grayhair

Thanks guys for the update.  So sorry to hear about Hatcity...

It can cut the other way though where you can leave Vegas with some of the house's money.  Different trip to Vegas about ten years back. Same scenario,  daughter #3 drives in from Los Angeles to visit with wife and me while we were there for several days of a trade show.  Two days go by and none of us have gambled at all.  Nothing lost and nothing gained so far.  Middle of the day, middle of the week daughter #3 decides to leave and drive back to LA.  I said, "thought you wanted to gamble some while you were here."  Bear in mind the kid is 21 years old but very petite and looks like she is maybe 14.  During our stay, every time she walked thru the casino Harrah's security guys stopped her and insist she show them her ID to prove her age.  Finally they gave her a coded wrist band to show she is of age.  Anyway, she decides yes, she wants to gamble some before leaving.  We go to the $15. craps table.  She plays a while and gradually loses $100.00.  I give her $100. and say "see if you can win your money back and pay me back too."  Now since it is the middle of the afternoon, there is hardly anyone playing, just a couple other die hards.  Well, dice come around to daughter who rolls, and rolls and just doesn't crap out.  This goes on for a while and other people are starting to notice!  Then the table quickly becomes full, 12 players, and the noise level is  getting loud!  Old grizzled gamblers with cigar ashes down the front of their shirt, etc. When they see daughter is rolling and rolling they start jacking up their bets.  "Give me $200 on the 6 and $200. on the 8." "Gimme a hundred on eight the hard way."  Gimme $50 bucks on horn bet, hi yo."  "Gimme $200 on boxcars." Daughter keeps rolling. Pit boss comes over, looks, and changes the dice.  Daughter keeps rolling and the bets are getting ever bigger. Pit boss is really paying attention now, comes back and changes the stick man and changes the dice again. Old grizzled guys are giving daughter $25 tips and placing a few small bet on her behalf.  Daughter is still rolling and the pit boss replaces one of the box men.  This goes on for a while.  Just to say it can happen.  Of course eventually she rolls a seven and thats the end of it.  A number of serious gamblers made some real big money while daughter was rolling.  With her modest bets she of course made her money back several times over and payed me back too.  It was fun.  But it ain't what you'd call typical...

On 3/26/2016 at 9:32 PM, grayhair said:

I expect the price of LEDs to continue to decline as the quantity manufactured continues to grow.  What's not to like, low current consumption, long service life, usually won't fail from vibration.  It's just that the equipment to make them is expensive.  Or, you could follow the diagrams below to try to make some LEDs at home.    

Just kidding 

 

http://www.circuitstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ion-Implantation-System.jpg

One of my posts from 5 years ago.  Just wondering about 41chevy, hatcity, and KSC.  Are they still around and doing OK I hope? 

Wife and I went to a trade show in Las Vegas.  I had secret plan for that evening - to get some of my money back at the craps table.  Daughter #3 flew in same day and with the same idea about getting back some of her money previously left behind with them.  We meet at the craps table with a gleam in our respective eyes.  So, four guys, one after the other, throw the dice and establish a point.  Then each one of those guys next throws a seven.  Aagh, the house takes every stinking chip on the table.  I am a just a bit disgruntled.  The stick man laughs and says "well, now we'll be able to keep the lights on here for another day or so."

So, the way this works out, The Mirage is now holding even more of our money for us so that we will have to return again to get it back.  

Maybe some of you guys have a similar experience to share with us?  Love to hear it!

On 12/11/2021 at 12:02 PM, mowerman said:

hey welcome back,,,,not sure where you are with that amazing weather,,,its 26 degrees here at my place,,,me and the dogs are sitting by the fire....bob

Thanks Bob, actually the photo is several years old.  Just that I like it.  I don't think Resorts woud like the dog in their pool.  In the summer she does like to cool off on the top step of our pool at home.

On 8/17/2020 at 7:22 PM, alex g said:

Quite a ride. Interested to read more info on this? Was that you piloting that missle?

No, not me driving.  I was a spectator at Bonneville and then later got this video off the web. 

