filets and strips today. Tomorrow is gonna be good grilling action.

    • UnCivilServant

      I read that as ‘fish and chips’.

      🙂

      • Sean

        Eeeewww. I’m not really into fish.

      • UnCivilServant

        I figured you’d have bigger issues with the potatos.

      • Sean

        I can admit potatoes are tasty, not so much with fish.

        Probably gonna have some “extra” carbs this afternoon. We’re meeting DEG for some Mexican style food.

    • Nephilium

      Thanks for reminding me I should pull some steaks out of the freezer for next week.

      • Ted S.

        Yeah, I have to buy a steak for Wednesday dinner. Normally Dad and I have chicken on Wednesdays, but with Thanksgiving being Thursday, I don’t want chicken on Wednesday.

  12. Ozymandias

    This is another great “beer review,” Mexi! Thank you.
    (I really do love this format. I must confess to being jealous, but I could never do it – because (a) I don’t drink beer, and (b) I don’t have anything even remotely similar that I could base it off of. e.g. “This is my review of the new CCM Vapor 8500 carbon fibre hockey stick.” See? See how that absolutely doesn’t work?)

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Carbon fiber hockey stick? That’s some next level shit.

      • Tundra

        He’s lying. Vapor is Bauer. 😉

  13. Drake

    For now, plug-in hybrid is as electric as I would consider. And they are probably too expensive unless there is a free place to plug in nearby. I’m not willing to give up that freedom and plan my life around finding charging stations.

    • cyto

      Don’t worry… We just paid billions for government funded charging stations.

  14. Drake

    What the he’ll Mototrend? They used to give the award to cars normal people could buy. A $160k concept car?

  15. PieInTheSky

    So pie grilled a steak for diner. My grill aint the best so the fat in the steak caused a flare which I did not catch in time. So it came out looking a little burned. But it did not taste burned it tasted like a good crust. So I need a Official Glibertarian rulling. To burned or edible?

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fce-5X2rI2fF8PKU5eGq-_jSQ8EH6g5c/view

    yes the picture is slightly blurry I don;t know why my old galaxy S8 usually takes decent pics

    • Tundra

      Looks normal to me. I always reverse sear.

      • PieInTheSky

        I did not feel like complicating so just put it on the grill 1 min 30 sec a side

    • Mojeaux

      If the fat’s crispy and the inside is red, it’s all good.

      • Mojeaux

        EXCELLENT. Nom nom nom.

      • PieInTheSky

        thanks. overall I liked it. with a nice side salad

    • Sean

      I wouldn’t throw it out, but I’d be mad at myself. That’s overdone.

      What was the internal temp when you took it off the heat?

      • PieInTheSky

        I did not thermometerize it. look at the cross section and guess 🙂

      • Sean

        I endorse responsible thermometer ownership and use.

      • PieInTheSky

        I have a thermapen and use it quite often but not always. For steak on grill depending on thickness usually 1 minute to 1 minute 30s per side flip four times works

      • R C Dean

        Flip once. You want that char and flipping too often prevents it.

      • Sean

        I withdraw my overdone statement after seeing the inside.

      • PieInTheSky

        I did not find it overdone. grease flares generally burn the outside but to not cook the inside much.

    • PieInTheSky

      I find it annoying that, unlike some products where there is hype and marketing, good steak is not exactly cheap

  16. Mojeaux

    Helping husband hang our TV today. It’s been on its stand, which neither one of us likes because cats. I hate this particular chore.

    • PieInTheSky

      you should pay a professional to hang it for you

      • hayeksplosives

        That’s what I did. Guy came out from Vegas and hung up the older 65” and the new 86”. No way was I going to try that myself.

        The guy was very familiar with what the bracket makers usually include for bolts and spacers, and he had better hardware with him. Had a good stud finder (worked with his smart phone and showed where wires ran etc) and a 6 foot long level.

        Worth every penny.

      • Mojeaux

        I just attach the bracket to the wall.

      • hayeksplosives

        But that’s the hardest part!

        Gotta find the studs, measure the bracket, measure the TV so you can figure out where the bracket needs to go to get the TV to hang where you want it too, locate studs that will work with the bracket hole locations and still allow you to center the TV horizontally, etc.

        Banking the TV onto the mounted bracket is the easy part.

      • hayeksplosives

        Banking==>hanging

      • cyto

        Are you two speaking in code?

