Serving Humanity Since 1966tag:richwielgosz.com,2009-06-27://12010-03-08T02:17:33ZThe Online Home and Occasionally Coherent Ramblings of Richard V. WielgoszMovable Type 4.261Olympic Curling Class Week 1tag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1792010-03-08T02:10:53Z2010-03-08T02:17:33ZI've had a great evening, so far! I just got back from week one of the Olympic Curling Class offered by the Utica Curling Club. I made brief mention of the class in my last Curling post.About forty eight people...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
Olympic Curling Class offered by the Utica Curling Club. I made brief mention of the class in my last Curling post.
About forty eight people signed up for the class, and it looked like about forty actually showed up. The first part of the class was a brief lecture, with slide-show, demonstrating the proper mechanics of throwing a curling rock. That lasted about twenty minutes, and then they actually let us onto the ice to do more practical work, actually pushing out of the hack, and throwing some real rocks. It was not unlike last week's open house, but they went into greater detail with respect to proper mechanics.
By the end of last week's open house, I was doing pretty well throwing rocks, but tonight, it was as if I had never done it before. The twelve rocks I threw last week just weren't enough to develop any muscle memory, but after a bit of practice, I got back to where I was.
We were broken into four-person teams, and after practicing throwing, and sweeping, we played a quick one-end game against a team of all left-handers! It shouldn't surprise you that the game ended in a 0-0 tie. The good news is that each team was actually able to get one rock into play. None actually made it into the house (my two rocks were heavy), but each team did have one guard over the second Hog-Line.
Clearly we all have much work to do, but it was a lot of fun, and I look forward to the next two classes. ]]>
I Finally Fixed My Saturntag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1782010-03-06T19:55:57Z2010-03-07T15:26:26ZBack in December, I wrote this entry about the terribly engineered part that the General Motors corporation put into Saturn Ion vehicles, that sometimes causes them not to start, in cold weather.I picked up the part at my local Kia...Richhttp://richwielgosz.comBack in December, I wrote this entry about the terribly engineered part that the General Motors corporation put into Saturn Ion vehicles, that sometimes causes them not to start, in cold weather.
I picked up the part at my local Kia dealership. Why Kia? Because they used to own the Saturn dealership which was right next door, and when the Saturn dealership closed, they moved the parts department next door to their Kia dealership so people like me could still get GM parts for their cars. When I asked the parts manager about the part, he knew the part number by heart (10392423), and told me that he had several in stock. I think this speaks to just how prevalent this problem actually is.
Installing the part went very smoothly, mostly because I had read several forum posts by people who had already tackled the job, and this minimized the learning curve. Any handy person who has done any sort of mechanical work should be able to handle it, but beware, you must have a set of Torx sockets, to do this.
After the switch is replaced, all you need to do is reset the Passlock system, by going through that ten minute cycle three times. Once I had done that, the car started right up, and all was well.
As I had mentioned in my previous post, this is not a re-engineered switch that solved the problem inherent in the old switch. It will probably fail in three years, just like the original part did, but by then I will probably have a new car. I will just have to remember to sell this one in the summer, so that the problem won't resurface. :-) ]]>
Double Feature: Sometimes Ya Gotta Do, What Ya Gotta Dotag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1772010-03-05T03:08:47Z2010-03-05T03:10:47ZFeature 1: Sling BladeFeature 2: Gran Torino...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
Sling Blade
Feature 2: Gran Torino ]]>
The Sea World Debatetag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1762010-03-03T17:21:31Z2010-03-03T17:55:17ZThere has been much discussion lately about the Killer Whale trainer that was killed at Sea World, Orlando, last week. Rightly, most of it has been about the tragic loss of Whale Trainer, Dawn Brancheau's life, and the fact that...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com Larry had five guests: Jack Hanna, who is a popular television host and zoo director that can often be seen on shows like David Letterman, Jane Velez, a television reporter and animal rights activist, Thad Lacinak, a former Sea World employee, Ric O'Barry, a former Dolphin trainer for the Flipper television program of the 1960's, turned animal activist (who I wrote about in this post), and Tippy Hedron, an actress and animal rights activist. If you're familiar with these people, then you likely know where they all come down on this debate.
One of the mantras from guys like Hanna (a paid spokesperson for Sea World), and Lacinak about the importance of places like Sea World is the education aspect. They would have you believe that it is necessary to keep these creatures in captivity so that we can learn from them, yet they never seem to talk about the millions of dollars that they make from ticket sales. In my opinion, these kinds of parks are no different than any other kind of big business where profits trump everything else. I have no doubt that the animal trainers love the animals, and want nothing but the best for them, but in a for-profit environment, the well-being of everything but the profit-margin, is typically secondary.
