The Funny Farm

Sign Of The Apocalypse

^{Humpday, 4 Goodenuf 2007}

Rude Rich is now commanding an American Legion post.

Sign Of The Times

^{Humpday, 27 Priming 2007}

Shamelessly appropriated (and Koresh knows where they got it) from Boing Boing:

New Toy

^{Saturday, 24 Priming 2007}

Boy oh boy would I like to get me one of these:



From the press release: [emphasis of all kinds courtesy of the Funny Farm Editorial Staff]

The XR-3 Hybrid is a super-fuel-efficient two-passenger plug-in hybrid that achieves 125 mpg on diesel power alone, 225 mpg on combined diesel and electric power, and performance like a conventional automobile. The design of the XR-3 Hybrid focuses on existing technologies and a vehicle "personality" that makes conserving energy a fun driving experience. [snip]

At just 1300 pounds, this high-performance design combines lightening-fast acceleration, a maximum speed of 85 mph, and fuel economy of 125- to over 200-mpg. [snip] Advanced safety features of a production XR-3 Hybrid will include occupant protection and crash avoidance systems. Enabling technologies already exist, and nothing new has to be invented. Plans will be available so readers can build a duplicate of the XR-3 Hybrid prototype, or convert their own car into a significantly more fuel-efficient vehicle. Readers will understand the factors that influence fuel economy, and learn how to make any car achieve greater fuel economy. The XR-3 Hybrid gives enthusiasts and experimenters the opportunity to significantly reduce their transportation expenses and have fun doing it. On a broader level, the vehicle is a highly visible example of the kinds of vehicles that could help reduce personal mobility energy on a global scale. [snip] The Technology of Fuel Economy The vehicle's performance and fuel economy comes from a combination of two fundamental design factors. First, it's essential to keep the vehicle as light as possible in order to reduce the amount of mechanical "work" that has to be done. The method of getting rid of unwanted mass while still keeping the car's mechanical benefits demands good design and modern materials. Once the amount of "work" has been minimized, then the other part of the equation is to do the remaining "work" as efficiently as possible. And that's where the hybrid power system comes in. So the fundamental approach is very simple. The key is in the execution. [snip] Advanced Safety Systems Extremely small and lightweight vehicles operating in an environment with high-mass vehicles present inherent safety challenges due to the large transfer of energy to the smaller vehicle during a crash. Although small-car occupant protection is technically feasible, crash avoidance is the superior approach. According to NHTSA, the emphasis in highway safety is expected to shift away from crash survival and toward crash avoidance by year 2020. But the technology for crash avoidance already exists. Crash avoidance capability will become standard equipment on production vehicles like the XR-3. Plug-In Hybrid Architecture The XR-3 is designed as a "plug-in hybrid." This makes it possible to drive on battery power alone on trips of about 40 miles. In other words, on short trips you never have to turn on the diesel engine. And when both the diesel and the battery-electric systems are used together, and the car is driven conservatively, fuel economy increases to over 200-mpg. Fuel economy is about 125-mpg on diesel power alone. Today's hybrids are called "mild hybrids" or "charge-maintaining hybrids". They use the electric system to help with acceleration. You can drive on battery power alone, but only for a short distance – around the block, for example. The battery pack is typically used to provide bursts of power for brief periods of acceleration. The combustion engine then recharges the battery between periods of acceleration. But fuel economy suffers while the battery is being recharged. That's why today's hybrids do not provide much advantage in fuel economy over a well-designed conventional car. In order to get the full benefits of a hybrid power system, you have to switch to a plug-in hybrid architecture like the XR-3. Plug-ins will be the next generation of hybrid vehicles. A plug-in hybrid simply means that part or all of the vehicle's energy is taken from the grid system where it is cleaner and less costly to produce. Most of the world's automakers are now working on plug-in hybrids. Virtually Unlimited Options for the Builder The plug-in power system architecture also allows much greater flexibility in power system choices. With a mild hybrid, like the Honda Insight* Civic and the Toyota Prius (also called "charge-maintaining hybrids"), proper control of the power system depends on the fact that the subsystems - the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric systems - are selected in advance and controlled by a computer. The computer, however, has to be programmed for the specific output characteristics of the two systems. Any modification in either of the power systems (electric or ICE) causes a mismatch with the control system. The computer control system cannot, on its own, account for changes in the power system. So whenever a change is made, the computer has to be reprogrammed to account for the change. With a plug-in hybrid system, configured like the system in the XR-3, you are free to add a larger or smaller ICE, or even switch to a gasoline engine, without having to reprogram the control system. You can also build the car as a conventional ICE-powered car, or a full battery-electric car. So the options are greatly expanded with the plug-in hybrid power system. With the XR-3, the two front wheels are powered by the ICE engine, and the single rear wheel is electric powered. The two power systems are not integrated within the vehicle. The connection between the ICE and the electric power systems is provided by the ground. Proper phase-in between the two power systems is handled by a simple throttle mechanism, and a dash-mounted switch to select between ICE power, electric power, and dual power modes. In the dual power mode, the XR-3 will have lots of burst power for outstanding acceleration. If you were to use this acceleration potential to its fullest, fuel economy would be reduced to something on the order of 150 mpg over a 70 mile trip. Fuel economy will vary according the particular components chosen for the power system, and how heavy you are on the throttle pedal. Performance figures quoted here are for a system configured just like the prototype. Plans will provide the information necessary for you to select different components if you want to. [snip] Specifications Seating: Two, side-by-side Wheelbase: 88 inch Track: 66 inch Curb Weight: 1300 lb Height: 43 inch

