Photo of the Week

Courtesy of Time.com

Calamity
Lightning streaks through the skies over the Silvi Concrete factory in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

I've attempted to shoot lightning before and it's quite a undertaking. You basically have to mount your camera on a tripod, take a decent guess at the exposure, and open the shutter for at least 30 seconds to catch a potential amount of strikes. Add some good luck and an area where lightning strikes are common and I think you have the recipe for shots like this one. Really cool shot!

Time and National Geographic feature some of the most incredible photos on the internet. If you don't already check them out at Time Photos and National Geographic Photography

Cartoon of the Week

Courtesy of Time.

Crunching the Numbers: Week 2

I was a bit braver this week inflating the tires up to 40 psi but lost some ground in the fight for better gas mileage. My GoodYears list the maximum inflation at 40 psi so I doubt if I will go any higher although plenty of literature claims that inflating them much higher is quite safe and will lead to less rolling resistance and greater fuel efficiency. There was a noticeable degradation in ride comfort on rough roads but dry surface handling didn't seem to be affected at all.

Unfortunately, I had to make some trips out of the norm this week which disturbed my careful testing procedures and possibly contributed to the reduced fuel mileage average of 29. 21 mpg. Still at the very top of the factory fuel mileage ratings for this vehicle but now I'm hungry for more. I wonder if the expense of synthetic lubricants in the engine and drivetrain would pay for itself with less trips to the pump. The engine does have a small oil leak and I'm afraid that a slippery synthetic would just flow out quicker. Something to consider...

Summer Solstice Marked With Fire, Magic, Yoga

Sure looks like a scene out of the second Matrix movie to me (just need to zoom in a little tighter to see Neo) but, according to National Geographic, this is a festival held in a cave in Zuggarramurdi, Spain, during a 1998 Aquelarre, or Witch Coven.

Held on or near the summer solstice, the festival commemorates the alleged witches who used the cave in centuries past—many of whom died by fire during the Basque witch trials of the 1600s.

For millennia the summer solstice has been embraced as a time of rebirth and hope, and as a herald of abundant food and warm temperatures to come (summer solstice facts).

Falling this year on Friday, June 20, in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year is still regarded by many as a day of mystical and religious significance—and the cause for many a celebration.

Experts: Mile-per-gallon ratings may mislead

Adding more mpg food for thought is this article featured on msnbc.com.

“There are significant savings to be had by improving efficiency by even two or three miles per gallon on inefficient cars, but because we communicate in miles per gallon, that savings is not immediately evident to consumers,” said Soll.

Read the full article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25284981/

Bushism of the Day

"There is some who say that perhaps freedom is not universal. Maybe it's only Western people that can self-govern. Maybe it's only, you know, white-guy Methodists who are capable of self-government. I reject that notion."—London, June 16, 2008

Follow the president's accidental wit and wisdom on Slate.com.

Car Gas Mileage May Not Be All It Seems

NPR's All Things Considered presented the following question. Which saves more gas: trading in a 16-mile-a-gallon gas guzzler for a slightly more efficient car that gets 20 mpg? Or going from a gas-sipping sedan of 34-mpg to a hybrid that gets 50 mpg?

If you guessed the second choice, you're wrong.

Even a small improvement in gas guzzlers saves more gas than a big improvement in cars that already save. But cars aren't advertised that way in the U.S.

If they were rated in gallons per mile instead of the other way around, people might get a better idea of how to save gas.

Visit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91703607 to listen now.

The Case (Almost) for Drilling

John Hofmeister, who is retiring next month as president of Shell's U.S. operations and is embarking on a quest to inspire ordinary Americans to demand from their elected representatives a fundamental change in energy policy, presents a rational argument for offshore drilling. Read the full article on Slate at http://www.slate.com/id/2193858/

More Drilling for Oil in the US

Yesterday morning, President Bush urged Congress to overturn the ban on offshore oil drilling and open up ANWR citing that these moves would "take pressure off gas prices over time by expanding the amount of American-made oil and gasoline." Following in the unpopular leader's footsteps, McCain made a 180 and put out a similar message. Both are stroking the fears of the American public in this time of $4 gasoline and a sagging economy. What is truly frightening is that polls show that many of our fine citizens believe that these moves will actually lower the price of gas.

Obama, who was against the silly notion of a gasoline tax break this summer, is also against these proposals and with good reason. According to Time magazine and many other reputable sources including the government's own Energy Information Administration,

Even if tomorrow we opened up every square mile of the outer Continental Shelf to offshore rigs, even if we drilled the entire state of Alaska and pulled new refineries out of thin air, the impact on gas prices would be minimal and delayed at best. A 2004 study by the government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) found that drilling in ANWR would trim the price of gas by 3.5 cents a gallon by 2027. (If oil prices continue to skyrocket, the savings would be greater, but not by much.) Opening up offshore areas to oil exploration — currently all coastal areas save a section of the Gulf of Mexico are off-limits, thanks to a Congressional ban enacted in 1982 and supplemented by an executive order from the first President Bush — might cut the price of gas by 3 to 4 cents a gallon at most, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. And the relief at the pump, such as it is, wouldn't be immediate — it would take several years, at least, for the oil to begin to flow, which is time enough for increased demand from China, India and the rest of the world to outpace those relatively meager savings. "Right now the price of oil is set on the global market," says Kevin Lindemer, executive managing director of the energy markets group for the research firm Global Insight. President Bush's move "would not have an impact."

Read the full Time article at http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1815884,00.html. I am not an eco-terrorist and don't oppose the drilling of either area for oil if it would actually be productive but it has to be combined with sensible legislation that encourages conservation and promotes the development of renewable energy. Americans have to recognize the scare tactics employed by the GOP and actively promote policy that disposes of the tax breaks and subsidies given to oil companies making record profits. Let's get Big Oil out of our capitol and look to a future filled with renewable energy sources.

Geek Trivia: Raiders of the lost art

Courtesy of Geekend at TechRepublic.

What Alaskan malamute inspired two of the most famous and influential pop cultural icons of the 20^th century — neither of which were dogs.

The canine in question was named Indiana and was owned by none other than George Lucas. You can probably guess at least one of the two pillars of pop culture that Indiana helped inspire. As fans of the Indiana Jones franchise are no doubt screaming at their computer screens right now, one Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Sr. told the world “We named the dog Indiana,” in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This not only explained were the character Indiana Jones’s unlikely name came from, but also was a direct nod to the real Indiana, from which both the fictional dog and archaeologist-adventurer took their namesakes. (One will also note that the young Indiana Jones portrayed by River Phoenix at the opening of The Last Crusade owns an Alaskan malamute, seen in the Jones household after the train chase sequence.)

The other Lucas-created icon that the four-legged Indiana lent a paw in creating was Chewbacca, the Wookiee copilot of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. The canine Indiana often rode in the passenger seat of Lucas’s car, leading the filmmaker to describe the dog as his copilot. Thus, when Lucas conceived of the daring smuggler Han Solo, he felt the scoundrel needed his own faithful — and furry — aide de camp.

Suffice it to say, if Lucas and Indiana had never met, Harrison Ford’s career might have been markedly different. Still, the good Mr. Ford should count his lucky stars that his character got the Indiana name and his costar got the Indiana look, rather than the other way around. In fact, the key visual design for the character Indiana Jones came from a far more qualified — if unanticipated — source: One of the most influential comic book artists of all time.

WHAT ICONIC COMIC BOOK ARTIST CREATED THE VISUAL DESIGN FOR THE CHARACTER INDIANA JONES? Get the Answer.

Jay Garmon hosts Geekend at the TechRepublic blogs. Check it out for even more Geek Trivia.

A Brief History of Gasoline Consumption in America

Courtesy of The Village Voice.

Geek Trivia: Spy versus spy-fiction

Courtesy of Geekend at TechRepublic.

On May 28, 1908, Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in London, and in his 56 brief years on this Earth, he would help defeat the Nazis, launch the most successful movie franchise in history, and dream up one of the world’s most loveable sentient automobiles. And that’s not the half of it.

Fleming is perhaps best known as the creator of fictional British super-spy James Bond, who first appeared in Fleming’s 1953 novel Casino Royale. The Bond character has gone on to star in more than 20 major motion pictures, which collectively grossed over $3 billion — a figure that dwarfs even the twin Star Wars trilogies in earnings. Bond’s book series wasn’t quite so popular in America when it began — until John F. Kennedy admitted he was a fan, spiking sales. Fleming’s Bond arguably launched the 1960s spy-fiction craze, combining suave super-heroics with gritty Cold War quasi-realism.

Yet, perhaps the most amazing character in Fleming’s life was Fleming himself. During World War II, Fleming was assigned to be the personal assistant to Britain’s Director of Naval Intelligence. From this post, he learned the spy game and planned an untold number of outlandish and effective missions, including Operation Goldeneye, which prepared to defend Gibraltar from Spain should the latter have joined the Axis powers, and an unnamed scheme that involved using occultist Aleister Crowley to manipulate Rudolf Hess. (Seriously.)

Thus, many of the trappings made famous by James Bond were test driven in Fleming’s own life, including Bond’s famous codename, 007. Fleming had one of those too.

WHAT WAS IAN FLEMING’S CODENAME WHEN HE WORKED FOR BRITISH INTELLIGENCE? Get the Answer.

Jay Garmon hosts Geekend at the TechRepublic blogs. Check it out for even more Geek Trivia.

Crunching the Numbers

The first week of the great experiment is over and I'm quite pleased with the results. With ~ 145K on the odometer, my V6 equipped 2000 Camaro ran 381.6 miles on 12.543 gallons of regular unleaded for an average mileage of 30.42! For a car rated at 19/29 under less than realistic conditions according to the latest literature, I'm suitably impressed. I've seen 30 mpg before in this car but it was all interstate driving. So how did I pull it off? Mostly, I was just careful with the right foot. I slowed down to 50-55 mph on the two lane roads which comprise 2/3's of my commute and 65 mph on the interstate. No jack rabbit starts and no sudden stops. Just cruising and relaxing.

I took a few cues from the Hypermilers over at http://www.cleanmpg.com but I chickened out on inflating the GoodYears up to 40 psi and settled for 35 instead. I really couldn't tell any difference in the ride quality and F-Bodies typically don't ride like Cadillacs. I did put the car in neutral and coasted down the few hills on my trip each day but I never shut the engine off. It's not exactly easy to drive a car with power steering and brakes without the engine running. I had the window(s) down most of the time eschewing the A/C unless I was on the cell. I did shut off the engine a few times while waiting in traffic. Overall, it really didn't take much to get the fuel mileage up 4 mpg.

Happy Fathers Day

I just called up my dad and wished him a happy Fathers Day. Life has been rough on my father and I watched him struggle for years to support us without truly appreciating the sacrifices that he endured to raise myself and my two siblings. Becoming a father at 20 certainly gave me a greater understanding of my father's journey through life but it's taken nearly another two decades to truly appreciate my family and realize how important they all are to me. Maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental but happy Father's Day dad. I love you. Thanks for everything that you did for us.

The Incredible Hulk is Back!

Sandi and I ventured to the theater to see Iron Man while I was down in Tampa over Memorial Day weekend. She was leaning toward Indiana Jones but I talked her into seeing it instead. They updated the comic perfectly and Robert Downey Jr was THE choice for Tony Stark. The effects were amazing and there was a lot of humor which Downey excels at. Even Sandi said that it was much better than she expected. I think that was a high compliment from a non-comic book fan that has patiently endured my love for the genre for years. I even got her to sit with me through the credits to check out Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury. Need to start working on the sainthood paperwork for her! After all, she did stand in line for hours in the heat whilst pregnant to purchase us tickets for Batman in 1989. What a woman!

This weekend marks the opening of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comic's second production since going into the movie business for themselves. The big green guy has always been a favorite of mine and Ang Lee's 2003 version just didn't cut it. The trailers look absolutely incredible and I hope that the film is a smash hit. I was concerned that the production stills looked really fake but seeing the Hulk in action in the trailer looks very believable under most conditions... as believable as a 9" tall, 1 ton bundle of muscle can be. The reviews have been mixed but I don't care what they say anyhow. I'll skip the opening weekend rush but hopefully will venture to the theater with the little lady once again here in a few weeks to check it out!

Stockton Stop Sign Spelled 'SOTP'

Just read this news on KCRA Sacramento's website.

