Random Thoughts

[TheCatalyst31]

Area VMSes today had the following message on them:

FOCUS
ON THE ROAD

I was driving a Focus.  On the road.

I thought that was nice of them to acknowledge me.
Or am I being hunted?

I think similar things every time I see a VMS message with "Focus" in it. Incidentally, it seems like a surprising number of roadgeeks either drive a Ford Focus or used to, and I wonder why that is. (My 2016 Focus has been good to me so far, but I fully expect the transmission to go bust at some point.)

[Scott5114]

Incidentally, it seems like a surprising number of roadgeeks either drive a Ford Focus or used to, and I wonder why that is.

It's a not-terribly-expensive, fairly gas-efficient vehicle that is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. That puts it right in the sweet spot for an ideal roadtrip vehicle.

[Max Rockatansky]

I had a 2014 Ford Focus assigned to me as a work vehicle once.  The right rear passenger door broke on a trip, and I had to duct tape it shut to get back home.  Given how poorly that car was maintained I makes me question if it was truly representative of the average Ford Focus.

[kphoger]

It's a not-terribly-expensive, fairly gas-efficient vehicle that is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. That puts it right in the sweet spot for an ideal roadtrip vehicle.

Ours is not quite the ideal roadtrip vehicle, considering the a/c doesn't work.  Well, technically, it does work, but when I replaced the compressor a year and a half ago, I didn't replace the cooler and condenser and orifice tube and all that stuff, and I spilled a bunch of PAG oil in the driveway during the process, so now the new compressor still starves for oil.  Anyway, the only time I used the a/c now is when I'm defogging the windshield, in order to prevent it seizing up (the compressor, not the windshield).

[ZLoth]

Color me surprised. I did not expect Pee Wee's Big Adventure to be a Criterion release. Yet, it's being released in both BluRay and 4K on December 16th.



I'm not a fan of Pee Wee Herman, so it's a pass for me.

[Max Rockatansky]

I found out this morning a friend who've I have know who I was 16 died on Sunday.  The strangest thing is that I found through my wife who never actually knew my friend.  She sent me a photo of my brother's wedding in 2005 and asked about my dad (who was in the photo).  I tracked down the post on my brother's Facebook and found out the actual context. 

[Roadgeekteen]

I found out this morning a friend who've I have know who I was 16 died on Sunday.  The strangest thing is that I found through my wife who never actually knew my friend.  She sent me a photo of my brother's wedding in 2005 and asked about my dad (who was in the photo).  I tracked down the post on my brother's Facebook and found out the actual context. 

I was thinking that if someone I knew who wasn't on social media and had a very private family/close friends died, I likely would never find out or wouldn't find out for a while. My cousin who died in 2022 had social media but her death is hard to find on the internet. But I guess that went for everyone pre social media.

[Max Rockatansky]

I found out this morning a friend who've I have know who I was 16 died on Sunday.  The strangest thing is that I found through my wife who never actually knew my friend.  She sent me a photo of my brother's wedding in 2005 and asked about my dad (who was in the photo).  I tracked down the post on my brother's Facebook and found out the actual context. 

I was thinking that if someone I knew who wasn't on social media and had a very private family/close friends died, I likely would never find out or wouldn't find out for a while. My cousin who died in 2022 had social media but her death is hard to find on the internet. But I guess that went for everyone pre social media.

I honestly probably wouldn't have found out something happened had my brother not posted something.  The friend I'm referencing was never a big social media fan.  I likely would have found out eventually once his phone went to dead air.  Apparently his wife found him in the bathroom after he passed away.

[D-Dey65]

Incidentally, it seems like a surprising number of roadgeeks either drive a Ford Focus or used to, and I wonder why that is.

It's a not-terribly-expensive, fairly gas-efficient vehicle that is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. That puts it right in the sweet spot for an ideal roadtrip vehicle.

I'll take my old Toyota Camry, thank you very much.

21 years ago, I tried to rent a Ford Focus station wagon online because I wanted to move some stuff from a shed that used to belong to my family but was either sold or given to a family friend. My plan was to use the car to take the stuff out and bring it to some nearby storage warehouse that I can rent for an undetermined amount of time. Unfortunately, somebody else had the Focus and I had to decide on another car. I didn't get the chance to move any of my stuff until several years later.

[kphoger]

Blurring out a house on GSV sure seems to work better if it's not on a corner lot...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TaqQMNtMYSpjF5Gv6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6nvvGxaiLF8EvBzX7

[vdeane]

I attended a baby shower on Sunday.  Two days later, this video hits my subscriptions:

[kkt]

If anyone feels like moving this post to a more appropriate board, I won't complain.

Tonight I felt like rewatching a YouTube video featuring a bunch of car chases from episodes of CHiPs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5MDVC1DWpE

Around the 0:40 second mark in the one above, there's a railroad crossing warning sign in the background that has a supplemental sign telling motorists how many tracks are at this approaching crossing. I've never seen anything like that before, or if I did, I forgot about it. Usually in the USA, and as far as I know most surrounding countries, you don't find out how many tracks are at the crossing until you're right there.

I see them pretty often, anytime there's more than two.

Accidents in which a motorist crosses the tracks and checks that only the first track is clear of oncoming trains are not as rare as they should be.

[Scott5114]

Blurring out a house on GSV sure seems to work better if it's not on a corner lot...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TaqQMNtMYSpjF5Gv6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6nvvGxaiLF8EvBzX7

Sometimes when a house on GSV is blurred out, I look up the county assessor's images just to be a pill.

[kphoger]

Sometimes when a house on GSV is blurred out, I look up the county assessor's images just to be a pill.

You should then attempt to "add your business" to that address and upload a photo.