While all of the details are not provided, and there is the possibility of considerale changes to the design and/or specs, this sounds promising enough to make me want to put some shekels aside just in case I can afford one of these puppies. It would also be nice to get a sense of how much these kits would cost, in both kit form, and design-only plans.

This company has a number of different design plans, as well as a number of different kits, asnd has had them available for purchase for the last several years**. A lot of their work involves modifying existing vehicles for use as hybrids and/or electric-only cars, sussing out the plans thereof, and making them available to the general public. They also built the Johnny Cab that was used in the movie Total Recall, and they'll even sell you the plans to make one of your very own if you'd like!

* - The Honda Insight is no longer being produced. But the Honda Civic (particularly the one sitting in my garage) is a good example of this type of vehicle.

* - I have vague recollections of surfing this site first by 2003 at the latest...

Editors' Note: This entry was cross-posted over at The American Street

New Cartoon For You!

^{Humpday, 20 Priming 2007}

Our good friend Keith Tucker over at What Now Toons has given us all another cartoon to grok over. So it would be a good movce on your part if you took your browser on a little trip over to his zone.

Well? What are you waiting for?

Quick Note To Randazzo Heating & Cooling

^{Tuesday, 19 Priming 2007}

It is usually not a good business practice to have a service technician sell a maintenance plan for two service calls in the future to a customer, and then have the head office contact the person you sold it to and inform them that they have already had one of the service calls performed. Customer service representatives misrepresenting the services that they are supplying is not, IMHO, good business practice. Having the statements that the on-site customer service reps make to the customer in their home declared to be null and void after the customer has purchased services based on those statements does not endear you to those affected by such statements, either.

It is also generally not good business practice to ask the customer to get home early (and take time out of their work day) in order to be there when the service technician shows up, and then arrive considerably after that time. It causes the customer to wonder why they did business with an organization like Randazzo Heating & Cooling in the first place.

If there is only one other potential customer of Randazzo Heating & Cooling that reads this and decides not to deal with an unethical business that lies to their customers, then my work here is done. Have a nice day!

Update March 2008: I have been contacted by a customer rep from Randazzo who is trying to make up for the shoddy treatment I received earlier. I have had somebody listen and try to understand my hazy recollections of what went on, and then try and find a way to make up for what they did back then. Mike Randazzo has discussed the situation with me, and, although it's been quite a while and there's nothing that the company can really do for me now anyways (I will be able to get my maintenance done by a third party from now on), he is going to be sending me some replacement filters for the humidifier. And - here's the main thing - he said his company was sorry. He listened to what I had to say - even though I probably wasn't too good or clear in what I was saying. That's really all it takes.

So, Mike - to sum things up: I originally got charged for the humidifier (approx $400) and two service calls (the service plan I was paying for to get a discount on the humidifier install) - which I thought were in the future, and which, by paying for, I thought got me the service the company did that day (five minute furnace maintenance and under half an hour humidifier install) for free, plus two future service calls (presumably a couple more five minute checkups) - for approx $535. When I got the bill, called back to confirm the details of our agreement, and found out that, according to your customer service representative, all I did was pay in advance for one (slightly discounted) service call in the future, along with full price for the service I got and the humidifier. At that point, I canceled the future service, and your company issued the $50+ credit to my credit card that showed up in your records along with the original charges from your company.

It wasn't the service rep (who did the work) who was at fault here, either - he was overbooked (as somehow most service reps, whose staff has been 'right-sized' and as a result have to do the service calls for 1.5+ reps every day, seem to be these days. Funny how that doesn't seem to register with the executroids so much when they winnow the employee pool), quite professional while dealing with someone who almost certainly was frustrated with Randazzo by that time, and did a good job. I'm sure I tried to let him know that he should let your management know, on my behalf, that I was upset that you were riding the people who make money for you a bit too much.

