Some people...

So, I jump on the freeway to head to work, and immediately, a semi-truck bears down on me. I don't care. You've got two lanes, use them.

Flashing his lights, and even a quick honk, and finally, he gets frustrated enough with me driving 55mph in front of him, that he decides to pass. He passes on the left, and I think that's then end of me having to deal with him. Wonderful.

When his trailer tires get to my window, I realize that there is a lot of noise coming from one of them, and I glance over, and see that he has one tire that is completely flat, split radially, wide open at the edge of the sidewall, and shredded bits are being flung all over, and what is being held on, keeps slapping the pavement with each torturous revolution. I brake just a bit to give him some space, much to the chagrin of the truck behind me, from whom I get more headlight flashes. Whatever. Same rule applies.

I keep my eye on this one truck though, thinking one of two things is going to happen. He's going to realize that he has a flat, and is going to pull over. Or.. and more probably, being only 20 miles or so from the docks, he'll probably try to make it to his destination with the flat tire, hoping that no further problems will arise.

At this point, I should mention that once, a long time ago, while driving a different car, I was behind a semi-truck whose tire let loose. The tread of the carcass split, and was run over by the car in front of me, which compressed it, giving it enough spring to leap into the air, and come down on my hood and windshield with enough force to crack the windshield, and lay a dent across my hood, and fenders, as if someone gift-wrapped my car, and tied the bow too tight. NOT something I want to have to pay to get fixed any time soon. So now, I leave much more space in front of me when there is any kind of speed involved. Call me gun-shy, but I have seen what can happen, and choose - actively - not to participate.

You'd never guess what the dude in the semi-truck did today. Yeah. He kept on going. Awesome.

Now knowing what will, at some point, lie ahead of me, I left extra room in front of me all the way to work. Little did the insistent people behind me know that there was going to be, at some point in my commute, a need to swerve to avoid hitting some large portion of a tire. So, with that information neatly in hand, I exercised caution in keeping the gap ahead of me large enough to identify and react to any such threat. This, apparently, was not a popular position on the matter, as expressed by no less than fifty drivers of cars, trucks, and semi-trucks, who impatiently honked, flashed lights, sped around me at inappropriate places, like an exit-only lane to the right, and gore points for on and off ramps alike. Now, mind you, I never really had more than 100' in front of me - a little more than the length of a semi-truck, and plus maybe one car. I was going the speed of the vehicle in front of me. Yes, every time someone jumped in that gap, I slowed to let it grow again, but come on - aren't we supposed to be operating in this manner anyway?

In my life, I have received two tickets for "tailgating", or following too closely. When I got the first one, there was on the books, some measure of what "too close" was - some formula with car lengths for every ten miles per hour. I argued, that if I obeyed that, I would continually get cut off every three seconds, but I got the ticket anyway. The second one, I didn't bother arguing, but rather, I looked up the law, and figured I'd contest it. By that time, the law had changed to simply a "safe" distance. I was able to identify hazards through the window of the car in front of me, so I was able to fight that ticket and win. Thast stated, here, we have one of these potential threats on the road in front of us. I know this to be a fact: There was a semi-truck, on the reeway, ahead of me, with one tire, and potentially more, that was going to come apart, and spread debris all over the freeway, much of shich could do damage to sheetmetal, glass, and maybe even rubber - all creating a hazard for occupants of vehicles. I was being cautious about this fact, and I was getting flack for it.

I. Don't. Care.

And then it happened. I smelled the faint odor of burnt rubber. I saw a sea of brake lights wash across the freeway, and cars dart in several directions. Traffic moved through the mine field slowly, and I, because I knew it was going to happen, and had armed myself with room in front of me to react, lifted slightly off the gas, and wove through the shards of hot rubber and metal unscathed. The tailgaters behind me, honking and flashing lights had to contend with the surprise--or ignorance-- of the hazards on the freeway. I thought it was over. I keep watching for where the semi-truck missing a tire would pull off of the freeway, surely, he knew what had happened, and figured it would be best to stop and make repairs, right?

