This little ditty was put together by some friends of mine. I like their attitude.

This is the world famous math video. Check it out and give us some feedback in case we missed something.

The link follows:

Thumbs up on this one. Awesome production in my opinion so check it out by hitting the YouTube button.

The Spanish blends well with the music even if you don’t speak the language. Either way I’d be willing to bet you like it.

And just so you know, sanctus espiritus means holy spirit.
“Its the state of the matter that counts, and not a matter of the state…………….” Exspider

Take it for what it’s worth with and a grain of salt as needed, but never let your guard down. We’ll have to deal with it sooner or later.

Thanks go out to Matt @ 1913INTEL for the link.

Could Wall Street be about to crash again?

This week’s bone-rattlers may be making you wonder.

I don’t make predictions. That’s a sucker’s game. And I’m certainly not doing so now.

But way too many people are way too complacent this summer. Here are 10 reasons to watch out.
Read the rest HERE .

Take time to watch this video and see if you agree with what the man is saying. It’s a valid point from my prospective. What say you?

Dennis Prager Q & A At University of Denver

Dysfunctional is the word that comes to mind for me when looking at our current state of affairs. A lot of the talking heads say we have to raise taxes to fix the problem, but that will only work up to a certain point. Nothing in, nothing out ………..

Kicking a can down the road may be fun but it’s a waste of time for the most part.

Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole

CHICAGO — Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’s comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.
Payback Time

Illinois’s Cash Balance and Overdue Payments

He picks the papers off his desk and points to a figure in red: $5.01 billion.

“This is what the state owes right now to schools, rehabilitation centers, child care, the state university — and it’s getting worse every single day,” he says in his downtown office.

Mr. Hynes shakes his head. “This is not some esoteric budget issue; we are not paying bills for absolutely essential services,” he says. “That is obscene.”

For the last few years, California stood more or less unchallenged as a symbol of the fiscal collapse of states during the recession. Now Illinois has shouldered to the fore, as its dysfunctional political class refuses to pay the state’s bills and refuses to take the painful steps — cuts and tax increases — to close a deficit of at least $12 billion, equal to nearly half the state’s budget.

Then there is the spectacularly mismanaged pension system, which is at least 50 percent underfunded and, analysts warn, could push Illinois into insolvency if the economy fails to pick up.

States cannot go bankrupt, technically, but signs of fiscal crackup are easy to see. Legislators left the capital this month without deciding how to pay 26 percent of the state budget. The governor proposes to borrow $3.5 billion to cover a year’s worth of pension payments, a step that would cost about $1 billion in interest. And every major rating agency has downgraded the state; Illinois now pays millions of dollars more to insure its debt than any other state in the nation.

“Their pension is the most underfunded in the nation,” said Karen S. Krop, a senior director at Fitch Ratings. “They have not made significant cuts or raised revenues. There’s no state out there like this. They can’t grow their way out of this.”

As the recession has swept over states and cities, it has laid bare economic weakness and shoddy fiscal practices. Only an infusion of federal stimulus money allowed many states to avert deep layoffs last year.
Read the rest here

This was a close one and I just about got vaporized in the process. Basically I was hand cranking a set of knives in on a 13Kv set of switchgear with depleted SF6 levels in the switch cartridges. When I made the connection one of the HV fuses popped and I headed for the door. It blew up just as I got to the door and put me face down on the rock outside. If it would’ve happened 2 seconds earlier, well, you wouldn’t be seeing these pictures.

Here’s another good example of this sort of thing happening:

Arc flash while racking a breaker

I’ve been monitoring the live ROV video feeds in the effort to contain the MC-252 blowout in the Gulf, It’s quite captivating to watch in real time. It’s a whole different ball game when your hands are a robot working a mile below sea level.

I highly recommend you visit The Oil Drum for comprehensive and detailed info on the current situation with this blowout.

