Who Says Fords Don't Last?

My starter just went out on my 88 (great number!) XLT 4WD Ranger and I had to replace it. Uncle Wolf has 172k miles on him so it was inevitable. After putting the truck on ramps and crawling under to remove it, I checked the starter that I pulled and it was the orginal starter it came with 22 years ago. I just hope the remanufactured one I put in lasts half as long.

I love my old truck. Most women wouldn't understand but a truck is very utilitarian, like a leatherman or a rifle with Pictinny rails. I have a truck bed toolbox in the back that has all my tools, cables and straps and I can throw a couple of select rifles and some ammo in it and head for the deepest woods. The old Ranger can go places a regular truck can't and it's fun to drive in the snow. I can haul, tow, push, pull and go places I wouldn't dare with my car.

Yeah, it's all manual; I have to roll up the windows, turn on the headlights, get out and lock the wheels for 4drive and it creaks some. My kid hates it, she says she would never drive my "dirty ole truck, it smells like a farm truck!"

Yep, and that's just the way I like it. :)

Ya'll get in, let's go 4wheeling!

Robotics

I love Robotics. I find it fascinating and a solution to our labor problem, among other things. The Japanese are way ahead of us in this field. If there were any race to take along with us as we explore the heavens, it would be the Japanese.

Anyway, here's where we've been:


Where we are at now.



A Robot controlled by brain cells!


Where we are going, if we can sort out our current socio-economic problems.

One of my all time favorite movies. This is the club scene, one of the best in the movie (wasting the pig station was the best, but we'll save that for later).

Cyberdyne Systems Model T101, taking multiple Double-ought buckshot blasts to the chest!


Another one of my favorites. This is a great scene too, though the scene where Sigourney is stripping in the Podcraft is my favorite :)

"You have my sympathies."


This movie is so full of hidden meanings. Can you find them in this scene?

Beware Droid Phones

If you depend on a smart phone for work, Droids are pretty nice. I hate Apple for GP, and crackberrys are out of the question, since they stole the technology from what I think is a white man. Besides, their Indian engineered software sucks bigtime.

So I'm stuck with joogle. At least it's free, and they do seem to have their stuff together. The Droids running OS version 1.5 though, have a big problem: Their BT stack SUCKS.

In order to make a phone call on my BT, I have to pull out the phone, call up the number and hit dial before I can use the bluetooth. WTF? I can't hit my bluetooth and say call so and so? Supposedly this is going to be fixed in version 2.1, but the upgrade won't be available for Carrier provided phones until Q1 of this year. Lame! The new Nexus has 2.1 though, so if you have 500 bucks for a non tethered phone, you're in luck.

Just a word of warning if you are looking at the new droids. Make sure they have OS 2.1 and work with your BT.

White Technology - Helmet to Cure Alzheimers?

Two months ago Clem Fennell was fading fast.
The victim of an aggressive type of dementia, the 57-year-old businessmen was unable to answer the phone, order a meal or string more than a couple of words together.
In desperation, his family agreed to try a revolutionary new treatment - a bizarre-looking, experimental helmet devised by a British GP that bathes the brain in infra-red light twice a day.
To their astonishment, Mr Fennel began to make an astonishing recovery in just three weeks.

Dr Gordon Dougal, a GP from County Durham, treated dementia patient Clem Fennell with his infra-red device
"My husband, Clem, was fading away. It is as if he is back" said his wife Vickey Fennell, 55. "His personality has started to show again. We are absolutely thrilled."
While the helmet has yet to be proven in clinical trials, the family say the effects of the 10 minute sessions are incredible. Mr Fennell can now hold conversations and go shopping unaccompanied.
The treatment is the brainchild of Dr Gordon Dougal, a County Durham GP. He believes the device could eventually help thousands of dementia patients.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1034936/Dementia-patient-makes-amazing-progress-using-infrared-helmet.html?ITO=1490