Al's Blog-o-Sphere

I read an article on Hybrid cars the other day and it’s pretty clear to me that the manufacturers of those cars could have a heyday with their MPG ratings. Watch a few commercials and you’ll see claims for 50MPG or more. The new Chevy Volt is touting 230MPG.

First of all, how do you give an electric car a MPG rating at all? It doesn’t take any gallons, unless you count windshield wiper fluid. Continue Reading…

While the Right-wing has been having a heyday objecting to President Obama talking to our kids in school, at least some people have been having a little fun with it. I hope the vast majority of people will understand it for what it is, a sincere address meant to inspire students.

Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the stupidity of those who see something sinister in it by turning to that bastion of citizen parody, You Tube:

Everyone has been talking about the Obama Administration’s Health Care Plan. No one seems to know very much about it, though. Rumors about what it includes abound, but real information on the several proposals working their way through congress is in short supply.

Here’s my wish list…

What we need for Health Care: Continue Reading…

I’ve been writing here about my 40 years of experiences in Amateur Radio from time to time. Here’s one on what I’m doing NOW. It’s not exciting. It’s not cutting edge technology. But, it’s long overdue.

I don’t have any recent photos of the “Shack.” Frankly, it was such a mess, I really didn’t want to take any. It had become a place for unfinished projects to get dumped and to actually use the radios, I’d have to excavate them to get access! But the first photo is of the same room, back about 1980 or so.

I’m cleaning out and remodeling my “shack.” That’s what we “Hams” call our place where we keep our radio equipment. It’s one of many terms that were established long ago and have taken on a life of their own, despite giving a less-then-complimentary spin on our hobby.

Similiar terms are “Elmer” – a term for a Ham who helps a newcomer get started in this hobby, presumably an older person; “Rag Chewing” – a term that means just chatting over the air; and of course the term “Ham” itself, which was coined by commercial operators as a derogatory appellation, but the amateurs took it, like Yankee Doodle, and made it their own.

Frankly, I could do without all of them. Amateur, mentor, conversation all work fine for me. Since I’ve lived here, for the last 30 years, we’ve all called my room just the “Radio Room.” It’s about the only room in the house that has never been painted or otherwise remodeled. It’s been sort of the Shoemaker’s Kids story, everything else took priority.

So, I’m finally getting around to overhauling it and I think from now on, I’m going to call it not my “Shack,” not my “Radio Room,” but from now on, my “Studio.” It sort of works in the way “Office” or “Study” would, but is more technical/radio sounding. Continue Reading…