No, not my future teacher salary... or perhaps it is with a bit of inflationary assistance.
100,000 meters is how far I traveled this morning by bicycle with Joshua. It was a fantastic ride up to the wind farm and around the valley. Hopefully a few pictures later from his camera. Now breakfast time at noon.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Environmentalism
Reading this post over at Washington Monthly's blog reminded me of a conversation I had with a Republican at the Union County Fair a couple days ago. He was advocating massive expansion of domestic oil drilling (specifically offshore and in ANWR) and prefaced the discussion with something to this effect, "Don't try and use global warming as a reason not to drill because I don't believe in it."
My response, "That's fine. There are lots of other reasons not to expand drilling: oil spills, air pollution, habitat disruption, short-term solution, etc."
It was good timing, then, that the above-mentioned post was written. In short it says that environmentalists need to lay off of the global warming mantra and talk more about dirty air, filthy water, lost animal habitat, ruined forests, dead lakes, trash everywhere, etc. In other words, there is a lot more to environmentalism than global warming.
I certainly agree, although that does not incline me to put the fight against global warming on the backburner. Instead, let us highlight that "saving our planet" means more than just reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Not only is this the correct thing to do, it is also practical. There are many people out there who are not interesting in global warming but who are willing to take on air pollution because their child has asthma, clean up rivers because they love fishing, or pick up trash because they want their surroundings to be beautiful. It's long past time we find allies wherever they may lie.
My response, "That's fine. There are lots of other reasons not to expand drilling: oil spills, air pollution, habitat disruption, short-term solution, etc."
It was good timing, then, that the above-mentioned post was written. In short it says that environmentalists need to lay off of the global warming mantra and talk more about dirty air, filthy water, lost animal habitat, ruined forests, dead lakes, trash everywhere, etc. In other words, there is a lot more to environmentalism than global warming.
I certainly agree, although that does not incline me to put the fight against global warming on the backburner. Instead, let us highlight that "saving our planet" means more than just reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Not only is this the correct thing to do, it is also practical. There are many people out there who are not interesting in global warming but who are willing to take on air pollution because their child has asthma, clean up rivers because they love fishing, or pick up trash because they want their surroundings to be beautiful. It's long past time we find allies wherever they may lie.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Chess Milestone
This evening I just won my 100th game of online chess. Hooray!
Now that I've firmly established my nerdiness, I'm headed to bed. The last two nights I accumulated a grand total of seven hours of sleep and I fell asleep twice in class today. I'm such hard partying undergrad.
Now that I've firmly established my nerdiness, I'm headed to bed. The last two nights I accumulated a grand total of seven hours of sleep and I fell asleep twice in class today. I'm such hard partying undergrad.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Car Work
About two months ago my car started acting up. It wasn't running smoothly and would "miss" every so often. I lived with it for a couple weeks, but realized it was exactly the same symptoms my last Mazda Protege had at about the same mileage. Last time the shop put in new spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor and it solved the problem. This time, rather than take it to the shop, I rolled it over to my neighbor's garage and we went to work.
First off, my neighbor is awesome. He helps me fix all kinds of things and explains a host of other things. He's one of those guys who knows something about everything. A true renaissance intellectual, something I admire. I digresssssss...
After an hour or so of work and a couple trips to the parts store (the wires I originally bought didn't fit) the car was running great. Hooray!
Then, out of nowhere, a coolant leak developed. Have no fear, neighbor is here! Tonight, after identifying the leak, we cut the existing hose and reattached it. Cost: zero. Wasted parts: zero. So satisfying.
It made me think: This is the first time I've done any real work on my car. I know there are hobbyist out there, but as cars become more computerized, is working on one's car fast becoming a lost art? When we are flying around in hover cars are we going to tell stories to our enraptured grandchildren about how when "we were kids" people fixed their own cars. Anyone out there work on their car or am I just the man?
First off, my neighbor is awesome. He helps me fix all kinds of things and explains a host of other things. He's one of those guys who knows something about everything. A true renaissance intellectual, something I admire. I digresssssss...
After an hour or so of work and a couple trips to the parts store (the wires I originally bought didn't fit) the car was running great. Hooray!
