No, those are not smoke signals.
The National Holiday Road Trip© is finally in the rear-view mirror, and here in New Mexico we seem to have escaped with one forest fire caused by some shitbird’s abandoned campfire. ’Ray for us.
There’s never a killer drone around when you need one, it seems.
“The good news is [the fire] did not grow since yesterday,” said Julie Anne Overton of the U.S. Forest Service.
If that’s the best you can do, we’ll take it. But next time, unleash the flying murderbots, please. We gotta thin the dumbass herd most ricky-tick. Roast their little weenies for them. It’s barely June, f’chrissakes.
Mad Blog Media 
June 2, 2021 at 8:42 am |
That would take a whole lot of thinnin’! Anyone know a good rain dance?
June 2, 2021 at 8:54 am |
Speaking of dancing, isn’t it your birthday today? Happy happy joy joy, etc.? Got a new git-fiddle yet?
June 2, 2021 at 10:33 am |
Thank you kind Sir, and you’re right that I have completed 72 laps around the sun today. Rainsong got slammed by the pandemic and sold out of all inventory. They are building them as fast as they can, but there is a 3 month wait for a new order. So, the Black Ice OM-1000NS will be in my hands in September. In the meantime, how about a theme song for today?
June 2, 2021 at 12:17 pm |
This probably doesn’t apply to Rainsong, but the NYT has a nice read: “How the World Ran Out of Everything.” It credits Toyota for pioneering “just in time” manufacturing, then goes on to show how this is not always a good thing, especially during pandemics and/or when companies plow the savings into dividends and share buybacks.
Interestingly, Toyota is one of the automakers that isn’t taking a horrible beating because they rely on suppliers close to home.
June 2, 2021 at 12:31 pm |
It might apply to them concerning carbon fiber cloth. I am not sure.
June 2, 2021 at 12:43 pm |
Yeah, could just be a surge in demand. And there are quite a few bits in a guitar. Who knows? Good to see they’re in demand, though.
June 2, 2021 at 8:06 pm |
Happy birthday, Pat!
June 2, 2021 at 8:43 pm |
Thanks Herb and Khal!
June 2, 2021 at 8:08 pm |
Ah…tis a pleasure to wish you a birthday greeting. And many callouses from pickin and grinning.
June 2, 2021 at 10:05 am |
Wanna get super depressed? Check out the wikipedia page for Colorado wildfires. For about a century, we had one fire worth documenting every fire years or so. Maybe 2,000 acres. Then all of a sudden it’s many per year, and if it doesn’t hit 20k acres, we don’t even notice it.
The best part? We’re spending $30-50M each time fighting the damn things. And that’s if we’re even able to fight them. A couple of the bigger ones were actually cheaper to fight, because they moved so fast, there was nothing we could do but watch, and watching is cheap.
Cameron Peak: $95M
Pine Gulch: $35M
Grizzly Creek: $34M
Williams Fork: $24M
Pretty soon, that adds up to real money.
June 2, 2021 at 11:11 am |
Adventure Cycling’s recently put out to pasture (sorry, no stud service) retro grouch. It’s a shame, since the world desperately needs more of his kind. Anywho, your swan song in the latest Bike Bits was well done, sir. See you around the pasture. We can share some grass and blow some bullshit, naturally free of methane since we are “woke.”
June 2, 2021 at 12:35 pm |
Glad you liked it, Hoss. After Surly and Soma both sidelined bikes Alex Strickland asked if I was in the mood to write something snarky. Ho ho, etc. I am always in the mood for that sort of thing, especially if money is involved.
That piece, and the review of the New Albion Privateer, went so smoothly that I figured it could only be downhill from there, so I decided to retire as a bike reviewer. Ten years was plenty. I had big fun, and made good money, but it’s someone else’s turn. No point in being greedy.
June 2, 2021 at 8:14 pm |
That was well done, and so were the reviews. I especially liked that a certain Mad Dog would review stuff that was generally affordable by at least some normal folks. I guess that was done intentionally.
