Unsocial Media

 Like ir or not, fossil fuels are required for economic growth.  The world won't run on wind and solar.  Wishing it to existence won't make it a reality.  I don't think those in government regulation understand that.  Carbon.  It's not a bad thing.  Every living thing in this world is made out of carbon.  CO2 is used for food in plants.  Photosynthesis converts the CO2 to oxygen.  Why are they too stupid to understand this?  The war on fossil fuels is a war on economic growth and prosperity. It also interesting to note that was we approach an election year they are starting to ramp up covid fear mongering.  How convenient.  The left is setting themselves up for another stolen election through fraud.  Just like the last one.  That's how they can run Joe Biden.  They'll spool everyone up into a covid frenzy and Joe will get to campaign in his basement.  He'll refuse debates due to covid restrictions. ...

Grayson Quay, an editor at The Daily Caller, wrote a brilliant  commentary on one of the trends I see contributing to the collapse of society.  Attention people crave and receive is creating what he calls an "an epidemic of exhibitionism."  Messages and actions are motivated by the seeking attention and validation from others as a form of acceptance in the form of likes, retweets, commentary and follows.   Quay goes on to postulate: "The epidemic of exhibitionsism is rooted in the demand for total authenticity and the accompanying stigma against...well...stigma.  Each individual has the right, and perhaps even the duty, to bring the whole self into every situation.  To conceal one's kinks, politics or mental health issues is to submit to systemic oppression and 'respectability culture.'' Contrary to popular belief not every aspect of the self deserves to be revealed or celebrated publicly, much less privately.  As a matter of fact, most personality tr...

An electric car weighs the same whether the battery is fully charged or empty. Or, is it heavier when it is fully charged and lighter when there's no charge?  An internal combustion car is heavier when the tank is full and lighter when the tank is empty.  Does that mean the traditional ICE car is more efficient when the tank is less full because it's hauling around less weight?  Or is energy invisible in an electric car?  It must be because all the green new deal and electric car fanatics seem to think all you have to do is plug an electric car into the wall and viola, it's got a full tank of gas.  Too bad they don't understand the dominant resources used to make electricity.  Burning coal and natural gas.  Electric cars really aren't any better for the environment - they just displace the carbon footprint to where it can't be seen.  Out of sight.  Out of mind. Why are electric cars so expensive?  It's really just a chassis with an elect...

Nickname: a familiar, humous or derogatory name given to a person or thing instead of or in place of their formal given name.  In Gone in 60 Seconds Nicholas Cage gave the cars he was stealing female names so they could talk about them over a shortwave radio as a decoy to the police as to what they were really doing.  His nemesis in the movie was "Eleanor" - a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang.  A creme puff he tried stealing multiple times and was never successful.  Fox News' Jesse Watters calls Joe Biden's press secretary "Binder" because she is incapable of having an open dialogue with the press corp without consulting her gigantic three ring binder reading talking points prepared in advance when presented with a question.  There's a guy in the airport called "Green Bay" because he's built like a Mack truck and smells like rotten cheese.  There was a kid in middle school everyone called "Scratch" because he was always scratching his ba...

Always been a car guy.  Comes from being raised watching The Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider on TV and movies like Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run.  When I'm bored I log on to Bringatrailer.com or carsandbids.com and look at all the old school cars being auctioned off to the highest bidder. I particularly enjoy the test drive videos of the cars I grew up with.  Corvettes, Mazda RX-7s, Toyota Supras, Nissan Maximas, Mustangs, etc.  They're just something about these old school analog cars with little in the way of technology.  The most technologically advanced thing on some of these is a carburetor  and an FM radio.  Maybe a limited slip differential with disc brakes on all four corners.  V8s. Rotarys.  V6s.  T-Tops.   Just watched a video of a guy driving a 1995 Chevy Corvette.  Yellow with a black interior.  Manual transmission.  Just hearing the rumble of the V8 as the driver rows through the gears. ...

The Austin Symphonic Band (affectionatley known as ASB) has an upcoming concert titled "Structures."  Sounds interesting so I asked one of my dear friends what was on the program.  She was kind enough to send me the weekly announcements with links to reference recordings to allow band members to get a gist of the music prior to rehearsal.   Invincible Eagle by John Phillip Sousa was on the menu.  We played Invincible Eagle as the opener for our UIL contest performance in 1989 when I was a senior in high school.  The rest of the program included Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations and the f inal movement from Symphony #2 by John Barnes Chance.  Quite a mature program for 15-18 year old musicians to partake.I've always enjoyed the piece and hearing it again brought back some great memories of one of the first peak musical experiences I've had in my entire life.   Peak musical experiences are defined as experiences with music that stand out as especia...