Then, out of nowhere, a coolant leak developed. Have no fear, neighbor is here! Tonight, after identifying the leak, we cut the existing hose and reattached it. Cost: zero. Wasted parts: zero. So satisfying.
It made me think: This is the first time I've done any real work on my car. I know there are hobbyist out there, but as cars become more computerized, is working on one's car fast becoming a lost art? When we are flying around in hover cars are we going to tell stories to our enraptured grandchildren about how when "we were kids" people fixed their own cars. Anyone out there work on their car or am I just the man?
Saturday, July 26, 2008
A New Feature
I've decided a new feature of this blog will linking to interesting articles that I read accompanied by a brief summary by yours truly. First up:
"Heat Is Power. Let's Stop Throwing It Away!" by Thomas Blakeslee
Summary: Just about everything we do when producing electricity and using vehicles creates lots of wasted heat. Coal-fired power plants and nuclear facilities have huge cooling towers and our cars have cooling systems. That heat represents wasted energy. In fact, coal-fire power plants only use 1/3 of the power from the coal and the rest is sent up the cooling tower. I was told by the bike mechanic that only 4% of the energy in gasoline goes to moving the person down the road and the other 96% moves the car, breaks wind, overcomes friction, etc. The author concludes that we could drastically improve our energy efficiency by using all that wasted heat.
Apparently government policies do not encourage efficiency, but as energy prices rise and technology improves, use of wasted heat becomes more economically viable. The bottom line: wasted heat in the form of hot water and steam should be used to heat buildings and turn turbines that create electricity. Makes sense to me!
"Heat Is Power. Let's Stop Throwing It Away!" by Thomas Blakeslee
Summary: Just about everything we do when producing electricity and using vehicles creates lots of wasted heat. Coal-fired power plants and nuclear facilities have huge cooling towers and our cars have cooling systems. That heat represents wasted energy. In fact, coal-fire power plants only use 1/3 of the power from the coal and the rest is sent up the cooling tower. I was told by the bike mechanic that only 4% of the energy in gasoline goes to moving the person down the road and the other 96% moves the car, breaks wind, overcomes friction, etc. The author concludes that we could drastically improve our energy efficiency by using all that wasted heat.
Apparently government policies do not encourage efficiency, but as energy prices rise and technology improves, use of wasted heat becomes more economically viable. The bottom line: wasted heat in the form of hot water and steam should be used to heat buildings and turn turbines that create electricity. Makes sense to me!
McCain... Still Crazy
Turns out John McCain isn't finished being crazy (surprise, surprise). A couple weeks ago he said that knowing what we know now--that there were no WMDs in Iraq, that there were no terrorists in Iraq, that there were no terrorist ties to Iraq, that Iraqis would not embrace us with open arms, that we did not have enough troops for the job, etc etc etc--knowing alllllll that, he would still support the start of the Iraq War.
Seriously? This guy is crazy. Even after knowing that the war would be a failure, that thousands of troops would die and thousands more would be permanently disabled, that thousands of Iraqis would die and thousands more would be displaced, that Iran would grow in power, that worldwide terrorist recruiting would go up, that we wouldn't have enough troops in Afghanistan, that we would spend more than a trillion dollars in Iraq as our schools deteriorate, national infrastructure falls apart, and energy prices goes through the roof... after all that he would still support the war.
The mind reels.
Please tell your friends, John McCain is not fit to be president.
Seriously? This guy is crazy. Even after knowing that the war would be a failure, that thousands of troops would die and thousands more would be permanently disabled, that thousands of Iraqis would die and thousands more would be displaced, that Iran would grow in power, that worldwide terrorist recruiting would go up, that we wouldn't have enough troops in Afghanistan, that we would spend more than a trillion dollars in Iraq as our schools deteriorate, national infrastructure falls apart, and energy prices goes through the roof... after all that he would still support the war.
The mind reels.
Please tell your friends, John McCain is not fit to be president.
Most Amazing Golf Ever
Yesterday I played the third round of a little tournament at the local club and it was phenomenal. It's a long story that gets weirder and weirder as it goes. Enjoy in bullet form:
*I was playing a guy named Mel and I had to give four strokes.
*On the third hole we were tied. He hit his ball on the side of a hill with two foot long grass and his ball went all the way to the dirt. He proceeded to get up and down for par and we stayed tied.
