The producer of the most popular television program in the world speaks about the upcoming 13th season of Top Gear.

Basically Hammond, May and I went to see AC/DC, and there they were, nine thousand years old, still making your ears bleed with the same pulverising ferocity they managed three decades ago, and you think to yourself, it doesn’t matter if your pony has one trick as long as it does that trick really, really well, and more importantly, it really cares every time it performs that trick. And immodestly, I can say to you all, we still really, really care about what we do.

The fire we have inside about giving you good telly burns as fiercely as it did in 2002. So sit back and enjoy Top Gear 13, the same old shit.

Labels: Caring, Fierceness, Top Gear

"If you don't find it in the index, look very carefully through the entire catalogue." -- Index aid in 1897 Sears catalog.

I'm not sure progress has gotten us much.

Index aid in Microsoft's PowerPoint 2007

What happened to the Summary Slide and table of contents options?

1. The ability to create a summary slide and a table of contents slide in your presentation is not available in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007. Instead, to create your own summary or table of contents slide by copying slide titles onto a new slide, do the following:
   
   On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click the arrow under New Slide, and then click a slide layout that contains a large body text placeholder (placeholders: Boxes with dotted or hatch-marked borders that are part of most slide layouts. These boxes hold title and body text or objects such as charts, tables, and pictures.) (such as Title and Content, Two Content, Comparison, or Content with Caption).
   
   Note If you add a Blank slide layout, you must then add a text box. To do this, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Text Box, and then drag to draw a large text box on the new slide.
   
   
2. In the pane that contains the Outline and Slides tabs, click Slides.
   
   
3. For each slide that you want to add to the summary or table of contents, copy the title in the title placeholder, and then paste it onto the new slide in the order in which the slide appears in your presentation.

Basically they don't have any functionality in PowerPoint to build you an index or table of contents in an automated fashion, so instead they give you step by step directions for how to by hand create a static table of contents.

And Microsoft wonders why people hate it?

Connecticut has some interesting quirks in its laws that make it a bit more fun than its neighbors.

For example, unlike in most states, it is currently legal in CT for passengers to drink in a moving car. This costs the state some federal highway funds each year (I think they go to safety programs instead), but it makes the state a nicer place to live.

Picking a friend up at the airport? -- Bring 'em a beer to enjoy on the ride.

Going out for a night on the town? Your passengers can warm up on the way there, and keep the party going between stops. Heck, they can even have an unnecessary beer on the way home.

So long as the driver isn't drinking (or drunk), and the passengers are of legal age, it's all OK.

Pretty much every legislative session someone will introduce a bill to change the law so that Connecticut doesn't forfeit the federal highway money it loses by refusing to comply.

It never passes because most folks like things the way they are.

Some years the bill introduced to change the law becomes a magnet for silly amendments, like the following. SKIP TO THE BOLD PART FOR THE GOOD STUFF.

General Assembly

Amendment February Session, 2008
LCO No. 6132 *SB0030106132HRO*

Offered by:
REP. MINER, 66th Dist.

To: Senate Bill No. 301


File No. 81


Cal. No. 469

(As Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule "A")

"AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES. "

Strike section 5 in its entirety and insert the following in lieu thereof:

"Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2008) (a) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Alcoholic beverage" has the same meaning as [...];

(2) "Highway" has the same meaning [...];

(3) "Open alcoholic beverage container" means [...];

(4) "Passenger" means any occupant of a motor vehicle other than the operator; and

(5) "Passenger area" means [...].

(b) No person shall possess an open alcoholic beverage container within the passenger area of a motor vehicle while such motor vehicle is on any highway or highway right-of-way in this state.

(c) The provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall not apply to: (1) Any passenger in a motor vehicle designed, maintained and primarily used for the transportation of persons for hire; (2) any passenger in the living quarters of a recreational vehicle, as defined in section 14-1 of the 2008 supplement to the general statutes; (3) any passenger in a privately-owned motor vehicle operated by a person in the course of such person's usual employment transporting passengers at the direction of such person's employer; (4) any passenger in a passenger motor vehicle, if one of such passengers is the owner or lessee of such vehicle and can establish, by means including, but not limited to, a receipt for payment made to the operator, that such operator has been hired by such owner or lessee to operate such vehicle; or (5) any passenger in a motor vehicle traveling to or from a Viking funeral, as defined in section 501 of this act.

