Resurrecting the electric car

In another wave of General Motor's blitzkrieg on the environmental side of the automotive business, a plug-in hybrid is apparently set for debut at the NAIAS. There's no word yet on which brand it will wear, nor what fuel type it will use. I'm with Autoblog on this one though: make it small and fuel efficient to the point of absurdity. Demonstrate it is cost effective for the consumer (lower cost per mile than comparable non-plug-in cars), give it acceptable performance (8 or 9 sec to 60 mph should do the trick) and make the vehicle fully operational even without access to an outlet (easier said than done). With those attributes, they won't be able to make them fast enough, and the rumored sequel "I Know who Killed the Electric Car" won't ever see the light of day.

Quote for the day

"Americans will always do the right thing, after they have exhausted all the alternatives."

-Winston Churchill

(via Sullivan)

Thinking about it, that's not so terrible an insult.

Active euthanasia for disabled newborn children

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in "Great" Britain has advised that active euthanasia for severely disabled newborns be considered, due to the pain and suffering they and their family may have to endure.

I'm in agreement with Simone Aspis, of the British Council of Disabled People: "completely wrong."

One thing I must applaud, however, is the clarity in the whole debate. As in this quote, from John Harris, a a professor of bioethics at Manchester University and member of Britain's Human Genetics Commission:

We can terminate for serious fetal abnormality up to term but cannot kill a newborn. What do people think has happened in the passage down the birth canal to make it OK to kill the fetus at one end of the birth canal but not at the other?

He's in favor of "active euthanasia" by the way. This could be the strongest support I've yet seen for my pro-life views. Even this guy, way on the other side of the debate, knows that partial birth abortion and killing newborns are essentially equivalent.

Sweet!

It's about time the scientists figured out the teleporting thing. I've got my flip open communicator already, now it's time to move on with our Star-Trek lives. I'll need teleportation, a body hugging spandex suit, a Klingon friend and a spaceship with built in Scottish engineer. This whole enterprise (ha ha!) is moving along nicely.

Not to be outdone...

...Honda has also released an updated version of their Fuel Cell Vehicle, the FCX. It's predecessor was one of my favorites from the NAIAS, and the progeny carries the family name well. Only good can come from this competition to have the best fuel cell car.

GM and the lightest element

General Motors is forging ahead with plans for hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles by introducing the experimental Sequel concept, which is a completely functional cross-over type SUV. It looks good and is by far the most advanced and usable fuel cell vehicle I've seen. I'm impressed with both the capability and overall execution of the car; it actually looks (both in pictures and specs) likes something I could and would drive. The major hurdle still in front of this vehicle (and perhaps the only real problem perplexing the engineers for the last few years) is cost. I'm sure the current Sequel would have to sell for the price of a small house in order to turn any profit, so finding cost effective ways to manufacture and sell it at a competitive price will determine its fate. You may wonder about the infrastructure for dispensing hydrogen, and that's a serious problem. The Autoextremist has reported that the "oil companies" estimate the price of equipping every gas station in America with hydrogen capability to be $12 billion. They put this in perspective as only half the price of the Alaska pipeline. With that thought, I'm in agreement with The Autoextremist on this one: "eminently doable."

In another smart move, GM is also pledging to build and lease 100 fuel cell vehicles, based on the Chevy Equinox, to customers in California, New York and Washington, D.C. This is more impressive than their Sequel, being a real world application of their technology rather than a one-off piece of technological art. The only issue I see that they overlooked: I don't live in any of those markets.

Sequel coverage:
Autoblog 1, Autoblog 2, Autoblog 3
Autoextremist

Fuel cell Equinox fleet coverage:
Autoblog
Autoextremist

"We torture."

I'll repeat that, as Mr. Sullivan requests, because it is painfully true. Check out this video posted on The Daily Dish of Matt Lauer asking the President about our "alternative methods of extracting information." It seems to me our President thinks "waterboarding", and other like techniques, are not torture, or at least are "within the law," and should be used on detainees. If this weren't the case I'm confident the President would say so; all Matt gets are clumsy evasions and ridiculous sound bites.