*On the sixth hole hit his ball right next to the creek, within the hazard, but made bogey. I also made bogey after missing a one foot putt. On the next tee he assessed himself a penalty stroke so I won the hole anyway. He had won the fourth hole, so now we were tied again.
*On the ninth hole we had to consult the rule book, the first time I've done that in years. He was out of bounds and I won the hole with a birdie.
*The 11th hole I hit the best drive I've ever hit there, but after a three putt it was a par. I'm still one up.
*After failing to get up and down on 12 and 13, I was one down.
*14th hole I birdied and the match was tied.
Here's where it gets weird.
*15th hole: I added yards to the total distance rather than subtract--something I've never done--and hit the ball over the green. After the chip I was walking to the green and while tapping my putter on the ground the club head broke off. Clean off. We consulted the rule book again (second time in one round!?!?) and got an interpretation from the club pro. Turns out I couldn't replace it and had to putt with another club. I lost 15 and was 1 down with three holes to go.
*16th hole: Long par 5 and I bombed my drive but a little right. My ball was in the junk, but I hit a good 6 iron on the fringe and made the putt with my sandwedge for eagle. I won the hole and we were even.
*17th hole I won with a par. I'm one up.
*18th hole I hit a terrible approach, but a great bunker shot to a foot and a half. Putting with my sandwedge... I missed. He parred so it was on to extra holes.
*First extra hole: We both drove the green and made birdies.
*Second extra hole: It's a par 5 and I had to give him another stroke. I hit my drive 350 yards and stuck my 9 iron to eight feet. He missed his birdie putt and then I made my 8 footer, again with my sandwedge, for the win... or so I thought.
This morning I received a call from the club pro who said that yesterday my handicap updated and changed from +.28 to +.5 which meant I had to give the guy an extra stroke. After looking at the card it turns out the meant he won the 5th hole and thus the match. Unbelievable, weird, and a little questionable. Still, the most amazing and weird rounds of golf I have ever been involved with.
UPDATE (Tuesday the 29th): I just received a phone call from the course pro and he said I actually won the match due to a couple rules that he found out about after calling the United States Golf Association. We're going national baby!!!!
*I was playing a guy named Mel and I had to give four strokes.
*On the third hole we were tied. He hit his ball on the side of a hill with two foot long grass and his ball went all the way to the dirt. He proceeded to get up and down for par and we stayed tied.
*On the sixth hole hit his ball right next to the creek, within the hazard, but made bogey. I also made bogey after missing a one foot putt. On the next tee he assessed himself a penalty stroke so I won the hole anyway. He had won the fourth hole, so now we were tied again.
*On the ninth hole we had to consult the rule book, the first time I've done that in years. He was out of bounds and I won the hole with a birdie.
*The 11th hole I hit the best drive I've ever hit there, but after a three putt it was a par. I'm still one up.
*After failing to get up and down on 12 and 13, I was one down.
*14th hole I birdied and the match was tied.
Here's where it gets weird.
*15th hole: I added yards to the total distance rather than subtract--something I've never done--and hit the ball over the green. After the chip I was walking to the green and while tapping my putter on the ground the club head broke off. Clean off. We consulted the rule book again (second time in one round!?!?) and got an interpretation from the club pro. Turns out I couldn't replace it and had to putt with another club. I lost 15 and was 1 down with three holes to go.
*16th hole: Long par 5 and I bombed my drive but a little right. My ball was in the junk, but I hit a good 6 iron on the fringe and made the putt with my sandwedge for eagle. I won the hole and we were even.
*17th hole I won with a par. I'm one up.
*18th hole I hit a terrible approach, but a great bunker shot to a foot and a half. Putting with my sandwedge... I missed. He parred so it was on to extra holes.
*First extra hole: We both drove the green and made birdies.
*Second extra hole: It's a par 5 and I had to give him another stroke. I hit my drive 350 yards and stuck my 9 iron to eight feet. He missed his birdie putt and then I made my 8 footer, again with my sandwedge, for the win... or so I thought.
This morning I received a call from the club pro who said that yesterday my handicap updated and changed from +.28 to +.5 which meant I had to give the guy an extra stroke. After looking at the card it turns out the meant he won the 5th hole and thus the match. Unbelievable, weird, and a little questionable. Still, the most amazing and weird rounds of golf I have ever been involved with.
