The Peckish Synapse

KARNUT · September 24, 2023

40 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

They buy what's available. True the consumer could not buy it. Then they go without pants. People want V8's. That choice is being taken away. They want reliable. That choice is taken away. They want a WT in some other color than white. That choice is taken away. People didn't stop buying quality 517's. Greed took that choice away. Money has become man's god. People buy the cheapest trash because it's the only thing they can afford and the only choice they are given.

I go to resale shops. Buy scratch and dent appliances. Buy used or CPO. And make my own coffee. We live on SS and have a rent house. I never made 6 figures. My kids will be more well off when I pass on. I do believe you and your graph. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Grumpy Bear · September 25, 2023

Replacement for gas tax on EV's.

Electric Vehicles: EV Taxes by State: Details & Analysis (taxfoundation.org)

Edited September 25, 2023 by Grumpy Bear

KARNUT · September 25, 2023

52 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Replacement for gas tax on EV's.

Electric Vehicles: EV Taxes by State: Details & Analysis (taxfoundation.org)

I’ve read recently that Texas adds 200 renewal fee for the yearly sticker. My average is 65$.

Grumpy Bear · September 29, 2023

California Gas Price. Why so high?

What Drives California’s Gasoline Prices?

So, captive refining with a majority of OPEC crude supply and lots of taxes.

A glimpse into the other 49 states future into ICE fuels.

KARNUT · September 29, 2023

45 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

California Gas Price. Why so high?

What Drives California’s Gasoline Prices?

So, captive refining with a majority of OPEC crude supply and lots of taxes.

A glimpse into the other 49 states future into ICE fuels.

They have to do something to force people into electric vehicles. Stopping drilling, raising taxes on fuel etc. I got my wife’s registration renewed this morning. The first question was is it electric? So the surcharge for electric cars is in effect here.

diyer2 · September 29, 2023

60% of the US electric production uses fossil fuels.

Grumpy Bear · October 1, 2023

This was clipped from CARBUZZ. I bold typed the sentence of interest further down this article. Then I asked myself, "Don't they really mean PROPERLY ENGINEERED"? Enjoy.

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The average lifespan of a car these days is 200,000 miles or 12 years. If you look at features like Mercedes-Benz's Hyperscreen, it's pretty clear that cars are designed to become obsolete. While that screen looks brilliant today, you have to wonder what it will look like 12 years from now. The iPhone 4S came out 12 years ago. We're now on iPhone 15 and might be on iPhone 18 by the time you finish reading this. Technology is glorious, but it doesn't age well.

That's why most of the cars on this list are on the older side. Nothing can go wrong if there's nothing to go wrong.

Mercedes

1. Lexus LS 400

We'll launch right into a car that contradicts what we wrote a paragraph earlier. The LS 400 is at the top of this list because it's completely over-engineered. Toyota knew it stood no chance against established luxury brands, so it needed to create a flagship rival. So it started developing "Flagship" in the early '80s, starting with a blank check.

The Lexus LS had nothing in common with any existing car, and Toyota set itself several near-impossible targets. It was like the '80s version of Piech and the Bugatti Veyron.

The "Flagship" team comprised 60 designers and 1,400 engineers, divided into 24 units. An additional 2,500 workers supported them.

You could write a book about this car, but to demonstrate how insane the attention to detail was, the teams went through 24 kinds of wood and multiple types of leather. These were tested over two years before the production spec was chosen. One man was employed to ensure the damping on the buttons was perfect. And you can tell because if you get into a well-looked-after example in 2023, it still looks and feels premium.

It was built to such a high standard that it's nearly unkillable, which brings us to our next car.

Grumpy Bear · November 9, 2023

Thought Experiments

Romans 1:19,20 ......because what may be known about God is clearly evident among them, for God made it clear to them. For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.

No one doubts the existence of their great-great-grandfather. You perceive he existed because you are here.

Entropy and Intelligent design are what the verse alludes to.

Volcanic action may produce glass from sand, but it will never produce a figurine.

customboss · November 9, 2023

1 hour ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Thought Experiments

Romans 1:19,20 ......because what may be known about God is clearly evident among them, for God made it clear to them. For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.