 Most know I purchased a 2004 Lexus LS430 in April with 103,000 miles on the clock.  Impeccable service records.  Dealer oil changes every 5k miles.  Routine maintenance.  Timing belt and water pump.  While not in perfect condition it was in exceptional mechanical condition.  According to the dealer, the car was traded in by an elderly couple for a Gensis G90 luxury barge.  Maybe, maybe not.  My wife didn't understand why I traded in a perfectly good Acura with significantly less mileage for a 19 year old land yacht.  I didn't expect anyone to understand my decision without having done the same extensive research I did on the LS430 before deciding it was the right car for me.  If you watch The Car Care Nut or the Car Wizard, both of them praise the LS400 and LS430.  The regular car reviews guy praised it too.  But why?  Simply put - this is was the pinnacle of Japanese car building.  Car is expected to go 200,000...

Today is my oldest's 21st birthday.  Currently a Junior at university studying computer science.  He's grown into a fine young man.  He's always been academically focused on getting the best education possible to help insure a good economic future.  He's got solid values and morals.  He is a kind, mature soul.  Always has been.   The funny thing about kids is even though they're full sized adults, I still see my kids through the eyes of a parent.  They make the same facial expressions as when they were little.  I still see his little hands even though his hands are nearly the same size as mine. My boy is quite intelligent and I wish him nothing but the best going forward. Happy Birthday!

A few complex topics I would like to write about include the decline of the middle class, climate change, mental health, immigration, globalization, populism and nationalism.  I don't know how to tackle the subject succinctly because they're so big.  Maybe that's what separates a writer from a hack.   I read a series of articles about the adoption of electric cars and the series was like 25 pages long to examine a multitude of aspects to consider as to the complexity of the transition and the length of time it will take.  And what I learned is the transition to electrified transportation comes with unintended consequences which are either not that out or ignored in the ridiculous goal of eliminating vehicles with an internal combustion based powertrain.  It's almost like the regulators and green new deal advocates don't care about the unintended consequences of electric cars.  They just want fossil fuel based energy outlawed because "it's bad for the enviro...

 LinkedIn - It's like Facebook for adults.  People posting accomplishments, provocative business articles, celebrations, thoughtful leadership quotes, job postings, etc.  Don't quite understand the purpose.  There are some people that are excellent at using the platform for self promotion and coming across as "with it" in their industry.  Contemporary thinkers.  Showing they're business savviness and that they're movers and shakers.  That I am not.  Nor do I want to be shamelessly promoting myself.   Someone had made a post about pilot training in the seat of an airplane vs pilot training in a simulator and was making the case for having more traditional flying hours in an actual airplane and less time in a sim.  David Neeleman (who I greatly admire) had a snarky comment about seat time in a plane burning millions of holes in the atmosphere through emissions and wasting fuel.  OK - this coming from a guy who has started 5 airlines -...

Dynamic pricing defined as a revenue management strategy where pricing is flexible based on current market demands.  Charging more for peak demand and less for weak demand.  Or a better way to describe dynamic pricing is charging the highest price when demand is high and discounting when demand is low.  Big business utilizes dynamic pricing in a variety of industries.  Prices for toll roads and express lane access fluctuates based on traffic density.  Using an express lane is more expensive during rush hour than it is at four o'clock in the morning when the roads are empty.  Ride hailing apps such as Uber have flexible pricing based on surges in demand.  An uber from an entertainment district is more expensive after the bars close than it is before the bars close.  Getting an Uber before or after a special event (concert, sporting event, etc) is more expansive than usual pricing.  Airlines utilize dynamic pricing to both stimulate demand and ...

 BlueBell Ice Cream, one of the "tastes of Texas" available outside the country.   BlueBell started out being made at the little creamery in Brenham in 1907 - I've toured the facility a few times and they always end the tour with a free scoop.  Over time they grew and built production plants in other parts of the country to include Broken Arrow, OK and Sylacauga, AL and is now #2 ice cream manufacturer in the United States, while only being sold in 23 of the 50 United States.  They're proud of the fact the product continues to be sold in half-gallon containers.  While totally onboard with the sizing, the cost associated with picking up a half gallon can be upwards of ten bucks.  For mass produced frozen confections.  Forbes declared Blue Bell Ice Cream the best ice cream in the country in 2001 and I agree. Being away from the food I grew up with, BlueBell is a taste of home and I usually have a half gallon container in the freezer.  Some of their ...

