Today’s oldie is another from the fall of 2011. I’ve had a lot of fun with this tidbit in the strip over the years: for decades in “Blondie,” people from the mailman to complete strangers have wandered in and out of the Bumstead bath and conversed with the occupant of the tub. I mean, isn’t that a little weird?
I want to thank all those who participated in the art auction, which closed yesterday. I believe the winners purchased art at a fair price. The gallery “Faraway Places” recouped the expenses of framing and “free” shipping. And there was a bit left over for gallery and for cartoonist, yours truly. Yes, I’d call that a success.
31 responses to “Cool to the Idea”
God bless us every one. God bless the USA.
Re today’s real-time cartoon, last night was not all that cold at Jackie’s “ranch”, but we opted for a “big pot of chili” nonetheless. It was good.
I never really understood the purpose of the cucumber slices at the fancy spas, but I suspect what Arlo has in mind may be some healthy marital voyeurism.
TR – et-al
Re Headlights:
When in Scandinavia 20 years ago headlights were required to be on.
50+ years ago there was a study in Canada that showed that buses with
their headlights on had 33% less accidents. Since that time I drive with
headlights on. When I first started toll collectors would tell me they were
on – my response was “they are on for safety” now there are placards at the
toll booths stating “Lights On For Safety”.
Yes all lights should be on not just headlights or markers (remember when they
were called “Parking Lights”?)
In MN lights are required when the windshield wipers are on – but about 5%
of drivers don’t know that or don’t care.
Glad to know, even if I was not among the lucky borders, that I did my share to make the auction turn a profit.
Spell check hates bidders. 😉
Speaking of parking lights/marker lights, whatever you call ’em. There needs to be an indicator for headlights that does not light up when all you have on is your markers. It is all too easy to only get the markers on and see the dash light and think your headlights are on when they aren’t. Especially if you are driving an unfamiliar car. If you are driving at night and wonder why your headlights seem dim, check whether you really have them on!
Our new, thanks to Harvey, Honda has an auto light feature. Set it to auto, the markers are always on; as daylight dims, the headlamps come on and the dash indicator lights up. Was a might unnerving at first, morning shadows had the dash indicator flashing on and off as I drove through them and sunlight.
OTOH, some cars don’t leave you a choice when they’re moving. That becomes a problem when I’m going to star parties in our ’01 Buick or we’re going to the local “Festival of Lights” display. We’ve decided to “old school it” by using our minivan which lets you control the lights.
I kind of miss baths. As a kid, we all took one on Saturday Night (Not at the same time, but pretty much the same water). Once I went to college I got up to take a shower as it was much quicker. When I ran marathons, I would take a nice hot bath after a long run as it would loosen up the muscles. Now it is a little hard to climb in and out of the bathtube.
On Lights, I remember driving through New York and seeing signs that said “Lights must be on when windshield wipers are on”. I was surprised that the automakers did not make that standard equipment so that if you turned on the wipers, the lights came on. Daytime running lights have been standard on GM models since the 90’s due to Canada requiring them. However they are not the same as headlights and there are many in the U.S. opposed to them due to glare.
I have recounted saving a friend and customer from certain death. Following her period open sports car and not knowing it was her about midnight on NASA 1 at full speed I saw a wrong way driver heading directly into her. My full sized van was built on a Ford F250 base and would have crusheded her like a beer can.
I laid the van on its side, skidding a quarter mile in ditch, then running back to wreck and on another quarter mile to police station
Remarkably I have put trucks into ditches and shoulders in other similar situations, The higher visibility from a trucks cab allows you to see over lower cars.
The drunk on NASA 1 was eating spaghetti with a fork and not injured. My friend went through windshield.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI. I stopped taking baths and started showers when I got so tall more of me was out of the water than in it when I sat down. Best thing for loosening up is a hot tub.
Here’s a nice video from the Beeb:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PstSiTCk74
I appreciate its perspective on single parenthood.
Can’t remember where we were going, but we ended up at a nondescript hotel. I remember going to the bathroom and find a huge whirlpool bathtub. I will let the rest of you imagine what happened next….
nice TR- thank you. 🙂
lots of good stuff here- thanks to all of you for sharing !