This recent tragedy reminds of something I read about a few years ago where some sort of traveling circus had an elephant break out of its pen, and go on a crazed rampage. People were injured, and I don't recall if there were any deaths, but the incident ended with the elephant being killed by local police.
It also reminds me of a study I once read about where they were testing the behaviour of various animals in front of a mirror. Most animals exhibited social behaviour, because they thought their reflection was another animal, but the elephants behaved differently. To see just how differently, they taped something to the elephant's face, and put the elephant in front of the mirror. The elephant saw the thing stuck to its face, and immediately used its trunk to remove the object. This clearly shows that the elephant has a sense of self. He knew that he was looking at himself, and not another animal.
What do elephants have to do with Whales you ask? Well, it is generally believed that the most intelligent animals are primates, whales, dolphins, and elephants. It is then not a difficult leap to believe that since elephants show clear and obvious signs of self, it is also very likely that dolphins, whales, and primates are, as well.
None of the debate that I have seen on this topic has even begun to come close to addressing this. The Larry King debate was laced with lots of personal attacks and vitriol, and it seems to me that even the defenders of whales are often missing the larger point.
If whales are indeed self aware, then isn't confining them to these aquaria (some call them "abusement parks"), a kind of slavery? Jack Hanna and Thad Lacinak are quick to point out that they have nothing but the animal's best interests at heart, and are in fact helping them by keeping them in captivity, but hasn't humankind historically used that argument every time it performed some horrible act against other human beings?
Perhaps in the case of this whale (and there are other examples of captive whales killing people), and in the case of that elephant, their behaviours were simply them lashing out against those who imprison them.
I think the bigger picture here is what troubles me the most. Mankind fancies itself to be at the top of the food chain on this planet, having sovereignty over everything, which has led to the enslavement of people, the destruction of the planet on which we live, and the captivity of these whales.
I do not believe that we as a species can live in harmony, until we shed that arrogance, and treat everything within our spheres of influence with the proper respect. In this case, that respect would mean letting these wild animals remain in the wild. ]]>
Daily Wielgism: Cosmopolitantag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1752010-03-02T17:14:07Z2010-03-02T17:16:15ZNoun1: A cocktail for those who believe that they are....Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
Noun
1: A cocktail for those who believe that they are. ]]>
My Curling Experiencetag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1742010-03-02T02:52:52Z2010-03-02T04:20:00ZAs I mentioned in my previous post, Curling Mania has taken the world by storm, and this was nowhere more evident, than at my local Curling Club's Open House, on Sunday, February 28th.I have several friends who Curl at the...Richhttp://richwielgosz.comAs I mentioned in my previous post, Curling Mania has taken the world by storm, and this was nowhere more evident, than at my local Curling Club's Open House, on Sunday, February 28th.
I have several friends who Curl at the Utica Curling Club, and when they told me that there would be an opportunity for me to throw some rocks, at an open event, I got very excited. Finally, my opportunity to get more intimately acquainted with the sport, and the local club.
When I arrived, I was expecting to go inside and see about twenty people. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up and found the parking lot full, and both sides of the road lined with cars for quite a distance! The Olympic Curling mania carried over to this event, and it was very exciting. I went inside, and saw most of my friends, and met many other club members.
The throngs of people were separated into small, manageable groups, and we were given approximate times of when we would be allowed into the ice. My wait turned out to be more than a half an hour, so my friend Paul, who also happens to be the ice-maker there, gave me a tour of the stuff that most people don't get to see. He showed me the compressor room, where all of the refrigeration equipment is kept, as well as the equipment that they use to maintain the ice surface. The ice-making end of it is quite a science, so getting to see that really satisfied my geeky tendencies. Paul had answers for all of the things I had wondered about over the years. It's definitely cool to know people on the inside and get special treatment.
By the time my special tour was over, it was nearly time to hit the ice. We were all lent "grippers" to put on our shoes, so that when we walked on the ice, we would get more traction, and taken down a short flight of stairs, to the ice. The first thing they showed us was how to push off the 'hack' and remain balanced. The people on TV make this look so easy, and I can assure you that it is not. I was brave enough to go first, and the moment I pushed off, I immediately fell over onto my side. A little embarrassing, perhaps, but a quick glance around showed me that I was not the only one having problems. Everyone was given an opportunity to practice that a few times, and then came the big event: our first opportunity to throw a 'rock' down the sheet. Yes, that's me kneeling on the ice about to throw a rock, in one of the photographs.
Everyone's first try at that, wasn't very successful, either. Mustering the mechanics of something resembling a proper push off of the hack, combined with a proper release of the rock, definitely takes practice. By my sixth or seventh attempt, I was able to get the rock down the ice, and near to the 'house'.
I threw as many rocks as I could, without taking time away from the others who wanted to try, and spent the rest of my time there getting to know people. I also learned about a class that they are offering for beginners, in the month of March. I fully plan to attend this class, and get as much practice in as possible, in preparation for joining the club next fall, and participating in one of their many leagues.
