Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Monday, June 19, 2023
Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter
The attached article was recently posted. The premise is that Massachusetts created a right to repair law for cars, but the federal government suggests this is a bad idea and aims to block such laws.
My reaction was “can’t anyone repair a car? It’s just mechanical parts…right?”
But the issue is much deeper. Cars have computers on board. At some point in time, the rudimentary computer would generate a code that a mechanic could download via a tool in order to find the problem. This ability to use a “scan tool” was originally only used by the car dealerships. But through legislation, and an agreement with the manufacturers, consumers (and independent car repair shops) wound up getting the right to use these tools themselves.
But in the last few-ish years, car companies have been doing away with these simple systems, in favor of a more sophisticated system - one which wirelessly sends data back to the auto manufacturer.
As an aside: you probably are unaware of the data that is transmitted, and surely there would be privacy concerns if you did know: it tracks the usual diagnostics. But it also notes braking, speeding, location, and other bits of data about your driving habits. And oh sure, I knew this was the case when I got my Tesla, but I had no idea other car companies did this too!
The auto manufacturers see this as a means to build better cars. And to steer you (pun intended) to the dealerships for repairs. They don’t want you going anywhere else. But you, as a consumer, no longer have a choice (or won’t soon), and independent repair shops will be driven (again?!) out of business.
So Massachusetts saw this and created a law that gives you the right to repair. The auto makers hate it. And what of the federal government? Well, their concerns are about privacy and safety. All of this data is being transmitted back to the auto companies, rather than staying “in the car” - and with the amount of data they are collecting, and how the connection to the car works, it’s possible there could be a data breach that could impact millions of drivers. Or there is a small possibility that someone could send data back to the car to do something nefarious, like preventing the brakes from engaging.
And that’s where technology puts us. The larger issue is, as I’ve noted before, car companies are not much good at software. Somehow, that needs to change.
I am a bit bewildered by the current stance on immigrants. Our country was built by immigrants, and honestly they make the country stronger, more diverse, and much more interesting.
But following how the state of Florida is behaving is somewhat astonishing. The state - in particular the governor - has decided to violate state law, and runs right up against federal law by hiring private contractors to move immigrants who are here legally from one state that is not Florida to another state that is also not Florida. Using our Florida tax dollars.
California's governor suggests its kidnapping, and he may be right. According to the story that various media outlets are reporting, people posing as officials are telling immigrants that they have work and housing for them, if they will just go with them. But of course its a ruse to create political theater. There is no job. No housing. There is some nonsense with fraudulent documents, and using language barriers to their advantage.
The issues I have here are many, but let's start with these being human beings who are simply looking for a better life, who are here in accordance with the law. And they're being used as pawns in some insipid game, being derided, and who are afraid to say much because they don't want to be deported.
Bear in mind that unless you are native American, we are ALL immigrants to this country. Sure, some people have been here for many generations, but what gives any of us the right to tell someone else they can't be here?
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Friday, June 16, 2023
A good attempt
And I'm so glad it covers the engine and transmission!🤦🏼♂️
I’ll never understand Congress
Congress can take up all manner of grandstanding by creating a committee. They can hold hearings on essentially nothing. They can pass bills that are politically motivated but which they know won't go anywhere (like a bill that prevents states from banning gas stoves….whaaa?)
And yet, they can't be bothered to take a few minutes and vote on allowing us to stay on DST and no longer changing our clocks.
This is an easy one that most states are ready to implement, but for which we need a vote.
So annoying.
And yet, they can't be bothered to take a few minutes and vote on allowing us to stay on DST and no longer changing our clocks.
This is an easy one that most states are ready to implement, but for which we need a vote.
So annoying.
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Ted Lasso (or “the Richmond Way”)
It's a show about soccer. But it's really not. Soccer provides the context and there is some soccer in it. But I think they did a good job of presenting it in a way that worked. So if you are a fan of soccer, there's just enough to keep you happy. But if you're not, it's short enough to not get bogged down.
The story really is about the human experience. They cover a lot of ground, and the characters all grow throughout.
They run the gamut of things that make us human, from family, to personal issues, to self entitled athletes, to social issues, and on and on. It's emotional at times, more like a drama. And it's very funny at others.
At the heart of it is Ted. He's a guy who coached American football and gets hired to coach soccer in England because the owner wants to run the team into the ground.
But he grows, too, and shows heart and a determination all the while demonstrating it’s all about how you motivate the team. And in the end, he does something remarkable.