I also explained that I did have the option of getting the work done by one of the many inspired amateurs who have extensive experience, know how to do this sort of thing, and would not have charged me nearly as much (if anything) to fix my furnace. And I could have bought the humidifier myself, and gotten one of them to install that, too. That knowledge did not help the situation. Especially through the prism of twenty-twenty hindsight.

Hopefully this explanation will help you to understand why and what I was having problems with regarding my interactions with your organization. Thanks for taking the time to follow up on things (from a long long time ago, business-wise) and work with me towards understanding what happened.

Is There Something In The Water Coolers Over At Faux Snooze?

^{Sunday, 18 Priming 2007}

Somebody seems pretty upset that they can't distort and skew host Democratic debates in the great state of Nevada:

On Saturday night's episode of Fox News' Beltway Boys, co-host Mort Kondracke blasted the decision by the Nevada Democratic Party to pull out of a Fox News-sponsored presidential debate. Kondracke said, "This tells you a lot about what Moveon.org, Daily Kos kind of left-wing liberals are all about. I mean they are not about free speech and free debate." He added, "This is junior grade Stalinism on their part." Defending his network, Kondracke claimed, "If Fox was embarrassingly right wing or something like that, it would be plain for all to see."

Since Faux is an embarrassingly Reich right wing propaganda organ for the current junta, and it seems to be quite apparent to anyone but Republican'ts rational human beings with more than two brain cells to rub together (i.e plain for all to see who are not being paid to willfully distort the news), it is not at all about free speech and free debate.

Mort has struggled to gain credibility since whoring himself for Faux, which is why you hear this vain attempt to pretend that there is any credibility in his rhetoric. I'm happy he's able to make a living by being a lying hypocrite who sold his soul to the Republican'ts... then again, you get what you pay for.

Tonight, Bill O'Reilly attacked the "radical movement" that opposed the Nevada Democratic Party's debate with Fox News. O'Reilly said that MoveOn, "the Daily Kos or whatever that stupid thing is," and others "use propaganda techniques perfected by Dr. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of information. They lie, distort, defame, all the time." Progressive activists attack Fox News because "we report on them accurately," O'Reilly said.

Bill is vainly trying to regain market share from Keith Olbermann since proving himself to be a shameless, bullying liar for Faux, which is why you hear him bragging about, among other things, Peabody Polk awards garnered by one of his former gigs after he left the show. I'm happy he's still able to fabricate stories and call them news over at his pimp's place... then again, maybe he should listen a little more, and tell everyone else to SHUT UP a little less.

By the way, Bill - do you still use the Paris Business Review as a reliable news source?

This entry has been cross-posted at The American Street.

Time For Another Cartoon

^{Fryday, 16 Priming 2007}

Check out the latest from Keith Tucker over at What Now Toons:

Time For A Cartoon

^{Saturday, 10 Priming 2007}

Check out the latest from Keith Tucker over at What Now Toons:

Channelling The Coulterbeast

^{Friday, 8 Priming 2007}

You know, I had intended to comment on the conservative witch who is idolized and has been featured as a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the words 'brainless skanky crack ho' so I ... can't really talk about AnnThraxx.

Good thing I'm not blogging for any Democratic politicians...

Republican't Hypocrisy In Action

^{Tuesday, 5 Priming 2007}

The story so far:

Republican'ts create a package of lies about then presidential candidate John Kerry. Because Kerry refuses to play these traitors' game, he's the one who's wrong. And, of course, the supposedly liberal media gives these fraudulent claims nonstop coverage during the months leading up to the 2004 presidential election.

Then, pResident Bush rewards this unethical behavior by nominating one of the Swift Boaters to be ambassador to Belgium*.

Then, Senator Kerry gets a chance to question said Swift Boater when his nomination is considered by the senate foreign relations committee. Hilarity Wild leaps of illogic Concerns are raised by compassionate (cough) conservatives everywhere about how mean, unethical (he went on a personal vendetta using the power his position as a US senator gives him - unlike that paragon of truth, "Deadeye" Dick, did when he destroyed an entire department of the CIA because somebody's husband wouldn't support the administration's lies), and vindictive Kerry is in raking this clown over the coals.

For some sterling examples of how clearly and concisely Republican'ts engage in healthy debate over this issue, just scroll down into the comments.

* - disclaimer: I am of Belgian descent, and strongly resent having an unqualified Putsch sychophant being paid by my tax dollars to abuse those who share my ancestry.

Note: this entry cross-posted at the American Street