Also, I'll second that call for three cheers for Mr. Lauer. I'm not much of a TV news guy and know little about him, but for today he's my favorite reporter. Keep it up Matt and you might win a convert back to the TV fold.

The tragedy cannot be removed...

...from Steve Irwin's death, but we can remember and appreciate all that he did. A moving veneration: The Thundering Positive Energy of Steve Irwin

The view from CNN

Anyone who thinks about the Iraq war at all should read this piece in the Washington Post. I'm not entirely sold on the current direction of the whole mess, i.e. remaining engaged at the current troop levels, but if the sentiments of the Iraqi leaders in the article are correct, perhaps that is what must be done. As much as I hate the dimbulb "cut and run" label that has been applied to anyone who wants to keep our young men and women alive by getting out, the idea might be correct and perhaps, as the piece points out, the only solution is time. But more time means more dead, and that's not something to be papered over with bravado and hubris. I'm really tired of this mess, and the lame, childish Republican sound bites about the war are starting to get under my skin (I know, just now starting?). And the Democrats, oh the Democrats; the sound bites don't get any better over there. I think I'd gladly vote for anyone who stopped talking to us like we're all twelve years old.

Very very cool

Take at look at this article; apparently Ferrari F1 team members are using their crazy fast pitstop skills to help sick children. Thus from now on I must consider it my duty to buy Ferrari and support this work. Helping these kids is worth any price.

Quote of the day

"You cannot deny this gorgeousness, you can only hope to handle it."

-Get Fuzzy

Tesla!

Thanks to Autoblog's exhaustive coverage (here, here and here), I now have a new car to drool over. The Tesla Roadster is a fully electric supercar (as fast as a Porsche 911 Carrera S to 60 mph), in the spirit of a Lotus Elise, that will sell for approximately $80,000. It goes 250 miles on each charge, recharges fully in less than four hours and looks fantastic. I may not have the 80 grand to lay down on a hedonistic machine like this, but if I did and was so inclined, I can't think of a good reason to buy anything else. For starters, it's right in the running with every other car for this price, and it does all its work silently. To me, that's as cool as the symphony from a Ferrari's pipes. Moreover, there's no reason any sports car of this caliber should travel more than 250 miles from home without being trailered. I'm sorry, but highway miles on a Lamborghini just don't make sense. But most of all, $80,000 for a sports car of the traditional persuasion is, well, boring; been there, done that (metaphorically, of course). It's high time to try something new.

Top 6 percent baby!

Check this out, apparently I'm in the minority of bloggers; I don't primarily preen rhetorically for my electric audience. You could say I'm a bit political (though my contributions are so often lame, I excuse myself from this class). That puts me firmly in the technology and spirituality sections, making up 6 percent of all bloggers. The top 6 percent, of course.

Materazzi

By now everyone knows and has spouted off on how the World Cup ended: Zidane is insane, Italy won but must now face charges of scandal and what exactly did Materazzi say? But what no one has mentioned, and which I guess doesn't make much of a news story, is that Materazzi was the key Italian player in every one of the three major events in the final: he "fouled" a French player to set up Zidane's penalty, he leaped over Vieira to head one into the net and, of course, he managed to get under Zinedine's skin, possibly winning the game for Italy by sidelining the legend just before penalty kicks. To my mind it's crazy that one guy had so much impact on the game in such disparate and unlikely ways.

(Update: Someone else did notice.)

jEdit, force quit and the world's most advanced operating system

Recently I've been looking for a good text editor on OS X (as XCode just didn't seem to cut it), specifically to write numerical simulations in Fortran. Since this isn't one of the mainstream languages for computer programmers, and I like a usable GUI, it was a bit difficult to find a really suitable one. It had to have customizable syntax highlighting, but beyond that I didn't need much. Browsing the ol 'net I found jEdit, a sleek Java based text editor that claimed to work with Fortran and also be customizable. From the beginning it worked great on my Mac (OS 10.3.9), except for one simple but really annoying bug, which I will get to in a minute. jEdit works great with Fortran, is simple but meets my needs, looks and works the same across platforms (since it is Java based) and has numerous plugins. My favorite is jDiff, which graphically compares two files and shows the differences.