      • Mojeaux

        Are you two speaking in code?

        We are speaking in construction.

      • cyto

        But that isn’t as funny…

      • Mojeaux

        Fuuuuuuuck.

        *swoosh* goes the joke over my head.

      • Mojeaux

        Finding studs is easy as long as you know a) which side of the stud the plug is mounted to, and b) can measure 16″ from the center of said stud (approximately 3/4″).

        If the bracket is well made, there will be a surfeit of horizontal spaces in which to slide the bracket side to side until you get it where you want it to be. Even then, the mounts on the TV will be able to slide side to side.

        The hard part is determining WHERE you want the center of the TV to be, but once you do that, you just figure the bracket hits the center of the TV.

        Seriously. Not that hard.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        When I reno’d our basement in Calgary a decade or so ago, one of the things I did was plan out the “media area,” and placed screwed-and-glued double 2×4 studs for about three feet on either side of where we thought the TV would go. Absolutely rock-solid mounting, and plenty of “meat” to screw the bracket into.

      • Mojeaux

        Good forethought. I think newer houses come with this, although probably in a limited fashion. Who wants to be told where to mount their TV?

      • hayeksplosives

        The wall didn’t have outlets near where I wanted to center the TV, and I like to know where cables might be running in the wall before drilling.

        There were plenty of holes/slots in the bracket so getting it mounted wasn’t hard (particularly since I was just watching the workman do it). Getting the height just right so that the slight drop due to hooking the TV vertical bars over the mount still resulted in perfect height on the wall was a measure twice, drill once operation. Hoisting the weight of that TV was a two person job, too.

        The guy was kind enough to remove and dispose of the ancient CRT and wall mount from the bedroom for us too (this house ideas built in 2004; I was surprised it still had a CRT!!). Putting up the 65” TV in that room was super quick.

      • Mojeaux

        I personally hate hiring people to do things I can do myself AND have the tools to do it. Some of that poor-people frugality at play. If I didn’t have the tools, that’d be a different story.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        Well, it’s actually not that hard to cleanly remove a section of wall (even I’ve done it, and I’m a doofus), put in sistering studs to double-up what’s in the wall, and then put the drywall back up, tape, mud, sand, paint and mount the TV.

        The mudding and sanding are the slowest parts, so you’d be looking at several days, but then you get to put the TV absolutely anywhere it’s possible to put it.

      • Mojeaux

        not that hard

        Not if I owned the house, it’s not. But I don’t own this one and I swear I will never own one again.

      • hayeksplosives

        For me it’s more economical and far less stressful to hire a guy who does it every day than to have my husband “help”.

        The money vs time argument is one aspect of it, but the other is money vs. grouchy husband and less than optimal results.

        When I was younger and poorer, there was a lot more DIY in my life.

      • Mojeaux

        grouchy husband

        My husband’s rarely grouchy, but I have hired people to come do things to take the burden of a task off my husband’s shoulders. For instance, I wanted my garage cleared of trash and other casualties of moving. My husband was going to just parcel it out in trash bags as the weeks went by and/or find an open dumpster (of which I do not approve), but it wasn’t like he could toss the failed-flip refrigerator. He was so disheartened by the task, I said, “Fuck that, I’m calling a trash hauler.” Found him on Craigslist. Price was reasonable.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        other casualties of moving

        Yeah, those dead moving company swampers can be a real pain to dispose of properly.  ;-)

      • Mojeaux

        Yeah, those dead moving company swampers can be a real pain to dispose of properly.

        Right?! Stink up the place, for sure.

  17. UnCivilServant

    I got the upright attached to my milling machine today. It’s lined up to be perpendicular to the deck, but I’ve not attached the motor. Turned out I needed a new wrench because I lacked the size used on the mounting.

    I don’t even have that many cutting steels, so I can see future expenses racking up already.

    • Fourscore

      “so I can see future expenses racking up ”

      Wait ’til you start reloading, to save money

  18. PieInTheSky

    also dinner related I will reuse a meme that has fallen out of fashion on the interwebs:

    what is the best salad dressing and why is it olive oil / lemon / mustard?

    • UnCivilServant

      None of those are salad dressing, try again.

    • Tulip

      Needs garlic.

      • Tulip

        Oops. Sorry Pie.

