Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

The classic car carnage is apparently sadly rather high from these fires. 

Southern California has such an active automotive scene, I hate to think of what is lost. Olds Toranado content warnong for Drew...

As green as I try to be, there is one thing I disagree with on the side of state/county/city government and that is the let them build 6 ft apart building. Building wall to the property line of 3ft and then another 3ft to the wall of the next dwelling. This close building is also a cause and fault of the politicians who favor more property tax over safety and space. As such, the density has allowed these fires to destroy whole sections of LA and it is not over yet. I have plenty of family impacted in the greater LA area with some having lost their homes. SAD  

[A Horse With No Name]

You see the same thing with lumber farms in Oregon, David. Trees planted way to close together, use up all of the available water, and create a huge fire hazard when one starts.

With global warming, a day of reckoning is coming, and it won't be nice.

 

[G. David Felt]

1 minute ago, A Horse With No Name said:

You see the same thing with lumber farms in Oregon, David. Trees planted way to close together, use up all of the available water, and create a huge fire hazard when one starts.

With global warming, a day of reckoning is coming, and it won't be nice.

Yes, Canada also did the stupid thing of allowing tree planting way to close together to maximize tree output and yet the climate change has then ended up killing large sections of the trees, ending in very terrible forest fires as I remember 2019 and all the ash coming down from Canada over Washington.

[A Horse With No Name]

1 minute ago, G. David Felt said:

Yes, Canada also did the stupid thing of allowing tree planting way to close together to maximize tree output and yet the climate change has then ended up killing large sections of the trees, ending in very terrible forest fires as I remember 2019 and all the ash coming down from Canada over Washington.

My son took a driving test in the middle of the day, had to use his headlights for the test when this happened.

Human stupidity is epic.

[A Horse With No Name]

How modern Americans don't respect each others boundaries....

Three minutes of your time...worth it.

The whole video, actually...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Wood fired pottery is so awesome!

[A Horse With No Name]

Not Just LA with problems...

[A Horse With No Name]

Saab similar to DFelts old trailbalzer.

[G. David Felt]

43 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Saab similar to DFelts old trailbalzer.

I honestly do not know where to begin on the things wrong in that video, but I do agree with him that the best part was the engine to pull out and toss the rest away in the trash.

[A Horse With No Name]

I actually like this era of T bird. 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

For Drew, since I have posted for others. 

 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

This is an amazing car!

 

[trinacriabob]

On 1/13/2025 at 1:06 PM, A Horse With No Name said:

Not Just LA with problems...

It is a little out of control.  A lot of rich foreign buyers have these units.  They probably don't live there and I wouldn't expect the towers to feel all that neighborly.

I will say that driving down the A1a and Collins Avenue from Lauderdale to Miami Beach is a feast of architectural eye candy.  A lot of it is flashy but a few of the structures, both older and new, are nicely done.  The Fontainebleau is one, for damn sure.  (Think "Goldfinger.") A room at the Fontainebleau set me back $99 before taxes in '99.  Is a pool/ocean view available?  Ha.  Not for that price.  The room looked out onto Collins Avenue and toward the Intracoastal.  No complaints.

The problem with South Florida is also the sprawl, with so many 6-lane boulevards where people drive too fast and endless swaths of soulless office parks.

Then there's San Francisco and its Millennium Tower with its issues.

Miami was once "reasonably" priced.  It has gotten much more expensive, especially in the last 5 to 10 years, yet also far more stressful to live in.  Then, take your pick - plastic people or people who don't speak English ... not much else. Hey, doesn't that sound a lot like the L.A. of today?

[trinacriabob]

The LaX would have been 17 today.

I was trying to have fun with it and eke out a 20 year old car.  With so many 2002 to 2004 Aleros on the road, for example, and in great shape, that tells me it was feasible.

I've moved on, but the memories are fond.

[A Horse With No Name]

48 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

It is a little out of control.  A lot of rich foreign buyers have these units.  They probably don't live there and I wouldn't expect the towers to feel all that neighborly.

I will say that driving down the A1a and Collins Avenue from Lauderdale to Miami Beach is a feast of architectural eye candy.  A lot of it is flashy but a few of the structures, both older and new, are nicely done.  The Fontainebleau is one, for damn sure.  (Think "Goldfinger.") A room at the Fontainebleau set me back $99 before taxes in '99.  Is a pool/ocean view available?  Ha.  Not for that price.  The room looked out onto Collins Avenue and toward the Intracoastal.  No complaints.

The problem with South Florida is also the sprawl, with so many 6-lane boulevards where people drive too fast and endless swaths of soulless office parks.

Then there's San Francisco and its Millennium Tower with its issues.

Miami was once "reasonably" priced.  It has gotten much more expensive, especially in the last 5 to 10 years, yet also far more stressful to live in.  Then, take your pick - plastic people or people who don't speak English ... not much else. Hey, doesn't that sound a lot like the L.A. of today?

I vote for real folks who don't speak English, please. Learning Spanish as rapidly as I can.

[trinacriabob]

Random thought and pet peeve:

Why the f*** do they position ellipticals so you're staring right into a ceiling  height wall of mirrors?  For 20 to 30 minutes?  I wouldn't have wanted that when I was 20 or 30.  It's obnoxious.

I've seen the glass or mirrors be located behind the ellipticals or treadmills.  Maybe they worry that someone getting off them might move too far back and hit the mirrored wall.  That's the only thing I can think of.

There is a lot of crappy design and layout of exercise facilities.

