Random Thoughts Thread

[ocnblu]

  On 7/27/2019 at 10:01 PM, riviera74 said:

I have a question for you: What are your recommendations for the next car or CUV anyone should buy within the next year?  Nothing BOF is the only condition.

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Chrysler 300.  Chevy Impala.  Dodge Charger.  Lincoln Aviator.  Lincoln Corsair.  Ford Explorer.  Chevy Traverse.  Dodge Durango.  Cadillac XT4.  Cadillac XT5.  Jeep Grand Cherokee.

[balthazar]

Tough AC ~ 

[balthazar]

I have always agreed with Brother 'blu on this one ; even tho I seldom gravitate towards Chevy cars, this Mitchell-overseen design is one of the most beautiful coupes ever penned.  

[Robert Hall]

I was on the Ohio Turnpike and the PA Turnpike yesterday, one odd thing I noticed was you pay when you go into PA from Ohio instead of taking a ticket (in Ohio you get a ticket when you enter the turnpike, pay when you get off).    It's been a long time since I've been on the PA Turnpike, but it seemed pricy compared to the Ohio Turnpike. 

[daves87rs]

I would be cool with a Jeep Grand Cherokee......

[balthazar]

[Drew Dowdell]

  On 7/29/2019 at 1:18 AM, Robert Hall said:

I was on the Ohio Turnpike and the PA Turnpike yesterday, one odd thing I noticed was you pay when you go into PA from Ohio instead of taking a ticket (in Ohio you get a ticket when you enter the turnpike, pay when you get off).    It's been a long time since I've been on the PA Turnpike, but it seemed pricy compared to the Ohio Turnpike. 

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The PA Turnpike was privatized and is going bankrupt.

[Robert Hall]

  On 7/31/2019 at 2:15 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

The PA Turnpike was privatized and is going bankrupt.

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And the orange barrels were everywhere...miles and miles at 50 mph w/ occasional signs of construction...

[Drew Dowdell]

The company I work for, a large energy company that does a lot of oil and gas extraction, has announced that they are aiming to get out of the hydrocarbon business. 

[G. David Felt]

  On 7/31/2019 at 2:15 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

The PA Turnpike was privatized and is going bankrupt.

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Never did understand the business case for a privatized road. It goes against what America is about, the culture and the freedom to drive anywhere.

[Drew Dowdell]

  On 7/31/2019 at 2:30 PM, dfelt said:

Never did understand the business case for a privatized road. It goes against what America is about, the culture and the freedom to drive anywhere.

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The Turnpike was always a toll road.  What changed was the ownership of it from the Commonwealth of PA to a private company.  The company was to make payments to PA, but they are having financial trouble and may not be able to keep up the payment.

[riviera74]

  On 7/31/2019 at 2:55 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

The Turnpike was always a toll road.  What changed was the ownership of it from the Commonwealth of PA to a private company.  The company was to make payments to PA, but they are having financial trouble and may not be able to keep up the payment.

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Wow.  A rare case of private ownership going wrong after being sold by the Commonwealth.

[G. David Felt]

  On 7/31/2019 at 2:55 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

The Turnpike was always a toll road.  What changed was the ownership of it from the Commonwealth of PA to a private company.  The company was to make payments to PA, but they are having financial trouble and may not be able to keep up the payment.

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Will PA take back over the road then after the company bankrupts?

[Drew Dowdell]

  On 7/31/2019 at 3:19 PM, dfelt said:

Will PA take back over the road then after the company bankrupts?

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No idea what will happen.  I think if they default on the payments, the state will take the highways back. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Another summer slow news day....

[ykX]

With the slumping car sales and Federal Reserve rate cut, will we see more zero or near zero percent financing from car companies, and how soon?

Edited July 31, 2019 by ykX

[balthazar]

  On 7/31/2019 at 2:55 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

The Turnpike was always a toll road.

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Wasn't supposed to be. I believe all toll roads were set up (PATP started up, money-wise, in 1938) to repay construction loans, but of course; give a vampire a whiff of blood and it'll feed forever. Tolls now fund other transportation projects, the PATP has automatic annual toll increases, and they charge toll-by-mail drivers a 76% surcharge. 'Revenue stream' above all else.

[Drew Dowdell]

  On 7/31/2019 at 7:02 PM, ykX said:

With the slumping car sales and Federal Reserve rate cut, will we see more zero or near zero percent financing from car companies, and how soon?

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Tomorrow's sales figure ticker is going to have a lot of red. 

[daves87rs]

  On 7/31/2019 at 8:24 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

Tomorrow's sales figure ticker is going to have a lot of red. 

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Yeah, it seems like the local dealerships weren’t quite a busy....

 

Wife took a Trax for a test drive and got 4 sales guys checking up on her......

[G. David Felt]

Very cool, New York City is hosting a Formula E race that will.cover 5 boroughs being a true race on the island in NY city.

https://timeline.line.me/post/_dY_VdC8kWX7nkSKpC-_KuFydz2LKulPg9fKof1U/1156466506206066079

[daves87rs]

Looks like MI is heading for some cooler weather...about time!