      • PieInTheSky

        Et tu, Brute

      • Nephilium

        So Caesar dressing?

      • Tres Cool

        That has been noted in an ocular capacity.

      • rhywun

        It *is* the correct answer to the original question.

    • KSuellington

      Needs more anchovy paste.

    • Suthenboy

      To each their own.

      *hides bottle of raspberry vinaigrette*

  19. commodious spittoon

    Barnes Law: I enjoy his conversations with Viva Frei, and of course, I mostly agree with him (why else would I continue watching?) but he keeps ending up wrongfooted by these panels of defense attorneys, and I’m starting to think he’s a grifter, too? I hate to say it, but now Rittenhouse is off and they ousted Barnes…

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      Richards said that booting Barnes was the “turning point” of the defense.

      I think that Barnes brought up some good points about the jury selection and use of force experts and the like, but sounds like a “too many cooks” situation.

      • Creosote Achilles

        I think Richards was referring to Kyle dropping Lynn Wood who is definitely a grifter. Not Barnes. Richards replaced Wood, and Barnes was helping out Richards.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Ah, I thought they were all booted at the same time. It would make sense that he was referring to Wood.

    • commodious spittoon

      All I’m saying is, he makes his name profiling in these high-profile cases, but what is he other than a funder? He claims to provide services, but at least in the Rittenhouse case, they were unnecessary and in retrospect, could have been impediments.

      I want to like him because I really like his videos, but I doubt him.

      • commodious spittoon

        Don’t valorize lawyers, I guess. They’re evil but necessary.

      • commodious spittoon

        Better a smart operator is on our side than he’s not?

      • Sean

        *Looks around*

        You’re exempting Glib lawyers, I assume.

      • commodious spittoon

        He’s always defensive as a practitioner, but I’d rather him on our side than not. But I think he’d serve either. He’s mercenary, is my worry.

      • cyto

        He has Been right about a lot, and involved in a lot of big cases….

        But he also says some kooky conspiracy theory type things sometimes too.

        He said the right things about not asking for any money for himself… But who knows… If they funneled $3 million to a bunch of his buddies, he probably gets a few hundred grand in finder fees from them.

      • C. Anacreon

        Is Barnes the same guy whose firm used to have the “1-888-8888” commercials?

      • rhywun

        Ugh. Celino & Barnes split and now they each have their own commercial with a hokey jingle.

  20. Tres Cool

    Sloopy is either snoozing in the stands, or spontaneously ejaculating on everyone around him.
    tOSU +49 going into halftime.

    • PieInTheSky

      Tosu (鳥栖市, Tosu-shi) is a city located in the eastern part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of February 28, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 72,755 and a population density of 1,000 persons per km2.[1] The total area is 71.73 km2.

      • Sensei

        Basically they lost against FedGov from 1871 to present day.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_Prefecture

        Below them on the hierarchy would be Okinawa.

        At the bottom would be the Ainu.

        But remember kids the US is where everyone is a racist.

      • Suthenboy

        My experience is that the US is the least racist country in the world.

    • Not an Economist

      On the number 7 team in the country. And one that already beat Michigan.

      Sloopy is probably spent by now.

    • Nephilium

      After the… incident… a couple years back, I’ve reminded the girlfriend that she is not to wear blue or yellow next Saturday.

      • hayeksplosives

        I plan to watch that game just to see if Harbaugh has a total meltdown on the sidelines.

      • Nephilium

        Girlfriend and I will most likely be heading downtown as they’re going to be starting up Winterfest. Part of the festivities (full list is on the website) is a viewing party for tOSU vs. TTUN at Public Square.

    • hayeksplosives

      Yeah, that game is not close enough to be interesting. I’ve switched to OU vs Iowa State.

    • Gender Traitor

      ::makes note NOT to bring up with Spartan alum sister at Thanksgiving::

  21. Shpip

    I finally saw one of those “If Kyle Rittenhouse were black, he would have never have gone to trial” Twitter screencaps on my Derpbook page.

    So I asked, “If black people who commit acts of violence get snuffed by the cops instead of going through the court system, then why are so many of them in prison?”

    No answer yet.

    • hayeksplosives

      The MSM are desperate to throw racial pixie dust over the Kenosha shooting in hopes that they can claim moral high ground and thus shut out all arguments against their version of truth.