Personally, I could identify with Ted. I took up coaching youth soccer when my kids were little and stayed with it for about 12 years. Only leaving when my kids outgrew it, or moved on to different activities.
I both loved and despised it. But I grew as a person. I learned a lot about myself. And as I watched Ted Lasso, I realized that my philosophy was very much like his. I didn't know the sport, really, but knew how to lead the kids, got them to learn to play and have fun. In short, I helped them to BELIEVE (a theme in the show).
I identified with him and the show on a different level. And that made a great show even better.
Thanks to the writers, actors, and producers for putting together something so heartfelt.
I'll miss you. Kind of like I miss coaching on Saturdays.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter
Donald Trump was indicted on federal charges, related to his handling of classified documents after he left the office. There are some who defend his actions for whatever reason, suggest that this is all political, or worse, try to suggest that its "no big deal" or "others have done the same or more."
But here's the thing: he took highly classified documents with him after he left the White House. These included information about nuclear capabilities, troop movements, and other sensitive types of things. He was asked to return them, but ignored the request, lied about that, and then proceeded to brag about keeping the documents. They were kept in fairly public places, shown to people with no security clearance, and otherwise left unattended.
The outcome of all of this is that the Department of Justice brought in a Special Prosecutor to review the facts at hand, and decide what to do / how to proceed. The reason for a Special Prosecutor is, essentially, to make this less political and remove any sort of inherent bias. The person independently makes a determination about what happened, and can (and in this case did) make a recommendation on filing charges.
This had to be vetted by various levels of lawyers and analysts and ultimately was brought before the Attorney General. After that, charges were filed in Federal Court.
Getting to this point isn't done lightly. It takes a lot of review, examination, grand juries, interviews/depositions, and so on.
And now there's a case that will be heard. I would suggest it doesn't look good. But in our system of jurisprudence, Trump is innocent until proven guilty in a court. We can't assume this or that will happen, though of course, getting to the point of filing charges and realizing how many counts were filed suggests that there is a likelihood that he is guilty of something.
We will know more in the coming months.
Now as an aside, related to the idea that "others have done the same." As far as we know, no one had taken this large a cache of documents, that they had the specific types of information, or that they left them in a sort of public location. And most importantly, they were returned or otherwise accounted for in some way without any sort of malfeasance.
And I would remind those that want to defend this that Trump defined himself as the "Law and Order" guy, and vowed to not things like this go unchecked. Let the process play out, and lets see where it lands.
During June, we celebrate many things, including gay pride. There are celebrations and events in many places. In my humble opinion, Its an opportunity for people to simply be themselves. Whatever some might think about gay rights, and pride, I think its a great opportunity to bear in mind that we're sometimes two nations. Why are people so passionate in taking an anti LGBTQ stance?
I was thinking about this season of Ted Lasso, where a player (Colin) comes out to his team. Everyone says its cool, and they don't care. And that's when Ted goes full on Ted and says:
"The point is Colin, We don’t not care. We care very much. We care about who you are and what you must’ve been going through. But hey, from now on you don’t have to go through it all by yourself."
Which I thought was a pretty good assessment. Kudos to the writers for stating it this way.
You can watch the whole segment here:
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Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Bitchin Dave's Newsletter
I find it intriguing how as humans we keep learning new things, even when it seems to contradict things we thought we knew. Take the James Webb Space Telescope, and consider that it is providing some unexpected things. And as a result, maybe the universe isn't exactly what we assumed.
But that's the point of a scientific theory. As scientists, we come up with a plausible explanation based on available evidence. It has been tested and repeated to become widely accepted as a scientific theory.
The cool part though is that it is always subject to review and modification. Sometimes, these theories can be challenged by new evidence. And then the revised theory will be tested until it becomes widely accepted.
I know not everyone quite gets that, but its one of the things that is at the core of science and discovery. We continually learn and update what we know. There are very few absolutes, and there is no clinging to "this is how its always been."
The JWST can point us to new theories and new ways of looking at the world.
This past weekend was the "Wear Orange Weekend" to commemorate the victims of gun violence.
Its unconscionable when you consider that roughly 43,000 people are killed each year in the US due to gun violence, and another 76,000 are wounded. That number alone should give us all pause to consider just how pervasive this is, and one would think it SHOULD lead us to have a rational and honest discussion about the Second Amendment and its full context.
Perhaps the lack of an Oxford comma is a concern, but the word "well regulated" do appear. Can we talk about it?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
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