Sunday, March 20, 2022

Coffee and Provocation


Wyoming Government Has a Roadkill Cooking Ap
The new Wyoming 511 app has a new feature that is timed with a new law legalizing people to pick up roadkill for eating.  Wyoming is one of 30 states that allow people to collect roadkill for food.

The Problems With Oligarch Yachts
The massive Russian oligarch yachts seized by Italy, France, Germany, Spain, etc. are going to be a headache one way or another, as they cost millions of dollars a month to maintain and rapidly fall apart if not maintained

11 E-bike Tips and11 E-bike Recommendations
A good review. Radpower get a mention (#1 and #4 and #7), which is what I own (a RadWagon4 and a RadRunner). My thoughts and tips are here.

Learning by Doing
MIT's robotic cheetah taught itself how to run and set a new speed record in the process.

Movie Wolves
The wolves and dogs used in films often have CGI butts and tails because they are too happy to appear menacing.

Edgar Allen Poe Busted a Chess Fake
Baltinore's own Edgar Allen Poe published an essay exposing a fake "mechanical Turk" chess-playing automaton that was actually operated by a chess master hidden inside. The essay used a method of deduction that Poe called 'ratiocination' which is used by C. Auguste Dupin, Poe's fictional detective (and the first detective in the world).

Refugees and Racism in Ukraine
Is there a racist bent in refugee admission flows from Ukraine? Without a doubt, racism is always present, but it's a reasonable question as to why foreign students in Ukraine think they have a claim to go to Poland, Germany, France, England or Italy, when they more logically should be returning to their home countries of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Indonesia. And then we have the comparison to Syria and Iraq. Why did Europe not take more Syrian refugees? Well, they did. But again, the question can be asked: Where was Saudi Arabia? United Arab Emirates? Egypt? Algeria? Kuwait? Iran? Some numbers here, but pay attention to the missing Middle East and North African countries, to say nothing of Russia.

It's the Law
Murphy's Law, Godwin’s Law, Poe’s Law, Skitt’s Law, Danth’s Law, Cohen’s Law, Badger’s Law, Haig’s Law, Armstrong’s Law, Cunningham’s Law, Layne’s Law, Lewis’ Law, Skarka’s Law, Shank’s Law, Brandolini’s Law, Pommer’s Law, Martin’s Law... and more.

Apparently, I'm Very Anxious
It's not Tourette's Syndrome; it's Lalochezia.

Ireland's Wind Is Energy Freedom
Fifty-three per cent of Ireland’s electricity last month came from wind power.

Bringing Back the Dodo?
The dodo genome has been completely sequenced. So are we going to resurrect it?  If so, why?

A 5,000-Year old Barbie?
The longest-lasting fire on earth is in Australia and has been ongoing for 5,500 years

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

I made the mistake of following your much earlier advice and getting a MATE-X on a kick-started campaign. Far too heavy. Inadequate range.

PBurns said...

I've never advised getting ANY bike, regular, folding, or electric.

I'm not even the "bike guy" in my own family (that's my brother).

Had to search the blog to find the mention, which was not an endorsement; how could it have been since the damn thing was not even in production?

All these kick-starter campaigns are problematic in that they tend to over-state and under-deliver, as I learned as a first generation purchaser of the Tile tracker which was pretty close to worthless.

All e-bike are very heavy, as I have noted and as the descriptions always note. A review of the MATE-X shows they are really quite large as you would imagine they would be to be a dirt trail bike. The notable about the MATE-X was it was one of the very first folding electrics and was promising off-pavement performance. Did it deliver? Not completely, apparently.

Mileage on ebikes is stated at the absolute outer edge, assuming flat (or downhill!) and full pedal assist.

My own e-bike, folding bike, and pedal bike purchases have been from established companies with large sale volumes and a track record of service and parts. The "amazon e-bike purchases" too commonly made are from companies that may not exist in a year or three, which means parts (and therefore service) is problematic.