Should be fun! ]]>
Curling Mania!tag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1732010-02-26T01:45:38Z2010-02-26T02:48:11ZNo, not Curling as in pumping-iron like Hans and Franz, but as in the sport that we used to see played on ABC's Wide World Of Sports, in the '70s, when there was nothing else to show, and Curling, as...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
not Curling as in pumping-iron like Hans and Franz, but as in the sport that we used to see played on ABC's Wide World Of Sports, in the '70s, when there was nothing else to show, and Curling, as in the sport that we sometimes see in the Olympics.
Why am I talking about Curling, you ask? Well, it would seem that I have become somewhat obsessed with it this past week. I've always had an interest in Curling, because right here in Utica, NY, the humble town of my birth, we've had a curling club in continuous operation since 1868. I used to walk past it twice a day, when I walked to and from my high school, but despite its proximity, I never went inside. It was a place of mystery, like Willy Wonka's factory.
In the intervening years, I hadn't thought about Curling that often, except for when it would occasionally pop up on television, and on that day in 1995, when the Utica Curling Club, on Francis Street in West Utica*, burned down. Fortunately the club had proper insurance, and the the club was able to relocate, and build a nice new home in the suburbs.
These Olympics also mark the first time that I actually decided to learn the rules of the game. A quick read on the Internet explained much, and a few hours of viewing filled in the rest. As the rules started to sink in, and the tactics started to become more clear, it became quite obvious to me that this game had much in common with another game that I love: Billiards. It also struck me that the things that make me a good pool player, might also make me a good Curler, and because of this, I have decided to give Curling a try. If I enjoy it as much as I think I will, I plan to join the local club for next winter's season, to have some fun, and also in the hopes that this will make the normally endless winter, seem shorter.
I'm sure that most of you have seen Curling on television this Olympic season, and have turned the channel. I have no idea why NBC has decided to give so much coverage to this event on their cable channels, but I would encourage you to become a little more familiar with the game, and try to appreciate the elegance of its play.
* The Google Maps image to which I linked is where the club used to be, on Francis Street, before it burned down. The club used to occupy the back lot where the 'A' is, and the area above the 'A' where the two houses are now. ]]>
Electric Carstag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1722010-02-25T03:03:06Z2010-02-25T17:43:13ZThis post is about electric cars. Real electric cars, not fake electric cars like the Toyota Prius, and the Honda Insight, which are two among many other Hybrids (half gas and half electric), currently on the market.I really can't talk...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
fake electric cars like the Toyota Prius, and the Honda Insight, which are two among many other Hybrids (half gas and half electric), currently on the market.
I really can't talk about electric cars in the modern age without first talking about the General Motors EV1, which was manufactured between 1996, and 1999, and leased under the now defunct Saturn nameplate. The story of that vehicle was chronicled in great detail, in the film Who Killed The Electric Car. I highly recommend the film, and won't go into great detail about that vehicle, but after producing eight hundred vehicles, and leasing them to happy customers, nearly all of the cars were destroyed at the end of their lease term. A few vehicles survived, were hobbled, and exist in various automotive museums.
After seeing the film, I was left with many questions, not actually about who killed the electric car, but about things like why General Motors even tooled up to manufacture the car, if they were only going to stop manufacturing them, claiming the expenses were too high, and various other excuses. Don't costs go down when you pay for the tooling over time? Something was up. Suffice it to say that none of GM's excuses added up to me.
It has always seemed to me that the automotive industry, and the oil industry were in bed together. Makes sense, right? They have a kind-of symbiotic relationship... or do they? The oil industry needs cars with internal combustion engines to sell lots of gasoline, but does the auto industry really need the oil industry? I don't think so. They get to make and sell cars no matter what powers them. It seems to me that Detroit needs to get out of bed with big oil, since they simply do not need them.
For decades, there have been many small companies doing electric car conversions, to normal automobiles. Simple. Rip out the engine, and gas tank, and replace them with an electric motor, and some batteries. But these companies are very small boutique-style companies, with little to no market penetration, and little to no funding for research and development.
In 2003, a company with real financial backing, called Tesla Motors, incorporated, with the goal of producing an electric sports car, as well as more run-of-the-mill sedans, and as of today, are producing about twenty five vehicles per week. I have seen their offerings, and they are impressive.
But where are the big boys? It's been eleven years since the EV1 project was scrapped; why have none of the other big car companies come forward with an all-electric vehicle? Well, I recently started seeing commercials for a new, all-electric vehicle, called the Nissan Leaf (oh please). After visiting their web site, it is unclear to me when we will actually see these cars for sale at the dealerships, but it does seem clear that Nissan is making a real commitment to production of both the new-technology battery, and the vehicle, itself. I am encouraged by this, and think that this is a huge step. Hopefully it will pressure the other manufacturers to start designing and releasing their own electric cars.