 

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

@A Horse With No Name and any other person who loves wood work. Build a home with zero nails or screws. 100% wood home built like Lego bricks.

https://www.brikawood-ecologie.fr/home/

I believe this is called dove tail wood connections. Please correct as I am not 100% sure on the connection type.

 

[balthazar]

Thats not a ‘house’, its a garden shed. Plus, video clearly showed metal fasteners for the wall framing.

This a terribly energy inefficient methodology of construction. Firstly, nails & screws are cheap & strong. 2nd: wood shrinks, swells, weathers & splits; expect the walls, sans any fasteners, to become loose and even rattly in 5 years.

This shed is built with 1-foot pieces: it has a million more unsealed seams that conventional. Why not show this built with 8 sections at the very least? The touted 'quick growth' pine is the least strong, and most defect prone type of growth/wood- slow growth fir is much stronger. And with the 'structure' of the building exposed- the decay attacks that segment immediately, rather than the siding or vapor barrier (immune and there for a reason).

Fire rating mention is also woefully absent on their website. Fast growth pine packed with sawdust would be a flammable nightmare.

Hard pass. 

Edited August 2, 2019 by balthazar

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

  On 8/2/2019 at 4:18 PM, balthazar said:

Thats not a ‘house’, its a garden shed. Plus, video clearly showed metal fasteners for the wall framing.

This a terribly energy inefficient methodology of construction. Firstly, nails & screws are cheap & strong. 2nd: wood shrinks, swells, weathers & splits; expect the walls, sans any fasteners, to become loose and even rattly in 5 years.

This shed is built with 1-foot pieces: it has a million more unsealed seams that conventional. Why not show this built with 8 sections at the very least? The touted 'quick growth' pine is the least strong, and most defect prone type of growth/wood- slow growth fir is much stronger. And with the 'structure' of the building exposed- the decay attacks that segment immediately, rather than the siding or vapor barrier (immune and there for a reason).

Fire rating mention is also woefully absent on their website. Fast growth pine packed with sawdust would be a flammable nightmare.

Hard pass. 

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All valid points and I would for one use a fire retardant foam in the walls to help seal and tighten things up.

Yet it is still an interesting way to build a shed to a home as they do have home plans.

I will say that the one thing that beats this is how the Japanese does this tongue and groove building for long life, being hundreds of years and amazing strength.

This guys channel shows all these ways to build strong amazing jointed wood projects.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRGV5YMWtS0RR-SfJ2XU-8A

 Who knew wood porn could be so amazing to watch!

Great guide on the tools.

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/japanese-joinery-pdf/

[balthazar]

'Barn jointery' goes back hundreds & hundreds of years; not necessarily Japanese in origin. Great technique, but time consuming; not practical for house construction. Also- typical house lumber isn't chunky enough to support that type of joints… unless one wanted to build the frame out of 4x6s.

Reminds me of 3-D printing of houses; breezy, over-simplified videos that really only address building walls, then jumping in the air and yelling 'YAY!! WE BUILDED A HOUSE!!"

Edited August 2, 2019 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

  On 8/2/2019 at 9:12 PM, balthazar said:

'Barn jointery' goes back hundreds & hundreds of years; not necessarily Japanese in origin. Great technique, but time consuming; not practical for house construction. Also- typical house lumber isn't chunky enough to support that type of joints… unless one wanted to build the frame out of 4x6s.

Reminds me of 3-D printing of houses; breezy, over-simplified videos that really only address building walls, then jumping in the air and yelling 'YAY!! WE BUILDED A HOUSE!!"

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Amazing part is the amount of buildings in japan that are still built with beams this way. labor intensive but built to last.

 

[balthazar]

^ They're not building houses that way, unless for themselves.
Ever see parallel strand lumber (PSL)? Far greater strength than sawn lumber, built with directional grain, glued & compressed under high pressure. They are made in lengths up to 60 feet. 

[G. David Felt]

New Cadillac Dealership opens in Europe.

http://cadillacsociety.com/2019/08/02/new-cadillac-dealership-opens-in-kazakhstan/

Never thought Kazakhstan would be the place for a new Cadillac dealership, course they also have Chevrolet's next to the Cadillac's. Very interesting, but will say very nice shiny dealership.

[balthazar]

One more point on the 'Lego shed' -  how do you run wiring?

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Edited August 3, 2019 by balthazar

[A Horse With No Name]

  On 8/2/2019 at 8:02 PM, balthazar said:

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I am a huge fan of trains and love the Erie paint scheme. Huge plus one from me. 

  On 8/3/2019 at 11:17 AM, balthazar said:

One more point on the 'Lego shed' -  how do you run wiring?

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Surface mount with wire mould....the rest is crappy....why do the electric right?

As much as i love traditional joinery, the future is probably some sort of composite wood and metal fasten construction for most furniture. people are transient and don't want fine furniture for the most pat any more. 