The bug, however, still remained. What would happen is this: after using jEdit for awhile, with the Mac OS plugin installed and set to put the jEdit menu bar in the OS X menu bar (as is usual with Mac applications), the menus would cease working, essentially disabling the program (I hear jEdit might work from the command line in this state, but that's still not acceptable behavior). I would have to force quit and relaunch the program, with the potential for losing some work. But, through the magic of the internet I found a solution. It turns out the problem is not jEdit but OS X. The world's most advanced operating system (at least version 10.3.9 with Java 1.4.2) has a bug in Java. Turning off the option to put jEdit menus in the Apple menu bar seems to fix everything, and I'm back in love with jEdit. A simple fix, but to me, a mere engineer with little real programming knowledge, it was a bear to find.

Quote of the day 2

Bob Lutz (once more cribbed from AUTOEXTREMIST) in response to a recent Thomas L. Friedman New York Times column (which politely starts: "Is there a company more dangerous to America's future than General Motors?"):

"In an email to The Detroit News, Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman, said that Tom Friedman, 'is so 'over the top' that it borders on psychosis.' Lutz said his hope 'is that the majority of Americans, not being extreme liberals, and harboring a deep-seated distrust toward the media, will see his piece for what it is: the product of an unusual, but not altogether well, mind.'"

Quote of the day

"...and others of his ilk who share Friedman's laughable, Detroit=Bad, Toyota=Good mantra, and who would have us all driving flatulence-powered clown cars made out of balsa wood, hugs and a smile, if they had their way - with Toyota emblems on them, of course."

The AUTOEXTREMIST himself, Peter M. DeLorenzo. Who else?

"...an entire herd of reindeer was rendered sterile."

You learn basically nothing about the Bugatti, but this is the best review I've read yet.

Taxing "excess profits": bad

Check out this argument for not applying an "excess profits" tax to oil companies. I'm no economist, but the points made seem reasonable and dovetail with my initial reaction. Moreover, despite being economically unsophisticated, it seems I had some idea of "user cost" rattling around my head. Truly I have a dizzying intellect.

"...there is not a sniff that the goalkeeper can do..."

Who says "useless theoreticians" never produce practical work?

Strategic Oil Reserve

No, not that one. Which not filling, by the way, seems a little disingenuous considering that during the last gas price "crisis" just a year or two ago, President Bush said that tapping the strategic petroleum reserve would do no good in lowering prices. Unless oil goes in much faster than it comes out, I don't see what has changed. But I digress...

My real point is about ANWR and any oil that may be had off our continental shelf. Many (generally on the right) have called for drilling in one or more areas to help ease our reliance on foreign oil. This would supposedly bring prices down and national security up, all with a minimal sacrifice in caribou. Now, I'm all for low prices and high security, but I wonder if the caribou lovers haven't done us all a favor by thwarting any attempt at harvesting these oil reserves. I'll try to explain.

Currently, gas is cheap in the US. Relative to previous years, that statement is absurd, but relative to the rest of the world and in the grand scheme of things, it's painfully obvious. One need only take in the proliferation SUV's to see that the screw of gas prices isn't too tight on most of us yet. Moreover, until recently we had much of the oil market to ourselves. If we wanted oil, there it was getting dusty on the shelf just waiting to be bought. There were few other major oil buyers (Japan, sure, but let me get to my point...), so OPEC could cut production to get at us (in turn cutting their sales), but that was about it. Now, we're faced with two giants in the marketplace, India and China. All of a sudden it's like the day after Thanksgiving at Best Buy. If the oil supply had risen and become more secure, maybe our old habits could have continued in the face of these behemoths, but it hasn't and they can't. Thus we come to our current rising prices and tenuous national security.

