Gouge Away

It has been another long week.

So, yeah...

Stay all day, if you want to.

Get Your Goat

Hey Kiwis in need of a new ute, check this out!

Mitsubishi-NZ offers free goat.
22 May 2009
In a drive to help the rural community stave off the recession, Mitsubishi Motors is supporting primary productivity by offering a free goat with every new Triton sold before August.

"We firmly believe that New Zealand's recovery is in the hands of the rural sector and they're the people who are buying our utes," said MMNZ general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. "Goats, like our Tritons, are hardy, versatile units, which will integrate directly into existing farm operations".

"Goats improve farm productivity by providing an environmentally friendly defence against noxious weeds and they're a lot cheaper than toxic sprays".

"Goats also provide export commodities that can help improve our balance of payments. They grow a fine micron fleece, much like the renowned Merino, which can be used to produce high-quality garments. Goat's milk provides a nutritious alternative for the growing number of lactose intolerant people and while goat meat is seldom featured in Western restaurants, developing countries consume vast quantities," said Mr Wilkins.

"And, most importantly, there is no such thing as Goat Flu – so no threat to tourism. It's hard to see a downside," he added.

"At MMNZ, we are aware that three years of drought has severely depleted sheep and beef populations, so what better time to ‘float the goat'?" said Mr Wilkins. "We'll supply a free goat with every Triton sold before August and do our bit to loosen the grip of the recession".

"On the off chance that the purchaser already has enough goats or feels that goat herding is better left to those in drier climes, we'll supply a ‘no goat package' consisting of a five-year/100,000km extended warranty, five free WOF inspections, 5,000km road user charges, five years of roadside assistance and $500 of genuine or approved Triton accessories," Mr Wilkins said.


Spotted at Jalopnik.

Foolish Pleasure Friday

Who is the Boss

Death Machine

When I think of Kenny Roberts, it is hard to not also think about this crazy machine.




That is a two-stroke 750cc motor stuffed into a slight tube chassis. Same sort of kit that was going into the Yamaha GP bikes of the time...the ones that were embarassing nearly every other bike...the ones that were way faster than the chassis, brakes and tires of the day...





Here it is in it's more asphalt friendly form.








A scary monster of a machine.

The Pran

The nucrear tests, the missiowas, they are aw part of my master pran.

It's a very compricated and eraborate pran.

What are you going to do, send over fecking Hans Brick again?
Have the UN write me a retter about how disappointed they aw are?

Go ahead an write me a fecking retter.


I sheow proceed with my pran...

Hands

Matthew Crawford has an essay over at the NYT, where he makes a case for working with your hands.





Here is a taste:

...The imperative of the last 20 years to round up every warm body and send it to college, then to the cubicle, was tied to a vision of the future in which we somehow take leave of material reality and glide about in a pure information economy. This has not come to pass. To begin with, such work often feels more enervating than gliding. More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things: fix our cars, unclog our toilets, build our houses.

When we praise people who do work that is straightforwardly useful, the praise often betrays an assumption that they had no other options. We idealize them as the salt of the earth and emphasize the sacrifice for others their work may entail...

Worth a read.



Also worth reading is the latest issue of The Economist, which takes a look at what we are getting for our trillions of dollars invested in banking/insurance/finance, why California is on the brink of constitutional collapse and gets to the root of paleolithic porn.

Perhaps I will address some of that later...or you could just go read it yourself.

Kenny

Hauling ass...

Danzon

Control Machete


At some point I will learn more Spanish than what is used in a kitchen.

My utter lack of fluency leaves me only understanding the insults and swear words, but the onset of summer seems to compell me to listen to SouthCali/Mexican bands.

Blender

For absolute athletic professionalism in skateboarding, there is no match for Neil Blender, as evidenced in this footage of an 80's "street" contest.

The physical mastery of sport is supplanted with true artistic virtuosity.

Funny Firebird Friday

History

Taking Over World

I have been all over the place lately, on my various projects to assist in my taking over the world. I realized I hadn't really shared much about that here, lately.

I mentioned in a previous post that one of my principal backers was arrested and convicted for operating a giant investment ponzi scheme. I was forced to look for some new capital partners, which included a certain guy who is just way too into the moon base idea.

So, progress on the baboonbots has been slow. My desire to make one of the hands into a squidlike appendage seems to be overly complex to engineer genetically. Attempts to graft an actual squid onto the end of a baboonot arm have been equally unsuccessful. I still really like the idea, but the first generation of baboonbots may not have a squid hand.

The framus reactor is up and fully functional, these days. Finally. Some early problems with the cooling system have been sorted, with an additional dilithium modulator circuit.

I have been tinkering with a giant mechanized suit, for myself, as you can see in the picture. I don't really have a specific plan for the suit, but it seems like a good thing to have around for taking over the world.
It'll be good for parades, if nothing else.
I am building in extra-atmospheric capabilities, what with the whole big push on the moon base stuff and to shut up up Branson.

Blind Spot

Be sure to check your blind spot when merging or changing lanes.

Bunny

Aww, isn't that cute.

Really, I am trying to be nice, improve my mood.

It would be a lot easier if the general classification of bipeds was not so fucking irritating, however.

Bunnies are cute, though.

Cyclon-cycle

Shinya builds cool shit.

As evidenced by the pic from the El Mirage season start.

It is not for show.
He is chasing a record on that thing...