Narcan is a drug that  designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist—meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone.   Can you believe Narcan is going to be made commonly available for purchase in store and even vending machines?  I can't. To the extent that Narcan is readily available indicates a opioid crisis is mainstream.  For there to be such an epidemic that warrants making this drug readily available at the neighborhood drug store or vending machine in an entertainment district speaks volumes to the size of the problem.  In the old days you'd have to take someone to the hospital or call EMS to keep someone from overdosing on drugs. I wonder if Hunter Biden has used Narcan during his historical episodes of drug use and addiction?  I'm guessing he probably has.  Just seeing the photos from his laptop of his teeth destroyed by crack ...

Today is my wife's birthday.  Happy birthday!   I remember when our relationship was in it's infancy and we were driving somewhere in a car.  My wife say's to me "Look - It's my birthday!"  And I was like, what?  She said look at the clock!  It's my birthday - 9:16!  And since then remembering her birthday has been ez-peezee.  It's true what the say about women - given them almost anything and they'll turn it into something better.  Give her a house - she'll create a home.  Give her some food and she'll make a meal.  Give her clothes and she'll make a bunch of outfits.  Give her a problem, she'll come up with a solution.   My wife is a lover of family, children, Disney and fashion.  My wife has a big heart - she loves her family like only a mother can do.  Loves her kids.  Loves other people's kids spending almost thirty years teaching public school developing a love of learning in her students bring a sense...

 A disturbing trend in corporate policy is companies having a "social media policy" restricting the freedom of speech during non-work hours.  Someone once said freedom of speech is not the same as freedom of consequences.  Why do corporations think it is within their realm to enforce consequences for behavior that is done off company time?  Remember - you represent the company 24-7-365 and what you do reflects on the company.  This reeks of a social credit score being enforced in its infancy.  Be careful with what you let become known about yourself and your life.  Be an enigma and carefully manage your brand in a professional environment and in the real world. Historically I have been an avid Facebook user.  The appeal of spouting off Facebook posts with every thought that flashes through my mind is strangely appealing.  Think of me as being as temperamental and mercurial on Facebook as Donald Trump was on twitter except more crude and vulga...

You gotta wonder what Disney thinks of Rachel Zegler and her big mouth.  She has done nothing but trash the live action remake of Snow White.  She's complained about the traditional story calling the prince a stalker and how could there ever be true love.  The remake isn't going to be a romance.  It's going to be movie with a strong female character becoming the leader she's capable of being.  Blahblahblah.  Also, the photos that came out of the dwarfs look like a modern day woke freak show. If anything Rachel's big mouth has put the live action remake on the fast track to being canned.  Does she not understand who wants to see Snow White and the 7 dwarfss?   Whatever - make the movie for the current times.  But why?  To earn some DEI and ESG points?  Corporate America is shooting themselves in the foot and alienating their core audience in the quest to be woke.  It's not about the core audience - it's about growing the audienc...

Train wreck   It derailed the train.  What a mess.

 Did you see the news coming from the g20 summit?  Joe Biden and India announced a partnership to build a railway corridor to transport people and goods in that part of the region.   See here Any American reading this should question Biden’s allegiance to America and its citizens. Actions like this proves he is a good for nothing globalist and his priorities are completely misguided. The rest of the world is not the problem of the United States. Biden shows he has contempt for Americans and the American way of life.  The Money being spent on projects like this instead of being spent on American infrastructure is treasonous. After the g20 meeting Biden went to Vietnam to strengthen diplomatic ties?  Why?  We should be partnering with countries who can reinforce our agenda both economically and diplomatically. I don’t see Vietnam benefiting the US. But what do I know? It sure is interesting to see Biden working these deals with his political acumen. How is it...

Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick are two of my favorite movies.  There’s something I love about a Tom Cruise movie where he plays a hot dog hero with a strong bravado of masculinity.  Recently read the following article: Here My mind is blown. Could it be Maverick died when doing the Mach 10 test flight and the entire movie is a dream sequence where Maverick reconciles everything from his past?  His aspirations.  His relationships.  His legacy.  They could have another sequel starting with Maverick in the hospital and pick up the story with Rooster.  To date myself, these dream sequence possibilities remind me of the tv show Dallas - when an entire season was written off as Pamela Ewing’s dream.  Anything is possible-but is manipulating your entire audience really ethical?  

Love being greeted with our beautiful sky exiting work. One view from the west and one from the east.    