So how does caribou hugging help us here? I submit that the current time, and certainly the preceding time, are not as bad oil wise as what is to come. In fact, I expect they are a brisk walk on a cold day compared with the mountaineering that is to come later. India and China's economies are only going to up-shift as time goes by, and though India seems pleasantly friendly and may work with us on energy policy, China is a polite acquaintance at best (though one we do an amazing amount of business with, but again I digress). Had we tapped into our local oil deposits previously, or if we do so now, they'll be used up quite fast. Our current oil use is astounding, and I believe these deposits are not much in the face of the American consumer. Once they're gone, what then will we have to fall back on? Running the last major oil deposits we have dry to keep gas at $2.50 a gallon so we can have our 12 mpg SUV and flat screen TV is not intelligent. In fact, buying all the cheap oil we can from whoever is selling it now (while still minimizing our use, by the way) almost seems brilliant, if it weren't inadvertent.

Why so brilliant? Because we invested on the ground floor, and now we have the ability to get out: advance our technology and cut our oil consumption. India and China are looking at serious problems if their oil consumption ramps up as expected because they'll be denied the cheap energy we've feasted on for so long. We won't ever be able to fully cut our oil use (at least not soon enough for my crystal ball to see), but we will reduce it. And, if the oil supply finally ends up in the hands of nuclear mullahs and South American communists bent on our destruction, that oil reserve under the caribou's feet is going to look pretty good.

The one problem with my plan for world domination? Timing. It's not like the two tanks in your SUV; we can't just switch from one oil source to another with a quick turn of a knob. Harvesting this oil takes years of planning and preparation, and not knowing the quality and quantity of the oil there makes planning for its use even harder. Still, I think we may be glad at our "fortune" if we find ourselves really in need. I'm sure if the time comes, many politicians will take credit for this ingenious move, and if any have already that's news to me and I'd love to know about it. But, though I love to be right, I hope an energy crisis never descends that causes us to see this "strategic oil reserve" the way I've been advocating. Here's to hoping...

"...because it is Iran."

My thoughts exactly. Not that military intervention is the right path right now, but equating the US, France, Israel and, yes, even India having Nuclear weapons with Iran possessing them is quite nearly suicide.

(via Sullivan)

Iran, the Bomb and the End of the World

I can't believe what I read in this article, though it seems to come from a reputable source. Does Iran (their government, in any event) really want to end the world? Are they really preparing for the downfall of the US, stopping at nothing until the "West" is annihilated? If so, that turns every idea of engagement with this regime on its head. Now, I do suppose if we made life in Iran good enough, there wouldn't be anyone left to support a radical government, but that's just a nice way of implementing regime change.

I must say though, as a point of confession, that it gave me a twinge of pride when President Bush was described as an "aberration" to be waited out so Iran can continue on it's path down Armageddon Lane. Our President may hire clods for FEMA posts, but at least he has done something right to garner that kind of response. I hope the next president continues in this tradition (and guts FEMA). Right now, my money is on McCain to fill this vacancy, but there's still a lot of time before that die is cast.

Ha Ha!

Monkeys! Ha Ha!

(Merry April Fool's Day ya'll.)

Dust to Dust

Finally, a study that looks at the overall environmental impact of automobiles has surfaced. (Thanks to Autoblog for dredging it up.) This article seems to confirm my hunch that hybrid environmental savings aren't all their touted to be. However, as some commenters at autoblog have noticed, these environmental costs will change as demand for hybrids increases. I agree it is likely that soon the environmental costs of hybrids will be essentially equal to their less technologically savy brethren. But only equal? That doesn't sound like the hybrids the world has come to know and love. I thought these things were supposed to be saving the earth.

Yeah US Diesels!

I'm sure GM's diesels are safe now since Oldsmobile is dead. Even better, look at what's being done with diesel engines these days. A diesel station wagon (clearly the coolest car on the planet) that suits my tastes can't be far away. Hope springs eternal...

To boldly go ..

