Random Thoughts Thread

[daves87rs]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

159, 2nd only to Texas which has 254. If memory serves me, Ohio has 88..I had to memorize them and facts about each in my Ohio history class in school 35+ years ago...Ohio used to have stickers on the license plates spelling out the county name,  when I moved here 3 years ago they were using  county number stickers instead of name stickers.   Then in 2018, they switched back to county name stickers..go figure.

Nice! I forgot now many Michigan had...I think right around Ohio’s number....

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, daves87rs said:

Nice! I forgot now many Michigan had...I think right around Ohio’s number....

Yes, 83.  I lived in Washtenaw County from '94-97.

[balthazar]

4 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Ohio used to have stickers on the license plates spelling out the county name,  when I moved here 3 years ago they were using  county number stickers instead of name stickers.   Then in 2018, they switched back to county name stickers..go figure.

"Government efficiency".

[G. David Felt]

Between work and when the rain stops been working on my garden. Should be a good year.

[G. David Felt]

This morning did a Garlic test Harvest.

So decided to harvest tonight. Almost 200 garlic in the harvest.

All laid out to dry in my little green house.

Final thing was to harvest the Garlic Greens. Great at being frozen so you can use them year round for making Broth, in pasta, salads, soups, you name it including meat marinades. 

Cannot go wrong with Garlic, so easy to grow.

[daves87rs]

5 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Yes, 83.  I lived in Washtenaw County from '94-97.

U of M country.... ? 

I went to the little college next to it starting in 96... ? 

Edited June 24, 2020 by daves87rs

[Robert Hall]

6 hours ago, daves87rs said:

U of M country.... ? 

I went to the little college next to it starting in 96... ? 

Yeah, I spent 3 years at the U of M Computer Engineering department in PhD life...studying and teaching.   Then bailed for corporate cubicle life in Colorado.    I enjoyed Ann Arbor.

[balthazar]

[ccap41]

interesting, i never thought about the county number for any state. IL apparently has 102. 

8 hours ago, dfelt said:

This morning did a Garlic test Harvest.

So decided to harvest tonight. Almost 200 garlic in the harvest.

All laid out to dry in my little green house.

Final thing was to harvest the Garlic Greens. Great at being frozen so you can use them year round for making Broth, in pasta, salads, soups, you name it including meat marinades. 

Cannot go wrong with Garlic, so easy to grow.

Oh maaaaaan... I LOVE garlic! We put garlic on most things whether its the powder or chopped cloves. 

[ccap41]

@dfelt, remember a few months ago when I told you about somebody I knew with a new Aviator and how well they liked it and they hadn't had any major issues..? Well things have since changed. He still loves the vehicle when it's being normal but he's having a major safety issue where when he goes from R -> D it will just idle away on its own. The brake pedal pushes but does absolutely nothing. He's posted a video and it's just idling about 5mph with him pumping the brake pedal and NOTHING. Very luckily, it has never happened around other people in a parking lot or anything but he said the worst time it did it was his driveway and it went ~150ft down his driveway before he could stop. He's taken it in now 3 times for this. The first time they couldn't replicate the issue and gave it back. The second time they re-flashed something or replaced something, didn't fix it. It is currently in on the 3rd attempt as the technicians just don't know what to do. i can't blame them as it seems above their level of fixing. He's trying to get rid of it and have Lincoln buy it back because it's a major safety issue. He's also had a small drive-line vibration that's been fixed on that 2nd visit. He's been in a Nautilus loaner for 2 or so weeks now. He's been dealing with somebody above dealership level trying to get it bought back. 

[balthazar]

^ Everything-By-Wire problems.

[G. David Felt]

6 hours ago, ccap41 said:

@dfelt, remember a few months ago when I told you about somebody I knew with a new Aviator and how well they liked it and they hadn't had any major issues..? Well things have since changed. He still loves the vehicle when it's being normal but he's having a major safety issue where when he goes from R -> D it will just idle away on its own. The brake pedal pushes but does absolutely nothing. He's posted a video and it's just idling about 5mph with him pumping the brake pedal and NOTHING. Very luckily, it has never happened around other people in a parking lot or anything but he said the worst time it did it was his driveway and it went ~150ft down his driveway before he could stop. He's taken it in now 3 times for this. The first time they couldn't replicate the issue and gave it back. The second time they re-flashed something or replaced something, didn't fix it. It is currently in on the 3rd attempt as the technicians just don't know what to do. i can't blame them as it seems above their level of fixing. He's trying to get rid of it and have Lincoln buy it back because it's a major safety issue. He's also had a small drive-line vibration that's been fixed on that 2nd visit. He's been in a Nautilus loaner for 2 or so weeks now. He's been dealing with somebody above dealership level trying to get it bought back. 

Bummer that really sucks to hear. It does make one wonder about their old drive by wire setup. I hear the new F-150 will be based on their answer to GM's all new electrical nervous system that will allow over the air updates, etc. Supposed to be better and the starting point of replacing their old patchwork drive by wire system.

Yes, Lincoln should buy it back as to me that is a Lemon, MAJOR SAFETY LEMON.