UPDATE (Tuesday the 29th): I just received a phone call from the course pro and he said I actually won the match due to a couple rules that he found out about after calling the United States Golf Association. We're going national baby!!!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Obama Legitimized
In this year's presidential race we have Barack Obama, someone who is wildly popular with the Democratic base, against John McCain, someone who does little to inspire conservative Republicans and leans hard on his supposed foreign policy know-how. In the last couple months, however, McCain's strongest issue has slowly eroded from beneath him. He's confused Shiites and Sunnis (whoops), said Vladimir Putin is the President of Germany (not President and definitely not Germany), referenced events in long-ago-defunct Czechoslovakia as though it is still a country (it's been a few years buddy), incorrectly identified troop levels in Iraq (by 20,000), and said that Iraq and Pakistan share a border (nope). There's even more stuff he's confused, misunderstood, misstated, etc, etc, etc.
Already McCain is looking shaky (that's the understatement of the day!) on foreign policy. Last week it got worse for McCain. The Prime Minister of Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki, endorsed Barack Obama's timetable for withdraw--a removal of troops over a 16 month period--saying that it was right for Iraq.
To make matters worse for McCain, the current administration has begun negotiating with North Korea and is getting positive results, and is doing the same with Iran and Syria. It was Barack Obama who, months ago, said we needed to engage diplomatically with rogue nations. Now we know Obama's view is right.
So, Obama was right by opposing the Iraq War in the first place, was/is right about engaging rogue nations in diplomacy rather than ostracizing them, and has the plan that is being endorsed by the top Iraqi politician. As a reminder, John McCain supported the Iraq War in the first place, endorsed the current administrations views on diplomacy (or lack thereof), and believes we may be in Iraq for up to 100 years. Yeesh.
Already McCain is looking shaky (that's the understatement of the day!) on foreign policy. Last week it got worse for McCain. The Prime Minister of Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki, endorsed Barack Obama's timetable for withdraw--a removal of troops over a 16 month period--saying that it was right for Iraq.
To make matters worse for McCain, the current administration has begun negotiating with North Korea and is getting positive results, and is doing the same with Iran and Syria. It was Barack Obama who, months ago, said we needed to engage diplomatically with rogue nations. Now we know Obama's view is right.
So, Obama was right by opposing the Iraq War in the first place, was/is right about engaging rogue nations in diplomacy rather than ostracizing them, and has the plan that is being endorsed by the top Iraqi politician. As a reminder, John McCain supported the Iraq War in the first place, endorsed the current administrations views on diplomacy (or lack thereof), and believes we may be in Iraq for up to 100 years. Yeesh.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Big Sporting Weekend
It was a big sporting weekend for me. On Saturday Brian and I, both members of Team Oregon Trail Racing, went down to Boise to race in the Boise Twilight Criterium. I placed 7th and Brian got 11th, so we were just a hair out of two top 10 finishes. The big up was that neither of us crashed, so it was a success!
Today I had a second round golf match in my course's Club Championship. It's really not a club championship because it is handicapped, it's more just match play, but still fun for a little competition. Today was a heck of a match. I was four holes down with seven to go and ended up winning on the 18th. On to the next round!
Today I had a second round golf match in my course's Club Championship. It's really not a club championship because it is handicapped, it's more just match play, but still fun for a little competition. Today was a heck of a match. I was four holes down with seven to go and ended up winning on the 18th. On to the next round!
Something To Think About
I heard this quote while listening to a speech today on TED.
Credited to Jonah Sulk:
Credited to Jonah Sulk:
If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.Makes you think.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Priceless
Are you better off now than you were seven years ago when Bush entered office?
They don't think so.
DAMN! I can't get the video to embed properly, so click here to see it.
Hat tip to Aguanomics.
They don't think so.
DAMN! I can't get the video to embed properly, so click here to see it.
Hat tip to Aguanomics.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Bike!
All you loyal readers know I've been building a bike. The goal was to build a bullhorn style bicycle cheaply, under $50 if possible. I started with a donated frame which I painted. Since then I collected a set of free wheels, a crank, and brake levers, but then construction ground to a halt... until today!