...where everyone else is going. That sums up, at least partly, our moon mission plans; we can't neglect the night sun when India and China are charging full bore toward it. If they're hopping around and hitting 3000 yard drives onto the fairway by the Sea of Tranquility, we can't be sitting at home talking trash about how well our IRA is performing (invested in unmanned space exploration of course, as great as that may be) and how we'll take that lunar vacation just as soon as we reach our next savings goal. Nonetheless, those investments are much more important scientifically than redoing what was done thirty years ago (as a friend quite rightly pointed out since my last comment on this). Thankfully, according to this article there is more to the plan than that. The long haul is expected to be difficult, and the technology we have now is not expected to take us on the real vacation we're penny pinching for: Mars. The old-technology, hop around on the Moon trips are exploratory, to be followed by more advanced missions aimed at setting up a base on the Moon, almost as a dress rehearsal for Mars. Now my friend certainly wouldn't change his tune due to this article; he thinks it is technologically the wrong time to take this trip. I agree with this in part; some of the technology isn't ready for sure, but some needs to (and will only) be developed by actually going somewhere in space. Moreover, I think the politics, however unfortunately, are important and need to be addressed. There are real economic and, quite frankly, prestige issues with India, Japan, China, Russia and anyone else doing manned exploration of the moon while we have almost no one (perhaps the ISS) in space. That just won't cut it in the eyes of the people of the world if we want to consider ourselves a (the) leader in space exploration. However technologically backward it seems for the moment, putting people back on the moon is a good idea and will pay off in the long run.

Muslim convert to Christianity may be executed

I had to read this story at least twice before I could believe it. The man was "caught" while trying to reunite his family, and he was turned in by some of his own relatives. If nothing else, this makes me glad to live in a country like the United States; I think it's still legal to change religions here.

I am encouraged that some countries (US and NATO allies, Canada, and others) are pressuring Afghanistan to do the right thing and release the man. However, I'm afraid it won't be enough. Pray for the man (Abdur Rahman), that his life will be spared and that he'll gain his freedom. Also pray for his family; clearly he wants to reunite with his daughters.

The world is insane.

UPDATE (3/26/2006): He is to be released! Hallelujah! Afghanistan still has a long way to go, however, before it can be said to support religious freedom.

You too could write the SOTU

Write a speech for our Commander in Chief.

Watch your step.

These are not your ordinary sidewalk chalkings.

In Defense of Saab

Check out this editorial for a little perspective on Saab's predicament. I'm not sure Saab would even exist without GM's patronage, and though clearly there are ways to improve the General's handling of the brand, many of their steps have been good ones (e.g. Biopower and the SportCombi). Saab is in a good position to become a coveted "green" company, with environmentally responsible cars that also feature performance and top of the heap safety. With that, I don't think it'll take much of a push to really get them in business.

Putting a man on the moon: Priceless?

According to the assumptions of this article, the Dawn mission is part of the price of going back to the moon. Currently, I'm a believer, but in practice an agnostic, in NASA's new overriding mission. On the one hand, can anyone really foresee a future without men exploring space? And if, as I expect, you can't imagine people not roaming ever further in space, shouldn't the U.S.A. be on the forefront of this exploration? With China, Japan, and who knows who else re-engaging a space race, now is the time for us to go as well. On the other hand, I wince every time a credible and important space mission has to be scrubbed due to funding, and the linked article provides just such a mission that came under the axe due to NASA's reorganization. Perhaps in reality the cost overruns and technical difficulty would have scrapped this work anyway; it doesn't really matter. Missions like this will be canceled so men can stretch their legs on Lunar (and hopefully Martian) soil, so the message is the same regardless of the details. I'm still a believer, but the costs, both financially and to scientific advancement, are not negligible.