      Unfortunately for them, there simply is no racial angle on this. The defendant was white, the “victims” were white, the judge, jury, and attorneys were white.

      The only thing that would have been different had Rittenhouse been black is that the prosecution (probably) wouldn’t have called him a white supremacist.

      • cyto

        All of this is really reinforcing the Orwell vibes I have been getting for quite a while now.

        If you listen to them, they really believe it. Passionately. Rittenhouse was a white supremacist and a white supremacist system protected him so white supremacy could oppress and murder black people. several CNN and MSNBC guests expressed such sentiments. Protesters at the courthouse were given a platform and expressed those ideas.

        They have also been doing the lionizing thing with the 3 guys he shot. They did this with pretty much all of their chosen martyrs since Zimmerman murdered a Sweet little 12 year old boy for buying Skittles and wearing a hoodie. But it really picked up steam with Floyd. Suddenly he was a beloved family man and community leader instead of estranged drug addict and con man passing counterfeit bills.

        All of the networks transitioned to interviews with family members of “victims”, sympathetically underscoring their pain and studiously avoiding any of the relevant facts of the case or any of the criminal backgrounds… Even from that very day.

        It is very ” Ministry of Truth”

      • Zwak, sensual panzer

        Along those lines, the left does not want to admit that the very policies that get them excited are the policies that directly lead to these confrontations. Rittenhouse was there because the gov’t had abdicated its responsibilities. Police and fire were not out in force keeping the peace, the NG wasn’t called out originally, and so on. Zimmerman was patrolling his neighborhood because of a string of robberies and the police weren’t doing the job of stopping them.

        Defund the police, it’s right there in these two cases. Whats not to love?

    • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

      Send them this Twitter thread and watch their heads explode in real time.  ;-)

      • Suthenboy

        “Once a person is demoralized you cannot fix them. No matter how much authentic information you give them they cannot draw a sensible conclusion.”
        – Our friend Yuri Bezmenov

        I will certainly try but my hopes are not high that it will get through.

  22. DrOtto

    EVs are destined to fail (again) for primarily 2 reasons: hot and cold. Batteries don’t like heat and they don’t like cold. It reduces their longterm amperage output and reduces the useful life of the battery. When you factor ideal battery climate considerations, they are only ideal in a few certain geographic regions year round. Taken outside of those regions and if you start running either the heat or AC and if the battery also must run these subsystems to maintain ideal battery temperatures and your range falls to laughable levels and the battery life becomes something far under 100,000 miles. I only have to look at real world examples of relative’s (Fiat 500e) cars that were bought back by Chrysler with under 10,000 miles on it due to repair costs far exceeding the value due to a battery freeze event (who knew MN got cold?) or a customer car that is 9 years old 60,000 miles and can’t get from south Austin to UT and back again without being plugged in constantly despite a computed range of 47 miles (which is half of claimed new range). A new battery would set her back approx $10k, car is worth about $3k if it got full range. I don’t see the value of a $50k-$70k car with under a 10 year/80,000 mile service life. This is economic nonsense.

    • cyto

      Those issues are not necessarily permanent issues. The new Tesla batteries they are using in China on the Model 3 are supposed to be cheaper and last a million miles. Even at a half million, we are getting in to “have you ever driven a car that long?” range.

      • R.J.

        I’ll believe it when I see it.

      • Suthenboy

        ^THis^

        I will believe it when I see it. I want to see it on someone else’s dime.
        I don’t gamble.

      • Sensei

        They are LiFePO. Heavier, but better cycle life. Harder to charge in colder weather compared to Li-ion.

        Not used in long range versions of the Y or 3 or the Model X or S due to size and weight.

    • Sensei

      I’d temper that a bit. Nissan air cooled batteries suck. Tesla range in cold climates suck, but actual battery failure complaints seem to be about the same as ICE engine failures. Most of the current manufacturers have followed Tesla.

      8 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first, with minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity over the warranty period.

      OTH, while I’d love to have an E92 BMW M3 a 4.0 liter naturally-aspirated V8 in with an S65 engine, I personally feel that in 10 year or 80,000 miles I shouldn’t have to replace the rod bearings either…

      • kinnath

        8 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first, with minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity over the warranty period.

        What complete and utter horseshit that is.

        My 6 year old Xterra has 120,000 miles on it and runs flawlessly. Having to replace a battery pack at this point would be ridiculous.