Nissan reports that the Leaf will initially have a range of one hundred miles. To many people that doesn't sound like much, when we are used to our cars being able to travel many hundreds of miles on one tank of gas, but studies show that most people only drive about thirty five miles per day. I think that people just need to re-adjust their thinking. I also know that the technology exists today to give electric cars a three hundred mile range on one charge. Don't worry, that technology will reach these cars in a very short time.
I was having a conversation about electric cars with a friend, just the other day. We both agreed that each of us could live quite nicely with a one hundred mile electric car, and are thrilled that one of the major manufacturers is finally getting on board, and will be offering a mass-production vehicle, in a more affordable price range.
I can't wait to see them on the dealership lots. Make mine silver, please. ]]>
Daily Wielgism: On Burt Reynolds And Slim Whitmantag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1712010-02-24T05:47:59Z2010-02-24T05:54:14ZBurt Reynolds And Slim Whitman: Separated at birth??(Images of Slim)...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
Burt Reynolds And Slim Whitman: Separated at birth??
(Images of Slim) ]]>
Daily Wielgism: On The Worldtag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1702010-02-24T02:26:33Z2010-02-24T02:27:29ZAny economic system that can not provide jobs for all those who want to work, any governmental system that honors the minority of the elite over the majority of the common person, and any health care system that does not...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
Any economic system that can not provide jobs for all those who want to work, any governmental system that honors the minority of the elite over the majority of the common person, and any health care system that does not take care of everyone, can not be said to "work" in any meaningful way.
I Want To Be A Fanboytag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1672010-02-19T20:54:46Z2010-02-20T04:45:13ZI recently decided that I need an unhealthy obsession. I want to worship some ridiculous brand, or inanimate object to the point where I alienate large groups of people, and I need your help. Only, I am having trouble deciding...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com Now, most of you are probably thinking that I should pick a popular computer brand, like so many before me have, but I consider that to be a rather mundane, boring choice. I want something different, and off-the-beaten-path.
I know, I know, right now you're probably all thinking that I am very lazy, but that's not true! I've put an awful lot of thought into this, but didn't like any of my choices. For example, I briefly considered becoming a fan of the American Standard Toilet brand, but that didn't seem appealing for very long. I also briefly considered obsessing over the Ticonderoga Pencil brand, but that lost its luster when I realized just how hard it was finding those wall-mounted pencil sharpeners like we used to have in grade school. Lastly, I mulled over the idea of worshiping the Swan Garden Hose brand, and I would have, if I still had any idea where my Slip and Slide was.
So as you can plainly see, I need your help. Please email any suggestions that you might have to either of the email addresses on my Contact page.
I extend my thanks in advance. ]]>
Event Organizingtag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1662010-02-19T19:40:37Z2010-02-19T19:44:13ZLast year at some point, I was asked by a local fellow to come to a Board of Directors meeting for a local music fest, and they would have some sort of job (unpaid) for me. I had been wanting...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com It's amazing how things often come full circle in this life, and the other day, I got a call from a friend who is organizing a small but local, outdoor music festival for this summer, and he asked if I would like to be Technical Director. Well heck yes! This is exactly the kind of thing with which I've been wanting to be involved. This event is scheduled for a weekend in August, but I can't give out any other details yet. As things become more concrete, I will be able to do so.
At Salon last night, we also started a kind-of ad hoc committee to organize a local Spring picnic, to as one attendee put it, "Bring in the Spring with great exuberance!" This event will be in May, and again, once details become a little firmer, I will be able to divulge more information. ]]>
Daily Wielgism: Leadership?tag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1652010-02-18T17:43:33Z2010-02-18T17:47:56ZI was watching some political show last night and they were discussing the possibility of a renewed Health Care Bill, with a Public Option, and the host asked the guest what the chances of that were, with Harry Reid as...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com Ummmmmm.... isn't that called following?????? ]]>
Double Feature: Flying Was In Their Bloodtag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1632010-02-17T05:25:27Z2010-02-17T05:28:19ZFeature 1: The AviatorFeature 2: Amelia...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
The Aviator
Feature 2: Amelia ]]>
Double Feature: About Being Yourselftag:richwielgosz.com,2010://1.1642010-02-15T14:44:31Z2010-02-17T05:31:31ZFeature 1: Kinky BootsFeature 2: The World's Fastest Indian...Richhttp://richwielgosz.com
Kinky Boots
Back in December, I wrote this entry about the terribly engineered part that the General Motors corporation put into Saturn Ion vehicles, that sometimes causes them not to start, in cold weather.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Curling Mania has taken the world by storm, and this was nowhere more evident, than at my local Curling Club's Open House, on Sunday, February 28th.