Bush and energy

There has been a lot of discussion about President Bush's "Advanced Energy Initiative" and his line that we are "addicted" to oil. No one seems to be pleased about this: conservative commentators think the market will take care of things, and more liberal pundits see this as woefully too little too late. Thus, Bush gets hammered on both sides for rhetoric without any substance. It seems to me when critics pile on like this, with both sides fuming over their own agenda, the President is probably doing something right. But, there's more. It's true that we are highly dependent on oil (I'll refrain from "addicted", but the rhetorical fireworks were a good way to get people's attention), and the sources of this oil supply often make us more vulnerable to other countries. Yes, I realize most of our imported oil is from Canada and that oil is a world wide commodity, so that purchases don't really come from any particular country. In spite of all this, Venezuela, among others, is able to threaten us with ceasing exports. Clearly, we are not as free as we think; therefore, something should be done. This is all in addition to the environmental impact of burning so much oil, another pressing reason to get on with innovation. And that is exactly what this plan proposes to do. The conservatives (as expressed by Tony Blankley on "Left, Right and Center") are right in that the market will control how we get our energy. The market, however, is at the mercy of its supply. If a certain product doesn't even exist, the market certainly can't favor it, no matter how wonderful it is. Therefore, it is prudent to avoid fighting the market with incentives and rebates while influencing it with innovation and alternatives. As far as I can tell, this plan aims to produce better and cheaper alternatives to oil so that the market will have the freedom o choose them down the road. There seems no way around it, oil prices will go up. I am pleased to see that a plan, no matter how little for now, is in place to give us an escape from our current situation. And the better the alternatives get, the quicker we can get out.

Did I mention...

...I'm not too interested in Chrysler products either? They have a ton of good qualities (RWD + obscene horsepower = exquisite goodness). However, I just can't make the convincing argument to myself that these qualities are enough to overlook their issues, some of which come through the linked article. This is why the Japanese are decimating our auto industry. Unfortunately if GM doesn't get its act together, I'll end up an American auto teetotaler.

Daily Douglas Adams*

"But we just left there," protested Zaphod. "We left there and came to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe."
"Yes, sir," said the waiter, feeling that he was now into the home stretch and running well, "the one was constructed on the ruins of the other."
"Oh," said Arthur brightly, "you mean we traveled in time but not in space."
"Listen, you semievolved simian," cut in Zaphod, "go climb a tree will you?"
Arthur bristled.
"Go band your heads together, four-eyes," he advised Zaphod.
"No, no," the waiter said to Zaphod, "your monkey has got it right, sir."
Arthur stuttered in fury and said nothing apposite, or indeed coherent.

*Not really daily.

"It's the circle of life...

...and it moves the soul..." Well, not quite. But there is clearly something disturbingly circular going on in the world; check out this Fusion and this Fusion (could I just buy the car and shave with the grill?). It's not too hard to imagine that the shower is where this design had its conception. However, I am encouraged by Ford's prescience in including five blades on their new-Taurus. Clearly those Japanese and Korean competitors better watch out.

"It was winter. He was 59."

A beautiful and moving piece.

American cars: not so bad.

I'm still not convinced to consider a third Ford. It's going to take more than this to assure me that a Ford purchase on my part isn't the definition of insanity.

Diesels

Check out this article. The picture, I must say, leaves something to be desired. However, the guy knows his stuff and gives an interesting interview regarding the future of diesels. I'd buy one at the right price from the right company; sadly that correlates with nothing in the market now (VW's reliability woes are a deal breaker, and Mercedes-Benz is a bit over my head).

NAIAS

Here is my obligatory NAIAS post, with a few of my snapshots. I could ramble on about how cool the Camaro was (see below) or how I liked the Kabura (see below again), but mostly I'd like to point out a couple cars I saw that didn't make the most news elsewhere (either they weren't as popular or not as new). First up is the Honda FCX concept:

I think this car is gorgeous, with just the right techno flair mated to smooth sweeping curves. This reminds me a lot of the new Civic, and I hope Honda takes their Accord this direction.

Also, I ended up loving the Porsche Cayman. I know it's "just" a hard top Boxster, but man does it have beautiful lines. Something about the fixed roof adds some grace. Here's a picture of the important part:


Finally, I'll wrap up with my favorite pictures from the show, labeled appropriately. Enjoy.

Chevrolet Camaro:


Mazda Kabura:



Saturn Sky:

Namesnik

A nice reflection on a great life. At least part of the world noticed.