Here’s a good simple link to the ROV video feeds:

ROV Video

Here’s another one:

ROV Video Feeds

Al is a buffoon on the grandest of scales, it’s those peeps cheering him on that are the real problem.

Hat Tip to   for the link.

Video link below the fold.

  Read the rest of this entry »

This is a rather long video, but well worth your time if you choose to look at things from all angles.

Illusion. Meet Reality………..

Read the rest of this entry »

The current problem with MC 252 in the GOM dwarfs what I see on a day-to-day basis. That being said, these things happen in all industrial endeavors and can’t be avoided in the real world if you’re doing something other than watching a TV set. Physics always wins, whether we like or not.Everything comes with a risk.

This is a graphic of the current situation:

The Oil Drum is a good place to start if you’d like to know more about what’s happening down there.

Be careful what you wish for, that can be one hard lesson if you aren’t willing to pay for it in the first place. Nothing is free……………
Read the rest of this entry »

At some point this stuff is going to hit critical mass. Get a grip America, or you will slide into oblivion.

City wants to nip tobacco use in the butt

The man responsible (partially, I’m the other half) for my domain names seems to be hiding again. He used to do that all the time when we told him to clean up his room as a kid. He would just disappear. Some things never change I guess……….. If you see him, tell him to give me call. He was last spotted somewhere in the Pacific ocean on an island.

UPDATE: Nice disguise Exodus, you still got the hat?  Heh, I just spotted you on the counter. You can run but you can’t hide.

Catch ya later………………………..

Fractured Fairy Tales is up and running again using WordPress V2.9.2 this time rather than the old PHP platform. It’s still in the early stages without all the of bells and whistles, but the basics are in place. It’s another “back burner” project so it might take awhile to get done, but feel free to check it out anyhow. It’s a whale of a tale…………..

IOR updates

I added the Neoworx counter today so you might want to check that out. Click at the top to scroll through the menu.
Back later, I need to feed the fire now…………

By the way, this website isn’t Microsoft Internet Explorer compatible. To solve the problem (highly recommended) get Firefox. You’ll be glad you did…..

On a side note you will probably want to install the Better Privacy add on after you install Firefox. It’ll give you the opportunity to control those pesky little super cookies called LSO’s.

Parting Company by Walter E. Williams

Israel: Syria Gave Missiles to Hezbollah…

FLASHBACK: Russia plays down Iran nuclear deal…

Russia says Iran reactor on track for August launch

The Dow’s up but trades are scarce, worrying bulls

IOR would like to extend a hand out to our newest member of the team. You know who are CJ. Welcome aboard….

Too bad we don’t have one of these laying around:

Duality Lathe - Tormach CNC

I put this together using a computer and MIDI interface to trigger an Alesis D-4 16 bit drum module, then overlaid the guitar tracks on a Yamaha 4 track MD recorder. The bass line was a triggered Technics keyboard that Exodus (a long story) provided.
I like to refer to my MIDI drummer as the “electric monkey”. You can’t do it without one in real time if they don’t show up when you need them in the first place. So there you go.

This is why I didn’t pursue music as a career. I’d starve to death if I had to sing for my supper.
The lyrics are HERE.

This is more my style. It’s boring but I’m good at it……

Sometimes to good. I was making a pass to install liners in a Moline HD 800 2 hole cylinder block one day without the safety stop set and got called away to the phone. You guessed it, when the head butted up against the concrete floor the bar and block jacked up and fell over. It hit the floor on the feed lever side and twisted some of the slotted shafts in the transmission. It took me several weeks to fix it and straighten things back out, but when I got it back together it would shift the gears and was one sweet machine. I could bore a cylinder with that little jewel, take the bar off, re-install and center it, and cut another pass at .001-.002. It’s a hard lesson to learn when you’re on the receiving end. At least I still had a job………..

“It’s a meeting of mind & steel
And the way that I feel
She’ll really scream, she’s everyones dream
This music makin’ money machine“

Hat Tip to Hot Air for the link:

H/T to Nuke for the link: