Hybrid Cars

I've been giving some thought to hybrid cars recently. They are an excellent product, but I have my doubts about the real societal benefits of these vehicles. Here is my argument:
Building a hybrid car requires building a car with two drivelines. Now, I recognize that there is a symbiosis between the two drivelines (i.e. regenerative braking), but the net benefit is small, the greater saving comes from not running the gasoline engine when relatively little power is required (low speed cruising, etc.)
The car requires a generator to recharge the batteries, and both a mechanical and electric drive system. My point, in a nutshell, the car would be relatively more efficient if it were a single system. Yes, the choice would make it a compromise - an electric isn't good for long trips (battery life), but is far more efficient for short trips (and it doesn't lose out by hauling a gasoline engine and all its ancillaries around when driving at low speed in and around the city or suburbs).
Check out Zenn Motor Company or Global Electric Motors or at the other end of the spectrum, Tesla Motors. As you will see, some look a bit more car-like than others.

Olympic Trials

Well, the Olympic Trials for track are going on, and I can't find 'em on TV. When I was young, ABC would always have them. Now, NBC has 'em and apparently doesn't feel they're worth running live. Meantime, Amy Yoder-Begley ran the race of her life to qualify third in the 10,000 meters, running a 31:33. They guys at Let's Run are kvelling about her (OK, being good white bread, calling it kvelling might be inappropriate...maybe "gushing").
Parker Morse comments on the Indianapolis Star not sending a reporter to cover their hometown athlete on his excellent Flashes of Panic blog. I think met Amy last summer while visiting Dan and Patti Dillon in Connecticut. Here's a shot of her finishing.

Flying Chalk

I was watching the beginning of the movie Cocktail and saw Tom Cruise sleeping in class. It reminded me of a visit I got my first time in college, from a piece of chalk.
One of the instructors had the practice of flinging the piece of chalk he was writing with at sleeping students. The practice had two benefits, it cut down on sleeping in class and provided a degree of entertainment to those paying attention.
Well, on this day, I was in back of the classroom, and for the the only time during the semester, he missed! The chalk clanged off the edge of the seat beside me, rose onto the back wall of the wall of the room and shattered into grit, a cloud of dust, and the laughter of other students.
I've just once had trouble staying awake so far this go round. I think I managed to hold onto an A this semester, but I think by just a hair.

S&*t, George Carlin Died!

I have a memory of a grammar school friend, Bob, reciting portions of Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" routine in either fourth or fifth grade. Now, whether kids of that age should know that routine may be debatable, but the routine was funny and wise. I think that may have been the best thing about him, his routines made you think. Oh, and I looked up the seven words, the mildest was the "t" word for breasts, or perhaps the "p" word for urine. Seeing a transcript of the version of the routine that brought him to court, one of the funniest things about it was Carlin's observation that two of the words were compound words, "c%&*sucker" and "mother&%$#er," and his commentary that the former could be acceptable in some cases in either half, but together it was unacceptable. The missing portion of the latter also made the list of seven, and finally the "c" word for a woman's private parts completes the list of seven. (If any of you coun't figure out the terms, you can find a list here.)

Lots of Things to Post (and Too Little Time)

I've been haunted by something I saw twoo weeks ago. I was at an intersection, about the third car back. There is a left turn arrow in the opposing direction. When that arrow turns off, cars often try to slide through before the traffic in the direction I was travelling gets moving. That day, they just didn't stop. One guy made the turn partway, then a shouting match got underway. His vehicle was an SUV, his wife? was in the passenger seat. She's cursing up a storm at the guy who had to stop for them not yielding. This was bad enough, but the license plate seemed to indicate that he was a firefighter. It seems to me that someone who is involved in rescues from the carnage of car wrecks would be a careful driver. I'm puzzled - does he think his status as a firefighter protects him from harm? From tickets? From his "Bitch-on-wheels" of a wife? I just don't get it.

My Everything Hurts!

After doing some sprints on Friday evening, I spent yesterday judging a youth track meet. I helped with both the Turbo-Jav and discus. Since I had never thrown a discus before, I used the opportunity at the end of the meet to try to learn a bit more about how to do it. The result today is soreness in my thighs, back, shoulder and arm. It is that kind of good sore, you know, sore, but not too sore, feeling.

I weighed this morning, and the scale showed 188.5.