[...]

After the last section, add the following and renumber sections and internal references accordingly:

"Sec. 501. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2008) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 7-64 and 7-69 of the general statutes, the body of a person who dies in this state may be disposed of in a Viking funeral. Such funeral may be conducted only on the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound with natural materials. An official of the Department of Environmental Protection or the Long Island Soundkeeper shall authorize final disposition of a body given a Viking funeral. For the purposes of this section, "Viking funeral" means a ceremony in which the body of a deceased person is laid in a boat with several of his possessions and the boat is set on fire while being put out to sea. "

I'd love to see a court case if this ever became law.

Labels: Connecticut, Viking Funeral

I suppose you can tell ahead of time that an ad is going to be pretty funny when it includes a ridiculous disclaimer like this:

Information disclaimer

This commercial is intended to serve general information purposes only. The information provided in this commercial is not intended as an advice in any way. The information in this commercial is composed and maintained with continuous care and attention by MINI Netherland. However, MINI Nederland cannot give any warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this commercial. Therefore no rights can be derived from the information in this commercial. MINI Nederland is under no circumstances liable for damages of whatever nature, in any way resulting from the use of this commercial or resulting from or related to the use of information presented on or made available through this commercial or damages resulting from the non-availability of this commercial.

Driving along the perimeter of Bradley Inernational airport today I spotted these two big reflective (and I think illuminated, though it was hard to tell in sunlight) X's across the main runway.



I guess that's one way to make sure pilots know a runway is closed.

Due to scheduled runway reconstruction at Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, CT, Runway 6/24 will be closed from April 13 to June 22. For the duration of the closure, Runways 15/33 and 1/19 will remain open, providing several instrument approaches to the airport, including one instrument landing system approach to Runway 15/33. During the reconstruction, Runway 15/33 also will be closed from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on several consecutive weekends, which are yet to be determined. NBAA's GA Desk recommends that operators check FAA notices to airmen to confirm which runways will be available before flying to BDL.

I guess it has been a while since I drove by the airport...

Did also catch this shot of a Northwest Airbus taking off, not a great photograph from a technical standpoint but I like that the tower is in the shot.

I'm not sure what to make of this letter I received from Randy Henry, RN of the American Red Cross - CT Blood Services Region.



Which I summarize as, "Hey, dudes, it's great that you're willing to come in, lay down and bleed for 90 - 120 minutes (which may or may not be saving and/or extending someone else's life), but, dude, like, since times are tough if you can't commit to bleed for the whole 120 minutes, then, like, don't bother. Unless, you know, and you know who you are, you, like, aren't capable of safely doing so."

I think I should be offended by its content, but mostly I'm just sad that this letter was allowed to be sent out to volunteer platelet blood donors in the name of the Red Cross.

Labels: Apheresis, Blood Donations, CT, Farmington, Red Cross

For my own memory:

The former MercedesShop.com is now PeachParts.com due to a dispute between its owners and Daimler-Benz.

Sign of the times?






Times are so tough that people cashing in their spare change, in tony Avon, CT have filled the grocery store's Coinstar machine to capacity.

Hey, any landing you can swim away from is a good one.

Original

Obama's senate seat on Ebay Politics.



For Sale or Rent


Blank for your own

Amazon Black Friday Deals

Perfect way to deal with an Obama presidential election victory -- Buy and use one of my "Who Is John Galt" bumper stickers.

Great anecdote from Freeper BushBacker1:

I was in a restaurant and my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I 've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

Inspired by recent stock market events.



Click on a shirt to visit store

BONUS - A version of the second shirt customized for 403(b) accounts. I cashed in my 403(b) and all I got was this lousy shirt!