        By the way, the lowest carbon footprint is to keep an old car alive as long as possible. Giving cars an effective life of 8 years is counter-productive.

      • Sensei

        That’s the warranty not the expected life.

      • kinnath

        My friend bought a new Prius at about 8 years old, because it was far too expensive to replace the batteries, and she was having serious performance problems.

        It is my experience that car batteries frequently don’t make it through their warranty period (at least in Iowa driving conditions).

  23. mikey

    Some amazing information here.
    Motor Trend still exists?

    • DrOtto

      Yeah, auto mags are trying to go woke now too.bwhichbis why I’m sure the electric gets the nod. I’m letting my Car and Driver subscription lapse due to their recent influx of articles claiming systemic racism in various auto related endeavors. It just gets so tiring reading about what a terrible person I apparently am for having been born white.

      • Tres Cool

        I miss Brock Yates.

      • R.J.

        Yes. He was a great dude.

      • DrOtto

        Yates was the soul of that magazine.for many years. One of the few ‘heros’ I’ve had that I would have liked to have met, and suspect I would not have been disappointed.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Oddly enough, Consumer Reports still exists. I only know that because they keep asking me to renew the subscription I let die ten years ago.

      • Sensei

        You too?

        Remember when they just reviewed stuff instead of being woke?

      • mexican sharpshooter

        Even then it was just, “okay CR I get that it isn a Toyota, that doesn’t mean its going to spontaneously catch fire”.

  24. Tulip

    Battery more expensive than I thought, but definitely needed. Advance Auto is great, walked in, got it done, walked out.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      Batteries are crazy expensive right now, just like everything else. I paid over $200 for a basic battery the other day.

      • Sensei

        Warehouse clubs seem to be good for this historically. Limited to popular sizes.

    • Mojeaux

      Everything’s more expensive. I never expect less than $150-$250 for a battery.

      That said, we are keeping our 2006 Hyundais and 2000 Ram as long as we possibly can.

      • Tres Cool

        I just replaced one last week- generic from AutoZone. $130 (before my veteran’s discount, of course).

        I was bitching about it to Tres Sr., “what happened to the days when you could walk into Sears and get a DieHard for $40 ?”

      • UnCivilServant

        $40 used to be worth more.

    • hayeksplosives

      You might consider getting a battery desulfator/“reconditioner”. Even a cheap one from harbor freight can keep an old battery healthy for years.

      Over the course of 18 years with my Expedition, I only went through 3 batteries, and that includes the one that came with it new.

      • Tres Cool

        Ive used epsom salt to ‘de-sulfurize’ old batteries with limited results. They were the kind of batteries you just kept around “in case”, though one for my John Deere was fully rejuvenated and gave me another couple of years.

      • hayeksplosives

        The desulfators I am talking about send very brief spikes of higher voltage/current than the battery’s rated voltage. Actually knocks the accumulation of sulphate from the plates and reverses some of the chemical reactions to give new life.

        If the battery is so old/dead/discharged that the lead plates have physically deformed, it’s largely too late.

        BatteryMinder model 2012 is really good and costs $20.

  25. Mojeaux

    Systemic racism is “cash for clunkers,” almost guaranteeing poor (white, brown, black) people can’t afford to get to work.

    • cyto

      Vicious.

      • Mojeaux

        I swear these people don’t ever think about how the poors survive.

      • TARDis

        So it’s more like system classism, I’d say. Fuck the poors and the middle class too.

        I want to get rid of my Explorer, but no can do. Obama sucks and so does Biden.

      • Mojeaux

        Absolutely classism, but I bet you there is an element of self-loathing in Obama’s thought processes.

      • Plisade

        ^^^

      • hayeksplosives

        It’s the same mindset with the “why doesn’t everyone just stay working at home? It’s been great for me!” as they await their grocery delivery…

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        I have a sister-in-law that thinks that way. She’s far too woke for someone with an MBA under her belt.

      • Mojeaux

        It’s the same mindset with the “why doesn’t everyone just stay working at home? It’s been great for me!” as they await their grocery delivery…

        Exactly!

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      ^^

      Also, systemic racism is getting poor kids of color into massive student debt based on admissions standards compromised due to their skin color and graduating them with a nearly unemployable resume aside from the bigotry of modern DEI.