I waited, and watched, and saw nothing. I came to the next freeway interchange, and again smelled rubber burning, the air still whispy with smoke. He's still going.

My Step-Dad was a truck driver for many years. I learned a lot from him that the average person probably doesn't know. During our vacations as well, he would drive the pickup truck - the kind with dual rear wheels - with the camper on it, and a trailer for whatever recreation we planned on; boat, dune buggy, whatever. I knew that with the weight involved, if you lost air in one tire, the adjacent tire then had to carry the weight that is no longer being carried by the tire that has been lost. Naturally. Logically.

Here too, I wagered, that it would not be long - unless his trailer was empty, which it didn't appear to be, because it didn't 'bounce' like an empty trailer - before the other tire on that side of that axle was gonig t succumb to the forces acting upon it, and give up the gost. So, I maintained my distance. I knew-by smell- that the truck was still ahead of me. I could see the tell-tale bits of rubber still rolling after having been bounced up by someone's undercarriage, or compressed under someone's tire. I knew.

Once again, though, the people behind me did not. Again with the honking, and the flashing o their headlights, and passing at inappropriate places. Rushing only to find out that there is danger ahead of them after damage has been done. There was a trail of smoke steadily streaming off of the trailer every time I caught a glimpse of it on the next rise ahead of me.

I come to the next interchange, still smelling rubber, thinking that our paths have now diverged, only to find still bouncing pieces of rubber in the road ahead of me. I come around a bend, and see him. Still going, but his trailer is sitting so funny, it looks as though it could seriously fall over with just the right combination of turning and braking. On he goes. Vehicles ahead realize, with the source of the danger so close, that it is best now, to just go around him. And they do. With fury. As I get near enough to be concerned with flying bits of tire, I see him finally pull off the freeway, likely continuing on, blindly to his destination - surely not far now. I watch as he brakes down the off-ramp, as sparks fly from his now bare rims scraping at pseed along the pavement, having stopped rotating because there was no tire to offer resistance to the clamping force of his brakes. Just as I pass his cab again - finally.. FINALLY, I can see him look in his mirror, and I can see the shock, and mild panick appear on his face as he wonders what the heck is going on.

This person should not drive a truck.

And you should think about the person in front of you - they might have a reason for doing what they are doing. It might be a good one. And just because you are impatient, gives you no reason to try to rush someone else. If you have an issue, just pass--safely--and go about your business. There is no need to be rude. Maybe they saved you from having to pay for a new windshield, or body work. The sad thing is, you will never know.

So, I'm thinkin' of making' me some furniture...

Don't ever ask an Engineer what he's doing unless it's polishing a prototype. We don't like to tell you. Get over it. That's just the way of it.

Mark this day on your calendar.

Partly, because I will have some accountability to more than broken promises to my wife for deadlines missed, and another project started; not finished. But also, because I am going to try to tell you what I want to accomplish before I know that I can accomplish it.

I'll wait for you to pick your jaw up off the floor...

And recover from fainting...

Again...

I'm a little weird about furniture. Most of it is crap. Particle board has its place, but I think that furniture should last, if well cared for, forever. Everything that you have in your house, you should be proud to grant to one of your grand children; the envy of the others, and they will fight over it for decades.

My parents don't have anything like that.

Should I have kids, I would like them to.

But I want it to be functional right now.

And I want to make it myself.

What I want.
Computers are a large part of our daily activities in our house, but so is crafting. Plastic models, side projects, my wife knits, weaves, sews, crochets, croquets, and whatever else she wants to do. Our apartment is a mess, and I hate it. I want to be able to have a place to put everything away, and it not look like we just brought our Christmas decorations out of storage, or we're collecting books for a Goodwill drive. Certain things should be displayed, like books, but others should be concealed - you don't need to know the contents of my DVD/Bluray collection from the door of my apartment. And yet, everything should have its place.

