My Stuff

…and thank god for that!!

So I was reading about this really new search engine on CNN called CUIL (pronounced cool).

Nice simple interface.

And it ends there.

I am in agreement with a lot folks who’ve already blog’d and written about CUIL in that in a  word, it SUCKS.

Try it out for yourself.  http://cuil.com/

Bring up two browsers.  Point one to google and the other at cuil.  Next, enter the same search phrase in both windows and then compare your results.  You’ll be quite disappointed.

For my test I entered (without quotes) “jim west pinball”

On the front page I did find links to some of my pages, but what I found strange and somewhat annoying is that the images next to the links have absolutely NOTHING to do with my pages.  They appear to be just random images.

Quite misleading.

Another thing I found misleading is that after you do a search, look in the upper right portion of the window to find the number of results.  Funny thing is, you don’t get to see all those results.  Some searches I’ve done report thousands of results, but cuil only shows 3 of them.  That’s it.  Only 3.  Nice.

So,  after all  this, I head back to Google for my searches.

Cuil isn’t.

Cuil sucks.

It ain’t cool to be Cuil.

On my way home from work last week I was stopped behind a GE repair van at a light.

It was a very clean (maybe new) panel van.  Big GE logo on back with their 800 number.

Also across the back of the two doors in large letters were the words, “This truck makes frequent stops”.

Hmmm…ok…advertising the fact that your products are so bad they are always being worked on.

Not sure if that’s really the right message they want to be sending out.

I however found humor with it and had to chuckle.

Guess its time to update this blog for my two (or is it three) loyal fans.

The biggest event in the recent past is that my oldest has moved out on his own.  Him and his best friend have rented a two-bedroom apartment.  Now if I can only get him to get the REST of his stuff moved out.

I bought him a lot of food stuff for his pantry to help him start out.  Turns out that his roommate’s step-brother pretty much ate everything…by himself.  My son was beside himself.  I had to chuckle as now the proverbial table has been turned.  So, I took him shopping for more food stuff where the whole time he was commenting on how expensive everything is.  Again I had to chuckle.

Now I need to get my house key and garage door opener back from him so that there will not be any “midnight” raids on MY pantry.

It will be curious to talk with him in a months time to see what life is like, especially about the bills.  I was pretty relentless with him about expenses but he would just ignore me, telling me that I have no idea what I’m talking about since an apartment is waaaaay different than a house.  He has already forgotten living in an apartment with me.

He has his half of the rent (which includes water), his half of the gas bill as well as half of the electric bill.  Then there is his pet deposit for his dog which comes with a monthly pet rent.  There is petro, food and entertainment expenses as well.

I invited him over for dinner the other night which he excitedly accepted.  Nothing special, I just made some of my homemade pasta sauce for spaghetti.  He commented that “free food” never tasted so good.

I did tell him that he’s got to do this on his own with no help from me.  I also told him that no matter what happens, I would never let him starve or be homeless.  That’s what dad’s are for.

We did have one incident during the move though.  His cat has gone missing. :(  We figure she may have gone outside when my son and his friends were helping him move his things out.  We’ve not seen her since and I’m quite saddened by this.  I continue to hope that she has been adopted by a nice family.  She’s a real friendly cat and likes to cuddle.

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I also starting looking into a new (used) vehicle since my Durango is probably not going to last all that much longer.  I really want to get a pickup truck.

After looking around, I’m gonna have to wait.  Really can’t afford a car payment right now.

So…decide to fix a couple of things on my D.  First thing I did was to replace the PCM.  This is the Power Control Module (aka computer) that suffers from heat issues.  When the ambient temperature outside would exceed 68 F I knew I would be in trouble.  You see, when the temp gets high, it is causing something in the cable connection to have an issue.  Probably due to expansion.  Modern vehicles have a myriad of sensors now.  All these sensors are connected to this computer.  There is constant communication going on between the sensors and the computer.  When this heat issue occurs, it causes a disruption in this communication which causes the computer to have a nervous breakdown.  In this event, it just shuts down the entire vehicle.  There’s nothing like driving down the highway at 60MPH only to have the computer shut down your vehicle.  Steering is a REAL BITCH when the engine isn’t running BTW.  I’ve become quite adept at putting the vehicle in neutral when this occurs so that I can maximize forward momentum to get me to a safe place.

Once I’m out of the way, I pop the hood, get out, go wiggle the cable, get back in, start up the D, get out, close the hood, get back in, put seat belt on, dis-engage hazard signals, put on turn signal and be on my way.

