For today:
I’ll always remember my first winter in Chicago, when one of the Chicago TV channels sent reporters out to interview the “man on the street” for their opinion.
TV reporter: “What do you think of this weather?”
Crusty old fart Chicagoan: “Is this a slow news day or somethin’? It’s December in Chicago, fer chrissakes.”
Ask me again why I always carry when leaving the house — and especially when going shopping:
Terrified mall-goers ran for their lives on one of the busiest shopping days of the year after a gunman opened fire in West San Jose, California.
Horrifying videos and photos showed shoppers in Westfield Valley Fair Mall taking cover and running for shelter at around 5.40 pm local time on Black Friday.
Hundreds of bargain-hungry customers ran for the nearest exits or hid behind piles of clothing and mannequins as panic swept through Westfield.
More footage showed people flooding the sidewalks and escaping past a storefront with shattered glass strewn onto the pavement outside the mall.
Police confirmed that three victims, two adults and a 16-year-old girl, sustained gunshot wounds and have been taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Then, of course, there’s the usual useless advice:
Security advisor Patrick Fiel, the founder of PVF Security Consulting, told the Daily Mail that people should be especially cautious while holiday shopping.
‘Being extra vigilant this holiday season will help keep you safe. Always trust your instincts and report any and all suspicious activity,’ he warned.
‘Law enforcement agencies across the nation have reported an increase in calls during the holiday season, which is partially attributed to shoppers placing greater emphasis on gift selection rather than personal safety.’
In the event of an active shooter, Fiel has advised the public to ‘run, hide and fight.’
‘Getting away from the attacker is the top priority. Leave your belongings behind and get away,’ he wrote.
If you are unable to evacuate, Fiel said to look for a solid place to hide, preferably somewhere with a barrier between you and the attacker.
Fighting the assailant is the absolute last resort. But in the face of danger, Fiel has urged people to be ‘aggressive.’
‘Recruit others to ambush the attacker with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books,’ he suggested.
Books? Well, they say that the pen is mightier than the sword; but I’d take nine rounds of .45 ACP over a thousand words, any day of the week. And the only assistance I need is for people to stay out of the line of fire.
But maybe I’m being too aggressive and stuff. Far better to cower in some store and hope the asshole doesn’t choose me for a victim.
“Security advisor”, my aching African-American ass.
And speaking of fires:
And on we go. Somebody been reading this blog again:
And speaking of California:
Finally, a word from our sponsors:
Now get on with your week.
I found out about Austrian actress Marisa Mell in a roundabout sort of way. I was watching one of those silly “10 Movies That People Have Foregotten”-kidd of video on EeeewChooob, when suddenly I saw a woman of outstanding beauty appear for a few seconds. So of course I looked up the cast of said movie, and there she was (and here she is):
…and even as a blonde:
Next week, we’ll look at Marisa in color. Try to contain yourselves.
Okay, as a longtime data geek and mechanical moron, this video had me enthralled. What was it all about? Some guys asking themselves “Why?”
This brand new L87 engine with ZERO miles never even made it into a vehicle before it was condemned by GM. It failed one of their quality control Pico tests and we want to know why. In this video, we tear it down, take some measurements, and run tests to uncover why it was tossed in the trash — and how this single engine design ended up costing GM over a billion dollars in recalls and warranty repairs.
I don’t have the faintest clue what any of the technical pieces or terms are all about, but the search is absolutely thrilling. It’s when these mechanics start looking at the data gathered from analysis of the different engine components that my inner data geek gets excited,
It’s the kind of stuff I used to do at The Great Big Research Company in my initial job in the Stat department: picking at the data, looking for stuff which shouldn’t be there and is, and/or stuff which should be there and isn’t.
My favorite quote: “These are big numbers. Are they big enough to ruin an engine?” (He’s talking about a hundred thousandths of an inch, which in the real world would scarcely matter except when you’re looking at precision-made machinery.)
I’m not going to post a spoiler, here, but it involves the level of chamfering around some holes.
What I truly love is the level of expertise shown by all the guys in the video — and when they bring in Dave himself, his explanation of the problem is absolutely brilliant.
Go and watch the video. It’s half an hour out of your day, and I promise you that you won’t be disappointed. Even if you’re not the slightest bit interested in the minutiae of engines — which would make you similar to me — the journey is worth the time.
After I talked about my favorite watch of all time — Tissot Heritage — a couple of people wrote to me to ask about the brand. (I’m astonished that people had never heard of the amazing company, which sells more watches than any other Swiss brand, period.)
Here’s Teddy Baldassarre’s take on the whole thing, and like his other discourses, it’s excellent. For those with a limited budget but are interested in a super-accurate chronometer, by the way, it’s worth noting that Tissot makes the cheapest such in the whole market, and its performance equals many of the (very) spendy models like Rolex.
(They typically cost between $800 to $2,000 depending on the model — but the chronometer’s action is automatic, and therefore of no interest to me, a self-winder devotee.)
Yer welcome.