Tesla makes "crate motor" for small block Chev V8

 Looks like Tesla is finding a new market for gasoline powered cars to be converted to electric.

Imagine dropping in an electric engine in place of a gasoline powered one.  ( You still need batteries, but Tesla makes those too.)

One of these days, they may figure out how to convert the whole darned fleet of gas powered engines.  Not that that would actually achieve anything.  You still need to power the things.  That part hasn't really been figured out yet.

Still it is kinda cool, if that is your thing.

click on pic for source

Risk v. Reward

 

There is a lot of criticism from the left, and a bit of worry from yours truly with respect to Trump's early release from Walter Reed. However, upon further review, I am onboard fully with the President's decision.

It's a risk-reward decision. Trump acknowledged that he was taking a risk, but how big of one? If you were to quantify this thing, it might put it all in perspective a bit more. I think the risk is pretty small. If it were a significant risk, then it might be different.

Risks are necessary sometimes. When you get on an airplane, there is a risk of a crash. If the plane crashes, your chances of survival are not good. But many people have taken that risk because the rewards of plane travel greatly compensate the small risk that you are taking when flying on one.

This pattern is repeated all the time. All of the time you have to make decisisons about risks and weigh them off against the rewards. It is a part of life. It has been a part of life since forever. Even in the animal kingdom, there are risks. In order to get something desired, even an animal will take a risk of being eaten in order to satisfy a need. Risks cannot be avoided.

Of course we are not animals. We can weigh risks and determine if they are acceptable. This is something every individual can make, and nobody else can make it for you. In the POTUS' case, it was his own well-being he was willing to risk. The benefit is to be free from the hospital. Who likes being in a hospital for any stretch of time?

There is also the risk of doing nothing. These are often hidden in your analysis. If the POTUS' stayed in the hospital, what was his risk of getting sick of something else? This is not a zero risk decision either. If there was zero risk, decisions wouldn't be necessary.

Unless the critics can show he took an unacceptable risk in coming out soon, then I am all for his early release. It is his risk to take, after all.

Historically, risk taking has gone bad. Consider the case of John F. Kennedy in Dallas Texas on the day of the assassination. Kennedy could have foregone a trip in an open limousine, but he wanted to be seen. As President, he must be seen. He took another risk and not having a Secret Service agent close by. He felt that it obstructed his view of the crowd and their view of him. If an agent were closer to him when the first shot hit him, an agent MIGHT have been able to cover him up with his own body and save his life. That risk cost Kennedy his own life. But it was his choice. He wanted to see the crowd, and he wanted the crowd to see him.

Kennedy could not have known about Oswald at that point anyway. Sometimes unknown factors can skew your analysis and the risks could have been seen as too great at the time. Kennedy remarked that an assassin could get in a high place and take a shot at him and nobody could stop it. But he must have felt that the risk was pretty small and he took the risk and the rest is history.

The point is that risks exist and cannot be avoided. We cannot create a risk free life.

You pays your money and you takes your chances. That's life. A life inside a shelter all the time is not much of a life.

I'm with the POTUS.

Off-grid post, 10.6.20

 

This post is about power. For my purposes out on the desert, a solar power system is contemplated. However, some doubts have appeared on the scene, as it looks like my current little system is dead. Not sick, but D.E.A.D dead.

Replacement parts are not that much, and this little system doesn't do much. But what it does is needed. There are alternatives, but not good ones.

So I need to buy a replacement for it when it is a little over 5 years old, but was expected to last longer than that. This is the source of doubt. If a system doesn't last, then what?

The downside to solar is the high upfront costs. You are expected to recoup your initial investment with free energy over a long period of time. Evidently, this is not the case.

If this is an anomaly, and solar really does last a lot longer than this, it can be justified. Otherwise, what are the alternatives?

Solar has no moving parts. A generator does. If a generator is used instead, how long does it last? Something tells me that it won't last that long either. In five years or less, it will also need to be replaced. A generator will produce more power though, for the amount of upfront costs. You will need to spend money on the fuel, however.

They both will need batteries. Seriously, you cannot run a generator continually. The fuel bill will be ruinous.

That means a battery system for either alternative. The solar absolutely needs one. The generator may not, but it may be desirable to add a charger to the mix, and let the generator run the charger which charges the batteries. When it is off it saves fuel.

I have a 2 cycle generator already. Yet I have never used it. It will require gasoline and an additive to the gas since it doesn't use oil for lubrication.

This little generator will only output a tiny amount to charge a battery. About the same as the solar panel I've got.

Actually for my own purposes, the generator may be attempted. Meanwhile, I can check out if there's any way to repair a solar panel.

A thought here: There was this off-grid reality show based on the lives of people living in the Arctic. I think it was called "Life Below Zero". In comparison to their problems, mine seems rather trivial. But I'm not yet out in the desert. This little generator can't handle what I will need out there. But neither would the solar panel.

It's a simulation. It's like training wheels for a tyke learning to ride a bike. No reason to get cocky. I've got a long way to go yet.

Information: Reliable or not?

 It has gotten to the point where I just don't trust what I read anymore.  That could include people on the side that I consider myself on.  ( whatever that is )

Yes, you have to choose sides.  Somebody is more right than the other.  But who, exactly?

You hear how the media is going nuts over the early release of Trump.  If it turns out that he is really okay, then he comes out looking good politically.  But if he gets sick enough to have to go back, that won't look good.  This close to the election, it just won't look good.

There's a lot being said if you check around, but you don't know what is accurate and what is not.  If Trump has to go back, it is going to make those defending him look bad too.

Look, I don't know.  The first things I heard was that he was asymptomatic.  Then I hear that he had a fever and low oxygen.  After that, the fever thing went away.  Okay, that sounds good.  But is it justified to release him this soon?  Having a fever is not asymptomatic.  First we were told that the visit to the hospital was out of an abundance of caution.  But if he had a fever and a positive test, well if isn't just an abundance of caution.  We need to maintain some reliability in the messaging, please.  If he really is okay, then everything is fine.. but if not, it won't be good.

I just don't know enough to make a judgment from a distance.  But he'd better get this right if it wants to win this election.  If he is wrong, it won't be good.

Techno-metal post

Here's something I saw in an ad. It may be an alternative to digging out my own posts. These are drilled into the ground and the structure is built on top of it.

Lots of noise, but no real news

 

Seems like a familiar story. A search for news reveals none, but plenty of opinions and clickbait.

I'd like to know how the President is doing. There should be frequent updates, and I guess they'd say there are, but if there are, there's little news being put out.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. As of this writing, which is a little after 6 am central time, Oct. 4, I don't see any time stamped news item relating to the President's health that's within 8 hours of this time. These include my usual sources. C'mon man!

It might be early Sunday morning, but that doesn't stop the 24 hour 7 day a week news cycle. There's stuff being put out there, but too few hard facts. I spent an hour on this, that's all I am going to spend.

President and Covid-19

 The news is a bit worrisome, as the fate of the republic depends upon what happens with this man.

It seems some are calling Trump a Covid denier or something to that effect.  Just more of the same garbage if the report is true.

If you can be called a "denier" for questioning ANYTHING about this disease, then the thing really is political, which is the whole point.

Hopefully, the President gets well soon, and this chapter of the 2020 drama will be over.