The computer has three large connectors with each connector having like 40 wires.  But it’s only one connector that has this “problem”.  Funny thing is, the first time this happened to me I had no idea what was happening.  The only indication I had was the “No Bus ERR” on the odometer display.  I would try and try to restart with no luck.  After about 10 minutes, I would be able to start my D and head on my way.  It was only later I learned that this issue was heat related and the first couple of times I was actually waiting for the computer to cool down enough to not be a problem.

When I got home, I did some google searching about this problem.  I found it quite amazing that I was not alone.  And no, it wasn’t just one or two other people with this problem, it was a considerable amount of people.  I found one post that pointed out which cable it was and the temporary remedy…wiggle the cable.  So the next time it happened, I wiggled the cable and sure enough, worked like a charm.  Although on really hot days, all this means is that I could make it a couple of hundred yards between stalls.  At this point I started carrying a jug of water to pour on the computer to assist in the cool-down.  This certainly helped as I was able to make at least half mile jumps.

The real fix is to have the computer replaced which has to be reprogrammed for your VIN.  Checking around at the dealer and other auto shops I was finding this to be an easy $1000.  At that point I convinced myself that I would carry two jugs of water and just deal with it.

This started happening just a couple of months before last winter and soon enough, winter was here.  Cool temps.  No vehicle problems.  Went all winter with no problems.  Then in late March, the temps started to rise.  I began to despise warm weather and sure enough I began to have ‘puter problems again.  Sigh.

Thus I was motivated to just trade in the D and get something a little newer.  My D is a 1999 model.  After not finding the right truck I resigned myself to getting the computer replaced.

Determined that there had to be a cheaper alternative to having a dealer shop or other auto shop do the work I went searching on the net.  I knew that replacing the computer would only take about 10 minutes.  The shops told me that they can’t just replace the computer on my request.  They would have to run all these diagnostic tests first as well as be able to reliably reproduce the problem to determine the exact cost.  This on top of the $450 price tag on the new computer is why the cost would be at a minimum $1000.

I love eBay.  Searching eBay based on a post I found in a forum, I found a company in Florida that deals with auto computers.  I contacted them.  For $199 they would program a replacement computer with my VIN, ship it to me with a return shipping label for my old computer and do it all within a few days.  I said “DEAL!”  I placed my order and received my replacement computer in four days.  I swapped out computers which actually took less than 10 minutes.  Drove around in hot weather for another four days with out any problems.  I then sent my old computer back to them.  This was over a month ago and our temps have been in the high 80s, I’ve not had a single shutdown problem.

I now again feel confident to drive in warm weather.

…I smell coolant now.  Next up, the heater core.  This is not going to be a real problem either.  New core is about $35 and takes about an hour to replace.  Will be doing this in about a week with a mechanic friend of mine.  After that I will do a brake service.  Everything else is still doing well on the D and thus I’ll keep it a while longer.

Although now, because of my D, I think I’m gonna start working from home at least a couple  of days a week…at least until gas prices come back down.

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Had my annual physical yesterday.  Cholesterol is still not as low as my doc wants it to be and am now on a Zocor generic.  He also added HCT to my Benicar for my hypertension to get my BP even lower since it too is still a bit too high for his tastes.

So, no red meat or dairy products for me for a while…at least a month.  Need to really work on my weight loss.  Would like to see at least 25 more pounds which gets me under the 210 mark.

I’ve joined the 10K Steps/day program here at work.  We started our third week.  I’m not quite at 10K/day but am getting close (~9500) so I will need to make more time to do more walking in my day.

More fruits and veggies along with fish and chicken in my diet as well.  Last night I bought some salmon and asparagus.  It was quite yummy.  Tonight I will have some left over salmon and a salad.

Well, that’s about it for now.  This should keep my sister happy and will have to endeavor to blog a bit more often.

I’ve noticed that I am becoming increasingly intolerant of drivers who fail to actually stop at red lights or stop signs when making a right-hand turn, and I’m seeing more and more drivers do this.

Having a driver’s license is a PRIVILEGE people! It is NOT a right.

YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DRIVE ON PUBLIC ROADS. It is a privilege afforded to you by the state or locality for which you live.

Another thing the vast majority of motor vehicle operators seem to have forgotten is that driving is NOT about you. It is NEVER about you.

It is ALWAYS about the other operators!!

This frakkin “ME, ME, IT’S ALL ABOUT ME” mentality that has taken over most folks needs to end.

The proper use of your signal is probably my number one pet peeve regarding operation of a motor vehicle.