So, this project should entail several pieces, and I would like them to be relatively modular, so as not to only fit in one specific spot, we end up moving, and nothing fit in the new place. That, I think would be a travesty. Though, despite their diverse functions, I think they should make a relatively cohesive sum. Being in an apartment (unlike those in New York), the room count is.. well, one. So, everything, less the bed and perhaps a dresser or something to be addressed later, will be in one room. So, they need to go together, but not be matchy-matchy, and over-do a theme. They need to fit with each other, and not completely saturate the feeling of the space. There I go sounding like an interior decorator. Martin Short from Parenthood, anyone?

Here's kind of what I was thinking - and all of this is subject to change on a whim (or my Wife's request) at any time, so bite me if it doesn't fit what you were rooting for - cause I'll take whiners right off the inherit list. I will - just you watch!

I need a computer desk. It needs to accommodate my current setup, and be flexible enough for upgrades in the future. I occasionally need access to my machine for cleaning, and such, so removal should be easy. I like clean cables, so cable management is necessary. I like a workspace, so it will have room to do homework, draw, read, construct on small projects, etc. I need some storage, so I would like to have a file drawer, and some smaller drawers for tools, and pencils, etc. Also, some larger storage would be cool, and I was thinking of making a wall unit for above the desk. Lighting is always an issue, and I'm particular about that as well, so I was thinking of integrating the lighting into the bottom of the wall unit, and devise a method of focusing it so that it would light my desk, and reading material, but not shine on my screens, or in my eyes. I am along a short wall with an outside corner, so I was thinking of connecting to another desk around the corner with a corner unit that would provide the drawer space. Whatever I get for a desk, the Wife will get one as well. Make things easy. And in the future, should she not like it, we find a bigger place, we want to expand, I could take both of these units, and she can get something that better suits her needs. I'd help her of course - don't make me sound selfish or insensitive.

We need a better solution for book and media storage. Books are unique because of the size variation. Some large shelves, some small. Some deep, some shallow. But still cohesive. I have a space in mind for a low, wide book shelf that I think could be segregated interestingly, and provide a lovely display of our current and expanding eclectic collection of libros. Media is an expanding issue. Not only for the quantity, but for the media types. CDs, DVDs, Bluray, combo packs, boxed sets, etc. If it were all one media type, then one size and shape of shelf would suit, but I might need to be a little smarter than that. I initially disagreed, but now I see the light. My Wife suggested that no one need know the contents of our collection until granted access to peruse it, so I think enclosed is the way to go. Different from our storage solutions of the past though, I think that software should have a separate storage location.

And now for crafts. Bluntly, we have a bunch of crap. Much of it is craft or hobby related. All of it needs a place where it can be organized and put away. It varies in size from teeny tiny to fairly large, and so imbues a difficult storage problem. I was thinking of making three, fairly general purpose, but slightly customizable storage units that would also function as a place to work on said crafts. Not all furniture is constructed well, but some of it is rather smartly designed. My Wife found this piece at IKEA that was a small desk, enclosed on all sides, with a door in the front that when opened, became the work surface. It had under it for support, a drawer of sorts that slid out with the opening action of the door that became the support for the door itself. Brilliant! So, I think something along these lines is the way to go. A two-door cabinet on the bottom, possibly with some sort of kick, or foot support outside, or inside or something (we both like to put our feet up on something while working), and then the fold-out work space, and then some storage on top. I envision these beasts being rather tall, and quite large, but I think that I can minimize the appearance of their size with intelligent design, and smart decoration. Adjustable shelves in the compartments would help to keep things organized, and I think that it will take some planning to make proper, smart usage out of the workspace inside. I want it to be able to close, but still have some empty space for crafts or hobbies "in work", so as not to damage them, or require that half-completed trinkets need be stored elsewhere when the space is cleaned up.

I would also adore the ability to display some of our finer works. I have some models that I would love for people to be able to see, and I intend on creating more, some of which would not fit well in a display case of any reasonable size.