Thank you for the update! 

So what is everyone's thoughts ahead of the major release of the new F-150 with Hybrid and EV version?

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/24/new-ford-f-150-to-feature-integrated-generator-over-the-air-updates.html

Interesting as these are the key take aways from the story.

• Ford is introducing a new F-150 pickup truck Thursday night.
• The automaker needs its highly profitable flagship product to drive a global restructuring plan and pay off debt related to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Full-size pickups accounted for 37% of the automaker’s 2.4 million vehicles sold last year in the U.S.

[balthazar]

‘Over air updates’ cannot repair electronic problems in many cases, which in the context of what we’re talking about: also involve mechanical systems. Needlessly complicated.... and in an era where EVs are pushed hard as being simpler. Interesting.

I’m sure the usual segment will go for the EV & hybrid version F-150... 2% of buyers.

Edited June 24, 2020 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

‘Over air updates’ cannot repair electronic problems in many cases, which in the context of what we’re talking about: also involve mechanical systems. Needlessly complicated.... and in an era where EVs are pushed hard as being simpler. Interesting.

I’m sure the usual segment will go for the EV & hybrid version F-150... 2% of buyers.

Over air updates CAN repair electronic problems where stated electronic is controlled by an electronic module. As has been proven with current updates at Tesla in their brakes and Ford and GM are also doing this with their brakes in regards to modulation, the various pressure of applying brakes, software updates can change the performance of how a certain electronic part works.

In regards to @ccap41 stated about his friends Aviator CUV and the electronic issues. I suspect much is poorly written software code. When a company does not have strong software development / testing methods in place, once can have a very buggy electronic problem be it drive by wire, brake by wire, etc. Many times the code freezes with just the right order of how things are applied, a software patch can usually fix the issues.

We have seen this with electronic transmissions that better software settings make it smoother, more efficient. 

Those in the computer industry will understand this very much due to addressing software bugs.

[balthazar]

Nooooo thanks.

[trinacriabob]

15 hours ago, daves87rs said:

U of M country.... ? 

I went to the little college next to it starting in 96... ? 

Do you mean the state university in Ypsilanti?  

[trinacriabob]

23 hours ago, dfelt said:

Lucky me, Washington only has 31 and like you we had to memorize them and what was the key product for each county. ? Lucky we do not state what county your from, but they do ask the name of the county your in which is weird to out of state transplants as everything here is Indian terms. So I live in Snohomish County. 

If you are going to somehow bookend Seattle's King County, I think it's way better to be in Snohomish County than be in Pierce County.  And it makes it even easier to go to Vancouver BC (more frequently).

The number of counties in Texas and FM labels on their roads may be interrelated.  FM means "farm to market," I believe.  So, counties could only be so big so people could navigate them (on horse, in a Model T, I don't know).  The only county in Texas I know fairly well is Harris, which is where the city of Houston is located.

Also, the top end of Houston has the major artery FM 1960, which crosses Lake Houston on a causeway.  You don't want to even think about swimming in Lake Houston.  No you don't.

[riviera74]

23 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

If you are going to somehow bookend Seattle's King County, I think it's way better to be in Snohomish County than be in Pierce County.  And it makes it even easier to go to Vancouver BC (more frequently).

The number of counties in Texas and FM labels on their roads may be interrelated.  FM means "farm to market," I believe.  So, counties could only be so big so people could navigate them (on horse, in a Model T, I don't know).  The only county in Texas I know fairly well is Harris, which is where the city of Houston is located.

Also, the top end of Houston has the major artery FM 1960, which crosses Lake Houston on a causeway.  You don't want to even think about swimming in Lake Houston.  No you don't.

That badly polluted?

[Robert Hall]

My sister has done a few gigs in Houston, esp. in the energy corridor to the west..she hates driving there. 

[trinacriabob]

40 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

That badly polluted?

I don't know about that, specifically.  Mostly, I wouldn't want to risk being "someone's" meal.

Edited June 24, 2020 by trinacriabob

[trinacriabob]

Are you going into establishments as states begin to open and wonder what is going to be different?  I am, to some degree.

We can anticipate the paper menus and disposable utensils.

Then, as I embarked on my first meal INSIDE an Arby's, I was thinking that one additional thing would be different.  I just knew it!

I often ring the bell upon leaving.  I couldn't ring the damn bell!

[G. David Felt]

24 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Are you going into establishments as states begin to open and wonder what is going to be different?  I am, to some degree.

We can anticipate the paper menus and disposable utensils.

Then, as I embarked on my first meal INSIDE an Arby's, I was thinking that one additional thing would be different.  I just knew it!

I often ring the bell upon leaving.  I couldn't ring the damn bell!

I would have just removed the whole thing for reinstall later if I was the owner.

[daves87rs]

6 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Do you mean the state university in Ypsilanti?  

Maybe... ? 

While the University of Michigan is in Ann Arbor- ( I almost refer to it as a baby brother) is Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Rob and I where miles apart for a few years and didn’t even know it!

[trinacriabob]

1 minute ago, daves87rs said:

Maybe... ? 