The vast majority of operators don’t use their signal and the majority of the ones that do, do so incorrectly.

You see, the use of your signal is not just *part* of the action, it is an indication of your intention.

When you pull into a turn lane and THEN turn on your signal all you are saying to the world is, “Hey look everybody! I’m an idiot! I have not a clue how to properly drive!”

Here in Colorado, Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS, aka our laws) Section 42 covers the vehicle and roadway laws.

Motorists are required to use their signal a MINIMUM of 100 feet before turning or changing lanes…which includes pulling into a turn lane. It’s 200 feet if the speed limit is 45 MPH or greater.

It is also ILLEGAL to apply your brake BEFORE engaging your signal.

How lazy and inconsiderate you have to be, to not be able to move your finger an INCH to engage your signal.

As the bumper sticker says, “Using your signal IS NOT giving information to the enemy!”

That same lazy and inconsiderate attitude is also seen by motorists who can not make proper turns either.

You are required to turn ONLY onto the INSIDE lane of your turn. This is probably my second biggest pet peeve of motorists.

For single lane roads most folks get this right, lest they be driving down the road in the oncoming lane.

If you are turning right onto a multi-lane road you should be in the right-most lane, i.e. against the curb, when you make that turn. For left-hand turns onto a multi-lane road you should be in the left-most lane upon completion of your turn.

Only lazy, inconsiderate DOLTS turn into the wrong lanes. People, your steering wheel actually DOES move more than 2 inches in either direction!!

Left turn lanes. How many of you think you know how to actually use one? Most get the concept of turning FROM the left-turn lane but did you know you are also required to turn INTO them if they are there and you are making a left-hand turn. This gives you a safer passage into traffic. You only need to wait for traffic to clear from the left, turn INTO the left-turn lane and then when safe, USING YOUR SIGNAL, you merge right, moving from the left turn lane into traffic.

It’s not frakkin rocket science people.

Another thing that I find bothersome is the motorists that operate their vehicle 10 to 15 MPH BELOW the posted limit. I’ve noticed that the majority of operators that are doing this are blabbing away on their cell phone. I honk at these toads. Then I usually get the look of “Hey don’t bother me! Can’t you see I’m talking on my phone here?!?!”

I’m convinced that most folks lack the proper mental faculties to focus and concentrate on operating their vehicle let alone try to blab away on their cell phone while simultaneously puffing away on their cigarette.

So, what it boils down to is that there are two types of drivers out there.

Those that are not lazy and inconsiderate and who know how to PROPERLY signal and turn and those that are LAZY DOLTS. Which category do you fall in?? …liar

This is my rant about Law Enforcement.

I am so fed up with a lot of folk’s current views regarding LEOs. Yes, I acknowledge there are a few bad apples amongst their ranks and unfortunately, those are the ONLY ones you see in the media giving you the impression that ALL law enforcement are bad. This is just not the case.

The issue that bothers me most is the lack of respect for law enforcement.

People! We have laws. They must be enforced. If you don’t like the law then become proactive with your government and work to change it. Oh wait, you’re probably too lazy or can’t be bothered, plus it’s just too easy to just sit back and criticize law enforcement.

I read this article today, Man Arrested for Eating Jelly Beans, and felt the outcome was justified.  The man stole/shoplifted the candy.  Whether it was two jelly beans or 10 jelly beans is not the point.  He took them.  He consumed them.  He did NOT pay for them.

What really crumbles my cookie are the comments that are tied with this story.

Folks are actually chastising the LEO and Albertsons for this action.  Making statements that they will never shop there again because of this.

So, these folks CONDONE breaking the law.  These are probably the same folks that feel they no longer have to actually stop at stop signs, especially when making a right turn.

…and people wonder why our society seems to be breaking down.  It’s because of you meatheads.  Hey Moron!  You’re bus is leaving!

It will also be these same folks that will complain loudly when something petty happens to them and their entire local law enforcement doesn’t drop everything else to come and hold this crybaby’s hand cuz some smuck threw litter into their yard.

Just because you think it is a petty matter and that Albertson’s should just let it go is not the point.  If every patron decided to just eat stuff from the shelves and not pay for it, then you will soon see that business die and go away.  And of course you will be the ONLY one that didn’t partake of the sampling.

The point is not how petty it is, the point is that IT IS A VIOLATION OF THE LAW.

Either embrace our laws or work to change them.  Don’t be a lazy smuck and just sit back and criticize.  In my opinion that makes you worse than the petty criminals.  Nobody likes a crybaby.

Ok…rant over….