Keep looking, you see more cool the longer you stare.

Kittens

I have been a bit grim, as of late.

I will try to lighten up.






How about a picture of kittens?



I could go on some tangent about how all of that playing that kittens do is really the practice of their natural instincts to go out and kill things...

That might be more in tune with my head, these days.


Let's just focus on how cute kittens are, today.

Suicide in Progress

Melvins.

Fenn Friday

The Fenn - Chassis Research FED

Note to self-

Need to stop at the store tonight.





Yeah, I know I posted this photo before.
Those are just the best protest signs ever.

Can You Hear the Hammer Strike?

Oh shit...

I am on one.

Everything is upon me.

I have that feeling that makes one shake.
The tension of unresolved creative thoughts.
Frustration with the all, the everything.
The shakes.

You know, when you just have shit to do, but you are not doing it...

It gets you so wound up that your hands shake.

The thoughts, the thinking...


There is no solution but doing something, something with your hands.
Doing something with your head...


I am deep in, right now.
Right at the heart of that sensation.

I could lay a mile of track right now...
A few hours of pounding spikes would do me good.

Swinging the hammer.

Ping.
Ping.
Ping.

Pick it up.
Lay it down.

See the head of the spike.
See their head on the head of the spike.
See the spike.
Be the hammer.



Maybe you don't know.
Maybe it's just me.
But I get this way more than I care to think.


The shoulders tense.
My eyes get that stare...
The stare that sees the end.

The head that makes my speach quicken.
That makes my hands move.

I talk fast because I mean it.

I mean what I say.
I make what I see.
I do what I do.
I get by.



I am ready to lay a mile of track.

Ping.
Ping.
Ping.

Hear the hammer fall.

Ping.
Ping.
Ping.

Smile Pretty

for the camera...

Surf Raiders

That is me in the striped shorts, at about the forty second mark.


That is how we roll, here in Cali...


I usually sport a lime green speedo, but I was feeling self conscious about the filming session. It is early in the season, so my tan isn't its usual dark bronze - and it was a bit chilly, so my package suffered from some shrinkage.

So it was striped trunks, all the way.


In spite of all the Oklifornians, this place is cool.

Daddio...

I gotta split, to hang out with all of the cool cats and chicks down at the shore now.

Funny Flopper Friday

H Street

That one H Street deck, that I had twenty some years ago, might still be my favorite.
The concave was a little too deep in the front, but the tail was just right.


Night scenes, from Shackle Me Not

History

Captain Chaos

Oh holy sweet Italian Sausage!

Captian Chaos is dead.

Dom packed it in at age 75.


What say we organize a race across the country, in his honor?
Alright, across the county?

How about a race to the fridge?


Crap, I love Cannonball Run...

Full Lock

Buckle Up

What is Up?

Things have been in robo-post mode here for a bit, so I thought I would check in.

Turns out Pretty Not Good has a following in Spain.

Yeah, I am confused by that too...



Hi Spain!




You may have forgotten, or not been aware, but I am a big geek.
With that, I keep track of the folks visiting here.
Turns out there is a lotta Spain traffic here.


I also get into other geek stuff.

I had been thinking of getting one of those neato net-book jobs for no good reason, but my phone took a crap last night, so I went in another direction.


I picked up one of those fancy phones today.
I guess I was feeling fancy.
And thought it seemed more practical than a net-book.

So PNG is sorta going mobile.



My new Twitter feed is awfulnotbad, should you be into that sort of worthless time wasting.
I am not sure I am, but we'll see how it goes.

If nothing else, mobile posts for here will be back on-line.


KVC and I just did another walk about through the Oakland gallery scene.
There is some cool shit going down in O-Town.

Our pal Vanessa, at the Fort Gallery, called us in to look at some stuff by Jon Carling.
We are suckers, which Vanessa knows, so we couldn't resist some of Jon's work.
He is a really good guy, who does really nice work.

Jon is going to take some space at the Fort Gallery, so you should go check his work out.


My buddy from high school has some pretty funny shit going on with his page.

My e-pal Rotten Rodney is writing good stuff at Benchrace.

I never write anything for Authwhore any more, but James is holding it down.


The March Meet happened down at Famosa this weekend.
I didn't go, 'cause of stuff and the wet forecast but I hear it was cool.

This week is work and bachelordom, as KVC is in the Orient again.


And that is all the news fit to print...

Thrice All American

I made you listen to Marianne Faithfull covering Neko Case, a bit ago.
How about we listen to some Neko Case today.


A song about Tacoma, which doesn't rate many songs as a city.

But Tacoma is a better place, for having made Neko Case.


The shit she says about her hometown of Tacoma, it's a lot like my thoughts of my own hometown.

I get it.


The beauty that memories contain, the contrast with reality.
The desire that what we remember is unchanging.
Even if we don't bother to go back to check.

I know the dignity that those old hometowns contain.
Maybe not fire or glamour.
But there is undeniable depth and breadth there.
Heart and guts.

My story at least, comes from the dirt of my hometown.



Those ghosts are what made me.
What taught me what I know and what I could know.
And if they didn't teach me that, well, they inspired me to go figure it out for myself.

May Day

People used to know what May Day was about.

Recent times might serve as a reminder.

More to do with the Haymarket than Che.

Happy May Day.

First RED Friday

It has been suggested that this is the first rear-engined dragster.
Though I kinda doubt that.
But what do I know...