I took all my components down to the bike shop where I know the mechanic and we went to work. After a tire, chain, derailure, shifter, brakes, housing, wheel true, seat post tightener, handlebar tape, and peddles, the bike is fully operational and looks great!!!!
The good news is that it is a super comfortable ride and turned out looking fantastic. The bad news is that I went wildly over budget:
Painting: $20
Bottom Bracket: $18
Today's costs: $118
Total: $156
I thoroughly busted my idealistic budget, but I learned a lot (especially from today's session) and have a great commuter bike. I hope you all like it!
A HUGE thanks to Whit, the mechanic down at The Mountain Works. He gave me a great deal on parts and labor and let me hang around and learn a bit about his trade. If you're a La Grande local or passing through I highly recommend their shop!
I took all my components down to the bike shop where I know the mechanic and we went to work. After a tire, chain, derailure, shifter, brakes, housing, wheel true, seat post tightener, handlebar tape, and peddles, the bike is fully operational and looks great!!!!
The good news is that it is a super comfortable ride and turned out looking fantastic. The bad news is that I went wildly over budget:Painting: $20
Bottom Bracket: $18
Today's costs: $118
Total: $156
I thoroughly busted my idealistic budget, but I learned a lot (especially from today's session) and have a great commuter bike. I hope you all like it!
A HUGE thanks to Whit, the mechanic down at The Mountain Works. He gave me a great deal on parts and labor and let me hang around and learn a bit about his trade. If you're a La Grande local or passing through I highly recommend their shop!
Elgin Stampede
Last weekend was the Elgin Stampede, a regional rodeo with all sorts of cowboy things. For those of you that know me, you know that means I'm there. For those of you that really know me, you know that the previous statement was ridiculous. That said, I really enjoy going to the rodeo because it's entertaining, fun, and exciting. We attended the bull riding, but there were two other events: Barrel Racing and Wild Cow Milking.
A little background. The PA announcer kept saying, "Sign ups for the wild cow milking are still open, anyone can join." You are supposed to do it in teams of two and, because I was with Garron, I tried to convince him to do it with me. When he declined I tried to get my friend Matt to do it. He said no. It was probably a good thing.
When the Wild Cow Milking event began a bunch of legit cowboys ran out there with the intent to milk some cows (see below). One partner was on a horse roping while the other wrestled the cow into submission and then milked. I have plenty of heart... but no skill... or hat... or belt buckle. So when I saw real farmers/ranchers struggling I realized it would have been quite the spectacle to have me out there. While I'm sure the few thousand spectators would have loved it, it's probably a good idea that we passed.
There was also barrel racing and bull riding, both of which you can check out below. Only three guys made the entire eight seconds and one was carted off my ambulance. I'm not sure if that's what you call a "good night."
I should mention that the rodeo clown's prop was named Hillary Clinton and there was always a good laugh had by all when the bull would crush it. Pretty stereotypical. It's disappointing on so many levels.
A little background. The PA announcer kept saying, "Sign ups for the wild cow milking are still open, anyone can join." You are supposed to do it in teams of two and, because I was with Garron, I tried to convince him to do it with me. When he declined I tried to get my friend Matt to do it. He said no. It was probably a good thing.
When the Wild Cow Milking event began a bunch of legit cowboys ran out there with the intent to milk some cows (see below). One partner was on a horse roping while the other wrestled the cow into submission and then milked. I have plenty of heart... but no skill... or hat... or belt buckle. So when I saw real farmers/ranchers struggling I realized it would have been quite the spectacle to have me out there. While I'm sure the few thousand spectators would have loved it, it's probably a good idea that we passed.
There was also barrel racing and bull riding, both of which you can check out below. Only three guys made the entire eight seconds and one was carted off my ambulance. I'm not sure if that's what you call a "good night."
I should mention that the rodeo clown's prop was named Hillary Clinton and there was always a good laugh had by all when the bull would crush it. Pretty stereotypical. It's disappointing on so many levels.
Woah.
I sat down to blog while watching today's Tour de France stage. That was awesome, but like all awesome things it came to an end. Being lazy (the remote is across the room) I just left the TV on and up came the World's Strongest Man Competition. Observations:
- The guys are dead lifting so much weight that their noses start to bleed.
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