[balthazar]

Surface mount boxed & wire mold? Welcome to 1920.
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Especially with regards to looking at vintage photos of GM building cars, I think folk get confused sometimes on Fisher Body vs. GM Assembly. Separate Divisions, in separate plants, but connected (usually; in some instances bodies were trucked to the Assembly plants) ~ 

Edited August 3, 2019 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

  On 8/3/2019 at 11:17 AM, balthazar said:

One more point on the 'Lego shed' -  how do you run wiring?

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I am thinking if you plan this right you would run conduit in the walls with a proper hole drill.

Kinda like the cement homes that are very energy efficient here. Walls are 18" thick, you put up the forms, re bar and run all the conduit for electrical and for plumbing. 

Once the walls are poured and dried, you come back with the wiring to run through one set of conduit and then run the new long strands of hot and cold water tubing through the other set of conduit.

Very interesting having a cold water and hot water patch panel to connect to all the long runs of water tubing.

This is how the homes here are now being built, not a fan of this compared to reliable copper tubing.

[balthazar]

I don't have an issue with Pex; no corrosion, a fraction of the seams, far quicker & cheaper to run. I think it's well proven at this point.
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[regfootball]

why for the love of God do some dealers put HUGE WHITE stickers on a new car?????

WTF!!!!

[riviera74]

  On 8/3/2019 at 7:13 PM, regfootball said:

why for the love of God do some dealers put HUGE WHITE stickers on a new car?????

WTF!!!!

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Because some dealers are total attention whores on a perennial search for more sales (and money)!

[G. David Felt]

  On 8/3/2019 at 7:13 PM, regfootball said:

why for the love of God do some dealers put HUGE WHITE stickers on a new car?????

WTF!!!!

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Agree, that would be a deal breaker for me. I am buying a Buick, not their dealership. No tag on my auto, or deal is off. Glad west coast dealers or at least in the PNW that has not happened yet.

[balthazar]

Dealers advertising to encourage sales? Whats the world coming to?

[ocnblu]

Any vehicle I buy will have the ad ripped off immediately when I get it home.

  On 8/3/2019 at 5:56 PM, balthazar said:

I don't have an issue with Pex; no corrosion, a fraction of the seams, far quicker & cheaper to run. I think it's well proven at this point.
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A good ROOF is of paramount importance.

[ocnblu]

Got home and realized I picked up the wrong duct tape for a home project.  Went back to Lowe's customer service desk.  Lady said -

"Is there anything wrong with it, or just no need for duct tape?"

I said

"Apparently, I picked up the wrong tape for the bondage party tonight..."

Her eyes got big, she said "ohhh....." and she zoned out as she completed the return transaction.  I let her stew for several seconds, feeling good about my devilish joke, then -

"I was just kidding about that"

She looked me over and replied, crushingly -  "I figured..."

[balthazar]

“Crushingly” ?

[balthazar]

You wanna talk the talk, maybe you should walk the walk.

[daves87rs]

Poor ignored Cobalt got an oil change and a full detail today...#beaterlove 

  On 8/3/2019 at 11:40 PM, ocnblu said:

Any vehicle I buy will have the ad ripped off immediately when I get it home.

A good ROOF is of paramount importance.

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Yep, the license plate holder somehow fell off mine....”whiste* 

[balthazar]

What an awesome arsenal ~ 

Bunker Buster ~ 

10 years ago, a Daytona coupe sold for $7.25 million. 6 built- all survive today.

Edited August 4, 2019 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

Was at the Fox Theater in Detroit last night for a concert...what a beautiful venue.  Hadn't been there since 1996.     

[Robert Hall]

Random Jeep ascii art

O ||||||| O                   (CJ, TJ Wrangler)

o ||||||| o                   (JK or JL Wrangler)

oo\\\|///oo             (99-03 WJ Grand Cherokee)

oo|||||||oo                (04 WJ or 05-10 WK,  11-13 WK2 Grand Cherokee)

o- ||||||| -o                (14-16 WK2 Grand Cherokee (standard lighting, not optional)

-- ||||||| ---                 (14-18 KL Cherokee)

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by Robert Hall

[ykX]

  On 8/3/2019 at 4:17 AM, dfelt said:

New Cadillac Dealership opens in Europe.

http://cadillacsociety.com/2019/08/02/new-cadillac-dealership-opens-in-kazakhstan/

Never thought Kazakhstan would be the place for a new Cadillac dealership, course they also have Chevrolet's next to the Cadillac's. Very interesting, but will say very nice shiny dealership.

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Kazakhstan is not in Europe, it is Central Asia.  They have pretty large oil and gas industry, therefore the money for nice cars (not for regular people though).

[G. David Felt]

Seems we be in a bear market.

NOW It's A Bear Market

http://flip.it/3OhTmW

[Drew Dowdell]

  On 8/5/2019 at 4:56 PM, dfelt said:

Seems we be in a bear market.

NOW It's A Bear Market

http://flip.it/3OhTmW

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I wish it wasn't taking so long to get my rental on the market.  come on, come on!