Here’s a beautiful Christmas video Ghost played for me the other night. Love it.
https://youtu.be/MHioIlbnS_A
We are on way to emergency room in Tulsa for me again. I don’t feel that bad. I made outdoor wreath bows this morning and was decorating while waiting for doctor to call.
Oh no! I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus just came on! Wretch!
I recall taking an invigorating outdoor shower during a Vietnamese monsoon. There was one other memorable shower in Vietnam…
Joyful tidings, Domaucan1. Good to read you.
On headlights: I’m still not adjusting well to the no-longer-new LED headlamps. It is amazing how focused the light is. That it can illuminate so strongly an object ahead, and yet contribute no illumination to the immediate area. That’s fine when you are driving that car and sitting behind those lamps. But I find it harder to identify those vehicles when they are not directly in my sightline. Of course when they are in my sightline, I am in theirs, and that glare is too strong.
A question about LED headlights: When I was trucking, many of our trailers had LED lights. They were bright and didn’t pull as much power, but they also didn’t melt away snow and slush that landed on them. What about the headlights?
TR: Good question. I read something last year (?) about a small town somewhere “up north” that replaced all its holiday lighting with LEDs to save money and then couldn’t see most of them because they didn’t melt the snow.
TruckerRon, you made me go learn something. I knew you were right, but had not seen the problem in life. So I went to Wikipedia/Headlamp, and here, out of context, is a short line:
HID [high intensity discharge] lamps emit infrared energy [they get hot] that can defrost snow and ice from the front lens of a headlamp, while LEDs do not, and need to cycle heat from the heat-sink to the front of the panel to de-ice and de-fog the lens.[92] –> “Industry First LED Headlamp for Premium SUV”. Retrieved 2012-01-31. [refers to the Cadillac Escalade]
But, like my views on many overcomplicated systems, I wonder if it is as simple as it reads and nearly foolproof; or if this is one of those items where most people are lucky. But if you are the poor soul with a faulty item, no one understands.
New item learned for the day: 7
Got my two Ludwig shirts today Jimmy. Really nice, material is heavier than I had thought, should be long-lived. Great graphics too, your printer is excellent at his work. Thanks
Ran into an article re a stellar system that, like ours, has 8 confirmed planets. Unfortunately, all 8 are close in, and hence too hot. Wondered what is known so far re potentially habitable planets. Got this, and you can go to other sites from there. No pictures, just informative charts that take some effort to comprehend. Peace,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_potentially_habitable_exoplanets#List_of_exoplanets_in_the_conservative_habitable_zone
‘Potentially’ is a tantalizing word. Whether you view our current home as providential or just plain lucky doesn’t matter much to discuss some of the confluence of conditions we enjoy. Just two examples currently not observable from this distance are elemental composition present and a suitable satellite, or moon.
This chart will grow with more examples over time. But we cannot yet determine if the lump of mass observed has the needed balance of chemicals in the crust, or if there is a crust to stand on. If there is a mantle and rotating core that could power the electromagnetic shield that blocks harmful radiation. If there is a gaseous coating above the surface with suitable chemicals to support life like, or even different than, ours. Does the mass rotate, to stir the atmosphere, and allow the ‘solar’ warmth to distribute evenly around the planet. Is the axis of rotation tilted enough to allow seasonal differences necessary for the development of something we might call plant life. Do the chemicals present allow for an analog to our water cycle, to wash the surface and distribute nutrients to nascent life. Would this cycle include reservoirs of fluid we might call oceans. Is there another lump of mass(es) in orbit sufficient to establish an equilibrium barycenter offset sufficiently, but not too far off the geoid center of mass, to create a tidal effect in these oceans, to stir the nutrients and wastes. Reasonable prerequisites for the formation of native, or the support of alien, life. Which would be us, if we ever got there.
But someone with a degree in the field could do better than my short conjecture on just two facets that contribute to the science-fiction idea of Terraforming. Curiosity and imagination are wonderful things, and lead to new discoveries.
Blacksmith plovers, Kenya
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-watering-hole-animal-camera
Peace,