I read Patrick’s review of the Cannondale Topstone gravel bike and gave it a quick spin around the LBS parking lot. It was nice. Then read Nick Legan’s review of the top of the line Litespeed Gravel with all the high priced electronic Shimano gizmatrology. I called O’G asking about the cheap seats, i.e., the stuff hung on the Litespeed for under 3k and got a good bunch of advice. Thank you, sir. Its worked out well.
We will see what the young ones come up with. I’m still thinking back to Frank Berto’s reviews in Bicycling about Really Low Gears. Half Step Plus Granny. Call me ancient. Just don’t call me late for dinner.
June 2, 2021 at 2:04 pm |
Hey! Purhaps I cuuld right sum adventure bike reviews? “It has two reel grate wheels and beleeve it or not, but sum geers. What a conecept? What will tay theenk of next? Perhaps using plasteec in the tires? Well. Wouldn’t that bee sumthing?
No, I believe that your adventures are more entertaining and informative than mine would be (are).
Regarding blazing forest infernos: Has anybody heard of the consideration of using remote piloted aircraft (large drones) for wildfires? I believe the technology is good enough now to conclude that the risk vs. value of fighting a fire is justifiable. Certainly removing a pilot or pilots in the aircraft reduce the fatality risk. I believe also that controls are good enough that if any aircraft problems were to occur, piloting it away from human injury during a crash is very possible. It certainly is a more productive use of remotely operated drones. I’m not sure about AI fire fighting drones. It sure could be a mess if one of them decided to do a retardant drop over POG’s backyard barbecue.
Memorial Day: Thanks to all of you who served and had Fathers / Mothers that served. I also had a Father that was shot at on a French beach, in the Ardennes Forest, along the Rhine, and with fortune, not in an invasion of Japan. But I kept my literary mouth shut to remember and appreciate those who have. Thanks again.
and a Happy Birthday to you Pat O’B ! I will think of you during my next taste of a good brew.
June 2, 2021 at 8:48 pm |
Thanks Shawn! Had some friends over and watched a movie, “The Mule.” The song in my first comment was the credit music on the movie.
June 3, 2021 at 1:49 am |
Mr O’Brien – Muleskinner Stout from Freebridge Brewing. It was the last of my growler. Ahhh….and a good many more rotations around Sol for you.
As for letting the old man in, I believe the snot nosed kid in me is putting up a pretty good fight. But the problem is, is that the kid still ends up getting old without the style, and maturity of the old man trying to get in.
Regarding The Mule: The plot line is certainly nothing original (Breaking Bad and probably something by Shakespeare), but Eastwood sure produces good story lines. The system (society) fails an honest individual typically over a financial matter, then that individual is forced to make a choice that produces harmful results to society, and subsequently costs society more money than if the system (society) were to head off the financial problem to begin with. Allow the money handlers (the bean counters as my Father used to call them), to control enough of our society, and they will make the illegal, legal for them, while maintaining the illegal for all others. I believe we had what some have called a leader in our society once, that did a good job of practicing this philosophy.
June 3, 2021 at 6:32 am |
Ain’t that the truth, as someone said. I will look up Muleskinner stout; I love a good stout, especially an oatmeal stout which is what I had at the Copper Brothel Brewpub on Tuesday. I find it frustrating that the ignorant supporters of the last president can’t figure out that he is the oppressor and not their champion. Or, as they say inside the beltway, money talks and bullshit walks. The asshole admitted, on multiple occasions, that when he gave money to a politician, he expected something in return for himself. And he worked that system for his own enrichment when he became a politician. He is a card carrying member of the true “deep state.”
June 3, 2021 at 6:59 am |
Dude couldn’t even handle a blog. What’d he last, 29 days? I’ve been at it since 1996.
Of course, in his case, we’re talking a guy who can’t write blogging for people who can’t read. Talk about a bridge to nowhere.