While the University of Michigan is in Ann Arbor- ( I almost refer to it as a baby brother) is Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Rob and I where miles apart for a few years and didn’t even know it!

Sounds like it's a "yes" to Eastern Michigan University.

[daves87rs]

3 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Sounds like it's a "yes" to Eastern Michigan University.

Yep! ? 

[balthazar]

[Robert Hall]

8 hours ago, daves87rs said:

Maybe... ? 

While the University of Michigan is in Ann Arbor- ( I almost refer to it as a baby brother) is Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Rob and I where miles apart for a few years and didn’t even know it!

Heh-heh... small world.  I used to shop at the Meijer on Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti.   And my '86 Mustang LX got totaled on Carpenter Road about 2 weeks after I moved to Ann Arbor in June 1994 (that was not a good start, maybe a bad omen for the following 3 years of grad school). 

[balthazar]

Ypsilanti : birthplace of the Tucker.

[balthazar]

[Robert Hall]

10 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Ypsilanti : birthplace of the Tucker.

Ya...they also have a neat museum built out of a former Hudson dealer also..visited it once. 

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

Now that I live within 3 hrs of Detroit again, I want to go visit various car museums and such in Michigan if things ever return to 'normal'...saw a number of them in the 90s when I lived there.   

Edited June 25, 2020 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

There was a neat lil museum, I think it was the ‘Detroit Historical Museum’- the had the Ford Cougar concept, one of the ‘54 Bonneville Specials... and I got to sit in #18 of the ‘63 Chrysler Turbines there.

[daves87rs]

8 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Heh-heh... small world.  I used to shop at the Meijer on Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti.   And my '86 Mustang LX got totaled on Carpenter Road about 2 weeks after I moved to Ann Arbor in June 1994 (that was not a good start, maybe a bad omen for the following 3 years of grad school). 

Yep, been to that Meijer’s a few times as well.  ?  Favorite Memory of that location was watching a bunch of hot college girls lather each other with suntan lotion in the parking lot...lol. I’ve seen quite a bit of crazy driving over the years on Carpenter Rd over the years...had people nearly miss both my Cavalier and my S10 over the years- I think only state street gets crazier! Loved those back roads though....fun driving on country roads.....

8 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Ya...they also have a neat museum built out of a former Hudson dealer also..visited it once. 

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

Now that I live within 3 hrs of Detroit again, I want to go visit various car museums and such in Michigan if things ever return to 'normal'...saw a number of them in the 90s when I lived there.   

Yep, and the Henry Ford too.... ?

Don’t live too far from there....family loves the place!!!

[G. David Felt]

Cadillac has started to let folks know the EV reveal is coming. Date set, outline shown with this Instagram message today.

[ocnblu]

8 hours ago, balthazar said:

 

[Robert Hall]

^ 1967 was a good looking year for the big Fords. 

[balthazar]

^ Sure, they were copying Pontiacs! ?

[Robert Hall]

The ‘67 Ford 2dr roofline reminds me a lot of the ‘65-66 B-body roofline.  ‘67 was the 3rd and final year of stacked headlights on the full size Fords 

[balthazar]

Reminds me of Ford lifting the ‘59 Pontiac nose for the ‘60 Edsel.

[ocnblu]

[ccap41]

How has nothing been posted here about the new F150 yet? 

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by ccap41

[trinacriabob]

Random thought of the day:

Today is a good day.

It's National Take Your Dog to Work Day.

 

[ccap41]

I would love to take one of my pups to work with me...

[Robert Hall]

I took Henry to the groomers on Wednesday (he's 14) and Ginny (she's 12) to the groomers today.  Both now have nice short summer 'dos..lots of gray in their faces..

Edited June 26, 2020 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

Sleeper '60 Edsel coupe, 3x2 Chrysler 354 Hemi underhood :

[regfootball]

Mom may be picking up a 2011 Cadillac DTS this weekend.  Fingers crossed.  The 2002 DTS was going to have to be replaced SOMETIME

5 hours ago, ccap41 said:

How has nothing been posted here about the new F150 yet? 

 

 

 

 

console and tailgate wars!

that self folding shifter is absurdly awesome.

the girth of that center stack is simply majestic.

[Robert Hall]

5 minutes ago, regfootball said:

Mom may be picking up a 2011 Cadillac DTS this weekend.  Fingers crossed.  The 2002 DTS was going to have to be replaced SOMETIME

console and tailgate wars!

that self folding shifter is absurdly awesome.

the girth of that center stack is simply majestic.

2011 DTS sounds interesting...my sister's '00 DTS was nice, but lots of electrical gremlins as it aged.  The '06 STS has been nice, but another money pit (now sitting dead in my driveway). 

That shifter is slick, but looks like recall material to me..

[trinacriabob]

3 hours ago, balthazar said:

 

This reminds me of this:

Wally World, here we come!

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

This reminds me of this:

Yeah- the 4 tires ARE similar.
 

[Robert Hall]

6 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Yeah- the 4 tires ARE similar.
 

 

It's those funky taillights that are similar..

[balthazar]

Oh- I guess so.