      • Mojeaux

        aside from the bigotry of modern DEI.

        From your and other Glibs’ Nightmares on HR Street, I suspect those folks are making bank.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Abso-freaking-lutely. The indulgences business is a booming one in this era of woke puritanism.

      • Tres Cool

        The grievance industry and advocacy industries are wholly self-perpetuating.
        Do you really think some homeless agency wants to see bums not on a street?
        Do you really think drug counselors want to see addiction cured ?

      • Nephilium

        Do you really think drug counselors want to see addiction cured ?

        Or even worse… not having judges mandate counseling.

      • hayeksplosives

        The indulgences business.

        Well put.

        (Sort of on topic: my husband and I have a framed papal indulgence that was issued by Pope Paul VI IN 1963 to hubby’s father and mother. It is a source of amusement to me as a lifelong Protestant who had no idea they still did these things, and by the name indulgence, and also to my husband who was raised nominally Catholic but didn’t believe in God until “falling in” with me and my fellow Protestants.

        The text reads:

        Most Holy Father

        Mr and Mrs P[…] humbly prostrate at the feet of your holiness, beg the Apostolic Benediction and a Plenary Indulgence to be gained at the hour of death, on condition that, being truly sorry for their sins, even though unable to confess them and to receive the Holy Viaticum, they shall at least invoke with lips or heart the holy name of Jesus.

        Pretty handy, eh? If the Church of Woke wrote one up it would have to forgive you from tweets you made as a teenager, etc.)

      • rhywun

        Unfortunately the Church of Woke isn’t hierarchical. Who would you send your plea to?

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Glad that you asked! I have a list of a hundred different grifters priests in your area who would gladly accept a very small six-figure fee for an annual sanctification session that provides you protection from the grifters zealots.

      • Nephilium

        South Park did it:

        Stan: Hey Token. I just wanted to let you know that everything is cool now. My dad apologized to Jesse Jackson.
        Token: Oh I see, so I’m supposed to feel all better now.
        Stan: Well, yeah.
        Token: [throws his backpack into the locker] You just don’t get it, Stan!
        Stan: Dude, Jesse Jackson said it’s okay!
        Token: [spins around angrily] Jesse Jackson, is not the emperor, of black people! [storms away]
        Stan: [softly] He told my dad he was…

      • hayeksplosives

        Funny, but you know they would if they could.

      • hayeksplosives

        Hii oh w did the squirrlzz put this up here and down where it belongs??

      • Tres Cool

        When I was a teen, “Twitter” was what you wrote (or read) on the bathroom wall of a gas station.
        Our phones had cords.
        Wi Fi was the guy that ran a chinese restaurant.

  26. Brochettaward

    I have a theory that Lamar Jackson has some sort of STD with reoccurring symptoms. Sporadically throughout the year, he has been listed on the Ravens injury report with a mystery illness.

    • hayeksplosives

      I had figured some kind of bipolar thing, although that is usually more of a wide receiver thing.

  27. Tres Cool

    Im going to bed.
    Some of us have to wake up in 4 hours.

  28. UnCivilServant

    YAY! I got my Taig milling machine working.

    For the test I put a dremel bit in the chock and cut a channel into the base of one of the useless mousetraps (that don’t work). It milled through the wood and two prongs of a metal component without damage.

    • UnCivilServant

      movement along the main axes is straightforward enough. So far, the most difficult part is that the vice that comes with the machine is too small.

      • Not Adahn

        I can’t wait to not see your invisible Ghost Gun at the range.

      • UnCivilServant

        I can no longer buy new 80% blanks in New York and would have to drive out of state to pick up a replacement if I screw this one up.

        Thanks Kathy, we really needed more hoops to jump through. (Note, they only banned the sale of the lowers in New York, not yet possession or making a gun from one)

      • Nephilium

        There were two new gun control laws that passed the Ohio House:

        HB227: Anyone over 21 can legally carry concealed, removed requirement to inform police if you’re carrying unless asked.

        HB99: Reduces the amount of training needed for school employees to carry on school grounds (currently 700 hours/20 years LEO; law changes it to 20 hours training).

        There’s a very high chance that DeWine will veto both if they make it to his desk, but the Ohio state congress showed they could override his veto at least once last year.

    • limey

      ?

      What are you going to be milling?

    • hayeksplosives

      Funny, but you know they would if they could.