This I did not know

Of all the places, The AutoProphet has some interesting details about who owns Caribou Coffee and how they run their business. Apparently, they require Caribou to operate under Shari'ah law. As you might guess, I'm not a big fan; however, they seem to implement Shari'ah in ways that do little damage. For instance, the company's financial dealings are their own to decide, and I'm not sure I care to have pork in my coffee anyway (though they may lose my business to Bruegger's for their bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on an Asiago cheese bagel; man is that good). However, there are aspects of Shari'ah law with which I vehemently disagree, and though they don't announce it, perhaps these are followed or to be implemented given the chance. That, mainly, is why I may not spend my money there. If a Muslim found out that my business practices offended him (due to his religion or, really, for any other reason), I would not be surprised if he didn't want to fund the enterprise. Therefore, Starbucks it is.

Kaus and design

Mickey Kaus may know a lot, but clearly his automotive styling tastes run counter to the majority of humans. Many people think the Challenger, or even the Mustang, is a better looking car. But with the Camaro concept winning awards like this, no one seems to be calling it "horrid". I for one prefer the Camaro concept's look to that of the Challenger and Mustang. It has a modern treatment of the classic Camaro lines baked in, and I see that as preferable to a basic Xerox of the original shape, e.g. the Challenger. I think the Camaro makes the other two look old and dated, but of course they are supposed to look old and dated. However, I'm not old, so why would I want an old looking car? I could always buy an original (or, at least, a copy) in any event; you might retort that safety, emissions and interior design have come a long way in the last forty years. You would be right, and that's why people don't buy the old cars and why there's a market for these retro machines. But I figure, if you're going to update the safety, emissions, reliability, ergonomics and interior design, why would you want to mate that with forty year old styling? Thus, the Camaro concept is victorious.

May he rest in peace

My favorite swimmer of all time, and a man I have always held in the highest regard, passed away recently. Eric Namesnik swam at the University of Michigan for a number of years, won two Olympic silver medals and took second place in what I would call the most exhilarating race ever. He inspired me in my short swimming career; the story always went that he was the straight arrow hard worker, while Tom Dolan had the natural talent. Despite all the hard work, it seemed to end up that Dolan always came out on top. I identified with that, and it helped me keep striving even when things didn't go my way, both in and out of the water. More than just a phenomenal swimmer, it turns out Eric was a stand up guy as well, coaching in the years after his retirement and loving his wife and two kids. I pray that his family can hold together through this, that his wife can grieve and yet be comforted, and that his children would indeed have a strong father figure in their lives. The world should mourn when good men like this are taken from us. It doesn't of course, but it should.

Coup d'état?

This wasn't my first choice, but, I'll admit, this may prove a better move in the long run. At least GM is in the game.

Graduate Student Waves

I found out recently, since my current line of work keeps me far from quantum mechanics, that I do indeed have a wave associated with me. (The de Broglie matter wave, apparently. If I'm misguided in some technical way about this, feel free to correct me. Also feel free to use your obviously considerable intellect to better mankind rather than correcting a mere engineer like me.) This is in stark contrast to the position I took in a offhand discussion with a friend a few weeks back. My point was: "Look! Do you see any waves? Exactly." Now I realize they are just too small to see, even with some really cool scientific instruments. Thus, I'm not entirely sure how to experimentally confirm all this, but since we do seem to have extraneous graduate students lying around, we could atleast attempt the two slit trick with them. With a little funding I'm sure I could find few willing souls.

Intuition and Zygotes

Check out this post by Ross over at The Daily Dish. I find this an interesting discussion of the pro-life point of view, with points I haven't heard elsewhere. My view is likely similar to Ross's "pro-life position", so this (and similar) discourse encourages me that a realistic and rational "pro-life" change can be made to American law. What that change would specifically be, I don't know. There are so many issues surrounding abortion (cultural, political, logical and practical) that no simple solution exists. Maybe I'll be inspired and think of a good one someday, but regardless of who is the impetus, I hope to see that change soon.