A road crew in Stockton doing repairs at Royal Oaks Drive wants you to "SOTP."

After putting a stop sign in, the crew came back to the road by Dentoni Park to paint the stop sign on the pavement when they misspelled the word "stop," a Stockton resident said.

The misspelling was corrected on Wednesday, city officials said.

I'm not making this one up. See for yourself at http://www.kcra.com/news/16578641/detail.html#. Is the public education system truly that bad or is the city of Stockton now hiring illiterate immigrants? I can see one guy being dyslexic but the whole crew? Gotta wonder.

Bushism of the Day

"We got plenty of money in Washington. What we need is more priority."—Washington, D.C., June 2, 2008

Follow the president's accidental wit and wisdom on Slate.com.

What A Wonderful World

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Oh yeah

I don't remember the first time that I actually heard Louis Armstrong sing "What A Wonderful World". I believe my mother had it on 45 and we played it when I was young. She gave us her record collection to keep me and my two siblings entertained. Anyhow, back to the present... I finally took the opportunity to photograph some hay bales down the road from my home and Louis sprang to mind. It is a wonderful world. I need to get outside and see it more. I just wish Sandi was here to share it with me.

Recycling

The United States is the richest country in the world and also the most wasteful. Recycling, among other things (renewable energy, greater fuel efficiency, etc), should become a national priority. When I was wandering though the valley of unemployment in 2006, I took up the recycling cause at my home. I'm concerned about the planet but it was just never convenient until I had plenty of spare time. Garbage service in this part of the county has only been a reality in the last five years so curbside recycling is completely out of the question at my rural Tennessee home. In fact, there's no curb since I live on a gravel road!

So it requires a little more work under these conditions but it's a worthwhile endeavor that everyone needs to strongly consider. Recycling programs in other parts of the world are amazing, especially in Japan where the hallway in their smaller homes is often filled with different containers to generate a 95% recycling rate. Since my wife moved to Florida to work, I recycle almost all paper, cardboard, and plastic and have began doing the same at my place of business. I've cut my garbage production down to one bag per week and told the contractor that was charging me $12/month that I don't require his services anymore. I'm still paying the utility company $6/month for absolutely nothing but that's a story for another day.

I've been hauling everything up to Fayetteville, TN for disposal but that's the opposite direction of my usual travel so I've found an alternative in Athens, AL where I work. If I shop and recycle in Athens or Taft then I'll save a few more bucks on gas and reduce my carbon footprint just a little bit more... Every little bit counts.

Hypermiling

Time to tighten up the belt. Regular gasoline at the HP Max in Ardmore, TN was listed at $3.79 per gallon this morning on my way to work. Luckily, I've always abhorred the SUV/Minivan market so at least I'm not stuck with a real gas hogging land yacht. Instead I've always opted for two door sporty cars instead. Not exactly a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla but better than a truck with a barrel of oil at $138+. I'm still in possession of the 1998 Camaro that is for sell but I'm driving a 2000 Camaro approximately 80 miles on my daily commute to Athens, AL.

Both GM F-Bodies are powered by 3800 Series V6's with automatic transmission and have provided good services over the years with gas mileage ranging from 25-30 mpg. The 2000 has around 145,000 miles on the odometer now and a change of plugs couldn't hurt. With gas prices continually rising and the less than stellar status of my bank account, I've decided to push the mileage as far as possible in a 3525 lb gasoline V6 powered vehicle.

I've been here before with a few other cars in the past just to make them practical to drive and that was when Super Unleaded was less than $1.50. Squeezing 15 mpg out of my 1970 Buick GS with a slightly warmed over Buick 350 took some careful observation of the vacuum gauge and a light foot. Luckily modern vehicles with fuel injection and overdrive trannies have many advantages in that area. After seeing an article on CNN.com, I've been visiting the CleanMPG Forums at http://www.cleanmpg.com. Although a lot of the material there is aimed at hybrids, there is still much information to be gleaned about any vehicle.

Unfortunately, my circumstances dictate that I drive the Camaro until the wheels fall off so my first efforts to stretch a gas buck will be purely with tire inflation and slowing down. I reduced my speed about 10 mph this morning and will be inflating my tires to about 40 psi when I get home. I'll top off my tank this afternoon so the great experiment will begin.