Get back to work, you slackers!

Apparently many people on my f-list don't have enough to do today at work, since I'm seeing a lot of fresh posts from people I KNOW have 9-5 jobs. You're hurting the economy, you sluggards! ;)

Considering getting a small radio for the office, to be used on days when the senior controller isn't around. Oddly enough, the small tabletop radio seems to have disappeared into the mists of history. There are beatboxes, and there are clock radios, and there are Walkman-like portables, but nothing that just sits on the table and brings you the rich sounds of music, Rush Limbaugh, or whatever your officemates will tolerate. I'm looking forward to listening to Rush again, tbhq; it's been years and I miss the old bugger's ranting. God knows nobody in the office here would object. :)

Get back to work, you slackers!

Apparently many people on my f-list don't have enough to do today at work, since I'm seeing a lot of fresh posts from people I KNOW have 9-5 jobs. You're hurting the economy, you sluggards! ;)

Considering getting a small radio for the office, to be used on days when the senior controller isn't around. Oddly enough, the small tabletop radio seems to have disappeared into the mists of history. There are beatboxes, and there are clock radios, and there are Walkman-like portables, but nothing that just sits on the table and brings you the rich sounds of music, Rush Limbaugh, or whatever your officemates will tolerate. I'm looking forward to listening to Rush again, tbhq; it's been years and I miss the old bugger's ranting. God knows nobody in the office here would object. :)

Cool stuff on a stick, and other links of interest

Deep-fried Bananas Foster on a stick, official food of the 2008 Indiana State Fair. Looks awesome to me; my pancreas is whimpering from just looking at it. Also from Radley Balko, America's third most violent city declares war on crack...er, I mean saggy pants. Who keeps idiots like this in office?

Cool stuff on a stick, and other links of interest

Deep-fried Bananas Foster on a stick, official food of the 2008 Indiana State Fair. Looks awesome to me; my pancreas is whimpering from just looking at it. Also from Radley Balko, America's third most violent city declares war on crack...er, I mean saggy pants. Who keeps idiots like this in office?

A letter to the City Council

Railroad puts in ethanol transloading facility in industrial district, ignorant neighbors and politicians get butthurt. Yr. Humble Correspondent is amused, and fires off a missive to the Mayor and City Council.

( WTF, city fathers? WTF? )

Just to add to the perversity, if you use the DOE Alternative Fuels Finder, plug in my ZIP code (22304), and pick electric, E85 and CNG -the three most widely available vehicle fuel alternatives- the overwhelming majority of the stations are Federal and state motorpools, and most of the rest are restricted to military personnel and their dependents. The closest publicly available E85 to me is in Georgetown, eight miles north of here; there's nothing in Alexandria. Way to go on the renewable/alternative fuels, guys.

UPDATE: Got a couple of e-mails back from councilmen who make the point that NS should abide by the same rules all the other businesses in town do. They miss the point that as a railroad (and therefore an interstate carrier) NS doesn't have to - they're regulated by the Feds, precisely to avoid this penny-ante, town-by-town death of a thousand cuts by regulation. Besides, we're talking ethanol here, Everclear by the tank car load. Worst thing that happens if there's an accident is that a bunch of 100% PGA goes up in flames very quickly - and the chances of this stuff spreading 600 yards to an elementary school is lower than the chance of a truckload of chlorine or some other industrial gas going splat in the neighborhood. And that stuff goes by on the Beltway all the time, to say nothing of Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue. I guess that's normal and not upsetting to the local swells, though.

A letter to the City Council

Railroad puts in ethanol transloading facility in industrial district, ignorant neighbors and politicians get butthurt. Yr. Humble Correspondent is amused, and fires off a missive to the Mayor and City Council.

( WTF, city fathers? WTF? )

Just to add to the perversity, if you use the DOE Alternative Fuels Finder, plug in my ZIP code (22304), and pick electric, E85 and CNG -the three most widely available vehicle fuel alternatives- the overwhelming majority of the stations are Federal and state motorpools, and most of the rest are restricted to military personnel and their dependents. The closest publicly available E85 to me is in Georgetown, eight miles north of here; there's nothing in Alexandria. Way to go on the renewable/alternative fuels, guys.

UPDATE: Got a couple of e-mails back from councilmen who make the point that NS should abide by the same rules all the other businesses in town do. They miss the point that as a railroad (and therefore an interstate carrier) NS doesn't have to - they're regulated by the Feds, precisely to avoid this penny-ante, town-by-town death of a thousand cuts by regulation. Besides, we're talking ethanol here, Everclear by the tank car load. Worst thing that happens if there's an accident is that a bunch of 100% PGA goes up in flames very quickly - and the chances of this stuff spreading 600 yards to an elementary school is lower than the chance of a truckload of chlorine or some other industrial gas going splat in the neighborhood. And that stuff goes by on the Beltway all the time, to say nothing of Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue. I guess that's normal and not upsetting to the local swells, though.