No one doubts the existence of their great-great-grandfather. You perceive he existed because you are here.

Entropy and Intelligent design are what the verse alludes to.

Volcanic action may produce glass from sand, but it will never produce a figurine.

Easy to grab that idea in the safety of the USA. Go live in mideast and tell me how your faith does.....not slamming you but faith is personal and in the USA as comfy and spoiled we are easy to grab on too. Be a Palestinian Christian right now in Gaza or a Messianic Jew in Israel and let me know how you preach here.

KARNUT · November 9, 2023

8 minutes ago, customboss said:

Easy to grab that idea in the safety of the USA. Go live in mideast and tell me how your faith does.....not slamming you but faith is personal and in the USA as comfy and spoiled we are easy to grab on too. Be a Palestinian Christian right now in Gaza or a Messianic Jew in Israel and let me know how you preach here.

Knowing there’s a higher power makes people behave and act right. Much like growing up knowing there’s parents at home to keep you in check. The ultimate father. This life we live didn’t just happen. Intelligent design. The downfall of humanity is directly related to lack of faith. If you know history it’s easily tracked. Bill ORiley does a series of killing books. He did one on Jesus devoid of the religious aspect. He tracked his life. There was such a man. People who are starting to condemn Israel for defending themselves and eliminating evil. Study WW2. And remember what we did to ultimately end it. Saving lives of our men. No one condemned the U.S.

Grumpy Bear · November 9, 2023

32 minutes ago, customboss said:

Easy to grab that idea in the safety of the USA. Go live in mideast and tell me how your faith does.....not slamming you but faith is personal and in the USA as comfy and spoiled we are easy to grab on too. Be a Palestinian Christian right now in Gaza or a Messianic Jew in Israel and let me know how you preach here.

Understood. 2 Thessalonians 3:2 acknowledges, "..........faith is not a possession of all people."

Faith is personal. You can believe he is and still not place faith in him. Billions of people do that.

The post wasn't a religious offering but an exercise in rational thought.

How about a sobering thought instead?

99.993% of the 8.1 billion people on earth today (World Meter) will be dead by this day 2123!

Donstar · November 11, 2023

On 11/9/2023 at 9:11 AM, Grumpy Bear said:

99.993% of the 8.1 billion people on earth today (World Meter) will be dead by this day 2123!

This is a good example for me of how media and demographic can influence people. Our local news station has a segment that celebrates wedding anniversaries and birthdays of people in their viewing audience. Anniversaries have to be 60+ years and birthdays need to be 90+. It is common to hear birthdays of 100+ years. The fact that this sampling reflects such a small percentage of people in the world is surprising. I frequently told my kids when they were teens that, "There are a lot of people in this world". This was typically in response to, "Everyone else is allowed" or "Everyone else has one." I am thinking that my chances of becoming a centenarian are worse than I thought!

Grumpy Bear · November 11, 2023

2 hours ago, Donstar said:

This is a good example for me of how media and demographic can influence people. Our local news station has a segment that celebrates wedding anniversaries and birthdays of people in their viewing audience. Anniversaries have to be 60+ years and birthdays need to be 90+. It is common to hear birthdays of 100+ years. The fact that this sampling reflects such a small percentage of people in the world is surprising. I frequently told my kids when they were teens that, "There are a lot of people in this world". This was typically in response to, "Everyone else is allowed" or "Everyone else has one." I am thinking that my chances of becoming a centenarian are worse than I thought!

Location on the planet matters. Chad had a life expectancy of just over 50 years.

customboss · November 11, 2023

On 11/9/2023 at 10:11 AM, Grumpy Bear said:

Understood. 2 Thessalonians 3:2 acknowledges, "..........faith is not a possession of all people."

Faith is personal. You can believe he is and still not place faith in him. Billions of people do that.

The post wasn't a religious offering but an exercise in rational thought.

How about a sobering thought instead?

99.993% of the 8.1 billion people on earth today (World Meter) will be dead by this day 2123!