I'll get to the bedroom eventually, but not in this round, I don't think. Plus, I don't have regular access to a shop or any decent tools, so this project might take a while. But stay tuned, I might post some design ideas.

I <3'd Google - past-tense.

Google is awesome.

Well, was.

I am... was, a loyal user. For as long as I can remember, when I had a thought, wanted to know something, needed assistance finding a part for work, or needed to locate anything from the song in my head to dinner in an unfamiliar place, the text that rolled off my fingers was google.com. Old habits are hard to break. But there's a reason I want to break them.

Their products are usually well tested, and nearly flawless. I've been using gmail since 2006. It has the best spam filtration system that I have ever seen. I have converted many a friend from other products to google. Maps are amazing. Earth is a wonderful tool for all sorts of things. I've tried other products here and there, and have loved them whether or not they had any place in my life. This, I think is one of the few companies around today who has gotten most everything right.

But recently, things seem to be falling apart.

I noticed some gradual changes to my inbox in gmail. Okay fine. I'm down with progress. Kinda sucked I can't quickly navigate to my oldest page of messages, but I get it. Trying to integrate the flop "Buzz", I get it, but not for me. "Instant" is pretty cool, unless you have a low bandwidth, or pay by the bit for interwebs. It usually has some pretty asinine (albeit entertaining) suggestions, but I usually type in what I want too fast for that to be a bother. It finds me what I am looking for most of the time. Occasionally, I am searching for something industry related that matches something in another industry, avenue or lifestyle, so I get a surprise now and then. Sometime image searches are funny, because if you search for nearly anything without safe search on, you'll find porn one way or another. Especially in images. But until recently, all of these little quirks is what has given google its character.

The other day, I was looking for some parts for work. I had turned off instant, because it was a slow internet day at work - don't ask. Just know that the internet was being slow. I entered my query, and hit enter, and nothing happened. NOTHING. Maybe a glitch. I hit enter again. Nothing. I clicked on the Google Search button which had recently changed, I believe in conjunction with the release of Google+. There we go. My search came up. Plenty of results, and most of them seemed to be what I was looking for. So I clicked on a couple of links with my middle mouse button as I have done thousands of times before. If you don't know, this action in most web browsers opens the link in a new tab, and leaves your search results right there waiting for you in case that link isn't what you were looking for, you are not forced to re-load your results, and lose your place. I waited a second for the links to come up, and one by one, they failed to load. Weird. I check the tab for the link, and it begins with googleads.sgdoubleclick.net... and trails off with some insane link that I don't understand. All of the special characters are replaced with their html-safe counterparts. I look at the next one. Same thing. WTH? This is weird. Somehow, I muddled through, and found that opening the cached page and clicking on the live link was the easiest shortcut, but that wasn't always available. I figured that there was some glitch in transition, and they'd have it fixed momentarily.

Nope.

Same thing happened the next day.

And the next.

And the next.

It's been what, a month since Google+ went live? I've had the same problem since then. (Wikipedia says June 28th)

I'm sorry, but this is a pain. I have written to google's help several times, expecting some dude on the other end to go, "Doh! I forgot to uncomment some code", and the problem would be fixed. I've written my fair share of HTML, albeit not in many of the more recent, and advanced languages, but damn. How hard is it to make a graphic region part of a submit button, and have it activated with the enter key? Is it so difficult and bandwith consuming a task to pass a link to an application, and open my link for me without the connection timing out stopping the whole sequence? I know you are free, and your business model is such that you're not hurting for money, and  while you need all of this information for your data mining, which I put up with, as that's what pays the bills, but shouldn't this be seamless to the user? I am sorry google, but I just can not tolerate this kind of oversight in your inspection processes that let code that creates this behavior go live, and unchecked for so long.

Or maybe I'm the one with the problem. Is my system and usage of your services so distinct or unique as to cause unwanted results that were unforseen? What is going on?