[A Horse With No Name]

8 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Random thought and pet peeve:

Why the f*** do they position ellipticals so you're staring right into a ceiling  height wall of mirrors?  For 20 to 30 minutes?  I wouldn't have wanted that when I was 20 or 30.  It's obnoxious.

I've seen the glass or mirrors be located behind the ellipticals or treadmills.  Maybe they worry that someone getting off them might move too far back and hit the mirrored wall.  That's the only thing I can think of.

There is a lot of crappy design and layout of exercise facilities.

They don't have that at the gym I use.

 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[G. David Felt]

On 1/14/2025 at 8:12 PM, trinacriabob said:

Random thought and pet peeve:

Why the f*** do they position ellipticals so you're staring right into a ceiling  height wall of mirrors?  For 20 to 30 minutes?  I wouldn't have wanted that when I was 20 or 30.  It's obnoxious.

I've seen the glass or mirrors be located behind the ellipticals or treadmills.  Maybe they worry that someone getting off them might move too far back and hit the mirrored wall.  That's the only thing I can think of.

There is a lot of crappy design and layout of exercise facilities.

Just not Ellipticals, all cardio equipment is recommended to face a mirror wall so that as you work out, you can also monitor your posture. 

Most people will get lazy and hang on the equipment which is not good for the back. The mirrors allow you to monitor yourself in working out, square shoulders, straight back, pumping the arms fully, etc. 

To quote the medical industry:

• Proper form and technique: Mirrors allow people to check and correct their exercise form and technique in real time.
• Visual reference: Mirrors help individuals maintain correct posture and form during workouts.
• Motivation and performance: Seeing oneself in the mirror can boost motivation and performance.
• Preventing injuries: Checking form helps prevent injuries during exercise.

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Just not Ellipticals, all cardio equipment is recommended to face a mirror wall so that as you work out, you can also monitor your posture. 

Most people will get lazy and hang on the equipment which is not good for the back. The mirros allow you to monitor yourself in working out, square shoulders, straight back, pumping the arms fully, etc. 

To quote the medical industry:

• Proper form and technique: Mirrors allow people to check and correct their exercise form and technique in real time.
• Visual reference: Mirrors help individuals maintain correct posture and form during workouts.
• Motivation and performance: Seeing oneself in the mirror can boost motivation and performance.
• Preventing injuries: Checking form helps prevent injuries during exercise.

Thank you.  Makes sense in a way.  But for 20 to 30 minutes?  Yikes.

Mirrored walls at the sides are much more useful.  I've found them handy.  I'll glance at them every now and then.

[G. David Felt]

Very interesting read.

Electric Vehicle Sales Jump Higher in Q4, Pushing U.S. Sales to a Record 1.3 Million - Cox Automotive Inc.

[G. David Felt]

Very enlightening read.

EVs Are Cheaper to Own Than Gas Cars in All But 2 States, Study Finds

[G. David Felt]

Have to agree here that Genesis interiors are a huge step above American and European luxury cars. Perfect, no they are not, but they are hitting for the fence in comparison to what the others are doing.

https://www.slashgear.com/1758644/2025-g80-interior-design-details-luxury-brand-comparison/

 

[A Horse With No Name]

19 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Just not Ellipticals, all cardio equipment is recommended to face a mirror wall so that as you work out, you can also monitor your posture. 

Most people will get lazy and hang on the equipment which is not good for the back. The mirros allow you to monitor yourself in working out, square shoulders, straight back, pumping the arms fully, etc. 

To quote the medical industry:

• Proper form and technique: Mirrors allow people to check and correct their exercise form and technique in real time.
• Visual reference: Mirrors help individuals maintain correct posture and form during workouts.
• Motivation and performance: Seeing oneself in the mirror can boost motivation and performance.
• Preventing injuries: Checking form helps prevent injuries during exercise.

The bench portion of my workout is in front of mirrors, and I love it for that reason. But when i do cardio, I want to focus on solitude and mental health, so I agree with the Gentleman from Italy here.

It's unreal, this will not end well. No hope for a lasting cease fire. You can't have an agreement where neither party is capable of acting in good faith.

 

11 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Very enlightening read.

EVs Are Cheaper to Own Than Gas Cars in All But 2 States, Study Finds

I am forwarding this to my wife.

As I get older...

 

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

As I get older...

Amen.

Some people are pieces of work.  It's not like when you're in school and in your 20s when people have far fewer ulterior motives and less of that convoluted baggage that could still be considered workable.

[A Horse With No Name]

Escalade hits the end of the line!

 

[G. David Felt]

37 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Escalade hits the end of the line!

 

WOW, amazing how trashed an expensive auto can become on top of the illegal ODO roll back. Sad

[A Horse With No Name]

2 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

WOW, amazing how trashed an expensive auto can become on top of the illegal ODO roll back. Sad

I love junkyards, you see the most amazing stuff crushed.  When I was a kid a local junkyard had a lot of rare and interesting cars from the 1950s....one day I went by and they had all been crushed. 

Have seen everything imaginable in junkyards. 

Speaking of abandoned stuff, want to see North Dakota. 

 

I love the turquoise on this...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

One minute and cool

 

[G. David Felt]

@A Horse With No Name If you want to see a VAST array of American Iron, take the Amtrak train from Chicago to Seattle. It was AMAZING to see all the lined up trucks and cars from just about every make lined up in the fields by the train tracks heading west. It is an amazing site to see all the old autos rusting away in the fields as well as some of the abandoned small towns that the trains go by.

You could also do the Seattle to Chicago ride. Still amazing sites to behold.

Empire Builder Seattle To Chicago