On 8/2/2018 at 10:52 PM, grayhair said:

I think this is one of the same.  And I believe it ran when parked. Buff it out, add fresh fuel, should be good to go...

This photo was taken several years ago at a tourist place near the Superstition Mountains just east of Phoenix, AZ.  I doubt it is for sale.  I just thought it looked cool so I snapped the photo.

Whatta beauty!!

I wonder what Henry would say?  3-way partnership, his company, VW, Argo.  Probably spinning in his grave.

However, Henry can take solace from Bill's great insight and wisdom: "If we don't make great cars and trucks today that people want, guess what? There is no tomorrow."  And in the mean time we got that important train station thing going on.

On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 9:03 PM, kscarbel2 said:

Seriously, would you buy a truck from this guy? Has he ever even driven a truck?

That is one strange presentation.  He spoke of the U.S. economy in 2018 and 2019, and the class 8 truck market in 2018 and 2019, and never a single word about Mack's share of the market, or plans to grow their share, or new products, or new initiatives.  No mention at all of the opportunity for Mack and their plan(s) to go forward.  If that was his entire pitch, then it is a performance that would pretty quickly result in termination at most companies. 

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 4:29 PM, other dog said:

Hat City recommended that I not sell it, so i'd have a summer place and a winter place. I am not a heat person at all, don't tolerate it well. But I am at a point where i'm thinking seriously about cutting back, not working so hard, life is short, i'm 62 now, gotta do what ya gotta do. I'd retire yesterday if I could, but the insurance is the thing, I need to work to keep my insurance because if you get sick or hurt you're screwed. I don't have much, but at least  it's paid for. I need to make some serious decisions soon about what i'm going to do.

If you can hang in there and make it to 65, then Medicare is a beautiful thing.  Then, when you are on Medicare, you can get what is known as a Medicare Supplement policy to pick up where Medicare stops.  There are a bunch of different supplement options.  I like the high deducible supplements that are reasonable cost.  I pay about $65. a month for a $2600. deductible.  Basically makes sure you are covered if something crazy expensive happens to you the bills don't bankrupt you.

With those old GMC busses it seemed like the steering must have been about 20 turns lock to lock.  Drivers really had to work to earn their pay.

11 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

Produced by Wagner for Mack, they have significantly more force, a requirement for a 20k axle versus a 12k axle.

That Volvo wants to charge you $744.85 for a $200 component should be a crime.

Volvo doesn't want you operating a 1996 vintage truck. And they want to rinse their hands of "American" Macks.

Sad state of affairs indeed.

In other news, the global climate change joke's on us.  China, India, N. Korea  are not worried.  Giggling, they prefer to leave the worrying to us.

56 minutes ago, kscarbel2 said:

China is getting closer to equipping its warships with electromagnetic railguns, state media reports -- which means its fleet could soon boast some of the most advanced weapons technology on the planet.

Citing CCTV, the state-run Global Times on Thursday reported the underlying railgun technology -- which utilizes electrical power rather than explosives to launch projectiles -- was based on "fully independent intellectual property," rather than copied from other countries.

 

Unconfirmed sightings of a Chinese landing ship apparently equipped with a test railgun in an undisclosed location have circulated around the internet this week.

Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said it was significant that China appeared to be transitioning from copying foreign weapon designs to "developing their own" technology.

"It also tells you (that China) is no longer 10-15 years behind (the US)... They are now approaching parity with the west in terms of weapons development," he added.

I call BS on Carl Schuster.  "fully independent intellectual property."   I don't think so.   The Chinese didn't suddenly, independently have a miraculous "vision" of projectiles propelled by plasma.  Rail gun technology has been around for quite a few years.  I dunno, I'm guessing at least 25 years.  Here's an articlre from sevral years ago and it wasn't new then. 

https://www.wired.com/2014/04/electromagnetic-railgun-launcher

holidaytrain.pps

These new trucks sound awesome.  Then again, I'd like to have my old trucks from back in the day, my 1967 C10, C40, and C60. The C40 had over 300K miles on its 2bbl 283 and still ran well when I sold it to the next guy.  Those were spartan trucks to be sure but there was nothing on them that I couldn't fix.