 In an entry earlier this week I made mention of my writing as Jesus.  I was reading through some of the old posts - man - there's some great work in there.  Brilliantly Crazy.  Once again - there is a fine line between genius and insanity.  I've been on that line and it was so much fun.  I'm proud of the work my team and I did.  Fitting to be posted on a Sunday. If you're interested in checking it out... A Day in The Life of Jesus

I found the post on Facebook about teaching my youngest to ride his bike.  Post here for posterity. Enjoy. One of the neatest bonding experiences between parent and child is learning how to ride a bike. We’ve been out 5 times. From our initial outing with next to no ability to balance while getting oriented to how the machine works while being pushed to being able to ride in a straight line without assistance to learning how to turn. Today we worked on reducing our turning radius and maintaining enough speed to get through a turn while not having the bike trip over the pedal in the turn and not turning show sharp that the bike drops. Today the wind was blowing stronger than we’ve experienced while learning. My boy did great while the wind was batting him and the bike around. There were a few stumbles and falls while learning to turn in a reduced space. Some pretty good falls too. The last fall was a dandy. He got jabbed in the gut with the handle bar and landed on his hands an...

 Particularly struck by how many facets of society are supposed to be based on truth but either aren't or someone decided the truth is subjective.  Is the truth supposed to be absolute?  Can the truth change?  I was always taught to tell the truth because it never changes.    The truth shall set you free. The legal system is fascinating - especially in a criminal sense...  I doesn't matter wether someone committed a crime.  What matters is if it can be proved before convictions can occur.  Did OJ Simpson kill his wife?  All I know is if it doesn't fit you must acquit.  Brilliant play on words.  Yet OJ went to jail. Involved in many terminations in my time as a leader.  One in particular was interesting because the person was asked a direct question and gave an answer.  The person left the conversation and came back with a different account of the events leading up to being questioned.  Then they left again to "pr...

 Our flight schedule changed at work.  Instead of our first departure at 10:07 it is now at 1:17.  These fluctuations affect my circadian rhythm, sleeping and eating schedules.  I don't like to eat within 4 hours of going to bed.  Now I get home at 6 and have to stay up until at least 10 or 11 to get dinner digested.  It shouldn't be that big of a deal-but it is.  I also like to keep a minimum of 12 hours between my last meal of one day and first meal of the next.  I usually only eat twice a day.  It helps me keep my beautiful physique and reduces food costs.  Trivial, I know.  

 Wanna know something interesting?  Everything I've ever posted online is contained in various blogger books (I guess that's the word).  Five books - some drafted but never published and some real master pieces from before it became evident I struggled with mental illness.  These blogs go back as far as 2008.  I was inspired to start writing after watching "About Schmidt" staring Jack Nicholson before deciding he was a jerk....  He wrote to Ndugu.  I wrote to Ndugu....  I had another blog called - The tangled web I weave.  I had another one I wrote while I was in therapy.  There was a guy that wrote the Fake Steve Jobs blog that I loved.  I tried to mimic the idea by attempting to write as Lance Armstrong after he fell from grace and was exposed for doping in his high flying cycling career which led to his destruction and the destruction of the lance Armstrong foundation.  I never found the write voice for Lance. The "best" blo...

 I never saw and have no intention of seeing Schindler's List.  Being emotionally manipulated by movies is not something I enjoy.  The gist of John Williams scoring the film when something like this:  When Steven Spielberg asked John Williams to compose the score for the film, John Williams told Spielberg that he needed to find a better composer than him for the film.  Spielberg responded, you're right - but they're all dead.  And so, John Williams went to work on that chapter of their collaborative relationship.   Schlinder's Theme is supposed to be emotional - and it is in the tempo that it's performed for the film....  The twisted side of me thinks it would make a wonderful waltz if it was played faster.  Listen to it and tell me if you disagree?  Is that coincidental or an accident?  I dunno.  But it doesn't have to be near as haunting as it is in the film. Speak of John Williams - I wish an album would be released of the p...

 Well...  I got off Facebook for the umpteenth time....  Why is this time any different?  Facebook started showing disturbing videos in my feed.  In addition to the typical woke and trans agenda I was getting videos of people beating up their wives and other crazy stuff.  I have no idea why Facebook would choose to show me videos with this kind of content?  Is it because my political views line up with what "the algorithm? views as conservative, uneducated redneck ideologies?  The only way I see to say this is not okay is to stop participating.  If I don't participate, they can't assign videos of this nature to me.   Social media is contributing to the discourse in society and the downfall of conservative American values. On one had, it's a gigantic echo chamber.  On the other hand, they show us videos so sow divisiveness among the people.  What we allow into our body determines are health - and that extends to media and the po...